Chapter 55 - We are Shirokumo
[Kuromorimine School Carrier]
(After the draw lots for their first round opponents each school has one week to prepare before their matches. Gero, Erika and Maho were watching the daily training of their team from the observation platform)
"Looks like everyone is in high spirits!" Maho said
"Yeah..knowing that Bakatora was a Nishizumi gave them a huge boost in morale.." Erika smiled
"Looks like we got worried for nothing..right onii-sama?"
"..."
(Gero wasn't responding because he was in deep thought)
"Onii-sama?"
"Hmm? Oh sorry what was that?"
"What's wrong? Worried about the semi-finals?" Erika asked
"Ohh no..well..yes..but I wasn't thinking about that.."
"What's on your mind?" Maho asked
"I was thinking of finding myself a disciple from the newbies.."
"Disciple?" both Maho and Erika said in unison
"Yeah..you know..someone to pass on the skill set..like how you trained Erika..how Katyusha passed her doctrine to Klara and Nonna..and like how Miho is training Azusa-san.."
"I get your point..but why think about it now?" Erika asked
"It is our last year here so the earlier the better right?"
"Have you already thought of a possible candidate?" Maho asked
"Yeah I do actually.."
"One of the boys?" Erika asked
"Nope! The girl that has the best accuracy out of all of the newbies.."
"Ohh! I know who you mean.." Erika smiled
"Bring her to the Den after practice.."
"Alright onii-sama.."
[The Den - After Practice]
(As you can remember the Den is the training area below the ship that was meant for Gero's special training course. But since he has chosen his team they also train in the den with him but not the hardcore blindfold and no lights kind of training)
*KNOCK *KNOCK
"Come in!"
"Excuse me! I brought her as you requested onii-sama!" Maho said
"Thank you Maho-chan!"
"Welcome back to The Den..Sakuraba-san.." Erika smiled
(The person that Gero has chosen to be his disciple was Sakuraba)
"Thank you Kommandant! Maho-senpai said you wanted to see me?"
"Yes..Bakatora has something to say to you.." Erika said
"Sakuraba-chan..I hate to say this but..we're taking you off as the Jagdtiger's gunner.."
"EEEEEHHHHH?! Why?! I haven't even had the chance to shoot her gun in a match! Uhuhu!" Sakuraba went teary eyed and started flailing her arms around in a cute way
"Ahahaha! I'm just joking! Don't cry don't cry!"
(Sakuraba hugged Erika and was crying very cutely because of Gero's joke)
"Geez! You really scared me! Kommandant your boyfriend is being mean to me!" Sakuraba said
"There..there..I'll make sure to punish him later..but for now hear him out.." Erika smiled
"There's more?" Sakuraba asked while softly sobbing
"Sakuraba-chan..want to be my disciple?"
"Eh? Disciple?" Sakuraba was confused
"Yeah.."
"I don't understand.."
"Onii-sama is asking you if you would like to learn from him..you'll inherit his marksman skills.." Maho smiled
(All of a sudden Sakuraba's eyes turned into stars as she was overjoyed of what she heard)
"REALLY?!" Sakuraba shouted
"Yes really really..out of everyone in the first years..you have the highest potential in being a marksman.."
"Woah! This is so amazing! I'm so happy!" Sakuraba blushed
"So should I take that as a yes?"
"But..I somehow feel sad and happy at the same time.."
"Why?" Maho asked
"Being chosen by the legendary White Tiger and also the heir of the Nishizumi Family as his disciple to inherit his skills .. I could've never been so happy in my life!"
"And the sad part?" Erika asked
"I kinda feel bad for the others..because I know there are a lot better than me like Alice-chan or one of the boys..but you still chose me.." Sakuraba said
"Don't worry about Alice-chan..there are two reasons why I can't choose her.."
"Reasons?" Sakuraba asked
"First is she is a tank commander not a gunner..second of all is she is a Shimada..and me being a Nishizumi I can't take her for a disciple for it would collide with the teachings.."
"I see..then that's good.." Sakuraba smiled
"So? What's it gonna be Sakuraba-chan?"
"Yes! I gladly accept being your disciple Gero-senpai!" Sakuraba smiled
"Alright..then that's settled..as of now you'll be joining us here in The Den to train after the daily training menu..both me and Erika will coach you.."
"Jawohl! Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!" Sakuraba bowed
"We have a week to train everyone so again we'll be cramming everything we can!" Erika ordered
[First Round Matches Stadium - A Week Later]
(A week has passed and it's finally Kuromorimine's first round match against Shirokumo. Gero and Erika went to Shirokumo's Tank Garage to greet them before their match like they always do)
[Shirokumo Tank Garage]
"Hi everyone!"
"Gero-senpai!" all the Shirokumo tankers reacted
"What are you doing here senpai?!" Kengo asked
"Yo Kengo! How have you been? We are here for our usual visit before the match!"
"I see..thanks for the visit then!" Kengo saluted
"Sure! I'd like to introduce you guys as well to my Kommandant! This guy is Matsunaga Kengo, commander of Shirokumo Team!"
"Hi! Itsumi Erika here! Nice to meet you all!"
"OOOHHHH! IT'S KUROMORIMINE'S KOMMANDANT!" shouted some members
"GERO-SENPAI'S GIRLFRIEND!" shouted the girls
"Wow..didn't know you were this popular.."
"Yeah..all of us here know about her.." a girl said
"Ohh and you are?"
"Sayoko Nami! I'm the new vice commander of this team senpai!" said the girl
"Nice to meet you Sayoko-san..may I ask how you all know me?" Erika asked
"Well you're more known here as the woman that tamed the great white tiger.." Sayoko said
"What kind of title is that?!"
"Ohh that's a nice title! I like that!" Erika smiled
"Ok this is going in a direction I'm not gonna like.."
"Oh come on..don't get angry now just because you got tamed by her.." Kengo teased
"Well all jokes aside..let's all have fun in our match!" Erika smiled
"Yes ma'am!" everyone saluted Erika
"See you in the field senpai! I'll be looking for you!" Kengo said
"Sure! I'll be expecting you!"
(As Erika and Gero left the garage the Shirokumo team returned to their jobs while Kengo and Sayoko looked at them)
"So..you think we can win?" Sayoko asked
"No..we'll definitely lose..as we are now we have no chance..but we'll make sure to give them hell before they win!" Kengo smiled
"Roger that commander.." Sayoko smiled
(They now gathered on each of their starting points. The battlefield was rocky and filled with hills around)
"Both Team Commanders and Vice Commanders! Forward!" Kanon Sasagawa said
"This match is between Kuromorimine University High School versus Shirokumo High School! Mode is Annihilation! The team with no more available tanks in their arsenal loses!" Hibiki Inatomi announced
"Both teams ...Bow!"
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" both bowed and greeted
(5 seconds to the start of the match and the countdown has started in the audience)
5..!
4..!
3..!
2..!
1..!
"MATCH STAAAART!" shouted the announcer
(Both sides begun to move forward in their own formations)
Shirokumo Tank Line Up:
1 Firefly, 2 M5A1 Stuarts, 3 Type 97 Chi-Ha, M4 Sherman, T-34, Matilda II and Tiger II
Kuromorimine Tank Line Up:
1 Panzer IV, 1 Tiger I, 1 Jagdtiger, 1 Panzer III, and 6 Panther A's
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"Here begins their first official match as a team!" Chouno smiled
"Yeah.." Shiho said
"What's wrong? You look worried?" Chouno asked
"I'm not worried..it's just that..I find it so irritating that their first opponent had to be my son's previous school.." Shiho said
"I know what you mean okaa-sama..when we found out that it was Shirokumo that we were fighting..onii-sama had a very sad expression on his face.." Maho smiled
"There's nothing we can do..fate can be cruel at times..both of you know more about this than anyone else.." Chouno said
"Fate can go to hell.." Shiho whispered
[Kuromorimine Tank Formation]
(Kuromorimine was now headed for the high grounds of the battlefield to get an advantage over Shirokumo)
"What's the plan Kommandant?" Koume asked
"Head for high ground..this may be their first time doing Senshado but they can't be underestimated.." Erika said
"They are Nii-chan's kohais after all..I'm sure they'll make a move to get the momentum of the match in their favor.." Alice said
"Not to mention they have a Firefly and the Tiger II.." Sakuraba said
"Don't worry about the Tiger II..I'll handle it..you guys just listen to Kommandant and we'll get through this!"
"Jawohl!" everyone responded
"Shirokumo will definitely head for the high ground just like we are to utilize their Firefly and Tiger II.." Erika said
"Then we have to get there first-"
(As their tank formation headed for the high ground Gero suddenly felt multiple gazes around them)
"Phalanx Formation NOW!"
*FIRE!" Kengo ordered
*BOOM *BOOM
(Every tank of Shirokumo then unleashed hell onto the Kuromorimine Tank formation from all sides and they were covered with a big dust cloud)
"Did we get them?" Sayoko asked
"I think we're lucky enough if we even got one of them.." Kengo said
(As the dust started to clear a little bit Kengo then saw a scary sight of a gun barrel aimed at his tank)
"Driver reverse now!" Kengo shouted
"Feur!" Erika ordered
*BOOM *BOOM
(The Kuromorimine tank formation returned fire towards Shirokumo on all sides and white flagged 1 Stuart and 1 Chi-Ha)
"I thought you said they'll be heading for the high ground also!" Sakuraba shouted
"I thought so too.." Erika smiled
"We totally didn't expect them to lay an ambush for us.." Koume said
"Way to go Shirokumo! Nice ambush!"
"W-What the heck is that formation?!" Kengo reacted
(As they saw the Phalanx Formation which had the Kuromorimine tanks in a triangular formation aiming at both sides with the Panzer IV and Panzer III at the middle. They also saw a lone Panther that was white flagged before it could enter the formation)
"Look we got one!" Sayoko cheered
"Nice! Our first kill!" Kengo said
*CLANK
(Kengo's joy was stopped when a shell hit their Tiger II's front armor and bounced. He knew that if he wasn't a Tiger II he'd be taken out already. He saw that Gero's white tiger was already aiming at him again)
"Round up!" Ono shouted
"FIRE!"
*BOOM
(The 88mm shell was fired hitting again Kengo's tank but the shell bounced and it hit a tree beside Kengo's tank splitting it in half)
"Damn it..as expected of Gero-senpai.." Kengo smiled
"Alright just as planned! Bakatora will handle the Tiger II! Sango you go with Bakatora as he leaves the formation then find a good vantage point!"
"Jawohl Kommandant!" Sango radioed
"The rest of us will hold here for the time being until Bakatora says we're clear!"
"Jawohl!" everyone replied
"Stay right behind us Sango-san!"
"Will do!" Sango replied
"Let's go Ken!"
"Roger!"
(Immediately Gero's White Tiger separated from the formation with Sango behind it)
"Feur!" Erika shouted
*BOOM *BOOM
(Another barrage of shells were fired towards the positions of Shirokumo to provide covering fire for Gero and Sango)
"Nami! Handle things here! I'll play with senpai so that he won't flank you guys!" Kengo radioed
"Copy that!" Sayoko said
(Shirokumo's Tiger II then exited their cover and went after Gero)
"Here comes Kengo..alright Sango-san from here take a left then you'll find a good vantage point!"
"Jawohl! Good luck!" Sango said as her tank went left
"Gunner! Aim for that Panzer III!" Kengo said
*CLANK
(Another shell bounced off the Tiger II's armor and spooked Kengo)
"Keep your attention on me Kengo.."
"Tsk..I guess I've been invited..driver go after the white tiger!" Kengo ordered
(Kengo was now after Gero and both were shooting each other the whole time. Every shot made by the Tiger II was being dodged always by Ken's driving and every shot Gero made always hit the Tiger II's frontal armor and bounced)
"You can keep on trying that senpai but it won't work!" Kengo said
"Taichou..why do you keep on shooting the Tiger II's frontal armor?" Hajime asked
"Well..I'm trying to experiment if there was a way to penetrate it you know.."
"Is this really the time to be experimenting?" Ono asked
"It's not everyday I get to shoot at something without it getting white flagged always.."
"That's one way to brag I guess.." Ken said
"I guess this is far enough..Hajime please tell Erika that they're free to push out now.."
"Roger!" Hajime said
(Back at the location where Kuromorimine was ambushed Leila received the transmission from Hajime)
"Understood! Thank you Hajime-kun!" Leila said
"Leila?" Erika called out
"White Tiger has successfully lured out the Tiger II, all clear to push out!" Leila said
"Alright! Kojima-san take point!" Erika ordered
"Jawohl!" Kojima said
(Kojima then positioned their Jagdtiger in front of their formation)
"Spearhead Formation! We'll break through on one side! Once we're through, Alice-san will double back and take care of the other side!" Erika ordered
"Jawohl!" Alice responded
*BOOM
(As their formation was now moving another Panther got white flagged)
"They're trying to break through! Aim for their lead tank! FIRE!" Sayoko ordered
*CLANK *CLANK
(All shells fired by Shirokumo's tanks weren't enough to penetrate the Jagdtiger and the shells just kept on bouncing off)
"Go straight 100 meters then go left Kojima-san! That should take you directly to their flank!" Sango radioed
"Roger!" Kojima said
"Alright! Here we go!" Sakuraba shouted
(At high speeds the Spearhead Formation broke through the ambush kill zone of Shirokumo. Alice immediately dispersed and went towards the other side of the killzone as ordered by Erika)
"Kojima-san! Head to Point Echo-5! Bakatora will need your help soon!" Erika radioed
"Jawohl Kommandant!" Kojima said
"The rest of you with me! Let's clear out the Shirokumo forces and take this win!" Erika shouted
"Jawohl!" everyone responded
"Commander! Kuromorimine broke through our kill zone! We won't last much longer!" Sayoko radioed
"I hear you Nami..thank you for your hard work! Don't go down without a fight!" Kengo shouted
"Of course! FIRE!" Sayoko smiled
*BANG *CLANK
(Sayoko's Firefly shot it's 17 Pounder gun and the shell hit the turret side skirts of Erika's Panzer IV)
"That girl got some aim even under pressure..after this match they'll be much stronger.." Erika smiled
(As Erika and the others take on the remnants of Shirokumo, Gero and Kengo are still battling it out with each other)
"Taichou..they've broken through the ambush.." Hajime said
"That's my Erika..then we better finish our job as well.."
(All of a sudden the White Tigers movement changed. It became faster and more accurate and a lot harder to predict which caught Kengo off guard)
"Woah! Look at Ken-senpai go! Driver can we do that?!" Kengo smiled
"That's impossible for me, commander!" his driver said with a sad face
"I thought so..but there is one thing we can do that can surprise them!" Kengo smiled
(By Gero's order Ken suddenly drifted the white tiger right behind Kengo's Tiger II and was now aiming at their rear armor)
"NOW DRIVER!" Kengo shouted
"FIRE!"
*BOOM *CLANK
(Just before Gero pulled the trigger the Tiger II suddenly did a 90 degree rotation of its body which made Gero shoot the side armor instead of the rear armor. Gero was surprised by this and he saw the gun barrel of the Tiger II aiming at them)
"Reverse now!"
"FIRE!" Kengo ordered
*BOOM
(The 88mm shell was fired close range towards the white tiger but with Ken's quick reflexes he managed to reverse their tank just in time to dodge the shell and it only grazed their turret. The White Tiger then pulled away from the close quarter combat and was now going in circles around Kengo's tank)
"Phew..that was a close one.."
"That could've been bad..an 88mm straight to our face would've taken us out.." Ono said
"Now we can't just blindly go in for the kill or else they'll just do the same..and next time he won't miss.." Hajime said
"What's the plan Matsu-kun?" Ken asked
"We'll go in blindly for the kill!"
"Haaa?! Did you not hear what I just said?!" Ono shouted
"I heard you! But don't worry it'll work out!"
"Oh to hell with it! Round up!" Ono said
"FIRE!"
*BANG *CLANK
(The 88mm shell bounce off as usual at the Tiger II)
"Driver get ready! We have one more side armor to use against senpai!" Kengo said
"Round up!" Ono shouted
"Now Ken!"
(Just like last time Ken drifted their white tiger to the rear armor of the Tiger II)
"FIRE!"
"Rotate!" Kengo shouted
*BOOM
(The 88mm shell hit once again the Tiger II's side armor and bounced off as expected. Kengo's gunner now aimed towards the white tiger but this time Gero didn't give the order to move)
"FIRE-" Kengo shouted
*BOOM
(As a loud explosion occurred the round penetrated not the white tiger's armor but the rear armor of the Tiger II. A white flag then popped out of it's rear signaling it got taken out. Kengo was at a loss for words to what had happened)
"What was that?!" Ken asked
"That would be my disciple making her debut.."
(Kengo then got out of his cupola and brought out his binoculars and looked at the direction from where his tank was shot. He then saw a monster aiming down at him from far away and it was Sakuraba's Jagdtiger)
"Nice shot Sakuraba-san!" Kojima said
"How far was that?" Sakuraba asked
"About 2000 meters away! That's amazing!" Kojima said
"Tsk..still not enough..Gero-senpai's record was at 2200 meters..and that was with his Tiger I.." Sakuraba pouted
"Geez..I guess Gero-san making you his disciple also made you greedy huh?" Kojima chuckled
(Sakuraba was looking through her gun sights and saw Gero standing on top of his White Tiger with a smile and was showing a peace sign at her which made her smile also. Meanwhile at the other end of the field Erika was taking the shot at Shirokumo's last tank which was Sayoko's firefly)
"Feur!" Erika shouted
*BOOM
(The 75mm shell of her Panzer IV hit the firefly's side armor and got white flagged instantly)
"Nice shot Rin-san!" Erika smiled
"Thanks!" Rin smiled
"Sit-rep over there Alice-san?" Erika radioed
(On the other side from Erika there were scraps of metal on the ground and one M4 Sherman, one T-34, and one Stuart tank were white flagged in front of Alice's panther)
"All enemy tanks destroyed here Kommandant..all clear.." Alice radioed
"Then I guess that's it.." Erika smiled
"Kuromorimine remaining tanks eight! Shirokumo remaining tanks zero! Kuromorimine takes the win!" Hibiki Inatomi announced
(The stadium erupted into cheers and applause as the first round match of Kuromorimine is now done with their victory at hand. Sayoko went down from her Firefly and Erika walked up to her)
"That was a great match! You completely surprised us with your ambush.." Erika said
"But you still managed to break out of it easily.." Sayoko said
"That's because we already know how to handle those situations..this is your first official match so I'd say you did very good!"
"You think so?" Sayoko said
"Let me tell you something..the last time my tank got hit was last year's Joint Tournament..and this year..you were the first one to hit me..you have skills as a tank commander and a gunner..so keep working hard and I know you'll be just fine.."
"Really? I guess that makes me a lot happier now that you mentioned it!" Sayoko smiled
(Both of them then saw Kengo and Gero walking towards them)
"Nice fight Sayoko-san!"
"Yeah..look who lost to his senpai.." Sayoko teased
"Oh shut up..I did my best!" Kengo said
"Looks like everyone's here..LINE UP!" Erika shouted
(Every tanker of Kuromorimine then quickly lined up behind Erika and Gero)
"BOW!" Erika shouted
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE MATCH!" everyone said and bowed
(Kengo and Sayoko were surprised with their act of respect that all of them showed after the match. Both of them just bowed as well along with the other Shirokumo tankers. Gero then approached the two)
"Senpai.." Kengo called out
"Yes?"
"I had so much fun fighting you!"
"Me too!"
"But.."
(Gero then noticed both Sayoko and Kengo's hands tremble and tears started to fall on their cheeks)
"It's still frustrating to lose.." Kengo said while crying
"I really wanted to win senpai.." Sayoko said while crying
(Gero then walked closer them and both felt a pat on the head from their senpai)
*HEAD PAT
"Of course it's frustrating..there is not one person that does Senshado who doesn't feel that way when losing.."
"This is your first ever match..this isn't the end for you all but the beginning..I'm relieved that Shirokumo is being led by the both of you..I can now graduate without having to worry about you guys.."
"You were worried about us senpai?" Sayoko asked
"You bet I was..due to my selfishness me and my crew transferred to Kuromorimine..leaving the both of you behind with nobody to guide you..forgive me..it must have been hard on you guys.."
"Please don't apologize senpai..we were fine! We all worked together to learn and to reach where we are now!" Sayoko said
"That's right! It was you who inspired us to take up Senshado! We don't regret it one bit!" Kengo said
"I see..then I'm glad I was able to be an inspiration to you all..anyways don't cry anymore..or else everyone will get worried.."
"Everyone?" Kengo asked
"Over there..take a look!"
(Both Kengo and Sayoko then looked towards the direction Gero pointed and they were both surprised to see that students from their school were watching from the bleachers and was cheering them on)
"WAY TO GO KENGO SENPAI!"
"THAT WAS A GREAT MATCH! NEXT TIME YOU'LL WIN FOR SURE!" shouted a teacher
"SHIROKUMO IS THE BEST!"
"IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT THE POWERHOUSES! FIGHT ON!"
"Everyone..you all came.." Kengo smiled
"See? All of those people are now counting on you..so smile and thank them..never look down and keep moving forward!"
*PUSH
(Gero then gave Kengo and Sayoko a gentle push on their backs to move forward from this loss. Kengo then ordered his team to line up in front of the bleachers and everyone bowed)
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!" all Shirokumo tankers shouted
*APPLAUSE
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"Congratulations Erika..onii-sama!" Maho smiled
"So that's the one Gero-kun chose to be his disciple..how scary.." Chouno chuckled
"The next generation of tankers are all amazing..even those of Shirokumo will be a lot stronger from this experience.." Shiho said
"Well this is a surprise..never thought you'd praise other schools.." Chouno said
"Just this one time..they are my son's kouhais after all.." Shiho smiled
[Kuromorimine School Carrier - Tank Garage]
(After the match Erika gathered everyone in their tank garage for a few announcements)
"Good job everyone! This victory was achieved with all of your efforts! I'll be counting on you all again on our next match!" Erika shouted
"Jawohl Kommandant!" everyone saluted
"Get some rest! Our next match will be a week from now! We'll start training again tomorrow! DISMISSED!" Erika ordered
"Otsukaresama Deshita!" everyone said
"Koume-senpai! Who do you think we'll fight next?" Sakuraba asked
"It's still hard to say..the Federation will let us know by tomorrow.." Koume said
"Hey Sakuraba-san! I heard that you got a very long range kill today!" Tojo asked
"Yeah..it was my first kill with the Jagdtiger.." Sakuraba blushed
"Were you nervous?" Toshi asked
"Yes..my hands were shaking just before I took the shot..how embarrassing!" Sakuraba hid her face
"Don't be! The important part is your shot connected and you saved Gero-san!" Mauko said
"That's right..Nii-chan chose you as his disciple so you better prove that you are worthy.." Alice said
"I will Alice-san..I won't let Gero-senpai down!" Sakuraba smiled
"Good.." Alice smiled back
(Some of the tankers went back to their dorms to rest while some were still at the tank garage chatting. Gero then walked outside the tank garage to gaze at starry sky above them when his step father joined him)
"Congrats on your win young master.." Chief Matsumoto said
"Thanks jiji..I told you to stop calling me that here right?"
"Well it's just the two of us right now out here so cut me some slack.."
"Cutting you some slack would be hard because it will get a lot busier soon.."
"I know..one step closer to your goal right?"
"Yeah..one step at a time.."
(After an outstanding victory the day ends with a lovely father and son bonding as they gaze at the stars that are guiding them through their trials)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 56 - Sibling Rivalry
Author's Note:
Hello again everyone! First Round matches cleared! How did you like the match against their previous school? And look at that Sakuraba is now the disciple of Gero! A lot of expectations now from her!
Who do you think will be their next opponent? Let me know your guesses in the reviews section!
Shout out to : "MilkyWay105" thank you so much for the follow and favorite! I hope you enjoy the story!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
As always if you like what you see leave a Favorite, if you want to see a notification as I post a new chapter please Follow! If you have comments and suggestions leave a review for me to read! Thank you again and have a nice day!