Chapter 57 - Battle of the Eldest
[North Side of the Desert]
(The main unit of Kuromorimine and Jatkosota were fighting on the other side and Jatkosota was being pushed back)
"Kommandant! They're on the run!" Tojo shouted
"Good! My team will continue to push them back while Bakatora's team will head on to flank them!" Erika shouted
"Jawohl!" everyone replied
"Looks like the tides have changed when that loud music on our radios stopped.." Leila said
"Is that even allowed? They basically hacked our radio frequency.." Sheska said
"There are loopholes within the rule book..and it said nothing about having us listen to their absurdly loud song is a violation of the rules.." Rin said
"What do you think, Kommandant?" Suzu asked
"..."
(Erika was in deep thought the whole time and was worried about Alice and Gero)
"If the music stopped..then it means Mika let go of her Kantele and started fighting seriously.." Erika said in her thoughts
"We're getting a transmission from Hajime-kun!" Leila said
"What is it? Are they alright?" Sheska asked
"They're fine..but.." Leila was in shock
"But what?" Rin asked
"Alice-chan..was defeated by the BT-42.." Leila said
(Erika and her crew was shocked by this transmission)
"Then..that means Gero-san is now fighting alone against that tank alone?!" Sheska shouted
(Erika then got out of her cupola and looked at the direction where Gero was but couldn't see anything for they were far away)
"Gero.." Erika said in her thoughts
"What now Erika-chan?" Leila asked
"We'll finish up the remaining stragglers of Jatkosota then head straight for the flag tank's position asap!"
"Jawohl!" her crew said
[Flash Back 12 Years Ago - Shimada Household]
(Gero was 7 years old and Mika was 4 years and were playing together while Alice who was just a year old was watching them both)
"Ro-chan! Let's duel again! I'll win this time!" Mika said
"Alright Mi-chan! Back to back now! We will walk ten steps then turn around and shoot!"
(Both of them went back to back holding their toy pistols and started walking and counting)
"One!"
"Two!"
(As they counted up while walking Alice was just looking at them and was thinking of how cool her Nee-chan and Nii-chan are)
"Eight!"
"Nine!"
"Ten!"
(This part is when the young Mika and Gero turned around and aimed their toy pistols at each other then the scene transitions into the present duel now where Mika and Gero are older and wearing their tanker uniforms and instead of toy pistols they are now aiming with their tanks)
"FIRE!"
"Tulta!"
*BANG *BANG *BOOM
(Both the 88mm and 114mm shell hit mid air in between Gero and Mika but with Ono's fast reload they were able to fire the second right away)
"Round up!"
"FIRE"
*BANG
(The 88mm shell went straight towards the BT-42 but it went past it's body for it was already a mirage created by Mika)
"Damn! She already-"
*BOOM
(All of a sudden the white tiger took a direct hit on their left flank but they it only ripped of the side skirts)
"Ken keep moving! One more hit like that and we're gone!"
"I got it! I got it!"
"Hajime! Use that MG-34 and fire short bursts at every BT-42 we see!"
"Copy that!"
(The white tiger was now being chased by two BT-42s and Hajime was shooting at them with the machine gun to figure out which one is real)
"Both in front are fake!" Hajime shouted
"Which means she's there! FIRE!"
*BANG *CLANK
(The 88mm shell just grazed the turret of the real BT-42 behind the white tiger and this continued for a couple more times before the BT-42 then drove away to gain some distance)
"Gero-san is so smart..using the MG to determine the fakes from the real.." Aki said
"What now Mika? The mirages won't work on them now.."
"Then we're gonna have to up our game even more.." Mika smiled
(Gero and his crew were now getting ready for Mika's next move and were just watching them as they got close)
"Alright we won't get easily fooled now..as long as Hajime confirms the fakes I can take a shot at where the real one is.."
"Why do I have a feeling this is going way too easily?" Ono asked
"I know..Mi-chan is probably going to try something now.."
"Here they come!" Ken shouted
(As Gero looked he saw three BT-42s headed straight for them)
"Hajime! One of them is the real one!"
"Firing!" Hajime shouted
*MACHINE GUN FIRE
(The MG-34 bullets were fired towards the BT-42s and Gero was shocked to see that all bullets went through all three of them meaning all were mirages)
"What?! All are fake?!" Hajime shouted
*BOOM *CLANK
(Their white tiger got hit at its flank again but this time it bounced off)
"Where is she?!" Ono shouted
"I'm looking for her!"
"Round up!"
"FIRE!"
*BANG *BOOM
(The 88mm shell landed somewhere in the sand not hitting the real BT-42)
"Missed!"
"What's happening Gero?!" Ono asked
"She hid her presence..she's somewhere here just around us but I can't pinpoint her location!"
"Is this what you were saying a while ago?" Ken asked
"Yeah! Mi-chan just got really serious in defeating us by whatever means necessary.."
"And there's even a higher level than this?!" Ono shouted
"Yes there is! Scary right!?"
(Gero was right about Mika hiding her presence but not just her's but also her crew and their whole tank can't be felt by Gero even with his heightened senses)
"Shimada Style: Lurk" Mika said
"Woah..he really can't see us or hear us!" Mikko said
"Ready!" Aki said
"Tulta!"
*BANG *BOOM
(The 114mm shell once again hit the flank of Gero's tank and destroyed the remaining side skirts of the white tiger. Gero was now convinced that he can no longer beat Mika unless he gets serious)
"Come on Ro-chan..if you don't do anything you'll lose.." Mika said
"Damn it Mi-chan.."
*BOOM *BOOM
(The white tiger was getting bombarded by shells from different directions and Ken is barely keeping up on dodging because they have no idea where the next shot will come from)
"Do what you have to Taichou!" Hajime said
"We'll be fine Matsu-kun! We have to win this right?!" Ken shouted
"Come on Gero..let's beat the Shimada Heir!" Ono smiled
"Alright..prepare yourselves boys.."
"Roger!" his crew responded
(Gero then relaxed himself and sat back in his gunner chair. He took big inhales and exhales as he focused and so did his crew. This made the white tiger stop and was just in the middle of the field not moving)
"They stopped?!" Aki said
"I'm sorry Ro-chan..but I'm not gonna wait for anything..Tul-"
(Mika's order to shoot got interrupted as she felt an intense amount of aura coming from Gero's direction)
"Nishizumi Style: Murderous Impulse.."
(As Gero said those words immediately he releases his murderous or killing intent towards the direction where Mika's BT-42 was hiding and Mika and her crew felt fear in them and rendered them immobile for about a second)
"W-What was that?" Aki asked
"That was Ro-chan's killing intent..he found us..Mikko move now!" Mika shouted
"M-Moving!" Mikko was still shaken up a little
(The BT-42 now was moving at fast speeds around the white tiger and was still creating optical illusions to fool Gero but it was already no use)
"Round up!"
"FIRE!"
*BANG *CLANK
(The 88mm shell hit the BT-42 on is side and the shell bounced off but it was still a direct hit even though their presence was concealed)
"Tulta!"
*BANG *BOOM
(Just as they fired the concealed 114mm shell form the BT-42 was hit mid air by Gero which shocked even Mika because that was that would've been impossible to hit but Gero managed to)
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"Shiporin..can you explain to me what your son did to detect my daughter when she's obviously concealed herself?" Chiyo asked
"Your family's skill is amazing..you can hide your presence from your enemies..sight, sound, smell, and even movements just like a chameleon..but it's not perfect..there is a way to counter it.." Shiho said
"And what is that?"
"If you can't see something or if you can't hear it..then feel it..Gero forced them to feel something that made them visible.."
"Fear.." Chiyo said
"That's right..my son sent a murderous impulse towards your daughter and in return fear was created in them..therefore Lurk was disabled because he could sense their fear.."
(Just as Shiho explained it Mika was now out in the open in Gero's eyes and her Lurk can't hide her anymore and her optical illusions can't fool anyone anymore. At this moment Gero wasn't having fun anymore. He'd rather fight Mika head on without having to detect her presence but he has a goal. And to reach that goal he needs to win the match)
"What do we do Mika?!" Mikko shouted
"There's nothing we can do now..the only chance we had was when we were concealed.."
"So..this means our summer is over huh?" Aki said
"Sorry girls..Ro-chan is someone I just can't defeat on my own.."
"Oh come on don't say that..we gave it our best shot and I had fun too!" Mikko smiled
"Me too..these three years with you as my crew has been the best.." Mika smiled
"Same for us Mika.." Aki smiled
"Let's end this with a last attack!" Mika said
"Roger!" both Aki and Mikko said
(With one last push towards the end both the white tiger and the BT-42 gave their best drift within the sand. As their drift slowly goes to a halt they aim at each other for the kill shot)
"Round up!"
"FIRE!"
"Tulta!"
*BANG *BANG *BOOM
(As the explosions went of both tanks were covered in smoke and sand while everyone couldn't see the clear winner)
"Who won?!" Rin asked
"Did we win?! Or did we lose!?" Chinatsu shouted
"I don't know..both shot at the same time.." Alice said
"Look, the smoke is clearing!"
(As the smoke and sand cleared the battlefield everyone saw that there was a white flag on top of one of the two. And the tank with the white flag on it was Jatkosota's flag tank the BT-42. The 88mm shell impacted the frontal armor or the BT-42 while the 114mm shell missed and impacted behind the white tiger)
"Nii-chan..won.." Alice smiled
"The Jatkosota Flag Tank has been destroyed! Kuromorimine University is the winner!" Kanon Sasagawa announced
(The announcement echoed through the stadium and loud cheers with applause from the audience was heard all around. Erika and the rest of the Kuromorimine who were already on the way to Gero's location also heard this and rejoiced)
"Gero-san did it!" Sango radioed
"Way to go Gero-senpai!" Tojo shouted
"Quarter Finals here we come!" Sakuraba shouted
"Gero.." Erika smiled
"Come one Erika-chan..be happier!" Leila said
"I am happy!" Erika said
"Let's go fetch the boys!" Suzu said
(As Erika and her crew make their way towards Gero. Mika goes down her tank and approaches Gero who also got off his tank and had an angry expression on his face)
"Congratulations Ro-chan..you win again.."
"Thanks..but..why did you have to force me to win that way Mi-chan?"
"Why..huh.."
"You of all people know that I hate winning like that!"Gero shouted
(Gero and Mika's crew were just on top of their tanks and watching their tank commanders argue. Alice and her crew also arrived and got worried for the both of them)
"Nii-chan..Nee-chan..please don't fight.." Alice said
"Answer me Mi-chan!"
(Erika and her crew also arrived now and saw that Gero and Mika were about to have an argument but decided not to intervene just yet)
"Ono-senpai? What's happening?"
"Just a quarrel between childhood friends.." Ono smiled
"Gero-san and the commander of Jatkosota?!" Leila reacted
"Yeah.." Hajime answered
"You want to know why I did that to you?" Mika asked
"Yes I do.."
"When I concealed my presence during our duel..what did you feel?" Mika asked again
"It gave me a fright..I couldn't see you nor hear you..why?"
"I see..because THAT'S HOW I FELT WHEN YOU SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED TWELVE YEARS AGO!" Mika suddenly shouted
(Everybody there was surprised because it was the first time they ever heard Mika shout or get angry. They all saw tears fall down Mika's cheeks and she was clenching her fists. Gero also realized that he was never able to say goodbye to Mika before disappearing)
"Mi-chan.."
"NOT JUST ME! IT WAS ALSO HARD FOR ALICE! HOW DO YOU THINK SHE FELT WHEN HER BELOVED NII-CHAN NEVER CAME BACK?!" Mika shouted
"IT WAS SO HARD FOR THE BOTH OF US TO ACCEPT THAT WE WERE NEVER GOING TO SEE YOU AGAIN! AND WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE REASON WHY!"
"I WAS SO SCARED RO-CHAN! YOU JUST UP AND LEFT WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE! I THOUGHT SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO YOU! I WAS SO WORRIED! I COULDN'T ACCEPT IT!"
"EVERYDAY WITHOUT YOU WASN'T FUN ANYMORE! IT WAS PAINFUL! SO YEAH I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO HAVE FUN DURING OUR FIGHT! I WANTED YOU TO KNOW WHAT I FELT!"
(Mika was crying her heart out in front of them. All pent up pain and worry all those years was being expressed now. She took a deep breath and regained her composure)
"I was..i wasn't able to say anything before I left because.."
"I know you had a reason..but I just couldn't accept it..when I entered junior high..every year I transferred to a different school..hoping to find you in one of them.."
"Nee-chan..you mean the reason you left the house was.." Alice said
"Yes my little sister..it was to find Ro-chan..nine years..nine different schools..but I still couldn't find you..when I was about to enter senior high school I gave up on looking for you..I thought that there was no hope.."
(Erika's crew were surprised at what they heard about Mika being the older sister of Alice)
"Wait..Jatkosota's commander is Alice-chan's older sister?!" Suzu reacted
"Yes..Shimada Mika..the heir of the Shimada Family.." Erika said
"Eehhh?!" Erika's crew reacted
"That's the time I met Mikko and Aki..both of them stayed by my side and kept my attention away from the sadness of giving up on you..just when I was about to forget about you completely you suddenly appeared months ago and we even fought each other!" Mika said
"During the National Joint High School Senshado Tournament.."
"That's right..when I saw you that day..coming down from your tank..it took me a couple of seconds before I realized that it was you Ro-chan..to think that I looked for you for nine years and in the end you were the one that found me.."
"But during that time.."
"I know..you lost your memories that time..that's why you didn't recognize me..but just seeing you alive was enough for me..those nine years of searching for you were not in vain.."
"Yes they were not Mi-chan.."
"But it still hurt a lot when you didn't recognize me you know..I was both happy and in shock that time.."
"I'm sorry for that.."
"It's fine..what's important is you're back now..I never got to say this properly to you but.."
(Mika then removed her hat and gave her best smile with a blush)
"Okaeri Ro-chan..I missed you so much.."
"I missed you too Mi-chan..Tadaima.."
(Mika was so overjoyed that she jumped towards Gero aiming to hug him but before she reached him Erika suddenly intervened in between them to stop the hug because she got a little jealous)
"E-Erika?!"
"Ok that's enough alright? You may be Bakatora's childhood friend but I am still his girlfriend..so hands off.."
"Whoo! Go Erika-chan! Protect what's yours!" Leila cheered
"Senpai got jealous.." Sheska teased
"Shut up!" Erika reacted
(The moment Erika got distracted for a second Mika hid her presence once again and slipped past Erika to hug Gero tightly)
"Ro-chan.." Mika blushed while hugging him tightly
"Mi-chan?!"
"HEY MIKA! DON'T SUDDENLY ERASE YOUR PRESENCE LIKE THAT! I SAID HANDS OFF!" Erika shouted in jealousy
(Erika then immediately grabbed Gero's right arm in an attempt to pull him away from Mika but Gero's left arm was being hugged by Mika and both kept pulling on him)
"Let go Mika! He's mine!" Erika shouted
"I don't want to.." Mika said
(Soon electricity started in between Erika and Mika's eyes as they fought for Gero's attention)
"Geez you two! Stop pulling! I'll be ripped apart!"
"Bakatora!"
"Ro-chan!"
"HEEEEEEEEEEELPPPP MEEEEEEEE!"
(The rest were just laughing at how Gero was being slowly ripped in two by Erika and Mika. All of this was being broadcasted by a surveillance drone in the air. Both Shiho and Chiyo were watching it from their seats)
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"What on earth are they doing?" Shiho asked
"It looks to me that my daughter has grown fonder of your son Shiporin.."
"I'd say she's out of luck because Itsumi-kun won't back down from a cat fight.." Shiho smiled
"Anyways I guess I'll get going now..might as well take my daughters out for dinner.."
"Hey don't forget about the bet..next time we drink your buying Chiyokichi!"
"Yes yes I won't forget!"
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
"Good job everyone! Our next match is now the Quarter Finals! How do you feel?" Erika asked
"We feel great Kommandant!" Tojo shouted
"Already excited Kommandant! When is the match?" Sakuraba asked
"The second round matches are still commencing this week so we'll probably hear from the Federation next week on who will be our next opponent.." Erika said
"Alright! Whoever they may be we'll face them head on!" Rio shouted
"YEAAAAH!" everyone cheered
"Since there's still two hours before sundown all of you have my permission to train individually! But do not be late for the curfew! Those that won't train you can now rest up! Is that understood?" Erika said
"Jawohl!" everyone saluted
(After Erika's announcement their team went to do what they wanted. Some of them went to their dorms or went home while Gero's team went to the Den to train more. Erika realized that Gero wasn't there and started to look for him. She headed right away for the rooftop were both of them usually spend time together and Gero was there)
"You ok?" Erika asked
"Yeah..I was just thinking about things.."
"Like what?" Erika then sat beside Gero and rested her head on his shoulders
"What Mi-chan said..you know about transferring schools year after year for nine years trying to look for me.."
"I believe I don't have to tell you that she doesn't want your pity or sympathy right? She did that of her free will..she wasn't forced to.."
"I know..I just feel angry at myself for being the cause of their pain..both Mi-chan and Alice-chan have the right to hate me for what happened.."
"But they don't..they're just happy to have you back..safe and sound.."
"It's great to be back.."
"Hey..I have a question.."
"What is it?"
"If your situation was reversed..and Mika was the one that went missing..would you have done the same and searched for her everywhere?"
"Yes I would've.."
"Then would you have chosen to be with Mika instead of being with me?"
"No..I would've still chosen to be with you and only you Erika.."
"Why?"
"I only see Mi-chan as my childhood friend..while I look at you as my future wife..the moment I saw you I already knew that you were the one.."
"How can you be so sure it's me?"
"Because.."
(Gero then gave a passionate kiss to his lover on the rooftop. Gero wanted to express that Erika was the only person that he expresses his love for. After the sweet kiss Gero rested his forehead on Erika's and both looked at each other's eyes)
"You're the only one in this world that I want to kiss..that I want to hug..that I want to be with for the rest of my life.."
"Really?"
"Yes really?"
"I'm still not convinced..so can you give me one more kiss?" Erika asked with a smile and a blush
(As Gero leaned in to give another sweet kiss to Erika his phone suddenly rang and cock blocked both of them)
*RING *RING
"Geez..ever heard of silent mode?" Erika pouted
"Sorry sorry..let me just check who's calling.."
(Gero took a quick peek on who his caller was and saw that it was Maho)
"Maho-chan?"
"Maho-san is calling?"Well what are you waiting for!? Answer it!" Erika said
(Gero then accepted the call and placed his phone on his ear on the opposite side of Erika)
"Yo Maho-chan? What's up?"
(Erika then saw the expression on Gero's face change from a smile to a shocked expression)
"I see.."
"Alright.."
"Thank you for telling me.."
"I guess see you tomorrow.."
"Be careful ok..?"
"Bye.."
(Gero then dropped the call and rested his hand that was holding the phone on his lap while just staring at the sky)
"Gero..?"
"Maho-chan went to watch Ooarai and Red Wings' match today.."
"So that's why I haven't seen her all day..and did something happen?! Is Miho alright?!" Erika got worried
"Miho-chan is alright..as well as the rest of her team..Maho-chan will be staying the night at Miho-chan's place..so we'll be seeing her tomorrow.."
"That's a relief..then what's with the long face?"
"Ooarai lost to Red Wings.."
(Erika was shocked to the news brought to her by Gero)
"How bad?"
"Completely..and utterly...beaten.."
(Erika just held Gero's hand for she saw his fists clenched not because of anger but because of the fact that his sister didn't make it to the quarter finals)
[Second Round Matches Stadium - Ooarai vs. Red Wings Match]
(The field was an urban battlefield and the whole area was decimated. The buildings and houses were completely destroyed. Piece of metal and tank parts were scattered throughout the area. Ooarai's tanks were all white flagged together with Ooarai's flag tank which was Shizuka's red Te-Ke which was the last tank to be taken out)
"Forgive me..Miho-dono.." Shizuka said as she was crying
"It's alright Shizuka-san..we did our best.." Miho said as she comforted Shizuka
(Miho gazed upon their Panzer IV which was completely destroyed. All side skirts were ripped off and their gun barrel was blown off. Then at the opposite side of the street a line of Red Wings tanks were roaming around. The main tanks of Red Wings were M4A3E2 Jumbo Tanks with 76mm guns)
"Otsukare-sama Deshita, Shiori-sama.." Takayuki said
"Thank you..good job to everyone as well! Return to base.." Shiori said
"Yes ma'am!" her teammates saluted
(Shiori now led her tank column with her tank in the lead. Shiori was on her tank's cupola which was a M4E3E8 Sherman or "Easy Eight" with a 76mm gun barrel and it had a marking on the side of the gun barrel that said)
"FURY"
Coming Up Next : Chapter 58 - Friendly Rumors
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! How was the chapter? Pretty intense right?! A big clash between two family heirs and showing of their Family Skills! Gero introduces the first Nishizumi Style skill "Murderous Impulse" and Mika using the Shimada Style skill "Lurk"! Cool names or nah?
I'll have a chapter to explain these skills and the Family Skills for those that are confused so don't worry! These skills have proper context also so they were just not made from thin air XD
I got goosebumps when I wrote the words "FURY" ugh! Such a great movie!
Shout out to : "bmark2182000" and "worldwars19141945" thank you so much for the follow and favorite! Welcome to my story!
Shout out to : "m4and4lor3" thank you very much for the favorite! Please have a great read!
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!