Chapter 116 - Mad Megan

[American Tank Formation - West Side of the Mountain]

"Listen up! There will be no change in our strategy! We find the enemy and we destroy them! Stay in formation and this will be an easy win!" Arnold said

"Are you sure about that?" Megan asked

"Megan will stay back and protect our flag tanks while Eugene breaks off the formation to look for the enemy flag tanks. Take three tanks each and remember to not engage them before our main force arrives!"

"But babysitting is boring! I want to fight the Iron Rose!" Megan pouted

"Back off Megan! That bitch is mine to destroy! I'll humiliate her in front of the whole world for what she did to me!" Eugene shouted

"Ha? Who the fuck do you think you are to order me around?"

"Did you both hear what I just said?! Stay focused and-"

(The three of them felt a huge burst of bloodlust all of a sudden. It made their tank driver stop their tanks because of the sudden cold chills down their spine. As they looked up the mountain a single 88mm shell flew on top of their heads and landed a direct hit on the gun mantlet of a T29 Heavy Tank behind them which ricocheted downwards hitting the thin hull plate. The shell exploded and a white flag popped up on the heavy tank. The American Team was shaken after one of theirs was easily taken out and the one responsible was none other than the Iron Rose. Erika was standing on top of her Tiger I tank with an evil smile on her face. Her right eye was glowing golden meaning she had activated her Sacred Possession. She stared down at the American team form up top like they were not a threat to her at all)

"That's one down.." Erika smiled

"She's.." Megan smiled

"IRON ROSE! YOU BITCH!" Eugene shouted at the top of his lungs

(Erika was just laughing at the Tank Ace of America who was malding down below. Gero and Kaede then pulled up with their tanks beside Erika to show their opponents their flag tanks)

"The Iron Rose, the White Tiger, and their Commander?! All three of their flag tanks came here?! What the hell are they thinking?!" Arnold reacted

"Fire! All tanks return fire!" Eugene shouted

(The tanks of the American Team then fired their guns as ordered but none were able to land a hit. The three of them slowly reversed and disappeared into the dust cloud surrounding them. As they predicted, Eugene didn't even wait for a command and his tank sped up after them)

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Iron Rose?! Come back here!" Eugene shouted more

"Eugene you bastard! Come back here!" Arnold shouted

"Sorry commander but I'm heading up as well!" Megan followed

"What?! Who'll protect our flag tanks then?!"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out! This is an opportunity for us! The enemy's flag tanks are within reach and we can end this fight quickly!"

"Damn it both of you! Tanks #20 to #25 go and follow them and bring them back!"

"Yes sir!"

(Arnold was infuriated that what Kaede had said to him before the match started had come true. He knows that Megan and Eugene are already hard to control but now one of them is blinded by rage and the other is tempted by her desire to fight)

"Looks like they took the bait.."

"Yeah, time for step two then. Good luck to the both of you and have fun!" Kaede said

"You too, my love!"

(Kaede's Chi-Ri headed down the mountain while Erika's Tiger went up the mountain and Gero's White Tiger headed inside one of the tunnels. Eugene and Megan arrived at the tunnel entrance followed by the six tanks that were sent to take them back)

"Eugene! Megan! The commander is pissed and has ordered us to take you back!" one of the tankers said

"Are you capable of taking us back?" Megan asked

"Nope, so what's the plan?"

"There are three train tracks leading to three different routes. One went up, one went in, and another went down. The question now is which tank went which way?"

(Megan suddenly felt intense pressure from an enormous aura coming from inside the tunnels. She could clearly tell that it was different and stronger from the Iron Rose's aura. She knew exactly whose aura it was and it excited her even more)

"Looks like I've been invited by the great White Tiger" Megan smiled

"White Tiger?"

"The Iron Rose went up and the White Tiger went inside."

"How do you know for sure?"

"Trust me, I'm very sure. Since you're all gung-ho about getting your revenge, you go up towards the Iron Rose. I'll go inside the tunnel and chase the White Tiger. Three of you go with Eugene while the other three chase after the other flag tank down the mountain. Inform Arnold once you get a lock on her position." Megan ordered

"Roger!"

"What?! I can take her on alone! I don't need anybody's help!" Eugene complained

"Shut the fuck up and do as you're told. Unless you want to prove your useless point to me right here right now?" Megan threatened

"Damn it! You'll regret this! The three of you, with me!"

"Yes sir!"

(Eugene went up the mountain with three other tanks while Megan headed inside alone while the last three tanks went after Kaede. Megan went deeper into the mountain and reached the center which was a very large circular cave which had chunks of rockets scattered all across. The White Tiger was at the other side of the cave just staring down at Megan and her tank)

"Welcome Mad Megan!"

"I wonder what you have in store for me, White Tiger?" Megan smiled

"I have a lot actually! I'll keep you entertained here while my amazing comrades win the match!"

"Oh I have no doubt you'll entertain me! The question here is if the other two hiding inside this cave can?"

(Gero was not surprised the Megan was able to feel the presence of Miho and Maho even though they had their tanks' engines turned off)

"Yeah about that, sorry but this will be three against one."

"No need to apologize! In fact I'm overjoyed that the great White Tiger has acknowledged me as a threat to prepare something like this!"

"Let's begin then!"

(Miho and Maho started their engines and came out of their hiding spot. Their gunners aimed at Megan's Chaffee while the White Tiger did the same)

"FIRE!"

"Firing!" the gunners shouted

(Three 88mm shells were fired at the same time from the left, right, and front. Megan wasn't even surprised and just had a smile on her face. The Chaffee then made a clean and swift 90 degree reverse and dodged all three shells with ease. Megan had the biggest smile on her face and her body was trembling in excitement again)

"FINALLY! I CAN LET LOOSE! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Megan shouted

[Top of the Mountain]

(Erika was at the top of the mountain and she heard the explosions made by Gero and Megan down below)

"Looks like they've started. Let's get this over with shall we?" Erika asked

"IRON ROSE! I'LL MAKE YOU KNEEL DOWN BEFORE ME IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD!" Eugene shouted

"Why does that guy keep on shouting?" Sheska asked

"You know what they say, the weakest dog always barks the loudest."

(Eugene and the three other Sherman tanks then surrounded Erika's Tiger tank at the center. They aimed their guns and fired 76mm armor piercing shells but Erika was able to maneuver out of the way and returned fire immediately. One of the Shermans was struck dead center with an 88mm shell and got white flagged)

"Three more to go!"

"DAMN YOU!"

"Oh Shut up!"

[Outside the Mountain - South Eastern Sector of the Forest]

(The other three Shermans that were following Kaede's tracks were quickly going down the mountain. After a few seconds the three tanks were hit simultaneously from the left and right and got white flagged before they could see anybody from the JNST)

"Easy peasy!" Takashi said

"Enemy tank neutralized!" Kenji said

"Targets down." Kal said

"Good job! Listen up! The White Tiger and the Iron Rose are keeping the enemy's Tank Ace and Vice Commander up the mountain! Our job here is to stop the enemy team's main tank force here!" Shiori said

"Why don't they just all head up the mountain and overwhelm Gero-kun and Erika-san with numbers?" Pekoe asked

"If they do that then we'll just come up behind them and pincer them from the top and below." Darjeeling said

"They also know that Darling and Erika fights a lot better against multiple enemies at once. They'll lose a lot more tanks if they do that." Kay said

"Exactly! The Shimada sisters have already left to hunt down two of their flag tanks so all we need to do now is to fight it out and wait!" Shiori said

"Only two? Where's the last?" Takayuki asked

"Their last flag tank is headed in our direction. Their commander, Arnold, is the third flag tank." Kaede said

[Inside the Mountain]

(Megan grew up in a proud family that manages a circus. She has spent her childhood taming and performing with big and dangerous animals. Beasts like wolves, lions and bears were child's play to her. Her desire to fight stronger opponents comes from this life experience. She has never before tried to tame and fight a tiger in her life which is why she is having the time of her life fighting against Gero and his sisters who were like tigers)

"FIRE!" Miho and Maho ordered

"Come on! Come on! Is this all you've got!?" Megan shouted

(Megan's Chaffee dodged in a zigzag pattern without losing speed and balance then returned fire twice hitting Miho and Maho's tiger tanks. One shell was dodged while the other one bounced off their armor. Gero then approached Megan on her blind spot and opened fire but she was able to dodge that shot as well without looking)

"How in the world?!" Ken was baffled

"Does she have eyes behind her back or something?!" Hajime shouted

"Her ability to sense is off the charts! I bet she can fight even with her eyes closed!"

(Megan's Chaffee then rode on top of a boulder and flew over them and fired a shot from above aiming at the top of their engine block. Ken was able to maneuver and dodged the shot but slammed their tank on the side of a boulder. Megan's tank landed perfectly and was aiming once again at the white tiger.)

"I won't let you!" Maho shouted

(Maho's tank fired a shell and thwarted Megan forcing her to retreat away from them)

"Onii-sama! Are you guys alright!?"

"We're fine! Go after her!"

(Maho then started chasing after Megan all over the place. An 88mm shell was fired at the rear armor of the Chaffee but it dodged to the left and missed. Just as the Chaffee was about to turn right beside another boulder Miho was already lying in wait to make the perfect ambush)

"FIRE!" Miho ordered

(The 88mm shell flew across the mountain floor and when it was about to land a direct hit on the Chaffee it suddenly lost speed and swerved to the left. The shell grazed the side of the light tank and missed its target. Maho was about to chase it again but she was halted when the Chaffee opened fire and forced Maho to take cover)

"More! Let's have more fun!" Megan smiled

[Outside the Mountain - Eastern Sector of the Forest]

"Commander Kaede! Enemy tank formation headed this way!" Shizuka reported

"Thank you very much! Keep an eye on their formation even during the fight and let me know if anything changes!"

"Wilco!"

(The JNST was now waiting for the American tanks to arrive in their killing zone. They could feel the ground rumble and the trees sway as numerous tanks got closer. A salvo of smoke shells then were fired by the American tanks to mask their approach. Kaede was on her binoculars and she started to see the silhouettes of tanks in front of her)

"Steady! Here they come!"

(The first row of tanks that emerged from the smoke were the T29 heavy tanks which had their gun barrels aiming at their positions)

"Incoming!"

(Fourteen T29s opened fire at the JNST positions with HE shells which decimated the trees and foliage that they were using. The shells were so powerful that two Ke-Ni light tanks and two Chi-Ri tanks got white flagged instantly.)

"They got us-desuwa!" Rosehip shouted

"My cake fell on the floor!" Marie shouted

(Now that the JNST's cover was blown up their ambush was visible to their enemies. Another salvo of shots were fired and this time it came from the Sherman Easy Eights from behind which white flagged three more Chi-Ri tanks)

"Our cover's gone! We have to pull back!" Katyusha shouted

"All tanks return fire while retreating! Tank destroyers aim for the T29s while the others aim for the Shermans behind them! Light tanks flank to the right!"

"Roger!"

(The JNST tanks returned fire and were able to white flag three Shermans and one T29 heavy. The JNST line started to crumble bit by bit as the T29 heavies pushed through the destroyed forest)

"Keep moving forward! Sweep the entire area!" Arnold ordered

(The T29s then aimed at the Ho-Ri IIs and fired their 105mm guns and managed to white flag two of them)

"Damn it we got hit!" Kenji radioed

"We're out as well!" Klara said

"Don't worry, we'll win." Jouko smiled

(Jouko pulled the trigger and fired a 105mm shell straight through one of the T29s and white flagged it. Sakuraba did the same as well and white flagged another T29 with a perfect shot through its side armor)

"Our Tank Ace and the White Tiger's Disciple are doing work! Let's show them what the best Senshado tankers in Japan can do!" Shiori shouted

"OOOHHH!"

"Damn it! They were on the verge of crumbling but they still managed to recover." Arnold complained

"Commander! Commander! We have a big problem!" a sudden radio transmission came from the radio

"What is it?!"

"We got spotted! Flag tank's one and two are being chased right now!"

"Haa?! How many are after you?!"

"Two!"

"It's just two tanks! Take care of them! Why are you scared of two tanks? And you call yourselves part of the American Tankery Team?!"

"You have no idea commander! The two tanks that are chasing us are not like any other we have faced!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"IT'S LIKE WE'RE BEING HUNTED BY MONSTERS!"

[Outside the Mountain - North Western Sector of the Forest]

(It's just like the American Flag Tank Commander said. They were being chased by two monster-like tanks across the forest. The two tanks that were chasing them were none other than the Shimada sisters)

"Let's increase the speed Alice! We'll focus on one of the flag tanks first!" Mika ordered

"Got it, nee-chan!"

(The two Ke-Ni light tanks then got a lot faster and started to focus their fire on one of the Chaffees. They tried their best to dodge the shots but it was proven difficult to maneuver with so many trees and rocks along the pathway.)

"Damn it! How the hell did they slip past our security?!"

"We have to shake them off somehow!"

"Follow me! We'll lead them to our bodyguards!"

(Suddenly two smoke shells landed in front of the Chaffees and blinded both tanks temporarily. Within the smoke the Chaffees suddenly bumped into each other and lost control for a second. When they broke through the smokescreen one of the Chaffees realized that the tank he bumped into was actually Alice's tank and was now alone with the two of them with the other Chaffee nowhere to be seen. They used the smokescreen as cover while Alice hid her presence. She got in between the two Chaffees and forced him to go left while the other Chaffee went right.)

"Where the hell did you go?! Why am I alone with these monsters?!"

"How the fuck should I know?! One second you were beside me then the next you were gone!" the other Chaffee commander complained

(Alice and Mika then increased the pressure on the lone flag tank by bumping their tanks on both sides of the Chaffee. They weren't even shooting their guns and were just pissing off the tank crew)

"Alright that's it! You picked the wrong tank to mess with!" the Chaffee commander shouted

"You idiot! Don't do anything rash! I'm headed to you now!" the other Chaffee commander said

(The Chaffee then rotated its turret and fired its 75mm shell at Alice tank but it was dodged with ease. Mika then sped up more and got side to side with the Chaffee. She then crashed her tank at the front end of the Chaffee to the right while Alice crashed her tank the rear end to the left. This made the Chaffee spin out of control because it was going so fast. It slammed straight into a tree and stunned the crew inside temporarily. When the commander recovered from the crash he noticed that Alice and Mika were already aiming their guns at their tank. They both fired 37mm shells at the Chaffee and white flagged the first Flag Tank of the American Team)

"American Tankery Team Flag Tank #2 has been immobilized! The American Tankery Team has two Flag Tanks remaining!" the announcer said

"DAMN IT! YOU INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" Arnold shouted

(Everybody on the American Tankery Team was so shocked by the announcement while the JNST had an incredible boost in morale.)

"Amazing job Shimada Sisters!" Shiori cheered

"The second flag tank is headed down south! We're giving chase now!" Alice reported

"This might take a lot more time since it would've regrouped with its security by now but we have a plan!" Mika said

"Understood! Keep me updated!"

[Top of the Mountain]

"Hear that? That was the sound of your stupidity causing one of your flag tanks to get taken out." Erika said

"Shut the fuck up! I'm not responsible for that! Megan is!" Eugene shouted

"I guess it's easier to blame others than to admit your own mistakes huh?"

(All of the Sherman tanks that came with Eugene to fight Erika had already been white flagged and all that's left is the American Tank Ace)

"To be honest, I expected more from the Tank Ace of the top three teams. You can't even amount to a good warm up with your level." Erika said

"Shut up! I'm the Tank Ace of America! Even if I fall here I will be remembered as the one that fought against the Iron Rose in a serious all out fight! And that will lead to our victory in this match!" Eugene shouted

(After hearing those words Erika just erupted into laughter. She was laughing so much that she was crying and holding her stomach. Eugene was both confused and irritated at the sight of being laughed at by her)

"Serious? Me? Going all out in our fight?" Erika chuckled

"..."

"Bitch please, I'm not even showing 25% of what I can do.." Erika said with a serious and scary expression

"H-Ha! Y-You're bluffing!"

(The atmosphere at the top of the mountain suddenly increased and Eugene could feel the pressure getting heavier. He knows himself that there was no way he could win against Erika)

"This is 25% you bastard. This will be enough to shut that noisy mouth of yours." Erika said

"B-Bring it on!"

(Both their tanks accelerated and started firing at each other. Erika's tiger was dodging every shot with ease while Eugene's Sherman was barely evading a critical hit on their tank. Erika just had a big smug smile on her face while Eugene was in so much stress and pain. The Tiger and the Sherman then drove past each other and when Eugene turned around he realized the Erika wasn't in the Tiger's cupola. He then suddenly felt a burst of bloodlust from behind him and also felt something grab him by the back of his neck.)

"Caught you now.."

(It was none other than Erika who had secretly jumped onto his tank the moment their tanks drove past each other. She then pulled him out of his tank's cupola and threw him down on the dirt)

"W-What the hell are you doing?!" Eugene shouted

"Haven't you read the rules? Hand-to-Hand combat is allowed!"

"Are you sure about this? Without you then your crew is fucked!"

"I should be the one asking you that."

(Eugene then looked at his Sherman tank being bullied by Erika's Tiger. It shot its 88mm gun and blew off the Sherman's gun barrel then fired another and took out its right tracks. He was shocked to see his tank crumble so easily. He then looked at Erika again who was now in front of him and was about to punch him in the face again)

"Time for another set of lessons on how to beat up a bully!" Erika smiled

[Inside the Mountain]

(Meanwhile the fight between Megan and the Nishizumi siblings was still continuing from within the mountain. All four of them were tired after fighting with all they had but Megan was still standing strong)

"The aura from the top of the mountain grew stronger. I guess our Tank Ace is about to fall soon." Megan reacted

"One of your flag tanks just got taken out and you don't even look worried!" Maho said

"Yeah well, I was supposed to guard those flag tanks but instead I went here, so I can't complain since it's my fault."

"I don't understand, if you are this strong, how come the American Team remained in third place all these years?" Miho asked

"I never cared about winning in the first place. All I wanted was to fight strong opponents like you. The first time I fought the Conquering Princess, I was completely defeated even though I gave it my all. That made me realize I have more room to improve and it felt rejuvenating. I'm sure your big brother over there felt it too when they fought."

"I wouldn't call it rejuvenating, more like an eye opener for me."

"Is that so? Anyways, at first I thought that it would be fine if I lost to you three but I changed my mind. I want to win and fight the princess once more! I want to find out how much stronger I've become!" Megan smiled

"That's funny, I was thinking of the exact same thing. My last fight with the princess ended up in a tie and I don't like ties very much. I'm sorry to say that we'll be winning today!"

(All four tanks now started revving up their engines and were getting ready to pounce at their targets. All of a sudden all four tanks fired at the same time and dodged at the same time. All kinds of maneuvers and tactics were being displayed as they fought. Every move they made had the intention of destroying their targets.)

"Round up!" Ono shouted

"FIRE!"

"On the way!" Kin shouted

(Their 88mm shell comes out roaring from the gun barrel and almost hits the Chaffee dead center but Megan was able to direct her driver to evade. The shell grazed the side of her tank and scraped off the paint.)

"FIRE!" Megan shouted

(The 75mm shell flew across the rocky floor of the mountain and blew up the tip of the gun barrel of Maho's tank. The Chaffee fired again and this time the shell impacted under the gun barrel of the White Tiger. It ricocheted downwards and the shell jammed the turret and made it unable to rotate.)

"Onii-sama! Look out!"

"Onii-chan!"

(Megan and Gero looked around them and noticed that chunks of rocks had begun to fall from the ceiling. All of the explosions from their fight has weakened the interior of the mountain and was starting to collapse on top of them)

"This is bad! We have to get out of here or we'll get buried alive!"

"Agreed! We'll continue the fight once we're out!" Megan nodded

"Where's the closest exit?!" Maho shouted

"South! Head south!" Miho shouted

(All four tanks then stopped their fight and headed to the southern exit of the mountain. As they got closer to the exit a ton of big rocks just fell from the ceiling and completely blocked their exit)

"The exit! What do we do now!?" Megan shouted

"Load HE! We'll fire high explosives onto the pile of rocks and blow our way out of here!"

"What?! That could collapse it even more!"

"Just trust him!" Miho shouted

"Damn it! Alright!"

"Round Up!" Ono shouted

"Aim for the exit! FIRE!"

(Their fired three high explosive shells towards the big pile of rocks but the exit was still blocked)

"AGAIN! FIRE"

"Firing!" Kin shouted

(Another salvo of shells were fired and this time it blew most of the rocks to smaller pieces and they could see light through the small gaps in the rocks)

"PUSH THROUGH!"

(Gero and Miho's Tiger tanks took the lead and rotated their turrets to the rear so that their gun barrels wouldn't snap at the impact of the crash. Megan's Chaffee was in the middle and Maho's Tiger was at the rear)

"Megan-san! Prepare one more HE shell! Fire on my signal!"

"Got it!"

(They accelerated to their maximum speeds and when they were about 20 meters away from the entrance Gero gave the signal to fire)

"NOW!"

"FIRE" Megan shouted

(The 75mm high explosive shell was fired and blew up the rocks one last time. Then their tanks rammed through the rocks and they were able to exit the mountain in a very explosive manner)

Coming Up Next : Chapter 117 - Victory and Defeat

Author's Note :

Hello everyone! Happy Halloween! I hope you all enjoy this weekend and stay safe! Here is the chapter that is packed to the brim with action! Gero and his sisters face off against Mad Megan while Erika bullies the American Tank Ace once again! The Shimada sisters work their magic in hunting down the enemy flag tanks while Kaede engages in battle against Arnold! Who will win in the end? Stay tuned to the next chapter!