HelloEver22: Thanks for reading!
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Chapter 15
September 8th, 2023: Late afternoon, the last few minutes of the 5th match -
"Yay~! "
"...Ugh, s, stay st, still already...!"
"...Is she even taking this seriously? Ugh! She's not even firing back either!"
Innocent(?) giggling could be heard as Anchorage danced about the ring, easily dodging an increasingly frustrated I-56 and I-58's furious torpedo assault while U-37 was busy keeping Eldridge and Laffey at bay with her effective use of underwater hit and run tactics. Unfortunately, Eldridge's patience and Laffey's naturally aggressive fighting style were quickly pushing the lone sub to her limits and it would only be a matter of time before they'd break past her. Still, that didn't mean she'd go down without a fight though.
"...Hmph! If you think it's gonna be easy gettin' past me, then you've got another thing comin'! You hear me? You ain't gettin' past me, so EAT THIS!"
Another torpedo barrage... that would end up getting whiffed, again.
*BANG, BANG, BANG*
With far more cold, calculated precision and focus than one would ever assume the perennially sleepy rabbit possessed, Laffey shot down each torpedo almost as fast as U-37 could fire them, detonating them long before they would've become a threat and leaving nothing but plumes of smoke and steam in their wake.
"...Target, locked, commencing counterattack."
*BANG, BANG, BANG!*
"...Tch!"
With no real options left, the best U-37 could manage now was simply to keep evading, thankful that she could still hide underwater... well, at least until Eldridge decided to step in after finally getting tired of waiting and just wanting to wrap things up here and now anyway.
"...Bored. You, all... go away now...!"
"Huh? Wait, what!?"
...
*ZZZZAAAAAPPPP*
- With the crowd, a little before Eldridge made her move -
"...Well now, for how much they look like they're just playing around, those three are much more skilled and dangerous than they look," commented the brown haired man as he observed Eldridge's team utterly dominating the last match of the first round.
"True, but it's not as if the submarines are any less skilled though, just a really bad match up unfortunately," the light bluenette added. "Honestly, I'm surprised the blonde one is just hanging in the rear while letting the other two do all the work. Then again..."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"It's just for how well they're hiding it, and for how small and cute those three look and act, they're giving off a tremendous amount of battlefield pressure. Enough that any seasoned warrior could easily pick up on it anyway..."
The brown haired man nodded in understanding. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that. Been around battlefields so long now that I didn't even notice. But yeah, it's gotta be really rough on those submarine girls too. Especially since all of it's directed solely on them..."
"Shipgirls are made of tougher stuff than that. If anything, that level of pressure would only make them that much more determined to try and win. Though, I don't see that happening when that blonde one decides to act..."
"She's really that dangerous then?"
The light bluenette nodded. "Ja, and she's actually the one giving off the most pressure for sure too. Even worse is that she looks like she's losing her patience..."
"I see."
And, sure enough, Eldridge and made her move... by releasing a massive discharge of bright blue bio-electricity on the entire ring in the form of a rain of countless lightning strikes.
"...Wow," was all the brown haired man could say after letting out an impressed whistle. "Remind me to keep an eye on that one...!"
"Still, I'm surprised the other two aren't getting affected, being on water and all... hmm..," the light bluenette muttered to herself before her eyes suddenly flashed with understanding. "Oh, so that's it!"
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Just that those three are incredibly clever, using something so simple."
"Huh?"
"They most likely lined their shoes with a water proof, non-conductive coating."
"... Well color me impressed!"
The light bluenette nodded. "Ja. I honestly think these three have the best chance of winning if they can keep up that level of prepartion and momentum."
"Oh? Even against you know who's team?"
"..."
She didn't reply right away, simply closing her eyes to think about her answer a little more.
"...Well, it'd be tough to say either way but... it doesn't really matter what I think right now since they haven't actually fought yet. That, and it depends on who fights who after all. No sense in blindly guessing."
"Good point. Well, I guess it doesn't really matter either way in the end, right?"
Another short pause, followed by her characteristic, meaningful little smirk.
"...Heh. I suppose so."
- Back in the ring -
When Eldridge's 'divine punishment' finally ended and the steam cleared up, the only ones left standing were Eldridge, Anchorage, and (a barely awake) Laffey. As for I-56, I-58, and U-37? Well...
"...It, it hurts... It really, really hurts and I can't move...!"
"... Lightning, sp, spam? R, Really? ..Ugh...!"
"Da, dammit! That, that's not f, fair...!"
...at least they were still in one piece, more or less.
...
"...And the winners of the fifth match are, Team Eldridge, Anchorage, Laffey...!" loudly declared the mayor turned referee, secretly terrified at the display of raw power the cute and unassuming little shipgirl could unleash. Needless to say, most everyone present were stunned silent and still trying to process what just happened to say or do anything else. "A, Anyway! With the first round of the tournament concluded, we will now take a twenty-five minute intermission before announcing the first match of the second round!"
- Back with the crowd, shortly after the end of the tournament's first round -
"...That last match was, wow!"
"...No joke. I mean, I thought seeing those super hot ass gun toting ninja maids duke it out with the weird idol group was awesome, but the way those three little cuties made an absolute joke out of those submarines in the last match was insane! Like, that little blonde even called down a freaking thunderstorm on them at the end!"
"...Three little cuties? Hold up, did you not see the honey blonde one's figure? She was just as stacked as some of the other earlier shipgirls! Okay, granted, she acted like a little kid and I honestly had mixed feelings about that... but yeah, still awesome."
"Yeah, I get it. Tat one really throws you off. It's like she's purity incarnate or something... Kinda like the little pink haired one who fought against the maids in a way. But, I dunno, way more 'authentic' maybe? Like it's not an act with her or something like that."
"Yeah, that's it! Anyway, the way she kept those two submarines away and didn't get hit even once even though they could move underwater and launch surprise attacks was quite a sight! And then there was the one with the cute bunny hair clips! She was a freaking beast with those handgun looking things of hers!"
"Oh, Laffey? yeah. I remember seeing her sleeping on a bench this morning actually... cutest little thing ever. Huh, to think she was such a crazy skilled fighter though... I guess, that's just how shipgirls are, huh?"
"You said it. Still, I feel bad for those submarine girls though... Like, all three teams got knocked out of the first round."
"I mean, from what I saw, they had good support skills, speed and the element of surprise on their side for sure, but in a a straight up fight against those other shipgirls though? ...Yeah, they just didn't stand a chance. Well, I say that, but I still think they put up some of the toughest overall fights in the whole tournament though."
"That's true. Hell, even how they managed the only double knock out was pretty epic, honestly."
"For sure. Yeah, maybe they weren't as flashy as the blonde's, maids, or Eugen's teams... but you could definitely see how hard they fought to win. I dunno, I just couldn't help but wanna root for them I guess."
"So, you think we can get copies of these fights? I wanna share them on my Chirper page later."
"Hey, that's actually a great idea! But yeah, it just so happens that I recorded them on my smartphone! Go me!"
"Oh, shit! Why didn't I think of doing that!? God I'm a dumbass!"
"It's cool, I recorded them too."
"Ooh! Total lifesaver!"
"I know, I know. Oh, but feel free to praise me more though!"
"Anyway, let's go grab something to eat before the next fight starts."
"Yeah, and I need to take a leak too."
"...Jesus, really?"
- With Liam and some of the other shipgirls -
Doing his due diligence as both a man and Commander, Liam was making the rounds to see how his shipgirls were doing after their matches, starting with the two less than happy groups of submarines huddled together in their little corner of the makeshift waiting room set up for today's fights, and it was U-1206 who looked up and noticed him first.
"...Oh, Kommandant. What's up? Here to check up on us?"
Though she tried to look strong, smile and speak with some cheer in her voice, it was obvious to Liam that she and the others were still more than a little unhappy that not even one submarine managed to make it to the second round and keep up the lucky streak they started with their successful surprise attack against the Sirens.
"...Hey, I know you guys might not be feeling up to it, but you wanna share this fried chicken with me? See, I have way more than I can finish before the break's up, and eating with friends and family always makes food taste better, y'know? Might be a bit on the spicy side, but I can guarantee it's tasty as hell!"
Liam was never the best with words but knew for sure that eating good food together always helped make people feel better when they were feeling down. At least, it did with his sister anyway... And, if nothing else, he knew for a fact that shipgirls had pretty big appetites so it was definitely worth a try.
"..." After a moment's pause, U-410 and the others slowly took a piece of chicken from the proffered bucket and each all took a bite at the same time. "Oh, *munch, munch*, this stuff really is good, and just the right amount of spicy for me too!"
"Ja, it really is!" U-37 agreed, greedily chomping away on her crispy drumstick.
"...Totemo oishii~!" (x2) was all I-56 and I-58 dreamily said in unison, juicy chicken thighs in hand. Incidentally, be it fried chicken or the real deal, thighs were among some of Liam's favorite snacks, though he'd never ever admit to the second out loud.
- With Belfast and the other maids -
"Well now, Master certainly is the attentive one, isn't he?" Belfast remarked with a smile as she fondly watched Liam do his best to cheer up her dear, dejected little sisters. 'Fufu~! And such good work and care calls for a reward of your own later~! '
"...Well, someone looks happy," Sheffield observed with no small amount of her usual snark, a warm cup of tea in hand.
"Hmm? And whatever do you mean, my dear Sheffy? Of course I'm happy. After all, I'm having a lovely time enjoying lunch with you and little Enterprise, no?"
Sheffield just rolled her eyes. "...Uh huh."
"And you seem to be in more of a sour mood than usual, Sheffy dear. Why is that, may I ask?" Belfast asked, genuinely curious.
Sheffield didn't answer right away, instead closing her eyes to collect her thoughts for a bit.
"It's nothing too important really. "I'm just upset at my less than stellar performance during our match is all," Sheffield admitted. "I know we still won in the end, but it was you and Enterprise that managed the bulk of the work, while the best I could do... was barely provide support."
"But, the only reason we could do so well was because of your support," Enterprise countered.
"...She's right, Sheffy. Your support was the linchpin that let us claim victory after all... or wait, was it that you wanted to show off for the Master more?"
...And Sheffield was, uncharacteristically silent. Bull's eye.
"..."
"...Wait, really?" Enterprise was honestly a little surprised that Sheffield, of all shipgirls, actually wanted to show off.
"...Oh? Is that true, Sheffy dear?" Joking aside, even Belfast was a little surprised.
...
"...Yes... Okay? ...Yes. Yes, I did... want to show off, at least a little..," Sheffield finally admitted, almost in a whisper and not daring to look at her her fellow maids and sisters... especially not with that very faint blush on her otherwise expressionless, beautiful face.
"...Oh, oh my...!" 'Sheffy dear, that's absolutely... adorable~! Ah, how I wish I could take a picture of such a priceless expression!'
"...That's, really cute actually..."
"...Oh, leave me alone...!"
"Well, I'm sure Master was quite impressed with your performance you know."
"Bel's right! Master will definitely praise you aplenty for your hard work too!" Enterprise added.
Cue another round of extremely faint blushing.
...
"...Cute..!" (x2)
"...Oh, shut up you two!"
- With Saratoga, Vampire, and Nautilus -
"...Uuuuuu..."
"..."
Somehow, a literal dark cloud of gloom(?) hung over the deflated figures of Saratoga and Vampire presently slumped on the ground with their heads down and backs to each other. To Nautilus, the two looked like the very picture of defeat and depression... and she absolutely hated seeing her them like that.
"U, Um. Miss, I mean, Sister Sara? Miss Vampire? ...Would, would you like something to eat? Maybe, maybe some juice if you're thirsty? ...Maybe?"
"...Sweets! Sweets equal life!" was all Saratoga mumbled in reply after a slight pause.
"...Wine...! I need, some sweet, sweet red wine, the nectar of life!"
...
'...Oh, they weren't feeling down at all. They were just running low on energy,' Nautilus observed, relieved that they weren't really sad about their loss. "Okay, leave it to me!"
"..Thanks!"
"...So tired..."
- With Akagi, Taihou, and Strasser -
"...It's strange."
"Akagi-chan?"
"We lost, but somehow, I don't feel as upset about it as I though I would."
"Well, even if we lost too, it's not like our opponents really won in the end either. Not really anyway. After all, only Alabama was left standing at the end," Strasser explained, beer in hand. "Which means..."
"...Which means that, in reality, the outcome was really more of a delayed draw than anything," Akagi finished, a satisfied smile on her face.
Strasser nodded. "Ja, exactly. Not the exact outcome we were looking for, but we still achieved our main objectives in showing off our abilities to our prospective clients, impressing the Kommandant, and making sure that our opponents wouldn't advance even if we lost. All in all, we did quite well."
"Still would've been nice to actually win though, but yes. We did splendidly, all things considered," Taihou agreed before nibbling on a sandwich.
"Well, I'm sure we'll get another chance at a rematch before too long, ne?"
"Assuming we don't get caught up in anything else crazy, that is," Strasser added.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind another bout with the Sirens myself... de-stress a bit, you know?"
"... sigh. You Sakura Empire shipgirls really are battle maniacs, aren't you?" Strasser muttered, shaing her head.
"...Heh," Akagi just smiled, a mischievous glint in her crimson eyes.
"Speaking of Sirens, it bothers me how quiet they've been... After all, we weren't exactly subtle about making ourselves known either. It worries me a bit that they haven't made a move yet since our last encounter," Taihou wondered.
"Perhaps they're just waiting for the right time to show up," Akagi mused aloud, a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Well, in any case, let's shelve all that aside for now and focus on observing the rest of today's matches."
"So, who do you think will come out on top in the end?" Strasser asked her fellow (definitely crazy) fellow ravenettes..
"What? Between the maids, Eugen-chan's and Eldridge-chan's teams you mean? To be honest... Eldridge-chan's group feels like the most dangerous and the ones to really watch out for, but then again, Eugen-chan's team are just as dangerous in my opinion, so... Really, it's just too hard to say," Akagi replied honestly.
"True, the three little ones are certainly much fiercer than they look... but of the three of them, it's Eldridge-chan's precise control of her abilities that concern me the most."
"Ah, right. And they'll be fighting on the water too... Oh, it looks like we're going to get our answers soon either way. Heh, and we have the best seats in the house too!"
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"Alright, a slight change of plans! Due to unforeseen results from their first match, Team New Jersey, Alabama, Black Prince have chosen to withdraw, meaning that Team Sirius, Sheffield, Enterprise automatically advance! So, with the first match decided and without further ado, will Team Eldridge, Laffey, Anchorage and Team Belfast, Prinz Eugen, Jean Bart please make their way down to the ring to begin the second match of the Second Round!"
Cue another round of cheers and applause from the gathered crowd as the aforementioned shipgirls made their way into the ring.
- With the brown haired man and the light bluenette in the crowd -
"Oh, it looks like it's time to make your move then, huh?"
"It seems so. Right, I'm off then."
"Heh, have fun out there!"
- Back in the ring -
"...And, BEGIN!"
With those two simple words, the final match of the semifinals commenced... with a staring contest. Well, at least until Prinz Eugen spoke up.
"So, would it be too much to ask for you to forfeit too?"
Instead of a proper reply, Anchorage just smiled and waved back, Laffey yawned before pulling out and drinking another oxy-cola(?), and Eldridge... sent out a wave of bright blue bio-electricity straight at the Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser.
"Whoa there!"
Swiftly evading Eldridge's 'greeting', Belfast couldn't help but be impressed by the little blonde's single minded drive to win.
"...Taking lap back, yes! So, crush!" quietly declared the little zapper as she let loose another three spikes of bio-lightning at Eugen, Belfast, and Jean Bart while a giggling Anchorage sped over to Laffey and suddenly picked her up and innocently turned to her slightly confused opponents.
"Sisters, play? Play! Anchorage shares bunny! ...Eeii~! "
...
"Wait, what?" Strasser was speechless.
"Did she just... pick Laffey up... and throw her at us?" Jean Bart couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"...Yes, yes she did!" Belfast, simply just accepted reality and moved out of the way.
"Wait, that look in her eyes!"
"Merde! Move! Move!"
*BANG! BANG! BANG!* (x2)
While in mid toss, Laffey, more serious and focused than they'd ever seen her, summoned a pair of turret pistols to her hands, aimed right at the bewildered trio and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion... and then following up with a a front flip into a spin kick right at the still frozen Jean Bart's head the instant she got into range.
"...And, kick...!" said the pink clad, gun toting bunny in the flattest, most unmotivated tone possible.
'How the hell did she do that!? Actually, forget it! Damn she hits hard!'
Moving almost on instinct, Jean Bart moved her head back just far enough to avoid taking a direct hit but was still close enough to feel the gust of wind generated from the force and speed of Laffey's kick as it brushed past her cheek.
"Tch!"
Luckily, Belfast and Eugen were just as quick to respond and moved to close in on Laffey with a pincer attack, only to get blocked by another series of precision lightning strikes.
"...Eeii!"
*ZAP! ZAP! ZZZAAAAPPP!*
"Lady Eugen, if you please!"
"Ja, on it!"
With the kind of tacit understanding that only shipgirls born for combat could have, the pair split off to handle the bunny and the zapper respectively while Jean Bart continued her fight with a surprisingly very, very hard to hit Anchorage in what the innocent dear only saw as a simple game of tag, much to Jean Bart's annoyance.
- Belfast vs Laffey -
Manifesting a pitch black gauntlet over her left hand and a long (blunted) combat knife in her right, the silver haired Super Maid skillfully blocked or evaded Laffey's relentless barrage of dual turret pistol fire while waiting for a lull or opening in the berserker bunny's fierce onslaught. Unfortunately, the drones recording them could only just barely keep up with them as the two continued weaving around each other in a blur of inhumanly fast speeds punctuated by the occasional grunt, sound of metal striking metal and/or stray turret pistol shot.
'...Miss Laffey is a truly fearsome warrior! It is taking all of my processing power just to track her movements, let alone keep up with that insane speed of hers. Heh, no wonder she's always seems so tired. Perhaps it's just her way saving energy for moments like this? Hm, if so... should we feel honored that she's trying so hard then? Ah, well something to ponder over later I suppose...'
And, just as she had that thought, Belfast barely caught said berserker bunny get in right underneath her right about to plant a kick into her unguarded stomach.
'Oh no...!'
Still, as dangerous as things looked, it still wasn't enough to ruffle a maid of her caliber's feathers as she immediately moved to counter Laffey's attack with a kick of her own.
"Not bad, not bad at all Miss Laffey, but even so! I'm afraid that I cannot afford to yield here either. I do hope you understand."
"...Hmph!"
Seeing as Laffey didn't have the height advantage and now that her surprise attack failed, the little bunny quickly pulled back and switched to fighting at long range with her twin turret pistols, forcing Belfast back on the defensive. However, Belfast wasn't known as a Super Maid for nothing as she tossed out a few smoke grenades to obscure Laffey's vision and keep her from locking on to her position while she crept ever closer.
"...!"
Naturally, Laffey's now awakened battle instincts sensed the danger and let them take over as she finally called out her rigging and spun around in a circle as she fired her short range guns in an effort to both clear out the smokescreen and/or hit the snaky, silver haired maid trying to sneak up on her.
"Not a bad call, Miss Laffey, but still not good enough I'm afraid!"
"...Huh? Where?"
"Up here!"
Following Belfast's voice, Laffey looked up just in time to see the knife wielding super maid only a few feet above her and coming in fast.
"..."
However, contrary to Belfast's expectations, and far from panicking, Laffey looked as calm as ever without a hint of fear on her cute, expressionless face.
'...How odd. Just what is she...-oh no!"
Now wreathed in lavender colored ether, Laffey silently pointed her two turret pistols and rigging's main guns up at her, ready to unleash one last, all or nothing attack.
'...Truly a berserker indeed. Ah, I do hope the others are faring better than I am,' was all Belfast could think as the rest of her mind worked overtime to try and think of a way out of this very dangerous situation.
...
*BANG!*
- Jean Bart vs(?) Anchorage -
'...Dammit! Just stay still already!'
Rather than getting a decent fight from a worthy opponent, it would be more accurate to say that Jean Bart was playing a game of tag... and losing. Badly.
'...I know that's just how she is, but I'd be lying if I said that her not taking this seriously wasn't ticking me off... though I feel bad thinking that seeing how happy she looks. Ugh, she really is the worst kind of opponent for me... I wonder if I could maybe switch with somebody? Ah, but she's smarter than she lets on with how she's keeping me totally focused on her...! Dammit! I can't tell if she's just an airhead or if it's all an act...!'
Anchorage... was just too quick and would either just keep evading all her sword strikes and gun fire by the barest of margins or outright deflect them with her ether barrier while lazily firing back every now and then... all while giggling her head off without a care in the world. Sadly, the only conclusion Jean Bart could reach from all this was that she would really need a stiff drink when this farce of a match was finally over and done with.
- Prinz Eugen vs Eldridge -
*ZAP!* (x12)
*RRRROOOOAAAARRRRR*
"Wow, you're quite motivated aren't you, meine liebe kleine schwester~!"
"Hmph! Tease went on date! Took lap away! Mad! Win, get lap back! And... get date too! Mmhm!"
"Heh!"
Being evenly matched in skill, power and sheer stubbornness, neither one managed to land one real good hit on the other yet even after more than a dozen heated bouts so far.
Every time Eldridge's lightning got close to Eugen, it would be devoured by her rigging while at the same time being kept at bay by that very same lightning, forcing the two in a tense stalemate that didn't look like it'd end any time soon.
'Damn she's fast but luckily, she can't get completely through my defenses either. Still, one slip up from either of us is all the other needs to win... My, how exciting~!'
And, it was then, just as the the thirteenth bout was about to commence, that the unexpected happened.
...
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
"...!"
"What!?"
- With the crowd, just moments before Eugen and Eldridge's match was interrupted -
"Whoa! Look at them go!"
"That little blonde's not just cute, but crazy powerful! I mean, throwing lightning all over the place is one thing, but she can make arrows and use it as a shield too!"
"Still, that silver haired one, Eugen was it? She's no slouch either, what with her dragon looking rigging thing chomping through the little blonde's attacks while looking sexy smug the whole time!"
*BOOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
"..Huh? What the! Wait, who's that!?"
Before long, the crowd grew silent while they tried to make sense of what just happened as the six shipgirls currently in the ring stopped fighting when someone suddenly came out of nowhere and got between Prinz Eugen and Eldridge's fight... someone that a few in the crowd even recognized.
"...Wait, that girl... wasn't she here watching the fights with us? ...Wait, was she a shipgirl too!?"
"...Holy shit! Yeah! I remember seeing her around the island with that tall friend of hers a few times! Wait, speaking of that guy, where'd he go? Just what the hell is going on!?"
- With Liam -
[Commander...!]
"...Yeah, she's a shipgirl! Also... I know I haven't seen her before, but..."
[About that... Based on the scans from the drones observing the tournament, as well as cross-referencing the personal records I have on the shipgirls in our fleet... her wisdom cube and core ether wave signature is an almost exact match for for one of ours.]
...
"Wait, seriously!? Who!?"
- Back in the ring -
"Guten abend all. Apologies for the intrusion, but after seeing such a riveting fight I simply had to come and say hello. Ah, I do hope you can forgive me my capriciousness, ja?" said the light bluenette shipgirl now equipped with her rigging and wielding a pair of long swords with red and grey blades held in a reverse grip in each hand.
"...Hmm?" Eldridge observed, curiously tilting her head as she looked back and forth between the Prinz Eugen next to her and the newcomer in front of her. "Tease, why are there... two of you?"
"...! What do you mean, 'two of us'?" Eugen asked, though, she likely already knew the answer.
"Hmm? Um, that other Tease, feels like you? Same... um, energy? Mm! Same!"
"Well now, I'm a bit surprised that the little one there would catch on so quickly, but my are her instincts sharp. But ja, I do believe introductions are in order then. Though, I'm sure you also have a good idea of who I am as well, nein?" said the bluenette, impressed with Eldridge's deductions while never once taking her red eyes off of her silver haired counterpart's own amber orbs. "I am Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen serving under Admiral Yang Wen-li of the Azur Lane Alliance Navy's 13th 'Remnant Fleet' currently operating here in the Pacific. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Especially yours, my dear 'other self'."
...
"Oh my, so it did turn out to be a 'Resonance' you felt earlier then, Lady Eugen," Belfast quietly said as she moved over next to Eugen.
"...Ja, so it seems. Now that we're face to face like this, it's a bit like looking at my reflection in the mirror. Still," she then turned back to address the other, blue haired Eugen. "Not that we aren't glad for the visit, but what really brings you here, other me?"
"Ah, right. About that. I know it's rather sudden, but watching you all fight so hard really got my blood pumping, and I was hoping... that you would indulge me with a spar? ...Pretty please~? "
The silver haired Eugen quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? But, wouldn't that just amount to you picking on your juniors? After all, we haven't been awake and in service for very long, barely even a week really, but you on the other hand..."
The blue haired Eugen nodded. "True, my own sisters and I have been awake and in service for about a year now and have that much more experience and power, true, but try to think of this as a special bonus/training match before the finals?"
"...Not a bad idea, but it's a bit much to just suddenly drop on us out of the blue. Not to mention what our own Commander or other fleet sisters will think," Jean Bart said.
"...Um, what's going on?" Anchorage asked, very much confused by what was going on and wondering why her game of tag stopped.
"Okay, okay! I know this is sudden and not quite what we had in mind for today but... it seems Commander Liam has arranged for a last minute special 'guest fighter' to come!" Mayor Mason said, his voice amplified through his ear mic. "Ah, as this is a special exhibition match, the battle will be a six on one fight with an increased time limit of fifteen minutes! Oh, and as a special compensation, your Commander said that he'll make sure to spend time with each of your groups for a whole day once everything's settled.
...
"...You heard the man girls," Jean Bart said with a gleam in her eyes and a truly savage grin on her face.
"...Eeii!"
However, faster than anyone else could move Laffey sped off to make the first move, turret pistols already discharging, followed by Eldridge and a slightly confused Anchorage on either side of her with Eugen's team following right behind them.
"...I don't get it, but Anchorage still wants to play, so yay~!"
"...Hmph! Whatever, lap will be ours so beating Blue Tease is no problem!"
"Ugh, you two might not look alike, but damn if that annoying smirk ain't the same!"
"...Hey!"
"Now now. I happen to find that smile of yours quite charming, Lady Eugen."
"Ah, whatever, let's just kick that blue haired strumpet's ass already!"
"... this is kind of weird to say but alright then! Let's go kick my ass then!"
"Oh me oh my, what's a girl to do? Being so popular," Blue Eugen remarked with faux worry before releasing her own ether reserves as she got ready to take on the six charging shipgirls head on, swords in hand and main guns ready to fire.
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