(As the winners of the other quarter final matches were announced the members of the Seven Seats were also taken aback by the results)
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Saunders/Crows Nest Match]
"W-What the hell happened?" Asparagus asked
"This whole time..I never saw what tanks Crows Nest used.." Kay said
"It was all smoke and muzzle flash..even Saunders couldn't hit anything..they all just got white flagged one by one.."
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Saint Gloriana/Shogun Boys Match]
"It was a great match Darjeeling-sama..wouldn't you say?" Oowada said
"Yes it was..both schools showed amazing strategic skills..I guess Pekoe still has lots to learn.." Darjeeling said as she drank tea
"Pekoe-san is an amazing commander..but Commander Yamasaki is just unpredictable you might say.."
"What is it with that person? He uses similar strategies just like the powerhouse schools but he adds a little bit of changes here and there.." Darjeeling asked
"Hmmm..to put it simply..if Nishizumi Maho is the strongest female Senshado commander..then Yamasaki Akane is the strongest male Senshado commander.." Oowada smiled
"I see..then a match between him and the great White Tiger will surely be an interesting one.." Darjeeling said
"Definitely!"
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Pravda/Red Wings Match]
"See? I told you we'd win..what can you say about the Yamato Style?" Kaede bragged
"From the way I see it..the Yamato Style had nothing to do with your victory in this match.." Katyusha said
"What?"
"Your style from previous matches involved overpowering your opponents with numbers and picking them off one by one..but in this match your little sister faced Klara's strategies and formations head-on.."
"Meaning?" Kaede asked
"It means Yamato Shiori concluded that your teachings of the Yamato Style wouldn't work against Pravda and had to improvise her moves.."
"We still won in the end so what?"
"You still don't get it? It means that Pravda's Doctrine, my Senshado Doctrine is superior to the Yamato Style enough to force her to abandon her teachings to win..that's a good enough win for me.." Katyusha said with a smug on her face as she stared at Kaede
(Katyusha then left the room leaving Kaede who was feeling very insulted and humiliated towards what she said)
[Tournament Comfort Lounge - After Matches]
(Everyone was just chilling at the lounge after the matches and having some tea. All of them were repenting and reviewing what had happened to their matches and why did they lose. Gero and Erika were there also trying to figure out what happened)
"Sorry Tiger-kun..looks like we're the ones this time that won't be able to fight you.." Takashi said
"Hey man..no worries..this ain't the last match we'll have.."
"What happened Alisa-san?" Erika asked
"I wish I could tell you..even I have no idea what happened.." Alisa said
"I find it hard to believe you guys didn't even get a single one of their tanks.."
"You can't hit something you can't see.." Naomi said
"What do you mean? They're good at hiding?"
"We were ambushed at the first minutes of the match..before we could see where they were, they were already gone.." Takashi said
"Then again it happened..a perfectly placed ambush..after losing tanks left and right I decided to take our forces within the city premises to make it a close quarter combat..then I had Naomi station in a high vantage point to snipe them when she had the chance.." Alisa explained
"But it just got more confusing after that..when we awaited for the enemy's arrival..the whole city suddenly was engulfed in smoke..then a series of pop flashes hit our tanks from all directions.." Takashi said
"How can they see you within the smoke but you guys can't?!" Erika reacted
"We don't know..from my spot I couldn't see a single tank..then immediately I got taken out from behind.." Naomi said
"When we took a look at our tanks we saw numerous bullet impacts all over our tanks.." Alisa said
"Anti tank rifles?" Erika asked
"Possibly.."
"Then after our last tank was white flagged the smoke screen faded and not a single tank from their school was seen.." Naomi said
"They vanished just like that? They sound more like ghosts than people from how you describe them.."
"Maybe we were defeated by ghosts haha!" Alisa chuckled
"Well I guess there's nothing we can do now..let's not brood over it alright? You all did your best.."
"That was nowhere near my best! You know that!" Takashi pouted
"I know I know..what about you guys? How was the so-called strongest male Senshado commander?"
"Strongest Male Senshado commander?" Erika asked
"Yamasaki Akane..the commander of Shogun Boys High School..Maho-san told me that the previous commander said that about him.."
"He might not be wrong about that.." Sencha said
"It was like fighting against a mix of Darjeeling-sama and Maho-san..all of our moves were predicted..and after knowing our move they faced us without hesitation.." Pekoe said
"I honestly have no words to express on how they fought..we just got flat out outmaneuvered and outmatched.." Barley said
"Even though we lost it did provide us very useful information..it would help you both in the future, Sencha-san and Barley-san..so make sure to defeat them next year for us alright?" Assam said as she was typing on her laptop
"He's that good huh? Man, I want to fight him now!"
"Geez..this Bakatora..is fighting strong opponents all you think about?" Erika scolded
"I'd say that's the only thing that you would find in his brain..and of course he has thoughts about you too Itsumi-san.." a voice called out to them from the hallway
(All of them looked to see Kal together with Klara and Nonna)
"Kal-kun! Nonna-san! Klara-san!"
"Keep your voice down! We're in a public lounge for pete's sake!" Kal said
"Sorry sorry!"
"I apologize Gero-kun..we won't be fighting each other in the semi finals.." Klara said
"Please don't apologize Klara-san..just like the others I know you guys did your best.."
"Not to mention you were up against the Yamato Style.." Erika said
"Those jumbos really pissed me off..our shots just won't penetrate them!" Kal said
"My shot was able to white flag one.." Nonna bragged
"That's because you're able to pull off amazing shots Nonna-sama!" Kal shouted
"Shhh..Kal-kun you shouldn't shout..this is a public area!"
"Shut up! I don't want to hear that from you!" Kal whispered
"Ahaha! Just trying to lighten up the mood.."
"Anyways..our summer tournament ends here Gero-kun..and for some of us this was their last chance.." Kal said in a serious tone
"I know Kal-kun..it's also my first and last tournament.."
"Then you understand how we feel right now..I hate to add more pressure on you but..you're gonna have to fight for our part this time..and win for all of us.." Kal smiled
(Gero gave all of them a confident smile and in return they all felt relieved that he was the person that will carry on their fight)
"Yeah..just watch me..I'll win this tournament for all of us here!"
"Damn right you will!" Takashi smiled
(Erika was just staring at how cool her boyfriend is and all she could think about was how to support him as best as she can)
[Kuromorimine School Building - Student Council Office]
(As usual Gero and the rest were waiting for the Federation's notice on who they'll be facing against at the semi finals)
"They sure are taking long on sending the list.." Koume said
"While we wait let's have a short rundown on our possible opponents next.." Erika said
"So it's like a three sided dice huh? On one side we might fight the ghosts of Crows Nest.."
"Then there's the strongest male Senshado commander of Shogun Boys High School.." Koume said
"Then finally there's Red Wings Academy where the Yamato Style is.." Maho said
"If my guess is right..it's possible that we'll be facing Red Wings.."
"What makes you say that Gero-san?" Koume asked
"Oh nothing..just a big gut feeling.."
(Of course it wasn't a gut feeling for Gero because out of the three schools Gero has been suspicious of Red Wings from the very start. Since it was his school during the time he was almost killed it had the highest chance of being the people who'll come after him again. Both Erika and Maho was also aware of this and understood what Gero meant)
"No matter who we'll face we'll face them with everything we've got..and we'll face them together..is that understood Bakatora?" Erika said
"Jawohl my Kommandant.."
*RING *RING
(Koume's phone suddenly rang and she then answered it quickly as she saw it was the Federation calling)
"Yes hello? I see..thank you very much! Otsukaresama Deshita!" Koume said as she ended the call
"I'm guessing it was the Federation?"
"Yes and they've informed us of our opponent in the semi finals match next week.."
"It's Red Wings isn't it?" Maho asked
"No..Gero-san's gut feeling was wrong this time..we're facing Crows Nest High School.." Koume said
(Gero, Maho and Erika were surprised that Red Wings wasn't their opponent. They were so sure of it but it wasn't to be. Koume then handed the list of the schools to Erika)
Semi Finals Matches: Commander Tank Battle (20 Tanks)
[Kuromorimine University High school] vs [Crows Nest High School]
[Red Wings Academy] vs [Shogun Boys High School]
"So..the ghosts of Crows Nest huh.." Erika said
"We'll be facing an enemy that can't be seen..and to make matters worse it's a Commander Tank Battle match..damn it.."
"Then the main target in this match will be you Erika.." Maho said
"I know..but don't worry too much Maho-san..we can handle them..right Gero?"
"Yeah.."
"Let's inform the team then have them start practice straight away.." Erika ordered
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
"Listen up! We'll be fighting against Crows Nest High School! Mode will be Commander Tank Battle!" Erika shouted
"Commander Tank Battle? That was one of the new modes that Instructor Chouno announced right?" Chinatsu asked
"That's right! It's very simple! Take out the tank of the enemy team's commander! In our case since I'm the commander they'll be aiming for my Panzer IV!"
"Then all I have to do is look for their commander then snipe him!" Sakuraba said
"It's not going to be that easy I'm afraid.." Erika frowned
"What's wrong Kommandant?" Rio asked
"The commander tank will not have a marker like in Flag Tank Battle so the enemy commander can just stay inside their tank and we'll never know which tank he or she is in! The same goes for us!"
"But everyone by now knows that you ride the Panzer IV! You'll be an easy target!" Sango said
"I know..that's why we'll be bringing along another Panzer IV which will act as a decoy to fool the enemy..Koume will be the one riding the other Panzer IV so I'm counting on you!" Erika said to Koume
"Leave it to me Erika-san!" Koume saluted
"Awesome..anymore questions before we start training?"
"Do we have any info on the enemy Kommandant?" Sakuraba asked
"That's the catch..we have little to no information regarding this school's Senshado Team..we don't even know who their commander is.." Erika said
"Based on our match with them during the exhibition games..they fielded M3 Stuarts..and the one that led their team was the Vice commander, Ishikawa Sudou and not their commander.." Koume explained
"So we have no idea who their commander is and what he looks like?!" Mauko reacted
"Pretty much.."
"Then we're already at a disadvantage!" Hanako reacted
"So we only know they have used American light tanks and their commander is basically a ghost..this is getting fun already.." Endo reacted
"Alright settle down..I know this information will not get us anywhere because they could've changed their line up entirely.." Erika said
"That's all we know about them?" Ono asked
"Have you also asked the schools they've fought before?" Hajime asked also
"Yes we have..the schools that have fought them also had the same outcome as the match with Saunders..ambushes, smokescreens, muzzle flashes, and then the sudden disappearance after the match.." Koume said
"No luck huh.." Tojo said
"I hate to say this but we will be going in blind this match..so we'll need to be alert as much as possible is that clear?" Erika said
"JAWOHL!"
"It's not like we don't know anything about them, we do know that they're skilled enough to beat Saunders! They're wise enough to outsmart them! And they have serious firepower to be able to take out a Super Pershing! But we are stronger!"
"YEAH!" everyone cheered
"We'll start training now! Mount up!"
(Everyone then started their training again as ordered aiming to at least prepare themselves for the unknown in their upcoming match. The week went past very quickly and it was now the night before the semi finals match. Gero couldn't sleep so he decided to talk a walk and headed towards the tank garage to look at their white tiger)
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
(As Gero arrived he saw Chief Matsumoto working on their white tiger late in the night)
"Jiji! What are you doing here so late?"
"I could ask you the same young master.."
"Couldn't sleep..I have a lot in my mind so I decided to take a walk.."
"I see..well me neither I guess..I wanted to make sure that the White Tiger is in tip top shape for tomorrow's match! You are so close to your goal so I decided to double check on it.."
"And? How is our ferocious feline doing?"
"She's ready as she can ever be and will take on anyone or anything that will get in his way!"
"Hahaha! That's very reassuring! By the way how's the Leopon team?"
"They're doing fine..they learn quickly and work diligently..your Kommandant tried to book their services again this tournament but unfortunately they were booked first by another school.."
"That's fine..I think it's a great thing they are being wanted by schools to do their maintenance..it just proves how much they've gotten better learning from you.."
"I'd say that I was able to pass the torch of mechanical maintenance unto them..alright all checks are done and everything is at a hundred percent for you boys tomorrow!"
"Thanks jiji.."
(After finishing up Chief and Gero decided to sit under the stars again have a little bonding time)
"What's on your mind young master?"
"Jiji..tomorrow..there might be some dangerous people coming to the tournament.."
"I see..so the bastards that tried to kill you are at it again..but what do you mean by 'there might be' you are not sure that they'll come?" Chief said in an angry tone
"Maybe 90% only..the other 10% is basically doubt.."
"I'd bet on the 90% that's for sure.."
"But you don't have to worry about me ok? I'm prepared and so are our trusted allies..just be careful ok?"
"Please young master..you're the one going inside a tank to fight other tanks..you be careful..not just for yourself but also for us that worry about you.."
"I know Jiji..you and the boys got my back..and we have yours.."
"Always young master..always!"
(Chief then suddenly brought out a small cigar from his pocket then lit it up. After exhaling a cloud of smoke Gero had a worried expression on his face)
"I thought you quit smoking?"
"I did..and I still am..this cigar is an advance celebratory for your victory in this tournament.."
(Gero then got up and grabbed the cigar from Chief's hand then ripped off the burning part of the cigar)
"Even if it's a celebratory puff it's still dangerous.."
"Oh come on let this old man have some fun!"
"You're not that old kuso-jiji..I'll give this back to you once we really win the tournament..I'll even join you!"
"Hah! You're too young to smoke kuso-gaki! And besides, Shiho-ojou sama will kick my ass if she found out you started smoking because of me!"
"Haha! She'll kick both our asses!"
"Well then young master..you better take care of that cigar! I'll be expecting it in one piece after the tournament!"
"Yeah..I promise oto-san.."
[Semi Finals Matches Stadium - The Next Day]
(The stadium was the same size as the quarter finals stadium but instead of hosting four matches at once the whole field will be only hosting one match on an enormous battlefield while the second match will be held next week)
"GO KUROMORIMINE!"
"THIS TOURNAMENT IS YOURS!"
"SHOW THEM THE STRENGTH OF CHAMPIONS!"
"WHITE TIGER!"
"IRON FANGS!"
(Numerous cheers from the crowd supporting Kuromorimine were heard and echoed around the stadium. Everyone was pumped up for the match but for the Seven Seats they were all nervous because they know that dangerous people will be coming and they have to be alert and ready)
[Seven Seats of Senshado Viewing Platform]
(Since there will only be one match today all members gathered inside a single room to watch the match. Oowada and Kaede were the only ones without knowledge of the operation meaning they're acting normally and both of them could see that everyone else was on edge)
"Is everyone alright?" Oowada asked
"Yes..we're fine..just excited for the match.." Asparagus said
"Here everyone..drink some tea to calm your nerves.." Darjeeling offered
"Thank you Darjeeling-san.." Maho said with a worried expression
"Don't worry Maho..you brother will be fine.." Kay smiled
"Man this waiting is getting me hungry..do we have anything else here except for tea and biscuits?" Kay pouted
*KNOCK *KNOCK
"Come in!" Maho said
(As if Kay's prayers were answered both Takashi and Kal arrived in their room bringing food for them)
"Hello there Seven Seats! We brought food for you compliments of Tiger-kun!" Takashi smiled
"From Darling?! Yay!" Kay blushed
(Kal and Takashi distributed homemade bentos for each and everyone of them. Kaede also received one from Gero which she was hesitant to accept at first)
"Gero-kun sends his regards..he said thanks for the friendly rumors..whatever that is.." Kal said
"I see..I'll gladly accept it then.." Kaede said
"ITADAKIMASU!"
(Each and everyone of them now started to eat the bentos prepared by Gero and all of them were pleased and happy with the delicious food they received)
"Mmmmm~ it's so goood!" Anchovy said
"As expected of onii-sama's cooking!" Maho smiled
"Darling is going to make such a fine wife!" Kay said while munching
"Ehh? A wife?" Asparagus had a sweat drop on her head
"Coming home to a warm meal prepared by Gero-kun is such bliss.." Darjeeling blushed
"So Yamato Style user? What can you say about the Nishizumi Heir's cooking capabilities?" Katyusha asked
"Hmph..it's not bad.." Kaede blushed
"By the way where is Kikuyo-sama?" Takashi asked
"She said that she'll be handling some work over the security department..she won't be back till later.." Oowada said
"I hope everything goes well.." Katyusha said
"Even if it's Kuromorimine or the White Tiger himself..they're clearly at a disadvantage against this team..even we don't have any info on who their commander is.." Kaede said
"I'm not talking about that but yeah they're going to have a hard time in this match for sure.." Katyusha replied
(Kaede was confused as to what Katyusha was talking about if not about the match which will start soon and she just ignored it. Back at the tank garages Gero and Erika went to visit Crows Nest)
[Crows Nest High School Tank Garage]
(As Gero and Erika arrive they were met by Ishikawa Sudou the Vice Commander of Crows Nest)
"Thank you very much for the visit!" Sudou greeted
"It's our pleasure! Let's have fun this match alright?"
"Yes! All of us here know about you! We are very honored to have the White Tiger visit us!"
"Ahaha the honor is all mine! Just call me Gero! I guess your commander won't be greeting us so that you won't lose your advantage in the match?"
"Yes Gero-san, please forgive me for that..even though your commander visited as well.." Sudou bowed
"It's fine don't worry about it! Even if I didn't show up here you guys would've still known which tank I'd be on right?" Erika smiled
"Well yes because you also have a reputation going around, Kommandant Itsumi-san.." Sudou said
"Ohh? And what reputation does Erika have?"
"Uhmm..no offence to you Gero-san but..she is known to be the one that tamed the White Tiger.."
"Pfft.." Erika held in a laugh
"I just had to ask huh.."
(Everyone in the garage chuckled a bit seeing Gero get embarrassed)
"But I have to ask..you could just change your tank at the last minute then our advantage would've been lost.." Sudou said
"Yeah but where is the fun in that right?"
(Sudou was surprised with this answer)
"We're doing Senshado to have fun right? Then fighting even though the odds are against you is fun! If we lose then it was a great match! But if we win then even better!"
"Yes! I totally agree! Let's have fun in this match!" Sudou smiled
(Gero and Erika then left to go back to their garage but as they were walking away the commander of Crows Nest was watching them from afar and was slowly clenching his fist in anger)
"They seem like a kind bunch..nothing to worry about right?" Erika asked
"Yeah..but I'm sure you felt that killing intent directed at me as we left.."
"Yes I did..do you think it's them?"
"I don't know..but we still need to be careful..we can't risk anyone getting hurt.."
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
(As they returned to their garage they saw a crowd of people inside their tank garage and Koume was talking to them. The crowd looked to be wearing the same tanker uniforms from some school)
"Gero-san! Erika-san!" Koume waved
"Koume..these people are?" Erika asked
"They're from Shogun Boys High School and wanted to see Gero-san.." Koume said
"Me? What for?"
"We just wanted to wish you good luck Nishizumi Gero-dono and Itsumi Erika-dono!" a voice said from the middle of the group
(Then a guy walked out and it was Yamasaki Akane the strongest male Senshado commander along with his vice commander Tokugawa Shinji)
"Ohh a visit from the strongest male Senshado commander..what an honor.." Erika said
"Please Itsumi-dono..that title is just an overestimation of me..the people just went and came up with which I don't really deserve.." Akane said
"You say that but you defeating St. Gloriana says otherwise.." Erika said
"Nah we just did our best..there is another person here right now that deserves that title..he might not be a commander but he is the strongest.."
(Akane then walked in front of his team then the rest lined up in a straight line in front of Gero and suddenly bowed and wished him good luck with respect)
"WE WISH YOU GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE HAVE FUN GERO-DONO!"
"Thank you..your visit means a lot for us..right Erika?"
"Yeah..thank you very much.." Erika smiled
"All of us here are fans of you Gero-dono..along with our commander these boys here drive Tiger Is just like yours and they really admired you and look up to you for all of your accomplishments.." Shinji informed
"Is that so? The Tiger I is such a beast right?!"
"YES IT IS!" the boys of Shogun replied
"The biggest fan out of all of us would be commander Akane..he basically begged us to come with him here because he was too shy to come alone.." Shinji said
"Shut up Shinji!" Akane got embarrassed
"Now you really got yourself a fan club.." Erika teased
"Ahaha.."
"Ehem..it's great to finally meet the great White Tiger face to face.." Akane said
"Likewise..I've been wanting to meet you as well and have a match with you.."
"I would like nothing more..unfortunately we have to win both our matches in the semi finals in order to meet in the finals.." Akane smiled
"Indeed..we have to fight ghosts while you have the Yamato Style to worry about.."
"Well..there is no easy battle right?" Akane asked
"Oh but there is Akane-kun.."
"What kind of battle would that be?" Shinji asked
"It would be the battle where nobody would get hurt and everyone would just have fun doing what they want..do you know what that is?"
"What?" Akane asked
"It's Senshado duh!"
(Akane and the rest were surprised at the very obvious answer and they smiled at how they didn't know the answer to that)
"I totally agree with that Gero-dono..we all do.." Akane smiled
"Well I hate to cut this conversation short but we have to prepare since it's almost time for the match..I do hope we can have another opportunity to sit and relax and talk about Senshado.."
"We surely will Gero-dono..and SALUTE!" Akane ordered
(In an instant the boys of Shogun saluted Gero one last time and Gero saluted them back)
"Ohh before we forget we wanted to market our product to Itsumi-dono!" Shinji said
"What product?" Erika asked
"Ta-dah! A t-shirt with Gero-dono's face and the White Tiger!" Shinji presented
"EEHHH?!"
"Ohh! That's a nice shirt! How much is it?" Erika had stars on her eyes
"You're seriously buying?! How and where did you get this picture? And why?!"
"Well we're not the only one in the country that is a fan of you! Truth be told we just got done selling about a thousand T-shirts yesterday and this is a fresh batch! About the picture I can't reveal the source to a client!" Akane said
"A thousand?! That's somewhat amazing.."
"I'll take four please!" Erika said as she handed money
"Thank you for your purchase!" Shinji bowed
"Why so many?!"
"Hmmm? One for me, then two for Miho and Maho-san..then one for Headmistress!" Erika smiled
"Geez..well thank you I guess for spreading my face all over the country..I'll be seeing you in the finals my friend.."
(Gero then extended his hand towards Akane for a handshake and he accepted it and shook Gero's hand because he was happy to be called as a friend by the person he looks up to)
"Yeah.." Akane smiled
(Both teams now gathered on each of their starting points. The battlefield was on a grassy field with a big island in the middle with two bridges connected to it. The island is surrounded with water and it is connected to a river from a waterfall meaning the water has a current and tanks cannot cross through it without getting washed away by the force. There are two other bridges on both ends of the river which they can use to get across)
"Since this is a Commander Tank Battle, both teams may or may not send their commander for the pre-match greeting! You may send one representative of your choosing! Forward!" Ami Chouno said
(Ishikawa Sudou and Erika approached the middle)
"I'm Ami Chouno and I am joined by Kanon Sasagawa, Remi Takashima, and Hibiki Inatomi and we will be your judges in today's match! This match is between Kuromorimine University High School versus Crows Nest High School! Mode is Commander Tank Battle! The team that takes out the other team's commander will be the winner!
"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)
Crows Nest Tank Line Up: Unknown (20 Tanks)
Kuromorimine Tank Line Up: (20 Tanks)
Tiger I x1, Light Lion x1, Panther II x1, Jagdtiger x1, Sturmtiger x1, Panzer IVs x2, Panzer IIIs x2, Pumas x4, Panther As x7
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"Are preparations done?" Shiho asked
"Yes..my team is also on their way here to assist.." Chiyo said
"Thank you..we must make sure that everyone is fine after this.." Shiho said with a worried expression
"What are you both talking about over there?" Mai asked while pouring some tea on the other side of the room
"Nothing! We were just wondering what kind of tanks Crows Nest have!" Chiyo said changing the topic
"I was thinking about that as well..they were able to beat Saunders so they have strong tanks!" Mai smiled
(The reason why Chiyo and Shiho did not say anything to Mai about the operation was because of the possibility that Red Wings was an enemy to Gero and to both Shimada and Nishizumi Families)
[Kuromorimine Tank Formation]
"Alright all tanks will head for the middle island and we'll cross immediately to the other side!" Erika ordered
"Kommandant! Why do we have to get to the other side? Couldn't we just wait for them to cross?" Alice asked
"We can't..we're already at a disadvantage not knowing what tanks they have and which tank does their commander ride..so we'll make the first move and engage them in an open field where they have nowhere to hide!" Erika ordered
"Jawohl!" Alice replied
"Bakatora's team will head to the middle island first to check if it's clear..it'll be bad if we get stuck in there.."
"..."
(There was no response from Gero. His team and everyone else was wondering why)
"Bakatora?" Erika radioed
"..."
"GERO!"
(After hearing her voice Gero snapped back to reality)
"S-Sorry..what was that?"
"I said head to the island with your team to see if it's all clear!"
"J-Jawohl my Kommandant.."
(Gero's tank then sped up leaving everyone without even issuing an order to his team)
"Hey! I said with your team! Tsk damn it..Koume stay here! Everyone else stop here and commence Phalanx Formation with Koume's Panzer IV in the middle! Iron Fangs with me!" Erika ordered
"Jawohl!"
(As everyone was moving into formation all of them got worried about Gero)
"Is Gero-senpai alright?" Sakuraba asked
"I don't know..ever since we got to the stadium he's been on edge.." Mauko said
"There might be something else happening here that we don't know..let's be alert.."
"No matter what it is we'll back up Gero-san and Erika-san..is that clear?!" Koume shouted
"Jawohl Vize Kommandant!"
(Gero's tank now has crossed the bridge and was still worried about what may happen. Erika and his team followed him quickly and caught up to him)
"Gero! Stop here!"
"Erika.."
(Ken stopped their White Tiger and Erika's Panzer IV was just behind them)
"Sheska, load smoke.."
"Roger!" Sheska said
"All Iron Fangs load smoke as well! Keep an eye on the surroundings! We'll need the cover if we need to bail.."
"Jawohl!"
"Talk to me Gero..what's wrong?"
"Sorry..I can't seem to focus..I have so many things on my mind..I'm worried about everyone.."
(Hajime left the radio frequency open which means everyone on their team can hear what Gero is saying)
"Hey don't worry..we're here together..we'll fight by your side and we'll protect each other..there's nothing we can't beat together right?"
"If someone got hurt..I..I won't.."
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" loud voices came from the radio
"We'll be fine Gero-senpai!" Toshi radioed
"We got each other's backs!" Tojo radioed
"Nii-chan..we're stronger now! Because of you we can fight and win anything!" Alice smiled
"Gero-senpai! As your disciple I won't let you bear it alone! I'm here! All of us are here!" Sakuraba radioed
"Gero-san! You can trust us! Just as we trust you!" Sango said
"So stop worrying and get on your game face!" Mauko shouted
"Gero-san! Lead us like you always do!" Koume said
"Come on White Tiger! Don't be a pussy cat now!" Sheska shouted
"Get your act together or Kommandant will get angry.." Suzu said
"If you don't want that then man up!" Rin said
"Matsu-kun!"
"We're waiting on you Gero!" Ono said
"Say the word Taichou!" Hajime smiled
"Everyone.."
"See..you're not alone anymore Gero..everyone's here..I'm here.."
"Thank you Erika.."
(As Gero and Erika smiled at each other as they heard the support of each and everyone on their team Gero felt relieved. But all of that relief disappeared when Gero felt an enormous amount of killing intent and looked at the pocket of trees in front of them. He saw numerous muzzles aimed at them and he knew at that very moment they were going to be fired upon)
"SMOKE UP!"
*BANG *BANG *BANG
(The Iron Fangs fired their smoke shells immediately as Gero ordered and smoke engulfed the area in front of them but it was not enough. As Erika heard the sounds of cannons being fired all she could do was look at Gero before the shells landed on his tank)
"ERIKA! PULL BACK NOW-"
*BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM
(Even with the smoke cover all shells landed on Gero's tank and not on anyone else. Erika quickly took cover as the shells fell. When the ringing on their ears stopped Erika popped out of her cupola and saw that Gero's tank was still covered in smoke. All she could feel was worry and fear of what may have happened to Gero and all she could do was scream his name)
"GEROOOOO!"
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Coming Up Next : Chapter 61 - Welcome To Hell
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Author's Note:
Hey guys! Sorry about that cliffhanger haha! Next chapters are the fight all of us have been waiting for! Kuromorimine versus Crows Nest! I wonder what tanks they used to shoot at the White Tiger!
Does anyone have any idea how they can shoot accurately even through smoke? Let me know your guesses in the comments section!
I just want to greet everybody Happy Halloween! Enjoy your family time with friends and family and stay safe! See you all in the next chapter!