Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Blue Division vs Saunders, 54th National High School Senshado Tournament – Round 2
Today would be a rest day, but Alice decided to study some more Senshado theory. Their exhibition match against the Yubari Financial Group's team ended 2 days ago. It was the firm's first attempt at starting up an adult Senshado team, so they hadn't gotten their acts together yet. All-Stars' victory was convincing, a little bit too convincing it was rather boring. Alice kinda knew this, but she had hoped they would be able to surprise her. That someone, somewhere would be able to give her the fight she wanted.
"Our captain is deep in thoughts."
"She looks intense, yet so adorable~"
And then there were her three new sub-commanders, Azumi, Megumi, and Rumi – the lieutenants or legates in her tank army. They were here with Alice, but they seemed to be fawning over her more than actually studying. It was getting kind of annoying, but these girls were all she had.
Through no fault of Alice, by the time she ascended to become captain All-Stars had shrunk considerably, and with it the attention that they once got. The team when she joined 2 years ago was a tight-knit community of many veteran tankers under a beloved captain. Together they crushed many opponents, conquered tournaments, and maintained a strong presence of Japanese Senshado on the world stage. Not a few senior students held their graduation back for one last dance with their captain. Her mother would always say they were the strongest Senshado team in recent history. They were indeed, but now they were mostly gone. The last remnant of that glorious past would leave the day after tomorrow.
"Miss Hannah!"
A golden-haired lady entered the library, earning the immediate attention and salutation of the Bermuda trio.
"Shh." She shushed them.
"We're sorry!" Their voices lowered.
"Are you here for Alice?" Rumi asked.
"…Yeah, I'm here to say goodbye." Hannah answered softly.
"Right…" Megumi nodded. "It's been a pleasure fighting alongside you, Miss Hannah. Alice is over there."
With grace, the veteran tanker accepted their well-wishes. Walking up to Alice, her shadow got the young captain's attention. Her hands laid gentle on Alice's shoulders.
"Miss Hannah." Alice said. "Is everything ok?"
"Everything's good to go. I'm just here to say goodbye." Hannah smiled warmly. "Did you forget? It's Hannah, now and always."
"Mhm." Alice looked down, concealing the tears welling up in her eyes.
Alice was born to the prestigious Shimada family, a close rival of the Nishizumi family. The stars also aligned perfectly well, as she was also a prodigy at tankery. Naturally, her path had been chosen long before she learned to like it. But along the yellow brick road, she met Hannah. A sub-commander under her previous captain, Hannah was the first of her many comrades. Under her and other's guidance, Alice went from gunner to commander, and ultimately to captain. But she missed those days. She wished she could be a regular tanker under them again, under the big family.
"Well…" Hannah pulled a nearby chair over and sat down. "I still have today and tomorrow under your command. What are your orders?"
Alice thought silently for a moment.
"…Tell me a story."
"Hmm? What story?"
"I want to know more about Senshado back in your days, and the days of Miss Aurelie, Fernanda and Heidi." Alice said. "I've heard how intense it was, but there are so few stories of them."
In Senshado community spaces, very few people talked about the period of several years after the start of Kuromorimine's victory streak. Match replays to date at their peak were just over 50 thousand, often hovering around 20 to 25 thousand. In comparison, matches before and just after Kuromorimine's reign were in the millions, and the most recent years' were in the hundreds of thousands. The German school's continued dominance made it boring, and the fatal accident that year nailed the door shut. It was easier to focus on Senshado as a wholesome sport for cute school girls and ignore the bad stuff that happened.
Alice thought it was a shame. It seemed like such a fun time.
"Roger." Hannah smiled.
Undoubtedly, Senshado had changed over the years. To Hannah, it was perhaps for the better, but if the younger generation could sense, could feel, could live what it was like to be under Senshado's greatest generation, she would be happy. With one foot of hers had already stepped into the annals of Senshado history, and the other still lingered with the autumn days, Hannah laid back on her chair.
"Since it's story time, let's get atmospheric. Let's call this…'The Tales of the Lost Generation'."
Senshado is an inherently imbalanced game. No two schools were made the same. Some traced back centuries to the Sengoku age, while some rose from the ashes of World War 2. Some weathered the financial/demographic storms better than others. Some were deeply favored by the government, others were not. As such, funding was a huge determinator in battlefield success, as much as the traditionalists would like to say otherwise. Creativity wasn't seen as important. As long as a captain doesn't massively screw up, the materials and school's established doctrine would carry the day.
However, there were those who rebelled against that trend, and most ironically, they weren't tank fanatics, descendants of prestigious families, or had a head-start in tankery.
Hannah was one of them. Like a lot of girls, she was excited to join but knew next to nothing of tanks. But she had talent with organization. She helped run the family store, she was a note taker in middle school, and it translated well to Senshado. Her orders were often easily understood, and her organization allowed a tank squad to operate as effectively as possible. She was also calm-headed, never one to act impulsively, which was a great asset for any commander.
But it takes two to tango. And at Saunders, Hannah's dance partner was Daphne.
Daphne was the daughter of a Saunders school administrator, Hannah's neighbour and childhood friend. Despite their class difference, their friendship was genuine. Daphne was secured the captain spot due to her family connection. Hannah joined her the following year as her right-hand woman. Immediately, she could see the problem. Daphne was, simply and bluntly put, not a good captain. She was emotional, easily frustrated, and quite gullible. And worse, all her previous matches were easy pickings like Vikings, Bonple, Maginot, giving her an ego that wasn't necessarily earned.
Their opponent in the second round was Blue Division. Traditionally not a very difficult opponent, but a much tougher nut to crack than Maginot in the last round. They had much better, deadlier tanks than the aforementioned schools. More worryingly, they seemed to be in a better shape than before. Their previous match with Count High School was concluded with a combined multi-pronged attack that stupefied their commanders and melted their team. In fact, they won so fast that the judge thought the match was pre-arranged.
"And who is this captain of theirs?" Daphne asked.
"Looks like a first year." Hannah wanted to act surprised, but she was a first year too in vice-commander position. "No record of how she fights aside from Count."
"It's tough to plan when she just obliterated her opponents so easily." Daphne groaned. "Can those girls do anything other than let God take the wheel?"
"What I can tell is that they're a lot more coordinated, which is quite concerning."
"Do you think so?"
"A well-coordinated team can make the worst strategy usable."
And Blue Division's doctrine already wasn't that bad.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Daphne asked.
"Hmm." Hannah thought. "Jumbos."
"Are we playing defense?"
"Let them come to us. Our 76s will pick off the dangerous targets, and they'll tire themselves out eventually."
It was a sound strategy in theory, and this worked in their favour by the day of the match.
The forecast for 3 days straight was heavy rain, ending at the very afternoon the match took place. When they arrived on the battlefield, the torrential rain seeped through the ports and hatches and onto their clothes. Blue Division arrived late for the match, which worked out anyway because the match was delayed due to camera drone issues.
Saunders' confidence was high. They cheerfully bantered with spectators, manned fast food stalls, and generously donated raincoats and umbrellas while they waited.
The battle began after the rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds. Under trudging mud, the captains shook hands.
The order of battle was as follows:
Saunders's 15 tanks consisted entirely of Shermans. 7 M4A2, 5 M4A2E3 Jumbo, 3 M4A3(76), split evenly into 2 groups. Hannah commanded 8 tanks: 2 M4A3(76), 2 M4A2E3 (with one as her command tank), 4 M4A2. Daphne took the rest.
Blue Division's were more diverse. 5 BT-5, 2 StuG III Ausf G, 2 Panzer III Ausf J, 2 Panzer IV Ausf H, 1 Verdeja and 3 Panzer II Ausf F. The T-26 had been phased out, as the captain considered better options.
The mud slowed the heavy tanks of Saunders quite a bit. The Jumbos sagged into the mud, tracks slid and vomited out slush. It took them a while to get into position. Daphne's tanks parked in a small Japanese-styled village, while Hannah's were stationed in the nearby road. Both were in close proximity and could reinforce each other. They waited for Blue Division's attack.
"Enemy spotted. BT-5s. Four, no five." Exclaimed a 76mm commander under Daphne's group.
"I see 'em. How are they moving that fast in muddy terrain?"
"They're heading to the temple grounds, must be taking the gravel road there."
"Can you take a shot?" Daphne asked.
"Mm mm. No shots are hitting those guys at that speed."
"Tanks, main road!" At almost the same time, another from Hannah's group reported. "StuGs and Panzer IVs, 2 each. Permission to fire?"
"Granted." Hannah commanded. "Watch out for return fire."
The 3 Jumbos rolled up to the front facing the Blue Division's panzers. Several Shermans open fired, all either missed or ricocheted off their targets. The panzers fired back, but in their hasty retreat to the cover of the trees, their shots also missed.
The firefight went on for several shots more, under vigilant observation from Saunders' second-in-command. Then the battlefield died down. Blue Division's tanks seemed to have retreated. No casualties for either side.
"Looks like they're split up." Hannah finally looked at the map. "5 tanks on one end and 4 on the other. They may be setting up a flanking attack."
"We still don't know where the other 6 tanks are." Daphne muttered, then came the clanking noises of ricocheting shells over the radio.
"Speak of the devil…" Someone said.
"BT-5?" Hannah asked.
"No...Panzer IIs." Daphne clutched her radio. "Open fire! Give 'em a taste of Saunders hospitality!"
The Shermans under Daphne all turned their guns towards the direction of incoming fire. Firing indiscriminately into the trees with only muzzle flashes as hints, they mostly missed their shots as well, but one lucky hit caught a Panzer II dead in its turret, popping its white flag.
"First blood!" A Sherman gunner exclaimed, reverberated by her commander.
The remaining Panzer IIs turned tail and ran, only adding onto the exhilaration of the Saunders tankers. Their bloodlust suddenly spiked.
"Let's chase them down!" Declared one commander.
"Hell yeah! It's just Panzer IIs. Fish for food!" Exclaimed another.
"Rachel and Lilly, give chase." Daphne permitted. "Pull back if they're out of sight."
"Roger!"
The two readily ordered their tanks, a Jumbo and an A2 Sherman respectively, forward. Hannah, however, wasn't enthused.
"Don't get out of position!" She shouted, but no obedience. They were under Daphne's commands, not Hannah's.
"Why? We have them on the run." Daphne asked.
Only a few seconds after Daphne's questions, the M4A2 ate a shot on its right tracks, breaking it. From its 1 o' clock position was a blue tank. A Verdeja with its 45mm cannon staring directly at them. The Jumbo rushed to get a shot in, but they carelessly drove into soft mud. The ground ensnared the Jumbo, the heavy tank unable to get out under its own power. Smelling blood, flurries of enemy cannon fire shook both tanks – the shooters unidentifiable. But before the 2 Shermans could retaliate, the Verdeja retreated into the labyrinth of flora.
"Our tracks are shot out!"
"We're stuck!"
"Because of that." Hannah retorted. "They were waiting for you."
"Tch. The rest of you, move up and rescue them." Daphne said.
The rest of the tanks under Daphne surged forward, establishing a perimeter around Lilly and Rachel. Once the battlefield around them quieted down for 60 seconds, the immediate area was declared a ceasefire by the referees, and the crew got to work repairing the damaged tracks.
But elsewhere, a firefight broke out.
"Contact! Southwest, 5 BT-5s!"
"It's that group earlier..." Hannah noted.
"Traverse left, 400!"
But even before the Shermans could get their guns on targets, the BT-5s turned tail and ran. Very soon after, the StuGs and Panzer IVs were back, and one of their 75mm round narrowly bounced off the turret front of a 76mm Sherman. They continued to fire until the Shermans switched attention, and by then they'd retreat to cover.
This was even more than Hannah feared. This was exact opposite of the breakthrough strategy they were known for. The level of coordination between their tanks were much higher than she anticipated. This was bad.
"Reform and follow me." Hannah ordered. "Daphne, I'm heading over to you to cover. After you finish repairing, we'll head to the Long Bridge."
The Long Bridge was, ironically, quite a short one, only 50 meters in length, crossing a small stream. It would be an insignificant stone bridge if not for the fact that it was highly defensible, at least relative to other places. There were rocks rather conveniently placed that could shield them if Blue Division decided to attack from below the bridge. They could put the two squads on both ends of the bridge, with their backs against each other, not unlike Maginot's infamous static defense strategy they just defeated.
"Gotcha." Daphne obliged. "What's the plan there?"
"Once again, form up and defend. Harder. No breaking rank." Hannah instructed clearly. "They're purposefully avoiding a pitched battle, and instead trying to pick us apart."
"Mhm." Daphne sighed. She understood her competent second-in-command's logic. But cold logic ignores the complexities of human beings, and as Daphne would soon find out.
Saunders tanks began setting up the second they arrived on the chosen battlefield. Like a pack of wolves, Blue Division's tanks lurked in the cover of leaves, some fired on the Saunders tanks scrambling into position.
"You sneaky little-" A commander on Hannah's side cursed. Her 76mm Sherman was turning to retaliate when Hannah voiced up.
"No. Get back in formation." She issued a direct order. "Do not move until I say otherwise."
"Alright." She growled. Her tanks slowed down for the Jumbos to catch up and form the vanguard.
Saunders's tanks held strong. Their solid armor warded off AP shells after AP shells, and on Hannah's side, the calm-headed actions under fire netted them the Verdeja, whose commander were ever so careless as to overstay for one more shot. On Daphne's sides, however, cracks were forming.
Blue Division's attacks were much more intense there. Their heavy hitters joined the engagement, striking from the shadows. Even the Panzer IIIs, the last of the unaccounted vehicles, were present. They knew their priorities. Daphne had the flag tank, and she was the weaker commander.
No Sherman had been taken out, but in the unrelenting fire raining down upon the defense line, some shells inevitably slipped through, disabling gun barrels, knocking out tracks, or jamming turret rings. Since ceasefires could not be declared this time around, they just had to sit there and take it.
"How much ammo did they bring? It's endless…"
"Any minute now…"
While they waited for that moment, a StuG III, silent like a grave, crawled into position. Firing at the perfect point in time, its shell slammed onto an M4A2 on the turret side. The white flag popped.
"This is Emy! I'm out!" Its commander declared, before their radio was silenced by the tank's computer system.
"Where's that from?!" One bellowed.
"Over there! 2 o' clock!" Another pointed.
The Shermans turned guns again, but the StuG had already retreated, yet again.
Panic began to set in.
"Are we just letting them pick us off one by one?!"
"Why are we copying Maginot's tactics?! They're known to lose games!"
"Let's charge them, all at once!"
Daphne was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She trusted her vice-commander and childhood friend, but her frustrated teammates were making this difficult to not question.
"Any tank that can still move, report." Daphne said. "Any who cannot, deploy smoke. We will charge at my command."
Smokescreens were launched, and they sat awaiting their gun barrels and turret rings to come back online – gun disabling and turret jam were simulated on a timer as the enhanced carbon protected them from actual physical damage. When everyone was ready, Daphne gave the command. All but 2 tanks rolled up, only to be slowed down by the mud, and found Blue Division's tanks nowhere near them. They had run away yet again, seemingly immune to terrain problems. But as soon as Saunders gave up the pursuit, they reappeared in the distance peppering them with shells. There was no end to it. Daphne was out of position, surrounded, her tank group split in half, and she had to reluctantly ask Hannah to bail her out once more.
The rhythm eventually settled in, Blue Division had gotten used to their battlefield and now Saunders struggled to land a single shot on them, let alone take them out. This frustrating cat-and-mouse game would last over 2 hours.
"When are we finally going to attack them?" Daphne's voice over the radio reeked of annoyance.
"When we've taken out enough of their tanks." Hannah repeated her previous instructions, trying to sound as matter-of-fact as possible. "You're doing great, Daphy, keep going."
"Urgh…" Daphne groaned loudly, the peppering sound of machine gun fire were spices on top.
Over on the Blue Division's side, their harassment continued, but the lengthy match had worn on their members too. Despite having their impatience beaten out of them by the new doctrine, it was still grueling to be doing this back and forth for so long.
"My hands are so sore..." A driver complained.
"Good job, rotate to the backline." A brunette with twin-tails named Gabriela replied. "Catalina and Marisol, you're up."
"Already?!" The indicated members growled but obeyed.
From their reaction, Gabriela knew this couldn't go on much longer.
"Capitán." She called, whose recipient's tank, a BT-5, rolled by.
Her captain's presence was something felt and sensed. She exuded nothing but confidence, from the flip of her shoulder length auburn hair to her alluring eyes of gold, glancing at her from a slight head tilt. Was she being casually flirtatious, even in the middle of an intense battle – something certainly on-brand for her captain – or was she being serious? Or both? It was hard to decipher every time Gabriela had a conversation, which somehow added more to her suavity.
"What is it, my dear Gabriela?"
This was Fernanda – Blue Division's umpteenth attempt at getting a competent leader, but they might had lucked out this time. Like her debonair attitude, her exotic reforms in the school's Senshado team was proving its worth, but victory demanded more than this.
"What's the plan from here?" Gabriela asked.
"Hmm…" Fernanda shrugged. "I dunno."
"You...don't know?" Gabriela piqued her eyebrows.
"No idea~" Fernanda replied playfully. Gabriela was unconvinced and unimpressed.
"We can't do this in perpetuity, Fernanda. We have to commit to a decisive attack soon."
"Oh I know. But the opportunity has yet to come." Fernanda's lively tone tuned down a little. She grabbed her radio handset and headset. "Guys, keep annoying them for now. I assure you, the next phase will come. Oh it will come! It'll be glorious!"
"Better be soon, lest we poke ourselves to death." Gabriela sighed into the radio, looking at Fernanda eye to eye.
"Keep an eye out on their flag tank contingent." Fernanda instructed the team. "Whatever we will do to it, it will need to be quick before the other contingent could respond."
Their opportunity came around 15 minutes later, when a report came in.
"They've relocated to Sunflower Hill. The other contingent to Peashooter Hill."
"Map please." Fernanda asked and was given a scroll by her driver.
Sunflower and Peashooter Hill were a few hundred meters across one another. Close to both hills was Marigold Forest and Point Wake. It seemed inconspicuous, but the road ascending Point Wake had a particular cliff-side section. For Fernanda, as the cogs in her brain moved, a smirk formed on her lips.
Saunders had moved to their newest defensive position. This was the furthest her squadron had been from Hannah's, but this was the most defensible hill for her. Hannah took the lower hill and could swing in to trap them if needed. But she was exhausted. Despite having the upper-hand in firepower, she always had to be on the lookout for sudden attacks and ambushes. It was stressful. With each of her tank's tracks shot out, with each turret jammed, with each opponent's tank eluding their grasp, Daphne's patience eroded, while Blue Division's patience seemingly remained infinite.
"Tanks, over there by the forest!"
"Here we go again…"
5 BT-5 suddenly lined up abreast at the forest clearings, out of range of the Shermans. Saunders braced for the attack, but then a radio announcement was heard over the radio.
"A ceasefire has been requested in section D2," D2 was where they were, "duration 5 minutes."
"5 minutes?" A Jumbo commander was quizzical.
"They must be repositioning, don't approve it!" Another said.
"Hmm." Daphne paid close attention to the BTs. They were already rolling slowly towards them, as if the ceasefire was in effect. Very brazen of them, so much so that Daphne was now curious what they were up to. It wouldn't hurt otherwise; 5 minutes was too short to do anything meaningful, and Senshado rules dictated in a player-requested ceasefire, the requesting party would not be able to shoot for half to a full minute after lifting to prevent dirty tricks.
Once the BT-5s reached a certain distance from Saunders's position, 4 stopped. The 5th BT-5, the designated team flag tank, continued rolling a hundred meter more, turned on its side, and stopped. The hatch was pushed open, and Saunders students looked on with held breath.
"Gooood afternooooon!"
Levity reverberated; a picture perfect Blue Division student graced upon the Saunders tankers. She stood up on her feet behind the BT's turret with her loudspeaker, her shoulders back, her chin slightly raised, her confidence projected.
"Not exactly a lovely day today!" She yelled. "Heard you guys are going on exchange program to Oahu soon! That sure sounds like a lovely getaway, ain't it?!"
The Saunders girls looked among themselves, wondering how Blue Division got hands on that information.
"Listen, I'm sure you're all tired of this back and forth. I get it. So let me give you a proposal." A wicked grin appeared on Fernanda's face. "Surrender to me now!"
"What did she just say?" A bewildered tank commander looked over at Daphne.
"Yes, you heard me!" Fernanda pointed a finger at the group. "Surrender now, we'll win the championship for ya, and we can all go home to our warm blankets and hot soup!"
"The audacity!" Another commander cursed. Daphne was still staring in her binoculars unflinchingly.
"It's that simple, and you can make your decision at any time, as if you rascals can do anything otherwise." Fernanda jumped down from her tank, unwrapped what seemed to be a white flag stowed on the side of her tank.
"I'll be waiting for your answers~" She took a step forward and threw the flag towards Saunders.
And that did it in.
Daphne put down her binoculars in a huff. This upstart brat. She dragged Daphne around like a pet, and now she was treating her like one. This could not stand. Daphne was the captain of a prestigious school – a championship contender! No, that brat would have to surrender to Saunders on her knees! And if she was too arrogant to see that, then Daphne would simply have to beat it into her.
"Orders captain?" Others asked, when the BT-5s had left and the ceasefire had been lifted.
"What do you think?" Her voice dripped lava of anger. "Take that white flag and pretend like we considered the offer."
"Yes captain!"
The entire Saunders flag tank squadron was in the same lava pond. They charged toward where the BT-5s retreated to. Since Senshado rule would disqualify them if they open the white flag to feign surrender, they stowed it instead. But Blue Division didn't fall for that. Saunders' approach in formation was an obvious sign they weren't there for some tortillas.
The 5 BT-5 retreated deeper into Marigold's Forest, and Saunders's 6 Sherman, like raging bulls, went straight in. As expected of Blue Division's behavior thus far, they continued to run, but to Daphne's delight, they were ascending Point Wake.
"Hannah, reposition down north of Point Wake. We'll chase them up and around. They'll be surrounded." Daphne instructed.
"Point Wake? Wait-" Hannah's transmission was cut short. Daphne's mind had entered a tunnel. Nothing would snap her out of her desire to see Fernanda beaten and defeated. Until suddenly, as Saunders tanks were speeding across a cliff-side mountain road…
"What the-"
The 4 BT-5s in the distance suddenly swung around and charged the Saunders' formation. At the same time, the remaining Panzer II and IIIs emerged from the treeline on their exposed flanks.
"Defense formation! H-Hedgehog!" Daphne vomited out random words in response to this gutsy move.
"HNNGG!" Saunders tankers grunted repeatedly, as the Shermans hastily scrambled a makeshift defensive formation, with Daphne's tank in the center. They were in time. When the Blue Division tanks started firing in mass, their frontal armor had spiked up.
Daphne only just breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed dirt and mud flinging onto the hatch, around her tanks, and over her. Columns of dirt shot up around the formation. The Blue Division tanks had swapped to shooting high explosive rounds. Daphne thought they were desperate moves, but then came the sound of the rumbling earth.
"Oh no…" The captain muttered. She spun around and looked down. Her startle turned to panic as she saw traces of blues below the hill.
"Evacuate, it's a trap!" She barked out an order, but before any of the girls could react, all the Blue Division tanks rushed forward, ramming into their enemies, preventing them from moving forward. One turned to run the way they came from, but was taken out by a vigilant Panzer III.
The earth beneath Daphne's tanks cracked. She trembled with it, looking around for any bargain, and caught one last glimpse of her opponent's flag tank rolling by, so close but never in danger of being shot at. The Blue Division's captain, casually spinning the radio handset around her finger, coldly side-eyed her back. The gloat and flamboyance had all but gone – a haunting farewell gift to escort Daphne and her Saunders out of this year's tournament.
The ground gave way and the 6 Saunders tanks, including the one disabled, slid down the cliff right into the kill-zone of the 2 StuGs and 2 Panzer IVs, all lined up waiting for them like firing squads. Cannon fire roared several times. There were some resistance, but Saunders flag tank group was executed on the spot they landed.
"Saunders flag tank has been disabled. The victor of this match is Blue Division High School!"
Hannah couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Daphne, what happened?!" She shouted into the radio, with no response.
The Saunders captain slumped back on her seat, reduced to a listless ghost. Her hands weakly trailed the gun breech, replaying the whole match in her head.
The eyes she saw that moment, that was when Daphne realized what had gone wrong. This was all planned. She had been completely outplayed. Her spur-of-the-moment anger had sealed her team's fate.
"Buen trabajo..."
Fernanda gave a final transmission before jumping down from her BT-5. Looking down at the smoking sculptures of metal she just made today, a grin grew bigger with every breath. In triumphant style, she held a fist in the air. The crowds in the stand erupted into thunderous applause.
"That girl is your friend, right Masala?"
Two women sat on their chairs, observing the TV screen from their special platform separate from the crowd. One with long black hair and wore a St. Gloriana uniform sat behind one with shoulder-length brown hair and wore formal clothing.
"Yes, madam Yorkshire." The black-haired girl responded
"She's got style. A shame I wasn't able to fight her." Yorkshire said.
"If that's what you want, I can arrange something for you. If your conditions allow it, of course." Masala replied.
"That's what I was going to request." Yorkshire nodded gracefully. "Hopefully the team doesn't mind."
"A few seniors would love to serve under you again, even if it's just an exhibition match." Masala smiled. "But what compels you?"
"She's an innovative señorita. I've never seen anyone take such a commanding lead in initiative as an underdog."
"It's amazing how they could move so fast in wet terrain." Masala commented. "How do they know their tanks are capable on the terrain they're on? Is it preparation or are they lucky?"
"Calling such consistency luck is a little insulting, is it not?" Yorkshire side-eyed her junior.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Masala apologized.
"Modern Senshado is too concerned with things like tank choices and doctrines. Forget it. Prepare and adapt."
Masala nodded. It was quite ironic that she said this, considering Kuromorimine and Pravda were the strongest contenders for championships and they were the most inflexible on both counts. But it was good advice. Fernanda heeded it and beat the odds. Maybe she could do the same to Kuromorimine, whom St. Gloriana was scheduled to fight later this week.
"It'll certainly be interesting to fight her." Yorkshire said. "If nothing else, it's a good opportunity for you two to meet. Go on, the festivities wouldn't be complete without a friend."
"Thank you, madam Yorkshire!" Masala bowed strongly, excitedly left her tea cup down on the table and ran ahead. Yorkshire sipped her drink in serenity. She decided to retire from Senshado early due to medical reasons. It was time for the new generation to carry the torch.
Fernanda's clenched fist was still high in the air when she returned to the main venue to a thunderous applause from excited fans, both from her own school and others.
But the victory wasn't complete until Masala showed up.
"Ferny!" She ran over to Fernanda arms wide, hugged her tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Ri-...I-I mean, Masala!" Fernanda was equally exhilarated, she almost forgot the Senshado etiquette. "Thank you!"
Saunders rejoined shortly after. Daphne wasn't there, but Hannah was.
"Well…" The Saunders vice-commander's voice was dejected, but sportsmanship dictated she gave her opponent the proper recognition. "That certainly was unexpected."
"I'll admit, it went much better than I anticipated." Fernanda chuckled. "Sorry for the dirty trick there."
"That's no trickery. We were too rash, and you exploited it justifiably."
"Your captain is alright, right?" Fernanda noticed her absence.
"She'll be fine." Hannah shrugged. "A few bottle Mexican coke and she'll be back in no time."
"I can send you some. We'll definitely be buying them to celebrate later."
The golden-haired commander laughed a little and extended her hand. "I appreciate it. My name's Hannah. I admit defeat. Congratulations on your victory."
All of a sudden, Fernanda came up to Hannah, took her hand and raised it high.
"Don't be down, you fought well!" Fernanda grinned brightly.
The crowd, taken by a pleasant surprise, cheered louder, now for both commanders. Her teammates began to call Fernanda 'Imperator', while the bewildered Hannah was left with a smile.
"Next time!" She declared confidently.
It would be the first of many matches to come.
"That's so cool!" Rumi squealed.
"Sounds like something out of an action movie." Azumi remarked.
"Who was Fernanda again?" Rumi asked.
"She's a sub-commander under the previous captain. Our predecessor, basically." Megumi answered. "Remember the Fundamentals of Senshado Reconnaissance? She wrote those."
"Oh, does she? Wow…so this is what our senior was capable of."
The Bermuda trio gossiped from afar, Hannah's story having fully ensnared them.
"It's just the beginning." Hannah said, turning her head towards the trio fully aware. "It's going to be even more grand, so come join."
"Oh…" Rumi exclaimed, stepping out from the bookshelves. "We apologize for eavesdropping."
"Commander, please excuse our intrusion." Megumi, polite as ever, bowed. Alice and her lieutenants huddled around the window before her senior tanker.
"How did big sis Fernanda actually do it?" Alice asked, who didn't seem to mind.
"From what she told me, the moment the rain was forecast, she sent everyone out to train with their tanks. Every day for several hours until the day of the match." Everybody's jaws dropped hearing Hannah. "It sounds intense but it's really just driving around a couple laps and a firing drill. Helps build resilience to the environment."
"Still, that's more than I would have done." Azumi said. "I don't know if I would have been able to rouse my team to do that."
"She told everyone it's gonna be a 'mud bath on school time' and it worked." Hannah giggled remembering. Fernanda was goofy, but she knew her ways around people. And she wasn't the only one.
"But as we all know, Kuromorimine won that year. Blue Division ran into them the next round and that was that." Hannah narrated. "However, our second year is a grand one. This is when Aurelie rose to prominence."
Alice's eyes lit up hearing it. The Bermuda trio shuddered, Azumi especially. That name might not be as popular as other superstars of today's age, but it cast a long shadow over All-Stars and the two French schools.
Aurelie was Azumi's idol back in her high school days. She was a different flavor of genius. She was no tank expert, had no prestigious family name, possessed no borderline supernatural senses. A world-class tanker using nothing but hard work and her plain intelligence to achieve it. She made Azumi and others who looked up to her feel like they could do the same thing.
"Our next story highlights perfectly why Senshado is a brutal, and also a beautiful game."