"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE SICK?!?" Löfström couldn't believe it. They had to fight without Jouko this next tournament? And they thought this was the year they were going to finally get past the Quarterfinals. "I'm sorry, friends, I tried asking if I could still participate despite my fever, but they said I'm too weak right now." Frisell was demoralized. "Oh my, now we'll have to wait another year for us to get to the Semis... why is luck against us?" Jouko reassured her, "Relax, Frisell. You'll be facing an easy school for the first battle, so good luck with going with whoever will take my place this battle. I'll try to recover as fast as possible for the Quarterfinals, but don't expect much." As her friends left, she ate the provisions they left for her: Lohikeitto with some Korvapuusti, her favorite. A few hours passed as she waited for the first round of the tournament to begin. After time had passed, she turned on the television and watched as Continuation won a pretty convincing victory over Blue Division.
"Victory for Continuation High School!"
Jouko smiled as she watched the celebrations on television, though she knew full well this was gonna be the last win for the school at this tournament, especially considering their next opponent was none other than Kuromorimine, the school that had dominated Sensha-do for 9 tournaments straight, that is, until the 62nd Tournament. It was always the first round they won, usually against a weak school, then they get paired with a powerful school the next round and get knocked out. Thus is the fate of minor schools like this, a shame I'm not there to fight this time, maybe we would've made it to the Semifinals this time... As she turned off the TV, she ate the food left on her side table, before she realized. Ooarai's first match! It's happening right after Continuation's! With lightning speeds she turned the TV back on, just in time as the firework burst, signaling the start of the match. Jouko had low expectations, but she held hopes for Ooarai. Indeed, Ooarai blew away all pessimism with a surprising victory. Despite losing almost half their tank force, and later discovering that Saunders was cheating by intercepting the enemy radio, they were still able to knock out the enemy flag tank. Miho had led Ooarai to an upset victory over the richest school, and were basically given a free ticket to the semifinals given their next opponent was Anzio, a school that could only muster a single "heavy tank", the rest being light tanks and tankettes that couldn't really pack a punch.
As the days passed, Jouko continued to recover, but sadly was unable to recover fast enough to fight in the match against Kuromorimine, meaning she had to watch this match too. But given Ooarai's upset victory, who knows, maybe Continuation would defeat Kuromorimine... right? Unfortunately for Continuation, this was not to be. Without their ace to snipe the enemy flag tank from a distance, and given they were fighting in unfamiliar terrain, all Continuation could do was just try hit-and-run tactics. Their drivers did their best to evade as best as possible, and it did bring some results. Two Panthers were knocked out, as well as a Panzer III. This was something few schools could achieve, and the fact that Continuation managed to pull it off, without Jouko's help no less, deeply impressed the spectators. When the team returned to visit Jouko, they presented her with a handwritten note from Kuromorimine's commander, Maho. It read thus:
Greetings, Jouko. It was a great pleasure fighting your team today, and you did surprise us with your team's tenacity and ability to fight despite the major disadvantages given them in the match. If you had been there, I am certain that we would have lost the match, as you are a very good tank commander in many people's eyes, and Continuation must consider themselves to be very lucky to have you as a member of the school. It is a great shame we never got to meet on the field today, and I hope for a quick recovery. May we meet soon, I've heard many great things from you and I'd like to experience it.
P.S. I've heard of your attitudes towards my sister Miho. My mother, nor anyone else doesn't know this, but I do share the same feelings. I chose to hide it because I am the heiress to the Nishizumi style, but I do agree that my school's judgement of Miho was unjust. It's good to see I'm not the only one who thinks so. I hope to fight her in the finals, but it seems she must first face Pravda, and I must face St. Gloriana to get there. I secretly wish her good luck in winning the tournament.
Signed, Maho Nishizumi, Commander of Kuromorimine Girls' Academy Sensha-Do Team
Jouko was surprised. Maho was known for being a cold, calculated, heartless tactical mind who was known for allowing nothing to stand in the way of victory. Yet, here she was, telling her her personal secret feelings for Miho. Was this written by someone else instead of Maho, or was this legitimate? There were so many questions to be answered. The following day, Jouko had recovered enough to go back to practicing tankery, as well as attend the remaining matches for Ooarai. She was able to watch as Ooarai defeated Anzio after a lengthy battle, and later looked on as Ooarai, after a rather embarrassing dance which apparently raised morale, broke through Pravda's lines and destroyed their flag tank, pushing them to the finals. Ooarai's match against Kuromorimine by far was the closest. Almost all of Ooarai's tanks were immobilized during the match, but in a 1-on-1 duel between both flag tanks, each commanded by Miho and Maho, the former emerged victorious, winning Ooarai the match, and the tournament, in an upset win. As the crowd erupted in celebration, Jouko rushed down the steps to meet Miho as she returned from the battle. Shaking hands, they exchanged greetings as Jouko extended congratulations not just to her, but the entire team. "A very great victory for you, Miss Nishizumi. It is a shame we were unable to fight you in the Finals, but at least you managed a shot against your former school." Miho nervously acknowledged this, and directed Jouko to the rest of the team. A moment of particular interest was meeting the flag tank's loader, named Yukari, who was very excited to meet Jouko, comparing her to Simo Häyhä, who was also Jouko's personal hero: "It's a great honor to meet you, Jouko-dono! Akiyama Yukari, at your service! You really fight like the great Finn Simo Häyhä, the most successful sniper of World War II! I heard your grandfather was great friends with him, you must be honored to have some form of relation with him!" Jouko looked on as Miho waved the championship flag, celebrating their great victory over impossible odds, reminiscing on how unfortunate it was they never got to meet in combat, but unaware that that was probably for the best for Ooarai.
Weeks passed by as Continuation continued to train hard on their tactics and skill, but news suddenly came that Ooarai was being shut down. In fact, they had already been threatened to shut down had they lost the tournament but the official in charge of shutting the school down had done so anyway. When St. Gloriana's commander, Darjeeling, sent out a signal to several schools, Continuation was among those who answered the call. Jouko volunteered to go with Mika, but was refused, to her confusion. When she asked why, Aki broke the news. "The man who was going to close down Ooarai agreed to the match, and after finding out we were reinforcing Ooarai, he said not to allow you to join, since it would already be a massive advantage. I am sorry." So, Jouko was left to watch as Ooarai and allies battled for its very survival against the All-Stars University Team, which included Continuation's old commander, Rumi, who was then serving as one of the University team's Vice-Commanders. To Jouko's surprise, the University's overall Commander was simply a 13-year old who had a passionate love for Boko, a bear popular among children in Japan, apparently. Well I can see another reason why Mika never let me fight, this is gonna be a slaughter! Ooarai won't be closing today, that's for sure. Contrary to expectations, Jouko was looking at a commander of equal skill as her. Initially staying behind to coordinate movements, the Commander, whom Jouko later learned was Alice Shimada, heiress to the Shimada style, the rival of Nishizumi, later got involved in the fight, and destroyed several tanks by herself in a series of maneuvers, something some observers pointed out could only be compared to Jouko. Mika's BT-42 had earlier been knocked out, managing to take out 3 enemy tanks in a diversionary action to allow the destruction of an enemy Karl-Gerat mortar. Soon, only 3 of a total of 60 tanks remained, Miho and Maho against Alice. In a twist, Maho fired a shot into Miho's Panzer IV, shooting it straight into a collision course with Alice's Centurion. Just before the white flag could pop out, the Panzer fired straight into the Centurion, knocking it out and barely winning Ooarai the match.
After the match, Jouko and Miho met again, and the former was introduced to Alice, a very shy girl. However, both warmed to each other as they discussed their similarities in style, and listening carefully to stories of legendary plays during their matches, as well as their backstories. Jouko also managed to meet Miho's sister Maho, as well as the commanders of the schools that had assisted Ooarai, who flocked to see this legendary new ace of Continuation, as well as Rumi, who was pleased at how successful Jouko had grown.
Darjeeling, in her usual elegant tone, spoke first. "Well, a gallant commander has stepped forth to witness this conflict of most epic proportions. We are most truly and dutifully honored, and it is a great shame you weren't present, otherwise our eyes shall have seen victory much, much sooner."
Maho was next, saying, "We finally meet. It is a great honor to finally see you. It is unfortunate you were unable to participate, not only do you have a reputation preceding you, you're bigger than I expected," letting out a rare chuckle.
Katyusha, the commander of Pravda: "Hey, you were watching today it seems. Great honor to meet again. Looks like I should rethink my tactics, Ooarai was another eye opener!"
Anchovy, the charismatic leader of Anzio: "To think we were being watched by this legendary commander... my heart flutters at the thought!"
Kinuyo Nishi, Chihatan's charge-minded commander who knew nothing but the way forward: "Today's experience has shown that charging is not everything, and maybe I could take some lessons from you too. It's great to meet one so lauded among Sensha-do."
Kay addressed Jouko next. "Well, it was a shame that you weren't there. That battle was pretty darn close!"
Rumi was the last to approach Jouko. "Well, your reputation has truly grown, it seems. It's great to meet you again. I hope Continuation is doing well."
Jouko didn't like popularity, but did her best to accept the praises of the commanders she met. In a sense, it could be seen as taking the spotlight off of Ooarai's victory, but Ooarai didn't mind, and in fact joined in the "fangirling" over this new tank legend standing in front of them, towering over them like a giant. Returning to the school carrier on board their transport, Mika admitted to Jouko: "It is unfortunate the winds were against your participation, the gales came very close to knocking down the house."
"Jouko, great news!!" Mikko barged into Jouko's room whilst she was studying more about the Sturmi, causing her to drop the book she was reading. "Mikko-" "Don't bother, I've got some great news for us!" Jouko listened intently. "They're bringing back the Winter Continuous Track Cup! Now with you able to fight with us again, we'll definitely dominate the tournament!" It was music to Jouko's ears, now Continuation had a sooner chance to move past the quarterfinals! She just had to hope and pray that fate didn't intervene this time, not again.
The day came to draw for the tournament. Jouko, who arrived to much commotion regarding her, noticed something different from Ooarai and Kuromorimine. Miho wasn't the one to draw for the tournament. It was usually the school commander's job to do this, wasn't it. In her place was some monocle-wearing girl. Their first draw? BC Freedom Academy, infamous for infighting among its ranks. Immediately after this was announced, rather expectedly, the BC seats were filled with infighting over how they were facing arguably the best school in Sensha-do at that moment. As for Kuromorimine, Maho was not there either. Instead, her Vice-Commander, named Erika Itsumi, was the one to draw. Apparently Maho had left to study in Germany, having completed high school, leaving Erika with the school's Sensha-do eteam.
Continuation's first match? Yogurt Academy. Jouko, understanding that her presence alone was overkill, wanted to give the school a chance, so she opted not to fight in that match. Indeed, even without Jouko, Continuation won against Yogurt in a masterful drift by Mikko, allowing Aki to fire a shot into the rear of the Yogurt flag tank even though the BT was sitting on its side, pitting them against Saunders University in the next round. This was it, Continuation's chance to finally go to the semifinals for the first time in its history and avenge their loss to Saunders in the 62nd Tournament.
And this time, Jouko was fighting with them.
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(AN: Well, we've finally entered the Das Finale era. I'm considering ending the fanfic right as Jouko takes the shot at Anglerfish team, or continuing down an alternate path where Continuation defeats Ooarai, since its pretty obvious Ooarai is gonna win because plot armor. Be sure to let me know in the comments as all feedback is greatly appreciated! And yes, I said I'd just do this in 15 hours from the previous chapter being published, but I decided I'll just do it now, so here you go!)
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GuP: A Saga of Jouko
FanfictionJouko is Continuation High School's ace sniper and a capable close-combat fighter. She's fought in two previous Sensha-Do tournaments prior to the events of Das Finale and spent much free time honing her sniping skills, practicing firing on targets...
