The Tigers of Chi-Ha-Tan ReRise Volume 0: The Veil Before Glory

To Our Final Charge

May 2010

Match Day 1 Chi-Ha-Tan Academy Vs Saunders University High

A feeling of great excitement had taken hold of tankery fans around the festival area as they made their way to the bleachers, as the first match of the 62nd national tournament was just about to begin, with Chi-Ha-Tan Academy and Saunders University High School having the honor of kicking off the tournament that had all the makings of another great one to add to their cherish sports history, though most were already tossing in their lot with the unstoppable juggernaut of Kuromorimine Girls Academy once more claiming the victory flag for what would be for the 10th time in a row, making over a decade of dominance that no other school had been able to dream of stopping, only quake when the sounds of their panzers came rolling onto the battlefield.

Yet even with a winner in most minds already chosen, there was still the unknown of Sensha-do that on any given day in a flag battle, an unlikely underdog could swoop in to avert expectations, which always gave fan's a sense of wonder if that were a possibility that could become reality. While there were many upcoming teams that were looking if not to win the victory flag outright, were at least going to try and unsettle the other top 4 teams who had to fight just as hard to maintain their high ranks in the Sensha-do world.

Then there was just the general love for tanks that capture the attention of fan's, be it male, female, the old or the young, and as well as many young girls who were eager to learn and be inspired as they too were to become tankers when they came of age to operate tanks in one of Japan's oldest sport that held great tradition among the female populace of Japan.

Though few knew it, this day and this match would start the domino effect for a team whose warrior code was at its zenith with the fall not far away.

For a ReRise was about to dawn.

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Walking down the neat line of the Japanese tanks that were a mix of Type 97 Shinhoto's and Type 97 Chi-Ha's, was the leader of the Chi-Ha-Tan Academies Sensha-do team, a tall girl with her light blonde hair cut short that just touch her shoulders. Her eyes were a light greenish color, with a light complexation. Wearing the Chi-Ha-Tan's Sensha-do commander uniform with the dark brown tankers jacket, mustard skirt, brown boots, and white lapels that mark her out to be an officer.

Ako had just finished watching the team offload their tanks from the military transport train, then drive them to the starting area to begin the process of loading on the shells since rules did not allow them to be preloaded on the tanks while on the train ride to the match grounds for safety reasons, so the crews were beginning the process now working in teams to get the shells in and stow away for the match. A match that was already proving to test the nerves of Ako as they were taking on the vaunted Saunders UniversityHigh School a top four team in the High school circuit and for good reason.

They were a team that had given even Kuromorimine fits in years past, even if they never defeated them, the fact that the American theme school had made them sweat was enough to give Ako sleepless nights trying to find the strategy to beat them, mostly drawing blanks because her traditionalist second years were constantly fighting anything she drew up in the meetings, right in front of the first years no less, making things awkward as of late.

With all that, the final result was for Ako to divide the team up, with Mizuko leading a platoon of 4 tanks as their vanguard, while Ako took the rest as the main force to follow in behind. Though Ako had planned to use Mizuko as a distraction, letting her and her second years go do what they do best, get blown away while she flanks around and found the flag tank making use of their tanks small profiles that could punch through some of the heavily wooded areas that would be impassable for the Shermans, that might give the advantage to attack from an area Saunders wasn't expecting.