After a delay of about three months, as a result of the author working on other projects, the fic resumes with the next step; the match against Continuance.
The team heads over to Niiza for the match, during which time Miho gets a ride from Saburo, whom the narration calls "Mr. Sakai," in a bit of a departure from its predilection for Japanese honorifics. (On a side note, schoolgirls calling each other by their last name and "san" is standard in Japan for those who aren't particularly close, but Western schoolgirls would probably find it overly formal to call each other "Miss").
Miho is worried about how the match will go. She drilled her team in how to fight in densely wooded areas, but she notices that not only can Continuance overwhelm them with sheer numbers, but they also have the advantage of the home field, which enables them to penetrate Oarais' tanks at close range.
As such, Miho wonders if she could have done more to prepare her team, but Saburo reassures her, saying that he knows it will be a hard match, she did what she could, and that it will be a learning experience for Erwin as team leader. That's all well and good, but since Erwin's a year-mate of Miho, she can't succeed Miho as team leader unless she somehow gets held back a year. Miho doesn't argue with this, but says it doesn't make it any easier for her, and Saburo reassures Miho that she does the best she can for her teammates.
The author, in the forums, remarked that he got the impression that Miho was afraid of letting her friends down and losing their support once she does, and that when she does fail, she will find that her friends are willing to stand by her, and will open up to them more. Judging from what I've seen, including the author's remarks that Oarai will probably lose the match, now seems to be the most likely time for this to happen.
But I don't quite agree with this interpretation of Miho. Against Pravda, a good portion of Miho's team didn't believe that they could keep on winning, especially considering that Pravda was significantly more difficult than their previous opponents. Granted, the team being pulled into an ambush was largely the fault of the other commanders ignoring Miho's orders, but this time, she was there, rather than being off the field, and they still supported her even when all hope seemed loss and they were prepared to accept a surrender.
Miho, in this fic, doesn't seem to realize just how much her friends support her when she should be aware of that, similar to the author's having Maho be unaware of how others perceive her relationship with Miho.
But that's enough about this for now.
The scene shifts back to Erwin, who's apparently just as nervous as Miho. She keeps the same assignments as last time, in hopes that Duck Team won't get destroyed without accomplishing much.
Unfortunately for Erwin, the terrain is even worse than she thought, and in many places, driving off road is utterly impossible. This is an interesting touch, showing that looking at maps can only do so much. They might show that an area is wooded, but not whether a tank could pursue an enemy through there, and might show a rocky area, but not whether it's suitable for fighting.
One of the Anteater team says that it's worse than Kardelia. Erwin, not understanding that reference, instead compares the battlefield to the Ardennes and the Bocage, and wishes that she had infantry so that she could turn the place into a deathtrap. Incidentally, a great many Girls und Panzer fics include infantry.
Still, Erwin can only do what she can do, and decides sticking together is her best bet.
Oarai's tanks unload and head to their starting location. Erwin meets with the opposing commander, who expresses her condolences for Miho's condition, and a desire to face her in combat, and Erwin hopes to be a worthy challenge. Unfortunately, there's not much more to her character than that.
Miho sits with Maho and Erika, saying that she's getting somewhat better. Maho says that this will be difficult for them, because Kuromorimine lost their last match against Continuance, and Erika blames it on the Maus breaking down. Maho, however, reminds Erika of how Miho defeated it, saying that there is more to tankery than equipment.
According to information in the poll the author used, Continuance lost against Kuromorimine in the second round of the tournament the year the anime takes place, so it clearly didn't happen in the tournament. But I can't help but feel as though if Kuromorimine had lost, we would have heard about it, and Shiho would have been upset. It seems plausible that Continuance would present a challenge to Kuromorimine under ideal circumstances, but less so that they'd actually win.
Miho remarks that she defeated the Maus, but Erika contends that they would have won if it had been an annihilation match. Erika makes a fair point, but the fight wouldn't have been a fair one, and I, for one, am a bit amazed that Oarai keeps winning these annihilation matches.
Miho, in response, says they will see, indicating that perhaps in the future, Oarai will face Kuromorimine again. Miho does seem unusually confident here, in being able to shrug off Erika's points, even if she does seem to internalize Shiho's disapproval of her (such as accepting being disowned by saying she failed to meet Shiho's expectations).
Akio's team waits for the start of the match. Once it begins, they take point so that they won't be taken from behind, and keep an eye out for the enemy.
Meanwhile, Mizuumi, Continuance's commander, is directing her troops in an observation operation, and notes that Oarai's troops are formed together. She suspects that it will be like the battle of Raate Road, and they will win easily without Miho (whom she calls "Nishizumi-chan" for some reason, as opposed to "Nishizumi-sama" when speaking with Erwin). Her deputy, Inumoto cautions her against becoming overconfident, but Mizuumi is confident that she did a better job training Inumoto than Miho did with training Erwin.
Meanwhile, Erwin feels like von Kluge during Operation Luttich, lacking the room to maneuver. She notices a T-28, and realizes that they're being watched. The Porsche Tiger "speaks" and takes out the enemy.
The action then switches to Mizuumi's POV, and another of her tanks gets taken out, much to her frustration. She then tells the others to stay out of sight.
Oarai reaches a stream that they will have difficulty crossing, and realizes that it's an ambush point. They don't see the enemy until they get to the other side, at which point Continuance strikes, targeting Hippo and Shark Team and taking out Alligator Team. Unfortunately, the enemy is outside the Stu G's traverse, which is a common problem they seem to have in the fic. Anteater Team takes out an enemy Panzer IV (it's interesting to see how the enemy tanks fall more easily than the Oarai tanks of the same quality), but they're surrounded and Shark Team is disabled.
What I liked
- The battle was an interesting show of Continuance's strengths.
- The idea that Oarai will soon have to deal with defeat is an interesting concept.
What I didn't like
- Continuance being portrayed as significantly more powerful than before
- Lack of development of Continuance's characters.
- Miho's fear of being abandoned by her friends didn't seem particularly well founded.
My Impression of Akio so far: He's been taken out again, showing once more that the author's favoritism of him as Miho's emotional support doesn't translate to Plot Armor on the field of tankery. Of course, the rest of the team will probably soon join him.
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