Olympian Panzers: Part II

Author's Note: Here's chapter 6. This chapter does not contain any original characters. Sorry, no battles this chapter, but there will be one in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Feedback is welcome.

Further, the following schools/academies will not have any major characters: BC Free School, Blue Division High School, Koala Forest High School, Maginot Girl's Academy, Viking Marine High School, Yogurt Academy.

Chi-Ha-Tan Academy and Waffle Academy will have major characters.

Note on Japanese honorifics:

x-dono: Miss/Mr. x
x-sama: Miss/Mr. x
x-san: for people of equal age/stature/position
x-chan: for females of equal age/stature/position
x-kun: for males of equal age/stature/position
x-senpai: for people senior to you in school/sport
x-sensei: for teachers/professors/doctors

*x-san, x-chan, & x-kun are sometimes used interchangeably

Previously...

Captain Chono smiled. "Well, I just thought I'd drop by to see how the training was going for our national team!"

She continued. "It seems like you all have been working hard! I won't bother you any longer. I just dropped by to tell you the ship is docking in three days and I have a match planned against the SDF tankery team! I'm sure all of you will do fine. See you in the morning!"

Captain Chono promptly left.

All the girls were dumbstruck.

"Did she say tankery match? Versus the JGSDF?", asked Yukari.

Chapter 6:

"What? We can't do that! You have to do something Miho-senpai!", said Azusa.

Noriko entered the conversation. "I bet they have tons of tanks! We won't have the numbers!"

"All of you need to calm down. I'm sure that its not going to be as bad as it seems.", said Hana.

"Yeah, its going to be worse than it seems!", cried Karina.

The hangar erupted with chatter.

Soon, Momo couldn't take the noise any longer. "SHUT UP!", she yelled.

Everyone stopped to look at Momo, who was now standing atop an old, wooden crate.

"Momo-chan, you don't have to get all -", started Yuzu.

"Don't call me Momo-chan! Anyway, if we all just get it through our heads that this match is happening whether we like it or not, not to mention good practice, and that we'll be fine if we just stop freaking out, the match will be fine." Momo was looking away from the others, as though she was annoyed.

She then left the hangar.

After she left, Kay piped up. "She's right, you know. We'll all get to see how well we cooperate in this next match we have lined up for us!"

All the Ōarai underclassmen suddenly came to their senses.

Saori chimed in. "How about we all call it a day! We've all practiced hard!"

"Sounds like a plan.", mumbled Mako.

Gradually, the Olympic hangar became empty as all the girls left.

The next day, Miho caught up with the rest of team Anglerfish on the way to school.

Miho was hesitant. "Do you guys think that out next match will be all right?"

"Of course it will, Nishizumi-dono.", replied Yukari.

Hana agreed. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"On the other hand, it could be a complete -", started Mako.

Saori quickly elbowed a tired Mako in the ribs, preventing her from finishing her thought.

Unaware of this, Miho smiled at them, appreciative of their supportive words.

The girls came up to the school gates, where Midoriko was taking attendance, as usual.

"Must be nice to have your friends wake you up every morning.", she said.

Mako began lumbering toward Midoriko and started to hug her. "Oh, Sodoko..."

Midoriko struggled to get Mako to let go. "I told you not to call me that! Call me by my name, Midoriko Sono..."

As the girls giggled at Mako and Midoriko, Miho noticed someone was missing.

"Have you guys seen Hitomi-chan?", asked Miho.

Hana thought. "She wasn't at the practice yesterday."

Yukari butted in. "The Waffle Academy team wasn't there either."

Miho looked worried.

"I'm sure she's fine.", reassured Saori.

As the school day dragged onward, Miho continued to worry about Hitomi. She stared out of the window in all of her classes, as if expecting her to suddenly appear.

Both Hana and Saori could see that their friend was deeply concerned about Hitomi-chan.

Just after the bell rang signaling the start of lunch, Saori walked up behind Miho while she was still seated at her desk.

"Miporin, how about we go to her house later?", suggested Saori.

Miho jumped. "Huh? W-What are you talking about?"

"Hitomi-chan, of course!", replied Saori, with a smile.

Miho looked down. "But I don't know where she lives."

"We can ask the student council. They'll know where she lives.", answered Hana.

"Come on! What are you waiting for? Let's go Miporin!", said Saori, as she dragged Miho by the wrist behind her.

Saori ran all the way to the office of the student council dragging Miho behind her, with Hana following, not far behind.

Without thinking, Saori threw open the door, and the girls ran into the office.

Momo was enraged. "You guys can't just barge in here like this! Do you know where you are?"

"Oh, come on Momo-chan, you know them, there's no need to be strict now -", said Yuzu.

"Well they should know the rules! And don't call me Momo-chan!", snapped Momo.

"Calm down guys. So, Nishizumi, did you need something? I would be more than happy to help you with whatever you need.", said Anzu, waving around a piece of dried sweet potato.

Miho stuttered and hesitated. "W-Well, y-you see, umm..."

Hana stepped forward. "We were wondering if you know where Hitomi-chan is, or where she lives."

Anzu continued munching on a dried sweet potato.

"Sure, Nishizumi! Hey, Yuzu!", she called.

"We don't know what she's doing or where she is right now... But we do know her address on the ship!", replied Yuzu.

Miho found her words. "That's great!"

Yuzu searched the ship resident records on her computer. "She moved to Ōarai pretty recently, but she should be listed."

The girls crowded around the screen.

"Looks like she lives near Yukari's house.", said Hana.

"Thanks, Prez!", cried Saori as she dragged Miho from the student council room.

"Anytime!", Anzu replied.

Once they were in the hallway, Saori turned to Miho. "Aren't you glad that we asked them?"

"Y-Yeah!", hesitated Miho.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Look, we've got to go to class now!", said Miho, and she ran toward class, leaving Hana and Saori in the hallway looking very confused.

Saori was puzzled. "What was that all about?"

Later that day, when classes were over, Hana and Saori confronted Miho.

"Are you worried about something, Miporin?", asked Saori.

"N-No, why?", Miho replied.

Hana made a suggestion. "If you're worried about visiting Hitomi-chan, we can go with you."

"That's a great idea; I'll text Yukarin and Mako!", said Saori.

"Don't do that!", replied Miho.

Saori showed Miho her phone. "Too late!"

Hana put a reassuring hand on Miho's shoulder. "Is there something bothering you?"

"I'm just worried what Hitomi-chan will say after all these years. We didn't really talk that much before, after the last practice.", said Miho, letting out a sigh.

"You won't know what she'll say if you don't talk to her.", replied Hana.

Miho stood up to leave. "I guess you're right, Hana."

The three then left for Hitomi's apartment. They stopped by the Akiyama barbershop to meet up with Yukari and Mako.

The group continued on to Hitomi's apartment. Soon, they were standing in front of Hitomi's apartment. Before Miho could knock, Hitomi opened the door.

"Huh? Oh, hi guys! This is a surprise! Come on in! I was going to surprise you later, Miho, but... I guess this is fine too. Hey, Emi-chan!", she said.

Miho looked. "Nakasuka Emi-chan!"

Miho's eyes began to tear. She ran toward Emi and hugged her tightly.

The rest were slightly perplexed.

"Do you know her too, Nishizumi-dono?", asked Yukari.

Miho wiped her tears. "Emi-chan and Hitomi-chan and I went to elementary school together. And Chihiro-chan, too. All of us messed around with Onee-chan's Panzer IV while we were there.", she said. "We even battled her once, when she commanded a Stug III."

Yukari's eyes were wide in disbelief. "You guys drove a tank in elementary school?"

Miho started to be modest. "It wasn't all that great. We weren't very good..."

Yukari was in awe. "That's amazing Nishizumi-dono!"

"But then Emi-chan moved back to Germany, and I haven't seen her since then... at least until now, of course.", Miho continued.

"I see that you've found your own way of panzerkraft now, just like you said you would.", said Emi.

Miho started to tear up again. "It's because of you, Emi-chan. You encouraged me to find my own way. Thank you very much for that."

Mako started to head back towards the door. "Maybe we should leave while you guys catch up."

Miho quickly replied. "No, stay, I'm fine. You guys should get to know each other as well. Wait, you're going to be on our team too, right, Emi-chan?"

"Of course! You think I would come to Ōarai without getting in a tank? Anyway, how about that match you promised me way back when?", asked Emi with a sly smile.

Miho hesitated "Um... Uh..."

Emi laughed. "I'm just kidding, Miho-chan!"

Everyone laughed.

The girls ended up staying at Hitomi's apartment for a while longer, and eventually parted ways to each of their homes.

The next day, in the Olympic hangar, Shiho Nishizumi and Yoshiko Akiyama were waiting for the team after the school day.

Saori was excited. "Why are you here, Nishizumi-sensei, Akiyama-sensei?"

Ms. Nishizumi answered. "Captain Chono told us to come here and give you guys some pointers."

"Are you going to show us film from old matches again?", Hana chimed.

Ms. Akiyama turned. "Actually, yes, we are. I think this is a great way for all of you to learn from the mistakes that were made in our matches, and about the Olympic tournament."

"Remember that all of this is for all of you, so pay close attention.", said Ms. Nishizumi.

A loud "Hai" resonated through the hangar as everyone gathered around the projector screen.

"We have a film of one of the earlier Olympic tournaments. The Tiger(P) was used as the flag tank. I commanded the T-62 and led the offensive.", said Ms. Akiyama.

Mrs. Nishizumi spoke. "I was in command of the Löwe, and was part of the offensive as well."

"In this match, the opposition was primarily French, so we chose tanks that had the firepower to penetrate their armour and destroy them with one shot, but could also take a beating.", said Ms. Akiyama.

"The enemy still had speed in their favour, so we had to tread carefully.", said Ms. Nishizumi sternly.

Ms. Akiyama continued. "The battle area was mostly urban, with the city centre containing a large circular area, and the rest of the city being a semicircle. Beyond the city were open fields unsuitable for an attack."

Ms. Nishizumi picked up the explanation. "Each team started on one end of the semicircle. Our team started on the south. The opposition, the north. The opposition had 3 AMX 13 75, 2 ELC AMX, and 3 ARL 44. One of the ELC AMX was the flag tank. In addition to the Tiger(P), T-62, and Löwe, our team used a M103, a SU-122-54, a Panzer IV, IS-8, and a Leopard I."

"We decided to use the Tiger(P) as bait to lure the enemy closer to the city centre. The Löwe and M103 acted as an escort. Meanwhile, the other tanks drove around the city, and flanked the enemy.", said Ms. Akiyama.

In the film, the girls see the Tiger(P) arrive in the city centre, with the M103 and the Löwe maneuvered themselves on either side of the Tiger(P). The trio then edged towards the corner of a building. Then, the Tiger(P) juts forward so that it is in view of the enemy team. An ELC AMX spots the Tiger(P) first, and fires, but misses. Before the three mighty ARL 44's can fire, the Tiger(P) backs into safety. The M103 and Löwe remain hidden, and the opposing team continues to advance toward the spot where the Tiger(P) was spotted, seemingly unaware of their presence.

Meanwhile, A Panzer IV is seen on a street on the edge of the city, driving quickly toward the enemy. Behind the Panzer, A T-62, SU-122-54, IS-8, and Leopard I are following Panzer IV reaches the street containing the enemy. THe other tanks behind the Panzer IV stop, waiting for the 'all clear'. The Panzer then backs away, and the commander of the Panzer pops up and waves behind her. Promptly, The T-62, IS-8, and Leopard I lined up side by side, at the street corner, and turned their turrets toward the rear of the enemy. The SU-122-54 lined itself up with the street and fired. Then, the barrage commenced.

The enemy ARL 44's then swiftly took rear guard, but it was too late. All three were taken out, and the flag tank was disabled.

"While this may seem to have been an easy match, one must always remember to never underestimate the enemy. If the opposition hadn't taken the bait, the events of the match would have played out in a completely different way.", said Ms. Nishizumi.

Ms. Akiyama continued. "That's right girls. You must always remain vigilant, and expect to be attacked at every turn. However, you should not hesitate to attack if the situation is right. Above all, follow the orders of your commander. Following orders prevents arguments, which just waste time on the battlefield."

At this, all the girls glanced at Miho. She could feel all of their brief gazes, but couldn't come up with a reaction.

Then, Ms. Nishizumi yelled. "Dismissed!"

All the girls promptly turned to leave the dark hangar.

The next day, during first period classes, President Kadotani spoke over the PA system. "All tankery team girls, meet in the Ōarai tank hangar immediately."

A few minutes later, in the hangar, all the girls were present, a majority of which were very confused.

Along with the Ōarai student council, the commanders from the other schools were up on the small stage that was in the hangar.

"What's all this about?", asked Noriko.

Anzu answered. "We've all decided that it would be a good idea for all of us to have some relaxation time, without having to worry about training or schoolwork. So... we're going to..."

Yuzu yelled. "One! Two!"

All the girls onstage yelled, except Momo. "Camping!"

Anzu continued. "And we're going to do it right now!"

"What? Right now? We can't do that! T-The teachers, t-the principal, what will they say?", yelled Momo, stunned.

"It'll be fine. I've already cleared this with them.", Anzu replied calmly.

"What? And you didn't tell me!", yelled an angry Momo.

Anzu thought. "Huh. Must've forgot. Well, anyway guys, get your things together by ten, because as soon as we dock, we're leaving for the campsite!"

At ten, all the girls were gathered at the docking ramp. Captain Chono was with them.

When the ramp lowered, all the girls gasped.

There, before them, were a row of seven Type 10 JGSDF tanks.

Beside each, an officer was saluting.

Captain Chono was saluting back. "I see you guys are already here."

She turned toward the girls. "This is the JGSDF team that you will be facing."

At this, the crews popped out of each tank, as well as from behind each tank.

Karina was terrified. "We have to face those things?", she asked, pointing at the Type 10's.

Darjeeling replied calmly. "Obviously not..."

"That's right, these tanks are too modern to be allowed into sensha-do tournaments.", said Captain Chono.

One of the tank commanders came forward. "Anyway, we are your ride to the campsite. Please feel free to ride atop any of the tanks before you."

The girls were slightly confused, but did as they were told.

Soon, they reached the campsite. It was a clearing surrounded by trees, with a river nearby.

Captain Chono jumped down from one of the tanks. "This will be your campground. This is also the battle area of the match tomorrow. Have fun!"

She and the tank crews promptly left.

Anzu turned to face everyone. "Well the first thing to do is -"

The first years yelled, "Swim!", as they jumped into the water.

Anzu ran toward them. "You shouldn't do that, you'll get -"

"Leg cramps!", all the first-years yelled.

The commanders came running to their rescue.

Once the first-years caught their breath, Anzu continued. "Anyway, what we should actually do first is set up camp and stretch, so we don't get cramps in the water.", she said, glaring at the first-years.

The girls got to work setting up the tents. Yukari was enjoying herself showing everyone from the other schools her genuine WWII tents.

Chiyomi got up from her completed tent. "I'll get started on the food! Girls!"

Then, in an instant, all the Anzio girls whipped out pots and pans, as well as fresh vegetables. Seconds later, a fire was lit, and only a blur could be seen as the Anzio girls were cooking. Chiyomi and Carpaccio were looking on.

Chiyomi looked surprised yet sad.

"Is there something wrong, Anchovy?", asked Carpaccio.

Chiyomi replied weakly. "I just wish our girls would show this much enthusiasm and skill during our tankery matches."

"Well, at least the food is good!", said Carpaccio, with a smile.

A little later, when everyone was done having fun swimming, running, and crushing watermelons, the meals were finally put on the table.

"Itadakimasu!", cried everyone.

"Wow, this food is great, Chiyomi-chan!", said Anzu.

"Yeah, well, food is the just about the only thing good at Anzio!", replied Chiyomi.

As everyone was finishing their meal, Kay got up and spoke. "Well guys, hope you all are pumped for the match tomorrow! Hey, commander Nishizumi! Come up here and say something!"

"U-uh..." Miho hesitated.

"Go on.", whispered Hana and Saori.

Miho stood up and joined Kay. "I just want all of you to know that all of you are great and have what it takes for our match. J-just keep doing what you've already been doing, and we'll win this!"

All the girls pumped their fists into the night sky. "Yeah!"

[END CHAPTER]