I think it is better to put some supplementary lore in here, to the audiences who wanted to know the (expanded) lore of Panzer Aber Alternatief. Since I'm not really good at doing exposition in the story, maybe around 2 chapters I'll try to post a bit of lore here, so deal with it. Though if you guys don't like it, just skip this part.
With that further ado, I'll just give you guys a brief insight of the sports within PAA. We start at Senshadou, which is a part of Panzerkraft. Panzerkraft is a term for sports the utilizes a tank as a part of play, example of these are Senshadou (Japan), Panzer-Stil (Germany), Put' Tankov (Russia), and Tankery (For the English speakers). They're many differences between Senshadou to Panzer-Stil, Put' Tankov to Tankery, and vice versa, but I won't explain that here, so, better check those lines for some interesting facts to be discovered. And also, there's more sports than Panzerkraft, some utilizes fighter planes, guns, and even ships.
So that's our insights for today, so enjoy the story!
Chapter 18 "The Climax of our first Match! Part 1"
The dirty brownish smoke and dust slowly disappeared into the air, with a white flag appeared from behind and the front of the destroyed Shermans. They are now deemed inoperable as Oarai Academy scored their first kill at this match.
"Two Shermans are out!" The announcer enthusiastically announced through all the radios and speakers on the field.
The crowd awed in response as they looked at the huge monitor in front of them, very surprised and speechless. Moments after, the crowd started to fill up the void of silence as they cheered on to the underdogs of the match.
Among the crowd in the distance are both the Commanders of Yankee High and Royal Baron.
"Oarai takes their first kill on this match, now that's quite an achievement" Amaya said with a pleased look on his face.
"Never knew that they managed to lure out two Shermans with that short amount of time…" Yuichi added, with the look on his face, he was genuinely surprised like the rest of the crowd.
"Well duh, it's because they have the most glaring, cunning, and beautiful girl that I have ever seen in my life, and that is Nishizumi Miho!" Amaya responded with a wide smirk on his face, while he gestured a thumbs-up at his friend.
"You're giving me a headache, Sir Amaya…" He heaved a sigh of disappointment in response to Amaya's answer.
"But you do know that there's another Commander that took out the other Sherman all by itself, right?" Yuichi then asked as he stands beside him.
"I know that, do you think that guy we met is the one commanding that Panzer III?"
"I think that's a possibility, but we should postpone our assumptions for now, after all, the match is still at its infancy"
Back on the match. Oarai successfully claimed their first kill, it was a minor victory, but the smile on Eirian's crewmates was ear to ear as they celebrate their (minor) victory.
"That was our first kill on this match, sweet!" Elizabeth proudly claims while doing a fist pump on her seat.
"Nice shooting there, Miss Natsuki" Haru congratulates her as he puts another round into the chamber while Natsuki looks back at him and nods her head slowly and surely.
"That's our first confirmed kill everyone, a job well done" Eirian congratulates all of them before he opens his hatch in order to get more visibility.
"Pavlov, I want you to regroup with Miho's unit on our east" Eirian started to command again as he got a clear view on his surrounding, an open field with a spread of knobs, but they are no enemy tanks whatsoever.
"конечно"
The metallic clang coming from the threads started to chatter the field as they moved their tank towards Miho's unit, with a wrecked Sherman tank on the distance, still emitting smoke as its crew was on the outside, taking a break as they were exhausted after the intense bombardment from earlier. They regrouped with the main unit afterwards with ease.
"What's our next move, Miho?" Eirian quickly asked as they parked their tank beside Miho's Panzer IV.
"Hai! First, I just wanted to say that thank you for taking out the retreating tank, they might probably use that time to relay the information about our whereabouts and plan" She smiled at him as she was thankful that he took care of the situation.
"And second, we will now do our next phase, Operation: Finding Boko" She stated as she started to relay their next operation via her phone.
"You really like naming them after Boko episodes, aye?" Eirian chuckled while he's in disbelief, shortly after he received a message that contained their next instructions.
"B-but, Bokos are cute and they are lovable characters, it would be a real shame if I didn't use them…" Miho censured; her face was all beef red as she defended her favorite series, making Eirian surprised and a bit guilty from what he said.
"Alright, alright, if you insist so, Miho…" He started to tease her with a playful grin on his face.
"Ahm, sorry to interrupt your conversation with our Overall-Commander here, Idiot, but we still have a tournament match to win" Alina caught his attention via their intercom as she was annoyed from hearing their obnoxious 'flirting like conversation' above her seat.
"Right! Alright Miho, we're gonna get going now"
"Hai! Take care, Eirian!"
Eirian's Panzer III started to geared up its engine before it moved forward until the tank joined with the rest of the Oarai's tanks in a convoy formation as he took the lead.
"Do you think this plan would work out, Eirian?" Haru asked as he was in doubt.
"Well, we just need to put our trust into Miho, Haru" At first, he hesitated before he answered back with a promising smirk on his face.
Somewhere within the depths of the forest, located near an abandoned wooden house, is the flag tank of Saunders. Standing by with Alisa thoroughly scanning the other frequencies on her modified SCR-506 radio as she was wiretapping Oarai's communication network.
"You think you can fool me once, well, think again…"
"All tanks, gather at high point #128. We can't win as long as they have their Firefly. This might be dangerous, but we should rally at high point and hit the Firefly from high ground" Alisa discovered an intel as she successfully wiretapped Oarai's network, this caused her to laugh maniacally and obnoxiously.
"How could I be so dumb, of course they're gonna go all out on us!" She said afterwards to her subordinates after her brief maniacal laugh.
"And with that, they're gonna be that one gigantic target up there…" She revealed a sinister grin on her slight wrinkled face before she ordered the main force of her team via their communication network.
"Everyone, head to high point #128"
"That's fast, what's going on there, Alisa?" Kay asks through her hand mic.
"It seems like all of Oarai's tanks are going to head there, I suggest we take the initiative and take them all out there" She explained.
"Well… Hey, Alisa, are you sure about that?" Kay further asks as she feels dubious about Alisa's order.
"Say, how did you know that, what's actually going on there, care to give me those juicy details?" She quickly requested as she was intrigued, with her smirk gave the solid idea that she was definitely interested.
"Nothing much, but let's say that my girl's intuition and intelligence gathering for today is spot on!" Alisa responded with a half-lie, technically a wiretapping intelligence gathering was precise and 'spot on', but claiming it as girl's intuition was an absolute lie.
"Okay! All tanks, Go! Go! ahead!"
The half-lie that she made quickly fooled their Overall-Commander, this manipulation of hers successfully guided Saunders towards the path of achieving an easy victory, but as cunning as she expected to be, Alisa's gathering was all and just an utter ruse.
Oarai's tanks start to make their way westward, trying to search the lonely flag-tank of Saunders, while they traverse through the grassy plains, the sight of the forest from earlier soon became visible and apparent to them as it stretches a mile away from their field of vision.
"The flag-tank is probably here on the map" Miho speculated as she checked the paper map on top of her lap.
"Since where we're going is in the forest, I think their flag-tank is probably around or near the river" She explained to her subordinates as she has 3 suspected places for the location of Saunders' flag-tank.
"I got no visual confirmation as of yet, Nishizumi-Dono"
"Since we're going to the forest, it would be really difficult to find their flag-tank there" Hana said to Miho.
"Well, if we had another tank, we could probably send out a decoy…" After realizing from what she said, Miho finally have an idea and a plan to make their search as efficient as it could.
Meanwhile Eirian and his Panzer was casually surfing through the greenish plain of the battlefield, with him resting his back on the interior of his hatch, feeling the lovely breeze on his face as they traverse in the flattened field.
He closed his eyes and reminded himself that he was sent there specifically for an undercover mission, but when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he met reality again after he heaved a sigh of disbelief and annoyance.
He pulled it out and opened a message the came from Miho, he then checked it out and received new instructions as their new mission now is to search the Flag-tank of Saunders in the forest alongside the Type 89B.
"Alright, let's get things down to business…" He closed his phone before he started to command his crew again as he went back to his commander's seat.
"Everyone, we got a new mission from Miho"
Looking through her binoculars, Kay surveys the surrounding field of the plateau, there were only hills and green fields, she was so confused as there were no Oarai tanks on that particular location that she uttered through her mic in response.
"No one's here!?" She exclaimed through their communication.
"What?! That can't be!" Alisa was surprised.
"That doesn't make any sense… wait, did they managed to trick us?" She wondered as she soliloquized.
"If that's the case, then, where are they?" She started to look around as he felt unease around her surroundings.
The atmosphere felt a bit eerie as the course of the comforting breeze changed its rhythm and direction, and soon after, a sound of an industrialized machinery engine with clanking metal threads chatter the peaceful peace.
Alisa looks around to her surroundings more keenly, she turns around her back for a second, and immediately in an instant, a Type 89B quickly appears at the front of her Sherman.
Duck team simply didn't move their tank, instead, both Isobe and Alisa just stared at each other, probably trying to process that Duck team just encountered the flag-tank of Saunders.
An awkward stand-off, an awkward stare in a middle of a search, and Isobe was the one who cuts the silence as she knocks the top of her tank, softly.
"Turn to the right, hurry!" Isobe ordered, causing the tank to turned towards its right as it quickly retreated.
"Don't just stand there, do something and take them down!" Alisa shouted in response.
"Alisa, should we make a report about this?" Alisa's radio operator asks through their intercom.
"That won't be needed! Just fire! Fire!" She assured her as their tank started to chase the retreating Type 89.
"Captain Nishizumi! We spotted the enemy flag-tank at point 0765!" Isobe reported during the midst of the chase.
"But the thing is, is that we've been discovered!" She added while Miho and the others heard the sound of the shell firing from the Sherman at the background.
"You said point 0765 right, then try running away until you reach point 0615, there we will ambush them" She ordered upon seeing a good spot within the map, after that, she relayed their next instruction to Saori as they continued on doing a phone-to-phone communication.
"Eirian! We received new orders from Miho" Elizabeth announced.
"Really, what is it?"
"We rally all of our tanks toward point 0615, there we will ambush Duck Team's pursuer, the enemy flag-tank of Saunders" She reported.
"I was really hoping that we discovered the enemy flag-tank," He mumbles, "Alright Pavlov, you heard her, march towards point 0615!"
"You don't need to repeat yourself, Captain Loudmouth" Alina quickly turns the tank as they made their way towards point 0615 as they attempt to regroup with the others.
Back on the chase, Isobe used her volleyball skills as she served a smoke charge onto the Sherman, blinding it immediately, but Alisa still continued her persistence and she continued to fire their main gun towards Duck team, even though they are blind like a bat.
"Seriously why can't you just fire at them, they're only a Type 89, you know!" Alisa started to complain.
"But our field of vision…" Her fellow subordinate censured softly.
"Then just fire!"
Another round from the Sherman was fired from its 75mm armament, undoubtedly the shell was a miss from a direct and precise hit but it did strike near the Type 89 somehow, though it was only the shockwave that stirred the Type 89 violently.
"Captain, they still keep sending their tough spikes at us!" Sasaki, their gunner, said to Isobe as she keeps on providing her some smoke charges.
"Then tell our driver that don't let them get one of their spikes on us"
"Seriously, why are we still using volleyball terms on the middle of combat!" Shinobu, their driver, overheard them as she expressed her thought in return.
"Keep up the good work, Shinobu! We'll go reserve Libero on them!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Captain!"
Alisa taps her shoe impatiently while out of rhythm, she restlessly waits for her lethargic subordinate to pick up another shell for reload from the bottom of their turret.
"Hurry the hell up" She ranted.
"Sorry… but our tank has its shell at the way back there…" Helmet-chan explains as she tries to reach a shell underneath the Sherman's turret basket.
"Then use the machine gun!"
"No way, the machine gun isn't that cool enough!" Their loader refuses.
"We're in a middle of a goddamn fight, and you only care about what's cool?!"
"Just use the damn gun already!"
Eventually Alisa's subordinate gave up and used the machine gun, but she was scolded again by Alisa as she said that the gun was a "machine gun" after she noticed that she fired in a burst pattern, eventually she fired the gun again but it is automatically now.
The Type 89 eventually reaches point 0615, there they saw all of Oarai's tanks as Hippo, Rabbit, Fox, and turtle team position themselves behind the knobs of the inconsistent plain fields in the area.
"Everyone, go to your attack position" Miho ordered while her tank was stationed beside the forest, near the path that the Type 89 exited.
"However, I want Rabbit, Fox, and Hippo to protect Turtle" She further added as she lowered her binoculars before she moved their tank close to the exit.
"Commander, the smoke screen is finally clearing!" Alisa's driver announced.
Alisa quickly checked on her periscope located below her hatch in response, as the smoke cleared with her field of vision back to normal, she was then greeted by 4 slowly approaching tanks, pointing their guns at her.
"What?!" She hastily looks around her surroundings and discovers a Panzer IV at the distance coming from their 9.
"Stop the tank, stop the tank!" She quickly ordered as Oarai started to bombard them with all of their shots.
Miraculously their tank withdrew the area unscathed, this causes her to report her situation to Kay, which not only surprised Kay but she also berated Alisa in return from her questionable behavior and situation.
"Kay… it seems like all of Oarai's tanks are engaging us" Alisa softly, slowly and gradually reports it as their tank is moving backwards.
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense, this doesn't match from what you told me earlier" Kay suddenly felt suspicious and tingly.
"Alisa, tell me what happened" Anxiety started to kick in as Alisa anxiously told the truth to Kay.
"Well, they realize that we were wiretapping their communica-"
"Are you a fool?!"
"I'm sorry…" Alisa apologizes, full of regret and dishonor as she was genuinely sorry from what she has done to them.
"Haven't I always told you to fight fair, and not follow that mischievous jerk from the other day?!" All she can hear in response was Alisa's brink of sobbing.
"Whatever, just get the heck out of there!" She instructed.
"And hurry up!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Upon hiding behind a bush, Alisa's Sherman started to press onward towards westward in order to meet up with the main unit of her team while attempting to dodge and avoid the incoming shells of Oarai tanks as they started to chase her.
"Damn it, I told her not to believe on his advises…" Kay mumbled to herself as she looked towards the blue sky.
"It'd be really unfair for all of us to counter them when we were wiretapping their communication, but I really wanted to help him out as well…" She soliloquized as she wondered if there's another way for this to work out like she wanted to.
"Alright, I got this genius plan!"
"Everyone, there's six of them. I want only four tanks to follow me, but I want to help out my good ol' friend and his questionable plans, so I want Church to ONLY engage their Panzer III, with Brooklyn and Nine-Nine to back her up acting as reserve" Kay instructed as that was her 'genius plan' as she wanted to fight fair but also wanting to help out a certain person as well.
"Alright, that's good for now. Naomi, you're up!"
And with that, Naomi who was commanding the British/Commonwealth variant of the Sherman, using the powerful Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder anti-tank gun, called the Sherman 17pdr, the Sherman VC or commonly known for its befitting nickname, the Sherman Firefly, takes the lead as they try to rescue Alisa.
"I never thought things would turn out like this" Orange Pekoe expresses her thought to Darjeeling as they continue to spectate the ongoing match.
"Almost like a game of hide-and-seek" Darjeeling chortled while being fascinated and intrigued from the sudden turn of the match.
"This is a new one. I've never seen a game of tag quite like this!" Ami Chono declared to Gunther as they sat on top of a modern Type 10 MBT, while behind it is an NBC Reconnaissance vehicle along with a couple of Cyuuritsu guards in identical Swiss-guards uniform.
"Indeed, I was a bit skeptical that our trainees would even win in the first match, but I think I was wrong" Gunther says his reaction.
"We taught them a lot, Gunther"
"You just taught them by vaguely saying to use their gun towards their target and fire its round…"
"These kids need to learn by experiences, not words, Gunther" Ami asserted.
"Well I guess you're right about that, but I guess it's because of both Nishizumi and Haiiro's efforts that they managed to improve their team" He expressed his opinion.
"Right! So that's why I have my faith in them that they can win this match, don't you think the same too, Gunther?"
"Definitely" Gunther titters as he keenly watches the dunkelgrau Panzer III at the large monitor screen.
"Should have seen that coming, Kay…" Rommel reveals a mischievous smirk.
"Is there something wrong, Rommel?" Kotori asked.
"Kay is forfeiting their dominant doctrine and numerical advantage just for the sake of fighting fair, but on the same time she wanted to defeat Eirian as well, and I think that she's planning something just for him" He casually explains to them.
"I thought Eirian's existence was unknown outside of Germany?" Wilhelm asks as he was confused.
"Not really, on the contrary, everybody outside Germany knows that I have a younger sibling, but they don't know that the young sibling was Eirian Haiiro. The only thing they know is that the given name for Eirian outside Germany is Braun Wittmann" He answered.
"Braun Wittmann…" Kotori giggles as she couldn't cover her laugh.
"Trying to do a subterfuge for my little brother is just plainly mockery, people would find the truth very easily if they wanted to" Rommel sighs in disbelief.
"But I guess that's what Kay is aiming for" He added as he heard some peculiar noises at the distant.
They then caught their attention to a sound of an engine over at the distance, a large black SUV that looks like a Hummer is approaching them in high speed, eventually the vehicle stopped as Rommel approached the SUV.
Exiting from its rear passenger door is an adult man in a slick business suit, wearing only his white long sleeved with a red necktie while carrying his black suit that hangs loosely on his right forearm. He has the regular business-man haircut, black hair, and light-red eyes.
Rommel gives a bow to him as soon he stands closely to his father.
"Hello, Otōsan. It's wonderful that you've come here"
Terms that I used
конечно - Sure
Libero - A player specialized in defensive skills in Volleyball
-Dono - Lord
Otōsan - Father