A/N : I managed to make a chapter even though I'm pretty busy with life. This is the longest I've ever written with about 10,000 words.
For some reason, I don't feel so good about this chapter. But maybe I'm just doubting my writing again. Let me know your thoughts after you read it. Enjoy!
Bellwall, a ship that knows violence like the back of its hand. It has no room for honest men. Only those who are capable enough to survive on their own are welcome here.
Many years have passed and the ship hasn't changed. The 12 feet stone wall still separates the north and the southern part of the ship.
The north is known as the 'normal' side of the ship. It has a low rate of delinquent activity, and the people there are actually civilized. Meanwhile, the south is the polar opposite.
The south is known as the Industrial District. Many abandoned factories and warehouses are located in this part of town. The actual school of Bellwall was also built in this district; unfortunate for the northerners.
In this part of town, nothing is forbidden and everything is permitted. This is where the delinquent activity is highest.
Everyday, the north and south gangs, made up of the students of Bellwall, fight a war in the streets, disregarding the school that they are supposed to attend. They are lead by two powerful leaders. Kasumi and Kaoru.
Kasumi has short and shabby black hair and she always wears a dirty greaser jacket since those are the only clothes she has. With a cold heart and an iron fist, she rules the Industrial District with the protection of her gang. You'd be either dumb enough or have balls the size of a Maus to go up against her.
Not only is she a feared gang leader, but she is also the renowned Commander of Bellwall. This tank ace is known for using the infamous Bellwall Style which includes unorthodox and brutal tactics.
Kaoru on the other hand... Well, nobody knows much about her other than she rules the 'Normal' District. She never shows up at any gang fights and prefers to lead her forces in the safety of her home.
The giant ancient wall which separates the two districts is also the place where the north meet the south; literally of course.
This iron curtain is the most active part of Bellwall where most of the fighting happens. There is a small crossing at the wall where the northern students can use to attend school. Now though, it is only used for the two gangs to meet.
Right now, a gang war is on the brink of breaking out. Kasumi, along with 8 other people stood before 14 rival gang members. They faced themselves like two cowboy posses at the crossing of the Iron Curtain.
All 23 of them brandished weapons ranging from bats, pipes, and brass knuckles to tank cupolas used as shields, tank barrels used as spears, and just plain fists.
"Ya got some balls steppin' foot on our turf like this." Kasumi said to the opposing group with a sneer. She held a long metal pipe on her hand which rested on her shoulder.
"This ain't your turf anymore! Ya don't belong here!" one of the other gang members exclaimed with a grin of her own.
"A place like this doesn't deserve to be in your hands!" one of Kasumi's friends yelled.
"Well, it's a new era now! Kasumi's not gonna be the commander for long! You should join our side before its too late!" the enemy's leader said.
Kasumi's smile quickly faded away. She was right, her days are counted. This is her last year before college after all. She would need to leave all of this pointless fighting behind, but she might not even make it to college due to her background.
"E-Enough of this!" Kasumi yelled, "If you ain't leavin' then we'll have to beat the hell out of you!"
"That's good enough for us!" the enemy leader said, "Get 'em girls!"
The two forces charged at each other. They started clashing like gladiators.
Near the fighting were two old men sitting on a bench on the street. They watched as the two gangs ripped each other to shreds.
"That's the fifth fight I've seen today." one of the old men remarked.
"Jesus, it's feels like the Yama-Ichi War all over again." the other said.
"How long have they been going at it? The gang wars I mean?"
"I don't know. Two years? Seven? It's been going on for so long now that we're accustomed them."
"You think it'll ever end?"
The old man chuckled, "Yeah, when the school ship sinks."
The other guy laughed loudly at the joke. "That's a good one!"
Kasumi swung her pipe on someone, hitting their head. The pipe bent so she threw it away. After Kasumi's attacker fell, her phone suddenly rang.
She quickly picked it up from her pockets. She stood in place as the others fought.
"Kasumi! Ready the tanks and the crews for practice!" the voice of Emi, Bellwall's instructor/headmistress said over the phone.
"Huh? What? I'm kinda in the middle of a gang war right now." Kasumi yelled for Emi to hear.
"Just prepare the Senshadō Club when you can alright? We have a match this weekend." Emi replied.
Kasumi's eyes widened. "What?! A match?! O-Okay ma'am I'll try to do it as soon as possible!"
"Good" the headmistress replied before hanging up.
After Kasumi's call ended, she noticed someone charging at her. She threw her phone at the attacker before knocking them out with a right hook to their temple.
"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna leave. I got some important business to do. Could you handle these idiots for me?" Kasumi announced to her companions.
"Wh-What?! You don't wanna beat these guys up today?"
"Ah I'll just do it another day. Listen, this is really important!"
"A-Alright ma'am! Whatever ya say! We'll see ya later!" Kasumi's friends bid farewell as their gang leader withdrew from combat.
"Hey, knock one of their teeth out for me!" Kasumi yelled as she walked away.
"Will do boss!" yelled one of them. Kasumi's gang continued to fight their opposition.
Kasumi walked along the chaotic Industrial District, passing by mobs of people who were brawling with each other.
Just a normal day in Bellwall. she remarked.
Occasionally, people would approach Kasumi, seeking to fight. But she would quickly dispatch them by a quick punch, shove, or a swing with a weapon she could pick up.
Kasumi arrived at Bellwall's school. She knew from the graffitied letters on the walls. The school's more of a battleground than a place of learning. The decrepit halls of the main school building were filled with students fighting each other. The track and field behind the school was a makeshift arena where students battled each other with weapons. There was absolutely no teachers around and the only lessons being taught here are to not mess with the powerful students at the school.
There were a number of students duking it out at the square outside the school building. They immediately stopped however when they caught sight of Kasumi entering the premises. They ran away as fast as they could.
Kasumi kicked the main doors open. Students were also fighting in the lockers, even resorting to using the shoes in them as a weapon. They too stopped their fighting and ran away.
It's good bein' a gang leader! Kasumi, smirking, thought as she walked the halls.
She walked by a classroom where one of the students suddenly got out of. She was a girl with short, dark brown, unkempt hair. She wore the same dirty jacket as Kasumi along with glasses which had its left lense cracked, but she didn't care about it though. Glasses were expensive at Bellwall so she would stick with what she had.
"Yo Kasumi!" the girl greeted as she walked with the delinquent. "Where ya goin'? And what's with the hair?
"Sup Mei. I cut my hair yesterday, figured it was too long." she replied, "I'm going to the tank garage. Emi called me earlier. Said she wanted me to prepare the Senshadō Club for practice."
"We havin' another gang war with tanks?" Mei asked with an enthusiastic smile.
"No, even better. We're having a practice match!" she replied excitedly.
Mei's eyes widened. "Oooh! A practice match! Who we gonna fight?"
"I don't know really, Emi hasn't told me yet."
The two arrived at the track and field. Past it was the Senshadō Clubroom. The students had just finished fighting each other. They were all in the ground either sitting from exhaustion or out cold on the floor. Kasumi and Mei walked over them like they were in a field of corpses.
Kasumi turned her eyes to a pair of girls as she walked. "Keep up the good work fellas."
"No problem boss!" the girls replied with a thumbs up.
The two arrived at the Senshadō club room. It was a small garage with a red roof, able to fit one tank and one tank only: the Tiger I. Ridden by Emi Nakasuga herself many years ago.
They went inside and Kasumi was immediately hit by a wave of nostalgia. Parked in the middle of the room was the Tiger I which she currently commanded. Even for its age, the heavy tank still stayed in almost mint condition thanks to Mei occasionally doing maintenance on it.
"Haven't seen this thing in a while." Kasumi remarked.
"It's been a while since you've rode in it. Wanna give it a try now?" Mei asked.
"No, we'll wait for practice."
The delinquent got over to the tank and laid a hand on it. She felt the cold and rough metallic surface of the Tiger.
This baby's seen a hundred years of war. Let's make her experience just one more battle. Kasumi thought, forming a smile.
She let her hand go of the Tiger and she turned around to Mei.
"Gather the crews will ya?" she asked.
"Will do ma'am!" with a confident smile, Mei saluted before she left the garage.
I should better let Emi know that I'm ready. Kasumi thought. She decided to leave the garage as well.
Kasumi stood by the club room's door. She searched her pockets for her phone. Once she cleared all of them, she was hit with realization.
"Crap, forgot I broke it." she muttered.
She looked around for someone and found a lone student walking by herself. Kasumi approached the girl.
When the innocent passer by noticed the menacing sight of the gang leader approaching her, her heart dropped and she froze in her tracks.
"Your phone" Kasumi demanded with a threatening stare.
The student did not think twice. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and chucked it to Kasumi before running away.
Kasumi went to the Contacts and dialed Emi's number.
"It's done ma'am. We'll be waiting for you at the old tank garages."
"That was quick." Emi remarked, "Good job though. I'll be heading out of my office, just gimme a few minutes."
The call ended.
One hour later
Emi arrived at what used to be the tank garages where 9 old tanks where parked beside each other. In front of each of them stood the crews.
Bellwall doesn't really have money so their roster hasn't changed over the years. They still have Emi's Tiger, the Jagdtiger and the Elefant, a T-44, and five Panzer II's belonging to the Automotive Club.
Emi noticed something as she inspected the different tanks: Half of them had no crews.
"Where are the crews?" she asked Kasumi from a distance.
"Most of them are on the north side ma'am. We don't exactly like the northerners so we kicked them out." Kasumi replied rather meekly, which surprised Mei and the other crews.
Kasumi was known for her fierce nature. She was like a honey badger, she never backs down from a fight and she never lets anyone look down on her. But now she's acting like Emi is her senior. This was outrageous! But Kasumi's crew didn't have the courage to call her out on it.
Emi rubbed her head in frustration. "These stupid gang wars..." she muttered.
"I-I'm sorry ma'am! Should I get them?" Kasumi asked nervously.
"If you can. Just get them here before the day ends." the headmistress replied.
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Kasumi saluted. She then gestured Mei to follow her and they walked out of the school grounds and into the streets.
"What was that about? Why'd you act all obedient with her? D'you owe her or somethin'?" Mei asked as they walked the war-torn streets.
"You'd be a dumbass if ya didn't know about Nakasuga Emi. She's a tank ace Mei, she's the last person I'd want to mess with." she replied while she put her hands in her jacket's pockets.
"You're a tank ace too!"
"Might be, but I still can't disrespect her like I do the other adults. She's the one who put me on the map in the first place."
"Ya mean she's the one who made you commander?! I thought you made yourself commander!?" Mei exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, I didn't, and that's the end 'a that." she dismissed the conversation.
"Let's just hope the others don't hear 'bout this. Y'know what'll happen to your reputation." Mei said as she looked ahead.
"Yeah well if they do, it'll be easy to shut 'em up. I'm a gang leader after all."
Kasumi and Mei found themselves in a narrow street with a lot of abandoned houses. It was quiet there, too quiet.
Suddenly, a group of 13 rival gangsters appeared in front of them. They sprung out of the houses and blocked their way of escape. Kasumi and Mei were now trapped with nowhere to go. They had only one way to get out of this: fight.
Despite the circumstance, the two weren't bothered. In fact, they quite wanted this to happen. Fighting was pretty exciting, and Kasumi and Mei couldn't get enough of it.
"You're trapped now!" their gang leader yelled as she sneered at them.
Kasumi smirked. "Sometimes I wonder why you guys just never give up. Alright, let's just get this over with." she said in a somewhat bored manner.
The delinquents charged at them. One of them, the leader, had a bat. She was quickly taken care of when Kasumi hit her with a right hook before she could even swing.
"Mei! Ya got any weapons on ya?" Kasumi casually asked as she repeatedly beat a girl on the head while she was on the ground.
"I got some brass knuckles here." Mei replied after knocking someone unconscious with an uppercut.
She pulled out a brass knuckle from her jacket and passed it onto Kasumi.
Kasumi put on the knuckles and gave the girl she was beating down one last punch before getting up.
She turned around to face more of her enemies and she was suddenly punched in the face by another delinquent.
Kasumi spit out a tooth before making a grin. "Nice shot kid." she then knocked the delinquent out with a headbutt.
"So uh, what're we doin' today anyway?" Mai asked before twisting someone's hand, breaking it.
"We're going to Kaoru's hangar and convince the northerners to work with us." she replied after smashing a northern delinquent's head against a wall.
Mei was choking someone out from behind. "We're gonna make peace with them? Now that's something I haven't thought of before."
Kasumi failed to block someone's attack and she was punched in the stomach then on the head which sent her to the ground.
She was about to get stomped out but fortunately, Mei came to her aid and knocked her opponent out with a headbutt.
Mei arranged her broken glasses before pulling Kasumi back up.
"Thanks" said Kasumi before spitting out blood.
"Hey, no problem boss!"
The two resumed fighting the delinquents.
"Hey you know, I've been thinking... Maybe I should retire." Kasumi said.
"What? Why'd you wanna do that?" her partner asked.
"Well, I can't just keep on fighting forever. I gotta stop someday."
"So what exactly are you retiring from? Bein' a gang leader or being the commander?" Mei asked.
"The commander. I'm getting tired of the Senshadō matches." said Kasumi as she knocked out the last delinquent with a kick to the face.
"After this little practice match, I'm gonna pass the torch to someone else. I'm tired of the endless fighting. I just wanna live normally again." she said whilst brushing off the dirt off her jacket.
The two resumed their walk to the northern parts of town.
"Isn't fighting punks everyday the normal way of living here?" Mei asked.
"I know, that's why I'm moving out."
"Wait, what?!" she jumped in surprise. "You're leaving us behind?!"
"No dumbass!" Kasumi gave the girl a knock on the head. It made a thunk sound like a coconut.
"I didn't say I was abandoning you! If you wanna come with me then feel free."
"Hmm... I might." Mei said, giving an interested smile. "Which school ship you plannin' on going to?"
"Did you forget? I'm going to college! Probably..." Kasumi replied unsurely, "If I don't get accepted maybe I'll just get a low wage job. I've survived the streets of Bellwall so livin' poorly's no problem for me."
"If you're lookin' for work, I heard someone mention a place called the Johannesburg! They say it's somewhere under the Zuikaku school ship! There's a bar over there who's lookin' for the right person to serve as bartender. All of the customers in that lil' Donzoko Bar are delinquents so I think you'd fit right in!" Mei suggested.
"Zuikaku? You mean Oarai? Nah, I ain't no mole lady. The delinquents over there live under the ship. I'd turn insane if I spend even just a minute down under. Those corridors freak me out." Kasumi said as she shuddered just from the thought of being there.
The two arrived at the Iron Curtain where an entrance to the north was. What waited for them there were five delinquents, all unarmed.
Kasumi and Mei smirked at each other. It was gonna be an easy fight.
A few broken noses and loose teeth later, the two made their way to unfamiliar land. The north was far different from its opposite.
Unlike the south, most of the houses there weren't reduced to rubble or abandoned. People actually lived there.
It was a little unnerving for the two girls since they haven't seen a block without at least one destroyed house.
"This place's weird." Mei remarked.
"Yeah" Kasumi replied as she looked at the different houses. "Feels like we aren't in Bellwall anymore."
As they reached an intersection. They suddenly ran into an old lady. She didn't have raggedy clothes like those in the south, rather, she had more amiable looking ones. With a silk dress and white shoes, she looked as if she was from St. Gloriana.
"My? What are you kids doing here?" the old woman said curiously.
"J-Just passin' by ma'am." Mei replied as she stared in surprise at the woman's elegant clothing.
"You look all roughed up. Did you get in an accident?" she asked with slight worry.
"No ma'am! We were just uh... workin'." replied Kasumi.
The lady smiled. "Ah you're part of the Automotive Club! Keeping good care of our tanks?"
"Of course ma'am." they said in unison while faking a smile.
"Ah well, I'll get out of your way now! Have a good day you two!" the old woman bid farewell.
Kasumi and Mei continued their walk.
"That was... weird." Mei remarked.
"I know! Where was the accent that every old hag down south has? Was she even real?" Kasumi replied. She had a puzzled expression pasted on her face.
"She was! I-Is this even Bellwall anymore!?"
The two girls were losing their minds. This land was too unusual. They were like in another universe.
"It is. Welcome to the north fellas."
The two delinquents were suddenly interrupted by another. Kasumi and Mei quickly stopped their walk, turned around, and prepared to fight.
Their potential opponent was an unarmed girl with light blonde, almost white hair. She wore a blue letterman jacket and a white cap. Her blue eyes showed her stoicism.
"I ain't lookin' for a fight. Heard you was going to speak with the boss."
"How'd you know?" asked Kasumi.
The girl shrugged. "Word gets around fast over here. Follow me, I'll lead ya to the boss."
Mei willingly followed her but Kasumi quickly stopped the girl with her arm.
"How do we know we can trust you?" she asked the mysterious girl.
"I'm not the one with the brass knuckles ain't I?" the blonde tilted her head and gave a smirk the size of a rice grain.
Touché Kasumi thought before she decided to follow the girl. She also removed her brass knuckles and hid them in her jacket, just in case.
"Mio" the blonde girl uttered.
"What?" Kasumi raised an eyebrow.
"Name's Mio, Itsumi Mio."
"Itsumi? The hell's Erika's kid doing here?" Mei exclaimed.
"I wanted to run away. Couldn't stand living in Kuro anymore." she said without making eye contact with the two.
"Who's the commander then? Didn't Miss Nishizumi give the overall commander position to an Itsumi?" asked Kasumi.
"That's my sister." she replied.
"Huh... Didn't know that. So you good with her takin' all the credit?" asked Kasumi.
"I don't care about credit, or reputation, or popularity. I just wanna live a normal life. Without any tournaments, practice matches, and no Senshadō."
"Is that why they kicked you out?" Kasumi asked sincerely.
Mio stopped walking and turned around to the two girls. "I wasn't kicked out. I ran away." she replied with a hostile aura.
The two girls' hearts began to pound faster. Whoever this girl was, she wasn't messing around.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Kasumi apologized.
The girl then unexpectedly smiled. "Looks like I'm the one who made the great Commander of Bellwall apologize." she then resumed walking.
Mei and her friend looked at each other with confused faces. They still decided to follow the girl.
Mio led the two to an abandoned plane hangar. With the help of other people, she pushed the gigantic doors open. Inside was a large crowd of young students. They all sat on the ground while an older girl, which seemed to be a third year, sat in front of them. They all gathered to her like it was a classroom and she was a teacher.
That's Kaoru, the northerners' gang leader. Kasumi remarked as she glared at her.
Kaoru noticed two unfamiliar faces enter her house. "Kasumi, never seen ye inna while." she said coolly as she made a smug grin, revealing shark-like teeth.
Kasumi approached the girl, ignoring the people who sat on the ground which she carelessly trampled over. She got over to Kaoru and now got a good look at her.
She was a tall, tan-skinned girl with long, messy black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a dirty white t-shirt and ripped jeans.
"What brings you in? If it's about that little scuffled ye had with my girls at the Iron Curtain, it's not my fault." she tried to excuse herself whilst keeping that grin of hers.
Kasumi huffed, "That's bullshit. You obviously wanted my turf."
Kaoru paused as she looked at her rival. Her smug face switched to a serious, and slightly embarrassed one. "F-Fine I will admit I wanted a tiny bit of your place."
"Didn't we make a rule about not having 10 or more people in one group?" Kasumi said, slightly irritated.
Kaoru turned away from the girl. "Y-Yeah..."
"Then tell me why you sent 14 of your girls to take over my turf!" she demanded.
"A-Alright, alright, I'll tell ya! Now back off! You smell like an entire sewer!"
"I heard you was retirin' so I decided to send some of my guys over. I thought your people would wanna switch sides now that you're movin' on." Kaoru confessed.
"What?! First you invade my property, and now you're trying to steal my people?! What the hell are you thinking?!" Kasumi grabbed the girl by her collar.
"H-Hey back off! I'm just doin' what's necessary!"
Whilst the two gang leaders were arguing, the crowd of northern gangsters started chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Mei could feel a fight brewing. Kaoru's calm nature was about to expire while Kasumi was on the brink of kicking her rival's face in.
"Guys enough!" she interrupted. The room was suddenly silenced. "We're here about Senshadō! Not about the gang!"
"Senshadō?!" Kaoru exclaimed before she escaped Kasumi's grasp. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"Y-You guys started fighting before we could even talk!" Mei reasoned.
Both of the gang leaders calmed down.
"O-Oh... Sorry about that." Kaoru apologized, "So uh, what's this about Senshadō?"
"We need you guys to work together! A practice match is comin' up and we don't have enough crews for the tanks!" Mei replied.
"Work together? Oh, alright then," she said calmly, "I'll go on one condition: kick Kasumi out! She's a liability!" she pointed to the girl beside her.
"Hey, I'm the overall commander! If someone needs to be kicked out here, it's you!" Kasumi snarled.
"No one's kickin' out nobody!" Mei intejected once again. "Could you guys just make a temporary alliance or somethin'?"
Kasumi and Kaoru settled down again. The crowd did too.
After careful consideration, Kaoru answered, "I... I guess we can."
"Good! Now Kaoru, are you fine with Kasumi being commander?" Mei asked.
"Hell no! Kasumi's an old hag! I should be the one to command." Kaoru quickly replied
"Old hag?!" Kasumi exclaimed, her eyebrows twitching in frustration.
"We all know that you're retirin'! It's those old bones 'a yours! It'd be better if you give me, someone younger, the commander position!"
"STOP!" Mei yelled at the top of her lungs. "Ain't there a better way to decide than just screamin' at each other?"
"There is" said Kaoru. She and Kasumi stopped arguing and they looked at Mei with stern faces.
"Bellwall has a traditional way of dealing with these sorta things." Kasumi added.
"A-And what's that?" Mei asked.
The two gang leaders both made a grin. "The Bout!" they said in unison.
Mei tilted her head. "What's The Bout?"
"We'll talk about it later. For now, we'll hafta get back to the school." Kasumi said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Kaoru turned to her gang. "Everyone 'a ya who's in the Senshadō Club, follow me!"
All of the northern gang's Senshadō crews followed Kasumi out. Beside her walked Kaoru. They were like two pied pipers, leading an army of filthy mice.
They arrived at the school where Emi was waiting by the Tiger I.
"Took you long enough." she said to Kasumi.
"Sorry about that ma'am. Kaoru here needed a lil' convincing."
"So, you guys made up now?" the instructor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No ma'am. We're actually arguing over who'll be the new commander. Kasumi here is old and unfit for a tank. I want her to be replaced, but she thinks I'm too inexperienced." replied Kaoru.
"Which ya are." Kasumi quipped.
"You bastard-"
"Shut it." Emi silenced them calmly, "If you're arguing, you know what to do right?"
"Yes ma'am! That's why I came here!" said Kaoru, "We're gonna do a Bout!"
"It's the only way to truly decide who's worthy to be commander." Kasumi added.
"Alright then. Go ahead and do your thing. I'll wait." Emi said, leaning on the Tiger.
Monday | 12:15 P.M
The Bout
The two commanders bathed in the scorching, noon sun. They faced each other as they sat. Two radios lay before them.
Behind them were their tanks. Kaoru had the Jagdtiger while Kasumi had her Tiger I. Both faced each other just like their commanders. The two tanks were ready to either fire or evade at any moment.
A huge crowd was gathered around them. Emi and Mei stood by each other as they watched from the sidelines.
"Could ya tell me how this Bout thing works Emi?" she asked. Showing no respect to her headmistress at all.
Emi wasn't bothered by the lack of formality. "It's simple really. The commanders play a game of rock paper scissors. Whoever wins gets to fire her tank while the loser needs to order her crew to evade. The game's not about luck, it's about how fast you can order your crew before it's too late."
"Hey Kasumi, I wanna place another bet!" said Kaoru.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "What sorta bet?"
"If I win, I get your territory!" Kaoru replied with a grin. Kasumi's eyes widened in response.
"These are your last days. Your guys won't have anywhere to go after you leave 'em behind. Come on! We can finally end this gang war that's gone on for decades peacefully. No violence or anything. So whaddya say? Accept the deal?" she reached her hand out.
After hearing that, Kasumi looked down on the ground and began to think. There was a period of silence amongst the crowd of people. Finally, Kasumi gave an answer.
"Agreed"
The two shook hands. People from the crowd began to take pictures using their phones.
"Holy crap! We're makin' history!" Mei exclaimed.
"Look's like Bellwall's about to change..." Emi muttered.
The two let go of each other's hands. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's do this!" yelled Kaoru.
They both yelled, "Jankenpon!"
Both drew rocks.
"Shit! Draw!" Kaoru cursed.
They quickly went again.
"Jankenpon!"
Kasumi drew rock while her opponent drew paper. Kaoru won. The two grabbed their radios from the ground with lightning speed.
"Fire!" yelled Kaoru.
"Avoid!" Kasumi yelled.
Kaoru's Jagdtiger fired. The Tiger couldn't react fast enough and just stood there. Luckily for the heavy tank though, the point blank shot somehow missed.
"You idiots!" Kaoru yelled.
An apology came from the radio. "We-We're sorry ma'am! I-It's just we haven't done this in a long time!"
"I don't care about your excuses! Change your gunners!"
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Kaoru put down the radio and faced Kasumi once again. The delinquent had a smirk on her face.
"You'll lose your smirk soon enough Kasumi! Now let's do this!"
Kasumi was visibly sweating now, both from the heat and the tension. This was bad. If Kasumi's crew doesn't pay attention again, they're sure to be dead.
"Jankenpon!"
Kaoru drew rock, while Kasumi drew scissors. The two quickly grabbed their radios from the ground.
"Fire now!"
"Dodge quick!"
The Jagdtiger fired a shell once more but the Tiger was fast enough to dodge it by inching back a bit. The shot grazed the Tiger's turret.
Shit! I have to win this next round or it's over! Kasumi thought as she gritted her teeth in frustration.
"What's wrong Kasumi? Feeling light headed? Perhaps you should give up. I wouldn't want to carry you to the infirmary." Kaoru taunted her.
"All's fine. Just thinkin' what your face'd look like when you eventually lose. Let's go again, one last time."
"Jankenpon!"
Once again, Kasumi lost. She drew rock whilst her opponent drew paper. The two grabbed their radios from the ground.
"Fire!" Kaoru yelled with a visible grin.
"Dodge it!"
The Jagdtiger fired. This time, finally hitting its adversary. The Tiger I was shot in the tracks, preventing it from moving.
Kaoru laughed, "It's all over now! Just give up before I humiliate you!"
"Oh crap! Kasumi's gonna lose!" Mei exclaimed frantically from the distance with her hands on her head.
"She needs to win the next round. Else we won't have practice today." said Emi as she crossed her arms.
Goddammit! I can't go down like this! Please God, just give me my luck already!
"One last time!" Kaoru yelled in a cheerful manner.
Kasumi's heart was now pounding like a drum. There was a moment when she had thought of giving up but she quickly shook her head and steadied herself. One more lose to Kaoru and she could kiss her commander's position goodbye.
Dammit! I know I want to quit being commander, but not now of all times!
"Jankenpon!"
Surprisingly, Kasumi won when she drew scissors whilst Kaoru drew paper. The gang leader's face was left in shock before she grabbed her radio with the speed of a BT-7.
"Fi- I mean avoid!" she stuttered. And that's when her fate was sealed.
"Kill the bitch!" Kasumi yelled.
The disabled Tiger fired its 8.8 cm cannon. But unfortunately, the shell bounced. Kaoru's grin grew wider at the sight.
Kaoru gave a resounding curse, "Goddammit!"
The crowd went wild. They were astonished at what happened. They couldn't believe it didn't work. Kasumi's gang had lost their hope at this point.
"Tough luck!" Kaoru taunted with a big, wide grin. "Let's finish this then. This'll definitely be the last time."
Kasumi's eyes showed hopelessness. This was the end.
"Jankenpon!"
Predictably, Kaoru won when she drew scissors.
Kaoru didn't even hurry to grab the radio. She sneered at Kasumi the entire time as she reached for the walkie talkie at a snail's place. The gang leader's eyes were as hollow as a shell. She didn't even try to grab the radio. Only, she just waited for her demise.
"Fire!"
The Jagdtiger fired, its shell burying itself deep inside the Tiger's hull. The heavy tank recoiled from impact. Soon, a white flag popped out.
Mei was left in shock. "Ka... Kasumi lost..."
"How unfortunate..." Emi said before sighing in disappointment.
The headmistress turned around and walked out of the field but she was stopped when Kaoru yelled, "Wait Miss Emi!"
Emi turned around with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"
"It seems that doing Senshadō again was more fun than I expected. Though I will admit, being commander is the opposite. That's why, I want Kasumi to keep her commander status."
"What? O-Okay, I guess. How'd you come to this conclusion?" Emi asked the girl.
"Oh you know. Gotta give an old timer his final wish. Kasumi"s wish would be to command a tank in her last match. Plus I got what I wanted: her territory. She's already lost her gang, I wouldn't wanna take her commander status as well."
Emi smiled at that. She headpatted the girl. "Good job kid." Emi then walked off.
With the Bout over, the crowd dispersed and the field was left to Kasumi. She suddenly passed out from exhaustion. The Bout was a very draining sport. And even though this particular Bout was less intense than most, the effects on a person's mental was still the same.
Mei and some of Kasumi's gang members rushed to her aid.
"Holy shit! You okay boss?!"
"I'm... I'm fine!" she reassured in a rough voice. "Looks like I lost. Damn my stupid luck! Hey, could you guys just leave me be? I need some time alone."
"Of course! Anythin' you say boss!"
They all quickly left the delinquent. Mei, though, stayed.
Kasumi closed her eyes and rested while she lay down on the grass. "What the hell are you still doin' here?" she said after sensing Mei's presence.
"I wanted to stay with you Kasumi! Make sure you aren't robbed or something." she reasoned.
I guess it's fine if she can stay. she thought, "Fine. Just be quiet alright?"
"Silent as a feather boss!"
The two went quiet to take in their surroundings. Unlike the constant fighting that they were accustomed with, their surroundings were actually peaceful. There was only the calm and whistling wind which caressed the field's grass, causing them to wave like the sea.
"Hey Kasumi. What're you gonna do after you leave Bellwall?" Mei asked quietly.
"I don't know really. It feels like my life ends after high school, and I'll just wander the world aimlessly like a ghost after that. Maybe I'll get a job on the other carriers. Maybe I'll go back to land and live with the remaining relatives I have. Maybe I won't leave and just sit here forever to rot." she replied without any worry.
"Don't you have any goals in life? Any dreams? Maybe you could pursue them?"
"I forgot all about them as soon as I came aboard this ship. And I don't care about dreamin'. I know it'll be impossible to achieve anything now that I've thrown my life away."
"You're actually giving up on your life?!" Mei exclaimed in utter shock.
"What's left of it, yes." the delinquent replied.
The conversation ended as the two stared into the heavens. The clouds moved by the wind were like a fleet of ships sailing in the vast ocean that is the blue sky. Eventually, Kasumi fell asleep. Mei noticed this and she carried the girl to the Senshadō club room.
The next day
Bellwall had commenced their daily tank practice.
The practice match itself started hours ago with all the tanks heading into the forest where they fought their battles.
Their team was split in two: The North, and The South. Obviously, Kaoru commands the Northern Division while Kasumi commanded both The South and The North. Her status as overall commander didn't hold any weight though as everyone worked on their own.
Kasumi sat atop a tree, hidden by its leaves. Her Tiger was hiding somewhere close.
She waited in anticipation for something to come, and soon, something did. The sound of an engine alerted Kasumi to a Panzer II's presence. She grinned as she realized that her plan had worked.
The Panzer II rode swiftly around the forest like a rabbit. Kasumi jumped on top of the light tank once it overpassed her tree.
A loud thud was heard from inside the tank so the commander decided to check. She was surprised when she saw Kasumi staring at her with an evil grin as she held on to the tank's turret.
"Sorry 'bout this Kawashiba!" she yelled before slamming the commander's head on the hull and then pulling her out of the cupola.
Kasumi threw the girl out of the tank before reaching for a smoke grenade inside her jacket. She pulled the pin and dropped the grenade down the hatch before jumping out of the speeding vehicle.
With the crew stunned, the Panzer crashed into a tree.
Kasumi pressed her throat mic. "Fire!"
From the distance a shot rang out. A shell from the Tiger's powerful cannon made impact with the Panzer II's exposed rear. The tank recoiled from impact before a white flag popped out of its hull.
"That's the last Panzer II down!" she reported through her radio, "Good job Mei!"
"Thanks Kasumi!" suddenly, the delinquent heard her Tiger get hit on the radio. "Shit! It's the Jagdtiger! Get over here quick boss!" Mei yelled.
"Shit!" Kasumi cursed before she ran for her tank. There was a sudden flash from the forest darkness before a tree nearby Kasumi was hit.
"That shot almost killed me!" she exclaimed.
Kasumi climbed up a small hill and she saw her tank standing still. It was facing an unknown enemy.
A shell bounced off the Tiger, creating a deafening ringing sound. Fortunately for the crew, the carbon protected their ears.
Kasumi ran up and entered her tank as quickly as she could so as to not get hit by a stray shell.
She entered through the commander's hatch and dropped down to her seat.
"What's the sitrep?" she asked Mei.
"The Jagdtiger suddenly jumped us. They're right in front of us. What should we do commander?"
Kasumi paused to think. "I know this road. Reverse until we're out of sight and we'll win this battle."
"Yes boss!" her driver obeyed without a second thought. Kasumi got out of the cupola and threw a smoke grenade in front of them. The German heavy tank then reversed out of the Jagdtiger's sight.
"Where are they going?!" Kaoru demanded to know.
"They're retreatin' boss!" her gunner replied.
"Chase after them! Don't let 'em get away!"
"Will do boss!" Kaoru's driver affirmed before advancing.
The tank destroyer moved a few meters forward before it suddenly blew up. The explosion seemed to have come from the ground.
From a watchtower, Emi saw a billow of smoke arise from the trees. This signaled the Jagdtiger's defeat.
"Looks like that's all of 'em." Emi muttered before turning on her radio. "All tanks are disabled. The Tiger I wins."
"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed Kaoru in frustration.
"Th-That was a mine boss!" her driver replied.
"Shit!" Kaoru cursed as she banged her hand on the hull. She unexpectedly smiled before chuckling, "That's Kasumi for ya!"
A few minutes afterwards, the different tank crews left to go home. Emi met Kasumi on the way.
"Good job on the win!" she complimented.
Kasumi stopped her walk to talk with Emi. "Thanks ma'am! Hey, could I ask? Who're we fightin' anyway?"
"Oh I forgot to tell you. We're going up against Oarai Girls Academy." Emi answered.
"Oarai? I think I've heard that name before..." she replied, forgetting that she and Mei had just talked about them yesterday.
"Yeah, it's where Miho became a tank ace."
"Ah them huh... How's their firepower?" asked Kasumi.
"Dunno. I never sent spies there." Emi shrugged.
"We're gonna hafta fight blind huh?" Kasumi muttered.
"Hey don't worry about it. They're probably gonna have their usual lineup." Emi tried to reassure the girl.
"If that's the case, then it'll be easy right?"
"Who knows? Maybe Oarai's got another tank ace in the making?" said Emi.
"If that's so, then I'll bring her down before she can even say 'fire'" Kasumi's phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up.
"Yeah? I'm havin' a conversation here!" she exclaimed in annoyance.
"Kasumi we need help! The northerners are here again! They're angry about the bet!" a frantic Mei yelled on the phone.
"Crap, I'm coming just hold on!" she quickly hung up the phone that she stole.
"S-Sorry ma'am, but I have business to do!"
"That's fine. Go ahead and we'll talk later over some cold ones." Emi excused the girl.
"Thank you ma'am!" Kasumi bowed before rushing away from the headmistress.
Emi looked on proudly. She had successfully made a tank ace out of that girl.
A few days later
Bellwall's school ship arrived in the town of Oarai. Most of the students who got off the ship tried their best to dress formal. Most of them wore dirty casual clothing. Some washed their jackets while those who had no shame didn't dress up at all and still kept their dirty, delinquent clothes.
Kasumi walked along with the whole of her gang.
"Remember guys, no robberies, no mugging, no anything. I don't wanna see someone slumped on the ground today alright?" she said to them.
"You can count on us boss! I ain't stealin' no wallets today!"
"We gotcha boss!"
"We're gonna be as clean as the headmistress herself. No need ta' worry boss!"
"Good. Just keep a low profile and enjoy the Senshadō match later alright?"
The gang dispersed and did their own thing. Kasumi was left with Mei.
"So where'd you think we should go?" the gang leader asked.
"I wanna try that Anglerfish food that everyone's talkin' 'bout!" Mei replied, her eyes glimmering with excitement.
Kasumi approved. "Sure, I haven't eaten anything but trash in a long time. Let's give Ankou a try."
"But we have no money!" said Mei.
Kasumi looked around her for some potential targets. She saw a group of girls walking around. They looked like a bunch of tourists.
Perfect! They're easy prey! Kasumi thought as she grinned.
"Where the hell are we even going Yuna?" asked an irritated Eiko who was sweating from exhaustion.
"The tank shop! I remember it was here somewhere!" replied Yuna who was scanning a map of Oarai.
"And can you tell me why? We've already got all the ammo we need! Plus, I paid the Automotive Club to inspect our tank!"
"There's a Miho figure that I'm saving up to buy. And I just came into some money today!" she exclaimed with a smile of excitement.
Eiko raised an eyebrow. "What, are you gonna put it in a jar and do unspeakable things to it?"
"No! I'm gonna put it in my shelf!"
Suddenly, Yuna bumped into someone. It was a girl with short unruly hair. She wore a dirty black leather jacket, similar to those from the Johannesburg.
"O-Oh! Sorry about that!" Yuna apologized.
"I-It's nothing! I should've watched where I'm going! J-Just don't mind me and enjoy your day!" the girl who was unexpectedly polite, bid farewell and disappeared into a crowd of people.
"Hey, have a nice day too!" Yuna exclaimed as she waved goodbye. She then turned around to her crew. "So what should we do now?"
"I'm kinda hungry. Why don't we get something to eat?" Ayano suggested.
"Yeah, I didn't eat breakfast so I'm down with that too." Eiko added.
"If you guys are doing it, might as well go with you." said Saki.
"Alright it's decided then! Let's find an expensive restaurant!" Yuna exclaimed before she led the group to a nearby restaurant, unaware that she had just gotten pickpocketed.
Kasumi tossed a purse full of money on her hand as she walked. Mei was beside her smiling happily.
"So, where can we get some Ankou?" Kasumi asked.
"I know a place nearby! Saw it from the carrier!" she replied.
"You got good eyes for someone who wears broken glasses." the delinquent remarked.
"I'm like an eagle. I can detect a fast food chain from miles away!" she bragged.
"If you can spot food from that far away, why can't you snipe with our tank?" Kasumi teased the girl.
"Sh-Shut up! It's easier 'cuz there's no trees in the way!" Mei reasoned.
The two of them went to a nearby store and ate their fill. About 40 minutes afterwards, they were picked up by their Tiger crew and they drove out to the town's outskirts for the match to start.
The people of Oarai were stoked to see a match take place in their town once again. Ever since Oarai disbanded their club two years ago, no one has taken interest in using the town as their battleground. Now things are different. Oarai can finally get back up on its feet.
Somewhere out in the fields, Miho camped out with her crew on her Tiger I. They used a small laptop to watch the match.
They didn't expect for an open top jeep to pull up on them. Miho gasped in surprise when she saw a familiar face, Emi, to be in the driver's seat.
"Hey Miho! Long time no see!" Emi greeted cheerfully while also keeping her cool.
"E-Emi! My, how long has it been!" Miho got down from her tank. "It's good to meet you!"
"Hey don't act like we haven't met in a lifetime! It's only been a year!" said Emi as she hugged Miho. "Good to see ya Miho! I see you're the instructor of Oarai now."
"Yeah, Yuzu asked for me. Of course, I immediately accepted her request. I owe my life to Oarai. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here talking to you."
"That's great! I guess I could say the same thing with Bellwall. So, how's your team going?"
"They're doing pretty well..." Miho said, clutching her arm and looking away from Emi.
Emi raised an eyebrow. "And by pretty well you mean..."
Miho sighed and she began to rant. "They're... not doing so good. Our tanks are better than what we started with back in the 64th, but the new problem are the crews. They're like cats and dogs Emi! They keep fighting with each other! The only crew that's doing fine are the freshmen! But they have the Bob Semple so it won't matter if they're good with each other."
Emi's eyes widened in surprise. "You have a Bob Semple?!"
"Yeah, we found it inside one of the tank garages. It can move, thank God, but it can't really do any damage with its machine guns."
"If its fighting infantry, things'd turn out different don't you think?" Emi said.
"Yeah, but we're fighting tanks. That thing would get destroyed in an instant."
Miho decided to change the subject. "Hey what about your crews? Are they doing fine?"
"Kinda" Emi sighed as she crossed her arms, "The team's split into two, just like our carrier. They're not doing well with each other too."
One of Miho's crew called her out from atop the parked Tiger. "Commander! The match is starting!"
Miho looked over her shoulder. "I'm coming over!" she then turned back to Emi. "You could watch with us if you like."
"It's all good, I have my own laptop. Hey, good luck on the match." Emi wished her friend luck.
"You too" replied Miho with a smile.
Miho continued to watch the match unfold with her crew. Emi did too. She leaned back on the driver's seat of her jeep whilst she pulled up a live video of the match with a laptop.
I'm pretty lucky to be able to get one of these things in Bellwall. she remarked.
1:00 P.M.
Bellwall's tanks were gathered on a quiet and empty field, far away from the town. The crews were outside their tanks having idle chitchat. Both the north and the southern gangs were gathered in one place. This only meant one thing: a fight could break out at any moment. But the crews were smart enough to restrain themselves from laying a punch on one of their classmates.
Their commander, Kasumi, soon arrived by jeep. She, along with Mei were escorted from a restaurant after they had finished their lunch. Kaoru, the second in command, came to meet them.
"Where the hell have you two been?!" Kaoru irritatedly exclaimed.
"We were havin' lunch. What's wrong with that?" replied Kasumi while she was using a toothpick.
Mei's belly was bulging due to the amount of food she had ingested. The girl made a small burp before she said, "Has the match started yet?"
Kaoru sighed in disappointment, "No, luckily. We're waiting for Oarai's tanks to arrive." she then heard loud rumbling from behind her. She turned around and saw five tanks roll up.
"Speak of the devil, here they are." she remarked.
All of Oarai's tanks, save for the Semple who was lagging behind, stopped just directly in front of Bellwall's.
One of the referees who stood by the scene noticed Oarai's insignia so she decided to call her friend.
"Hey Sodoko!"
Two other referees were talking with each other in the distance. One of them were alerted when she was called out.
"I said don't call me that!" she exclaimed, "What do you want?!"
"Just come over here!"
Sodoko sighed and she walked up to the other referee. "The hell did you call me for?"
"Look at that!" she said, pointing to the large insignia painted on the Hetzer's hull. "That's Oarai! You used to study there right?"
"Yeah, so what?" Sodoko raised an eyebrow.
"Ain't it cool?" the referee asked.
"It is, but it ain't that important! We had a match between Saunders and St. Glo last month. You were from Saunders ain't you Helmet-chan?" she teased the woman with her own nickname.
She replied with a slightly flushed face. "I know! It's just pretty cool when you see your old school after a long time!"
The Bob Semple finally arrived after ten minutes of waiting. All of the crews gathered to face each other. Yuna and Kasumi stood between the referees.
"Hey, you're the girl from earlier right?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah, so what?" Kasumi raised an eyebrow.
"It's a coincidence that we met a few hours ago! Name's Yuna!" she extended a hand.
"Uhh, sure... Name's Kasumi." she said, without shaking the girl's hand.
Yuna awkwardly retracted her hand back. "L-Let's have a good match!"
"Everyone bow!" Sodoko yelled.
Everyone bowed. "Let's have a good match today!"
Somewhere in the viewing platforms, Saori and Mako watched the match begin. Saori was cheering for Oarai just like the others whilst Mako was just sitting in her chair quietly. All these years and she has never changed that personality of hers.
"Haaaa~ this is just like the old days!" Saori exhaled as she sat back down.
"If it is, then Oarai would lose right?" replied Mako.
"What?! Oarai never lost in the tournaments!" Saori countered.
"Remember St. Gloriana?" Mako reminded her.
Saori tilted her head. "Which tournament?"
"The 64th? During the practice match?"
"Ohhhh right! Well, let's just hope history never repeats itself! Who knows? Maybe Oarai will win today?" Saori replied enthusiastically.
Mako turned her eyes back to the gigantic screen which broadcasted the match. "Hmm... maybe..." she muttered
30 minutes later
Both the team's plans were set.
Bellwall's plan was to encircle the town just like the Soviets and the Allies did with Berlin. They would use their light tanks to scout the area before rolling in with their heavier tanks. They had one problem though: the defenses.
Bellwall has never fought in Oarai in years so they barely knew where they were going and where the defenses where.
Oarai's plan was simple: take out the entirety of Bellwall's forces in an ambush. Since this was an elimination match, they hid one tank inside the city while the rest were on the defense just like the Russians in Moscow.
They had two problems with their plans: One is that it was too simple and poorly thought out, meaning that they could get defeated easily by an unpredictable move from the enemy. The second and last problem was that Yuna thought up of this plan. She was just a normal schoolgirl who fantasizes about making Miho her waifu. She was unfit to plan and in general, to command an entire tank squadron.
3 of Oarai's tanks: the Stug, Hetzer, and Panzer waited on top of a hill where they would make their ambush on the Bellwall tanks. The Chaffee on the other hand was somewhere scouting.
"It would've been better if I was planning!" Takeda complained as she tapped her foot on the metallic floor. She wore an unsatisfied look as she waited for a tank to appear in the distance.
"If it was you who commanded, you would send all our tanks to charge like we're cavalry!" Wittmann countered.
"What about you? Do you have any better ideas? Huh, Wittmann?" the samurai spat.
Wittmann paused for a second. "I... I don't..." the tank ace then looked down in defeat.
"Hmph, that's what I thought."
"Why did we let Yuna plan our attack? Why didn't you do it?" Makoto asked as she sat on the driver's seat.
Akira was reclining on her seat. "Because, Yuna's the overall commander. Plus, I don't know shit about tactics."
"What about that girl with the big red ribbon on her head? She's a samurai so she knows about warfare right?"
"Yeah, medieval warfare. She still thinks that our tanks are cavalry. Not a good planner if you ask me." Akira replied.
"H-How did she even think up of this plan?!" the vice president exclaimed.
"Because, Miho did it!" Yuna answered Eiko who had a similar question to Makoto.
"That... isn't really a valid point. Just because Miho did it a decade ago, doesn't mean it'll work now." she replied.
"It will work! Just have faith! If Miho can do it, so can we!" reassured Yuna.
Eiko sighed in disappointment. "So, when do you think the enemy will be here?"
"They'll be here any second now! They just have to take our bait!"
A few minutes later, the three tank crews heard distant gunfire followed by the sounds of engines. Soon, the Chaffee appeared in their sights with the entire force of Bellwall on its tail.
"They... They took the bait! Hurry up and shoot guys!" Shizume's voice crackled through the three tanks' radios.
"Alright, fire at will but watch where you aim!" Yuna exclaimed.
Kasumi stood in her tank's cupola. She saw three of Oarai's tanks firing upon them on top of a steep hill. They were at a disadvantage since there were only two ways which they can climb. Oarai would surely take most of them out.
But the commander had an idea. She pulled out her radio, smirking. "They're clumped together! Send it!"
As Bellwall's tanks approached the hill, the Stug, Hetzer, and Panzer fired at them. Eventually, the Stug took out one of the five Panzer II's.
Takeda made an earnest compliment. "Good job Michael! You finally hit something!"
Suddenly, Oarai heard a loud buzzing noise from the sky. It grew louder and louder by the minute.
"What in Rommel's name is that?" Wittmann asked while she was still shooting at her opposition.
"Sounds like an AC unit." Sherman replied.
In curiosity, Yuna got out of the cupola to inspect the noise. Despite Ayano's warnings, she stayed.
"Yuna get back down here! It's dangerous!" Ayano yelled.
"Hold on!" she yelled back as she stared up at the clouds.
She saw a black dot which grew larger and larger along with the buzzing. Yuna soon realized what it was.
"It's a V1! Everyone get down!" she yelled into the radio before quickly dropping back inside the tank.
"The hell's a V1?" Makoto asked right before the rocket impacted with their tank.
The V1 rocket hit directly on top of the hill, creating a massive smoke cloud and sent dirt flying into the sky. The sight of the explosion gave Kasumi a euphoric feeling, making her grin.
The crowd exclaimed in shock. They had never seen that move pulled off before.
Miho jumped in surprise as she saw the top of the cliff erupt like a volcano. She then turned to Emi who had her jeep parked beside the Tiger.
"Wh-Wha..." she stammered.
Emi raised an eyebrow as she noticed the woman looking at her. "Hmm? You never heard of an airstrike before?"
"We never had that back then!"
"Well, we have now. The rules've changed. Think of the airstrike like a power up in a game. You can only use it once so don't worry about it." Emi assured.
Kasumi ducked in the cupola to talk to Mei. "How many did we take out?"
"We may have taken out one 'a their tanks." she answered before firing her gun.
"That's good enough. Now climb up that hill and finish them off!"
The eight of Bellwall's tanks reached the foot of the tall hill and they began to make their way up using the two roads to the left and right.
Oarai was still shaken up by the airstrike so there wasn't any resistance, meaning that Bellwall traversed the hill untouched.
The volleyball club's Chaffee made it back without dying. It was being chased by the Elefant. Wittmann saw this through her sights so she fired at the tank destroyer, killing it.
"That's adds another to my 136 kill streak!" Wittmann bragged after the kill.
The Tiger had now crested the hill. Kasumi had a clear shot at Yuna's Panzer IV.
"Gotcha now!" Kasumi muttered, "Fire!"
Before the Tiger could fire, Yuna had already noticed it aiming its turret towards them.
"Shit! Avoid it!" she yelled after jumping in surprise.
A shell escaped the Tiger's barrel and made its way towards the Panzer's exposed side armor. It was unlucky though as the medium tank inched backwards and dodged the shot.
The Panzer retaliated with a shot of its own which bounced off the Tiger.
The Jagdtiger and the T-44 had now arrived on top of the hill too. Oarai couldn't stay here for long.
"Yuna! We should retreat to the city! We're surrounded like mice!" Takeda yelled through the radio.
After a shot from the T-44 bounced off the Panzer's thick armor, Yuna replied, "Shit! Alright let's get out of here!"
The two tanks reversed out of the cliff, keeping the thickest part of their armor facing the enemy. They covered the Chaffee who made a dash towards the town in the distance.
Yuna threw two smoke grenades in front of their tanks to serve as cover. The Stug and Panzer then turned around and drove towards the city.
Once the smoke cleared, Bellwall's tanks ceased firing.
"Kasumi, they're headed into the city. You know what this means right?" Kaoru radioed. The commander could imagine her face smirking inside the Jagdtiger.
Kasumi grew a wide grin. Oarai going into the city was the opposite of bad news.
"Alright guys. Ya know our operations right?" she asked her team.
Each of the crews gave their affirmations.
Kasumi exclaimed, "Time to demonstrate the Bellwall Style!"
A/N : Thank you for reading the 4th chapter! To be honest, I don't know if this chapter is good or not. It just feels like filler. (Which I think it is.)
But as always, if you can, feel free to give me a review. I want to hear your thoughts about this fanfic or chapter. I accept criticism as long as it helps me with my writing or my story.
That's all for now! I'll see you next weekend!