X
Watching the broadcast Ooarai was left in between the emotions of shock and awe of the aftermath that was displayed on their tv screen showing highlights of the games to explain in detail.
"He baited St. Gloriana with their own tank," Yukari noted in disgust.
"Perhaps we should start taking in consideration that Dulton was right," Miho brought up.
"I'm willing to admit that," Anzu agreed, "But we don't have to tell him that."
To that the girls chuckled amongst themselves only to be interrupted when the room was flooded with light causing all the girls to shield their eyes as the large steel sheet doors swung open.
"Hello ladies and my lady," Daulton greeted, Yukari especially, "I'm assuming you all just watched the game."
"We have and I'll say he brings great shame to the sport," Saemonza commented.
"You can call George all the names in the book it's not gonna faze him," Daulton told them.
"But something like that shouldn't be ok," Miho chimed in.
As the girls tried to argue Daulton just waited patiently for their voices to die down.
"You can argue with his tactics and find them cruel, I know, but- MMMRRR!" before he could finish a couple of girls in Kuromorimine uniforms snuck up from behind, threw a bag over Daulton's head, and started carrying him off.
"GALE!" Yukari cried out in concern as she tried to race after the kidnappers, "COME BACK HERE WITH MY MAN!"
Pulling outside from the school gates a van rolls up with the side door opening for the two girls dragging a struggling Daulton in where another waiting in the back tied up his arms and legs. The girls tried to run as fast as their feet could carry them, but the moment they reached the gates the kidnappers already shut the door behind them and the van shot down the street leaving the Ooarai girls behind in the dust.
"WHAT THE HELL! THEY TOOK OUR INFORMANT!" Momo reeled from anger as they all watched the van disappear in the distance.
"What do the Kuromorimine want with Daulton?" Mako wondered aloud.
\Mainland/
Back in town a train car was hauling the only tank that the Saunders team lost with George and Alisa watching as the car went.
"I can't believe the plan worked," Alisa spoke dumbfounded.
"My plan. My plan worked," George corrected.
"Kay isn't gonna be happy about what you did," Alisa warned him.
"You freight too much."
It wasn't long until the two's private conversation will be put on hold as they were greeted by the defeated team, Darjeeling, Orange, Assam and Rosehip in the background maintaining distance for now.
"I must say Mr. Stuart that match was nothing I have ever come across with... in the most appalling way," Darjeeling rebuked in disgust, "And here I thought you'll be more than meets the eye, more gentlemen-like."
"Isn't there an old British saying, how does it go?" George lead up pointing over to the Darjeeling and her girls, then looking over Alisa seeing if she knew, but she shook her head, "Oh that's right. All is fair in love and war," he threw at Darjeeling's face which stung her the hardest, "You're a big fan of proverbs aren't ya? Anyway you all have a nice trip back home."
He gave a soft wave by just folding the fingers on his right hand like it were a fin, but before St. Gloriana left Rosehip made her way to confront George, but she found it hard to even look him in the eye.
"Anything you like to say, red?" George teased, but as he tried to lean in closer he was met with a slap across his left cheek to which even Alisa cringed at the sight and sound, but for George it was expected.
After leaving a mark Rosehip turned and stormed off, the soles of her boots clapping as she left the scene with her friends.
"That went well," Alisa noted in sarcasm.
"They're just a little sore from their spanking," George remarked.
"You're sense of humor doesn't really make the situation any lighter."
"You SCUMBAG!" a familiar voice lashed out in anger.
Alisa jumped in fear when she heard Naomi's voice and if Naomi's coming so was Kay, Naomi tried to take a swing at George, but this time he leans back to avoid the passing fist, and George grapples her. With his left arm George manages to wrap around Naomi's neck while she tried in futile to hit him from his headlock.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy tiger," George laughed as he wrestled her into his control.
"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Naomi roared as she flails her arms.
"That's enough!" Kay shouted over the infighting bringing relief to Alisa.
George let's go and Naomi tries her hardest to hold herself back from attacking him.
"I can't believe you sacrifice one of our own team members as bait," Kay recaps.
"We win didn't we?" George reminded.
"We strive to win fare and square. We play for the fun of the game."
"Fun? I didn't get drag all the way out here for fun, all in or none at all," George went off.
"It's just a game," Kay shot back.
"So is freak'n lawn darts, you're point is?"
"The point is that you're on training instructor duty for a month," Kay Told firmly, poking her finger into his chest before turning her sights on Alisa next, "And Alisa, I can't believe we have go through this again. I-"
"Don't bring her into this," George suddenly stops her before she could give Alisa any of the blame, "This was all my idea, I told her to take the balloon, it was my plan, it was all me."
Alisa wasn't the only one to be taken back by George's sudden defense of her as Naomi and Kay half expected he would've shamefully dragged her down along with him and with a passing moment Kay recovers her smirk grin.
"Looks like you do have some sense of responsibility," she noted gladly telling that George's response was really genuine, "Ok, make that two weeks of training instructor duty."
Naomi was dumbfounded as Kay has just shorten George's community service while Alisa looking like she just released the longest breath she held in her life, when Kay left Naomi followed trying to argue, but soon her voice disappeared in the distance.
"Uh... thank you," Alisa spoke softly.
"Hm? for what?"
"For not throwing me under the bus with you," She clarified.
"Like I told you before it was my plan," George reminded her before walking off into a different direction, "What's to eat around here? I'm starving," he asked aloud and Alisa catching up to join him.
\X/
Even though his hearing and sight were muffled from the canvas bag over his head, Daulton, can still see the fuzzy shadows through the bag, he then heard the tires screeching as the whole van came to a halt. The door slid open and he was dragged out from the vehicle stepping on hard concrete ground, then a sturdy wooden floor figuring he was being brought inside and the girls who abducted him bent him down on his knees onto the floor.
Surprisingly soft Daulton then had his eyes assaulted by a rush of clear light when the bag was finally removed from his head, after his eyes adjusted Daulton found himself in an unfamiliar setting, Daulton assumed it was a living-room styled in a traditional Japanese fashion. What stood before him was a low square table that was high enough above the floor to slip your legs under with a folder filled with photos of George laying on top. And two women sitting across from him, one young the other more older. The younger lady Daulton immediately recognized, Maho, Miho's more stern older sister, but the older woman he never met before, all he could tell that she of course was defiantly not happy.
"We finally meet face-to-face, Mr. Daulton. It is a pleasure to meet the top dogfighting champion of the world, I am Shiho Nishizumi," the older woman introduced herself with barely any emotion and one of the girls that brought him cut his binds.
"Peachy," Daulton simply relied rubbing his wrists.
"My daughter, Maho, told me how you once relentlessly tormented my youngest daughter," she then reminded him of the time he first came across the Ooarai team, "I should punish you right here for such acts in the Sensha-do name, but I am elated that you dropped you personal grudge on my daughter."
"I'm guessing you didn't bring me here for a tea party," Daulton remarked.
"Everyone in the Federation has heard of the deal you made with Saunders," Maho spoke up, "Your associate has upset the balance of Sensha-do."
"And yet you still let him play," Daulton pointed the strange obvious, "Why don't you send a suit to kick him out?"
"Although the whole world knows the game of tankery is a woman's sport we... didn't make it a rule to make it women-only sport. I guess we just assume no boy will ever try it," Shiho embarrassingly explained.
"Shot yourselves in the foot, huh," he then quipped, "What you want me to do about it? I can't undo a bet."
"No... so we're going to punish you for your interference," Maho told him and handed him an envelope.
"Why Me?!"
"Because we can't do anything to Mr. Stuart, so you have to do," Shiho told him and Daulton opened up the envelope reading it quietly to himself, "You are forbidden to go within a hundred feet of the Ooarai team until the semi-finals."
"You're all too kind," Daulton sarcastically commented.
"I hope you like your trip here because you're going out the same way."
"Oh you are such a bi-"
And again, Daulton found himself in the same exact position as earlier.
"You know to be honest... " Shiho spoke once Daulton was out looking down to the photos before her and Maho listening closely to what she has to say next, "I can see a bit of myself in this young man."
"Mother you can't seriously compare yourself to this-"
"It's my honest opinion," Shiho stated clearly picking up the photo when George was playing, "I could see it in his eyes... stoic, no emotion, and does what it takes to bring his team to victory however the way he taunted that girl into surrendering. He didn't just beat them... he made an example out of them. Unfortunately I will not allow this to go any further. Maho!"
"Yes, mother."
"You're up next against Saunders. Send him back home."
"I will, mother."
\Saunders' Carrier/
Rising anchor the ship has slowly pulled itself out of the harbor leaving the mainland behind as it disappears over the horizon. Within the town however two teens walked into a diner, the entrance door jingling as they made their way in.
"This is where all the Saunders girls like going after school, so it's like our little hang out," Alisa guided.
Coming in right after her George examine the interior of the diner which is completely reminisce of those truck-stop diners when going on road trips in the States.
"It looks really... " he trailed off.
"American?"
"Yeah," he confirmed, "Like a reverse weeb."
"They're called, westaboos," she corrected him.
The two then walked up and took a stool at the counter immediately being handed menus by the waitress.
"Do you eat at places like this back in America?" Alisa asked as she read through her menu.
"I do, but I'm always by myself," he answered.
"Because you were the big scary tough guy," she added predicting the casual life George had.
"No, I was the loser," George corrected.
"Huh?"
"Here are your root-beers," the waitress served sliding the cold mugs of soda to them without a single drop spilling out and only the wet moisture leaking down on the outside.
Hefting the mug up George's upper lip sank into the puffy foam that sat on top of the actual soda, but Alisa didn't take a drink from hers, she was still confused, and Alisa didn't need to ask why as George can already tell she wanted to know, he couldn't just leave it at that, he brought it up to begin with.
Placing the Mug back he spoke, "Before I was the tank-guy... I was the piano-guy."
"So that was you playing earlier, you're really good," she complimented.
"Years... of practice," he said slowly.
"On a different note, I can't believe Kay shorten your punishment even when you stood up to her," she the paused, staring into her reflection in her root-beer.
"Why are you so afraid of her?" George then asked.
"I'm not afraid of her!" Alisa told George, almost snapping at him, "... I just want her to be proud of me... "
She sank down burying the lower half of her face into her arms, George looked over her quietly seeing Alisa becoming more distant as she stared off into space.
"It's never easy to win the love of others," he started with Alisa slightly turning her head to pay attention, "You'd work hard to earn their respect haven't you?"
"... Yes... "
"You might not have theirs, yet. But trust me, there's only one person you should look to for that."
"Who?"
*DING!*
Before Alisa can have her answer the high pitch ring of the bell rang out and was followed with the waitress delivering their orders of two steaming hot hamburgers with a side of fries.
"That looks good," George commented with pleasure, letting his stomach guide his hand.
Picking up the burger George took a giant bite out of it, but Alisa just stared on for one more moment before just dropping it, and dug into her fries. But unaware to the two they were being spied on, outside peeking through the window Naomi wondered why Alisa would even have launch with George, let alone take orders from him.
