"I can't believe I had physical training all day." Izuku whines as everyone gathers after the second day's final meal.
"You are rather squishy when not in a tank." Ochako says squeezing his arm.
"I'm stronger than I look." Izuku replies, flexing his slim muscles.
"Compared to us, that's nothing." Ochako taunts as she displays her larger muscles. "Training to drive tanks without your quirk is hard work."
"Indeed, just shifting some of the older Soviet models required a hammer and a bit of luck." Momo says.
"That's not entirely true, if they really needed a hammer they wouldn't have gone into service. It's just that they struggled between some gears and needed a good bump at times." Izuku explains, "Any survivors need a hammer because the tank's were designed to last a few battles before being destroyed by the enemy and so they were designed to last only that long to save production time."
"The need for muscle still stands though." Momo counters.
"I guess." Izuku mutters.
As the rest of the class, save those who failed the final prepared for the test of courage, Izuku and Ochako stand to the side, wondering what to do until Aizawa approaches them.
"You two will stay here and observe tonight." Aizawa orders.
"But sir." Ochako begins but is silenced by a glare.
"You both disobeyed instructions, next time you have a better idea for your training come to me instead of heading off and pranking the other students." Aizawa lectures, "otherwise the training you two came up with was good. I expect you both to continue with creative training ideas from now on." He continues quietly, "Just tell me about them first."
"Yes Mr. Aizawa." They chorus.
Aizawa turns to leave, "Behave and I might just let you participate tomorrow." he whispers over his shoulder before he walks off.
"You haven't summoned a tank yet today." Ochako says enthusiastically once Aizawa leaves the clearing.
"True, might as well be comfortable." Izuku says before raising his hands into the air. "That's odd, I usually get better tanks when nothing is happening."
"I have a bad feeling about this." Ochako says as she quickly climbs into the tank.
"I wouldn't go that far, this Jagdpanzer IV is not a terrible tank, just a bit average." Izuku explains.
"How well does it do in a dense forest?" Ochako asks.
"Well, it's a bit front heavy so it doesn't maneuver well and struggles to turn on soft ground as the front sinks into mud and soft earth." Izuku says with growing worry.
"We're doomed." Ochako sighs, moving into the gunners position.
"I think I'll close the hatches." Izuku says nervously.
"Shall we discuss the tank while we wait, it should calm us down." Ochako requests.
"Good idea, the Jagdpanzer IV, Sd Kfz 162 is a tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV tank. Designed as a replacement for the Sturmgeschutz III which was a similar design on the Panzer III hull. Though from the names you can tell it was intended as a gun platform for the artillery rather than a tank destroyer. The stug III was pushed into the roll as the war progressed and proved quite good. That is where this comes in, a perfection of the casemate tank destroyer design, low, stealthy and capable." Izuku lectures.
"And never used after the war because turrets are just better if you have the money to make them?" Ochako guesses.
"Correct, except for a few odd designs, no one used such a layout again. The Swedes used the opposite of this though. Where this is a hull with a gun, they made a turret on tracks." Izuku says.
"Turret on tracks?" Ochako asks.
"Yes, the strv 103, a good story for another time." Izuku says with a distant look.
"Villains." Ochako says urgently.
"Open fire!" Izuku commands and Ochako opens up with the hull machine gun while Izuku fires the machine guns on the close in defense system. Luckily Izuku's quirk did not have supply issues and those guns were actually in their place.
The villains melted under the barrage, dropping their weapons and attempting to flee the hail of projectiles.
"I expected more out of them." Izuku comments as Pussycats on site rush to capture the routed villains.
"Not every villain is as tough as Stain." Ochako says calmly, "Should we go find everyone else?"
"We probably should." Izuku answers, but before he could leave someone begins hammering on the top hatch.
"Guys! Open up!" Mineta shouts.
"Go inside, we're not letting you in." Izuku replies.
"No, no, no, I need you guys to find Kota! Mandalay was worried about him!" Mineta shouts.
"I visited his hideout yesterday." Izuku says, "We'll go find him."
"Good!" Mineta shouts before jumping off the tank and fleeing to the safety of the main building.
"Oddly nice of him." Ochako comments as Izuku turns the tank.
"As much of a lecher as he is, he is still a hero student." Izuku says calmly.
"Muscular!?" Izuku shouts in disbelief as he rams the homicidal maniac out of his path on the way to rescue Kota.
"That's bad right?" Ochako asks as Izuku locks the left track and does a 180 with elegance only an experienced driver display.
"Very bad, I'm getting out to grab the kid, shoot him if he twitches." Izuku orders.
"Will rubber bullets keep him down?" Ochako asks.
"Use the main gun." Izuku says sternly as he leaps out of the tank.
Izuku grabbed Kota and was climbing back up when muscular stood up with a mad grin.
"Ochako fire!" Izuku shouts as he rolls on top of the tank, shoving Kota into the commander's hatch.
"I don't want to kill him!" Ochako replies.
Izuku could sense the gun was on target so he fired it himself sending a 75mm high explosive shell flying towards the brutal villain.
"Izuku!" Ochako shouts, watching the shell fly in terror as Izuku slides into the tank, grabbing Kota and sitting him on the loaders chair with a firm instruction to "Hold on." before flooring it and racing away into the forest.
Muscular quickly expanded his muscles when he heard the boy yell fire and by the time the shell reached him it strikes a wall of hardened flesh. The explosion sends muscle fibers everywhere and the villain is launched off the cliff and out of sight.
"I'm sticking with you guys forever." Tsu says as she slips into the tank with Izuku and Ochako, Kota having been handed to a very worried Aizawa earlier.
"We're just glad the machine guns worked." Ochako says with a glare at Izuku.
"What? It was Muscular, he has killed many heroes and is known for his toughness. Of course I was going to use the main gun." Izuku says with notable outrage.
"You might have killed him!" Ochako shouts.
"Quiet!" Tsu croaks louder than either of them had heard before. "This is not the time to argue. We should try to find more of the class."
"Yes ma'am!" They reply in unison before Izuku once again races into the forest.
"Alright Shoji, let us get turned around and then we can lead him to Bakugo." Izuku says quietly as they plot to help Tokoyami and Dark Shadow.
Izuku immediately begins turning the tank, but his luck finally fails him and the barrel hits a tree just as the rear track wedges into a shrubbery.
"Oh no." Izuku says with a sigh as Dark Shadow hears the sound and turns towards them.
"We're lucky he ignored the engine and tracks until now." Tsu says.
"How are we getting out of this one?" Shoji asks as he holds on to the engine deck with three hands.
"Break the Schurzen off! I need to back up some to get a run up!" Izuku commands with a gesture and Shoji uses his great strength to break the thin armor plates off the sides as Izuku guns the engine.
The tank reverses suddenly, and any other rider would have been knocked off, but Shoji's multiple arms saved him.
Crashing into a tree nearly knocks him off again, and before he could recover the tank races forward, crushing the tree that blocked the barrel and racing off towards the Ice and explosions. Just in time as the blocking tree was turned to splinters by a raging Dark Shadow.
Bakugo and Todoroki's fight is interrupted by what looks like Shoji riding on a fast moving bush. Upon closer inspection however, Todoroki notices the tank hidden among the many branches and leaves. He also notices the tree blender that was Dark Shadow racing behind it.
This tide of destruction slammed into Moonfish, defeating an enemy that had been keeping some of the best of 1-A at bay in several seconds.
"Get in or get on!" Izuku shouts as Bakugo stuns Dark Shadow.
"Not In Your Life DEKU!" Bakugo shouts, refusing to come near Izuku's tank even as Todoroki calmly uses his ice to climb aboard.
"Suit yourself." Izuku says before leaving Bakugo to follow on foot.
That would be the last time any of them saw Bakugo for some time, as Aoyama reported him taken hostage some time later.
AN: This chapter feels all kinds of off, just too heavy honestly, but I can't seem to lighten it up. Sadly, one shotting Muscular means no one knows Bakugo is a target, how terrible, Anyway... Jagdpanzer 4 is one of my favorite tanks, as it is the ultimate specialist ambush hunting panzer, as the Jagdtiger and Jagdpanther are to tall and unwieldy, while the Ferdinand is more of a anti tank pillbox that moves on occasion. Jagdpanzer 38t, hetzer is alright, but doesn't have the gun or the crew comfort and doesn't gain enough stealth to be worth it. No other nation really made similar designs, as most didn't need to and the 3 in gun carrier Churchill, is it's own miracle.
I feel I should say something about Aizawa's portrayal last chapter, it comes down to the unspoken rule of teaching and leadership, do not argue in front of your students/subordinates, it ruins all discipline and should only be done for safety reasons and other dangerous situations. I see Aizawa following this rule, even if he would complain or be negligent about enforcement. He would have brought it up with Pixie-Bob in private and given better instructions later, but Izuku went and made a mess of things before he could.
PS. you know German tank names are extreme when FF hides them thinking they are links...
I don't know about you guys but I could use a peaceful image after that:
It had been a long warm day and students of 2-A were gathering for their evening meal.
"Food will be ready in five minutes!" Iida shouts, "Has anyone seen Midoriya and Uraraka?"
"They said they would be training in the forest." Mina says.
"Please go find them!" Iida instructs.
"Right away pres!" Mina says with sarcasm that Iida misses.
"We should go, we may catch them up to some fun" Toru whispers.
"OH! You're right! Let's go!" Mina shouts with renewed excitement.
It took some time, but Mina and Toru found a tank in the forest area, well it was the hull of a tank, the turret was missing. Inside they found Izuku and Ochako sleeping on a blanket with Eri between them happily looking at the sky.
"What's going on here?" Mina asks.
"It's a Ram Kangaroo, so we had to get comfortable in its pouch." Eri says.
The awws from the two girls woke the other occupants who jumped in surprise and embarrassment.