Setsuri, Territory of Shin Honshu, Japan

3:50 PM; Thursday July 9th, 2201

"It's over, Mega-Ass!"

On a train running 30 kilometers per hour under the warm New Californian sun, Miho could tell that things had gone pear-shaped. She was hiding in her team's Panzer IV, which was overlooking the battle unfolding in front of it. The black, red and yellow robot– who she could've easily mistaken for a superhero or vigilante if she didn't know better –stood on top ot the intermodal container on the train car in front of theirs, overlooking her damaged brother, Rock, his damaged blue plasteel armor blackened by soot and electric burn marks. Rock staggered onto his feet regardless of his damaged state, defiant against… What was his name again?

"Elec Man, you still don't have to do this!"

Oh, that was right.

He continued. "I have no reason to fight you. Why are you even working for Dr. Wily, anyway?

"Because we share a vision," his opponent explained curtly. "A vision of a world where we robots aren't treated like property! Really, why do you continue to be their knight in shining armor? …what's up with that look, anyway?" he awkwardly asked, referring to Rock's armor, which evoked the appearance of a European knight in the medieval ages.

"Long story," the blue bomber replied in a deadpan tone, "though I have no idea what that has to do with anything right now."

"It has nothing to do with our fight," the electric-magic bot admitted. "Seriously, though, how does Dr. Hikari truly see you? His plaything?"

He was, of course, referring to their shared creator, and Miho's father. Dr. Tsueno "Thomas" Hikari was an expert in the growing field of magitek, and had built Rock to compliment her and her sister Maho (though from what her older sister had told her, the fact that their mother was… uh, genetically unable to have a biological son may have also had a hand in their artificial sibling's creation). Of course, when he told her what– or rather, who –he was building… Well, that was why he and Shiho no longer lived in the same house these days.

In the present, Rock didn't look too amused by the comment his opponent had just made. "You take that back right now-!"

"Did I strike a neuron sensor?" Elec Man asked, smirking. As he did so, a white ball of electricity manifested in his right hand. "It's really too bad, Rock, but I'm going to finish you at lightning speed, then finish what my brothers couldn't do themselves!"

The atomic energy management robot then leaped into the air, and with a flick of his pointer finger, shot a brilliant bolt of lightning at the blue-armored robot, who barely got out of its way before it struck. As sparks and lightning flew, Miho watched the brawl unfold from the safety of her Panzer IV tank.

"I'm amazed he isn't frying us all with his lightning," the younger Nishizumi heard Mako, the Panzer's driver, remark from below her with the lethargy she'd come to expect from the dark-haired girl.

"This is bad," said Yukari, the team's loader, who was brushing up against their gunner, Hana, to see through the gun sight.

"Rock-kun's barely standing," the taller girl spoke up. "If he takes much more…"

"This is not fair!" roared Saori, the radio operator. "First the zombies, then this Orb thing Joshua talked about, now magic-wielding robots!? I just wanna go home!"

"Do we all?" said a sixth, annoyed voice from the bottom of the turret's working space, which had a definite British accent. "I was supposed to be at school right now, not crammed into this… death machine watching as my classmate fights to the death with some wretched machine!"

"With all due respect Cavendish-sama," Miho replied, "this tank wasn't meant for six people. Besides, Kagari-san said that traditional magic isn't suited for combat against these robo… What did she call the robots he fought in Neo Tokyo yesterday?"

"Robot Masters, if I remember correctly," Hana answered.

Indignant, Diana Cavendish shot back "She knows nothing about–!" she stopped herself short of insulting her friend, like she would have over a year ago, before restating what she was about to say. "Akko has a few misconceptions about how magic works. Besides, those things are using dark magic, not–"

"–Not 'real' magic," Saori finished the English immigrant witch's sentence. "We get it, you don't have to bitch about it a million times!"

"Language," Mako flatly reminded her long-time friend. "And frankly, Diana, I think Akko's having a hard enough time bringing this train to a stop with Leopon Team."

She was about to retort when the tank's turret was hit by some kind of glowing blue-white rod – actually a solid thunderbolt Elec Man meant to hit Rock with, but missed. It tore through the German tank's carbon-lined steel plating like a hot knife through butter, and impaled itself into Hana's chest in front of Yukari's face. Understandably, the tank nerd was both surprised and horrified by seeing her friend just get impaled, and jumped back, nearly falling to the bottom of the tank's interior, but managing to hold onto her seat and pulled herself back up into her proper spot.

"What in the name of Jennifer–"

"Hana-san… !" Miho could only gape in horror as her gunner and close friend collapsed into the back of her seat, her heart being torn open by the thunderbolt, which dissipated seconds later.

"Oh shit– Hana, are you okay!?" Saori asked the long-black-haired gunner. "Hana?"

She never did answer.

As the realization that one of their own had just… well, died, settled over the rest of Anglerfish Team, something flashed before Miho's eyes. Something started flooding her head– memories, of all the times she spent with her now-fallen friend, of things to come that she didn't yet fully understand…

…and how the Hell things got this bad.

…things aren't going well for Miho and friends, now are they?

This is the introduction to my first proper fanfiction: Tanks, Spells, and Robot Masters, a crossover between the Mega Man franchise, Girls und Panzer, and Little Witch Academia.

Note that this will be partially based off of SeekerMeeker's story Girls Dead Rise: War of California, which, as he describes it, is Girls und Panzer but in "a zombie apocalypse with a fantasy twist." Not to sound like a shameless plug, but please go over and read it; I promise you it's worth your time.

As for how things got this way for Miho, Rock, and everyone else… that'll be made clear in the first 15 chapters, but that will have to wait until 2023, when I actually get to write and release them (as of the time of typing this, I've only got the first three done, to say nothing of the spring semester in college).

Until then, if you have any questions or comments, please PM me, and I'll answer back as soon as I can.

–NuclearAlchmist

P.S.: Merry Christmas, and have a happy new year!