Girls und Panzer: Downfall

A new beginning

Two people walked down the road. The sun was starting to set above the town, painting the roofs red and orange. One was a boy, one was a girl. They were walking home from a day of hanging out. They'd known each other for a couple of years, and they got along well. They looked like good friends, but in truth, the boy didn't think so highly of the girl. He thought she was a person lacking any kind of originality and style.
"We had fun today, didn't we?" The boy asked. 
"We sure did, Michael. But highschool is starting soon, and we might be very busy...plus, we'll attend different schools." 
That's so bad, Michael thought in his head. Sarcastically, of course. He was getting tired of her. 
"I know...but hey, life goes on, right? You gotta be strong and grit your teeth." Michael muttered nonchalantly. 
"Right...so, I'll see you around?" The girl asked hopeful. 
No, I don't think you will, Michael thought. 
"Sure. Have a good start of school." 
The two exchanged a quick and empty goodbye, then they both went their separate ways.
Michael was 14, he'd been born from a Japanese father and a German mother. He was a history enthusiast, and had always wanted to do tankery, since he was small, but unfortunately for him that was for girls only. He still hadn't chosen which highschool he'd attend though. There were so many possibilities and yet so many doubts in his head.
He reached his home and knocked on the door. As soon as the door opened and the figure of Michael's father appeared in front of him, he smiled and walked in.
"Hey Michael. How'd it go with your friend?" His father asked, following Michael into his bedroom. Michael hung his coat, threw his bag on his bed and sighed. 
"Good, good." 
Michael's father smiled and nodded, even though his son couldn't see because he was looking the other way.
"Dinner's ready." He said walking out of the bedroom. 
"Alright, I'm coming." Michael shouted back. 
Michael walked to the dining room. The table was already set, and the food was already on the table. There was a pleasing smell of fish filling the room. The two started eating in silence, with only the sound of the television in the background. The house was always very quiet, but Michael was used to it. Only two people lived there, and it had been like that for quite some time. 
"...and after a long and hard deliberation, and many days of bargaining and deciding, the official decree from the department of education has been promulgated. From this school year forward, tankery will be available as a course for students of all genders." 
Michael dropped his fork, which fell on his plate with a very loud noise. He felt like his only dream had finally come true. He immediately turned to his father, who stopped him from talking with a gesture of his hand and a smile.
"I think I already know what you're going to ask of me. And my answer is yes." 

-_-_-_-_-_-_

A week later...

-_-_-_-_-_-_

Michael was at the train station. He had a very big piece of luggage and a backpack with him, and he was waiting for the train's doors to open. He turned to his father, who smiled at him. It looked like he had tears in his eyes. Michael had never seen him cry once, not even after the divorce. 
"Take care of yourself, son. And don't forget to keep in touch." He mused. 
"I will, dad. And thank you for everything." Michael replied as he felt he was getting emotional too. Michael's father laid a hand on his shoulder and nodded.
"You're welcome. Remember, I want to see you do good in matches." 
Michael nodded one last time, and picked up his backpack. He heard the train's doors opening up behind him, so he exchanged a quick hug with his father and walked on the train. He took the first single seat he could find, and after he stuffed his luggage in the compartment above him he sat down, with his backpack near his feet, took his headphones, plugged them in and got ready for the journey. Reaching Kumamoto would've taken him at least 5 hours of train, so he wasn't in a rush to do anything. A few minutes after he'd started listening to his favorite songs, the train turned on its engines and left for Kumamoto. Michael didn't enjoy the journey, mostly because he slept through almost all of it. He was woken up by a registered voice saying "we are now reaching Kumamoto station. All passengers will be asked to leave the train". 
He shook off his sleepiness, quickly grabbed his stuff and when the train stopped he was the first to get off. He rushed out of the station and headed straight, without wasting a second. He knew very well what his destination was. 
"Docks, here I come." He said, full of hope and excitement, as he sped up his pace. The sun was shining high in the sky. It was truly a beautiful day that day, which paired up very well with Michael's mood. He didn't know the city, but he didn't need a degree in geography to guess where the docks were. He followed the signs and the smell of salt up to the point where he found himself in a large esplanade, of which he couldn't see the end, with dozens of ships in front of him. Among all of them, one stood out above the rest. 
"There you are." Michael muttered as he stopped in amazement. The carrier was huge, and majestic. There was a group of kids near the boarding point, but Michael was frozen in place at the breathtaking sight of the Graf Zeppelin. 
"Wow..." 
After a minute or so, he came back to reality and made his way to the boarding point. The kids were in line to get registered and board the ship. Michael waited a boring quarter of an hour, which to him seemed like an eternity, until his turn came. He walked in front of a desk with a girl sitting behind it. She looked to be a second year, maybe even a third. 
"Name and surname." She said briskly. 
Michael quickly gave the girl his name and surname, and the girl put a cross on a piece of paper that was on the desk. 
"Over there." 
Michael followed the girl's instructions and climbed up a large landing pier. He found himself in front of an elevator, which was half full. He walked in, and the door closed behind him. The elevator started up and Michael felt they were traveling upward. It went on for a good two minutes. As the elevator's doors opened in front of him, he found himself in front of...a school. 

-_-_-_-_-_-_

A few hours later... 

-_-_-_-_-_-_

The first day of school for the newbies in Kuromorimine was a sort of tradition. Each of the second or third years would take with them one of the first years and show them around the school. The first day was always some sort of chance to make new friends. Out of 400 newcomers to the school, only 50 were boys. And only 10 had signed up for tankery. Michael had been given the keys to his apartment a few hours before, he'd gone there to drop off his things, put on his school uniform and went to the meeting point where the individual tour of the school would have begun. When his name had been called, he'd stepped forward. He had been told to go to the shed where all the tanks were, and so he'd done. And then there he was, waiting outside said shed with five other people, one of them being another boy. After a while, a girl came out of the shed, called them in and assigned each of them to one of the second/third years. Michael was paired up with a middle height brown haired girl. She had piercing brown eyes and a stern look. She didn't seem very happy to be mentoring a boy, but Michael didn't really mind. He was so happy that almost nothing could've killed his good mood. The girl looked quite serious and capable. She was holding a clipboard in her left arm. 
"You're...Michael, aren't you?" She asked politely. 
"That's me. What's your name?" Michael asked being as polite as his partner.
"Maho Nishizumi." 
Michael's heart dropped. He was standing before the one and only commander of Kuromorimine's tankery club. The heiress to the Nishizumi style. The ace everybody feared on the battlefield. 
"Oh, wow...it's such an honor to meet you, Miss Nishizumi." Michael stuttered, shocked. He'd been a fan of tankery as a sport since he was a child. His father had passed that on to him, since he was a historian, mostly specialized in the 20th century. Michael knew everything there was to know about tanks, and about tankery. 
"Oh, you've heard of me?" Maho asked a bit distracted, keeping her eyes on the clipboard. 
"Yes I have. I have been a fan of tankery since I was little, and with the new decree signing up to Kuromorimine felt like a dream come true." Michael explained, being careful not to get overexcited.
"Good, then you'll have an advantage over some other boys or girls that signed up for tankery out of the blue. The thing is that everybody can be good at facts and knowledge overall, but the real test is on the battlefield." Maho said, not wanting to give the boy in front of her any false expectations. Michael knew that plain knowledge was basically nothing compared to keeping your cool and making good decisions on the battlefield. He'd seen a lot of tankers burst into tears, pass out and more over the years. 
"I am aware of that, Commander." Michael answered saluting. 
"Good. Let's go then, there's a lot to show you."