Dust Devils - A Girls Und Panzer Story

Chapter 43

"You...want...to go on a date...with me?" she stammered out. "Uh, uh, can I, um, think about this?"

"Sure. Don't keep me waiting for too long, though."

Emma and Valarie exchanged smiles as they watched this thing go down. Wanting to change the subject, Heather asked a question.

"So...where is this ship heading to?"

"Huh. I don't know." Valarie admitted.

It was at that point all of them received a text on their phone. They all read the message. Valarie was the first to speak.

"Looks like we're about to find out. Let's head out and try to act like we never drank."

The girls went to their respective apartments and put on fresh clothes and doused their faces with cold water. As they made their way to leave the apartment building, they saw that the rest of the team had received the same message and heading to the same location they were going. The team traveled in one large group down the street, toward the center of the ship. Ten minutes of walking got them to a garage. Excitement taking hold of them, they all started to sprint to the building. From the get-go, they saw that it was substantially bigger than their own garage back in Barstow. Not only was it wider, but it had a second floor. Entering the garage from a side door and they were hit with a rush of cold air, as air conditioning units kept the interior of the garage at a cool seventy degrees Fahrenheit. It was here that the team was reunited with their vehicles, the sight of them causing some to run up to them. Buchanan was there to meet them and let the team look at their tanks for a few minutes before grabbing all of their attention with the blow of a whistle.

"Alright guys, I've got some news," she began. The team gathered around her and paid their full attention. "To answer the question you all have, this ship is heading for Ireland."

"Oh! Is that where our first match is?" Mia asked with eagerness.

"No," Buchanan denied. "I'll get to our first match soon. We are going to Ireland because a school there is going to teach us the basics of how international tankery matches are undertaken. This particular school has seen its fair share of international matches, so it's safe to say that they know what they are talking about. Next, practices will be held as usual on Saturdays. Our meetings will still be held daily, and since we're in summer vacation, we will start at nine in the morning. Now, about our first match..."

Rome, Italy

The historical city was abuzz with activity as it was during its glory days. In a villa located on a hillside, a girl sat on a table looking out to the city. She was wearing a simple sun dress as the weather has been warm in recent days. She was deep in thought. As she pondered, her best friend arrived and joined her.

"Cesena," her friend said. "Are you aware of recent events?"

Cesena turned to face her friend. "I am, Labina. I am always on top of things."

They both grinned.

"I was just making sure," Labina told her. "So, what is your take of all of this?"

"I haven't done much research on the American team we will be facing off against next month, though what I did learn was thought-provoking. This team has only relatively been created the previous year, and before that, the school it's a part of didn't have a tankery team for nearly two decades."

"So, a school that resurrected its tankery team where it then went on to win their national finals, despite the odds? My, where have I heard that story before?" Labina remarked with a soft grin.