"Nishizumi-sama!" a voice called to Miho.
"Yes?" Miho turned and saw that it was Shizuka Tsuruki shadowed by her friend and tank driver Rin Matsuzake.
"I asked around your team about Eisenherz...Is it true that he defeated you in a battle?"
Miho scratched the back of her head, smiling nervously. "Yeah, he did...He actually got the jump on us right as the match started, why do you ask?"
Shizuka stood with the greatest intent to listen to Miho. "Please, continue, how did your battle with Eisenherz play out?"
"Well, I first had Turtle and Hippo Team take a position on a hilltop, and I sent out the Type 89 to scout out where Faber's men were. However the Duck Team was found and defeated by one of Faber's men, who drove a modified Panzer II, before he moved onto us and disabled all of our tracks, leaving us stuck in an open area. Then Faber's two Panthers and Tigers arrived and before we managed to chase them off we lost the Rabbit Team and the Chi-Nu, although it wasn't eliminated somehow."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's what I found so odd about it...An 88mm shell had destroyed the gun mantlet and the gun itself but the Chi-Nu wasn't out of it, so I had them hang back as a last resort. We did manage to take out one of their Tigers though...Anyways, we managed to defeat the rest of the tanks, leaving on Ooarai, the Turtle Team, Hippo Team, and me and the rest of the Anglerfish Team. Faber was the only one left, so he came out of hiding. Right away he eliminated the Turtle and Hippo Team, and after we duelled for a few minutes we managed to disable each other at the exact same time."
"So wait, you won?" Rin raised her eyebrow.
Miho shook her hand. "No, the thing was, we forgot about the Panzer II the whole time...The Anteater Team tried to flip them over but the Panzer II just finished off the Chi-Nu. So, in the end, Faber and his men won because he simply had a better plan."
"Huh...I see..." Shizuka smirked.
Rin's eyes widened when she realized what her friend was thinking of doing. "Shizuka, you're not thinking of-?"
"Hah! Anyone who beat a Nishizumi is a worthy opponent in my eyes! Come on Rin, I think I've just found a new opponent for the Tankathlon Alliance!"
Now in the thick of the woods, Shizuka smirked broadly as Faber eyed her down with his one uncovered eye. "Tankathlon? Is that another [Panzersport] like Panzerfahren?"
"Yup! Same thing, but the catch is that only tanks under 10 tons are allowed, so it's limited to Light tanks and Tankettes. Wanna have a go?" Rin hovered over Shizuka's shoulder, smiling, but more out of nervousness.
This Faber guy is seriously scary! She kept telling herself.
Faber turned his head over his right shoulder. "[Hans! Achtung!]"
The bushes behind Faber began to rustle and bustle, and before long a man jumped through doing a hop and front flip before standing still and clacking his boots together loudly. "[Jawohl?]"
"Hans, these two girls are challenging us to something called Tankathlon. It's the same thing as Panzerfahren, but it limits the tanks to Light Tanks and Tankettes. Based on your entrance I presume you're in the mood to go speeding off again?"
Hans grinned a mad smile. "If it's Light Tanks, then of course!" he turned to Shizuka and Rin, still grinning. "Let's get started soon, shall we? [Marsch!]"
Shizuka returned the smile with the same demeanor. "Looks like we've got a energetic one. What will your banner name be, mister Eisenherz? Lions? Tigers? Panthers? What'll it be?"
"Stahlrattes."
For a few moments Shizuka couldn't believe her ears. "Wait, did you say rats?"
Faber responded, "[Ja. Stahlrattes]. It means Steel Rats."
Out in a field, a final shot was fired as a 7TPJW sat with its barrel smoking. "Bonple High School wins!" Sitting in the small turret's cupola, a blonde girl sat watching over the chaos she brought against Anzio's Tankettes. The radio in the 7TP suddenly buzzed to life with a new message from outside the match.
"Jakja-dono, I found some new opponents for us to fight! They call themselves Stahlrattes, and they agreed to fight using Tankathlon regulations."
Jakja scoffed. "Rats? Then as the Winged Hussars of tank sports, we'll crush them beneath our hooves!"
Miho breathed deep as she finally reached the top of the observation tower. On the Bonple ship was a large flat plain where they would train and fight for Tankathlon, and one if it's features was a tall observation tower several stories high. That way spectators could see the battles unfold. "Stil...Why couldn't they have installed a lift or something?" she opened the door to the outside observation deck and felt her breath be taken away. "Wow...It's so wide."
"It is, huh? Just like the Zoo Tower that used to be in Berlin." someone remarked behind Miho, who turned around and saw Erwin and her team walking up into the central room where a large spotlight was held. "How are you, Miho?"
"I'm doing great, thanks!"
"So, Eisenherz and Hans are going to fight Jakja and Shizuka? Sounds like a big fight, huh?" Caesar, Oryou, and Saemonza nodded in agreement individually.
Caesar put a hand on her chin. "Wait...The only light tank that Faber has is the Panzer II, right? So how is he going to fight against..." Caesar waved her hand at the now arriving Bonple force. "That." It was 29 Bonple Tanks, and Shizuka's red Type 97 Te-Ke. The Bonple forces consisted of 19 7TP variants, and a few 9 and 10TPs to fill the remaining 10 spots. "Jesus...If the Germans can prevail over that, then it's going to look like the Defeat of Boudica."
"That's it!" the rest of the Hippo Team cried.
Back on the ground, Jakja opened the hatch and sat on the cupola. "Shizuka, where are they? Where are the rats?"
Shizuka herself was standing proudly in the cupola of her Type 97 Te-Ke. "Right there, Jakja-dono." Shizuka pointed her finger straight ahead of where Jakja's 7TPJW was, right towards two tanks.
One sandy colored Panzer II, and one steel blue Panzer II with 4 guns. Already standing next to their respective tanks were Faber and Hans, their blue eyes steeled for a fight. Jakja dismounted her tank and began to walk towards the two Germans. This is it? I thought they would've had more tanks than just two Panzer IIs, if they really are time travelled soldiers. "How are you on this fine day?" she politely asked.
"[Guten tag.] You are [Kommandantin] Jakja, correct?"
"Indeed. So are these all of your forces, Commander Eisenherz?"
"[Ja.] Shall we begin, Jakja?"
"Hmm...Yes, let's. Everyone into positions!" Jakja sprinted into her 7TPJW as it began to drive off with the rest of the Bonple-Centipede forces. Uszka, Jaka's second-in-command, opened up her tank's cupola and looked out towards her commander.
"Jakja, what's your plan? This is a 30 vs 2."
Jakja began to laugh. "We'll charge them! Whatever that mess of a Panzer II was, we'll destroy it and the other one! Uszka, keep an eye out for Eisenhertz's Panzer II, the sandy colored one, he is the commander after all. Their flag tank is the blue Panzer II, and from what I've seen up close it only has four machineguns. This'll be too easy. Halt! We're in position."
Back atop the tower, the spectators turned at the sound of the door opening, and they watched as several others reached the final step to the top. "S-see! I-*wheeze*told you that Katyusha could climb up herself! Can you carry me now Nonna?"
"Of course." Nonna paused to look up at Miho and the Hippo Team. "Good afternoon. I assume you're here to watch the battle?" she asked them as Katyusha climbed onto her back and shoulders.
"Oh, Katyusha, Nonna! Yeah we are, good day to you too!" Miho called out to them. Miho smiled even more when she saw climbing up the steps, her sister Maho, Darjeeling, Asparagus, and Alisa. "Are you all here to watch?"
"Indeed we are," Darjeeling answered with her calm and polite demeanor, while she took a sip of her darjeeling tea. "I must say, when I heard about how Commander Eisenherz defeated you, I was quite intrigued to find out how strong he is on the battlefield. It does make sense, as he is a real soldier after all."
Maho raised an eyebrow. "He did?" and everyone stared at her. "Sorry, I was busy with matches from other schools and PR. So how did he beat you, Miho?" Miho delved into a quick yet detailed summary of her battle against Faber, and how Faber won by drawing out his plan so Hans would be the last one alive if all else failed. "Although I get the feeling now that if he wanted, Faber could've easily knocked us all out without any losses on his own side. So that's how he won, ehehehe..." Miho giggled towards the end seeing the expressions on the faces of the new arrivals. "Anyways, the match is about to begin. Who's the referee?"
Maho picked a transceiver from her jacket. "I am. Bonple asked me to oversee this match since we can't have any official referees because of how secretive everything's become lately." Maho turned on the transceiver and once the buzzing ended and a beep indicated it was connected, she spoke into it with a firm voice. "Are combatants ready and in position?"
"[Ja!]"
"Yes ma'am."
"Alright, in 3...2...1...[Kampf!]"
Bonple rolled out, with Shizuka's Type 97 Te-Ke being the most noticeable tank on the entire field. "Over there!" Shizuka called out to her teammates. Worn over her ordinary outfit was samurai armor, which she had claimed earlier was merely for the flair and it looked good. "It's Eisenherz and Hans, their splitting off!" Shizuka and the rest of the Bonple team watched as Faber drove off behind a hill and into an area surrounded by cliffs, and to Shizuka's surprise, Hans, the flag tank of the Stahlratts Team drove directly towards them, not even bobbing or weaving, just driving straight forwards.
"Open fire!" Jakja commanded. Shizuka dropped into her turret and turned the gun to the left before pulling the trigger. The 37mm shell flew from the barrel, but to Shizuka's shock, Hans' Panzer II suddenly picked up speed and dodged the shell entirely. The Panzer II drove over a bump in the ground, and it literally flew forward, right over the Bonple lines before any of them could line up a proper shot. It crashed onto the ground before continuing to drive off, while Jakja issued a new command. "Uszka, go after Eisenherz, make sure he doesn't flank us! You half, go with Uszka, the rest of us will go after their flag tank! [Panzer marsch!]" Uszka watched as her commander sped off in her 7TPJW, accompanied by the dozen or so other 7TP variants. Uszka herself was accompanied by several Renault FT-17s and a few RK Tankettes to go after Faber. Uszka's own 7TP was the flag tank of Bonple. Driving down the surrounded path they finally stopped when they came upon a dead end, where sitting in the cupola of his Panzer II, Faber stared them all down.
Uszka felt his eyes pierce into her body and seemingly into the interiors of all the 15 Bonple Tanks gathered. What is this guy doing? He's surrounded and he won't be stopping any shots from us in that Panzer II. "Open-"
"Uszka? Uszka, are you there!?" The radio buzzed and suddenly, Usza found Shizuka's voice blaring to all the gathered tanks.
"What's wrong? Did you find the flag tank?" Uszka kept an eye on Faber. "We caught Eisenherz, he's just sitting here, doing nothing, he's dead in the water.
"It's the other Panzer II! It's not a Panzer II at all, it's like some typhoon!"
"W-what do you mean?"
Shizuka turned the turret of her Te-Ke and fired a shell, which missed its target by several meters to the left. "It wiped out everyone except for me, he should be coming your way any moment! Rin, get to cover-" The radio cut to silence just as there was a horribly loud sound from the other end.
"Crap! Everyone, keep an eye out, the flag tank is coming this way! Open fire on Eisenherz!" The Renaults and RK Tankettes opened fire on Faber's PzII, and with the roar of the engine the Panzer II dodged most of the shells and AT rounds except for one which impacted clean with the turret ring. Turning around to the opening in the cliffs where the path lay, Uszka held her breath as her target came into view. The steel blue Panzer II of Hans. "Be careful, he wiped out Jakja and the rest!" Uszka dropped into her 7TP's turret and aimed it's turret with sure aim. 17 engines revved loudly, one on Uszka's direct rear, and the other right in front of her. The air was palpable with suspense. Atop the watchtower, Miho and the rest of the spectators watched the standoff with baited breath, but it wasn't for the Germans.
"[Hans, the moment they begin firing or moving, you know what to do.]"
"[Jawohl.]" replied Hans, grinning in excitement. Both of his hands were clamped tightly around the trigger of the four guns of his Panzer. Then, all hell broke loose, as one of the Renault FT-17s fired first. "[Hit the gas!]" Hans' driver slammed onto the accelerator and the Panzer shot forward, dodging the shell, before Hans' driver slammed onto the brakes next with a violent turn of the steering wheel, drifting the tank a full 360 degrees, dodging the remaining shells. With a push of the trigger, the four 20mm autocannons of Hans' Panzer II tore to life, spewing it's powerful armor piercing ordinance towards the fifteen light tanks. At the same time, Hans turned the turret with his left hand, allowing for the shells to get maximum spread among the perfectly lined up Bonple tanks.
Uszka shouted for another shell to be fired as she slammed a shell into the gun breech, just as Hans' Panzer II began it's barrage. Uszka's eyes widened as bright green tracer's cut through the air, and even from a distance the sound of all four auto-cannons was deafening, nearly drowning out Uszka's reiterated command. "OPEN FIRE!" The barrage suddenly ended and the blue Panzer II began reverse, before the engine roared again and it shot off down the rocky trail. "We have to chase it-" The sound of a 20mm autocannon ripped through the air once more, this time from the rear. The few remaining Bonple tanks, which now numbered at six to the shock of all watching, began to drive off after the Stahlratt's flag tank when the new barrage hit one of them several times in the engine compartment. Uszka turned around, this time to see Faber's Panzer II on the move, firing its gun.
Atop the tower, Darjeeling watched the battle with a deep examining eye. "It seems that they've deceived their enemy. As Sun Tzu would say, 'All war is deception.'"
"How?" Katyusha asked while atop Nonna's shoulders.
"In Tankathlon, there is the 10 ton weight limit that limits all battles to light tanks and tankettes." Maho watched the battle rage on through a screen which was connected to a few camera drones so other students could watch everything. "The tanks that Eisenherz is fielding exceed the weight limit. Eisenherz is using a Panzer II Luchs, which weighs at 11 tons, and the Panzer II flag tank seems to be even heavier. It's too fast and efficient to be under 10 tons, and it has the additional autocannons. But it's not only that, it seems."
"Your right, Maho-san." Darjeeling said smartly. "It seems they've tricked Jakja into thinking the Panzer II flag tank was undergunned, which is why Shizuka and Jakja's forces were wiped out. Now, Uszka is stuck between a powerful tank commander and a powerful tank, hammer and anvil."
On the field, Shizuka sat on her wrecked Type 97 Te-Ke, deep in thought. Just then, Jakja walked up to her followed by some of her comrades. "Trying to make an analogy, Shizuka?"
"Indeed. In fact, I think I just came up with one."
"Let's hear it then. What's your analogy of this battle?"
"I believe it would be a Samurai and Hussars fighting a diseased rat. Throughout history rats have brought disease onto even the most powerful armies, have they not? It's just like this battle. It only takes a few sickened rats to ravage an army." Shizuka's analogy put Jakja's imagination into gear, and Jakja imagined an image to describe the battle. Her and her troops as Winged Hussars, and Shizuka and Rin as Samurai, all of them keeled with disease, surrounded by metal rats releasing toxins, all the while, Faber and Hans stood tall and proud, rats swarming from their feet, the most smug and triumphant smiles on their faces.
"I think you're right Shizuka. It really does take only a few small rats to devastate an army."
As Jakja agreed with Shizuka, Maho's voice boomed over the speakers. "Bonple Flag Tank has been eliminated, therefore the win goes to the Stahlratts!"
"Welp, we lost..." Jakja muttered to no one in particular as she sat on the grass.
"But!" Everyone's ears perked up.
"The tanks used by the Stahlratts weigh over 10 tons, as the Panzer II used by Eisenherz is of the Luchs variant, which weighs 11 tons, along with their flag tank, which weighs nearly 16 tons. Therefore the win should actually go to Bonple and Shizuka."
"Wait, they cheated!?" Jakja screamed with utmost outrage. Uszka sat frozen in the turret of her 7TPJW, the armor still smoking from the numerous hits it had taken from Hans' 20mm storm. Faber and Hans sat in their respective tanks, with the most infuriating grins on their faces, just before Uszka herself began to flip out over the fact that the Germans had cheated. Back in the tower, Otto von Bastler stood next to Maho with a large piece of paper, a nervous smile on his face. Earlier he had arrived on the tower to tell them all how heavy Hans' tank was and it's technological specs since he had made it, and arrived just in time for Maho to reveal the true weight of the two Panzers and to watch Bonple rage out.
"I guess they should've weighed the tanks before hand hm?" Otto remarked to only himself.