*One Day later, Kuromorimine*

Maho Nishizumi sat behind a desk, researching the NATL schools, with her prime focus being Michael High. Turns out they use German tanks just like Kuromorimine, with their main vehicle being the Panther Ausf. G. Although nearly identical compared to Kuromorimine, it's engine was more powerful, and with the same thickness in armor, the tank was in a way, superior to Kuromorimine Ausf. Ds.

Though as Maho surfed the web, she found an interesting article on a certain individual. The article's title read 'Avery Di 'Bona: From hero to zero'. She felt as if the name Avery was familiar.

Maho read through the article, learning about the former Boy's Commander for Britanica. His record was admirable, even for Maho's standards. From what she read, it seems like he was an exceptionally cunning commander who would do nearly anything to come out on top. Much like the Nishizumi Style, however Avery's tactics were a far cry to being similar to it in any way.

As Maho read through the article, she ended up reading a section titled 'Avery's Expulsion'.

'Why would they expel such a capable commander?' Maho thought to herself.

(*Cough* Miho *Cough*)

Maho read through the section, finding out about the scandal that plagued the aftermath of the 55th NATL tournament. A Britanican student came out to the public, saying that Avery had bribed NATL officials to rig the fields of where the matches were held. For evidence the student brought up the battle against Point in the first matches of the tournament. Avery had caused a landslide near where Point's forces were concentrated. Avery claimed he had sent a team to rig it, and had sound proof, but the accusations against him were just as probable.

Not only that, but Avery was convicted of Assault not long after the tournament. Sources say that he assaulted a Lincoln student while the student's his girlfriend called the authorities. Maho read on and finally concluded that with all the accusations against him, Britanica expelled him to keep their status and image clean. If they were true, which seemed most likely for Maho, they made the right call.

She then got a call on her phone shortly after finishing the article. As Maho looked at the caller, her mouth formed into a small smile.

"Hello Miho?"

"Hello Onee-chan!" Miho said excitedly over the phone.

It wasn't everyday that the two sisters could talk like this, with Maho being so busy and Miho needing to train her team. Despite that all, they still try to keep in touch.

"So, Onee-chan, I was thinking that you could join us to get some food?"

"Who's us?" Maho asked. She was fine with Miho bringing her team, she was mainly wondering if someone else she hadn't met yet were coming along.

"Darjeeling, Kay, Katyusha, Nonna, Anchovy and Alice are all coming." Miho answered.

Maho thought about it, she would like to go out and look around LA. She's been in her office nearly the whole time since they arrived, save for the Selections and breaks. Maho also realized that she had finished what paperwork was left.

"Where are you all meeting?"

"We're all going to be meeting near the main checkpoint into the port!"

"Okay, what time?" Maho asked.

"Around 5:30! We'll be leaving around 6:00."

"Very well, I'll see you there."

"Mmhm! See you too, Onee-chan!"

The call ended and Maho was left alone once again. Seeing as school had just ended, it was a little while before she was going out with the others. Maho decided to start researching a certain individual she's had on her mind.

'Who is King?'

Maho typed those words into Joogle, but the search engine brought up numerous kings from history instead.

"I should probably have been more specific." Maho said to herself.

Maho narrowed down the search engine to look up specifically the Point overall commander.

*Timeskip brought to you by Chibi Maho typing wildly on her laptop*

Maho's search was left with more questions as most articles she found on King were mere speculation. It seems no one really knew who he was. Though some theories popped up. Some say that King was a publicity stunt to get interest back into the NATL, and along with the JSF's participation, it seemed likely.

Maho looked at the time and saw that it was 5:03. She should start getting ready for when she was to go out with Miho.

Maho decided to just go in her uniform as she didn't want to go through the hassle of picking out clothes. She also opted to bring a coat as it was getting colder. Maho then walked out of her office, and made her way to the port. After leaving the carrier she went to where she was supposed to meet with the other commanders. As she walked, she checked the time on her phone.

5:27.

She was a little early, but she figured that someone else would be waiting there as well.

Maho finally arrived and looked around. No one else had arrived yet, so she was all alone. No one really came by the checkpoint other than what seemed like a student on a motorcycle driving out. One thing about that student stuck to Maho however.

'He was wearing a Point uniform...'

Maho wondered why a Point student would be leaving the port. Point's campus was already in the city, and it was way too early for him to arrive after classes, even if he was riding that bike.

As Maho went over all those things in her head she noticed a familiar light brown headed girl not too far from where she stood.

Maho smiled at once, as her younger sister walked up to her. Along with Miho was Darjeeling and Anchovy.

"Hello Onee-chan!" Miho said.

"Good afternoon, Miho."

"Hello Maho-san, how has your day been?" Darjeeling asked, though she seemed somewhat tired. I wonder what she has been doing yesterday?

"It's been good." Was all Maho said, "Though you seem like you need more sleep."

"I'm fine, I just went to bed a little later than usual." Darjeeling assured her.

"Hello Maho-san!" Anchovy said excitedly.

Maho smiled and returned the greeting.

"Well I guess we just wait for everyone else!" Miho said. The three of them agreed and stood there, waiting for Nonna, Katyusha, Kay, and Alice. Thankfully the wait wasn't that long as the Alice, along with Chiyo arrived. Shortly after Katyusha, Nonna and Kay made it.

"Hello Chiyo-sama!" Miho said, bowing.

"Good afternoon, Miho-san." Chiyo said.

"Mihosha, is this everyone?" Katyusha asked.

"Mmhm! Let's get going!."

"I could go for some food." Kay said, rubbing her stomach, "I haven't had anything since lunch."

"So have the rest of us..." Alice deadpanned.

The group of commanders walked towards a limousine, which apparently was owned by Chiyo, and made their way to their destination. Along the way the group caught up on one another.

"So Miho?" Darjeeling started, "Your opponent is Smigły High, correct?"

"Yup! They use primarily Polish and Soviet tanks!" Miho said happily, "What about you Darjeeling? Point Academy is your first matchup, right?"

"Yes, they are." Darjeeling said, sipping her tea.

Maho was a little annoyed to hear them talk about Point Academy, with their commander essentially spitting on the Nishizumi Style. She tuned them out while they went on trying to guess who King was, or talking about their roster of tanks.

"Maho-san?"

Maho instead tried thinking about the upcoming match against Michael High. They were a decently led team, and they had a solid line of tanks.

"Maho-san?"

Maho's mind started to wander off to why the name Avery was so familiar. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't figure it out.

"Maho-san!?" Miho called out.

Maho was so enveloped in her own inner thoughts that she didn't realize that she was ignoring everyone else.

"Is there something wrong?" Kay asked.

Maho shook her head, "I'm okay, I was just wondering about something."

"Okay," Kay said, "Anyway, Miho, where are we going again?"

"Oh! We're going to a place called 'LeBlanc Nouveau!" Miho said, "They have really good food!"

"You've been there before?" Maho asked.

Miho nodded, "Though I've only had the curry. I wanted to try what else they had!"

"Oh! LeBlanc?" Alice asked. for the whole time she was more or less silent, focusing mainly on her Boko, "Okaa-sama and I ate there once!"

"Really?" Miho said, a little surprised.

"Yes, we did." Chiyo said, "We had some company with us as well. I believe his name was Avery."

It finally clicked for Maho as to why that name sounded familiar. During the match with Point and Lannes, she met a Point Student named Avery. She never found out his last name, but it was sure uncanny. Maho didn't exactly remember what Avery looked like, but even then, from what she could remember, Avery looked very similar to the former Britanican.

"Avery?" Miho asked, "Oh! We met him as well! He was accompanying Point's vice commander, He's her assistant!"

"Really? We met him after he helped Alice out when she got lost at the mall!" Chiyo said, "He's also a member of the Tankery Team!"

This was too coincidental for Maho. Not only was there an Avery, but he was also apparently on the Tankery Team. Could he be King?

"Oh, looks like we arrived!" Anchovy said, as she could smell the scent of food and pasta, as well as the limo slowing down and stopping in front of the entrance.

The group of commanders walked out, with Miho telling the Host that she already had a reservation. Not long afterwards the group were led to a group of tables which were moved to be closer to each other.

For Maho, the atmosphere was quite pleasant. There wasn't anyone talking loudly, and the dining area had a pleasant scent.

'I should come here more often.' Everyone thought to themselves.

A familiar looking waiter came by not long after the group settled into their seats. The waiter looked to be no older, if not the same age as most of them.

"Good afternoon! Here are your menus!" The boy handed each of them a menu. Though it seemed like Darjeeling was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Hello Avery!" Miho said to the boy.

Wait, Avery?! It couldn't be! But his resemblance was uncanny...

"Here you go, Amelia." The boy said with a mischievous smirk, handing a menu to Darjeeling, which caused her to form a red hue on her face as she took the menu, again avoiding direct eye contact with the waiter. Said waiter then walked off.

"Why did he call you Amelia?" Katyusha asked, who, despite knowing there were seats, still sat atop Nonna's shoulders.

"I-its nothing..." Darjeeling said sheepishly. It was very rare to see her like this. Usually she was as composed as ever, spouting nonsense that she calls 'sayings' while sipping her tea. Now however it seemed like she was, embarrassed?

"Darjee! You're blushing!" Kay pointed out. She was right, Darjeeling was undoubtedly blushing profusely now that Kay made it known. She tried to cover her face with the menu and seem like she was picking something out.

"Do you know him, Darjeeling?" I asked.

Darjeeling only mumbled, which was very uncharacteristic for her.

"Pardon?" I asked again.

"Y-yes..." Darjeeling whispered.

"Well we all met him before, save for Anchovy." Alice said, who was sitting on Chiyo's lap as her mother pinched  her cheeks.

"Really?"

"We were all there when Miho met him as well." Kay said, "From what I could tell, he's a nice guy!"

"Mmhm!" Miho nodded, "He is still a teenage boy though! Who knows what he does when he's alone!" Miho said with a sort of smile.

Darjeeling continued to scan the menu, still trying to get the attention off of her, while everyone else talked about different topics. Maho mostly kept to herself, though she did enjoy the company.

Avery the came back to get everyone's orders. Maho had ordered the 'California Style Burger'. Everyone else chose mostly curry. Miho however decided to try the Adobo, and Darjeeling had some trouble telling Avery her order. After writing down all their orders, Avery went off.

Maho didn't catch everyone else's orders, but it doesn't really matter. Everyone else went back to talking among themselves. Miho however tried to get Maho into the conversation.

"Hey, Nee-san!" Miho said.

"Hmm?"

"What are your thoughts on the NATL schools?"

Maho took a few seconds to think about her reply. The only schools she really had an opinion of was Point Academy and Britanica.

"I don't have any thoughts on them." Maho said, "Though it feels odd knowing that boys are allowed to participate."

Chiyo joined in on the conversation, "Well they allowed boys because of a lack of interest in many of the girls, and the NATL decided to allow the sport to be unisex."

"Thank you." Maho said to Chiyo.

"Well if we're asking each other questions, who do you guys think King is?" Kay asked.

The only boy they really knew in America was Avery, so he was a prime suspect. However Maho didn't know enough about him to really be pointing fingers. Yes, he was a Point Student, and he's part of the Tankery Team.

Wait, if he's known to be part of the Tankery Team, then that means everyone at Point would know about him being King, and it's already been confirmed that the only ones who know of his identity are his crew mates and Principal.

"I have a feeling it's Avery." Miho said.

Everyone directed their attention towards her after she had finished.

"I do see a resemblance..." Kay added.

"And whenever King is around, Avery goes off and disappears." Darjeeling said, having gone back to her usual composed self.

"We don't know much about him yet though," Anchovy pointed out, "He could very well be just as clueless as us."

"Have you all heard of the scandal from the NATL's 55th Summer Tournament?" Maho said.

Everyone seemed to not know, as they mostly had puzzled faces. However Chiyo spoke up.

"One of the commanders was accused of bribery and assault." Chiyo said, "It resulted in his expulsion from his school."

"And the commander's name is Avery Di 'Bona."

Everyone else was shocked to hear this. They didn't know much about Avery, but they couldn't imagine him being the reason for the scandal of the last tournament.

"Wait, what is Avery's last name again?" Kay asked.

"I sort of forgot..." Katyusha said.

Everyone started wondering whether or not Avery was really the expelled student. He seemed nice enough, but they've only really seen him a few times.

"Speak of the devil." Chiyo said.

Everyone else turned and saw Avery, along with two other employees with their food and drinks. All of them felt a little uneasy seeing him come over.

"Here are your orders." Avery said. As he finished they set down their food in front of them.

"Hey Avery," Kay said.

"Hmm?" Avery looked over at her, wondering what she was going to say.

"What's your last name?"

Everyone was a little shocked to hear Kay suddenly ask that out of the blue. Though Avery didn't hesitate to give his answer.

"Capelli. I'm Avery Capelli." He said.

'So it's not him then...' Maho thought to herself. Though she remained suspicious.

As Maho was left to think, all their food was already in front of them, prompting the three employees to make their leave.

"Enjoy your food!" Avery said.

Maho took her burger and scanned it. There were two steak patties with cheese on top and between them, a slice of onion, a slice of tomato and a toasted bun. As she took a bite the flavours all mixed together to form an exquisite taste. The crunch from the onion, the tomato and the bun added to the texture, and the taste of the patties and cheese themselves were great. Everyone seemed satisfied with their food.

"This place is great!" Kay exclaimed. She had ordered the same burger as Maho, with her holding it within her hands.

"The spaghetti is really good too!" Anchovy's said.

"Glad to hear it!" Miho smiled at everyone else, happy that they enjoyed the outing, "It's not everyday we all get to hang out like this!"

Everyone agreed and went back to eating. Although there was some dialogue between them, they mostly focused on eating. It didn't take long before they finished up.

'I really should come here more often.' Everyone thought to themselves.

Maho checked the time in her phone. 7:45. It already was going to be a little dark once they went outside.

"Well, it's starting to get late." Maho said.

"Yeah, but it is the weekend!" Kay said.

"I guess I can stay up a little longer." Said Darjeeling.

Maho was about to protest, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to go out and look around LA.

"Shimada-san? Is it okay if we go around the city?" Miho asked.

"No problem," Chiyo said, "Though Alice may need to sleep in the limo."

"Okay!"

Alice grumbled a little, much to her mother's amusement. The group of girls waited for Avery to come back to pick up their payment, which thankfully didn't take long.

After paying, the commanders all went back into the Limo and started driving around the city.

"I wonder where the Hollywood sign is?" asked Katyusha.

"It's somewhere in central LA." Nonna answered.

"Let's go to the mall, there ought to be some cool stuff there!" Kay suggested.

"Yeah! I bet there's some good pasta there too!" Anchovy's added.

Everyone agreed to go to the mall for the night. It was fun for them, trying in different clothes and eating some of the food. The group of commanders had gone without Alice as she had fallen asleep in the way.

After about two hours shopping in the mall, they all went back to their respective schools and went to sleep.