Chapter 123 - 110

Yahoo! It's time for today's main event! Azur Lane's Eagle Union Battlesh.i.p.s vs Maizuru Carriers! I'm the fleet's idol, Naka-chan ♪" (Naka)

"And I'm everyone's sparkly idol, San Diego!" (San Diego)

"And we are your MCs for the day!" (Both)

Th crowd started cheering. I think I can some exasperated sigh from the audience, specifically from my fellow Admirals. I understand that feeling.

"And joining us today are Maizuru's Admiral," (Naka)

"And my commander!" (San Diego)

"These two will be our guest commenters." (Naka)

"Why am I here? And how did you convince Asashio to do such a stupid thing?"

That's right. Asashio told me I was needed for something important and drag me here. Who would have thought that the important thing was taking part in this farce.

"Come on, Admiral. Being an idol is an important job!" (Naka)

"But I don't want to be an idol!"

"Now now, calm down. Everyone can hear you. I too got drag here." (Commander)

"Ah fine. Let's get started."

I can't help but let out my fustration. I thought I could at least watch the match from the command room like I did last year. Now I have to provide a running commentary?

"Alright! Let's get started!" (San Diego)

The two fleet idols were trying to hype things up. It's kind of working though. From what I can see from this broadcasting room, everyone seems to be excited. Hmm? How is there a small girl sitting on some throne? She has this sort of Queenly aura around her. I can see Rondo sitting with Houshou. Rei is sitting with her father, Grand Admiral Akihito. The destroyers are mixed around with their Azur Lane counterparts, I think. Some of them have horns and animal ear. This spot isn't so bad. I can practically see everything from up here. The 'running commentary' part is a huge demerit, though.

"First of all, let's hear some words from our two guests sta-" (Naka)

"Just start already!"

Just start already!" (Commander)

"Geez. You two are no fun. Please look at the giant screens." (Naka)

Similar to last year's match, the various actions done by the girls and what they are saying will be broadcast live for all to see on two ridiculously large monitors. When was this- Never mind. My head hurts thinking about how all this was set up. The so-called 'camera group' will be moving around at showing the battle from various angles.

On the left screen, the Eagle Union battlesh.i.p.s are shown to be on standby. The battlesh.i.p.s consist of South Dakota, Alabama, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona. All of them look rather intimidating, will all of that large guns sticking out from the backs and having other armaments. I was expecting them to be on their respective sh.i.p.s before transforming when they start to engage. Those two shields South Dakota is holding makes her look larger than normal. Her other two sisters, Alabama and Massachusetts, are also terrifying. Is that she holding a large scythe?!

Likewise, the right screen shot my Carrier group on standby. They consist of Zuihou, Shouhou, Ryuujou, Suzuya, Souryuu and Hiryuu. I got to admit, all six of them look rather harmless compared to their battleship opponents. They are like cats about to fight a bunch of tigers. While my carriers have the advantage of being able to attack from a far, the battlesh.i.p.s have better anti-air weapons and much larger firepower. In theory, the battlesh.i.p.s will have a flawless victory.

"Now, I will explain the rules of the match. Just like last time, the two fleets will be on their own, without receiving any help or orders from their superiors." (Naka)

"This set-up is to test their skills and also prevent any cheating." (San Diego)

"That's right. While this match is unusual, the basic rules still apply. Use of live ammunition is prohibited. Only practice rounds are allowed. The match is won when either side is unable to continue the battle. Or when the flagship is taken out. Say, Sandy-chan, who is the flagship for the battlesh.i.p.s?"

"Flagship? Hmm? I would say it has got to North Carolina-senpai or Georgia-senpai. They have a pretty strong and extremely smart. Of course, not as smart as me." (San Diego)

"Wait until they hear that." (Commander)

"Ehaha. Please don't tell them I said that." (San Diego)

She let out a nervous laugh.

"For the carriers, it definitely has to be Hiryuu-senpai or Souryuu-senpai. The fluffy dragon sisters are almost as strong as our First Carrier Group." (Naka)

"You two, we all know who the flagship for both fleets are already."

"Eh? Really?" (San Diego)

The flagship is the one with the flag. The battlesh.i.p.s have a flag with an eagle insignia on it. South Dakota is the flagship. The carriers have a simple white flag with a Type 99 bomber and some Sakura flowers drawn on it. I can guess who was the one that designed it. Zuihou is the flagship for the Carrier group.

"Alright! Enough with the introductions! Let's start!" (San Diego)

"Yay!" (Naka)

At the sound of a horn, both fleets start to advance towards each other. Since sound is also being broadcast, we can hear the conversions they are having.

"Diamond formation. Prepare to shoot down any aircraft you see." (South Dakota)

"Don't be careless or nervous, and let's win~" (North Carolina)

The battlesh.i.p.s move, albeit slowly, into formation with South Dakota leading as the vanguard.

"Shouldn't she be positioned in the middle? Since she is the flagship, it won't be a good idea to act as the vanguard.

"That's her strong point. South Dakota is called my strongest shield for nothing. This won't end up like last time." (Commander)

Looks like someone's feeling confident.

As I switch my focus to the Carrier's side, they are still in a line-ahead formation. They are moving rather slowly, with Souryuu leading as vanguard and Hiryuu at the back.

"It's about time. Souryuu-senpai, if you would." (Zuihou)

"Okay." (Souryuu)

Souryuu drew her bow towards the air and let fly. The arrow that was shot out burst into flames and transmuted into a Saiun plane. I see. They are trying to obtain information on their oppenents distance, position and bearing. Thanks to the perfect weather, the Saiun caught sight of its target. Likewise, the target spotted the scouting plane as well.

"12 o'clock! Enemy aircraft spotted!" (Arizona)

Without moments of hesitation, a large battleship formed within their formation. Standing on top of it was Alabama, who hopped off the bow of the ship and swung her scythe at the Saiun, causing it to blow up into a ball of fire and smoke.

"Wait. What is this?" (Alabama)

Alabama looked on with surprise as the Saiun's fairy pilot emerged from the fiery ball, parachuting down into the waters below. As Alabama falls back to her ship, she attempts to catch the fairy, which caused the latter to panic and maneuver out of the way in mid-air.

"What's wrong?" (South Dakota)

"A small thing just appeared from the aircraft. It's coming down." (Alabama)

Alabama pointed at the fairy, who is still making a slow descend towards the ocean.

"I'll go check it out. Maybe we can get some information from it." (Georgia)

Georgia broke off from the formation and sailed towards the fairy. The fairy, noticing Georgia coming straight for her, paniked and started flailing about. Georgia opened up her palms to catch the fairy, only to get splashed in the face with water which startled her.

"Hya! What the?" (Georgia)

"Shhh~ That's okay. I got you." (Imuya)

Imuya cradled the scared fairy in her palm.

"Where did you come from?" (Georgia)

"In the first place, don't you know the rules? Only practice ammunition is allowed! Why are you guys using real weapons?! And no bullying the fairies!" (Imuya)

Imuya, still partially submerged, swam away angrily with the fairy in hand.

The submarines are on retrieval duty again. Their job is to make sure no one sinks by towing them away from the battlefield once they are deemed unable to fight. While the practice ammunition doesn't damage the girls, it still hurts and has the same effect as live ammunition. Especially on their outfits. Planes that have been shot down by practice shells can be easily retrieved and repaired. The fairy pilot is also unharmed in any way. Alabama's attack actually blew up the Saiun.

"Looks like I forgot to tell them about the use of weapons." (Commander)

"I thought so. You are going to pay me back for that Saiun."

Meanwhile, Souryuu gave a report on the situation.

"What was that? That has got to be illegal." (Souryuu)

"What happened?" (Hiryuu)

"That girl with the white twintails just jumped up and slice my Saiun with a scythe!" (Souryuu)

"A scythe? Why are they using a real weapon?" (Suzuya)

"Beats me. Anyway, I got a brief idea on their positon and all." (Souryuu)

"Since they know we are coming, should we change our angle?" (Shouhou)

"Erm... No. That's what they would expect us to do. We will continue at this speed.Launch the first wave once we reach the coordinates." (Zuihou)

"Roger." (All)

My sweet Zuihou... How have you grown...

"The battlesh.i.p.s have already spotted that scout plane, but the carriers are still continuing in the same direction. Are they stupid?" (San Diego)

"I'm sure they have some sort of plan. And Admiral... Can you not make that face? It's scary!" (Naka)

"South Dakota and the others may expect an attack from a different direction. The Saiun helped them pinpoint the location of the Carrier. True, if you realised your enemy knows where you are, the best option is to change your position, but thats what the enemy expects you to do. Is that right, Admiral?" (Commander)

"Y-yeah. As you can see, the battlesh.i.p.s have their guns angled towards the sides, but not at the front. Apart from South Dakota, everyone else seems to be focusing on the skies and the sides.

"Oooh. I see. So it's like hitting them where they least expect it. Right?" (San Diego)

For some reason, San Diego started to shadow box.

"That's right. Look! It's starting." (Naka)

I turned my gaze back to the monitor. Sure enough, the carriers have began to launch there planes. The four archer types drew their bows and launched a mixtue of Tenzan bomberss and Suisei bombers. Suzuya loaded her crossbow and shot out a bolt which transmuted into a group of Ryuusei Kai. Ryuujou's scroll floated around her, as she traced a path with a orange flame for her own Suisei bombers to take off.

While they are still out of the battleship's firing range, there is no doubt that have already detected the first wave of aircraft.

"Tch. Of course it has to be from the front. All hands on deck! Get ready for AA combat! Enemies coming from 12 o'clock." (South Dakota)

"Finally. Time for a turkey shoot." (Alabama)

"While carriers have an advantage in range, the battlesh.i.p.s are better equipped with anti-air radars which can detect enemies from a great distance. Even further from the battleship's firing range. Because of this, the first wave will unlikely be able to land any hits."

"Ohh. So it's a failure then." (Naka)

"Eh? Wait. Did I say all that out loud?"

"You didn't notice?!" (Naka)

Without realising, I had done a commentary on my own...

Despite what I said about the aircrafts losing a tactical advantage over the battlesh.i.p.s, it seems I may be wrong in some parts.

As South Dakota's guns were already facing the front from that start, the others are still adjusting their guns and cannons to the front. The aircrafts came into sight and range.

"All sh.i.p.s, evasive manuevers! Fire at will!" (South Dakota)

Without breaking formation, all six battlesh.i.p.s proceeded to move in an upredictable manner to confuse the bombers. This is a standard but effective tactic. With such erractic movements, the bombers will have a hard time timing their attacks. In the meantime, he battlesh.i.p.s can proceed to open fire at their assailants.

However, not all the planes were shot down and only one battlesh.i.p.s got damaged.

"Kuha... my armor has been pierced?! I will return the favor twofold!" (Georgia)

A torpedo managed to strike Georgia at her side, causing her to lose a significant amount of speed as she stopped to deal with the pain on her ankle.

"Georgia-senpai has been hit! Is she okay?" (San Diego)

"Nope. She's out. That torpedo took out her rudder and caused flooding in her engine room. She has been damaged heavily." (Commander)

"Wah. That must be painful." (Naka)

"Did you come up with all that on the spot? Oh. Don't tell me... So that's what that small book and dice are for."

From the start, the commander has been flipping through a small book and messing around with a dice. He is actually creating simulated conditions based on the attacks and with the roll of a dice.

"Isn't this a great idea? We can create conditions for the girls. I based this of an American tabletop game." (Commander)

"Erm... what the Commander just said, Georgia-san is out! Submarines, take her away!" (Naka)

"Goergia, engine room flooding. Broken Rudder." (unknown)

The announcement rang out. Till now, I still have no idea who is the owner of that disembodied voice. In fact, no one knows..

"Where did that come from? (Arizona)

"Huh?! How does a torpedo lead to engine flooding?!" (Georgia)

As Georgia is still trying to recover from the hit she took, Imuya and Goya emerged right beside her.

"Gh! You again." (Imuya)

"That girl from just now..." (Georgia)

"You heard the announcement. You're to be removed from battle due to heavy damage." (Imuya)

"Wha-" (Georgia)

"That's what your Commander said. To be fair, I don't understand that either dechi."

"You girls... are submarines?" (Massachusetts)

"That's right." (Imuya)

"Then where is your propulsion device? Without one, wyou shouldn't be able to move." (Arizona)

"What is a propulsion device? We just swim." (Imuya)

"Anyway, come on. Lets go dechi. Can you move?" (Goya)

As Goya and Imuya proceed to remove Georgia from the battlefield, a smaller, second wave of bombers emerged from the clouds.

"Again. Everyone, focus. This isn't over yet!" (South Dakota)

"Nee-san, look out!" (Massachusetts)

"Eh?" (South Dakota)

A Tenzen,which was flying dangerously above the water surface, dropped it's torpedo into the water. The torpedo made a beeline for South Dakota. If Massachusetts hadn't warned her, South Dakota would have taken some serious damage.

Slamming her shield down into the water, she managed to block the torpedo from hitting any vital spots.

"Hmph. Smart move, but that's not enough to take me down!" (South Dakota)

As they fought off the second wave of bombers, a third wave emerged from the left. I see. Instead of launching every plane at one go and in a linear direction, they are launching them in smaller groups and attacking at different angles. While the battlesh.i.p.s fight of the current wave of bombers, the second group takes the chance to deal as much damage as possible. This tactic would have worked, if they were up against a normal enemy fleet.

Apparently, North Carolina had picked up enemy signals from the left and anticipated an attack. Her AA guns were already in position and managed to shoot down most of the bombers in the third wave.

"Yep. This is fun." (Alabama)

Alabama looks as though she is smiling despite the chaotic situation.

"Alabama really likes anti-air combat. She calls it a turkey shoot." (Commander)

Okay. I feel like she should be kept away from a certain tsundere carrier from the fifth division.

After three failed attacks, the carriers have slowed their advance to a halt as they discuss what to do now.

"Another failure. At this rate, we will run out of planes before we can land a hit on them." (Hiryuu)

"We need to make this quick. They are coming." (Shouhou)

"Erm... Um..." (Zuihou)

Zuihou is starting to panic. Being the flagship, she has to make decisions on the sport. She hasn't learnt how to make decisions under pressure though.

"How about we take them head-on?" (Suzuya)

Suzuya just said something ridiculous.

"Head-on? Those are battleship! How are we gonna to win in a direct confrontion?" (Ryuujou)

"Ryuujou-chan's right. We will lose once we are in their shelling range. If we can overwhelm them before they arrive-" (Hiryuu)

"Calm down. Listen to me. Zuihou, you brought it right?" (Suzuya)

Suzuya raised her h.i.p.s to the left. The camera isn't showing the what Suzuya was talking about, but the other carriers seem to understand the plan.

"But will this work? I never really used this before." (Zuihou)

"It will be fine. Just follow my lead." (Suzuya)

"Ugh... I feel like my role as a big sister has been taken away from me..." (Shouhou)

"Ahh! No one is taking away your role, Shouhou-san." (Suzuya)

From that exchange, you can't tell who is the big sister. Anyway, it looks like they have a plan and are on the move again. This time, they moved towards the east. As they moved, Hiryuu launched a small group of Suisei bombers and directed them in a linear direction towards the battlesh.i.p.s.

"What are they doing?"

"A diversion, perhaps. Maybe it's an attempt to confuse my battlesh.i.p.s. They won't fall for such cheap trips." (Commander)

Isn't that a little too small to be a diversion? The actions of my carriers are starting to worry me.