Disclaimer: Let's be honest here, if I owned Shingeki no Kyojin or Sword Art Online, I'd probably run the franchises into the ground. It's better that they stay with their respective owners. Although there was that Friendship Titan idea I had... story and it's premise came to me when I heard about the Attack on Titan game. Not the upcoming 3DS one, but the fan-tribute flash version. Seriously, how did I not find out about that sooner? Anyhow, I figured, in my infinite wisdom, to combine two of the most awesome premises in anime history to create quite possibly the most epic, awesome, meh-ish fanfiction ever! Try telling that to your unsupportive friend without getting a chuckle or two. Lookin' at you, Rick.

On to show!

*Edit 4-2-14: Some grammar and typo fixes. Also made some of the text to be more consistent with chapter 2 and (the soon to be released) chapter 3.

Advancing Giants Online

#1: To You, the Beginning

There are a few exceptional people in the world, people who rise above expectations to become a living legend. Some had their tales carved into stone. Others recorded their exploits by mouth, spreading their deeds the world over. It was when you met the legend, the hero who had done such wondrous things, that you became either immediately disappointed or you decided to find a new hobby.

Mikasa Ackerman. Total kills: 473. Of those kills, 472 were Titans. Of those Titans, 122 were Abnormals. Of those Abnormals, 34 were Aberrant. Of those Aberrant, 6 were Rogues. The soldier who holds the record of most Titans killed within a single hour, the number being 27. Considered the most skilled female Player to use the 3 Dimensional Maneuver Gear. Said to be the Scouting Legion's most valuable member other than Captain Levi. Quite possibly a God at killing anything taller than 2 meters. She has a fanclub that has amassed more than 100 members and counting. Anyone would be lucky to have her on their Squad. Truly, she is the stuff of legends, a Deity come down from the heavens to teach humanity of their faults. Or something.

Point being, she's the last person who you'd expect to back out of a fight.

"Absolutely not."

I've never seen a sight more pathetic than a sobbing Connie on his knees. To be honest, I actually kind of felt sorry for the guy. Course, that didn't mean I stopped him from begging the indifferent girl in front of him. Each word was emphasized with a bow of his shaved head. "Come on Mikasa, today's our last chance! If we don't go today, we'll miss the Special Event!" My interest was slightly piqued at that. When I had arrived in the Scouting Legion's HQ this morning, the only thing I came for was to see Connie futilely try and beg the Goddess of Titan-Slaying to help him in some convoluted scheme of his.

"There's a Special Event going on today? Since when?" Usually I'd get a message in the mail about anything special happening within the Walls.

Connie paused long enough from his grovelling to shoot me a look that said well duh. "Didn't you hear about it? It's happening over in Shiganshina, on top of the Wall." Realizing that Mikasa wouldn't be so easily swayed, he stood back up. "Its by word-of-mouth though, so I guess I can cut you a little slack. I got the info from Sasha after I gave her a crate of fresh meat."

"And just where the hell did you find a crate of meat?"

"Don't ask." I decided to take his advice and immediately drop the subject when a darkened look came over his face. "All I ask is you never promise Sasha a favor. She'll remember it."

Mikasa didn't even look up from the blade she was sharpening. Rather, she decided it was sharp enough, placed it back into its dispenser, and moved to the next one. "I still won't go. Even if I wanted to, my 3DMG is broken." She seemed a bit saddened at that, as if she had lost a familiar friend. "I don't have enough coll to pay for a new pair, and there's really no point, what it being today and all."

Connie whistled. "I hear ya." He rapped his knuckles against his own Gear for emphasis. "These things cost an absurd amount of coll. I hope that gets changed sooner or later. Doesn't Armin have a bunch of spares lying around somewhere? I heard he collects the different models."

"He does, but he's not here today. He messaged me; something about exams, I think?" I glared at Mikasa, who was now picking at the specks of dirt on her boots. "How did you even break your Gear in the first place? Wasn't it that expensive model you got in honor of killing the Leaping Titan?"

Although she stopped picking at her boots, she kept herself from looking me in the eye. "I overtaxed them... just a little."

I snorted. "Yeah, a little. I bet you were hunting down Aberrant's again, weren't you?" Judging by the way she covered have her face with that red scarf of hers, I must have been right on the money. "Jeez. Mikasa, one of these days you're gonna get kicked out of the Scouting Legion 'cause you're killing Titans faster than the anyone else can spot them. Then who am I gonna hang out with? Jean?" I almost burst into tears at the prospect of such an unfortunate thing happening. "I'll lend you my spare MG. Just be careful with it and try not to use too much gas at one time. It's a Beginner-type, so it doesn't have too much durability."

I'm not sure what I said to make her flustered, but whatever the case, I watched in slight annoyance as the usually unflappable Mikasa turned into a stuttering wreck. "O-oh. Okay then. I p-promise I'll take good care of y- them! I-I... I'll take care of them." I let out a sigh at her jumbled together sentence. I swear, sometimes she acts like a ten-year-old with a crush.

Meanwhile, Connie was ecstatic. "Does that mean you'll come with us to the event?"

"...Eren, are you going?" I pondered Mikasa's question. After today, I'd have to wait an entire three months to see all my friends again. Surely I could spend my last few hours here doing something more productive than go off on some goose-chase Sasha might have cooked up just to screw with Connie. Nothing came to mind though, so I made my decision. "Alright, but this thing better be for real."

Mikasa nodded at my words. "Then I'll go too."

The biggest smile I've ever had the misfortune of seeing lit up Connie's features. "Okay then! Off to battle!" And with that, he sprinted towards the HQ's west exit. "See you guys in Shiganshina!"

A few moments passed in silence before Mikasa spoke. "Should we tell him-"

"No, no, he'll figure it out eventually." Or not. I rubbed my hand over my face in exasperation. "He's happy right now."

"I can't believe you guys let me run in the wrong direction for the past half hour!"

"To be fair, we did try to chase you down."

"Yeah, after you stopped to get some cake!"

"Do you have any idea how good Michelle's Bakery is?"

"Screw you, Jaeger!"

I saw Mikasa in my peripheral vision tuck her scarf further upwards. I knew her well enough to know when she was resisting the urge to burst into laughter.

What should have been a five minute trip via 3DMG turned into a man-hunt when Mikasa and I realized/decided/argued that Connie wasn't going to gain his bearings anytime soon. We found him in Roumk, having a shouting match with another soldier from the Wall Garrison about the location of the Special Event. After averting what could have been an extremely embarrassing moment for the Scouting Legion as a whole, Mikasa convinced Connie to follow us to the other side of the Walls.

Launching another line, I shifted my body and narrowly passed underneath a low-hanging skywalk. Performing a mid-air back flip to stabilise myself, I used my momentum to launch myself up to a nearby rooftop. On impact, I rolled on my right shoulder, ignoring the sensation of tile breaking under my sudden weight. I broke into a dead sprint, dodging and weaving through the various chimneys and smoke outlets bulging up from the roof. Hard winds assaulted my body as I sped up, my uniform flapping about, ready to be set free at the slightest wrong movement. I didn't slow down in the slightest when I reached the end of the roof, leaping off like some king of acrobat. I sent another line towards a church tower in the distance and let myself be reeled in toward it, spending more propulsion gas than needed to give myself a little extra boost. Just before I crashed into the tower, I veered to the left and withdrew my line. Using months worth of experience, I ran on the side of the tower, the unusual position feeling completely natural to me. Summoning the strength left within my legs, I pushed off.

I was flying.

This was my escape.

This was what I wanted.

I could see almost everything in that empty patch of sky. The Walls towered in the distance, which framed a breathtaking horizon. Light grey puffs of smoke lazily drifted throughout the city, carried by the same wind I had used to soar above them. Houses lined up in somewhat-crooked rows criss-crossed the land, people walked in semi crowded streets, children played in the shallow waters of a lake.

It was beautiful.

All too soon the moment was over. Despite the lifetime I could have spent in the air, I had only been allowed three seconds at best to defy gravity. I plummeted like a rock towards the ground, nonchalantly sending a line to break my fall. Really though, already I missed the freedom of the sky.

I spotted Mikasa and Connie talking to a group of four other soldiers at ground-level. I lowered myself to the surface as gently as I could, landing a close five feet away from the group. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

One of the soldiers, a muscular blonde, smiled at me. "Long time no see, Eren. How've you been doin'?"

This was Reiner Braun, a fellow member of the Scouting Legion. He was normally off on raiding parties outside the Wall, so I didn't get to see him too much outside from the occasional Offensive. We should've been practically strangers, but his charismatic attitude smoothed over any unfamiliarity we might've had between us. "Not too bad. I finally managed to kill a horde of Aberrants on my own, that makes us 4-4!" Also, we both happened to posses a mean competitive streak, which made us more competitive foes than friends. I wouldn't allow anyone (baring Mikasa) show me up!

Reiner released a hearty laugh. "Good to hear! But me and Bertholdt here," he put the aforementioned Player in a headlock, though he was much taller than him, "took down the Armored Titan a few hours ago, so the scores really 5-4." He let out another laugh at my rage-induced face. "But A for effort kiddo!" How can he say that? He's only two months older than me!

"It's always nice to see the kiddies play together." A tall and slender girl with her brown hair tied into a ponytail said with a snide grin. This girl was the picture under the word 'Sarcasm" in the dictionary. "What's happening Jaeger? Still hanging out with your girlfriend in Trost?" She gestured to Mikasa, who managed to pull off a blush and a death glare at the same time.

Ymir. The military's most famous, or infamous depending on who you asked, Information Broker. Although officially a member of the Scouting Legion, she's been known to trade info to any soldier with enough coll. Rumor has it that she took part in the secretive Castle Utgard mission, but even I have my doubts about that. Nonetheless, there was an air of mystery about her that she wore like a coat, something that scared the ever-loving crap out of most soldiers. It was considered a Death Sentence to anyone that crossed her bad side.

"Ymir, you shouldn't be so mean to people! They'll start to think badly of you!"

The Info-Broker's sarcastic personality did a 180. "You're absolutely right, Krista!"

Fortunately for most Players, Ymir the Terrible was often distracted by the person most widely regarded as AGO's guardian angel, Krista Renz. The personification of moe cuteness mixed with a sprinkle of classical beauty, this blonde haired and small-statured girl also packed a mean right-arm. But that'd be a story Jean tells better. "Good. It's nice to see you again, Eren."

I couldn't help but return the smile she gave me. "You too, Krista."

"Are you guys here for the Special Event?" The rather tall and lanky soldier Reiner put in a headlock had managed to escape the brute's grasp, and was now smoothing the wrinkles out of his uniform. "Annie didn't want to come, so me and Reiner decided to join up with these two." Bertholdt Fubar was a forgettable person. Not because his personality was bland, far from it. It just so happened that he chose to hang out with people who were so famous within the military that they overshadowed him. He was never too far from Reiner, who was widely known. He also had a crippling hesitance towards social gatherings, and always kept to himself whenever he was separated from either Reiner or Annie . It was only when he was in small groups like now that his true personality showed. Namely, how likable and understanding he was.

I focused on the first thing Bertholdt had said. "So, there actually is something going on here?"

"Yep!" Reiner was beaming, gazing upwards at the Wall. "On top of the Wall, actually."

"I already told him that, but he was a bit skeptical." Connie shrugged. "Seriously, why don't people ever think I'm on the ball with this sorta stuff?"

"Because you get all your info from me, dumbass."

"Shut up Ymir!"

"Guys, fighting is bad!"

"Krista is absolutely right! Connie, apologize to Krista right now!"

"Why do I have to apologize? You're the one who has such an aggravating personality!" I watched on as Ymir literally tossed Connie onto her back and rocketed to the highest point of the Wall, probably to dangle him from the edge and get him to apologize. Krista watched in horror at the violence her best friend was about to take place in and propelled herself after the deranged info-broker. Reiner, deciding that this was an impromptu race, chased them as well, while Bertholdt merely sighed and followed his friend. I couldn't hold back the smile on my face, and I even let out a small laugh at their antics.

"Eren." I turned around to find Mikasa staring up at the top of the Wall. Her scarf covered her mouth and nose, and her 3DMG grips lung loosely at her sides. Although I couldn't directly see her face, I knew by the way her eyes sparkled, how her body was relaxed, that a smile had found it's way on her face as well.

"Yeah?"

She turned towards me, and for a second I thought she would say something. She lowered her scarf, parted her lips and... "Race you to the top."

Barely half a second later and she all but disappeared. I didn't even have to look up to know that she was already rocketing towards the top of the Wall. What a cheater. Still, I found myself grinning even more despite myself. "You're on!" I yelled. Following my friends example, I launched a line far into the sky, where with an almost inaudible clank it landed on the Wall. My body was jerked upwards by the cable, and I pumped more gas into my 3DMG. Once again I was bombarded by air as I rocketed upwards. Mikasa was only a couple of meters ahead, and she was staring back at me with an amused expression. She laughed at the scowl I threw her way, her laughter sounding almost like chiming bells. I couldn't scowl at that, and I found myself laughing along with her.

Here we were, chasing each other, similar to how we had first met. It was a nice moment.

Mikasa and I... were happy.

What happened next was something I would never forget.

It happened in an instant. The Wall exploded.

I was flung from the force of the impact, away from Mikasa, towards the ground. I tried to gain my bearings, but it was difficult when I was spinning uncontrollably in the air. Finding my center of gravity, I balanced myself out just in time to send a cable towards a tower and reel myself in. But I was still heavily disoriented from the blast, so instead of planting myself on the side of the tower like I had planned, I instead missed it by a long shot and tumbled onto a nearby roof. I crashed into the tile and nearly fell over the edge, though I managed to grab hold of something and stop my rolling. With my vision still swimming, I stumbled to my feet. I must have looked drunk, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. Namely, finding out what the hell just happened. My vision finally cleared up, and I was able to gaze upon the town.

It wasn't good.

Wall Maria had been utterly decimated. Where once before a 50-meter structure of stone and concrete stood, there was now huge gaping hole. Large chunks of debris from the Wall had soared through the air, only to let gravity take hold of them and crash onto the town below. Entire buildings were demolished by the weight of the rock, and a thick cloud of dust was starting to settle in. Smoke rose into the air as well, probably from a fire that had started after a Blacksmith's Forge had been toppled. Screams could be heard in the distance, loud, shrieking noises that audibly revealed the pain of the town. It was horrific.

Though, my attention was focused on something else entirely.

My first thought was that it was huge. My second thought; humongous. Third? It was what had destroyed the Wall.

Titans, as the name implied, were obviously huge when compared to the size of a human. There were a variety of classes, Regular, Abnormal, Aberrant, Rogue, Crawlers, each with their own sub-category for size and specific abilities. The largest recorded Titan that Captain Levi himself ever killed was 20-meter Rogue.

But this was beyond anything anyone had ever seen.

This was the legendary Colossal Titan.

It had no skin, revealing the absurdly huge amount of muscles It possessed, wrapped tightly about It's visible bone structure. It's hand was rested upon the side of the hole It had made in Wall Maria, crushing the stone into nothing more than sand. Steam emitted from behind It, making the menacing giant look even more intimidating, as if It needed it. What stood out about it, other than the fact that It towered over even the Wall, was It's face. Most Titans held a sadistic smile at all times when faced with their prey. The Colossal Titan, however, wasn't smiling. Though the arrangement of It's teeth made it appear to be grinning, it was the eyes that gave It away. The cold, hard stare of primal fury you'd find in a wild beast. It was a look that promised death and pain.

It was surprisingly human.

I was so busy watching the Colossal Titan in all It's monstrous glory that I almost didn't notice someone crash onto the same roof as me.

Tearing my eyes away from the behemoth, I ran to the aid of the person, who turned out to be Reiner. He was just as confused as I had been, if the way he struggled to stand was anything to go off of. He was also clutching his right arm, which I noticed held a broken blade. "Reiner! Are you okay?"

I caught him by the arm just as he was about to collapse. He was still disoriented, but I needed answers. "Reiner, what the hells goin' on? Where are the others?" More importantly, where was Mikasa? She was so close to me when it had happened...

It seemed that Reiner got over himself, as he shrugged my arm out from under him. "I... I don't know." For a couple of seconds he stood there with a hand clutching his forehead. "I was trying to stop Ymir from dropping Connie off the Wall, and then..." he hesitated, as if he had trouble remembering "...it... it just happened so fast!" At first, he seemed to calm down somewhat. Then, he got a look at the Colossal Titan. "What in the name of Sina is that?"

I was about to tell him when a thunderous boom echoed throughout the town. I gazed in the same direction as Reiner, back at the Colossal Titan. It was backing away from the remains of the Wall. The monster stopped at a certain point, and the steam It was emitting suddenly became violent, as if It was discharging energy. It was only when the being crouched into something resembling a runner's stance that I realized what was about to happen.

"Reiner, we need to get out of-" I was too late in my epiphany. The earth shook, and I looked back in time to see the Colossal Titan burst into a dead sprint. It was going to completely trample the city. The last thing I heard as the abomination's shadow fell over me was a thunderous roar.

...

{You have been Slain.}

...

Somewhere in Japan, in the real world, Kazuto Kirigaya suddenly woke up to find himself laying in his bed. The soft whir of his Nervegear died down, the HUD showing him that it was 11:59 pm. For a while, he stared at the familiar white of his ceiling.

"... just what the hell was that?"

The built in digital clock of the NerveGear turned to 12:00 am.

...

AN - I can't help but think this chapter felt a little rushed, but it's exactly how I imagined it, I guess. If any characters seem different to their canon counterparts, then good, that was intentional. While I wanted to stay as close to the source material as I could (as close as you can get within a fanfic) I wanted to show how everyone would act when there aren't giant man-eating Titans in the world. Right now, AGO isn't reality, it's just a video game. The hopelessness comes later.

Or does it? ... it does. It totally does.

Anyway, follows will be appreciated, reviews will be loved, and donations of currency will be frivolously spent on Attack on Titan merchandise. Mainly the Survey Corps cloak. Hey, a guy can dream. Also, just a little tidbit of info, but I was listening to the Attack on Titan OST while writing this, and ironically enough, the same song that played when the Colossal Titan showed up started playing when I wrote about him appearing in here. Divine providence, or just random coincidence? Hmmm...