Armin read through his poem ten times and made last-minute revisions. The last thing he wanted was Levi rejecting his poem just because of a misspelled word or wrong use of punctuation. By the time he was finished, everybody had already left the classroom. Armin gathered his things and made his way to the music room. When he arrived, the sight of Eren surprised him. Levi was the first to notice him arrive.

"Ah, there you are. You did what I asked you to do?" he said as he lounged lazily at the teacher's desk, making big cross marks on test papers.

Eren's eyes widened in shock.

"Armin! What are you doing here?!" he asked.

"He's trying out for the team. Better keep your mouth shut though. He doesn't know anything yet." Levi said. He turned to Annie who was sitting distantly in a corner and shot her a glare. "Or does he?"

"He's clueless." she replied nonchalantly.

"For your sake, he better be."

Armin took out the poem from his bag and walked towards the teacher's desk.

"Here's the poem, sir." he said, handing Levi a sheet of paper.

"Read it out loud." he replied with a wave of a hand.

The boy tensed up. He was not expecting this.

"H-huh? But-"

"Don't worry. The room's soundproofed so you can swear at me all you like and no one outside will hear."

That's not the point, Armin thought. The setup was so wrong that it bothered him: he, a student, was going to diss a teacher. In their face. Normally, that was something students do behind the latters' backs. If they get caught, the punishment would usually be detention, suspension, or worse, expulsion. Never in a million years did Armin imagine that he would be doing something like this for grades.

"Go for it, Armin." Eren urged.

There was no choice but to do it. Armin knew that. He'd just get on Levi's bad side if he told the man that he did not want to read the offensive poem. It was a known fact that Levi despised people who acted like divas. Student or teacher, it did not matter. If they so much as show any sign of pretension, Levi would carry out retribution accordingly.

It's do or die.

And so began a most half-hearted reading of "Mr. Levi Ain't So Fly".

"Watch as I put this midget in his place.

Once I'm done you'll be worshipping this ace.

You're angsty 'cause your life has been a waste

You're thirty still stuck in a teenage phase

You ain't so badass. You're just a phony.

Dude, you look like you smoked one too many.

Tell people you're a burglar and swindler

Bet they'll fall for it hook line and sinker

You're a sorry excuse for a teacher

L'il sir, where's your resignation letter?

If I stole your job, nobody will know

Watch me get paid more, my sullen fellow

Who's a clean freak? You ain't so spick and span

Your mouth spews trash like it's a garbage can

Think you're cool for dropping a bomb or two?

Tell you what, with all due respect-"

A cold shiver ran down Armin's spine the moment that word entered his line of vision. It was THAT word; the one word that did not exist in his daily vocabulary. It was a word that sounded like books being ripped apart, lockers being kicked and test tubes crashing on the floor. He just could not bring himself to say it.

"With all due respect... Umm..."

"What?" Levi taunted him.

"It's just a poem." Annie said. "Say it."

Armin knew she was right. Profane or not, it was just that. A poem. More importantly, was she rooting for him?

With all the courage he could muster, he recited the last line of the poem in the most assertive yet dignified way he could.

"Tell you what, with all due respect f-fuck you!"

Mr. Levi let out a whistle. Armin could only hope that that was a sign of his approval. He saw his friend, Eren flash a proud grin and a thumbs up at him.

"So? What do you think?" Eren asked Levi.

"Not bad," he said, "but not good either."

"Well is he in the team or not?" Eren asked impatiently.

"Hmm. He definitely knows how to rhyme and his vocabulary's surprisingly good."

"Uh, thanks." Armin said, flattered. He was quite proud of his expansive vocabulary.

"Don't misunderstand, Arlert," Levi countered. "That's my problem right there. I'm looking for someone with a wide bad word vocabulary. That shit you got is tame. Hell, it almost sounds... tactful. I'm not even gonna get started on your delivery."

At this, Armin's shoulders hung and he looked more dejected than ever. Why did he even try? He had never in his life badly insulted another person. It was just not in his nature. He should not have even attempted to do it in the first place.

"Geez, you didn't have to be so forward about it." Eren said, throwing concerned glances at his friend. Armin knew the other boy felt sorry for him and it made him feel worse.

"Well if he can't handle blunt criticism then he's probably not cut out for this. You are aware of the nature of this... discipline, yes?"

Eren fell silent. Meanwhile, apart from feeling the self-disappointment set in, Armin grew more and more curious.

Just what kind of 'discipline' required a person to have both an impressive bad word vocabulary and a tough exterior?

Then Annie spoke up.

"Can I throw my two cents in?" she said.

Levi raised an eyebrow. Annie was not usually one to give an opinion about anything. Her speaking up was a surprise to everyone in the room.

"I'm listening." said Levi.

"I propose we recruit him into our team."

"I don't think you heard me-"

"What you say is true. This guy didn't do so hot with his half-assed delivery. But you can't just dismiss the fact that he does have a way with words" she said firmly.

Armin did not know why Annie, eternally-unimpressed-Annie, kept giving him the push. Regardless, it was something he definitely needed.

"Also," she continued, "he got his facts straight. You are a midget and a sorry excuse for a teacher."

Armin's eyes widened with shock. How can she just say that?! Eren on the other hand, turned his back to Levi, trying hard to suppress a laugh.

"What the hell are you getting at?" Levi said. His expression was unreadable.

"My point is, you're our coach," Annie motioned to Armin with her chin, "and this guy's got the guts and potential. Judging from your bravado, you must be pretty skilled. You should have no problem whipping people like him into shape, then."

She paused in reconsideration.

"Or are you actually a sorry excuse for a coach, as well?"

Levi stared at her and she gave him a blank look in return. He looked as if he was actually considering her proposition- no, her challenge. Armin could only keep his fingers crossed.

"Fine." Levi sighed in defeat. "But if he's not making any progress, he's gonna have to go."

Armin couldn't believe it. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He might just be able to keep his scholarship after all! Well, there's still the possibility that they might kick him out of the group but that was a scenario that could be avoided. Of course he was going to do his best in order to stay.

"Don't go celebrating yet, Arlert. Your A+ is tentative until you meet ALL my expectations." Levi told him.

Eren gave his best friend a pat on the back.

"Welcome to the team, Armin."

Once again, he was saved by Annie and he felt truly grateful. He smiled at her but something outside the window seemed to be much more interesting to her than his small success because she was blankly gazing at the sunset stained outdoors.

He was about to approach her when Levi caught their attention.

"Alright, listen up. Here's the deal. You three will be competing in the Annual Underground Diss Battle of Titansville. Each school in the city has their own representative team headed by a mentor assigned by the Royal Underground Academic Rhymin' Society of Titansville. As you already know, I am your mentor and I will be guiding you all throughout the competition. What now, Jaeger?"

Eren lowered his raised hand.

"You're telling me that this... Royal Rhyming Society is an actual thing?" he said.

"First of all, drop the 'g'. It's Rhymin' Society. Second, There are many clandestine organizations that exist outside the general public's eye. This is one of them. Nobody knows about the annual diss battle except the facilitators and those who are involved in the actual battle themselves. Consider yourselves 'the lucky chosen few.'"

Eren looked like he was having a hard time processing what Levi just said. Armin didn't blame him. It all sounded so unreal. Ridiculous, even.

"Goddamn, I wonder who funds these things," said Eren.

"Moving on, the opening ceremony of the diss battle will be held this coming Saturday evening. That's when you'll find out who you'll be up against. I'll explain the details and assign your tasks tomorrow after school. Are there any questions?"

Armin's hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Arlert."

The blond boy hesitated for a moment but decided that now was a good time to ask. Nobody had enlightened him yet about what exactly he was getting himself into.

"What's a diss battle?" he asked.

Levi blinked, waiting for the punch line but the boy remained silent, waiting for an answer. The former grabbed the small pile of unmarked test papers on the desk and fanned himself with it. He sure as hell had his work cut out for him.