Wyvernsaurus: I'm kind of surprised no one thought of it before; or rather, tried to put something like it online. Yeah, there's gonna be quite a bit more death in here, I'm sorry to say. But I'm not trying to make this universe better, I'm trying to make it different.
Okay, I'm trying to make it better too, but I think you know what I mean.
Gonstika: But of course.
Mermaid Ninja: As do I, Aquatic Threshecutioner. As do I.
MasterSmileyFace: Heh-heh, I'm glad you like my story. I was a bit nervous that it wasn't going to get noticed.
Ash Vantas isn't Ash Ketchum; the only thing they have in common is how they treat Pokemon, and Ash Vantas is superior in that regard in every way, shape and form.
No, Monika isn't Misty.
I'm very happy you like it :)
Several different Pokemon stood to attention on the pale brown dirt ground. Around them, they could hear faint crashes and noises and even a faint yell of "My leg!".
Becquerel stole a glance at the Pokemon around him. Like he, Tanya and Rillo, they all wore tan shawls on their shoulders with the insignia of a human cadet, a pentagon shield with two swords crisscrossing.
When Eren, Mikasa and Armin joined the cadets, they asked for the three Pokemon join the soon-to-be trained Pokemon. When it came to said creatures, the military and Beast Trainers weren't particularly picky when it came to whom they trained, since literally every sub-species could prove themselves useful in every military faction that would allow themselves to be trained.
They had yet to come across any Pokemon they couldn't train for battle.
Tanya meanwhile, was more concerned about other things rather than the military. She glanced back at the right back limb of the Absol; a year before, he no longer had to wear the makeshift bandages but now there was an angry red scar that stood out against the white fur and dark blue-grey skin. He still couldn't move it without feeling some kind of pain, but he had long learned to ignore it.
The Snorunt tried not to pay attention to the apprehension in her belly, but it was very hard; for the first time in her life, she wasn't with any of her family. Her Grisha was gone, Carla was dead, and Eren and Mikasa were in an entirely different place, even though they would all be in the military from now on.
Be okay, you three.
"All right, listen up!"
The Pokemon perked up as they were addressed from the left by a woman with red pixie cut hair with a white flower tucked behind her ear, turquoise eyes and dark blue shirt. By her side was another woman who had rather messy black hair with most of her bangs held back by a yellow headband, dark blue eyes and a pale green shirt beneath her 3D maneuver gear chest straps. By their sides side was a yellow mouse and blue monkey with dreadlocks and closed eyes respectively.
Fingertips gently grazed the lips of the glass as she stared down at the liquor.
"What did you call me over for?" Levi asked her, ignoring his own glass as well.
"... I'm going to be looking out for the cadets this year as part of my new position," she said. "I'll be supervising them, as well as the Pokemon that will become their partners, along with any other available captains."
Levi looked back at her without changing his expression. "That's quite a step up for you."
"I'm no leader!" the red-haired woman exclaimed. "What if I screw up? What if I lead them wrong? What if-"
At that, the shorter man placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are a soldier of the beast Trainers- your job is to teach other soldiers about Pokemon- you were chosen not because of your knowledge but because you're legitimately passionate about learning as much as possible about them."
"But that-"
"That alone can motivate people into learning about them," Levi went on. "Just tell them what you were told before- I know you'll be fine."
"My- my name is Isabel Magnolia, head of the Beast Trainer researchers," the red-haired woman declared. "My partner is Pikachu Kaizen!"
Kaizen gave a nod, expression serious.
"I'm Gretchen Sycamore of the head researching squad!" the ravenette called out. "This is my partner, Simipour Mara."
Mara bowed her head in greeting.
On the right was a man with nearly black, dark brown skin, bald, dark brown eyes and a tower-like build, his rippling muscles easily seen underneath his white dress shirt shirt. By his side was a brown humanoid Pokemon with red boxing gloves and lavender tunic.
"I'm Captain Andreas Brock!" Andreas barked out. "This is my partner, Hitmonchan Charlie!"
Charlie knocked his fists together in greeting.
"The reason you're here is because you want to help humanity; for that reason, I'm grateful to each and every one of you here! But you can't do anything until you become stronger! For the next three years, like our cadets, you will eat, sleep and train together for the sake of strength!" the giant captain called out. "When those three years are up, you're going to fight right by your human partner and help them serve humanity however possible!"
At that, the Pokemon straightened out and stood to attention, with some hesitating before joining as well. Becquerel couldn't help wincing slightly as his leg snapped against the ground as he stood to attention a bit too quickly.
Rillo was trying to pay attention, but she quickly grew bored with the human's speech and glanced around at the other Pokemon curiously. She looked over to see a blue elephant-like Pokemon with red stripes, a yellow mustelidae-like Pokemon with red arms and legs and tail with a single yellow stripe, and an almost mirror-like Pokemon with yellow eyes and black irises.
"From here on out, you'll be assigned to a squad that will assist you in honing the abilities each of you have, as well as teaching you the code that allows humans to understand what you wish to convey-"
Whatever Isabel was going to say next was drowned out by a very sudden, albeit slightly distant crash and smoke rose a little ways away that made nearly every Pokemon and humans turn their heads.
Rillo could see Andreas almost reverberate with a sigh before he barked, "All right, you know what to do!"
The officers with them nodded before snapping into a sharp salute and all but shot toward the smoking area, their partners looking like they were heading to a party, Gretchen included.
Off to a roaring start already, Isabel thought sarcastically but the smile on her face wouldn't leave.
The cadets stood to attention before the drill sergeant as he walked forward. His eyes settled on Armin and he barked out,"Oi, brat!"
Armin quickly snapped into a sharp salute. "Yes sir!"
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Armin Arlert of the Zhiganshina district!"
"Is that so? You have a retarded name! Did your parents really hate you that much to name you that?!"
"My parents didn't name me, my grandfather did!"
Shadis leaned down to look Armin directly in the eye. "Armin, why did you join the military?"
"To aid humanity against the titans!"
Shadis's pale hazel irises were little more than tiny dots against the whites of his eyes. "How wonderful; I'll have you become live bait for them, then."
At that, he grabbed Armin's head and turned him around as he barked, "Third squad; about face!" before moving on.
E-eesh...
Shadis then stepped in front of a young blond boy with slight sideburns and brown eyes. "And who the hell are you?"
The boy snapped into a salute as well and said, "Yessir! My name is Thomas Wagner of the Trost District!"
"Louder, shit-head!" Shadis barked.
"Yessir; I'm Thomas Wagner of the Trost District!" Thomas shouted back.
"I still can't hear you! Go learn how to speak properly in the barracks!"
"He's doing work, apparently."
Two male officers were walking behind the recruits, surveying the trolling- er, drilling. The elder officer had grey hair, glasses and a gentle smile, a ladybug-like Pokemon with four arms and white gloves balled into fists hovering by him. The other with pale brown hair and eyes with a slight frown, and a white and pale brown striped badger-like Pokemon walking by him as well.
"You had to go through such a thing when you first joined the military, right?"
"It sure brings back memories," the younger agreed, a tiny smile working on his features as Shadis addressed a girl with black hair in long pigtails and dark grey, almost blue, eyes.
"M-my name is Mina Carolina of th-"
"No, you're not!" Shadis barked in her face. "You're from a sty and even worse than livestock!"
"Yessir!" Mina all but shrieked back. "Worse than livestock!"
"Wrong! I will tell you what you are and aren't!"
"Still, what is he trying to prove by humiliating them in such a way?" the younger asked.
In order to crush the memories of who these children were and mold them into soldiers from the ground up, the Ledian said solemnly, so they will be able to face the challenges ahead, regardless of where they end up.
"In short, a rite of passage," the grey-haired officer said.
"Who the hell are you?!" Shadis barked at a boy with dark brown hair and determined brown eyes.
"My name is Samuel Linke-Jackson-"
"That's a an idiot's name! Scram! Why the hell are you even here?!" Shadis cut him off.
"However harsh, this is a necessary part on the map he's drawn out for them."
"To devote myself to the future of humanity!" Samuel shouted back.
"Fourth squad, about face!"
The brown-haired officer blinked as he continued to survey the scene. "There are some that he's just passing by without a word."
To prove his words, Shadis marched right past Eren and the same blonde girl that he had seen the day after Wall Maria fell, accepting food.
It's their eyes, the Linoone remarked. They're different from the others.
"You've seen them too, I see," the grey haired officer acknowledged. "Those children have already gone through their own rite of passage. I'm willing to bet they've gone through their own hells and back again two years ago."
Shadis marched past Mikasa, a stocky blond with amber eyes and a tall boy with onyx black hair and green eyes. The grey-haired officer set a hand on the brunet's shoulder. "I think we're done here."
"Right..."
"Who the hell are you?!" Shadis barked, his target an ash-grey haired boy with darker hair underneath and light brown eyes.
"Jean Kirstein of Trost!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Jean smiled confidently at the question. "To join the Military Police and reside in the inner walls."
Eren's eyes flitted over in the other's direction, his expression unchanging.
"I see; so you want to reside in Wall Sina then?"
Jean seemed to brighten for some odd reason. "Yes sir-"
Shadis's head connected with Jean's, sending him onto his knees as he gripped his cranium, a raspy groan of pain in his throat.
"Who the hell told you to get on the ground?!" Shadis bellowed. "How do you expect to join the Military Police if that's all it takes to get you on your fucking knees?!"
Tsk...
"You!" Shadis barked at the next cadet, a brown haired boy with freckles and wide, all too innocent brown eyes. "Who the hell are you and what did you come here for?!"
"Marco Bott of Jinae of Rose!" Marco said back, a smile on his face. "I came here to join the Military Police and give myself for the king's sake!"
"Is that so? Good man; quite the noble objective. But remember..."
At that, Shadis loomed over Marco with a look that would send a Steelix slithering in the opposite direction for dear life. "The king doesn't want you."
Marco shivered but kept his face mostly composed before Shadis moved onto a boy with a shaved head and golden brown eyes. "You! Who the hell are you?!"
"Connie Springer of Ragoko!" Connie said, saluting sharply, albeit with his left and right hands in the wrong positions, prompting Shadis to grab his by the head, stretch his eyelids out and lift him off the ground by a good half a foot.
"Listen up, Connie Springer, because I believe you were told this before!" Shadis barked. "That salute means you offer your heart to the king! Is your heart on the right side of your chest?! Answer me-"
Whatever Shadis was going to say next was cut off as he became aware of the sound of... chewing. His eyes flitted over to a girl with her red hair pulled back in a ponytail and amber eyes, eating a potato.
"You. What the hell are you doing?" Shadis asked, his voice deadly soft as he stood over her.
The girl didn't reply but kept eating the potato and avoiding all eye-contact with anyone as the amber orbs darted to and fro.
"YOU! I'M TALKING TO YOU, WISE-ASS!" Shadis roared in the girl's face who, to her credit, didn't flinch or shriek in fear but kept right on chewing her mouthful. "JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"
The girl then swallowed deftly, swiftly saluted in a sharp manner and barked back, "Sasha Blouse of Dauper of Rose- reporting for duty, sir!"
"Sasha Blouse," Shadis stated, his voice back to it's previous tone, "what are you holding in your right hand?"
"A boiled potato sir!" Sasha answered. "I saw it lying in the kitchen!"
"Did you steal that potato? Why?" Shadis asked. "Why would you choose to eat that here and now?"
"Boiled potatoes are best eaten when they're still hot," Sasha replied. "That's why I had to eat it here, or else it'd get cold and it'd be a terrible waste."
"Such reasoning is beyond me. Why are you eating that potato?"
Sasha looked surprised and a little concerned at that. "Do you mean 'why do I eat a potato in general', sir?"
By now, all of the cadets were staring at the scene with incredulous expressions, all convinced that Sasha Blouse had just signed her own death warrant. Then, a look of understanding crossed the girl's face and she broke the potato into two parts and offered the much smaller piece to Shadis.
"Here, you can have half, sir," she said in a solemn tone.
Shadis just stared at her as he looked at the piece. "'Half'?"
Sasha nodded, a smile on her face.
The Pokemon had all been gathered in the center-most area, led by Andreas. They were standing before several barracks with low doors and windows. One was a mess hall, and the rest were sleeping quarters.
"This is where you all will be staying for the next three years!" the bald man addressed them. "There are some very simple rules here and should you break them, the consequences can cost you your life!"
"Firstly, you will not wander from this area; this is sanctioned off into different living arrangements for a reason! It's to minimize fights and make sure that no one dies of exposure!"
"Secondly, you will not fight among yourselves for whatever the reason unless in training! Regardless of your feelings toward another, you're all comrades until your partner decides otherwise!"
"Third, you will NOT damage any property unless in training and that is restricted to targets, dummies and rings! Our budget is strained enough as it is and we can't afford to replace most of our more valuable items!"
"Am I understood?!"
The Pokemon all let out a chorus of shouts of understanding. Andreas nodded back stiffly before barking back, "You will come to the center-most training area at 0500 and not a minute later! Or else the consequences will be dire..."
The bald man let the ominous warning hang in the air before he stalked off, struggling to hold back a chuckle and Charlie rolled his eyes. After that, the Pokemon began to relax more and talk buzzed about.
"It's finally happening," a Blitzle, Lance, said with an excited tone. "We'll finally have partners!"
"This isn't a a game, you know," a Burmy, Luta, said with a stern look on her face. "We're here to train, not play."
"Aw, lighten up!" a Buizel, Rinslet, drawled as she stretched her arms. "We're already strong enough to protect them and ourselves!"
"Whatever; I just want to get out of this dump," a Flechinder, Gregory, groused.
"Hey, don't say something like that!" an Aipom, Clovis, admonished.
"Still, I wonder what our partners will be like?" a Poliwag, Juno, said quietly.
Becquerel frowned as he examined his leg. Even though it had been two years, it still stung sometimes and badly. As he tried to soothe the red skin, he became aware of a bat-like lavender Pokemon and a light blue lynx-like Pokemon looking at him. "May I help you two?" Becquerel asked, straightening out.
"How did you get that scar?" The Shinx, Cody, asked in awe. "It looks painful!"
"Well... I got it in Zhiganshina."
That prompted nearly every Pokemon, save Tanya and Rillo, to stare at Becquerel in shock.
"You were there when the titans broke through?!" the Noibat, Donnatello, exclaimed.
"Well, not just me," Becquerel almost stammered, "Tanya and Rillo were there as well-"
The Absol knew that it was a mistake letting those words come out as nearly every Pokemon began to crowd around the three of them now. Tanya couldn't help the smile on her face as she watched her friend get hounded by the others. It really didn't help the Absol's case that he was much older than all of the Pokemon there, as she knew from the way they held themselves, some had barely hatched out months ago.
Still, it wasn't every day the normally calm and cool Becquerel ever acted flustered or embarrassed.
As for the Ratatta, Rillo was bouncing up and down to three different Pokemon every thirty seconds, eager and excited to meet who she saw as her friends, besides her Armin-human as she answered their questions of what she saw.
"It was kind of scary, but my Armin-human was really strong and he got us to the boat!" Rillo boasted. "He was really brave!"
Meanwhile, Tanya had noticed two other Pokemon sitting away from the others; an orange canine-like Pokemon and a white little puffball with orange eyes and green leaf-like horns. She approached them with a smile, prompting them both to look up. "Hello," she greeted.
"Hi!" the Growlithe barked kindly.
The Cottonee just scowled irritably before he turned away with a huff. Tanya blinked. "Is he okay?"
"Eh, Matthias is just like that," the Growlithe shrugged. "You're Tanya, right? The Old One called you that before."
"Yes, I am," the Snorunt chuckled. "I heard others call you 'Fisher'."
"Mm-hmm," Fisher, apparently, nodded. "So, your human got you signed up for this as well?"
"Yes, they both did."
Fisher smiled kindly. "I hope we can be friends; I'll try not to burn you."
Tanya chuckled at that.
Becquerel meanwhile, was trying unsuccessfully to navigate away from the Pokemon who crowded him now; A red monkey-like Pokemon along with a pale brown fox/ cat-like Pokemon, a lavender bat/ scorpion like Pokemon with a rather large tongue, a grey worm-like Pokemon with pointed buck teeth and a large head and a blue bat-like Pokemon with no eyes, all crowding him with questions.
"Is it really true you saw the titans?" the Pansear, Chili, asked.
"Well yes, but-"
"Did you kill any?!" the Gligar, Phoebe, exclaimed excitedly.
"No, I was a bit preoccupied-"
"Were you protecting your human?" the Zubat, Terezi, asked.
"Trying to, but-"
"Are they really as tall as houses?" The Scatterbug, Pearl, wondered.
"Some are-"
"What did they look like?"
Becquerel looking in the direction of the calmest voice to see the Mienfoo from earlier, Kouji, regarding him and Rillo both with a curious expression. "Did the two of you see the titans who broke through?"
Becquerel nodded and even Rillo grew serious as they both nodded. "The titan who broke through first, is referred to as the Colossal Titan. It's over fifty meters high, even taller than the outer walls and it was missing much of it's skin, showing only red muscle and it's mouth stretched across the entire length of it's face."
"The other titan had skin like super-tough armor, so it's called the Armored Titan!" Rillo interjected, her eyes wide. "It smashed right through Wall Maria and steam came out of it's mouth!"
The Pokemon stared, awed. Tanya said nothing but frowned. Fisher looked at her with a saddened expression. "I'm sorry about them; we've only ever heard of titans through the humans and how with us, we'll save humanity. How with us, the titan's defeat is inevitable."
Tanya shook her head. "It's fine- but Zhiganshina... holds painful memories for Becquerel and I."
"What about the other titans?" the Eevee, Miko, asked. "What about them? What do they look like?"
Tanya grimaced as Becquerel's eyes widened and he looked like he was going to be sick. Quickly, the Snorunt went to his side and shooed the Pokemon back. They all looked at them with concerned and worried expressions now.
"Hey now..."
At that, the Phanphy from earlier, Jenn, came over to the others. "All of them look the same, you know? They look like humans but bigger and no clothes. They're nothing more than giant hunks of flesh, really. We haven't got anything to worry about! Some of us won't even ever face them!"
A Bronzor, Chrys, nodded, though it looked like it was bobbing up and down. That brought some laughter from the Pokemon at that. Becquerel said nothing, his expression pained. Tanya quickly led him away from the other Pokemon as they eventually turned to their quarters. Rillo looked back at Tanya but shook her head. The Ratatta followed the others a moment later.
"Becquerel-"
"I'm fine," the Absol said in a low tone. "The question just caught me off guard."
Eren swallowed back the food in his mouth.
It was nearing the end of the evening and the trainees were inside the mess hall eating dinner. When the brunet had said he was from Zhiganshina, he had earned a rather large audience as he ate his food, all wanting to know about the titans that got through. It was only when he had been asked about the normal titans that Eren felt bile rise into his throat.
His mother's broken body was draped into it's foul mouth and yellowed teeth snapped down, a gleeful look in it's eyes.
Then, he remembered where he was.
"The truth is," Eren stated after he swallowed the bile back and finished a mouthful of bread, "the titans aren't that strong; they're just dumb muscle in the end. Once we master the 3D maneuvering gear and are assigned our partners, the titans won't stand a chance! This is our chance; our chance to become stronger. My food just went down wrong earlier."
Determination flared in the green orbs as Eren proclaimed, "I'll join the Survey Corps and wipe the titans off the face of the earth! I'll kill every last-"
"What are you, insane or something?"
Eren looked over to the speaker, Jean Kirstein from where he sat across at another table, a smirk on his face. "You say you want to join the Survey Corps?"
"Yeah," Eren said, his gaze hardening. "I remember you saying you wanted to join the Military Police and have an easy life."
"At least I speak my mind," Jean replied coolly. "That's better than acting tough when you're scared shitless."
Eren stood up, a dark expression on his face as he looked at Jean. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" he asked.
"H-hey, come on now..." Samuel began before Jean sighed and got up as well.
As the two boys looked at one another, they could hear the bell signaling the call to bed toll out.
"Look, I'm sorry for offending you; I'm not trying to judge how you think, all right?" Jean said as he offered Eren his hand. "How about we just forget about this- agree to disagree, you know?"
Eren looked at him before he stated, "Yeah sure- we'll do that."
With that, he slapped his palm against Jean's and left the mess hall. Jean watched him leave, a smirk playing on his lips before he noticed who was following him out. It was as if time itself had slowed down as the grey-haired boy beheld the ivory-skinned, raven-haired beauty as she walked by him.
"Hey you!"
The words slipped out by themselves, prompting her to look back at Jean. Pale black stared back into light brown and Jean felt warm all over underneath her gaze as he got out, "I-I don't remember ever seeing you around here."
Her gaze remained flat.
Fuck, real smooth, Jean thought as his face got hotter and stammered out, "S-sorry- it's just, your black hair is really beautiful."
Mikasa stared at him for another second before replying, "Thanks," and left, walking out. Jean watched dumbly before his brain caught up with the rest of him and he rushed out after her into the night, only to see her walking alongside Eren.
"Give me a break!" the brunet gripped irritably.
"You always let your temper get out of hand," Mikasa sighed.
"Not this again...If there's anything you should be worrying about, it's your hair," Eren sighed before he gently flipped a lock of her black hair. "This could get caught in the wires during the 3D gear training and get tangled up; you should get it cut soon."
Mikasa gently fingered the lock he touched. "Okay. How short should I cut it?"
Connie hummed under his breath as walked out of the mess hall and passed Jean, only for the grey-haired boy to suddenly reach out and wipe his hand on the back of his shirt as Connie passed him.
"What the-?!" the boy exclaimed in disbelief as he craned his neck, trying to see the material. "What the hell did you just wipe on my back?!"
"... my faith in humanity," Jean stated, his expression that of stone.
Much later that night, a lone figure stumbled back into the barracks. As pertaining to her orders, Sasha had run and run and run until it was a miracle that she wasn't asleep on her feet.
She hadn't minded the running; back home, she and her father could spend hours at a time hunting for the same beast, so she couldn't complain. What had really upset Sasha was the fact she would get no food that night. But she wasn't thinking about that at the moment, too exhausted.
A moment later, Sasha collapsed onto her face, snoring slightly.
A figure approached the fallen Sasha, gripping two items close to their chest. As if sensing them, Sasha' eyes flew open, a red gleam in them and like a bat out of hell, she shot by the figure, the tailwind causing them to fall onto the ground with a cry.
Sasha shuddered on her hands and the soles of her feet before she became aware of what was in her mouth. "Is this-? Bread!" she shrieked as she pulled it out, hardly daring to believe her own eyes and taste buds.
"I'm sorry but it was all I could get for you..." the figure said, a petite and svelte blonde with kind blue eyes as she held up a water skin. "Though, you should drink this first so the food goes down a bit easier."
Sasha stared in shock before she grabbed her shoulders and cried out, "Are you God?!"
"Eh?"
"You're God, aren't you?!"
"Um-"
"GOOOOOOOOOD!" Sasha shrieked, almost shaking her by the shoulders.
Just then, a rather tall girl with brown hair tied back and olive skin and freckles came out, a bored look on her face. "Oi, what the hell are you two doing out here?"
The two girls turned to face her only for Sasha to grab the bread more firmly and start devouring it.
"She was running this entire time," the blonde said as she let Sasha grab the water skin and take a big gulp before going back to the bread. "So I..."
"I see," the brunette remarked in a bored tone. "I guess you just wanted to do something good, huh?"
The blonde girl flinched at that before Sasha gave a sleepy groan and her face fell onto her lap and began snoring once again, the bread nonexistent and the water skin empty.
"Were you doing it for Potato-Girl's sake, then?" the brunette asked. "Do you really think your effort's worth it?"
The two girls stared back at one another, light blue into golden brown before the brunette sighed and heaved Sasha onto her shoulders. "Whatever; let's put her to bed."
The blonde frowned slightly. "So now you're trying to do something good as well, aren't you?"
"I'm only doing so she'll be in my debt," the brunette said before she smirked. "I have high expectations for her stupidity."
She then loosened one of her hands to hold to the blonde. "Ymir."
The blonde looked surprised before she grasped Ymir's hand. "Krista Lenz."
Sunlight bathed the area. The Pokemon stood to attention, though some of them were barely able to stay awake, Rillo included. She had always gotten up when she pleased and now that she had to follow a sche-du-le, it was weird.
Before them was a long stretch of trees, quarries and water. Gretchen stood before them with Mara along with one of her squad mates, a man with dirty blond hair, pale green eyes and rather homely appearance with a Noctowl, Lyra, by his side.
"As you're aware, to become a soldier you have to have strength, stamina and strong mental fortitude! If you don't have any of these, then you won't be of use here to anyone!" she barked. "This course will test you all! You have ten minutes to complete it; anyone who comes in after that time won't be assigned to the new cadets!"
Rillo felt Butterfrees and Beautiflies alike claw at her belly; she didn't want to be away from her Armin-human, but could she really do something like that?
"As for the Pokemon here who were commissioned by cadets themselves," the blond picked up, "if you want to still be able to be by their sides, then this is your final chance to make it through! If you can't, then another suitable Pokemon will become their partner!"
Becquerel, Tanya, Fisher and Matthias all looked surprised; they had assumed that they would be who had enlisted them no matter what, but now...
"Officer Rivalz Harley and Noctowl Lyra will be timing you all!" Gretchen barked. "They'll know whether you pass or not!"
Rivalz nodded before he stepped carefully onto Lyra's back and the Pokemon flew him over to the other side of the course. The Pokemon all gathered at the front of the course, waiting.
I can't fail; I can't let Grisha down no matter what.
If I lose, then I might never see Mikasa or Eren again. I have to pass this!
Armin...
Fisher and Matthias exchanged glances before they both looked at the course.
Then, Gretchen barked out, "GO!"
With that, the Pokemon shot into the course, a flutter of wings, feet and speed. It was like a race, but against time. They knew what was at stake.
Lance easily grabbed the lead, his hooves thundering against the ground as he shot forward. Clovis and Gregory shot forward but actually slammed into one another before they both scrambled up, half-fighting, half running and flying as they tried to grab the lead while a sweat-dropping Chili and Phoebe shot by them, the Pansear taking the forest route while Phoebe flew/ jumped into the trees.
Miko wriggled through the brush easily thanks to her small size and kept on her feet lightly as she raced through. Her sensitive ears twitched before she jumped up, barely avoiding being trampled on by the larger cadet Pokemon before she quickly changed paths. She knew she wasn't strong enough to fight but that wasn't the main objective for her at the moment.
Jenn huffed and huffed as she struggled to keep up with the other Pokemon before she rolled herself into a ball and crashed herself through the forest, even felling a tree when it got in her way. Kouji let out a startled bark before he quickly pulverized the trunk as it fell toward him, leaving behind only pieces of wood and chips.
"You nearly crushed me, you moron!" he snapped angrily after Jenn, though she didn't hear him. "Augh-!"
Pearl rasped as she rested against a tree. She was using her string-shot to get across the course, but she was growing exhausted. Forcing herself to shake it off, she spat another string out and swung to the next tree before sucking it back and spitting it back onto the next tree like vines.
Rillo scampered up a tree and bounced from one branch to the next as fast as she could. It was just like in the city, only she had jumped from different roofs and pipes. This, she could do easily. Eventually, she came to a high cliff face. Most of the Pokemon there were taking the long way around but she looked about, trying to find where to climb.
She gripped her claws into the rock tightly and started her ascent. She had climbed buildings like this before, using the cracks in the stone or the cement or the overlapping in wood as holds for her claws. Rillo heard a flapping behind her and out of the corner of her eye, saw Donatello and Terezi flying upwards, almost cheeky looks on their faces.
Fisher quickly leaped up and scrambled over a gap in the rocks before continuing on, her nose guiding her on the best paths. She was all too aware of Rinslet behind her. "You know you're supposed to be completing this with your own effort, yes?"
"I am; all I'm doing is following you!" Rinselt replied as she blasted herself into the air with her water to leap onto the ledge above them. "We both know this won't be easy!"
With that, Rinslet leaped into the air and gracefully dived into the man-made pool, a mere orange blur in the blue water as she swam swiftly to the other side. Fisher couldn't help chuckling slightly at the Buizel's form before she continued her trek up the ledge only to barely avoid being hit by Jenn as she rolled by at top speed.
Matthias scowled as he shot through the air as gracefully as a leaf; he was nearly to the end already but it gave him no satisfaction. He never wanted to be here, he never wanted to leave where he and Historia, or "Krista", came from and she never acted like herself anymore-!
As he floated over, Matthias noticed Becquerel running underneath him, just ahead. The scowl deepened.
Becquerel kept his gaze on the path he had taken through the brush. His nose wasn't as sensitive as some, but he could still use his other senses. His leg was starting to become numb but he kept going forward, determined to make it to the end.
Suddenly, he was sent sprawling and Becquerel smashed into the ground, pain lacing up his leg all over again. He looked up in time to see Matthias pass by him with a bounce, a smirk on his face. Becquerel frowned but paid no attention as he tried to get back up, only for his leg to scream in protest, throbbing in pain.
Becquerel growled lowly before he forced himself to run, ignoridng the brush whacking against his face and his paws being cut by rocks; he knew he was close and he wasn't about to lose Eren or Mikasa because of an injury that should have healed long ago!
Donatello, Terezi, and Rillo soon caught sight of the end of the course. The two flying types put in a burst of speed and easily made it. Excited, Rillo scampered across the ground from where she landed and soon made it to the end. Just seconds later, Rinslet burst out of the water and spiraled onto the ground, sending water flying all around as she shook off her pelt. Isabel looked over at Lyra. "Well?"
The Noctowl's eyes glowed brightly as the burgundy-haired man with brown eyes by Rivalz wrote down the notes notes. "All finished in under five minutes; not bad," he reported.
The two flying types finished first thanks to how they navigated through the air- once they evolve, they'll get faster but lose maneuverability, Isabel thought, writing down her observations swiftly. Meanwhile, the Rattata used her small size and experience with climbing to navigate across the terrain through more unorthodox paths- this will be helpful when she evolves, although she'll get bigger, she'll have more strength, endurance and speed to travel farther and faster.
A few seconds later, Lance charged through the forest before he noticed the other Pokemon and a dismayed look crossed his face. "No way- So many already beat me?!"
Blitzle arrived fourth through the forest- if the terrain had been flatter, he definitely would have arrived first, Isabel thought. The fact he was able to get through the forest first speaks a lot not just for his speed but for his eyesight- he doesn't have a scratch on him!
However, he wasn't allowed to finish wallowing in his self-loathing as Gregory and Clovis burst through from the forest in a tangled mess, knocking Lance over as they bit and scratched at each other.
"Who're you calling a bag of hot air, you stupid primate?!" Gregory snapped as he pecked at Clovis's head.
"You, ya stupid chicken!" Clovis retorted, slapping his face with her tail.
"Get off of me- Ow- EEK!" Lance nearly shrieked but neither Pokemon listened to him before his eye was nearly pecked out and Clovis's hand accidentally reached beneath him trying to punch Gregory.
"Hey hey, break it up!" Andreas barked, Charlie quickly yanking the two Pokemon apart with a well-placed punch to their heads. "What part of no in-fighting don't you get?!"
Fletchinder and Aipom already developed hatred for each other- wouldn't recommend putting them together for any team bonding any time soon until they've cooled off a bit, Isabel sweat-dropped. Even so, they both arrived fifth- Fletchinder flew above the trees to get before he went back into the forest for whatever reason while Aipom traversed the brush and trees with the help of her tail that acts as a third hand and her natural agility.
Clovis and Gregory both scowled but turned away from one another. Lance scooted away from them both, looking rather traumatized. About another minute passed before Becquerel made it out, though he didn't stop running and nearly bowled some Pokemon over.
"Okay, you made it out, stop!" Rivalz snapped as the Noctowl steadied him.
Becquerel took in deep breaths as Chili, Cody and Phoebe came in right behind him, all three shouting with triumph. The Ratatta quickly went over the Absol, practically bouncing with glee.
"You did it, you did it!" she squealed happily before giving him as big a hug as she could.
Becquerel couldn't speak, he was still trying to catch his breath. He laid himself on the grass, trying to ease the pain in his leg. Now that he wasn't standing on it, it felt a little more bearable. Rillo noticed and immediately looked concerned for his sake. "Are you okay?"
The Absol gave a low nod.
An Absol- a Pokemon that was once hated for bringing natural disasters before it was revealed they have a sixth sense for predicting disasters from the earth, Isabel thought, intrigued. His leg has an injury that's clearly hurting him yet he was able to get through on what looks like sheer force of will- I wonder what he's fighting for.
She quickly marked the Absol down for visiting their doctors to properly heal the wound.
Another minute later, Miko, Fisher and Jenn burst through the from the long way around the quarry, the first two barely getting out of the Phanphy's way as she barreled through, nearly running Rivalz over before the Noctowl quickly yanked him up by his gear before Charlie shot over to stop the Phanphy.
Suddenly, blue light surrounded Jenn's form and lifted her up, making the Phanphy still as she blinked in confusion. Chrys hovered lazily above the ground, it's psychic power keeping her in view. Rivalz gave a low groan as the Noctowl set him back down.
"Geez," Rivalz grimaced, dusting himself off.
Evee, Growlithe and Phanphy took the quarry path- all three don't seem too injured, Isabel noticed. Still, the Phanphy lacks control of her power but that at least can be dealt with in training. The Bronzong acted before anyone even had a chance- it takes initiative.
Just then, an unfamiliar Pokemon without a military cloak came out; it was grey with a white cloak around it's body with red, yellow and black specks and large eyes with rectangular irises.
"Isn't that...?" Terezi wondered.
Fisher went over to the Spewa and sniffed it. "This is Pearl!"
Andreas came over to Pearl and examined the Spewa closely before turning to the Hitmonchan. "Do you recognize this Pokemon?"
"According to this one," Charlies replied, gesturing to Fisher, "this is the Scatterbug that started with them."
"I see; her cloak must have fallen off somewhere, and bug Pokemon are notorious for evolving incredibly fast," Rivalz realized before grimacing. "Still, this is gonna mean another load of paperwork..."
It's true- some even evolve within the first day of training and reach their final form within the second day, Isabel thought. But how did this one lose her cloak? Could she have cast it off in order to evolve and give herself an early edge?
Rillo looked worried. "Bec, I don't see Tanya; what if she doesn't make it?"
"There's still a good three-to-four minutes left, according to Lyra," Becquerel said glancing back at the Noctowl. "There's still hope."
The time ticked away as the Pokemon waited. Fisher frowned softly, worried for the Snorunt's sake; she didn't know who the human who she talked of was, but she still knew that Tanya cared for her.
Only another minute is left, Isabel thought, looking over the notes she took. There are only a few Pokemon left who haven't made it within the time frame...
Suddenly, she shivered- the air had turned colder for some reason.
"What the hell...?" Rivalz said as he rubbed his arms before Andreas' eyes widened. "On the pond!" he exclaimed.
They all turned to see Tanya's figure shooting across the water as it froze up from the ice she was propelling herself forward with. Then, she made it to land and collapsed in a heap, taking in deep breaths. The ice melted quickly, as it was being used by the Snorunt merely for propulsion and nothing more.
Lyra's eyes stopped glowing and she looked back at Rivalz. "With barely ten seconds to spare."
Rillo let out nothing short of an elated shriek as she pounced onto Tanya, hugging the Snorunt happily. The others began to cheer as well, excited they had passed. Becquerel limped over to her and gently nuzzled his friend with the flat side of his scythe like-horn. "Congratulations."
Fisher bounded over to Tanya's side, beaming. "We're moving on, the both of us! I can't wait to meet your human!"
"And I yours," Tanya smiled.
Isabel gave a smile. Impressive ingenuity from a Pokemon who can't boast much movement-
Her eyes widened as she looked over her other set of notes, and can evolve into another form via dawn stone!
"I do believe we have nothing left to worry about," Becquerel said, smiling. "Mikasa, Armin and especially Eren are determined; they'll definitely pass their tutorials and by this time tomorrow, we'll see them once more."
Becquerel chuckled, his fanged teeth in a grin as he said, "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if Eren was passing with flying colors as we speak!"
"Hey... isn't he the guy who said he'd kill all of the titans?"
Eren sat in his seat with bandages wrapped around his head, almost catatonic as steam rose from his figure. What the hell did he do wrong? Both times he used the 3D maneuvering gear, he ended up hanging upside down, the second time he had smacked his forehead against the dirt, hence the bandages.
"Eren," Mikasa's voice and her iron grip on his shoulder snapped Eren out of his daze.
"Listening to their trash talk won't help you," Armin said gently. "Just focus on getting better tomorrow."
Eren grimaced as he looked at his food. "I'm really pathetic, aren't I? At this rate, I'll never kill them all..."
"Then forget about it."
Eren and Armin both looked at Mikasa as she said that. "What?!"
She turned back to him with a stern look. "Then forget about becoming a soldier. There's more to fighting than throwing your life away and you can still fight against the titans even if you're not in the Survey Corps; just ask any soldier from the Beast Trainers and Outpost Guard."
"Do you really think you can ask me to do that?!" Eren snapped. "Don't tell me you forgot how we all felt that day! Do you really think those words have any meaning to me?!"
"Determination has nothing to do with this."
"Wha- why?!"
"It's not your decision whether or not you become a soldier," Mikasa said sternly. "At this rate, there's no way you'll be able to pass and Becquerel will be partnered with another soldier, and there will be nothing you can do about it."
Eren almost flinched at her words; that was unacceptable. He refused to leave Becquerel behind to some stranger, especially in the condition the Absol was in. What kind of person would he be to do something like that?
"Eren, I'm not saying you have to go to the landfills all by yourself," Mikasa said gently, her expression softer. "If that does happen, I'll get Becquerel and Tanya out myself and all four of us will be together-"
However, Eren had already left and an open-mouthed Sasha was sitting where he was, the mess hall deserted except for those two. "Um... are you gonna eat that?"
"Sorry, but I don't think there's really any secret to balancing. I don't have any advice."
Eren grimaced. He, Armin and two other recruits, Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, were sitting on the same bunk as Eren was trying desperately to get information or some advice on how to properly balance with the gear.
Eren grimaced. "I see..."
"I guess you'll have to bet it all tomorrow," Armin said.
"Um..."
The two boys looked over at Bertolt as he said, "You said you're both from Zhiganshina, right? Then, you know first hand how dangerous the titans are. I don't understand why you two would want to fight them."
Eren and Armin glanced at one another before the blond said, "I'm not like Eren; I didn't haven't seen the terror of the titans with my own eyes. But after seeing the king's ridiculous attempt at retaking the territory, I realized... I can't just sit and do nothing."
"I see..." Reiner said, nodding.
"What about you two? Where are you from?" Eren asked.
Bertolt looked down at that. "Reiner and I came from the same place, a village in the mountains of the Southern part of Wall Maria."
Eren and Armin's eyes widened at that. "You mean-"
"Yeah; word didn't reach us because we were so far away from the river," Bertolt confirmed. "The titans came before the news. It was around dawn when the animals started acting up badly and the Pokemon around us were on edge like we had never seen them before, not to mention the rumbling. Then, I realized that the rumbling was the sound of footsteps. I rushed to open the window and..."
Armin shivered as Bertolt trailed off; he couldn't imagine what the other boys felt to be caught like that. "How did you escape?"
"I don't really remember what happened after I opened the window," he replied. "It was so chaotic."
"Why are you even bringing that up?" Reiner asked with a frown.
"Sorry," the black-haired boy said before addressing the two once more. "What I'm saying is that you two are different from them, those who have never experienced how terrible the titans are."
"Hey..." Reiner said in a low voice, gripping Bertolt's shoulder.
Ash groaned as he stretched out.
It seemed that no matter how many soldiers were under his command, the Beast Trainers were always short on hands when it came time to handle the Pokemon they were training. Even he had to come out to help, not that he minded. One of the reasons he was chosen as the commander was that he knew how to interact with Pokemon.
A knock came to his office. "Come in."
Ash glanced back as Andreas and Isabel entered. "Nearly all of them passed," the red-haired researcher reported, handing him her notes. "Many of them being Pokemon who would be at a disadvantage or being too slow or too weak. One even evolved during the course; from a Scatterbug to a Spewa."
Evolving certain Pokemon was all right; some simply couldn't serve humanity without evolving, like several bug and normal types. But for stronger Pokemon, they had to get express permission from Darius Zackly, and for some especially strong Pokemon, the king himself. This was becoming increasingly common as they had found new Pokemon species in the past decade and the Beast Trainers were still trying to document them.
That was why even though Pokemon didn't have to wear clothing, they were given the military shawls; the collars were imbued with crushed rocks called everstones, which halted a Pokemon's evolution until given permission. Thankfully, Ash wouldn't have to nearly suffer an aneurysm for the paperwork that he would have to do for this.
"We filled out the rest of the report for you right here," Andreas said as he handed his own report to Ash.
"Thank you," he said, nodding.
"Ash," the gigantic bald man said with a concerned look, "you're not looking very well."
The one-eyed man frowned before he sighed. "Is it really that noticeable?"
Indeed, at least for Andreas, Isabel and pretty much every Beast Trainer soldier. Ever since Wall Maria fell, they saw their commanding officer slowly but surely change. The circles underneath his eye deepened, he became quieter and more subdued, his movements almost mechanical and he would go entire days without eating or drinking or resting. He would still join his subordinates in handling the Pokemon and get his paperwork in properly, but it was taking a terrible toll on him.
"All three of us know you're the commander; you don't have to come into the field and you can focus on more important matters," Isabel said, her expression almost pleading.
"We don't have enough hands."
"Sir, we're the Beast Trainers; we never have enough hands," Andreas deadpanned as his lips twitched.
The brunet shook his head. "I can manage both my duties as a commander and a member of the Beast Trainers. It's all right."
The two officers looked over at each other but realized that it wasn't much use. "Sir, can you please tell me what's going on with the Outpost Guard, sir?" Isabel asked after a few seconds.
The Beast Trainer commander repressed a sigh as best as he could before he rubbed his face slightly. What was left of the right side of his face was starting to itch.
"It's all they can do to keep it from being scrapped," he said. "Erwin and Monika are proposing a new plan to take back territory, but ever since the Colossal and Armored Titans showed up, people are more wary of facing the titans in any way, shape or form."
He gave a tired groan. "I said I'd help Monika with maintaining the Outpost Guard with the way things are-"
However, whatever Ash was going to say next was cut off as his left arm spasmed as he tried to sign off some paperwork and he gasped in pain. A moment later, his right face began to throb as well, sending him into doubled agony. The bald captain quickly went over to the desk and pulled a small jar of salve before gripping Ash's arm.
"No, it's- fu- it's fine, I can-" Ash rasped, trying to pull away, only for Andreas to tighten her grip and look him in the eyes.
"Stop acting stupid, Ash," he said, his voice stern but pleading.
The Beast Trainer commander grimaced and finally relented and Isabel took off his jacket, revealing his bare arms against the turtleneck tank top that had had wire-spiraled scars all down the length of his arm. Andreas then took out a glob of the slave and began to apply it to the scars carefully. After that was done, Isabel undid the cloth around Ash's eye, revealing the scarred skin, the indent in the head and white-dead eye beneath before she set the salve on it as well.
Ash's jaw clenched, frustration bubbling in his chest.
Dammit... Dammit!
"Most of the people join the military to protect their social status, since people call those who go to work in the factories 'cowards'. But I'm not that different from them either; the whole reason I joined the military was so I could have the chance to live in the inner city. If I can't achieve that, I might throw away everything. I'm just not strong enough."
"There's nothing wrong with treasuring your life, Bertolt; I think it's commendable because it means you have something you want to live for, even if it's yourself."
"All I want... is to return to my old village; that's all that matters to me. I'll do it, no matter what."
Why did you join?"
"I... I believed that I have to erase every titan myself, no matter what. That I could annihilate them once and for all!"
"So you've never panicked when confronting a titan?"
"Yeah, but I'll worry about that after I finish worrying about becoming a soldier."
"That's right; you're one of the cadets that enlisted your own Pokemon, right?"
"Yeah- Becquerel. I don't want to leave him with some stranger, or disappoint him; he used to be my dad's partner."
"I get it; all the more reason for you to make it through the test."
"Let's start by adjusting the belts for tomorrow. I believe in you, and I know you'll reunite with Becquerel soon. Eren Jaeger, right?"
"Yeah, thanks. And you're Reiner Braun, right?"
"Eren Jaeger, are you ready?" Shadis said to him.
"Yessir!"
The conversation and the walk to the lake was still fresh in Eren's mind as he looked up at the 3D maneuvering gear machine before him. This was his last chance; if he couldn't pass now, he would never become a soldier and Becquerel...
I'll do it- no, I have to do it! So what if I don't have the talent? I have more determination here than anyone else!
"Begin!"
Eren felt the wires holding his harness start to be pulled upwards until not even his toes were touching the ground.
Fuck the theory, I don't care. It's all I've got; this is my weapon!
He was doing it. The one recruit who ended up upside down yesterday was now balancing perfectly. The trainees were both surprised and amazed he had done it. Eren couldn't help the grin on his face. He did it! He really-
The next moment, Eren's world turned upside down and he fell backwards. Wha- how did-?!
"No!" he gasped out, trying desperately to right himself. "I can still-"
"Let him down," Shadis stated.
Eren couldn't believe it; was this really it? Was this where it was all going to end before it began?
Becquerel-!
"Wagner," Shadis addressed the blond, "give Jaeger your belt."
"Yessir!" Thomas responded and took it off before handing it to Eren.
The brunet fitted it on and the wires were re-attached. As it was pulled up again, Eren was shocked to see he could easily keep his balance with this gear instead of his own. It felt smoother, and much more controllable.
"Your equipment was faulty," Shadis explained. "The metal fittings had rusted over. Though, I've never seen this part rust over before. We'll need to add this to the list of items to be fixed."
"You mean... he's been using broken gear since yesterday?" Samuel realized.
"Amazing," Franz, another trainee said with awe.
"S-so, what's the verdict?" Eren asked, hardly daring to believe his ears.
"You're good to go," Shadis replied. "Train hard, Eren Jaeger."
Eren didn't think he could have felt lighter than with the gear but now, he felt like he was flying as he let out a triumphant whoop and punched his fists into the air. "Hell yeah, I did it!"
He looked back at the ravenette with an exuberant smile. Did you see, Mikasa? I really can do it! I can fight the titans and I won't have to depend on you anymore!
"Wow, he's really happy, huh," Sasha remarked to Mikasa.
"Yes," she agreed in a soft voice. "He's happy we don't have to be separated."
Grisha, Shadis thought as he watched Eren's lit up face, as of this day, your son is a soldier.
The 104th cadets stood to attention outside the Pokemon training area. Isabel smiled at them kindly, Kaizen perched on her shoulder this time. Many of the cadets couldn't help but feel at ease in her presence.
Here we go, she thought taking a deep breath before greeting them, "I'm the head of the researchers of the Beast Trainers, Isabel Magnolia. As you all know, you're here to find the Pokemon partner who you will be with when you graduate."
With that, the gates were opened and they filed inside. The inside was simply enormous and stretched for a good few miles. Trees, hills, caves, ponds and quarries littered the area. Along the way were various obstacles; hoops hanging from trees or rocks, targets set up. However, the trainees weren't paying too much attention to those details, considering the sights that commanded their attention.
Shouts rang in the air, along with several cried and roars and screeches. Beast Trainers seemed to be everywhere at once, either training Pokemon or trying to calm them down or trying to break up a fight with the assistance of their partner. A ways away, a column of fire went up behind a quarry. A blue crackling shone from the trees. A flying Pokemon shot up into the sky with a soldier still clinging onto its' back.
The cadets stared, dumbfounded at the barely but carefully controlled chaos.
"As you can see," Isabel yelled over the noise as they she guided them through the chaos, "the Beast Trainers are the ones who train Pokemon for their future partners, regardless of what faction their human chooses!"
Did she seriously just refer to us as a "Pokemon's human"?! several of the trainees thought incredulously.
"The way a Pokemon and a cadet are matched up depend on their combat abilities and how well they can synchronize with one another," Isabel went on as they passed a few Trainers trying to break up a fight between a Graveler and a Zangoose, "since these'll be your partners until the day one or both of you dies!"
"Gee, that's cheerful," Jean muttered.
As they traveled deeper and deeper into the center, Eren began to notice something rather odd. "Why are the Pokemon so strong over here?"
"Looks like you noticed Commander Vantas's newest system," Isabel said. "We keep the stronger Pokemon near to the center of the compound because they tend to usually fight among the other Pokemon. We grouped them up here in the center so they wouldn't hurt the others."
Eventually, they came to the center-most area where the Pokemon waited. Isabel took out a slip of paper. "Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Marco Bott, Eren Jaeger and Krista Lenz, step to the side; your partners will be out soon to see you."
The five nodded and walked over to Isabel's side, much to the other trainee's surprise. "When did they get their partners?!" Connie exclaimed.
"These five enlisted their own partners; they don't need to be evaluated on their compatibility," the red-haired captain explained.
This surprised them further; it was next to impossible to "own" a Pokemon outside of the military, besides those who healed or studied them and even nobles had a difficult time owning even a weak Pokemon. The creatures chose who they would be with, making it all the more difficult.
A few minutes later, Rivalz, Lyra, Gretchen and Mara led with Pokemon out to the trainees, Becquerel, Tanya, Rillo, Fisher and Matthias waved to the side. Rillo all but leaped into Armin's arms, nearly knocking him over as she hugged him happily. Mikasa's face softened as Tanya gently touched their foreheads together. Eren meanwhile, waved over to the Absol before giving him a triumphant grin and Becquerel smiled back broadly before the brunet laid a soothing hand on the white pelt, petting it. Marco beamed as Fisher barked happily and licked his face when he knelt down to her level. Matthias's scowl didn't lessen as Krista gently patted his cotton fluff hair affectionately but his face seemed to have grown slightly red.
Jean couldn't help staring in disbelief and feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy as he looked at the Absol Eren petted happily. "How in God's name did that Eren get a hold of a Pokemon like that?" he wondered.
"Now then!"
Isabel got onto her knees in front of one of the new Pokemon, a brown Pokemon that looked like a rock with two muscled arms- Geodude. "You have to approach them slowly so not to startle them or make them attack," she instructed.
She then held out her hands with the palm up. "By holding your hand like this, you're showing them you mean no harm- you can't hold weapons and it isn't in the shape of a fist either."
She demonstrated this to the Geodude, who eyed her for a minute before going forward and bopping her hand with it's fist. "This is one of the ways that Pokemon they're willing to give you their trust. For the ones who aren't bipedal, they'll often use their heads, horns, ears, or other appendages to make contact."
The next moment, the Geodude suddenly shot up and headbutted her rather hard. The trainees winced in surprise, but Isabel simply grinned as a bruise formed on her forehead as she said, "For stronger or hardy Pokemon, that's a sign of affection," she said, "although it can also easily be a sign of irritation."
Isabel stood up as her Pikachu partner climbed skillfully onto her shoulder as her expression became more serious. "You aren't the only ones who are choosing today; these Pokemon choose to give you their power of their own free will and they decide if you deserve it or not! But if either of you cannot prove yourselves to one another by the end of these three years, then there's no way for the two of you to stay partners and you or they will be assigned a new partner. for the next month, those of you who haven't enlisted their own partners' will go through a single month trial to test the compatibility between yourself and your partner- if in that time you cannot get along properly, you will be assigned a new partner!"
With that, she stood to the side with Andreas and Gretchen. "Now then, go to it!"
The cadets and Pokemon stared at one another rather awkwardly. After a few seconds though, Ymir of all people strode forward and towards the Pokemon before kneeling down in front of Terezi. "Lucky you," she remarked casually. "You don't have see what a dump you live in."
Andreas's eyebrow twitched.
Terezi cracked a grin before she flew up and batted Ymir's hand beginning to outstretch with her head and the brunette couldn't help grinning back. This broke the tension and human and Pokemon began to mingle. Jean felt rather awkward now, standing so high above the Pokemon; could these tiny creatures really be so powerful? All he had seen of them were the Garrison Pokemon and the majority of them were barely taller than his waist.
Just then, he felt something brush against his leg. Jean glanced down to see Miko bump into him before she looked up. A moment later, she smiled in a friendly manner at him. Before he quite knew what he was doing, Jean knelt in front of the Eevee. Miko continued to look at him expectantly before the ash-haired boy murmured, "Are you really that powerful?"
Miko didn't reply but instead regarded him with a kind look.
Connie meanwhile was trying to find a Pokemon that wasn't already being talked to or taken, but he was running out of luck rather quickly. He just really hoped that he wouldn't have a completely lame partner- he had seen members of his village with com-mons, as extremely common Pokemon were referred to before the choices in Pokemon became more varied six years back.
Just then, cold water was shot directly into face and soaking his entire head. Connie sputtered and coughed before he regained his breath and nearly bellowed out, "Who the hell-?!"
He heard a snickering and he looked down and around before spotting Rinslet standing behind him. Connie stared at the Buizel incredulously before she bounded up to him and grabbed his hand with a grin before bopping it with her head. The boy sweat-dropped, realizing that the Pokemon just picked him. "Well..." he got out weakly.
Rinslet's grin widened.
Sasha couldn't believe she was really going to get a Pokemon but here she was! Her father had told her repeatedly not to ever hunt Pokemon, as they weren't just common animals, but creature that were as aware as humans were.
As she wandered around, Sasha noticed one of the Pokemon standing away to the side. She walked over to it slowly like Isabel had shown them. It was Donatello, looking rather nervous and even more so as he saw Sasha approaching him. She knelt down before him and held her hand out. "Hi... I'm Sasha, it's nice to meet you..."
The Noibat's nostrils flared as he sniffed at her hand before beginning to lick it, causing Sasha to giggle at the sensation of the rough tongue, so similar to a cat's. A moment later, she realized just why he was licking it and held up a finger to Donatello before she reached into her jacket pocket secretly and drew out a small cooked onion piece she had saved from breakfast. Donatello cocked his head at it before he took it from her with his tiny fingers and nibbled on it. The red-haired girl smiled happily.
Annie, Reiner and Bertolt stayed rather close to one another as they looked around. All three of them knew that this was a critical time; whoever became their partner here, would become a warrior as they were. As Reiner scanned the Pokemon, he heard a scuffle and he turned in time to see Annie block Kouji's blow when she accidentally bumped into him. The two regarded the other carefully before Kouji withdrew from his attack and offered his paw to Annie. She looked back at the paw before her hand came out and shook it.
On his other side, he saw Bertolt and Chrys looking at one another, and the air around them was incredibly awkward.
"So... do you want to be partners?" Bertolt asked rather lamely.
Chrys said nothing but hovered over to Bertolt's head. Reiner smiled slightly; those two had found perfect matches. At this point, Reiner noticed that there were less and less Pokemon left alone. He would have to find a partner and fast. Then, he saw Jenn standing away from the other Pokemon, looking downcast as she had tried to approach others but was being ignored.
Reiner felt pity for her and he walked over to her and knelt down, offering the Phanphy his hand. Her eyes widened as she looked at him with hope in her dark brown eyes and Reiner smiled to her kindly. He was a little startled to see tears in the orbs before Jenn's trunk smacked against his hand and she let out a happy trumpet.
Meanwhile, Franz and Clovis smiled at one another from where the human was kneeling. "It's really nice to meet you; I promise to be a good partner."
As he got up, he accidentally bumped into another trainer but quickly steadied her out. "I'm so sorry!" the girl got out, giggling slightly, "I was just really happy I found my... partner..."
The two cadets stared at one another, suddenly lost to the world around them. Clovis blinked before she noticed Gregory by the girl's side and scowled. Gregory returned the look.
"I-I'm Hannah; it's nice to meet you," the girl said, offering her hand to Franz.
"F-Franze; you too," he said, shaking Hannah's hand.
The two Pokemon stared incredulously at this before back at one another and then back at the two humans.
"Are you serious?! No!" Gregory squawked, flapping incredulously.
"Oh come on! Why?!" Clovis cried, her tiny paws raised to the sky.
Around, the others were slowly but surely meeting their partners and their bonds began to grow; Thomas and Juno had grown friendly rather quickly, Daz and Chili were slowly beginning to see eye-to-eye with one another by the man talking about his family, Mylius and Luta easily got along in the first minute they met, Nac and Phoebe bonded rather quickly as both were eager to become soldiers, Pearl was now nestled in Mina's lap comfortably, Tom and Lance got along surprisingly well and unsurprisingly Samuel and Cody were both drawn by the other's spirit.
I never doubted your abilities for even a moment, Becquerel said to Eren as the brunet scratched his back. I knew you'd have no trouble getting here.
"I already knew you wouldn't have any trouble either," Eren said with a grin.
I can't tell him about that, ever, the brunet thought, remembering yesterday.