"Eren!" Armin called, seeing his friend for the first time that morning after the raid. When the boy didn't respond, Armin called again "Eren!"

Eren looked pretty distracted as he walked almost aimlessly. He was trying to get to the Grand Hall with the intent of finding some breakfast but he was clearly preoccupied with something.

"Is something wrong with him?" Mikasa asked as they watched him stumble into the hall and disappear from view.

"Come on," Armin encouraged and they followed him in.

Looking around, Armin and Mikasa found Eren in a rather secluded spot away from the slightly more crowded area near the centre fireplace. He had managed to grab a loaf of bread but the food simply lay in his hands, uneaten.

"You go talk to him," Mikasa said, pushing Armin in Eren's direction.

"Huh? But what about you?"

"I'm going to get ready for dragon training,"

Armin stared in disbelief, "But… It's not 'til next week!"

Mikasa had walked to the hall entrance and her hand was already on the door, "Exactly. I need to get stronger if I am to help protect Eren in future battles." And without another word, Mikasa left.

"… I don't understand her sometimes…" Armin muttered, rubbing the back of his head and made his way over to his friend.

"Hey," Armin greeted Eren as he sat down beside him. There wasn't even a grunt in reply, "Eren, is there something wrong?"

After the continuous silence and Eren just staring at his food, Armin gave his shoulder a squeeze and a shake.

"Huh? What?" Eren snapped out of his trance, "Yeah… Yeah-no, nothing's wrong…"

Armin's brows furrowed but he didn't press the matter. If Eren wanted to discuss his problems with Armin then he would let him in his own time.

In his head, Eren was arguing if he should tell Armin everything or anything… Or nothing.

Maybe I should tell him…? Eren pondered. I'll give it a minute and see…

Armin cleared his throat and changed topics in hopes of taking Eren's mind off things, "Well, you weren't here for the meeting but I've got something to tell you that you will really love!"

"Hm?"

Armin continued, babbling with excitement for his friend, "Commander Erwin has announced dragon training for the cadets next week! And the top trainee gets to kill a dragon at the end of the course to prove they are ready to join the Wings of Freedom!"

Ohhhh shit, I should have gone first! Eren internally panicked.

He began to ramble, "Y-you know, Armin, maybe Jean is right, and I really am not cut out to be a dragon killer and join the Wings of Freedom,"

Armin was stunned, "Wha-?" But Eren cut him off.

"I mean, sure I always dreamed of joining them and sometimes I feel like it was the whole reason I was born, but, I don't think there are enough… Dragonologists like Hanji or… Maybe I could stick to something more low key like… Sheep herding or… Or…"

"Eren, do you hear yourself?"

Eren sighed, "There's a problem… I want to tell you about…"

Armin said nothing and waited patiently for his friend.

"But not yet…"

Armin took Eren's bread and began to break it for him, "Take your time. I'll always be here for you. In the meantime, you have to come to dragon training, the leaders, Hanji and Levi are expecting you probably the most."

Eren sighed and began to eat his late breakfast.

"Oh, and uhm, the Wings of Freedom and all the Squads are leaving for a final expedition... So we're on duty until they get back." Armin added.

"… I canf khill dwagonsh…" Eren mumbled with his mouth full of bread.

"Pardon?" Armin asked, but Eren only shook his head, dropping it.

Armin was really concerned for his friend. He had never seen him so apprehensive to join in on anything that involved fighting for humanity, and he looked ever so troubled since he got back. Armin wondered if something bad had happened when he went to look for that Lethal Falka. Armin tried not to overthink the matter, but it was hard. Still, he remained silent for Eren and waited patiently to be an open ear for him.

The week seemed to fly past and Eren was still keeping his problems bottled up inside. He was grateful for Armin giving him space and for keeping Mikasa off his case… When he was around, that is. For the whole week, Mikasa had been nagging him to tell her what was wrong, trying to get him to spill, but this only pissed the boy off and made him more secluded and more precious about his problems. Armin reasoned with Mikasa that Eren just needed space and time, a concept that Mikasa seemed to struggle to understand. A week with no seniors put the town guardians on edge, but fortunately, there were no attacks during their time away. On the eve of the dragon training course, a single ship returned harboring the Squad Leader Hanji, Officer Shardis and Captain Levi. They had returned early so as to start the dragon training for the trainees.

"It probably explains why Commander Erwin took all the other seniors with him," Armin said when they returned; "I'm surprised he even let the leaders return at all, considering he wants to destroy the nest completely in this expedition."

"I don't understand our leader sometimes," Eren muttered.

Unfortunately for Eren, the fact that the week seemed to go past quickly meant that dragon training was suddenly upon him and he was far from ready. His sleep was broken the night before which left him both exhausted and jumpy. Just like every other morning, the trainees woke early, quickly dressed themselves and had breakfast in the Grand Hall. Except for Eren, he struggled to eat anything.

"Godammit, Eren, if you don't eat your food now, Sasha is going to steal it." Mikasa scolded him.

Eren was used to her mother-like attacks and simply ignored her.

After breakfast, the cadets all equipped themselves in their battle gear and made their way to the training forest. The forest was directly behind the town, a few hundred feet from the edge of the last houses. It was massive; colossal eighty metre trees stretching for miles across the island. Different areas were used for different training exercises such as titan training, fitness training, teamwork challenges, missions and of course, dragon training. Within the forest were not only trees but also a large clearing. This clearing was ringed with a tall and thick wooden fence and the entire area was enclosed in a wire net which stretched all the way up to the top of the trees. The ground was also heavily dotted with tall posts for soldiers to swing from, with a few bare areas. The arena had a diameter of about seventy metres and gave plenty of space for training. On both the outside and inside of the ring, platforms were stationed for spectators and trainers to watch everything from a great vantage point. Though this all seemed very fancy and clearly had a lot of hard work put into it, the real impressive construction was the wire net the humans had erected around the entire dragon training section of the forest. This went around for a couple of miles and was more like a sanctuary to prevent the dragons they kept from escaping at all. It really felt like fighting in a natural environment when the dragons were released and the soldiers had to rely on their skills, knowledge and even senses so as not to get critically wounded. Hanji thought that the arena and training field were great and all but did wish that some labor of love would go into the studies of dragons rather than the simple extermination of them.

And the facilities didn't end there. Conjoined with the wooden walls that build the smaller arena were fortified stables in which the captured dragons were kept. The wood was far too thick and tough for their talons to do much damage to (though clear scars were evident, and splinters littered the floor) as well as the wires which barred them from the sky. The doors to these separated stable blocks opened up into the smaller arena where the dragons could be released instantaneously and were in a long row along the wooden wall.

Around thirty students stood outside the arena gates, buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Cadets checked and rechecked their gear and others chatted animatedly about how well they expected to rank at the end of the course.

Eren could feel his body quivering slightly and sweat forming on his back. He wasn't scared of the dragons per se; more like if the dragons made him look like a fool in front of everyone else.

"Just do what you do best, Eren," Mikasa encouraged.

"She's right, Eren," Armin piped in, "if you just apply all the knowledge you have, you'll be fine." He hadn't forgotten about Eren's little phase last week and he was now getting worried for him.

As for Eren, whenever he wasn't thinking about training, his mind constantly wandered back to that Falka. He wondered if it was still on the island, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Then again, it probably just wanted to go home back to its nest. But what if it was vengeful? What if it really was waiting? Waiting for the perfect moment to attack and slit his throat with those terrible talons?

Eren was nudged back into reality by Armin and saw that the gates had opened and the students were filing in. Inside, after taking in the amazing view of the arena from the ground level, the cadets lined themselves in position before their three leaders and saluted. The cadets were spread thin and despite the numbers, there was still plenty of room for even two more dragons to be added. Of course, chaos would ensue, but there was still plenty of space to get away.

"Let's get started," Shardis shouted, stepping forward and taking the spotlight, "Captain Levi, Squad Leader Hanji and I will be taking your training for the next few weeks during this course. We each specialize in different aspects of dragon fighting, and you will be taking two lessons every day. This will allow a rotation system where the training activities will change each day. This is so you will still have time to attend your other training, studies and duties." Shardis paused to let that all sink in.

"The training with me," he continued, "will be basic training within the small arena. This will be dealing with up to two dragons in an enclosed space where you will have to alternate between solo and teamwork to complete the set tasks and become familiar with the different dragon types in a safer environment."

"'Safer'?" Armin squeaked quietly.

"Oh, god," Eren sighed.

"I shall now let the other leaders introduce what their training consists of." Shardis announced and stepped back.

Captain Levi was the next to stand forward. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here and scowled at the young cadets that lined up before him.

"As second in command of the Wings of Freedom, it is my duty to teach you brats how to handle dragons in a much more challenging environment."

Eren blinked, now interested.

"With me, you will be working outside of the small arena and in the open facility where the environment is much more open and natural." His eyes glinted morbidly for a second, "It is also where the dragons will have an upper hand. So you better pay attention to everything I have to say, is that clear?"

"Hai!" The trainees chorused.

"Solo and teamwork will both be involved to test you as a soldier and a guardian of Isle Maria." Levi finished and stepped back to allow Hanji to talk.

"Hi there, fellow soldiers!" The loud and happy Squad Leader shouted, their excitement almost visibly coming off them in waves, "I am going to be working on a more theory based education rather than practical, where we will be closely studying and researching the beasts so you can learn everything there is to know about them!"

Though everyone was silent and blank, the dread was evident.

"That means getting up close and personal," Hanji winked then continued, "and also means that there will be homework after every theory lesson to hand in!"

If the cadets could moan in despair, they would have. Luckily, they valued their skin on their bodies more than expressing their opinions.

Hanji stepped back and Shardis took over once again.

"Over the next few weeks, you will be studying the different types of dragons;" he began to walk along the walls of the arena where the stable doors were located. As he did so, Hanji and Levi launched their 3D Manoeuvre Gear and stationed themselves on platforms high above the cadets. Shardis began to name the dragons behind the heavy doors as he passed them, "The Laurel, the Raufen, the Deadly Evonna, both the Incit and Pernix Navita… and the Velx." Shardis finally stopped beside the door that apparently held the Velx.

"Sir!" Someone shouted within the crowd of trainees.

From the corner of his eye, Eren could see that it was Jean who had called out and had his hand up. Shardis nodded his consent for the boy to speak.

"Jaeger already killed a Lethal Falka, so… Does that disqualify him?"

A ripple of laughter and snickers rose from the formation as Jean's mean jab amused them. Jean's humour also caused some fellow cadets like Connie and Sasha to almost burst into full blown laughter.

As for Eren Jaeger, he was blushing furiously while staring intently into the ground. How he wanted for a dragon to swoop down right now and take him away, but not before leaving a bloody parting gift on Jean's face.

"Careful, Kirstein," Shardis warned, placing his hand on the lever that would open the stable door, "that might be the last thing you ever say."

Seeing Shardis so casually move to release a dragon right now, Jean had another outburst, "Wait, wait! Aren't you going to teach us anything first?"

He was answered by Hanji who shouted down to them, "We believe in learning on the job!"

With a smirk, Shardis pulled the lever down and the doors burst open to reveal the slender Velx behind. In an instant, the dragon spread its long wings and leaped into the air, already in take-off. The cadets had seconds to move out of the way and get airborne themselves before they were dive-bombed and struck by the dragon. Already, the arena was in chaos, gas hissing like bombs, wires firing and whirling and hearts hammering in chests. There was no time to rest, even in the huge space as the Velx could clearly see who was lagging and was fast enough to get over there in seconds. This Velx was a soft light brown in colour, with dark and pale brown markings on its wings, dark feet and a pale underbelly.

"Velxes are clearly thin and light with pointed wings that flick out at a fast rate." Shardis educated the cadets, his voice booming out. He too, was using his gear to follow the dragon to see how the students reacted near it, "What are its classes?"

"Speed and stealth?" Jean called, seeing if staying close to the ground worked.

"No! Speed and agility!" Armin corrected him pulling off a rushed but successful flip to avoid an attack.

"Correct!" Shardis applauded him, "As a result, what does that mean?"

He watched as a cadet squealed after being cut off and sent tumbling to the ground. Before the dragon could harm the girl, Shardis threw a pellet that made a loud bang and the noise chased the Velx off. It clearly had a strong impact on the dragon as it shook its head and flicked its ears as though the sound highly irritated it.

"These pellets," Shardis added the new information, "are loud enough to throw off a dragon's aim or even desire to kill."

"Velxes are very fast!" The soldier who had fallen yelled answering Shardis' previous question before scrambling to her feet.

But Shardis was looking for a key trait, "What else?"

"Sharp turns!" cried Jean who was struggling to shake it off. No matter how many twists and turns he made, the dragon stuck to him like glue.

"No stamina." Eren dared to chip in.

"Right! But there's more to that," Shardis waited for Eren to elaborate but it was Mikasa who did.

"It's hard to see so be patient!" The girl was moving effortlessly, like the gear was as smooth as wings on her back.

"Precisely! A Velx will hardly show any signs of fatigue. So to find out if it has, you make a false strike!"

Determined to one up Jean and not look like a total fool, Eren decided the he should be the one to demonstrate this. In doing so, he forgot a crucial rule when making this move. Eren managed to get the attention of the Velx and began a series of dodges to avoid injury. The Velx was now frustrated with the lack of successful hits and screeched out in annoyance. Eren, without actually thinking about it, assumed this to be the first sign of fatigue and made his dummy move. Except, the dragon didn't dodge sloppily at all! No, the Velx avoided this perfectly and was ready to strike again. Eren was in trouble. He was now fully exposed to the dragon which was still full of energy.

"Shit!" Eren screamed, forcing himself to drop to avoid getting sliced in half.

The Velx now had him under control and gave chase. The hunt was on.

"The other thing is timing!" Shardis explained, using Eren's mistake to educate the others but still staying close to keep an eye on him, "If you make a false move too early, it leaves you wide open for an attack."

"Better late than never!" Jean shouted to make sure Eren could hear him.

Eren was a mess; he was fuming with humiliation and rage from his mistake and was now on the run, twisting and turning, making as many dodges as possible to shake the Velx off. This did not go to plan, not like how he perfectly dealt with a Velx at the last raid. Like with Jean, the Velx stuck close and growled its desire to bite into Eren's flesh. Eren was now both scared and tired and was struggling to get away. He noticed that the Velx had herded him close to the wall so there was little room and little to no options. Other cadets moved out of Eren's way and were totally ignored by the Velx.

"Shit! Shit!" Eren cursed, his lungs screaming as he flexed his body savagely to gain distance, but to no avail.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried, clearly seeing the trouble her brother was in, "Sir, he's in trouble!"

But Mikasa did not need to even say so, as Shardis had already chased after the two. Eren attempted an erratic turn in a desperate act to escape, but was cut off by the dragon and knocked down to the ground. Eren yelped and grunted in pain as he continued to roll until he painfully hit the arena wall. Coughing, Eren looked up to see that he was completely trapped by the Velx, and suddenly remembered the feeling he felt when trapped under the Falka a week ago. Eren's eyes were wide and his breathing was uneven. The dragon snarled and raised its head to strike.

Fuck!

"EREN!"

Before the dragon could strike, a pellet exploded right beside them, the noise frightening the Velx away. Eren had closed his eyes and curled up out of exhaustion but he could still hear the angered shrieks of the dragon as it was deprived of killing once again. Opening his eyes, Eren saw Armin and Mikasa first, leaning over him and clearly concerned. Behind them stood Shardis and behind Shardis was the rest of the legion. Shardis walked over to Eren and grabbed him by the arm to pull him up to his feet.

"If there's one thing to remember," He said, speaking to the students as well as Eren, "it's that a dragon will always…" he looked back at Eren, "Always go for the kill."

Eren refused to say anything after that and braved the taunts and jeers from Jean for another hour as the students moved onto the next class with Hanji. As the trainees had just started learning about Velxes, Hanji explained that the next two lessons will be about them as well and that the same went for the other dragons. As the class listened (or didn't) to Hanji's lively education about the Velx's anatomy and habits, Eren's thoughts were once again invaded by the Falka. If dragons always went for the kill, then that doesn't explain the Falka's behavior after Eren released it. Finally, Hanji set the kids their homework and they were released form their dragon training. Eren, Armin and Mikasa planned to go have lunch in the Grand Hall except Mikasa decided to skip out to do further training. Instead, Armin and Eren sat and ate in each other's company, little Armin trying to make conversation by talking animatedly about his excitement for the Velx assignment.

"Something I can actually do for once!" Armin said, his blue eyes staring off into space.
"Armin," Eren spoke quietly, "I'm gonna take the rest of the day off,"

"Oh," said Armin, looking a little perplexed, "do you want me to keep you company?"

Eren shook his head, "No, it's okay, just… I dunno, I'll talk to you later about it," Eren then rose from his seat, taking his half empty bowl of stew with him.

"Is it something about that dragon?" Armin asked gently.

Eren looked down to see a warm face smiling slightly, one he really trusted and felt comfortable around, "Something like that," he said, returning the smile.

Eren then turned to leave but not before depositing his bowl in front of Sasha who squealed with delight.

"You're gonna get fat like a pig with the way you're eating everyone's leftovers," Connie teased her.

"No I'm not," Sasha retorted, her mouth full, "I eat like this every day and have never gained a gram. You're just jealous because you can't eat like I do!"

Eren left before he could hear anymore and went to refill his gas tanks. On his way to the station, he crossed paths with Jean who was talking with Marco. Jean couldn't help not pass up the opportunity to upset Eren further and called out to him as soon as he was within earshot.

"I've never seen anyone mess up as bad as you, Jaeger Boy!"

Marco tried to discourage Jean but it didn't work. Eren only picked up his pace, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid any more taunts.

"What a shame, the higher ups had big hopes for you. Such a let-down to see their favourite, Jaeger-Bombastic get pimp-slapped by a little Velx!"

"Jean, that's enough," Marco said, trying to pull him away, but it was too late.

"Say that to your father's grave, Kirstein!" Eren roared before vanishing inside the gas station and slamming the door.

He knew that he was going to be in big trouble the next time he saw Jean after hitting a nerve like that. It was a dark day for the boy after he failed to save his dad from a certain dragon attack after underestimating the beast. Jean never forgave himself for it.

"Damn!" Eren hissed before moving on to reload his tanks.