Guest(1): Awesome and inspiring? Wow, you're making me blush! ^XXX^

It's nice to know I inspired you and I hope to see how your story turns out. Just don't copy me too much, m'kay?

Reknownst: Heh-heh.

There will be quite a few differences and a lot of world-building to follow.

Yeah, I still need to clean up some of the grammar...

Really? Huh, I thought I made it clear who was talking. Oh well.

Yes, character development. Now how to make it happen without an ass-pull...

That I shall :)

Guest(2): My up-dating schedule is two chapters every two months; I want to not over-take canon but recently I've had ideas for how it could go otherwise.

Ramaxy18-chan: I'm glad you enjoy the length ^w^

*fic*

Hjalmar's is an unusual case; soldiers only get one partner, but since Nincada evolved into Ninjask AND Shedninja, both were technically the same Pokemon from before, not to mention factoring in both of their loyalties lied with Hjalmar and Hjalmar only, he was able to keep them both by his side. It's the only case that the Military Factions have had to deal with and they all sincerely hope it stays that way because of the trouble they went through.

TheFuzzykiwiFruit: :)


Earlier that day...


"It's Captain Levi!"

This is what Levi detested about expeditions before the actual killing began. People kept lining up see the Survey Corps go out like they were some kind of show, fickle idiots that they were.

"Geez, won't they shut up?" he muttered under his breath before Mitternacht gave him a sympathetic smile.

You know they won't. We'll be out soon, so just endure it a little longer, the Gallade said gently.

How many times have I told you not to coddle me like that?

The same number of times I asked you to tone your crassness down, if by even a tenth of an iota.

"Wow; not even half way to the gate and you two are already in the midst of a lover's quarrel," the person with glasses and messy copper-red hair tied back in an equally messy ponytail by his side joked while the Bannette in their lap laughed aloud. "I think it's a good thing not many people know about you guys' respective quirks, otherwise they'd be in for a rude awakening."

Levi's deadpanned retort was drowned in Hange Zoes' excitement as they gushed with sparkling eyes, "I wonder what kinds of titans we'll come across this time! Oh, I hope we see some abnormals!"

"I've already spotted an abnormal," Levi said to them.

"Really?! Where?!" they cried out, looking around excitedly.

Levi then placed his hand on the top of their head and turned them around so they could see each other. "Right here," he stated.

Wilfre the Bannette snickered while Mitternacht suppressed a small chuckle. Hange blinked for a moment before giving an amused smile at the reply.

"And you claim that those people are loud and tone-deaf," an annoyed-looking Glaceon said from where she was on her partners' lap, a tall man with scruffy grey-blond hair and slight beard. "Keep vigilant otherwise you'll get stomped beneath some-several kilograms of flesh."

Mitternacht gave the Glaceon a wry smile. "Ever the ray of sunshine, aren't you Esther?"

"Open the gates! Titan territory is just up ahead! Let's reclaim the land they stole from us five years ago!"

At the sound of the commanders' voice, the two soldiers and their respective partners joined the rest of their comrades, human and Pokemon alike and went through the gates into the land formally known as Wall Maria.

The Survey Corps were entrusted with the mission of fighting the titans' and reclaiming territory from the titans grip. As of strategic adjustments made to the lines, the Survey Corps' survival rate increased dramatically and along with the aid of their Pokemon partners with new techniques and scouting tactics, the losses of said factions in man/ Pokemon power had decreased to as little as 10 to 20%, even 5% at times.

So far, they had been able to set up precious few sentries with the Outpost Guard in some towns, as well we create a network of tunnels from the cellars of the houses so that they could stay hidden. With each expedition inside Wall Maria, they would leave supplies at each post and town to prepare the inevitable day they would take back Wall Maria, seal it up and kill whatever titans got into humanity's territory.


A male Unfezant wheezed raspily. His wing had been ripped off, slathering his feathers, military shawl and green band in crimson. Two titans lumbered over to them, the one of the right's lips and chin smeared in blood from where it accidentally tore off the wing, said appendage lying a little ways away from the two soldiers. The Unfezant moved himself so he was draped over his partners' unconscious body as they came closer.

"You bastards..." he spat, blood trickling from his mouth and down his beak. "I'll never... let you lay another hand on my partner!"

The titans remained silent, their eyes locked on the human beneath the Unfezant's body, intent on finishing their meal. Even if titans didn't attack Pokemon, they could easily bat this one away with the condition he was in and resume eating.

"It's all well and good for you, trying to eat those who' re weaker and smaller than you," he hissed, struggling to his feet, yellow eyes blazing with protective and indignant fury, "but you can't spare time to take on anyone stronger? Pathetic shits... you're all gonna die today-"

Just then, the Unfezant heard a whirring noise come closer to them, along with hearing a low crackling. He grinned wryly. "You hear that? Those are the sounds of your death, just around the corner!"

As he said this, a hook embedded itself in the building by the titan who had his partner's blood on it's face before a blur of green, white, tan and brown shot past, taking out the nape of the neck. Meanwhile, it only seemed like a bit of wind trickled by the other titans' neck before its' nape went flying out in a blur of blood.

Levi and Mitternacht landed gracefully on the rooftops, the latter's goggles fitted over his eyes. A fifteen-meter titan was approaching from the right, A thirteen and twelve-meter on the left, and several more three to five meter titans were on the ground, some en-route towards the two soldiers.

Just then, a young woman with honey blonde hair and dark blue eyes along with a two tall men, one with blond hair tied back, stubble and brown eyes, the other with light brown skin, dark brown hair and black eyes. A Weaville, Serperior and Hariyama respectively were by their sides. "Captain, the reinforcements will be here soon!" the woman reported.

"Petra, Satoko, take care of the two soldiers down there!" Levi ordered before turning to the other four. "Gunther, Thor, Erd and Chloe, focus on the titans coming in from the left! Nacht and I'll take out the ones on the right!"

With that, the two shot forward via 3D maneuvering gear and sheer strength towards the two titans, shooting in opposite directions to deal with the giants.

"Geez, you guys make such stupid faces," Levi growled as he readied his blades and fired off one of the grappling hooks behind one of the lunging titans. "Every last one of you!"


"Yahoo!" Hange shrieked as they flew through the sky like a bird before perching on a rooftop to face a mustachioed titan.

"Aw, it's okay big guy!" they said as they opened their arms up to the giant. "I won't cause you much pain, cross my heart and hope to die!"

The titan reached out to grab them but Hange easily leaped out of the way before shooting back around it's head and slicing out it's nape. A bit of it's blood got on their cloak but evaporated almost immediately. "See? I told you I wouldn't hurt you much," they said smugly.

A titan with rather long black hair and twitching eyes came near the group before Wilfre slid out from the shadows of the houses, his eyes gleaming red and his yellow zippered mouth was drawn in a sneering grin. The titan noticed him and attempted to grab the Bannette, only for it's fingers to pass right through him. The titan actually froze where it was, allowing the Bannette to actually shoot into the titan's body before coming out the other side and repeating the action with malevolent glee.

"Yes. Yes," Wilfre crooned as he crossed in and out of it's body like a phantom before settling on its' neck, the titan letting out bellows of fear as Wilfre caressed its' nape with his claws. "Cry out. Scream. Curse. Beg. Regret. Fear."

With that, Wilfre drew back his arms, spectral energy forming giant claws hands on either side which he scraped against the titan's neck with deliberate and sadistic cruelty, going deeper with each swipe. The titan tried to get the Bannette off of it but he had become intangible once again and the titan was helpless as Wilfre continued to torture it until the back of it's neck and head were both a bloodied mess and the titan finally died.

"Good riddance," the Bannette sneered as he watched the titan crash into the ground before the claw-shaped spectral energy subsided, the blood evaporating into the air now that the claws had disappeared.

"Wilfre!"

"Shit," the Bannette muttered under his breath as Hange yelled up to him, a stern look on their face but none of the delicious anger he wished to feast on.

"You know better than to torture them like that!" his partner admonished as he floated down to their side.

"Hey, so long as it kills them," Wilfre shrugged, hoping to get more of a reaction from them; he was literally starving for those emotions. "You used to be so much more fun, Hanji," he honestly admitted.

The cold look didn't waver as Hange looked at him and Wilfre felt himself wilt underneath it, however much it annoyed or, Arceus-forbid, ashamed him. "... m'sorry."

Hange's expression softened before they gave a sigh. "No you're not," they said without venom before gently patting Wilfre's head.


"Y-E-E-E-A-A-A-HOO-HOO-HOOOO!"

A blur of orange-yellow bolted across the sky at blinding speed, several titans knocked over as Donovan's claws imbued with draconic power knocked them over or took off their heads. He was a little ways away from Erwin and the other soldiers so he wouldn't risk killing them in his rampage. A few seconds later, Donovan became the target of a fourteen meter abnormal, with five more nine to thirteen meter titans coming towards him from behind.

Any normal person would have either urinated or defecated themselves (or a grotesque combination of both processes in which the body ejects unwanted waste) in such a situation, and even a soldier would have been on the verge of a panic attack. Donovan's fanged grin only spread wider and he gestured the abnormal over with a taunting claw.

As the abnormal reached out towards him, Donovan easily grabbed it's appendage, halting it's action. The abnormal tried to pull free and Donovan let out searing flames from his mouth. The fire engulfed the titan's head, completely incinerating the cranium and nape. The Dragonite pushed it to the side and flew high into the air before smashing down on one of the other titans with such strength and speed, the titan was crushed into the ground, the pavement breaking apart from the force as Donovan obliterating the nape.

The other four titans seemed to realize in what little brains they had (or if they had any at all) that the Pokemon before them was not someone to be trifled with and that engaging him would be far more trouble than going after their intended prey. But Donovan would have nothing of that, and he grabbed two of them by their hair and smacked their heads together, and draconic energy materialized around his claws once more and he took out the nape and half the skin of their backs and heads off.

"What's that, ya bastards?! That's what I thought! That'll teach ya ta pick on someone yer own size!"

Erwin's mouth twitched slightly as he heard and saw the Dragonite's rampage in the air, the carrier Pidgeotto that had just arrived hiding behind his broad back and quivering in sheer terror. It made sense that the two of them were partnered up; no one else would be able to handle Donovan, even if he was smaller, weaker and not a Pokemon.

"Mike," he said in a deadpan tone to the squad leader currently by his side.

"Essie," Mike Zacharias said in the same tone as his commander, turning to his partner from where she was seated on his horse.

"Got it," the Glaceon replied as she blasted a thin, sub-zero temperature beam of ice to Donovan, hitting his belly and part of his arm and chest as he swooped over them.

Donovan let out a bellow of confusion and pain, as ice and cold hurt him far more than any kind of wound and began to fly out of control back and forth, trying to soothe the chilling pain and smacking the other two titans a little under a hundred meters backwards by accident.

"COLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLCCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLD- oh yeah- FLAME!" The Dragonite screeched before he remembered the attack he used seconds ago and stepped out of his freak-out to breathe fire onto the parts of his body that were encased in ice, melting it off of him.

"YOU OBLIVIOUS BUFFOON, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Esther bellowed, her normally cool demeanor giving away to fiery irritation at the fact that it had to take that much trouble to get the dragon-type's attention and not for the first time either.

Donovan obeyed instantly and nearly smashed into the ground via over-eagerness before righting himself and his mass of several kilograms in front of the group. The Dragonite noticed Erwin's stern expression and he wilted beneath it, ashamed.

"Er- ya wanted me, boss?" he asked rather timidly.


Out of the corner of his eye, Mitternacht saw a few more titans, all ranging between eleven and fourteen meters, coming towards them. Wasting no more time, the Gallade landed on the rooftops, his flat and sturdy feet digging deep into the shingles and leaving behind cracked debris as he shot towards the new targets.

There's an eleven, fourteen and thirteen meter coming our way- all are within my sight and reach, Mitternacht quickly contacted his partner.

Got it; I'm nearly finished here.

Mitternacht nodded absently before remembering that Levi probably couldn't see the gesture. The Gallade's vision narrowed down to the nearest titan to him and he easily leaped high into the air overhead. The titan reached out towards him, missing him by a mile. His blades extended from his arms like tonfas and psychic energy lathed itself over the appendage before Mitternacht slashed out the nape with such force, the titan's head was sent flying. He jump-kicked himself off of the dead titan and landed against the side of a house before kicking off and behind the next titan, it's hands missing him by a mile before he slashed upwards from it's left side all the way across it's back and over the neck's nape. The third however, seemed to be a bit more intelligent than the other two and made a swipe for Mitternacht as he finished the slash on the second titan and was twisting about to land on the rooftops near him. A split second before the giant's grubby fingers closed around Mitternacht, a pale green-blue energy surrounded him acting as a barrier. The titan's fingers were broken by the impact and Mitternacht quickly dropped to the ground before leaping forwards and slicing apart it's Achilles tendons, sending it onto its' knees.

"Here I am with enough power to use actual attacks and you go forcing me to execute status techniques on accidental impulse," Mitternach said with a frown as he shot up to the nape via hopping across the titans' body so swiftly it couldn't even see him. "You're even making me waste more time I don't have lecturing you when I should be killing you, especially when you don't even understand a word I'm saying."

The Gallade wasted no more time and ripped apart the flesh, nearly peeling off its' entire back along with the nape, showcasing the dripping syrupy muscles, sinew and blood as it fell sideways. Mitternacht leaped off of it and back to where he was supposed to land before being so rudely interrupted before running back to his partners' side.

Levi shot behind the titan he was currently on (already leaving several titan corpses in his wake since the Gallade left his side), using his wire to hold it's neck in place before spiraling around the slicing the nape out before pulling the hook back into his gear. He slammed his foot onto the skin beneath the skin and shot off and up over a titan with a bay-like face and sunken eyes, throwing his blades into the orbs. It roared in pain as the short man perched himself on it's head. "Whoops," he deadpanned without remorse as it writhed about.

"Oi, calm your ass down, big guy," Levi reprimanded as he balanced himself out before refilling his blades, expression becoming more deadly. "Take it like our partners do every time we come out here to kick your asses so I can turn you into a heap of ash."

With that, he fired the hook into its' head and swung upwards, using gravity's momentum to aid his already impressive arm strength to slice out the titans' nape, sending it falling to the ground before landing on the rooftops. Now that he had a moment to spare in the chaos, Levi's attention was drawn to the almost boiling hot blood on his hand, sword hilt and blade from the titan.

"Ugh-!" he practically whined before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the crimson liquid off from his skin. "Fucking hell, that's so disgusting..."

The only thing that Levi considered appalling over the deaths of the soldiers around him; He was all too aware of the messiness of killing in general, before he was a soldier and before he was a thug. However, he could hardly hold a cloth over his sword hilts like he could with his old knife otherwise it'd be far more difficult to operate it, especially on the battlefield where even a millisecond of hesitation was enough to get you killed. So he contented himself with bringing as many handkerchiefs with him as his person would allow to get the blood off him. Titan blood was as hot, if not hotter, than than titan flesh and it evaporated fairly quickly, but it was dangerous for it to have too much contact with the skin, as it could leave behind burns and blisters on the skin that could tear open and get infected if left alone for too long.

That, and Levi's obsession with cleanliness demanded that it be taken off his person as swiftly as possible.

Mitternacht appeared by his side a second later and both quickly got to the ground where the four soldiers were covering Petra and Satoko while they tended to the soldiers. Thor had a Titan in a tight headlock before ripping it's head clean off where the nape was while Chloe moved in a green flash to wrap around and crush the titan's bodies with sickening crunches. Gunther and Erd's own blows cleared the street of any visible titans, giving them a few minutes before more would come. The blond soldier that the Unfezant was protecting was back on his feet, his chest and head bandaged as he tried to aid Petra in tending to his partner.

"How're they holding up?" the captain asked his subordinate.

"It's no good, sir!" Petra got out as she pressed the cloth down futile on the Unfezant's wound, blood seeping through the fabric and staining her hands. "I can't stop the bleeding, and the Sitrus and Oran pills aren't having any effect either!"

"Even if I freeze the wound over, at this rate he'll go into shock and die from the cold," Satoko grimaced with helpless anger and anguish, "and even if we preserve the wing, the muscle's too ragged to have any hope of reattachment!"

Levi looked back at the Gallade but he shook his head with a saddened grimace. "Healing him as he is now is beyond my power."

"So what- you're saying there's nothing we can do for him?!" the soldier exclaimed.

"K-Klein..."

The Unfezant choked out weakly, alerting the soldiers present. His head bobbed weakly as he looked about, the yellow irises clouded. "Where are you-? I can't see you- Klein, where are you-?"

With that, Levi knelt down beside him and gently lifted the Unfezant's head up so he could see his partner clearly, placing his head against the soldier's left breast, right above his heart. "Listen; that's his heart and because of your actions, it'll keep beating. You protected him with your life; there's nothing more than can be asked of that from you."

The Unfezant's eyes widened before Klein gently laid a hand on his head, caressing the feathers. "I'm right here, Caeser- I'm- I'm right here. Thank you for everything you've done, for me and for humanity."

His tear-stained face became determined as his jaw clenched and he said to his dying partner, "Your strength- I'll use it. I'll use it and see to it that the titans are eradicated, no matter what!"

A smile shuddered onto the yellow beak and the Unfezant smiled peacefully, he was so happy to be by his partner's side at the end, to know that he was alive; it didn't matter if the titans existed or not to him, so long as Klein was alive...

A few moments passed by before Caeser went limp in Klein's arms. The soldier's lips trembled before he cradled his partner's body to his chest, a sob rising from his throat. Levi remained silent out of respect, his fists clenched tightly while Petra's head was bowed along with Satoko's.

"Did- did he hear me?" Klein couldn't help wondering before he tried to rub away the tears on his face, trying to sniff back the mucus.

Levi gestured to the Unfezant's expression, one of peace and a smile on his beak. "I know he did," he said before offering one of the handkerchiefs on his person to the soldier, who accepted it gratefully.

Shakily, Klein slipped the green band from around the Unfezant's neck and tied it tightly around his right arm as a sign of respect to his partner; he had given his life for humanity, and no one could ask anything more from a soldier of the Survey Corps than that. Just then, Erwin, along with Mike and his squad and a few more soldiers rode their way. "We're falling back, everyone!"

"So soon?" Mitternacht said with a concerned frown while Levi's scowl deepened. "I thought we were seeing this through until we couldn't take another step forward, or did my soldiers die for nothing? Give me one reason to agree with an order like that."

Erwin then held up a piece of paper, one of the few carrier Pidgeottoes left as he explained, "The Colossal titan broke through Trost, and the Garrison, outpost Guard and new soldiers are currently fighting for their lives, many without their partners. The scenario from five years ago is being repeated as I speak."

At that, the soldiers became far more alert. The walls had been attacked when they were away and it had taken them nearly all morning to get to where they were now and it was nearing the late afternoon; how would they all get back on such short notice?!

"The soldiers with the Pokemon who can fly or teleport are being sent up ahead with as many more soldiers as they can bring with," Erwin told them. "Donovan is already bringing Squad Leader Sayram and his subordinates to Trost and can still fit a few more with him. Get your squad there as quickly as possible If the soldiers have already been ordered to retreat to Wall Rose, then meet them there and wait for the Corps."

"Got it," the shorter man assented, understanding the situation now. With that, the group quickly rode away to gather up the soldiers and Pokemon capable of such action.

Levi reached for another handkerchief to wipe the blood and feathers away, only to remember that the one he used before had been his last one on him. He didn't even have to be disappointed as Mitternacht had already pulled out a handkerchief from his own person and held it out to the short man.

He mechanically wiped the Unfezant's blood off his hands, noticing a soft grey feather in the cloth. Just then, Gunther, Thor, Erd and Chloe ran/ slithered over to them with a younger man with grey hair that was similar to Levi's own hair cut and an Alteria flew by their sides. Levi quickly relayed Erwin's orders to his subordinates.

"Luca can carry three more at the most," Oluo Bozado said, setting a hand on the dragon-type's cloud-like fur-covered torso.

"We still have the Apricorn capsules on us," Gunther said, holding up two small spherical devices, one was green with a light brown marsh pattern while the other was black with a blue circle pattern.

Just then, Donovan was flying towards them, barely looking winded from the three soldiers and their Pokemon on his back. "Boss sent me over ta see if anyone needs a lift!" he called out. "I still got room fer a few more!"

Levi nodded to his two older subordinates and Gunther and Erd clicked their capsules opened as a light blue light encircled the Hariyama and Serperior to suck them inside the capsule before getting on the Dragonite's back, a rather stout ravenette with freckles and dark brown eyes moving over for them. Petra and Satoko quickly got onto Luca's back behind Oluo, who looked a little too pleased with the seating arrangement.

A man with black hair swept to one side with a few bangs hanging over his left eye and grey-blue eyes was atop a Charizard who bore a long scar beneath his belly and right leg with a rather svelte blond with amber eyes and almost baby-like features clinging to him from behind. He met Levi's gaze for a moment before giving a short nod in acknowledgement, which the captain returned. He then turned to Mitternacht, who held his green exoskeleton-like hand out.

Levi set his booted foot onto the hand and Mitternacht gripped it tightly before moving it so Levi gripped his shoulders from behind. "Let's get going!" he barked.

With that, Donovan and Lucas lifted off and the Dragonite was off in a blur of yellow-orange with the Alteria flying right behind him. The Charizard lifted off as well, albeit with a bit more difficulty. Mitternacht's body shimmered with pale blue psychic energy and moved to cover his partner as well as the Gallade broke into a run, before both vanished into thin air.


Back to the present...


"Mikasa! Tanya! Becquerel!"

Mikasa looked back as the blond shot over to her, grabbed her around the waist and flew her up onto the roof before they both crashed onto the tile in a heap. Tanya quickly levitated herself and Becquerel after them, albeit with some difficulty.

"You crashed because you used the rest of your gas, right?" Armin asked as he got back on his feet and Rillo jumped down from where she clutched his back.

"I'll be fine-" Mikasa began.

"Great to see you both, but look alive, folks!" Connie shouted as he and Rinslet landed on the roof by them. "Two 15-meter classes in sight; this is bad!"

Rillo shivered slightly but held her ground by Armin protectively before she noticed Tanya, Becquerel and Mikasa looking at one of the titans. "What's the matter?"

"That titan..." Tanya said in a soft voice. "Something's definitely different about it..."

Becquerel remained silent. Something was off about that titan, and not just because it attacked its' own kind.

Rinslet scowled, "Not cool, you're gonna ignore our awesome rescue for one lousy titan? Y'seen one, you've seen 'em-"

Her sentence was cut off as one of the titans opened its' mouth and rushed at the other. Then, to all of their shock, the Rouge titan shifted itself into a fighting stance with both fists raised, as if it were a boxer.

Becquerel stared dumbstruck as he recognized the position. "Is that-?!"

The next moment, the Rouge titan smashed its' fist into the other titans' neck and bitch-slapped the head clean off. Armin, Rillo, Connie and Rinslet stared in dumbfounded and amazed shock before they realized that the cranium was headed right for them.

"Take cover!" Armin shouted as he grabbed Rillo, tucking her into his arms to shield her while Rinslet knocked Connie onto the roof, her body covering his.

Mikasa, Tanya and Becquerel quickly shot out of the way before the titan's head smashed into the raised room on the roof behind and above them, blood and sheared flesh splattering everywhere before the titans' body fell into the street. The next moment, the Rouge titan's foot smashed into what was left of the titan's neck, killing it once and for all.

"Huh...?" Rillo squeaked, her eyes wide with both awe and fear.

"That was awesome, but still- what the hell?!" Rinslet exclaimed. "Those guys don't attack themselves!" before turning to Armin and asking rather bashfully, O-or do they attack themselves? Did I miss somethin' in class?

Armin shook his head. "No they don't attack themselves, Rins; this is totally unprecedented."

I'm not the only one who saw that that titan went straight for it's weakness, am I? Tanya asked.

"Either way we need to move out. It's gonna be heading our way any second-" Connie started, only for the Rouge titan to walk away from them. This what truly turned their heads as it walked over to a few more titans a ways away from them.

"What's going on? It's not reacting at all how it should be at all!" Armin wondered.

"It has some skills and knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, though," Mikasa noted. "So what's..."

Not only that, but the move it used was similar to a technique in the military, Becquerel voiced. But how did that creature even known how to use it?

"Could it be an abnormal?" Connie said. "I mean, that's all I can think of why it's behaving so weird."

That's not an abnormal.

The three humans and newly arrived Pokemon looked over at Tanya and Becquerel when the former said that. "What do you mean?" Mikasa asked.

It's- it's different, it's off, it's wrong almost, Tanya said with a confused frown. That's all I can say.

It's scent and presence is off, Becquerel explained. You remember that we were taught how to identify titans and abnormals by scent and sense, and that titan has neither the scent of a normal titan or an abnormal.

Rillo and Rinslet's noses twitched a bit as they breathed in the scents. Titans always had smelled of ash, heat, blood (not their own) and rotting flesh, a mindless and blank presence. But the other titan's scent smelled of primal fury and the presence it had was far from mindless or blank.

It was burning.

"I don't really understand," Connie finally said, "but, we gotta get back to HQ-"

"But wait a second!" Armin cried out. "Mikasa's completely out of gas!"

That stopped the bald teen right in his tracks and Rinslet stared at the ravenette with a worried expression. But... how're you gonna fight?

Even Pokemon were amazed with Mikasa's fighting techniques, as she was one of the very few humans that could actively keep up with them in terms of stamina and physical power (and speed, when using the 3D maneuvering gear).

"There's an obvious answer to that."

At that, Armin knelt down and began to unhook his gas tank. "I may not have a lot of gas left, but hurry up and replace your canister with mine, Mikasa! There's no point in me having it!"

Armin, NO! Rillo cried out, gripping the canister tightly with her claws. Please don't! If you go without gas, then you'll-!

Tears pooled in her violet eyes as Rillo got out helplessly, I can't- I don't want you to die, Armin... please don't do this...

The blond gently patted her head before taking her hands off the canister. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way. Don't under-estimate yourself; you are strong and you can use that strength in better ways other than protecting me," he said gently.

Armin, either Tanya or myself would be able to carry you with ease! Becquerel snapped. There's no reason you have to stay here!

"No, you can't," Armin said as he shook his head. "Even though you were careful, you guys still used a lot of power just to make it from the Beast Trainers to Trost so fast. Considering how far away they are and your levels of power, it's amazing that you were even able to follow Mikasa. Either way, none of you can just go around carrying me onto the battlefield, not when titans are swarming everywhere..."

Armin, we feel fine! Tanya protested with indignation. Don't assume we're at our limits so flippantly!

But Armin would not be deterred as he transferred with little gas to Mikasa. "Try to use this more carefully so you can help the others, okay?"

Black eyes widened at that as the full brunt of her actions hit Mikasa.

I took the responsibility to lead them into battle, but I didn't even know what that meant- to take responsibility for all of their lives. I gave up on my own, not even remembering that because of my own problems. I couldn't even realize that I had two others with me who would gladly share the burden of both by my side.

I couldn't even realize that I wasn't alone...

"Okay, your gear is good to go!" Armin announced. "I gave you the rest of my blades as well!"

He held a side blade in his hand as he remarked with wide, anticipating eyes, "Though, I'm going to keep this at least with me. I'd rather die like this, than be eaten alive."

"Armin!" Rillo shrieked, the tears spilling over before she lunged herself at her partner, her tiny claws digging into his clothes as she clutched around his torso with a vice-like grip.

Armin grimaced as he tried to pry the Raticate off of him- he had no time for anything that could shake his resolve or any of his remaining nerve, only for Mikasa to grab the blade out of Armin's grip and toss it over the rooftop, the steel clattering against the ground. Armin gave a confused and upset exclamation before the ravenette gripped his arm. "Mikasa-"

"Were you even thinking when you said all of that before?" Mikasa asked, her hand moving to cover his own. "You're not in this alone so stop acting like you are! There's no one here who wants to abandon you! Don't you even understand what Rillo's doing right now, and why she's doing it?!"

Armin stared before his eyes averted to the Raticate clutching herself to him over his torso, her body stiff and her head pressed against his heart-

My God, Armin realized in shock, horror and strangely enough, gratitude, she wasn't trying to stop me-she was positioning herself so she'd die with me! Rillo- cares that much for my sake, that she'd rather die with me than be without me, even though I've been so useless?!

"There's no way we're leaving you here alone!" Connie snapped as he gripped the blond's wrist and started pulling him along. "We gotta get going! Bec, Tanya, concentrate on conserving as much power as you can! Mikasa, I'll carry Armin! Rins, Rillo, cover for us both, got it?!"

You got it, boss! Rinslet saluted.

O-okay! Rillo nodded.

Armin was pulled forward, not able to argue with them. Then, out of the corner of his eye, the blond saw the Rouge titan still going on and a completely insane, utterly suicidal idea entered his mind.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, wrenching free from Connies' grip and prompting the others to look back at him. "I have an idea!"

"An idea...?" Connie repeated.

What is it? Tanya asked.

Armin hesitated for a moment, unsure of if he could actually go through with it but then swiftly crushed the feeling as he said, "It might require a few others to pull off so it's up to you all whether or not to follow me on this..."

"What is it, Armin?" Mikasa asked her friend.

"As crazy as it sounds... we can use that titan over there to get rid of the rest."

... how do you suppose we do that? Becquerel asked.

Wait wait, just hold on a sec! Rinslet exclaimed. Whaddya mean 'use that titan'?! Y'mean, we use it like bait or something?! Can we really do that?!

"No, not as bait per say," Armin explained. "That titan only seems to attack other titans; it completely ignored us. So, we can lure it over to the refuel station HQ so that it can help get rid of the titans surrounding it. With the Pokemon with the abilities to get to the titans' nape the most efficiently either miles away or running on fumes, this is our best shot."

"Wait, how the hell do you suppose we steer that thing then?" Connie asked incredulously.

"It's already killed one of it's kind and it also seems to be running on instinct," Armin went on as he observed the Rouge titan. "If we take out only the titans that are away him, he'd go looking for others. So it's not so much as we're steering him as we're luring him. I really think that it'll work!"

'You think'?! Rinslet exclaimed in disbelief. There's no way in hell I'm risking my partners' life on a whim like that! Even I know when something's gone from stupid to suicidal!

"If you can think of a better idea, I'm willing to hear you out," Armin said determinedly, eyes like steel, "but with this, it'd be possible to take out the titans surrounding the HQ in one fell swoop without exhausting either of our sides anymore!"

There was a few seconds silence before-

"I'll follow you," Mikasa finally said.

You know our answer, Armin, Tanya said as Becquerel nodded in agreement, saying, We both trust you.

I already said I'd never leave your side, and I'm not breaking that promise anytime soon! Rillo exclaimed determinedly.

"What?! Are you serious?!" Connie cried out in disbelief.

Look, I get why you guys would follow them, since they're your partners, Rinslet protested, but don't you think this is a little much?!

"I'd take the choice to listen to Armin's gut feelings than wait around to be eaten," the ravenette said with conviction.

"So what, we're basically going to recruit a titan?!"

"Yes, we are; humanity already fights alongside Pokemon- creatures who are able to use powers beyond any understanding, even their own. What's to stop us from allying with this titan other than fear?"

Connie opened his mouth to argue but knew that Mikasa had valid points as he and Rinslet met each other's gaze. A moment later, grins touched their lips as the bald teen said, "We're gonna look like idiots if we mess this up."

"And if we don't," Armin reminded him with a smile, "we stand to save who knows how many lives."

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Mikasa stated.

So long as there's life, there's hope, Tanya agreed before she knelt down, allowing Becquerel to clutch at her back before shooting off, Tanya not far behind.

This entire thing is friggin' insane, the Floatzel remarked to Connie as she let Rillo scamper onto her back before barring her teeth in a fanged grin, but what the hell, right?

"Yeah," Connie grinned wryly. "What the hell," before they followed after them as well.

They reached the edge of the rooftop and Mikasa and Tanya shot off, the ghost type able to levitate and follow after her airborn partner and Connie gathered Armin into his arms and took off after them, Rinslet right behind him.

They followed after the Rouge titan, Mikasa and Tanya killing a titan each as the Rouge titan smashed another ones' nape into a building. Seeing that there were no more titans around him, he looked forward to the HQ and saw the other titans crawling over it.


Hannes gritted his teeth as he barely avoided the blond titan reaching for him. After finding the vanguard deserted and the bells ringing for the soldiers to evacuate, he, Basil, Horus, Hjalmar and Osiris turned back to get to the wall.

However, the six of them were now being accosted by four different titans, two of them abnormals by the way that they were also targeting the three Pokemon with them. Theo's scar had opened up when he had barely avoided one of it's grasps but had been knocked off balance and crashed into a rooftop atop of some jagged shingles where someone else had landed previously.

Basil had a cut on his forehead and his arms were numb from the exertion of swinging and clutching his swords as Horus was flying at top speed, trying to be everywhere at once, his attacks were slowly losing power and taking nearly ten attacks in succession to bring down one of the titans. Even Hjalmar was starting to lose momentum as Osiris hovered by him, it's attacks barely making any dents in the titans.

Shit, it's been too long since I've been able to fight properly, the bespectacled man thought. Even when I made sure I was in the best possible shape after these five years- I've become as complacent as any other Garrison soldier, haven't I?

Just then, Hannes was yanked backwards as one of the abnormals grabbed his leg in a tight grip. Theo let out an angry bark as he tried to smash it's hand off with his now steel-plated tail but it's other hand came up and swatted him backwards and the Watchog went crashing into the roof before falling to the ground.

"You bastard!" Hannes yelled, fear forgotten in his anger at the abnormal hurting his partner and smashed his blade into its' hand and cut apart its' index finger before flying behind and slashing it's nape out. He shot down to the Watchog a moment later and gathered him into his arms securely.

Hannes... please don't... Theo got out weakly.

"Stop talking," the blond said determinedly. "You're gonna be okay."

Blood trickled down to Basil's eyelashes, making him blink it out. He was growing more tired with each move he made, trying to avoid being eaten but the throbbing in his head was slowly growing worse. Suddenly, he was hit into the back by Horus at top speed and sent sprawling onto the rooftop before one of the abnormal titans grabbed at the bug type where Basil was-

- only for Osiris to smack Horus out of the way in return as the titan's hand closed around it with a sickening crunch. Shedninja was an unusual creature, even for Pokemon. It's stamina was the lowest of any sub-species of Pokemon, but it's ability made it so that only power that was super-effective against it could possibly harm it. However, the titan's skin was hot enough to act to a Shedninja as fire.

Osiris stood no chance.

A horrified choking noise came from Basil's throat as he reached out futility towards the Shedninja as it plummeted to the ground and landed with a barely audible thud, it's vessel crushed and useless as its' unstable soul had evaporated into the air.

Hjalmar faltered for a single moment as he saw his partner hit the ground unmoving, his expression freezing.

"Oh..." he whispered, his voice softer and his eyes wider and rounder.

That moment of hesitation was enough for a titan to swat at him and Hjalmar leaned backwards, the titan's hand barely missing him, but it's fingers wrapped around his arm instead, halting his motion. Acting quickly, Hjalmar sliced at the fingers, but the blade also ended up cutting apart the cables and he let out a startled shout as he plummeted.

"Horus!" Basil shrieked.

The Ninjask needed no further prompting and flew towards Hjalmar, the brunet grabbing a hold of Horus' body and stopping his descent. However, both were now sitting ducks for the titan who had grabbed him before, as well as the second abnormal as they reached towards them.

"No-!" Hannes shouted.

"Captain Krogh!" Basil shrieked.

Then, Hjalmar saw a pale blue light flare behind a few houses away before a familiar, tiny blur of green, white, tan and black took out the abnormal, it's body crashing before the Outpost Guard captain before the other titans' flopped forwards as the force of the other attacker had nearly sliced its' head off. Hannes and Basil both were shocked to see who had come to their rescue while a furious glare settled on Hjalmar's face, the roundness of his eyes vanishing instantly and his pupils becoming smaller.

"Well look who FINALLY decided to grace us all with his presence- the ALMIGHTY prodigal shortass himself, Captain Levi of the Survey Corps, along with his mind-reading, flash-stepping partner, Gallade Mitternacht!" he spat. "We'd have set up a reception but as you can see, WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE PREOCCUPIED!"

Hannes and Basil heard Hjalmar's voice, loud and booming and saturated in sarcasm from where they had gotten onto the rooftop, an unconscious Theo twitching in his throes at the voice and Horus giving a low, saddened sigh. It happened again- and when he was handling it so well before...

Basil blinked. What does that mean?

Levi's eyes averted to where Mitternacht was looking and saw Osiris's broken body on the ground. He went over to it and took the grey band that was around Osiris's left middle leg and untied it before shooting up towards Hjalmar as he rested on the rooftops. The brunet accepted the band from the captain wordlessly before tying it around his right arm.

"Hjalmar-" the shorter man began, before he (Hjalmar) turned away towards the ground.

"Hey Croft, O'neil!" Hjalmar barked to Basil and Hannes. "Get over here!"

The two Garrison soldiers obeyed and came onto the same rooftop as the two captains, both is awe that humanity's strongest soldier was indeed a few meters away from them.

He's a lot shorter up close, both two Garrison soldiers thought, repressing sweat-drops.

"I need to know the situation," Levi began again. "The rest of the Corps are on their way as well."

"The soldiers are being called back to Rose now that the civilians have been evacuated," Hannes explained, still in awe, "but there are soldiers who weren't able to make it because the supply teams, for whatever reason, didn't come out with the gas or any equipment."

"So they either chickened out or were met up with problems along with the way," the shorter man concluded. "Do you three have enough gas to get to the supplies HQ?"

They quickly checked their gas before realizing that they barely had any left, certainly not enough to get over the walls. "Not much left then, huh..."

"We were already on our way back," Basil said shakily, "so we're not too far from the HQ."

Dull ruby met dark silver for a few moments before Mitternacht said, "The shortest route with as few titans on the path is over to the east. There are also some soldiers in that direction who have at least one functional lift left. Since we're all heading in the same direction, I think it'd be best if we got there as a whole group."

"I'm not going ANYWHERE without taking down those bastards!" Hjalmar snapped, the glare back and his pupils were dots once more and the two Garrison soldiers stared in disbelief at the captain's protest. "You think you can order me around like that-?!"

"He can and he did," Levi said, his scowl deepening. "You think you can keep fighting with that mangled gear? Don't yell at him just because you dug your own grave."

Hjalmar's teeth gritted together into a snarl as pale green glared into dark silver. Basil and Hannes shivered, realizing that they were in far more danger than when they had fought the titans just minutes ago.

Then, it vanished. Hjalmar's expression softened with an apologetic and almost sheepish look, his eyes round and his pupils large. "No, I- I understand. I'm sorry for my outburst a second ago. You're right; I was the one who screwed up."

Basil stared at Hannes incredulously and the blond man shrugged his shoulders albeit with a disturbed and just as baffled expression, showing he had little to no clue what was happening either. Levi and Mitternacht's expressions never changed.

Hjalmar turned back to Hannes and Basil (both men jumped a little) and said, "Please get going, all right? And be careful- don't let me weigh you down."

The two Garrison soldiers exchanged glances before Basil held his hand out. "We're both strong enough to carry you, sir. We won't let you die because of broken gear," he said determinedly.

The bespectacled man blinked before he grasped it tightly, but the grip became painful and his eyes narrowed as the unsettling grin Hannes saw from that morning returned. "I will haunt you if you end up dropping me for anything less than safety or titans."

A cold sweat broke on Basil's brow but he nonetheless said back, "Understood, sir!"

As Hjalmar threw himself with a huff into Basil's back like a child, Levi turned back to his partner. Well?

The ones closest to us are Gunther and Erd; they, along with Donovan and Squad Sayram, are all in Wall Rose at the moment, Mitternacht reported, sweat starting to trickle down his face. Oluo, Luca, Petra and Satoko are in the opposite direction but are approaching the walls fast. We're the furthest away from our destination at the moment.

Patch me through to them.

Mitternacht closed his eyes in concentration as more sweat fell down his face and Levi could feel what little psychic power remained in his partner branch out until he was aware of the eight familiar presences.

Nacht and I are inside Trost. We'll be inside Wall Rose soon.

Got it.

Understood.

Of course.

Be safe, sir.

Mitternacht cut off the connections and Levi didn't miss how the Gallade winced in pain, his eyes closing as he blinked away a bit of the liquid. "Don't stress yourself out and use power you don't have," Levi told him, placing a hand on the Gallade's shoulder. "Concentrate on what you can use now."

"... right," Mitternahct nodded before he stiffened. "What th-?"


"This is bad..."

Jean grimaced as he watched the titans swarm over the HQ like... something, he couldn't like of a proper simile/ metaphor at the moment. There were so many of them; how could they get through without losing people or Pokemon?

On the ground, a single new soldier had released his hooks but his gas sputtered before dying out, as the soldier had run out of it. Several titans were coming his way and one picked him up by the shoulders. He shrieked in fear.

"Steven!" a new soldier shrieked as they saw their comrade in peril before shooting towards him.

"Don't worry, we'll save you!" Tom cried out and two more followed.

Wait a second! Phoebe yelled as she flew after them, Gregory flew after her and, Juno and Lance ran from where they were on the ground with some of the heavier and less aerodynamic Pokemon.

"Stop!" Jean shouted after them as the titan closed it's jaws around Stevens' head. "Don't-"

But they didn't listen and one of the new soldiers shot towards the titan, ready to slice it's nape out. However, another titan grabbed him midflight just before he reached and a sickening crunch echoed below as the titan snapped the new soldier's spine.

Gregory moved like the wind and the titan's head went flying as it's teeth began to sink into Steven's flesh before his claws pulled him upwards. However, he didn't see the titan that was above him and was forced to toss the new soldier onto the opposite rooftop to protect him before the titan's jaws snapped down on his head, crushing it between gravestone teeth.

Steven stared in horror from where he had been thrown, his hand reaching out to the beheaded Talonflame as it fell from the titan's open jaws, the monster realizing that it hadn't been the human flesh it craved.

Another new soldier was being held by her arms like a doll while two more titans came towards a new meal. Phoebe gave a roaring snarl as she smashed her steel-plated tail against the nape, slicing it crudely in half before her claws reached out and squeezed at the other two titan's heads, trying so desperately to protect the new soldier.

Juno slid down on ice towards two titans gripping the fourth new soldier by his wrists and ankles and blasted them both with high pressure water, pushing them back. However, the Polywhirl became aware that they still clutched at the new soldier's appendages and the force of the attack had made them tear his arms and legs right off. The new soldier screamed in agony as he fell to the ground before landing on his head with a sickening crunch.

Tom tried to usher the new soldier who Phoebe had aided away from the scene with his gear, only for him to run out of gas as well and another titan lumbered over to them. Lance galloped over to them both and got them on his back to escape the scene, only for the titan that Juno blasted away with his water crash into the three and crush them against the house.

The other Pokemon looked on, dumbstruck at the scene, their limbs as frozen as their partners. They had been told of how titans ate nothing but humans, not for food as their kind did in the wild but for the sake of killing, and they had fought the psychic titans before. Now, they had watched the real creatures in action and their fellow cadets fight and barely make a difference against them, even while protecting their human comrades.

Is this... Miko thought, her eyes wide in horror, is this what they have to go up against?

She couldn't imagine the terror the humans felt, the frustration and the helplessness. The enormity of the human-Pokemon system smashed her in the face.

"GO!" Jeans' voice snapped the Umbreon out of her thoughts as her partner led the other new soldiers away. "Everyone, head straight to the HQ; we can use that as a distraction! If you run out of gas or stay still for too long, it's over!"

Jean, no! We can't just leave them! Miko protested out as she followed him. We've got enough power to-

"Did you not see what just happened?!" Jean shouted at her, as well as to the other new soldiers who had begun to protest even as they moved. "Even when they did go to help, two of them were killed just for protecting the human cadets! At this rate, you'll all get ripped apart trying to do something like that! Why do you think the Survey Corps lose more Pokemon than any other faction?! I won't let that happen to any other human or Pokemon in this group, now keep moving and don't look back! Charge in and focus squarely on getting to the HQ and nothing else!"

... I understand, the Umbreon got out, turning away from the screams and followed her partner's lead.

By this time, the HQ building was in sight, as well as several other titans. They reached out towards the human cadets but they shot through them as swiftly as possible. Adrian, Donatello, Pearl and Terezi's wings were like whirlwinds as they flapped through the melee. Even though all four were tired, Staraptor, Noivern, Vivilion and Crobat were determined to fight and not freeze up again like they did before. Adrian shot through the fray so swiftly that he wasn't even visible. Donatello opened his mouth and let out a screech that shattered the glass of the nearby windows, making blood leak out of the titans' ears at the frequency so it would get out of their way while Terezi flew through the titans so swiftly, she was barely visible, a purple blur in the air and Pearls' scattered spores seeped into the titans' skin and slowed their movements down a great deal.

Cody, Jenn, Chrys, Chili, Clovis and Luta were nearer to the ground, as they couldn't move on the rooftops like they wanted but they could the titans far more effectively there. Jenn rolled herself into a ball and barreled through some titans with rollout, careful as not to target the ones that would fall on her human comrades, Chrys used block on a titan, a giant red x now embedded on it's massive body like a tattoo, Chili became a wheel of flame and burned right through some of the titan's legs, Clovis' tail-fists smashed into the ground and made it unstable to trip the titans and Luta's flash cannon was able to rip apart the titans' limbs and skin until they were ragged flesh.

Kouji, Miko, Fisher and Matthias were the sole Pokemon leaping across the rooftops by Annie and Krista's sides, barely straying far from either of them. The Mienshao easily leaped through the fray of titans in a purple blur and the Whimsicott actually floated on by when his cotton-like mane was wrapped around him like a ball.

Apparently the titans were so concerned about eating humans that something like that wouldn't register on their radar, no matter how absurd it looked.

Jean's heart nearly thudded out of his chest when a titan grabbed his leg and he sliced it's fingers apart to escape before another started to block his path. Miko was suddenly right in front of it's face, her movements invisible due to quick attack from before as her tail became plated in steel and she smashed the iron tail into the titan's face to distract it before moving back to Jean's side. A moment later, Marco landed on the rooftops near him as Fisher jumped down from where she had clung to his back.

"Jean!" the freckled teen said to him. "You really came through for us back there; we all owe you one!"

Jean's eyes widened in surprise but Marco went on, "Don't shrug this off now, I'm being totally serious! It's because of you that we're all alive!"

A wry grin spread on the ash-haired teen's lips at the other's praise. "Don't start thanking me so soon; we're not out of the woods just yet!"

As they barreled through the titans, one of the new soldiers was caught in a titans' grip, a squelching noise ringing out as he screamed in fear. Miko's eyes widened in horror, her instincts screaming at her to go back and save him.

"Don't do it, please!" Fisher pleaded with her."You promised him; you promised that you'd go to Sina together, along with me and Marco! We can't let them die here and we can't let ourselves die either!"

Fisher-!

Finally, Jean was close enough to the HQ and the windows were in sight and both he and Marco looked back at their partners.

"Miko!"

"Fisher!"

The Umbreon and Growlithe quickly jumped forward and latched themselves onto their partner's backs, claws digging in securely into their jackets before Jean leaped forward and smashed through the glass, skidding across the floor before coming to a stop. The other new soldiers and the Pokemon who were dexterous enough to move on the rooftops followed.

They took a minute to catch their breaths, hardly daring to believe they had made it.

"How... how many people made it?" Jean rasped out as he sat up, looking around. "I used the deaths of our comrades to escape- How many people died because of my decision?"

Miko couldn't bring herself to say anything and looked down, her fanged teeth baring. That was when she noticed two huddled beneath the desk by herself and her partner. She tentatively approached them, asking, Hey, are you two okay?

The female new soldier with her face covered in blood nodded weakly and that was when Jean saw them and he approached them. "You guys are from the supply unit, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah-" the male soldier began, only for the ash-haired teenager to grab his shirt collar and punch him across the face, sending him sprawling on the floor.

"Jean, stop it!" Marco exclaimed as he hooked his arms behind his friend to hold him back.

"No, I will NOT stop it! These pricks are the whole reason we're in this mess!" he yelled angrily. "They left us out to die while they stayed huddled up in here! Do you have any idea how many people got eaten because of you?! We've already lost some of our partners because they were trying to protect the ones who ran out of gas!"

"Some titans broke into the storage rooms!" the female soldier sobbed as she helped her friend up. "There wasn't anything we could do!"

"You should have thought of something! It was the one damn job you were assigned to do!"

As the fighting continued, Reiner noticed something approaching them and his eyes widened as he realized what it was. "Take cover!" he yelled.

The next moment, two titans crashed into the walls and windows via their faces, creating a giant hole for all to see the new soldiers. Jean cursed himself angrily; there were too many people gathered in one spot.

Many of the new soldiers began to panic and run, some frantically asking where Mikasa, Becquerel and Tanya were. Jean stood where he was frozen at the two faces leering at them, before a resigned smile came across his face and he looked down.

This kind of thing is normal, though. I guess this as good a reality check as anything, he realized as people kept running past him. What kind of dream were we holding onto? The reality of this situation is obvious; how can any of us expect to even hope to fight against creatures of that size?


"Aw shit..." Chili groaned as he saw the titans swarm over the HQ in an effort to get to their partners.

He, Cody, Chrys, Clovis, Jenn and Luta were stranded on the ground, as they couldn't get up on the rooftops without either crashing or breaking through the shingles. As such before, they had attacked the titans from below. But now, they were stranded outside.

Jenn struggled to catch her breath before snapping, "C'mon! We gotta get in and help our partners!"

"But how do you propose we accomplish that?" Luta asked, sweat trickling down her face. "It's all we can do to slow them down as we are on the ground, and we can't fly or levitate to a higher vantage point to kill them and climbing will take too much time and wear us out even more."

"Not only that, but they're so preoccupied with the human soldiers that they could care less if they accidentally stepped on us," Clovis pointed out. "While some of us would survive something like that, (Chrys tried not to look too smug while Jenn sweat-dropped) there's only so much one of us can do on our own..."

Cody's teeth drew back in a grimace. "At least our partners have a definite path up to the nape... dammit, are we really so useless on our own?"

This brought on a dour silence in the group as they pondered how they could aid their partners before it was too late.

"What is that...?"

Cody, Clovis, Jenn, Chili and Luta froze as Chrys spoke softly, one of the rare times it said a full sentence. The Bronzong's eyes were locked towards the side of the HQ where there were the most titans at the moment. There was a titan coming towards them at full speed, brown hair flapping wildly and fanged teeth gleaming.

"Oh crap, he'll smash right into the HQ!" Chili yelled in horror. "We gotta go now!"


Levi and Mitternacht sped after the abnormal titan as it charged at the supply HQ, Hannes and a Hjalmar-carrying Basil a few meters behind. Both of them had the same train of thought; that this titan was an accomplice of the Colossal and Armored titans, as well as the two unknown titans that destroyed the Outpost Guard!

It's starting to pick up speed, Levi thought with a grimace.

No sooner had the thought entered his mind, did Mitternachts' body become framed in pale blue and he vanished for a split second before appearing several meters away before disappearing once more and repeating.

"Oh boy..." Hjalmar mumbled, clinging tightly to Basils' jacket as his eyes became round once more.


"WE WON'T LOSE!"

Jean looked down at the foreign voice to see Adrian, Matthias, Terezi, Donatello, Pearl, Miko, Fisher, and Kouji had all placed themselves in front of Jean and the other fleeing cadets. There was no fear in them, just anger and determination.

"Let's go!" Fisher barked, flames beginning to build in her mouth.

Adrian, Dontallo and Terezi spread their wings, Miko's body glowed a bull black-violet, Matthias summoned several razor-sharp leaves, Pearl's eyes glowed with psychic power and Kouji moved himself into a fighting stance. The ash-haired teen could only watch them now in confused upset. What made them keep fighting? What did they have to gain from aiding humanity? How could they not be afraid-

His thoughts were cut off as a giant fist smashed into one of the titans, throwing it across the street. A titan with ragged long brown hair, green eyes and fanged teeth roared at the titans, completely ignoring the humans and Pokemon before it.

"... the fuck?" Matthias asked weakly.


Jenn, Clovis, Chili and Luta's mouths dropped open in total shock and if Chrys did have a jaw, it would still be closed.

"What..." Cody whispered in amazement.


Hannes and Basil both let out choked gasps in complete shock.

"HEY, FUCK THAT GUY!" Hjalmar exclaimed, a grin of amazement on his face, eyes wide.

! Levi's eyes widened

"Well, that happened," Mitternacht got out rather weakly, half freaked out, half very impressed despite himself.