Chapter 10: Response
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Previously: The group concurs the Colossal Titan Shifter is in the military and the attack was executed while the Scouts were away. Candy sings.
I) The characters will not watch parody videos. It doesn't fit. The purpose of them watching AoT is to learn and be prepared. And as fantastical as the plot is (Candy, TV, unlimited food/water and all) I still want to make it as realistic as I can.
II) There are no pairings in this story. Any personal moments between characters have and will stem from friendship or camaraderie, not romance.
"I'll ask one more time! Just what are you really?!" Weilman screamed.
"I'm human!" Eren yelled back.
Armin and Mikasa watched, tension clear on their faces.
"I see." Weilman's arm began to rise. "Don't take this personally."
"Now why am I not surprised?" Petra rolled her eyes. "He just saw Eren transform, what makes him think he can't do it again?" Or that it might piss him off that he was being cooperative yet still being shot at thus pushing him into attacking instead of only defending?
"You're overestimating the idiot's intelligence," Levi said.
On the other side of the Wall, things were much more peaceful.
"Marco, I can't do this anymore. I can't fight Titans anymore!" Daz cried.
"What's gotten into you?" Marco questioned.
"My friends got eaten right in front of me! My friends got killed, yet I didn't feel any sadness or hate at all!"
A few feet over, Sasha sat, head down, with a plate full of loaves of bread. Untouched.
"Wow, you must really not be feeling well," Hange said, getting several nods in agreement.
"Deep down, I just felt glad it wasn't me!"
Sasha was listening, shaken.
"But it's my turn next." Daz clutched his head. "I've realized what our job is! It's basically fighting and fighting until we eventually get eaten!"A cart with five injured and mutilated soldiers was passing by on the street. "Well, screw that!" He reached for his blade. "I'd rather end things—"
"But you already survived!" Eren couldn't understand the logic of surviving, then killing yourself so you wouldn't have to die. His death wasn't a guarantee. And the longer you survived, the better your chances were.
"Stop!" Marco grabbed him. "Pull yourself together! You aren't the only one, you know! We're all fighting back fear! Just look at Sasha! Even after what she went through, she's still an upstanding soldier!"
Sasha cried out suddenly. "Um, my stomach hurts. Could you please consider me one of the wounded?"
Daz tried to pull out his sword again. "I can't go on!"
The viewers laughed. They knew they shouldn't but they couldn't help themselves.
"I can't believe you did that," Hange said, laughing.
Armin smiled. "Poor Marco, he was trying so hard."
"Stop! Stop it!"
Jean, Reiner, Bert, and Annie were silent. "That gag order is definitely warranted," Jean finally said. "With the way things are if they found out about Eren…"
Crazy mobs. Petra thought immediately. People in a large group, frightened beyond belief, would look for a target, someone to blame. And Eren would have been the perfect scapegoat.
An explosive sound came from the other side of Wall Rose, startling the soldiers. "Cannon fire?" Jean looked around. "Why only one shot?!"
"Look over there! Smoke! It's inside the Wall!"
"Hey! What's happening?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Did they break through the water gate?!"
"Impossible! That's the sturdiest place of all!"
"They must've just set off a shell by accident!"
"Still, why's there so much smoke?!"
Reiner was shocked and horrified. He took out his blades.
So now he takes the initiative. Better late than never, I suppose. Although Erwin wondered what Reiner thought he could possibly do in this situation.
"No way. Is it Titan steam?" Jean wondered.
Reiner immediately took off on his 3D gear, followed by Annie and Bert. Jean wasted no time chasing after them.
For a self-proclaimed weak-willed person and a loner looking out for herself, Bert and Annie sure didn't act that way just now. Jean hadn't really noticed at the time who exactly had run toward the explosion. Reiner made sense, he was the heroic knight-type. The other two? Not so much. Guess you don't really know yourself until you're in a life-and-death situation.
Red muscles steamed and bushes burned around them. Armin shook while Mikasa eyed their surroundings carefully. The Garrisons watched in stunned disbelief, trembling. Jean, Annie, Reiner, and Bert gaped at the scene from a rooftop in the distance.
"What the hell's going on here?" Reiner said.
Inside the steam, a half-muscular, half-skeletal Titan stood. Mikasa gripped her blade, looking around while Armin was frozen in his spot. Three violet flowers swayed gently in the wind.
Hange wrote that down. There had to be significance to the shot since it had been placed to bring the viewer's attention to it. The same way the shot had been placed when steam had risen from Eren in the mess hall while his wounds healed.
The sound of cracking and deteriorating bones finally snapped Armin out of it. He looked up, seeing the massive head swaying through the ribcage.
The Garrisons continued to stand around uselessly. "It's alive!"
"It's aliiiiiive!" Candy laughed.
"I really want to know all the references she makes!" Christa said longingly.
"It's probably super clever," Jean said.
Eren grunted. "You're only saying that because she said you're her favorite."
"I don't know." Ymir smirked. "That song from the last episode seemed pretty funny to me."
"Captain Weilman!" Rico walked up to him.
The bearded man whimpered, seeing the Titan's face and stepping back. "We're on standby! We can't risk getting near it!" He yelled, spit flying. "Stay on alert, everyone! Remain on standby! Artillerymen, reload the cannon!"
Levi frowned. In a way, he could understand why the man would want to be on the offensive. He had a right to be wary. Confronted with an unknown foe, carelessness will get you killed. But Weilman made decisions based purely on fear. He was illogical and acting crazy, a complete opposite on how an officer in the military should behave during such a critical situation.
The Titan's eye twitched. Inside, Eren began to wake. He gasped, noticing the muscles and the bones, struggling to break free. The skin behind the Titan's neck moved and steam exploded out. Eren hung there, almost parallel to the ground. He grunted, trying to rip his left arm out of the body. Finally, he broke free and noticed it.
"What is this?" He stared at the back of the giant red head.
"I-I remember hearing the cannon go off," Armin said. "After that came a tremendous crash, shock, and heat! And now we're inside a giant skeleton—"
"Eren protected us," Mikasa said calmly. "That's all we need to understand for now."
Eren mentally sighed. She's so unsurprised. He wasn't happy to admit, even only to himself, that he was the only one keeping score on who saved whom how many times. Mikasa didn't care about the quantity or felt bitter she hadn't save Armin but Eren had.
Armin noticed the flowers by Mikasa's foot. Flowers, only on the inside?
Hange smiled triumphantly. There really was something to the visual presentation, clues with hints that would help in some way if she could figure them out. It was a good thing she kept detailed notes and had eleven other brains to pick for things they may have subconsciously picked up but hadn't realized what they meant.
"Hey." Eren ran around the ribcage. "You guys okay?" Mikasa stared at him with wide eyes, still unable to wrap her head around the miracle.
"Eren, what is this?" Armin asked.
"I don't know! But it's already starting to vaporize, just like a Titan's corpse! Let's get away from it!" He stepped out into the steam. "Whether they're watching and waiting or if they're in a daze, the Garrisons aren't showing any signs of activity for now." Eren shifted to where the cannons were mounted on the wall. Mikasa stood and he turned to her. "But I'm sure they'll start attacking again soon enough."
The decaying Titan body loomed over them.
Why did it start decaying while Eren was still attached to it? Petra thought suddenly. The answer came a second later. Probably because the body had served its purpose. He had formed it with the intent to cover his friends and take that cannonball. Once its purpose was fulfilled, the body began to wither and die.
"I doubt there's any chance of reasoning with them now, after seeing this." Eren grabbed the key around his neck. "But there is one thing I remember now. The basement. The basement of my house."
Armin and Mikasa stood silent, listening. An image of the collapsed house flashed on the screen.
Eren and Mikasa flinched. Years had passed but the feeling of hopelessness at seeing one's home, a symbol of safety, security, and happiness, utterly destroyed still ran deep.
"My dad said it'd all make sense if I go there!" Eren clutched the key, staring at it intently. "He's also the reason this has happened to me. If I go to the basement, I might figure out what the Titans are too!" Images of his father injecting him came to him.
Eren recalled the Armored Titan running and the Colossal Titan peering over the Wall.
"Damn it!" He punched a bone of the skeleton in frustration, causing more cracks. "Why did he keep it a secret?! Thousands of Scouts have died trying to get that information! It's the only hope humanity has!"
"Well…"
"What does that mean?" Jean asked, troubled.
Christa frowned. "She sounded uncertain."
"What if it means the key is a useless lead?" Connie said suddenly.
"Shut up, Springer," Eren snapped.
"Questioning is a good thing," Ymir said to Eren. "You can't just accept things at face value."
"But there has to be something there. Eren's abilities give us probable cause," Armin pointed out.
"Connie has a point though," Hange said. "Candy says weird things and many are clues, I believe. We can't exclude the possibility it's a dead end."
"We could be misinterpreting," Petra said. "Perceptions influence how we see the world, what Candy means might be different from what we're imagining because she knows the whole truth."
"We don't have all the info." Hange nodded. "So we can't jump to conclusions based on what we have so far."
"Is the basement completely underground?" Levi addressed Eren and Mikasa. "The house collapsed on itself so it's possible the wreckage could have gone through the door and buried or destroyed whatever answer you're meant to find." That was one plausible explanation for why Candy sounded disagreeing about humanity's survival depending on whatever they found in the basement.
"I don't think so," Mikasa answered. "The door's very sturdy and it was always locked to keep us from snooping." By us, everyone knew it meant Eren. "From the way the house collapsed, I'm sure whatever is inside survived."
"We should just see what happens," Sasha said diplomatically.
"She's right, Candy promised answers so the wise thing to do is wait and watch," Erwin said after listening to everyone's opinions. No one objected and he un-paused the episode.
Armin stood a little straighter.
"And he just kept it tucked away in our basement all this time?! What the hell was he thinking?!" Eren gritted his teeth, eyes wild. Mikasa then noticed something. "And where the hell has he been these last five years?"
Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his rage. "Eren, we have other things to attend to right now."
"Yeah."
The trio moved quickly.
Ymir paid full attention, interested to see how they'd managed not to get shot at a second time. She knew Pixis had arrived at the last second but how had they stalled the panicking soldiers in the meantime?
"The smoke's clearing!" A soldier said.
Weilman looked around, listening to them.
"Attack on sight!"
"Let's finish it off quick!"
"Hold your positions!" Weilman yelled. They all flinched when the Titan's body fell apart. Bones shattered and turned to dust as they hit the ground, forcing the soldiers to cover their faces as a mixture of dust, steam, and crushed bone particles kicked up.
Inside the cover, the trio was kneeling on the ground. "I'm getting out of here," Eren said, making his friends gasp.
"Where to? How?" Armin asked.
"Anywhere will do for now. Then I'll go over the Wall and make for the basement." He clenched his fist. "After I've changed into a Titan again."
"They'll shoot you down when you try to climb the Wall, idiot," Levi said. Turning his back would make him vulnerable. Armin and Mikasa especially, since they'd have to travel on the Titan's shoulders with Armin's gear without gas and Mikasa's not far behind.
"Can you really do that?" Armin asked again.
"I'm not too sure how to do it myself, but I think I can. It's just like how people can't really explain how they move their arms." Eren replayed the attack in his mind. "Just now, my mind unconsciously focused on stopping the cannonball. That's why it decayed. It only had the capabilities and endurance for that." He was out of breath. "This time, I'm gonna be an even stronger one. I'm gonna be a 15-meter high one that can slaughter other Titans, like before!"
"Eren," Mikasa said in worry. "Your nose is bleeding."
He wiped his nose, staring at the red staining his fingers. "You look really pale," Armin began, "and your breathing is rough. It's taking a toll on your body. You're not well!"
The more he transforms the more toll it takes on his body. Hange wrote that down, wondering what Eren's limitations were.
"My health doesn't matter right now." He wiped all the blood from his face. "I have two ideas in mind. You guys can get through this alive if you stop trying to protect me. I've already caused you two enough trouble as it is, so I'm gonna go it alone from here on out."
"No, I—" Armin started to object.
"Eren, I'm coming with you," Mikasa stated plainly.
"You can't."
"If I can't keep up, you can abandon me. But I won't have to do what you say, either."
"I'd never abandon you and Armin, don't either of you ever doubt that," Eren said, earning warm smiles from his two friends.
If you were on the run, it'd be you who has to be abandoned cause you can't keep up with Mikasa. Jean thought.
"I'm serious here!" Eren said. "Just forget about it! I'm not your little brother or your kid!"
Armin was lost in his thoughts as they argued.
"Sir, the high explosive shell is almost reloaded. What are your next attack orders?" Rico asked.
"Await my signal!"
"Yes, sir!"
Still hidden, Mikasa and Eren continued to argue. For now, the Garrison isn't showing any signs of launching a close-quarters assault. Armin thought. If they were, Mikasa would've sensed it faster than a stray cat. Assuming they reload in the shortest time possible, it'll take them about twenty more seconds, he deduced. Eren will spring into action and be gone before then.
Erwin had heard it was Armin who had really saved the day by convincing Pixis they weren't a threat, but allies. The Garrison commander had spoken briefly but highly of the boy. Erwin had seen with his own eyes what had impressed Pixis and agreed completely.
The memory of little Eren and Mikasa beating up the bullies came to Armin.
Why am I reminded of that at a time like this? Armin became downcast. Is it because this is the end for us? He remembered his younger-self, cowering in the corner, watching his friends. In the very end, I never amounted to anything more than a coward. The smiling Eren and Mikasa offered him a hand. They were there to help me so many times but not once did I ever manage to help them. Little Armin watched the two, protecting him.
"Don't be silly, you saved Eren from a nasty beating at the refugee camp," Christa pointed out.
"And a whole lot more at the HQ with your plan to clear the supply room of the Titans," Petra added.
"Okay, yes, thank you," Armin said quickly, face red from the attention.
Rain poured heavily and Armin ran, carrying his pack in training. How can I possibly call myself an equal friend? How can I possibly offer to go with them? The trio was sitting on stone steps, discussing their future. I'm not even confident I can keep up. Armin watched the others trainees running ahead of him, leaving him behind as he struggled to keep up.
Armin sat back down, resigned. I guess… The three children sat on the rooftop of Eren's house with the sun shining brightly and the sheets blowing in the wind, pouring over Armin's book. This is the last time the three of us will ever be together.
"Eren, I am—"
"Wait, Mikasa, I said I had two ideas, remember? Armin, I leave the decision to you."
"Have faith in yourself," Mikasa said to him quietly, "we always do."
Armin snapped his head up in surprise.
"I know how unrealistic this plan is," Eren admitted. 'The best option would be to use this Titan ability in a systematic way, under the military's direction. I know this sounds crazy, but if you think you can convince the Garrison that I'm not a threat, I'll trust in you and go with that option. That's my second idea. If you don't think you can do it, I'll go with the other idea as a last resort."
Atop the Wall, the soldiers began readying the cannons.
"Decide in fifteen seconds," Eren said. "Can you do it or not? I'll respect your opinion, whichever it is."
The soldier signaled he was ready.
"Eren, why are you entrusting such an important decision to me?" Armin was staring in disbelief.
"Even when things get ugly, you always make the right call, y'know? I figure that's worth relying on," Eren answered with a tense smile.
"When did I ever do that?"
"All the time. Like that time five years ago." Tiny Armin ran to Hannes, grabbing his arm and yelling. "If you hadn't gone and gotten Hannes for us, Mikasa and I would've been devoured by a Titan."
"Oh," Armin said. That was what Mikasa had been referring to back at the HQ in the supply room, when she'd said he had saved both and her and Eren's lives. I'd totally forgotten about that.
Behind Armin, the last of the body fell apart as the realization hit him. It was all in my head. I convinced myself that's how I was. I convinced myself I was helpless and a burden. Eren and Mikasa didn't have a hint of doubt in their expressions. But they never felt that way at all!
And it's up to you not to ever let them down. Levi thought about two others who had unshakable faith in him and had died as a result of his arrogance.
"Armin, we're out of time," Eren said.
The soldier nodded, wire in hand. His companion held up her arm to signal the others on the ground. "They've finished reloading, sir!" Rico reported. "We can fire at any time!"
These two who are willing to place their lives in my hands are the people I trust more than anyone in this world. Armin thought, filled with determination. What more convincing do I need than that? Without hesitation, he got to his feet. "I will persuade them, without fail. I'll need you to act as nonaggressive as possible."
The two nodded and Armin marched forward confidently. Something's been bugging me ever since Eren started fighting as a Titan. I haven't collected my thoughts yet, but I'll do this! I'll have to think as I talk! He ditched his gear and ran out. The noise startled some of the soldiers.
"Halt!" Weilman held his arms out ahead of him.
One of the soldiers pointed a gun at Armin. He slid to a stop and held up his arms.
"You've finally revealed your true form, monster! I'll do it! I'll give the signal to fire!" Weilman said aggressively.
Is he blind too now? On top of being stupid? Jean shook her head. Sure Eren transformed but they already knew he could. It doesn't make Armin the monster.
"He is not an enemy of humanity! We're willing to disclose everything we've learned!"
"Begging for your lives won't help you! He's revealed his true form for all to see! What more is there to say?" The Garrison captain disagreed stubbornly. "If you insist he's not our enemy, then show me proof! If you can't, then we'll simply eliminate the threat he poses!"
"There's no need for proof!" Armin yelled back. Then it struck him. That's right! There is no need! He continued, "In fact, this isn't about what we perceive him to be!"
"What?! I hear that countless people saw him!"
"In which case, they surely saw him fighting Titans as well!" Armin looked at the soldiers, surprising them. "And they must've seen the Titans swarming around him, too!"
They outnumber the chicken-shit captain, smart to get them on your side. Ymir thought.
They all remembered the Rogue Titan charging at the other Titans.
"In other words, the Titans saw him as prey—just like they see us! That's an irrefutable fact, however hard you look at it!" Armin continued without stopping. Then the whispers began.
"He has a point."
"A Titan, on our side?"
"That's crazy."
"Reasonable doubt goes a long way."
Candy sounds impressed. Armin thought proudly.
The soldiers had lowered their weapons.
Weilman looked around in a panic. "Prepare to attack!" He threw his arm out. "Don't be taken in by their clever ruses!" Armin gasped. "Their behavior has always been beyond our understanding! It's entirely possible they'd take on human form and use human language to deceive us all!"
"What?!" Christ was flabbergasted.
"That doesn't even make any sense." Sasha couldn't believe the stupidity. She wasn't smart like Armin and Jean and even she knew what Weilman was sprouting was total nonsense.
"What was a bunch of horseshit," Levi grumbled.
Many of the soldiers seemed to believe him.
"Those dumbasses are actually buying it." Hange almost felt pained by the idiocy.
Eren and Mikasa tensed.
"We can't let them have their way anymore!"
The soldiers were once again ready to attack, glaring.
"Seriously?" Sasha gaped. "But...but Armin had proof! That guy's just sprouting nonsense!"
"Fear turns people into idiots." Christa sighed.
It's no use. Armin stood completely stunned. He's abandoned all logic. He's afraid to think. Armin looked over his shoulder at his friends. Eren! Mikasa! The duo still looked at him with conviction. Eren nodded.
Gritting his teeth, Armin brought his fist forward and saluted, screaming with determination. "As a soldier, I have long sworn to give my heart for the restoration of humankind!" Weilman was blank-faced. "Nothing would make me happier than to die for that cause!" Eren and Mikasa kept quiet and still. "If we combine his Titan ability with our own remaining manpower, we can retake this city!"
Rico, Ian, and the rest of the soldiers were impacted by his words. Jean, Annie, Reiner, and Bert watched tensely from the rooftop.
Erwin still couldn't figure out why Reiner had run off to see this. Maybe he felt he had to after it had been Jean and Armin who'd taken charge to save their comrades.
"For humanity's glory, in what little time I have left to live, I will continue to advocate his strategic value!" Armin screamed with the last of his breath.
"Captain Weilman," Ian began, "I believe his words are worth consid—"
"They should put him in charge," Connie said, pointing.
"He's dead," Mikasa told him.
"Oh. That's too bad."
"Silence!" Weilman yelled at him. However much they beg for their lives, they're still traitors. His arm began to rise and Armin's eyes widened. To dispose of those who violate the rules, that is the duty of a soldier! Mikasa's hand inched over her sword and Eren brought his hand toward his mouth.
The cannon loomed menacingly and Weilman was about to bring his arm down.
"That's enough." A hand gripped the Garrison captain's arm. "I see you're still as delicate as a young deer despite your size."
The group snickered.
The Garrison commander brought the arm down. "Commander Pixis?" Weilman gasped.
Cheers broke out.
"Can you not see that soldier's splendid salute?" Pixis walked forward. Armin had his eyes closed, face scrunched up. "I've only just arrived, but I've been filled in on the situation. You're in charge of the reinforcements now. I think it'd be best to hear what they have to say."
Armin dropped to the ground in relief, tearful, his friends sitting in surprise behind him. The three violet flowers moved gently near Eren and Mikasa.
An outline of the three Walls over a compass appeared. "According to the Survey Corp's reports, it was believed that the Titans would appear from the south. Indeed, it was Shinganshina District, on the south side of Wall Maria, that the Titans attacked."
In red, the number 845 appeared with Titans. Shinganshina and Wall Maria were x-ed out. The red Titan figures moved forward and onto to year 850. "As a result, the fortified city of Trost on the south side of Wall Rose was deemed their next most likely target."
[Trost District - Inner Gate]
Titans were clawing at the gate. Up on Wall Rose, the Garrison commander studied them, taking a sip from his flask.
"Dot Pixis—who names their kid Dot?"
"What?! Dot? I bet he got picked on as a kid," Connie snickered.
"I bet his grandma called him Dotty," Candy declared.
The recruits and Hange and Petra giggled.
"Dotty," Jean snorted.
"Dotty is the top officer in charge of Trost and the entire southern territory." Pixis watched the city burn and smoke rise. "And the man given full authority for the defense of humanity's most vital region."
"I guess I won't find one after all." Pixis looked down at the Titans. "I certainly wouldn't mind being gobbled up by a beautiful lady Titan." He straightened and smiled.
"Me too! I wouldn't mind being gobbled by a sexy Titan either!" Hange declared to no one's surprise.
"Would you mind being eaten by Eren's Titan?" Connie asked.
"As a matter of fact, I would not."
"Hear that Eren? Hange thinks you're sexy." Ymir wagged her eyebrows at him.
"Please stop," Eren begged, cheeks pink, feeling very awkward about this topic.
"And he's also known for being a full-blown eccentric," Candy finished introducing Pixis.
"What is the commander thinking?" Weilman bitched to himself. "Taking those freaks up there without a single bodyguard!"
"Well, the commander's thoughts are beyond the comprehension of average people," Rico answered.
"I see what she did there," Christa giggled.
"Bet he's too stupid to realize she just insulted him," Mikasa said.
"Captain, we've finished reassembling the troops," Ian said.
"Right. Good work." Weilman noticed all the soldiers had nervous, fearful expressions.
"I see." Pixis stood ramrod straight, hands behind his back, gazing at the destruction before him. "And visiting this basement will make everything clear?"
"Yes. Do you believe me?" Eren asked.
"Seeing as you yourself are unable to provide validation, for now, I'm simply keeping it all in mind." Pixis turned and tapped his forehead. "But I do believe I can tell when someone is being sincere or not. I will personally guarantee your safety."
Their shoulders sagged in relief.
"Trainee Arlert, was it?"
"Sir!"
"Earlier, you mentioned that with this so-called 'Titan ability' it would be possible to retake this city. Do you truly believe that? Or was that just a desperate plea for your life?"
"It was...both," Armin answered honestly. "I was going to suggest that Eren, in Titan form, could take that giant rock and use it to block the wrecked entrance."
A massive rock and the hole in the Wall appeared on the screen.
Connie whistled. "Look at the size of that thing."
"You carried that?" Christa said, amazed.
"It felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders," Eren said, remembering the heaviness crushing his shoulders.
"It was just an idea I came up with on the spot. I just wanted them to see the possibilities of Eren's ability and how it could help solve the situation we're in. Of course, I was desperate to survive, too!"
"'Desperate to survive,'" Pixis repeated, smiling. "There's nothing more credible than those words." He pulled out the flask again and took a swig.
Not sure I'd ever be able to berate Hannes for drinking on the job if even the commander does it. Eren thought. Then again, he was Pixis.
The trio waited in silence. Pixis walked over to Eren and knelt in front of the boy sitting on the ground. "What do you say, Trainee Yeager?"
"Sir?"
"Can you seal that gate?" Pixis asked casually.
"I… Well… I'm not sure. Right now, I don't really understand any more than the rest of you," Eren admitted. Armin was quiet. Mikasa looked unsure. "Maybe I can. Maybe I can't. I don't know. I don't feel I can risk giving an irresponsible answer."
"Ah, yes. My apologies," Pixis said cheerfully. "I asked the wrong question." The smile dropped and his tone became more authoritative. "Will you do it or not?" He leveled the boy with a stern look. His gaze shifted behind the Titan-Shifter.
Eren turned his head, following the man's field of vision across the land. Determined, he was quiet for a few seconds. "I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know if I can plug the hole or not but I'll do it!"
"Yeah, Eren, go plug that hole!" Candy snickered.
Connie choked on his apple slice.
Christa and Sasha slapped his back, trying to help, while Ymir laughed.
"Wow..." Jean said.
"What?" Eren asked, confused. He glanced between a blank-faced Mikasa and a blushing Armin.
"You seriously don't know?" Levi raised an eyebrow.
"What does it mean?" Eren asked Petra.
"Uh..." Petra tried to find an appropriate way to tell him. "It—"
"I'll explain," Hange said. "What she—"
"Candy made a sex joke," Erwin said before Hange began a technical explanation that would scar the new recruits for life.
"Oh. Oh!" Eren's face turned red.
"Hello, lovely viewers! This message was triggered because the episode count went up to thirty. You are now one-third of the way done."
"It kind of doesn't feel like three hours have passed," Christa said. "Time's been flying by."
"Counting the ten-minute break, we've been watching TV for three and a half hours now," Hange calculated.
"You have twenty episodes left. That means you have around seven hours of TV ahead of you, not counting any breaks you may take."
Erwin paused the TV. "Is everyone okay with taking a break every five episodes or so?" They nodded in agreement.
"Yes!"
"Yeah."
"Sounds good."
The commander nodded and let the message play.
"At the end of episode twenty-five, you will hear another message from me. Then, as a group, have a very important decision to make."
"Important decision?" Armin echoed.
"What could she have in mind?" Sasha wondered.
"In the meantime, enjoy and pay close attention. I'm not just rambling like a lunatic when I comment during an episode. At least, not every time. Well, you're over halfway to the 'future' episodes, only two more hours left to go, have fun!"
"The future!" Christa gushed. "We're going to see the future!"
"How far do you think it goes?" Connie said, trying to imagine what they might see.
"Could she show us the end of the Titans?" Eren's eyes lit up.
"Candy said twenty-five episodes and the rest are extra. I don't think we'll get that far in fifteen episodes," Ymir deduced.
"But every episode, every event that we see that will happen will be a tremendous help!" Hange squealed in joy.
"If it happens," Levi muttered cynically.
"I'm sure it will," Petra said optimistically. "Though I wonder if that's what Candy meant when she said we have a decision at the end of episode twenty-five."
"It's possible she wants us to think about whom to share our future knowledge with," Erwin suggested.
"I think I remember her saying something about a limit of twelve people." Sasha thought back to episode one. "Or something like that."
"You're right, sir," Armin said to the commander. "And by knowing the future, we can shape it how we want."
"Candy trusted the people in this room enough to share the information," Mikasa said seriously, feeling a sense of responsibility. "After we leave, it's up to us, as a group, to decide whom to let in on this secret."
"There must be a reason the twelve of us were chosen," Hange said, though she was unable to figure it out herself.
"We also have to consider how we'll sound," Erwin added. "Between us, we know we can trust each other. But letting others in, we risk exposing our advantage."
"Commander Pixis would be great," Armin said, Eren and Mikasa nodding in total agreement.
"That's if you're taken seriously," Levi said to Erwin. "You have the most authority but it's still farfetched." Occasionally he himself was having a hard time believing it and he was living it.
"We don't have to tell anyone," Ymir said, turning all the heads to her. "At least, not immediately. Using the knowledge to our advantage, Commander Pixis, from what I saw and Armin and the others claim, can be brought in because we'll have proof to an extent."
"I'm with Ymir," Jean pitched in. "We don't really need to tell anyone, period. But if we do decide to, we can wait and see."
"We'll have to wait two hours for the future episodes," the commander said. "Maybe we'll see something that can help prove to Pixis, or possibly Commander-in-Chief Zackly, of the legitimacy of our story. Or we could figure out a way to handle the future without involving anyone else." Erwin leaned back. "It's strange but really all we have to do is sit back and wait and we'll know everything we need to."
"Let's keep watching." Hange grinned. "So we can get to episode 17!"
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