Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to Hajime Isayama.
Once the five minute break began, the Boy Wonder took one long swig of the coffee he grabbed. The smooth drink made him sigh in content as the others engaged in chatting about the episodes or training, all menial conversations not worth his time.
Except for one: "Is Eren also a target or not?"
He picked up it was Annie's monotone voice on the other couch. "Of course, Eren is a target. A high priority one at that," Zeke said, catching her and everyone else's attention. "Eren will eat his-our father and gain what I presume is the Attack Titan, given how the King of the Walls holds the Coordinate." The fate of his former father rang hollow in his chest. His brother's fate, on the other hand, the one that would be quite clearly forced upon him, made him steel his resolve.
"My suggestion would be to grab Eren sometime after the fall as we don't know if he can control his powers by the time he enlists. So retrieving both of them as soon as possible would not only be beneficial to us but also render Paradis no longer a threat. A win for all sides except for the ones on the island, of course." The reality of what the government would do once they get their hands on the Founding Titan before him was one of his greatest concerns. Alongside the issue of finding someone who he trusted enough to use the powerful Titan's abilities for him.
Then by some odd twist of fate, Eren was shown to him. If he could just get him to see what their father planned to do and his own solution to the suffering of Eldians, then maybe he'll finally have the key part of his plan. Yes, I can save him from the will of father and have him become the Founding Titan out of his own choice. By doing so, I'm refusing to be him and try to foolishly convince Eren with lies or worse. He stopped himself from getting too caught up in the dream.
"But..." Bert paused in thought, "how are we supposed to do all of that during our mission? I don't think it'll be easy for us to bring back both of them and then destroy all the inhabitants around the same time."
"Not to mention, wasn't your father the holder of the power first? He'll probably use his Titan to defend himself and Eren, too. It won't be an easy fight because all of you will be at your limits already from breaking the gates and doing transportation duty," Pieck said. She eyed his face to get a clue on what his thoughts might be, and as always didn't make comment on how some part of what he said felt off to her.
Porco, who kept quiet until now, spoke up. "I'm not an expert or anything when it comes to this, but shouldn't your transformations and Titans draw in members of their military? With the fall of Wall Maria happening they would be twice as cautious for any signs of activity. I don't mean they can beat you but they'll be annoying to deal with."
While Reiner didn't have the best of views of Zeke at the moment, he refused to be bitter about it if the change in plans would truly be beneficial. "Um, maybe when the Wall falls, we should find Eren while were infiltrating the refugee camp. If I remember right, he was unconscious so that would make him an easier target."
"When and how?" Annie deadpanned. "He was on the last boat which left after you busted down the gate. So he would have a head start on us on top of being surrounded by thousands of other refugees. Finding him and which forest he was taken to while ensuring our success is like Bert said, too difficult and dangerous."
Pieck jolted a bit upon realizing something. "Wait, how did Eren end up on a bed in a refugee camp? Shouldn't this mean him and his father were not alone together in the forest?"
Zeke's grip on the handle threatened to crack it. There were too many uncertainties and flaws for his liking.
"In my opinion," Bert spoke a bit timidly, "I think it would be best to go through with the infiltration into the military. Even though it's not the fastest option, we have the chance to gain information and keep an eye on Eren."
He frowned deeply. "...Fine then. I suppose you three can carry out the mission to flush out the Coordinate as planned. Then you can capture Eren on the side when the opportunity presents itself." He hit the button on the remote with reluctance. If truly no other option occurs, then he'll just have take matters into his own hands and try to undo the brainwashing of his brother far later. He took an odd comfort in picturing himself as the Mr. Ksaver to Eren, in a more brotherly sense of course.
"Hey, you!"
All of them snapped to attention, their backs going ramrod straight and hands twitching to salute the instructor.
It broke the seriousness from before when they sheepishly relaxed.
"Sir!" Armin placed a fist over his chest for the man.
"I wonder what their salute means?" Pieck tilted her head at the pose.
"Looks like it has something to do with their hearts unlike how ours is watching over the Motherland," Porco guessed.
"Who the hell are you!"
"I'm Armin Arlet from Shiganshina, sir!"
"I see! That's a ridiculous name! Did your parents give it to you?!"
"It was my grandfather, sir!"
"Arlet! Why are you here!"
He squeezed his eyes shut. "To contribute to humanity's victory, sir!"
"How very admirable of you! You should make first-rate Titan feed!"
Reiner and Zeke shuddered at the memory of their first few days in training and evaluation. More than once they had accidentally gotten a faceful of dirt while running through trenches.
"Third row! About face!" Keith grabbed his head and turned it around like a doll.
"And who the hell are you?" He grilled into a different blond trainee.
"Sir! Thomas Wagner from Trost District!"
"I can't hear you!"
Thomas flinched and repeated himself. "I'm Thomas Wagner!"
Watching this almost made them wish they had Magath in here to give them some useful insights.
So instead they settled for imagining his no-nonsense attitude shift to dumbfounded after they hand him the notebook and tell him what they saw. A highly amusing thought for them, indeed.
"I told you to speak up! Go practice sounding off properly in the barracks!"
"Look at them go." A grey-haired man walked a few steps ahead of his subordinate.
"Next, who are you!" He bombarded another trainee off-screen.
"You went through the same thing when you started as a trainee, didn't you?" The two watched the process, almost appearing nostalgic. "It takes me back."
"Mina Carolina from Trost, sir!"
I like her name. It sounds cute and simple, Pieck thought, writing it down alongside Thomas.
"Wrong! You're from a pigsty!" he yelled. "You're less than livestock!"
"Yes, sir! I am less than livestock!" Mina shouted back in a panic, which was a mistake. "Wrong! I tell you what you are and aren't"
"I expected him to say 'You descendants of pigs!' Personally, it was my favorite one." Porco said.
"Mine would be 'Are you aiming to be an honorary Marleyn or get mocked by a real one?'" Pieck added.
"What's he trying to accomplish by intimidating them?" The subordinate asked.
"It's a rite of passage. Their prior identities are forcibly discarded, leaving only blank slates from which true soldiers can be produced," he explained over Keith's shouts towards a young male trainee.
The same process must have been applied to us when we were younger. A frown formed on Zeke's lips. How does one create a blank slate on children anyway?
"It's a necessary step along the harsh path laid out for them."
"Fourth row, about face!"
The young man noticed he walked past Annie. "But why is he skipping a few recruits?"
"Annie you look gorgeous and your hair got longer too!" Pieck cooed.
"Uh, thanks."
"Those who already underwent a rite of passage need not repeat it. No doubt they walked through hell itself two years ago. It's written all over their faces."
Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, Eren, and a freckled girl named Ymir were shown.
They don't know about the girl with freckles but they did go through a different kind of hell.
Everyone on the left couch felt grateful they didn't have to go through cadet life again.
"Well, let's go." They left while the rite of passage continued in a very close shot of Keith yelling.
Some jolt at the sudden noise.
"Who the hell are you!"
"Jean Kirstein from Trost, sir!" A rather long-faced and brown-haired trainee said back.
Pieck flipped to a new page to continue her 'individuals of interest' category. Her hand was cramping from all the writing, but there must be a reason for the T.V. to be focusing on these trainees instead of all the others. At the bottom, she put a note that so many of them come from Trost.
"What are you doing here!"
Instead of panicking like the others, Jean smiled. "To join the Military Police and live in the Interior, sir." Eren glanced his way.
"Sounds like he wants to live the easy life in what I'm guessing is Wall Sina." Porco crossed his arms. "Y'know at least he's honest about being selfish, unlike the others who I bet are making up shit to look good."
"He's not any different than us." The group with the exception of Zeke, who only quirked a brow, stiffened at Annie's words. "We're fighting to live better lives while everyone else is stuck where they are. Honorary Marleyan is basically what living in the Interior is for them."
"Oh, that's what you meant. I thought you..." Reiner trailed off when he realized Annie didn't look interested in what he assumed about her. Or is that her normal face? I honestly can't tell sometimes.
"You're on the mark about that, Annie," Zeke said. "There wouldn't be nearly half as much candidates if they didn't dangle it in front of everyone's face. Regardless of our history, the boy's honesty caught my interest."
"I wonder what their Interior is like to make it so special," Bert asked.
Little did he know, Pieck had already made a small list of reasons why. "Luxury and social status aside. The Interior provides the best defense because of its placement and is where the King should be. Hmm, there must be a lot of guards surrounding him too. A perfect position to gather information really."
"So are you saying that's why we joined their military?" Reiner asked and received a nod as a reply. It brought more clarity for the group on why the trio would spend almost a fourth of their life in service.
Bert turned back to the screen paused on Jean's face, but not before he caught Reiner mumble something. "But why does he look like such a prick to me?"
"Oh, so you wanna live in the Interior, do you?"
"Yes, sir." Keith suddenly headbutted Jean, making him go down on his knees and clutch his head.
"Who gave you permission to sit?!"
The sight was both brutal and amusing. "Extra measures must be taken to mold him into a soldier," Zeke said in approval.
Keith wasn't done with the boy. "If you can't even handle that, you'll never make it into the Military Police!"
"And who the hell are you? What did you come here for?!"
"I'm Marco Bott from Jinae in the south side of Wall Rose!" he replied, smiling innocently. "I came to join the Military Police and pledge my life and body to the king!"
Keith took said innocence and crushed it into dust. "Is that so? A noble objective, indeed. Go ahead and strive for it. But just so you know," his voice lowered as he got in his face, "the king doesn't want your pathetic excuse of a life and body."
Zeke was reminded of the dread he felt when Magath was his instructor before he found himself. He snapped his attention back to the TV. and was glad the two of them were more likely to share a cup of coffee and strategies.
He moved onto a boy with a shaved head. "You're next! And just who the hell are you?!"
"Connie Springer! I'm from Ragako Village on the southern side of Wall Rose!"
Though they've only seen it a few times, even they knew Connie did the salute wrong.
"You have it backwards, Connie Springer!" Keith lifted and squeezed the boy's head as if he was nothing. "It was the first thing you were taught! This salute expresses your resolve to give your heart to the people!"
Oh, so that's what it means, Pieck and Zeke made sure to remember it. Knowing the ideals that drive a nation's military is important information. It could make them easier to predict and launch psychological attacks.
"Is your heart on your right side?!"
A few rows behind Connie was a girl.
When Zeke's eyes landed on her, he looked down at the coffee mug in his hand to make sure it wasn't drugged. Because no one, absolutely no one, with enough common sense would do the stunt he just saw.
A girl with a potato in one hand and the other folded at her back. Then a crunch echoed.
Dead silence filled the room. Their faces mirrored the many opened mouth and wide-eyed trainees in the training field. Hell, if a murder were to happen at the moment it probably would have given them less of a reaction.
Oblivious to the scene she caused, she kept on chewing. The only sound that was audible on both sides of the screen.
"Hey, you. What the hell are you doing?" He dropped Connie.
They braced themselves for him to shout his head off.
Despite all signs pointing to Keith talking to her, she took another bite, much to the trainees' shock, and for the guy behind her, horror.
Keith was in her face in an instant. "I'm talking to you! Who the hell are you?!"
She chewed, swallowed, and saluted all under a second. "I'm Sasha Braus from Dauper in the south of Wall Rose, sir!"
"She's still holding the potato!"
"Way too late to toss it now."
"Pfft! Imagine if her instructor found a random potato on the ground. He'd be so confused, I know I would."
"Sasha Braus." He towered over her. "What's that you're holding in your right hand?"
"A steamed potato, sir! I happened to find one in the kitchen that was ready to eat so I couldn't help myself!"
Porco slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a slew of laughter, which made him sound more like a clogged faucet sputtering out water.
"Huh, why- I don't..." Bert felt the gears turning his thoughts start to smoke.
"You stole it? Why? Why did you decide to eat it now of all places?"
"It looked delicious and it was getting cold, so I gave it shelter in my stomach."
No one was able to hold back their laughter.
"It sounds logical to me," Pieck broke out into a wide smile.
Zeke didn't bother hiding his amused grin. "A true genius we have here."
"Yeah, even if she has a potato for a brain!" Reiner wheezed through his chuckles, adding to everyone's amusement.
"No, I don't understand. Why did you eat the potato?"
A small, almost missable smile appeared on Annie's face at Keith's complete and utter confusion. Imagining how her future self and the others were reacting to the absurd event made it grow a fraction.
"Are you asking me why people eat potatoes, sir?"
"And I thought Eren had a death wish," Porco snickered.
"Here's half of it for you." She presented him with a piece she reluctantly broke off.
"Oh dear," Pieck smothered a giggle, "I would call barely that a third."
"Half?"
"This keeps getting better and better," Porco said as he slicked back the strands of hair that fell during his outburst.
Bert nodded in agreement, especially when Sasha made a face that says 'I'm in the clear!' A far cry from the truth as it immediately showed her running alone.
"Hey, that potato girl's still running."
"Wow...She's been at it for five hours now."
Reiner's brows shot up at the time. I'd probably pass out or flat out die after the third hour!
"Her reaction when he told her to run until the sun dropped was nothing compared to when he told her she's not getting any food."
"It could have been worse," Pieck said with a light tone. "I was ready to cross off her name and put her down as the first trainee casualty."
"No joke, I thought he was going to kill her for a second," Porco replied. When was the last time I've laughed this much? The thought popped up when he realized the grin on his face had yet to disappear. He was so busy with the Warrior program, mulling over why he wasn't picked; when by all means he should have, and his brother for the longest time. If he had to be blunt, there wasn't much for him to smile about anyway. He wasn't like Marcel, who managed to raise the morale of any group by simply standing there.
It annoyed him a bit knowing that the source of the most amusement he's had in the last few months was from watching his enemies.
"Dauper is a small village of hunters up in the mountains, right?" Connie asked.
"What's that?" Eren looked to the side to see a horse-drawn carriage full of people heading out the training area.
"Dropouts. They requested a transfer to the reclaimed lands."
"Already? It's only the first day."
"The weak have no choice but to leave." The small group turned to Eren. "They'd prefer picking up rocks and pulling weeds."
His brother's words stung his chest. Before the miracle of meeting his mentor, he pictured himself gladly hopping into the wagon to go home if not for his parents. Then again, if his parents did allow him to quit the Warrior program, they would spend day and night teaching him the "true" Eldian history. Something he was thankfully spared of while living with his grandparents.
Zeke's focus wavered for a brief minute when he recalled the look his grandfather had after he sold out his parents: pure regret and sadness.
Annie let out a quiet sigh. She almost felt...disappointed in a sense by what Eren said. To her, the weak should not be looked down upon for wanting to do what's normal for them or contribute a different way. It's only human to have flaws and strengths that make you suited for certain paths. Blaming them for acknowledging they can't handle the pressure is- The best word Annie could come up with was arrogant.
Porco grunted in disapproval. "For someone who hasn't made it past the first day, he seems awfully confident he won't be in the same category. At least potato girl started training even if it was punishment."
"That reminds me. We never heard where you're from or anything," Marco said to him.
He put a hand on Armin's shoulder. "I'm from Shiganshina, same as him."
"Oh, I see…"
"Then you were there on that day too." Connie's surprise turned to excitement. "Did you see it? The Colossal Titan?!"
The mood died down even further at Connie's tactless question.
They're going to talk about me and...the things they've seen...Bert felt discomfort wriggle its way under his skin. He really didn't want to hear what came next.
"Yeah…"
Once the sun had set, the trainees had gone inside the mess hall, and a crowd had formed around Eren. "I already told you, I saw it."
"Really?" gasped Thomas.
"How big was it?"
"Tall enough to look right over the Wall," Eren replied.
"Can't they ask Armin or Mikasa?" Pieck frowned a little at how they were asking what should be very personal questions.
"Unlike them I'm sure Eren's happy to answer all of their questions," Porco said bluntly.
"What?! I heard it stepped over the Wall!"
"Me, too!"
"I heard the same in my village, too!"
"I'm pretty sure our mission would have ended sooner if my Titan was that big," Bert mumbled.
"Any war would have ended sooner if that were true," Porco said back.
Reiner wondered if they'll say something about him.
"No, it wasn't that gigantic."
"What did it look like?" Mina asked.
"It had barely any skin and its mouth was enormous"
Bert felt weird hearing his Titan be so openly discussed. The most he'll hear about himself outside of warzones is short greetings from passerby on the streets or in newspapers. "The God of Destruction Flattens Nation" and "The Pillars of Marley" were a few headlines of the papers he's read with his father recently.
The crowd gasped. "What about the Armored Titan that broke through Wall Maria?"
Eren took a sip of his soup and said, "Even though people call it that, it looked like a normal Titan to me."
The holder of said Titan sputtered indignantly. "A normal Titan?! How dare that bastard call me a normal Titan! If he knew of the honor, dedication, and meaning behind our powers he wouldn't..." No one was really sure who Reiner was talking to at this point.
"Zeke," Porco said over the ranting at his right," your brother is an-"
"Yes, yes, he's an idiot I get it," he interrupted, waving a hand at him.
"You forgot to add blind but good enough, I guess."
At another table, Reiner drank from his mug.
The younger Reiner took in a deep breath after his outburst finally finished. He stared at his other self, who appeared to not care at the perceived insult at all. How do I stay so calm after hearing him? Recalling the situation he was in, shame swelled in his chest...What can I do to be like my older self right now? Ugh, I can't afford to screw up the mission because I couldn't keep myself in check.
"Th-Then, what are normal Titans like?"
Eren faltered at the question. The memory of his mother being lifted to the Smiling Titan's jaws appeared. His spoon fell into the dish and he covered his mouth. The group fell silent. "Guys, that's enough questions. I'm sure he has memories he'd rather not relive," Marco said to all of them.
"Sorry for being so-" Connie was cut off by Eren.
"That's not it!" He took a bite of his bread. "Actually, Titans aren't such a big deal. Once we master operating the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, they'll be no match for us!"
Multiple brows were raised and they recalled what Porco said before.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Someone needs to get reality to smack him in the face before death does."
Jean listened to Eren's spiel with disinterest, his head resting on his hand. "We finally have the chance to become soldiers. I just got emotional, that's all. I'm going to join the Survey Corps and drive the Titans out of this world! I'm gonna slaughter-"
"Whoa, what are you crazy?" Jean butted in. "Did you just say you're gonna join the Survey Corps?"
"Yeah, that's right. Aren't you the one who wants to join the Military Police and live the easy life?" Eren gave him a look.
"I'm all about being honest, you see. It's much better than being, say," Jean said smirking, "a loser who acts tough but is actually scared shitless."
Porco felt conflicted, to say the least. "I actually agree with him, but his smug face makes me automatically want to say no."
"Hmm, I don't know. He kind of reminds me of you," Pieck said much to his chagrin.
Eren knocked over his chair. "Are you trying to say something?"
"Hey, stop it," Marco tried to diffuse the situation.
Zeke gave a slight nod. "Having a brawl on the first day won't make you look good to your superiors."
Jean got up to go face-to-face with Eren. Their stare match was interrupted, however, by bells ringing in the distance. After a moment, Jean sighed. "Whatever, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to judge how you think." He held out his hand. "Let's call even with this."
As someone who always listens for Zeke's subtle lies, Pieck found the apology to be hilarious.
"Yeah, same here. I overreacted." Eren 'shook' his hand with Jean's.
"That was more slapping his hand away than an apology," Bert said in a mix of humor and nervousness.
Annie didn't need to use her intuition to know he was lying and how it's far from over between them. Especially if she was interpreting the next scene correctly.
Seeing her friend leave, Mikasa followed after him and so happened to pass by where Jean stood. Time moved in slow motion for the boy. "H-Hey, you!" Jean blushed when the girl looked at him.
What happened to all that confidence a minute ago? Porco rolled his eyes at the change in attitude.
Bert and Reiner just felt second hand embarrassment at the scene.
The complete opposite of them was Annie, who could literally care less about this at the moment.
"Uh, I've just never seen anyone who looks like you around before. S-Sorry! You have really pretty black hair."
"Thanks," was all Mikasa said before promptly leaving.
The group was on the verge of breaking into laughter.
Jean chased after her but stopped on the porch, where he got a view of her walking alongside Eren.
"Whatever. Give me a break."
"You're always so impulsive when you get emotional."
"Not this again. Shouldn't you be more worried about your hair and less about me?" Eren casually flipped her long hair to prove his point.
Pieck couldn't help but smile at the boy's rotten luck. Love comes with a price.
"It's long enough to get tangled when we're doing training."
Mikasa rubbed a lock between two fingers. "Fine, I'll cut it."
Zeke cupped his chin after a thought popped into his mind. "Why don't you two cut yours as well? Eren does have a point here," he asked the girls.
The two blinked at the question. "We can just tie up our hair," Pieck shrugged.
"Wouldn't having shorter hair be easier than tying it up every time? Plus it's less likely to get in the way during fights." Reiner asked while pointing to his own blond hair. The other boys nodded along.
"My hair doesn't bother me inside my Titan and neither does Pieck's. If it did get in the way then we would've done something about it a long time ago." Annie both answered and ended the conversation with her flat tone. Without being aware of it, she reached for the locks of hair framing her face and felt a tad uncomfortable at the notion of cutting it. The way it was now was normal for her...and somewhere in herself, she viewed it as one of the few things that can be seen as feminine in her childhood. Not pretty like Pieck said, but it is something most other girls her age would have.
Watching this conversation from afar, Jean looked like his soul had departed from his body. "How short do you want it to be?" she asked, unknowingly adding to his pain.
Bert was torn between laughing and pitying him, unlike Reiner who was guilty of doing the former.
Zeke was thankful he won't have to sit through anymore silly fumbling, but he did expect some friction between the three trainees. On another note, if Eren did have feelings for Mikasa then he'll need to know love is a bottomless well that leads to ones own downfall.
If that advice doesn't work, then Zeke had assigned himself as the one who would tell Eren children are bad and all the steps on how not to have them.
Walking past him, Connie was humming a little tune, oblivious to Jean's state. Without saying anything, Jean wiped his hand against Connie's back. "Hey! What're you doing?! What did you just wipe on me?!" he demanded while checking his back.
"My faith in humanity."
The room exploded into a fit of giggles and snickers. Annie, Bert, and Reiner felt like they were going to have an interesting three years to spend with them.
"Hey, potato girl finished her running."
"Oh, you might have missed it earlier but her name isn't actually potato girl. Turns out its Sasha," Pieck said.
"I'm not an idiot. I was just- you know what, never mind." Porco slumped further into his seat. She says that stupid nickname she gave me all the time. But apparently it's weird if I'm saying one- and why am I getting so worked up about this?!
Regardless of what she was called, her body collapsed onto the dirt like a corpse. A figure in the darkness walked towards her, their footsteps near silent.
It was most likely them being paranoid but they felt on edge at whoever it might be in the shadows.
Sasha sniffed the air a few times.
"Who could-" Reiner didn't get the chance to finish as Bert recoiled back at Sasha's glowing red eyes snapping open. His friend's hands shot up out of reflex thus smacking against his face no thanks to their height difference.
"Ah, I'm so sorry Reiner! Are you okay?" he fretted.
Porco glanced at the scuffle at his right and smirked. Wimps, ignoring the fact he also jumped a little.
In her frenzy, Sasha lunged at the item a blond trainee was holding. The trainee watched in shock, and perhaps horror, as Sasha went down on all fours.
Through the stars dancing across his vision, Reiner gasped out loud, "She's a food demon!"
What he said was completely absurd, but everyone really did think she looked like one or to a lesser degree a rabid animal.
The food demon came to her senses and realized she stuffed her face with bread.
"It was all I could save you," said her fellow trainee. "But...You should drink some water first." She held up a waterskin, the background becoming whimsical.
She looks kinda cute-wait, what? Reiner shook his head. Jeez, I must've gotten hit in the face harder than I thought.
"A goddess. Are you a goddess?"
The freckled girl from the introduction ceremony came up to them. "Hey, what're you doing?"
"Well...She's been running all day long." Sasha began to eat the bread frantically, fearing it might be taken away.
"Seems like you're just trying to do a good deed," Ymir said with disapproval.
Sasha swallowed down the last of the bread and then plopped onto the girl's lap. Though her face mouth was covered in crumbs, she fell asleep almost instantly.
She looks like the aftermath of Eren if the bread Mikasa shoved down his throat went wrong, Bert blinked.
"Was it just for the sake of potato girl? Were your efforts worthwhile?"
She didn't say anything. Blue eyes stared up at brown ones for a moment. "Whatever. Let's just carry her back to her bed." Ymir heaved the passed out girl onto her back.
"Are you trying to do a good deed as well?"
"I'm just doing her a favor so she'll be in my debt. Her stupidity could come in handy later."
Interesting reason, Porco thought eyeing her face.
The next morning, the trainees started their first day of 3D Maneuver Gear training.
Pieck perked up and jotted down a detailed description of the equipment used to train their enemies. She also figured it would be extremely hard to mess up three stakes in the ground, and drew a small, but intelligible sketch in the margins.
"First," Keith announced to the trainees, "your aptitude will be tested! Those who fail are not even worthy to serve as bait! You'll be sent to the fields!"
Multiple trainees were lifted off the ground with various degrees of success, much to the small crowds and their instructor's judgment.
"These are only just the bare fundamentals." The silver-haired superior approached the session alongside the same young man. "Still, you can determine a person's knack for 3D gear-mobility at this stage." Something caught his eye.
"Observe. Completely steady. She intuitively knows what she's supposed to do. That's what aptitude is all about."
Zeke studied Mikasa's slightly swaying form in the air. I haven't the faintest clue on what their other training might include. But at least I know Eren has someone considered skilled to keep him safe. A little voice also pointed out how she could get in the way, but he dismissed it for now.
"It looks like we have many talented trainees this year."
Connie, Sasha, and Jean were balancing with a little difficulty. Sasha, in particular, didn't look bothered at all.
"Uh, what about him?"
"He's talented in his own way." He pushed up his spectacles. "Sometimes, no matter how hard people try, they are incapable of success."
Eren swung, upside-down in front of everyone.
"Oh no..."
"Serves him right for boasting so much."
"If he doesn't get shipped to the fields maybe this will teach him a valuable lesson on humility."
Annie wasn't sure about Mikasa, but almost everyone needs to practice and hone their skills even if they have talent. Eren shouldn't be an exception to this rule.
Keith got on one knee to scold him at eye-level. "What the hell are you doing, Yeager?! Raise your upper body!"
That elicited a grunt from Zeke.
"Are you good?"
"Considering three flashbacks slapped me in the face right now. No." He grimaced.
The crowd around him taunted, whispered, and looked surprised.
What is this? How am I supposed to...Eren was horrified. This can't be for real.
Reiner was reminded of how he was called the bottom candidate despite his best efforts. All those days of frustration and desperation rested in the back of his mind as he watched Eren humiliate himself.
The evening had come and their first training had passed...except in the case of Eren.
"You can do it if you focus on the basics," Mikasa instructed him. Her and Armin were assisting him long after everyone had left. "Don't overthink things. Pay attention to keeping your balance centered, then lowly place your weight into the belts on your waist and feet."
The trio made a mental note of the tips. If they initially struggle with the equipment then it would make them look more convincing, but it's best not to risk screwing up spectacularly and getting sent away.
"You can do it if you stay calm," Armin added. "Even I did it, after all."
Porco knitted his brows. "If the kid who has arms that would probably snap like twigs at the prospect of lifting did better. Then there might be something wrong here."
Reiner opened his mouth to counter what he said, not for the reason to defend Armin, however. Then a hand on his shoulder made him turn to see Bert shake his head and gesture towards the oldest Warrior. Knowing what he meant, he faltered and simmered in his seat with annoyance.
"Okay, I feel like I've got it this time. Lift me up, Armin." His friend nodded and began to crank him up. One second. Eren didn't even last one second before he slammed his head down on the solid ground.
It was his brother and it's rude, but a small chuckle escaped Zeke before he covered it by pretending to take a sip of coffee. He shouldn't have felt too bad, anyway, since almost everyone else found the suddenness of his failure amusing. Porco and Reiner, in particular, barked out a "Ha!"
Related to Zeke or not, the boy kind of had it coming.
Night had rolled around once again, but it was the complete opposite compared to the one before in the mess hall.
"Hey, Daz, isn't he the one who said he was gonna slaughter all the Titans yesterday? I guess it's off to the fields for him tomorrow." The topic of their mocking had a bandage wrapped around his head, completely stunned.
"Yeah, useless kids don't deserve food." It showed an injured Eren being supported by his two friends.
Their amusement fizzled out at seeing the steam rise out of his head.
"He was so close to transforming," Bert said.
Zeke felt himself relax. "He would have gotten killed or worse if he did shift in an area full Titan slaying freaks. I don't know how but we should be glad no one saw it or brushed it off as a trick of the light."
"Eren." Mikasa knocked him out of his daze. "There's no point worrying about it."
"You can just learn to do it tomorrow," Armin reassured.
"How pathetic. At this rate, I'll never be able to slaughter them all."
"You should just forget about that altogether," Mikasa spoke up.
Everyone remembered his fury and determination back when he made his vow and doubted that unless he was kicked from the Training Corps on the spot, he would keep on trying.
"What did you say?"
"I'm saying you should forget about becoming a soldier. Fighting isn't about simply throwing your life away."
"She's not wrong, but Eren to me is the type of idiot who wouldn't understand what she means until he experiences real fighting firsthand," Annie said.
"Hey, now! Have you forgotten everything that happened that day?! Do you really think you can just convince me to quit?!"
I don't think she'll have to if your instructors don't make you leave first, Bert thought, a bit exasperated. She had been trying to get Eren to drop his goal for what must have been years now, even before that day. It was a bit too late and ridiculous to turn back now when they had already enlisted, and suggesting so would add another layer to Eren's stubbornness. His seemingly endless amounts of stubbornness and pride.
"Huh? Why not?!"
"Because whether you can become a soldier or not isn't your decision."
Zeke nodded, almost appearing melancholy. "Sound advice. Many things in life aren't going to happen just because you choose to go down that path. We, of all people, should know that some decisions are entirely out of our control."
It wasn't hard for them to think of a list.
Eren flinched at her words.
The bell rang once again. Trainees cleared the tables and proceeded to leave.
"I'm not saying you should return to the fields by yourself." Mikasa missed her two best friends stood and leave without her. "You don't need to worry. Because wherever you go I'll go with you." Instead of seeing what she expected would be Eren's angered face, or hopefully, him relenting. She saw Sasha in his seat, the mess hall around them empty.
Her again? Reiner wondered if he should be worried. His eyes flickered between Bert and the girl.
"So, um...What you're saying is that I can have that?" Sasha pointed at her unfinished food.
Mikasa held up the bread to her joy filled face. Then she took a bit out of it.
"I didn't expect her to be so bitter," Pieck said with a smile.
"To be fair," Porco smirked at Sasha's face, "potato girl probably ate all of her own food already."
In the boy's bunks, Eren had grown desperate for help.
"You're asking me for tips? Sorry," Connie said smugly. "I'm just naturally gifted. All I can say is you gotta 'feel' it."
Reiner wasn't sure why he was feeling so defensive lately, but Connie's tone ticked him off as though he was the one being mocked instead.
Jean wasn't sympathetic either. "How about you give me a tip...on how to stay sane after completely humiliating yourself."
Some of them winced. It truly would have sucked to be in Eren's position right now. All that talk only to fail on the first and even second try. At least all of them managed to excel in some way, shape, or form to be chosen out of all the initial Subjects of Ymir candidates.
"C'mon, guys! I'm begging you here."
"But didn't you say yesterday, 'The untalented should just leave?" Eren looked mortified. "Wait, no. Wasn't it 'The weak have no choice but to leave?'"
"Ouch," was all Pieck said. Having his words thrown back at him. They really want to twist the knife in his wound.
"Please! I heard both of you are really good! Bertholdt, Reiner!" Eren begged them.
The two froze at the sight of their future selves.
Reiner had crossed his arms and took a moment before speaking. "Sorry, but I don't think there's really a trick to hanging still. I can't think of any helpful advice to give you, either."
Eren looked dejected.
"I guess we'll have to hope for the best tomorrow." Armin was stopped from leaving when Bert asked him a question.
"Um...You two are from Shiganshina, aren't you?"
Everyone noticed how their voices changed. The older Reiner, in particular, sounded deeper and gruffer.
"Yeah, we are," Armin answered him.
"Then you should know firsthand how terrifying the Titans are. So why are you trying to become soldiers?"
"Unlike Eren, I didn't witness the Titan threat with my own eyes," Armin said. "It's just I decided I couldn't sit there and do nothing after the Royal Government forced people into that absolutely awful retrieval operation."
"I see."
"What about the two of you?"
Bert looked down. "Reiner and I are from a small mountain village on the southeast side of Wall Maria."
The other and younger Bert paid close attention to the fabricated backstory.
The two caught onto something. "Wait, you're from-"
"Yeah," Bert continued his story. "Unlike the bustling towns along the rivers, we didn't receive word right away. The Titans showed up before the information did. " A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
"It was around dawn. The livestock started getting agitated, and these strange rumblings kept getting louder and louder. At some point, I realized they were footfalls of some sort. And then, when I rushed to open the window..." A Titan stared down at him. "After that I, um, don't really remember. It was all chaotic and-"
"Hey, why are you suddenly bringin' that up for?" Reiner interrupted him.
"I have to hand it to you, Hoover. I didn't think you had it in yourself to make up a good cover story," Porco said.
"Thank you?" Bert wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not.
Bert apologized. "Anyway, my point is that you guys are different from them."
"Them?"
"The people who've never experienced the horror of the Titans," Bert explained.
"Hey." Reiner put a hand on his friend's arm. The others in the cabin were smiling, goofing off, or lounging around.
"Most of them are here to protect their social status," Bert said. The four had cloaks draped over themselves and held a lantern to see through the night. "You're seen as a coward if you choose industrial work when you turn twelve. Society has pushed them into becoming trainees."
It was a bit jarring for them to listen to an older version of the person currently sitting in the same room. That didn't lessen the impact of his words, however.
For Reiner, he would say society didn't push him to become a Warrior, but his own drive to help his family did.
Zeke questioned if it was the prejudiced society him and his parents grew up in or all the latter's fault.
Why did I join? Porco thought back to his respected and talented brother.
"I'm no different," he continued, "I enrolled to join the Military Police so I could live safely in the Interior. If that doesn't happen, I might just give up entirely. I don't have a free will of my own, you see."
In the darkness around them with nothing but a lantern for a little light. "There's no shame in valuing your own life," Armin assured him.
They stepped over a barbed-wire fence. "I'm going back to the hometown we lost. That's all I care about right now. I will do it, no matter what," Reiner vowed.
He narrowed his eyes at the shadows covering Reiner's features. Why do Annie and Bert seem the same, but not him? What the hell could have changed him in the span of five years to go from meek to intimidating? Porco forced himself to focus back on TV after Bert asked something.
"I..."
Bert averted his eyes when he saw the worst moment of Eren's life.
"I decided I have to kill them. I decided I have to slaughter all the Titans with my own two hands."
"So, your encounter with the Titans didn't break your will?" Bert asked.
"No. For now, I'm just worried about becoming a soldier."
They stopped before a drop. Above them, the clouds parted to reveal to them a lake glistening in the moonlight. "Start off by readjusting the belts," said Reiner. "You'll be just fine tomorrow. Eren Yeager was it?"
"Yeah, thanks. You're Reiner Braun right?"
Tension rose in Porco's body. Perhaps he was simply going crazy from watching all of their antics, but he swore he saw Marcel in the way Reiner acted. A thought he didn't even want to consider earlier pestered him. Because there was no way his strong and talented brother would have died before obtaining the Coordinate. No way, right?
The next day had come and so did the moment of truth for him. "Eren Yeager, are you ready?
He gave him a nod. I have to do it...I might not have the talent but I'm more determined than anyone else here. Keith let the public display of Eren's performance commence.
I don't know the basics. I don't know the theory. But's it's all I've got! This is my weapon! The crowd watched in amazement at Eren staying upright before he face-planted onto the ground.
Their expressions had matched the crowd until the last part.
Zeke could only look at the slouched form of his brother and sigh in disappointment.
Eren was filled with despair. "No-I can still..."
"Let him down. Wagner, switch belts with Yeager," Keith ordered.
After doing so, Eren hovered perfectly in the air. "The equipment was faulty."
"Yet he still managed to do it," Pieck said, her face turned thoughtful. "I guess this means his boasting was justifiable then."
"No, it really doesn't, Pieck..." Bert muttered.
"The metal fitting on your belt was broken. Never seen these parts damaged before. I suppose we'll need to update the maintenance checklist."
"S-So...what's your decision?" Eren asked still suspended.
"You pass! Stay resolute and train hard!"
"That's it?" Porco was expecting more with all the build up leading to his success.
Reiner shrugged and kept his eyes to the floor. "If I were him, I'd be happy the instructor gave me another chance at all to use a better belt."
"Of course you would," he scoffed.
Eren pumped his fists into the air. I did it! I actually did it! He honed in on one person in the crowd. See that, Mikasa? I can do it! I can fight the Titans!
I don't need to depend on you anymore!
One of the few things Pieck hates the most was how often teamwork gets overlooked. Eren may say that now, but being able to depend on your comrades can sway the scales of life and death on the battlefield in her opinion. After all, her main weaponry needs people to man it.
"Somehow he pulled it off..." Reiner said.
"His eyes say he's challenging you."
"No," Mikasa stared forward. "Now that we don't have to be separated, he's relieved."
The first glimpse of half the group's new lives came to a close.
"So we have a food demon, a pair of freckled trainees, a lovesick prick, a tactless baldie, and a blond too similar looking to Armin. Anyone else I'm missing besides Eren and his friends?" Reiner listed them.
"Nope," Pieck said. "Those are pretty much all the listed trainees the T.V. showed us."
"It'll be an interesting three years with those devils, right Bert?" Reiner asked.
"Yeah," he replied. Confusion and a hint of sadness washed over his face. "I'm actually looking forward to see what they'll do the next time we see them."
First chapter has been updated to have a more in depth reaction to the technology. All reviews are welcomed.