A gentle breeze blew over the 104th training camp, as the trainees took to hand-to-hand combat out in the field. Many months have passed since that particular training incident, and the cadets couldn't be any more glad to finally leave the searing summer behind. One Floch Forster and Ruth D. Klein took to practicing together among the sea of cadets gathered around.

Ruth had no idea what to expect when Floch agreed to offer his help, all she knew was that Floch was a straightforward individual who never pulled his punches and she couldn't be any more grateful for it. The first week had been the toughest by far, where she found herself spending more and more nights bruised and aching than ever before. Many had tried to intervene at first, but she had insisted that they mind their business. It was either this or becoming titan food.

"Watch your feet."

Ruth reacted at the last possible second and shifted her weight to her other foot as Floch swept the ground underneath her. She backed away from the redhead and regained her balance, keeping herself steady and focusing on the boy's hands the entire time. She ducked and weaved his blows one after the other, before creating some distance between the two of them.

Floch nodded at her. "Good, you're getting better. Let's see how you handle this."

Ruth's heart jumped at seeing him charge at her full speed, the girl dug her heels into the dirt and was barely able to resist being thrown to the ground from the sheer force of his tackle. Floch scoffed at her futile effort to fight against his weight and hastily demonstrated for her the error of her ways. The boy shifted his feet and took firm hold of her wrist and armpit, Ruth gasped at being pulled over his shoulders and slammed harshly against the ground.

"AghhK!" Ruth cried out in pain.

Floch looked down at her and shook his head. "And that's why you don't wrestle with someone twice your size."

Ruth sat up with heavy pants. "I- I can... Hah... do better... hah let's go again!"

He tapped her with his knuckles as he crouched to eye level. "I don't think so, we've been going at it for quite some time, you need to rest."

She rubbed the soreness on her head as she teared up. "Ouch! That hurts!" The redheaded girl pouted.

"You've done more than enough for today, don't stress too much Ruth."

Without further protest, the girl gave up. "Alright, fine." The redhead sighed and sprawled back onto the floor in exhaustion. "I was running on fumes anyway."

Floch sat down next to her with a chuckle, observing the cadets around him go through their portion of the training. It did not affect their overall score, which ironically, none of them needed to learn aside from those who could be accepted into MP's for riot control situations.

Sandra felt something strange bubble in her chest at the sight, frowning as she watched them from afar. It had been a regular occurrence to see those two together, whether it was during their study sessions or ODM exercises. She wasn't afraid to admit her jealousy, and to an extent fear that another person would take her spot and possibly Gordon's. It wasn't rational to think that Ruth could potentially replace a bond that took her years to build, but the heart isn't known for being rational.

"You do know they don't factor anti-personnel combat into our scores right? That said, it wouldn't kill you to give me a hand you feral woman." He groaned from beneath.

"Shut up you baby." She sighed, giving him a hand.

Gordon smirked as he took firm hold of her extended hand and pulled her down with him. Sandra's eyes widened in panic, before quickly assuming control of the situation and preventing him from getting access to her neck and back. After a short entanglement, the two teens found themselves stuck in a stalemate with Gordon pinning the girl to the ground, but he had her legs wrapped around his head and Torso.

"How about surrender before I crack your head against the rocks milady?" He jokingly offered to her.

"Why milord, you couldn't even crack an egg if you truly tried." She snarked.

"Hey!" He protested.

Sandra wasted no time, taking full advantage of the momentary drop in guard to bring the leg wrapped around his neck to the other side of his face. Gordon's eyes went wide as saucers as she used both legs to push him down. He cried out in pain as she slammed his face against the rough dirt, then had his arm locked between her thighs as she forced him to submit.

"I surrender, you got it! Let go now, please!" He panicked as he smacked the dirt with his palm.

"Of course Milord~~."

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief as she let go of him, he sat up and rubbed his sore shoulder, sending a dirty glare toward Sandra. She pulled her tongue out mockingly, smirking at her victory.

"Where in the hell did you learn to fight like that."

"If you open your eyes, you'll realize you're being offered free lessons left and right." She informed him. "Annie, Mikasa, Floch, all of them have great techniques, if you bothered to pay attention you could learn a thing or two." She added.

"Damn, that easy huh?"

The girl hummed and offered her hand to help him stand, he regarded it skeptically before accepting it. The two stood around watching the other cadets as they took a short break from their sparring, both noticing how Annie was in the process of humiliating Eren Yeager yet again. Gordon was about to comment about it, before noticing Floch approach the two.

"What the hell is he doing?" Gordon asked out loud as Sandra took notice.

To one Floch Forster, this had been a long time coming. He couldn't resist his foul urges anymore, every second spent with those three under the same roof was another pinch taken from his soul for allowing them to breathe. He remembered this day, it was quite similar to the day Mikasa and Annie sparred. While he wouldn't mind watching that fight again, Floch wanted to be the one to inflict the damage this time around. It was a stupid selfish desire of his that would surely bare many consequences, but that was a price he was willing to pay for his indulgence.

Floch stoically watched over the struggling Eren, she made short work of him as by the time he reached them she already had him pinned on the ground. Annie kept pressuring the oxygen-starved boy until Floch intervened. Her eyes widened at the sudden flapping behind her as she took notice of the shadow that engulfed them. The blonde jumped away only to realize that it had been Floch's jacket now draped over the body of the heaving Eren.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Annie questioned with slits for eyes.

He coldly stared her down. "Breaking up whatever this is. Call it curiosity if you will, as I'm highly interested in learning those moves of yours."

She stood up to her feet and circled away from Eren towards him as she eyed him with an air of indifference. "These techniques are meant to be used against stronger opponents, I'm not sure it could work without breaking another fragile bone in your body."

Annie came to a full stop as she assumed a stance in front of him, giving a small smug smile. "But I wouldn't mind trying, I'm interested in bending that other arm... everyone here could use another break away from you."

"I'm hurt you think of me that way, Annie." He spoke in a mock hurt tone.

Eren sat up and yanked Floch's jacket off of his face as he watched the two in awe. "Is this really happening?" He asked out loud.

"Hey! They're about to go at it!" Connie shouted in disbelief as Sasha ran next to him.

"It's a showdown!" She yelled.

Mikasa walked towards the front of the crowd and watched the stand-off with soulless dead eyes. She had meant to do it first, but Floch had stolen her chance at roughing up Annie for getting too comfortable with Eren for her liking. Her only morbid wish was that the two of them inflict as much damage to each other as possible.

"Who's going to win?!" Daz asked to the gathering crowd.

"Annie most likely," Marco replied.

Jean turned to face him. "Shit! I didn't think to bet on a fight like this!"

Reiner ran up next to Mikasa. "Who do you think's got this, Mikasa?"

"I don't care." She coldly replied before making her way next to Eren.

Eren's eyes darted between Annie and Floch as his mind raced. 'Which one is going to win... I wonder which..'

Floch rolled up his sleeves and took a stance, arm slightly stretched outwards towards Annie. She cocked a brow in surprise at the familiar stance but thought nothing of it at the moment. The girl sneered at his nonchalance and moved to appropriately place him among the dirt, befitting for him. Annie employed the same strategy with Eren against him, however, the boy had been as quick as silver.

Seeing her window of opportunity shut down, She momentarily backed away to rethink the strategy. Overconfidence was poison, and she damn near gave him an easy victory because of it. She opted to study him for now, poke holes at his defense to see what worked. She rushed him once more to deliver a kick to his shin, which was met with equal force. The resulting exchange brought Floch on top as the girl cursed under her breath from the stinging on her leg, to her annoyance, he was reading her like a book.

Floch rushed the girl and faked a punch to her left before thrusting his right arm forward towards her face, she ducked down at the last second and retaliated, only for him to easily block her attack. With a need to apply more pressure on the boy, Annie closed the space between them and began to overwhelm him with precise kicking and punching. Floch side-stepped one of her punches and took firm hold of her wrist, before he could capitalize on it, Annie twisted her body around and brought the back of her heel to his face.

Floch grimaced as if he had just caught a speeding brick. He held her in place as they both struggled to overpower the other, Floch knew it would be bad to try to sweep her off her feet so he opted to toss her far. Annie rolled to the ground and immediately recovered, she looked up to find him diving toward her. Floch's foot slammed against the dirt as she rolled out of the way. She tried to swipe him off his feet but he anchored himself well to the ground, both suffering jolts of pain from the impact.

Floch went on the offensive and delivered a front kick towards her head, she winced after blocking it and bearing the full brunt. He made the mistake of going for a second attempt, which allowed Annie to tackle him to the ground, Floch's back was nearly shattered as they flopped down. The crowd winced and ooohed at the sight, as the two teens fought for control of each other's limbs. With a bit of a struggle, the boy managed to roll them both around until he forced the girl on top of him, once he gained access to her back, he wrapped his legs and arms around her body and held her firmly in place.

"It's over, give it up." He whispered in her ear.

Annie's face scrunched in anger, her hands desperately clawing at his chokehold. She calmed herself, quickly noticing that his leghold was sloppy. She took his left leg with her hand and pushed it down before using her body to keep it in place. Floch's eyes widened as his right leg quickly moved to mount against her free hands. Annie brought her leg up and blocked his limb. In a swift motion, she pulled against the arm around her neck with one hand and pressed the other against the ground before pushing in the opposite direction of his hold.

The onlookers watched in awe as the girl momentarily managed to free herself from the chokehold, Annie moved to wrap her left arm underneath his leg for side control but the boy yanked it away and rolled far from her. The two teens stood up to their feet as they gazed at each other intensely. Floch lunged at her yet again and tackled her to the ground, finding himself in a similar position to Gordon and Sandra earlier. The blonde girl held her legs tightly around his torso and head as her hair had come undone from all the movements.

He clicked his tongue. "I suppose you'd like a timeout to fix that? No? Very well."

Floch brought her high up in the air before slamming her against the floor, Annie cried out in pain as her hold on him shattered leaving herself vulnerable to the boy. Floch brought his foot down on her stomach harshly, eliciting another cry of pain from the girl. The bystanders began to feel uncomfortable at the display of unnecessary violence, deeming that Floch had already won.

He pressed his foot against her chest as her hand clawed at his boot desperately. "Doesn't feel good to be on the receiving end does it?" He asked.

"You know, I heard about something you said a while ago, it's all a crock of shit isn't it?" He added as the rest listened intently.

Annie felt the need to gasp for air as he tightened his foot against her ribcage, she tried to slip away to no avail.

"In your own words, this entire system is a farce, a game that is only played by losers. And yet, for someone who claims to be unwilling to participate you've surely gone through all the effort to be a part of it anyway. The way you're going, you'll be snug inside the interior in a year's time, that same place you ridicule the others for aiming towards."

Jean and Marco looked down at the struggling Annie with a hint of surprise etched on their faces. Annie inwardly cursed, was he trying to crush her fucking chest?!

"Why even bother to come here in the first place? It isn't like you care enough to advocate for change, you've already accepted everything around you. You're a capable fighter, yet show no interest in this cause or anything for that matter. So why stay? Why not go back home to daddy? What do you have to gain from all of this, Leonhart?"

Annie paused her struggle, taken aback by the question. Her mind raced to the incident with Reiner and Marcel, He was right, she had no stakes in this conflict. She shouldn't be here at all. And it was all because of that half-assed moron, it was all his fault she was stuck on this fucking island, with these damned people, sleeping under their roofs and eating their food.

"Floch you've already won, stop it!" Sandra called out from afar but it fell on deaf ears.

"No going to talk?" He sneered, lifting his foot and bringing it back down forcefully.

Annie let out a pained grunt, and it was enough to alarm the people around them.

Floch heard someone running up behind him and turned at the last second to see Bertholdt with a fist cocked back. He brought his arms just in time to block the blow as he skids backward. The taller boy shot him a fierce glare in disgust as he moved to tend to the beaten girl. Floch looked on impassively as the colossal shifter helped her up.

"Fucking devil." Bertholdt hissed at him.

Floch felt genuine surprise at the insult, somewhat amused that he allowed such venom to slip amidst all of these people. It was at that moment that Shadis made his presence known.

"What the hell is going on here? Why aren't you all training?!" Shadis furiously asked the nervous cadets.

"W-we were watching a spar between Annie and Floch sir!" Came Jean's quick reply.

Shadis turned around to the two mentioned cadets and Bertholdt.

Bertholdt spoke up. "Forster challenged Annie to a spar, but continued to violently assault her well after it was over sir."

"Is that so, Forster?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, Head to my office. Hoover, take Leonhart to the infirmary. Every other lazy sack of shit drop down and give me fifty or might as well forget dinner tonight!" He howled at the cadets as they scurried to obey his orders.

Bertholdt and Annie sent Floch a passing glance as the boy helped her away. The redhead peered to the side to the concerned faces of Gordon, Ruth, and Sandra before giving them a brief smile and walking off to be reprimanded by the commander, taking his jacket off of the shocked Eren in the process.

"What the hell was that?" Eren asked himself out loud.

"I'm not sure, but Floch went too damn far," Reiner replied through grit teeth next to him.

Eren watched Floch retreating with wonder, where had all of that come from? Why did it seem like the boy held genuine contempt towards Annie? This was his first time seeing this side of Floch, who knew the redhead could be so sadistic? Eren shuddered at the thought as Reiner helped him to his feet. He looked to his side to find Mikasa and a clueless Armin who had just arrived. Between what Floch and Annie told him, he had no idea what to think, all that he knew was to keep moving forward.

"It all stopped mattering to me. who people were, where they came from, whether they lived or died. I couldn't find any value in life, including my own" - Annie Leonhart 854 AD, Speaking to Hitch Dreyse at the day of the rumbling.

Annie made her way to the outskirts of the camp with a small limp to her step, she sneaked through the fence under the cover of the night and made her way towards the usual spot where the warriors would sit and discuss. Reiner and Bertholdt took notice of her arrival as she sat on the lumber that had been neatly organized next to the forest.

"A-Annie, How are you feeling?" Bertholdt asked.

"I feel like going home." Came her bored reply.

He clenched his fists in fury."I'm killing that bastard one day." Bertholdt seethed.

"The fight took me by surprise, I surely thought you had it back there, Annie," Reiner spoke.

She flayed him with her angry gaze, Reiner flinched before retracting his statement. "Ahh, sorry."

She sighed with a frown, staring at her feet. "We should call this off, It's been three years too many, the brass will surely accept anything we give them at this point."

"After that much time we'll need more than just information, you know we can't do that. We need to keep moving forward and infiltrate the capital."

"To what end? For whom? Marley? Or for yourself?!" She protested.

"For Marcel-"

"Don't you fucking dare bring his name into this!" She growled.

"...As I just said, we not only need to locate the founder, but we have to bring the person who stole his titan with us," Reiner explained.

"We'd never be in this mess if it weren't for you to begin with!"

Reiner's face dropped, a sad glint reflecting in his eyes.

Bertholdt was lost in his thoughts as the two argued, his mind raced back to Annie's fight. "Don't you guys think Annie's fight was strange?"

The two blonds were torn away from the moment and looked in his direction with puzzled expressions, Annie gave it some thought.

"Are you still stuck on that? Move on-" Reiner tried to say.

"No, he's right. Something felt off." Annie commented.

Bertholdt looked up at them. "I think I know why, those moves, it's the standard Marleyan anti-personnel fighting style."

"Floch is an islander, he can't know that," Reiner said.

"Which is what makes it so strange," Bertholdt replied.

Reiner shook his head. "Perhaps a coincidence?"

"Hardly, none of us utilize it and he has the grappling perfected to a T," Annie said.

"Are you two hearing yourselves?! There hasn't been outside contact with Eldia in a hundred and three years!"

Bertholdt spoke, a theory in mind. "What if it's him?"

"What do you mean?"

"The one who ate Marcel, he's had to have gotten that experience from somewhere. And it's unlikely that he's an outsider who's somehow made his way into the walls."

The other two felt shocked at the possibility, could it be him?

"But then It doesn't make sense that he's had to spend a month away to recover from his injuries... Unless he prevented himself from healing on purpose. Remember the story he's told us at the mess hall, A fall from such a height would surely be fatal unless it's a titan shifter." Bertholdt concluded.

"We've never seen the one who ate Marcel leave their pure titan form..." Annie breathed.

"So what do we do with this information, Reiner?" Bertholdt inquired.

"Nothing, for now, we keep a close eye on him and proceed with our current objective. If he truly is the Jaws titan then we'll capture him and bring him back with us to Marley." Reiner stepped forward.

Annie and Bertholdt didn't look all too satisfied with the decision but went along with it anyway, they'll burn that bridge when they get to it. The trio spent some time sitting together in silence before Annie stood up to leave. Bertholdt moved to help her back to the camp but she raised her palm at him effectively stopping him in his tracks. The two briefly watched her retreat into the dark before joining her as well.

"Bertholdt."

"Yes?"

"Don't slip up as you did back there ever again."

Bertholdt glanced back at him.

"Right, Reiner."

"Do you want to be friends with me?" - Historia Reiss 850 Ad, to Ymir after a harsh mission in the cold winter.

It was a long night for Floch Forster, as were the last few days following the punishment he received from the commander Shadis. His body had become familiar with the aching and fatigue by now, he welcomed the pain with open arms as he grew from it. Though an entire month of grueling physical tasks as well as cleaning duty was starting to become too much, even for a weary veteran like him.

He suddenly paused his cleaning as he closed his eyes. "You know, if you keep standing around there quietly I might start to get worried." He spoke to the other person present in the kitchen.

His ears picked up on the shuffling behind him as he briefly glanced at the embarrassed form of Historia Reiss.

"Uhh! Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to, It's just that...I didn't know how to approach the situation and it was starting to get awkward!" Historia Fretted as she looked for any possible excuse.

"It's fine, so what's that in your hands?"

"Oh, this? Well, you see... I know the commander's been working you to the ground ever since that day, and it's surely exhausting to stand there for hours cleaning dishes, so I thought... maybe you'd appreciate some food and water." Historia explained with uncertainty, inching closer to him.

'Her majesty is a goddess.'

Floch cocked a brow in surprise as he inspected the loaf of bread and the wooden water jug, he met her nervous gaze as she gave him a weak smile. Floch shook his head and smiled, before taking the items off her hands, inwardly in awe at her act of kindness. Suddenly something clicked inside his head.

"Ymir was right after all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She said you like to do good things for others, like an angel, guess she wasn't wrong about that."

Heat rushed to Historia's cheeks as he inquired. "T-Thanks, She said that?"

"Among other things, would I ever lie to you?"

"I-I'm not sure, we haven't spoken much before. And you're intimidating at times." She confessed.

"Ouch."

Historia's eyes widened in panic as she brought her arms up in defense. "I- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that-!"

Floch briefly chuckled. "It's fine, though you still came here all alone and handed me the food and drink, I commend your bravery."

"Some are scared of you or outright dislike you, B-but just because you've done something bad once doesn't make you any lesser than the rest of us!" Historia replied shyly.

"I wish that were true, thank you anyway, your maj- Krista." Floch quickly corrected himself, grimacing at his continued slip of the tongue.

Historia had been too focused on the first part to notice, much to his relief. "Why do you think that?"

Floch hummed. "Simply because there are people out there who have done things so terrible that they should never be forgiven for them, much less be considered human anymore."

Historia listened to him intently, absorbing every word.

"Do you think the ones responsible for taking down wall Maria should ever be given a second chance?" He added.

She blinked with evident confusion. "But... Those are titans, that's different."

"That's beside the point I'm making, Imagine for a moment that a human was responsible for that? What then?" He asked.

"I- No, that's completely unforgivable. Given all the lives lost."

"It is isn't it? But from their side, no matter how twisted, it must be justified somehow."

"...Justified?" She muttered slowly.

"I never really understood at first, but one day, I went for a long nap and mulled things over. Do you know what I had finally realized?"

"What is it?"

"At the core of this world, none of it matters. Right or wrong is all nonsense, in a world filled with titans it's simply kill or be killed. All that matters is for you to be true to yourself and your ideals, everyone else be damned."

"Stay true to myself... What if I'm in the wrong?"

"You wouldn't be the one to decide that, others will do it for you. As long as I stand by my convictions till my last breath, the approval of others matters little to me. If it means shedding my humanity, if it means others think of me as intimidating or outright hate me, then so be it."

Historia blinked owlishly. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because what you're doing will hurt you in the long run, pretending to be someone you're not. I appreciate your kindness, but was it your innate desire to come here bearing food and drink, or was it something else?" He asked.

A pregnant pause took hold of the kitchen floor as Floch resumed his cleaning duties, Historia stood around motionless and deep in thought as her eyes bore holes into his back. Her mind raced with a million thoughts as she mulled over the implications of his words, she suddenly frowned as she came to a realization.

"What do you know about me?"

Floch rinsed a plate and placed it among the clean stacks of dishes. "Hmmm?"

"You talk like you know things about me that you shouldn't."

"I do know some things, the way you fake certain mannerisms and speech. Your sickening desire to earn the love and friendship of everyone around you. I do have a keen eye for these things. However, Ymir may have told me a few details about your past."

Historia's face dropped, inwardly feeling her built-up trust for the freckled girl shatter.

"But."

She perked up, staring up at the back of his head.

"She did not divulge these details to me in a breach of your trust, certain circumstances you're familiar with led her to inform me, in case she didn't make it. Ymir hoped I could at least carry the torch for her in a way, well after we were rescued I gave a vow of secrecy to protect your true identity."

Historia's eyes widened by a fraction, a warm feeling building up in her chest.

"That's... She's... I have no words, I wasn't expecting this night to turn out this way."

Floch hummed again, turning around to offer her a genuine smile. "Then say nothing, we've spoken plenty for one night."

"I agree, let me help you finish cleaning the rest of these at least." She offered as she took off her shawl and rolled up her sleeves.

'An angel.'

"I would appreciate that, Krista."

The two carried on with the dishes for some time, enjoying the comfortable silence that occasionally broke with the rattling of the crockery. Historia looked up at Floch, his words replaying in the back of her mind, a ghost of a smile graced her lips before she focused her attention elsewhere.

"She likes you so much that she would snap a titans neck in two for you" - Zeke Yeager 853 AD, To an undercover Eren Yeager deep in Marleyan territory.

Ymir checked over both shoulders for unwanted ears from their position on the porch, before looking down at the form of one Floch Forster. Relaxed and leaning on a chair against the wall, a rest well earned.

"Alright, listen bowl-cut."

The now fourteen-year-old stared up at Ymir with visible disinterest, mentally preparing himself for whatever was about to come out of her mouth. She inched closer until their faces were a foot apart, she stared him dead in the eyes as she spoke.

"I have a problem, and if you don't help me solve it, it'll become your problem as well. Whether you like it or not." She whispered.

"I'm listening."

Historia swung from branch to branch, in desperate search of a training dummy to strike. Her prayers were soon answered when she found two of them in a secluded clearing within the forest, she made haste to strike them down before anyone else could show up, she left satisfied with two more points added to her tally. From below by one of the trees, Connie watched in despair as Krista stole his kills.

"Dammit! How the hell did I run out of gas so quickly!?" He clutched his head in panic.

"The way things are now, even If I were to purposefully hold back that still wouldn't cut it. Krista will not be able to land a spot in the top ten and it's all because of you!" Ymir pressed her finger against his chest accusingly.

"How the hell is that my fault?" He wondered incredulously, swatting her finger away.

"You're too skilled for your own good, and you're in on this secret of ours. So it's your responsibility now."

The 104th cadets were partaking in a grueling task, as they ran in the harsh rain for miles on end. Shadis followed them around on horseback as he screamed obscenities at them in an attempt to demoralize whatever little self-esteem clung to the lifeless shells they dragged across the path. One Jean Kirstein was holding up well, though fatigue gradually worked its way to his system.

His eyes widened in alarm as he felt the strap of his large backpack weaken, he stopped dead in his tracks as it suddenly fell from his back and landed in the mud. His heart fell to his stomach as he rushed to grab it, only for the contents of the pack to spill everywhere.

"Shit! Hey, wait! I need help, come back!" Jean called out to the cadets who ran past him, though due to the fierce wind and rain, his words fell on deaf ears.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath.

"What's in it for me? I don't particularly like to sabotage myself, I'm too prideful for that."

"I don't mind my ranking sinking to the gutter as long as Krista can be spared from the Garrison and the Corps. The others will have to suck it up though."

"So you're asking me to help you sabotage the others?"

"Go!"

Bertholdt Hoover hurried to put on his gear as he raced against the clock, Shadis and another instructor kept a timer on the side as they observed him.

'Chest belt, fastened, Holsters equipped."

His hand snatched one part after the other in rapid succession, as he donned his equipment with a calculating gaze, his hand-eye coordination impressing the instructors as a result.

'Wire unit, attached. Wire reel case and tube canister connected.'

His fingers played around with the canister carrier to fasten them together, without explanation, the entire thing began to fall apart as the canister detached from its platform and hung around his sides. Bertholdt froze in shock as he stared at the bolts and screws that held everything together roll in different directions, he looked back up at the instructors to see them shaking their heads and scribbling down on their notepads.

'Shit.'

"I'm asking you to help me protect Krista."

Here it was, Floch thought to himself as he stood shoulder to shoulder with his fellow cadets. The night of their graduation had finally come, three long years of blood, sweat, and tears have culminated towards this moment where he proudly stood alongside the best of the best amongst their peers.

TOP 10 TRAINEES BY SCORE FROM THE 104TH TRAINING CLASS :

1- Mikasa Ackerman

2- Floch Forster

3- Reiner Braun

4- Annie Leonhart

5- Eren Yeager

6- Bertholdt Hoover

7- Sasha Brause

8- Krista Lenz

9- Jean Kirstein

10- Marco Bodt

Floch didn't look behind him to search for her, neither did he glance to the side for Historia. Yet, he knew that Ymir's eyes were glued to them both. He had done as asked and ensured Historia's "safety", knowing full well that in the end, it would hardly matter as Historia would go on to make her own choice to join the Corps. But he didn't oppose gaining favor for all his trouble, for appeasing to her demands.

Sandra watched Floch's back from afar, inwardly hurt inside that she didn't make the top ten. She had gone to great lengths to improve herself and prove to him that she belonged here, and yet even with all of the efforts she put in, she wasn't standing at his side by the front row tonight. The pain ate at her insides, leaving behind a cold residue in her chest and a crippling feeling of inadequacy.

"Hands upon your hearts!"

"Yes sir!" All of the cadets went in unison with hands raised to their chests in a salute.

The head instructor began to address them all. "For you trainees graduating today, three paths are now presented before you! You can be stationed at the walls and defend the cities as members of the Garrison! You can put your lives on the line, to fight the Titans in their territory as members of the Recon Corps! And you can serve the King by controlling the crowds and protecting order as members of the Military Police Brigade! of course, only the ten people with top scores we announced earlier are allowed into the Military Police!"

'Three years have passed, Tonight is merely the start and yet so much has already happened. It all amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things, I am uncertain of what the future may hold now that I've meddled with it this much. But I do know, deep down in my heart, that I'll do anything for Eldia, anything for my people, nothing can be allowed to stand in my way and freedom.'

He glanced at those false comrades who flanked his left and right, contempt potent in his eyes as he sliced them with his hawkish gaze.

'You will not claim victory. We will fight down to the last man until all of you are destroyed beneath our feet, this is my promise for Marley and the world.'

Floch fixed his gaze ahead towards the instructors, though those fossils in their tidy green coats were the last thing on his mind at the moment.

'It is my promise to you.'

Hello, thanks for reading!

I sort of fucked up while revisiting some of my older chapters to look for any typos or continuity errors or any of that sort, and I ended up uploading the chapter 5 doc to chapter 4 and made chapter 6 and 5 identical, huge mistake I know, silly me. Anyway, that's fixed now (I hope) because unlike AO3, you have to wait a long time for your chapter page to update...

Anyway Bit of a fight scene we have going for us today, Looks like Floch is very capable and can hold his own in a fight and doesn't get tossed around by 50 year old women while decked out in heavy infantry gear, yay! Also ooooh the warriors piecing things together! scary! and trost is coming! oh fuck! oh god!

I do want some feedback for the AnnieVsFloch fight scene, I feel like it's a decent read but I'm not you, we do not process these things the same way. So honest words about it's execution would be much appreciated.

I thought over some critisims for one of my previous chapters and decided that I am not above taking good advice, because you know, you can read a series ten times over but you'll always just completely miss a detail someone else catches (this isn't sarcasm please don't take it as such). It is what it is really, all I can say is thanks for the feedback!

That's all from me for now, byebye