The Disquieting One: Heh heh. Sorry if it feels like I may be adding more tension to an already growing conflict these past few chapters. I'm trying my best to stay true to the heart of Aot, and some of it's more skeptical characters. And that's by attempting to put readers on edge with the ever rising stakes of whatever conflict the cast has to deal with. Not to mention the fact that one of the genres this story is labeled under is Angst,so it's almost a given.
But just like Aot, this isn't going to be something that happens every time. Only when i feel it is necessary.
Maximum Rhapsody: I don't want to spoil exactly what Ben's role will be in the army, because it's going to be a huge plot thread later on in the story.
But I will say that once he's reached the point where's he's successfully established several successful alliances with a good portion of the cast of Aot, he'll have enough influence to enact a decision that will change the story drastically.
TL:DR. Yes,he will, and when it happens, it's going to be a pretty big deal.
On how the trial will go with Ben being involved. You'll get your answer in the next chapter.
On the other ships in the story outside of BenxHisu, if it's canon, like ErenxMikasa,or might as well be canon, like ArminxAnnie, it'll happen. If not,then no.
Guest: Glad you liked the chapter. Everything you've said will indeed happen in due time. Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait.
FloorTile: Hey there. Yeah, it's good to be back, and thanks for understanding my struggles with writer's block. Glad you're enjoying the story,it means a lot to me.
I do agree that crossovers that include characters that fix basically every problem in the canon events of the other franchise they're being crossed over with can be a hit or miss. Especially if said characters is portrayed in a manner in which they have seemingly non-existent flaws.
Your criticism is understandable. As I believe that one of, if not,the most endearing things about Ben, from every version of him,is his ability to rise to the occasion and achieve great things despite his shortcomings.
If it feels like I'm neglecting that,I apologize. I just want to portray him in the manner I set out to when I started this story,as competent as he is in canon. That doesn't mean that he's going to have the answer for every single situation,or he's always going to be in the right. He's not perfect after all.
But I'm sure you can bare with me that nearly everything he's done so far in the story is something that he can realistically do in canon as well.
Which brings me to him being the one to suggest how to wake up Eren. I agree that Armin already making attempts to do so before Ben arriving and Ben maybe giving him moral support would have been a better way to go about it.
However,I did it the way I did since Ben has gone through situations or has had people he cares about (Gwen and Kevin) been in situations where they had to have someone who cares about them in turn to help them out of their trance.
This doesn't mean I don't agree with your suggestion,I fully do. I'm just stating why I took the decision I did.
All in all, thanks for the support you've shown this story, and for your constructive criticism. I can guarantee you that with it,I can enable myself to make this story even better. Hope this chapter meets up to your expectations as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or Attack on Titan in any way. They were both created by Man of Action and Hajime Isayama and are owned by Cartoon Network and Shonen Magazine Comics respectively.
Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Fight as One Part 1
The atmosphere had changed drastically as a result of the events that transpired. Feelings of anguish, anxiety and near hopelessness were extinguished. What stood in the place of those feelings was newly ignited feelings of confidence, determination and courage.
Feelings which were spearheaded as a result of the acts of Ben and Eren.
With their two greatest assets now ready to aid them in their oncoming battle, the cadets awaited orders from their current commanding officer;Ian on a plan of attack.
"It all falls on you now, captain." Said Stinkfly, bringing Ian out of his stupor.
"How do you want to do this?" Ian would briefly blink in surprise before regaining his composure.
"R-Right!" Said Ian before looking at Stinkfly.
"Tennyson, what is this form of yours capable of?" Asked Ian.
"Getting the most obvious part out of the way, which is flight, Stinkfly isn't as tough as Jetray,or as versatile." Explained Stinkfly.
"So you only possess the ability of flight in this form?" Asked Mitabi.
"I didn't say that." Corrected Stinkfly.
"I can also shoot slime from my eyes and mouth." All the cadets would visibly recoil in disgust upon hearing this.
"I think I know why you call him Stinkfly now." Commented Connie as he cringed in disgust.
"If flight and a rather repulsive form of attack is all this form has to offer,I fail to see how you can effectively kill even one Titan." Mused an unimpressed Riko. Stinkfly would then slightly wave his tail in response, drawing the attention of the cadets towards it.
"My tail is strong enough to cut through steel. Pretty sure it's tough enough to get the job done too against a Titan." Said Stinkfly cockily with a smirk, causing Riko to roll her eyes.
"But I'd need to latch onto a Titan's nape to use it, and Stinkfly's nowhere near as fast as Jetray,so I'd probably only be able to take a handful of Titans effectively before I eventually run into problems." Admitted Stinkfly.
"I see." Said Ian as he gently stroked his chin with his left hand.
"What do you suggest?" Asked Mitabi,to which Ian wouldn't respond immediately due to being deep in thought. He would then look at Stinkfly once more, having now come to a decision.
"Tennyson..." Began Ian, causing Stinkfly to look at him attentively.
"You go on ahead with Jaeger. Make sure to draw in as much Titans as you can at once. Have Jaeger support you with attack, and while he's doing so, make sure to cover his blind spots." A grin would form on Stinkfly's face as he quite liked Ian's plan.
"Consider it done, Captain." Said Stinkfly in approval before taking to the skies. He would stop his ascent once he reached the level of Titan Eren's face.
"You heard the man, let's do this Eren!" Said Stinkfly with excitement,to which Titan Eren would nod in approval. Stinkfly would then fly forward, putting a large distance between himself and the others. Not long after, the cadets would move out of the way as Titan Eren began to run forward in a bid to keep up with Stinkfly.
"So, that leaves us." Said Ian as he looked at the cadets.
"Tennyson and Jaeger are mostly going to operate in a linear form of attack, which means we have to cover the wider areas." Explained Ian.
"We'll split into a team of threes."
"Braun,Hoover,Leonhart, you're Team A." This consisted of Reiner,Bertholt and Annie.
"Springer,Blouse,Kirstein ,you're Team B." This consisted of Connie,Sasha and Jean.
"Lenz,Ymir, Carolina, you're Team C." This consisted of Krista,Ymir and Mina.
"Ackerman,Arlert,Bodt, you're Team D." This consisted of Mikasa,Armin and Marco.
"Myself, Mitabi and Riko will be Team E."
"The strongest out of your respective groups should be one who prioritizes attacks on the nape. The other two should work towards ensuring that the difficulty in subjugating a Titan is lessened considerably.".
"As such, your priorities should be attacking the parts of a Titan that would help to render them ineffective and immobile; their arms and legs."
"Cooperation, Communication, Decisiveness, and Flexibility in alternating between your assigned roles if need be. All of these things will prove vital in the outcome of this battle."
"So see to it that it is not your last,as at this very moment, the fate of humanity is in your hands."
Though it had taken longer than he initially expected due to some unforseen circumstances, Ben had finally got the opportunity he had long sought for.
To prove that himself and Eren could be valuable allies for the cadets.
And what better way to show that than to fight the oncoming Titans as a team?
A grin would form on Stinkfly's face as he was rapidly approaching 3 12-15m class male Titans. None of which had yet noticed him.
"Showtime." Said Stinkfly to himself while still grinning before firing a stream of slime from his four eyes at the ground in front of the Titan. Upon stepping on the slime, the Titan would find it's foot stuck in place and unable to set it free without putting in considerable effort.
Upon raising it's head up to look at the one responsible, the Titan would itself blinded by a series of rapid-fire slime blasts. Stinkfly's grin would widen significantly as he watched the Titan struggle to remove the slime from it's eyes.
A series of loud footsteps could be heard from behind with it's tempo increasing significantly. Knowing what this meant, Stinkfly would fly up into the air in order to give way for a running Titan Eren to land a sucker punch square to the face of blinded Titan, killing it instantly.
The two Titans would were left stunned by the defeat of their comrade by whom they believed to be one of them. As such, their indecisiveness on what their next course of action should be gave Stinkfly the perfect opportunity to swoop down and shoot another torrent of slime blasts to their eyes and mouths respectively.
Then,Titan Eren would proceed to land a right uppercut to the jaw of the Titan standing to his left side, and a backhand to the one at his right side aimed for it's nape,thus taking it's head clean off.
"RRRAGHHHH!" Shouted Titan Eren in a manner almost akin to taking delight at the demise of his enemies.
But the fight was for from over.
On the contrary,it was just beginning.
A group consisting of five Titans, three males and two females, ranging from 12-15 meter class took notice of the slaughter of their fallen brethren.
With deafening cries,they would begin to run towards Stinkfly and Titan Eren,of which they two would begin to rapidly approach them.
Stinkfly would take the lead, gradually closing in on a single 12 meter male Titan that was ahead of it's companions, it's arms flailing from side to side as it ran towards it's opponents.
As the distance between them grew shorter, Stinkfly would be the first to make a decisive act, shooting two slime blasts to both eyes of the Titan, before flying downwards and shooting two more at the front of it's feet. Upon being blinded, the Titan would make a sudden stop on the slime on the ground,thus briefly trapping.
As Stinkfly flew through the gap under it's legs,Titan Eren lunged at the Titan with a flying knee kick to it's jaw before grabbing it by the face and slamming the back of it's head hard on the ground, causing a crater in the process.
"GRRAHHH!" Shouted Titan Eren as it stood above the downed Titan and began to pummel it continuously in the face, each blow violently shaking the very Earth beneath his feet. Once he had ceased his assault, Titan Eren looked at his defeated foe, it's face now reduced to a puddle of flesh and blood.
Upon looking up,Titan Eren would see Stinkfly engaging in a battle with two Titans. A male 12 meter Titan would stretch it's hand out to grab Stinkfly, but upon being blinded by his slime, the Titan would instead grab his female ally by the face, confusing both of them greatly.
Amidst that confusion, Titan Eren would begin running towards the two, before clotheslining both of them.
Having already flown towards the remaining two Titans, Stinkfly would change his form of attack, opting instead to fly low towards the left leg of the last female Titan standing. He would then cut through it's ankle with his tail, completely severing it's foot. With the balance of it's left leg lost, the female Titan would fall hard on the ground face first.
"URRRRAGGGHHH!" Shouted Titan Eren right before stomping hard on the neck of the female Titan, sending it's head flying in the process.
Now closing in on the last of the five Titans standing, Stinkfly would begin to fly upwards until he was at the level of the Titan's face. It would attempt to grab Stinkfly out of the air with it's left, but would fail as Stinkfly would weave to the right before flying across it's now exposed arm. It would then try to clap down on Stinkfly with it's right palm once the latter reached it's shoulder, but would fail once again as Stinkfly weaved to the left and shot a stream of slime at it's left eye as a counter.
Now blinding in one eye, the Titan was o
unable to perceive Stinkfly flying around it's blindspot before directly facing it's nape. Stinkfly would then land on the nape and grab it with his hands, before using his tail to make a horizontal cut across it, killing the Titan easily.
As the Titan began to fall face first to the ground,it would then find itself be punched square in the face by Titan Eren, sending it's lifeless body crashing into one of the many abandoned buildings in Trost District.
"Woah!" Said Stinkfly in awe of the power behind Titan Eren's attack.
"Heck of a punch just now,Eren. Though I might be underselling it..."Said Stinkfly as he flew in front of Titan Eren's face, with both of them looking at one another.
"Especially with how badly you thrashed these guys." Stinkfly would then steal a glance at the mangled corpses of the Titans they both defeated.
"You must really hate Titans." Said Stinkfly with a hint of amusement,to which Titan Eren would simply let out a grunt in response.
If only he knew how right he was.
"Though from the little I've seen of them, can't say I blame you." Stinkfly's attention would then be drawn to behind him,as he heard a series of almost deafening footsteps gradually approaching the two of them.
His eyes would widen as he watched a horde of Titans ranging from 5-15 meters walking towards them.
"What do you know? They just keep on coming." Said Stinkfly in a joking tone.
"What do you say we knock these guys down a peg or two? And with the both of us working together,they don't stand a chance." Said Stinkfly with a smirk,to which Titan Eren wouldn't respond as his eyes were dead set on the oncoming Titans.
"GRRRRAHHHHH!" Shouted Titan Eren as he ran forward towards his opponents,to which Stinkfly would grin before flying towards them as well.
TO BE CONTINUED!
That marks the end of Chapter 10.
For those wondering why it may be a bit short,it wasn't meant to be initially, as this chapter was initially to include the full battle in the Trost District and it's conclusion. But due to some unforseen circumstances occuring,I had to settle for this to meet my wish to upload this chapter today.
It was very important to me that I did so,as this is the most motivated I've felt to write this chapter in a while, and I didn't want to squander it anymore,as doing so would have pushed back it's eventual release significantly.
Which also brings me to another point I want to make; In the World of Titans was never discontinued/ abandoned. I just simply didn't update it for so long due to other things which took priority at the time (My other stories,My personal life, Writer's block, etc).
Unless I confirm it myself, don't believe that just because I haven't updated in a significant stretch of time doesn't mean I've abandoned this story,or any of my story. My update schedule is very inconsistent, and with the number of ongoing stories I have, even more so.
Nonetheless,I apologize for keeping you guys waiting for so long,as it wasn't my intention. I want the release of this chapter to not only signal my return to this story after so long, but also my attempt at a somewhat consistent update schedule for it with the next few chapters (once or twice a month).
I hope this chapter was as enjoyable as it was for me to write it,or more,as I enjoyed writing it alot.
The next chapter focus on showing the perspective of the cadets battle's with the Titans.
Until it drops, thank you all so much once again for the support you've shown this story,I greatly appreciate it.
Take care of yourselves, and please, have yourselves a good one.
This chapter is also dedicated to Kevin Conroy,who unfortunately passed away today, aged 66.
30th November 1955-10th November,2022.
Rest in Power.