The plan to retake Trost consisted of two operations. First, a group of weaker, less experienced soldiers would lure the titans in Trost to the corner of the town. Second, garrison elite squad would keep Eren safe from the titans coming through the broken gate.
Dina was standing atop a wall. She was put in the first group, but right now the only thing she could think of was how Eren was doing. Dina was unsure about Eren's ability to control his titan. Her first transformation ended with her levelling a certain forest. At that time, she was prepared to lose control and because of her preparation she was able to snap out of her titan's instinct. Eren however, only just discovered his power and didn't really know anything about it.
She thought about the weight of the situation. The plan to lure the titans near the wall was costly in lives. She didn't know exactly how much soldiers fell in battle, but a significant portion of the squad she was in has been decimated.
Dina looked towards the area where the boulder was supposed to be. Momentarily, she saw a familiar yellow flash of energy. That was the moment of truth. The future of this town depended on Eren. As the time was going by, she was getting more and more anxious. Suddenly, a red flare could be seen in the air.
Her colleagues from the cadet corps arrived at the top.
"What's going on?" Connie asked.
"The red flare…" Armin stated.
"Did they fail?" Marco exclaimed.
Dina had to do something. She reached for the supplies to fill in her gas tank.
"I'll go with you." She heard Armin say as the boy reached for his tank as well.
Dina nodded at the boy.
As they flew through Trost, she could only hope things weren't too bad. Worst case scenario, Eren would go wild and attack everyone around him. When they finally reached the area, Dina could finally see Eren's titan. It looked rogue and had no body hair. Eren was slouched over the boulder and his head was steaming. It seemed that he punched his own face causing a concussion.
Armin landed on his shoulder and tried reaching out to him. Dina looked around and saw that Mikasa was standing on a nearby roof, over a titan she just defeated.
"MIKASA!" She shouted over. The girl turned towards them.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PLAN!" Dina yelled.
"DINA! ARMIN!" Mikasa yelled back "IT'S DANGEROUS! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH EREN?!" Armin shouted at Mikasa.
"HE CAN'T CONTROL HIS TITAN! I TRIED TALKING TO IT, BUT GOT NO REACTION"
Dina swished over to Eren's neck.
"Let me try…" She said as she lodged her anchors into the titan's skin.
"What are you trying to do?!" Armin cried out to her.
"Fulfilling a responsibility" she said as she reached for her sword "if I strike just to the side of his neck, I'll be able to reach him without killing him."
She turned to the surprised boy.
"No one knows what he will do if I do this. You need to get out of here" Dina said, "help the elite squad."
Armin nodded, with his mouth slightly open. He swished away.
"DINA!" Mikasa yelled again "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE MISSION!" She yelled as she struck her sword into the titan's neck.
ROAAAAR!
Eren's titan started spasming. Dina, however, was prepared and held herself tight on his back. She lowered herself down and spoke.
"Eren."
"Do you remember the day your mother died?" Dina asked him, hoping he would be able to hear her.
"She was an innocent, slayed by the enemy" his titan suddenly stopped spasming "today, the same enemy is trying to kill more mothers, and destroy even more lives."
"If you want to keep moving forward, you need to wake up."
"Please, wake up Eren!"
The fumes erupted from his damaged form. His skin became so hot, Dina had to get away, or risk getting burnt.
As she reached the nearby roof, Dina could hear the sound of giant footsteps. She looked towards Eren.
He lifted the boulder and was already on his way to the gate.
'We still have to cover him' Dina thought as she looked over his way. There were five titans approaching him from the gate.
She swished towards the rest of the soldiers.
"Dina!" yelled Mikasa "What happened?!"
"Eren won!" Dina yelled back "now he's trying to carry out his duty!"
Armin turned to the rest of the squad.
"If we cover him until he reaches the gate, it's victory for us!" He cried out.
Upon hearing this, the commander gritted his teeth.
"DEFEND EREN TO DEATH!" He yelled out the order "EVEN IF IT MEANS ALL OUR LIVES, PROTECT EREN UNTILL HE GETS TO THE GATE!"
"YOU THREE!" The commander turned to them "GO WITH HIM! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
"YES SIR!" Dina yelled in unison along with the duo.
As they went to the edge of the roof Dina saw soldiers on the ground trying to get the titans' attention.
"Mitabi's squad…?!" The commander said.
"What are they doing?!" Yelled Armin "staying on the ground is suicide!"
"No" replied the commander "that's the only way left."
"FOLLOW MITABI'S LEAD! I DON'T CARE HOW CLOSE YOU GET! WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM TARGET US!"
This order allowed them to get close to the gate.
'All the sacrifices will not be in vain' Dina thought as she ran in front of Eren.
One last titan appeared in front of the gate. Dina momentarily shot her gear right to its face. As she swished towards the titan, she thrust her blades right into the monster's face. That was enough for Mikasa, who swished behind the blinded titan and cut right through its neck.
Now there was nothing between Eren and the breach. As he stood before the gate Dina finally felt relief.
"GO EREN!" Armin yelled.
"FIGHT!"
ROAAAR!
As the roar echoed through the battlefield, Eren slammed the boulder into the gate.
