"Eren, use less gas on the upward arc! Let your momentum give you the speed you need!" Petra yelled at Eren as the group composed of everyone rocketed through the trees for their first day of elite training.
"Understood!" Eren called back before he started following Petra's help, after a couple of swings he began to get this new style down fairly well.
"Leonhardt, you should start shooting your hooks a bit later, and let yourself fly through the air unaided between swings." Levi mumbled, but somehow it was just audible enough for Annie to hear. She nodded and began adjusting her flight path, surprisingly enough, she began to enjoy it much more because of the less strain on the body.
"Captain Levi?" Erd questioned.
"Yes?"
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to show them advanced teamwork exercises to take down stronger Titans?"
"Fine. Lets bank to the right and head over to the Titan cutouts to show the rookies how good we are." Levi said with the same monotone voice, but if you listened close enough, you could tell that he was in fact eager to demonstrate the skill his personal team carried.
Once the group arrived, Levi ordered Eren and Annie to stand and watch for a few minutes to learn how amazing an actual squad of Survey Corps were.
"Squad Levi, Tactic One. Go!" Levi shouted.
Several hooks were shot out all at once at varying trees surrounding the Titan. Instead of charging at the Titans neck straight away, they began circling the now-moving Titan cutout. This was just amazing! Petra swung her body around an arm that was coming for her, then rocketed up towards the Titan's face, just to jump away at the last second. Gunther moved in his position and spun up the Titan's leg, somehow avoiding the kicks it did, but that was when it was all over. Erd had made a path down one of the arms, and once he stopped to cut the arm off, Oluo appeared from behind him and slashed the "Titan's" neck wide open.
Meanwhile, Levi was standing next to the rookies and saw their looks of astonishment, which caused him to smirk with pride at his team.
"That was just amazing," Eren said with wide eyes. Annie could only nod next to him, as her mind went completely blank at seeing how devastating true cooperation could be. 'Now I'm really glad Eren brought me out of my shell, or else I would never have been apart of something so powerful like this team.' Annie thought to herself.
"That? Oh please, that's our most basic tactic. Tactic Seventeen is by far my favourite!" Petra called out, now having returned with her team.
"Of course you would like Seventeen, where we cut up the Titan's limbs one by one." Oluo replied, barely missing his tongue from being bitten.
"Nine's my favourite." Erd stated.
This earned him a gasp from Gunther who was happy someone shared his favourite!
Levi stared at his team until they all shriveled under his deadpanned gaze.
"Now that you are all done gossiping about favourite tactics, how about we integrate these two into our tactics and try to bring down two "Titans" at the same time?" Levi said before he led them to an area with two Titan cutouts instead of just one.
"You ready for this, Annie?" Eren said to his left.
"Of course, punk. Just make sure that you're up for it, I'd hate to have to put up with your whinnying if we don't do well." Annie said with a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"I do not whine!" Eren argued, but Annie had already walked away laughing quietly.
'She actually has a cute laugh, I wanna hear it again.' Eren thought before he got back into his training mindset and began flying through the air with his new team.
Throughout the day, the only noises that echoed through the trees were the sounds of gas propulsion and Levi yelling out tactics. Eren and Annie merged with the group flawlessly, easily being recognized as team members to count on.
Petra and Gunther were exceptionally welcoming, with Erd accepting them with a more professional outlook. It was mostly Oluo who was causing trouble for the new recruits by mimicking Levi and trying to be all cool and indifferent, but of course Petra would always squash that train before it could leave the station.
"Alright team, we will all head back to the Mess Hall. I have to welcome someone to our HQ… hopefully she won't scare the new recruits away.." The last part Levi mumbled to himself, clearly worried about the strange person that would show up.
As the group flew towards the HQ, Eren made his was closer to Gunther to ask him a question. "Gunther, why does Levi seem so trouble that we have a guest coming?"
"Oh, Eren. Why would I spoil the meeting for you to meet Hange? No, this will be too much fun to watch, good luck." Gunther replied before racing to the front to avoid Eren's questions.
"Word of advice, Eren. Do not, under any circumstances, ask her about her work." Petra warned, having joined Eren for a brief period of time before returning once more to Levi's side.
'Geez, is this Hange person really that bad?' Eren wondered to himself before continuing his journey alongside the only remaining team member, Annie.
"Are you curious as well about who this Hange person is, Annie?"
"Not really. Although, it does sound like she is feared, which already earns a bit of my respect." Annie replied.
"I guess you'll never change that part of you that will always want to be feared by every one."
"I don't fear you, do I?"
"No, I'd say that you'd have to kick my ass first." Eren said with a wink at Annie.
Instead of retorting like should would have with anyone else, with her fists, Annie just playfully stuck her tongue out and turned away.
Eren laughed to himself before facing forward as well and finishing the trip with no more words spoken.
Once they got to the Mess Hall, and where all sitting around eating their food, they heard and extremely loud gasp outside followed by stomping footsteps that ascended in volume until they were right outside the door. Strangely enough, while everyone was waiting with varying degrees of tension, the person outside waited a good 10 seconds before opening the door slowly.
Eren let out a small gasp as the hand that reached through the door was Titan sized, and reached for his swords. Before Eren could attack the "Titan", Levi called out to it. "Hange, how many times do we have to tell you to not parade around with your paper mache Titan hand? Congratulations actually, you were able to get a gasp from Eren, the supposed prodigy of the recruits."
Everyone in the room laughed except for Annie, who knew about his reason for reacting the way he had. The last Titan he faced ate his very own mother right before his eyes, so there was plenty of understanding from Annie, and she let Eren know that by subtly placing her hand on his for a second before retracting it.
Suddenly, the woman named Hange came bursting in the door and waved around her Titan model in greeting. Upon seeing the two new recruits she ran around the table and got right in their faces.
"So have either one of you actually fought a Titan yet?" Hange questioned them.
They both replied in the negative, and Hange seemed disappointed at their response.
"I was born in the Shiganshina District, and I saw the first wave that broke through the wall."
Before Eren had finished, Hange literally appeared two inches from his nose and yelled, "So that means you saw the Collosal Titan!?"
"Uh, yea I saw it's face and hand."
"Which one of these sketches look like it the most?" Hange then pulled out a collection of sketches that soldiers who were there had drawn up.
Upon looking at them, Eren could only raise a brow at the stupidity of some of the drawings. One soldier had given it wings, another gave it massive horns, another gave it two heads with beaks for mouths. Finally, one of the drawings appeared close enough, and he handed it back to Hange.
"This one is the closest, except there was no hair on top of its head." Eren stated.
"Ah thank you Eren! You have no idea what this means to me! If you want, I can give you a little reward?" Hange replied.
Before Annie could voice out her opinion of that offer, Hange cleared the confusion by stating that she was willing to tell Eren all about one of her Titan test subjects that they held in captivity for weeks.
Before anyone could stop Eren, he had agreed to the proposal, and thus his entire night was doomed to listening to Hange go over and over he theories and the history of no name clans that ate people.
Thankfully for Eren, Annie was able to drag him away at 3 in the morning to get some rest, claiming that she didn't want to carry his weight, but in reality she was just jealous of Hange spending a night with Eren.
The days passed by quickly, with Eren and Annie slowly becoming full fledged team members that the others could count on. Eventually, Levi decided that today would be the initiation day that would officially make them members of the of Levi's squad.
There was varying reactions between Eren and Annie when they heard what the initiation was exactly. Eren looked hateful, and Annie took on a smirk. The initiation was for them to take down a Titan single-handedly, each.
Off the group road, heading towards Wall Maria, which was located only two hours away. The group mostly rode in silence out of respect for the rookies; although, some of the older members gave them some helpful tips outside of the training they had done. Simple stuff, like always landing in a crouch to prevent your legs from breaking.
Petra chastised Levi for making a comment about not wasting his training by dying on their first real mission, but everyone knew that he would do everything he could to keep them alive. Levi, deep deep deep deep down inside, was actually quite a protective individual, and cared for his squad deeply. Lately, he had come more and more open around Eren because Eren reminded him of his earlier self.
Since they had more than before because of Eren and Annie, Levi had decided that during missions they would be split up into three teams. Him, Eren, and Annie; Petra and Erd; and finally Gunther and Oluo. If facing a variant or special case, they would regroup, but outside of that they were exceptional enough to take on full swarms of Titans in smaller groups that wouldn't get in each others way.
Before long, the group had made it to the the large door that would allow them to venture into the exterior of Wall Rose.
"Captain Levi, requesting permission for you to open the gates for another expedition." Levi drolled on, completely against the idea of requesting permission, but the superiors had already gotten on his case before about flying over the walls instead of walking through the gates.
"State your business, Captain Levi." Some no-name guard called out.
"Titan killing."
"That's all? I'm sorry Captain, but it's too risky to open the gates for such a stupid reason." The guard said before turning his back and walking back to his post. Before he got half way back, however, he was surrounded by Levi's squad, including Eren and Annie. Both of them looked at each other, wondering what the group and them were doing. Their bodies just acted on their own to sync with their team.
"Do you want to know why we are going out to kill Titans, punk?" Levi questioned with a glare into the guard's soul, "We go out there because every single Titan out there has taken someone important to us, and we are going to get revenge. Do you want to be in the way of our hatred instead?"
Upon seeing the combined level of hatred that was burning in the group's eyes, the guard almost relieved himself in his uniform, but instead he squeaked in a really high voice that they could continue through.
Soon, all seven members of squad Levi were facing rolling hills with tall grass everywhere. They were all riding on horses, but still the grass was so tall it licked their heels as they rode out.
"Alright listen, we are here for Eren and Annie to get their first kill, but if you honestly can't stand by and watch, I give you permission to get into your teams and take some out yourself. Just remember to fire a black signal flare if there are any variants. Other than that, do whatever, just stay alive. Once we get to that forest over there, we can split up and move into the trees using our gear, but until then stay together and keep your eyes open." Levi stated with an unusual amount of power, it seemed he would be taking venturing into Titan territory very seriously.
Every one responded with confirmation, and their journey increased in pace. It wasn't long before they got to the edge of the forest and dismounted their horses. They didn't have to worry about hiding or tying up their horses because the Titan's ignored them and they were trained to stay in one spot. All seven people rocketed into the trees and split into their assigned groups.
As Eren and Annie flew beside Levi, their nerves were calmed down because of his presence. Before long, Levi held up his hand, signaling them to stop. All three of them rested on the same large branch that over looked a small clearing.
"Good. Who wants it?" Levi asked, and it was only then that they noticed the 8-meter Titan that was walking slowly in their direction. They were safely out of reach in their tree, but still, the very thought that there was a Titan that wanted to kll them directly in front of them had Eren and Annie gripping their swords tight enough for the knuckles to turn white.
"I'll take this one." Annie said before jumping off the branch and shooting her 3DMG into some trees surrounding the Titan. With only a look of fierce determination on her face, Annie rocketed towards the Titan's left side. She avoided the fast hand swipe with ease, and before long was spinning around it's neck in an attempt to disorient it. The plan worked easily, and thanks to all her harsh training her blade easily split the Titan's neck wide open. Annie then relished in her victory for a brief while before rejoining Eren and Levi on the branch.
"Good job, Leonhardt" Levi said before the group shot off towards a new direction.
"How was it, Annie?" Eren asked.
"Easier than I expected, Titan's really are less intelligent than animals. You'll do fine." Annie replied with an arm on Erens shoulder.
"That's good to hear, Annie. I can't wait until we find another one that I can kill!" Eren shouted.
Before anyone knew what was going on, a large hand swiped at them from the front, forcing them to dodge. Eren lost sight of the other two as he was forced to dodge swipe after swipe from the mysterious Titan. Since they were so high up in the trees, the only explanation was that the Titan they were fighting was a 14-meter class. Once the Titan swung again at Eren, he realized that he had been put on the defensive long enough. Eren spun his way up the large arm, and changed direction at the shoulder to avoid the Titan's snapping teeth at his leg. He swung around and, before the Titan could even turn around, sliced through it's neck with perfect precision. The Titan's neck poured out a vast amount of steam, and the abruptly toppled over and evaporated into nothing.
Once the Titan was killed, Annie appeared by his side and caught him in a short hug before Levi appeared as well.
"Eren, I'm glad to see you okay/ Thank God you're okay, Eren." Were the two greetings that he got.
"Ha yea guys, I'm fine. Once I got off the defensive, it was relatively easy. I just used Tactic 6 to take it down like you taught me to, Captain." Eren replied, embarrassed at being concerned about.
Before they could continue their worries over Eren, the rest of the group landed beside them, some of them still had Titan blood evaporating off of them.
"Hey guys! How'd it go?" Petra, the ever happy woman, asked.
"A little complication with a surprise attack by a 14-meter, but Eren took it down before Annie and I could get our bearings." Levi stated uninterested, but on the inside he was truly impressed by Eren. 'I could have easily taken that Titan down before Eren even got off of the defensive, but I wanted to see what he was capable of in the face of death.' Levi thought to himself.
"Really? Good job, Eren." Gunther praised. Erd just gave him a quiet nod, and Oluo was busy acting aloof like Levi to congratulate him.
"More like good job both of them, right Annie?" Petra said while throwing an arm around Annie. That was another benefit of joining Levi's squad, Annie and Petra became close friends. They would be seen doing stuff together outside of training.
"Yea, Annie deserves the credit too, guys. She executed her Titan perfectly, while I had difficulty killing mine." Eren said.
"Oh stop being so modest, Eren. Come on everyone let's get back to the horses." Petra exclaimed while she leapt off, followed by everyone else.
The trip back to the horses was filled with the stories of how the other guys took down their Titans. Surprisingly, Oluo killed the most by far, which showed that even though his personality was kinda annoying, his devotion to Titan-killing and the team could not be matched.
The whole group was laughing and enjoying their time when they emerged from the tree and saw their horses lined up waiting for them. At least, that's what they were expecting to see. What they did see had their faces paling in horror. All their horses had been killed, brutally.
"What the hell?" Gunther said before landing beside his horse.
"Who could have done this?" Eren asked when he landed.
They were all scared because without their horses, they were no match for the speed of a Titan, and the rest of the way back to Wall Rose was grassland, horrible for 3DMG's.
"These Titan's were not killed by men," every face swiveled up towards Levi, "They were killed by a Titan. Look at the wounds, they were stomped on, and crushed."
"What does that mean, Levi? Titan's have only been interested in humans so far!" Oluo yelled.
"I think she is the answer." Levi stated, pointing in the direction behind them.
They all turned sharply to she a 14-meter female Titan looking at them. Before any of them could move, it opened its mouth wide and screamed out a loud cacophony of noises. All of Levi's squad covered their ears, but the noise was still unbearable. And just as the noise started, it was gone, along with the Female Titan.
"What the hell was that? Was that a Female!" Eren yelled, but before anyone could reply, a drumming noise started echoing from the forest. The noise got louder and louder until Levi called for them to run for the wall.
Levi's squad had run maybe 15 minutes, and were about half way to a reserve stand of horses when they looked over their shoulder to see an entire hoard of Titans break the tree line.
It was then, that Levi knew they would not make it in time.