-P-
Thunder clapped across the island as a monsoon encompassed the entirety of it. Pigmon yelped and cried as he ran and ran as quickly as he could. Rocks crumbled and crashed behind him as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. All the while, the screeches of a colossal behemoth echoed in his ears like sirens of death, growing closer and closer no matter how fast Pigmon ran. Even while rolling in a ball, Pigmon couldn't outrun the approaching doom as it ripped through mountains like they were nothing. But he had to escape this monster. He just had to keep moving forwards. He had been working on an escape from this God-forsaken island for months now. If he could just make it there, he'd be free. He could escape once and for-
BUMP!
Pigmon stumbled backward and uncurled his body. His eyes widened with fear as he saw that a wall of rock blocked his escape. With no other means of escape, Pigmon looked back in terror as he saw the monstrous visage of his pursuer, his lips curling to reveal his razor-sharp teeth and sabertooth fangs. The beast released a sadistic cackle as he looked down on the little red monster.
Pigmon woke up with a scream and looked around, panting loudly. His ears were suddenly filled with the aggravated huffs of the horses in the stable with him as they tried to get some shut-eye. Tears welled up in the corners of Pigmon's eyes, and he curled up into a ball as he began letting out frightened sobs, trying desperately to convince himself that the monster was gone. He was free, and he didn't have to be afraid anymore. But even still, he couldn't get the horrors of that island out of his head.
-A-
Armin waved goodbye to Eren and Mikasa as they rode off with the other Scouts on their mission, while a bit of an unsettled feeling built up inside him. While he didn't let it show during the debriefing, Armin questioned this strategy. He remembered during it that the Military Police had asked for some soldiers from the Scout Regiment to help them hunt down a person of interest. However, his choices in recruits made little sense to Armin.
Eren and Mikasa were obvious. Mikasa was the strongest member of the 104th, and Eren being there would scare anyone into submission. But then there were the other Scouts from the 104th that accompanied him: Jean, Connie, Krista, and Ymir, leaving him, Sasha, and Annie behind at the base.
Jean, he could sort of understand. He was the second fastest on ODM gear after Mikasa, after all. But Ymir? Their worst team player? Krista? The Scout with the weakest constitution out of the 104th? Connie? It didn't add up for Armin. Erwin must have had some sort of ulterior plan here.
'It's possible he just didn't want to put Annie in possible harm's way,' Armin thought. 'Given the powers of the Founder Annie described, it's possible that this person the government is hunting for is either some kind of entity of similar power level to the Founder. They could even be the founder themselves, and they've somehow gone rogue. But if that's the case, then it would be unwise to have agreed to this mission at all, and it would be especially unwise to bring Eren along to it. It would be a much greater risk to bring Eren along in this situation than Annie. Unless… Erwin isn't planning on facing the person of interest at all…'
"Armin!" Sasha shouted.
Armin snapped out of his contemplation and turned to face Sasha. She then nodded back to the stables with her hands on her hips.
"Come on," she said. "Mike says we're on Pigmon duty."
"O-oh, right," Armin replied.
The two then made their way to the stables. Armin was still curious as to what Erwin was planning, but he didn't have the time to ponder that at the moment. As they approached the stables, they were surprised to see Pigmon seemingly communicating with one of the horses in the stable, letting out chirps and squeals. The horse, in reply, grunted and huffed. Based on Pigmon's expression, Sasha and Armin concluded that their conversation was not a happy one.
"This is so surreal," Sasha commented. "What do you think they're talking about?"
Armin hummed for a moment, before noticing a scar on the side of that horse's neck. He then remembered that when Reiner attacked the expedition, some rocks he kicked up managed to hit Dieter Ness' horse in the neck.
"Hold up, isn't that Ness' horse?" Armin asked.
"You mean the one we picked up while out in the wilderness?" Sasha asked.
"Yeah, that one. 'Charrette' I think her name was. Reiner killed Ness when he appeared, but left her behind."
"Oh…" Sasha's voice was more melancholy than before as her eyes widened in realization. "You think they're talking about that?"
"If Pigmon is capable of communicating with other creatures on such a deep level, it's possible."
Charrette lowered her head and Pigmon gently placed his forehead against hers in a gesture of comfort. Armin and Sasha watched silently, giving the two a quiet peaceful moment. Eventually, Pigmon hobbled away from Charrette, who was in a slightly better mood now. Then, to the best of his ability, Pigmon waved at Armin and Sasha, using his body to help with the motion. The two waved back and then heard someone walk up behind them. The two turned around and saw Annie there, carrying a few buckets in her hands, each with different types of feed. Armin smiled upon seeing her, though Sasha was a bit nervous knowing what she knew about her.
"So, you're on Pigmon duty too?" Armin asked.
"Yep," Annie said nonchalantly.
"Hard to imagine a Titan shifter would be relegated to a task as menial as this one," he said jokingly.
Annie disregarded Armin's comment and approached Pigmon with her normal deadpan expression. While she approached him, Sasha whispered into Armin's ear.
"Are we sure we should trust her?" Sasha asked, concerned. Armin glanced at her nervously, but thankfully, she elaborated. "I'm not saying I blame her for what happened, but she did still help them do it. Shouldn't we be a bit more cautious around her?"
Armin shook his head. "I don't think we need to worry. I may not have known as much about Annie as I thought I did, but her revealing herself to protect us from Reiner and then give us all the information we need to combat the enemy doesn't strike me as the behavior of someone trying to deceive us. It'd be too great a risk to just be an act."
Sasha didn't disagree. Instead, she changed the subject just a bit. "Does Eren know?" She asked.
Armin gulped before answering. "N-no. I… don't think it would be a good idea to tell him yet. You know how he can be when he's angry… especially as Ultraman."
Sasha nodded, remembering what he did to Telesdon and the armored monster.
"Erwin seemed to agree with me," Armin continued. "It's why he's holding off on giving any official statements. He wants to make sure Eren doesn't do anything rash when he finds out."
"Gotcha," Sasha whispered.
The two then joined Annie as she carried four different buckets of feed to Pigmon. She then casually dropped them in front of him with a deadpan expression, the feed splashing a bit and causing Pigmon to recoil slightly, with a confused and very disgusted expression on his face. Annie then crossed her arms and straightened her posture.
"We have oats, corn, hay, and carrot mush. Pick your favorite," Annie said.
Pigmon gently kicked the carrot mush bucket and visibly cringed when he saw it bubble slightly.
"Um, Annie, maybe he'd rather eat something a bit more… palatable?" Armin asked.
"I doubt the Scouts will cut into their food budget just to pamper Pigmon when we don't even know what he eats," she replied.
"Maybe he's a carnivore?'
"Hange checked his teeth last night. We know he's a herbivore."
As Armin and Annie continued to discuss what to feed Pigmon, the monster in question sat down and tried to sample each of them, only to find himself disappointed at best, and nauseated at worst. Pigmon proceeded to stare at each of the buckets like a child who didn't want to eat their vegetables. Sasha eventually sat down next to Pigmon and asked if she could have some. Pigmon shrugged and pushed the bucket of corn to her. He then watched as she scooped up a handful and ate it.
"Hmm. You know, if you cook it in butter, it might not be half bad," she said with a smile.
Pigmon didn't know what butter was or what it tasted like but took her word for it. Thinking that he wouldn't find anything above "barely edible" here, he decided he may as well go and forage. So, he simply hobbled past Armin and Annie, curled up into a ball, and then rolled right out of the open stables and towards the forest.
"SHIT! AFTER HIM!" Annie shouted. The trio then ran after Pigmon as he rolled across the base. 'I'm sensing a pattern…' She thought.
As they ran after Pigmon, Hange had just stepped out of the castle with Moblit by her side to do some more examinations of Pigmon, when she suddenly had to jump back upon seeing Pigmon rolling past her, followed by the three scouts chasing him.
"Moblit! Hold these!" Hange handed her assistant all the equipment she was holding and then pulled out a brown notebook from her blazer. "I have to document this!"
Hange then ran after Pigmon while opening her notebook to a page with Pigmon's profile drawn on it. On the page next to it, she began drawing the outline of Pigmon's ball form, as well as some notes on it as she followed the group.
Pigmon eventually stopped once he reached the forest surrounding the scouts, and stopped once he reached a particular berry bush growing just outside the camp. Bunches of blackberries were growing off the side of the bush, and Pigmon jumped for joy as he laid eyes upon his favorite snack. The Scouts pursuing him arrived just in time to see him using his long fingers to scoop blackberries into his palms, then gobble up one handful while filling up the other palm.
While everyone caught their breath, Annie's eyes twitched with frustration. "He had us go through all that just for a damn berry bush?"
"He did?!" Hange shouted out, making everyone aware that he was there with them. "I need you three to tell me everything that happened while I was away! Spare no details!" She declared.
Armin, Annie, and Sasha proceeded to explain the whole situation. Sasha listened to them, fascinated.
"So he was so repulsed by the food options he was given that he went out of his way to seek something else?" Hange pondered out loud to herself. "Given what they said, it doesn't seem to be poisonous to him, which implies that he eats for pleasure and not just for sustenance, much like humans do. Ohhh, with everything I learn about him, he only becomes even more fascinating~! He's like a gift that keeps on giving~!" Hange panted softly and began drooling, her face flushed and her glasses foggy.
Pigmon glanced at Hange, his cheek still full of blackberries. He couldn't help but question what her intentions were for him. Eventually, Hange placed a hand on his shoulder and knelt beside him.
"So, darling, do you only eat blackberries, or would any fruit suffice for you?" She asked.
Pigmon stood up and like before, began to scratch at the dirt. Though finding that his writing wouldn't be very readable in the grass, he followed the Scouts back to the base, where he was able to leave a much more readable message in the sand, which read as follows:
"Pigmon like many fruit. But pomegranate bad." He then drew a crude drawing of himself with Xs for eyes next to the part about his dislike for pomegranates.
"Oh, he must be allergic to them," Armin commented.
Pigmon tilted his head in confusion, but after Armin explained what allergic meant, he nodded in affirmation.
"I see. Well, I suppose that's what we'll be feeding you for the rest of your stay with us," Hange said as she temporarily put away her notes. "I hope you like apples."
Pigmon hopped with glee upon hearing that, prompting Hange to giggle.
-F-
Frieda looked out the window of Marlowe and Marco's room, observing the streets below her. Down in them, on the walls of buildings and the sides of lantern posts, she could see wanted posters of her plastered everywhere. She sighed softly and closed the blinds, before placing her head in her hands. 'They're gonna get themselves hurt,' she thought. 'I have to leave soon, so they can be safe.'
As she thought about that, she suddenly heard a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice.
"It's us!" Marco called from the other side. "Hitch is here too. She wanted to see how you were doing."
"Come in," Frieda replied.
The door clicked open, and in came Marco, Marlowe, and Hitch, all of whom looked over their shoulders before entering, Marlowe making sure to lock the door behind him. Hitch noticed Frieda's somber expression and took a seat next to her.
"You alright, girl?" She asked. "What's got you so down?"
Frieda attempted to brush it off. "O-oh, it's nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind…"
"I can imagine," Marlowe said. "What with being wanted by the government, and the threat of being eaten alive looming over your head, I can only imagine what you must be feeling."
"You didn't need to remind her!" Hitch whisper-shouted. "Sheesh, have at least a little tact."
"He's fine, Hitch," Frieda said. "And it wasn't that I was worried about anyway."
"So then what's wrong?" Marco asked.
Frieda sighed softly. "I'm just worried that I might be putting you all in danger by staying here. With all the Military Police patrolling Wall Sina twenty-four-seven, not to mention Kenny's men patrolling frequently, it's only a matter of time until one of you gets hurt or worse."
"Well, why don't you use the Founding Titan to stop them from chasing you?" Hitch asked.
"I can't," she replied. "You still don't know about the vow of the 145th king, do you?"
Hitch tilted her head in confusion. "The what?"
"Basically, one of the previous Founding Titan holders somehow imposed his will onto all future holders," Marco explained. "This vow of his prevents them from using the power in any way that could benefit our people."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with defending herself from being eaten?"
Frieda proceeded to answer that. "After I gained my other power, the Attack Titan, the vow of the 145th king has started activating to prevent me from using the power in any way that protects myself. I've had to be very careful with how I use my power ever since I escaped because if I go too far, the 145th king of the walls will take over me and force me to turn myself in." Frieda placed a hand on her forehead and winced, her eyes briefly flashing purple with cracks in them, before she clenched her eyes shut, then opened them, now back to their radiant, sapphire blue. "Even now, I can feel King Fritz' will scratching at the back of my mind."
Hitch had an uncharacteristically somber expression on her face. She placed a hand on Frieda's shoulder and smiled at her. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. We'll find a way to set you free. We promise."
Marco joined Hitch in comforting the ebony-haired princess. "We'll do whatever we can to set you free."
Frieda smiled at them and teared up slightly. "I don't think that's even possible…"
"Even if it isn't, we'll still do what we can to help you," Marlowe said. "Those pigs in the capital are fools and monsters for doing something so cruel to you."
Frieda's heart raced with joy. She had never in all her years had anyone treat her with this much kindness before. She smiled and closed her eyes, tears of joy streaking down her face, feeling the warmth of her friends' embrace. However, as she had her eyes closed, she suddenly felt… cold.
A breeze suddenly passed over her body, and she could no longer feel Hitch's or Marco's arms wrapped around her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw herself sitting in a sandy plane under a dark, starless night sky. Far away, she saw a gigantic tree seemingly made of pure light, shining as brightly as the sun with branches stretching up into the heavens. A few of the branches appeared to be tangled together in odd ways, but then again, this whole situation was odd to Frieda. As she stared up at the tree, her eyes slowly panned down to a dark figure slowly walking out of it. The figure bore long hair and was dressed in garb that stretched down to its knees, with pants long pants, and boots. As the figure stepped closer, Frieda saw the figure's hair was as dark as the night, with clothes that matched it, save for the white shirt he wore beneath his open jacket.
When the man finally reached her, he looked down at her with a dark, soul-piercing glare, and she began to back away from him out of fear. However, the man didn't do anything to hurt her. Instead, he simply held out his hand.
"Stand up, Frieda."
His voice was… calming. It sounded young but withered and beaten as if he had seen and experienced things one couldn't even imagine. And yet, she sensed no malice from him. In fact, she felt at peace with this man. Like she implicitly knew he was here to help her.
However, before she could take his hand, shackles suddenly burst out of the ground, latched onto her wrists, and pulled her hands back down. She tried to cry out for help, but another shackle latched around her neck. The man's gaze rose to a figure standing behind her. Out of the darkness stepped a man with long white hair and a flowing white beard, dressed in white robes, with a red cape wrapped around his shoulders. The black-haired man's expression soured, and his fists tightened.
"You…" He snarled. He then looked down at Frieda and saw her slowly sinking down into the sand. "I'm sorry, Frieda. Just keep fighting." He then looked back at the old man. "You'll be free soon."
As Frieda continue to sink into the cold sand, she began to panic and started screaming and struggling. But all this did was cause sand to pour down her throat and into her eyes as she sank deeper and deeper down. As her vision began to go dark, however, she saw two bolts of lightning strike the two opposing men and saw two massive humanoids rise where they once stood.
Frieda jolted forwards, startling everyone as she breathed rapidly and heavily. Her eyes were bulging out of her skull, and her heart was racing. She ran a hand through her hair as she recalled everything that just happened, and wondered not only what she just saw, but why she saw it.
"F-Frieda? Are you alright?" Marco asked.
"I-I… I think so," she said.
'Who was that man?' Frieda thought. 'He seemed familiar, but none of the past shifters have any memory of a man like that. It couldn't be the founder, because I'm told that she was a woman. So who could that have been?'
-E-
'Gods, this is boring,' Eren sighed internally.
Eren leaned against the gate to Orvud District. Standing beside him were Connie and Jean, with Nanaba standing beside them, along with some folks in the garrison regiment. Eren tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the day to be over so that he could be done with this pointless task. Why should they even be here? This had nothing to do with fighting Titans, and it was just one person. What could the Military Police need them for? Were they just that incompetent?
"Hey, Jean?" Connie asked with an abject look of boredom on his face. "What do you think the point of all this is?"
"Who knows," Jean sighed.
Connie shrugged, then looked over to Eren. "Hey, Eren, you think anyone else found this girl yet?"
"I hope so," he sighed. "Then we can be done with this bullshit."
"I hear that. So what do you guys think she did to get the guys up top this pissed?"
Neither Jean nor Eren had an answer, Jean only being able to guess that maybe she killed someone of importance or something. With not much else interesting to talk about in regard to the mission itself, Connie decided to change the subject to something else.
"So, Eren, seems like you've had your eye on Mikasa a lot more than before~" Connie said with a smirk.
"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Eren stuttered.
"Oh I think you know what I mean~" Connie flashed his eyebrows.
"N-no! It's not like that!" Eren said, his cheeks bright red at the accusation.
"Knock it off, Connie. We don't have time to chat about Jaeger's love life," Jean said. He then muttered, "Besides, it's not like he'd ever have the balls to tell her anyway."
Eren heard that however, and quickly became quite cross. "THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY, HORSE FACE!?"
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" Jean shouted back.
A bead of sweat trickled down Connie's face as he realized what he'd just done.
"At least I can actually work up the nerve to talk to her for more than two seconds!" Eren shouted.
"And just what's that supposed to mean?!" Jean bit back.
Eren placed his hands on his cheeks and made a mocking imitation of Jean's voice. "'Oh Mikasa~! Your hair is so p-p-p-pretty, Mikasa~! Will you marry me, Mikasa~?'"
"HEY! I TALKED TO HER MORE THAN THAT!" Jean then paused for a moment. "...One time… When I was telling her you were dead…"
Jean rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He then saw Eren looking at him with a smug smirk and the anger came rushing back. Jean grabbed him by the jacket and pressed his forehead against his.
"HEY! WIPE THAT DUMB LOOK OFF YOUR FACE, SUICIDAL BASTARD!" He roared.
"I TOLD YOU, HANDS OFF THE SHIRT, HORSE FACE!" Eren roared back.
"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" Nanaba bellowed.
Jean and Eren's argument promptly came to a halt.
-M-
Mikasa fiddled with her scarf while sitting at her camp with Krista and Ymir. Mikasa sighed softly as she thought about the past few weeks. Not about Eren though. Despite numerous moments where she had the sensation that Eren was beginning to reciprocate her feelings, her mind was instead focusing on the mysterious creature in armor. It certainly wasn't human, but it wasn't a Titan, a Titan shifter. It was more like Telesdon, a monster of unknown origin, but it was intelligent, probably more even than Pigmon. And he could talk. Not to mention that power of his. It was unbelievable.
"Mikasa? Is something wrong?" Krista asked.
"Hugh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong," she said. "It's just… well, that other monster Eren fought out on the expedition worries me, as does the fact that it's still out there."
Krista nodded. "I understand. The things Armin told me about it were horrifying. I don't even want to imagine what it must have been like up close."
"You know… I'm kinda curious though," Ymir said. "What was it like?"
Mikasa tried to describe it to the best of her ability. "It was… powerful. It could emit red lightning from its hands, and fire a blue beam of pure heat from its mouth."
"Like a fire-breathing dragon?" Krista asked.
"Not exactly," she replied. "It was more like a beam of pure heat."
"O-oh," Krista muttered, catching the attention of Ymir and Mikasa. "Oh, i-it's nothing. It's just, I was wondering if it was the same thing as in one of the books I read."
"What was it about?" Mikasa asked.
"Oh, it's really not that interesting. It was just an old fairy tale, nothing to worry about," she replied.
"Come on, tell us," Ymir insisted. "It beats just sitting around waiting for some girl to maybe try escaping Sina."
Krista blushed a bit. "Okay, if you really are interested in the story, I'll tell you it. I don't remember it that well, but here it goes… It's a story about a girl who was also named Krista. My mom might have named me after her infact."
-Krista's story-
Long ago, in a faraway land, was a strong, prosperous empire. The empire was revered across the land for its size and might, and it brought enlightenment to all the lesser kingdoms it took under its wing. But then, one day, a giant, terrifying dragon named Dorako appeared and began to ravage the land. It summoned hurricanes with just the beating of its mighty wings, tore the land apart with its gargantuan, sickle-shaped claws, and blasted the kingdom to smithereens with balls of fire.
To save her kingdom, a young woman named "Krista" pleaded with the devil of the earth to be given the power she would need to protect her kingdom.
"Please!" Krista pleaded. "I beg of you, please let me protect my home! I will give you whatever favor you desire in return!"
The devil of the earth said nothing in reply. Instead, she gave her an apple seed and told her to plant it in her garden. She did as she was told, and after she planted it, she felt a rush of power surge through her. The devil of the earth had given her what she desired, and she now had the strength she needed to fend off Dorako. Their battle was long and hard-fought, lasting several days and several nights. But eventually, Krista defeated Dorako, and forced him to flee, never to be seen again.
As a token of his gratitude, the emperor crowned Krista as the new ruler of the empire, and the empire would once again prosper for years and years. Months after her coronation, an apple tree grew in her garden.
-M-
"...The End."
The three girls were silent for a moment, though Mikasa quickly broke the silence.
"From what it sounds like, Dorako was nothing like the armored monster," Mikasa said. "It could fly, certainly, but it had no wings. It instead floated similarly to Eren. Its claws were shaped like fingers with long nails instead of sickles, and it breathed continuous beams of blue light rather than balls of fire."
Krista nodded. "I understand. I was just hoping that maybe I had a lead on Bemular's origin."
Ymir patted Krista on the shoulder. "It's fine, Krista. You were just working with what you had."
'Still, though, that story of Krista sounded… unnervingly familiar,' Ymir thought. 'I doubt it's what I'm thinking it is, but there's a chance that might be the story of Ymir Fritz disguised as a fairy tale.'
"Soooo… are we gonna talk about how the Devil of the Earth got Krista knocked up in exchange for powers?" Ymir said, making Mikasa's eyes widen with surprise and causing Krista to jump back, red-faced.
"UWAH!? YMIR!" Krista stammared.
"What? The metaphor was pretty obvious," she said. "I mean, the Devil gave Krista his 'seed,' after she told him that she'd do any favor for him. And then months later, the seed grew into an apple tree, which is pretty obviously a metaphor for her being pregnant-"
"YMIR, STOP!" Krista screamed while covering her blushing face with her palms. "YOU'RE RUINING MY CHILDHOOD!"
Ymir laughed and wrapped her arm around Krista's shoulders while she continued to groan and whine.
However, this jovial moment was interrupted when the girls suddenly felt the ground start to shake. Mikasa was the first to stand up, with Krista and Ymir soon to follow her lead. Mikasa's eyes narrowed as she looked at the walls ahead of her. There, she saw clouds of dust rising in the distance.
"Something's coming," she said. "Something big."
-R-
Reiner sat crouched on the top of wall Maria, overlooking the Titan-infested swath of land below him, yet another reminder of what he had done to these people. And yet, it also served as a reminder of what he would continue to do to these people. Not just for his Marleyan leaders, but to protect his mother from his armored co-conspirator.
"Take a good look at them, Reiner," Bemular said as they stood by his side. "These Titans will be one of the many instruments we will use in the destruction of the 'island devils' as you call them."
"I know…" Reiner replied.
"You don't seem all that enthusiastic, Braun," Bemular said. "Cheer up. Soon, your homeland will see you as the hero who tamed beasts stronger than any Titan, and with them, slew every devil."
Reiner was uncomfortable, unsure of what to even make of Bemular anymore. Sometimes they'd be like the parent figure he never had, always telling him exactly what he needed to hear, while other times they'd be threatening his actual parent's life and ordering him around like a dog. But then again, when was that kind of treatment unfamiliar to Reiner? With a heavy sigh, Reiner pulled out his Battlenizer and activated it.
"Just say the magic words," Bemular said with a sultry inflection.
"Release all monsters."
"Monstermon cards synchronizing! Telesdon released! Gudon released!"
Telesdon and Gudon appeared in midair and landed on the ground with a heavy thud. The force was so powerful that it knocked Reiner off of his perch and off the wall. Thankfully, Bemular was able to save him and gently carry him back on top of the wall.
"Sorry about that…" Reiner scratched the back of his head.
"No harm, no foul," Bemular said, cordially. "Though, I do advise that you be mindful of the ledge next time."
Reiner nodded, then turned to his two monsters. "Telesdon! Go attack Karnes district! Gudon! You go for Krolva district!"
Both Gudon and Telesdon roared obediently before going in the directions Reiner ordered them to. Bemular patted Reiner on the back, then began to levitate off the ground.
"Well done, Reiner. Now, just as planned, you will take down Trost, and I will handle Utopia," Bemular said.
"Right. I'll meet you on the ground then," Reiner replied.
With that, Reiner once again fell off the wall, this time intentionally, as he sank is teeth into his hand, transforming into the Armored Titan. Just before he could land, Bemular grew to 15 meters tall, hooked their arms underneath the Armored Titan's shoulders, and carried them all the way to Trost. Once they were right above the district, Bemular dropped Reiner down, and he pounded the ground upon landing, crushing civilians and decimating buildings upon landing. As screams of terror filled Reiner's hearing, he looked up and saw Bemular increase to his maximum height before flying away.
'Mom, remember, everything I do next is for you.'
-E-
Eren's group was in a panic. No one had any idea what was happening and was looking around frantically, trying to figure out what to do. Not even Nanaba had any answers for them, other than to fire off a smoke signal in hopes of getting Erwin to come give some kind of order. However, the smoke signal ended up also turning the group's attention upwards, where they saw the armored monster from before fly above them. And seeing him again filled Eren with absolute rage.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" Eren bellowed, shoving Nanaba aside before charging forwards.
"EREN, WAIT!" Connie called.
"GET BACK HERE, JAEGER!" Nanaba ordered. "YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO ACT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMIS-"
"Permission?" Eren interrupted, stopping several meters away from Nanaba. He then looked at her with a face, not of rage or even determination… but regret. "I'm sorry, but I can't make the same mistake twice." Eren pulled out his cylinder and placed his thumb on the button. "You all need Ultraman."
"Ma'am, forgive me for speaking out of turn," Jean said. "But you should let him go."
Nanaba tried to argue against it, trying to keep control of the situation, but as she looked up and saw the armored monster descend over the city, she realized that the situation was out of human control the moment they appeared.
"Alright. You have permission," she said. "Make us proud, Ultraman."
Eren smiled at her and then transformed into Ultraman. The giant, silver, and red hero looked down on his crew and gave them all a thumbs up, before flying up into the sky and tackling his new arch-nemesis. The two wrestled in the sky before breaking the lock and engaging in a mid-air standoff.
"Back so soon?" Eren said. "I guess you really were thirsty for blood, weren't you?"
"I told you it wasn't over, Ultraman," Bemular replied.
"You know, that reminds me, I never did get your name last time. Why don't you tell it to me, so we can properly write it on your tombstone?"
"You don't remember my name? I'm hurt, Ultraman. Truly, I am. It seems you're giving an unusual amount of freedom to this bond," he said. He then shrugged. "Very well then. My name is Bemular. And I will be the face of your demise."
Bemular then charged his claws and lunged at Eren, to which he responded by summoning an Ultra-Slash and swinging it at his enemy.
Author's note: I didn't expect this to be one of my longer chapters, but there was a lot I wanted to get through in this chapter, from the foreshadowing of Red King and Dorako, to banter about Eren's growing feelings for Mikasa, to the beginning of Eren's rematch with Bemular (and him revealing his name to Eren so I don't have to keep calling them "the armored monster" in any scene that isn't from the perspective of them or Reiner,) to the mysterious man in paths whose identity you've probably already figured out, because I'm bad at setting up mysteries, and finally, continuing Reiner's progression towards becoming the devil he once saw the people of Paradis as.