Chapter 12: The Retaking of Trost part 2

Eren was nearly close to plugging up the hole with the boulder. Michael and the others fought with all their might to keep the Titans off of him as he continues his pursuit.

Eren’s Titan was starting to buckle under the weight of the boulder. He’s unsure if he can hold it any longer, fearing it’ll crush him and his human body in the process

As he nears the hole, a fifteen meter Titan readies itself to pounce on him. And with his hands currently full, he can’t exactly fight back.

“Heads up Eren!”

Michael zooms in front of the Titans field of vision, focusing its attention on him rather than Eren. The Titan chases after Michael. But the masked soldier was able to outsmart the big brute by tricking it into running into the wall. With it’s face buried, it’s nape was wide open to attack, to which Michael swiftly delivers.

“Come on Eren! Give em hell!” He encouraged him, hoping it would help take his mind off of the weight of the boulder.

The Attack Titan roars as it musters the last of its strength to slam the boulder through the hole and finally blocking it off from any more invading Titans.

Michael and the others let out a cheer that shook the ground beneath their feet. The mission was a success. For the first time in history, humanity was able to win a battle against the Titans.

Rico, the last surviving lieutenant, fires off another smoke signal, a yellow one, letting Pyxis and everyone know that the day was won.

“Ian, Mitabi, comrades all… You’re sacrifices were not in vain. We have made history. This day belongs to humanity.”

Eren’s Titan body eventually collapses from exhaustion and begins to evaporate. Mikasa and Armin sever Eren from the nape and pull him free. He played a big part in ensuring humanity’s first victory. It was safe to say that he has well earned a good long rest.

But rest would have to wait as there was still work to be done. The hole may be blocked, but there are still Titans roaming Trost. Only once they’ve been cleared out may the battle truly be over.

Michael rushes over to Mikasa and Armin’s location.

“How’s Eren doing?”

“He’s ok, just physically exhausted.” Armin explained.

The area suddenly gets dark as they were talking. Michael quickly turns around and notices that two large Titans were standing over them. Michael draws his blades and stands in front of Eren and Armin.

But before he could launch an attack, someone else managed to take out both Titans at the same time before he could even react. Whoever it was moved with such speed and agility, that none of them were able to get a read on who it was.

“Lazarus?” Armin guessed.

“No.” Michael corrected him. “Someone else. Lazarus may be top of our class. But his skills are only second compared to his.”

Both Titans fall to the ground dead. Standing atop their bodies was the one responsible for taking them out. Michael recognised the symbol on the back of his green cloak. The Wings of Freedom. This man was a member of the Scout Regiment. And it wasn’t just any scout.

“It’s Captain Levi!” He uttered.

Levi glances around to address the rookie soldiers behind him. He also takes a good look at Eren’s dissolving Titan body. It would seem that so much has happened the whole time he was away. He then notices Michael among the group and addresses him.

“Hey four eyes junior, long time no see.”

“Yeah no shit.” Michael responded.

“You’ve sprouted up like a god damn weed! I feel like you’ve gotten taller just to spite me.” Levi says with a mix of annoyance and sarcasm.

Michael laughed. He knew being taller would piss him off. Due to growing up underground, Levi ended up stuck being short due to lack of sunlight. But he was smart enough to never bring it up with him, since he values his own life.

He then takes a look around for any other Scouts soldiers, hoping his father was among them. “Is my dad with you?”

“He’s fine, kid. He’s been fine every time you asked before, and he’ll still be around when you ask in the future. Right now though, I want you kids to start explaining to me what the hell I’m looking at here.”

Michael was so happy to hear that his father is still alive and well. He wanted to show him how far he’d come as a soldier.

Before Michael could explain things, more Titans started to diverge from the group of soldiers and started heading in their direction. Levi draws his blades and readies himself for more combat.

“Fill me in later. Right now I need your help clearing out the Titans… Care to show me if your cut out for the Scouts?”

Michael draws his blades too. “Damn straight!”

“I’ll help too.”

The two of them look up and see Lazarus come crashing down on a Titan he’d just slain, making a big dramatic entrance. Michael as always was happy to see him. Levi however was merely intrigued. He definitely stood out compared to the other cadets, and he wasn’t just thinking about his modified ODM gear.

“Whoa, nice entrance!” Michael commented.

“Who’re you?” He asked.

Lazarus salutes the captain. “Lazarus Averbach, top graduate of the 104th Cadet Corps. I wish to aid you and Michael against the Titans, sir!”

“Whatever. Just try not to get in my way, rookie.” He replied coldly. As curious as he was to learn more about him, his main focus was taking out the Titans.

The three highly skilled fighters race off towards the large gathering of Titans and begin hacking away at their napes.

Levi – being the absolute badass that he is – tended to slay Titans in a flashier manner compared to others.

Michael was actually excited to see how Lazarus’s ODM skills compare to Levi’s. He has seen both of them in action first hand, so he wanted to settle the argument over which of them was best.

Levi holds one of his blades in a reverse grip and performs his signature spinning blade attack on the large abnormal chasing him. Bouncing around it’s body, he severs all of it’s limbs in a flash of slashing steel. But Lazarus quickly steps in to finish off the Titans nape with a downward slash.

Levi was not expecting a cadet to be moving faster than him to get at the Titans nape. Normally he’d be annoyed over someone else stealing his kill, but the way Lazarus was flying around on his Cloud Zero, he can’t help but be a little impressed, even if he wouldn’t show it.

With another abnormal heading their way, Levi decided to ignore this one, curious to see how the top cadet would handle it.

“On your left, cadet!” He warned him.

Lazarus then decided to show of his ODM skills to the captain. His eyes allow him to not only read an opponent’s attacks, but he’s also able to perfectly replicate their fighting styles and utilise them himself. Yet another skill he obtained from the False Founder Project.

He then copies Levi’s spinning blade attack and made his way up the muscular Titans arm, shredding it to pieces. His body acts like a boomerang as he bounces around it, continually slashing its body. His long katana blades allow him more range and deeper, clean cuts compared to the standard blades the others use. And his gear also gave him more speed and more manoeuvrability than standard.

Once Lazarus reaches the Titans head, he bounces off of his nape and backflips onto the ground. The Titans body crumbles into hundreds of tiny chunks of meat and blood rained down upon him.

Michael was in complete awe at the way Lazarus took down that Titan. Even Levi was impressed. He can understand immediately why he was the top graduate.

Unbeknownst to them, Lazarus was channeling his inner rage when he took down that Titan. For what they didn’t know was that the Titan he’d just taken out, was the one that devoured Marco. He needed to take out his anger on something, so why not the Titans?

His anger was mostly directed at himself than the Titans. He had the power to telepathically communicate with his allies, but instead he discussed their secrets out loud for anyone to hear. If it weren’t for him, Marco would still be alive.

All he could do from the moment forward was never let something like that happen again, and also pray that this little slip up ruins their mission.

Eventually, he, Levi, Michael and the other Scouts that arrived were successful in wiping out every last Titan within Trost. The day was now officially won.

Michael and Lazarus collapse onto the ground, taking deep breaths. All that flying around and killing Titans had left both of them physically drained. Levi walks over to the two tired soldiers and gets their attention by lightly chucking a stone at their heads.

“Don’t go slacking off on me now. You still owe me an explanation, Michael.” He then looks over at Lazarus. “And you. I’ll admit, you do seem like you’ve got some serious fight in you, cadet. How’d you learn to fight like that?”

“Thank you, sir… I-

“Captain!”

His explanation was cut short by a group of four Scouts approaching their position. Michael instantly recognised them as the members of Levi’s Squad. Oruo Bozad, Petra Rall, Eld Gin, and Gunther Schultz. He’d only met them once when his father gave him a tour of the Scouts headquarters, it was also how he met Levi and Hange.

“What is it?” Levi asked.

“Commander Erwin wants a full report on what happened here, sir!” Petra answered first.

What perfect timing. Levi could have the two graduates explain the situation to Erwin and everyone else for him, instead of relaying the info himself. Definitely saves him a lot of time and trouble.

“Right then. You two come with me. You can explain everything in front of the commander.”

Lazarus and Michael nod and follow the captain to the top of Wall Rose where Hange, and a tall blonde man with a lightly trimmed moustache and goatee were waiting. Upon landing, the blonde man started sniffing the two recruits like some dog that caught a whiff of something.

Lazarus felt a little weirded out by this man’s behaviour. But Michael knew this was normal for someone like Miche Zacharius. The man who’s skills were second to Levi. Though after seeing what Lazarus was capable, he’ll now be the third.

“It looks like all remaining Titans within the walls have been eliminated. These two reek of Titan blood. They were the ones responsible.”

Hange looks over at the two recruits and jumped for joy upon seeing Michael alive and well, recognising him instantly via the gas mask she made for him.

“Michael, so good to see you again.”

“You too, Hange.”

She then looks at Lazarus. Her face lit up instantly when she saw his Cloud Zero gear. Letting her crazy science obsessed side take over, she looks over every inch of Lazarus and his equipment.

“My my my! What do we have here?… May I?”

“Uh, sure, knock yourself out.” Lazarus responded uncomfortably.

Happy with his response, Hange draws one of is blades and looks it over. She could not get over how incredible the ingenuity behind his ODM gear was. She had never seen a blade shaped like this before, and her mind began to flood with questions on how he came up with something like this.

Getting dangerously up close and personal, she asks Lazarus her questions so fast that he had difficulty following what she was even saying.

This was the moment Levi decided to intervene and bonk her on the head with his fist.

“The kids been through enough as it is. The last thing he or any of us want is you going all geeky on him.”

Hange rubs her head and pouts back at him. She knew he was right, but she wouldn’t let it stop her from asking him later.

In the distance the others can see Rico having a discussion with the commander of the Scout Regiment, Erwin Smith. Their words became heard once the two of them were in range.

“What about the hole in the wall?” He asked her.

“Engineers from the Garrison Regiment are already getting started with plans to patch it up.”

“This puts a great burden on the Garrison Regiment. I’m sorry we can’t be of more use-

Erwin stops as he notices the others in front of him. But amongst them all, there was only one person he had his eye on currently. He begins to run over to the group.

“Michael!”

“Dad!”

Michael runs over to him and doesn’t even hesitate to hug his father whom he hadn’t seen in five years. Lazarus and Rico were the only ones who did not see that coming . Whilst everyone else had already known for a while.

Erwin breaks off the hug after what felt like an hour and gives himself a good look at his boy. His heart filled with joy upon seeing him in a soldiers uniform, equipped with ODM gear.

“Look at you. You’re a soldier now!”

“Me? What about you?” Michael takes a hold of Erwins badge that marks him as the commander. “You’re commander of the Scouts now! That is awesome!”

Erwin smiled and pats his son on his head. But the touching reunion was cut short when Erwin had only now realised that Michael was wearing a mask. He had heard of his injuries after the fall of Shiganshina, but this was the first time he actually saw it for himself.

“Your… face?” Was all he could muster at this point.

Michael sighed. Normally he would never show his face to anyone out of fear on what they’d say. The only people to have ever seen his scarred face were Lazarus and Sasha. Both of which he grew closer to afterwards, even if it wasn’t what he intended.

With a nervous gulp, he removes his mask and reveals himself to Erwin and the others around him. Erwin was slightly shocked by Michaels face. Seeing his own son disfigured like that, it was enough to make any parent feel guilty. Had he been around more, maybe he could’ve saved him.

“This happened when the Armoured Titan breached the inner gate of Wall Maria. I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for Hange.” He looks over at her as he says this.

“And your caretakers?” Erwin asked.

“They didn’t make it. They died protecting me.” Michael says with regret. He’ll always carry the survivors guilt of the people Erwin had gone to school with when he was a kid. Even if Erwin didn’t blame him for it.

“I see…” Erwin paused for a moment, processing this painful information. This was something that he’d have to learn to get used to. As the new commander of the Scouts, he’ll be made responsible for every one of their deaths. If he wasn’t strong enough to handle that, then he had no right to lead them.

“I’m sorry you went through that, son. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were recovering in the hospital.” He places his hands on his shoulders. “I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I am still glad to see that you’re ok. And I’m proud to see that you’ve grown to becoming a great soldier.”

Michael smiles up at his father. He was never angry at him for not being there. He was just afraid that he’d lose him without getting the chance to show how much he appreciated everything he’d done for him when he was abandoned. But now he has found him again, and this time, he refuses to leave his side.

“Dad. I want to join the Scout Regiment!” Michael declared proudly.

Most of the others were slightly surprised. Recruits usually hesitate to join the Scouts out of fear of being eaten or worse. But Michael had made up his mind the moment he’d join the 104th Cadet Corps.

“I want to help you and the Scouts retake the land the Titans stole from us. I want to fight not just for me, but to help you grow to be a stronger leader than Shadis was… I know with you leading us we’ll have the biggest chance of winning this war. And helping you achieve your dream.”

Erwin was moved by Michaels words. Most parents wouldn’t even entertain the idea of making their kids soldiers. But Erwin wanted nothing more than to fight alongside his son against the Titans.

“This is touching and all, but aren’t you forgetting something?” Levi interrupted.

“Of course.” Erwin broke off with his son and addressed his second in command. “Good work with the Titans. As usual your skills are outstanding.”

“Unfortunately I can’t take all the credit this time… you should be thanking this kid instead.” He points over to Lazarus.

It was only now that Erwin just noticed that Michael hadn’t come alone. He looks over at Lazarus who was enjoying the show.

“A cadet?” He faces Michael again. “Is he with you?”

Michael nods. “That guy is the top graduate of our corps. He’s saved me and the others more times than any of us can count. I probably wouldn’t have made it into the top ten if it wasn’t for him.”

“And you’re saying he was the one who performed those advanced kills, not Levi?”

“Yep. He’s really skilled. I think he’d make a great Scout if you’ll take him.”

“Really?” Hange spoke out, flabbergasted by this. “I had no idea this unique soldier was a freshly graduated cadet!”

Erwin approaches Lazarus and looks him over. Like Hange, he too wouldn’t have guessed that he was just a cadet. A cadet who had the fighting style of Levi, the ingenuity of Hange, and his own bravery that he shares with Michael. This white haired boy was indeed more than meets the eye.

“Hmm, that’s an interesting looking ODM gear you have there.” Erwin points out. “Where’d you get it?”

“I built it myself, sir.” He answered honestly. “My old gear was holding me back from giving it my all. So I thought it best to completely rebuild it to suit my standards.”

“I see…If that is the case, then I see no reason why you shouldn’t keep it. You clearly know how to use it… You did well to stand up to your fears and fight, cadet.”

Lazarus responds with a respectful salute, showing his loyalty to his soon to be commander once he joins the Scouts.

“You really did an outstanding job today, both of you.” Hange added. “I think they’ll be fine Scouts indeed.”

Erwin nods in agreement. “I’ve never come across a soldier like you before. Having you as a member of the Scouts would benefit us all. Tell me your name, cadet.”

“It’s Lazarus, sir. Lazarus Averbach!”

Erwin extends his hand to him. “Well Lazarus Averbach. Allow me to officially welcome you into the Scout Regiment.”

Lazarus smiled and shakes the commanders hand. Michael stands beside him and elbows him, showing him how happy he was for him.

“The two of you have proven yourselves to be an unstoppable duo. I would love to see more from you once we begin the next expedition. But for now, I believe you should fill us in on what has transpired here.” Erwin explained.

The two friends nod in agreement and begin explaining everything they’d been through, starting with the reappearance of the Colossal and Winged Titans. Then followed it up with the discovery of Eren possessing the power to transform into a Titan.

Michael also shares his theories about the Winged, Armoured and Colossal Titans being like Eren. People who can transform.

Lazarus didn’t like where this was going. Now that the Scouts were aware of his Titans existence and the others being like Eren, it only made tensions rise even higher.

But due to his actions, and his friendship with the son of the Scouts commander, he can see a solution to their problem. As well as a faster way of finding the Coordinate.

Thanks to Michael, the Scouts completely trust him. Once he becomes a full fledged Scout, he’ll have access to all their secrets. This almost made up for his mistake with Marco… Almost.

To Be Continued