Chapter 7: Teamwork

Two years after joining the 104th Cadet Corps, all of the recruits who have passed the tests were given the privilege of taking part in the true training regiment that’ll shape them into Titan killing soldiers.

One of the first true tests involved them running up a steep, slippery, muddy hill in a heavy downpour of rain, whilst carrying extremely heavy loads on their backs.

Many rookies struggled of course, but some had proven to have more stamina than others. Like Lazarus, Mikasa, Annie, Reiner, Bertolt and Michael who were in the lead of the others.

The Warriors had already gone through intense training like this before, so this was merely a walk in the park for them. Though they did their best not to make it look obvious, or else they’d risk exposure.

At the very back of the group was a very tired Armin who was barely able to keep his balance and started to fall behind.

“Pick up the pace you weak little maggots!” Keith shouted from the seat of his brown horse, keeping tabs on the rookie’s every move.

“What’s wrong, Arlert? That bag too heavy for you, son? Hell, why not go ahead and drop it. It’ll make it easier for the Titans to devour you without the excess baggage!”

Keith then had his horse speed up, leaving Armin to fall behind even more than before. Reiner notices his struggle and decides to offer his help.

“Seriously?” He says as he grabs Armin’s backpack and places it on his back next to his own.” Here. Just focus on staying up right, ok. Don’t forget we’re being graded on this.”

“Thanks but- Won’t they demerit you for helping me?” Armin asked.

“Yeah, if they find out. Just make the cut and we’ll call it even, alright?”

Armin nodded and tries his absolute best to keep up. Both of them were unaware that Keith had been watching them this whole time.

All throughout the years of training, Keith had been carefully examine his students. Determine which of them would be the top ten best of them all. Only the top ten would be given the privilege of joining the Military Police, whilst the rest are forced to either join the Scouts or the Garrison Regiment.

“Reiner Braun. The mind and constitution of a grass fed Ox. Respected by his comrades.”

Realising he’s being watched, Armin mustered a surge of strength within himself to catch up to Reiner and take back his backpack. Then he blasted past him and managed to rejoin the group.

“Armin Arlert. Built like a daffodil, but elegantly brilliant.”

The next true test was to see how skilled the recruits were at ODM gear. Within the massive forest they were all standing in were several wooden Titan mannequin’s with sandbags attached to their nape.

The posture test was only the beginning. Balance is but one of the necessary steps needed to master the Omni Directional Mobility gear. They must also have precision, speed, and flexibility to succeed.

The Warriors were among the first few recruits to have little difficulty in mastering the ODM gear and taking out the dummy Titans nape. Others struggled a lot. Sometimes with manoeuvring from tree to tree, and some by not cutting deep enough into the dummy nape to ensure a killing blow. Had they fought a real Titan they’d probably be dead by now.

Keith continued to observe his students as they flew around in the trees. Starting with Annie.

“Annie Leonhart. Gifted with a sword, but does not exactly play well with others… Bertolt Hoover. Heaps of native talent, but too mild mannered… Jean Kirstein. An insufferable smart ass with a hair triggered temper.”

Jean attempts to slice up another dummy Titan to one up Annie and Bertolt, but ended up getting his kill stolen from him by Connie and Sasha. The latter of which was having way too much fun with her ODM gear.

“Sasha Braus. Unusually fine instincts, but barely shares them with her teammates… Connie Springer. Agile on the switchbacks, but two sandwiches shy of a picnic.”

The soldiers manning the dummy Titans decided to make the test more challenging by having them move around, making it slightly harder for the recruits to close in and lock onto their targets.

This was no problem for Mikasa though, as she dashed through two of the moving Titans and sliced through their napes. Eren had no such luck as he was yet to cut deep enough into the nape.

“Mikasa Ackerman. Model cadet, Excels in everything. In fact its no statement to call the girl a genius… Eren Yeager. Lack luster in the classroom, but marginally better in the field.”

After Erens failed attempt to cut deeper into the Titans nape, Michael decided to swoop in and show him how its done. Using all his strength, He charges towards the dummy and swings his blades down as hard and as fast as he can, completely obliterating what was left of the nape.

“Michael… Not much is known about this kid or where he came from. But he’s shown to have the same fighting spirit as his father. Even with his injuries, he’s proven worthy of becoming a soldier. Driven by a sense of purpose that’s almost terrifying.”

There were only three Titan dummies left. All the recruits raced towards them as fast as they can, hoping to reach them first. Each and every one of them are trying to earn points to reach the top spot in terms of ODM training, increasing their chances of becoming one of the top ten.

Unfortunately for them, all three of the dummy napes have been sliced up before they got close enough. All they could see was a rapidly spinning disk of steel hacking away at them, bouncing off of each of them like a boomerang.

Once the dummies were taken out, they were shocked to see that the one who got all three simultaneously was Lazarus. By holding one blade in a reverse grip, he was able to spin himself around, turn into a living saw blade, and butcher the Titans with ease.

Even the commandant was impressed by his performance. Those skills alone have put him at the top of ODM gear training. But there’s still a lot more training to do before he can prove himself worthy of the top ten.

Michael was also amazed by his new friend actions. The way he moved through the trees, the unparalleled swiftness of his blades. He was no doubt more skilled then most. So skilled that he felt like he’d done all this before. Like he was made for flying.

“Finally, Lazarus Averbach. Perhaps the biggest mystery among them all. Every since he joined he’d been nailing every test thrown at him. He was able to master ODM gear faster than any recruit I’ve ever trained. If he were to join the Scouts, his skills would be on par with Captain Levi… But no one is perfect. Just what is it this boy can’t do?”

With the last of the dummy Titans taken out, all of the recruits join up with Keith on the ground, awaiting his announcement on the recruit with the most points.

“Well done students. You have all performed exceptionally. But I think it’s obvious who shined out there the brightest.” Keith eyeballs Lazarus as he spoke. “I will now announce the top performer of this session.” He then points over to Lazarus. “The top performer of this training session is… Averbach!”

Everyone gives Lazarus a round of applause for his victory. He responded with a smile as he slides his blades back into the holsters.

Reiner, Bertolt and Annie were not surprised at all by this, but played along nonetheless, pretending to be amazed by him.

Eren, Jean and Mikasa were among the few that weren’t completely happy with the result. Jean straight up thought he was showing off by spinning around like that. Eren was just plain jealous of him. Compared to his own performance, it looked like he was competing with a demigod. And Mikasa… She had mixed feelings about this. Part of her was impressed, but another part of her felt threatened by the possibility of him and Eren getting into a fight one day. If such a day would come, she felt like her own skills would not even come close to matching his. For now she kept those negative thoughts to herself, but she’d be keeping an eye on him from this moment on.

Michael was also impressed with Lazarus. Seeing him fly around like that, all that came to mind was how Levi would feel knowing that he now has some competition… That, and the fact that Lazarus was much taller than him.

“You were amazing!” One of the recruits approached Lazarus.

“How the hell did you do that?” Another asked.

“I wish I could tell you, but even I don’t know.” He replied. “Maybe I should’ve held myself back even more than intended.”

The recruits continue to swarm Lazarus with questions on his skills for some time, until Keith finally instructed them to return to their barracks, rest up and put away their new ODM gear.

As Lazarus was putting his gear away, he gave it one last look over, admiring its design and ingenuity. Ever since he’d first payed eyes on the gear upon landing within Wall Rose during the fall of Shiganshina, he’d been fascinated by the enhanced weapon despite everything else in on this island being outdated.

“Now that I know how this device works, I can use the skills Lucia taught me to improve upon my own gear.” Lazarus thought to himself. “After that training, we now know for a fact that the enemy are aware of the nape being our weak spot. ”

He then looks at one of the blades. He is still unsure why they designed them that way. The blades were effective for slicing Titans, but their durability had a maximum of five cuts before they break. They’d be more fit for opening boxes than Titans.

He then briefly thinks back on the katana blades that he and Lucia made together in her blacksmith shop back in Marley. This gave him a great idea. An idea that will enhance his forging and engineering skills and improve his ODM gear.

After a couple glances, making sure there was nobody around, Lazarus took hold of his ODM gear and sneaks it out of the storage building and makes a beeline for the forest, heading in the direction of the hilltop he brought Michael, Eren and Armin to.

“If I’m gonna pose as an enemy soldier and kill Titans on their behalf, then I will do it my way.”

The next day, all of the recruits had began focusing on some non-Titan training. Specifically, hand to hand combat.

Many of the cadets didn’t understand the point of learning combat training when their enemy are man eating giants. But those who wish to join the Military Police will have to learn whenever they’re up against criminals.

Each cadet was assigned a sparring partner to help train one another. And Michael just so happens to be paired up with the guy who crushed everyone else during ODM training.

Unlike last time, Lazarus decided to hold himself back as to not give away his identity as a specially trained warrior. He instead decides to give off the appearance of being flawed when it came to hand to hand combat.

Michael however, was exceptionally skilled at it to his surprise. As Lazarus charged in with a punch, Michael performs a low leg sweep, knocking him on his ass, which was soon followed by grabbing his arm and pinning him down on his stomach.

“I’m surprised Lazarus. How is it that the guy who ranked first in ODM training is so shit at hand to hand?” He asked jokingly.

“Hey, I can’t be amazing all the time. Even I have flaws when it comes to certain things.”

Michael releases his grip and offers him his hand, to which Lazarus accepted.

“You’re pretty strong, Michael. The way you fight, it looks as though this class is wasted on you… Who taught you how to fight like that?”

“My dad did.” He says as he picks up the wooden training knife he dropped earlier. “He’s a very skilled fighter. Taught me a few things in case I decided to join the military one day.”

Micheal briefly thinks back to his training sessions with his father. He once questioned him on why hand to hand combat was necessary when it came to the Titans.

“Titans may not be our only enemy. Sometimes there are enemies amongst our own size. When a fight gets ugly, it gets ugly. The best thing a soldier can do is be prepared for it. The enemy comes in many forms, even in forms you could never predict… Remember this, son. You never know when they could appear.”

Those words had stuck with Michael for years. He would always remember them, along with other words of wisdom his father imprinted on him. That way if he were to die, his wisdom would live on through him.

Michael closes in on Lazarus and takes another fighting stance. Lazarus quickly does the same, readying himself to defend against whatever he had planned.

“At least your reaction time is on point.” He pointed out. “Since you’ve shown me some tricks with the ODM gear, let me show you some tricks of my own. Try and throw a punch at me… Go on, try.”

Slightly hesitant, Lazarus throws a punch towards Michael. Michael responds by turning to the side and grabbing his wrist, holding his arm in place.

“When an enemy throws a punch, dodge left and lock your arm around theirs.”

He then thrusts his left palm upwards, smacking him under his jaw, knocking Lazarus’s head backwards.

“Stun them by uppercutting them in the jaw, but use the palm of your hand instead of a fist, too much force to the jaw will cause them to fall over rather than stagger. Not to mention hurt your hand.”

He then kicks the back of Lazarus’s knee’s, forcing him to tumble forwards. This allows Michael to get underneath him and lift him up on his shoulders. His arms still locked around his and his other arm around his leg. Followed by a lift over his head and slamming him down on his back.

“Then once he’s stunned, knock them off balance so they’ll collapse into your arms, and finish them off with an overhead slam.”

Lazarus coughs as he readjusts himself up right. His back was in a lot of pain after that slam dunk. He was fortunate that he didn’t break his spine. Michael offers his hand once and helps him up on his feet again.

“Nice move huh?”

“Yeah, I admit that your very skilled.’ Lazarus catches his breath before continuing. “Your skills in combat are as good as-

Lazarus suddenly notices Annie out the corner of his eye. She was the only one who wasn’t engaged in a sparring match. Instead, she just blankly wandered around the grounds without a care in the world.

Michael gets off of the floor after recovering from Lazarus repeating his takedown move. Wondering what got his attention he looks over at Annie as well. On first glance he saw her as some lazy slacker. But Lazarus knew what she was really after.

“Who’s that girl?” He asked.

“That’s Annie Leonhart. She lived in the same village Reiner, Bertolt and I are from. The four of us grew up together, but she was always the loner type. Until she met me of course. I convinced her to make a few friends and now the four of us are inseparable… To some extent.”

“Oh? Is there something going on between-

“We’re not together.” Lazarus interrupted him. “She’s too focused on her own goals to make time for the little things in life. And with the Titans roaming Wall Maria, she has even more to focus on.”

The two of them then notice that she was having a sparring match with Eren and Reiner. Though it didn’t look like a fair fight. Annie was able to perform the takedown move her father taught her on Eren. With one fell swoop, she knocks Eren down hard and picks up his wooden dagger, claiming victory in what was probably the shortest fight in history.

And she wasn’t done yet. With eyes firmly set on Reiner, she takes up her signature battle stance and performs the same move on him, sending him crashing down on top of Eren.

Michael was in shock at how skilled Annie was. Taking down Eren was one thing, but Reiner was twice her size and built like an Ox. Yet she was able to slam him down like he was light as a feather.

Seeing her as a worthy opponent, Michael approached her and called out her name, causing her to stop and glance back.

“That’s some technique you got there. Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“My father taught me.” She replied coldly.

“Heh, what a coincidence. My dad taught me too… Care to take me on next?”

Lazarus, Eren and Reiner were all shocked by what they’d just heard. Annie faces Michael and looks him straight in the eyes.

“Do you have a death wish?” Annie asked.

“Hey, that’s usually my line.” Michael shot back. He then follows this up with a fighting stance.

Annie takes her usual stance and prepares herself. A crowd of recruits gather around them, curious to see where this fight would go.

“Who do you thinks gonna win?” Connie whispered to Sasha.

“I think Michaels gonna win.”

“No way. Annie kicked Eren and Reiners ass’s in a few seconds. She’s gonna win.”

Lazarus knew Annie’s fighting style inside and out. He could easily assume that she would be the victor. But after the brief spar he had with Michael, he knows for sure that he’s an equally skilled fighter. Right now, he’s torn on who he thinks is gonna win.

“This should be an interesting fight.”

Midnight has fallen upon the training grounds. Now that the cadets have completed hand to hand combat training, they’re all one step closer to graduating. But there was one last test for them to pass before the end results are shown.

All the cadets are lined up and fully attired. All of them standing straight with their hands behind their backs as Keith Shadis paces the floor in front of them, looking them over. He does this for a few minutes until he stops and faces his students.

“Ok troops, lets get this special night training underway! This drill is different from your other training sessions. It’s not about individual ability. Instead, it’s going to test your intra-squad cooperative skills and your tactical abilities. Each of you will be put into teams of five. And for the remainder of this year, you will all have to learn to live, fight, sleep, even shit together as a team! One member of each team will be assigned the role as team leader. Whoever I pick will be based on your performance during the previous tests… Now step forward when I call your name, and stand at the assigned posts behind me.”

Behind the commandant were a couple of sign posts that had big letters on them.

Keith soon begins to call out the names of random cadets and points them to which sign to stand in front of.

A lot of the cadets were nervous about who they’re gonna get paired up with. They all hoped they’d get to be on the same team as their friends, as well as hope they don’t get paired up with someone they hate or can’t stand.

The group of cadets grew smaller and smaller until there were only a dozen left. And there were only three signs left, with the letters X, Y and Z.

“Lazarus, Michael, Marco, Sasha, and Connie!” Keith shouted, getting their attention. “You will be assigned to Team X.”

The five recruits walk over to the sign and stand in front of it.

“The leader of Team X will be… Lazarus!” The four recruits all look at Lazarus, putting him on the spot. “Your analytical skills are impressive when your work alone. Let us see how you are when you instruct your teammates. Your teams score depends on how you lead them. So you better not falter. If you mess up, so will your squad.”

Lazarus couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the pressure of the commandants words. He may’ve had experience leading the Warriors when they attacked the walls. But they were people he’d grown up with and gotten to know for years. He knew them inside and out, making it easier for him to determine who should do what and when they should do it.

But apart from Michael, he barely knew the others. He has no idea what their strengths and weaknesses are. Thankfully he has a couple months of training left to get to know his new teammates, and hopefully find a way to mould them into the strongest squad in the academy.

Michael was not surprised that Lazarus was made leader. His new wall record for fastest ODM training was astounding, and he was good at reading an attack and coming up with a counter to it on the fly.

Soon afterwards, the rest of the teams were formed, each one with a handpicked cadet to lead them. Once the teams were formed, they were later assigned to their new barracks, each one separated from the other teams.

The place Team X were staying in was an old cabin in the woods, big enough to house five people. It came equipped with an outhouse, a campsite with a fire pit for cooking and staying warm. And the inside had two bunk beds. At the end of the cabin was a single bedroom separate from the bunk beds that the boys all agreed was for Sasha.

Each of them had varied opinions on their accommodations. Michael and Marco lived in Wall Rose, so they weren’t used to living in a forest area. Sasha and Connie both came from small villages, so they had a sense of familiarity to it. And Lazarus, Liberio - back in Marley - was built like a city, so he grew up surrounded by buildings instead of tree’s. But he had slept in places far worse. Staying in a cabin in the woods was like staying at a five star hotel compared to the hole he was once locked in.

“Well… it’s not exactly a castle, but this’ll do. Right?” Marco asked his team leader.

“We’re not exactly in a position to make a complaint.” Michael pointed out.

“He’s right.” Connie continued. “Last thing I need is the commandant lifting me up by my head again.”

While the boys were chatting, they were all startled by the sounds of Sasha screaming in terror, forcing them all to rush to her location.

They all rush to the kitchen area and see the potato girl on the floor, hands on her head with a look of pure terror. Even tears were running down her face.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Lazarus asked, concerned with his new squad mate.

“There’s… NO FOOD IN THE CUPBOARDS!”

The boys all palm their heads in perfect synchronised style, followed by them all collapsing to the floor. Seriously? This was what’s wrong? Just why did they have to get paired with the weird potato grubbing girl?

Connie lightly bonks her on the head as punishment for her overreaction. This was their first night together as a team, and already things were plummeting into chaos. It would take a miracle for them to win the top spot for best teamwork, let alone functioning as one.

“Some first night, huh?” Michael muttered to Lazarus who nodded in response.

“Ok, clearly Sasha’s too tired to function properly. Let’s take this as a sign that we should all turn in for the night, before something else happens.”

“You heard the captain.” Marco spoke up. “Let’s all get some sleep.”

Before Lazarus could let him know that calling him captain wasn’t necessary, everyone was already off to bed. Shaking it off, Lazarus claims the top bunk of the bed he was sharing with Michael and prepares himself for sleep.

Sasha had already disappeared into her single room and locked the door. Marco and Connie were both in bed sleeping soundly. Michael sits on the bottom bunk and thinks about the two months of living he’ll be spending with his team, while also wondering how the other teams are coping with each other.

The next day, Team X were up and about carrying out tasks on the list Lazarus made up for them. Before they could learn to fight together as a team, they’ll have to make their temporary accommodations feel more like a home to them.

“Ok captain, what’s the plan for today?” Michael joked.

“You guys don’t have to call me captain. I may be team leader, but I’m just as much your follower as you are all mine.” He hands each of them a list of tasks to complete. “Marco, Connie. You’re tasked with gathering firewood for the camp, as well as any other supplies we’ll need.”

“Heh, not a problem.” Connie boasted.

“Michael, Sasha. You’re in charge of hunting and gathering food to fill out the cupboards that one of us cried over.”

Sasha blushes and awkwardly looks away. She didn’t need a reminder of last night.

“What are you gonna do?” Michael asked.

“I’m gonna guard our cabin and make some fortifications… Once we’re all done, we’ll meet back here, got it?”

The four recruits salute their team leader, catching him off guard. They then leave the cabin and fulfil their duties.

Once they’re gone, Lazarus heads back inside and heads downstairs to the basement of the cabin where their ODM gear and other supplies were stored.

Sitting on a wooden desk with a lamp hanging over it was what appeared to be a dismantled ODM gear. All it’s pieces were scattered all over it.

As he looked down at his project, he thinks back to the day he first saw the impressive piece of equipment.

It took place in the valley he showed Eren, Armin and Michael. The place he came across when he landed the Winged Titan. He chose to land it in the clearing by the lake. The tall trees would cover the evidence as his Titan body disintegrated.

Lazarus slides down one of his Titans wings to reach the ground. He glances back at his Titans body and watches as it evaporated into a cloud of smoke.

“What the!”

He quickly turns around and was surprised to see a Scout soldier standing before him. He had a look of terror and confusion on his face as he looked at the Winged Titan’s body and then at Lazarus.

“Did you… just come out of that Titan’s nape?” The soldier asked.

Lazarus simply soldier with a look of focused anger. He refused to answer. He then started to approach the soldier with an intent.

The soldier panicked and drew his blades at him, causing Lazarus to stop his approach and admire the strange weapon he was holding.

“Well… That’s an interesting weapon you have there. May I ask what it’s called?” He asked.

The soldier looked down at his own ODM gear and then back at the mysterious boy. How could he not know what the ODM gear is? Every citizen of the walls was aware of them and what they’re used for. But if this boy didn’t know anything, then there can only be two explanations. Either he’d been living in isolation in one of the small villages… Or he’s not from the Walls.

“I’m guessing you won’t tell me.” Lazarus spoke up. “Typical island devils. They never answer to humans, no matter how politely they ask. Oh well.” He raises his right arm and points at him. “I’ll just have to kill you and figure it out for myself.” He stated arrogantly.

The soldier was overwhelmed by his crimson stare. He threatened the boy to stay back or else he’d be forced to attack.

Lazarus only scoffed in response. He then fires a bolt of lightning out of his pointing finger and strikes the soldier in the heart, killing him instantly. The soldiers body falls forward and hits the grass face first.

Lazarus approaches the dead Scouts body and strips him of his ODM gear. He examines it carefully, admiring every small detail, starting with the actual ODM gear piece, and then moving on to the canisters. He couldn’t help but be amazed by the look of the device.

“Fascinating. What kind of weapon is this? Can’t be for people. A gun or a knife could dispatch a human easily… Unless. This particular weapon was made for killing Titans.”

He examines the giant box cutter blades, confused by it’s appearance.

“Why make the blades like this if they’re for killing Titans? A katana would be much more effective, and more durable.” He sighs. “I’ll never understand how the minds of these devils work.”

He looks up at the sky and realises that the sun was setting. He’d wasted enough time here. Annie, Reiner and Bertolt were waiting for him. He needs to get back to them before more soldiers arrive, wondering where their missing comrade went.

Lazarus decides to hide the body somewhere among the woods, giving him more time to get away and making it harder for the other soldiers to locate him.

As he wandered out of the forest, he thought back on the ODM gear once again. It was clear to him that there was so much about this island that he and his comrades don’t know. Once he reunites with them, he will make joining their military and learning as much as possible their next step in recovering the Coordinate.

After two years of being undercover, Lazarus was satisfied with everything he had uncovered about the devils military, laws, and knowledge of Titans. Using everything he’d learned about ODM gear in training, he can now begin his attempt at reforging it as his own.

Lazarus gave each individual part of the gear he dismantled a look over, determined to figure out how the enemy weapons worked. Using his x-ray vision, he was able to find traces of what appeared to be crystal fragments within the actual ODM gear piece.

He could tell that this was no ordinary crystal. This was Iceburst Stone. The same material as Titan hardening. But unlike Titan hardening, this was a pure sample that came from the ground. This resource can only be found on Paradis, and as for where it came from. The only logical answer is that it came from the royal family.

“With certain modifications and knowledge I obtained from Lucia’s teachings, I could make my ODM gear far more advanced than what they have now.”

He takes a look around, making sure he was alone in the basement. Satisfied that he was indeed alone, Lazarus hardens his hands with Titan crystal and picks up one of the blades separated from the hilt.

He carries it over to an anvil that he had Reiner smuggle into his cabin while everyone was sleeping to make forging much easier, rather than burn the table.

He takes a deep breath and lets loose a small burst of fire on the blade, heating the metal. His hardened hands prevented him from burning himself as he places it on the anvil. Then he with his free hand, summons a crystal hammer using the Warhammer Titans power, and begins hammering the blade multiple times until the blade took on a different shape.

Once he was finished hammering, he places the heated blade into a bucket of water he got from the well outside to cool it.

He slowly pulls it out, revealing the new blade. It was now much longer and thinner with a curved tip on the end. It was reforged into a katana blade, identical to the ones Lucia forged. Lazarus then reinforces the blade with his hardening, making it stronger, as well as giving it a shiny sleek appearance.

Lazarus admired his work, smiling with satisfaction. He was pleased to see that his blacksmithing skills were on par with his mentors.

But he was far from finished, he still had to reforge the other blades, completely redesign the holsters along with making the gas canisters last longer, and reinforce the ODM gear with his own Iceburst stone, making it easier for him to use.

As excited as he was to get to work on the rest of his ODM gear, the others should be done with their tasks by now. He couldn’t let them find out what he was doing, at least not yet. He’d rather save the big reveal for the final ODM gear training session at the end of the second month.

He quickly covers his project with a blanket, exits the basement, locks the trapdoor, and covers it with a rug. His x-ray vision was able to find the basement long before the others even had a chance to discover his project. And as long as they never do, he could continue working on his ODM gear in peace, whilst the others were out doing their tasks.

Michael and Sasha were deep in the forest hunting for food. Michael was equipped with his ODM while Sasha was carrying two sacks. One was empty, and the other was full of fruits and veg.

They were both tracking a wild boar that they’d come across a while ago, following its tracks in the mud, whilst also keeping an ear out for any sounds that could give away its location.

The forest was quiet at the moment, with the occasional sounds of birds singing high up in the trees. Michael looked up at the sky in response to the birds suddenly flying off in all directions. Ever since the Winged Titan first appeared, he’d been on edge. He constantly worries on where or whenever it decides to show itself again, alongside the Colossal and Armoured Titans to breach Wall Rose next.

He was too focused on the sky that he wasn’t paying attention to what’s in front of him and ends up walking straight into a tree. The mask made the impact hurt even more as he ends up falling on his ass.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” He painfully exclaimed.

“No!” Sasha shouted in a panic.

She rushes over to where Michael lay and helps him up, only to grab his hoodie and pull him in close.

“You scared the wild boar away! Now it’s guard is up! What are we gonna do for food now!?”

Michael got up, ignoring Sasha’s complaints and fires the anchors from his gear and hooked them into the nearest trees. Blasting off the ground at high speeds, he soars through the trees until he was close enough to the fleeing boar. Once he was in range, he swoops down and manages to tackle the boar, forcing it on its back. He then finishes it off by plunging his blade in its soft belly, killing it dead.

Sasha was left slack jawed by Michaels hunting moves. Growing up in a hunting village, she’s seen all matter of hunting tactics. And most hunters are forced to improvise when a hunt doesn’t go so smoothly. But this was on a whole other level. She never even contemplated the idea of using ODM gear to hunt wild boar. She thought that killing Titans was all that they were good for.

Michael cleans the blood off of his blade before placing it back in its holster. Using his free hand, he drags the dead boar by the tusks over to where Sasha was standing, jaw still hanging low.

Michael shrugged it off and grabs the empty sack from her and placing the boar inside.

“That… was… awesome!” Sasha finally spoke, finding the words she needed to match her current thoughts. “I love the way you use your ODM gear! Your like a hunting god!”

Michael chuckled slightly, his cheeks blushing red underneath his mask. He didn’t think what he did just now was that impressive, at least not compared to Lazarus’s own skills.

“Thanks, but I was only making up for not paying attention in the first place. Besides, you’re really good with ODM gear too.” He replied.

“Really? Thanks! But you’re definitely better than me. It’s like you’re a real hunter. You bide your time, then move in for the kill! Are you sure you’ve never been hunting before?” She asked.

“I’m sure… All I did was picture that boar as a Titan, and then I just went for it. My dad took me on a hunting trip once, but that was a very long time ago.” Michael lifts up the sack with all his strength and manages to carry it on his back. “We better get back to the cabin and preserve this meat before it starts going rotten.”

Without saying another word, Michael carried the sack back to the cabin, retracing their steps by following the muddy footprints they’d left behind.

They continue walking for a couple minutes until Sasha finally finds the courage to break the silence.

“Hey Michael… why were you staring at the sky for so long?”

Michael let out an annoyed sigh. He was secretly hoping she’d forgotten all about that incident.

“I don’t know. I guess I’ve become paranoid ever since Wall Maria fell. I keep looking up expecting to see that Winged Titan appear again… It’s almost been five years now, and those three Titans haven’t reappeared since. I can’t help but wonder, just what are they? And what are they planning?”

Sasha tilts her head in confusion. “Huh? Why say it like that? You talk as if they’re smart or something.”

Michael glances over at her, giving her a look that shows just how serious he was. He’s fed up with people not taking him seriously and not believing him. Only few people took him seriously, such as Eren, Armin, Lazarus, Reiner and Bertolt. Everyone either think he’s crazy, or refuse to believe it exists out of fear.

Sasha decided to leave it there. That look was enough of a sign to not push further. She instead changes the topic of discussion to try and win him over again, fearing that she might’ve pissed him off.

“Hey Michael. You and I should go hunting together more often. You have a real knack for it, like me.”

“I’d like that. As long as you don’t keep all the meat to yourself.”

“I would never-

Michael gives her that look again, forcing her to sweat uncontrollably, swallowing nervously.

“I promise to keep my hunger under control.” She motions her fingers to make a cross on her chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Michael lets out a chuckle in response to Sasha’s cuteness. He will admit that he is starting to like the recruits he was stuck with for the last months of training. Especially Sasha.

As the sun was setting over the mountains in the distance, the members of Team X have gathered around the campfire, digging into their meal for the night, which was boar and vegetable stew.

Whilst the boys were eating normally, Sasha was scoffing it all down fast, not even saving time to savour the boar meat. But by this point, the others had already given up hope on trying to calm her down.

The recruits spent the night getting to know each other thoroughly. Michael and Lazarus had already shared their stories to the group, as well as relive the memories of Shiganshina’s fall from their perspective.

Michael also shares what had happened with Marco’s grandmother with him, given the fact he was there when she died. Marco of course was heartbroken by the loss of his last living member of his family. But he was still determined to graduate and join the Military Police because he believed that’s what they would’ve wanted.

Connie and Sasha were the only ones who didn’t lose anyone during the attack on Shiganshina. Both of them came from villages that were located within Wall Rose, so they never succumbed to any losses or Titans.

Connie tells them how he wanted to become a soldier to make his family proud. And Sasha, she joined so that she could help take back Wall Maria’s land, so that humanity wouldn’t have to ration out their food. It was because of this that she grew to be so hungry all the time.

Lazarus paid close attention to each of his team members stories. Through their talks he was able to learn their strengths and weaknesses. As leader, he must determine the best possible way to have them all work together and benefit of of each other’s strength. And with the final training session only a month away, their success over the other teams depends on him.

“Hey Lazarus?”

He looks over to his left where Marco was sitting. “What’s up?” He responded.

“Nothing much. I just wanted to let you know that I think you’re doing a great job leading us so far.”

“I agree!” Connie interrupted. “To be honest, I thought for sure our team was doomed from the start. Until we got you as our leader! The guy who CRUSHED the ODM gear training session! You were awesome!”

“Well thanks. But having me on the team alone doesn’t mean we’re the best. Some of the other teams have some real heavy hitters too, not just me… As long as we all pull our weight and work together as one, we’ll have a real shot at this.” He said encouragingly.

Lazarus turns to his right where he expected Michael to be, only to notice that he wasn’t there. How he was able to slip away without any of them noticing was beyond him.

“Where’s Michael?”

“He said he needed some time alone.” Sasha responded.

“It’s getting dark. Something could happen if he’s not back soon.” Marco says worriedly.

“I’ll go find him. The rest of you clear up.”

“Actually Lazarus.” Sasha interrupts him. “Would it be ok if I go looking for him? I know these woods like the back of my hand. I should be able to find him much faster.”

Lazarus nodded. “Ok, but don’t stay out too long. We may be safe from Titans in Wall Rose’s lands, but that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe out here. Now lets get all this packed up and head inside.”

All three recruits salute their leader in in unison. “YES SIR!”

Lazarus rolls his eyes before picking up the pot of left over stew and helping Marco and Connie carry it inside while Sasha went into the forest to look for Michael.

Deep within the woods Michael was enjoying his meal in complete isolation. He wanted to properly enjoy his food by actually putting it in his mouth rather than drink it through a straw.

But in order to do that he needed to take his mask off, and he didn’t want to show the others his scars. Even though they were his friends and squad mates, he wasn’t ready to reveal himself to them, and he’s unsure if he ever will be.

Right now he was sitting on a rock with his mask left beside him on the grass. He had just finished his stew and is now looking up at the night sky, admiring the stars.

As he gazed at the stars he thought back on the fall of Shiganshina and the Winged Titan. He keeps hoping that he’d see it again. Hoping that it would finally come down to the ground so that he could kill it.

“Where are you, Winged Titan? When will you show your evil self again?” He started talking to himself. “Wherever you are. Whatever you are. I will find you, and I will be the one to put an end to you!”

Michael suddenly puts his bowl down and stand up. He shouts up at the sky as his anger started to flare up, frustrated with how the flying Titan holds all the cards against him and humanity.

“I don’t care what it takes or how much I have to sacrifice. I will find you, and I will pay you back for what you did to my face! YOU’RE DEAD, YOU WINGED BASTARD! He shouted out loud.

He then starts to cough uncontrollably as a result of all his shouting. He quickly turns around in order to grab his mask and quickly put it back on before his condition worsens.

What he didn’t expect to see was a shocked and slack jawed Sasha standing in front of him, holding his empty bowl with he spoon still in it.

The two of them stood there in awkward silence for a moment, until Michael started to cough again. Realising that she saw him without his mask on, he snatches it off of the ground and puts it back on fast. He takes a couple deep clean breaths once his cough subsides.

Once that was done he addresses Sasha. Of all the people he didn’t want to be the first to see his face, it had to be Potato Girl.

“Um… I just wanted to tell you that we’re all heading to bed now, and that you shouldn’t be out here too late.” Sasha says awkwardly.

“How much did you hear?” Michael asked, fighting the urge to shout at her for invading his personal space at the worst of times.

“All of it… sorry, I didn’t mean too.” Sasha says worriedly.

Michael sighs and approaches her. Sasha looks away fearing he might hit her, but all he does is gently take his bowl from her and sit down on the rock.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that. It’s been on my mind for some time now. I just felt the need to go somewhere secluded and vent my frustrations.”

He then turns to Sasha. “You saw my face. Go ahead and tell me how ugly I look. I know that’s what your thinking right now. That’s what everyone who’s seen it thinks.”

Sasha shook her head in denial.

“I don’t think that at all. I was only shocked because I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. But I see now why you never take the mask off.”

She sits down on the rock next to him.

“Growing up in a hunting village, you’re taught to do ugly things in order to survive. I watched my dad gut a dear after shooting it through the eye with an arrow. Seeing all that blood and guts spill out everywhere was one of the most disgusting things I’d ever seen. But as I grew older, I learned that he only did stuff like that to provide food for our family. He never killed that dear for sport or because it was personal. He only did what he did for me and my family. I joined the military because I wanted to do the same. I know things are gonna get ugly, and many cadets we know will die. But I will-

“I don’t mean to be rude, but is there a point to this story?” Michael interrupted.

“The point is, I am not afraid to show my True self to others. And you shouldn’t be either. We’re your friends and comrades. You should learn to trust us more.”

Michael looks down at the ground as he processed her words. He knows deep down that she’s right. But he still wasn’t ready to share his true self with the world when he himself hasn’t fully accepted what happened to him.

“It’s hard for me to do that when I myself can’t accept this. My face, my life, my caretakers. All of it was taken from me by the Titans that attacked the walls.” He stated angrily. “The Winged Titan is not like a dear. I don’t wanna kill it for others. For me it is personal, and I simply want the satisfaction of killing the bastard!”

“Killing the Winged Titan won’t undo your injuries.” Sasha pointed out.

“I know. But at least others won’t have to suffer the same way I did. I feel like I won’t be able to properly get over what happened to me until it’s dead!” He vented.

Sasha said nothing else in response. She can understand what he was talking about and why he felt that way, even if she herself didn’t agree to it. She then decided that it would be best if they continued this chat another time as it was getting late and the others are most likely wondering where they are.

“We should head back to the cabin. The others are probably asleep by now.”

“Right.” Michael agreed. He gets up off of the rock and picks up his empty bowl.

“By the way.” She starts eyeballing the piece of bread in the bowl that hadn’t been eaten yet. “If your not gonna finish that bread, can I have it?”

Michael chuckled. He could expect nothing less from someone like her. “Yeah sure, go ahead. I’m full anyway.”

Sasha smiled and helped herself. But before she could grab the bread, Michael grabs her by the arm and holds the spoon he ate with in front of her face.

“Do not breath a word of what happened here to anyone. Not even Lazarus, or else I’ll smack you with this. Got it?”

“Are you… threatening me with a spoon?” She says, dumbfounded by this.

Michael responds by lightly smacking her on the cheek with the back part of the spoon which surprisingly hurt a lot which was unexpected for Sasha.

“OW!” She yelled so loud that a flock of birds nesting in the trees were frightened off by how loud she was.

To Be Continued