AUTHOR'S POV:
"Hey, you!" Mr. Shadis shouted, standing in front of Armin.
"Sir!" Armin said abd saluted Keith.
"Who the hell are you?!" Sadia asked.
"Armin Arlert, from Shiganshina District!" Armin replied.
"I see! That's a ridiculous name!" Shadish said. "Did your parents give it to you?!"
"My grandfather did, sir!" Armin replied.
"Arlert! Why are you here?!" Shadish asked.
Armin closed his eyes. "To help humanity achieve victory!"
"How very admirable of you!" Shadish said. "We can feed you to the Titans!" "Third row, about face!" He turned Armin's head and moved on. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Sir! Thomas Wagner, from Trost District!" Thomas replied.
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"You're next! Who the hell are you?!" Shadish asked, standing before Connie.
"Connie Springer!" Connie replied and saluted with the wrong hand. "I'm from Ragako Village on the south side of Wall Rose!"
"You have it backwards, Connie Springer!" Keith said and grabbed his head and squeezed. "It was the first thing you were taught! This salute expresses your resolve to give your heart to the people!" He then headed the noise of chewing. He dropped Connie and turned to Sasha. "Hey, you. What do you think you're doing?"
Sasha didn't seem to have heard him.
Keith was suddenly in her face, yelling. "I'm talking to you! Who the hell are you?!"
Sasha chewed quickly, swallowed, and saluted. "Sasha Braus from Dauper Village, on the south side of Wall Rose!"
"Sasha Braus." Keith said and looked at her hands. "What is that you're holding in your right hand?"
"A steamed potato, sir!" Sasha fearlessly replied. "I found one in the cookhouse that was ready to eat so I couldn't help myself!"
"You stole it? Why?" Keith asked. "Why did you decide to eat it now?"
"I felt it would be a waste to let it get cold, so I elected to eat it now." Sasha replied.
"No, I don't understand. Why did you eat the potato?" Keith asked, confused.
"Are you asking me why people eat potatoes, sir?" Sasha asked. "Here's half of it for you." She held it out almost reluctantly.
"Half?" Keith asked.
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"Whoa, he still has Potato Girl running," Connie said while standing with Thomas, Marco, Mina, Eren and Armin.
"Man, she's been at it for five solid hours." Marco said. "She's really something. Still, being told to run until she's on the verge of death didn't seem to bother her quite as much as being told she has to skip dinner."
"Dauper's a small hunting village in the mountains, isn't it?" Connie said.
Eren noticed a carriage. "What's that?"
"They're dropouts." Mina answered. "They asked to work in the fields instead."
"What?" Armin said. "It's only the first day, too."
"That's just how it is here." Eren said. "The powerless have no choice but to leave. I can't believe anyone would want to pick up rocks and pull plants again."
"That reminds me." Marco said, straightened. He turned to Eren. "You weren't asked to state your name and birthplace or anything."
"I'm from Shiganshina, same as him." Eren said.
"Oh. That means..." Marco said with surprise.
"You were there that day, weren't you?" Connie asked with excitement.
"H-Hey!" Marco said.
"Did you see the Colossal Titan?"
"Yeah." Eren replied.
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Inside the mess hall, a group had surrounded Eren's table while he was eating.
"Like I said, I saw it." Eren said.
"Really?" Thomas asked.
"How big is it really?" Samuel asked.
"Big enough to look over the Wall." Eren replied.
"What?! I heard it stepped over the Wall!"
"Me, too!" Hannah said.
"That's what they said in my village, too!" Franz said.
Eren took a sip of his soup. "No, it wasn't that big."
"What did it look like?" Mina asked.
"It had a huge mouth, and almost no skin." Eren replied.
"What about the Armored Titan that broke Wall Maria?!"
"It was yellowish and red coloured. The cannons didn't have any effects on it too." Eren explained.
"S-so, did you see any ordinary Titans?!" Samuel asked, looked eager and a little scared.
Suddenly, the memory of the smiling Titan from his dreams came to his mind and he froze.
His fellow trainees fell silent.
"Let's spare him the questions, everyone. I'm sure there are things he doesn't want to remember." Marco said.
"Sorry for asking-" Connie said.
"It's ok." Eren said and took a bite out of his bread. "Don't worry. Many people like me lost their loved ones too... I will join the survey corps to avenge them."
Everyone were shocked hearing his words.
"Whoa, what are you, crazy?" Jean called out, looking at him. "Did you just say you're gonna join the Survey Corps?"
"Yeah, that's right." Eren said and looked at Jean. "Aren't you the one who wants to join the Military Police?"
"Yeah. I want to live a normal and peaceful life." Jean replied.
"Hmm." Eren said replied and continued eating.
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After eating, he left the mess hall.
Jean was looking at Eren's retreating back when Mikasa walked by.
It was as if time seemed to slow for him.
"H-Hey, you!" Jean called out, blushing hard.
Mikasa turned around and looked at him.
"Uhh, err, I've just never seen anyone who looks like you before." Jean said. "S-Sorry! You have very pretty black hair."
"Thanks." Mikasa said and walked away.
Jean paused for a second before chasing after her.
Looking around, he saw her fall in step with Eren.
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"How was your first day, Eren?" Mikasa asked, looking at Eren.
"It was fine, Mikasa." Eren replied. "How was yours?" He looked at Mikasa.
Mikasa shrugged her shoulders. "Fine I guess."
"Hey, don't you think your hair's too long?" Eren said and casually flipped her hair with the back of his hand. "It could cause an accident during 3D gear training, you know?"
"Alright." Mikasa said and pinched a few strands between her fingers. "I'll cut it." She smiled. "But, how short should I make it?"
"Uhh..." Eren said and thought for a moment. "Chin length will look good on you." He smiled.
"Alright." Mikasa said, smiling.
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Jean looked like someone had sucked the life out of him.
Connie was walking by, humming cheerily to himself when Jean wiped his hand on his back.
Connie turned to him. "H-Hey! Don't mess with other people's clothes!" He checked his back. "What did you wipe on me?!"
"My faith in humanity." Jean replied.
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Mikasa looked at Eren and smirked. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Eren said and looked at Mikasa, confused. "Why would I be jealous?"
"That boy just complemented my hair and you told me to cut it short." Mikasa said, smirking. "You're definitely jealous now, Eren." She nudged Eren with her elbow. "Just admit it."
Eren blushed and looked away. "No I'm not!"
Mikasa pulled Eren's ear a bit. "See? Your ears are red. You're lying."
"Ugh..." Eren said and looked at Mikasa.
Mikasa giggled. "Don't worry, Eren. I'll cut my hair."
Eren smiled shyly and nodded.
Both of them stopped in their tracks.
Mikasa looked around a bit then turned to Eren, blushing.
Eren gasped as Mikasa leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his cheek.
Eren blushed heavily, looking at Mikasa while his heart was beating faster. "Eh...?"
Mikasa smiled, blushing. "Good night, Eren." She waved and walked away.
Eren just stood there, blushing while his palm was on his cheek. "Goodnight..."
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It was now time for their ODM gear balance test.
"We'll begin by determining your aptitude!" Keith said. "If you can't do this, you're not even fit to be bait! You'll be sent off to the fields!"
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Across the training field, trainees hovered, balancing using the wires.
"It looks like we have many talented trainees this year." The silver-haired superior of the Training Corps said.
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Connie, Sasha, and Jean were doing fairly well themselves.
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"Umm, what about him?" The younger man beside him asked.
"Now that's another definition of aptitude." His superior replied. "Some people might have plenty of motivation yet turn out to be less than capable."
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Eren was hanging completely upside-down.
Keith knelt before him. "What are you doing, Yeager?! Straighten yourself up!"
'What is this? How am I supposed to... This can't be for real.' Eren thought in distress.
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Later that evening, Mikasa instructed.
"Just follow the basics and you two will be able to do it." Mikasa said. "Don't think about being fancy or anything. Focus on your front and back balance, then slowly place your weight into the belts on your waist and feet."
"You can do it if you stay calm." Armin said. "Even I did it, after all."
"Alright, I feel like I've got it this time." Eren said. "Lift me up, Armin."
Armin lifted him up.
Eren was still for a second before face-planting into the dirt.
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All trainees were at the mess hall, having dinner.
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"Hey, Daz, isn't he the one who said he was gonna join the Survey Corps ?" Samuel said with a smirk. "I guess it's off to the fields for him tomorrow."
"Yeah, we can't afford to feed the useless." Daz said.
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Eren had his head bandaged up while steam was emitting from his head.
He was looking down, eating silently.
Armin and Mikasa were looking at him with concern.
"Eren." Mikasa said and patted his shoulder, causing him to flinch. "There's no point worrying about it."
"You can just learn to do it tomorrow," Armin said.
"Hmm..." Eren replied.
Mikasa kept looking at him. 'I think the fear of losing will awaken his immense inner strength.'
She looked down. "You should just forget about that altogether."
Eren quickly looked at her with confusion. "What did you say?"
"I'm saying you should just give up trying to be a soldier." Mikasa said and looked at Eren. "Fighting isn't about simply throwing your life away."
"Not you too, Mikasa." Eren said, defeated. He looked down.
"It doesn't matter how determined you are." Mikasa said. "Because you don't get to decide if you're fit to be a soldier or not."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the meal.
"If you keep losing like this then you should just forget about it." Mikasa said, firmly. "If you can't do anything without having someone's death as your primary motivation then you only eligible to work on fields."
"Mikasa..." Armin trailed off, looking at Mikasa with wide eyes.
"No..." Eren said with furrowed eyebrows, still looking down. "I won't let a single failure let me down like that. I'll do it anyhow. I'll become a soilder and join the Survey Corps without your help."
Mikasa stood up. "We'll see that tomorrow." She picked up her plate and left.
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"Just believe in yourself, Eren." Armin said. "You can do it."
"Hm..." Eren said.
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'Was I too harsh on him?' Mikasa wondered, standing outside the mass hall. 'I hope he doesn't take my words to heart. But... it was necessary...' She let out a sigh. 'Let's see what happens tomorrow.'
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It was night time.
Everyone were at the barracks.
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"Please! I heard you're both really good at it, Bertolt, Reiner!" Eren begged, sitting before Reiner and Bertolt.
Reiner crossed his arms. "Sorry, but I don't think there are any tricks to just hanging there. I can't think of any especially helpful advice, either."
"Oh." Eren said and looked down.
"I guess we'll just have to hope for the best tomorrow." Armin said and began to get up.
Bertolt stopped him with a question. "You two are, umm, from Shiganshina, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are." Armin replied.
"Then you know how terrifying the Titans are." Bertolt said. "So why do you want to be soldiers?"
"Well luckily we didn't witness the Titan threat firsthand." Armin said. "It's just we decided we couldn't sit there and do nothing after the Royal Government forced people into that absolutely awful retrieval operation."
"I see." Reiner said.
"Where are you two from?" Armin asked.
"Reiner and I are from a mountain village on the southeast side of Wall Maria." Bertolt replied.
"Hey, wasn't that...?" Eren said with wide eyes.
"Yeah." Bertolt said. "Unlike the prosperous towns along the river, we didn't receive word right away. The Titans showed up well before the information did. It happened at dawn. The livestock was acting up, and these strange rumblings kept getting louder and louder. At some point, I realized they were footfalls of some sort. And then, when I hurriedly opened the window... After that I, umm, don't really remember." He got lost in his thoughts. "Everyone was in such a panic-"
"Hey, now." Reiner said, looking at Bertolt. "What are you suddenly bringin' that up for?"
"Sorry. Basically, what I was trying to say is that you guys probably aren't like them." Bertolt said.
"Them?" Armin asked, confused.
"The others here who don't know the horror of the Titans." Bert said.
"Hey." Reiner said put his hand on Bertolt's shoulder.
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Around the barrack, boys laughed and smiled, sitting in groups on their beds.
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Outside, Bertolt and Reiner led them towards a cliff, lanterns in hand.
"They're mostly here for show. To live up to society's expectations." Bertolt said. "You're seen as a coward if you choose production work when you turn twelve. Society has pushed them into becoming trainees." He turned to Eren and Armin. "That said, I'm no different than them." He smiled. "I chose to be a soldier in the hopes of joining the Military Police so I could work in the safety of the interior. If that doesn't work out, I might give up entirely. I don't have any will to call my own, you see."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of for valuing your life." Armin said, looking at him.
"As for me, I'm going to return to the hometown we lost." Reiner said. "That's all I care about now. I will do it, no matter what."
"What about you?" Bertolt asked and looked at Eren. "Why do you want to be a soldier?"
"I want to win back my hometown." Eren said "And also..." He clenched his fist. "...to avenge my Dad."
"So, your encounter with the Titans didn't break your will?" Bert asked. "Because that could break anyone's."
Suddenly, Eren narrowed his eyes and looked down the cliff. "Since the minute I arrive here, I think: Why did it ever come to this?" He said in a monotonous voice. "Those children, their minds and bodies will be damaged... Their freedom will be taken away from them. They'll even lose themselves."
Reiner and Bertolt kept looking at him with confusion.
"Eren..." Armin trailed off with concern.
"If people know what is ahead, nobody would join." Eren said. "But most people are pushed by something, forced to march into hell. That 'something' wasn't their choice. Their situation or others made them do it. But people who push their own backs see a different kind of hell. They can see something beyond the hell. It might be hope. It may even be another hell." He paused for a moment. "Only those who keep moving foward will ever know."
Armin grabbed his shoulders. "Eren!"
Eren gasped and came back to his senses. "Huh?" He looked at Armin.
"Eren?" Reiner said.
Then, Eren felt a headache. "Ugh!" He held his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "Not this again!"
Reiner and Bertolt shared a look.
"Another headache?" Armin asked.
"Hm..." Eren said. After a moment, he calmed down and removed his hands. He looked at Reiner and Bertolt. "Um... Sorry for that. I don't know why I say those things. Sorry..."
Reiner smiled. "It's ok."
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Overhead, the clouds parted, revealing a full moon.
Its silvery beams highlighted the forest and the river, making it sparkle like a diamond.
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"Check your equipment, starting with your belt adjustment." Reiner said. "You'll do just fine tomorrow." He smiled. "I'm certain of it. Eren Yeager, was it?"
"Yeah, thanks." Eren replied, smiling, "Reiner Braun, right?"
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It was the next day.
"Eren Yeager, are you ready?" Keith said, starring at Eren.
"Yes, sir!" Eren said as he was about to be lifted up. 'I'm going to do it! I am! I might not have raw aptitude, but no one has more guts than I do!'
"Begin!" Keith ordered.
'To hell with logic! I know it's completely baseless but guts are all I got!' The wires lifted Eren. 'They're my weapon!' He was hanging steady.
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Around him, the other trainees let out whoops.
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'I did it! I'm doing it!' Eren thought.
Then he began to lose his balance and crashed.
"N-Not yet! I can still do it!" Eren said in disbelief.
"Let him down." Keith said.
"Damn it!" Eren said, sitting on the ground, angry at himself.
"Wagner, switch belts with Eren." Keith ordered.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Thomas said.
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After switching the ODM gear, Eren again tried.
This time, he easily hung in there.
Keith held the defective piece in his hands. "Your equipment was defective. The belt you two were using had a broken clasp. I've never heard of this part breaking before. I guess we'll have to add it to the maintenance checklist."
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"Then, even with broken equipment, he still managed to hang in there for a few seconds?" A cadet exclaimed.
"Whoa!"
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"Then, what about my aptitude evaluation?" Eren asked.
"You pass. Train hard!" Keith replied and walked away.
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Eren smiled brightly and looked at Mikasa.
Mikasa smiled back at him.
"Looks like things worked out for him." Reiner said with a smile.
Armin smiled. "His eyes say, 'What do you think of that?'"
"Right." Mikasa said, smiling.
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From a distance, Keith was looking at Eren.
'Grisha, today your son has become a soldier.'
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