After 15 minutes the kickboxing trial game started and Armin was excited to see Annie and Mikasa in action.
There were sixteen participants in the event and only eight were to be chosen. The instructor was Levi Ackerman, Eren and Jean's coach. After he had laid out the rules of match in his usual bored manner, he listed out the name of the contestants and their sparring partner. He called out the first match which was between a girl with light brown hair and a boy with a faded brownish hair.
These are the rules of the match;
1. Opponents are allowed to hit each other with punches and kicks, striking above the waist.
2. Elbows and knees are forbidden
3. Fighters can score through punches or kicks, striking above the waist and foot sweeps, executed below the ankle.
4. Punches, kicks, and foot sweeps are awarded 1 point. Kicks to the head or jumping kicks to the body are awarded 2 points. Jumping kicks to the head are awarded 3 points.
5. Hook kicks and Axe kicks are allowed but must be executed with the sole of the foot.
6. The first person to reach 5 points wins and win by KO is allowed.
With this the match began;
The girl attacked with a kick to the boy's side which he swiftly blocked with his right arm. She quickly lifted her left foot and kicked him on his left side which the boy was not expecting.
"2 points to Hitch!", the referee shouted.
The girl named Hitch came down and proceeded to punch him but the boy blocked with his hand. He did a foot sweep as their hands made contact but Hitch lifted her first leg, dodging the sweep and kicked him directly on the head.
"3 points to Hitch. Match over. Hitch Dreyse wins!", the referee said.
Hitch and the boy got up, bowed and left the arena.
Levi came up again and announced the next match while for the second time going through the matches and their time of starting.
"Well that was certainly interesting.", Connie said.
"Yep. The girls in this school are monsters. Good thing I have Mikasa though", Eren replied.
"Just let Mikasa hear you talk like that and you'll know what a monster really is", Armin said snickering.
At the statement Eren paled for a second before nervously laughing it off, "N-nevermind", he said and looked away.
Time-skip to the fourth match
"I feel bad for him", Armin said as they watched a boy who left the stage limping towards the clinic.
"Yeah but never mind that. We get to see Raven in action now", Eren said with enthusiasm.
"You sure are fired up", Finn commented.
"Of course I am", Eren replied.
"Well folks be on the edge of seats cause here she comes", Connie said imitating an announcer.
Eren flicked the under of his head which caused Connie to make a cry protest while glaring at him and Armin and Finn chuckling at their antics.
The fourth match was between Mikasa and a guy with messed up blond hair and a build almost similar to Reiner's.
"Oi Armin", Eren said "doesn't he look familiar to you".
Of course he looks familiar, Armin thought, How can I ever forget. One of the bastards who used to bully me in high school. Why, why is he here?.
As Armin was thinking these things he was clenching his fists not hearing Connie calling out to him.
"Armin!!", Eren called out as he smacked his head lightly.
"What? o-oh sorry. I spaced out a bit", Armin said while rubbing his head.
"No shit", Connie said.
"Just as I guessed. He's one of them, isn't he, Armin?", Eren asked.
"Y-yeah", he replied solemnly.
"Okay I'm lost. Who is one of who?", Connie asked the both of them.
"O-oh that's right. The person Mikasa is fighting used to pick on us in highschool especially Armin. Well he's just one of them, though I don't remember the face from Amin's reaction I'm certain that he's one of them. And if Armin remembers him then there is a high chance that Mikasa does too and let me tell you, if she does then things are going to get really ugly", Eren said.
"I-I'm sorry guys. I didn't realize", Connie said hanging his head sadly.
"Don't worry Connie we've gotten over it like seriously it doesn't bother us. And as extra we've got our girl down there who is going to give him a beating of a lifetime", Eren replied.
"If it makes you feel better", Finn spoke up for the first time, "I was also picked on in high-school so there's no need to be ashamed or feel sad. Everyone has something they went through at one point in their lives what that matters is you coming out of it which in this case you have so be proud of yourself Armin", he concluded.
"Wow t-that's, heh thanks Finn", Armin said.
"No problem, there's no need to thank me", Finn said waving his hand dismissively in front of him.
"Anyway, enough of the sad stuff although I can't believe that you were bullied", Connie said muttering the last part while pointing at Finn, "Let's just watch this match and enjoy ourselves".
"Yeah", they all agreed.
"Begin!!", the referee shouted.
The boy quickly lunged at Mikasa but she swiftly dodged to the left giving him a solid punch to the gut. The force of the punch was so hard that the boy almost fell back clutching his stomach in pain. Mikasa quickly responded by giving him a roundhouse kick directly to face efficiently knocking him out.
"Win by KO Mikasa Ackerman!", shouted the referee.
The crowd was speechless for a moment before people began to whisper to each other. Mikasa didn't even spare a glance at her opponent as she walked away. Some workers from the clinic brought a stretcher and placed the boy on it and whisked him away.
"Eren", whispered Connie, "please I beg you, always remind me not to get on Mikasa's bad side".
"Y-yeah will do", he replied rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"Now that was entertaining", Finn said, "looks like she remembered" .
"Mmm", replied Armin who was nodding in agreement.
"Soo, it's safe to say that none of us feel sorry for him?", Connie asked.
"Yep"
"Totally"
"Agreed", they all said.
"Looks like Annie is up", Eren said, "aren't you excited Armin?", he said teasingly.
"Just shut it and let's watch", Armin said.
To say that Annie's opponent was big was an understatement. He was f**king huge even bigger than Reiner. Anyone looking at them would say that the match-up was unfair considering Annie's petite stature and the guy's huge height which was around 6'7 not to mention his massive build. Needless to say, Annie was unfazed at her opponent. She retained her normal stoic expression and got into her fighting stance. As for the audience, they were cries of protest of how unfair the battle was and that the participants should be switched.
"Begin!", the referee shouted.
"Don't worry sweetheart I'll go easy on you, I won't hurt you too much and then we'll hit my apartment after", he said gruffly while smirking.
Idiot.
What a fool.
Stupid.
The retarded meathead, Mikasa, Levi, Anna and Finn thought.
Annie didn't say anything, she just stayed in the same position looking straight at the boy. He 'tched' and went straight at Annie with a punch to face. She dodged and moved back still staying in her fighting stance. He came at her with another punch but Annie deflected the attack using her hands to lightly take hold of his arm and pushed it to the left.
As expected he's slow but it will still take more than that, Mikasa thought.
Annie went back once again still keeping her stance and maintaining her distance but the boy would have none of that. He kept coming at her with straightforward punches and kicks which Annie kept evading. He struck again with his fist and Annie deflected it again putting her left hand in the joint of his elbow efficiently folding/closing his arm and punched him square in the face. He staggered back a bit since he was not expecting her punch to be that strong but that was his mistake. As he moved back he momentarily dropped his guard which created an opening for Annie. She moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck in an arm-triangle choke manner and slammed him to the ground. The choke held him down but Annie knew that it won't hold him down for too long due to his strength so squeezed tightly then released him. As he was released he began to gasp for air while standing up. Annie didn't spare him a second as she gave him a sweep kick with her shin making him fall and followed up with an axe kick to the head knocking him out.
"Win by KO Annie Leonhart!", the referee shouted.
Murmurs went up in the crowd as people could not believe their eyes. Even Armin was a bit shocked albeit heavily relieved at the outcome. Another set of clinical workers came out and put the boy on a stretcher with one of them muttering 'kids these days' under their breath and took him away.
Annie looked up searching through the crowd and then caught sight of Armin. The two made eye contact and Armin gave her a thumbs-up which she responded to as she walked away.
"Ho?, we saw that Armin", Connie said wrapping an arm on his shoulder.
"After this event, go get her tiger", Eren said with a smirk.
"I-I get it, I get it please stop", Armin replied removing Connie's arm from his shoulder.
"Hey Eren could you save my seat for me. I need to get to the bathroom real quick", Finn said.
"Sure, no problem"
He nodded his thanks to him and went to the bathroom.
Time-skip the last/8th match
"Damn it Finn! What took you so long?", Eren asked as Finn took his seat.
"Nothing really", he replied.
"You do know you missed all the other matches", Connie told him.
"I know. I did it on-purpose. I wasn't really interested in them except for Mikasa and Annie's which I have already seen".
"So you skipped to the last match which is Anna's. What are you, in high school?", Armin asked.
"Of course not", he replied, "it isn't a must to watch all the matches.".
"Man, you really are unbelievable", Connie said shaking his head.
"Yeah yeah", Finn replied.
The final match was between Anna and another girl with black hair tied up in a ponytail.
"Begin!", the referee shouted.
The two stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Anna moved in for the first hit. She gave a swift kick to the left which her foe blocked. Her opponent then moved her left arm to grab her leg but she quickly retracted it. Her foe responded by giving out swift punches which Anna moved back to dodge.
She's fast, Annie thought.
"O-oi what's up with that speed", Connie said.
"Are you worried?", Finn asked, "there's no need to be. The outcome will be the same. That girl has no chance in hell against Anna".
"How can you be so sure? not that I'm saying she's weak or anything but still her rival is really fast", Eren said.
"And like I said, the outcome will be the same. Yes her opponent is fast but, if her opponent is that quick then it means that she doesn't have a lot of strength. It's very rare to see fighters who have both immense strength and speed, only prodigies the likes of Mikasa and Annie have such feats. But if you train hard enough you can be immensely skilled in either of these sectors though one will be lacking. The best thing to do is to even both strength and speed for more efficient combat", Finn explained.
"Though you're right", Armin said, "points are awarded for each successful hit. If it accumulates to 5 points then Anna will lose".
"It's alright", Finn said, "she won't be hit".
"Huh", the three of them said.
"Just watch".
It went on for about two minutes. Her opponent got fed up and began to get even more vicious. Anna kept on dodging and she smiled. She ducked a bit lower and moved forward acting like she was about to punch her foe's stomach but went past her to her back. Her opponent's reaction was spot on as she quickly turned around and blocked Anna's kick at the same time trying to punch her. Anna caught her hand dragging her downward and landed a solid kick on her face.
"2 points to Anna!", shouted the referee.
Her opponent regained her composure and moved cautiously around Anna. Anna didn't move from her spot but still monitored her movements waiting for that moment when she was going to strike. Then she moved. She attacked her with a hook kick but Anna simply moved to the side. Her rival while in the air spun and delivered another kick which she blocked once again. Anna felt that the fight was getting too long so she went in for the kill.
Guess I couldn't play after all.
She did a side step and lunged at her. Anna deflected her fist easily holding her arm and wrapping her leg around her neck, trapping her and twisting her hand successfully putting her in an arm-bar lock. Anna increased the pressure and the girl couldn't take it anymore. She tapped out and Anna released her.
"Win by submission Anna Ryder!", the referee shouted.
Anna stretched out her hand and lifted the other girl from the ground offering her a kind smile.
"Thanks a lot. I had fun", she said.
"O-oh. Well you're welcome", the girl replied returning the smile.
"Wow! Girls really know how to throw a punch don't ya think?", Connie said.
"Yeah", Eren and Armin replied.
"Well I guess it's time we get going", Finn said as he and the others stood up and exited with the crowd.
"Hey we're here!!"
They moved towards the direction of the sound and saw Mikasa, Annie and Anna approaching their way.
"Congrats. You guys did really well", Connie said
"Thanks", they replied.
The group made their way out of the building with the boys offering to take the girls to dinner to celebrate their victory.
"You don't have to do that", Mikasa said.
"Exactly. We want to" Eren replied, "so stop complaining and let's go already".
"I certainly don't mind. As long as you guys pay", Anna said smiling.
"No problem. What do you say Annie?", Armin asked looking at her pleadingly.
Annie felt a bit guilty at rejecting the boy so she agreed.
"Okay", she said.
Armin's face visibly brightened at her answer and he flashed her a bright smile.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go", Connie said as they went to the restaurant.
After their lunch Armin and Annie finally got some time to themselves staying behind the group as they left the restaurant.
"I'm really happy that you're not hurt", Armin told her.
"It's not a big deal. He didn't pose much", Annie replied.
"Well to be honest I was actually scared for a bit. I thought he was gonna do something drastic to you or hurt you. I was really relieved when you won unscathed"
"Hmm. Thanks for worrying about me but I can take care of myself you know"
"I know. Is it wrong to worry about someone you care about?"
"You care about me?", she said skeptically.
"Please don't use that tone. I care about you Annie a lot more than you think so please don't question whether I care for or not because I really do", Armin replied.
Annie didn't mean to say it like that. She felt guilty for making him feel this way.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way", she said, "I really am a bad person, aren't I? Here you are worrying about me and I'm making you feel like shit".
"Annie please stop saying negative things about yourself. You're a good person. And if you don't believe that then believe me when I say that you are a good person at least you've been a good person to me", Armin replied holding her hand.
They stopped walking and stared at each other. Annie looking into his blue eyes getting lost in their color that reminded her of a calm sea.
"Sometimes you really say the most cheesy things Arlert", she said as she pulled their arms down.
Armin then realized he had been holding her hands and quickly retracted them sporting a blush on his face. Annie missed the warmth of his hands as he took them back.
"Looks like the others went ahead", Armin said.
"Yeah", she replied.
Armin and Annie went to library where they stayed, talking and conversing between themselves for the next few hours till it was time to go back to their rooms. Armin escorted Annie room as usual and when she knocked it was Eren who answered the door.
"Took you guys a while", Eren said leaning on the door.
"Don't tell me you're staying here", Annie replied.
"I'm staying here...with Mikasa of course. Well I won't bother you, I'll be in Mika's room for the night", Eren said as he went into Mikasa's room.
"Hmm. Okay then I'll be taking my leave", Armin said to Annie.
"Oh sure and Armin"
"Mhm"
"Thanks", she said.
He flashed her a bright smile,
"No problem", he said waving towards her as he left.
"You do know he likes you right?", Mikasa said as Annie entered and shut the door behind her.
"I know. I know", she replied.
"Please don't break his heart", Mikasa said and went to her room.
"Of course I won't".
"I won't", she said again in a whisper and went to her room.
Yo. Another chapter done. Thank you all for waiting and as usual criticism and reviews are appreciated so feel free to write your opinions in the comments section below. Fight scenes are really difficult to write so hopefully this one should be okay. Also I'm going to delete the 'ATTENTION' part since I've already made the changes and it's purpose is served. Anyway, thank you all for reading so stay safe and strong and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Bye!!.