"I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know if I can seal that hole, but I'll do it."
"Excellently said, you have the heart of a lion." Commander Pixis gave Eren a pat on the shoulders and stepped back, moving to the edge of the wall away from Trost. "Staff officers hup! We have a plane to flesh out."
The sudden willingness of Pixis startled Armin, who quickly began to feel his doubts already. "Wait, we- we can't actually be moving forwards with this as our lynchpin strategy. It was just something I tossed out there."
"I was thinking the same thing." Interjected Eren, his eyes looking over at the city of Trost. "Except, he seems like a guy who knows what he's doing, has it all under control like we can't see the forest through the trees, but he's got a birds eye view."
"You think so?"
"It's a solid plan Armin." Gohan stepped forwards and placed a reassuring hand the boys shoulder. "I'm sure Commander Pixis will work out the fine details but the basis is solid. We can't retake Trost from a never ending enemy, and we have to move on a time limit. You've given us a start on how to solve that with what's already on hand." He flashed the boy a confident smile, and one that was fairly honest. Gohan had his trepidations of course, but that was because of the risks he knew were involved, the dangers they would all have to face.
Not because of Armin.
"Either way though we've got a whole other problem to address before we can get your plan off the ground." Eren still didn't look at them as he spoke, no doubt feeling the weight of whatever it is he had realised. "And my gut tells me the commander's keenly aware of it."
"Which would be?"
"Titans aren't our only foe."
Gohan felt himself gasp. He couldn't have been talking about the Garrison soldiers or the MP's from before. Eren had spotted some kind of threat that they were about to face. But what else but the Titans could they…
"Look sharp soldiers." The cadets were broken off from their musings as Commander Pixis walked towards them, a half dozen new soldiers at his back. Some of which were actually familiar, including two which had moments ago been by Captain Woermann's side. "The fate of mankind rests on your shoulders."
At the base of the wall the garrison soldiers stood regrouped in the main street leading towards the gate into Trost. There had been startlingly few reinforcements called in from the surrounding regions, with the vast majority of the soldiers being from Trost itself. The result was that most of those troops had just recently left combat with the Titans, and were now being forced to wallow in their growing fear, surrounded by hundreds of other equally terrified troops.
"Retake Trost? Are they kidding?"
"Someone up top has lost their marbles."
"How do they expect us to shore up the hole?"
"Are the top brass that out of touch?"
"It's a damn suicide mission."
"Lost cause no doubt."
"Defending wall Rose is the only real option here."
"Jackasses. Some bureaucrat's pushing this through for the glory."
For one particular soldier, fear was beginning to manifest into desperation, tears welling up while his body began to shake.
"I can't, I can't go back." And then, the dam burst. What had been a quiet whimper transformed into a full cry for help. "Oh god! We're all gonna die!"
"What the hell Dennis, calm down." The mans friend rushed to his side but the effect was immediate. All around them the whispers began to grow stronger and stronger, grabbing the attention of one of the squad officers trying to keep the soldiers in line. The man stormed over with a fierce expression on his face.
"Stop shrieking like a snivelling coward! Are you trying to give me the impression you're a liability."
The man was snivelling openly now, having given up any pretence of keeping himself in check. "Sir please, look at us. We're being marched to the grave like lambs to the slaughter."
Whatever sympathy he was hoping to find didn't appear as the officer partially drew his sword, his anger mixing with disgust. "You too good to sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity soldier? Or do you prefer I cut you down right now as an example to your comrades?"
The man responded in kind, pulling his sword further from its sheath though not quite willing to do it fully. "Do what you gotta do, I'll take it over being fed to a Titan like human candy any day."
"Get a hold of yourself." Marco grabbed hold of him from the side, wrapping his arms around the mans chest to keep his sword sheathed at his side. The man immediately started to wail, Marco holding on tightly as he prayed he could avoid a massacre as the soldiers turned against their officers.
"Let go of me. Let go! I'm not going back to that nightmare!"
What had only moments ago been a spreading sense of fear, was now beginning to seriously worry the rest of the garrison soldiers stood around the developing scene. Only a short distance further ahead, one female soldier turned to another by her side.
"You hear that?"
"I'm not gonna lie, he's got a point." The woman's eyes were pointed downwards in shame, but her voice carried no hesitation in her desire to get away.
"So uh, who do you think's gonna have a nervous breakdown next?"
"I don't know, but Trost isn't the way I wanna go."
"Come again?" A voice barked at them from a few bodies away, and the woman suddenly found herself face to face with her recently assigned commanding officer. She'd been lucky in that he hadn't been a replacement for one that had died, an occurrence that had happened to many of her friends. Instead it had still been the same one from the start of the attack, but she obviously hadn't had the chance to actually learn anything about him yet.
"U-uh, I was only kidding around sir!" Training kicked in particularly strongly given how recently she'd finished her basic training, though even if she hadn't then the fact that the man had a haunted look in his eyes as he barked at her would have had her falling back on her training.
"Speak up." The man leaned in close, almost touching her face with his as he stared unblinkingly at her.
"Huh?"
"At the top of your lungs. Make as much noise as you can cadet." The man barked at her, and the woman found herself tearing up in an instant, sobs already beginning to break as she tried to lean back and escape. Helplessly, Jean watched from further down the line, sympathetic to the woman's plight as he remembered his introduction with Commandant Shadis on his first day of basic.
"You think everyone else doesn't feel the same way about this stupid idea as you do? Now stir up a damn distraction so I can get out of here!"
At that, Jean stepped in. "And where exactly do you think out of here is?" It was enough to snap the man out of his growing tirade and back away from the cadet. As the officer turned to Jean the anger faded, leaving only an honest and human fear.
"Look man I just want to see my daughter. We're all dead anyway right?"
On top of the wall, Pixis strolled confidently along its length as both Eren and Gohan followed obediently behind. "It's thought by many that before the Titans held sway, mankind consisted of scores of different races, different creeds, all scratching and biting at each other for blood. It's not difficult to believe that second part. Some wise man or other is reputed to have said, and understand I'm paraphrasing here, that humanity required an enemy greater than itself just to survive. What do you suppose he could have meant Cadet Jaeger?"
Eren was taken off guard briefly by the strange question, but he recovered quickly. "Well this is the first time I've ever heard it sir. I guess, he thought we'd all join forces? Some wise man…"
"Heh heh heh, I like the way your mind works, you're almost as twisted and cynical as me. But what about you Cadet Son? I remember you having quite the sense of optimism when we spoke yesterday."
Gohan hesitated, not quite sure what to say. The world- his world was generally very peaceful, at least among the people who lived on Earth. No major wars had been fought for a long time, and in his life the biggest threats had been from outer space or the future. Except, not the Androids. They had been caused by Dr Gero because of the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army, another group who had wanted to take over the world. He had faith in people, he really did, but they weren't infallible.
"I think most people are decent Sir. It may take some time, and I know there will be some who just won't want to help, but in the end, I think we'll all do what it takes."
Eren obviously disagreed, snorting derisively. "Well it's obvious to me the guy didn't have a clue what he was talking about. C'mon, here we are with an enemy greater than ourselves bearing down and look at us."
"I'm afraid I must agree with Jaeger Cadet Son, if our species doesn't pull it together soon Titans will merely be an instrument of our demise. Not the cause."
As they continued along the wall, the two cadets spotted a familiar figure near the cannons along the edge of the wall. Hannes was briefly taken aback to see Eren looking human again, after replaying that scene in his mind over and over again he still found himself struggling to believe it was real. "Eren? Well I'll be damned." Whilst Gohan flashed the man a quick friendly smile, Eren kept his face flat as he subtly pointed down. "Wait what?"
'Is he… that little punk is telling me to get back to work! Ungrateful little brat probably doesn't even realise I just risked my neck for him. Well, at least I can assume Mikasa and Armin are alright judging by his attitude. Still though, why in gods' name are the two of them with the commander?'
Pixis reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar flask, the same one Gohan had seen the day before, leaving the Saiyan to wonder if he was one of those people who never went anywhere without it. "Ah, care for a swig Cadet Jaeger? I already know your answer Son."
Eren traded a glance to Gohan in confusion, before looking back at the commander to answer. "Uh, yes sir!"
When he took a drink, Eren found himself spitting the drink out instantly as his mouth burned fiercely. He blushed in embarrassment, earning a sympathetic look from Gohan even as the commander laughed in amusement.
One of Pixis' officers jogged over to the three, and after a moment Gohan recognised her as one of the people he'd seen when he'd first arrived back with Ilse from Titan territory. He couldn't quite remember her name, but she'd helped get him some clothes and had been nice enough.
"Sir, we managed to find one in his size sir." Her voice was formal, either not recognising or not allowing herself to be distracted by seeing a familiar face.
"Excellent, get it ready for him." She turned around and headed back to where a small group of people were gathered. Pixis turned about on his heel and faced Gohan. "Cadet Son, you tell me that you believe humanity can work together, correct?"
"Uh, yes sir."
"Well then, surely you agree that humanity might band together more quickly if they have a symbol to believe in. I want you to be that symbol."
"W-what? Uh, but why sir?" Gohan sent questioning look to Eren who could only return a bemused glance himself.
"In one short day you have already started to become something of a legend to the people of Trost. You alone survived from the Vanguard, and survived staying in Trost until the last soldiers had fallen back. The soldiers have seen you saving the lives of their comrades, and the civilians saw you defuse a blockage at the gate and ensure their safety." The man walked over and placed his hand on Gohans shoulder as he continued to praise him. "Tales of your heroism have spread like wildfire, and have given people hope. But you don't settle for that do you Son? Your headband, when I saw you yesterday it was pristine and white. Now, it is stained red. Blood I suspect, if only we were living in a world where I wasn't so intimately familiar with its' smell." Gohans head dropped in depressed affirmation. "Was it someone you knew?"
"No sir. Just a stranger who tried to save her friend."
Pixis gave a sympathetic squeeze on his shoulder, before giving him a gentle nudge to walk side by side with him. "And you wear it in remembrance, so that you never forget the sacrifices that have been made. It is that mindset that I need, and that those soldiers down there need to see. And to be seen, you must stand out." Pixis raised his hand an indicated something being held on display by the woman from earlier.
A bright red shirt.
"You will wear the blood of humanity proudly, a sign that we will never forget the lives paid to reach this point. You, will be the will by which we retake Trost. And you cadet Jaeger" he turned to Eren "will be the means."
"If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with!"
"Shut up! Don't think I won't!"
The situation at the bottom of the wall was beginning to reach breaking point as Pixis stepped to the edge of the wall, Eren and Gohan stood behind him in flanking position. He took a moment to clear his throat, before bellowing at the top of his lungs. "ATTENNNTIIOOOOOONNNNN!"
Silence. The crowd were stunned quiet as Pixis continued to address them all. "Take note! The blueprint of the Trost recovery operation is this! Our primary objective is to reseal the hole! Yes you heard right! What's more, it will be done manually!"
The crowd remained quiet save for a mumbled "what?" Soldiers look from one to another in confusion.
"That's impossible." From the panicked soldiers' side Marco mumbled to himself. "We just don't have the tech."
"As for how the task will be done! That's where this fellow comes in! Allow me to introduce cadet Eren Jaeger!" He gestured to his right as Eren stepped forwards and saluted sharply.
Down below, the rest of the 104th looked upwards in confusion. Many had seen or heard about Erens' exit from the nape of a dying Titan, but far fewer had seen him transform in front of the garrison soldiers, having stayed back and away from the protest that had found them. Connie echoed the thoughts of most of the cadets as they wondered about the commanders claims. "W-… what the hell?"
"Don't let appearances deceive you! This young man is in fact the successful product of cutting edge science! Fantastic as this may sound, cadet Jaeger possesses the ability to fabricate and control a Titan body! At will!"
"Uh, someone tell me the commander is off his rocker, 'cause otherwise I'm just too thick to get what he means." Connie look to the others for answers, pointedly looking at Mina when he saw she wasn't as surprised as the rest of them.
"Will you just shut up and pay attention, idiot." Ymir interrupted any questions which might have followed, not even turning to look at Connie as she berated him.
"Recall the massive boulder roughly a league from the gate! Having assumed Titan form, cadet Jaeger will hoist said boulder on his back, schlup it to the hole and voila! And this is where you all come in! Your job will be to defend him! Yes, defend a Titan against his own kind!"
Pixis paused a moment to allow the crowd to murmur before he continued. "And that, is where Cadet Gohan Son comes in!" He gestured to his left as Gohan followed suit from Eren, giving a sharp salute as he puffed up his chest, the splashes of red colour he know wore contrasting brilliantly with the sky behind him.
"You have all by now heard of Cadet Sons' capabilities! In training he broke every record previously held, and in a single day has managed to accumulate dozens of confirmed Titan kills!" Gohan hadn't actually been able to give an accurate number for how many of the creatures he had slain, having not kept proper track. He'd estimated somewhere around the region of 35, but it seemed that Commander Pixis was at least pretending to take that as a definitive answer.
"He has saved countless of his comrades lives, and is on his way to becoming humanity's new strongest soldier! He, and other soldiers of his skill, will be on the frontlines of this coming battle, helping to cut a path through the Titan horde to the gate, where Cadet Jaeger will plug it!"
From only a short distance away, Mikasa watched with rapt attention while Armin stood over a map with two of the squad officers Commander Pixis had brought with him.
"What do you mean we don't actually need to fight them?" Asked the male officer, bringing Mikasas' attention back to the matter at hand.
"There's an easier way." Armin reiterated, before getting flustered and blushing. "Sorry, I know it's not my place to interrupt, I mean no disrespect."
"It's alright, just go on with what you were saying."
"Right. Thank you sir. See, whatever else is going on around them Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected on one corner away from the breach we could lure the Titans out of Erens path. We could be discreet about moving the boulder. He also won't have to slow his pace while we fight the others off of him. And since the Titans will all be in one area, we can pick them off via cannon fire without incurring casualties of our own. Now I'm not suggesting we leave Eren defenceless, that'd be too risky. We'll need a modest band of elites to act as his bodyguards, there's no way of knowing how many Titans might come through the hole while he's trying to patch it up. His security detail will need to be able to handle them."
"Easy enough I think. We can retool the plan around that." The man seemed convinced enough, even if Armin himself actually wasn't.
"Thing is, we're making a huge assumption here. Namely that Eren, even in full on Titan mode is strong enough to move the rock. I mean, to be perfectly honest, there's very little reason for us to suppose he can. I have my doubts, serious ones."
"As do I. Sending people to their doom on a whim isn't a tactic I'm fond of. Uncertainty's killed too many already, but the commander's right. We must do this."
"Agreed. We're working against the clock here." The second officer chipped in, as deadly serious as her comrade. "Titans are still lumbering into Trost as we speak. There already may be more than we can handle frankly. The longer we wait, the worse our chances of success become."
"And it goes without saying, the better the chances they'll bust through wall Rose and wreak untold havoc."
"There's something else too, even the bravest of us can't indefinitely bottle our fear, not before something gives." It was clear that the two officers were on the same wavelength, giving Armin no choice but to go ahead and force himself to be commit to the plan.
"The kid can lift a rock that big? Is this real? Is he saying we finally have an advantage?"
The commanders' words settled in to the crowd to mixed effect, with some believing them and being reassured. Others, like the man Marco had been trying to comfort, reacted very differently.
"THEY'RE LYING! I'm not gonna be drawn into sacrificing myself for this crap! We're just disposable tools to you people! You expect us to live and die for whatever the hell comes out of your mouth!"
Sasha teared up, remembering just how close her brush with death had been. There was no point lying to herself, she was scared. Terrified. Had it not been for Gohan, she would have been ripped apart by that Titan, dying slowly and painfully to a being that felt nothing towards her own life but an instinct to kill.
For the rest of the crowd, doubt once more began to settle in. "You mean they're human weapons?"
"C'mon, he's obviously full of it."
"We're being played."
"There's no way some cadet is that strong."
Near Jean, the officer who had been trying to create a distraction to escape gave up, walking away in plain sight. "This is not how I'm going out. Good luck to the rest of ya." The two cadets he'd been scaring watched in astonishment before sharing a questioning look with each other. They nodded, and began to follow. All around them other began to have the same idea, turning around to walk home in refusal.
"I'm out of here."
"Me too."
"Yeah, screw this."
One of the other squad leaders grabbed the officer by his jacket, disgusted by the mans' desertion of his post. "So help me god I'll execute you on the spot."
"To hell with you, my family gets the time I have left."
Watching it unfold from street level was Captain Woermann and his two lieutenants, the silver haired Rico and brown-haired Ian. Ian was the first to speak up as he watched more and more soldiers begin to follow the will of the crowd and retreat. "This is getting out of hand."
"I know, if we don't act now the whole thing will break down." Rico put it more bluntly, looking to her Captain for orders.
"Traitors! I'll kill you where you stand!" Woermann acted, drawing his swords and stepping in front of any soldiers preparing to leave. "Desertion is answered by death!"
From up above, Gohan watched with disappointment as the men and women below lost heart, ready to give up and surrender. But Pixis wasn't finished yet. "Anyone wishing to leave, will by my personal order not be charged with treason! Those who have seen a Titan first hand will not be expected to revisit such horror again! Whomever this applies to you may leave with my blessing! Additionally, anyone with family or loved ones they would spare from the same trauma may also leave! The crown will continue to recognise your service! Thank you and good luck!"
The soldiers stop in surprise. Surprise, and shame. The scared officer already knew what was coming, but couldn't stop himself from feeling the guilt as he pictured what would happen when the Titans broke through. What would happen to his daughter. "I couldn't live with myself. My daughter's my all." With renewed determination, he turned back, others around him doing the same as they thought of their families. "Daddy's coming sweetie, don't you worry."
Pixis paused for a breath and continued, already dreading what he would have to finally say out loud. "Now, think back four years ago! Namely, the operation to retake wall Maria! I bring it up because you all deserve to have your suspicions confirmed! Officially we labelled it reconnaissance, but in fact as most of you probably know, it was little more than a purge, a thinly disguised exercise in population control! We knew this in our hearts, of course we did, yet we turned a blind eye! We supported the state sponsored myth because the deaths of our fellow human beings allowed us to survive! Pure and simple! The guilt is ours, we share the blame! All of us! The citizens of wall Maria sustained themselves on the wholesale slaughter of the refugees flown to us for help! Turnabout is fair play is it not!? If wall Maria succumbs the population will fall by a whole other order of magnitude! The lands comprising wall Sina wouldn't support half the people now living! If we're wiped off the face of the earth, the culprits will not have been the Titans let me assure you! No no, we'll have done it to ourselves! If a line isn't drawn now it won't be drawn at all!" Pixis spread his arms wide in declaration. "If we must die, let us die here!"
By his side, Erens' thoughts were focused. 'I don't know if I'll actually be strong enough in Titan form to lift that rock in the first place, but, I'm sure as hell going to try. Maybe this is naïve, maybe this is running on false hope, but so what? I have to power through, for them, for all of us. My war. No, my duty, is to make false hope real.'
For Gohan, his thoughts had become a questioning mess. 'A massacre of that scale happened deliberately!? How, how could I have let this happen. Why didn't I see anyone when I was trapped in Titan territory? I could have saved some of them. But, I never did… I'm sorry, to all of you for not being there when you needed me.'
"Not once has humanity ever achieved victory over the Titans since they first appeared! For every step the Titans have taken forward, humanity has continually been forced to draw back and give up its territory! However, should we succeed we'll make history! Today is the day! Lands taken by our greatest enemy will be reclaimed! For the first time we will know what it means not to run! But to meet the Titans head on and win! Now it may seem an insignificant plot of land compared to the vast tracks of land of former glory long abandoned! But as a symbol, as an idea! Trost regained shall stand as a reclamation of pride and hope beyond measure! A leap greater than we have ever taken!"
Cannons moved into position along the wall while elevators lifted supplies up in preparation. Pixis watched idly as he waited for the three officers he'd requested to form up behind him. The two lieutenants from Captain Woermann, Ian and Rico, as well as another squad leader by the name of Mitabi. "Good, you're all here. You have one mission and one mission only, protect Eren Jaeger. Any risk associated with this operation are yours to eliminate. Which I'm sure you'll surmise means out of everyone, your jobs are the worst. Our success or failure will depend on you. In fact it's safe to say the fate of mankind will reflect your own."
Rico was the first to speak up. "Sir, may I ask something?"
"Of course."
"Are you certain about this? Pinning our hopes on Jaeger I mean."
Ian cast her an annoyed look. "Rico, don't."
"I'm sorry, I assume we all have our doubts."
Mitabi butted in, his own doubts weighing heavily. "Sir please, with all due respect the kids' abilities are an unknown quantity, we don't have the first idea what he will or won't do. If he can't lift the rock or worse he goes rogue, a lot of lives will have been lost for nothing."
"Hmmm, you make a good point. Perhaps we should just give ourselves up to the Titans willingly? Personally the idea makes me sick. I'm a sore loser." He turned away from them as they stood embarrassed. "You'd think I'd be used to it. I've been stuck on the losing side since day one. I'm a stubborn old fool though, just once I'd like to know what victory feels like, even if I have to resort to extreme measures."
"Naturally sir, I'm sure we all feel the same way." Brusque as she may be, never let it be said that Rico wasn't sympathetic to the cause.
"Then I suppose we'll just have to wait and see, the boys' abilities may be an unknown quantity I'll give you that. But I'll take it over the known quantity of our options."
Another soldier ran over to them, dropping a quick salute as he reported. "Sir, it's time to get the decoy operation on its feet."
"Ian Dietrich. Rico Brzenska. Mitabi Jarnach. You are the garrison regiments best and brightest. Win this one for humanity."
As one they saluted, before dropping a proud "sir!"
"Excellent, Ian I'm assigning you squad leader. On site contingencies will be yours to deal with."
"Uh, but sir, that is-" Whatever confidence the commander had just instilled in him was gone, as awkwardly made his excuses, only to be cut off by Rico and then Mitabi.
"I have no objections."
"Neither do I."
Ian hesitated still. "Please sir, I'm not competent enough."
"Now now, you appreciate alcohol do you not?"
"Sir?" The man asked confused, feeling the commanders' trademark eccentricity creeping in.
"You know a good vintage, you know a shoddy one as well. So there it is."
"…sir!" In a way, he sort of understood the man, a slight confidence boost rising in him. Mostly it was just nonsense though.
Eren, Mikasa, Gohan, and Armin all stood a short distance away, waiting for their final orders. It was also Armins' final chance to apologise for it all. "I'm so sorry Eren. I was just talking out of my head, it wasn't my intention for you to be pulled into all this."
"Stop apologising. The fact is you have a gift for strategy and you know it. I believe in you Armin."
The two shared a brief moment of understanding before Mikasa interrupted to get something off of her chest as well. "Eren, I really think you should-"
"You're not coming with me. You're on the decoy squad. Period." The declaration from Eren took her off guard, Gohan too. He remembered when Eren had told him about what happened with Mikasa, and how he'd saved her, which explained why she was so devoted to staying by his side. But it was clear that Eren was chafing under it, especially after Carla had been crippled, leaving more and more responsibility on Mikasas' shoulders to watch over him. Still, he wished Eren wouldn't bite back at her so much.
"No way, I'm not leaving you alone. I won't take another chance!"
Eren pushed close, getting in her face as he snarled. "Knock it the hell off! Get it through your head that I'm not your responsibility, you're not my mother!"
Mikasa looked down in defeat, and Gohan found himself stepping in. "Eren, you know it's just because she cares, don't go taking your frustrations out on her."
Eren was silent, his expression unreadable, before Ians' voice cut in. "Ackerman, Son. I want you two on the squad that will be providing Jaeger with backup." Gohan wasn't surprised didn't react much beyond a simple nod, however Mikasa brightened considerably. "We'll need your skills. Hop to, let's get this started."
At once, they all began to move. Armin moving to join the observation squad on the wall, while Mikasa, Gohan, Eren, and the Garrison elite teams ran along the wall to reach the other side of the city.
As they ran, Ian began to speak, only turning his head back slightly to indicate he was speaking to Eren. "Let's get this out of the way, whatever you are all I care about is getting that rock in place. Can we count on you?"
"Yes sir! I won't let you down."
Mikasa piped up as she ran alongside him. "You're absolutely sure you're gonna be alright to do this?"
"I got it."
"Seriously?"
"How many times do you want me to say it? You just go do your job and I'll do mine."
Gohan saw the twitch of hurt on Mikasas' face, and felt another pang of annoyance. 'Damn it Eren, if you keep this up you're going to seriously hurt her feelings.'
Rico physically caught up, barging between the two of them as they ran. "Look, now's not the time to be playing house."
"C'mon it isn't like that."
Mitabi spoke up as well, just as annoyed as Rico that a childish argument seemed to be breaking out right before they were about to risk their lives. "I'm gonna say what we're all thinking here, the fact that the fate of mankind depends on a little brat like you doesn't make me hopeful."
From the front, Ian cut them off before tensions boiled over. "All of you, stop it right now. We're about to be in range of the giant boulder. I'm not seeing any Titans nearby, the decoy strategy must be doing the trick."
From the rear, Gohan was deep in thought of how to help Eren focus and believe in himself. He wasn't sure about Ian, but Rico and Mitabi had made it clear they didn't believe him capable, or even trust him. He knew what Eren would be feeling, that immense feeling of pressure in a life or death situation from people you didn't know, needing to use a power you didn't understand. For Gohan, it had been the Saiyans, but for Eren it was right now. Rico looked to be about to say something, so Gohan spoke first and cut her off.
"Eren. When I was six years old, two men came to kill everyone I knew." The boys' attention immediately shifted to him, as did Mikasas'. He'd never told them about the Saiyan attack, not truthfully for obvious reasons but not even part of it either. Telling people about Cells' attack had caused enough questions and investigations, so he simply pretended to have had a normal childhood.
"I was young, but they knew I was strong, so I had to fight regardless. There were people I knew who died that day. Tien. Chiaotzu. Yamcha. Even Piccolo, someone who was like a second father to me. They died fighting to protect people, to do what was right…to save me. And in the end, we won. If we had given up, not only would we they have killed us, and not only would they have died in vain, but they would have killed so many more people. It's why we didn't give up, why we kept pushing until we won, why I know you won't give up until we've won here today."
The boulder came into view between the houses, they were nearly there. "There are a lot of people counting on us. Those soldiers, everyone in wall Rose, Hannes, your mom. They're counting on us to retake Trost, and that's why I know we'll do it. Because I believe in you, and I know you won't let them down."
Eren was silent as he processed it all, before finally nodding confidently. "Right." 'This is happening. I'm going to do this.'
Ian pointed down the wall, to a road that ran between the houses and led a near direct course to the boulder. "This is the place. Let's do it." Save for Rico, they leapt off the wall as one and flew down to their target, hooks flying and gas hissing as they moved along at a blistering speed.
Watching them from atop the wall, Rico pulled a flair gun from her jacket and pointed it skyward, her left hand blocking one ear and her right arm blocking the other. With a loud bang, a green smoke flair sailed into the air, exploding brightly in the sky.
Pixis watched from afar, one of his staff watching through a telescope. "We've got green smoke sir, the elite squad has commenced the operation in earnest."
Pixis greeted the news with silence, whatever doubts or surprises he had remaining a mystery to all but him.
As the cleared the final building and the boulder came into view, Eren finally raised his hand to his mouth and bit. There was a flush of golden lightning from the sky, striking Erens body as it was consumed by a cloud of smoke. From out of it though came 15 metre behemoth, hair wild and eyes glowing green, landing on its feet by the boulder before it tilted its head back and let out an animalistic roar.
Mikasa and Gohan looked on with pride as they landed. Mikasa was easily the most proud of the two, practically beaming as her eyes roamed over him. 'Granted it's not easy see in terms of proportion. But in terms of sheer will, he's got this.'
And then, Eren began to turn around.
"Eren?"
His fist demolished the building where she had stood.