From Across the Sea (Attack on Titan/OC) [ON HOLD]

Chapter 20

When his Aunt had told him that the Cadet Corps would push him to his limits, she wasn't kidding. Their Commandant, Keith Shadis, screamed at them constantly, yelling insults and doing what he could to be intimidating to weed out the weak ones of the newest group of cadets. Eren was determined to succeed. He would graduate and join the Survey Corps and defeat the titans that ravaged his home and took his mother away from him.

Their training was constant. Running, obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat...suddenly he was grateful for his Aunt's lessons in self-defense. She had made sure to teach each of them the proper way to form a fist, so you didn't injure yourself, how to stand to make yourself a smaller target, how to watch your enemy's moves and look for tells that gave away their plans.

Auntie Ang really made sure we were prepared for anything.

Eren was brought out of his thoughts as he and the rest of the cadets came to stand in front of Shadis as he stood in front of a large 3-legged contraption. He looked to Mikasa and Armin to see they had recognized the machinery as well.

"First we'll evaluate your aptitude with the 3DM gear. If you can't do this, you're not even worth using as a decoy." Shadis yelled at them again before he began to call out different names for the aptitude test.

Mikasa was completely still, the wires attached to her belt were completely steady as she hung suspended in the air. Connie and Jean wobbled back and forth before they eventually got the hang of it, while Sasha was gently swinging back and forth looking somewhat bored. Meanwhile, Eren was hung completely upside down.

"What are you doing, Eren Jaeger?" Shadis kneeled down to scream closer to his face which was barely above the ground. "Pick yourself up!" Eren could feel the blood rushing to his head, while the rest of the cadets laughed at him.

This can't be happening! Auntie Ang always made it sound so easy.

Eren was gently lowered to the ground and he quickly unlatched the wire from his belt before he went to stand at the back of the group, hoping to avoid the others. He crossed his arms over his chest and grit his teeth. He would not give up.

He had later asked Mikasa and Armin to help him with the aptitude test again. If his two best friends could do it, he should have no problem. Mikasa's voice was gentle as she explained how he could improve.

"Don't worry about doing well. Just watch your balance and stay centered." She gestured to the harness each soldier wore around their waist and hips. "Slowly rest your weight on the belt attached to your hips."

"Stay calm and you can do it. I was able to." Armin's voice chimed in from behind him. His blonde friend was standing at the crank, ready to lift him off the ground again.

"Okay I think I can do it this time. Raise me up, Armin." Eren could feel the wires attached to his hips become taught before he was lifted off the ground completely. It didn't take long for him to swing forward and smack his head against the ground. He could feel Armin crank him back to the ground while Mikasa unhooked the wires from his belt. Each friend had then wrapped one arm around their shoulders as they helped him to the infirmary. He had failed again.