The Undetermined Outside

Chapter Nine

*y/n POV*

As soon as the word go was yelled at us I was booking my ass to the supply shed to grab my gear. I didn't take a second glance at any of my comrades that were also running to the shed. We all had our own equipment and I had written my name on part of my gear out of habit. I didn't want to accidentally put on someone else's because all of my straps were pre done to how I needed it.

I stormed into the room behind Jean who's long legs had rushed in front of me. "Better hurry up, Beartrap. Don't want to get scolded by Shadis." He laughed at his own comments. He always found himself annoying, but I just think he's annoying

I sighed at the dumb nickname he had given me. It came from one of my hunting stories, from two years back. The story had been about how Armin had learned to set up some traps, but his favorite part was the part where I almost got my hand caught in the trap that he hadn't sent up correctly. Despite my excitement in explaining how me and my friend learned to hunt together, I guess that's what stuck with him.

"Shut up, dude. You know I've only been scolded twice by him in the past three years. Unlike you and Eren's tantrums that happen a few times week." I threw back at him. I am not going to take his shit today. I've got something to prove. "Anyways, if you would've let me, the lady, go first like a gentlemen is supposed to do, you would've gotten a great view of this sweet ass."

He looked at me with a confused tomato red blush coating his whole face. This was my favorite thing to do to the tall, lanky kid. He couldn't figure out what to say to that and you knew that sentence would throw him off his game. I was chuckling to myself while I started stepping into my gear. I turned away from his face and gave him a great view while tightening the straps on my legs. I love messing with him.

Armin was at my side also blushing. Oh wait, he was actually running behind me into the shed and I'm pretty sure he heard everything I just said. He's too innocent for his own good. "Hey," I started to say to my best friend, "You can't get distracted. Stay focused!" He nodded in response and I saw his face go straight back to serious again.

When I finished with my gear I hauled ass with the other teens to get to the course before the ten minutes were up.

The set up was simple in my mind. We had a forest filled with traps, distractions, and dummy titans for us to maneuver around and slice the napes off of. Some people feared this part, but I thrive in the woods; I always have.

When I approached the designated starting area I looked over and saw the Scout leaders standing on a thick branch high in the trees. They stood partly in the forest already. They had their gear on and I can only assume they were coming in with us to watch us first hand.

I rested my arm on Eren's shoulder as he was the closest to me. "Don't lose your cool in there, okay?"

"Oh shut it, y/n. Try not to trip over your lines."

I gasped, "That happened once in the beginning of training! I thought we agreed to never speak of that again." That was enough to make me punch the jerk in the same shoulder I had just been resting my hand on. Mikasa walked closer to us in response.

"Dammit, y/n! You know you have a really strong left punch. You can't mess around with that." He whimpered. Serves him right. I loved being left handed, it always caught the others off guard during training because almost everyone is right handed. No one expects to get hit with my strikes.

"Alright you little shits, we wanna see what you got!" Shadis started to say with a flare in his right arm facing towards the sky. "When this goes off, get into that forest and slice as many necks as you can, and don't embarrass me."

*BANG*

Some of the trainees rain into the woods first, it's an easy way to assess the situation and keep control of the mission from the start, but I don't care for the simple way. I like doing what's expected and I personally love being in the air as soon as possible, so I located the closest tree and lurched myself upward immediately.

As soon as I was up in the air I pushed myself past the tree I was in and propelled my body forward and rolled into a front flip. I gave a loud howl as the adrenaline kicked in. I reached my ODM gear out into another two trees and kept hurling my way forward.

I heard another set of gear going off to my left and saw the short captain of the scouts flying by me. He was looking over at me with not a hint of emotion. He was going fast so I only saw him look at me for a second. His moves were so graceful. He looked like he was meant to use this gear, that is what developed with him in mind.

That man knew what he was doing and I needed to learn what I could from him. All the more reason for me to join the Scout Regiment. While I took that moment to be in awe of his skill, I didn't notice a branch that was closing in on my face. A couple of leaves whipped me in the face. I spat out a few pieces of them but continued my quick pace into the woods. I hope he didn't see that.

I sped up at the sight of one of the dummies ahead. Jean was closing in on it too. "Hey there handsome!" I yelled over the whirring of our gear and he just looked up at me dumbfounded at my catcall.

Perfect. I sped up to reach the titan first; slashing its neck deeply in the process and not even looking back at the tall boy behind me. I kept going forward.

I swung myself around a tree like I was swinging on vines just for the hell of it. And to my surprise I noticed another dummy that I would've passed otherwise. When I was about to approach I heard the sound of rocks being chucked at me from above. I went the long way around and reached the titan. I was so close to the thing that I got a running start on the neck and sliced through it that way.

After I managed to slice a couple more necks I made my way to the "finish line" of the course. There were a few people there already which was perfect. No one wants to be the first one through the forest or the last.

I landed next to Mikasa and was about to say something when we were interrupted by none other than Commander Erwin himself.

He rested his hand on his hips as he stood there with a big shit eating grin on his face. "You girls really seemed in your element out there. I would be honored if you would consider the scouts your home in the future."