The Last Ackerman

Chapter 4: Levi

Elysian woke the next morning to the sound of chattering and fast footsteps outside her door. She had slept all through the evening and the night, and hadn't even woken when someone brought her dinner late last night. She sat up quickly and shook off the sleepiness, then cracked her back and knuckles before thoroughly stretching and letting out a satisfied sigh, her muscles feeling deliciously loose and rested after all the walking she had done yesterday. On the table by her bedside was a plate with a boiled potato, some carrots and two slices of bread.There was also a canteen of lukewarm water that she drank quickly, before eating last night's meal. The potato would've previously been hot but she couldn't have given less of a shit that it was cold - food was food either way. Less than an hour later, as she was laid back in bed, a man with a horrific beard and a shockingly bald head comes in and barks at Elysian to put on the jacket and trousers that he handed to her before leaving. She rolled her eyes and got up, looking over the clothes. They were identical to the ones she saw those in the classroom wearing yesterday, a brown jacket and white pants. She pulled them on and left the room with her belongings in it, trusting that no one would touch them.  The man stood outside her room and introduced himself as Keith Shadis, the one who would be in charge of training her. He led her down the corridor, past countless new faces who watched her pass with curious looks. Many looked back over their shoulders to see the figure walk past. Elysian walked with an almost cocky stance, a confident yet uninterested aura following her. She stared down everyone who looked at her, eyes narrowed and harsh. With just one look, she let them know that she could and would beat their fucking faces in if it so pleased her.

Shadis led her out into the courtyard. The orange sunrise was gently bleeding away, making way for the soft blue that would remain for the rest of the day. Clouds hung heavily and the occasional bird could be heard. In the distance, pairs of cadets could be seen practicing hand to hand combat, watched closely by a supervisor. On the back of his jacket was a different symbol; this one had a pair of wings, one blue and one white. Elysian didn't even have time to wonder at the different symbols on the clothing before Shadis was shouting at everyone to stop. They all turned towards Elysian and Shadis.

"Listen up, you bunch of worthless maggots. We've got a new recruit. Her name is Elysian and some of you are going to fight her so we can determine her ability. Got it?" Shadis barked, and there was a collective knod. "Right. Springer. You first. C'mon, we ain't got all day." the so-called Springer came into an empty area between the group of cadets and Elysian. She shrugged and walked over to him. Before Springer has time to bring his hands up for protection, Elysian lands a crushing kick to his head, knocking him over and out cold. She stands back straight and looks forward at the crowd. Most of their mouths are agape, and even Shadis looks a bit shocked. "Reiner." is all he says, and a stocky blonde boy comes out of the crowd. His face is almost expressionless, and this time Elysian gives him time to get ready before going for a quick left undercut, followed suit by a right hook aimed under the chin. He's a mere second late to block, and is almost knocked over. He throws a punch aimed for her nose, but she moves to his side and kicks his legs out from under him, leaving him eating dirt. With two people down in under a minute, Shadis is shocked at her physical abilities. He continues to pit her against the cadets, one by one, and is shocked to see she's only evenly matched with Annie. She leaves pretty much everyone else eating dirt or unconscious. By the end of the morning, she's just beginning to break a sweat, and the others are wary as they walk to lunch with her.

As the cadets went to lunch, Erwin, Levi, Eren, Mikasa, Armin and the others were just returning from court, Eren's wounds freshly healed. The trio were relieved at Eren being returned to the Survey Corps but the pressure was on to prove that he would be useful. Mikasa and Armin were sent off to the mess hall as Eren was taken from them, leaving them no time for conversation or goodbyes. When they entered the mess hall, they were welcomed by shouting from a far corner. Ymir was arguing with an unfamiliar face, who was clearly enjoying having riled her up.