The World She Saw | Attack on Titan x Reader Fanfiction |

The Days of Hard Training: The Survey Corps (7)

~Your PoV~

It was early in the morning, and you were already on the training ground with Eren.

Of course, you knew that you had promised to train with him yesterday, but you didn't think that he would be standing outside your door so early and asking if you could start right now. You probably should have expected it. After all, Eren was known for his ambition. Even if it was often too much...

Since you didn't have the heart to send him away, when he was so eager, you agreed to go training. Besides, you yourself were often early on the training ground, when you were plagued by insomnia again.

"First, we'll practice hand-to-hand combat," you explain.

"Hand-to-hand combat?"

"Exactly," you nod, "I know many thought it was pointless during training, but hand-to-hand combat is good for practicing coordination and speed. All things that are also needed when fighting the Titans. And of course, spontaneity is also trained. After all, you don't know what your opponent will do next. And for you, hand-to-hand combat has a more important meaning, doesn't it?"

Eren looked at you somewhat questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, while you were in your Titan form, you killed the Titans, through hand-to-hand combat techniques, after all," as you say this, Eren of course realizes what you meant.

"You are so slow on the uptake. You should work on that as well," you murmur with a slight sigh.

Eren couldn't understand you because you spoke too quietly, which is why you just continued. "Anyway, let's get started. Attack me."

You managed to defeat Eren with ease. He only used a simple technique that you learned in training back then. By being exposed to hand-to-hand combat techniques from the beginning of your training, because it was an easy way to improve one's physical skills in a more interesting way than push-ups and squats, you were a good deal ahead of your fellow recruits, since most of them didn't take hand-to-hand combat classes seriously because they were not included in the final grades.

However, in addition to the technique from training, Eren also knew a move or two from Annie. Annie was a real natural when it came to hand-to-hand combat. From her execution and the elements she could do, you could easily tell that she must have started practicing at an early age. Even though you weren't bad yourself, you still lacked quite a bit of work to be able to defeat someone like Annie.

Eren's unforeseen moves caught you off guard, but you were able to react quickly. Even though Eren copied a few of Annie's moves that were stronger than the ones you could do, they were still too few to throw you off your guard.

Through a few rounds of fighting, you really just wanted to know what Eren could do to better assess further training, but his stubbornness disagreed. After you defeated him, he kept wanting a rematch. It wasn't that he couldn't lose, it's just that he set his sights high.

Eren tried to hit you again from the side with his right leg, but you were able to dodge quickly and use the moment when he was only standing on one leg to knock him off balance by kicking his left leg away with a skillful kick, causing him to fall hard to the ground.

He lay on his back, but quickly, jumped back up. "One more round!"

Eren looked at you with determined eyes and was already ready for the next attack, but you slowed him down. "Another one? That was already the forty-second one. You certainly have stamina. But that's no good. That's what's always bothered me about you, you never know when it's time to give up..."

Eren takes a step toward you. "But-"

You interrupt him as you also take a step towards him, "No buts. Learn more first, then we can always compete again. I've gotten a good look at your skills. I now know what you can improve. So first of all..."