"Pay attention to where you generate power, and keep your footing steady. Don't throw a punch and fall over yourself. Cadet Annie is doing very well."
"Kali! Attacks on joints need to be fast. What are you winding up for? Do you think this is a game?"
Bai Yu had placed a dummy in front of each of them, with the body's joints marked on it. They had already spent two days learning about joints and vital points, giving them a general understanding. The rest could only be figured out through actual combat.
Xiate was now taking Mike, the Levi Squad, and the Hange Squad through firearms training. Erwin had needed the handgun blueprints, so Bai Yu had given them to him. He had said they would come in handy later.
In any case, Xiate alone was enough to teach them.
He watched them repeatedly strike the joints on their dummies, though their movements were still somewhat haphazard. But this was only the first step, a chance for them to become familiar with the motions. Once they had mastered the basics, it would be easier to teach them the more complicated techniques.
"We'll be sparring this afternoon. Don't even think about slacking off or pulling your punches, especially those of you who want to join the Military Police. Give it your all, because if you fail combat training, you won't have the slightest chance of making the top ten!"
Noticing that some of them had slowed down, Bai Yu kicked one of them into his dummy from behind.
"Faster! What is this sluggish punching? Turtle boxing?"
Time trickled by like that, and before they knew it, two months had passed.
It was the final assembly for combat training.
Bai Yu stood before them all.
"The rankings for these two months of combat training are as follows.
First place, Annie Leonhart.
Second place, Mikasa Ackerman.
Third place, Eren Yeager.
Fourth place, Reiner Braun.
Fifth place, Kali Lang.
Sixth place, Sasha Braus.
Seventh place, Jean Kirstein.
Eighth place, Bertholdt Hoover.
Ninth place, Ymir.
Tenth place..."
At this point, Bai Yu couldn't help pausing. He hadn't adjusted these rankings to favor anyone, which was precisely why he was a little surprised.
"Ishi Dovilis!"
Everyone below remained quiet. The rankings caused no commotion, nor did anyone dare make one.
"Those are the rankings for this hand-to-hand combat course. They will count toward your final overall rankings! As of now, the hand-to-hand combat training phase is over! You have this afternoon off, though of course, you're not allowed to leave!"
Bai Yu clenched his right fist and thumped it against his heart, smiling as he spoke softly.
"Then, may fortune favor you all in battle!"
At Bai Yu's words, everyone below clenched their right fists and placed them over their hearts in unison.
"Dismissed!"
But they stared at Bai Yu as though they hadn't heard him. Over the past two months, he had been extremely strict during training. Even calling him harsh would have been no exaggeration.
What made him different, however, was that after dismissal, he often joined them for meals in the dining hall. From time to time, he told them about his experiences outside the Walls, along with funny stories about their seniors in the Survey Corps.
It had given them a deep admiration for Bai Yu. Yet he was around their age, so he felt like both a senior and a friend.
Bai Yu had also said that he was very biased. The harder he was on someone during training, the more he liked them.
Kali was one example. She was put through the most training, yet she was also the one who talked to Bai Yu the most outside it.
There was something very genuine about him.
During that time, Annie had challenged him to a fight several times, but she had lost every single one without exception. She still seemed rather bothered by it.
Bai Yu turned and walked away with Ming, waving to everyone behind him.
"Until we meet again, everyone!"
Only after Bai Yu had disappeared completely did some of them seem to come back to their senses.
"So we don't have to keep training under Instructor Bai Yu's tyranny every day anymore?"
"Yeah. I guess you could call it freedom."
Jean murmured.
"But why does it feel... well... like I'm going to miss him?"
"Who cares? Didn't Instructor Bai Yu say we have this afternoon off? Let's get some proper rest. Tomorrow... oh, right. Tomorrow we start practicing with the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear."
"You're pretty popular, Bai Yu."
Beside him, Ming took small sips from a bottle of liquor he had produced at some point, speaking casually as he drank.
"Well, let's hope Kali keeps at it. Didn't Erwin ask us to come over?"
"Yes, he did. But you're going to be late, Bai Yu."
"Then let's pick up the pace."
Bai Yu knocked on the door, and when it opened, Levi was the one standing there.
As soon as he entered the room, the sight of a bald old man made Bai Yu raise an eyebrow.
"Commander Pixis?"
The bald old man before him gently stroked the short, white mustache above his lips. His brow was heavily lined, and he looked warm and approachable.
The old man was Dot Pixis, commander of the Garrison Regiment! Looking at the thirteen-year-old Bai Yu and the two Survey Soldiers of roughly the same age behind him, he realized who Bai Yu was.
"So this young man is the one they call the Sleep-Deprived Reaper? They say he is no weaker than humanity's strongest soldier, and that the Support Squad he leads has slain hundreds of Titans."
Bai Yu, however, took his seat with little enthusiasm.
"Commander Pixis, let's skip the pleasantries. I imagine you've already found out everything there is to know about me."
Rather than irritating him, those words made the old man burst into laughter.
Erwin, standing nearby, also gave Bai Yu a signal. Bai Yu took the three books from inside his clothes and pushed them toward Pixis. The moment he had seen Pixis there, he had understood that Erwin intended to bring the old man on board.
After all, when it came down to it, the Garrison Regiment was the largest organization within the Walls.
Of the dozens of cadets in each graduating class, only ten could enter the Military Police. A small number joined the Survey Corps, while most of the rest chose the Garrison Regiment.
"Here. This is the truth about the world outside the Walls. Don't crease the pages. Books need to be kept in good condition."
With that, Bai Yu took out the advanced edition of the book on basic missile theory and began reading. Those three books were quite long, after all, and he figured Pixis wouldn't finish them anytime soon, so he might as well read something himself.
Then, remembering something, he had Ming and Xiate bring over stools and sit down as well.
He began leafing through the book in his hands.
Hmm... what page was I on again?
Before you continue