"She is a firebending prodigy. My father says she was born lucky. he says i was lucky to be born"
He learned early on that overpowering her wasn't even an option. No matter how much weight he could bench, how many hours he trained, or how much weight he had on her. Her strength simply wasn't human. Sometimes he wonders if Captain Levi was going easy on Eren while beating him up. He was absolutely sure her kicks can decapitate someone if she so wishes. Regardless if that statement was true doesn't matter, cuz to Him, Mikasa Ackerman was
Strong. And he….
Weak. Weak. Weak.
His eyes focused forward. Sweat and ugly bruises covered his shirtless form. They've been at it for two hours now. A series of viscous beat downs.
Heal, repeat. Heal, repeat… Repeat
He was exhausted, barely standing. she on the other hand looked like she just finished a twenty-minute run. he knew he couldn't lose his focus, that usually meant pain, broken bones, and losing, but Self-doubt was always on the for front of his mind while fighting her . Making him hesitate, making him Weak. But mostly the same question kept following him in every fight. Haunting him. Taunting him. Chipping away his strength.
How I'm I going to win?
Titans were powerful in their own right, of that there can be no doubt. But titans are slow, and dumb. Even the most bizarre abnormal can somewhat be predicted. But her, it was like no matter what you tried, what you planned, her body just knew how to put you down with extreme prejudice. And that's just in hand-to-hand combat. While she's using the O.D.M gear, he didn't even question his assumption that no one Could beat her. It was insane. Insane. Armin couldn't pull the stuff she does if he trained for a hundred years. The foresight, acrobatics, and absurd level of agility was simply inhumane.
Not a hair out of place.
Every morning after breakfast he asks her for spars, and every morning she beats him within an inch of his life. Leaving him to heal in the basement like the pathetic waste he is. Of Course, he's asking for it. He wasn't a masochist, no matter what everybody thinks. He wasn't. It was simply a necessity. He needed to learn. Plus, it wasn't like he sustained much damage. He healed. Broken bones and missing teeth recovered in an instant. Still, it didn't matter though. no matter if he fought dirty, if he fought Smart, or healed mid fight. She was simply better.
Born lucky
Even knowing all that, watching her simply vanish from his field of sight in a well-lit room scared him shitless. He had just a fraction of a second to raise his arm to guard. it almost appeared to be in slow motion to him. The kick, aimed for the right side of his ribs, almost seemed to curve, as Mikasa spun, and with the unholy use of centrifugal forces, redirected the kick instead at his left Side. Pain. Pure unadulterated Pain. The wind burst out of his lungs, but she didn't stop, as simple as breathing she rotated once again, in a swift move dislocated his jaw with her elbow.
At that point he was barely conscious. Barely breathing. Nevertheless, he didn't falter. The breaking of his jaw gave him an opportunity to back off, might even give him a second or two to rethink his next move. So, he took it. Activating his healing on his jaw gave him a burst of steam from the same area, which he directed to her field of vision. Giving him ample time to jump back.
But it was futile, for as he was trying to take a breath a punch suddenly appeared near his face. It was simply pure instincts, born from countless knockout blows to the same area, that he managed to dodge to the left, and instantly counter with a punch to her liver. It spoke of countless beatings he took. These spars to him were just a consistent reminder of how weak he was. but moments like these, moments where he learns how to survive an unbeatable force, makes all the pain worth it.
a prodigy
Mikasa Ackerman, to him, embodies everything a warrior should be. the confidence and drive of a general. the skill and strength, and abilities of a final boss. And the intelligence of a master tactician. All at 16 years old.
a genius
She tanks the punch barely flinching, and instantly repositions herself and performs a flawless leg sweep. He didn't even have time to react before losing his center of gravity. As soon as he reaches the ground, her foot immediately buries itself in his stomach, turning his internal organs to a scrambled mess.
A Royal Predator
It took every ounce of will power he had left to not empty the content of his ruined abdomen, or worse, lose consciousness. Move. Move. Mov-
Bang-
Captain Levi nearly kicks the door off its hinges. 'Brats, I'm getting sick and tired of you two dirtying my floors.' Tsk. 'Get up. Clean yourselves up—we're moving in 45 minutes." As he's walking away, they can still hear him mutter Fucking brats… better clean up or I'll—
Finally they snap back to focus.
*Sigh*
Seeing they had to cut it short he jump started his healing while reflecting back on the fight they just had. Areas where he could improve, Paths to take, and what to train next.
Beating her became an unhealthy obsession for him. but he simply couldn't see it. Couldn't envision it. Power and strength. She was his perfect foil. Where he was born weak, she was born destined to be strong.
Fated for power.
sigh- finally getting up he walked up to the corner and picked up their towels.
"here" he said while throwing hers.
"You did good today. I couldn't react fast enough to your punch." she informed him, a small smile on her face. Slowly tracing his healing injurys.
"Thanks Mika. You were unbelievable, like always." he voiced with an amazed look in his eyes- "And Believe it or not, even when I'm losing constantly, I do love spending time with you." he finished with a beaming smile.
"Thanks Armin." she says smiling. A smile so pure it defied his world view.
Did my heart just skip a beat?!
He reluctantly looks away and says "C'mon, let's hurry and take a shower before the captain gets pissed again."
"Yeah." she responds while fixing her scarf. That damn scarf
Fuck you Eren-he muses while leaving the room.