"I thought you were a big sister leading a troop of scouts. Looks like I was wrong."
The aircraft carrier's captain studied Misato's ID Badge, which had several lines blacked out. Only information like her measurements remained visible.
He thought Misato was completely unreliable.
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Not at all. It's been a long time since I've seen children around. I'm quite happy about it."
"Thank you for transporting Unit-02. Please take a look at this. It's just a precaution."
Misato took out the instructions for the emergency charging socket and showed them to the captain.
"Precautions are exactly why we were deployed. Since when did the UN become a delivery service?" the captain said impatiently.
"If you had even a third of the skill of my world's Showa-era Earth Defense Force, you wouldn't be losing to monsters like the Angels," Zero grumbled indignantly.
He had heard plenty from the Ultra Brothers about the human defense teams' astonishing achievements.
There was the tiny missile that blew up Zetton, the Universe Dinosaur that had defeated Professor Manny, his second uncle; the special R30 bomb that damaged King Joe, the robot that had been beating his father into the ground; and the two MS missiles that, together with his fourth uncle Jack, blasted apart the troublesome plastic monster Gokinezura.
A single shot from the Silver Shark Cannon had finished off Faimons, the flame super beast that had stabbed his fifth uncle Ace, while one Energy Bomb had destroyed the modified Bemstar that had left his sixth uncle Taro helpless.
So many glorious achievements, and then there was this world...
Meanwhile, the captain and Misato were arguing over the handover.
"Whatever the circumstances, we're in charge at sea. The handover can only take place once we reach shore," the captain insisted.
"I understand," Misato said forcefully. "But NERV holds supreme command authority in an emergency."
"So cool." Behind her, Toji and Kensuke were swooning over her again.
"As commanding as ever, I see."
At the sound of that voice, Misato's face immediately fell.
Asuka waved at him. "Kaji!"
"Looks like this guy gets along pretty well with Miss Asuka."
"You know him, Zero?"
"We met earlier. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but I've confirmed he's the one transporting Adam's embryo."
After the six of them left, the captain swore. "Shit, are they really letting a bunch of kids save the world?! And they've allocated all that funding to them and that giant robot. They should've given it to us."
The six found somewhere to sit and chat. Misato turned her head away, refusing to look at Kaji.
Kaji's feet were getting rather restless beneath the table.
"These two definitely used to date," Zero said confidently.
He had watched plenty of TV dramas about this sort of thing.
"Damn it, why are you here?"
"Why so cold?"
When Misato ignored him, Kaji turned to Shinji with a smile.
"Has Katsuragi gotten any better about how she sleeps?"
"And now he's staking his claim."
Shinji rolled his eyes. "I haven't really noticed, but she's probably just as messy as before. When I first moved in, the place looked like a battlefield."
Kaji rocked back and forth with laughter.
The other three present were stunned.
Misato's face turned as red as Omega.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Katsuragi has never changed when it comes to being messy. I remember that very clearly, Shinji Ikari."
Given what Zero had said, Shinji wasn't puzzled about how Kaji knew his name.
"The Third Child who piloted Unit-01 without any training. You're quite famous among us."
"Maybe that's just my talent and skill. Though a little luck played a part, too." Just as Shinji was about to answer, Zero took over, bringing back that roguishly handsome air.
The observant Asuka naturally noticed that Shinji's demeanor had changed again, but hearing "Shinji's" words still brought a look of jealousy to her face.
After their chat, Kaji spoke with Asuka alone.
"What do you think of Shinji Ikari?"
"He's strange, but pretty interesting. Having someone like him as the Third Child does fit my expectations somewhat."
"It's just that sometimes he doesn't seem like the same person."
"His synchronization rate was thirty-one percent in his first actual battle, but it's already reached sixty-five percent in the recent tests."
"Hmph! No wonder he's so arrogant. ＜(｀^´)＞"
Meanwhile, Misato was furiously complaining about Kaji.
"He's always been like that, the idiot!"
"I think that cryptic guy is pretty interesting," Zero remarked from the side.
"When did you meet Mr. Kaji, Zero?" Shinji had been curious about that all along.
"Third Child, come with me." Asuka suddenly appeared and dragged Shinji away.
Asuka brought Shinji to the other side of the warship, where an enormous white sheet covered something.
"This must be your Unit-02," Shinji guessed.
"Correct." Asuka pulled off the sheet, revealing the red Unit-02 before them.
"It's red. As far as I know, red warriors are usually synonymous with recklessness, though I guess I'm not really in a position to talk..."
After all, he had a red form himself.
Asuka stood atop Unit-02 and proudly introduced it. "Unlike Unit-00 and Unit-01, which are only experimental models, Unit-02 is the first EVANGELION built for actual combat."
"She wouldn't be saying that if she knew Unit-01 was made from Lilith's lower body."
As Zero was making that remark, he suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation.
After fighting the Day Angel and Ramiel, Zero had memorized the Angels' energy signatures. He could now detect their life signs within a certain range.
"Shinji, find somewhere to transform, quick! An Angel's coming!"
"What?! An Angel's coming!"
Shinji couldn't help shouting it aloud.
He raced onto the deck without looking back and was just about to take out the glasses to transform.
"Hey, are you trying to run away?"
Asuka had followed him up when he rushed off.
"My Unit-01 isn't here," Shinji immediately explained.
My chance. Asuka put on a mischievous expression.
By then, the fleet was under attack from the Angel.
Shinji saw something in the water charging toward the fleet. Any warship it struck exploded on impact.
The Angel leaped out of the water.
It resembled an enormous whale, white all over, its gaping mouth filled with sharp fangs.
The Sixth Angel-Fish Angel.
Shinji wanted to go transform, but Asuka stopped him and dragged him to a stairwell.
"Wait here." Asuka ran down the stairs with her bag.
From below, she added, "No peeking!"
"This young lady probably wants to show off Unit-02 to you..." Zero guessed.
Another shock wave hit, and Zero decided to do something.
"Shinji, let me borrow your body."
Zero rushed onto the deck, clenched his fists, and crossed them in front of his chest as he faced the Angel.
"Ultra Psychokinesis!"
Because his fusion with Shinji was even stronger than his fusion with Dan Moroboshi, and because Zero himself was a master of psychokinesis-even better than his father-he could expend some of his stamina to use Ultra Psychokinesis in human form for a limited time.
Moreover, compared with Earth's monsters, the Angel wasn't particularly heavy, so Zero could hold it with Ultra Psychokinesis quite easily.
The Angel was pinned in the sea, unable to break free no matter how hard it struggled.
The captain finally grasped the situation and ordered the entire fleet to fire torpedoes and missiles at the Angel.
"Wasting their effort again," scoffed Misato, who had been excluded as a mere "visitor."
A barrage of torpedoes and missiles struck the Angel, but its AT Field blocked them all.
Asuka interrupted "Shinji's" hold on the Angel with a flick to his forehead.
"Stop spacing out and put this on." Asuka shoved a red women's Combat Suit into Shinji's hands.
Shinji and Zero stared blankly at the Combat Suit in his hands.
"Two pilots?"
"Yes. Put it on, then follow me."
Shinji changed into the Combat Suit, utterly mortified.
"Shinji, you look pretty..." Zero trailed off at the sight of Shinji in the Combat Suit.
"Uh, better not let my thoughts wander..."
The two climbed into Unit-02's Entry Plug.
Watching Asuka configure Unit-02 in German, Zero suspected that Unit-02's thought-based language system used German.
"Shinji, stop thinking in Japanese for now. Think in German. It probably affects the synchronization rate."
"Okay."
"Begin synchronization!"
Shinji and Asuka successfully synchronized with Unit-02, and their surroundings became transparent.
Zero once again sensed the soul within the unit.
"I'm guessing this young lady's situation is like Shinji's..."
Asuka stared straight ahead with determination.
"EVA Unit-02, activate!"
Before you continue