After a few days of rest, Asuka and Rei had fully recovered from their injuries, though Asuka still felt occasional aches.
Misato had recovered too, but her left leg still wasn't working properly, so she had to use a crutch for now.
The sight of Misato's single crutch brought back some unpleasant memories for Asuka...
"As Zero would put it, those Knuckle Aliens really were a bunch of bastards..." Misato cursed bitterly as she leaned on her crutch.
Supporting her, Kaji boasted, "I already got revenge for you. I took out at least four of them myself."
"Tell me how badly they got beaten. The worse, the better." Misato wanted to vent her anger.
"Oh, I've got plenty to say about that. They got smashed to pieces, literally..." Kaji was certainly qualified to speak on the subject.
Shinji had woken up too, but unfortunately, he still had to lie in the capsule and rest until his internal injuries had fully healed.
When Asuka went to visit him, she initially wanted to put on a haughty front and mock him a little.
But the moment she actually saw Shinji lying pale and bloodless in the capsule, those words flew right out of her head.
Her eyes reddening, Asuka scolded him. "Shinji... you're such an idiot!"
"Were you trying to get yourself killed this time?!"
Shinji was very weak, but he still managed a smile as he replied, "I'm sorry..."
"Why can't you think about yourself for once? Your life isn't just yours, you know..."
"What am I supposed to do if something happens to you...?" Asuka couldn't stop her true feelings from slipping out.
Guren and Zero's projection listened quietly outside.
"Stupid Shinji, we all care about you!"
Shinji interrupted her. "I know! But... I just couldn't forgive what they did