Japan, Tokyo-3.
Carrying a black backpack and wearing a white shirt, a boy stood on a somewhat dilapidated street. He raised his left hand and glanced at his watch.
"Still not here..." After checking the time, the boy muttered to himself in a voice that hadn't yet lost its youthful tone, his brow furrowed with uncertainty.
"Was coming here... really the right decision?"
The boy questioned his own actions.
His name was Shinji Ikari. Fourteen years old, an ordinary middle school student.
His mother died in an accident when he was young. His father dumped him at relatives' house and left him behind. Since his earliest memories, he'd never experienced what family affection felt like.
Slender build, average grades—the only thing worth mentioning was his reasonably handsome face. This was an insecure boy with an unfortunate childhood.
Now his father, who hadn't contacted him in ages, suddenly called. No pleasantries, no warmth—just a cold command to come.
And so he'd foolishly traveled from his relatives' home in Tokyo-2 to Tokyo-3 with his luggage.
He longed to see his biological father.
But after arriving, he hadn't seen his father at all.
According to the postcard his father sent in advance, someone named Misato Katsuragi was supposed to pick him up. But he'd been waiting here for over an hour with no sign of her.
The shabby street was completely empty. The unfamiliar environment made him uneasy.
"All residents in the central Kanto region, please proceed to nearby shelters immediately upon hearing this broadcast. Repeating... the Japanese government issued an emergency alert at noon today. All residents in the central Kanto region..."
On the quiet street, only evacuation orders echoed from loudspeakers.
"Looks like I should evacuate first..." Shinji glanced at the postcard in his hand, wanting to call her, but all signals in the area were down. Even the phone booth wouldn't work.
Though he didn't know why evacuation orders were issued, staying here definitely wasn't safe.
Just as he was about to leave—
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Intense tremors came. Surrounding buildings shook. Amid the thunderous sounds, Shinji turned his head right and saw a scene he'd never forget.
A monster dozens of meters tall emerged from the wilderness into the city. Its humanoid slender body had dark green skin, partially covered with white armor plating. A red core was embedded in its chest. Its shoulders were level with its head. It looked unlike any creature on Earth.
"What... is that?" Shinji stared at the massive monster, instinctive fear rising in his heart.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Appearing with the monster were numerous combat helicopters—United Nations military defense forces, apparently deployed to intercept it.
Dense bullets and missiles continuously fired at the monster. This place was about to become a brutal battlefield.
"No... I need to get out of here fast!" Shinji felt the heat waves from distant missile explosions and clearly heard the monster's footsteps pounding the ground. He couldn't worry about waiting anymore. He grabbed his luggage and ran.
What was that thing?
Some kind of dinosaur?
Or an alien?
What was happening to this world!?
The image of the monster behind him involuntarily surfaced in Shinji's mind. His heart pounded violently. He gasped for breath as survival instinct drove him forward.
Behind him, the firepower between the military and monster intensified. If he didn't run faster, he'd be caught in the crossfire.
Now he truly regretted it. Coming to Tokyo-3 because of one phone call from his father was definitely a mistake.
"Sniff... sniff..."
Running down the empty street, Shinji suddenly heard crying sounds. He stopped.
Who's there?
His chest heaved from intense exertion. He caught his breath while searching for the sound's source.
Soon he discovered a little girl, three or four years old, hiding behind a truck at the roadside.
She'd probably gotten separated from family during the chaotic evacuation. Too young to understand what to do, she could only cry and hide here, waiting for family to find her.
But before family found her, the battle's aftermath would reach this area.
Damn it...
Shinji hesitated two seconds, then impulsively dropped his luggage on the roadside and ran toward the girl.
"Boom boom!" The fighting sounds behind him grew closer. He didn't want to die, but even more, he didn't want to abandon someone in need.
Perhaps he saw himself in this little girl—abandoned by family like him. Or perhaps it was simple kindness in his heart. Either way, after dropping his luggage, he picked up the girl and fled.
"We have to survive... both of us." Shinji ran while speaking to the girl in his arms.
He wasn't strong and didn't know how far he could carry her.
So he could only pray in his heart that Lady Luck would favor them both.
"Sniff... mm..." The girl looked at everything in confusion, clutching Shinji's thin shirt, quietly humming acknowledgment.
Behind them, the battle's firepower grew fiercer.
Fortunately, the monster didn't continue advancing in their direction.
Looked like their chances of survival were good.
However, elsewhere—
Underground Tokyo-3, NERV headquarters command room.
"Damn it... conventional weapons have zero effect on the Angel."
"We need higher firepower!"
"Lure the Angel toward the mountains. Prepare to detonate the N2 Mines there!"
After seeing conventional missiles couldn't breach the Angel's defenses, UN military defense leadership immediately chose to use weapons with destructive power comparable to nuclear bombs.
After orders were issued, all fighters and tanks in the battlefield changed attack patterns, luring the Angel toward the other side.
On the battlefield, Shinji quickly noticed the Angel's movement.
"It's heading toward the mountains."
"Phew..."
He finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as both combatants moved away from this urban area, they'd be safe.
"It's... hah... okay now." After carrying the girl a long distance, Shinji finally stopped, feeling his arms and legs aching terribly. He set the girl down temporarily and gasped frantically.
His stamina was nearly exhausted. Slumped on the ground, he forced a smile to comfort the girl.
"Mm... mm mm...!" The girl nodded gratefully, her hand still clutching Shinji's collar.
However—
They'd barely rested half a minute.
The monster entering the mountains instantly faced even stronger firepower. All mines buried in the mountains detonated simultaneously. Blinding light erupted instantly—destructive power truly comparable to small nuclear explosions. After the flash came deafening sound!
"BOOM!!"
The mountain was instantly leveled. Fire continued shooting skyward. The intense shockwave spread rapidly outward!
"Oh no!" Shinji saw this scene, pupils contracting sharply, realizing death's arrival.
He only had time to pull the girl beside him into his arms and instinctively curl up.
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