Shinji's luggage had been abandoned on the roadside earlier. After the explosion, it was gone for good. Misato Katsuragi took him shopping for daily necessities, then officially moved him into her apartment.
First time living with a woman. Shinji felt awkward. But late-night chats with Natsuki eased the tension.
Though Misato got spooked when she woke up and heard Shinji talking to himself in his room. Thought the explosion had damaged his brain. Took some explaining to calm her down.
Next morning. Misato drove Shinji to the base.
EVA Unit-01's activation test day.
"This city was built specifically to counter Angels."
"When an Angel arrives, surface buildings retract underground. Combat facilities rise up." Misato navigated the city streets, explaining as she drove.
"Huh... thoughtful design." Natsuki's translucent form sat on the car roof, scanning the steel towers. Impressed.
This setup effectively protected civilians during battles. The last world lacked such infrastructure—had tied his hands during fights.
This Earth's tech level seemed significantly higher.
He was increasingly curious about this world's mechs.
The car entered NERV Headquarters' hidden surface entrance. Conveyor tracks carried them deeper underground.
Different route from yesterday's exit. This time, they saw the base's full scale.
"Pretty massive." Natsuki said.
An incredibly vast space. Natural light from above reached down. Shimmering lakes, abundant greenery, mountain formations—looked almost identical to the surface.
Cables crisscrossed the enormous cavern, connecting to the surface. At the bottom, a steel pyramid structure—their headquarters.
"Almost there. Let's go." The conveyor stopped. Misato pushed open the door first, map in hand, heading toward the steel corridor.
Shinji followed close behind.
"I think it's this way... then left..." The base's design was absurdly complex. Misato had been here a while, but still got lost constantly.
Without the map, they'd be wandering for hours.
"Okay... definitely the right direction now."
Just as Shinji and Natsuki were doubting her reliability, Misato finally found the correct path. Led them forward.
Meanwhile. On the sea outside the city, a massive figure approached Tokyo-3.
Like a deep-sea horseshoe crab. But more elongated. Purple. Flat head with paired eye-like structures. Below the head—a red core. Multiple legs on its abdomen.
The Fourth Angel. Shamshel.
"The Fourth Angel..." Commander Ikari in the command center saw the Angel. Voice heavy.
"The attack frequency is far ahead of our projections." Professor Fuyutsuki frowned.
They didn't know where Angels would appear, but they knew the approximate frequency. This was another event exceeding their calculations.
Yesterday—the mysterious giant. Today—an Angel appearing early. Had something unknown changed in this world?
"Regardless, we must eliminate it first." Gendo sensed something was off. But their priority now was destroying the Angel.
Only by eliminating all Angels could he proceed with his plan.
"Initiate Level 1 combat readiness. Have the Unit-01 pilot stand by in the hangar." Gendo ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Misato, leading Shinji, suddenly stopped.
"WEEOO—WEEOO—"
Piercing alarms. The entire base began shaking.
"Huh? What's happening?" Shinji walked the steel corridor, feeling the tremors. He turned to Misato.
"Enemy attack." Misato's expression hardened.
She wondered internally—yesterday they'd just dealt with one enemy. Why another the very next day?
Was this frequency normal?
Her phone rang. She answered. "It's me."
"Yes, I'm with Shinji-kun right now."
"Huh? Still head to the hangar?"
"The Fourth Angel... Understood!"
Misato grasped the situation. Hung up. Grabbed Shinji's arm. Ran.
"Emergency situation. We need to move!" she said.
But Shinji was completely lost.
"Wait... slow down, Misato-san!" Shinji got dragged forward. No idea what awaited him.
Elevator descended to the deep EVA Unit-01 hangar.
Ding.
The doors opened.
First thing they saw—a woman in a white lab coat. Short blonde hair. Beautiful. Sharp. Intelligent. Standing on a steel walkway.
Ritsuko Akagi. Age 30.
"This is Shinji?" Ritsuko asked Misato. They seemed close.
"Yeah." Misato nodded. Then asked, "What's the Angel's status?"
"Still moving. About to reach Tokyo-3."
"Commander Ikari wants Shinji to sortie in Unit-01 immediately." Ritsuko said.
"Isn't that... too rushed?"
"Shinji just arrived at the base. No prep work at all—you want him to pilot now?" Misato didn't understand the order.
Sync test... activation test... operational training... Nothing had been done. How could Shinji possibly activate Unit-01?
And this was life-or-death combat. How could they send a 14-year-old kid into battle without any understanding?
Shinji froze.
He looked ahead at the massive robot—half its body submerged in red liquid. The steel walkway aligned with its shoulders. He had no idea what this thing was.
Was he supposed to pilot this against monsters?
Impossible.
This was his first time seeing it.
"This is... too much." Shinji instinctively stepped back. Couldn't meet the giant machine's gaze.
Meanwhile, several maintenance crew members on the hangar's side looked over. Surprise in their eyes. They hadn't expected Unit-01's pilot to be a 14-year-old kid.
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