The day after his first angle fight Shinji awoke to find Misato doing the same.

"Your just getting up, Isn't your turn to cook breakfast today?"

"Yeah but that will only take a second."

Breakfast did only take a second because it was more instant food, and beer, for Misato. To avoid anymore misunderstandings Shinji ate his meal with only a thank you and not a sarcastic comment. When he was half finished, and Misato was almost done with beer number two, she looked up and stared at him.

"Is there something wrong Misato?"

"Oh, umm…" she paused, "There's something I'd been wanting to ask you. You remember the fight yesterday right?"

"Yes. I explained it to you remember?"

"Yes well, you blacked out didn't you? How can you remember?"

"I blacked out after the fight because I had an energy rod beaten through my skull. I cannot tell you how painful that was. So I fell unconscious to recover."

"Oh that makes sense."

Several weeks past and Shinji had started school. He had also begun training with the Eva so he would know what he was doing next time he was in it. The training was extremely dull. Virtual representations of his opponent and the city, a gun and instructions on how to use it. Center the target and pull the switch.

"So Shinji how are you today?" asked Ritsuko.

"Fine, lets just get this over with."

"Ok have you memorized all the cities battle stations, weapon deposits and escape routs?"

"Yes it wasn't very hard."

"Good than lets begin were we left off yesterday." She rattled off some information and Shinji did more shooting practice. Maya, one of NERV'S bridge workers asked;

"Why did Shinji agree to pilot again after what happened?"

"Because there's no one else who can." replied Misato.

"Really?" asked Ritsuko.

"Yeah. I asked him a couple of days after he moved in with me and he said that, 'as long as there isn't another pilot I have no choice, after someone else can help I'll actually decide'."

"So he could leave knowing we had no one else? Or was it because he didn't want Rei to get hurt?"

"Who knows."

One morning Shinji knocked on Misato's door and opened it up. "Misato its morning already. Are you going to wake up?"

"Oh Shinji I just got back a little while ago. I don't have to go in to work until the evening so let me sleep."

"Ok." he said as if replying to an order. "We cant have are operational commander groggy."

"Thank you Shinji. Oh and it's burnable trash day, could you take it out for me?"

"Sure." Shinji took out the trash and walked to school.

Back inside Misato's sleep was again interrupted by a ringing phone. She fumbled for a moment trying to find it, but eventually did and answered it.

"Hello? Oh it's you Ritsuko."

"How are you? Are you getting along with him?"

"Him? Oh you mean Shinji. Yeah he's a pretty good kid, doesn't complain and works hard. But,.."

"But what?"

"Well I gave him a cell phone because I'd thought he need it and.."

"Has he not used it or something?" Ritsuko interrupted.

"No he's used it. A lot actually. Like if he's not careful he'll use up too much time."

"Oh popular is he?"

"Well it might just be the new kid syndrome, but yes."

Shinji walked into his classroom, which was extremely bare, and sat down at his seat. A little bit behind him an obnoxious boy was playing with a model of a fighter heliplane. Shinji turned an saw that the class representative was bugging him about something. When she paused Shinji spoke so he could just barley hear.

"I had one of those blow up right in front of me."

"You did?"

"Yeah on the day of that robot fight. It fell and was stepped on. Blew up only five meters away."

"Wow!"

The door opened and Suzuhara walked through the door. "What's up no ones here. Is our entire class absent or something?"

"Yeah most of them either evacuated or transferred to other schools." replied the nerdy Aida. "No one wants to be around if we were attacked again."

"Yeah I think you're the only one who wants to see a real war."

"Probably right. So where you been for two weeks anyway."

"My sister is in the hospital. During the fight she was crushed by debris. She's survived, but my dad and uncle work at the lab and can't leave. So without me she's all alone. Damn how could that pilot be so stupid as to destroy are own city."

Shinji sighed. "My bad first time in a giant robot." he said quietly.

"Anyway did you hear the rumor about the new kid?" Aida said very quietly.

"What new kid?"

"Him. He transferred in right after the robot fight. Kind of odd if you ask me."

The teacher eventually came in and babbled on about the effects of the second impact. It would have been a better lesson if he at least looked at his class, but he was too worried about what was going on outside. A student in the back messaged Shinji on his computer on if he was a pilot or not. Of course he said yes ad the entire class was around him asking questions. He answered most of them with, "I'm sorry, that's classified." Which only added to their excitement about it. Touji, hearing that he was the pilot was mad.

After class he found Shinji outside and got his attention. He tried to punch him. Shinji put up his hand and blocked it.

"Your punch is strong but that's it. You have no knowledge of fighting do you?"

"You bastard to hurt my sister!"

"Like I meant it. Why would I purposely hurt random people, and besides, it's not like I have a choice right now to pilot or not."

Suzuhara was pissed and punched Shinji again. Shinji decided to take the punch to make him feel better. He was hit, stood there, and Suzuhara walked away. Shinji looked to his left and saw Rei.

"There's and emergency." She said calmly. "I'll go first."

She ran way toward NERV. "Hi how are you, I'm Shinji your coworker. Nice to meat you. I'm Rei, hello. She could have at least said that." Shinji than ran off toward NERV.

They readied their assault on the angel and Shinji was loaded up into the Eva. The military tried their weapons with no effect and the Eva was deployed.

"Just like we practiced Shinji. Neutralize the angel's ATFeild and shoot it down." said Misato.

"Uh huh."

Shinji was on the surface and turned out of the building hub and fired at the angel. After a few shots with no effect Shinji moved to his left to try and get a better shot. When he tried again the angel retaliated with energy whips from its arms. Shinji dodged but his gun was cut.

"Shinji, I'm sending you a replacement rifle get it."

"Understood."

The rifle came up in another building modified for combat. When he went toward it the angel attacked again. Shinji jumped out of the way but the umbilical cable was cut and the Eva switched to internal battery.

"Crap." Shinji said. In him moment of distraction the angel grabbed his leg and through Shinji to the hill side.

While all this was going on Aida and Suzuhara were plotting to go out of their shelter and see the fight. Eventually they did and the saw everything that happened up until now. When Shinji fell he almost landed on them. Shinji looked out of his side camera. Aida and Suzuhara were between the Eva's fingers.

"Man what are the odds."

"Why are they out of their shelters?"

"Those are Shinji's classmates. Shinji eject the entry plug and brig those two inside then retreat and we'll attack later."

"What makes you think you can let two civilians into the entry plug. Your over stepping your authority captain." Ritsuko replied.

"Shinji follow you order."

Shinji opened the entry plug and let the two boys inside. His synchronization began to fall instantly.

"There noise in the system." said Ritsuko.

"Shinji retreat." yelled Misato.

"Can't do that." Shinji replied as he opened the knife from his shoulder. He jumped from were he was sitting and slid down the hill at the angel. It attacked with its energy whips but Shinji evaded. He came in and thrust the knife into the power core of the angel. He placed his hand on the back of the knife and gave one more push.

"Eva's power supply one minute remaining."

"Shinji!!"

Shinji's eyes narrowed as he twisted the knife in the angel killing it where it was. He pulled out the knife and the angel fell. He just stood there as the battery on the Eva ran out.

"Are you two ok?"

"Yeah." Aida and Suzuhara replied in a dumbfounded unison.

"Good."

"He hasn't been here for a couple of days." said Suzuhara.

"Who?" replied Aida.

"The new kid. Ever since that fight he hasn't come to school."

"You know if you had thanked and apologized to him then you wouldn't have had to brew on it for three days. Here's his number. Call him."

Suzuhara didn't call.