A/N: Well, I've stalled the acquisition of Unit 07 long enough. If I remember correctly, I've already told one of my reviewers who the Eighth Child will be, but for the rest of you readers, it will be quite a surprise. Or maybe it won't be. Oh wait, I forgot one interesting fact. Chapter 20 is longest chapter in word count so far. Anyways, feel free to start reading the story now.
A/A/N: I'm doing a time skip because it's more convenient right now. Also, due to approaching the midpoint of my story, I'm trying to fit in up to the 9th Crimson Angel before/during chapter 25. This is why there has been a lack of chapters involving the pilots' daily lives.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Anime/Manga/Movies this story is based on.
"So, we'll be getting the rest of the S2 Engines tomorrow, along with Eva Unit 07?" Misato asks Ritsuko calmly, watching the simulation battle between Unit 03 and Unit 05.
Ritsuko nods, "Yes, instead of shipping the S2 Engines for Units 03 and 05 ahead of the ones for Units 06 and 07, they decided to wait until everything was done and ship it all at once."
"I guess they just want to save money by doing this." Misato sighs, "Ritsuko, the enemy has been awfully quiet so far. No attacks on us or anything."
"Yes…maybe they are on vacation?" Ritsuko chuckled, watching Kensuke's Eva get hit by a rocket from Toji's rocket launcher his Eva was carrying. "Though, it's possible I guess."
"If they had sent another Crimson Angel at us after the 7th, we might not be here." Misato points out. "Are they just toying with us?"
Ritsuko shrugs, watching Kensuke wincing as he gets out of the simulator and walking over to Toji. "They probably are just toying with us. To them, we aren't even a threat. You saw for yourself how powerful the 17th Crimson Angel was…"
"…They could easily take out Nerv without breaking a sweat." Misato replies bleakly, noting that Kensuke is shaking Toji's hand even though he lost. "Ritsuko, do any idea why the weather has been acting strange lately?"
"Not really." Ritsuko admits with a frown. "I'm guessing the weather will be unstable until the planet gets used to the continent of Antarctica being back."
"Ritsuko, it's almost summertime and the weather is in the 50s." Misato points out. "Don't the Magi have any idea why?"
"That IS what the Magi guessed as well." Ritsuko replies firmly.
Misato just shrugs, "So, how are the Pilots' scores?"
Maya smiles, "Look for yourself, Major, they are getting a lot better at this after all the training they've been doing." Misato and Ritsuko both walk over, grateful that they now had four simulator pods now rather than two. The first thing they did before beginning the fights was check everyone's scores. Fuyutsuki walks down from the upper level of the secondary command center and checks the scores as well.
Rei: 85
Asuka: 92
Shinji: 95
Toji: 79
Patrick: 76
Kensuke: 78
Sarah: 72
"The first three children have the highest…and the rest of them are over a score of 70." Fuyutsuki notes, "These kids are amazing…"
Misato nodded, "I know." She hesitates, "By the way, who's the Eighth Child, Ritsuko?"
Doctor Akagi smiles, "You'll find out tomorrow when the Eva arrives." She notices Misato's expression and continues. "The pilot was selected from the candidates at the school."
"…I'm not surprised." Misato mutters, watching as Shinji and Asuka enter the simulation pods and activate the battle simulator. "Ritsuko, is it a good idea to just let those two fight each other after what happened last time?"
"I put a system in place to prevent another accident like before. Besides…" Ritsuko added, "Their rivalry will fuel their desire to surpass the other one, increasing both of their sync ratios."
Sarah vs. Patrick, Location – Geofront (Simulation).
Sarah winces slightly, glaring at Unit 04 as she raised her Eva's Prog Spear, keeping a close eye on Unit 04's staff. "Why are you on the defensive? This is a battle, Patrick, and I want you to fight me seriously!"
Patrick sighs, "I don't need to in order to win. I'd prefer not hurting you, even if the pain isn't real." Unit 04 dashes forward, ducking under Sarah's spear slash. Unfortunately, Patrick was caught off-guard by the kick to his Eva's face, sending him five meters to Sarah's right. Sarah follows up by slashing in an upward-left direction, which was barely deflected by Patrick in time. "…I underestimated you because of the amount of damage you've taken these past few fights against the Crimson Angels, but alright. I'll fight you seriously."
Asuka vs. Shinji, Location – Tokyo-03 (Simulation).
Meanwhile, Asuka smirks, grabbing a Heavy Prog Sword from the weapons cache next to her before dashing at Unit 01. Unit 01 quickly grabs a Prog Sword from the weapons cache next to him, blocking the incoming slash from Asuka. Normally, a heavier sword would be able to overpower the lighter blade, but Shinji's higher sync gave his Eva the strength to match Asuka's power. The force of the clashing blades causes the glass in the nearby buildings to shatter. "Last time the match ended in a tie. This time, I'll be victorious!"
"No, you won't Asuka." Shinji says, smiling. He slashes his sword down at Unit 02, but Asuka slashes her heavier sword at the incoming blade, deflecting it into a skyscraper. She follows up with a kick, causing Shinji to be knocked back and loses his grip on the Prog Sword, dropping it. Asuka smirks, swinging her Heavy Prog Sword at the now open Unit 01's chest area. Without wasting a movement, Shinji opens his Eva's shoulder holster, jumping upwards and pulling his Prog Knife out. He swings it down at Asuka's blade, deflecting it downward and into the ground where his feet just were. The impact created a moderate sized crater and shook the nearby buildings.
"Wow…" Asuka mutters softly to herself, surprised that a Prog Knife could deflect her sword like that. Shinji took advantage of that opening, his jump allowing him to fall down behind Asuka. He kicks her in the back with both feet, barely having enough time to get into a half kneeling position to avoid falling on his face.
"Heh, match that Asuka." Shinji replies calmly, a smile on his face as his Eva rises to its' feet. What he didn't expect was Asuka's laughter over the intercom before getting Unit 02's Prog Knife pierced into his left shoulder. "Ow…" he pulls the knife out, turning around sharply to face Unit 02. "How did you-"
"You let your guard down." Asuka smirks, half crouched on the ground 25 meters away with her shoulder holster open.
"Can you replay that, Maya?" Ritsuko asks with a surprised expression.
"Yes sir." Maya replays what happened just before Unit 02 was kicked by Shinji. Asuka was shocked enough not to be able to avoid the attack, but at the last second she turned slightly, causing her to fly backwards at an angle. Sadly, she lost her Heavy Prog Sword doing this. This allowed her Eva to continue turning, facing Shinji's back as Asuka draws her Prog Knife from her Eva's shoulder holster and, after a split second hesitation, throws it at Shinji's left shoulder. It pierces Shinji the moment after Asuka lands on the ground, using her feet to slow her momentum enough to stop.
"…And her sync jumped to 97 just before she was kicked but lowered back to 92 after throwing the Prog Knife." Misato notes, "Shinji better watch out for her."
"Uh oh." Hyuga mutters, watching Patrick sync shoot up from 76 to 100. "The Fifth Child activated his Limiter Release on his Eva Unit."
"He shouldn't be doing something that crazy while just training." Ritsuko mutters.
Misato glares at Ritsuko, "Then why was it added in?"
"It was already programmed in and I couldn't undo it unless I wanted to add another three weeks worth of work on top of the time it took to finish it." Ritsuko explains.
Sarah vs. Patrick, Location – Geofront (Simulation).
Patrick stands up, his seat and controls retracting back towards the rear of the Entry Plug, the Fifth Child standing on the platform the seat and controls were just on and closing his eyes. The platform begins glowing faintly, his Eva's AT Field channeling into its' armor, now shifting from a silvery color to a golden one. Patrick opens his eyes slowly, his sight now completely connected with his Eva's. "Okay, Sarah…Get ready."
The Seventh Child started to regret her words at this point. She wanted her boyfriend to get serious, not going after her at full power. 'Oh well, I dug my own grave there…but I won't go down easily.' Suddenly, Unit 04 dashes straight at Unit 06. Sarah has only seconds to react, jumping to the side and swiping her spear to the right where she was just standing. Unit 04 swings his staff at Unit 06's spear, easily deflecting it and causing it to go flying out of Sarah's grip. Before he could attack again, Sarah quickly drew her Prog Knife from her Eva's shoulder holster, barely blocking the second attack.
However, despite blocking the attack, the force of the strike blasted Sarah and her Eva back over 15 meters. "I told you I wouldn't hold back." Patrick reminds Sarah calmly, spinning his staff with one hand before slamming it into the ground, the force causing the ground to crack. "Do you surrender, love?"
Sarah was taken aback by her boyfriend calling her that for the first time, more so because it was during a battle simulation. She smiles, grabbing her controls tightly. "I won't surrender just because you try to sweet talk me. You're going down!" Unit 06 charges recklessly at Unit 04, throwing her Prog Knife at him. Unit 04 easily deflects it and swings his staff down at Sarah, but she isn't there anymore.
"…Crap." Patrick feels the full force of the kick against his Eva's back. Unit 04 lands face first onto the ground as Patrick clutches his own face painfully. 'Commander Samantha was right about this Limiter Removal being a double edged sword.' He thinks softly to himself, struggling to his feet. 'But…that can easily be fixed by activating the Lightbringer program.' He closes his eyes, focusing his AT Field around his body before stopping; his expression aspirated "You have got to be kidding me…Ritsuko!"
"Yes, I've disabled your 'Lightbringer' program." Ritsuko replies calmly. "I could easily leave that out of the simulator program due to it being an add-on rather than hardcoded into the simulator."
"WHY did you leave it out?" Patrick demanded with a voice filled with annoyance.
"This is practice, not an actual battle." Ritsuko points out firmly, "Until you can even use your own AT Field without collapsing, I won't let you use the 'Lightbringer' program." She glares at the Fifth Child, ignoring the shocked looks of the personnel there, most not even aware someone other than Rei or Shinji could use an AT Field. "Besides, I didn't want you using the Eva Limiter Removal either, but I couldn't take that out of the simulator and still have it work without adding three straight weeks of work. Deactivate it, Fifth Child."
Patrick mutters something before replying. "Fine…" he sighs, regretfully deactivating his Eva's L.R. Program, the seat and controls moving back to their normal position.
Asuka vs. Shinji, Location – Tokyo-03 (Simulation).
Unit 01 pulls the Prog Knife impaled in its shoulder and stabs it into the ground before charging at Asuka. She just smirks, focusing her Eva's AT Field into her Eva's right hand. Just as Shinji slashes horizontally at Asuka with his Prog Knife, she ducks under it quickly and punches Unit 01 square in the chest with his right hand. The force of the attack blasts Shinji back about 15 meters, causing him to lose his grip on the Prog Knife. "What the-"
"You're wide open, Shinji!" Asuka shouts, already 5 meters away from him and another AT Field-charged punch barreling towards the Third Child. He projects his Eva's AT Field, blocking the punch for a few seconds before it pierces through. During those seconds, Shinji jumps back and focuses his Eva's AT Field into its right hand, copying Asuka's move.
"Wow…both Shinji and Asuka are at a sync of 100." Maya states in a soft voice, frowning slightly.
"How did Asuka close the distance between her and Shinji so quickly?" Misato asks curiously.
"Simple. Asuka focused her Eva's AT Field into her Eva's feet and used the extra power to dash at high speeds up to him." Ritsuko replies calmly, glancing at the time limit remaining for the battle between Patrick and Sarah. "Well, it looks like there'll be a draw between the Fifth and Seventh Child."
Sarah vs. Patrick, Location – Geofront (Simulation).
Sarah was not happy and planned to yell at Ritsuko later for ordering Patrick to stop using his Limiter Removal thing. 'I'll deal with it later…' she reminds herself, dashing at Unit 04 and, before Patrick has time to react, knocks him down into the ground. "You lose, Patrick." Just as she swings her fist down at Unit 04's head, it stops.
Speaker: "Time limit reached. Match will be recorded as a draw."
"HEY!" Sarah shouts angrily, "I was about to win!" It was then she noticed that Unit 04's staff was inches from her Eva's head.
"No, it would have been a draw anyways." Patrick replies calmly.
Asuka vs. Shinji, Location – Tokyo-03 (Simulation).
Asuka glares at Unit 01, deciding not to comment about how Shinji was stealing her move like that until after the fight was over. 'Well, two can play at that game.' She charges her AT Field into both hands and feet now, blasting off the ground towards Shinji at high speeds. Shinji quickly realizes that if Asuka hit him at that speed, he couldn't stop it. Thinking fast, he focuses his AT Field behind him and into his other hand, bracing himself for Asuka's attack. Unit 02's right fist is aimed right at Unit 01's head, but Shinji manages to block and catch the fist with his Eva's left hand.
Needless to say, the force of the impacting AT Fields caused the buildings nearby to shatter as if they were blasted apart by a powerful shockwave.
Shinji was surprised at the force of the blow, barely able to keep his grip as his Eva's feet were scrapped against the virtual city road as the attack pushed him backwards. Unit 02 wastes no time sending her left fist at Unit 01, but Shinji blocks that attack with his right hand. This sends another shockwave, causing more buildings to be blown apart. Before Asuka can react, Shinji pushes her right fist downwards and grabs her left arm with both hands, throwing Unit 02 over his shoulder and at one of the buildings nearby at the edge of Tokyo-03.
"Wow…" Asuka mutters, her Eva crashing into the building. She looks around the building she was thrown into and grins. Before Shinji follows up with his attack, Asuka bursts out of the building holding a heavy railgun.
"…You have got to be kidding me." Shinji mutters, realizing the building he threw Unit 02 into was a weapon cache for the Evas. Unit 01 quickly ducks behind a nearby building, hiding from the barrage of bullets fired at him and his Eva. Shinji smiles in spite of himself, realizing neither him or Asuka were fighting seriously against each other. It was actually…fun. 'But it doesn't mean I'll go down this easily.' He adds mentally, realizing the building in front of him is a weapons cache and hits the button that opens it with his foot. Unit 01 stands up and grabs a Prog Sword from the weapons cache.
Shinji wasn't sure WHY he chose that weapon, but it seemed like a good idea. He frowns slightly, realizing Asuka was being a bit careless by wasting her weapons' ammunition. He hesitantly raises his sword but the weapons fire didn't change the position from where it was being fired. Shinji's eyes widen as he instinctively swings his sword horizontally to his right, blocking Unit 02's surprise attack. "Heh, nice job Shinji. I didn't think you'd catch on to my diversion." Asuka comments, pushing her Heavy Prog Sword against Shinji's normal sized Prog Sword.
"It seemed odd you'd just continue firing, pinning me down rather than just holding your fire and trying to draw me out into the open." Shinji replies, smiling as his Eva jumps back and over the gun fire, which stops. He notices a Prog Knife handle pressing against the trigger, the gun out of ammo but still trying to fire. "That was really clever though."
"Thanks Shinji." Asuka replies without thinking, blushing slightly. "Anyways…this isn't that bad. Just fighting for fun, I mean."
Shinji smiles in spite of himself. "I guess so…I don't like fighting much, but this is sort of…fun." Unit 01 crouches down, bracing his legs before jumping at Unit 02 and swinging its sword down at it. Asuka smirks, easily blocking the attack with her own sword. Shinji ignores the pain of shifting the hand he was holding the sword to his left and uppercuts Unit 02 with his Eva's fist.
Asuka didn't even expect that move and was launched into the air before recovering, flipping in the air backwards and landing on a building top. She just chuckles, "I didn't expect you to try that." Asuka suddenly remembers when Shinji kicked her away earlier. "Hey Shinji…you had the perfect opening to backstab me rather than kick me away. Why didn't you take it?"
The pilot of Unit 01 hesitates before replying. "Well, I didn't want to hurt you and this is just practice so…" He pauses, "You threw your Prog Knife at me but aimed for my shoulder rather than my back…Why did you do that?"
"Well…I saw you weren't fighting seriously so I decided to go easy on you." Asuka replies, that statement not exactly a lie. Suddenly, Shinji just laughs. "What's so funny?" the redhead demanded.
"Look at us. We're talking during a fight with only…" Shinji checks the time limit. "…About fifteen seconds left…wow."
"Time flies when you're having fun." Asuka notes, focusing her Eva's AT Field into her Heavy Prog Sword. "Let's attack each other at full power."
Shinji nods, charging his Eva's AT Field into the Prog Sword he's holding, bracing himself to jump at Asuka. Five seconds left. Both of them jump at each other, both swinging their sword at the other, the shockwave from the impact leveling the buildings around them. Both continue to push against the other but neither of them gains the upper hand as time runs out.
Speaker: "Time limit reached. Match will be recorded as a draw."
"Good match you two." Ritsuko's voice enters both of the simulation pods. "Now come on out so we can upgrade the program."
"What do you mean?" Misato asks curiously, watching both children leave the simulation pods and shake hands.
"I've added something interesting to the program that I need to update into the simulator." Ritsuko replies calmly. "Can you guess what it is, Misato?"
Misato glares at her. "Why do I have a feeling you're going to say 'Angels?'"
Ritsuko nods, "That's right, Misato. I'm adding in a program that allows the pilots to fight the previous Angels in combat." She pauses before continuing. "True, we had to do some guess work regarding some of the Angels in terms of abilities, but it should work."
"Fine, but it better be completely safe." Misato mutters, walking away. "Well, I'd better head home now. Seeya Rits."
Ritsuko frowns slightly after Misato leaves and turns to Maya. "Actually, can you do that Maya? I need to check if the pilot Commander Ikari selected is actually interested in this."
Maya nods, "Of course, Doctor Akagi. Hyuga, Aoba, I'll need some help with this." Both of the men nod, immediately getting to work as Ritsuko also leaves.
A/N: Sorry to interrupt, but I feel like getting a more in-depth with my description of this room.
The room was empty and dark, void of anything besides the large Doorway and a table with five chairs. The chairs each had an odd design on them and more resembled thrones, each having armrests and deep red cushions on it. Each of the chairs was glossy black in color. Each of the designs had a symbol engraved in the top of the chair, each with a different color.
Five cloaked figures walk out of the darkness from different directions, each sitting in a chair that represents them. Lord Varian sat in the chair closest to the doorway, the symbol of an upside down crimson cross on it. Darvin sits to Varian's right, the symbol of a strangely shaped dark brown battle staff. Morlina takes her seat on Varian's left, her chair emblazoned with a black gem surrounded by dark purple energy in a spiral. Shalock's chair is next to Morlina, two crescents facing away from each other with two black circles each at the left and right side on the symbol, dark grey in color. Chivalt's chair is next to Darvin's and has the symbol of an upside down sword, the blade light grey in color with a dark grey colored hilt and guard.
The Doorway has eight of the twelve orbs surrounding the upside down star glowing brightly. Chivalt notices this immediately. "Lord Varian, did you already awaken the next one? I thought you'd wait until tomorrow."
"I woke up Hyoragon one week ago." Lord Varian replies calmly, "He's already begun changing the playing field to his advantage rather than attack recklessly."
Darvin chuckles, "Good idea…should we awaken another Crimson Angel if Hyoragon fails or should we send SEELE's Eva Series?"
"You can decide while I am away, Darvin." Varian replies softly, standing up. "I think it's time to initiate stage two of my plan." He vanishes into thin air.
"I wonder who will be piloting Unit 07…" Asuka mutters over breakfast the next morning. She bites into her pancake and looks intently at Misato, who is sitting across from her.
"I don't know, Asuka." Misato admits ruefully, finishing her pancake. "If I knew, I'd tell you. The only thing I know about the pilot is that he or she is from your school."
"Good, we don't need another foreigner." Asuka replies firmly, ignoring the looks from Misato and the other two pilots. "The new pilot will be tested, right?" Misato nods, "Good. I'll see if this new guy is even worth the trouble."
"Actually…I think Rei should be the one to test the new pilot." Misato replies calmly. Rei frowns slightly before nodding. "After all, she knows how to go easy on someone while you…umm…"
Asuka glares at Misato before finishing her pancake. "You can end that statement right there. I don't hold back at all in a fight."
"Fine, fine." Misato remarks, rising to her feet as Shinji takes the dishes and begins washing them. "Shinji, you can wash those after we get home." She notices Asuka's odd stare and continues, "We're going to Nerv now. The Pilot should already be there."
Asuka nods approvingly, "Well, the new pilot is taking this seriously at least."
Serena sighs, looking at the pass into Nerv that she has with her as she stands in the secondary command center, which is now where the pilots use the simulators to practice. 'I just wanted to watch over some children, not join an organization.' She remembers Misato's reply to that, "Listen. I can't ferry all of these children everywhere and this pass only works for just entering the base, the hospital, the simulation room, and the command center. So don't complain."
"You just missed the new pilot." Ritsuko notes calmly, "Her sync isn't too bad for a beginner either."
"So the new pilot is a girl?" Serena asks calmly.
"Yes…she entered the simulator just before you arrived and-" Ritsuko is cut off by another voice.
"We're here!" Kensuke cheered, followed by Toji, Patrick, and Sarah as they enter the room from one of the doors. Before Ritsuko could scold the Sixth Child for interrupting her like that, the door on the opposite side opens. Misato, along with the first three children, walk into the room.
"Perfect timing, Misato." Ritsuko notes, sighing and turning to the controls. "I've decided to have Toji fight the new pilot." Toji nods, walking towards the elevator that led to the floor that the simulation pods were. "Also, go easy on her." She adds.
Toji stops, "Wait, it's a girl?" he stops walking just before he reaches the elevator, looking back at Ritsuko. "Umm, I wouldn't mind if it was Asuka, but-"
Asuka glares at him. "What's THAT suppose to mean, stooge?" she demanded in a flat voice.
"Okay, no fighting." Misato interrupts the potential fight. "Let's just have Rei do it then."
Ritsuko smiles, "Fine, that would probably work better." She turns to the First Child. "Rei, I would like you to fight her." Rei just nods and heads down the elevator.
"Why didn't you just have Rei put a plug suit on in this fight? Or Toji for that matter?" Misato asks curiously.
"Their syncs are high enough with them on so they'll be able to fight at an equivalent level with the new girl without the plug suit." Ritsuko explains calmly, turning to the screen displaying the virtual battlefield the new pilots would be fighting in. Tokyo-03.
Rei frowns as she enters the simulation pod, wondering who the new pilot was as she puts the A10 nerve clips on her head. Suddenly, a very familiar voice echoes on the intercom. "Hi Rei. I thought I was fighting Toji."
Rei's eyes widen slightly before she quickly recovers, "I didn't think you would be the Eighth Child." She admits calmly. "Toji did not wish to fight a girl in battle, so he declined."
"That stooge…" the voice sighed, a visual of the pilot appearing in the simulation pod. It was a young girl around 14 years old in age with freckles on her face and brown hair tied into two pigtails. The plug suit she is wearing is similar to Asuka's. The main color was orange with golden highlights. It was Hikari Horaki! "It's bad enough he rarely helps with cleaning the classroom after school, but now he's afraid of hurting a girl."
Rei smiles faintly, "However, he did mention he wouldn't mind fighting a girl if it was Asuka."
"Toji, you complete blockhead!" Hikari's voice shouts into the secondary commander center. Many of the pilots were stunned, most of all Shinji, Asuka, Toji, and Kensuke. Misato just blinks in surprise before shrugging.
"Hikari?" Asuka demanded after opening communications with the simulator pod with the Eighth Child inside. "You're the new pilot?"
"That's right, Asuka." Hikari replies cheerfully. "Isn't it great?"
"Oh my god!" Kensuke screams, "The class rep is an Eva Pilot? It's the End of the World!"
Asuka punches him in the face before glaring at Toji, who is just standing there in shock. "Well stooge? Reply to her already."
He looked slightly afraid, nodding hesitantly before walking over to the control panel with the communication window on it. He opens it, revealing Hikari's face. "Umm, hi Hikari."
She just glares at him. "I can't believe this. You'd have no trouble fighting Asuka or the other female Eva Pilots, but you're afraid of fighting me?"
"That isn't what I meant earlier." Toji complains, glaring at Hikari. "I just didn't want to hurt the new girl's feelings by beating her so easily." Toji immediately regretted those words.
"Toji, get down here and fight me. I'm going to make you pay for just thinking I'm weak." Hikari's glare hasn't faded in the slightest as she turns the off the communication window.
"'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.'" Patrick mutters softly, "Does anyone want to make bets for this match?"
"Oh, good idea Patrick." Sarah replies cheerfully. "Anyone who is making a bet, tell me so I can write them down."
Toji sighs, going to the elevator and heading for the floor with the simulation pods. Rei exits the simulation pod she is in and walks over to the elevator, handing the A10 nerve clips to Toji as he walks past her. Toji puts them in and enters the simulation pod Rei just left, knowing that Hikari was likely going to rip him apart.
"Okay, we have 500 yen from Asuka for Hikari's victory, 250 yen from Kensuke for Toji winning, 100 yen from Shinji in favor of a tie, and I bet 500 yen for Hikari winning." Sarah notes, writing the bets down on paper. "Anyone else want to bet?"
"I was just kidding earlier, you know." Patrick mutters softly, catching Sarah's attention.
"Why don't you bet, Patrick?" Sarah suggested. "I'll offer a free prize if you win."
"Because I'm not getting involved in a lovers quarrel." Patrick replies calmly.
"Yet you have no problems suggesting that everyone should bet on who will win." Misato notes blandly. "Sarah, I'll bet 500 that Hikari will win."
Hikari vs. Toji, Location – Geofront (Simulation).
Unit 07 has a similar design to Unit 02, but has armor features that Unit 03 has as well. The head has two eyes on it. The armor coloring is the same as Hikari's plug suit, the main color being orange while the secondary color is a golden yellow color. Toji was wondering why it was taking so long to start the fight, but he wasn't complaining. Hikari opens a communication window to Toji, her expression less angry. "Okay, I'm willing to let that comment go if you apologize."
Toji breathes a sigh of relief, "Okay Hikari. I'm sorry I said that about you. You're a strong girl." He apologizes, mentally adding 'You'd have to be to hit me that hard with your book bag.'
She sighs, shaking her head. "Fine, I accept the apology, but it doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."
Toji just nods. "I know. Good luck, Hikari." The timer starts the moment he finishes that statement, the Evas activating. Unit 03 quickly grabs a rocket launcher from the weapons cache next to him and aims it at Unit 07 before firing. Hikari smiles, glad Toji isn't going easy on her. Unit 07 projects its AT Field, blocking the missile and explosion from reaching her.
"Good think Doctor Akagi told me how to move and project an AT Field with my Eva before the others showed up." Hikari states softly to himself, having Unit 07 grab a machine gun and fires at Toji through the smoke. Toji drops the rocket launcher and grabs a Prog Axe from the weapons cache before charging at Unit 07 through the smoke. Most of the bullets missed him or were deflected by his AT Field as he breaks through the smoke. Then something occurs to him. Unit 07 is gone.
"Where is she?" Toji mutters, looking around before getting kicked in the back, knocking him to the ground, face first. "Gah…cheap shot."
"All's fair in love and war." Hikari replies sweetly, hopping onto his Eva's back and pulling both arms behind the Eva in a position similar to a policeman putting handcuffs on someone. "Give up, Toji?"
Asuka would never, EVER let Toji live this down. 'Beaten in combat by Hikari.' Kensuke wouldn't be much better in terms of letting Toji forget about losing to the class rep. "I'm not giving up that easily, Hikari." Toji replies in a strained voice, making his Eva's feet both bend forward and tries to stand up with Unit 07 still on him. Unit 03 slams his head back, hitting Unit 07 with it and forcing Hikari to let go.
"Ow…" Hikari gently touches her nose, but no blood comes out. "Do you have to be so rough." Her expression is hurt as she looks at Toji with pleading eyes.
Unit 03 stops moving and faces Unit 07, which is already standing up. "I'm sorry Hikari, I didn't mean to hurt you or-" Toji explains but the rest of his statement is cut off by a sharp cry of pain from him as Unit 03 collapses onto its knees, clutching the place Unit 07 kicked him. "Why…did you have to…hit me….there…" he cries out weakly.
Hikari doesn't respond verbally, but instead has Unit 07 uppercut him into the air before drawing its Prog Knife and throwing right at Unit 03, piercing its head.
Speaker: "Winner of this match is Unit 07."
Most of the men in the room wince slightly at where exactly Hikari kicked Unit 03. Asuka was laughing, "Nice kick, Hikari!" she cheered, smirking as Toji exits his simulation pod, wincing in pain. Hikari rushes over to Toji and apologizes for hurting him but he just shrugs it off.
"That had to hurt a lot…" Patrick mutters, "How can he even move right now?"
Ritsuko looks amused, "Most of the nerve connections around that region in the Evas aren't as sensitive as they are in the human body. After all, a blow like that would cripple a pilot, and Ikari didn't like that idea much." She frowns slightly, "I forgot to remake Unit 03 without those nerve connections because I was a bit rushed at the time to get all the Evas operational."
"That was a cheap shot!" Kensuke shouts at Hikari before having Asuka step FIRMLY on his foot, causing him to cry out on pain as he hops on one foot away from her.
"Let…it go, Kensuke." Toji mutters as both pilots reach the upper floor, Hikari supporting Toji so he could walk straight. "She won fair and square…there are no rules in battle…"
"I'm really, really sorry Toji." Hikari apologized, her face sad. "I don't know what came over me when I kicked you…between your legs." She blushes very red. "I didn't think about what I was doing. I was only fighting and-"
"Okay, I heard your apology…It was an accident. Let it go." Toji mutters painfully.
"Luckily, the pain should subside." Ritsuko notes, "So you'll be okay in a few minutes."
"Thanks…" Toji, with Hikari supporting him walks over to one of the chairs recently added to the room for the pilots to sit on after a match in the simulator so they could rest.
"Well, Hikari has the instincts for fighting." Ritsuko notes, looking over the fight data. "I don't think she's much of a fighter though."
Misato nods, "Yeah, but she can fight if necessary." She looks curiously at Ritsuko. "By the way Rits, did you add any new features to the Evas?"
She nods, "I decided to change the first three Eva's armor plates to the same materials the armor that Unit 04 and 07 uses, so they'll be able to have better usage of their AT Field when having a high sync ratio." Ritsuko frowns slightly, "I also added a new weapon…though it should be classified as a shield."
"Didn't you once tell me that shields aren't needed because the Evas have an AT Field?"
Ritsuko nods, "After we examined the 6th Crimson Angel, or what remained of him besides ashes, the research and development team could create a shield that's strong enough to endure most damage." She pauses, "At first, I didn't really see a need for it, but then the 7th Crimson Angel appeared and attacked from orbit. Unit 04 couldn't hold it off for long without the pilot becoming exhausted."
"Wait, didn't you make a shield for Unit 00 against Ramiel?" Asuka asks, continuing after Misato's curious expression. "I heard about it from Shinji."
"Yes. It was an improvised shield, but it didn't last long." Ritsuko replies before Misato can, earning a faint glare from the guardian. "Hikari, would you be interested in using a shield?"
Hikari looks away from Toji and stares at Ritsuko. "Sure. I'm not much of a fighter, really. I just wanted to join to help protect my friends."
Ritsuko nods, "Very well. Next time you fight, we'll be sure to send it-" Suddenly, alarms interrupt Ritsuko's statement. "Maya, what's going on?" she demanded, rushing over to her.
"We've detected a Crimson waveform pattern off the eastern coast of Japan!" Maya reports from the command center, "Commander Ikari wants all the pilots to suit up and prepare for combat."
"Understood." Ritsuko replies before turning around to face the children. "You heard Maya, get suited up immediately." However, her reply fell on deaf ears as the pilots had already left the room.
"They heard Maya quite clearly and already left." Misato said with a smile, "Lets go Rits." Ritsuko nods and dashes out of the room behind Misato, both of them heading for the main command center.
Misato and Ritsuko enter the command center within a minute and take the side elevator up to the main level. Hyuga, Maya, and Aoba are already in battle stations. Commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki are also present. "Major, the target is 1 mile away from the city and we have a visual of it." Hyuga reports. "Let me put it onscreen."
The creature looked like a cross between a dragon and a bird. It had four long feathered wings that were white in color with sky blue feathers. Its body is covered in scales, also white, that resembled the scales the 4th Crimson Angel had. The 8th Crimson Angel had, oddly enough, two light blue eyes that seemed to send a chill down your spine. It also had a long white bird beak for a mouth.
The center of its chest seemed unarmored, sky blue in color. The creature also had a long tail with what appeared to be a trident tip at the end of it. The tail is scarcely armored, a combination of sky blue and white coloring on it while the trident tip was pure, frosted white in coloring. A chilling air seemed to surround it, changing the temperature around it to freezing. It cries out like a bird of prey, a shockwave of cold air fired in all directions as the trees below and around it are covered in ice.
"…This won't be one of our better days, will it?" Misato mutters darkly.
A/N: Well, I'm leaving it there for now. I'm torn between having another SEELE fight before chapter 25 or not…but I'll think of something. Also, I saw a non-canonical scene on YouTube between Kaworu vs. Ramiel. Kaworu had Unit 04 with him during the fight, the only appearance I've seen that has it. The best quality version was posted by Synapsidia. Three words for the video. It was epic. Seriously, you should watch it. Anyways, see you next time!
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