Sea of Tranquility: Prelude to a Decisive Battle
Autobot Base Camp, Aokigahara Forest, near Mount Fuji…
"Target sighted. He's holding a meeting."
"Operation Masakado will commence as follows: The Seekers will fly to Tokyo-2 and attack the Prime Minister's Residence and National Diet Building. Any attempts to intercept you will be diverted by the Reverse Evolution Virus planted by Blackout and me. With the government crippled, the newly formed JSSDF will have no choice but to declare martial law. We start once Barricade gets here."
"Wait. Are those U.S. Marines?"
"We'll hand them over the MPs later. Prepare to breach upon signal."
A police siren blared.
"Right on schedule. Skywarp, get the door!"
"Team 1, breaching!"
"Hands over your head!"
The "suspects" vanished into thin air!
"What the-"
Cut to static.
Not long after Bumblebee dropped off the kids at Nerv HQ, he informed Prowl of his encounter with Barricade.
Using his contacts with the Tokyo-3 Police and information from Luna, Prowl managed to dispatch a SWAT team to Megatron's last known location.
He could only listen in horror as the warehouse went up in flames along with the unfortunate officers.
Nonetheless, Prowl managed to salvage and forward the body camera footage from the failed raid to his fellow Autobots.
"'Operation Masakado?' What does that mean?!"
Ironhide, unfamiliar with Japanese history, asked Prowl for an explanation.
"Taira no Masakado was a rebellious warlord during the Heian period who became infamous for ruthlessness and audacity in battle. Masakado was eventually killed in action, but ghost stories concerning his severed head remain to this day."
The Autobot motorcycle cop paused for a moment of realization.
"In short, Megatron intends to overthrow the Japanese government with a decapitation strike on Tokyo-2, then have Takahashi's conspirators in the JSSDF seize control."
"I thought the coup plot was already vanquished."
Ratchet asked, remembering the release of Project G and the attempted sabotage of Jet Alone.
"Not entirely, Ratchet. Megatron wouldn't ally himself with any ordinary crime boss. Takahashi must have had connections in high places who could feign ignorance at the drop of a helmet."
"Like the Functionists? In that case, no wonder Megatron disposed of him once he got what he needed."
Indeed, Optimus and Ratchet knew too well of the intricate alliance between organized crime and political corruption.
Turning his attention to another part of the plot, Optimus looked to Wheeljack.
"Wheeljack! What's the status on the Reverse Evolution vaccine?!"
"It's ready, but I don't know if it'll work on humans' computers."
"What about the Magi?"
"It might stand a chance. You think he'll attack Nerv?"
"An Angel attack requires the concentration of many JSDF units. If the Magi malfunctions mid-battle, Nerv will be crippled, and Tokyo-2 will have to send all the reserves they have to buy time."
"Leaving no one to defend it in case of attack."
Suddenly, Nerv's Angel alert sounded!
"Oh, speak of the Fallen," muttered Bumblebee.
"Prime! Do you copy?!"
"Yes, Major Katsuragi! We read you!"
"Looks like Discord's warning was right. Magi just detected four Angels! Three are currently active, and an inactive one is inside Mount Asama!"
"Are the new Eva Units combat-ready?!"
"We're outfitting the pilots as we speak."
"And Maki?!"
"We're keeping track of him. He's currently stationary in the Pacific, but there's no way he'll miss this after that incident with the Fleet!"
"We have another problem. Megatron's plotting to resume Takahashi's coup d'etat."
"What?! I thought the JSDF already took care of the plotters!"
"He only needs the JSDF to declare martial law. Megaton's plan is to launch a cyberattack on Nerv and an airstrike on Tokyo-2's government offices at the same time as the Angels make landfall. He calls it 'Operation Masakado.'"
"Masakado? Oh, right, he was Shinji's teacher..."
"If the Magi is crippled and the JSDF declares martial law, Nerv would be forced to surrender all its assets, including the Evas."
Ritsuko chimed in, adding the increasingly bad news.
Together, Misato and Prime connected the dots.
"And thanks to Maki and Ghidorah, Japan now has a total of seven Evangelion units for the JSDF to seize. After that, Megatron would simply purge them."
"And since Megatron was behind Maki's release…"
"He's been planning this for a while."
Misato sighed, realizing the ingenuity of her opponent.
"Can I trust you guys to handle him?"
"You should focus on the Angels, Major. We've dealt with Megatron before, and today is no different!"
"Alright, good luck on your end."
"Good luck with yours, Major."
The Major signed off.
"Wheeljack, Ratchet, stay here with Omega Supreme in case the Magi comes under attack!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Sky Lynx, transport the rest of us to Tokyo-2! We'll need all the firepower we can spare!"
"Yes, sir!"
"I don't know what Megatron intends to accomplish with this plot, but has that ever stopped us from foiling him?"
"Sir, no, sir!"
Wheeljack, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Prowl, Jazz, Sky Lynx, and Cliffjumper all yelled in unison.
Underneath his faceplate, Optimus smiled at his troops.
"Autobots, transform, and roll out!"
Evangelion Pilot Briefing Room, Nerv HQ, Tokyo-3…
With the arrival of four new Eva units, it was evident that they would require new pilots.
But Shinji never realized the possibility that said new pilots would be his classmates from Class 2-B.
"These plugsuits feel weird. It's like I'm wearing nothing at all!"
"Trust me, Toji. You'll get used to it."
"The girls are going to wear these too, right? Dear God, it's gonna be awkward!"
"I don't think they'll mind."
"Easy for you to say, Prof! Besides, I'm more worried about Kensuke over there."
"Yes! I get to pilot a giant robot and fight alongside magical girls and Kaiju! Dreams can come true!"
"Kensuke, trust me on this. It's not as easy as you think."
"Not as easy? Didn't we help you kill an Angel once?"
"Right. The one that didn't explode."
Toji remembered fondly.
"Look, guys, we're gonna be fighting for our lives against some ridiculous overpowered monsters out there. The best thing we can do right now is to look aft-."
It was then that Misato arrived, accompanied by Kaworu, Rei, Asuka, and Hikari.
They were all in their plugsuits, and as Toji predicted, it was hard for the new recruits to avert their gaze.
"Eye contact, gentlemen."
Kaworu reminded the duo with a sly smile.
"Yes, sir…"
Toji mumbled, while Kensuke quickly wiped a drop of blood from his nose.
"How bad is it, Misato?" asked Shinji.
"Four Angels."
"Including the one in the volcano?"
"Not anymore. Kirishima-san just tried attacking one of them, and it split into two separate Angels in response. She managed to retreat thanks to Sawashiro-sensei and that moth of hers."
"Do we know what they're capable of?" asked Toji.
Misato looked at the list of names and grimaced.
"First off, we have Israfel, the twins that Jet Alone just engaged. Then we have Sandalphon, the one currently resting in Mount Asama. Matarael, a giant arachnid which apparently spits acid. And last but not least, Sahaquiel, which is literally trying to nuke us from orbit."
Kensuke raised his hand as if he was still in class.
"Yes, Aida?"
"Major, may I make a suggestion?"
"What is it?"
Kensuke pushed up his glasses and smirked confidently.
"Four Angels may seem formidable, but it would be much easier to focus all our strength on one opponent at a time."
"A defeat in detail?"
"Exactly!"
"What does that involve?" asked a confused Toji.
"Let me explain. If we include the Jet Alone, there are eight of us against four of them. That means we can send at least two units against a single Angel. Once we factor in the help of allies like Sawashiro-sensei, we can steadily eliminate each threat, and then focus all our efforts on Mount Asama."
Misato smiled.
"That's actually a pretty good idea. You should consider a career in the JSDF."
"Already prepared myself, Major."
"He means he plays airsoft at Mount Hakone on the weekends."
Kensuke glared at Toji with a "Could you not?!" expression on his face.
Misato glanced at her watch.
"You kids should be launching."
Inside Evangelion Unit 04, Unit Hangars, aka "The Cages"...
Kensuke waited patiently for the Plug to fill up with LCL.
He was well-acquainted with the blood-like fluid after that fateful first day of class.
Some might say a little too acquainted.
He closed his eyes as the Nerv technicians ran system checks over his comms.
"This is it. This is the moment I dreamt of for so-"
CRAAASSSHHH!
Kensuke's eyes jolted open!
He looked around, seeing only pitch darkness!
"Don't worry, kid! I got you!"
A lone voice yelled over his comms.
Another CRAAASSSHHH!
Unit-04's in-cockpit viewscreen switched on automatically!
However, the battlefield Kensuke saw was very different from Tokyo-3!
It was on a tropical island, as he could tell from the burnt foliage.
A group of giant wounded monsters laid around him, writhing in pain!
He looked at the horizon and saw a blue ocean for the first time in his life!
Then Kensuke looked upwards and saw a fantastic sight!
What appeared to be a spaceship engaging a three-headed cyborg dragon!
"Well, Kensuke, you've watched plenty of anime, haven't you?"
He turned and saw the mysterious agent known as "Discord" levitating before his Eva!
"Know a good isekai?"
Kensuke took a moment to process, then blurted out.
"WHAT THE FU-"
To be continued...