I've had jokes made about this part thanks to one of my reviewers, but rest assured this isn't going to be the same Evangelion. Hell, it doesn't even take place in Japan proper. This puts it in line with a more traditional giant mecha series. Wait… Oh crap, first I make a Jojo Isekai and now I've a Jojo mecha series! Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Evangelion, or Anarchy Reigns.
Cruel Angel's Thesis Chapter 3: Crimson Bow and Arrow
Gendo and Fuyutsuki were playing their usual Shogi game. "The old men at SEELE have finally made their move," Fuyutsuki noted, "But it would appear their artificial Stand users are no match for the real deal." "We can't underestimate them," Gendo reminded his old friend, "Lorenz Keel is a cunning man, and he has a way of worming into places advantageous to him. All he needs is information on how the EVAs are created, and he can manufacture his own. It'll be even worse if he can find the data on the Dummy Plugs we abandoned after developing the current system."
He made his next move on the board. "Of course all of his planning will be for naught if the Angels find Adam and instigate Third Impact. Sachiel has been placed in containment, but is not willing to speak with anything less than a Stand user, believing any being without metaphysical powers to be a corrupt spawn of Lilith. Once Adam is able to fully regenerate, perhaps he can undo this corruption Sachiel speaks of." "In any event," Fuyutsuki said, "We're having Tabris brought in. Perhaps the Angels will be willing to speak with one of their own. Tabris is a son of Adam as well, after all."
Gendo smiled. "Of course, our real trump card is Shinji. His Stand opened a door to all new possibilities. Without this revelation, we'd have never discovered the current system for developing the EVAs. It doesn't hurt that I was able to get Yui back much faster than if I had fallen to my darker instincts." Fuyutsuki chuckled. "I can't help but compare Shinji to yourself as a young man. Strong-willed, confident, and confrontational. He did not hesitate against the Killseekers, even though they looked almost human. But he also has Yui's sense of justice."
"A sense of justice that was only amplified by his time with Josuke," Gendo noted, "Though we do not share the same blood, there's no denying our family's connection to the Joestar clan. You might not have noticed, but Shinji has a tattoo identical to the Joestar clan's star-shaped birthmark. It was given to him by Josuke, marking him as a honored member of the family, much in the same way as Josuke's brother-in-law Sadao Kujo. Speaking of which, we should wrap up our game. Shinji and Rei should be done getting patched up, and I'll need to debrief them soon."
"I'm glad you didn't lose any limbs during the melee," Ritsuko said to her half sister, "Wamuu mentioned how his former master Esidisi once lost an arm and simply grabbed the arm off a corpse to replace it. But those Killseekers might not be suitable to your taste." Rei still ate like a normal human, but she could use her whole cellular structure to digest organic matter in a pinch. "They likely would have tasted like rotten meat," Rei noted, "Besides, I don't like the idea of eating sentient beings. Even if I did, the Killseekers dissolve upon death, leaving nothing to consume."
She and Shinji soon met up outside the hospital wing and headed for Gendo's office. "What's up Pop?," Shinji asked. "Excellent work procuring the carrier ship," Gendo said, "We're assembling a strike force to board it as we speak, but we're waiting until the next Angel attack so we have some time to spare. Joseph's not going anywhere in the meantime. Ritsuko, did you get anything from the remains of the Killseekers?" Ritsuko was also in the room. "Residue collected from little was left of the Killseekers confirms our suspicions. SEELE was attempting to reverse-engineer the Stand virus and modify it in such a way that it could create powers in anyone infected. The results are, needless to say, mixed."
"Big Bull seemed to be different from the Killseekers," Shinji noted. "He likely had Stand potential to begin with," Gendo theorized, "Allowing him to survive a greater infusion of the modified virus. Still, the artificial Stand he was granted didn't seem much more effective than a highly-advanced piece of tech. What really concerns me is that Big Bull mentioned SEELE having pilots of their own. Clearly, they intend to fight the Angels on their own terms." "They have already attempted infiltration to get used to the EVAs," came a voice from nowhere.
"Who is that?," Shinji asked. The mug on Gendo's desk shifted form to reveal Nu. "Forgive the incognito," he said, "I've taken to using my Stand to hide in various locations around NERV to keep tabs on all personnel and anyone visiting." "Nu has the Stand Earth Wind and Fire," Shinji explained to Rei, "It allows him to shift his molecular form into simple objects." Rei nodded in understanding. "Nu is also one of the Zeiger race, correct?" "Indeed," Nu replied, "It was my people who helped perfect the process of creating EVAs, as we have mastered similar technology back on own home planet. Both Adam and Lilith were created by higher beings who hoped to elevate other species to their level to have companionship among the cosmos. But this is the first I have heard of two such sentinels being sent to the same planet."
"According to Sachiel, that was a mistake," Cadence explained, "Lilith was meant to create a species suitable to work with the virus that was on a collision course with Earth as an experiment. But she apparently had a glitch that made her sociopathic, and instead tried to style herself as a god. In order to correct this mistake, Adam was sent to retrieve her so that she could be repaired. Sachiel doesn't know the details, but he does know the evolution of the Gigans and the creation of him and his brothers was the result of the incident."
"Isn't Sachiel supposed to be the youngest of the Angels?," Shinji asked, "Maybe the older ones will know more." "We'll have to retrieve their cores to be able to ask," Gendo pointed out, "To that effect, we have an additional three pilots that are being prepped to arrive. In the meantime, do you have any questions regarding the contract you received?" "Just one," Shinji asked, "It mentioned I'd be getting a 'standard salary' for this job. What does that mean, exactly?" Gendo smiled. Of course his son would ask that question. "The standard salary for pilots is 640,000 yen per month, all tax free of course. Additional hazard pay and compensation will added for each mission, be they dealing with SEELE or the Angels."
He adjusted his glasses. "That said, three fourths of the regular salary and all extra pay will be going into a savings account." "That's still 160,000 in pocket," Shinji noted, "Most kids my age don't even see that much money. Also, what about living arrangements?" "I've arranged to have you board with Misato for the duration of this operation," Gendo replied, "Your mother and I are too busy here at NERV, but rest assured we'll be checking on you regularly. Incidentally, Rei is living in the same apartment with her sister."
The thing about Misato was, she could be easily cowed by a superior woman. A woman like Cadence, who knew in advance that Shinji would be living with Misato, and thus made sure to get the Major to shape up at home in the same manner as she did while working. The only thing she wasn't able to do was teach Misato how to cook, though she did at least get her to do better than just instant food. Still, Shinji had to admit Cadence did a good job. The only thing out of place was the erect-crested penguin waddling around the living room.
"Who's that?," he asked. "That's Pen Pen," Misato explained, "He's a Stand using penguin we found in Antarctica." "Isn't that species native to New Zealand?," Shinji asked. "Normally, yes," Misato admitted, "But Pen Pen is comfortable in any environment thanks to his Stand Winter Wonderland, which lets him maintain his internal temperature no matter where he is." Shinji wasn't surprised a penguin could be a Stand user, since Josuke had told him a story about how he, Pinkie, and Jotaro tracked down a Stand using rat. And how Jotaro's wife had battled a Stand using orangutan, and one of the Stardust Crusaders was a Stand using terrier.
As it turned out, there was a high school on the island, which Shinji, Rei, and eventually the other pilots would be attending. However, something was happening as the duo walked there. The entire area was infested with Killseekers, all targeting a couple of boys Shinji's age. "Why the hell are they harassing students?," Shinji asked. "All the students on the island have Stand potential," Rei explained, "Thus are perfect for studying the Stand virus. SEELE is likely trying to capture a couple for experimentation to improve their artificial Stand users." She unleashed her Lightning Mode. "But that will not be happening!"
Shinji cracked his knuckles. "You're damn right it's not! Cruel Angel's Thesis!" They quickly dispatched the first group of Killseekers. "Whoa!," one of the boys said. "Thanks for the help," the other one said, "My name's Toji Suzuhara. This is Kensuke Aida." Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "Hey, you're new here right?" Shinji nodded. "Shinji Ikari. I just flew in recently." "On what?," Toji asked, "All air traffic is restricted over the island." Just then, a new group of enemies, this time robotic drones, flew in on jetpacks. "Tell them that!," Rei called out.
One aimed right for Shinji, but never got the chance to get off a shot, as Shinji already used his Stand to completely shut down the drone. "They're pure machine," Shinji noted, "Easy prey for my Cruel Angel's Thesis." Kensuke watched in awe as Shinji and Rei tore through both drones and automated choppers. Once the melee was over, Rei looked at one of the drones' head units. "It has SEELE's insignia on it," she noted. "Things like this happen often?," Shinji asked. "This is the first time," Toji noted, "Usually we never even see trouble getting too and from school. I wonder why things have changed."
"Do you remember the Angel attack that was announced?," Rei asked. The boys nodded. "That's what changed," Rei explained, "SEELE has plans to bring humanity under their rule in a facade of peace. But NERV is working with the Speedwagon Foundation, as NERV is in charge of the weapons needed to prevent the Angels from destroying the world, SEELE is cut off. So they're trying to cut into NERV's resources, force them to leave Speedwagon and join SEELE." Kensuke's eyes sparkled. "Then you guys are the pilots we've been hearing about!? We were able to see how that giant was taking out."
Toji sighed. "My sister got too close to the action. Luckily I was able to get her out of there before she got hurt. But she was way too excited to see the fight. She even wanted the autograph of the pilot who saved the city." Rei couldn't help but blush. "Well… If she really wants one…" Shinji chuckled. "Anyway, we should get to class first. We've already wasted enough time with the fight and standing around talking." The four of them hurried off. Nearby, a drone camera was watching them leave.
"So much for grabbing a few students," Lorenz said. "Why do we need to bother?," the Russian agent asked, "We already have what we need with the engineered virus." "Not necessarily," the American agent pointed out, "Big Bull proved inferior to the Second Child. Our manufactured Stands are clearly not as strong as natural ones, so we need more information on Stand power to improve them." "What about Joseph Joestar?," the British agent asked, "Surely we could study him." "His Stand is already active," Lorenz pointed out, "What we need is a sample of the virus in its dormant state."
"But those pilots will be getting in the way," the French agent noted, "And with the loss of one of our carriers we can only assume NERV has located Joseph and is planning to extricate him." Lorenz rubbed his chin as the visor he wore narrowed. He had needed to replace much of his body to stay alive as long as possible, and now he needed Instrumentality to escape his failing shell. "Contact the Baron and Mathilda. Have them patrol the sky citadel. Knowing Gendo, he'll make his move after the next Angel attack."
SEELE is making plans upon plans, even though they already have all they need for victory. And spoiler warning, this will bite them in the behind by the end of it all. For now, let's check out Pen Pen's Stand, the last original Stand we'll be seeing until the next part.
Winter Wonderland (Song by Felix Bernard)
User: Pen Pen
Ability: In addition to increasing his intelligence, Winter Wonderland let's Pen Pen maintain his internal body temperature even in the coldest or hottest of environments.
Power: E
Speed: E
Range: E
Durability: A
Precision: A
Potential: D
Yeah, this part is taking Jojo back to its roots and focusing on the supernatural in general. Read and review.