Shin Getter Robo vs. Mazinkaiser vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion – The Impact!
Stage 3: [Storm]
"Mr. Benkei, after today Miss Katsuragi says we can begin joint strategy meetings. Today was another fluke, but we still were alright. Commander Ikari says that stopping Angel attacks is our first priority but as long as it's a jointly funded operation, it should be fine." Rei finished speaking.
Benkei grinned. "You hear that, Hayato? That's a win for round two."
Hayato smiled and looked up as Great Mazinger landed and it head module, the Brain Condor opened. Tetsuya Tsurugi exited the craft and stretched.
"Took you long enough to get out of there. Were you napping?" Hayato asked.
Tetsuya removed his helmet and climbed down the ladder to join them on the catwalk.
"Resting after searching for Kabuto. Great and I both needed it." Tetsuya said, looking to the EVA pilots. "Ayanami. Soryu. Ikari. Well met."
"Don't get used to it. NERV will have us back once Units 02 and 00 finish recharging." Asuka said and Tetsuya grinned.
"Well I must also commend you personally, Asuka. Saving Kouji is never easy, but you managed it even against Dr. Hell well enough."
"'Well enough'? Of course I did. I'm certainly the best pilot of the three of us."
"I recall both Ayanami and Ikari assisted in that endeavor. But if you're so sure, I'd like to see you keep pace with Great and I! The mightiest Mazinger against the mightiest Evangelion!" Tetsuya said with a chuckle, making a thumbs up and pointing it to himself.
"What is it with you Mazinger pilots? Want to prove that a girl can't show you up?" Asuka taunted.
Tetsuya laughed again. "If that was the case, we wouldn't be working with Jun or Sayaka. They wind up showing us up quite enough. Think of it more as a friendly competition."
Asuka rolled her eyes and looked back to Sayaka. "How do you deal with all of this? It's a madhouse around here!"
/
Ryoma walked over to Shinji and grinned. "Finally get to meet you in the flesh. Though I never expected to see you in my old uniform. You've still got some growing to do if you want to fill that out, Ikari." Ryoma said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Ryoma. I didn't thank you properly for the other day." Shinji said, bowing to him.
"Enough formalities. Now let's all let our machines rest and get some food. A meal to celebrate before we send you kids off." Ryoma said.
No one disagreed and they all ate peacefully, though the absence of Kouji weighed on most of their minds.
Then two men in suits came in and Dr. Yumi met with them. Even from the far away dining room, his voice carried. He sounded upset.
"This is private property! I don't care if you're with NERV, you can't just waltz in here and demand to take away that boy!"
"Sir, we want to respect you, but that boy is an asset to the future of Tokyo 3. We need to collect him."
The group overheard the conversation and Tetsuya looked to the Getter Team while Asuka eyed Shinji. The boy looked crestfallen and moved to sit up when Benkei put a hand on Shinji's shoulder and kept him from standing up. Instead, Ryoma and Tetsuya stood, walking away together with a purposeful swagger.
"That boy is safe here! I swear he'll return once we finish recharging the Evangelions."
"Mr. Ikari's Evangelion is not here. Therefore it is standard procedure we collect him ourselves."
"You'll have to wait. We're in the middle of dinner." Dr. Yumi said.
"Sir, we can provide a meal for Mr. Ikari. We won't ask a second time."
There was the sound of beatings as both men were hit – presumably by the two men who just left. The sound of two bodies falling in a heap was heard and Asuka wanted to jolt out of her chair to see firsthand, but Hayato's stare was too terrifying she'd noticed. Even without any kind of dark glasses, his gaze was just as scary as Commander Ikari's.
"Ryoma. Tetsuya. Thank you. Now how do we explain this to NERV?" Dr. Yumi asked.
"Well you did say this was private property. And on top of that they were pretty rude. I mean look at this – they're armed and they even wanted to take the boy from his damn dinner." The voice of Ryoma was heard.
"I suggest we escort Shinji back ourselves – either in one of our cars or in Brain Condor. Putting him in one of the Evangelions here might rub his father the wrong way." The voice of Tetsuya was heard.
"Gendo Ikari. Why the hell do we deal with that man?" Yumi said, and then the conversation there quieted down.
"Why do these people distrust Mr. Ikari?" Rei asked and Hayato's glace shifted from Asuka to Rei.
"A good question. He reminds us all of Dr. Saotome, our old leader who since joined the Invaders. And he is very secretive. For such a group like NERV, it's strange that such a man is their leader." Hayato answered.
"That is hardly a reason to distrust Commander Ikari."
"Look at Shinji. The poor boy's been without a father figure for years. This is public knowledge." Benkei said, giving Shinji a pitied look. "I adopted a kid myself and if anything happened to Kei, well I'd just go crazy." The heavyset man said.
"Well he's the Commander. Being distant is his job, right?" Asuka asked.
"So is my dad, but he treats me like I'm his own flesh and blood." Sayaka stated and glanced to Shinji. "I'm really sorry you have to deal with that."
Shinji didn't know what to say. "Thank you, but Rei has a point. All of you seem convinced that my father is a bad person." He didn't know how to feel as he said those words.
"We have our suspicions." Ryoma said, returning to the table. "But it's not our place to talk bad about your old man in front of you."
"Let's just finish eating and leave this testosterone soaked environment." Asuka said, taking a sip of water and eating the pan fried noodles with a bored look on her face. She was sick of noodles but at least these were loads better than the instant store brand at Misato's place.
"And of course I'll need to change. But the uniform does look cool." Shinji said getting a laugh out of the Getter Team.
"We'll see you kids off. You know this world's going to shit when we have kids as young as you all stepping into wars like this." Ryoma said.
The ride back was uneventful if a little strange as Rei and Asuka had a Photon Power Unit supplied to their EVA so they could walk back, following Hayato's Jeep as the man drove Shinji ahead of them. Once the EVAs were on NERV territory, the packs were removed and Asuka and Rei waited for pickup.
The jeep drove on and Ryoma looked to Shinji, now changed back into his civilian clothes, the Getter suit left behind at the Photon labs.
"Kid, where do you live?" The man asked him. Shinji looked to him and blanked out of a moment. The question was disarming.
"God, did your old man relocate you?" Ryoma asked.
Shinji frowned. "Yeah. He wouldn't want me out of his sight." Shinji said.
Ryoma looked to him. "Kid, I don't care what that guy thinks. You have a place to call home here, right? Where is it?"
Shinji was quiet as he pulled out a flip phone and handed it to Ryoma. The name Misato Katsuragi highlighted in the phone's menu.
Ryoma hit dial and put it to his ear.
"Hello? Shinji?!" Misato's voice sounded surprised but a bit relieved.
"Hello Miss Katsuragi. I'm Ryoma Nagare." The man said, looking down at Shinji with a look the boy couldn't read.
"Mr. Nagare. Where is Shinji?" The woman's voice was heard, sounding a mix of confused and panicked.
"He's fine. Shinji decided to help assist the Getter Team with some exercises involving Getter Dragon. We trained at the Photon Power labs after Asuka and Rei helped stop Dr. Hell's latest offensive." Ryoma said.
"Thank goodness he's alright. So that's why units 00 and 02 are now registering in Tokyo – 3." Misato said and Ryoma smiled.
"Those kids are something else. Give them a chance to shine and they'll do great things. Anyway I don't want to beat around the bush – Shinji's with me and the Getter Team right now and we're looking for your house. Is it OK if we drop off Shinji there?" Ryoma asked.
"Please do. I'll pass up the news to the chain of command tomorrow." Misato said with a sigh.
"Hey are you alright, Miss?" Ryoma asked and Misato laughed. "I'm fine. But beat from today at work. Staff was going crazy from Dr. Hell's offensive along with the Invader attacks on the Photon Lab. Just drop off Shinji and I'll be ready to see him."
Ryoma nodded and gave the phone back to Shinji.
"Misato." Shinji spoke.
"Shinji. I was worried you'd be stuck somewhere the Commander put you and I find you're doing stunts with the Getter Team?!" Misato yelled.
"Well I - " Shinji began.
"I'm glad that you're ok. Now please come home. It will be good having you and Asuka under the same roof again." Misato said and hung up the phone.
Shinji sighed as the car ride was coming to a close – soon he'd be home and have to say goodbye.
"Thanks guys." Shinji said. Ryoma and Benkei gave him smiles while Hayato stayed focused on the road.
"Kid, you're the reason we got to hit Dr. Hell with Getter Dragon's best attack! With all the Invader activity, I was afraid that Shin Dragon would absorb it." Benkei said.
"Shin Dragon?" Shinji asked. "That runaway gigantic Getter that Professor Saotome ran off with?"
"Yeah." Ryoma answered. "The only difference is that his Getter Dragon army was all mass produced while ours was the first one." He chuckled. "Maybe Shin Dragon sees it as too outdated to absorb."
"Shinji, what do you pilot your Evangelion Unit 01 for?" Hayato asked.
Shinji froze and found he didn't have an immediate answer.
"Are you doing it by choice, or are you being made to?" The man asked him.
"My father and NERV say it's my duty to." Shinji said as the car banked a turn and started heading closer to Misato's place.
"Duty, huh? Professor Saotome recruited us because we were all society's dropouts, or the best in our field in Benkei's case." Ryoma said. "I pilot Getter because it gives me a reason to fight. And because I like it. It's become my life, whether good or bad."
Benkei sighed. "But in your case Shinji, is this something you enjoy? Is it something you could keep doing for the next few years?"
"I don't know." Shinji said.
"Well if you need to talk about the stresses of being a pilot, we're a call away." Ryoma said. "I'll give you my number." The man said.
Shinji nodded and Ryoma and Benkei both put in their numbers.
"We'd let Hayato be a contact, but he's the one in charge of our Getter operation when he's at The Tower." Ryoma said as the car pulled up.
Ryoma got out of the car and walked in with Shinji.
"Let's see if we beat Soryu home." Ryoma said as the door opened to a half drunk Misato.
"Oh. You brought Mr. Nagare." Misato said and Ryoma grinned.
"Just making sure the kid gets in here without Mr. Ikari's men interfering." Ryoma said.
"Oh. Well thank you for watching over Shinji. Want a beer?" She asked and Ryoma frowned.
"Not right now, but thanks. I need to head back to the Photon lab. Shin Getter is still in need of repairs."
Ryoma looked to Shinji and nodded. "Good to work with you today. Give my best to the other kids. Miss Katsuragi, nice meeting you officially." The man said.
"Let me know when you find Kouji. I'm only sorry that he's missing." Shinji said.
"Not your fault, kid. I'm sure Kabuto's just fine. He's made of tough stuff." Ryoma said as he left.
/
"Kaiser override?! What the hell?" Kouji asked as he woke up, looking to the flashing text inset into his helmet's visor. The Hover Pilder was completely off the grid that Kouji knew of. It had crashed inside of a cave and it's systems were still functioning enough to open the canopy once Kouji woke up. He left the red brain module he used to dock with Mazinger Z behind, vowing that he'd retrieve it one day.
Kouji had a flashlight and walked down the deep chasms of the tunnel, finding a blue steel and rectangular hallway that appeared as the cave tunnel tapered off.
There was a pair of big metal doors in front of Kouji and the slid open with a grinding noise as Kouji suddenly felt scared, which wasn't something he felt often.
/
God of Gods. Devil of Devils. The Emperor of All Demons. It waited on it's metal throne, the silver crown on it's head bare of the Pilder that would give it full use of it's power.
A machine created only to fight, Mazinkaiser did not know sorrow or impatience. The robot only was longing for it's purpose to be realized.
Kouji walked into the huge and dark room, reaching on the side of the wall to find he was on a walk of some kind. He kept his hand to the wall and turned.
The side of the demon's head was what he saw, the devil's yellow eye, prominent horns, and a prominent grille on the monster's mouth added to the spectacle. Kouji cried out at the appearance of the creature and the sound triggered the floodlights.
First the lights at the far end of the building, and then the closer row, each turning on with a powerful sound.
He was staring at the face of a gigantic Mazinger.
/
The next day was all work and no fun for the staff of NERV. EVA Unit 01 had been ready to operate, but Shinji was not in the mood to even try and make the machine move. The question of why he piloted the EVA was one that he'd asked himself and been asked many times, but now it was something he wanted to reject. Toji was still alive but he easily could've died due to Unit 01's berserk rampage.
Due to Shinji's reluctance to cooperate, it was decided that Asuka would try and make Unit 01 move. As much as the girl tried yelling in her best Japanese, it wouldn't even make the Evangelion budge.
"Too bad us girls can't cut it with Mr. Perfect Idiot Shinji!" Asuka yelled, punching the side of the Unit as she exited the cockpit.
"Asuka, you tried your hardest. Now let's focus on utilizing Units 00 and 02 for now." Misato said over the comm, hoping that Shinji would have a change of heart. Yet the boy that came home the other day was completely different. He was still reserved, and quiet. But he had the look in his eyes of a boy that had seen hope and had been able to grasp it for the slightest moment. Misato knew it had to be the Getter Team, but it wasn't her place to ask about it. And even if she could, Shinji wasn't at work at the moment.
"Due to Shinji's behavior, I'm giving him a suspension from using the Evangelion." Gendo had said to her. It wasn't Misato's place to question the man, but it did make her want to punch him.
/
Misato snapped out of the vision of the man in his creepy glasses and looked at the paperwork in front of her face.
'PILOT 02 ASSESSMENT RESULTS', the paper read.
Misato looked to the paper and frowned. Asuka's sync rates had been wildly fluctuating lately. First they had dropped to a record low following the attack of the latest Angel. However now they were steady. Above average even. Enough to look good, Misato supposed.
Misato turned on the camera linked to Unit 02's optical display and watched the battle from yesterday. Asuka landed in front of an outlandish looking robot, humanoid and with dark blue face and body with olive green plating over it. The robot itself looked a lot like the mad scientist Dr. Hell, beard and all. It would have been hilariously cliche if the man wasn't a complete monster.
This mechanical creature had four arms, one of which held a gigantic sword, ready to slam down onto Asuka. But the AT field held up from one – no two attacks. Even when the blade shot out pure lighting, Unit 02 stood it's ground, assisting Kouji Kabuto's Mazinger Z in standing up.
Then it was Ayanami's turn. Rei lept from the cliff she was on, cord detaching as Unit 00 tried to engage the monster close up. It was a mistake as she'd gotten an electrical shock and was tossed to the side.
Then the camera Misato was viewing lit up in a bright blue light as something struck the area, causing Dr. Hell to break concentration. It was all they needed as three consecutive attacks from Mazinger's arsenal was enough to damage Dr. Hell's machine enough to send it into a full retreat.
Misato paused the program and looked to the sheet, sighing as she wished she could type it out.
"Pilot Soryu is doing well in the sync tests. Last week her score was low, but it has improved since then. We expect to get a more consistent result from Pilot Soryu with the next Angel engagement."
Misato finished the sentence and frowned. The form asked for an action plan. Misato sighed. She hated elaborating when the information was right there.
"Additionally we will review Pilot Soryu's training in the coming week to see how we can assist her in this regard, if needed."
One more sentence should be enough, Misato figured.
"Hey there beautiful." A voice said from outside of her door.
"Kaiji. What do you want this time?" Misato asked, already imagining a doorway into alcoholism and bad decisions potentially opening for her evening before she brushed it aside in her head. Work before pleasure.
"Well I just wanted to know what your take was on the kids' ittle field trip yesterday." He asked her. Dammit. If he knew about it then it was more serious than she'd imagined.
"Well, Commander Ikari ordered them to assist in case Dr. Hell or the Invaders decided to change targets to NERV HQ. I think that it was a useful exercise in teamwork." Misato responded.
"Yes, that's what Commander Ikari would say. But I want to know what you think about the two kids living under your roof dealing with people as nuts as the Getter and Mazinger teams." Kaiji said.
Misato looked to him now. The same lazy eye and stubble on his chin. He didn't bother to hide his laid back attitude. It was all over his face. The best kind of quality for a man like him to have.
"And what would you want to know about my opinions? It's not like you can't find out what happened." Misato answered him.
"No, but there were two of NERV's men found on the perimeter of Tokyo – 3 last night. Two men sent to find Ikari. They'd been roughed up and if the Getter Team took Shinji home last night – well, let's say that NERV might have an issue with the Photon Power Labs' response."
Misato felt her eye twitch. "Kaiji, that's got nothing to do with the EVA pilots. If Ryoma saw two of our men pull guns on him and decided to throw fists, I don't think I'd try and stop him. The man's insane. You heard he blew off Commander Ikari, right? And if the rumors are true about the Dinosaur Empire then-" Misato kept going and Kaiji laughed.
"Dinosaur Empire? What, was he a children's TV narrator before he jumped into a Getter Robo?" Kaiji raised an eyebrow, his smirk twisting in interest and amusement.
"Still – he told off the Commander? Now that's interesting." Kaiji said.
"I think that our EVA pilots seeing how another organization does things is a good idea to broaden their horizons. I'm just not thrilled about involving our Evangelion units in a potentially fatal situation." Misato said.
"I understand that reasoning. Evangelions are made to kill Angels. Even as famous as they are, Mazingers and Getters really can't do that. At least not that we've seen." Kaiji said.
"There was that stunt Shin Getter pulled a few days ago with Unit 01 while they were inside of the Angel. But we scanned Unit 01 for these Getter Rays and found nothing. Perhaps it was something that dissipated. In any case you're right. As far as we know, only Evangelions can break through the Angels' AT Fields."
"Now Misato, I didn't come all the way down here to ask your pretty self about the competition. How are the kids doing?" Kaiji asked.
"Shinji is secluded. In his situation regarding the Fourth Child, I don't think he should be forced into action. If he wants to pilot the EVA, he'll come running." Misato said.
"And what about Asuka?" Kaiji asked.
"Well, look at this report. These new results are because of yesterday. Look, her sync rate was at an all time low the day before, but a run in with Kouji Kabuto seemed to give her confidence. Watch." Misato said, playing the footage to Kaiji.
"She blocked all of those attacks and didn't lose her cool? I know she's good but I'm impressed." Kaji said.
"And look here. She even cooperated with Kabuto to finish the battle." Misato observed as Asuka held Mazinger Z in place for the three attack finisher to strike.
"Well now that's something else surprising." Kaiji said and Misato took pause as he was hesitating.
"What's the problem?" Misato asked and Kaiji frowned.
"It's about a group called SEELE." He relented. Misato blinked. It sounded like bad news.
/
"You're sure you want us to keep down the base now?" Rookei pilot Gai Daido asked Benkei.
"Of course. You, Kei, and Go will look after the Getters. We've got business to attend to today." Benkei said.
"Hey Benkei, you'd better get your ass in this jeep before Hayato and I bail!" Ryoma's voice carried across the main hanger.
"Dammit. Just tell Go to take point and let us know if Shin Dragon rears it's ugly head." Benkei said, running in a full sprint to pursue his ride.
"Right." Gai said with a frown, sighing and wiping his brow with a pudgy hand. Go was almost inhuman at times, while Kei was a live wire. And those were three extremely big shoes to fill after all.
"And Kabuto! Let us know if you find him!" Gai heard in the distance and added it to his list of things to get to while he finished fiddling with Shin Getter Bear's on board scanners.
Gai felt a tinge of guilt and decided the scanners could wait. Shin Getter's scans were 85% complete and it would be irresponsible of him to shirk this task.
He found Go on the top of the hanger, looking out to the sunset.
"Go, is everything alright?" Gai asked.
"Yes. Shin Getter is relaxed. I do not sense Shin Dragon anywhere near here." The tall man said. He had short black hair and a skintight dark red bodysuit that showed a slender figure of rippling muscle. Over that he wore a beige cloak that whipped in the breeze.
"That's good. Considering that the main team's off-base for now. We're on standby if a Getter needs to deploy." Gai said and Go smiled.
"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that." He said. The slight smile faded and Go's expression became serious and stoic. The man was certainly an enigma and although Gai certainly trusted him with his life, he really didn't know a great deal about the man.
"Go! Gai! There you are!" Kei's voice rang out. The young woman wore tight jeans and a black tanktop, her own short black hair rustling with the breeze as she climbed up a series of iron handholds to reach the ceiling.
"Kei, you were looking for us?" Go asked, his voice emotionless.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask what we're going to do if we have to sortie." She said and Gai frowned.
"W-well we're in charge of the Getters for now. The main Getter Team is on business today." Gai said. Kei nodded. "I figured as much, but wanted to confirm it. Getter Dragon's damaged from yesterday and Shin Getter's not done getting fixed yet." Kei said.
"And Black Getter is Ryoma's custom." Gai said. "That leaves us with Shin Getter – it's the one we all have the most experience with."
Go nodded. "That's what we'll do then."
/
"Ikari's plan is in motion, but ours can still overrun it if needed."
"Is the order given?"
"Yes. The Mass-Produced Evangelions will be complete soon enough for our final plan."
"Then all is well?"
"All is proceeding."
"We will have our paradise."
"All will be one."
SEELE ended the transmission as the report was given.
/
Asuka exited the hangar to take a bathroom break when the lights went out and then she heard screaming. What was it now? She wondered.
Then the emergency lights turned on and she heard a man yelling in the meeting room.
Asuka was careful to stick close to the wall as she crept around the opening to get the slightest peek at what was going on. When she got an image of the scene, she wished she never looked in the first place.
Hayato Jin was clad in a blue button up shirt, a larger trench coat thrown on over that and a pair of khakis. He was staring straight at Gendo. Outside of the room, a guard had fallen and was clutching his face in pain. The man who had done all of the screaming by the sound of it.
"Don't worry. That man's alright. But a fair warning – had I wanted to, I could've torn his face clean off with just one hand." Hayato said like it was no big deal.
"Hayato Jin. What are you doing here - again?" Gendo asked looking down at Hayato.
"Just returning the favor after you sent two of your men to the Photon Labs, Mr. Ikari. I'd like to say hello in a nicer way, but you've been ignoring all of my phone-calls." The man said. He shot a very brief glance at Asuka from his peripheral vision and the girl suddenly felt terrified, ducking under the window glass so she wouldn't be seen.
What the hell was wrong with her? She asked herself. How did one guy manage to trigger her flight or fight response so easily. She'd guess the face-ripping off line might have something to do with it. He was like a snake. If Kouji was a charging bull and Shinji a timid mouse, that was an apt description.
Asuka blinked and wondered if comparing Shinji to that was fair to him. After all, he'd saved her a few times thought she hated to admit it. He should at least be a cat. It didn't matter. Why the hell was the Getter Team here?
"What do you want?" Gendo repeated from within the conference room and Asuka pulled out her cellphone and hit record. It was actually Shinji's phone, her mixing them up in a hurry to leave for training. Misato had been a cheapskate and gotten them both the same model. But right now that was a moot point. The recording began as Asuka did her best to stay as quiet as possible
"Not much. Just a fair warning that your little sideshow isn't going to matter if we don't take these Invaders seriously."
"Sideshow? You talk of being taken seriously and yet – you struggle keeping your own team together. And you attack our agents."
"Peh. You know that was some bullshit." Another voice said and Asuka frowned. It was further away.
Then she heard a grunt as Gendo spoke again. Unbelievable. Had they laid a hand on the Commander?
"G-Get off of me! Yesterday we wanted to retrieve the Children."
Asuka decided to throw caution to the winds as she scooted the phone closer to the break in the wall. From the voice's sound and loudness, it was Ryoma speaking next.
"One of those kids is your own son. Now if you want us to leave here without causing another scene, I'd suggest you listen for once in your sorry life!" Ryoma said.
"Please, let's settle this like adults." Another voice said. Asuka realized it was Subcommander Fuyutsuki speaking next.
"That's rich, old man. Not until Commander Ikari treats his son like an actual responsibility rather than an asset."
"How sad, Nagare." Commander Ikari's voice was heard again. "Your own negative experience with your father has caused you to take that out on me. We know your origins, Mr. Nagare. And we also know that this little stunt will get you sent back to jail."
A snapping noise was heard and Gendo screamed for a brief moment.
"That's one finger. I can do a lot worse if you actually manage to piss me off."
"Threatening me won't change NERV's operation structure. I can promise you that." Gendo said and Asuka could image him looking over his folded hands given that exact tone. But not with a broken finger.
"How about letting everyone here know just what that Instrumentality Project of yours is really about?" Hayato asked.
"So you know. But again , it doesn't matter – you can't stop what's in motion." Gendo countered.
"We can - if we shut your ass down. And fair warning, the last asshole who thought he could beat us wound up taking a Shine Spark right in the face." Ryoma said.
"If you even had the resources and the forces to shut down NERV you'd have done so already. I don't have time to play games with you about diplomacy or ethics." Gendo said.
"Well then hear this, Mr. Ikari." Hayato said. "The Getter Team will do all we can to assist Tokyo – 3. On the condition that we continue to communicate with the Evangelion pilots and as a result learn from one another." Hayato asked.
"This is a waste of time." Gendo said and Ryoma laughed.
"From where I'm sitting it's a goldmine. Fine. If you won't take care of your damn pilots, at least let us train with them? Benkei and Rei have been going over training exercises in theory, but think of the applications a field test could have." Ryoma proposed.
"Consult Major Katsuragi if you want to coordinate something like that. But know that if you come in here like this again, you'll be shot on sight." Gendo said and then Hayato laughed – a raspy sandpaper laugh that made Asuka's skin crawl.
"I even let that man keep his face. We won't play so nice next time either then. Good luck in the next Angel attack." Hayato said as he and Ryoma left the room. As they walked by, Ryoma turned to Asuka on the opposite side of the hall and smiled, giving her a friendly wave as though he was just going on a stroll.
"Later." He said and Asuka suddenly realized how deeply this could be trouble. Before Commander Ikari could know she was eavesdropping, Asuka turned into the room and took a breath to dispel her stress.
"Commander Ikari! Sub-commander Fuyutsuki! Is everything alright!?" She asked and Gendo moved his injured hand behind his back as he stood.
"We had a meeting. That is all. Good day, pilot." Gendo said and Asuka nodded, walking out of the room and waited for Gendo and Fuyutsuki to walk by, also making sure she was heading away from where two thirds of the Getter Team had gone.
/
"If we position the Positron Rifle here, we can deal a killing blow to the Angel. But it's not a simple task. It takes most of Tokyo – 3's power grid and it has to be an exact shot."
"So we'd need Shin Getter to hold the Angel in place for that to work?" Benkei asked.
"No. The blast radius might prove fatal to you if you were so close. You'll have to try another strategy." Rei Ayanami said. Asuka frowned and saw the blue-haired girl sitting on a bench next to Benkei as they took turns pushing a monitor of some kind.
"Well what about using a Getter Beam to distract the Angel? I don't think that's a bad approach." Benkei said.
"The AT field has deflected that attack in the past. The Angel will be prepared for it. It simply won't have the strength to break through." Rei said.
"Hey there, Asuka." Benkei said and the girl sighed.
At least the Getter Team was friendly to her despite being older. And not just another snot nosed kid who wanted her attention.
"Well we've done enough discussions of combat for now. You kids want to get some lunch? My treat." Benkei said with a big smile.
"Irrelevant. NERV provides us with necessary food and nourishment." Rei started to speak.
"Does that mean you'll take us … somewhere fancy?" Asuka asked, doing her best to make a surprised face.
Benkei laughed. "Yeah. My treat. My daughter and I haven't gone out to eat in a while so consider this living vicariously I guess." The man said. "Where's Shinji?"
"Oh. He's not here right now." Asuka said, closing her eyes in annoyance.
"He has decided not to pilot EVA Unit 01 anymore." Rei added.
"What?! But he – he beat that Angel by himself practically-! And the next one as well!" Benkei was surprised.
"The Fourth Child was in that Angel and he could've died. Shinji didn't have the stomach to kill the Angel." Asuka explained. "Therefore, Commander Ikari used something called a dummy plug to let the EVA take control automatically. You saw that on TV, right? Unit 01 tore the Angel to shreds."
"Yeah. Like it was some kind of monster. Poor Shinji. I didn't know he had no control of the situation. And even with that to deal with, he still decided to help us pilot Getter Dragon. . ." Benkei thought for a moment.
"Rei, do you mind where Mr. Kurama takes us?" Asuka asked, seeing a new opportunity.
"No. I don't have a preference." Rei answered.
Asuka's eyes widened as she thought about where they could have lunch.
/
Kaji finally left and Misato finished the assessment. She was lucky she turned away from his kiss or he'd still be in the room most likely. Asuka's report was done and Rei's was easy – she'd been very consistent with the use of Unit 00.
An alarm had gone off and she wondered what it was for. Power surge most likely.
Misato looked down to the next assessment sheet and sighed. It was meant for Shinji. She looked at the data at hand and wondered just what would appease whoever read this next.
In any case, it would have to wait. Misato needed a break.
She froze when once again she saw the Getter Team or rather, two thirds of the Getter Team walk by as Ryoma's scarf swayed with his walk.
She was going to say something but thought better of it when she saw Ryoma's hand in his pocket. A weapon? Or was he resting the hand? Either way it was something she didn't want to stick her head into.
"Ah, Mr. Nagare. Mr. Jin. How can I help you?" The voice rang out and Misato froze. 'Kaji?!' she thought in her head. There he was, leaning against the wall with the same lazy smirk on his face.
"Mr. Ryoji. Did you think over my proposition?" Hayato asked.
"Please, you know I can't just tell you NERV's business like that. That's against my job description."
"That wasn't my intention. I just wanted your opinion of how things are being ran here. Are there any things you think the Getter Team could assist with?"
"No. I think NERV's got everything in their world figured out. Trying to change things would just make a bigger mess of things."
"Hey Ryoji, what do you think of the Children?" Ryoma asked.
"They're kids." The man said. "Regular teenagers. I think working with you guys makes things a bit daunting to them."
"That's out of our control." Ryoma said and Kaji chuckled. "Right. Well on the flip-side, is the Getter Team willing to tell me anything juicy?"
"Shin Dragon is moving again." Hayato said. "We don't know where but we do know that it's not going to just sit around for NERV to neatly clean up all these Angels."
"Geez. That's certainly a big bit of news – literally. Do you think you could ask Dr. Hell if he'd deal with it?" Kaji asked and Ryoma sighed.
"Dr. Hell doesn't seem to be interested in stopping Shin Dragon. The thing hasn't gone after him yet." Hayato said.
"Sorry. Just a joke. Ah, I do know this however. Tokyo – 3 detected the Pilder's signal from somewhere in the woods just on the border. Just for a moment though. If it gives you any solace, Kabuto is most likely alive." Kaji said.
"I knew that kid was as tough as nails." Ryoma said. "And while we're on the subject, Shinji seems to be quite the capable pilot himself."
"Unwilling capable pilot." Kaji clarified. "He's staying away from Unit 01 for now. The shock of it almost killing a close friend has sworn him off of it."
Ryoma closed his eyes and sighed. "Dammit! That kid's too young to have to deal with that kind of choice!"
"Something personal, Mr. Nagare?" Kaji asked.
"Yeah, actually. A decade ago I swore off using Getter Robo at all. But since the revival of our old enemies, and now even that bastard Dr. Hell, I can't just sit by and let them destroy our world."
"Swore off Getter?"
"I saw a possible future where Getter is the enemy of all life in the universe. It made me think about leaving the team so that future would never happen. But then – Dr. Hell's offensive. Second Impact. The Moon Wars. Shin Dragon's awakening. Mankind kept managing to screw the pooch on our collective future. I was let out of prison to try and kill Dr. Saotome, so here I am now." Ryoma explained.
"So you're saying you want to talk to Shinji?" Kaji asked.
Ryoma nodded. "I'm saying that he's too young to handle some of these choices his time at NERV is throwing in his face. Too much pressure could really mess up the kid." He said with an experienced look.
"I see. Well best of luck getting through to him." Kaji said, looking serious for a moment.
"Good day, Mr. Ryoji." Hayato said and the two continued down the hall.
Misato frowned and decided to speak with Kaji for just another minute.