Creation began on 08-11-18
Creation ended on 09-07-18
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Living Alchemist: Success
"…So, how did the first part go for you three?" Maes Hughes asked Shinji, Ed and Al as they walked out of the room where the written examination took place.
All three sighed as they slumped in a bench in the hall.
"I didn't expect for there to be a time limit," Ed groaned. "Over fifty questions…and I was eight questions behind from finishing."
"I finished mine within the limit," Al explained, "but what about the interview? Just how many people are supposed to be involved?"
"Shinji?" Hughes asked.
"For once, I'm glad I can comprehend all that I read," he stated. "It actually pays to know English."
"And you never understood it before?" Ed asked.
"When you live in one place where the language you know is standard, it's pointless to take up newer ones you might not use."
-x-
"So…all three of them were able to make the top twenty," went Riza to Mustang as the man was looking at the results of the written examination. "Is it that bad?"
"No," he responded to her, "but that Ikari… He rubs my head the wrong way. It's like he's hiding something from everyone."
"Or is it that you don't trust him to not have an agenda that threatens your own?"
"Yes, that, too. He's a wild one if we don't know what his intentions are."
-x-
"…Just be yourself when you go in there and answer them to the best of your ability," Shinji encouraged Al when it was his turn to be interviewed.
"Yeah, okay," Al responded as he turned to go into the room. Oh, man.
"Be honest, Shinji," went Ed to him. "You don't think he'll pass, do you?"
"Whether or not he passes depends on his determination to get to the end of the journey you're on," he answered him, "but I believe he will pass if he's convinced he'll succeed."
"You're…so positive."
"Well, you have to have a positive personality if you expect to get anywhere. You want to use alchemy for defensive purposes, Al wants to use it for construction purposes, and I want to use it for medical purposes. We each need to be positive in order to get closer to our objective."
Ed then had to point out that Shinji's confidence seemed to stem a bit from him either wearing or twirling the kunai in his possession, which Shinji gave a childish expression in response to.
"There's no rule that says you can't rely on some sort of crutch," he defended, "and besides…this was my first transmutation. I like this kunai."
"Never knew any alchemist to take pride in their first transmutation."
"Everyone feels pride in something they did for the first time if they enjoy it. Winry showed me those items that you and Al transmuted. I'm impressed that you two were able to transmute a doll for her."
"Thank you. That was back when things were more…simpler."
"Back when reality didn't slap you so hard in the face?"
"Yeah… Did it ever do that with you?"
Shinji thought of how most of the time he was ever in Tokyo-3, reality was, every now and then, either because of the Angels, Asuka, the Eva or just his failing lack of a relationship with his father, slapping him hard in the face.
"Relentlessly," he expressed.
-x-
"…More families are leaving the city on account of their children no longer feeling safe here," went Maya to Shigeru and Hyuga while they were in the cafeteria during lunchtime.
"Yeah, and another handful of personnel have turned in their resignations," added Shigeru. "Their reasons for doing so were that they couldn't escape the feeling that…he was roaming the halls, haunting them, even though they weren't involved in what happened."
"Guilt by association," Hyuga stated. "Even if the majority of NERV didn't do anything to cause Shinji's death, the fact that they were affiliated with the agency that the minority were responsible for still makes them a target of the shame."
"And the China branch decided to disband, too," Maya informed them.
"This is insane."
"Everyday, this gets worse and worse. It won't be long before the UN decides to shut NERV down completely and we're all out of a job."
Suddenly, the alarms went off, indicating the bane of their existence had made its presence known once more and was intent on eliminating them.
"Oh, great," Hyuga muttered.
"Here we go again," Shigeru added.
-x-
"A chair with only three legs," Shinji spoke as he came into the room for his interview. "It shouldn't be able to stand, let alone support one's weight."
The people in charge of interviewing, including the Fuhrer himself, waited for him to sit in the chair, so he obliged them. It was quite unusual for such a chair that should've been unable to support his weight because of its configuration to be able to without any difficulty.
"Heh, only a true alchemist would be able to sit in the chair and maintain balance," King Bradley expressed to him. "You clearly possess the gift."
Of course, with alchemy, there is balance in everything transmuted, Shinji realized; as skilled as he was progressing in the art, he still had a ways to go before he was considered one of the best. Balance in the materials required for the transmutation…the objects created during the transmutation…and the energy used in the transmutation. Everything must be balanced.
"So, tell us, why do you wish to be a State Alchemist?" King Bradley asked him.
Shinji's very answer would decide his future with the State Military. He needed to make his answer weigh heavily upon his objective.
"I've seen alchemy do many things in my short life after experiencing it," he started explaining his reason, "both for people and against people. I try to focus more on the positive outcomes created by alchemy, such as building and rebuilding, and if alchemy could be used to mend places and things…then it can be used to help mend lives maimed by war and violence."
"You believe it's possible for alchemy to be used…for medical purposes?" Roy Mustang questioned; he had never believed that alchemy could be used to save lives like how this young man was suggesting a day in his life.
"Nobody truly knows until they've tried every measure they can to see if they can get the results they're searching for," Shinji stated, since alchemy was also about trial and error. "It also means having to wade through mud and blood to get from one place to another."
-x-
This Angel was just out of their reach in outer space, looking like a massive, glowing, brachial creature. It was possibly larger than the Tenth Angel itself, only not as destructive.
"How are we supposed to defeat an Angel we can't even get near?" Asuka questioned, looking at the Angel on the screen; none of the weapons the Evas had were able to reach that far into space.
"Not even the Positron Rifle can reach that far," went Misato.
Ritsuko, already on the receiving end of most of the public opinions of NERV, sighed as she decided, since they were already screwed no matter what they did, that there was no point in keeping her silence.
"There is one weapon we have that can reach that far," she revealed.
"Oh, really? Well, then, where is it?" Asuka asked.
-x-
When the time came for the practical course of the exam, Shinji and the Elrics stood amongst the other candidates as one alchemist had transmuted a pillar from some of the raw materials laid out for them to use to impress the judges and fuhrer. Unfortunately, the guy that transmuted the pillar had collapsed on the ground after using too much energy in his attempt.
The power of alchemy is derived partially from the alchemist, thought Shinji as he pitied the guy that wouldn't make the cut to be a State Alchemist.
The next candidate transmuted a hydrogen balloon that clearly impressed some of the people present.
"How can we beat something like that to impress the judges?" Ed questions.
"How, indeed," Shinji expressed, wondering how he could impress the judges. "Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and, to impress him, takes his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds'."
Why Shinji chose now to think about that, he wasn't sure. He just felt desperate enough to think any random thought. But to gain success, he had to impress. He had to outdo the rest of the candidates, even if only by a small degree.
Snap! The pillar had snapped at the base due to the hydrogen balloon making contact with it and applying too much pressure against its upper proportions.
"Get back!" Someone yelled as it began to fall towards the candidates as they began to flee.
Shinji saw the guy that had transmuted the pillar still on the ground; his transmutation had clearly drained him of too much energy that he wasn't going anywhere, even to save his own life.
"Oh, for crying out loud," he groaned as he ran towards the falling pillar; even if he ran to get the man, there'd be no time to pull him out of harm's way, meaning he'd have to find a different method to save his life. "Aaaaurgh!"
Clap! He put his hands together and placed them on the falling pillar where the base broke, his hands glowing bluish-white as he began a transmutation of his own.
FLASH! The pillar crumbled into nothingness with the balloon…
When the light faded, everyone that was present and accounted for in the exam…saw Shinji standing in the middle of what had to be the most detailed, wooden model of some sort of city, with looming skyscrapers of the most unusual of architectural formations ever encountered. It surprised even the young teen in question, as he didn't anticipate his transmutation to turn out like this. At best, he was expecting wooden slabs or a small, wooden house, not what he realized to be an exact replica of Tokyo-3 when he first saw it rise from the ground.
"Unbelievable," Al expressed, immensely impressed by the transmutation.
"He's a prodigy of alchemy," added Ed, thinking that some of Shinji's imaginative details seemed somewhat like those of that horned, armored statue that had been on the street a few days ago. Maybe that's where he got his inspiration.
"Is that even possible?" Mustang, who was present during the practical part of the exam, wondered aloud, referring to the fact that Shinji had performed a transmutation…without a circle.
"He doesn't have any gloves with circles on his hands," a woman that was among the candidates revealed. "He can transmute without circles!"
King Bradley stood up and looked down at the candidates.
"I do believe we've found one of our latest State Alchemists," he uttered, "and quite a gifted one, too."
Gasps and murmurs were made and heard all around Shinji, who couldn't believe he was able to pull it off at the exam.
"Whoa," he went.
-x-
"This had better work," Asuka told Ritsuko as Unit-02 stood in the southern part of the city with this giant, red spear in its hands, about to throw it like a javelin into the air towards the Angel.
"It'll work," the faux-blond stated; since they were already facing ridicule, it didn't matter if they used this weapon or not, and Gendo wasn't here to tell them not to use it, which he would've.
"Launching in three…two…one!" Asuka yelled, and then Unit-02 hurled the spear high into the sky.
The spear had reached escape velocity and collided with the Angel's AT-Field!
"Aaaaaaaaaahh!" The Angel shrieked as the spear began to pass through its field and itself.
"Blue pattern has vanished," Maya announced. "The Angel has been defeated."
Unfortunately, the price was high: The weapon they had used was the only one that they had and it was now entering the moon's orbit. It would be impossible to retrieve it right now.
I hope he was watching, thought Asuka, thinking about Shinji as she returned Unit-02 to the Geo-Front. Nothing has been the same since he died. I thought I'd get some sense of satisfaction from killing this Angel…but it did absolutely nothing to lift my spirits. I killed an Angel on my own…and nothing has changed at all.
-x-
Looking up at the darkening sky, Shinji found himself thinking about the people he worked with back in Tokyo-3, having deduced that his spectacular transmutation was the result of a subconscious thought relating to his friends, classmates, co-pilots and guardian. He wondered if they were still fighting the Angels, protecting the city, or just living each day that comes and goes. It would've been nice just to know that they were doing alright.
"Was that your edge, Shinji?" Ed asked him as he reminded the teen that he was in the company of the brothers, Nina and Alexander.
"No, it wasn't," he answered him, turning to face him. "At that moment, my concern was just saving people from getting hurt or worse. I didn't even know I could do that, and I know alchemy because of you and Alphonse. How can alchemists trigger transmutations just by clapping their hands together?"
"Usually, they can't, Shinji," Al explained. "The ability to transmute without a circle isn't a common gift we have. There is our teacher, but we think the reason she's able to do it…was because of something she did some time ago."
Shinji looked around them and didn't see anyone nearby.
"Alchemic accidents," he uttered. "Alchemy can hurt as much as it can help people. Whatever the reason I'm able to do this now, surely, you two can do it, as well, despite your accident."
Every time he said "accident", it was code for "Human Transmutation", meaning that it was likely the reason their teacher was able to perform alchemy without circles was because she attempted it at some point in her past. This meant that if they had performed Human Transmutation, as well, then it was possible they could do it, too. In fact, Edward had done it himself once before, and that was to retrieve Alphonse's soul, but after Shinji undid their failed attempt by dealing with the homunculus they created and restored Al's body and gave Ed a new arm, neither brother had attempted to see if they could still do it.
"Whatever the case may be, tomorrow will be the continuation of the exam for you two," Shinji told them; he himself was just one of the alchemists selected to join the State Military. "You two still have a shot to get in, too, and I'll be rooting for the both of you."
"Thanks, Shinji," Al expressed his gratitude.
"Arf!" Alexander barked.
-x-
Gendo wasn't pleased as he sat in his office. About two hours ago, he had just finished taking flak from SEELE over what he was unable to prevent. The unauthorized use of the Spear of Longinus to defeat an Angel was held against him, as the spear had reached lunar orbit where it couldn't be retrieved by any means they had. And he was being pressured to get the paramilitary agency under control or else he'd be punished severely for his lack of progress.
"Nobody was authorized to use the Spear of Longinus, Dr. Akagi," he told Ritsuko, as she was present in front of his desk.
"None of the Evas' weapons could reach the Angel so long as it was outside our reach," she explained.
"With the exclusion of Fuyutsuki and the old men, the only other people that knew we had the Spear of Longinus…are in this room."
"With all due respect, sir, I've been getting the brunt of all the disgust and contempt that NERV has gotten ever since your son was killed. While I'm willing to accept that the pilots are expendable, I'm at the point in my life where I'm constantly reminded that the only reason I even made the decision to have all those bombs dropped into an Angel…was to get rid of it in order to salvage the Eva, not the pilot. The list of candidates has all but diminished, less people live in the city…and even lesser commute between here and wherever else they go to each day, and it's all because your son was killed. If I had known this was going to happen… I would've let Major Katsuragi find a solution if it meant getting rid of the Angel…without the use of the N² bombs. If using the spear meant getting rid of the Angel…then it was a decision I can live with making."
As the faux-blond turned to leave the office, Gendo was left to wonder how NERV had fallen so deep out of favor in such a short time. He chose to blame his son's ghost for the negativity, even though the boy hadn't done anything wrong.
Even in death, he's a pain in the ass, he thought.
-x-
"He can transmute without circles?" Envy questioned King Bradley that evening on the rooftop of Central Command. "Does this mean he made a Homunculus like us?"
"Not likely," Bradley expressed to him. "He had a physical evaluation during the exam…"
"And…"
"…He didn't have any signs of bodily impairment. Externally, he's not missing any part of him that would've been taken from him if he attempted Human Transmutation. Internally, he appears to have all his organs intact. If he did perform Human Transmutation, there would be a mark somewhere on him."
"And yet, you let him become a State Alchemist. If something goes off with him and he can't be managed, it'll be you that has to explain it to the master."
Still, Bradley couldn't help but be curious as to whom this Shinji Ikari was and what he was capable of. An alchemist that could perform transmutations without the circles necessary to facilitate the energy required…and without any trace of an injury that would've represented some degree of maiming…made for quite a find for them.
"Quite a success," he uttered to himself as Envy left.
To be continued…
A/N: The title was meant to juxtapose the different situations the characters were in. Basically, Shinji is able to achieve success in his exam by saving people, while back in Tokyo-3, the paramilitary agency known as NERV achieves success against another Angel. While I thought about it doing her some justice, I just couldn't picture Asuka celebrating any happiness over a victory against the Angel, even on her own, due to previous Angel attack having a heavy cost. If you disagree, explain why in your review after reading this. Peace.