Chapter Four: Hero's Come Back!!
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"Where the hell is that idiot?!" Asuka growled within Eva Unit 2, waiting for the preparations to complete. Upon the lower right corner of her display screen, Misato's face appeared, "We still haven't found him, but Rei will be assisting you in Unit 0." "Yeah yeah, whatever…" The Second Child grumbled, left to do nothing but imagine the various ways she could strangle Shinji.
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Tinted glasses reflected the images from the monitor that depicted the movement of the angel known as Israfel, as he sat at his desk, his arms propped on its surface while those white gloved hands came together against his chin. There was no word of Shinji's return and thus, Unit 1 was forced to remain there. Keeping his gaze upon the screen, he announced, "Fit Unit 1 with the dummy plug…" Fuyutsuki, who had patiently standing nearby blinked, "But the dummy plug system isn't finished yet." Gendou looked over to his friend, those glasses still reflecting the monitor's gleam as he replied, "…consider it a mid-production rest run…" With a sigh, Fuyutsuki nodded.
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"It's an Angel. I have to go and help them!" Shinji said, only to feel a hand grip his shoulder. Turning, he saw the red Imagin, chuckling as he announced, "Calm down, kid, we'll help ya! I've been itchin' for a fight for a while!" Breaking away from Momotaros, he was once more addressed. "Mr. Ikari, I want you to hold onto these for now…" Owner announced, holding in his hand a strange belt and what looked to be a train pass. Taking it, Shinji looked back to Owner, "Why me? What is this?" The Owner simply replied, "When the time comes, you'll know…" With that, he made his way to another car.
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Asuka had devised quite a number of ways to beat Shinji in the time before the EVAs were deployed, both Unit 2 and 0 crouched before the ocean. "Two against one is not what I call a fair fight. It's not fair." Asuka said, awaiting sign of the Angel's arrival. "We don't get a choice. Survival takes priority." Misato replied through the comm. Suddenly, a great geyser of water shot into the air from the ocean the seventh angel emerged; almost humanoid in appearance with a yin yang styled face. With that Misato gave the order, "Commence attack!"
"I'll handle this Angel! You cover me!" Asuka announced to Rei, whose only response was a faint nod before Unit 0 began unloading shots from its assault rifle. "Charge!" Rushing forth, armed with the sonic glaive, Unit 2 trudged across buildings before leaping up. The Angel, seemingly content to stare as the EVA descended, was bisected with ease. However, it seemed the battle was not over, but rather, had just begun as the yin yang face disappeared, only to be replaced by a full mask. The halves were seemingly shed off as they reformed into two separate Angels, bring forth a cry from Misato, "What's this crap?!"
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Watching as the halves of the seventh Angel proceeded to go on the assault, Gendou could tell that the EVAs would be defeated. "Unit 1 has been deployed." Fuyutsuki announced, though his friend showed no response; merely keeping his gaze on the monitor.
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The DenLiner moved on after Shinji was deposited on the ground with nothing more than a strange belt, a train pass, and a head full of questions. A rumble nearby stole his attention as he saw EVA Unit 2 struggling with an Angel. Another rumble revealed a similar scene with Rei in her EVA, "There are two of them?" His confusion only grew as yet another rumble further off brought his gaze to a familiar sight; Unit 1. "Why is that here?!" The support team rushed forth to attach the umbilical cord, yet Unit 1 suddenly twitched. Like a cannon, the plug was launched out, causing the EVA to slump over. A loud splash could be heard as Unit 0 fell back into the ocean. Forced to watch, the feelings of helplessness filling him, Shinji hands clenched tightly around the objects Owner had given him, "Some help I am…" He murmured with disgust.
"Oy! Now's not the time to sit around!" A voice said nearby. Glancing around, it was then he noticed the red Imagin taken form through sand; his legs strangely hovering in the air above him, Momotaros upper half rose from the ground. "…but what can I do?" Shinji asked. "Don't worry about it, just leave it to me. Kicking ass is what is I do best." Momotaros replied with a chuckle. "You can fight an Angel?" "Angel, Imagin, same thing. Let's go kid."
Nodding with a smile, Shinji proceeded on.
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"What the hell was that?" Misato asked as she witnessed Unit 1's arrival and collapse. The Angels seemed to be interested as well, pausing on their beat down of the other two EVAs. Approaching the fallen EVA, the halves reformed into one whole Angel. "This isn't good. Get Unit 1 out of there! Asuka, Rei, distract the Angel!" With the halves no longer focusing on them, the EVAs managed to climb their way out of the holes the the halves had almost buried them in. Finding Rei's discarded rifle, Asuka unloaded onto the back of the Angel, though it did nothing to deter it.
The Angel suddenly paused, turning to one building in particular. Despite it quickly approaching night, it was obviously who the Angel was looking at; Shinji Ikari. "What the hell is that idiot doing there?!" Asuka cried out. Anger turned to panic as the Angel drew back its hand. "Asuka, Rei! Get it away from that building!"
Unfortunately by the time they managed to get near, the Angel had smashed the building. Tearing the upper half off, the Angel struck Rei's EVA with the chunk of building, spraying concrete and steel into the air. Yet before despair could full grip them, the figure of Shinji Ikari would be found on a nearby building roof.
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"Ore…Sanjou!!" Grinning, Momotaros was almost giddy as he stuck his pose through Shinji's body. It had been far too long since he had last fought, and this 'Angel' looked to be worthy of his skills. Slinging the belt around his waist, he tapped the red button on the belt before pointing toward the Angel. "Oy!!" Thrusting his thumb back toward him as the Angel turned to face him, Momotaros announced, "Whether Imagin or Angel, from start to finish, I'm at a Climax!!" Taking up the train pass, he swiped it across the face of the belt. "Henshin!"
SWORD FORM
As the crimson armor of the Sword Form locked onto his suit, the DenLiner appeared with a flash of light, coming to a stop near the ledge of the building. Looking to the train and then the deactivated EVA Unit 1, the Imagin began chuckling. "I gonna hafta even up the playing field for this one." Hopping onto the DenLiner, the bullet train shot off from the building.
What are you going to do? Shinji asked within. "Easy, I'm gonna wake up that robot." Wait…you're going to ram Unit 1?!
"Calm down, it'll work, trust me…"
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"That moron!!" Clenching her fist, Kohana was about to storm into the front car and punch Momotaros when Owner spoke out, once more arriving in the dining car, "You shouldn't underestimate the DenLiner, Hana. The DenLiner is a train of time; I see not why it wouldn't be prepared for such a time…"
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Just what is going on?
It was the 100th time the question had ran through Misato's mind, but no matter how many times the question was asked, it seemed more and more impossible to answer with each passing moment. Shinji's injuries, his disappearance and reappearance, his transformation, and now this train that moved through the air. Slumping her shoulders and looking to the ground, she muttered, "I need a drink."
"Misato…" Hyuga pointed back to the screen where EVA Unit 1 stumbled forward as the DenLiner struck it at full speed. It should have fallen forth on its face, yet it came to pause. Like a dye dropped into water, the crimson of the bullet train began to seep across Unit 1's armor before it began to spread like some rampant virus. The attached train itself grew limp, resembling an umbilical cord the EVAs were powered from.
The crimson Unit 1 began to rise.
"The sync ratio is off the charts!"
"But the emergency power should have been depleted a while back!"
Misato grabbed her head with both hands, trying to keep her skull from imploding.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!
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Somehow, Momotaros had found himself seated within the EVA, though since he had just previously rammed the DenLiner into the robot, he could deal with the lack of logic for the time being.
"Heh heh, told ya it would work…though for a second I wasn't sure it would work myself…"
WHAT WAS THAT?!
"N-Nothing!" Momotaros decided to switch the topic. "Heh, I get the feeling today's Climax is going to be a big one! LET'S GO!!"