This chapter is significantly longer sorry if it's a bit too much of a read but hopefully it's entertaining enough. Thank you for liking my fic enough to try the second chapter :D...so this was written at the same time as chapter 1...I just forgot to put it up until now...my bad
Shinji woke up to find James hanging from the doorframe.
"What are you doing?" Shinji murmured his freshly awoken mind unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Chin-ups." James stated lifting his chin above his hands to demonstrate
"Ok…why?" Shinji asked
"Because there's nothing else I can do to exercise." James said as he kept going.
"What about push-ups?" Shinji asked slowly getting out of bed
"Done them." James said
"How many?" Shinji asked
"300" James said. Shinji blinked several time as he tried to comprehend that
"Sit-ups?" He asked
"450" James replied
"Wow ok how many of those have you done so far?" Shinji asked.
"299, 300 and done." James said as he finished and dropped to the ground.
"How long have you been awake?" Shinji asked after he recovered from his shock long enough to keep getting ready for school
"A few hours I dunno." James replied
"Well you probably want to get ready for school now." Shinji said
"About that…does school have an…exercise lesson or something like that?" James asked
"There's P.E which is basically an exercise class." Shinji said
"Good I need to run." James said
"After all that you want to exercise more?" Shinji asked incredulous
"Yeah." Was all James said as he began to stretch.
Shinji didn't try and continue the conversation instead opting to take his overdue shower.
James took off his soaked shirt and used it wipe as much sweat of his torso as he could, catching a whiff of it when he wiped his face he coughed and held it out at arm's length to take a deep breath. He'd gotten used to the smell when he was younger but his two years in Germany had introduced him to the wonder of the shower and he'd lost his immunity.
Wandering around the small apartment he managed to find his way to the kitchen with little effort.
Poking around he found a loaf of bread and shrugging pulled out a couple slices and began eating.
"You know you can put those in the toaster." A female voice said from the door
"The what?" James asked turning to see Asuka leaning against the frame
"Geez are you stupid? A toaster, you know metal box, plugs into the wall?" Asuka explained
"Still don't know what you're talking about." James said turning back to his bread
"Wow you are stupid." Asuka muttered
"Probably." James replied without looking up.
"What are you even doing here?" Asuka asked as she moved into the kitchen
"Getting breakfast." James replied confused
"Ughh no I mean why are you here in Japan, why do we suddenly need another pilot?" Asuka demanded
"Maybe you and Shinji aren't good enough." James replied grabbing another slice
"WHAT?! I've been training since childhood to get this good!" Asuka almost yelled
"Cool, how long was every single day a fight to survive?" James replied casually
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked glaring at James
"Ever since I was six I've been training to fight, to kill, every single day I woke up with the sole purpose of becoming stronger, faster and better. I grew up in a place where only the toughest survive and I was on my way to becoming the best, so I'm going to assume I've been training more than you." James said angrily
"…That doesn't mean you're better than me." Asuka said after a few seconds of shock
"Whatever, I'm done." James said before leaving the kitchen and walking into Shinji's room to vent his anger on the floor.
Shinji walked into the kitchen to find Asuka glaring at him and eating a slice of toast.
"Uhh Good morning." Shinji said cautiously
"Why weren't you here in time to make breakfast?" Asuka asked still glaring
"Oh uhh when I woke up James was already up so we talked for a bit and then I got lost in thought in the shower." Shinji said not wanting to enrage an already pissed off Asuka
"Whatever just make sure you get up in time to make breakfast tomorrow." Asuka said
"Where is James anyway?" Shinji asked as he dropped some bread into the toaster
"I dunno, hopefully having a shower, he stunk." Asuka replied as she finished eating
"Well I'll go find him, he won't know the way to school so he'll have to come with us." Shinji said
"Whatever I'm going to my room." Asuka said leaving her plate on the kitchen table for Shinji to clean up.
James sat up against the wall with his hands over his knees and his right hand throbbing in a delayed reaction to the several direct impacts to the significantly harder than dirt and snow floor of Shinji's room.
Hearing the door sliding open James dropped his hand into his lap.
"Oh uh I thought I might find you here, I'm done in the shower obviously but I should tell you that you're school uniform is in the bathroom for some reason." Shinji said nervously trying not to look directly into James' intimidating glare.
"Thanks." James grunted before standing up and walking past Shinji.
Exiting the bathroom with a roughly bandaged hand and in a significantly better mood James found Shinji waiting for him in the lounge.
"Asuka already left but if we walk fast we can still make it on time." Shinji said
"Ok…What do we even do at school? I've been told about it but none of it made sense to me." James asked as they made their way out of the apartment
"Not much really, I mean we go to class and listen to a teacher talk to us for most of the day." Shinji said with a slight grimace
"That uhh…sounds like massive waste of time." James said
"I guess but what else can we do?" Shinji gasped out struggling to keep up with James' natural walking pace
"Well I dunno for "normal" people but us three… four… should be practicing piloting, well I guess the three of you who have been here a while don't need to practice piloting but strategies, techniques, just conditioning in general." James explained
"You seem excited about piloting the Eva." Shinji remarked
"Well yeah there's so much power everything else just seems insignificant compared to the strength in its arms." James exclaimed
"Is that why you pilot the Eva? Because it makes you feel powerful." Shinji asked
"No I pilot because I have nothing else, the fact that I enjoy it is a bonus." James stated with a shrug
"Oh." Shinji murmured
"Why do you pilot?" James asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Oh uhh when I do well I get praised and that makes me feel good." Shinji _
"You pilot to get praised?" James' inquired with an incredulous look on his face.
"…Yeah." Shinji murmured just loud enough for James to hear.
"That's stupid." James said after a brief pause, Shinji looked up at him unexpectedly hurt by his comment.
"How is it stupid? It makes me feel good and it doesn't take anything from whoever said it." Shinji said defensively before a spurt of anger burned through him as James threw back his head and laughed.
"Just because someone says you're good does not make it true, someone could say I'm the best fighter in the world, doesn't make it true, someone could say I'm smart, doesn't make it true. Someone could say you're good at piloting Eva…doesn't make it true." James delivered casually after he'd recovered. Shinji stared at him both crushed and almost enraged by his words.
"What makes you think you're right?! What great vision did you have that whatever you say is the right way? Why THE FUCK do you get to say how I should feel?!" Shinji almost screamed the last sentence as James continued to stare at him impassively, Shinji's breath slowed as he realised how close he was to getting into a fight with a boy well over twice his size with years of fighting experience. James shattered every expectation by chuckling and clapping him lightly on the shoulder
"I did not mean to insult you Shinji, you are obviously a good pilot, if you weren't you'd be dead. What I meant was that even though I say those words you should not find any comfort or joy in them, you should find comfort that YOU know you are a good pilot, not what others say, know the truth of yourself and none can bring you down." James explained with a lopsided smile as he continued walking leaving a somewhat shell-shocked Shinji slowly following him. Recovering enough to run forward and catch up.
"When did you come up with that?" Shinji asked after a few minutes of silence
"Heh I didn't the Chief was always talking about it I just thought it was a good way to live your life… and that's what I've been trying to do." James meant to murmur the last bit soft enough that Shinji couldn't hear but a sudden lull in the background noise let the words enter Shinji's ears. Before Shinji could ask about it they came within sight of the school building and James was too busy studying it to hold a conversation.
Touji and Kensuke were noticeably wary of James as Shinji introduced them.
"So where you from?" Touji asked too casually after introductions were done.
"South Africa." James replied slowly.
"Really? What's it like there?" Kensuke asked excitedly training his camera on James.
"Bad." James said flatly. Any further conversation was cut off by the school bell ringing.
James suffered through getting introduced to the class in silence before taking his seat just behind Shinji.
"Now that that's done we can continue with class. In the year 2000 there was an event which wiped out half of humanity, that event was called…" The teacher was interrupted by a spectacularly plain girl.
"Teacher the worksheets remember?" She said with a clear edge of exasperation.
"Oh yes, thank you." The teacher said after an apparent revelation
"Oh come on Class Rep he was just getting started." Touji said with a laugh which was silenced when she sent a stern glance his way.
"Please fill out these sheets as best you can. This is a Japan wide thing so don't think our school is just being silly." The Class Rep said as she handed out sheets of paper, when she placed one in front of James he leant forward to look at the indecipherable lines printed on it.
"What's wrong James? Can't you read Japanese?" Asuka asked from next to him with a slight mocking superiority to her voice.
"Can't read anything." James answered simply.
"What? Like not at all?" Touji asked incredulously.
"Never needed to." James said slowly sitting back as he noticed almost everyone looking at him.
"So what can you do then?" Laughed a boy James didn't know.
"I can fight." James answered immediately. The entire class tried to suppress a laugh with the boy and two of his friends laughing openly.
"You gonna prove it to us?" Sneered the boy once he'd recovered.
"If you want." James growled anger rising.
"Both of you settle down. Ken fill out your sheet quietly, Shinji please help James with his." The Class Rep stood with arms crossed and the sternest look James had ever seen.
"Fine Class Rep whatever." Ken said with a smirk as he turned back to his sheet.
"Thank you Hikari." Shinji breathed with a sigh of relief. Hikari just smiled at him as she returned to her seat.
"Right James this sheet is basically the government trying to get your opinion on who you are." Shinji said leaning back on his chair.
"Ok." James said arms crossed still glaring at Ken.
"Well the first question is what are you good at?" Shinji blushed slightly as he noticed several people still staring at him and James.
"Fighting." James said with a shrug. A snicker from across the room brought an audible growl from James' throat.
After a tedious school day James just wanted to get out and back to NERV to practice in Mächtige again. Walking out the front gate his path to freedom was blocked by the three boys who had laughed at him that morning.
"Move." James growled
"What are you gonna do? Fight all three of us?" The leader laughed again.
James took one step forward kicked him in the chest, stepping over the boy now struggling to breathe James swung a massive hook and caught one of the boys on the jaw knocking him to the ground, the last boy stared at him horrified. James smirked at him before picking him up by his shirt and headbutting him hard enough to shatter his nose.
Leaning over the first boy James spat on the ground next to his head and said
"Wasn't much of a fight."
Straightening James walked away, the crowd of awed onlookers parting for him.
Arriving at NERV James found both Misato and Ritsuko waiting for him.
"What the hell James?! First day of school and you've put three kids in hospital! We don't even know if the school will let you back." Misato exploded.
"It would have happened eventually, mays as well get it out of the way." James said while engaging Misato in a stare down.
"Dammit just don't do it again I have enough trouble as it is." Misato said with a sigh as she rubbed her temples.
"If the report is accurate no one will get with three metres of him ever again." Ritsuko stated casually.
"Did you really only hit each of them once?" Misato asked incredulously.
"If you know where to hit someone you don't need to hit them more than once." James said with a shrug.
"You're only fourteen…" Misato was interrupted by Ritsuko
"James you came here to practice piloting didn't you? Go get changed and we'll get started." She said James was running before she finished.
"Why'd you stop me?" Misato grumbled
"Because I wasn't entirely comfortable with him walking just behind us." Ritsuko said calmly.
Sitting in the entry plug James waited impatiently for all the sciencey shit to be done with so he could feel the power of a god again.
"Ok James we're ready, we have a surprise for you today." Ritsuko's calm voice came through the intercom.
"What kind of surprise?" James asked suspiciously.
"Wouldn't be a surprise if we told you would it?" Ritsuko said with the barest hint of a teasing tone. James just grunted in response.
Feeling the synch start James grinned, as he synched and he could see through the eyes of his Eva he saw two large axes hanging in front of him.
"Is this the surprise?" James asked his excitement betrayed by his grin and eager reaching.
Ritsuko watched silently as James grasped the axe handles and they were released from the roof.
"Yes that's the surprise, Kaji told us what you used and we decided you would operate best with weapons you were comfortable with." Ritsuko replied as James flexed Mächtiges huge hands around the polymer wrapped steel.
"You like them?" Ritsuko found herself saying suddenly
"Yes, the weight is perfect, the balance is perfect, the curve is perfect, the grips feel a bit weird but better I think." James enthused as he inspected each axe.
"Well, good." Ritsuko ended lamely not sure why she felt the need to speak at all.
"Senpai, his synch rate increased." Maya spoke up suddenly
"By how much?" Ritsuko questioned her
"About five percent and holding steady." Maya replied
"Hmm…James do you any different from normal?" Ritsuko asked the still grinning boy
"I wanna try these out, preferably against actual opponents but even just room to swing would be nice." James replied slowly swinging the axes in small arcs in the limited confines of the testing chamber.
"You'll get the chance soon enough just focus on moving around for now." Ritsuko said with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Yes ma'am." James replied beginning an hour long session of walking, stumbling, righting himself and walking again.
Arriving home in the best mood he'd been in for a while James even thanked Shinji for dinner before taking a shower and going to bed.