Evangelion: You Shall (not) Win This Time

Episode 17: Gem Hunt (before) A Vacation/ Altered (episode) 10 Trillogy, PT.2

(Warning: All intellectual properties belong to their respective original creators/current copyright holders. EVA to Studio Khara, Reality Warpers to Yoshi3000, you get the idea.)

(Opening Theme: "Reverse/Re:Birth" by Hiroaki Iwagana and Asaya)

Bishops' part in the Metsu Sol Emerald hunt should've been a relatively simple endeavour. He leads a group to find one, Maylene of the Fusion Force leading another with both teams regrouping for the final emerald so they could enjoy a well deserved vacation. But alas, things never work out the way people want them, do they? Currently, our debatable hero was traveling across the multiverse in his Tranzector with unexpected company: the Steven of the Crystal Squadron.

The level 10 had gotten the call to return the regular Metsu Emerald in his possession to the custody of the Gem-wed member of the Blackthorn family when an emergency job had come up: the assassinations of Warper versions of both live action remake Mulan and Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy who had begun rebuilding the First Order after succumbing to the negative feedback of fans…..that was until news came from said Blackthorn regarding a renegade cult trying to create an army of monsters from the old Cartoon Network MMO Fusion Fall. Now in Multiversal space, the duo were in the midst of simplifying the search with the human/Gem hybrid asking "You sure this is gonna work?" while observing the Spiral Energy user focus his attention on the emerald in his hand before getting his answer:

"At this point, it has to no matter what, because we'll be on nothing more than a wild goose chase otherwise. I need you to keep an eye on sensors in case someone tries to get cocky while I concentrate on this."

Steven returned to his post as Bishops proceeded to put his efforts into using the gemstone in his hand to seek out its other kin. After 4 minutes of deep focus, they had there target as Bishops quickly sprung back to manning the primary controls, setting course back for home. Seeing the course set, Steven quickly responded "Wait, why are we heading back just to portal there when we could just go there and tell the others the coordinates?"

Bishops' response "We can't risk a breach in communications for something like this. The wrong people get their hands on the info we know of, and we'll all be in for a bad time. And before you say 'why not just pick them up and fly there with this?', this thing barely sits 3 comfortably, and I'm not making multiple trips when strength in numbers would be the most ideal approach."

The human/Gem hybrid couldn't exactly disagree on the matter due to the facts presented since he knew well enough that the only space for passengers was in the vehicle mode cockpit as the cockpit for robot mode could only sit one person, and only in robot mode. Returning to the rest of Bishops' waiting team took only a minute as the squad in his command was reassembled and the pilgrimage to their first destination began. Little did they know however that a pair of wild cards were watching the situation.

"What in the name of Christ almighty is this shit?!" shouted a certain red haired agent observing the event in the distance alongside her bespectacled compatriot before adding "I knew something wasn't right about that Bishops guy, but I wasn't expecting magic portals."

Mari however was quick to reply "Say, you don't think that these guys are connected with these robot attacks, do you?" as the second child was even quicker to answer "Only one way to find out. Come on, we're getting some answers." before the duo make a mad dash into the portal before it closes behind them. The answers they sought would not come from the Knights as they somehow took am incorrect path. Where they wound up, unknown for now as the team reached their destination without even knowing of the two stowaways: Earth Dimension EVA-616-DMM: an unholy union between the worlds of Evangelion and Doom. Needless to say that their welcome was not exactly a warm one with Bishops promptly decapitating a large charging demon and its flying cohorts. Kensuke quickly produced a scouter to get a general gauge of what they'd be dealing with. The result:

"Looks like the strongest demons around are in the 800,000 range, but I'm picking up a signature around the 21,000,000 range. You don't think it's-"

"DoomGuy? Most likely" answered the 10th rank leader, cutting off the bespectacled knight's observation and adding "I think I have a reading on where the emerald is, about 3 miles southwest."

Sakura pointed out that they were near a geology center which had exhibits for visitors to look at examples of precious gems, insinuating that the emerald could possibly be there as the team made their way there. The journey was quick save for a few promptly disposed of demon attacks as the true destination of the jewel was made clear: the storage area within the basement. The precious gem was within their grasps, only to be disrupted by the approach of a high level Cyber Demon, armed with one Big Fucking Gun 9000 aimed right at the Warper group who swiftly evade the attack. Before even a single blow could be struck by any of the party members, the foul creature was promptly slain by the one person of that universe they dared not run into: DoomGuy armed with his own Unmaker. And judging by the aura he was giving off, the Knights almost instantly knew that he meant business gesturing towards the gem now in Bishops' hand.

The level 10 was quick to come up with an excuse by going "I know it looks like we're stealing this for no good reason, but believe me when I say that this thing needs to get off world, pronto. If the demons got their filthy mitts on it, than the whole planet would be more royally fucked than it is now. So if you would be so kind as to let us get outta here with it, we-" only to be interrupted by the unrelenting warrior executing a lesser demon who tried to attack from behind without remorse or even turning around using a Super Shotgun and stepping aside.

Bishops' could only thank the warrior for accepting the offer as the Knights quickly took their leave. After successfully getting out of said universe, Kensuke spoke up, asking "Uh, is anyone gonna acknowledge that he let us leave with the emerald without a fight?" with Toji answering "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, dude."

(P.O.V. Shift: Team Shadows

Despite a rather awkward journey, Maylene's group had managed to stealthily land where Gendo's resources couldn't easily track them down. Within the confines of the team vessel, the Fusion Force operative and her teammate were giving the low down on the battle plan.

"Alright, I can sense the presence of the other emerald. Judging from the readings I got, it seems to be in the area of an archeological dig site. So here's the plan: Keita and the maids will cause a distraction while Mana and Shinji for obvious reasons will go hunt down the rock. Once we find it, we'll send the signal and get the hell outta here."

Maylene then directs attention to the third child before adding "And before you even try to argue back why I made this choice, you know damn well why." as the pilot of Unit-01 responded "There's more on my mind than killing my father for revenge, you know. Like "what universes have made the McRib a permanent menu item?", "what would happen if something on the Yugioh OCG ban list that sent the entire game into a massive hellscape suddenly got put back into competitive play?", "if the DCAU version of the Riddler was so fucking smart, than why waste his time with Batman when he could've made a fortune?", stuff like that."

Enid's answer: "Yeah, you're still coming with us as a precaution." before the teams divide to deal with their missions. While walking with the maid trio of Yugioh based OCs, Keita decided to discuss strategy.

"So...distractions….any ideas anyone? I'm more than open to suggestions."

While Wynn and Aria were standing there formulating ideas, Lyna had caught the sight of something out of the corner of her eyes that gave her an idea: a few cans of spray paint sitting out by a wall. The silver haired maid than turned to the others and went "You know, tagging stuff is a distraction when people catch you, and there's some spray paint over there. You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

The other 3 party members quickly figure out what the 4th was getting at and begin to concoct the plan: disguise themselves as locals and go on a tagging spree using only the finest insults to Gendo's ego. Unfortunately, before the team could even get to work, a new problem showed its ugly head: a Gorgon class battlecruiser from the Starcraft games looming above with guns aimed at the city. The group quickly fell back to presumed safety as Keita pulls out his phone and texts "We got a problem. A BIG problem." into a group channel as a response from Maylene comes in reading "We saw the ship, change of plans. Get to the dig site and help us speed up the hunt. No telling what we're dealing with now."

Wasting no time, the primarily female team made for a hasty retreat as the hangar bay doors of the vessel began to open and a massive energy shield began to cover the city in a protective light.

Back at the dig site, Maylene, Shinji and the others bore witness to the multitude of landing craft descending around the energy shield as armed warriors, assault vehicles and stationary heavy weaponry began to form a deadly ring of destructive force around the city with Shinji mentally going "Okay, this probably isn't gonna be a bad thing. Best case scenario, these losers get wrecked and do some decent damage so I can come back and finish the job later." as Asari and his group finally regroup with the others. With all the pairs of hands at work, the hidden gem was quickly found and bubbled in multiple layers of Warper Energy as the team made a mad dash to get the hell outta Dodge with Shinji mentally going "Screw it, I'll watch the carnage through a live feed".

As their vessel made their way to just outside of Gendo's territory, Enid activated the live feed on the ship's main monster as the others gathered to watch the battle unfold: Gendo had marched out to the invading army where the only protection he had on him was the shield and his own Ki. Not even flinching at the sheer firepower in his direction, the bastard mayor king simply told the group "Attention all armed forces in the area, I don't take kindly to a group of thugs coming to my town armed to the teeth and causing unrest towards my citizens. State your business now or be shown the exit by force." with the leader of the militia being made known through the main ship's outer speakers by answering "Cut the shit, Ikari. I know you and Gourdar are working with that piece of shit, Butters. Now fork him over, or my gamer army will lay waste to your town of radio listening, brainwashed losers."

It was at that moment that Gendo knew who was knocking, and that they had fucked up royal by stepping to him.

"God dammit, Stotch. I thought Gourdar had finally gotten rid of you. Why are you bothering me?"

The disgraced commander bluntly answers "You know damn well why I'm here because I already told you: you're harboring that little bastard Butters and hiding him from me! Now hand him over, or the gamers around your pathetic little town will rise up by burning it down." as the ex head of NERV responds back with "For the last time, Butters isn't real, you brain dead twat. Gourdar, Frog and I have told you this multiple times, and yet you failed time and time again to get it through your thick skull. Now get off my land or else. This is your only warning."

In a sense of false superiority, Stotch simply replied with a foolish "What can you do? I have an army, and all you got are a bunch of degeneracy material and you pathetic self who wasn't even able to keep his position of power in his old universe because you basically got bodied by an even bigger annoyance. Here's a tip: talk is cheap, asshole." before uttering the famous last words of "Do. Your. Worst."

Gendo then gave the order to lower the shields at a particular point to make an opening which he promptly flew out of. And it was at that moment that everyone in that circle of death realized that they fucked up and they were gonna die.

(Track Change: "Nightmare Friction"- Blazblue OST)

Wasting no time teaching a lesson that his attackers would not soon forget, Gendo used the hand containing the Adam embryo to fire off a barrage of Ki attacks, demolishing a few tanks and Goliath walkers almost instantly. A version of Bonesaw from the Sam Raimi Spiderman movies tried to grab Gendo for a German suplex, only to be grabbed by the throat by the bastard king and promptly chokeslammed his would be attacker to the ground and killed him with a timed Emperor Death Beam as versions of Hank, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer from King of the Hill try to dogpile him, only to be promptly blown away. Seeing that he's basically fucked after witnessing another pair of tanks be promptly demolished, Stotch quickly resorted to his ultimate last resort weapon: a combination of firing off every weapon of his ship and the unleashing of a creature that managed to catch every member of the Knights of Ryujin watching in shock: the angel known to the EVA fandom simply as "Clockiel" from the Rebuild movies.

Shinji bawked at the sight and shouted "How in the everloving hell do you capture an Angel, especially one of that size?!" as the creature fired off an A.T. Field beam, hitting the energy shield and showing that yes, the attack was somewhat effective. Even Gendo knew that an Angel would be a challenge at his level, and focused all of his efforts into defeating it first. His first attempt at subduing the beast was a 100% Death Ball, while it managed to push the creature back, it didn't do any noticeable damage. His second attempt: a Hell Zone Grenade minefield that was quickly set off, doing more damage to Stotch's army than the Angel as it prepared another blast attack to strike Gendo down from midair that he had avoided in the nick of time. Running out of options and getting increasingly desperate, the former head of NERV came up with an idea so insane that it had no choice in his opinion but to work: use the Adam embryo within his arm to absorb "Clockiel"s power. Quickly putting his plan into action, Gendo managed to get behind "Clockiel"s legitimate core and placed his embryo infested hand onto the Angel's hide, channeling his Flames of Creation into absorbing his gigantic opponent. In an impromptu flash of light, the creature had disappeared as Gendo let out a mighty roar, flaring his Ki to show that not only did he do it, but he had grown in significant strength through the process. Everyone on Maylene's craft watched in horror as Shinji could only mentally go to himself "Dammit, knew I should've snuck off to take him out when I had the chance. Looks like I'm upping my training again."

Before the newly empowered bastard king of anime could continue his rampage upon the invaders of his land, another unwanted annoyance managed to crash into Stotch's vessel, sending it plummeting down into the ground. The new aggressor: Woodbush.

Gendo silently uttered a "Oh, son of a bitch, not this asshole too." under his breath as the memeable Pixar character kicked open the cockpit of his now totalled vessel, letting out a pitiful howl that he believed to be a battlecry. rubbing his non-Angel infested thumb and index finger up and down the bridge of his nose, the now more powerful bane of the rest of the Evangelion cast's existence could only respond "Lemme guess, you came here for revenge because you think that Gourdar and I worked with 'ThE lAnDsQuIdS' to have you killed because 'YoUr MiGtY sAcReD pOwEr PeNiS iNtErRfErS wItH tHeIr PlAnS'."

The demented dinosaur responds by going "Your insults are irrelevant to Lockjaw. Lockjaw has come to avenge his honor, and Lockjaw can only do so by defeating the Landsquid that you are and claiming your land as the new lair of Lockjaw." before Stotch decides to interfere by shouting "Get in line, asshole! I get first shot since he helped that Butters lover, Gourdar turn against me and I want vengeance! Also you totaled my ship with yours, so you kinda owe me this since I damn well know you don't have the money to replace it."

Woodbush quickly retorted with "You bought a vessel from a Blizzard game. No one willingly wants anything to do with Blizzard games anymore."

While the dunderhead duo continued their little bickering match, Gendo finally decided enough was enough and promptly Death Beamed both of them once and for all before using a stringer blast to disintegrate their corpses. No Flames of Creation absorbed, no thrilling battle, just an evil individual who just wanted a pair of twats to shut the fuck up. Upon seeing this whole episode unfold, Keita wasted no time contacting Bishops to tell them that they had their target along with intel that would serve of great importance before requesting a rendezvous point. Needless to say, the battle ahead was going to be far more challenging.

(P.O.V. Shift- Gendo)

Oh. My. Fucking. God. Dealing with those two nitwits and any of their straggler pals was absolute hell. Thankfully, I can take solace that I'll never have to deal with those buffoons ever again as I return to my office after giving the usual "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" kind of speech to quell any unrest among my population of furry degeneracy bait constituents. Knowing that a certain someone was going to want to know about this shitstorm, I decided to open the line first. It quickly connects as Gourdar appears on my screen with a similar level of aggravation as I had before responding "If this is about Stotch and Woodbush by some ungodly miracle surviving their suicide mission to Kamina City, I already know, and I saw that you dealt with them for good. So thank you for that." as I respond "You realize that those two put the citizens of my territory into a panic, and that I'm going to need some stimulus package bankroll, right?"

The gourd wearing oaf proclaims "You can have the bounty fees I was planning to have them finished off in case something like this happened: 50,000,000 Dimensional Credits. I'll have Frog wire it over to you ASAP, probably throw in an extra 10 mil as a little 'downed by an officer of the empire' bonus."

At this point, I'm beginning to think that the day will go a bit more smoothly. I gained more power, got rid of 2 of the biggest thorns in my side since Bishops and the boy, and I'd be able to pay off any concerns of my brain dead sheep citizens. Yes, things were going to be fine…...until Butters comes crashing through my door. Looking like he's been tossed around like a rag doll, I grab out a senzu bean from my desk and give it to my top weaponsmith while feigning concern, asking "Stick with me, boyo. What happened? Did one of those goons manage to get past the shield?"

His answer: "Uh, none of the invaders made it through. But Dr. Marshwan was adjusting the formula that gives Abby Super strength, and something kinda set her off. Don't know what, but made her try to throttle the closest thing in sight, that's for sure."

Then Gourdar decided to butt in and blurt out "You mean to tell me that the Butters that Stotch wouldn't shut up about was real all along?!" before I answer "Yes, and quite frankly, he's a better version of Stotch in every way. Most certainly knows his way around weapon production too."

The squash wearing neanderthal quickly responds "Oh, so this is the weaponsmith that's been under your employ." before turning his attention to Butters and going "The Gourdian Empire is quite fond of your work." just as another party enters: the woman I had hired as a medic.

"Mr. Ikari, I'm afraid that this just isn't going to work out." she goes before I ask "I take it that this means-" before she stops me and answers "I won't be renewing my contract with you. I simply can't handle the constant rage fits induced by the Venom in Abby's system any more. It's simply gotten too much to manage under my level of profession."

I ask her if there was any way that she would reconsider, but alas, her mind is made up and I'm gonna be short one medic. And as if my misfortune was only just beginning, Butters had decided that he wasn't gonna be renewing his contract with me either because he didn't feel safe being near my muscle anymore! Fan-goddamn-tastic. I'm now left with a bodyguard who's scared off my other two minions, a pair of severance packages to deal with, and Warper news outlets are probably gonna be swarming me on the subject, signalling that my status in Warper society is going to be taking a massive hit. I'll have to plan my next moves accordingly, but for now the only thing that I have currently going for me is the current increase to my power. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a talk with my hired muscle.

(General P.O.V. Shift)

Both Team Shadows and Team Bishops had managed to reunite at the agreed upon rendezvous point: Earth Dimension FGO-777G, A version of the Nasuverse where the demon pillars of Fate Grand Order had been promptly defeated, but not before the vast multitude of heroic spirits summoned from that universe's Throne of Heroes and elsewhere had all learned the Warper's Secret. With their newfound knowledge, the malignant foes from hell were promptly done away with, and the sheer amounts of Warper Energy accidentally being channeled into the Throne, it basically said "Oh, fuck this. You guys can just do whatever from now on, this is just too much to handle anymore." In the aftermath, everyone realized that while the threat of their universe was gone, what about other universes? They needed skills to combat whatever came their way, and they needed funds to ensure that they were prepared. Their solution: have Chaldea set up a second base to serve as a Warper vacation paradise. And their location of choice: Ironically where they wanted to be the Warper equivalent of to bankroll their training and other endeavours: Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Now, why think to set a place like this to regroup for a serious mission? Funnily enough, when you have 4 Metsu Sol Emeralds and a single Metsu Emerald on hand, sniffing out a 5th Sol Emerald is relatively easy. The plan was relatively simple: lay low, act natural, and just be like regular customers while searching for the final emerald. The combined team had separated into multiple separate teams this time around with each one going about their business while continuing the hunt.

(Group A: Wynn, Aria and Lyna)

With the maid trio setting off, the three of them decided to investigate one of the….less crowded areas. Their choice: the community gardens that served as not only a community outreach program for the unknowing, but as a little place for certain servants to find their inner peace should the need arise. Having properly investigated the area for the gem and finding nothing in regards to Metsu Energy, Wynn had decided to spend some time lying down on a bench for a much needed break with the others soon joining her. For a brief moment, there was nothing but peace and quiet as each of the lover trio hoped that the emerald would be found by someone on their team soon so they could finally go on the promised vacation they so desperately needed. What came to break the silence was fortunately not an old foe looking for revenge, but a pair of then strangers with the blonde of the two going "Wow, some tourists actually found this place worthy enough of visiting." before turning to her taller, dark pink haired compatriot and going "You feel alright with them being there, or should we ask them to beat it?".

The taller of the two's response: "No, doctor says Fran need to socialize with not heroic spirits."

The blonde then replies "Alright, but first instance of bad vibes, you just say the word." before turning to the knights of Ryujin and going "Hey, you guys mind if we hang out here?"

The Ryujin trio accepted the company as their two new seat mates as the blonde decides to spark up a conversation by going "So, guessing this ain't your first time here?" with Aria responding "Actually, it is. We've never been to this universe before."

Aria then asks "Mind if we know who we're talking to? It's not like you seem like bad people, we just wanna be able to know who to address questions to." with the blonde responding "Eh, fair enough. Name's Mordred, and my gf here is named Fran." before the taller of the two going "Hello." while politely waving.

Mordred then adds "So we told you who we are, how 'bout you tell us who you are out of fairness." as Lyna chimes in and goes "Alright, my name is Lyna, the girl with blue hair is my girlfriend Aria, and the girl with the green hair is my other girlfriend Wynn. And yes, we know we look like Yugioh cards.", followed by greetings from the other two maids.

It was then that the horned heroic spirit tried to do what her doctor recommended and tried to contribute to the conversation by going "Um, what bring new friends here?" with Wynn answering "Well, our boss technically has business here, and said that we should find something to do for a break, so we found this place because I was worried that a lot of the stuff here might be a bit overstimulating for me, and I don't want to bother my therapist with that." before Aria adds "We tried telling her that Dr. Quinzel wouldn't mind, but Wynn likes to think of others first. One of the reasons why we love her so."

Hearing that made Fran somewhat jump a bit in her seat before she asks "Friend see Dr. Quinzel too? But Fran never see you during sessions." with Mordred responding "Remember what we talked about? Therapists see a lot of people during the day, so she's probably scheduled for different times than you are."

Further conversation ensued, possibly ensuring a pair of potential allies in the battles to come.

(Group B: Toji, Kensuke, Strasberg, Asari and Steven)

B group was making busy work out of observing the special racing circuit where heroic spirits would race on randomized courses, some akin to those of Mario Kart. With the tourists celebrating the victory of the Lancer class Ereshkigal, the half man/half Gem hybrid could only question the reason for their viewing.

"What are we even doing here? I doubt that we're gonna find what we're looking for just watching races."

It was then that Toji turned to his teammate and responded "It's simple: These kinds of plots usually involve various mishaps and what not that eventually reveals the location of the McGuffin of the day, right?" as Steven could only nod his head in agreement as casino hijinks weren't uncommon when dealing with "grab the McGuffin and go" plots involving such locations before the main brawler of the Knights of Ryujin added "All we gotta do is dick around, and eventually, we'll get the answers we want out of sheer circumstance. It's brilliant."

Steven didn't even argue the fact, mentally declaring as far as he saw it, it was a nice little break from crazy and decided to join in on the fun of cheering for the next race.

(Team 3: Jessie, Ami, Sakura, Rei III and Kaworu)

Team 3 could be considered a rather motley crue if only for the way that it was composed: a secretary turned warrior, a trained assassin turned servant, a young child turned daring adventurer, and clones made of human and cosmic horror related DNA. But the common consensus of the group was not to think of it, as there was work to be done. Upon the formation, Jessie was the one who came up with the solution they were currently using: use a more logical approach to the matter and utilize research on local geology through the historical archives section of the compound in order to find information regarding gemstones which looked similar to the object of their desire. After about 10 minutes of searching, Sakura had stumbled upon something of interest:

"I think I have a lead. During a mission into a pre reveal singularity, a gemstone in the same shape as a Metsu Sol Emerald was captured due to the presence of 'abnormally large amounts of a strange energy emanating from it'. This only happened a couple months ago in his universe's time, so maybe it's still somewhere outside of the casino grounds and more near the Antarctica base."

Jessie responded to this with "That might be possible, but if that were the case, chances are that security for that location would most certainly be under more lock and key procedures compared to here." before mulling over the situation and adding "Perhaps we should regroup with Bishops ahead of time and share what we have so far on the matter."

Ami of course was quick to agree, stating that "Master will wish to know every possible detail that can aid in our quest."

"Perhaps I can help you with your little problem." said a voice hidden from the sight of the team with Jessie demanding that they present themself. The source of the voice emerged from the shadows, revealing the form of one Archer class servant: James Moriarty. While the others were a bit willing to take whatever help they can get no questions asked, Kaworu of all people was a bit more skeptical of the crime lord's offer considering as during the time between his recruitment by Bishops and the present, he had taken a liking to playing the Earth Prime version of FGO…...and had beaten the Shinjuku singularity where Moriarty had debuted in. Of course utilizing the knowledge he had obtained through his "epic gamer skills", Kaworu responded to the criminal mastermind with "I assume a genius mastermind of your kind already knows why we're really here, am I correct?" with the Archer class spirit answering "My boy, when items of great power are actively hunted across the multiverse, you make it your job to know about current events."

Ami quickly responds with "You will not take what we seek from us. I will strike you down justly before I let you interfere in master's work." with Moriarty responding "Oh please, I don't have any intention to take the gem from your humble cause, as goody goody as it may be. What good is committing crime across the multiverse if there is no habitable part of it to make a criminal empire out of?"

With this, Sakura spoke up on the matter by asking "Then what do you want in exchange?" with the self professed "silver fox" answering "Oh nothing too special compared to a gemstone of fantastical cosmic power. You see, I've been trying to get my darling adopted daughter Fran the gift of never having to worry about electricity conservation again, but alas I've been stuck here without any time to place the order. If your group could obtain a quick install kit for a few perpetual energy generators that can be placed in strategic points across the globe, I can get you in to Chaldea's main arctic base. Does that sound like a good enough deal for you?"

The five Warper party discussed this for around 30 seconds before the Rei of the party answers "We need to make a call, would you be willing to wait a while longer?" before Moriarty agrees, knowing that his offer was one that the Knights of Ryujin couldn't refuse as Jessie makes the call.

(Team 4: Bishops and Maylene)

With the leader of the Knights of Ryujin and the acting head Fusion Force officer acting as a two man squad of their own, it left them some time to converse in regards to the situation at hand while using their two emeralds to track the object of their desire.

"You sure the last one is in this place?" asked Maylene with Bishops responding "At this point, I don't even know anymore. I know that it's in this universe on this Earth, but as for being in Atlantic City, maybe we should head back to the ship and use the other 2 for a stronger connection."

Maylene was about to agree to the idea when Bishops' phone went off by surprise, opting to wait until she gave her answer until he finished as she overheard him go "Did you find anything?", "Really?" and "Alright, go for it, but keep him on a very tight leash." before hanging up.

She then asked "What was that about?" as the level 10 answers "Kaworu, his team believes that they might have a lead, but it ain't gonna be cheap." before the Fusion Force agent asks "I gotta ask, if you aren't doing stuff like trafficking or frequently bounty hunting, where are you making the money needed to keep your operation going?"

Bishops' answer: "obviously I can't just go fuck off and go bounty hunting all day every day, and since I'd prefer to be Lawful Evil at worst, I had to get a little bit creative with how I come up with capital. Ergo, I figured out that I could do a little bit of Warper tomfuckery to sneak into the homes of characters like Misato, "doctor" Akagi, and the bridge bunnies, grab some loose hair that might be lying around on brushes and the like, and sell that to cloning operations. And since other than my team and Gendo, no one else from that universe knows the Warper's secret, meaning I can get away with it with no one being the wiser."

(Team 5: Shinji, Mana and Enid)

Now with all teams either actively searching for the final emerald or at least pretending to be searching, one could be left to wonder what Anno's favorite punching bag was up to during this whole situation. Here's a hint: it involves the chance to get trashed. Shinji was currently at the blackjack table with Mana and Enid in tow, having won a couple hands already. Now you'd think that this would be where they would lose all of their money, but the third child had seen enough shows and movies involving casinos at one point to know when to quit while you're ahead, and moved on to make his way to the bar. Mana of course responded to this with "You can wait to drink while we're on vacation." before Enid added "Yeah, considering that I'm like, 99% positive that your boss has something planned for the "you know whats" once we've collected them all, so best you stay sober.``

Shinji ultimately relented with a "Fine, fair enough. But can we at least grab something to eat? After fighting a robot army and going on a massive scavenger hunt, your breakfast doesn't usually hold a state of metabolic station."

Almost instantly as if on cue, a trio of growling stomachs were heard before the two girl members of the group flat out agree with him. Lucky for them, if there was one thing that this version of Chaldea's operations were known for other than gambling and general degeneracy, it was that they were home to some of the best buffets that side of the multiverse. Finding a well reviewed diner that looked like it was ready for the lunch rush, the trio decided to try it, only to see that it was actually packed and being forced to find somewhere else to dine. This problem was eventually solved, but the trio were split up with Mana and Enid being seated at an Italian establishment while Shinji was stuck at a more stand-like booth with some stools to sit on. Making the most of it and opting to be the "good boyfriend" and avoid drinking until after the job was done, simply ordered a meatball sub and a Mountain Dew when a somewhat familiar face sat down next to him: seemingly just another Asuka in the multiverse who ordered a Ruben and whisky. It was painfully obvious that neither wanted to speak to one another, but the Archer class Shiro Emiya of an alternate future who was running the stand could see that something was up, that while one of them was more seasoned to the ways of the multiverse, the other was nothing short of an absolute greenhorn and spoke towards the Asuka, going "I take it that this is your first day in the greater multiverse. And by the looks of things, the revelations of your canon were rather rough." as Unit-02's pilot responds "Rough? Try learning that the weapon meant to save your people from the threat of giant monsters harbors the half of your mother's soul that actually cared for you, only to learn that one of your idiot teammates has a 50/50 chance of destroying the world anyway while you slowly slip into madness that ultimately results in your death." all while looking at Shinji and going "I swear that once the war against the Angels in my universe is over, I'm gonna hunt down that little bastard and gut him for all the pain that he's caused me across all realities, regardless of the ones where the Angels don't exist and where I have my mother as a whole in my life."

Shinji's answer to this statement: "Pain? You really wanna know about pain? Pain is having the whole of your mom absorbed into a biomechanical abomination and being left by you quote unquote dad at a train station for dead, all at the age of 3. Pain is being trapped into being drafted as an untrained child soldier in a war that you didn't instigate while using the same abomination that your mother's soul is in as a weapon, only to find out in the end that you were set up to be made the fall guy for instigating the end of the world by said mother due to misguided delusions, and not being able to find a way out until it's too late. Pain is solely having to rely on the rare official alternate universe work and the fans to give you the happy ending that quite frankly, you deserve for putting up with what's going on 25 Earth Prime years of bullshit, all because your creator was suffering from a fit of depression after a pair of previous botches and decided that they needed a character to use as their punching bag. Now that, that is pain, lady."

The second child didn't take this well, standing up from her seat and responding with "Oh, like I gave you permission to put your 2 cents in considering that because of you, I wind up either losing control of an eye or dying in certain continuities. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just gun your ass down right now." as Shinji simply answered "Okay, one: those versions of me may have been involved in the dirty deed being done in certain cases, but in reality the cause of you dying would've been NERV and SEELE's machinations, in which I was forced to be the impromptu fall guy for. Two: IF the fact that you're just a greenhorn who just learned the secret today is true, there is no way that you could take on someone who has had months of Ki control and actual combat training with and without weapons. And three: even if you could fight me to a standstill, there's still the matter of having to pay for the damages to the casino being put in play, which I highly doubt you can afford, even if you did collect my bounty. So do us all a favor, and choose who you pick your fights with a lot more wisely in the future."

This got the redhead fuming as she stormed off while making a phone call. The target: Mari as she was able to get the call picked up and started the conversation with "Did you find our version of the idiot and his friends yet?" before responding with "Keep looking, I know they're here. In the meantime, I'm gonna try and get ahold of some more funds by betting at the Death Battle table." and finishing the call with "Check back in in like, an hour or something or if you find them." before hanging up and attempting to build a fortune in a humph. Meanwhile, Shinji simply paid for both meals while thinking "That couldn't have been…..no, it couldn't….at least I hope not." before getting a call of his own from Bishops, saying that they might have a new lead on the emerald's location and getting the coordinates to meet with the rest of the team, to which Shinji was quick to tell the others in his group.

(Generic P.O.V. Shift)

With all teams gathered within the confines of Chaldea's primary base of operations in the freezing wastes of the Arctic, the different pieces of the deal with one Moriarty were falling into place. With the contracts for the generators and the knowledge that placing them in an active Reality Marble would still enable their usage at full efficiency without interfering with existing structures, access to the Arctic base was granted along with confirmation that the Metsu Sol Emerald of their desire was indeed within the confines of the facility. And so, after multiple journeys, searching and reasoning, the final emerald was in their possession after some in depth reasoning with not only the Mage's Association and that universe's version of Ritsuka Fujimaru. At last with the the objects of their quest in hands and secured in the confines of Maylene and Enid's vessel, Bishops was now busy taking care of some loose ends. Sneaking off to the confines of the GARD, the level 10 pulled out his phone and made possibly the first of many calls that he'd need to make: contacting Ryker Blackthorn.

After getting the call to connect, Bishops opened the line by saying "It's me. The job's done, all of the remaining Sol emeralds are in my team's possession, and I'll figure out what to do with them in due time." before the former Crystal Squadron commander responded with "Good. As for what to do with the emeralds, there's always the option of absorbing them. I'm sure you're aware of the one that Maylene has with her."

Bishops responds with "I'll consider it." before adding "Now if there's nothing else you need from me, my team and I are in desperate need of a vacation, and I'd like to get on it post haste so we still have some time before episode 11's canon begins."

"Bishops. I would point out there's the matter of the Metsu Blade, but that can wait. Frankly, you clearly need a break." Ryker said concerned. "But I just need you to do two things for me. I suggest you and your cohorts hang on to those Emeralds. As for Maylene, it's safe for her and Enid to return home. Tell Steven his job's complete, and Connie's waiting for him in Herkleston."

"I'll let them know." Desmond said relived.

"As for vacation ideas. There are many OU or resort universes themed after different things. I'll ask Merch for suggestions and get back to you. Just hang tight." Ryker said before hanging up.

After putting his phone back into his pocket and returning to the ship, all the level 10 was met with was uproaring laughter from the others watching something on the main video screen of the ship, instigating him to ask "What's all the hubbub?"

His answer came from Kensuke who just said "We'll start it over from the beginning, you're gonna wanna see this." before gesturing him to view the object in question: video footage from Gendo's lair of him going at it with one of his minions with another watching from her desk who Maylene recognized as Mai from the film Dragonball Evolution.

"You muscle bound fool!" shouted Gendo before adding "Do you have any idea what your lack of control has cost me? Thanks to your roid rage, I'm not only short a medic, but also a weaponsmith. Give me ten good reasons why I shouldn't just blast you into oblivion right now."

The muscle bluntly responds "Oh please, Steven Universe is trash anyway, we can get a way better medic than a character from that show. And besides, they won't leave, not without "forgetting" everything they know about our operations." with the bastard king seething with further rage while the Priyanka of Crystal Squadron fame approaching with bags in tow. Before she could even reach the door, Abby had grabbed the licensed medic by her collar and raised her into the air, going "Like hell am I gonna let you go off somewhere else. You have intel on us, and the only way that's leaving this universe is in a body bag." before Priyanka proves that there was more to her than met the eye with a death stare towards Gendo and answering "Oh I'm sorry, but your minion must have too much Venom in that thick skull of hers, but threatening me isn't in any of the best interests of you three if you wish to continue existing. I never exactly mentioned my connections during my employment or the interview process, but my wanted poster mentions them. I highly suggest you look at it if you know what's good for you."

Mai pulls up Priyanka's poster on her desktop rig, only to go white as a sheet before turning her monitor to be visible to Gendo, Abby and the former medic as the bastard king shared a similar reaction at the revelation: he had a member of the Crystal Squadron and a possible in with blood members of the Blackthorn family this whole time, and didn't realize it until it was far too late. Throwing salt into the wounds, Priyanka added "I just got off the phone with my daughter and Ryker himself. Unless you want to explain to both of them why I didn't make it home alive and well and risk being dragged back to Bishops' front door so he and your version of Shinji can get their turns taking part in your complete annihilation, you'll tell this overcooked bitch to put me down now."

Gendo, deciding that he was just done at this point simply took his Angel embryo arm, forced Abby's arm down, and released her grip on Priyanka by breaking each finger and decking the Last of Us Part 2 character square in the face after the Crystal Squadron member was free and out of the room, sending her flying into a pocket dimension and giving her an instant lobotomy with a Death Beam. Calming down a bit, Gendo then turned to the forsaken iteration of the femme fatale of the Pilaf Gang and goes "Mai, could you please put out a help wanted ad for a new medic, weaponsmith, and lead bodyguard?" before she responded with "I got one for a medic and weaponsmith going, but I can add bodyguard real quick."

The bastard king simply thanked her before going back to his office as the video cut right when he was halfway through yelling "god fucking dammit", earning a hearty chuckle from the Knights of Ryujin commander. Regaining his composure, Bishops had gathered the others to discuss what to do with the emeralds:

"Alright, I've been giving the idea some consideration, and I think I've come up with a solution on what to do with the emeralds to help keep them protected while in our care."

He then turns to Maylene and asks "Considering that everyone in this room has had at least some exposure to the energy of the Metsu Sol emeralds and what was the Metsu emerald in my former possession, members of my team could technically absorb what we grabbed like you did, right?" as the Fusion Force agent responds with "It's possible if they're in close enough range to it. Is that the route you're going with?" before Bishops answers "It's probably the best option we have. With the 3 we acquired in our little fetch quest and the one that Josho had me get for him before I conned it out of him, I can give not only myself, but 3 of my strongest fighters an albeit temporary for the time being boost too keep up against whatever gets thrown at us next."

The Knights of Ryujin leader then calls out for Shinji, Rei and Kaworu before giving his explanation of "Effectively, you three are the most powerful beings in the universe outside of myself, the Angels and the First Ancestral Race. Ergo it only makes sense that you three be allowed to hold on to the other 3 emeralds until further notice." with each one silently agreeing with the statement before being offered an emerald. Bishops then requested that Steven and a few others set up a series of protective force fields around each of them, stating "Just a safety precaution." as a thinly veiled excuse of saying "Just in case Shinji unknowingly taps into divine energy again.", which Shinji just responds "I'd be shocked if you didn't set up a failsafe." as 4 protective cells of energy surround them so they could begin the procedure.

Bishops had absorbed his the fastest with the gem being tactfully placed near the bottom of his neck where it could easily be concealed by wearing a shirt. Kaworu quickly followed with his gem going into his left shoulder blade while spawning a set of what was commonly referred to in EVA lore as "Wings of Light" similar to the ones used by the Angel that they would no doubt have to face come episode 22's canon. Rei's had gone where her spinal cord and tail bone connected where it could easily be concealed while bearing her own wings, ones more akin to the ones she had when fused with Lilith in the End of EVA movie. This left Shinji who's barrier was now reinforced by focusing what energy went to the others' barriers towards his when what was the main point of concern happened, entering a berzerker like state for a few moments before blacking out again with the emerald now placed firmly in the palm of his right hand. After determining that it was safe to lift the final barrier, Mana rushed to Shinji's side as he woke up and went "It happened, didn't it?", earning a collective nonverbal yes from his associates before getting up and saying "Gotta figure out how to safely tap into that."

Bishops answers "Well you can work on that later after we've had some rest and relaxation." before turning towards the Fusion Force operatives and giving the news of "I just got off the horn with Ryker Blackthorn, Maylene and Enid are free to go home whenever they're ready, and Connie will be waiting for Steven in a place called Herkleston now that his job's done here."

While the 3 warriors of Zen Kuro cheered a bit, Eclipsa was quick to ask "And what of me and my family?"

The level 10 Warper's answered "You're more than welcome to stay here in exchange for serving as mentors in the field of black and white magic. Would you be willing to accept?"

Needless to say, both Eclipsa and Globgor agreed as they'd not only get protection from a high level Warper, but also give their kid another chance. Feeling like things were settling down finally, Bishops then got a new text: Ryker with some coordinates reading

"Yo, Desmond. It's Ryker, yeah I got a spot for a vacation. It's an EVA Protected Universe, that hosts the NERV Resort. That world's Asuka and Shinji found inner peace during Instrumentality managing to rewrite their world. No Angels really…and NERV is a resort they run. Turns the Rei I used to know works place...giving massages and happy endings. I managed to pay for a reservation for you and your team. Have a nice vacation."

Ignoring the detail about Ryker's Rei clone despite being glad that she's doing alright, Bishops officially gave the order to his team: pack your bags, vacation time is on.

(Ending Theme: "Aozora ni Naru" by Jon Hashimoto- Kamen Rider Kuuga OST)

Current List of Power Levels:

Desmond Bishops : 3,030,000/142,410,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x47)/ 151,500,000 (Base Super Spiral)/ 303,000,000 (Super Spiral 2)/ 75,750,000 (Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed)/ 3,560,250,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x47 Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed)/ 3,787,500,000 (Super Spiral Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed)/ 7,575,000,000 (Super Spiral 2 Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed)

Shinji Ikari: 125,000/ 1,500,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x12)/ 3,125,000 (Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed)/ 37,500,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x12 Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed) (Warper Status: LV. 6)

Mana Kirishima: 18,000/ 108,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Musashi Lee Strasberg: 17,000/ 102,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV.5)

Keita Asari: 17,000/ 102,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Rei Ayanami (Rei III): 35,000/ 875,000 (Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Toji Suzuhara: 130,000/ 1,430,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Kensuke Aida: 123,000/ 1,375,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Sakura Suzuhara: 120,000/ 1,320,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Hikari Horaki: 5.2

Misato Katsuragi: 5

Wynn Miyabi: 511,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Eria Aoi: 510,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Lyna Hikari: 510,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Asuka Langley Sohryu: 55,000* (Warper Status: LV. 4)

Mari Illustrious Makinami: 41,000* (Warper Status: LV.4)

Ryoji Kaji: 6

Pen Pen: 3.25

Shigiru Aoba: 4

Maya Ibuki: 4

Mokoto Hyuga: 3

Ritsuko Akagi: 4

Jessabelle Musashi: 420,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Fuytsuki Kozo: 3

Gendo Ikari: 509,000/3,009,000 ("Clockiel" Absorbed) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Ami (Earth Dimension SJ-12639706): 275,000/ 5,225,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken=x19) (Warper Status: LV. 5)

Kaworu Nagisa: 161,000/ 4,025,000 (Metsu Sol Emerald Absorbed) (Warper Satus: LV: 5)

Johnny "Gourdar the Never Ending" 2x4 (Earth Dimension EEE- Sigma-1451-B): 25,000

Dr. Frog (Earth Dimension LOSE-1018-Tau): 3,500,000/120,000,000 (Battle Suit MK.2 Overclock)

"Clockiel": 5,000,000

(Author's Notes: Yes, I know, It's been 5 months since this was last updated, but reality has ways of making it hard to actually do the things you wanna do. Personal rant aside, we're now halfway through the vacation mini arc, and the team is finally getting some well needed rest and relaxation...for the most part. Next time, the team settles in for their getaway and has themselves some fun. Until next time, DSX62415, out.)