Creation began on 08-26-24
Creation ended on 11-28-24
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Welcome to your Escape: Seeking Revenge, Seeking Hope
"Ready… Fight!" The Judge robot declared, and Gendo Ikari was set to square off against the Yeagerist Team, which made the worst decision to challenge him.
"This ends!" Gendo yells, pressing a button on his console, and his Death Stinger fires its lasers at the three König Wolves that were running in circles around him.
-x-
"Whoa!" Shinji gasps as he leaps out of the way of a rocket aimed at him and Liger Rogue, fired from a Dibison piloted by a soloist. "Uncool!"
He fired his Zoid's double-barreled beam cannon on the back at the Dibison's right side and ran to avoid being hit by the next barrage of missiles. The Clover Team's strategy was sound; each member would face whoever came their way to gather the data necessary to locate the finish line of the six-hundred-mile battle zone, and anyone standing in their way would be dealt with. However, defeating the soloists would only result in acquiring one half of the one piece of data awarded to the victor, whereas defeating a rival team's Zoids would result in a full one piece of data. Even so, Shinji had to protect his one piece that was given to him at the start of the match, and he was going to take this pilot's data piece, no matter what.
"Just so that you know, kid," the grown man facing Shinji in the Dibsion, "after I beat you, I'm going after your old man."
Blast! The Dibison fired another barrage of rockets at Liger Rogue, who continued to run, evading each one, only getting covered in dirt and small nicks.
"Then let me see you make good on your intentions," Shinji tells him, and discontinues his beam attack and decides to go in for the win, Liger Rogue's front legs charging with energy. "Aaaurgh!"
"Let's end this!" The combatant shouts as he fires everything his Dibison has to offer at Liger Rogue. "Have it all!"
It was like something out of a movie where the villains try to eliminate the hero, unleashing an endless barrage of destruction at the one that was giving it their all to win. The Dibison was firing everything from lasers to missiles, and Liger Rogue, despite not even having an E-Shield installed in its replacement armor after the Eva Team incident, was getting hit by some of the attacks…and still charging towards it.
"What in the name of…" The man utters, seeing the Zoid still coming towards him.
It jumps into the air and thrusts its right claw at the Dibison, knocking it to the ground.
"Aaaurgh!" The man groans, his combat system frozen. "No! Dammit!"
"Battle over," a Judge with a female voice declares. "The winner is Liger Rogue!"
With his defeat, the man sighs and relents, surrendering his data piece to Shinji.
"Hey, kid," he utters to him, "don't let your old man win this. Someone like him… He doesn't deserve it. I'm not saying that you do, but…just don't let him get in to Class 'S'."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Shinji tells him, and then Liger Rogue walks away. "It was a good fight we had. We should do this again in the future."
The man chuckles at replies that they should.
Shinji transmits his battle-obtained data piece to Nico; he only needs one piece to protect and the team leader holds the rest to form the map that will give them the finish line location.
"How we doing so far, Nico?" He asks her.
"We have three-and-a-half pieces so far," she tells him. "We've been clearing the soloists that come our way, but so far, we have yet to face a rival team."
"Then, let's go find one."
"Ask and you shall receive in due time," they hear Valerie say to them. "I'm sending you my location. We got three members of the Excalibur Team on my end."
"Oh, I'll be there," Shinji tells her, and Liger Rogue runs off.
-x-
"Oh, it's a spectacle out here, people!" An anchorwoman says in front of a camera, broadcasting to the masses that were watching the events of the Royal Cup unfold. "Left and right, we have different competitors facing off for entry into Class 'S'. It appears that some are facing the soloists that come their way while others in teams square off against one another. We have Judge Unit-16 monitoring the battle between the Yeagerist Team and Gendo Ikari, Judge Unit-22 overseeing the match between the two soloists Richards and Faye, Judge Unit-8 about to permit a fight between Geisha of the Clover Team and soloist Constance."
All across Tokyo-3 and the rest of Japan, people were watching the matches and couldn't believe how violent and epic these matches were becoming. Among the people watching on their television sets and tablets, the estranged aunt and uncle of Shinji Ikari, who couldn't believe that their nephew, a virtual nobody with nobody waiting for him to return to Earth, who they believe would never amount to anything of any significance, was now at the final stages of a tournament lightyears away from them on the other side of the Milky Way…and giving it his all to win in a team made by a little girl that handpicked him out of a multitude of other fourteen-year-olds across the planet. As much as they disliked him for simply being the son of Yui and Gendo Ikari, they couldn't help but feel a slight bit of impression from his skills as a Zoid pilot.
"All he needed was a chance to show his skills," the aunt expresses, watching as the liger Zoid piloted by Shinji was about to fight alongside a dinosaur Zoid with claws on its back against a pair of Lightning Saix and a Shadow Fox. "Hard to believe that he has progressed so much in such a short time on another planet."
"Hard to believe that some eight-year-old alien girl picked him of all the people on Earth that is his age," utters the uncle. "I mean, she could've picked our son or some other kid from another country, but she picks Shinji, someone that shouldn't have been picked at all. He's got no love of sports, no passion for science, not even an interest in politics. What did she see in him that was worth choosing him over all the others?"
The aunt, looking down at her tablet, at her nephew's profile, of how Shinji had put down a personal thought of his for the world to know of, of how he views the future of Earth and his own future as two separate things.
"Personally, after learning of some terrible truths and having time to process them away from everything I once thought I knew," his personal thought reads, "I want to believe that there is a future for everyone left on Earth…but only so long as I am not there. When certain people expect something of you that you feel like you have no say in to begin with, what future is there for you to choose for yourself if all else is ever said and done? As for me? I want a future where I can be happy, where I can be accepted by those that actually see me for me, not because of my parents, my relatives or just something I have no control over because some people decided way before then that how I felt was irrelevant. Even that word right now, 'irrelevant', makes me sound like my father a little, and he's among the people I don't want to see again, no matter what others think or say. Anyhow, there are two futures that are within reason to be possible, but only if two things are considered within the moral sense of understanding. A future for the people of Earth so long as I am not around to be exploited by people that have other intentions that are not within morality…and my future that is truly my own…so long as I am out of other people's reach and their ability to influence negatively. Sure, there might be some people on Earth that may want to see me return in the future, but I don't really expect anyone to be waiting for me, whether it's in the future, years from now…or if I lose the Royal Cup and have to return shortly afterwards. I don't expect anyone to be waiting for me at all. Sure, there are good people…but the first good person I met on Earth…wasn't even from Earth, and they approached me with the proposition that was to join the Clover Team…and I accepted. So…what future is there for me on Earth? Nothing I can really see so long as I'm there. Ever since my mother died and my father abandoned me, I never really felt like I fit in with anyone around me…and that's a hurtful feeling, to feel like you don't belong, that people are telling, whether it's in your face, from a distance, or just with their silence, that you don't fit it, that you don't belong…and you never will. Personally, I don't blame people for making me think and feel that way. I blame the way things are on Earth, the way people make one think things like that. Sure, everyone has their own problems that they either try to deal with or ignore, thinking that they'll resolve themselves, but that doesn't really work for me. And I've threatened to expose my family's dirty laundry to my father if I lost and had to return to Earth, something that, despite knowing it will cause a lot of anger and resentment, maybe even drive someone to want to take me out, I will carry it out if it happens. So…yeah, I don't see much of a future for me if I go back to Earth. What future is there for poor, unwanted, unloved Shinji Ikari in a world where people have already made up their minds about him because of who he's related to? Maybe someday, someone will tell me. Maybe I'll only find out after I bite the dust. I just hope that the people's future where I'm not around is to their liking and where they're happy, where a smile doesn't have to be forced or faked, where laughter isn't made up, where when someone offers you a hand, it's not because of pity or disgust, but because they actually want to help you off the ground or watch you reach your goal."
And then, despite never having any love towards the boy, she swipes to her left on the tablet and types down a comment that she can only hope would reach him later on. In it, she wrote, "Even though I am among those that will not be waiting for you to come back if you lose, I do hope that you win this Royal Cup, so that you don't have to come back to Earth at all. Good luck, Shinji. Signed, your aunt. Do your best to win."
"…And it's on, people!" The anchorwoman utters as the next battle begins, between the Clover Team's Valerie Axiom and Shinji Ikari against the Excalibur Team's Jasmine Rosalia, Samatha Samson, and Rumiko Gaidoku. "Two against three! Who's going to come out on top in this?!"
"What do you think?" The uncle asks his wife, and she looks at him. "What do you suppose are his chances at winning?"
"Do you want him to come back?" She asks him back.
"No," he answers her. "He'd better not come back."
-x-
Valerie decided to take on the two Lightning Saix while Shinji got to face the Shadow Fox. It was a little unfair, but she wanted to see how Shinji settled things with his lady friend on the battlefield. Even if it seemed mild, she wasn't foolish to get in the way of what was likely a platonic relationship. Admittedly, she wouldn't deny the Gaidoku girl was attractive, but Shinji was among the old-fashioned type seeking a genuine relationship with other people, not one of these younger people seeking NSA-type relationships.
In her Zoid, Rumiko sees Shinji's Liger Rogue and can't help but smile.
"Lover's quarrel," she hears one of her teammates, Jasmine, holler at her through the intercom, smirking like a lunatic.
"You are just asking for punishment," she tells her.
"But you have to admit, he's not bad eye candy."
Rumiko sighs and presses a button on her left side panel, shutting the intercom off. She did not want to get into this today with her team concerning her relationships outside it with other people. And her recent interest in Shinji Ikari was not something she was looking to discuss when there were more important things on the line today, such as getting into Class "S". Only one Zoid team would make it to the top today, and any wrong move could jeopardize everything.
Pressing another button, she activated her smokescreen, shrouding the field around her in thick, black smoke. And since this was just Shinji and herself, she opened a private channel between them, just to talk.
"This isn't going to be like in the simulation, you know," she tells him.
"I gotta put my faith in Liger Rogue," she hears Shinji respond. "See you on the other side, Rumiko Gaidoku."
"Likewise, Shinji Ikari."
Then, Liger Rogue charged into the smokescreen, uncertain of where the Shadow Fox was hiding in all of it. It couldn't trace it on any system designed for tracking, but Shinji wasn't overdependent on such systems when sight and sound were adequate enough.
Where are you? He wonders, looking around in smoke.
Whoosh! He thinks he sees something moving to the left.
Whoosh! He thinks he sees something on his right.
Rumiko was running around in the smokescreen, trying to keep Shinji guessing.
"Grrr," Liger Rogue growls, eyes lit up like a floodlight illuminating the night sky.
"Let's go, Rogue," Shinji says, and the Zoid opens fire in the smokescreen with its triple-barreled cannon; just because they couldn't see anything, it didn't mean they still couldn't try to hit something and hope it was an enemy.
-x-
Crash! The Gungyalado fell to the ground, busted up alongside the König Wolves, defeated, and Gendo smirks in contempt towards the combatants that were foolish enough to oppose him.
"Battle over," the Judge decrees, ending the match in Gendo's favor.
With the Yeagerist Team's defeat, Gendo had acquired their one piece of data needed to help him locate the finish line of this tournament. Now, he just needed the remaining four pieces from another Zoid team if he couldn't find any other soloists foolish enough to challenge him. Looking at his screen showing the layout of the terrain, he spots a Zoid team just a few miles away from where he is, and decides to venture towards them. It was only a matter of time before he reached the finish line and decimated all manner of competition.
"I hope you lose big, Ikari," he hears the pilot of the Gungyalado say to him over the intercom. "You don't deserve to be in Class 'S'."
"That's the talk of those that have lost," Gendo replies, and just continues onward.
-x-
Dropping her anchors to steady herself, Valerie activates her Geno Saurer's Charged Particle Cannon and Buster Claws to devastate the two Lightning Saix that were proving too fast to hit with brute force. With the power reduced just enough to meet the requirements of non-fatal, her Geno Saurer opens its mouth and opens fire at the two nimble Zoids.
"Time to take a breather!" Valerie yells as the beam of charged particles soars through the air at the enemy Zoids.
The Lightning Saix were able to evade the beam's direct attack, but the following shockwave was not something they could evade, getting blown off their feet and onto their sides, their combat systems frozen.
"Aaah, crud!" She hears one of the women in them whine. "We just had to pick a fight with the Vixen Warrior!"
"Oh, you two are wrong about that part," Valerie replies to them as her Zoid cools down from firing the CPC. "I'm a member of the Clover Team, and don't forget it."
With the Lightning Saix taken care of, this leaves only the Shadow Fox to be dealt with by Liger Rogue, something Valerie notices Shinji taking his merrily time to carry out.
"Eh-heh-heh," she giggles; as much as she wanted this match to end, she was curious as to why it appeared as if her teammate was playing around with his adversarial crush. Even in the thickest smokescreen, only the imagination grants you a possible view of what's going on.
The next thing she sees, the Shadow Fox and Liger Rogue jump out of the smokescreen, trying to shoot each other as they run off.
"Rrrrrarugh!" Liger Rogue growls as its beam cannons continue to fire at the Shadow Fox, which continues to fire its Vulcan cannon.
Valerie then notices that both Zoids had their front paws lit up, as if charging with energy, and they were running away from each other in opposite directions, like an intersecting circle or loop…and she sees where this is going.
"Oh, yeah," she smiles, excited.
Both Zoids charge towards each other, leap into the air, their right claws pulling back…and letting the attacks clash between them.
FLASH! It was a quick and effective move, and both Zoids land on the ground on opposite ends, a silence that was rather disturbing because neither Zoid looks damaged.
At least, not from a distance, as Valerie can't see any signs of damage on Liger Rogue or the Shadow Fox. She was about to turn on the channel between herself and Shinji…when the Shadow Fox falls to the ground, sparks flying out of its back.
"Battle over!" The Judge declares. "The winner is…the Clover Team!"
"We won?" Valerie questions.
"We won," she hears Shinji's voice, which sounds disappointed. "I'm sorry it had to end this way, Rumiko."
"Don't be," she hears the other girl's voice reply on the other end. "I'm not. You're a badass when you want to be. So, I'll say this to you: You and your team better win this."
Inside his cockpit, Shinji smiles and nods his head in the positive.
"I look forward to seeing you again," he tells her.
"Likewise," she responds.
With the Excalibur Team's defeat, the Clover Team receives another piece of data to find the finish line.
Walking away from the defeated Zoids, Shinji and Valerie head to wherever Nico and the others currently were, wondering if they had gathered enough data pieces to get further to their destination and achieve their dreams.
"How are you feeling about the win, Shinji?" She asks her teammate.
"It hurts a little," he answers. "I mean, I like her. I really like her."
"Love is a battlefield, Shinji. You find yourself meeting people that get under your skin in a good way. But every match on the field…isn't all that different from a date on Earth."
"Oh, really?"
"If you two intend to meet again, the victory didn't result in a breakup. It looks like there is love in your future long after this."
"Thanks, Valerie. I feel a lot better."
Beep. Shinji looks at his console and sees a message from Rumiko. He opens it and is surprised by what he sees.
"Uh…how do I respond to the fact that Rumiko just sent me her contact number?" He asks.
"Her contact number? Oh, yeah, she definitely wants you now! You gotta send her your number! You just got past first base on Zi!"
Shinji decides not to ask how many bases there are on Zi when it comes to romantic advances, and just sends Rumiko his contact number. He could ponder on whether or not to regret his decisions at another time, and just focus on the present, which was making it to the end of this tournament and getting into Class "S".
"Shinji? Valerie?" They hear Nico's voice on the intercom. "I just got the update on your match against the Excalibur Team. Congrats."
"Thank you, Nico," Valerie replies. "How are we doing on the gathering of the data pieces?"
"Drake and Geisha defeated two other teams and soloists. We got the pieces necessary to locate the finish line. I'm putting them together now to give us the map."
"Sweet," Shinji expresses; with the pieces they needed now in their possession, they no longer needed to face others for additional pieces of data and just needed to reach the finish line to gain entry into Class "S". "How soon until we have the location of the finish line?"
"Should be acquired by the time you all get back to my Gustav."
"We're already heading to you."
-x-
"…Damn," Misato sighs as she sets her tablet down, stunned at how the Clover Team defeated the Excalibur Team…and how it appears that Shinji most certainly found himself a lady friend on the opposing Zoid team. "Shinji's a lot more motivated than I thought he'd be when this Royal Cup began. He really doesn't want to come back here."
"Yarp!" Pen-Pen responded, watching the tournament on his own tablet, looking at a photo of the Gaidoku girl that was defeated by Shinji. "Yarp!"
"Oh, yeah," Misato agrees with him. "She's quite a looker and caught his eye."
-x-
Drake and Geisha had defeated a Zoid team that used Warsharks and Hammerheads, and returned to Nico's Gustav and trailers in time to learn of the location of the finish line.
"This is where we are," Nico tells her team inside her Gustav as they were looking at a holographic layout of the terrain, a spot lighting up to represent their location. "And this is where the finish line is."
A different spot on the terrain lit up, a considerable distance from the Clover Team.
"That's Mammoth Bear Canyon," Valerie utters. "It was once a mass grave battlefield between mammoth and bear-type Zoids centuries ago. Some legends claim the ghosts of the Zoids are still fighting over there, trying to decide which side is strongest: The mammoths…or the bears?"
"A war between mammoths and bears?" Geisha questions, a little bothered by such an old tale. "I wouldn't mess with a horde of Zoids like that."
"Nobody would mess with a horde of Zoids like that," Nico adds in. "Except perhaps those that are daredevils looking for the next great thrill."
"But if it's where the finish line is," Shinji expresses, "why the concern over going there?"
Because Shinji didn't know the other reason why they were a little uneasy about the location, Drake sighs and explains to him why they felt concern over it.
"A previous Royal Cup tournament occurred there more than a century ago, Shinji," he reveals, "and it was unfinished because the previous contestants of that time were bitter rivals on opposing teams that fought to the extreme. They were a pair of twins that were as different as light and darkness are, and the only thing they could ever agree on was that they both wanted to off each other to prove they were superior in all things. Their rivalry augmented by the Zoids they used. Apex predators that were unable to coexist. One piloted a crocodile, the other a wolf. The final match was undecided when both fought so hard that they fell into a ravine and an explosion occurred, killing both of them. Mammoth Bear Canyon gained a secondary name after that day: Fallen Gorge. Only the most extreme of Zoid pilots would actually dare to fight there. There have been at least five other confirmed deaths ever since that day at that location."
"And the unconfirmed deaths?"
"Nobody found any other bodies or Zoid parts. At three-hundred meters, it's practically bottomless. Some claim that you would need a miracle to get out of there."
"Even so," Shinji sighs, "if it's where we need to get to in order to win the Royal Cup, I'd say we avoid wherever the earlier tournament took place there and stay away from any edges or cliff sides. We just want to win and get into Class 'S', not become part of a traumatic tale older than we are."
"Yep," Valerie states. "Let's get there and finish this. We do this right, we become part of the pantheon of champions."
"Then, let's go," Geisha expresses.
Nico smiles proudly and climbs into her chair and reaches the controls to her Gustav.
"Let's do this!" She cheers.
-x-
"Mammoth Bear Canyon," Gendo utters as he pieces together the data he obtained from his victories against the people he fought and defeated, obtaining the location of the finish line. "It's time to put an end to this game and take the lot."
Inputting his destination into the Death Stinger's computer, he proceeds to advance towards the finish line, determined to win at all costs. He imagines seeing Shinji there…and then wiping the ground with his face and letting him know that his dreams of being a champion would bite the dust…along with the rest of his team.
"If I can't have what I want," he says to himself, "I'll take what you want for myself…and leave you with nothing."
To be continued…
A/N: Uh-oh! This is bad! The Clover Team and Gendo are heading to the same location to finish the Royal Cup, but only one of them will win. What do you expect will happen in the next chapter to come?