This may seem like it's overdue, but based on a comment I recently received elsewhere, apparently the fact that there will be spoilers to both the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and the events of various games in the Persona Series (including but not limited to Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5) wasn't made clear just by how the plot has unveiled.
So I'm placing a sticky post for this message: if you have not watched the original Evangelion anime, or if you have not played the Persona games — especially P3, P4, P5, and their updated re-releases — then take note that this story contains spoilers to all of them. Read at your own risk.
It is now the twenty-third installment of Dragon Reviews and (Probably) Overanalyzes SPE...and yes. You see that right. I'm covering three days.
THREE.
DAYS.
Why? Because I am a voracious reader and this is an engaging story. That's why.
So for the sake of my hands sanity and time, I am going to be having absolutely no quotes for this review.
... okay four quotes, but they're the only exceptions for good reasons. Anyway! -puts on review glasses- Let us begin... Review. STARTO!
6/29 Early Morning - 7/1 Evening: Velvet Room
We start off with a simple reminder from Pilate for an answer to (her? i forget) their question before we shift to Misato wakin' up. And it's not good. I mean it could be worse, but having a smartass over the "intercom" when asking and answering questions isn't exactly "fun" either. He answers some questions though, mainly that Misato's stuck helping out with this "little" project of his and he sends in that.
Mana.
DANG IT.
Well at least I get mollified by Akechi trying to solve the little conundrum Misato found herself in, recapping all the facts he has at his disposal...until he gets a call. From Iwai. To tell him to cut it off. Akechi doesn't want that of course but the second Akechi resists, Iwai...OH MY GOSH YOU PIECE OF--I AM LEGIT MAD OVER THE ASSUMPTIONS IWAI WAS MAKING OVER AKECHI. EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HE HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING HE IS WRONG ABOUT AKECHI AND IS ALSO PROBABLY PRESSURED BY HIGHER UPS.
You, good fellow Gigolo, have now gained my affection. I love that you said that and thank you for that. Refraction!Akira: I know I do. This is now on my list of favorite lines from this fic.
Now here's hoping Gigolo doesn't end up stabbing any of the allies of Shinji's backs.
Ahem. Anyways. After that doused my anger and Akechi's, the formee detective gets to planning and, after some thinking, apparently thinks of a way to circumvent the order to help anyway. Whatever that is, we're probably not seeing it as it cuts to quest from a melon corporation that is from a very obviously different bird entirely and helping in a more direct way to help.
An intermission before we continue on the story though...because of the disccusion on Morooka. I kinda find the fellow a somewhat fascinating because, well, funny thing is, and I only know this 'cause of a youtuber I love watching pointing it out, Morooka isn't all bad. Yeah he's still a jerk, I'm not saying he isn't a lot of the time, but there's at least hints in the game showing he does care for kids and others, just seems to prefer tough love and...has a terrible way of going about it is all. Mainly that this Youtuber pointed out that the mention of him buying magazines with certain idols on it was likely meant to show him supporting an idol to the Japanese...rather than, perhaps, showing him as a pervert. And I guess I just like the thought he just doesn't know how to show "tough love" without being a jerk instead of him just being a jerk just 'cause.
Anyways back to story.
Shinji shows the request to Kenny and he thinks it's too sus for him to try. But then Rei comes and says she knows who it is and says it's totally fine despite the sus. So now Kenny turned around and is like "I wanna come!" but Rei's like "Nope" so it's just the two of them as they go see...the all manly and fabulous Mister P! Oh and Shadow Kaji is here too. Hello. Anyways, Kaji's here to basically lure Rei away by having her meet one of his "friends". And it works, to Rei slight chagrin, but she goes anyway and then Shinji and Mister P go meet someone tracking Misato down.
We don't see that just yet though as we see another Angel scene with an Archangel interacting with it before we find out this Archangel is the one Kaji offered Rei to meet. And this Shadow's name is Phanuel. ... okay why is my first thought is that this is Ryoji/Pharos? Mostly cause of the "fond of you humans" line and how he talks. Probably not. Another thought though that was I would've consider if I had not known you knew very little (well, at the time of writing this) of SMT was this was an SMT reference I didn't know of. But I doubt it. Either way, they're now going to talk, and the day ends...
...now onto the next.
Next day!
Shinji wakes up and remembers the Archetypes they were getting yesterday while they were waiting (also sleep inside me...yeah pretty much. Also yay) when...KORO! YEAH! Koro is here! And he's here to help! ...also just realized that if you wanted to be particularly mean, you could've had Koro had pups like what was in the concept for P4 Arena... Anyways! Koro's found Misato and now they are off! Though not without Shinji commenting about Mister P speaking dog and the Emperor saying he can "speak a great many things". Indeed you can, Mister P! Including cryptic! The language where you're telling what you mean but also not telling what you mean!
Moving on. Misato recaps her day yesterday. One, a shift in the mental landscape. Two: seeing Mana train against Archetypes. And three: can't go to the bathroom without getting watched. And now today she's training with Mana because she lacks skill even with her power, which Misato quickly shows as she takes advantage of not getting used to rush-down characters. After that, it's now Rei's turn to recap as she remembers about conversation with Phanuel, which can be summed as: ADAM still angy even when Phanuel, Tabris (oh hey. Does this mean he's supposed to be seperate or something...?) and Arael (still sketchy atm) tryin' to calm him, thus more Angel Syndrome, and now even more angy now with Shinji here, and old grudges still hang even with an even bigger enemy. Oh and also Phanuel wants her to send a message and there's a flashback about her asking why Pen-Pen has a Persona but Shadow Kaji not answerin'.
Pfft. Silly Rei...it's because he has the PoTeNtIaL, that's why.
Ahem, after a mention of Sandalphon (which I am now wondering how they will appear as seeing as we got Persona/SMT Sandalphon), Rei's back at school to drop the message from Phanuel and it's dor...Ren. Huh. Okay more reason it isn't Ryoji/Pharos. If it was, I'm sure it would've been Minato instead.
Aaaaaaand intermission because someone says Mishima is Phanuel and I'm splitting my sides. XD
But wait...someone who knew Ren...sounding youthful and petulant in a small form...found a place that looks like Mementos nostalgic...is fond of humans...is Phanuel Morgana?
i really want him it to be morgana
i love morgana so much
NNNGGGGHHH
Okay, intermission over.
Misato training Mana, showing us the seeming rejuvinating properties of her armaments and her temper, and sorta getting fond of her. But also getting red flags about her before she has to recall her Persona, who found that they're on an island, and goes to have a late lunch. Before I get move on though, here's the other quote.
(Then again, after dealing with some wunderkinds over her career - of those who weren't Evangelion-users, Goro Akechi immediately came to mind - her tolerance levels for physically harming teenagers was much higher than some civilians would have called healthy.
Mana meets her brothers, Musashi and Keita, and they talk, giving us plenty of insight to what she's been through with some flashbacks and some flashes. After they end up just talking about stuff, we have... Oh hey we have Tokita havin' a meal with Misato. And driving the point there's nothing Misato can do. And being very irritating about it while doing so. I mean, on one hand I can see that, and probably would've wanted to shout at him should I actually have met him, on the other hand I also feel like giving a flat look and going "uh huh. uh huh. sure". Either way, oh boy. Quite a few people, both in- and out-universe are gonna enjoy whenever you fall.
After that wonderful lunch, Misato encounters one of her brothers on the way back to her cell, seemingly mad, but when she's actually inside, it turns out he was sending a paper to her. And, oh hey actual psychic paper. Anyways it explains stuff and...SHIT I HATE THAT I WAS RIGHT. AND ON TOP OF BEING RIGHT, MANA'S SHADOW IS A PART OF IT THE WEAPONS.
AAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG.
Tho speakin of Labyrs... Fun fact: 'cause P3 manga was made after P4 and such, there's a panel that's referencing Labyrs when they were talking about Anti-Shadow Weapons, her silhouette being shown in Chapter 32, page 14 (and the silhoette of Sousei/Genesis from Persona × DETECTIVE NAOTO but that's not important).
And second... Mostly to say that the P4 Arena manga has quite a bit focus on Yosuke and the parts from his route, though the story itself is combined with plenty of other routes. Also I really like the art for it. There's something about the expressions, eyes and action I like a lot. I guess...I'd say they're very dynamic.
Okay intermission over and...oh.
EFF.
Tokita knows.
I mean it's real clever how they did the security for the place since it's basically a security in the form of narration and thus seems very innocuous but still...
EFF.
But hey Ritsuko's got a plan! By issuing a mission that should be nearby! And Shinji and co. are coming! Resting atop Gryphon!
And with that I...move on to the next day because I cannot wait.
We start off with Shinji waking up because they're almost there and...heeeey Makoto! She took on the mission Ritsuko issued because...Akechi tipped her. Huh. Make a note of that while we're... Oooooh...who is the man? Who is the man?! Is it someone I recognize? And it turns out...YES RYUJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! YYYYYEEEEEEEEEESS!
Brief intermission because of seeing @neogoki say "2 out of the P5-crew together"... Yeah I know it's old but can't help but say it (also partially to remind myself): it's five of the P5 playable party confirmed at this point. Akechi, Ren, Yusuke, Haru, Makoto, and now Ryuji.
Okay back to the story.
Where, after revealing he knows of Misato's newly gained knowledge, we be havin' a talk between Tokita and Misato about the ethics of what he's doing, more about his project and the lengths he's going through to make it work...including using his own Shadow which was a surprise but also makes sense. Oh and also he knows about what happened CPC and the last new moon, which brings up in tandem of why his project was being formed: the Evangelion users and NERV, aka "nope don't trust them". Which, well, Misato understands before she reminds him that all the users are just children. Yet so, he does more hammering of her siutation and...
BAM! Shinji and co. are here!
To Misato's satisfaction.
With that, we see Shinji, Mister P and Koro going seperate ways. And oh hey Berith! Always been fond of you (NOT fond of you nearly kill me almost every time I see you during Kamoshida's Palace...you AND Archangel gosh dang it why yes i have recently managed to start playing P5 AT LAST why do you ask?) so that's nice to see. But that's digressing.
First we got Mister P be dealing with grunts so that Koro can actually get to Misato while Shinji is doing the same...until a wild Mana approched! GREAT. What's even "better"? She's mad because of both her circumstances and her assumptions about him. Thinking he's weak...thinking about his freedom...thinking he's nothing. And Shinji is upset about it. I mean why wouldn't he? Here's this girl just insulting him and basically hitting all his weak spots unknowingly when he doesn't even know her nor means any harm to her. But then he remembers his oath, the oath we know, and...
...makes an AT Field to block Mana's strike.
Which apparently isn't a thing since soul power doesn't work in the Metaverse. Which, uh, okay. I didn't know, or rather more likely didn't remember. I mean I guess it makes sense but I always thought having a strong soul would also mean better performance but it is a mindscape so yeah.
Oh uh digressing again. We got a fight to read.
While that's going on, elsewhere, Mister P and Gilgamesh Zero notice, and then we go back to the action...with a big ol' SMACK against Mana. With that, Shinji was about to go and look for Misato, but now Mana be more mad and jumps back for more. Along with more insults. Because yeah THAT'S gonna work well. And lo and behold...with some encouragement from The Beast, Shinji's now actually mad. But Mana takes thar rage lightly when Yaksini puts berserk status of themselves. But as they charge...
...we then change scenes with Gryphon busting into Misato's cell with Koro on top and Misato who...goes nuts over Koro (otherwise known as what I do whenever I see Mona, especially in his normal cat form ). Internally of course. I don't blame her of course. And hey, Tokita decides to be "nice" and stop silencing Misato's Persona...except not because then he calls Shinji a monster because that's all he sees now. Misato of course insists he's not but...she has a doubt. And that one doubt makes her hurry alongside Gryphon and Koro.
Allow me to digress a bit as that exchange makes me think of a scene in Tsukihime that I will not spoiler tag to make my point. It's a scene in Arcuied's route where Arcuied, a vampire, nearly drinks the blood of Shiki, the MC, but stops right before she breaks skin because of Shiki's screaming in absolute terror. At that point she is driven away by both a third party and her own guilt. Shiki insists she wouldn't have drinken his blood, and I was the same too, when the third party tells us she's dangerous. And while I still believe that, I think the scene was there to remind us that even if she's peaceful and friendly most of the time...she's still dangerous and that danger is not to be taken lightly. Which isn't to say we can stay with her, it just means we have to realize that is a fact to face with.
Anyway digression done and we have Tokita coordinating about their evacuation. Though not without Mister P poppin in to ask for directions. Thankfully Tokita was nice enough to provide some. After that we see the fight again with Shinji and Mana, the tension building as they trade blows and Mana just getting more and more mad, until she gives it her all in one strike...and loses to Yaksini's Counter.
Hey! That has low percent chance of activating! There's no way that's real!
Kidding kidding. I'll hand wave it to A.T. Field basically turning it into High Counter in how it works.
But unfortunately unfortunately the Tsukihime comparison rings true for me as even with Mana down and helpless and the closest to begging she can do, Shinji raises his shovel, ready to kill her as the Beast whispers and tempts and "soothes", but he has a brief moment of hesitation with Hamlet reminders that allows Gryphon then Tokoyo to stop him. Then he feels the guilt of what he's almost done as the Beast goes "I am thou...thou art I".
I'm assuming you either meant "roar" or forgot the "cry" in "war cry".
And two: the comments after that snipper just make me think of "Demons run when a good man goes to war."
Okay! Done!
Now we have Mana be cryin' at Misato bein nice. So Misato tries to be nicer, for lack of better words. That just makes Mana cry even more (Oh hey! La Llorona and Weeping Willow! Nice! Well, I mean, not nice that Mana is crying but nice to see these existing). It's awkward for Misato but that's fine. They're no more fighting and everyone's fine. ...mostly. Okay yeah Shinji is tryin' to vomit, be let's be positive! You're breaking new ground with Misato and Mana interactions. Don't you love when you do that by accident?
After that, Mister P be ponderin' about things before transitioning to Angel talk again, this time between Ramiel and Zeruel. Thankfully the former doesn't ruin everything...too much. Rei has to deal with what Ramiel did as a compromise as she thinks about matters (and adds more to the JTIR meter). Instead, Tokita has the honor of making things "worse" by wrapping away! Except booyah! He ain't! Because he pops in the area the other Agents are and WOOOO! GO RYUJI! GO TO TOWN! YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
-cue Last Surprise (Strikers mix)-
Ahem.
Back to Misato. She's thinking about how to leave when Mister P comes and they talk a bit. With Misato at one point thinking he's flriting with her and Mister P laughs at that, telling her that "not everything is reducible to mere carnal attraction", which I can't help but appreciate. But anyways, not importanr. What's important is that Mister P helps them off the island with the help of Jose, not that they know, and they end up in the aftermath of ryuji kickin ass the A.T. Agents capturing Tokita and his associates. We briefly return to Mister P and Koro and their camaraderie before returning to Mana trying to look for her bros. Unfortunately, they ain't there. Instead they're...
SHIT
TAKAYA LEAVE THEM ALONE
I STILL REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID TO JUNPEI AND CHIDORI AND YOU DON'T LOOK TO BE ANY BETTER THAN THEN UNLIKE KYLE.
Welp. That's our question answered but no one else will know for a good while, if not a really long while.
So let's get back to the others! Or rather Makoto, who be befuddled by all the stuff happening at once. Ryuji screaming and plowing, then the others more or less following suit, then having Ocular Drones come to keep track of everything, and then what happened earlier with Mana comin' in and then cryin' from not knowing where her brother's are.
So of course when Misato and Shinji trudge in, the "tension" is broken by Ryuji being Ryuji and going "WHAT THE HELL WITH YO HAIR GURL?!" Thankfully Misato takes it in stride. Though after an agent with an afro (I DUB THEE TAKURO BECAUSE I CAN'T HELP MYSELF WITH THE TRINITY SOUL REFERENCES) asks about the rumors, she basically recaps what happens. Cue the cricket. Anyways, after Misato asks, she now knows why Mana is crying and then...eeeeeeeeiiiiiiieeee Akechiiiiiiiiiiii. Ahem. Akechi's here and, with Misato doing the honors, they formally arrest Tokita and co.
Unfortunately, Shinji's basically reeeaaaallly out of it. He couldn't even do anything when Kenny comes in and accommodates him with stuff and reminders that he cares about him. So it's no surprise that the Velvet Room is drastically different...as empty and isolated as he's feeling right then, a spotlight shining on him constrasting the surrounding expanse of darkness. And with a call, Igor turns his attention towards the Beast that roars inside, that stands alone in the distant yet so close to the heart, that reaches out and crushes those who thought they could reach him, that destroys and razes and kills and kills and kills and does. NOT. CARE.
Of course Shinji is scared.
Of course Shinji wants it gone.
That is, as far as he is currently concerned, the last thing he wants to be.
But be him it is.
And as much as he wants it gone...
...he wouldn't be him if it wasn't there.
The one known as Shinji Ikari is the sum of all his parts.
And that fear is heavy.
But he does not have to bear it alone.
Because he is not alone.
Because there stands little Sokila, trembling and frightful, but that is why she sneaks closer and closer until finally, she asks, "Can I hug you?"
And Shinji lets her.
Then hugs her back.
And now the Hymn of the Soul returns, the auditorium ready for another performance, as the song leads guests to their paths once more.
And thus, the curtains close on the first day of the month of Julius.
And a putting away of the glasses as, perhaps not for the last time, I break the running gag to simply bid you adieu.
Brief intermission because of seeing @neogoki say "2 out of the P5-crew together"... Yeah I know it's old but can't help but say it (also partially to remind myself): it's five of the P5 playable party confirmed at this point. Akechi, Ren, Yusuke, Haru, Makoto, and now Ryuji.
I knew, but it was the first time for 2 members of a playable persona-crew to be active in the same scene together. Fighting using their Personae.
(sadly I doubt we will ever see Yusuke or Haru on the frontlines, maybe we won't not even see them again in the story)
Well at least I get mollified by Akechi trying to solve the little conundrum Misato found herself in, recapping all the facts he has at his disposal...until he gets a call. From Iwai. To tell him to cut it off. Akechi doesn't want that of course but the second Akechi resists, Iwai...OH MY GOSH YOU PIECE OF--I AM LEGIT MAD OVER THE ASSUMPTIONS IWAI WAS MAKING OVER AKECHI. EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HE HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING HE IS WRONG ABOUT AKECHI AND IS ALSO PROBABLY PRESSURED BY HIGHER UPS.
An intermission before we continue on the story though...because of the disccusion on Morooka. I kinda find the fellow a somewhat fascinating because, well, funny thing is, and I only know this 'cause of a youtuber I love watching pointing it out, Morooka isn't all bad. Yeah he's still a jerk, I'm not saying he isn't a lot of the time, but there's at least hints in the game showing he does care for kids and others, just seems to prefer tough love and...has a terrible way of going about it is all. Mainly that this Youtuber pointed out that the mention of him buying magazines with certain idols on it was likely meant to show him supporting an idol to the Japanese...rather than, perhaps, showing him as a pervert. And I guess I just like the thought he just doesn't know how to show "tough love" without being a jerk instead of him just being a jerk just 'cause.
Shinji wakes up and remembers the Archetypes they were getting yesterday while they were waiting (also sleep inside me...yeah pretty much. Also yay) when...KORO! YEAH! Koro is here! And he's here to help! ...also just realized that if you wanted to be particularly mean, you could've had Koro had pups like what was in the concept for P4 Arena... Anyways! Koro's found Misato and now they are off! Though not without Shinji commenting about Mister P speaking dog and the Emperor saying he can "speak a great many things". Indeed you can, Mister P! Including cryptic! The language where you're telling what you mean but also not telling what you mean!
Mister P: My skill with languages is such that in a different property, I could legitimately be called 'Doctor P.' Though I'd be passive-aggressive about it and insist on just 'the Doctor', but fans would be too mad about furries taking over the show because of the fact I regenerated into an anthropomorphic penguin...
After that wonderful lunch, Misato encounters one of her brothers on the way back to her cell, seemingly mad, but when she's actually inside, it turns out he was sending a paper to her. And, oh hey actual psychic paper. Anyways it explains stuff and...SHIT I HATE THAT I WAS RIGHT. AND ON TOP OF BEING RIGHT, MANA'S SHADOW IS A PART OF IT THE WEAPONS.
And second... Mostly to say that the P4 Arena manga has quite a bit focus on Yosuke and the parts from his route, though the story itself is combined with plenty of other routes. Also I really like the art for it. There's something about the expressions, eyes and action I like a lot. I guess...I'd say they're very dynamic.
We start off with Shinji waking up because they're almost there and...heeeey Makoto! She took on the mission Ritsuko issued because...Akechi tipped her. Huh. Make a note of that while we're... Oooooh...who is the man? Who is the man?! Is it someone I recognize? And it turns out...YES RYUJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! YYYYYEEEEEEEEEESS!
With that, we see Shinji, Mister P and Koro going seperate ways. And oh hey Berith! Always been fond of you (NOT fond of you nearly kill me almost every time I see you during Kamoshida's Palace...you AND Archangel gosh dang it why yes i have recently managed to start playing P5 AT LAST why do you ask?) so that's nice to see.
First we got Mister P be dealing with grunts so that Koro can actually get to Misato while Shinji is doing the same...until a wild Mana approched! GREAT. What's even "better"? She's mad because of both her circumstances and her assumptions about him. Thinking he's weak...thinking about his freedom...thinking he's nothing. And Shinji is upset about it. I mean why wouldn't he? Here's this girl just insulting him and basically hitting all his weak spots unknowingly when he doesn't even know her nor means any harm to her. But then he remembers his oath, the oath we know, and...
...makes an AT Field to block Mana's strike.
Which apparently isn't a thing since soul power doesn't work in the Metaverse. Which, uh, okay. I didn't know, or rather more likely didn't remember. I mean I guess it makes sense but I always thought having a strong soul would also mean better performance but it is a mindscape so yeah.
It was highlighted all the way back on 6/9, but it's been noted rather consistently that using an A.T. Field in the Metaverse was supposedly impossible:
Shinji Ikari stared at the Archetypes, which seemed to react to his movement with suspicion. Possible animosity. They never acted like this around Misato-san. Then again, Katsuragi was grown-up. She might have had her act together, thus mollifying the rampant offspring of unconscious human thoughts. Aida, apparently, had no such control. What am I doing?
What was he doing, indeed...
xxxx
"Quite simple: what you must. That's what you accepted, correct?" The voice belonged to someone who looked like him...no, was him. On some deep and fundamental level. "Even in the face of something unknown, something frightful..."
"...what else am I going to do?"
"You could always run."
The very idea made him want to wretch.
"Ah...such an impulsive disgust, for that facet which you despise the most."
"...I swore I wouldn't run...not anymore..."
"And when did you make that oath?"
He couldn't remember.
His yellow-eyed double smiled."I suppose you still forget yourself...but that is fine. You accepted the pains that would come with the choices you make."
"...I did, didn't I...?" There was a weight to these hidden, secret words, known by none but himself. "...and yet...I still don't know where I'm going..."
"There are more things in the realms of the gods and the lands of the dead than you have ever conceived or dreamed of, and yet here you are." His double stepped forward. "Dark is the shadow of the dream you carry; heavy is the weight upon you; even so, standing aside was something you swore to no longer do...am I wrong?"
He wasn't sure. Maybe he never would be. "...but I'm here, aren't I?"
"...an acceptable answer, for your current state. But look around you: we are in a realm of infinite imagination, constrained and bound by a wicked design. On the outside...your soul, with all its bestial rage and impassioned bulwarks, could protect the you that thine own self has conceived...but now, in the face of a realm where the spirit means nothing, and all you have is your mind...can you still find the strength to stand?"
"...yes." He had come here for a reason. He had come for something important. And besides...he couldn't leave Kensuke Aida alone, in spite of himself. "...I do."
Basically: the soul is the objective boundary (manifested via the A.T. Field) between an individual and the world around them. The mind, meanwhile, is the subjective boundary (manifested via their cognition) between a person's perception of themselves, their perceptions of the world around them...and the perceptions of others, if that makes sense?
Unfortunately, Shinji's basically reeeaaaallly out of it. He couldn't even do anything when Kenny comes in and accommodates him with stuff and reminders that he cares about him. So it's no surprise that the Velvet Room is drastically different...as empty and isolated as he's feeling right then, a spotlight shining on him constrasting the surrounding expanse of darkness. And with a call, Igor turns his attention towards the Beast that roars inside, that stands alone in the distant yet so close to the heart, that reaches out and crushes those who thought they could reach him, that destroys and razes and kills and kills and kills and does. NOT. CARE.
Of course Shinji is scared.
Of course Shinji wants it gone.
That is, as far as he is currently concerned, the last thing he wants to be.
But be him it is.
And as much as he wants it gone...
...he wouldn't be him if it wasn't there.
The one known as Shinji Ikari is the sum of all his parts.
And that fear is heavy.
But he does not have to bear it alone.
Because he is not alone.
Because there stands little Sokila, trembling and frightful, but that is why she sneaks closer and closer until finally, she asks, "Can I hug you?"
And Shinji lets her.
Then hugs her back.
And now the Hymn of the Soul returns, the auditorium ready for another performance, as the song leads guests to their paths once more.
And thus, the curtains close on the first day of the month of Julius.
And a putting away of the glasses as, perhaps not for the last time, I break the running gag to simply bid you adieu.
Atop the mountain overlooking the city of Shiso from the northeast, the very tip of the mountain had been shorn clean of trees, leaving only grass and a small blast crater merely several feet wide: a pitiful echo of the titanic struggle that had just occurred.
Shinji Ikari grimaced, slowly sitting up. "...we're back in the real world," he murmured.
"Looks like it," said Toji, looking down at his bare feet with disdain. "...maybe I should've brought shoes with me after all."
"It's not really a big deal," said Kensuke, holding his hands over his eyes to block out the light of the afternoon sun. "...do any of you recall where exactly we ended up before engaging the Angel? We went pretty quickly through the Metaverse, but we can't be that far from Nishiawakura..."
"...I think this is Shiso," answered Mana, briefly looking down at LABRYS and AIGIS with a thoughtful, slightly bewildered expression. "Ikari and I stopped here to get some food after we had all those missions last week."
Right...Shiso...so this is where Yamagishi went...wait. Blinking, Shinji wearily got to his feet; looking around, he glanced into the small crater behind him. "Yamagishi-san!" The girl, still clad in her baby blue yukata (which...was undamaged, shockingly enough. How?), was face down in the dirt. "Are you okay?"
"Come on, let's get her up," said Toji, as they all moved about. Mana wrapped her arms around Mayumi's thighs and waist, whilst Kensuke and Toji took an arm each; when they laid Mayumi down onto the grass, Shinji knelt down in front of her. "Yamagishi-san...?"
"Wake up Yamagishi," said Mana, as if commanding her.
The grass underneath her hands...why was the sensation so stark?
(Had Armisael's presence in her soul truly been that grand a weight? Had its shackles truly been so...heavy?)
(Had its presence been an unseen miasma, choking down everything?)
She slowly raised her head, looking at the faces of Shinji Ikari, Kensuke Aida, Toji Suzuhara, and Mana Kirishima...the faces of her friends...her friends...her friends.
(It was like looking at them for the first time.)
(It was if her entire life, she had seen through smudgy spectacles...through a glass darkly, went the phrase.)
(Now...she saw them, face-to-face.)
"...I..." she looked at them with a trembling bottom lip. "I..." They...they had fought the Angel for her sake. They had...risked their lives...for her. "...I..."
It would have seemed like a dream, had it not been for a new voice in the back of her mind (yet it wasn't new, because it was hers, it had always been hers).
Her Other smiled gently.
"Dark have been your dreams of late...but no more."
She extended her hand.
"Breathe the free air again, my friend..."
"...thank you," she murmured, as tears began to escape, because untold years of oppression (oppression that she had accepted as normal, because she hadn't known, but this sensation of freedom and liberty, even in such a minor way, made everything seem like a prison in retrospect!) rendered her unable to do anything else but sob and weep. "Thank you..."
"Hey hey," said Mana, kneeling down with concern. "You're not hurt are you?"
"No..." Impulsively, Mayumi embraced Mana, burying her face into the girl's torso, not even caring for the fact that she was getting her glasses dirty. "...I just feel...so...happy..."
She felt like crying forever. (It wouldn't be enough to communicate her gratitude.)
xx
Shinji leaned back, feeling a strange catharsis at the sight of Yamagishi's crying. He glanced towards Toji and Kensuke, whose smiles were more genuine, if just as tired as his own. We...we did it. We...saved her. The destruction of the Angel Armisael was almost secondary, by comparison. We...saved...her...why am I looking at the grass...?
Darkness.
xx
Kensuke yelped as Shinji suddenly collapsed face-first into the grass. "Shinji?!" He knelt down, reaching for a pulse. "...he's fine."
"Guess he's tuckered out," muttered Toji, who sat down as well. "Gotta say...I feel like taking a nap myself..."
"...no kidding." Kensuke idly took in the scene — Toji leaning back with a wide yawn; Mayumi still crying her eyes out against Mana's stomach; Shinji, out like a light — before reaching for his phone. "Guess I'll call the adults..."
"...no kidding." Kensuke idly took in the scene — Toji leaning back with a wide yawn; Mayumi still crying her eyes out against Mayumi's stomach; Shinji, out like a light — before reaching for his phone. "Guess I'll call the adults..."
Might as well plug in one of the few Yosuke/Labrys fics out there...
Possibility, a one shot where "
Labrys, and Yosuke, and conversations about things that could, maybe, perhaps, someday be. (Labrys, and the exhilaration of really living.)"
Only for...-counts them-...some of the games. Everything else I played first and then watched other people play. I try to play them first instead of watching but either I can't run it or...
...my situation is like Yusuke in this meme.
Which basically means whenever P6 comes out I will also have to resort to seeing a LP again if I wanna see it.
It was highlighted all the way back on 6/9, but it's been noted rather consistently that using an A.T. Field in the Metaverse was supposedly impossible:
-snip-
Basically: the soul is the objective boundary (manifested via the A.T. Field) between an individual and the world around them. The mind, meanwhile, is the subjective boundary (manifested via their cognition) between a person's perception of themselves, their perceptions of the world around them...and the perceptions of others, if that makes sense?
Yeah I figured I forgot. And yes it makes sense. So it's like...if you actually brough a stick into your dream instead of your mind making a "copy" of the stick in said dream. Thanks.
With this information, we can trace her steps, and find out where she went...hmm? His A.T. Agent medallion was vibrating. Quietly thumbing it, Akechi let the mental communications flow through. "Yes?" A pause. "...an order to stop...?" His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I highly doubt that Iwai-san would be so crass," he muttered; the Superintendent for all agents within the Kantō region was a fairly lucid and straightforward individual. However, his irritation gave way to surprise. "No? From above him...?"
Well. This promised to be interesting.
xxxx
"I've heard a lot of good things about you," echoed a gravelly voice from Goro Akechi's phone. "I'd rather not put you on my shitlist."
"...so let me get this straight, if you don't mind my saying so," murmured Akechi; he stood atop one of the Task Force's public buildings within the real Tokyo-3's downtown area. He probably looked like quite the sight, pacing back and forth along an empty rooftop. "You want me to officially list Misato Katsuragi as Missing In Action...without actually taking steps to find her."
"Got it in one," answered Kinshiro Morooka, the Commissioner of Japan's Anti-Terror Task Force. "The mission load is too high to spare resources looking for someone who decided to drop off the grid without so much as a note."
Iwai's the Superintendent over the Kantō region...but Morooka is above even him as the Commissioner over all Japanese A.T. Agents.
/might wanna reread the dialogue
//if only because Morooka's voice and tone
///is WAY different from Iwai's XD
////plus
/////I've always associated Morooka with the word 'shitlist'
//////solely because of this scene:
////// View: https://youtu.be/dZWEkSra8oo?t=91
I'm a mix of Joker, Ann, and Haru (except replace 'cute' with 'cool/neat'). I would also be Yusuke if it ended with 'because he doesn't have time to play the game.'
Yeah I figured I forgot. And yes it makes sense. So it's like...if you actually brough a stick into your dream instead of your mind making a "copy" of the stick in said dream. Thanks.
Well, you could bring a stick with you in the Metaverse (since we've seen people bring physical objects into the Metaverse before, though they may undergo changes in cognition). It's more akin to the fact that matters of the soul are essentially and fundamentally different from matters of the mind.
Well, you could bring a stick with you in the Metaverse (since we've seen people bring physical objects into the Metaverse before, though they may undergo changes in cognition). It's more akin to the fact that matters of the soul are essentially and fundamentally different from matters of the mind.
What? No! I know that! I meant in our real life! If you hold a stick when you go to sleep, you can't actually bring it into your dream! If you have a stick in your dream, that stick is just part of your imagination!
okay maybe my comparison wasn't put well but that was just my first thought on just how different the two matters of soul and mind are
What? No! I know that! I meant in our real life! If you hold a stick when you go to sleep, you can't actually bring it into your dream! If you have a stick in your dream, that stick is just part of your imagination!
okay maybe my comparison wasn't put well but that was just my first thought on just how different the two matters of soul and mind are
As afternoon turned to evening in Japan, the sun continued its rise over the Atlantic Ocean...
xxxx
Asuka Langley-Sohryu blinked woozily. "Did...did anyone get the number of that giant fish...?"
"Gaghiel."
"...s'not a number..." Blinking again, Asuka slowly sat up; there was a distinct smell of water mixed with...antiseptic rot? "...eh?" A large dorsal fin was limp, serving as impromptu shade from the sun. "...are we still on the Angel?"
"It would seem so. A fallen Angel that is now quite dead," remarked Sister Mary, resting on her knees. She seemed rather unperturbed by the fact that her entire habit was drenched.
Asuka looked around, grimacing at the icky feeling of her clothes being soaked in seawater. The wreckage of the hydrofoil was floating about them, with lots of little pieces being carried away by the currents; the Angel's corpse was like a proverbial island in the midst of the ocean, notable in the fact a large portion of its head had been blown away. The lower jaw was hanging on by literal threads, whilst the upper jaw was floating separately some dozens of meters away. Strangely enough, there wasn't much in the way of blood leaking from the creature. "You'd think something like this would be drawing sharks."
"You would think," said the religious. "Perhaps these Angels are anathema to more than just human life...but perhaps to earthly creatures in general?"
"...I believe that's not far from the mark..."
The third voice prompted Asuka to crane her head back; leaning against the dorsal fin was Rei Ayanami, who was clad in what looked like a school uniform. It too, was soaked. "Hey, First. You look...exhausted."
"The Angel's death throes occurred while we were over a kilometer below sea level," she explained. "It was...a difficult effort, to keep the atmospheric pressure from changing."
Asuka slowly blinked. "...oh..."
(As the waters rushed down upon them — inadvertently snuffing out the great explosion of the Angel's Core before it could really get going — Rei frantically yelled at them to come together upon the Angel's corpse. Through a quick application of A.T. Fields, they kept the water at bay...but for how long...?)
"...how'd we get here?"
"I believe we have our mysterious benefactor to thank for that," answered Mari with a demure smile.
Asuka blinked once more, trying to think back.
("Excellent show, ladies! I'll take it from here!" As Gryphon vanished in a flicker of blue flames, she saw Mister P dive into the gray waters; as a strange yet terrible roar warbled through the air and water around them, she could feel them ascend upwards, as gray gave way to blue waters and the unreal light gave way to dark depths, pierced only by pale light from high above-!)
She couldn't remember anything beyond that. "What happened to him?"
"...I'm not sure. I was the first to awake," explained Mari. "But given that we were placed in the shade, I can only assume Mister P placed us here before taking off."
Asuka shot Ayanami a glare. "Seriously, who was that guy?"
"...a source of great irritation for me...but reliable, in his own way," murmured Rei, her voice sounding rather lethargic. "It is a good thing, too...otherwise, I would have been forced to go into my Ascended state..."
Asuka huffed. "Fair enough. Is the Third able to do it, yet?"
"His growth...has been focused elsewhere, I believe."
"...given that he can wield multiple Personas, it's not surprising, I guess." At least that was one thing she had over the proverbial 'new guy.'
"...how long...can you go, Sohryu-san?"
In response to Rei's question, Asuka could only sigh. "...not as long as you. I don't like using it." She impulsively bristled at the stare which she could feel coming from the blunette. "Don't give me that look, I've been just fine without it."
"...you must have bad dreams too, then."
Asuka couldn't help how she jolted at the observation. Does she also...? "You mean..."
"I imagine it is a consequence of overshadowing your very self with both mind and spirit in such a way," muttered Rei. "I do not blame you, if that is why you choose not to utilize the Ascended state more often."
"...whatever," grumbled Asuka.
Sister Mary lightly clicked her tongue. "Now now, Miss Sohryu: she's your peer. It's not like you have a front to put up for either of us."
"...nobody asked you," she quietly grumbled, leaning back on the strangely spongy skin of the dead Angel. "Come on, why are we being such downers? We killed another Angel!"
"The day is still not over," retorted Rei with a grimace, rising back to her feet...only to immediately falter back down to her knees. "...I need to get back to Japan..."
"And if what I'm feeling is in any way shared by you two, neither of us are prepared for transitioning through dimensions to our final destinations," observed Mari. "Our contribution this day has already borne fruit...so don't push yourself too hard."
"...perhaps I will rest for a little while longer," muttered Rei, sitting back down.
"Too bad our food sank with the hydrofoil," growled Asuka, feeling a sudden hunger pang.
"We'll obtain food once we move on...for the time being, I have a task to see to. After all...we had a crew who managed to bring us this far. Their sacrifice...was not in vain." With that said, Sister Mary moved a little ways away on Gaghiel's body, kneeling back down to her knees. With hands clasped together, she began to pray for the repose of the souls of the naval crew that had brought them this far.
Sighing, Asuka leaned back, lying down so that she could stare straight up at the sky. "...what a morning," she grumbled.
"Agreed," chorused Rei.
If nothing else, Asuka could appreciate how her fellow Evangelion-user didn't put on any airs.
xx
Hiding behind a large tooth on Gaghiel's upper jaw, Pen-Pen sat unseen by the trio of females. So...they made it. Quite an exhilarating battle, that was. A close call, at that...and yet, he had made the right choice, coming to assist Ayanami and Sohryu. After all...
(Right before Gaghiel's Domain finally collapsed...right before spirit and cognition receded to let physicality and matter regain its primacy in reality...he reached out with a hand and swiped at Gaghiel's crumbling essence.)
...it had come with a boon of sorts: in his clawed flipper, Pen-Pen hold a tiny sliver of Gaghiel's Core: having been separated from the utter metaphysical collapse of Gaghiel's soul, it was only the remnant of the Angel's essence that had yet to fade away. Not enough to hold a soul; that poor fellow's likely returned to ADAM, by now. Not enough to be traced, either...but enough to perhaps be an ace in the hole. Decisions, decisions; such was the necessity of the high stakes game that they were playing. Well, bottom's up. With a muted quack, Pen-Pen promptly gobbled the sliver, swallowing it whole. Before it even hit his stomach, he could feel it dissolve, becoming bound to his soul. Hmm...the feeling is similar to what Tabris once described, albeit on a lesser scale. Excellent! This would open up potential avenues, should the need arise. But I believe I've overstayed my welcome...time to return to more familiar waters.
With a discreet waddle, Pen-Pen slipped off of the upper jaw, slipping into the waters of the Atlantic; once assured that he was out of the sensory range of other sapients, he willed for a white portal to open in front of him.
A tiny boy with silver hair and yellow eyes stared at him with a smile.
"Did'ja have fun?"
Right as Pen-Pen crossed the threshold, he spoke with the voice of Mister P. "It was quite the roaring spectacle! I bet you'd have a smashing time with the Second Child's assigned protector."
Jose nodded.
"So where to?"
Pen-Pen looked over his shoulder at the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean. "Anywhere but here, my boy."
"'Kay!"
And so the portal closed, the white void vanishing with it.
And just like that, the Velvet Room began to fade away...
xxxx
...and he awoke, blinking wearily. Where...am I...? He was lying on a couch, covered with thin sheets; the room was dark, but a distant digital clock on the wall showcased 23:12. He sluggishly translated the time in his mind; it was past eleven o'clock at night. Is this...Katsuragi's place...?
In his peripheral vision, he saw part of the wall open up, unveiling a glowing white void. None of the ambience brightened the room, an incongruity that his mind was too tired to fully process. Out of the void walked...a penguin. Or perhaps waddled would be a better word. What? The white void slid shut as the penguin waddled forward, calmly passing the couch...until it backed up. The penguin turned - he could barely make out green eyes and a feathery red crest - and stared directly at him. Uh...
The penguin didn't move its beak, and yet spoke regardless. "This'll be our little secret." The tone was male, he felt in the fatigued loopiness of his mind, because this was clearly another dream.
...uh...
"Sssh." The penguin raised a flipper - that had claws for some bizarre reason - and pressed the tip of one talon against his lips, slowly stroking them as he shushed him. "Go back to sleep..."
"..."
"...wark," quietly quacked the penguin, before waddling away into the adjacent kitchen. He opened up a small refrigerator and hopped inside, closing it behind him.
...definitely a dream. Because honestly, some things were too weird to contemplate.
Subsequent snippets would show that this void — where Jose seemingly resides — is also how Mister P can go one from one place to the other, seemingly at will:
"Well, since this turned out to be a bit of a bust, we can make the afternoon productive in other ways! But first, let's leave this dreary place." Instead of summoning his Persona to fly them out of the alley as Shinji expected, the bird-man turned towards a wall, staring rather intently at it. For several seconds. As the silence grew in its awkward tension, Shinji felt the growing impulse to speak out...until, without warning, a strange white void opened up like a doorway out of nowhere. Most bizarrely, the void didn't brighten up the alleyway in the least, as if its immense light was bound by some arbitrary barrier.
...I feel like I've seen this before. But where?
"Come along boy, the day is still young!" With a hearty pat on the back, Mister P guided Shinji forward, leading him through the doorway-
There was...a strange energy to his surroundings. Mister P's form, though constant, seemed to blur at the edges.
The doorway was closed behind them by something...no, someone. Someone speaking with a childish tone.
That individual calmly floated ahead of them, opening another doorway amidst the void to somewhere else.
Shinji barely had the focus to look at the entity as they walked past him; for the briefest of instants, their form solidified into something tangible.
A tiny boy with solid(?) silver hair, wearing a white raincoat patterned with gray stars, smiled at him. "A lot of people are rooting for you, mister."
The last thing Shinji registered was that the boy's yellow eyes were...concentric-?
-and in what seemed like no time at all, they were stepping into a forest; through the canopy, he could see the distinctive black and red sky of the Metaverse. Turning around, he barely caught the doorway into the white void slamming shut, as though it had never been. "...where-?"
"Near Lake Ashi, my boy," said Mister P, answering a question he hadn't asked. The bird-man calmly rotated his shoulders, flexing his neck to get the cracks out. "So, since that was an unfortunate bust, we can at least get ONE thing done today!"
Misato glanced over her shoulder, warily watching as the bizarre bird-man approached. "So...how'd you get involved with this?"
"Why, I recruited the boy to come along on our search for you."
Blink. "...why?"
"Because you're important to the lad."
Blink. Blink. "...this isn't a roundabout way of flirting, is it?"
Mister P actually loosed a loud squawk of a laugh. "Sorry lass, but not everything is reducible to mere carnal attraction. Can it not be as simple as helping a lady in need?" He glanced towards Kirishima. "Though, perhaps ladies would be more appropriate, the poor thing."
"...you're weird. And I still want answers about who you are and what you're doing."
"Needless to say, I want to help Shinji Ikari save the world. Since you're a part of that story, it only made sense to come to your rescue."
"...well, I'm grateful, don't get me wrong." She was beginning to think that 'quixotic' would be an appropriate descriptor for the strange bird-man. "But trust is a hard thing to give." Especially when you apparently know the Shadow of my ex.
"And I wouldn't dare ask you to trust me without reciprocation. However, just as you can trust your fellow Agents to have your back on a mission, you can trust me to ensure the boy makes it to the next sunrise."
"...why the focus on Shinji Ikari?"
"I think you already have some answers to that question."
Not just that he was an Evangelion-user...but the fact that he could wield multiple Personas. The fact that he had killed an Angel. Whatever had just happened in the battle with Mana Kirishima. More questions than answers, she thought with a grimace. "...I'll find out who you are. Somehow."
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't try," he said with a wink. "At any rate, I do believe you have places to be, so...sayonara!"
"Wait, what-?" And that's when white voids opened underneath Shinji Ikari, Mana Kirishima, the girl's axe and shield, and herself. "YOU SON OF A-!"
She could see Mister P waving back at her before disappearing from sight-
"Hi!"
A tiny boy with silver hair and strange yellow eyes waved as she fell past him.
"Bye!"
-and without warning, Misato landed with a solid thunk onto a slightly shallow slope of grass. "...rgh." She bit down the frustrated scream she wanted to unleash. Focus. Still in the Metaverse. Get angry later. Standing up, she saw that Shinji and Mana had landed around her as well; the giant axe and shield were embedded in the soil a few meters away. "You kids okay?"
"...um...kind of..." murmured Shinji, sounding tired and unsure of himself.
"What...what happened...?" wondered Mana, apparently shaken out of her sorrowful stupor.
I'll take it. Looking around, the overall geography looked...strangely familiar? No, maddeningly familiar...
Her Other tittered.
"So quick to forget an investigation, are we?"
...and then it clicked. "We're back near Tokyo-1..." In fact, if she just walked several meters, she'd clear the ridgeline and see the old site! Breaking off into a run, Misato muttered, "please be there, please be there, please be there-!" Clearing the ridgeline, Misato glanced down, and saw...dozens of Ocular Drones. Eh?
Indeed: a whole bunch of the synthetic rainbow eyes were observing Tokita's secret facility, which now bore several new holes in its overall structure. Over one hundred active personnel, and about as many more that were unconscious, were gathered outside, kneeling down with flex cuffs binding their wrists behind their backs. Surrounding them were A.T. Agents (judging by what she could see of their garb), Personas at the ready. What the hell!?We weren't split apart THAT long!
xxxx
Back at the cognitive version of Hachijō-jima, Mister P rubbed his chin as he sensed the three humans' reentry into the Metaverse proper. "Hmm...a forty-five minute trip. An acceptable time delay on Jose's part, all things considered."
"Woof?" inquired Koromaru.
"Well, we had to give her compatriots time to fight, didn't we? No need to get into a tussle yet again, especially with how tuckered the kids are."
"Reports indicate that Angel Syndrome activity in Japan is relatively consistent with prior new moons-"
Click.
"-no comment has been provided regarding the giant cross of light in Hyōgo Prefecture that appeared earlier today-"
Click.
"-much of the world is breathing a sigh of relief; for the vast majority of countries, this is the first new moon in years with no Ghost or Acolyte activity-"
Click.
"Earlier today, the Anti-Terror Task Force in Australia reported that the cognitive voids that occurred in Sydney suddenly vanished-"
Click.
"-Chinese officials are providing no comment about the cognitive activity that was reported in the Xiangfan Dead Zone as of earlier this afternoon-"
Click.
"In response to the unusual anomaly that was detected in the Atlantic, NERV's Third Branch has claimed that it was the result of another Angel being destroyed. A salvage operation is currently planned-"
Click.
"We've still received no word from any of our affiliates in South Korea. We have been unable to contact any government officials, and the South Korean branch of the Anti-Terror Task Force has likewise been unresponsive to contacts from the media..."
Sojiro Sakura sighed as he put the remote down. "What a day..."
Ren Amamiya couldn't help but agree; as the light had faded and the new moon's subtle oppression faded away, the local cats had finally returned to their usual spots around Sakura's residence. Still, aside from a few texts from Junpei and Ryuji as to their current status, there were no updates. Seriously, how long does it take them to get a bunch of young teenagers? At that precise moment, there was a subtle twang in the back of his mind, complete with a rather distinctive whisper of noise...barely noticeable, if you didn't know what to listen for. Speak of the devil...
At that moment, the front door slid open, revealing a veritable parade of individuals. Junpei Iori walked in a seemingly unconscious Shinji Ikari in his arms; Misato Katsuragi and Ken Amada were behind him, followed by a gaggle of kids (all of whom were voraciously snacking on packets of trail mix) comprised of Toji, Kensuke, Mana, and Mayumi; taking up the rear were Hirofumi Kurosawa and Ryuji Sakamoto.
"How is he?" inquired Sojiro with a concerned frown.
As Junpei took Shinji to his room, Misato — all but plopping into an empty easy chair — wearily remarked, "tired, but he seems fine, all things considered...ugh...what a day..."
Walking back into the main entry hall, an empty-handed Junpei said, "figured we'd let the kid sleep it off. No point in doing a full debriefing until he's up and about, you know?"
"...a fair point," admitted Kurosawa, whose eyes were focused rather intently on Yamagishi.
Seemingly placated, Sojiro rose to his feet. "I suppose I should get dinner going-"
"No need," interrupted Amada. "Junpei and I can grab some takeout for everyone."
"And as the person who's actually lived here for the past twenty-plus years, I can tell you that no place is going to be open on the day of the new moon. The closest place would likely be Tottori, and that's over forty kilometers to the north."
Junpei suddenly grinned. "Even better. Kenny and I can be there in a flash, check up on the wives, and be back in less than an hour!" Iori immediately turned on his feet, heading back outside.
Sojiro blinked. "...uh...how do you plan on getting there and back so quickly?"
"It's easy when you have a DeLorean," cryptically answered Amada.
Sojiro blinked again. "...eh?"
Amada shrugged. "Metaverse weirdness, don't worry about it. Captain, go ahead and text me or Junpei what everyone's in the mood for."
"SUSHI!" cried out Toji and Kensuke, invigorated by the scourge known as 'Male Teenage Hunger.'
"Will do," tiredly said Ryuji before Amada also departed. "...tch. Leg's acting up."
"There's painkillers for that, you know," said Misato.
"Not in that way, Just a weird feeling."
Ah yes, weird feelings. Always a glorious sign of events to come. Ren resisted the urge to check up on Ikari; instead, he quietly made his way over towards where Mayumi had sat down. Mana — was hovering beside the girl almost protectively (how sweet) — frowned at his approach, prompting him to raise his hands innocently. "Hey now, just wanted to ask my kouhai a question, that's all."
"...ah." Mayumi frowned, looking somewhat ashamed of herself. "...my apologies for knocking you out yesterday, Amamiya-senpai. I...wasn't myself."
"Eh, wouldn't be the first time a young woman has left me unconscious on the ground," he blithely said. Ignoring Mana and Mayumi's confused blinks, he added, "so...did you find the emancipation you were looking for?"
Mayumi seemed surprised by his question. However, as she looked around the room — focusing mostly on Kensuke, Toji, and Mana — a small smile crept onto her face, unbidden. "...I...I think I have..."
"Then we're cool," he said with a genuine smile before leaving to get some coffee from the kitchen. At least ONE good thing's come out of all this...
xxxx
Agent Kurosawa was...uneasy, to put it mildly. Given everything that had occurred over the course of his investigation thus far, it seemed almost...too neat, for Mayumi Yamagishi to just show up, all safe and sound. After all, how often did life get a proper happy ending? Perhaps it was a simple function of how he had been unable to observe the battle that the teenagers had had with the Angel. A missed opportunity. Unfortunate.
Still...his persnickety disposition at least demanded a proper follow-up.
Politely excusing himself to step outside Sojiro Sakura's residence, Kurosawa did three things.
First: he notified the Okayama and Hyōgo Prefectural Police to cancel the Missing Persons reports for Mayumi Yamagishi.
Second: he notified his superiors at the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office that he would have a full debriefing and intel report available by tomorrow evening.
Third: he reached out to one of his contacts with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police to try and get a welfare check done on a certain residence in Hakone. By the end of the call, he had assurance that by tomorrow morning, a police officer from Tokyo-3's Community Safety Section would have a report for him about the current status of Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi.
Pocketing his phone, Kurosawa stared solemnly at the darkening twilight. Better safe than sorry.
(He honestly hoped that there would be a happy ending. Truly.)
As the world continued to turn, the distorted skull of Zeruel — peering from the shadow of the Moon — gazed upon the handiwork of his brethren.
"ARMISAEL AND GAGHIEL, LOST TO US."
Alas, it was no surprise; his eyes gazed upon the entirety of the Korean Peninsula; as night fell upon it, it did not light up. For the first time in untold years, the peninsula could not be seen from space at night.
"IN RETURN, THE LILIM HAVE LOST A NATION."
The Third Child continued to grow in power. Soon, all of the Evangelion-users would be based out of Japan. At that point...the sky was the limit.
"THE PASSAGE OF FATE IS BEGINNING TO SHIFT. PERHAPS PHANUEL'S DESPERATE PLAN WILL BEAR UNTOLD FRUIT FOR US."
It was left to be seen if the Usurper would take the bait.
"TIME...TIME...HOW MUCH LONGER INDEED, MUST I WAIT...?"
And so the world continued to turn.
xxxx
/Elsewhere, within the Metaverse/
Jin Shirato and Sho Minazuki were elsewhere, at the moment.
Tohru Adachi...well, he was off doing whatever he pleased.
Thus, in a rather desolate cave, it was only Takaya Sakaki who stood face-to-face with Keita Asari and Musashi Strasberg. "Have you made your decision?"
Keita and Musashi briefly looked at each other; nervously nodding, they turned back towards him without hesitation. "...if it means getting the power to save Mana-neesan from her fate...then we'll do it," said Keita.
"We'll join Strega. We'll fight for the Angels," finished Musashi.
Takaya smiled. "You've made a wise choice, young men..."
Third: he reached out to one of his contacts with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police to try and get a welfare check done on a certain residence in Hakone. By the end of the call, he had assurance that by tomorrow morning, a police officer from Tokyo-3's Community Safety Section would have a report for him about the current status of Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi.
Pocketing his phone, Kurosawa stared solemnly at the darkening twilight. Better safe than sorry.
(He honestly hoped that there would be a happy ending. Truly.)
As the world continued to turn, the distorted skull of Zeruel — peering from the shadow of the Moon — gazed upon the handiwork of his brethren.
"ARMISAEL AND GAGHIEL, LOST TO US."
Alas, it was no surprise; his eyes gazed upon the entirety of the Korean Peninsula; as night fell upon it, it did not light up. For the first time in untold years, the peninsula could not be seen from space at night.
Thus, in a rather desolate cave, it was only Takaya Sakaki who stood face-to-face with Keita Asari and Musashi Strasberg. "Have you made your decision?"
Keita and Musashi briefly looked at each other; nervously nodding, they turned back towards him without hesitation. "...if it means getting the power to save Mana-neesan from her fate...then we'll do it," said Keita.
"We'll join Strega. We'll fight for the Angels," finished Musashi.
Takaya smiled. "You've made a wise choice, young men..."
Shinji Ikari slowly opened his eyes; judging by the relative lack of light, it was still early in the morning. This...is a familiar ceiling...
"Are you well?" whispered a quiet voice.
Shinji, blinking dumbly, slowly turned; none other than the First Child was standing in his room, leaning against the wall. The fact that she was wearing her Hakone Academy uniform was...strangely reassuring, for all its normalcy. "Ayanami-san...?" As his mind thought back to the day prior, he suddenly became concerned. "...are you okay?"
Rei blinked. "Why are you concerned?"
"Well...during the July new moon, we both fought together against Ramiel..."
"So you expected my assistance as well? That's understandable."
"Sorry...you were probably doing something just as important."
"...I fought an Angel alongside the Second Child in the Atlantic. Given her location, I believed it would be prudent to back her up."
Shinji blinked. Sohryu-san? "Was she okay?"
Rei nodded. "After recuperating, I believe she used her powers as an Evangelion-user to finish the journey to America with Sister Mary..."
xxxx
/NERV-01, Outskirts of Boston Dead Zone/
It was still August the 14th, in America. As late afternoon rolled on for the East Coast, Asuka Langley-Sohryu glared at her newest opponent.
Futaba Maruki held a headband affixed with two black triangles. "Put it on."
"I don't want to."
"It's not that you don't want to, it's that you don't want to look like a cat. Put 'em on."
"...do I have to?"
"Gee, what could the possible answer to that question be-YES. YES YOU DO."
"You don't need to talk so loudly, dear," murmured Takuto Maruki.
"...I don't like the black color," grumbled Asuka.
"Heh, saw it coming." Because of course, Futaba put away the black headband and pulled out another one colored a pleasing shade of red. "Voila!"
With a mulish pout, Asuka glanced towards Sister Mary, who simply said, "they are technically your superiors, Miss Sohryu. I would highly recommend obedience."
"...hmph..."
Futaba grinned like a particularly mischievous cat. "If it makes it any different, when Shinji Ikari was last here in July, he put them on and didn't even complain once-"
Asuka already had the headband on. "There. Happy?"
"As a parakeet!" cheered Futaba.
"Isn't it 'happy as a lark'?" asked Takuto.
"I think parakeets sound happier, because they can repeat dirty jokes with a smile. Figuratively speaking."
Sister Mary raised a hand. "Don't you mean a 'budgie'?"
Futaba pointed dramatically at a nun. "Don't you bring that there foreign English into this place; you're in America now."
"...foreign English?" sputtered Asuka. "That makes no sense!"
"And you're already feeding me data on your cognitive profile, so thanks for that."
Asuka was led away by Sister Mary before she could go into an apoplectic fit.
"...why do you always like antagonizing her?" asked Takuto.
"Because whenever she's visited the First Branch, she's always given off the impression of someone way too up their own ass. Can you even imagine what she'd be like if she hadn't had Mitsuru to rein her in?"
"...honestly, she's never seemed like that to me. I think you just like pushing her buttons because you find it funny."
"Well duh. Girl takes herself too seriously, and her temperament makes for humorous results."
"And yet you've never done the same whenever Ayanami was here for testing."
Futaba snorted. "Because pushing her buttons is sad instead of entertaining."
xxxx
"...but she was uninjured, as far as I could tell," finished Rei. "We managed to triumph. We were reinforced, surprisingly, by Mister P."
"...he was there?"
She slowly nodded, looking somewhat...vexed. "I was under the impression he would stay behind to keep an eye on you, should something go wrong...when he told us that you were facing Armisael, I was concerned. Armisael is...not a pleasant Angel to face."
"...I guess so..." he murmured, thinking back to everything he had experienced inside the Angel's domain. "...were you aware, that Mayumi Yamagishi had an Angel inside of her?"
"...I see." Rei shook her head. "Had I known Armisael was within Mayumi Yamagishi, I doubt I would have let her get close to you."
Shinji stared at her, almost shocked at her bluntness. "Ayanami-san...?"
"...my apologies. I normally read NERV's debriefings after every new moon, but since one hasn't been filed yet, the events you experienced are...unknown, to me." The blunette stared silently at the ceiling. "...to think that an Angel of Armisael's caliber was so close..."
"...Ayanami-san." When the girl looked back towards him, he continued, "when we talked at that cafe in Tokyo-3...before I left on the road trip...when we talked of...the stuff that you knew, about what's really been happening..." The War in Heaven. The battle against the Angels. The Usurper. How much more was there? "...you told me that I didn't need to know. That rushing ahead would be to my detriment...that trying to force matters would not help."
"I recall."
"Do you still think that? Even with everything that's happened since I started this summer vacation?" The Ai Ferry. The battles with Sho Minazuki. The fact that Mayumi had been bound to an Angel for...a very long time. (For more than one life, it seemed.)
"...yes," she admitted, with seeming reluctance.
"...Ayanami-san...it's not just about me. Other people are being affected by everything that's been happening...don't they also deserve to know?"
"Other people would be affected regardless of how much they knew," she coolly responded. "And the question of 'who deserves what'...is a difficult one, when your choices are restricted by circumstances beyond your control. Would additional knowledge help you, or would it damn you? Would it provide the key to our salvation, or the key to our perdition? These are questions I must struggle with, daily."
"And how do you know if you're right?"
"...I don't. And that is my burden to bear."
"If...if it weren't for the people around me, I don't think I'd be able to bear my burden," he earnestly said. "Why can't I help you with yours?"
"...because it's not yours. And it's not your fault. To add my struggles on top of yours...would be unfair."
"I...I don't think fairness matters. Because if life were fair...would we be Evangelion-users?"
At this, Rei Ayanami seemingly had no answer, at least for ten seconds. "...whatever you ask; whatever knowledge you seek; whatever answers you find...all I ask is that you be discreet. I cannot stop you. But please...please..." Just once, her voice cracked, ever so slightly. The stoic tone swiftly returned. "...don't be rash."
"...I'll try."
"...then that's all there is to it." Pushing off the wall, Ayanami turned away. "I must be off. Take care, Ikari-kun."
As the girl faded into static and vanished, Shinji impulsively kneaded the bridge of his nose. So much to keep track of...so much happening...how can I do this by myself...?
(In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how Misato had felt, when he had withheld knowledge about Ryoji Kaji's Shadow.)
(It was...very unpleasant.)
xxxx
/dadgum
//I was writing snippets for 8/14/2015 since 11/16/2021
///we were in that day for a whole month
////dadgum
/////also
//////Priestess is now at Rank 5
NERV-01 is just a temporary stop on the way to Japan.
Per the Chancellor's conversation to Mitsuru on 8/1, her deadline to leave Europe was by the new moon; her deadline to get to Japan was September the 1st:
Mitsuru Kirijo was not a woman who appreciated bad news first thing in the morning.
Especially when it was news that rendered two whole weeks of politicking and wheeling and dealing worthless. "Chancellor, I urge you to reconsider," she all but growled into her phone.
The tired voice of the Chancellor of Germany came back. "The Security Council was unanimous in their verdict."
"Of course they would be, Japan's not even one of the non-permanent members at the moment!" Alongside the permanent five of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China, the current slate of non-permanent members included Ethiopia, Chad, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Germany, and Hungary; of those fifteen nations, eight had experienced devastation at the hands of the Angels during the last new moon (nine, if one counted for the giant creature that the Second Child had slain in Germany). "You mean to imply that even we voted for it?! Were it not for Asuka, Bavaria would have been-!"
"Circumstances have changed. Since Strega issued their proclamation, everyone has been paying attention to the distribution of Angel Syndrome incidents...and you know what pattern I speak of."
Mitsuru said nothing, because she knew of what the Chancellor spoke. She had even instructed the Second Child to make a circuit around Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East over the past several days to see if the pattern would hold...and it had. "Yes sir."
"Wherever the Evangelion-users have been stationed since the 16th of July, Acolytes and Ghosts emerged within a radius of nine hundred kilometers of their position...and only within that radius. For the first time since Second Impact, the majority of the world is blessedly free of those cognitive horrors...which indicates that Angel Syndrome is no longer random, but targeted."
"You are asking for us to discard our most effective counter-!"
"If every other nation has a chance to catch their breath, then perhaps we can finally come up with countermeasures that don't involve the Evangelions...but if these Angels and their proxies in Strega want to focus on the Evangelions to the exclusion of everything else, then the Security Council is happy to indulge them. Besides...unusual choice of German nomenclature aside, NERV and its predecessor GEHIRN were both organizations founded by the Japanese; Evangelion is their brainchild. Its Commander and three Directors are all Japanese. In like manner, despite the Italian nomenclature, Strega has only one known member thus far: Jin Shirato, another Japanese national." Put like that, it almost sounded damning. "As far as the world is concerned, the Angels are now Japan's problem...and I can't blame them."
"...this is a grave mistake, Chancellor."
"The Council's decision is final: Asuka Langley-Sohryu has until the next new moon to leave Europe. Barring any unusual circumstances, her deadline to be fully reassigned to Japan is the first of September. If you try to subvert this in any way...you will regret it."
The first snippet from last chapter showed that their next stop was supposed to be Boston-2 (since NERV-01 is located on the outskirts of the Boston Dead Zone):
Asuka Langley-Sohryu jolted awake to find herself submerged. WHAT-?!
On instinct, she did not breathe, nor did she flail or struggle. (Combat in all sorts of different situations had forced her to get better at responding in an instant.) Instead, she reached for her heart, willing Unit-02 to manifest in a spark of burning blue and flickering orange. As cognition and spirit merged, Asuka was pulled to the surface by Unit-02. Her titan's green eyes gleamed, serving as proverbial beacons amidst the waters of the Atlantic. Looking around (it was still so dark, there was barely a hint of light from a sun that had yet to breach the horizon; most of the stars were still visible, what time was it?), she frantically tried to recall what had happened before going to sleep the prior day:
- Departing from the Spanish port of Marin;
- Using an old Boeing 929 hydrofoil that had once been owned by the long-defunct Kirijo Group for travelling (because of COURSE Mitsuru would think of that as a 'small charter boat');
- Marvelling over how most of the passenger seats had been taken up by spare fuel, because besides the skeleton crew taking them to Boston-2, she and Makinami were the only passengers;
- Being told to go to bed by Sister Mary (politely, but in that sort of stern manner that brooked no argument whatsoever), grumbling as she nestled her body across a whole row of passenger seats;
- A cacophonous rupturing of metal and surging water, echoing through her subconscious-!
Basically: the idea was for Asuka to be sufficiently far away from continental Europe by the time of the August new moon, but not yet close enough to America for Angel Syndrome activity to occur in populated areas.
Since Japan is her final destination, it's only reasonable that she stops at NERV-01 and NERV-02 along the way (as they're both in America).
Breakfast at the Sakura residence consisted of leftovers from the previous night, as Sojiro Sakura had departed early for his cafe.
("That's the way it always is after a new moon," explained Sojiro as he poured some coffee into a thermos. "People are going to want to unwind, have a bit of normalcy, maybe do a bit of mourning if the new moon was rougher than normal...least I can do to help the locals get back to their feet.")
The only bit of lightheartedness had come from Ken Amada explaining why Junpei Iori hadn't come back with him last night.
(Ken Amada suddenly looked...embarrassed? "Ah..." Putting down his tea, he said, "well, funny story about that...we phased back into reality just outside of Tottori...")
xx
/Last Night/
As the DeLorean decelerated and phased back into reality outside of Tottori, Ken had gone ahead and called his wife to inquire as to her status following yesterday's new moon, whilst Junpei began driving towards the city. Yukari had suggested a cheap place rather close to the hotel that the Bishoujo Senshi Feathermen and the Emporium were currently staying at; this allowed the duo and their wives to briefly catch up while their to-go orders were being completed.
It was during this brief conversation — yes, Tottori had been relatively fine; no, the boys had no injuries to report from Nishiawakura; believe it or not, they hadn't gotten kicked out of the hotel yet due to either Ann, Rise, Yusuke, or Kanji — that Junpei's wife, Chidori Iori née Yoshino, had a salient point to make. "Junpei-kun?"
"Yes, Chi-Chi?"
Chidori flatly ignored her husband's smarmy grin; her rather frilly dress — fit for something out of a wedding, or even a classy maid cafe (if such a thing existed) — drew numerous eyes from other customers, but that was simply her 'thing.' (Just like the other artists in the Emporium had a 'thing'.) With a rather cool tone, she said, "I have had much time to talk with Yukari-san and her subordinates about your time in Nishiawakura. Takamaki-san and Kujikawa-san were especially eager to talk."
Ken (and, unbeknownst to him, Junpei as well) couldn't escape the feeling that they had somehow been sold out. "...about what?" wondered Junpei.
"As it turns out, the Amadas have elected to try and have a child."
Chidori's statement elicited a look of absolute shock from Junpei. "Wait, what?"
Yukari shrugged, trying to brush it off. "Eh, you know how gossip-mongers are..."
"But...seriously Ken?" Junpei looked absolutely flabbergasted. "That's why you pulled your back when they visited?"
"I'll thank you kindly not to talk about that," he muttered through clenched teeth. "...but yes. Yukari and I made that decision."
"...even with...you know, everything?"
Ken nodded solemnly, staring his old partner and comrade straight in the eyes. "...there's more to life than just protecting what we've got. And I think...this is the best way of fulfilling that."
Junpei's frown was a complicated expression. "...that so?"
"Indeed," interrupted Chidori. "If Amada-san has been able to move forward on that regard, then I no longer have a valid reason to accept your prior rationale on the subject, Junpei-kun."
Ken tried not to chuckle at the nervous look on his fellow man's face; until just over a week ago, they had both been in the same boat with regards to the subject of children. That Junpei was suddenly 'left behind' on that regard must not have sat well with him (nor, it seemed, with Chidori). "Hmph...well, in that case, there's no way I can let the junior show me up." With a sudden burst of impulse, Junpei jumped to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over. "Chidori! Let's make a baby!"
Nearby customers boggled at the (quite loud) declaration. Ken sputtered. Yukari simply sighed with disbelief. "Way to live up to your name, Stupei."
Chidori simply looked at the table. "...but there's food on the table. And this restaurant seems like an unusual place to make a baby in."
At that moment, Junpei realized just...where he was. "Oh. Er...well, not HERE, obviously. Like, in a place with a bed. And stuff."
"Then you should be more specific, dear." Chidori calmly stood up before shooting him a calm stare. "Amada-san."
Ken blinked. "...yes?"
"I will be borrowing my husband for an indeterminate amount of time. Will your combat capacity be at an acceptable level for the duration?"
"...er, sure." Because seriously, what else was he supposed to say? "We'll be fine for a day or two."
"You have my gratitude." Without warning, Chidori walked up to Junpei and jumped; almost on instinct, the man's arms reached down, wrapping around her in a bridal carry. "Let us be off."
"...but I wasn't done eating yet-" Chidori sat him a stare, prompting Junpei to blanch. "Er, let us be off, my lady!" Shooting Ken a bewildered grin, Junpei added, "well Kenny...duty calls."
The Amadas watched in perplexed silence as the Ioris departed. "...it still amazes me that somehow, Naoto-chan's husband is the most normal one of that bunch."
Compared to Chidori and Yusuke, Kanji definitely cut more towards normalcy...even if his mentality and demeanor seemed ill-suited for the art world in general. "Oh well. If nothing else, my current assignment has taught me that if you can't do anything about the craziness in your life, better to embrace it than to ignore it." Shortly thereafter, his to-go order was complete, and it was time to say farewell.
xx
("...so yeah," finished Ken, nervously scratching his cheek. "That's why Junpei didn't come back with me, last night. He had to attend to...marital responsibilities.")
(The euphemism wasn't as subtle as the man had hoped. "Jeez, do all chicks get that intense when they get older?" wondered Toji aloud. The boy's answer was a light tap on the back of his head from Ryuji.)
...so yeah. That had been a thing.
But there had been no time to ponder Junpei Iori's fate, for the time of judgment had come: Shinji, Kensuke, Mayumi, Mana, and Toji were sitting in a row in the entry hall, facing Hirofumi Kurosawa, Misato Katsuragi, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Ken Amada. Ren Amamiya sat further away, idly stroking Enkai's fur in silence. Apparently, given his proximity to everything that had happened on this trip so far, Kurosawa didn't feel the need to tell a 'civilian' (if only they knew just what Amamiya-senpai was capable of) to depart. "Now," said Kurosawa, hands holding a notepad and pen. "Yamagishi-san: do you recall knocking out Amamiya-san yesterday?"
"...vaguely," she admitted.
"Then that's where we'll start with the debrief," he said, clicking his ballpoint pen. "Explain with as much detail as you can remember. Don't leave anything out."
