"Indeed. Which means it's time for us to accelerate our plans as well," Gendo Ikari nodded, his eyes still fixed on the massive landscape before him.
On the lunar surface of the Moon Base, human machinery worked relentlessly, surrounding a structure at the center of the facility—
—a massive creature.
Yes, a monster.
It had a humanoid form, but its appearance was entirely distinct from that of a human. Even as a long-dead Angel, it remained unimaginably valuable.
"As former lifeforms of the ancient Earth, the old must be eradicated before the new can rise. Such is the law of nature," Kouzou Fuyutsuki said, shaking his head slightly.
This particular being had been discovered long ago on the moon—but the information was highly classified, never allowed to be made public.
If revealed, it would surely send shockwaves through the entire scientific community.
But the Earth of today had already suffered devastating destruction. Only this discovery remained intact.
"Natural laws have always stood in contrast to theology. Just like the South Pole, which has now become a zone of absolute purity," Gendo remarked, pointing toward Earth.
And indeed, at that moment, a terrifying crimson vortex spun over the Antarctic region.
The entire South Pole had ceased to exist—swallowed by a vast and forbidden red zone.
Fuyutsuki sighed softly. "I almost envy those who remain mired in the dusty, mundane world. This life is too steeped in despair."
Gendo said nothing. He felt the same.
But the world never moved according to one's will.
Just then, a shadow flickered in front of them.
Both Fuyutsuki and Gendo turned—startled by what they thought they saw.
There, on a high ridge of the Moon Base, sat a young boy, his figure solitary and still.
But… this was the Moon, not Earth.
How could anyone survive here without a suit?
Impossible.
And yet… it was undeniably a human boy.
"Couldn't be…" Fuyutsuki murmured.
"Gendo… do you see what I'm seeing?"
It didn't take long for them to realize their eyes weren't deceiving them.
He was real. A human boy, alive, breathing—on the Moon.
And by his side stood a massive construct…
—a towering, unfamiliar Evangelion unit.
"A new Eva…?" Gendo's expression suddenly turned pale.
Something serious had just dawned on him.
Could it be that SEELE had developed a new Eva in secret, without NERV's knowledge?
---
Meanwhile, back on Earth, at First Municipal Middle School, a small stir had broken out in recent days.
A foreign transfer student had joined the school.
Of course, that student was none other than Asuka Langley Shikinami.
With her long golden hair and angelic beauty, her arrival had set the entire class ablaze.
Word spread across campus by the end of the day.
That very afternoon, Asuka's desk was piled with love letters—so many that they could barely fit.
Naturally, every single letter ended up in the trash by the next morning.
And the next day, her desk was full again.
And again, all of them were tossed—each letter bearing the same name: Shikinami.
Being half-European, Asuka was enormously popular with the male students. Her mere presence shook the school.
Ryota Kitazawa observed all this from the sidelines, a small smile on his face.
As expected, Asuka had always been a magnet for attention.
Still, the two of them didn't interact much—rarely speaking unless necessary.
But then came an unexpected order from Command:
Kaji Ryoji was to organize a group outing to help foster cooperation and understanding among the pilots.
After all, the three Eva pilots were the only line of defense for Tokyo-3, and unity between them was vital.
Misato, however, had no interest in such things.
If anything, she welcomed any reason to limit Asuka and Ryota spending time together.
But an order from Command was absolute. Since it was Kaji organizing the event, she had no choice but to grudgingly comply.
The outing was scheduled for Friday evening.
---
As the final school bell rang...
"Shikinami-san, we should go. Kaji-san is probably waiting for us."
Rei Ayanami's voice, soft and gentle as always, came from the desk next to Asuka's.
Because Ryota Kitazawa sat nearby, he could hear Rei clearly, even though she barely spoke above a whisper.
Her face, as always, was an impassive mask—ice-cold and unreadable.
"Hmph. This is all just something Misato planned. I never agreed to this," Asuka huffed.
"Who wants to eat dinner with a doll and a pervert anyway? I've lost my appetite. I'm not going."
She pouted, clearly directing her disdain at Rei—whom she always referred to as a lifeless "doll."
Especially after… that night.
After she'd seen Misato enter Ryota's room—and strange noises followed—
Asuka's gaze toward Ryota had changed entirely.
Now, every look she gave him screamed "disgusting pervert."
"Kaji-san is waiting," Rei said softly to Asuka's retreating back.
"If we're late, he'll be upset."
"NOT GOING means NOT GOING! How many times do I have to tell you, you dumb doll?!"
Asuka grabbed her bag, clearly agitated. "Tell Kaji-san I'm going home. I'm busy. I won't be attending."
With that, she spun on her heel and headed for the door.
"Ah—wait, Shikinami-san!"
Just then, a few boys rushed up to her, faces full of nervous hope.
"What now?" Asuka said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, um… it's just… it's Friday and, uh… we were wondering if you'd like to get dinner with us. Just a friendly meal, nothing weird—hah…"
They smiled awkwardly, practically trembling.
"GET LOST!!!!"
Her scream shook the entire classroom.
A few seconds later, having "relieved some stress," Asuka lifted her head high and strutted out of the room with pride.
"Shikinami-san seems very popular with the boys," Rei murmured softly behind her.
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