"Help…"
He finally managed to squeeze the word out of his throat—but in the midst of all the chaos, who had the time to care? Who could even hear him?
And then, the moment that truly terrified him arrived.
Unit-00 extended its massive, metal-constructed hand—directly toward Hattori Kojiro.
And then, without warning, it grabbed him tightly in its enormous grip.
Unit-00, standing 42 meters tall—roughly the height of an 8-story building—looked absolutely terrifying from above.
And unfortunately for Hattori Kojiro… he had a fear of heights.
The combination of vertigo and raw fear nearly made him pass out. He looked utterly helpless, barely holding back tears.
"Oh my god!"
Several of his aides stood frozen in shock, staring at the towering EVA. It was only now that they truly understood how powerless they were in the face of an Evangelion.
But then, as all eyes remained locked on Unit-00—and the trembling figure of Hattori Kojiro in its hand—the EVA suddenly spread its legs into a throwing stance.
And with one brutal motion, it swung its arm—and let go.
BOOM!
"SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEE!!"
A scream tore through the air as Hattori's body flew into the sky, tracing a wide arc.
He was hurled—hard—straight toward the ocean.
A tiny splash bloomed across the red sea's surface, followed by the faint flailing of limbs. Hattori Kojiro was now a speck in the waves, paddling frantically and screaming for his life.
"Chairman Hattori!"
The protest site was at least ten kilometers from the coast. No one could see clearly what had become of him—but the sight of him being launched into the sea was enough to send shockwaves through his followers.
If Hattori Kojiro was gone, their bright futures were gone too. Their careers were all tied to him. Any slip could bring ruin.
Inside NERV HQ
Misato Katsuragi was laughing so hard in front of the monitors that she nearly doubled over.
Asuka, Ryota Kitazawa, and the others stood behind her, watching in stunned amusement.
Kitazawa shrugged with a wry smile.
All I said was to leave it to Rei… I didn't say anything about tossing him into the ocean…
"Alright, alright. That finally felt good," Misato grinned, turning around. "That Hattori Kojiro was insufferable—always trying to go head-to-head with NERV."
"But since Rei gave us such a satisfying moment," she continued, "how about I treat everyone to a nice meal?"
"A meal? Leave something like that to me."
A familiar voice cut in as Ryoji Kaji entered the room, smiling.
Clearly, he had heard Misato's comment from earlier.
"You… you're here?" Misato asked, caught off guard and just a little uneasy.
What she was really thinking about, though, was Kitazawa. A man as smart as him surely knew about her past with Kaji.
But when she looked at Kitazawa's unreadable expression, showing no reaction at all, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Heh, I'm still part of NERV," Kaji said gently. "And as a member, I should do my part. Besides, since being transferred to HQ, I haven't done much yet. So let me use this opportunity to organize an outing—how about a visit to the aquarium?"
"That's fine by me. Thanks in advance."
Misato thought it over—it wasn't a bad idea. More than that, she remembered something Kaji had told her days earlier: this three-person team (Rei, Shinji, Asuka) had internal conflict. And wherever there's conflict, there's weakness. That weakness, if left unchecked, could be fatal—just like during the battle with the Eighth Angel.
So when Misato looked into Kaji's eyes, she suddenly understood.
He wasn't just organizing a trip.
He was using this opportunity to rebuild the unity of the EVA pilot team.
And that, she thought, wasn't such a bad thing.
---
Outside NERV…
Ever since Hattori Kojiro was thrown into the ocean, every major TV station and media outlet had gone into a frenzy, reporting how NERV had "disrespected the government" and "abused the power of the EVANGELION."
The media backlash ignited a storm across Tokyo-3, sparking massive protest movements.
Soon, streets and alleys everywhere were flooded with demonstrators, all united in their opposition to NERV.
Hattori Kojiro's strategy had clearly worked—earning him widespread sympathy and political momentum.
And as for Hattori himself?
He was still lying in a hospital bed.
After being hurled into the ocean that day, he had nearly died of fright. It took every ounce of strength he had to stay alive. Even so, the trauma had left deep scars.
Anyone would be terrified if they were thrown several kilometers by an EVA into the open sea. Hattori was lucky to be alive at all.
Back at NERV, they treated the protests like they didn't exist. No one made any statements. No spokesperson was sent out. It was as if NERV had gone blind and deaf, ignoring everything outside.
But in truth, a storm had already begun to sweep through all of Japan—and the most destructive winds had already reached the very core of NERV itself.
---
Elsewhere, one day…
A sleek spacecraft quietly descended on a remote part of Tokyo-3.
Two men stepped out.
One of them had silver-white hair and wore a long, heavy coat.
It was none other than Kozo Fuyutsuki.
"That space voyage of ours turned out to be rather long, didn't it?" Fuyutsuki chuckled. "Seems like during our time away, some people on Earth forgot how to behave."
His words were addressed to the man walking behind him.
A middle-aged man with short hair, glasses, and a face marked by the wear and tear of years.
There was no mistaking him—
Gendo Ikari had returned.
"As the old saying goes," Gendo said calmly, "when the tiger's away, the monkey becomes king."
"Some matters must be settled now. Otherwise, people will keep saying NERV is just a power-hungry institution."
"Don't you agree, Fuyutsuki?"
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