Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue – Twist of Fate

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.

Near Earth Lunar Space, Unspecified Universe…

Time almost seemed to stand still in the indiscernible silence of space… that is, until a spark of energy crackled, before expanding into a distortion of time and space. As quickly as it appeared, a familiar red and white space jet rocketed out of the distortion into this universe, with the pathway closing as soon as the jet cleared it.

Shin Asuka, former ace pilot of Super GUTS, and the legendary Ultraman Dyna himself, was piloting his personal GUTS Eagle Alpha Superior in his long and storied odyssey through time and space. "Ha…" he smiled to himself, "another day, and another universe." Fresh and rested from his battles alongside Ultraman Orb and many other Ultra friends from different worlds, Asuka was ready to explore the rest of the multiverse, both with Dyna and his trusty Alpha Superior.

Activating his radar, Asuka tried to get his space bearings in this new world. After a few seconds, the sensors updated his navigational data. He was just in orbit around the moon of this world's Earth. "Well, I'm home… in an alternate dimensional sense," Asuka muttered to himself. He decided to fly out from the dark side of the moon to get a good look at this universe's Earth.

However, as he came around the moon… "Whoa, that's… a little red for a planet supposed to be Earth." Asuka had to blink twice to make sure that he was not imagining things. The HUD showed that the planet was indeed Earth, but the seas and oceans were red almost like blood, and the continents, while recognizable, were tattered and apparently sunken in several coastal areas. The southern continent of Antarctica was hardly to be seen from Asuka's position in space if it was still there at all.

"What in the multiverse happened here?" Asuka thought to himself. He had seen the devastation of Team U's Earth by Alien Battian before he, Cosmos, and Zero liberated it, but whatever ravaged this new Earth made Battian's madness seemingly pale in comparison. While most people would have recoiled from seeing the blood-red seas from space, the adventurer and Ultraman Dyna inside Shin Asuka told him to investigate.

"Well, whatever is going on, there's only one way to find out," Asuka resolved as he hit the throttle on Alpha Superior's afterburners. He flew through space towards the unknown that was this new universe's Earth.

Over the skies of Japan, Earth

Asuka looked out the canopy of his jet after re-entering the atmosphere. It was an eerie scene looking at the Pacific Ocean below. While the skies were still blue, the ocean was just completely red. He was currently on a westward heading towards the Japanese coastline, which would have him over Tokyo airspace in three minutes.

"The air feels thick around here," Asuka talked to himself, "it's as though the whole planet's saturated with despair…" He soon entered the airspace over Tokyo… or rather was. The city was completely in shambles, with skyscrapers sunken into the red waters and dilapidated from what seemed to be a combination of typhoon damage, exposure to the elements, and even scars of war. Asuka flew the Alpha Superior between the buildings, surveying the apocalyptic damage done to the former city. He ran the bioscanners on the fighter… no signs of life.

It was then that Asuka felt this numbing, nagging sensation in his head through his Ultra senses. The Super GUTS ace heard the echoing of screams that seemed to come from everywhere in the ruined parts of Tokyo. It was as if the ruins were haunted by whoever died in the cataclysm that led to its sunken state. "Ugh… getting some bad vibes here," Asuka said as he raised the control stick, now not wanting to stick around much longer.

Suddenly, Alpha Superior's radar alert went off. Asuka was being tracked. "Unidentified aircraft inside Old Tokyo Airspace," a voice came over the radio, "you are in violation of the no-fly zone instituted by the Japanese government and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. You are to surrender yourself and your plane or be shot down."

Asuka was about to respond when a shriller alert blared in cockpit. It was a missile lock on signal. Having a sudden feeling that he was not going to get a welcome treatment at all, the Super GUTS ace went full afterburner as two interceptors approached aggressively from his six.

"Wow, people on this Earth must really not like newcomers!" Asuka muttered as he took evasive action. Not in the mood for fighting, especially against other humans, Asuka gunned the throttle hard, jetting away from the interceptors.

"Unidentified aircraft, stand down immediately or be destroyed," one of the interceptor pilots radioed. Asuka had no intention of being shot down or arrested though. He pushed Alpha Superior's speed to the max, exiting Tokyo airspace.

Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force Headquarters

"What are our interceptors doing!?" Air Defense Commander, Major Naoto Arashi demanded to the operators. They were all tracking Asuka's plane as an unknown over Old Tokyo.

"They're at full speed, sir," one answered, "but the bogey is pulling a top speed of Mach 4!"

The major was floored, "Mach 4!?" He clenched his teeth, wondering what aircraft on Earth could reach such speeds. If it was some sort of new high-speed reconnaissance aircraft deployed by rebel forces or one of Japan's national rivals, he had to have it shot down immediately. He turned to one of his deputies. "Have the missile defense forces dispatch hypersonic surface-to-air missiles. I want this unknown brought to heel by any means necessary!"

"Wait," the same operator gasped, "the target's increasing airspeed! Mach 5… Mach 6… 7… 8…" People watched the radar screen in disbelief as the unknown reached a whopping speed of Mach 11, before disappearing from radar. "We lost him! We've lost the target!"

Major Arashi slammed his fist down in shock and anger. The other officers around him recoiled and stepped away from the irate officer.

Later…

It was an hour after his rocky reception to this new Earth over the ruins of Tokyo, and Shin Asuka was now walking the streets of the city he recognized as Nagoya. After fleeing Japanese fighters and intercept radar, Shin had found a secret place to park his Alpha Superior to avoid his pursuers. Upon entering Nagoya, found a city that was familiar, yet also unfamiliar at the same time. Parts of the shoreline were completely underwater. Parts of the city were either under complete reconstruction, or completely sunken with the rest of the former shoreline in the deathly red ocean.

As Asuka walked the sidewalk straddling the coast, he could not help but feel a melancholy about the place. While he could sense life with his Ultra senses, he could tell that many of the people carried about an underlying sense of despair and war scars of sorts. Whatever happened to ravage this world really did a number on the inhabitants, as far as Asuka could tell. "Ah… what a real downer this world is," he muttered to himself.

"Stop it, please!" Asuka suddenly heard a young boy's cries. He then saw a group of three big teen boys ambushing a smaller teen, who could not be any older than thirteen or fifteen. The victim was badly bruised and scraped, with his brown hair and school uniform all tussled up.

"Make me, crybaby," the lead bully mocked as he kicked the boy while the others rifled through his backpack. Seeing this, Asuka clenched his fists and walked briskly towards the scene.

"Hey, let him go," Asuka confronted the trio of bullies.

"Hey, mind your own business," one of them taunted.

"Well, it's my business now," Asuka said, standing firm, "picking on small guys and laughing about it." He then smacked his fists together, "now, what do you say you guys back off, and no one gets hurt?"

The lead bully was now mad at this stranger as he dropped his victim and ganged up on Asuka with his two buddies. Asuka just shook his head with an exasperated smile, before assuming a fighting stance as though in his Ultra form. "I warned you guys," Asuka shook his head.

The three bullies pounced on Asuka, only for him to dodge both stooges before delivering a backside kick to the leader. The lead bully stumbled forward as his stooges rushed Asuka again. Asuka easily avoided their flimsy punches while delivering his own punches and kicks, finishing with knocking their heads together. With his buddies knocked out, the lead bully yelled as he rushed the Ultra host, only for Asuka to give him a back flip kick to the chin, also knocking him out cold.

Satisfied with his work, Asuka turned his attention back towards the bullied victim. "You okay," he asked the boy. The boy felt his body ache from the prior battering but was speechless at Asuka's superhuman beatdown of his tormentors. "I-I'm fine…" the boy defended as he tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled from numbness. Asuka smiled as he offered a helping hand. The boy just looked down, and sniffled. "Why did you help me? I'm such a weakling…"

Asuka shook his head. "It's my thing to help those in need," he answered, "and we all have strengths that are sometimes hidden to us."

The boy then looked up again, his brown eyes meeting Asuka's. "That's the point… I don't have any strengths… if I did, Father would not have left me…"

Asuka was struck by what he heard. "Wait… your dad left you?"

The boy sadly nodded, the pain showing in his eyes. "After Mother died… he just up and left me with my uncle, a teacher..."

Asuka felt a tinge of anger at that. It was the opposite of the love his own father showed him even after his own mother had vanished. Asuka could not imagine a father willfully abandoning their own son after losing his mother. He looked upon the boy with sympathy and empathy for his plight.

"Hey," Asuka spoke up again, "where are your friends?"

The boy shook his head again. "I have no friends…" he sobbed, "nobody wants to be around me…"

Asuka smiled. "Then let me be your friend," he offered, "I know what it's like to lose parents."

The boy looked up in disbelief. "You do?" Asuka nodded in reply. "And you would… be my friend," the boy asked.

"Why not?" Asuka said as he extended his hand again. Slowly, but this time… the boy accepted.

The Super GUTS ace helped his new young friend to his feet. "I'm Shin Asuka," he introduced himself.

The boy then gave a small smile, somehow feeling that Asuka was genuine. "Shinji…" he introduced himself, "Shinji Ikari."

Prologue - Twist of Fate

Chapter Text

Episode 1 – Evangel, Transform!

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.

Near Nagoya, Japan, August 19, 2044 AD

"Play ball!" Shin Asuka called out as he threw his baseball. As it soared through the air, the young boy at the home base focused as he poised his bat for a strike.

Shinji Ikari swung his bat, striking the ball and sending it flying. He dropped the bat as the other boys to grab the ball. Shin watched as Shinji ran past first base and managed the second before he could get tagged. Shin smiled for his young friend.

"Not bad, Shinji!" Shin complimented, "that's one base further than the last time!" To that, the boy gave Shin a victory sign with a bit of a shy, but happy smile. Off to the side, Shinji's uncle watched the whole pastime play out.

Yoshide Ikari was a man in his thirties, watching as his young nephew played with the other boys, smiled, and laughed for the first time in a long time. When he had taken custody of a three-year-old Shinji from his worthless coward of a father fourteen years ago, Yoshide had a difficult time trying to rouse him from the trauma of losing his mother, Yui, who was also Yoshide's younger sister. As Shinji grew older, the problem only worsened as bullies picked on him, making him even more withdrawn.

However, it was thanks to this strange but friendly newcomer, Shin Asuka, that Shinji began to open to others in ways that continued to surprise Yoshide. Not only had he started talking with more people and being friends with them, but he also now took an interest in fitness and sports. It had been six months since Shin had shown up in Shinji's life and the difference was incredible. From a small, spry little boy who seemed afraid of his own shadow, Shinji was now showing a confident posture to go with his new toned physique.

The game soon ended, and while Shinji's team lost the round, his teammates still commended him on his improved play. Shinji waved his baseball cap with a smile. He then turned to face Shin, who was also smiling.

"Nice play, kid," Shin complimented, "one of these days you're going to hit home run!"

"Thank you," Shinji said, "I couldn't have done it without your help."

As the two unlikely friends walked together, Shinji's uncle came to meet them. "Good play, Shinji."

"Thanks Uncle Yoshide," Shinji smiled back a grin, "Mister Asuka here was a great player too!"

"Hey, just call me Asuka," Shin laughed, "no need for 'mister'."

"Oh," Shinji realized with a bit of a sheepish smile, "my mistake." He then laughed alongside his friend as they left the field.

Yoshide Ikari's House

Shinji collapsed onto the couch in his uncle's living room, tired but satisfied with the Friday out with his new friends, including Shin Asuka. Before he met Shin, Shinji would have crumbled with bruises from playing baseball with the other boys. The transformation Shinji underwent through this friendship was profound, as Shin became a mentor and a sort of older brother character who shaped the young boy into a confident and fit young man.

Yoshide handed Shinji a glass of iced juice, which he accepted gratefully. "Thank you, Uncle," Shinji expressed, "what did you think of my play?"

"The best yet I've seen from you," Yoshide complimented as he sat in his own seat across from Shinji with his own glass. He gave a gentle and bright grin as he told his nephew, "Shinji, I'm proud and amazed at the young man you are growing into."

Shinji looked up at his uncle. "You are finally becoming the man your mother would have loved to call her son," Yoshide said wistfully.

"Really?" Shinji asked to which Yoshide nodded. It was then that the young Ikari's curiosity was piqued. "Uncle… what was Mom, your sister like?"

Yoshide took on a nostalgic expression as he remembered his long-lost sister. "Headstrong, yet smart and kind," he said wistfully, "she was looking out for me when I was a shy little boy." The teacher looked out his window. "She was also there cheering me on during my wedding... and comforted me when I lost my wife to cancer..."

Shinji was then stunned, realizing that his uncle never talked much about his aunt. "I-I never heard you talk much about my aunt either," he expressed.

Yoshide gave Shinji a sad smile. "I know," he said, "I regret that neither your mom or aunt are here to see the budding young man in front of me... but I'd think that they would both be mighty proud of you, son."

Shinji smiled back as he laid a hand on his uncle's. "Thank you, Uncle," Shinji said, "that... that was the kindest thing you've ever said to me..."

Yoshide nodded. "You know... I have your mother's personal effects," he revealed.

Shinji was once again surprised. "Y-you do? How?"

"I got them just a year ago," Yoshide continued. "Your grandparents... your paternal ones," he added the last bit with a reluctance in his voice, "had been keeping them for years since that day. Apparently, they were trying to save as much as they could since... your father did not want them anymore."

Shinji frowned, not believing that his father could be so cold as to not even want what was left of his mother. "And you've been sitting on these things?"

Yoshide sighed sympathetically. "Don't get me wrong, Shinji... but I didn't want to reopen any old wounds about your mother. You were going through a rough time until that Asuka guy showed up."

Shinji still did not like it that this was kept from him. Still, he somehow understood. Now though, he wanted to actually remember his mother for real. "Can we see them?"

Yoshide nodded in affirmation. "The boxes are in my room."

Ikari uncle and nephew each found a box and started to pick through them. It was bittersweet for both Shinji and Yoshide, but at the same time, it was fun to see the things that represented Yui see the light of day after so long.

Shinji found a few science awards for his mother, but none intrigued him as much as the photos of her younger self. She was bright, happy, and full of life. It was then that he found a photo of her with his uncle. His eyes widened when he saw his uncle in a military flight suit, posing in front of a fighter jet.

Yoshide looked Shinji's way and saw the photo. "Uncle," Shinji gasped, "you never said that you were a fighter pilot!"

Yoshide was surprised, then chuckled a bit. "Yeah... I was," he said, "I was a proud Eagle driver then. That photo was when I have graduated from the Air Defense Force Flight School to fly the F-15 Eagle."

Shinji stared at the photo, learning new things, not only about his mother but his uncle as well. He then rummaged through the photos and found yet another. It was a wedding photo, of both his mother and father. Yui was dressed in a slim white dress with a flowing veil and crown of white roses, while Gendo was dressed in a fine black suit with an arm around Yui's waist. However, what struck Shinji was not the fine dresses or the youth of his parents... No, it was the smiles on both their faces. While he could vaguely remember his mother's kind and loving smiles, seeing his father smile in this picture stood in stark contrast to the ugly reality. Shinji just frowned at the thought that this smiling man in the photo was the same one who abandoned him.

Shinji set the photo aside and continued to dig into his box. Everything was almost cleared away when he saw a small package at the bottom. He cleared the packing material away to remove it. "What's in here?" Shinji wondered aloud, causing Uncle Yoshide to be curious as well. He removed the cover, to find something very unusual.

It was some sort of handle made of what could best be described as marble. It had some writing that Shinji could not immediately identify or understand, and it was topped with what looked to be golden angel wings folded upward.

"What is that?" Shinji asked again.

"It's news to me," Yoshide replied with a similar sense of bewilderment, "some trophy?"

Shinji took the artifact out of its box. He held it as he inspected it for a few seconds. Suddenly, he felt a warm energy from the handle. It flowed into his palm, up his arm, and caused his spine to tingle. It was a mysterious, yet comforting warmth, so much so that Shinji was too intrigued to let it go.

"Shinji?" Yoshide asked after several seconds of his nephew staring at the thing.

Shinji snapped out of his trance. He then looked to his uncle. "Yes?"

"You've been spacing out," Yoshide told him, "are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Shinji muttered as he looked at the mysterious object again, "I think I'll hold on to this." He could not put a finger on it, but something told him that this object was something he had to keep.

Sometime after Shinji showered and had dinner with his uncle, Shinji laid on his futon. Yet, he could not sleep. He turned towards his side to see the very winged object at the center of his unusual attention. He took it in his hand, and there was that warmth again. However, it felt more like a surge or energy that really caused his spine to heat up. Shinji was supposed to be afraid, yet found himself not fearing and being more drawn in.

"What are you?" Shinji asked no one in particular. Suddenly, the object shined brightly as the room was enveloped in a white light. Shinji squinted his eyes as light invaded his vision.

Shin was in his secret garage for his Alpha Superior when he felt a jolt in his Ultra senses. He got up from one of the panels on his plane and rushed outside. He saw a light coming from a house far away. He recognized that it was Shinji's house.

"That light," he muttered.

Shinji kept squinting his eyes from the intensity of the light but then felt it petter off. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was no longer in his room, but was strangely floating in space above the Earth. "W-where am I!? What am I doing here!?" He was weirded out that he was seeing the ravaged Earth from space, and that he was floating around the Earth without suffocating.

As if to compound the surrealness of the experience, he saw a light appear in front of him as the sun came from behind the Earth. The light shined forth before stopping in front of Shinji. The spark of light transformed into a figure of light that stood taller than Shinji.

"What?" Shinji gasped as the glowing figure took form. It was a giant with silvery angel motifs and patterns on his chest, topped with a silver head with glowing eyes looking up past him. Yet Shinji had the impression that this giant had come to him.

"A giant... of light?" Shinji questioned before the whole scene went white from the light the giant radiated.

The next morning...

Shinji was walking down to the park in a contemplative mood, with the mysterious object in his pants pocket giving off that same warmth every now and then. He then sat down on one of the benches thinking about the last night's strange dream. He fished the winged artifact out again, staring at it.

"Hey Shinji!" Shin Asuka came running up to him.

"Asuka?" Shinji looked up, happy to see his friend. It was then that Shin looked down and saw the object in Shinji's hand.

"Is that... what caused that flash of light?" Shin quickly asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" Shinji decided to feign ignorance.

Shin looked at the winged object intently for a while, as it seemed very similar to something he saw years ago.

"Shin?"

Shin straightened up. "Shinji, I think it's time we talked about where I came from..."

"Another dimension?" Shinji blinked for the umpteenth time that morning.

Shin nodded. "I've been jumping and exploring dimensions as a freelance explorer, and that's not all." He produced his most prized possession, the Lieflasher. "This is what allows me to become a giant warrior of light."

"Giant... of light?" Shinji wondered as the dream started coming back to him.

Shin nodded with a grin. "When I'm that giant," he said, "I am known as Ultraman Dyna."

"Ultraman?" Shinji questioned, "you mean the old TV show characters? They're real!?"

Shin laughed and nodded. "They're real as they come."

Shinji looked back to the warm artifact in his hand. His mind flashed back to his dream of that angelic-looking giant of light in space. "You know Asuka," he mentioned, "I saw a giant of light in my dream last night, if that's anything to go by."

The Super GUTs veteran processed that last bit his young friend told him. If that was right... it meant... He then made a decision. "Hey Shinji," he offered, "wanna go for a ride with me?"

The young Ikari was suddenly confused with the change in subject. "A car ride? To where?"

"Oh," Shin Asuka grinned, "even better than a car."

"Woah!" Shinji was pushed back into the back seat of Asuka's Alpha Superior. Never in his lifetime would Shinji have thought that he would fly, let alone in a supersonic space fighter piloted by a friend and transforming giant from another dimension.

"Yahoo!" Shin Asuka yelled as he piloted the Alpha superior through a canyon, giving Shinji a high-speed view of cliff faces rushing by the canopy.

"Where are we supposed to be going again?" Shinji called over the sounds of the engine and Shin's own whooping and yelling.

"A place where we can be alone," Shin called back.

"And how is this supposed to help me find answers?" Shin followed up. His world had already changed with Shin in the picture, but now it was changing at breakneck speeds that made his head spin.

"It's simple," Shin answered, "if that dream about that shining giant is anything to go by, you and I have something in common after all!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shinji called back.

"It means," Shin Asuka answered again, "that giant of light you saw could be your universe's Ultraman!"

"An Ultraman!?" Shinji was floored again in a very short period of time. First his friend was an Ultraman, and now he met his own world's Ultraman!? "So what does that mean?" Shinji asked for what must have been the twelfth time since morning.

"Something that we are going to find out," Shin simply replied as he flew towards the Japanese Alps. Little did he know that he was being watched...

A shadowy figure from a dark part of space in between dimensions was watching Ultraman Dyna fly his young charge in his jet.

"Ultraman..." the figure said in a malevolent, raspy voice, "as long as my hatred burns... you will suffer..." He pointed a clawed hand towards Ultraman Dyna.

"Go forth! Hyper Golza! Hyper Melba!"

Shin Asuka eventually smoothed out his flying and ascended over the Japanese Alps. He glanced back to the co-pilot seat to see that Shinji was silent and spacing out. The revelations of this morning had to have done an info overload on his mind.

"Hey, look out below," Shin urged the boy, "we're here."

Shinji snapped out of his reverie and saw the mountains from above. He gasped in wonder at seeing them from above.

"It's beautiful..." Shinji marveled as the Alpha Superior circled above. He then turned to his Ultra friend. "This is so cool!"

"Told you," Shin grinned, "and you looked like you needed to get out of the house and off the ground."

"Well..." Shinji laughed, "you got that right. You a mind reader too?"

Shin laughed back. "I may be an Ultraman, but I'm not that clairvoyant!"

It was then that Shin's 'Dyna' sense sent a chill down his spine, warning him of something.

"Hang on!" Shin suddenly rolled hard to avoid twin energy blasts from behind. Shinji lurched in his seat from the maneuvers.

"Asuka, what-" Shinji was about to protest when he saw an unbelievable sight on his co-pilot monitor; a large-wing beaked monster was flying behind them. "What is that!?" Shinji yelled in fright.

Shin glanced back at the flying red and silver fiend. It was of a different color but recognized the monster. "It's Melba!"

"What!?" Shinji asked.

"A monster from my world!" Shin said as he evaded Hyper Melba's eye blasts. He dove towards the mountain ranges to try and shake off the flying beast. "I'm going to try and lose him, hold on tight, Shinji!"

"Ah!" Shinji held tight to the sides of the ejection seat. Even with a warm jacket and helmet on, Shinji felt chillier at the reality that some flying monster was trying to blast him and his ride out of the sky. Hyper Melba shrieked loudly as it fired its eye beams at the Alpha Superior. Shin skillfully zig-zagged the fighter as he flew through the Japanese Alps. "It's still on us!" Shinji yelled.

"Ugh, persistent buzzer, aren't you?" Shin muttered as he tried to outrun Hyper Melba. Suddenly, one of the mountain sides crumbled and burst open as yet another kaiju emerged. It was a muscular, hooded horned titan with a long tail and hardened shell. Shin bit a curse as he also recognized this monster despite its skin being bronze and the shell being silver. "Golza!" He had fought a version of this same monster back on his Earth.

"Another one!?" Shinji was freaking out as Shin narrowly avoided Hyper Golza swatting the Alpha Superior. Shin tried to raise altitude, only to be grazed by Hyper Melba's beams. Shinji yelped as Shin tried to steady the craft.

"Trying to box us in?" Shin put the aircraft on autopilot. "Shinji, stay here," he told the boy, "the autopilot will do the rest."

"What are you going to do," Shinji asked.

"What I always do," Shin replied as he pulled his Lieflasher out of his uniform. He thrust it out in front. "DYNA!" The Lieflasher's crystal opened up with a flash of light, causing Shinji to cover his face.

Hyper Melba chased after the Alpha Superior when a light shot back from the plane and struck it in the head. Hyper Melba fell to the ground as the light that was Shin Asuka descended and transformed. Ultraman Dyna emerged from the light, facing Hyper Golza and Hyper Melba in a mighty pose. Shinji looked out the canopy and stared in awe at Dyna.

"Ultraman... Dyna."

"Heh!" Dyna assumed a fighting pose as he faced the duo of kaiju, which roared and screeched loudly in response to the Ultra's presence. Dyna fired his Beam Slicers at Hyper Melba who evaded with a quick jump. Hyper Golza charged up his horn beam and tried to blast Dyna, who back flipped and rolled sideways avoid the blasts. Dyna then changed from Flash Type to Strong Type and ran towards Hyper Golza.

Shinji watched in awe as Dyna delivered a series of punches and kicks towards the muscular Hyper Golza. 'I'm seeing a real Ultra-kaiju fight,' he thought. However, he spotted Hyper Melba swooping on Dyna from behind. "Look out!"

Hyper Golza suddenly grabbed Dyna by the arms, holding him as its fellow aerial fiend used its leg claws to lift Dyna by the shoulders and slam him into a mountainside. Dyna pried himself lose and turned, only to be rammed back into the rocks by Hyper Golza. The powered-up Golza then proceeded to blast Dyna alongside Melba. Dyna found hiself outflanked and taking damage as his color timer started to blink red.

"Dyna!" Shinji cried out from the Alpha Superior. He desperately wanted to help but did not know how to override the autopilot. Despite his fear, seeing his Ultraman friend being beaten up caused a resolve he never thought he had to build up.

Suddenly, the winged handle he had in his jacket's chest pocket warmed up and flashed. Shinji looked down in surprise and bewilderment. "What the-" Shinji yelled out as he was suddenly consumed by light.

The new light shot forth from the Alpha Superior with blinding brightness as it landed in front of Dyna, causing the kaiju beam blasts to dissipate. It flared up, bathing the Japanese Alps in light and causing Hyper Golza and Hyper Melba to back off.

World of the Land of Light

Ultraman King was on the Ultraman homeworld when he felt a surge of energy from another dimension. He looked up into the sky. "So... the prince has awakened..."

The shadowy figure that sent the two kaiju after Dyna raged as he saw the new light join him. "What!?"

The light subsided as it gave way to yet another giant. He had a silver face that was like a cross between Tiga and Mebius, and a golden chest protector that was styled after angelic wings reaching towards the back. The oval-shaped color timer was in the center. The rest of his body was silver, accented with gold stripes, accompanied by golden braces on his arms and shin protectors on his legs.

Dyna felt the spirit and light of Shinji Ikari coming from this being and knew instantly that this was indeed the Ultraman of this world. He stood up and came beside the new Ultraman, who was looking over himself. "Shinji."

The new Ultraman looked over to Dyna. "Asuka..." he said in what sounded like a deeper version of Shinji's voice, "I'm... really Ultraman."

Dyna nodded. "It looks like the battle caused your powers to awaken," he said.

The Hyper beasts then roared, getting the attention of both Ultras. Dyna then said, "well, this was sooner than I hoped, but you up for some kaiju-bashing?"

Shinji knew that usually he was supposed to be afraid, but this newfound power flowing in his veins was giving him an energy and confidence he had not realized before. He did not know what he was fully capable of, but something told him that his Ultra form was quite powerful. He slowly nodded affirmatively. Shaking hands with Dyna, the new Ultraman clenched his fists and assumed his own fighting stance. "Hah!"

Hyper Golza roared and fired a blast from his horn at the angelic Ultra. Shinji raised the Ultra's arms, and the beam deflected off the golden braces. Dyna rushed forward and delivered a Strong Punch, which scorched Hyper Golza's reinforced chest and caused it to stumble back. Ultra-Shinji rushed forward to back up Dyna with a kick of his own.

Hyper Melba screeched as it swooped down from the sky and hit Ultra Shinji with a mouth beam. Ultra-Shinji stumbled forward and was punched by Hyper Golza before Dyna grabbed its tail and threw it with a good Vulcan swing. Dyna then changed in another flash to his Miracle Type and shot at Hyper Melba with his Hand Shooter, forcing the winged fiend to turn away. Dyna rose into the air and gave chase as Ultra-Shinji recovered.

Ultra-Shinji breathed heavily as he now faced Hyper Golza one-on-one. The young boy inside the Ultra did his best to recall these few Ultraman episodes he saw on how to fight these kaiju. Just looking at Hyper Golza, he knew that he was up against a strong and tank-like monster. Ultra-Shinji rushed forward to try and punch Hyper Golza. Hyper Golza stumbled back from the blow but was far from being hurt by it and swung its tail to swat Ultra Shinji down to the ground.

Ultra-Shinji grunted as he tried to get back up, only to be smashed down again by the suped-up Golza's tail. He then felt his right brace warm up. Not knowing what else to do, Ultra-Shinji allowed his energy to flow into the brace. As the tail came back down, Ultra-Shinji swung his right arm hard, deflecting it. He rose back up and charged Hyper Golza again, his braces now flowing with golden energy as he delivered a punch to Golza's chest and another to his face. Hyper Golza recoiled as its mouth bled from losing a few teeth. "Hah!" Ultra-Shinji grunted confidently as he felt more of his Ultra energy flowing into his limbs. Ultra-Shinji jumped on Hyper Golza to deliver a series of powered kicks and punches, some of which began to crack parts of Hyper Golza's hardened outer skin.

"That's the spirit!" Dyna called down as he continued to spar with Hyper Melba in the sky. Hyper Melba shot at him with a combination of mouth and eye beams, but Dyna was able to roll and spin faster than the beams could hit. With precise aim, Miracle Dyna fired powered Hand Slash beams from both hands, hitting both wings and causing Hyper Melba to crash to the ground. Miracle Dyna then crossed his arms and with a flash of his light crystal, formed an energy lens between his arms above his head. With a burst of sunlight focused into a Shining Judge beam, he hit Hyper Melba with the 33,000 Celsius ray and made it explode into superheated vapor.

Hyper Golza fired a mouth beam at Ultra-Shinji, who blocked again with his braces. They burned with a golden brightness, and Ultra-Shinji decided to attempt another technique. Focusing his energy forward, he thrust his fists forward and a concentrated blast of light shot forth. This blast hit Hyper Golza in the chest, causing the armor to finally give way, exposing his softer underside. Ultra-Shinji grunted with satisfaction at causing some real damage, only for his own color timer to start blinking red in an audible tone similar to Dyna's. Realizing that he was almost out of energy, Ultra-Shinji looked to his braces, which still had enough power for another attack.

Ultra-Shinji then ran forward, charging the exhausted Golza as he focused the remaining energy into the right brace. With a mighty thrust of that fist, Ultra-Shinji sent a powered punch into Hyper Golza's gut. The monster roared in pain just before exploding. As the smoke cleared, the angelic-themed young Ultraman stood. However, he then fell to his knees as the color timer blinked faster from his exhaustion. Ultraman Dyna landed next to him and held him up for support.

"You did well," Dyna told Ultra-Shinji, who nodded back silently in response. Dyna then carried the angelic Ultraman up by the shoulder as they flew into the sky. The two turned back into light and shrank back into the cockpit of the hovering Alpha Superior.

The shadowy figure looked on in anger and seething rage as the Alpha Superior flew away. "Curse you... angel Ultraman..." His attempt to ambush Dyna had failed thanks to this newcomer.

Shinji laid back inside Asuka's garage, the afternoon's excitement catching up to him. Between the ambient warmth of the winged handle in his chest pocket, the cicada sounds from outside, and Shin Asuka's working on the fighter, Shinji closed his eyes thinking about his newfound power. Why did he have this power, and what did it all mean for him to have the ability to become an Ultraman of all things? He did not intend to nap long, but when Shinji opened his eyes again, he found himself hovering in space again.

Shinji was not as freaked out as before but having this sort of dream again only added to the surrealness of his young life. He looked down and saw Earth again. However, instead of the red oceans he and his generation were familiar with, he saw a bright blue planet whose oceans gleamed in the sun. "Whoa..." Shinji gasped, not famliar with the sight of a blue Earth. It was a thing of beauty compared to the Earth he was living on now.

However, the sight did not last long as he saw an explosion of light down at the South Pole. Shinji watched in horror as the continent of Antarctica disintegrated and the waters turned red and spread. At the center of the explosion Shinji saw four wings of light rise out of it.

"The seal has been broken," a young, yet powerful voice sounded behind Shinji. He turned in his place, and saw the same angelic Ultraman look upon him and the vision of Earth. While there was no facial expression due to the Ultraman having a silvery metal face, Shinji felt a sadness emanate off of him.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked, "and what do you mean the seal has been broken?" He had so many questions. Unlike the last time, it seemed the Ultraman looked directly at Shinji and responded...

"Evangel, Prince of the Nebula," the Ultraman introduced himself, "and the seal I used to keep the Fifteen Mighty Children of Adam asleep has been broken."

"Fifteen Children of Adam?" Shinji questioned, "who are they?"

The Ultraman, Evangel continued to look down at Shinji. "Shinji Ikari," he called the boy by name for the first time, "you must use my power for the battles to come for the future of your planet and humanity... in order to save it from another tragedy with the Children of Adam."

Ultraman Evangel then glowed brighter and caused the whole dream scene to white out.

"Shin... Shinji," Shin Asuka's voice greeted Shinji as he awoke back to reality.

"Asuka..." Shinji replied back with a groan. He suddenly found Shin up to his face with a grin. "Ah!" Shinji fell back in surprise to Shin's laughter.

"Got you!" Shin Asuka jested as he laughed at his friend's reaction. Shinji shook his head at the older man's antics, but then laughed along.

"Here," Shin Asuka held out a sandwich to Shinji. The new Ultra host accepted the lunch and the two ate together as they talked about the fight with Hyper Golza and Melba.

"I admit that I was scared out of my mind," Shinji told Shin, "but it was as though someone was there to fight alongside me..."

"Well, I'm glad to be of help," Shin beamed.

Shinji chuckled, "thanks, Asuka." He then glanced away again. "But what I meant was... it was as though someone else was beside me as Ultraman, like someone was inhabiting the same body to give me a boost."

Shin began to put it together. "That was probably from the Ultraman you transformed into," he said, "from a universe I visited, it's not uncommon for the Ultras of that world to save the lives of otherwise normal people and share their life forces with them to give them the powers of Ultramen. Yours is probably that kind of Ultra."

"But why me?" Shinji asked in earnest, pulling out the angel-winged transformation item, "why did he choose me, an ordinary seventeen-year-old guy?"

"That is because you have a destiny to fulfill, Evangel, Prince of the Nebula." An old, mighty voice suddenly sounded in the garage. Shin and Shinji turned to see an Ultra with a kingly appearance of a crowned head with a silver metal beard, red eyes, jewels on his silver torso outfit, and all-round blue and gold regalia topped off with a flowing red cape.

"Whoa!" Shinji gasped, "where did you come from!?"

Shin Asuka rose up in recognition of this powerful Ultra. "Ultraman King!"

Ultraman King of the World of the Land of Light looked upon Shin with a friendly nod. "It is good to see you once again and well, Ultraman Dyna of the World of the Neo Frontier," he greeted. Ultraman King then looked upon Shinji, who was still surprised at his appearance. "No need to be afraid of me, Shinji Ikari," the kingly Ultra assured, "I have only come because you have awakened as Evangel of Nebula M99."

"What are you talking about?" Shinji denied, unsure and a bit intimated by this powerful figure, "I'm not Evangel."

"The Evangel Splendor you have in your possession," Ultraman King replied, "is proof that you are imbued with the power of the hero of your world: Ultraman Evangel, Prince of Nebula M99." Shinji took the winged handle, the Evangel Splendor out of his chest pocket. It flashed briefly as though to emphasize its proof of the Ultraman's essence. "The Evangel Splendor responds to the will of light of those worthy to possess it," Ultraman King explained further, "and you have been chosen to protect your Earth from a series of coming evils that will visit your world."

Shinji was left speechless. He was to be a hero, and an Ultraman to save the world no less, but from whom? "Ultraman King," Shinji ventured to speak, "what sort of evil are you talking about, since you seem to know so much about me and Evangel?"

Ultraman King glanced sideways, giving Shinji the impression that he was frowning and musing. "There is much about this Earth that is unclear," he admitted, "a veil of darkness has descended over this world since the event known as the Second Impact." He then walked up and placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. Shinji felt a sense of comfort, despite the aura of power King exhibited. "However, you will not be forced to face your destiny alone," King reassured, "for your friend here shall be a great mentor and comrade in your endeavor."

"Wait," now it was Shin Asuka's turn to be surprised, "a mentor!?"

Ultraman King looked to Shin. "I have watched your friendship with this young one grow," he said, "and it is due to your influence and determination that this one was able to grow from the trauma of his childhood. You are the closest he has to an Ultra Brother to walk alongside him."

The two young Ultra hosts blinked and looked to one another, completely taken by surprise by what Ultraman King was telling them. Ultraman King then told Shin, "come, I must speak with you more."

"Okay," Shin said, really curious as to what this regal Ultra had to tell him. He walked out of the garage with King but glanced back and gave a reassuring wink to Shinji. As the two older Ultras left, Shinji was left to ponder the news of his new destiny and his most recent vision.

"Ultraman... Evangel," Shinji repeated the name, "what are the Children of Adam? And was that the Second Impact you showed me?" There was so much to learn, and something told him that there was a mystery to his homeworld waiting to be discovered.

Episode 1 – Evangel, Transform!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.

Aleutian Islands, January 8th, 2045 AD

"Hah!" Ultraman Evangel sparred with his mentor, Ultraman Dyna in the isolated reaches of the remains of the Aleutian Islands. It was part of Shinji Ikari's weekend training to be the hero that his world would soon need. Both he and Shin Asuka practiced relentlessly, with the latter giving the former all manner of Ultra martial arts and TPC standard military training.

Evangel wrestled with Dyna as the two giants traded blows. While the initial months of Shinji's training were just near-beatdowns due to Shin/Dyna's skill and experience, the fruit of the older Ultra's mentorship began to show as Shinji used Evangel's arm and leg braces to block and channel his strength and energy attacks. Dyna fired a lower power energy beam from his right arm, which Evangel blocked and absorbed with his left arm brace. Evangel then swung around and unleashed a wide beam arc, which hit and shocked Dyna back. Evangel leapt into the air and came down with a kick. Dyna recovered and caught the younger Ultra by the foot and spun him around before tossing him. Evangel recovered and spun himself back up right.

Dyna fired a series of energy bullets from his arm, but Evangel rolled sideways with incredible reflexes, causing all shots to miss their mark. Evangel then powered up his right foot brace and ran back towards Dyna. As Dyna waved a low power Flash Buster, Evangel ducked underneath the beam and slid hard, hitting Dyna with his foot and tripping him up. Dyna fell hard and did not seem to move for a bit. Thinking that he beat his mentor, Evangel walked back to help Dyna to his feet. Suddenly, Dyna swept his legs and fell Evangel to the ground. The younger Ultra was shocked at the move. Before he could respond, Dyna thrust his fingertips right in Evangel's face. Evangel could not move... he had been cornered.

Dyna untensed his hand and offered Evangel help getting up. The younger Ultra wearily accepted it and was lifted back on his feet. "You've improved with your tactics and overall combat reflexes," Dyna/Shin critiqued, "but you made a foolish assumption towards the end. You assumed I was beaten too soon. Do that in a fight with some crafty alien invader like Bat-seijin or Etelgar, it could be a fatal mistake."

"Sorry, Dyna," Evangel/Shinji apologized, "but thank you for the lesson all the same."

"No problem," Dyna/Shin replied with a fist bump, "but with this kind of progress, you'll be a full-fledged Ultra Warrior in no time!"

It was then that a new voice cut in. "Don't be so flippant in your teaching style, Dyna." The two Ultras turned to see the newcomer. "If you are not disciplined in your lessons to your student, how can he be disciplined in a real battle?"

"80," Dyna greeted with a slight groan. Ultraman 80 walked up to the two Ultras, having been brought to this universe upon Ultraman King's promptings.

"Even young Ultras are impressionable, Dyna," 80 remarked, "take it from someone who teached thousands of pupils for millennia." The seasoned headmaster looked upon the golden Ultraman. "You have made great strides, Evangel, but you must be more focused in battle. The Children of Adam are not your average kaiju, and they will show no mercy to the weak."

"80," Dyna said, "you and Ultraman King have said that... I've lost count now."

Shinji still wondered about the Children of Adam that 80 and King kept talking about so much, and Evangel had not been so talkative as he had hoped for an Ultra that was bonded to him. It was then that 80 turned to face Evangel.

"Greetings, Evangel," Ultraman 80 said in a friendly tone, "I hope your mentor has not been too difficult to keep up with."

Evangel hummed and just shrugged. "Nah, he's not that difficult, just likes to mess with me," Evangel jested, to 80's chuckle and Dyna's dismayed headshaking. "What brings you out here, Master 80?"

"We've been monitoring your world's aura in the past six months since you awakened as Ultraman Evangel," Ultraman 80 told him, "as much as we prayed against it, the shroud of darkness has only intensified. I fear that the time for the Children of Adam to emerge from their slumber is near."

"I need to know something," Evangel then spoke up, "what are these Children of Adam you and King keep talking about, and why do I seem to have more and more dreams of them?" Evangel, or rather Shinji had been having more visions of these mysterious entities. He had been seeing flashes of a civilization on fire... fifteen shadowy figures attacking him and him fighting back.

80 glanced sideways, seemingly not sure of what to say. "80," Dyna said, "if I'm going to be training this kid and sending him into a battle against these 'Children' or whatever they are for the fate of his world, he has the right to know."

80 looked the younger Ultra duo in the eyes. "I cannot say that I have a lot of answers concerning this realm, but this is what I do know based on what Ultraman King has shared with the Space Garrison," Ultraman 80 began, "the Children of Adam are responsible for the destruction of an advanced ancient civilization and are somehow connected to the event known as the Second Impact, which completely changed the face of the Earth."

"The Second Impact... wasn't it some sort of meteor impact on Antarctica in 2026?" Shinji was going off the history lessons of an event that happened before he was born, but since becoming Evangel, something about what he was taught did not jive right with him.

"That's what your world's governments do say," 80 remarked, "but the way it tore a fabric into the space-time continuum and stability of your world is far from natural. Whatever caused the Second Impact gave off intense dimensional energy readings similar to what the Children of Adam emit."

"So what... are you saying that these Children of Adam caused the Second Impact?" Evangel asked.

"That's the most logical conclusion at this time," 80 answered, "but there is still much about this world unknown to most outsiders."

"Whatever is going on, and whoever these Children of Adam are," Dyna resolved, "we are going to find out and help Evangel save his world." He grasped Evangel's hand tightly in a brotherly grip. "Evangel, we will save this world from whatever is thrown at us."

Evangel nodded. While Shinji was a bit apprehensive with the weight of this responsibility, he knew that he had Evangel's power and the help of Ultramen from other worlds. For the first time in a long time, Shinji felt he had a reason to live and a reason to fight.

Nagoya, Japan

Shinji rode his bike back from Shin Asuka's garage to his Uncle Yoshide's house. He was wearing his baseball uniform and carrying his gear on his back for his alibi with his uncle and school friends, though it was not entirely pretend as he and Shin both enjoyed a few rounds between themselves. While the human side of Shinji was supposed to be very weary from the intensity of the training and the excitement that now came into his life, he found himself enjoying every moment of being Ultraman and training with Dyna. The military training and mechanic lessons Shin gave were also as fun as they were invaluable, with Shinji learning how to shoot guns, fight human hand-to-hand, fix machines, and even drive and pilot vehicles! Shinji grew to appreciate and admire his Uncle Yoshide's air force pilot background more as he piloted the Alpha Superior with Shin in the instructor's seat. If Shinji was considered fit before as a baseball player, he now had the build of a young soldier in training.

When members of the Space Garrison observed him and Dyna training out of interest, many were impressed with Shinji's rapid progress as Ultraman Evangel, with some such as Ultraman 80, Ultraseven, and even Ultraman Mebius giving him additional training and advice to help him grow further. Shinji recognized many of them from the old Ultraman shows he began rewatching in his free time, which also helped him to grow closer to them. Shinji was probably now the luckiest Ultraman fan of his world, and he savored every moment of friendship with his fellow Ultramen.

Shinji rode through the gates and parked his bike in front of the house. "I'm home," he called as he opened the door.

"Hello, Shinji," Yoshide greeted, but he had a visible expression of distress as he held an envelope in his hand.

"Uncle?" Shinji blinked, "what's the matter?"

Yoshide showed the envelope. "It's addressed to you... from your father." He handed it to Shinji, who was digesting the words.

Shinji was now curious as to why his father was now contacting him after years of silence, and with a letter of all things. He tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter with a photo and a photo ID that had his picture on it. Shinji frowned as he saw that the letter simply read:

'Come to Tokyo-3 immediately. I have use for you.

-Gendo Ikari'

Yoshide grunted in dismay and anger over the wording. "That scumbag couldn't even be bothered to ask if you were doing well, let alone express any love," he said. He would have been fine to raise Shinji the rest of his life without Gendo butting in ever again.

Shinji then looked at the plastic ID card and saw that it was indeed registered to him, from an organization called NERV. The other photo was of a dark purplish-haired woman in a dress uniform looking like she did not want to stay still for the camera. There was a caption on the photo, identifying the woman as 'Misato Katsuragi' with a phone number just below the name.

"Uncle Yoshide..." Shinji said, with Yoshide putting his palm out and shaking his head.

"No, Shinji," Yoshide told him, "I will do the calling and tell this 'Misato Katsuragi' what I personally think of that man and his request. You just let me handle this." He pulled out his cell phone and took the photo from Shinji to dial the number. Guessing as to what his uncle was going to say, Shinji just went to his room and closed the door. He pulled out his wireless earbuds for his personal playlist on his phone to drown out the highly probable shouting that would ensue and began texting Shin about his negligent father's sudden re-entry into his life.

'Hey Shin,' Shinji texted, 'I got home and the first thing that greeted me and my uncle was a letter... from my father.'

Shinji sent the text. He began to think about his father again when Shin surprisingly responded quickly.

'That's out of the blue,' Shin replied, 'what did he say?'

'He just said that I should come to Tokyo-3, that he has use for me. -_-' Shinji added an emoji towards the end.

Shinji made out some hints of his uncle yelling in his 'military drill sergeant' voice through the walls. Putting his calming classical music volume up, Shinji continued to talk with Shin.

'That's real cold.' Shin said.

'Tell me about it,' Shinji replied, 'but that's my old man for you.'

It was then that Shin texted, 'Mr. Yamato wants to talk with us after school tomorrow. You available?'

Shinji narrowed his eyes. Ultraman 80 had apparently caught wind of this to call a sudden meeting. He nonetheless texted back in the affirmative.

It was then that Shinji got a knock on his door. He shut off his music and took the earbuds off as he opened it, to see his frustrated and weary-looking uncle on the other side. "Uncle, you okay?"

Yoshide pursed his dry lips and shook his head. "No... and the nerve of that bastard," he expressed, "not only is he refusing to take 'no' for an answer, but he's had custody papers signed for you to go to Tokyo-3 or have me charged with kidnapping. He's using a court order to FORCE me to send you on the earliest train tomorrow."

"You're kidding," Shinji facepalmed.

"I wish I was..." Yoshide expressed as a pall fell over the house. Not knowing what else to say at the moment, Yoshide said, "I'll... get dinner ready," and left for the kitchen.

Shinji found his seat and collapsed. He texted Shin again about his abrupt departure tomorrow. A few minutes passed before Shin gave an answer.

'Be ready to sneak out when your uncle goes to bed,' Shin told him, 'Mr. Yamato insists that he and his brothers meet with you.'

Shinji stopped on his keypad. The Ultra Brothers were here...

Shinji waited for about half an hour after saying good night to his uncle. After he had determined that it was quiet enough to go out, he sent a text to Asuka to meet him. Shinji felt for the Evangel Splendor to make sure it was on him, and sure enough he felt its warmth in his vest pocket. He opened the window, and slowly crawled out. He jumped the gate with his heightened reflexes and ran across the street into an alley. Sure enough, Shin was where he said he was on a motorbike.

"Hey stranger," Shin jokingly greeted.

"A bit late for a hangout, don't you think?" Shinji chuckled back as he got onto the back of the bike. With a smooth hum, Shin pulled the hybrid bike onto the street and took off at high speed. The two rode into a secluded part of the woods outside of Nagoya, parking the bike and walking the rest of the way. Little did either of them know that they were being followed...

"There they are," Shin pointed to a small campfire. Shinji squinted his eyes to see that there were six men roasting meat and vegetables on kebab sticks by the fire. He knew who they were, as they had visited him during his training with Dyna.

They were six of the Ultra Brothers from the World of the Land of Light in their human forms: Ultraman 80 (Takeshi Yamato), Ultraman (Shin Hayata), Ultraseven (Dan Moroboshi), Ultraman Jack (Hideki Go), Ultraman Ace (Seiji Hokuto), and Ultraman Taro (Kotaro Higashi). Takeshi looked up from the fire to see Shin and his young charge and smiled. "Welcome, Dyna and Evangel," he greeted.

"Please, refer to us by our human names," Shin put up his hands.

"Same," Shinji said, following his mentor.

"Ah... the young Ultra warrior of this world," Dan grinned as he waved a kebab, "how good of you to join us tonight."

"Is it just me," Hideki jested, "or has Asuka's young mentee grown a few centimeters since we last saw him?"

Seiji beamed as he looked at the duo. "Is that because your master has been giving you a good diet or is it despite his love for sandwiches and fast food," he joked.

"Hey," Shin laughed, "I eat healthy, and so does Shinji here."

"Oh really?" Seiji raised an eyebrow, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Alright," Hayata called, "as good as it is to be together like this, we have important business to discuss." He patted a spot next to him. "Asuka, Shinji, sit please."

The Ultra duo took their spots, legs crossed as they relaxed. Kotaro reached out with two kebabs. "Hope you both are hungry."

"Thank you, Kotaro," Shin accepted.

"Thank you," Shinji said, taking his stick and roasting it over the fire.

The eight Ultra hosts sat together, though apparently unaware of two unwanted guests spying on them through the woods. They were men in black sweaters with shades modified with night vision and earpieces trying to pick up on the conversations.

"What is that Ikari kid doing out here?" One asked his partner.

"I don't know, but Commander Ikari will have our heads if the kid does anything else than to go to Tokyo-3. We might have to call for back up to bring him to HQ and take these interlopers into custody." The second agent was about to reach for his radio when someone came up behind them.

"I would put that away if I were you," an elderly but strong man with black hair and a black samurai kimono spoke, spooking the two agents. The two pulled their suppressed pistols on him.

"I-Identify yourself," the first agent demanded.

"I would ask that of you," the samurai-looking man retorted, "but I heard just about every word, and you will not remember a thing about tonight."

"Oh yeah, say who old man!?" The second agent defiantly aimed his gun at the mystery man's head.

"Me and my brother, agent of NERV," the man raised a fist, showing a lion-styled ring with a glowing ruby in front.

Before either agent could respond, they were wacked from behind by an identical-looking man with superhuman strength and reflexes.

"Project E?" Shinji asked Hayata.

Hayata crossed his arms as he explained, "apparently some sort of secret weapon that the governments of your Earth have collaborated on. They too seem to be cognizant of the Children of Adam but are keeping this knowledge from the population."

"And that troubles you, that they're developing this weapon?" Shinji asked the Ultra Brothers, but inside he was also feeling that there was something about the name. It sounded... familiar

"Actually, young one," Dan Moroboshi spoke up, "what concerns us is your father's involvement with other certain individuals."

"My father?" Shinji blinked his eyes.

"Here," Kotaro pulled out a crystal hologram, which he passed on to Shin, and finally to Shinji. "Open it," Kotaro prompted, "there is intel we compiled inside."

Shinji studied the crystal device for a bit before pressing on the touch panel, causing the hologram to activate. He saw the profile of his father translated into Japanese. It was a series of files the Space Garrison had put together. "Where did you get all this?"

"It wasn't easy, Shinji," Hayata spoke again, "but we've been watching this world for many years, and your father has quite a story to him despite his various attempts to destroy any paper and electronic trails of his own life."

"You should see what we found out about Gendo Ikari from the time of the Second Impact," Takeshi advised.

Shinji moved the holograms around, until he came upon a news article dated from shortly after the Second Impact. He saw that it was about the 'Katsuragi Expedition', a group of researchers who had died when the continent of Antarctica had been destroyed. What caught Shinji's attention was his father being listed as a member who survived due to having left Antarctica a day before the tragedy. "W-what was he doing in Antarctica of all places?"

Hayata shook his head. "We don't know all of the details, but our analysts believe that your father has a deep involvement somehow with the events of the Second Impact. The fact that he is now the Commander of NERV and is heading Project E, along with the fact that many who tried to uncover the truth behind his involvement have either gone missing or turned up dead."

Shinji rubbed his head, which was now hurting from the revelations and the idea that his father was involved in some sort of conspiracy. "So... what am I supposed to do? Refuse and stay away from NERV?"

"I'm afraid that will not be as simple as that," a new voice interrupted. Everyone turned to see the two identical twins in their samurai style kimonos dragging along two spies that were knocked out cold. Shinji immediately recognized the twins by their glowing rings, especially the lion-shaped one. They were the twins Ultraman Leo (Gen Otori) and Ultraman Astra (going by the alias of Jun Otori).

"Mr. Otori," Shinji greeted with surprise.

"And how long have you two been there?" Shin Asuka wondered aloud.

"Long enough," Gen answered as he and Jun tossed the knocked-out agents in front of them. "You were followed, Asuka," Gen chided, "Jun and I managed to knock them out before they could contact NERV."

"They were likely sent by Gendo Ikari to make sure that his son did not attempt to refuse and run," Jun followed up.

Shin stood up and said, "you know what, I think I agree with Yoshide that the bastard does not deserve to have Shinji. He really looks like a shameless excuse of a dad if I've ever met one!"

"Shin," Kotaro shook his head, "the problem is that if we don't have Shinji get on the inside, we may not have another opportunity to learn what is happening inside NERV. Don't forget that the Children of Adam are about to be unleashed onto this world, and we need to get on the action right away."

"Well Shinji can clobber those Children of Adam, away from the clutches of his freak dad," Shin insisted.

"Listen," Takeshi broke in, "Shin... I understand your concern for your mentee here. I too hate the thought of him having to go into that den that Gendo Ikari holds sway over, but if Shinji is to be of any help to this world and mature as an Ultra Warrior, it will be a decision he has to make himself."

Takeshi looked to Shinji. "Shinji Ikari," he said, "I know that this is on short notice, but are you willing and prepared for what lies ahead with both the Children of Adam and your father?"

Shinji glanced down as he contemplated. While he dreaded having to see his cold and uncaring father again, the growing Ultra Warrior side of him was felling him that the battle for the future of this world was indeed imminent, and that it involved having to face his past for the sake of the future. He then thought of his Uncle Yoshide, and the smiling faces of the friends he had just made in the six months of meeting Shin Asuka. Yes, he knew... it was time...

"Yes, Mr. Yamato," Shinji finally answered, "while I do not wish for this, I now know that my battle draws near. If it means I have to face father in order to face the future, so be it."

"Besides," Shinji pulled out a photo he had saved from the photo collection of his mom, "I have tough questions for him, and I want answers." It was the wedding photo of both his smiling parents.

There was a pause over the whole group, before Takeshi said, "very well, Shinji. Just know that whatever happens next, the Space Garrison has your back."

"I'm still not too hot about this," Shin Asuka admitted, "but I'll go where he goes." He patted Shinji on the back. "I'll be flying air cover at a distance and ready to swing in if you need it." Shin put a thumbs up. "Ultra Brothers, you and I?"

Shinji returned the thumbs up. "Roger!" He replied like a Super GUTS member would. This brought smiles and chuckles from the older men. Shinji then looked to the two men who had tailed him and Shin. "And what about them?"

"Leave that to me and Jun," Gen said, "they won't remember a thing about what they did or saw tonight."

"We'd best get going then," Shin said as he finished what was left of his kebab. He and Shinji stood up and shook hands with each of the Ultra Brothers.

"Thank you for the kebabs, Mr. Yamato," Shinji said with a smile. He looked at all the Ultra Brothers, "and thank you all for the company tonight. Your friendships mean a lot to me."

"And we will pray for your health and victory," Dan returned.

As Shinji and Shin left, Hideki then asked, "you think Evangel will succeed?"

Takeshi looked at the departing young Ultramen with a musing gaze, then back to the two NERV agents who Gen and Jun worked on wiping their memories of the night. "Evangel... Shinji Ikari will have us and Dyna by his side," he answered, "because if he succeeds, he will save his world along with many others."

Takeshi looked up to the stary skies above. "Ultraman Evangel and Ultraman Dyna... may light shine upon you your paths and futures."

Ouside Tokyo-3, January 9th, 2045 AD

"We are sorry, all cellular lines are busy at the moment due to the state of emergency."

Shinji frowned as he looked at his cell phone. He was outside of the train station, awaiting his NERV contact, Misato Katsuragi, but his attempts to call her were falling on empty ring tones. He then called Shin Asuka on their secure personal line. "Hey Shinji," Shin answered.

"I've been trying to call this Misato Katsuragi over and over," Shinji said as he looked over the photo of the woman, "but I keep getting this alert about a state of emergency." He looked up into the sky, knowing that Shin Asuka was somewhere in his Alpha Superior, out of sight. "Can you see anything from up there?"

"Negative... other than several lines of main battle tanks and VTOL attack aircraft in the distance, the whole city looks dead from up here," Shin reported.

"Looks pretty dead down here too, like a ghost town," Shinji murmured. He then joked a bit, "I suppose they aren't waiting to surprise me and roll out the red carpet, are they?"

Shin laughed at that. "Nah... you couldn't even look the celebrity part even if you wanted to!" Shinji laughed back at Shin's retort. It was then that the conversation turned serious again. "Anyways," Shin continued, "from what the Space Garrison told me, this Tokyo-3 is supposed to double as a military fortress, so it's probably safe to say that they are preparing for something to come."

"Let me guess... the Children of Adam?" Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"That's what I was thinking," Shin said, "oh... wait, I see something in the distance kicking up dust. It's massive. Must be a kaiju."

Shinji grunted in exasperation. He had just arrived in a ghost town, and now a monster was headed his way. 'Much sooner than I thought too,' Shinji thought, 'what a welcoming party.' He then talked to Shin again, "okay, so what now?"

"I'm gonna see what it is," Shin answered, 'try to reach this Katsuragi woman, and I'd probably get away from the train station soon."

"You sure about that?" Shinji asked, "she might miss me if she's looking for me."

"Two things," Shin laid it out, "one, she is terribly late for your arrival. Two, if a kaiju hits town, all bets are off. Trust me, get away from the station and be mobile. Make yourself less vulnerable."

Shinji exhaled, realizing that his mentor had a good point. "Okay then, but you be careful up there."

"Same to you,"

Shin replied, "and be alert going to NERV. Over and out." The call ended.

Shinji put away the phone and began his trek through the city. It was eerily quiet for a city. Not even the birds seemed to want to breathe. Meanwhile, he also began to think back on what the Ultra Brothers told him about Project E. 'I know that name from somewhere, but why?' Shinji thought quietly to himself as he felt for the Evangel Splendor. While he would have liked to talk with Evangel about these mysteries, it seemed that Evangel kept silent most of the time and could only be seen in certain dreams some nights.

It was then that Shinji saw a strange sight down the street: a girl about his age, stood with a school uniform and strange blue hair. Shinji stared in confusion at this strange girl, who seemed to stare back at him with red eyes. 'Who is she?' Shinji wondered as he suddenly felt the warmth of the Evangel Splendor in his vest pocket. He glanced away for a moment as he felt for the device, then looked back to see that the girl had since disappeared.

'Who was that?' Shinji wondered, 'and why did the Splendor warm up like that? Was it reacting to something?'

Shin Asuka stealthily flew at high altitudes with his radar jammer active to avoid detection. He looked down upon the massive form that was kicking up dust clouds. He saw it was a lumbering giant, about the same size as an Ultra, with green skin, long lanky arms with armored grey shoulders in a hunchback shape, a white bird-like face that looked like more of a mask, and an exposed, glowing red orb in the middle of its ribbed chest.

Explosions ensued as a squadron of VTOLs fired missiles as they flew backwards, retreating from the walking kaiju.

"That has got to be the ugliest son of a gun I've seen," Shin Asuka remarked in disgust as he hovered over the battlefield.

Shinji stood and watched as he saw the strange kaiju come into view from the hills surrounding the city. If he had been an ordinary human boy, he would have been shocked and frozen in fear, but instead felt more of a disdain as he saw the creature.

'I've fought a few wild kaiju for practice,' Shinji thought as he scrunched his face, 'but none as ugly as that thing!' It resembled none of the kaiju he had encountered or seen in the Space Garrison database Ultraman 80 and the Brothers showed him a few times. 'That must be one of the Children of Adam!' Shinji had to duck as more missiles and cannon fire whizzed by and exploded on the creature, none of which did any real damage. He watched as the display of mass firepower seemed to do little more than put on a fireworks show that did not even knick the kaiju's skin. "Surely the military's got better weapons for monster fighting," Shinji muttered to no one in particular.

One VTOL that got a little too close to the monster was suddenly impaled through an engine wing by the creature's energy pike shooting out of its claw and fell out of the sky.

"Ah!" Shinji hit the ground and covered his face as the VTOL crashed and ground to a stop in front of him. He expected it to immediately explode, but it did not. All of a sudden, he felt something in his vision, as though there had been a spike of clarity. He looked up at the cockpit and saw that the pilot was injured but alive!

Seeing that the green monster was occupied with the cover fire from the other VTOLs, Shinji moved into action. Feeling that amazing burst of intuition and energy, he grabbed his baseball bat from his duffel bag and ran towards the downed VTOL. He swung towards the cracked cockpit canopy that was dipping towards the ground, and with a hard whack it shattered.

Shinji climbed in and worked the harness on the pilot. Seeing that it was stuck tight, Shinji grunted in frustration and pulled out of his vest a fixed-blade military knife, a TPC-issued suvenoir from Shin Asuka. He took the laser-cut razor edge to the harness, and it easily cut the straps.

Shinji then saw the giant alien leap up and was about to land on top of him and the downed plane. "Agh!" Shinji barely managed to pull the surviving pilot out and stumble away with a burst of superhuman strength before the creature's foot crushed and exploded the wreckage. Shinji's mind was screaming as he looked up at the giant alien monster.

'Come on, Shinji,' he found himself thinking, 'you've been in scrapes with kaiju already! So what if it's a Child of Adam or whatever?'

Shinji looked to the pilot and saw he was bleeding from his forehead under his helmet. He did not remove the helmet but checked his neck for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt the man still breathing. With a look of anger up at the creature, Shinji stood up and was about to reach into his vest for the Splendor.

Suddenly, there were tires screeching as a beat-up blue car pulled up in front of him. Shinji grunted as he withdrew his hand. The car door opened to reveal the driver, the woman in the photo marked as his NERV contact, Misato Katsuragi.

"Shinji Ikari?" Misato asked.

"That's me," Shinji said with a nod.

"Come with me now!" Misato yelled.

Shinji then knelt down and picked up the unconscious pilot by the shoulder. "This pilot's badly hurt! Can you help him too?"

Misato blinked her eyes in surprise as Shinji lifted the man. While the pilot was larger, Shinji was showing a muscular and fit build, and seemed to have little problem lifting someone nearly a third larger than him. She got over the shock and got out to help the pilot into the back seat. "There," Misato said as she strapped him in, "now let's go!"

Shinji jumped into the passenger seat and buckled up. Misato quickly shifted the car into gear and throttled away over the speed limit. Shinji grit his teeth as he felt the car jolt and shake as they raced away from the battle. 'Not even Shin's GUTS Eagle was this bad during evasive maneuvers!'

The car finally was on a highway when Misato spoke. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, "but all those abandoned cars on the expressway forced me to take detours, and by the time I got to the train station, you were gone!"

"Well, the payphones were out of order and the cellular network was a little busy," Shinji answered with a firm matter-of -fact tone, "and I was not given the clearest of instructions by a certain someone sending me a letter out of the blue."

"Oh... why did this have to happen today!? The UN and JSSDF aren't exactly killing it with their fireworks either!" Misato whined loudly as she hurriedly set the GPS for NERV HQ. She turned to look at Shinji, and saw that far from being frightened, he looked more like a young soldier ready to go and fight as he stared out towards the VTOL squadrons shooting at the monster.

'I can't become Evangel now,' Shinji thought, 'not with this lady next to me and that wounded pilot in tow. I guess I'm going to NERV first and waiting for the next chance.' He then turned his attention to the injured pilot. "I need to check on him again," he said, "he's got a pretty bad cut underneath that helmet."

Before Misato could respond, Shinji quickly unbuckled and slipped into the backseat legs first. She noticed how smoothly he moved as he got up next to the pilot. He carefully removed the helmet, and there was indeed a wide gash in his forehead. Shinji looked down at the helmet and frowned to see a large chunk of sharp metal debris enbedded in it. He glanced to Misato. "Do we have a medical kit, or something to wrap his head?"

"No..." Misato shook her head as she facepalmed, "I was expecting an in-and-out pick up, not a battlefield medvac."

Shinji rolled his eyes, before reaching into his backpack. He found a spare white shirt and regarded it shortly before ripping a cloth out of it. Misato glanced back a bit as she saw Shinji tightly wrapping the ruined cloth around the man's head as an improvised bandage. "That should stop his bleeding," Shinji said, "though the glass and concussion will be later problems for the hospital to manage."

Shinji then slipped back into shotgun seat. He then softened up and looked back towards Misato. "Thanks for bailing us out of there, Captain Katsuragi."

"Please, you can call me Misato," the woman said smiling. She had to admit that Shinji was very different from his stated personnel profile; he was quite brave.

"Okay then, Misato. Now, care to tell me a bit about our towering Grim Reaper back there?" Shinji asked, not because he did not know, but rather was interested in her official answer as a NERV officer.

"That Grim Reaper," Misato could not help but snirk at Shinji's choice of words, "you won't believe it... is called an Angel."

"Angel?" Shinji stared with a raised eyebrow, "looks more like a reject out of Satan's demon horde."

Misato shrugged, but then could not help but snicker again. "Don't look at me, I'm not the one naming these things."

"Intensify the barrage! Hit it with everything we've got!" A JSSDF general yelled into an intercom to the squadron commanders.

Another added, "forget conserving the ammo, just kill that thing already!"

A streaking wave of cruise missiles launched from over the horizon in conjunction with two UN Forces bombers firing their retro fitted SRBM payloads.

"Let's see how it likes thermobaric warheads."

The Angel blinked at the sight of the missiles as the gunfire bounced off its hardened skin. It then raised both claws and grabbed the large missiles. Both shredded themselves against the claws as the cruise missiles hit home. The Angel was engulfed in explosions.

"We got him!" One general celebrated, only for the giant to step through the conflagration with only slight burns. "No! What is that thing made of!?"

Another general whispered to the leading general of the group. The older officer nodded with a grim look. "Very well," he said, "I give the green light. Withdraw our forces and set detonation to two minutes."

Sitting behind the generals, two men watched the whole battle unfold on the main monitor in the cavernous and highly advanced command center. The older of the two, who was standing, simply remarked, "that is an AT Field. No conventional weapon can penetrate that."

"Indeed," the younger one with a dark uniform and orange-tinted glasses mused in his chair, "which means the time has come for Project E to be unveiled..."

"Tsk," Shin shook his head, "not only is that thing ugly; it's as tough as Golza." As tempting as it was to get in on the action Shin knew better than to rush in headlong on this one. The defense forces would no doubt be very unwelcoming towards him, and he knew that this Child of Adam was no ordinary kaiju to tackle. His first order would be to watch over Shinji and see that he made it to his destination.

Shin looked down at the blue car caring his young friend and saw that it was still racing along toward Tokyo-3. "Come on," he said, "just get there as fast as you can." HE then saw that the UN aircraft surrounding the monster stopped shooting and began to quickly scatter. "What now? Are they planning something?"

It was then that his Dyna sense began to spike with a sense of foreboding danger. As the Child of Adam took another step, a flash suddenly almost blinded Shin. He realized it was a massive explosion. "Crud!" He pulled on the stick hard and climbed as the mushroom cloud rapidly rose into the sky. "Shinji!" He cried out as he saw that the shockwave was racing across the landscape towards the little car.

Misato swore as she saw the explosion to the left of the car. "That's an N2 mine!" She pushed her car even harder as she tried to outrace the inevitable shockwave.

Shinji grit his teeth as the air suddenly heated up from the blast. He realized that there was no way to outrace an explosive shockwave like that, and if the car flipped over if it was not totaled first, the concussion had the chance of seriously injuring or killing himself, Misato, and their unconscious passenger. 'It can't end like this,' he thought as he squinted from the bright flash and covered his ears for the deafening boom and shockwave. He heard the boom through his covered ears and felt the car jolt, but strangely did not flip over as he had expected.

Shinji opened his eyes and realized that Misato had been stunned and they were about to careen into the road railing. With fast reflexes, he reached over with his foot and pressed hard on the brake pedal while pushing the throttle to neutral. As the car barely halted a hair's width from hitting the railing, Shinji realized that the car had been surrounded in a golden shield of light. He felt the Evangel Splendor giving off a great warmth in his vest and saw that it was shining through the clothing a bit; it was generating a shield which had protected them from the blast. The Splendor then stopped glowing and the shield went down.

Misato groaned as she came back to her senses. "Oh..." she groaned, "what happened?"

"We're still alive," Shinji answered, a bit shaken but relieved, "though we almost flew into the railing."

Misato then looked at herself and the car and found that neither seemed to be badly scratched. She looked bewildered at Shinji. "How? We would have been at least overturned by now!" Her blue car stood intact compared to the rest of the blown-out landscape that glowed orange from the N2 mine blast.

"A miracle," Shinji said simply, knowing that Misato had been too dazed to realize that Evangel had saved their lives. He then heard a groan from the back seat. He smiled a bit upon hearing that and turned to see the pilot coming to. "And our other passenger's still breathing too."

"W... Where am I," the pilot groaned, "... what... just happened?"

"A plane crash and a nuclear detonation happened," Shinji answered as he looked the pilot in the eyes, "and I saved your life."

"Saved? I... ow!" The pilot hissed as he felt a sharp pain from his bandaged head wound.

"Easy," Shinji held his hand, "you got hit with a metal shard through your helmet. I bandaged you as best as I could."

"A rather good job he did, too," Misato complimented as she looked at Shinji. He seemed to be rather calm and composed for a 17-year-old boy who had to her knowledge not seen battle. The fact that he braved the battle to save this pilot was also impressive, hardly the actions of a boy who was supposed to be timid and shy.

Shinji looked back out towards the explosion and saw the shadow of the Angel through the light. "They detonated a nuke and that thing is still standing?" Shinji had heard many times from the Ultra Brothers that the Children of Adam were above ordinary kaiju, but this level of durability on the part of the Angel was ridiculous.

"N2 mine, not nukes," Misato corrected, "otherwise we'd be getting radiation sickness now." She then put the care back into gear as they resumed their journey. "Let's get to HQ, we might have something that can really stop that thing."

Shinji guessed that Misato was talking about the secret Project E but looking at the Angel's still-mighty form at ground zero, he thought that nothing except the power of Ultraman could stop it now.

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3

"Impossible! That was our greatest and last resort weapon!" One of the generals raged as drone and ground camera footage displayed the Angel, burnt but very much alive and regenerating. "How can it survive something like the N2!?"

The lead general looked back with a weary and begrudging expression towards the dark man in the glasses. "Well, Commander Ikari, it looks like you will have your chance to test your little toys. I hate to have to say this, but we give you the green light to take over the rest of the operation. Kill that monster and consider NERV operational."

"Consider it done. NERV will not disappoint or fail," Gendo Ikari answered with a hint of cold condescension.

"We'll be monitoring the rest of the battle from our own theater command," the lead military officer said as he and his staff rose up to leave, "do not let us down." With that, the military personnel left.

The older man looked to Gendo, "you do realize that Unit 01 has no pilot, and that Rei is in no condition to pilot after the accident."

"I know, Fuyutsuki-sensei," Gendo said, "that is why I had Captain Katsuragi sent to pick up the replacement pilot."

Vice Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki grimaced a bit. "You do know that replacement pilot is your own son," he reminded.

"I know," Gendo said with no hint of affection or concern, "proceed with the launch preparations for Unit 01."

Shinji barely listened to Misato's talking on her cell phone as he watched the Angel regenerating in the distance. With his improved eyesight, he was seeing how the Angel seemed to shed its damaged skin with fresh stuff growing underneath, and even the face mask seemed to give way to a second face underneath. 'These Children of Adam have some really gross features,' he thought, 'I wonder if that is on purpose for freaking the rest of us out.'

"I can't believe anything could survive a blast like that," the pilot watched with his savior from the back, "and to think I almost got crushed by that thing." He shuddered at the thought of being crushed in his plane with his gunner, who had already probably died during the crash before. He then looked to Shinji. "Thanks for getting me out of there, kid."

"Roger," Shinji gave the thumbs up with the Super GUTS greeting, "Shinji Ikari."

"Donnie Reagan," the pilot greeted, "US Army helicopter pilot stationed in Japan, attached to the UN Forces as a VTOL pilot." Donnie was an American man in his late thirties with dark brown hair and eyes.

Shinji then turned back to Misato as she got off her phone. "So, what was that about?"

"Ah, just telling them that I have things covered and you under my protection," Misato answered rather tiredly, "and I did tell them about our extra passenger needing some medical attention."

"Thank you," Donnie smiled, "you guys really pulled me out of a frying pan."

"Well, it was the least we could do for the fact that you guys only made fireworks that did absolutely nothing," Misato replied rather flippantly.

"Hey," Donnie talked back, "at least we gave it an effort! We probably at least slowed it down!"

"Right, slowed it down and lost several planes in the process, not to mention billions of yen of munitions wasted," Misato remarked with a headshake.

"Wasted!? I oughta-" Donnie's threat was cut short when his head started throbbing again. "Ow!"

"Donnie, just rest," Shinji chided, "you've got enough of a headache as is."

"Ugh... right," Donnie relented as he felt fatigued and collapsed back into his seat.

Shinji then looked out towards the front, as Misato drove onto the car train to Tokyo-3. As it started to move underground, Shinji asked, "so Misato, what is this organization, NERV?"

"Well," Misato began, "we're a secret organization with ties to the United Nations and world governments. Your father is basically the head of NERV. We are responsible for developing and maintaining the only weapons that can kill that Angel you saw."

"Basically, a monster attack team," Shinji surmised aloud as he thought of the Super GUTS team of Shin Asuka's world, "only that it's got my father running it." He expressed the last part with a hint of bitterness.

"You... sound like you don't care for him all that much," Misato remarked about the way Shinji regarded his father.

"Well, when you consider that he abandoned me after my mom died, and then barged back into my life threatening her brother, my uncle..." Shinji answered, "you'd understand why I'm not particularly warm about him."

"Ouch," Donnie said overhearing the whole thing, "now that's just cold."

"That's my dad, unfortunately," Shinji said, "and get this: he sent a letter simply saying that he had 'use' for me. He doesn't even have the guts to bother asking me if I was alright and doing well."

Misato realized that the conversation was just not happy one and decided to change the subject. "By the way, you do have your ID card, right Shinji?"

"Yeah, though..." Shinji frowned as he saw his picture on the card, "honestly, it's creepy how you guys somehow got my most recent picture. Were you all spying on me?"

Misato gawked a bit, and then changed the subject again. "Oh! Here we are!"

Shinji squinted a bit as the view brightened from the train exiting the tunnel. "Whoa!" Shinji shouted as he got a full view of the humongous cavern. "This is a geofront!" He looked down at the myriad of buildings and forests down below.

Donnie sat up and looked out despite his headache and marveled at the sight. "I've heard rumors of NERV having an underground base... but I never thought it was this big..." He then saw a black pyramid. "Hey Shinji, look there in the middle."

Shinji looked in the direction of the geofront center and saw the dark shape of the pyramid. As he stared at it though, he felt a sort of dark, cold vibe that seemed to befit the ominous appearance of the building. "That's... that's got to be where my father is..."

"That's our headquarters," Misato said, "our destination." She saw that Shinji stared at the building with a hardened look, while clutching his vest hard. Little did she know that Shinji was squeezing the Evangel Splendor underneath for warmth as he sensed darkness emanating from the pyramid.

"Attention, Chief of Project E, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi! Please contact Captain Misato Katsuragi immediately!"

Ritsuko Akagi just rolled her eyes as she oversaw the final preparations of Project E from her control room. She pulled out her phone and began dialing Misato's number. She waited a few seconds as it rang. muttering frustratedly for her friend to pick up. She was finally answered with, "hello, Rits!"

"Misato, where are you," Ritsuko spoke loudly into the phone, "you are extremely late, and we are already completing our launch preparations!"

"We had to drop off a guest of ours in the infirmary!" Shinji just listened as Misato talked on her cell while walking, "and you know that this place isn't exactly the easiest to navigate!"

Shinji was getting a bit angsty, however. After dropping off pilot Donnie Reagan with a group of physicians and nurses, he was about ready to bolt back to the surface and turn into Evangel to finish off the Angel. He had to play along though, as the Ultra Brothers warned him to keep his Ultraman alterego a secret around NERV.

Eventually, Misato found her way to the control room, where an impatient Ritsuko greeted her with a glare. "About time, Misato," the scientist glowered, "we have very limited time for you to get lost."

"Actually, to be fair, she had an app to help her," Shinji stood up for Misato, "the place is still rather big, and we had to detour a bit to drop off a pilot I helped."

Ritsuko then gazed upon Shinji. "So this is the Third Child... Shinji Ikari," she said.

"Yes, according to the Marduk report," Misato followed up.

Shinji's thoughts swam with the codename that he had apparently been given. One part of him felt miffed at being tagged like that, and another wondered about who were the two before him. However, the pulsing of the Evangel Splendor reminded him of the kaiju Angel above, and he refocused on thinking how to defeat it.

"Shinji Ikari," he introduced himself to Ritsuko, deciding to take the polite tact, extending his hand, "nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Dr. Ritsuko Akagi," the scientist extended her as she looked upon the boy. As their hands touched, Shinji suddenly felt something... familiar about Ritsuko.

Shinji then asked, "sorry, but have we met somewhere before? It feels like I know you somehow."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow for a bit, but then changed the subject as she noticed Shinji's build and physique. "You look... taller and stronger than I thought you would be," she remarked.

It was then that Shinji remembered: his picture on his ID was of his old self; the spry and shy boy he was before he his fateful meeting with Shin Asuka/Ultraman Dyna. How big a difference those past months made in his life...

"Well, you could say that I had a makeover, if that's what you're talking about, " Shinji answered with a shrug, "I took up some sports and exercise with a friend." He smiled slightly as he thought of his mentor. He then decided to throw a curveball, "so is that monster above us the reason why my sorry excuse of a father called me here, to be some sort of personal attack dog?"

"Wha-" Ritsuko and Misato were both caught off guard. This was very unlike the personality NERV had on profile. The Shinji Ikari standing with them was a very different person than they were briefed on; he was assertive and quite daring to speak his mind. He was also quite open about his negative opinions of his own father. "How did you-" Ritsuko was about to ask.

"Come on," Shinji said with a shrug, "I started putting two and two together about my father's 'insistence' that I come when that monster showed up and Misato here banged up her car to get me out of Dodge."

Misato laughed nervously at how blunt but right on Shinji was in his assessment. "If you put it that way, I guess that is one way to sum it up," she said, "yes, we have need of young personnel for a top-secret project to combat the Angels."

"Which is where Project E comes in," Ritsuko added, "we just didn't expect the Angel to attack so soon."

Shinji's head throbbed slightly at the mention of the name, but it was a bit stronger coming from Ritsuko. He had heard of this somewhere before, but how and why? "So... you're going to put me into some superweapon that is top-secret, I have no experience handling, and pray for the best?" Shinji raised an eyebrow to emphasize how absurd it all sounded, while hiding his wondering about Project E.

"That's... quite accurate," Ritsuko admitted, "we're in a desperate situation as you can see."

"And apparently desperate to use underaged soldiers," Shinji retorted, "but I suppose we have little choice..." He lowered his voice a bit, reflecting on his inheriting Evangel's power despite being a minor.

"Follow me," Ritsuko said as she led Shinji and Misato down to the cage. As she did Ritsuko made slight glances back at Shinji, both amazed and a little uncomfortable with his blunt and assertive personality.

Shinji listened to tidbits of Misato arguing with Ritsuko about 'Unit 01' and how it had a slim chance of activating. However, in the back of his head, he was thinking more of how he could slip away and defeat the Angel above them. As the trio entered the cage, Shinji's sense of familiarity started to spike. However, this was a discomforting sense of deja vu, with the Splendor not even providing any warmth to his chest. It was also very dark, adding to the foreboding sense of secrecy. 'Why do I feel like I've been here before?' Shinji began asking himself, 'Evangel, what's this... darkness I feel?'

"Let me guess," Shinji decided to hide his discomfort, "you're intending to surprise me with whatever this Project E is."

"Well," Ritsuko said with a bit of a smirk, "no point hiding it any longer." She pressed a remote, and suddenly the lights came on.

Shinji was almost taken aback by the sight of a large purple monstrous mech. He almost reached for the Splendor on reflex before he stopped to look at the kaiju-like mech. "Project E?" Shinji wondered aloud.

"Multi-Purpose Humanoid Combat Machine, Evangelion Unit 01," Ritsuko introduced the monster machine to Shinji. He stared at the humanoid giant. It had a fierce-looking face with its pointed helmet, white eyes, and a metallic jaw. It was armored similar to an Ultra but hunched over.

"This is Project E? My father's pet project?" Shinji asked.

"Yes, if you put it that way," Ritsuko answered. Shinji had broken yet another expectation; he was surprised indeed, but yet there was staring the machine down with a contemplative and steeliness in his eyes. His profile indicated that he would be a timid and nervous wreck of a boy; instead, Shinji looked as though he had faced down giants before.

Shinji, on the other hand, felt something familiar about this Unit 01. He tried to remember where, but his memory was a haze. He almost wished that Evangel would actually speak to him right now. It was then that he felt another presence... and this happened to be the same cold one that abandoned him at the age of three. Without turning his head, Shinji took a deep breath.

"Father..." Shinji called out, "you left me all those years ago for this, didn't you?"

"And now you are here because I have use for you," that emotionless voice behind Shinji confirmed his suspicions. Shinji turned around and looked up at the observation room window to see his father staring down at him.

Shin Asuka hovered over Tokyo-3 as he watched the grotesque Angel regenerate its body. "Whatever this thing is," he muttered, "it's really disgusting."

It was then that the green alien giant shuddered and became active again. Shin bit a curse as he observed the monster. He tried to text Shinji about its movements, but there was no response. The NERV underground headquarters was too deep for Shin to reach his young friend by cell.

'Come on, Shinji, Evangel...' Shin thought, 'this world could use you right now...'

"You have use for me..." Shinji repeated with sarcasm in his tone, "you barge back into my life and threaten my uncle in order to throw me into battle against that 'Angel'. On top of that, with this 'Evangelion' having a slim chance of working and me having no training or combat experience." Of course, as Ultraman Evangel, he had been given plenty of training and coaching by Ultraman Dyna and the Space Garrison, not to mention the few side missions he had alongside the Space Garrison battling rogue kaiju and aliens, but his father need not know those things.

Misato felt chilly and uncomfortable in the room as the father and son stared each other down. At the same time, she was astonished at how a boy that was supposed to be shy and lonely was confronting the enigmatic commander of NERV with no hint of fear on him. She wondered how Marduk could get the psychological profile completely wrong.

"You will pilot Unit 01, because you are the only candidate determined to be qualified," Gendo coldly answered, "and if you do not, humanity as we know it is doomed."

Shinji responded with a huff and stared back at Unit 01 with a turn of his back. Shinji just shook his head and crossed his arms. "Very funny, Father," he disdained with a chuckle, "so you abandon me after Mother died so you could play savior to mankind? You may have fooled everyone else, but not me."

Gendo frowned at Shinji's act and words of defiance. This was not the weakling little boy he had expected to bend to his will. Shinji Ikari was proving to be strong-willed young man. His intelligence people had told him about a mysterious man who had befriended Shinji months ago, and whoever this Shin Asuka was, he had some role in Shinji's changes. Gendo raised his cellphone and spoke into it, "Fuyutski, send in Rei at once."

Shinji perked up at what his father said. 'Rei?' Shinji thought as the doors to the Evangelion cage opened, and a group of doctors and nurses were wheeling in a girl on a gurney. "Wait a minute!" Shinji yelled as he ran up to them. He looked down and saw that it was the same blue-haired girl he saw in the suburbs earlier. However, the girl, Rei, was in very bad shape: right arm in a heavy cast and right eye covered with a bandage over the same half of her face. Shinji was nearly overcome with compassion and horror over Rei's state, before glaring back up at his father in anger. Gendo was using the girl as leverage against him, with the threat of sending her out to pilot the mech.

"You're insane!" Shinji called Gendo out vocally, "do you want to kill this girl!?"

"If you're so concerned about her," Gendo still maintained his cold voice and persona, "you will pilot Evangelion."

"You..." Shinji's voice trembled as he felt the Evangel Splendor heat up. For whatever reason, this blue-haired girl he had just met seemed to elicit these protective responses from him, and the Splendor also reacted to her. There was then another rumble from an explosion above, and some debris came loose. Shinji sensed that Rei was underneath one large chunk threatening to crush her and leapt towards her. He scooped the girl up in his arms as the doctors and nurses scattered before the debris crushed the gurney. The girl yelped in pain as the two teens hit the floor.

"Shinji!" Misato yelled in fright as more debris fell over the two teens. Shinji grunted as he was about to reach into his vest, before a large purple hand shot over his head, blocking the ceiling pieces from him and Rei. Everyone froze in astonishment as it was Unit 01 that extended that hand, protecting Shinji and Rei.

"Impossible!" Ritsuko gasped, "it can't move without an entry plug inserted!"

"It protected him without an interface?" Misato wondered, but then smiled a bit. "Shinji can do it!"

However, Shinji was more focused on seeing that the girl, Rei was alright. "Are you alright?" He asked gently. Rei groaned as she tried to ignore the pain, looking at Shinji with her one uncovered eye. She stared at him for a bit before her eye widened in surprise and shock. She briefly saw Shinji replaced with a silver and gold figure with a sleek silver face with glowing eyes and an angelic gold chest piece. The vision faded, and Rei nodded in the affirmative before squeaking from her injuries. "Just stay here and don't move," Shinji told her, "I will protect us." Shinji handed her off to the medics before he stood back up and looked at the purple mecha that shielded him.

"Get me inside that robot and launch me into battle," Shinji declared, to the surprise of all in the room, "that giant monster up there is going to continue rampaging whether I say yes or no, so let's not waste any more time." He then glared back up at his father. "And you," he pointed at Gendo, "you've given me another reason to fight: to protect others like that girl from suffering the neglect you put me through. You're no savior." Gendo sneered at Shinji's defiance and insult.

Ritsuko then called a technician over. The technician held a pair of white clips in her hands. "Wear these A-10 clips on top of your head," Ritsuko said, "the Eva utilizes a brainwave synchronization control interface, and these will facilitate your connection." Shinji took the A-10 clips, and regarding them with a weird look, clipped them to his hair.

The Eva cage was soon drained of the red storage liquid and the entry plug containing Shinji was inserted into Unit 01. Shinji observed the layout of the cockpit as he grabbed onto the control sticks. He thought to himself, 'here I was, thinking that I would be piloting a space fighter jet like Shin and the Space Garrison veterans. How am I supposed to transform into Ultraman if I can't do a discrete emergency landing or autopilot?' His thoughts were then interrupted as an orange fluid suddenly filled the cockpit. "What the- Hey! This thing is flooding!"

"Relax," Ritsuko radioed him, "that LCL will provide oxygen once it fills your lungs. It won't harm you."

Shinji gulped in the LCL, but almost wanted to gag. "Man... this stuff tastes awful!"

"Well, suck it up," Misato called, "it is what it is."

Shinji grunted in discomfort and disgust as he felt the LCL fill his lungs with oxygen. Now he was beginning to wonder why he even bothered to go down to NERV at all.

It was then that a young woman in a brown NERV uniform and with short bobbing brown hair came up on his display. Shinji already guessed that she was his operator. "Hello," she greeted, "my name is Maya Ibuki. I'm your operator for this first mission."

Shinji saw that she seemed to be friendly and sensed a genuine sympathy in her smile. He decided to start cordially. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ibuki," he greeted, "but do relay to Father that if this goes horribly wrong... it's on his hands."

Shinji's words reverberated throughout the command center. Everyone looked to Gendo, who seemed to be hiding his reaction behind his stoic expression and tinted glasses.

"We... heard you loud and clear," Maya replied. It was then that she, her two fellow bridge bunnies Makoto Hyuga and Shigeru Aoba, and other technicians began reading off command protocols for the launch of the Evangelion.

"Lt. Ibuki, synchro rate," Ritsuko then asked for the readout.

"It's..." Maya read before she gasped in surprise, "no way... 51.4 percent!?"

"Say again?" Misato wondered, just as surprised as Ritsuko, who did a double take.

"It's there," Maya was scanning her screen again to make sure she was not seeing things, "it's 51.4 percent."

"Already that high?" Ritsuko mused with a slight grin, "now that is good news." She turned to Misato and said, "it seems that we might have a hope after all."

"It looks that way," Misato allowed herself to smile a bit too. She then gave the command, "prepare Unit 01 for launch!"

As the Eva was released from its cradle, Misato looked to Gendo for final confirmation. "Are we ready for this?"

"Of course," Gendo said with hands fixed together, "there is no other way to save humanity's future."

"Very well," Misato said. She then shouted, "EVA LAUNCH!"

Fuyutsuki and Gendo watched with everyone as the Eva rocketed towards the surface. "Do you think this will work?" Fuyutsuki wondered.

"It will," Gendo answered, "because she will make it."

Over Tokyo-3

Shin watched as the revitalized Angel made its way towards the center of the city. He was screaming against every fiber of his own being to turn into Dyna and confront the being himself. Ultraman King and Ultraman 80 made it clear that he was in a support role, and that the burden of facing the Children of Adam fell on Evangel's shoulders.

"Come on, Shinji," Shin muttered, "I know you are down there somewhere." Suddenly, he saw a panel on a street in front of the Angel open up. He saw a large purple robot the size of an Ultra emerge on rails. Shin watched as the Angel stopped in front of the robot. He then felt that familiar young, but powerful presence from the robot, and knew that Shinji was inside.

"That's Project E..." Shin realized and continued to observe as he felt Shinji's presence for the first time in a while.

Shinji stared at the Angel through the monitor, whose core seemed to glow an eerie red in response to his appearance. He felt a human sense of fear clashing with the power and courage that emanated from Evangel's presence. As the launch restraints released, Shinji took a deep breath, remembering his combat training for the real deal.

"Shinji," Maya Ibuki advised over the coms, "the Eva responds to the thoughts of the pilot. First try to think of walking."

"Walking?" Shinji wondered, before giving it a try. The Eva took a step, as though an extension of his thoughts. It was not as fluid as Evangel's movements, but Shinji defintely felt it. 'So it responds to my thoughts. Not quite the same as being Evangel, but...'

Shinji grinned and steeled up. "Thanks for that Maya," he said, "that's all I needed to know." He then made the Eva flash a fighting pose and leapt forward. He pounced the Angel by surprise and delivered a right hook to the dual faces. The Angel threw its claw at Unit 01, only for Shinji to sidestep it and kicked the Angel backwards.

"It worked..." Shinji grinned confidently. He then taunted the green monster. "Let's roll, Ugly!" He lunged forward, resuming his assault.

The entire NERV command center watched stunned at Shinji's moves as he countered the Angel's attacks and thrashed it about.

Misato was speechless before looking to her friend and colleague. "Ritsuko, I thought Shinji was not supposed to be experienced with piloting an Eva?"

"That's what his profile indicated," Ristuko muttered in disbelief. At this point, she had even less faith that the Marduk report was accurate about anything regarding Shinji Ikari.

"Wow," Maya exhaled in wonder.

"No way," Hyuga added.

"Well, he's getting the job done," Shigeru said nonchalantly.

Gendo, on the other hand, was perplexed and silently fuming at this turn of events. This was not what he had forseen of Shinji. Whoever was in charge of profiling him at Marduk was going to have to answer some serious interrogation.

However, Fuyutsuki was more than just in awe. Something in him stirred as he saw Unit 01 move... as if he had seen this before a long time ago...

The Angel, Sachiel, the Third Child of Adam, was growing increasingly annoyed as this purple interloper continued to punch and kick him.

His assault on Tokyo-3 was supposed to have been simple: get into the city, smash through the annoying feeble resistance the humans put up, free the Mother which he and his siblings sensed, and level the whole place for their insolence in keeping her captive. While he and the other Children had yet to locate the Father, Adam, they would do the same in freeing him from wherever these humans kept him. Instead, Sachiel was having to put up with this thing. He sensed for signs inside Eva Unit 01 and became angry.

'They created this... abomination from Mother's flesh!' Sachiel thought to himself as he blocked one of Unit 01's punches and flew back slightly. Now incensed, Sachiel blocked Unit 01's punch with his claw and grabbed Eva Unit 01's head with his other. Unit 01 raised its left fist and threw a punch which Sachiel evaded. In response, Sachiel raised the Eva off the ground and grabbed the left arm in a vice, crushing down hard. 'Now I have you!'

Shinji yelled out in pain as he felt Sachiel's crushing grip through his left arm. It hurt worse than even when Evangel was hurt from fighting kaiju!

"What's going on with the Eva's defense system!?" Shinji heard Ritsuko through the coms.

"The AT Field is not developed! No signal detected!" Maya yelled. Shinji guessed that it was some sort of force field, but his train of thought was cut short when Sachiel snapped Unit 01's arm like a twig!

"Argh!" Shinji bit his teeth together as he recoiled in his seat. He had no time to recover as the Angel began to batter on his Evangelion's helmeted head with its energy impaler spike. He clutched his head in pain as it felt like he was being shot multiple times without dying. Before he knew it, with three blows, the Angel's spike penetrated and sent Unit 01 flying into a building, with a red substance like blood spewing from its head.

"Head damaged! Critical system failure!" Hyuga reported.

"Nerve controls are severing! No response from the pilot!" Maya shouted.

"We're getting flatlines over here," Shigeru yelled, "we can't confirm his vitals!"

"No! Shinji!" Misato screamed as her heart sank.

"No..." Shin winced as he clutched his Lieflasher through his uniform at the gutwrenching sight. He was about to pull out his device when a voice rang, 'do not fear, Dyna. He is not dead. This battle is for Evangel to win.'

"Ultraman King?" Shin asked.

' Remember, this world's fate rests on his shoulders. You are here to support him as needed, but now watch and see the fruition of your teaching him.'

Shin withdrew his hand as he continued to stealthily observe the battlefield, praying that Shinji and Evangel were alright.

The fourteen other Children of Adam watched from their dimensional space as their brother Sachiel brained the purple giant that the humans had sent against him.

Among them, the youngest known as Tabris, the Seventeenth Child watched as Sachiel stood victorious over the fallen giant.

"So... the last obstacle is removed..." One of the siblings said.

"Now all that is needed is to liberate Mother," another said.

"Yes..." Tabris added, "so it seems..." Yet, he felt a familiar presence coming from the battlefield, but somehow could not completely discern what it was.

Inside the darkened cockpit of Eva Unit 01, Shinji seemed to have been knocked out, only to stir with a groan as the Evangel Splendor suddenly started to warm and glow.

"Gah..." Shinji fought through the phantom pain from the damage transmitted from the Eva as he reached into the vest and pulled out the Splendor, whose golden wings gave off that soft gold light. He looked around and saw that all systems were down, meaning no coms as well. He also heard what seemed to be the footsteps of the Angel coming to finish him off. He then stared at the device in his right hand.

"Evangel..." Shinji gasped softly, "I don't know what is going on inside NERV, and whatever Father is planning... but right now... I need you to help me. I need your strength and power to fight the Children of Adam and face my father, for the world... for the future!" In response, the Splendor glowed brighter.

Mustering confidence and strength, Shinji managed to sit up and flexed the Splendor to his heart. It flashed a bright gold as it gained more energy from the light within Shinji.

"EVANGEL!" Shinji yelled as he flexed the Splendor upwards. Both golden wings opened to reveal a crystal blade extending from the base, flashing white and bathing Shinji and the cockpit in light.

Sachiel lumbered towards the fallen Eva to destroy it. He raised his claw and flashed his impaler spike from it. 'Now you will suffer for your interference.' He poised himself to plunge the spike forward as a bright light flashed from the heavens above. A bright figure suddenly raced down and hit him blowing him backward from the Evangelion. 'What!?' Sachiel slid on his back as the light figure hovered over him, bathing the area in light as it descended.

"What is that light?" Maya asked as she stared at the monitor.

"Unknown high energy signature detected," Hyuga reported, "I-I can't seem to get a lock on it!"

"Waveform pattern?" Ritsuko asked, "what is its waveform pattern?"

Maya then went to her scanner to see if it was pattern orange or blue, the latter indicating an Angel. "Scanning now. It's... I don't know... wait... white?"

"White?" Ritsuko was befuddled. A pattern white? This was not within any of their catalogues for lifeforms.

Misato stared up at the screen at the glowing figure. She almost wet herself in shock, thinking it was a certain giant from her past. As it descended though, it was shaped differently, and the light seemed... warm and comforting...

Gendo frowned to himself behind his glasses. This was not part of the scenario. It seemed that an unknown intruder had entered the battlefield. It was then that he heard from Fuyutsuki beside him, "it can't be... is it him?"

"What is going on!?" One JSSDF Major Naoto Arashi was watching the whole debacle of a battle with the Angel with the rest of the military officer contingent. After the failiure of their forces and now this Evangelion to halt this monster, a new light was intruding on the battlefield.

"Great, another one of Ikari's surprises, or another invader!?" US Military and UN Forces liasion Colonel Mary Ashmore groaned as the monitors were filled with light from the drone feeds of the unknown being.

The whole JSSDF and UN officer group watched perplexed with this turn of events.

"Who dares to interfere with us once again!?" One of Tabris' siblings bellowed.

The whole congregation of the Children of Adam were watching the unexpected event unfold.

Tabris watched as the glow began to fade from the figure. He began to recognize this presence... a truly familiar one. "It is him..."

Shin watched as the light began to take form. "Yeah! Now that is what I'm talking about!" He cheered for his friend, Shinji.

Ultraman King and Ultraman 80 watched the whole battle with the Angel known as Sachiel from their perch overlooking Tokyo-3

"The time has come... he is going to battle the Children of Adam!" Ultraman 80 said.

"Yes," Ultraman King said as he raised a hand.

"Go forth... young prince."

Everyone stared as the light faded to reveal a silver giant with gold stripes and gold angelic patterns on his chest protector, arm braces, and shin protectors, topped off with a silver face with glowing white eyes and a blue light on its chest. He gave off an ambient white aura about him as he stood tall and mighty, fists at his side, between Sachiel and the fallen Eva Unit 01.

Inside the giant, Shinji Ikari opened his eyes and found himself in the warmth and light of the giant; he had become Ultraman Evangel, Prince of the Nebula.

"The time has come, Evangel," Shinji muttered as he looked towards the Angel with a determined glint in his eyes and a smile.

NERV Hospital

Rei Ayanami stared at the screen from her bed with her one good eye as the nurses and doctors around her sat stunned in silence as the new gold and silver giant stood facing the Angel in front of the fallen Unit 01.

"What is that?"

"Another alien!?"

"Who is it? A friend, a foe?"

Rei continued to stare, thinking of how it looked like that vision she saw of Shinji.

Everyone in the NERV command center stared at the new being, not sure of what to make of this newcomer.

"What is that?" Maya gasped in surprise and awe of the giant.

"Ritsuko, what on Earth is that?" Misato asked her friend.

"I..." the blonde scientist was dumbfounded, "I don't know..."

"It can't be..." everyone turned to see that Fuyutsuki was not only in awe but seemed to recognize the being.

However, Gendo was crossing his fingers tightly at this intruder, an unwelcome new factor interrupting his plans.

Sachiel rose back to his feet as he looked upon the gold and silver giant. Upon getting a full look at him, Sachiel felt a deep anger and hatred welling up in him... one that had been dormant for millennia, and perhaps even more intense than the hatred he and his siblings had for the humans. He knew who it was. His form bristled as it took on a spikier form. More armor formed on his arms and legs with two more clawed 'fingers' growing to complement the existing three on each arm, and even his 'ribs' formed a bony armor around his now intensely red glowing S2 organ.

Sachiel's old 'mask' completely fell off, reverting back to one face, whose twin eyes burned with a very angry red. "Ultraman..." His voice echoed with a menacing whisper throughout the city.

Misato's jaw dropped in shock among many shocks of the day. "Did... did that Angel... just speak?"

"Its..." Ritsuko gasped, "he's... referring to that gold and silver giant?"

"Ultraman?" Maya questioned.

"Ultraman..." Fuyutsuki breathed out, causing Gendo to give a sideways glance at him.

Evangel assumed his prepared fighting stance with right hand extended and left hand drawn back. 'He knows me,' Shinji/Evangel thought as he mentally steeled himself for what was undoubtedly going to be an intense battle between an Ultraman and this Child of Adam. He could tell that this Angel had some sort of past acquaintance with him and was not at all happy to see him.

"Ultraman," Sachiel flexed his arms and muscles. "EVANGEL!" The armored green kaiju rushed forward with its menacing red eyes flashing.

"Hah!" Evangel also flexed and dashed forward to meet Sachiel head-on. He ducked under Sachiel's claws and delivered a left punch followed by a right one to his face. Sachiel stumbled back before Evangel delivered a kick, sending him flying back to the ground.

"RRAAAHHHHH!" Sachiel bellowed as he jumped back up and rushed back at Ultraman Evangel. The two proceeded to deliver punches and kicks to one another. Just behind them, Unit 01 seemed to observe the fight, despite its inactivity.

"EVANGEL!" Sachiel attempted to grab Evangel, only for the latter to grab the former by the arm and deliver several punches to his face.

"Wow! Look at him go!" Maya gasped. Meanwhile, Hyuga was loudly cheering for Ultraman Evangel as he delivered blow after blow to the Angel.

"Woohoo! Yeah! Way to go!" Hyuga was out of his seat and making cheering gestures. "Kick that Angel's butt!" Everyone else looked at him awkwardly, only for Maya to suddenly join in.

"Go Ultraman!" Maya cheered, "beat that Angel and save Unit 01!"

"Hyuga, Maya! Stop that, you're both embarrassing yourselves!" Misato yelled at them, but then heard cheers from the upper observation deck.

"Go for it, Ultraman!" It was Fuyutsuki with both hands on the railing as he reached excitedly over for a man of his temperament, "save that boy and win! Win for us, Ultraman!"

Misato and Ritsuko stared up befuddled at Fuyutsuki's sudden cheering, which seemed to have the effect of causing the rest of the technicians and operators around the center to raise their voice with him, Hyuga, and Maya as they cheered on Ultraman, who evaded one of the energy spikes and delivered a right hook, sending the Angel flying up and falling into some empty buildings with a hard crash. All the while, Gendo stared at his old professor like he had gone mad.

Even the combined JSSDF and UN troops were cheering on Ultraman despite their superiors' orders to calm down.

Sachiel raised his claw and grew the energy spike into a saber. "EVANGEL!" He charged with the new energy blade and swung at the Ultraman. Evangel proved to be much faster as he avoided getting cut and did a backflip to avoid a stab. Evangel leapt backwards and landed gracefully on his feet as Sachiel used his AT Field to jump up with his saber poised for a downward stab.

Evangel charged his right arm brace with energy and shot a Brace Pulse from his hand which hit Sachiel in his ribbed chest. Evangel ducked out of the way as Sachiel landed clumsily and missed cutting him. The young Ultra then charged the shin protector on his left foot to deliver a Charge Kick to the Angel's back, sending him grinding head-first through the pavement.

"It's alright, Yoshi," a young girl was racing along the street with a little puppy in her arms. She had gone back for the puppy despite the evacuation orders, sneaking away without her older brother knowing. While she would likely be scolded later, she could not bear the thought of her cute new little pet being crushed by a giant monster.

Sakura Suzuhara, a little girl with short brown hair, glanced back at the fight between Ultraman Evangel and Sachiel. She was almost scared out of her mind at the sight of the grotesque green monster, but the gold and silver giant seemed to radiate a glow that seemed to say that this giant was here for good purposes.

"Sakura!" Sakura heard a yell in front of her. She saw that it was her older brother, Toji, accompanied by his friend, Kensuke, who was holding a camcorder. "Toji!" She yelled back as she ran with Yoshi.

"Sakura, what are you doing!? You went back for the dog!?" Toji scolded, "what were you thinking!?"

"I couldn't leave him behind," Sakura said with a headshake, "he was lonely and scared!"

Kensuke, on the other hand, was excited as he recorded the battle between Ultraman and the Angel. "Wow! A real Ultraman and a real kaiju! I never thought I'd get to see either one!"

"Come on, Ken!" Toji chided, "this ain't one of your silly old cartoons! This is a real disaster and it's not- LOOK OUT!" He grabbed Sakura and Yoshi and ducked as Evangel was sent soaring over them, crashing into a block of buildings. "Argh!" The three heard what must have been the silver giant's grunt of pain. They watched him get back up as debris fell off his body. "Unreal!" Toji gasped.

It was then that Sachiel's eyes glowed with energy and released a deadly laser beam. Evangel blocked with his braces, causing the beam to deflect around him, only for some of the deadly energy strands to impact a tall skyscraper and explode it in the middle, causing the top half to come falling down. Toji's eyes widened as he saw that it was coming down on him, Kensuke, and Sakura.

"Sakura!" Toji embraced his sister, hoping against the odds that he could somehow shield her. He heard a loud thud, almost thinking that he had been crushed by the debris. Feeling sensation, but a lack of pain, Toji dared to open his eyes and look up. He saw that the gold and silver giant had rushed underneath the falling skyscraper and had caught it, saving the trio.

Evangel looked upon the three kids with his glowing eyes, giving them a friendly nod as he held the building on his back.

"Wow! Not only do we get to see a real Ultra fight," Kensuke was fangirling now, "we get to be saved by one!"

Toji and Sakura looked up to Evangel in wonder for saving them. Evangel stood up and lowered the building half behind him, kicking up some dust as it slightly crumbled. Yoshi barked happily up at the giant, while Sakura found herself pulling out her little phone and recording the Ultraman.

Shin Asuka had landed his craft when he saw the little girl and ran to try and save her. He found her with a puppy two older teens who seemed to be her older brother and a friend. He then looked up and saw Evangel. He beamed and flashed a thumbs up to him. "Way to go, brother," he said.

Misato watched as the monitors showed the drone feed of Evangel catching a dropping building and saving three bystanders who were somehow still in the combat zone.

"He saved them?" Misato wondered aloud as the rest of the bridge watched in awe.

Fuyutsuki smiled, as seeing Ultraman save those kids brought back some good memories from his past. However, he then saw that the Angel was charging up another attack. He yelled, "Ultraman, look out!"

Ultraman Evangel was suddenly hit with another beam from Sachiel from behind. "Aaahhh!" He fell headfirst into the broken bottom half of the skyscraper. Evangel shook his head and saw that the three kids and puppy were now running away, with the jockey holding the little girl in his arms, who continued to hold her phone out as she watched the whole battle. He then saw Shin waving them over to himself and taking them away to safety. While Evangel was glad that he had saved three lives who were now being cared for by his mentor, he was now having to face Sachiel's increased energy attacks as he was pelted by eye beams.

Sachiel swung his claws and spikes at Evangel, drawing sparks and grunts of pain as he battered the Ultra. "EVANGEL!" He continued to bellow in rage as he worked to exact the revenge that he and his siblings yearned for the past millennia. He then grabbed Evangel by the chest, lifting him as he struggled with both hands against his vice-like grip. He rammed his impaler spike, which did not penetrate Evangel's Ultra armor skin, but still sent him flying into another series of empty buildings, crushing them.

"Agh!" Evangel twitched in pain on the ground as his color indicator began to audibly ring with a red light. Inside, Shinji felt the weariness and the pain from throughout the battle really starting to take a toll on his endurance and body. "Running out of time," he groaned.

The NERV command center watched as Evangel seemed to struggle to get up.

"What's that flashing light on his chest?" Misato asked.

"That... cannot be good," Ritsuko grimaced, "looking at the way he's struggling, that light must mean 'danger'."

"A-are you certain?" Maya questioned her superior.

"That's the only logical explanation," Ritsuko said as the rest of the bridge looked on in worry, except for one.

Gendo hated unknowns, and this 'Ultraman' was one such unknown. The fewer unknowns meant that his scenario was less likely to be interfered with going forward. He smirked to himself as he watched Ultraman attempt to rise up with his diminishing strength.

On the other hand, Fuyutsuki yelled out, "come on, Ultraman! Don't give up! Fight and win!" Gendo looked uncomfortably again to his subcommander with his unusual behavior; he would have to confront and ask Fuyutsuki about his apparent knowledge of this being.

Ultraman Evangel was seeing blurs in his vision as he attempted to stand up, only to fall to his knees. He could see through the blurs that Sachiel was walking towards him, this time with both spikes extended into sabers. If he took more blows, he doubted he could survive, let alone sustain his form with the decreasing energy.

"Ultraman!" He heard a familiar voice with his Ultra hearing. Evangel turned to see that it was Shin with the three kids. He was cupping his hands and calling out to him. "Don't let this creep beat you! Ultraman rises up and beats the kaiju no matter what!"

Suddenly, to the surprise of the brother, the little girl was also calling out. "Ultraman! You can do it! Beat that mean monster!"

Both Shin and the girl began chanting his name, "Ultraman! Ultraman! Ultraman!" Soon enough, the two boys were joining in. Somehow, Evangel/Shinji felt his resolve being renewed, with a spark of energy and strength coming to him.

"DIE!" Sachiel raised both sabers and swung down on Evangel.

"NO!" Misato yelled out as she and the rest watched in horror. However, instead of the deadly blows she dreaded, Evangel suddenly raised his arms crossed and blocked the deadly energy blades. She felt the wind go out of her as she fought not to collapse.

"Yes!" Fuyutsuki cheered, feeling a new hope welling up in his heart.

"Hah!" Evangel's braces glowed as he focused his remaining energy into them. He forced Sachiel back and stood up. Sachiel was now confused at Evangel's sudden burst of strength, but then renewed his assault with a beam attack.

Evangel blocked with his braces more effectively, then rushed forward and started delivering punch combos stronger than the last ones. He beat Sachiel back as the Angel's shell started to crack under the sustained blows.

Sachiel then reignited his right arm saber and swung down, only for Evangel to catch it with his left hand. With a firm grip, Evangel quickly flashed his right brace into forming an edge and swung it into the Angel's arm. The Angel stumbled back and shrieked in pain as its right arm was sliced off. Evangel stepped back and flashed his left brace. He waved it and shot a Charge Cut at Sachiel's armored core, cutting and blowing off the 'ribs' and exposing it.

Evangel glanced down at his color timer, seeing that it was blinking faster. He had to finish the fight before reaching the limit. Taking a breath, Evangel crossed his arms in an x-shape across his chest and flexed them out in a cross-shape, causing a flash of his aura. His braces and chest protector flashed gold as he brought his arms together in front of him, his color indicator seeming to absorb energy from the air as the golden armor pieces flashed brighter.

"EVANGEL!" Sachiel ignored his pain and ran towards Evangel, intending to self-distruct his S2 organ and take Evangel and as much of the city as possible with him.

With a final gleam of the braces, Evangel pulled them back and crossed his arms back together in a cross-shape with an audible 'cling' sound. He fired his finishing Evangel Cross Ray as a cross-shaped golden beam stream was emitted from the braces.

Ritsuko winced a bit at how bright Evangel's golden beam was. The drones monitoring the battle shook slightly from the shockwave of Evangel's beam.

She watched as the Angel put up an AT Field to block the attack. "That won't do..." she muttered as she remembered her previous studies on how only an AT Field could be defeated by another AT Field.

The beam hit the barrier of light, pushing Sachiel back slightly. To everyone's surprise, the AT Field suddenly began to strain and show cracks.

"No way, that beam is actually defeating the AT Field!?" Misato gasped. As if to answer that, the live feed showed the field shattering like glass, and the Angel taking the full blast to its core.

"Impossible," was all Ritsuko could say.

Sachiel felt his core spark as he twitched in shock and pain from the Cross Beam attack. As he fell backwards, he felt his whole body coming apart at the seams.

"We... will... not... be... denied!" Sachiel bellowed out one last time before exploding.

Ultraman Evangel uncrossed his arms and stood tall and proud, having achieved his first victory against an Angel.

"He did it!" Kensuke whooped as he, Toji, and Sakura celebrated and cheered for Ultraman defeating the monster.

"That was so cool!" Sakura beamed excitedly.

Toji also could not help but smile at having been saved by Ultraman. He then turned try and thank the stranger who also helped them, but found he was gone.

As Shin Asuka made his way back to his Alpha Superior, he saw his Ultra mentee basking in his aura of victory. "You earned it," he said, proud of Shinji.

"Yahoo!" Donnie Reagan hollered from his hospital bed at the screen showing Evangel victorious. His celebration was only cut short by his aching head.

Evangel saw that his work was done for now. Raising his head to the sky, he jumped up and took flight at supersonic speed.

"Send fighters after him. Track him," Gendo barked orders.

"He's too fast, sir," Shigeru reported, "and he's already out of range... wait, now he's disappeared from radar."

Gendo silently fumed as Fuyutsuki whispered with a smirk. "Looks like the old men won't be too happy about this," he remarked.

Gendo then stood up and just said, "I leave the rest to you at this point." He briskly walked out of the room.

Fuyutsuki just shook his head at Gendo's coldness as he looked back to the monitors. Now Misato was barking orders for retrieving Unit 01 and rescuing Shinji.

Shinji felt himself rematerialize inside the Eva cockpit. He felt himself slump back as the day's events had sapped him of his energy. The warmth of the Splendor in his hand seemed to put him into a gentle healing sleep as the systems started to come back online.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, an invisible presence in the cockpit embraced Shinji gently and looked upon him and the Splendor in his hand. The device shined slightly for a second in response to the presence before it faded back into the Eva.

"Shinji..."

Episode 2 – Evangel Rises; The "Impaler Angel", Sachiel Arrives!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.

Shinji's Dream

Shinji Ikari found himself in this vision of space again. He could already guess that he was about to encounter Evangel again, so he dubbed this space Evangel Space. Shinji floated above the red Earth that was his home planet. Sure enough, Evangel appeared before Shinji again in a flash of light.

"Evangel..." Shinji greeted.

"Shinji Ikari," Evangel said, "be alert and wise... because we have revealed ourselves in defeating Sachiel, Third Child of Adam, our enemies will now seek us out."

"Sachiel?" Shinji questioned, "that Angel we beat just now? They have names?" He paused for a bit, before asking, "Evangel? Can you tell me anything more about the Children of Adam?"

"Shinji," Evangel continued in his cryptic tone, "there is a great darkness about... beware..."

"Evangel... what..." Shinji was trying to get answers, only for Evangel to flash again and cover the scene in light. Shinji felt himself falling back into unconsciousness.

NERV Hospital, Tokyo-3 Geofront, January 10, 2045 AD

Shinji gasped as he woke again in the land of the living. He found himself in a bed staring up at a blank white ceiling. He groaned as he stretched out the kinks in his limbs, only for him to hiss as a residual ache shot from his left arm, followed by a headache in the middle of his forehead. Remembering the acute pain from Eva Unit 01 being damaged, Shinji was grateful that being an Ultra Host to Evangel meant that he could heal and recover more quickly and easily than regular people.

He looked down at himself as he sat up. He was dressed in a white hospital gown. Looking around, he sighed at just how blank and lifeless the white room was. "Man, it's ugly..." He then tried to spot for his belongings, especially the Splendor. He then laid eyes on the nightstand next to his bed, and the Splendor was there with a note. With a sigh of relief, Shinji picked up the Splendor and read the note.

'Your belongings are with me,' the note read, 'come find me. Misato Katsuragi.'

'P.S.- You might want to leave that trophy when you are piloting. It looks precious.'

Shinji chuckled at Misato thinking the Splendor was a trophy. He felt the Splendor pulse warmly in his hand before he put it in his pocket. Not wanting to wait and spend another minute in this ugly room, Shinji found some slippers and put them on. He walked out into the hallway to the astonishment of two nurses.

"Mr. Ikari!" One of them gasped at seeing Shinji walk so easily.

"Hi there," Shinji waved casually with a smile.

The two nurses looked back and forth between each other. "You... you know that you shouldn't be walking like that so soon," the other nurse said.

"I'm not hurt that bad, believe me," Shinji said, "a slight ache, but nothing that some walking won't cure."

"But Mr. Ikari," the first nurse tried to hold him by the arm, but Shinji just pulled back firmly.

"Look," Shinji said firmly, "I know you two are trying to do your jobs, but I'm not spending another minute in that freaking room. I'm walking right now, so at least clear me to walk around this place before I go mad from the unbearable white colors."

The two nurses looked to one another, before the first one relented and said, "okay, but just make sure to check out with the front desk. Captain Katsuragi wanted us to inform her when you were awake."

"Thank you," Shinji said. As he walked down the hallway, he then noticed an open door revealing the blue-haired girl from yesterday, sitting on the bed. Looking at the name of the patient on the floor, he saw that it was indeed Rei... Rei Ayanami. As he walked up to the door, he felt the Splendor warming up again. It was the same reaction whenever he was in proximity to her. Shinji walked in and Rei turned her head to look at him.

Rei saw Shinji enter her room. She looked at him blankly before her eye widened again in surprise. Shinji was momentarily replaced with the vision of that same silver and gold giant she saw in the hangar and on TV. She recalled that everyone called this figure Ultraman, but why she was seeing Shinji as Ultraman confounded her frozen logical mind.

"Hi Rei," Shinji greeted the girl, "it's good to see you're alright." He looked around for a seat but seeing none just stood next to Rei's bed. She just continued to stare at Shinji in stoic silence.

Neither of them said anything for seconds as the Splendor warmly pulsated in Shinji's pocket. Shinji then said, "I'm sorry that my father tried to make you pilot that thing..."

Rei blinked her good eye, but otherwise said nothing. Shinji waited for a response but hearing none decided to continue. "What he tried to do with you with those injuries was wrong... and I was not about to let you die on account of that man's callousness." Rei continued to stare, apparently not knowing what to say. Shinji exhaled, and just gave a sympathetic smile.

"Well..." Shinji said with some resignation, "it's alright if you can't talk... or don't want to talk right now." He laid a gentle touch on Rei's fingers through the cast. "Just get better, okay?"

Upon their fingers touching, Shinji felt the Splendor pulsate warmly in his pocket. Rei, on the other hand, felt a jolt of warmth as Shinji was replaced with the figure of Ultraman again. She was confounded by this, and the sudden warmth of emotions that flooded through that touch.

Suddenly, Ritsuko Akagi entered the room and saw Shinji. She was surprised that Rei had a visitor besides her and Commander Ikari. "Shinji Ikari," she said.

Shinji turned to see the doctor. "Dr. Akagi," Shinji greeted.

"I thought you were still supposed to be in bed," Ritsuko wondered, "that Angel's attack would have caused some heavy trauma."

Shinji just shrugged. "What can I say? I guess I heal fast," he answered.

Ritsuko was silent for a bit, and seeing that Shinji was apparently as well as he claimed, decided to drop it. She then looked over to Rei with a bit of a neutral expression. "I would guess that you did not expect new company either," she remarked. Rei did not say anything to Ritsuko but stared out the window.

Shinji smiled warmly before rising to leave with Ritsuko. "I'm ready to be discharged, Doctor," he told her.

"Don't you want to rest a bit more?" Ritsuko asked.

Shinji frowned a bit with a mocking chuckle. "Anywhere but that room," he said, "the white in there is so bright that someone's gonna go blind." Ritsuko did not dispute that last bit.

As the two left, Rei saw Evangel in place of Shinji again, before it was Shinji again.

Tokyo-3 Battlesite

Misato sat in a tent overlooking ground zero where the Third Angel had blown up. NERV recovery crews were scouting the area for forensic samples of any sort of the Angel. Meanwhile, she was on a laptop scouring the news networks and video sharing sites, thinking that NERV PR would have covered up details of the battle.

However, Misato quickly found out that someone had apparently taken a personal video of the battle, first between Evangelion Unit 01 and the Angel, and then Ultraman appearing up to the point that he blasted through the AT Field and blew up the Angel. The video quickly went viral as people talked about the angel-like Ultraman saving Tokyo-3 from certain destruction. While NERV PR had put pressure on to have the original video tracked down and removed, it had already been copied and shared throughout the whole wide web. Everyone was talking about a 'real-life' Ultraman with a mix of disbelief and excitement. It was such that both the UN and NERV were being flooded with calls and inquiries into the mysterious being that destroyed a kaiju.

"Wow... and I thought PR would be on top of this," Misato remarked as she watched a talk show with animated hosts and guests talking about Ultraman, even doing replays of Ultraman's best beatdowns of the Third Angel, finishing with his cross-like arm beam demolishing AT Field and Angel.

"Well, it's not every day that the world witnesses a giant monster attack," Ritsuko said as she sat down beside Misato, "let alone a fictional giant alien actually coming to life and beating up that monster."

It was then that Misato remembered something. "Hey, Rits," she said, "that Angel did speak right?"

"Right..." Ritsuko said with a questioning tone, still reeling from the surprise that at least one of the Angels spoke aloud.

"It called that being Ultraman," Misato wondered aloud, "isn't that the name of some old TV show?"

"The one about an alien from outer space fighting giant monsters," Ritsuko answered, "I heard of it." She honestly thought the whole premise of such shows to be rather cheesy, but last night's battle made the premise all too real for her liking.

"Who would have thought that Ultraman was real," Misato went on, "and his timing was almost impeccable, as though he could sense that Shinji was in danger..."

"That... and the fact that he was able to break through an AT-Field without one of his own," Ritsuko added. She was till wracking her head over that one.

"You did say that an AT Field can only be cancelled out by another AT Field, so how did Ultraman do it?" Misato and everyone else had seen how Ultraman attacked and damaged the Angel without even a hint of using any AT Field-related abilities. The bright golden cross beam he emitted from his forearms had cracked through the AT Field and killed the Angel as one of the biggest upsets of last night. Where Evangelion had been built to absorb and cancel out AT Fields at close range, Ultraman seemed to outright break them.

"That's what I want to find out," the blonde scientist said, "and how he seemed to neutralize the Angel's S2 organ without it going supercritical with that beam of his. Whatever energy he was using somehow kept the Angel from exploding in a much larger mushroom cloud."

Misato just hummed. Ultraman's appearance had caused a series of reaction chains throughout the world, and ignited a lot of questions about him, his origins, and his abilities. "And Shinji?" Misato decided to change subject, "how is he doing?"

Ritsuko gave a startled laugh at that. "Wouldn't you believe it, up and about like he had just gotten a good night's rest," she answered, "he was walking and healthy as I've ever seen a boy, considering the damage Unit 01 took."

"Really?" Misato gasped in a mix of surprise and relief, "oh thank goodness... but walking?"

"Yes, walking, and wanting to be anywhere but the hospital," Ritsuko answered with a bit of an amused smile, "he said that the bright white colors were making him blind."

"Huh... all that and his humor is intact," Misato murmured, thinking of when Shinji was being recovered from Unit 01. What was also strange was that he was holding some sort of wand with golden angel wings in his hand. She removed it from Shinji's grasp for safekeeping, but then felt a sudden urge to keep it with him. She escorted him to the hospital and left the wand next to him, feeling that it was very valuable to him. It was strange that Shinji took it into the LCL with how priceless it looked, but Misato had a feeling that he wanted it when he woke up. Now she could look forward to seeing him and perhaps asking him about it.

Gendo Ikari's Secret Conference Room

Gendo Ikari sat with his fingers crossed together, across from him were the five other members of the Human Instrumentality Committee, a mysterious conference under the equally mysterious organization SEELE. They had called Gendo into a meeting two hours earlier than planned in response to last night's events regarding the defeat of Eva Unit 01 and the appearance of the silver and gold giant the citizens of Japan were referring to as Ultraman. None of them were pleased with this unexpected intervention.

"Ikari, explain this interference by this 'alien' giant and why you did not address this immediately," the man in red from Britain demanded.

"This is a major deviation from the scenario formulated from the Second Dead Sea Scrolls," the yellow member from France seethed, "do you know what this could mean for the Project!?"

"Gendo Ikari," Keel Lorenz, the head of SEELE from Germany began, "do you have any information regarding this... 'Ultraman', as the people and media are calling this being?"

"Believe me when I say that I never saw this coming myself," Gendo replied, not betraying anything else in his expression, "I am still gathering information on this giant, and how he has been able to combat an Angel without the use of an AT Field."

"And will this interfere with our scenario to any significant degree?" Lorenz followed up.

Gendo raised his head slightly to look over his hands. "I have inquired with my Vice Commander on his apparent knowledge of this being..." He thought back of his prior conversation with Fuyutsuki.

Flashback, Gendo's Office

"Tell me more about this being, and how you came to know of him," Gendo asked Fuyutsuki.

"He is Ultraman," Fuyutsuki answered simply and added, "he is a giant of light, of a different sort and species from the so-called Angels, and fights across many worlds and dimensions whenever darkness and evil threaten humanity from space and even Earth itself. I was a young man when one of them saved my life."

"One of them? Saved your life?" Gendo raised an eyebrow at hearing this personal experience for the first time from his long-time professor and friend.

"Yes..." Fuyutsuki said with a hint of nostalgia, "a long time ago... one of them saved me when an expedition into one of Earth's ancient civilizations had turned into a disaster."

"Then who is that Ultraman that we saw today?" Gendo demanded.

Fuyutsuki exhaled and smiled a bit. "I do not know, but if I had to discern and say... he is an answer to my prayers that one of them come to protect us during this age."

"Protect us?" Gendo asked, a little irritated behind his stoic expression.

"Yes," Fuyutsuki said as a matter of fact, "the Ultramen have an affinity for humans, which drives them to protect us."

"Your Vice Commander clearly has a connection that he has not disclosed up to now," the blue member from Russia said with a hint of displeasure, "and you know how we feel about secrets."

"Indeed, I know," Gendo simply answered.

"Ikari," Keel then said, "for now, you are to continue operations of NERV with the primary objective of destroying the Angels with Evangelion. However, it is now imperative to investigate Ultraman and find ways to handle his interference. Dismissed."

The five mysterious men of SEELE disappeared as they signed off from the holographic conference. Gendo rose and contemplated this latest development. He would indeed investigate Ultraman... because he had the potential to upset HIS own plans.

Shinji rode with Misato, glad to be finally out of the hospital and hospital robe. He had been told by Ritsuko earlier that he was staying with Misato during his time in Tokyo-3, but he also detected a hint of dismay in the doctor's voice. He just shrugged and decided whatever it was, he would deal with it as it came.

"You had us scared back there, Shinji," Misato expressed with sincere relief, "but I'm glad that you're on your two feet again and out of that hospital."

"Why? Something wrong with that place?" Shinji asked with a raised eyebrow.

Misato shrugged. "Nah, just white, boring, and depressing."

"I thought the same thing," Shinji quipped, eliciting some laughs from Misato.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me!" Misato jested back.

The two rode up to a ledge overlooking Tokyo-3. As they both got out, Shinji was treated to a high and clear view of the city nestled in the valley.

"Why are we here?" Shinji asked.

"Just watch, Shinji," Misato urged. Two minutes passed before Shinji heard a low rumbling sound from below. He saw as the low-rise buildings rose into the air, with others just rising right out of the ground where they used to be concealed. Shinji found himself awed at the sight of a metropolis rising out of the ground as skyscrapers lit up the evening sky.

"That is Tokyo-3," Misato said with a smile, "the city you fought to protect... and now has this Ultraman protecting it."

Shinji stopped himself from chuckling, thinking how ironic it was for Misato to have Ultraman Evangel next to her in secret. He then said, "must have been something, huh?"

Misato hummed as she glanced to Shinji, who continued to stare out over the city with a proud smile on his face. "It was the strangest thing, honestly," she expressed, "I never thought there was another thing in the world that could fight, let alone kill those Angels."

"I wish... I had been awake to see it," Shinji pretended, knowing that his identity as Ultraman Evangel was a sensitive topic, and he wanted to gauge Misato's trustworthiness in an organization under his father's thumb. "So... you picking me up from the hospital and driving me around," he changed topic, "I'm guessing that you were assigned as my guardian."

"Wow, you really are sharp," Misato blinked back in surprise, "why yes! You wanna see my place?"

"Sure," Shinji shrugged his shoulders, "after all, I could use a place to sleep and some company." He thought back about Ritsuko's apparent dismay and thought what could be so wrong about staying with Misato.

"Isn't this just a lot of snacks and fast food?" Shinji asked as he eyed the aforementioned items in both his and Misato's shopping baskets. The two had decided to stop by the local convenience store to pick up groceries.

"They didn't give me much of an advance notice," Misato admitted, "this is kinda like making up for not being ready for you. And besides, consider this me celebrating new company!"

"Huh..." Shinji hummed as he counted all the chips and TV dinners that Misato got.

As the duo walked up to the counter, Shinji overheard two women chatting with each other rather animatedly with their children in hand.

"That robot they sent out didn't do that much good," one of the women said, "look at the damage that was done to the business district."

"This used to be one of the safest cities in Japan, but now they've turned it into a warzone," the other lady said, "and they couldn't even kill that monster right."

"And now there is that giant," the first lady added, "what was that thing?"

It was then that the first woman's little daughter chimed in, "Ultraman, he is called Ultraman!"

"Akiko, don't interrupt me," the mother chided.

"No, she's right," the second lady said as she steadied her groceries and her own baby, "everyone on TV and the Web are saying that this giant who killed the monster is Ultraman."

"Ultraman? I thought that was just an old fictional TV show character!"

"Well, who do you call a giant that looks just like him?"

Shinji realized that Ultraman Evangel had really become the talk of the town. Everywhere he went and browsed on the net, everyone was talking about Evangel and his battle with the Angel.

The ladies continued their conversation. "I don't know," the mother with the girl said, "but I now want to move away to somewhere quieter now, but my husband has his mother to care for, and the economy isn't that great now."

"If that giant is indeed Ultraman though," the second lady with the baby seemed the more optimistic of the two, "then we have nothing to fear with him fighting those kaiju."

"Nothing for you, but I don't want my house and family getting stomped on by kaiju, robots, or alien giants!"

Shinji kept silent as the chatter went on. It was then that the little girl turned and looked at him. Shinji gave her a smile, which she returned with a cute grin and handwave.

Misato's Apartment

'What a mess!' Shinji thought upon first seeing the inside of Misato's apartment. The neat freak inside him almost had a panic attack as he saw piles of trash bags, clothes, beer cans, and food wrappers about. He cringed as he looked about, and for some reason, found two refrigerators.

"Why are there two refrigerators?" Shinji asked his new guardian.

"Oh that," Misato said casually, "he's probably just sleeping."

"'He'?" Shinji asked, totally confused as to why someone would be sleeping inside the fridge.

The two cleared the table and after scrounging together a somewhat reasonable meal from the fast food, the two began eating.

As Shinji endured the overly-salted taste of his food, he could not help but notice how many beer cans Misato was downing.

"Oohhhh! Now that's the stuff!" Misato raucously cheered as she downed her ninth can.

Shinji just stared at Misato acting like a drunk teenager. The older woman then noticed Shinji's gaze. "Come on, life doesn't get any better than this!" Misato said.

"You wanna bet?" Shinji said with a raised eyebrow, "you almost sound like someone my uncle and I knew."

"Oh?" Misato said with a smirk and a quirk in her eyebrows, "and who is that if I might ask?"

Shinji sat back a bit and breathed hard. "A friend of my uncle and former wingman of his," he revealed, "wild partier and drinker like you wouldn't believe. Almost every chance he got, he would drag my uncle off-base during leave to the closest bar or casino like a kid in an amusement park."

"I like him already," Misato giggled, a bit tipsy now.

Shinji however, shook his head. "When the post-Impact and postwar recessions hit though," he continued, "the guy got more and more into that stuff, until one night he collapsed into a coma. My uncle barely got him to the hospital, and even then the alcohol poisoning had already done a number on his liver, which was practically shriveled out and rotting. He wasn't dead thanks to my uncle, but he was practically a living pin cushion hooked up to tubes and IV needles stuck into him... and practically throwing up his stomach and lungs."

Shinji saw as Misato suddenly gagged and spit her beer off to the side. The older woman coughed loudly as she started to look sick. She suddenly ran off to the kitchen sink which was almost cluttered with a mess, and Shinji heard Misato retching, running the water, and then retching some more. He just shook his head at it all. 'She's taking some hard lessons to heart,' he thought.

Misato continued running the sink to wash down the mess she made and wash out her mouth. She calmed down enough to stop, but the image of herself in that bed wasting away with tubes stuck in her had stuck.

"You alright?" Shinji suddenly asked behind her.

Misato breathed heavily before looking back at Shinji with a bit of a glare. "Did you have to be so graphic?"

Shinji just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, you asked first," he just deflected, "and I just happen to care as well."

"Screw you..." Misato just shook her head.

"You're welcome," Shinji said, stifling a snicker from leaving his lips.

Misato sauntered back to the table and sat back down. She tried to finish the rest of the beer in her can, but found herself unable to, thinking of the horrific details of Shinji's story. 'Great, now I can't stop thinking about it,' Misato mentally groaned. Shinji Ikari had hardly been with her for a night, and he had already started sobering her up and ruining her enjoyment of beer faster than any therapist could accomplish. She somberly set aside the beer and decided to just finish the goop that was instant food in front of her.

After the two finished, Shinji went to the sink to rinse his plate and cutlery, only for his inner neat freak to see red and green at the sight of the crummy dishes lying around. The neat freak was suddenly overtaken, or supplanted by a sort of determination from the inner Ultra residing in him. With pursed lips and Ultra stamina, he grabbed the washing gloves next to the sink and put them on. He began to run the water full blast and dousing the dishes and sink with the dish-washing soap.

"Shinji?" Misato asked as she watched in bewilderment.

"Well, Misato," Shinji began, "if I'm sharing this place with you, I'm going to be helping to maintain it like it really is my house, starting with all this." He grabbed a scrubber and began to viciously attack the stains, thinking of them as little kaiju for him to clean house on. With astonishing speed, he cleared the sink and left the dishes to dry on a rack, then proceeded to whip out a trash bag from under the sink and shove the old cup noodle containers and beer cans into it.

"Whoa," Misato was stunned at how Shinji was cleaning up with Superman-like vigor, "I was about to suggest that we play rock-paper-scissors to divide up chores..." She then smirked teasingly, "but then again-"

Misato was cut off by a cleaning cloth being tossed her way. "If you have time to chat about chores," Shinji stared back at her as he followed up with a spray bottle, "then you have time to help tidy up your own kitchen and dining room." He had a serious, dutiful demeanor about him. Shinji pulled out the rest of the cleaning supplies from under the sink and set them out like an armorer handing out weapons to troopers. "You can help with cleaning the stains off the table and counters while I handle the debris," he told her.

"Shinji-"

"Let's just finish this," Shinji gave a firm expression that almost made Misato think of a younger Commander Ikari, "then we at least have one clean area to start with."

Misato sighed in resignation. 'Yep... he's definitely the Commander's son,' she thought as she started spraying and wiping. She continued to glance at Shinji, who was practically a rampaging cleaner as he went about sweeping up the trash. Strangely, he seemed to hardly break a sweat or his calm demeanor as he worked at an almost blurring speed. After five minutes, the kitchen and dining table were sparkling and smelling fresh. Shinji stood tall and proud with the vacuum cleaner like a staff, while Misato was panting.

'Should have thought of tidying up a bit before brining him here.' Misato was tired, but after looking upon the kitchen, she could not help but feel a little better with how better-looking and fresh-smelling it was. She looked to Shinji and saw how strong and tireless he seemed. His personality and physical profile compiled by NERV agents definitely failed to do justice to this specimen of a young man next to her.

"Well," Shinji said, "I think that should do it for tonight." He set the vacuum off to the side. "I think I'll go and take a shower to freshen up."

"Go right ahead..." Misato said as she collapsed back into her dining seat. She thought about getting herself another beer to relax, but then the image of the wingman Shinji talked about came back to haunt her. 'Ugh... curse you for that Shinji...' she bemoaned to herself, before settling on an iced soda.

A few minutes later, Shinji entered the bathroom with just his shirt, boxers, and a towel. He nonchalantly took his shirt off and was about to remove his boxers when he saw that the tub was filled with water. "Already?" Shinji wondered why the tub was filled, when he sensed that something was in the water. Stopping himself, he looked into the water. Suddenly, an animal that was apparently a penguin came up and shook its head. "Oh!" Shinji was a bit startled before staring at the penguin-creature that looked at him with a strange look. Shinji walked out to the dining room.

"Misato," Shinji called out, "there is some sort of penguin taking a swim in the restroom." As though on cue, the mentioned penguin waddled past him. Shinji just stared at the strange animal with some sort of backpack just walking up to one of the fridges.

"Oh, that's my pet, Pen-Pen," Misato just casually introduced, "an experimental warm-water penguin that I adopted." Pen-Pen looked up at Misato, holding a can of soda. The penguin seemed to nod with approval, before opening the fridge and taking a can of soda.

"A penguin that likes warm water... and drinks soda," Shinji said with a hint of amusement and fascination. He would have been weirded out, but his training involving fighting all sorts of weird hostile kaiju meant that he had become somewhat used to encountering strange creatures.

Pen-Pen gave 'wark wark' sounds of apparent approval to Misato. The penguin then turned around and waved a greeting to Shinji. Finding it rather cute, Shinji gave a friendly smile and waved back. Pen-Pen then opened the second fridge which did have his bed and 'room' of sorts and settled in.

"Oh, nice abs and muscles there," Misato said with a quirk of her eyebrows. She saw that Shinji's arms were indeed quite muscular for his slim build, and he even had a six-pack on his exposed abs.

"Oh..." Shinji turned slightly pink as he saw that his fine-toned build was on display. "Thank you, I guess," he replied before going back to the restroom. He had a feeling that this was going to be quite a stay.

"So how's your stay with the new guardian?" Shin Asuka's voice came over Shinji's wireless earbuds as they chatted over the phone.

"Her name is Misato," Shinji replied as he laid on his bed in his new room, "and she seems okay. Though I might have accidentally cured her of an alcohol addiction." He told his Ultra mentor about what he said to Misato over dinner and her spit-take reaction.

Shin Asuka roared with laughter. "Shinji, you are cruel!" Shin jested.

"For one, I won't have to worry about a drunk guardian and other potential issues," Shinji said with a grin, "I would think I was doing her a favor."

"Brutally honest way of a favor... and I like that!" Shin laughed.

"I learned from the best," Shinji jested back as the two Ultra friends had a good one.

It was then that Shin decided to ask. "So... did you learn anything new about your dad or NERV?"

Shinji's expression grew serious. "Well, you saw that giant robot I was in yesterday? It's NERV and Father's pet project, called Evangelion," Shinji related, "and for whatever reason, I'm apparently the only one who can make it move."

"Children piloting kaiju-sized war machines?" Shin sounded off with a hint of disgust in his voice, "boy, if that doesn't remind me of a bad memory." He thought about the scheme that was pulled with Zaigorg back in his world.

"And that's not the worst of it," Shinji added, "Father threatened that if I refused to pilot, he was going to put an injured girl into the cockpit to pilot it."

"No," Shin sounded off on the phone.

"It's true," Shinji said with a headshake, "and if I hadn't stepped in... I don't wanna think."

"What a piece of work, your dad," Shin said, wondering how Shinji could have such a man for a father.

"You can say that again," Shinji agreed.

"Anyways... so if they are stuffing you into some giant robot, how are you going to fight as Evangel?"

"You were flying space jets for Super GUTS while fighting as Ultraman Dyna," Shinji grinned, "and I did say that I learned from the best. I'll figure things out as they come."

"Hehe... well I'd better let you go, Shinji. Good night, little bro," Shin said.

"You too... Ultra Bro," Shinji replied before hanging up and setting his phone aside. He laid back on his pillow, but found himself thinking about Evangelion. He found the purple monstrous-looking Eva Uni 01 to be eerily familiar, and the way it connected to him was almost symbiotic with a sensation of a long-lost connection from his past that he could not put his finger on yet.

Then there was Rei Ayanami. Whenever he was close to her, his Splendor glowed with a warmth that brought a strange level of deja vu and a sort of... care for her wellbeing. It just felt natural to care for her and even want to protect her. He had only met this quiet girl for a short time, and yet felt this strong, heart-felt desire to keep her safe, whether from the Angels or from whatever his father was up to.

'Who are you Rei... and what is Father and NERV up to...' Shinji thought as he drifted off to sleep, still having her face in the eye of his mind.

Episode 3 - Reactions and Much Ado About Life, Part 1

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.

NERV Geofront, Tokyo-3, Japan, Jan. 11, 2045

"Ritsuko, this is what you call a pilot suit?" Shinji gave weird looks as he looked down at his new blue and white skin suit.

"Plug suit," Ritsuko corrected, "it improves your interface with the Eva alongside the A-10 clips." She motioned to the 'hair-clips' on Shinji's head.

Shinji just shook his head. "Woman, you've got weird ideas on fashion for pilots, you know that?" He felt like he was in some weird fetish suit with all the rubber and the way it hugged his frame.

"The profile and material are optimized to minimize interference and maximize your connection with the Evangelion," Ritsuko replied dryly, "I'm not here to indulge in any sexual fantasies that you are accusing me of." She then smirked, "but then again, it does show off your build quite nicely."

Shinji raised an eyebrow at that. "As if I was not already violated by the whole experience; forced to strip into that cold LCL tank and having my whole birthday suit scanned up and down, and now this."

Ritsuko just chuckled, "but enough. I believe that now we have your wellness check and plug suit build out of the way, it will be time for your first round of combat training."

"First round?" Shinji said with a bit of an impish sarcasm, "my brush of near-death with that kaiju wasn't it?"

"Well... it wasn't too bad of a start, but the finish was rather... weak," Ritsuko said. Shinji had to stop himself from shaking his head at the irony, given that people were all aping over Evangel's finisher move against the Angel; his finisher move.

"Which means I've got to work extra hard to finish stronger," Shinji said with a smirk.

"Yeah... especially now that you have competition in the form of that Ultraman," Ritsuko added, totally oblivious to the one she was speaking to.

Evangelion Simulator

Shinji piloted his simulation Evangelion Unit 01, walking around a virtual Tokyo-3 with an Eva-sized assault rifle in hand. As he began to train his mind to think of the Eva as an extension of himself, it started to feel more like how he and Shin would target practice and drill in the woods with spare GUTS Blasters. He steadily scanned the buildings at a methodical pace.

A Sachiel avatar popped up, with Shinji reacting by firing a split-second burst at it. The avatar was riddled with bullets before exploding. Shinji grinned smugly, before another Sachiel avatar appeared. He shot that second avatar before breaking into a run through the city obstacle course. It was a series of well-executed rolls and speed shooting from cover and crouched stances as Shinji made short work of the virtual targets. His high synchro-rate combined with his quick reflexes was a sight of wonder for the Misato, Ritsuko, and the Bridge Bunnies in the control center.

"Whoa... I didn't think he was this good," Makoto was awed.

"The sync ratio's hovering at 52 percent and he's already into advanced rifle training," the typically cynical Shigeru whistled.

"I think he's hot..." Maya Ibuki muttered absent-mindedly as she stared at Shinji's muscular form and confident expression. This drew snickers of amusement from her colleagues and a smirk from Ritsuko. Realizing what she did, Maya blushed heavily and tried to change the subject, "Dr. Akagi, do you want to see the aggregate performance score of Pilot Ikari?"

"By all means," Ritsuko said. Maya brought up the stats of Shinji's real time performance on a separate window.

"Whoa," Misato gasped in amazement, "not even Rei and Asuka managed these scores!" True enough, Shinji was scoring a healthy 88 percent score. While it was clear that Shinji was still a newcomer with his finetuning his movements with some near misses and corrections, he was pushing a stronger performance envelope than the two previously-mentioned pilots.

As the simulation ended with the shooting of the last target, Shinji leaned back in his seat as the whole cockpit view returned to normal, showing him the control room Misato was in. "So," Shinji said with a casual shrug and grin, "you all enjoyed the show?" That drew some chuckles. In the short time he had been training, several of NERV's technicians and Bridge Bunnies were amused by Shinji's surprising amount of wit and humor.

"Skilled and witty," Ritsuko smirked, "Pilot Ikari, I think I'm starting to like you." She wrinkled her eyebrows teasingly.

"Ugh," Shinji rolled his eyes out of mock disgust, "one, call me Shinji. Two, I hope you like me on a professional level and nothing related to the fetish you call plug suits."

The last bit of Shinji's snark got Misato snickering then laughing at Ritsuko, which also got Makoto and Shigeru snickering. Maya's face went red and she covered her head on the console out of embarrassment for her respected senpai. Ritsuko was now stunned at just how snarky Gendo's son was, and her cheeks flushed a deep red at being snarked at in such a manner in front of her subordinates and her friend.

"Anyways!" Ritsuko quickly moved to shift back to some decorum, "we are all done for today. You are free to come out now, Shinji." She then glared at Misato, "and you, if you're going to be his guardian, at least tell him to show a bit more respect to seniors on the job."

"Y-yes... hahaha!" Misato struggled through her laughter. Ritsuko just huffed and left the training center.

Shin Asuka's Garage

Shin poured over the history books of this world's Earth in detail. He would have thought it ironic, as he was not particularly strong in history when he was young, being a baseball fan and later fighter jockey. Yet with the mysteries surrounding Shinji's world, Shin wanted to be as knowledgeable as possible about what Shinji was living through.

The history of the world post-Second Impact was a deeply somber one; hundreds of millions died in the immediate fallout of Antarctica's destruction and the tidal waves generated from the instant melting of the southern polar ice caps and shockwaves, tens of millions more died in the chaos of the wars, epidemics, and economic collapse that followed, and even after some form of resolution had come about, many were still dying of poverty, PTSD, and depression. By many estimates, one third to half of the world population pre-Second Impact was gone, with large fractions of the remaining population living destitute.

Shin rubbed his face at the gravity of the devastation Shinji's Earth endured. The fact that his Ultra senses were being assailed by the darkness, fear, and despair permeating this world forced him to tune back his more clairvoyant perceptions that came with being an Ultra. Even with the general sense of wonder and hope that came with Shinji's first battle as Ultraman Evangel, there was still a powerful sense of fear that permeated the atmosphere.

Then there was the mystery to Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari. Even with his senses scaled back, Shin felt a deep darkness emanate from NERV HQ where his cradle of power was...

"I can sense your consternation, Shin," Takeshi Yamato said as he appeared in the garage, "your emotions are like an open book."

Shin just shook his head, "care to knock first?"

Takeshi just chuckled as he helped himself to a seat. "Your protege has made quite the entrance the last battle," he said, "he's been the talk of the whole country."

"Don't I know that," Shin said, but was apparently not that amused, "but he's having to work close to that sorry excuse of a father who would apparently blackmail his own child." Shin told Takeshi what Shinji told him about Rei and what Gendo did with her.

"That is just too cruel and sad," Takeshi somberly concurred, "I've travelled across this Earth, and I've been seeing too many adults neglect or exploit children for their own ends." Takeshi and his fellow Land of Light Ultras ranged from being horrified to disgusted with this world's general callousness towards the well-being of children, with Project Eva perhaps being the height of cowardice and hypocrisy in the eyes of the Ultras. The fact that it was being headed by a man who abandoned his own son only solidified the Ultras' negative opinions of Evangelion. "There is much darkness behind Gendo Ikari and NERV."

"Still," Shin grinned to himself, "for him to stick up for this Rei girl... how he's grown up so fast."

"Young Ikari got a crush so soon?" Takeshi raised an eyebrow.

"He didn't say it," Shin put the disclaimer out, before cheekily grinning again, "but the rather protective tone he took when talking about the girl told me enough."

"I would advise caution for your young protégé, Shin," Takeshi said with a concerned tone, "there is still much we do not know about NERV and Young Ikari can ill-afford to out himself, even if it was out of noble concern."

"Hey," Shin groaned, "let the kid have his noble concerns. Besides, I don't need to remind how my own noble concerns for friends actually worked out for the best in the end."

"More like reckless abandon," Takeshi shot in half admonishing and half jesting.

"You're one to talk," Shin retorted, "chasing after a biker gang solo for beating on a little kid."

"That was then," Takeshi argued back.

"Uh huh," Shin just shook his head in amusement. Sometimes, he just enjoyed picking on some of the more senior and elderly Ultras. Then again, Takeshi himself would often tease Shin back for his mentoring style, so it was only fair game.

Two weeks later...

Jan. 23, 2045 AD

Shinji walked onto the grounds of Tokyo-3's municipal high school. After two weeks of settling in with Misato and training for Eva combat at NERV, it was time for his first day at school. It felt a little strange going back to school with the dual life of Eva pilot and Ultra warrior Shinji now led, but during the two weeks spent at NERV, he got to know some of the people there better.

Misato Katsuragi, his guardian, was quite a character and evidently a heavy drinker... well former ever since Shinji told her the horror story about his uncle's former wingman. Misato went through withdrawal for the first number of days, surprising many of her colleagues who were acquainted with her drinking habits. After a bit of teasing from Ritsuko, she was given some medication to ease the symptoms as she started to go dry. Still, Shinji came to enjoy Misato's friendly company and guardianship. She even started to clean the rest of her apartment now that she was not so drunk.

Ritsuko Akagi was one to be careful of. Shinji put on a show of witty sarcasm around her, but the fact that she was a high-ranking NERV chief with direct jurisdiction over his healthcare and the maintenance of the Evangelion made her a potential danger to him. She was analytical, but when it came to the subject of Ultraman, she was clearly frustrated by the wildcard factor Evangel posed when compared to the Angels and Evangelion. He heard from Misato how flabberghasted she was when Evangel's Cross Ray broke through the AT-Field lightwave barrier that was supposedly impenetrable to everything except the AT-Field his own Evangelion was supposed to generate. While it appeared that Ritsuko was a close friend to Misato, her direct reporting to his father meant that Shinji had to be alert.

The names of the three 'Bridge Bunnies' Shinji learned, were Makoto Hyuga, Shigeru Aoba, and Maya Ibuki. Of the three, he was most familiar and cordial with Maya, whom he found to be enjoyable to be around during off-hours inside NERV. Talking to her, Shinji found Maya to have been the most concerned of the three for his wellbeing and most relieved when Ultraman Evangel battled the Angel and saved him. While she expressed admiration and awe for Ultraman, Shinji had the sense that Maya was also having a bit of a crush on him for his assertiveness and physique.

Makoto, Shinji judged, was an Ultraman and kaiju geek who loved seeing Ultraman actually come to life before his eyes. Though not quite as familiar with him as Maya, Shinji felt he was okay given his admiration for both Ultraman and Misato. While friendly, his rather out and out enthusiasm for all things Ultra made Makoto a potential liability for Shinji, so he also had to be careful around him.

Shigeru on the other hand was an enigma of sorts. While dedicated and professional in the line of duty, during off hours he hardly talked to others outside of the circle if bridge bunnies. Whenever Shinji came across Shigeru, he was either hanging out with Maya and Makoto or playing with his guitar, but otherwise kept to himself and seemed standoffish. While Shinji had a budding interest in the guitar through his mentor, Shin, he could hardly connect with Shigeru.

Then there was Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, the second-in-command of NERV to Shinji's father. While Shinji avoided Gendo (even riding elevators with him) like a plague, he was surprised at Fuyutsuki's support and approval of Ultraman Evangel during the first battle. After the first battle, word quickly spread about how the normally quiet and professional vice commander was cheering on Ultraman like a boy welcoming back a long-lost hero. Shinji's mind drifted back to his first visit to Fuyutsuki in his office...

Flashback

"Welcome, Shinji Ikari," the elderly Kozo Fuyutsuki greeted. Shinji entered the vice commander's office, which was quite a contrast from most of NERV. Where Shinji felt a sort of clinical chilling feeling or sense of enshrouding darkness from certain places in NERV, Fuyutsuki's office had a sort of a welcoming homeliness with its traditional Japanese aesthetics, from the wood floors and fuzzy carpets in spots (Fuyutsuki had a sign asking guests to remove shoes, and even provided sandals), wood/paper sliding screens, wall pictures, caligraphic signs, and even a kotatsu table with tea laid out.

The elderly NERV officer smiled a bit as he rose from his desk chair and came round to the kotatsu. Shinji watched Fuyutsuki sit before he nodded to him to sit as well. Not quite knowing what to make of the man yet, Shinji silently complied and knelt cross-legged onto the mat opposite from Fuyutsuki.

"It is good to meet you at last, young Ikari," Fuyutsuki said, "I have heard so much about you."

"I can only imagine," Shinji said, fighting the urge to sound sarcastic, "NERV must have my entire life profiled in some portfolio."

Fuyutsuki just chuckled and shook his head. "Actually, I go a long way back with your parents," he revealed, "I was their professor."

"Oh?" Shinji had to admit that he never knew that. If Fuyutsuki was telling the truth, then he could perhaps learn a bit more about his mother... and even his father. "We're you really?"

"Of course," Fuyutsuki said as he motioned to one of the pictures on the wall. Shinji turned to see a portrait of his younger parents in graduation robes flanking a younger Fuyutsuki. His mother and father were both smiling, with the younger Gendo giving more of a cocky smirk as he boldly hugged Yui.

Fuyutsuki then offered Shinji tea, which he accepted. As the two drank, Fuyutsuki then continued, "I apologize that you were forced into battle so soon upon your arrival, but we were under very dire circumstances. I'm sure Dr. Akagi explained why the Eva was compatible only with you."

"She did a basic rundown," Shinji said after a sip, "but I would like to hear why I'm here from you. I could ask Father, but he and I are not exactly on speaking terms."

Fuyutsuki hummed, the son of Gendo was proving to be quite inquisitive. "Because young Ikari," he began, "previous attempts to synchronize the Eva with adult pilots ended in failure. For reasons unexplained, it only accepts candidates born after the Second Impact."

"Namely, us children and teens," Shinji surmised, "and you found no other way to combat these 'Angels' without having to use child soldiers?"

The older man shrugged resignedly. "If we did, you would not be here," he simply answered. 'God forgive us,' Fuyutsuki muttered under his breath. Shinji could hear that sympathetic mutter with his super-hearing, but chose not to respond to that.

"But I will say that you were very lucky to have been rescued by the likes of Ultraman." Shinji saw Fuyutsuki smile rather proudly at that, "it was as though he sensed you in danger and came at that precise moment."

Shinji smiled a bit to himself seeing how proud Fuyutsuki was of Evangel, the older man being unaware that he was speaking to the Ultra himself. "I heard about the battle after I was knocked out," he pretended to speak as though he really was unconscious at the time, scratching his own head, "and Misato was telling me about you yelling and cheering the giant on."  Fuyutsuki only smiled even brighter at that.

"He was an answer to my prayers for a helper from the stars through these tough times," Fuyutsuki happily admitted to Shinji, "you need not fear Ultraman. He'll come to help you in battle  when you need the strength to prevail."

Shinji feigned wonder as he asked, "how do you know that? You watched Ultraman?"

Fuyutsuki only smiled brighter. "Saved by one," he revealed. Now that got Shinji's attention.

"For real?" Shinji said, genuinely surprised and interested.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "It was thanks to that Ultraman that I am here today to tell you that there is indeed hope for us all, now that one of them has risen in this Age of the Angels."

Shinji had to ask Ultraman King or Ultraman 80 about what Fuyutsuki told him, especially who his Ultra savior was and whether this savior might come back in the future. 'So I'm not the only one in this world whose life has been touched by an Ultra...' he thought to himself, 'and now I'm the second Ultra he has experienced in his lifetime...'

Shinji joined the throng of students entering the school. Few noticed him as the newcomer as he walked to his assigned class, Class 2-A. As he entered, he saw that the blue-haired Rei Ayanami was sitting in a lone seat next to the window just staring outside. She briefly glanced his way, her eyes widening briefly before quickly averting her gaze. Again, he felt the Splendor in his pocket warming up to Rei's presence. While she still had bandages on her, Rei seemed to be much better than the first time Shinji saw her.

It was then that a light brown-haired boy with glasses noticed Shinji. "Oh hi," he said, "you new here?"

Shinji blinked a bit at someone else noticing him for the first time this morning. He took a quick look at the other boy, and realized that he was one of the three people he had saved from his battle two weeks ago. 'Whoa,' Shinji thought, 'what are the odds?'

"Oh yeah," Shinji said, "I need to see the class representative." He introduced himself, "Shinji Ikari."

"Kensuke Aida," the boy with the glasses smiled back. "Hey Class Rep!" He called to a dark brown-haired girl with her hair done in twin pigtails.

"Yes Aida?" The pigtailed girl asked.

Kensuke introduced, "Shinji, our class representative, Hikari Horaki. Class Rep, meet Shinji Ikari. He needs a seat."

Hikari looked to Shinji, a bit taken by surprise at how radiant and muscular he looked. Fighting off being flustered, she composed herself and gestured to a few empty seats that were mainly arpund Rei's spot. "We have a few empty seats from a few students who left," Hikari pointed out, "I'm surprised we haven't lost more students from before that battle."

"How so?" Shinji asked.

"Because of Ultraman," Kensuke answered with a beaming grin, "everyone's been talking about him nonstop and how he's come to help us fight off those giant monsters!"

Shinji mentally sighed in both exasperation and amusement at Kensuke's fanboyish outburst. If the guy knew who he was really talking too...

"I hope you don't mind, Mr. Ikari ..." Hikari said.

"Please call me Shinji," Shinji quickly corrected with a laugh, "Mr. Ikari makes me sound like my dad."

"Okay, Shinji," Hikari said with a bit of surprise at Shinji's outwardness, "there are empty seats next to Ms. Ayanami if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Shinji said with a shrug, "why would I?"

"Well, normally a lot of guys avoid her," Hikari answered, "she is not a very open sort of person."

Shinji just shrugged and said, "well I'll take one next to her, thank you."

Rei overheard Shinji, glancing only slightly right so as to not let him know that she was actually paying attention to him. She then overheard Hikari say with more surprise, "okay then... I'll add you there to the list."

"Thank you," Shinji said just as the door banged open. A boy wearing a sports jacket and tanned skin came in. Shinji's ultra-sharp memory made him also recognize the boy; he also saved him alongside his little sister and Kensuke.

"Hey Toji man!" Kensuke greeted. Hikari gave the jock a glare, but Shinji sensed a lack of intensity... "I see that you survived!" Kensuke suddenly said.

"Nah, a scolding from my old man was nothing," Toji said nonchalantly, "I'm just glad that my little sis is unscratched." Shinji smiled to himself, knowing that the jock's sister was safe and healthy.

"And boy are those videos-" Before Kensuke could say more, Toji suddenly put him in an armlock and clamped his mouth shut. "Not a word about that," Toji hissed.

Shinji then heard Toji whisper into Kensuke's ear through his enhanced hearing. "Say a word about the footage and we'll never hear the end of it," he overheard Toji say, "I have enough trouble keeping my sister mum about her own 'movie'."

"She seemed to have no problem giving it to me and letting me post," Kensuke protested. Shinji immediately knew that it was Kensuke who posted the videos online. He saw Toji groan in exasperation. The jock then saw Shinji and wondered, "what a new guy already?"

Shinji decided to introduce himself. "Shinji Ikari, and I'm happy that your sister is doing alright." He then realized that he might have been a bit too forthcoming about the last bit; no one could know that he was Ultraman.

"Oh, thanks," Toji said a bit awkwardly, "Toji Suzuhara." He extended a hand, to which Shiji reciprocated with a handshake. "Whoa, that is some grip there," Toji remarked as he took in Shinji's toned physique, "you play sports?"

"Baseball," Shinji answered, "and you?"

"Basketball," Toji replied, "sorry to say this, but we don't exactly have much of a baseball team, more so basketball."

"Hm... I'm open to new things," Shinji said with a smile, "and I bet I can ace basketball if I put my mind to it."

"Hey, easy on the competition new guy," Toji bantered back, "you'd have to get past me first before acing that!"

The rest of the class came in as the bell sounded. It was then that an old teacher shuffled in with a folder filled with documents. After Hikari had the class rise for the teacher, he said, "good morning everyone. Today, we have a new student joining us. Would he care to introduce himself?"

Shinii rose and stood at the front of the class. With a friendly, confident posture and smile, he said, "Shinji Ikari, dudes and gals! Nice to meet you!" He flashed a grin and a thumbs up, causing some guys to laugh and girls to swoon and mutter excitedly to each other over how strong and cute Shinji looked.

However, as the class went on, Shinji almost wanted to Ultra-leap out of the window and take off running. The old teacher, whom he now dubbed 'Nebukawa no Sensei' was boring him to death! He rambled on about life before the Second Impact, the Second Impact itself, and just about anything that would put someone to sleep, and several students did end up sleeping. Being an empowered Ultra host, Shinji had much more energy, but he almost felt that Nebukawa no Sensei could actually KILL him with boredom. Looking around, he saw that Hikari was straining to pay attention while putting on her professional face, and Kensuke and Toji were just whispering to each other about something else.

As for Rei, she showed no reaction other than to keep staring out the window. While Shinji was no mind-reader, with Evangel's enhanced perception, he had the sense that Rei was trying not to look at him. He was perplexed with the mysterious girl with blue hair, but what was undeniable was the warmth that his Splendor emanated in proximity to her. That was yet another mystery among the mysteries of NERV that Shinji knew he had to crack open.

Suddenly, he got a message on the student chat on his desk's built-in computer. 'Hello, Shinji!'He looked around, and saw two girls looking at him and giggling. The other girl typed, 'we wonder, are you connected with that monster fight two weeks ago?'

Shinji frowned and looked around a bit. Some of the students, Toji and Kensuke included, who were not sleeping, were still talking about the battle, including Evangel. He thought about keeping quiet and ignoring the girls, but then remembered that many of the kids here had parents who worked at NERV, so he shrugged and decided to get it over with. 'I am.' Shinji sent the reply, only to grunt as he realized that this was over the classroom chat. At once, he was being flooded with questions over the chat, and some of the classmates closer to his desk began bombarding him with questions.

"Hey! Hey!" Shinji tried to fend off the barrage of questions from the class. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Shinji berated himself as his Ultra mentors' lessons about protecting his identity came to mind. He already blew the fact that he was an Evangelion pilot, and he was not about to blow his identity as Ultraman Evangel! That he was being swamped now by crazy classmates drove that point home hard!

"What was it like?"

"Were you scared?"

"What weapons does that robot use?"

"Class 2A, order please!" Hikari was annoyed as she tried to calm things down. Kensuke looked sheepish, while Toji glared in Shinji's direction. This was noticed by Shinji.

'Oh great, now the jock's mad at me,' Shinji knew, 'I guess I'm going to have to deal with him afterwards.' First, his new classmates. "Hey guys and gals!" He raised his voice, "Listen, I can't tell you most of that stuff! It's classified! Secret!"

"Come on, man!"

"Tell us something!"

"There's got to be something that's not secret!"

Shinji sighed. He thought of something that most of the NERV staff would know, then ran with it. "Most of you would probably hear it from your parents working at NERV, but I can probably at least tell you all that the machine is Evangelion Unit 01. I just got here, and I'm under contract."

"How many units are there?"

"Well, mine is Unit 01," Shinji answered, "so two at least? BUT! If so, I won't be disclosing the other pilot's identity! That's for them to consent to or not!" He knew from his briefing at NERV that there was the prototype Evangelion Unit 00 and that Rei was the pilot, but between his own sense of decency and this strange protectiveness over Rei, he was not about to betray her confidentiality.

"What about Ultraman?" Another student asked, "what do you think of him coming to save us from the monster?"

Shinji remembered that he still had an alibi of unconsciousness to maintain with the watching eyes at NERV, so he had to play dumb. "Well actually," he rubbed the back of his head, "I was knocked out during the fight, so I have no idea what it was like aside from seeing the footage afterwards. I can't say anything other than that I'm grateful for some lucky help from above."

The other classmates seemed to settle down, reactions ranging from satisfied to disappointed. Rei quietly glanced with her good eye over to Shinji with his back turned. When he turned back and saw her, Shinji smiled warmly. Rei saw the same Ultraman flash in his place again. She quickly turned back to look out the window, befuddled once again with this phenomenon as her rational brain tried to work out a possible explanation. Yet, her mind also focused on Shinji's words from earlier... she never had a choice, let alone a conception of it for her own life. Everything she had and done was planned out for her by NERV, Commander Ikari in particular. There was also a strange sensation about the way Shinji looked and smiled; while Commander Ikari gave some of those gestures, there was a strange warmth to Shinji Ikari that she had never experienced before.

Ever since Shinji Ikari came to Tokyo-3, things had become profoundly more illogical for Rei Ayanami.

SMACK!

Shinji stumbled back slightly as the other students in the school yard on lunch break turned to see that Toji hit him in the face. While Shinji did not hurt that much due to his enhanced durability and strength, he was more surprised and disappointed that Toji was already hitting him.

"Welcome to Tokyo-3, jerk!" Toji said as he cracked his knuckles.

"What," Shinji retorted, "is this some sort of initiation ritual among Tokyo-3 students or what?"

"Shut it," Toji spat as he grabbed Shinji by the collar and threw him to the ground, "you caused a lot of damage to our city block and put my sister in danger!"

"Hey," Shinji argued back, "I was out there to do my job and help people too! Why don't you blame the Angel instead?"

"You couldn't do the damn job right on the first try," Toji yelled, "if Ultraman didn't come, my sister would have been hurt from your incompetence!"

"Toji ..." Kensuke looked uncomfortable, but could not stop his jock friend.

"Incompetence?" Shinji just shook his head, "you know nothing about why I got into the Eva, Toji." He stood back up, "and I really don't want to fight over how dangerous my job is."

"I'll show you dangerous when someone's little sister was in danger!" Toji put up his fists as the boys around them started chanting, "fight, fight, fight!"

"Toji, that's enough!" Hikari tried to dissuade the jock, but the other girls also excited at the spectacle, drowning out her protests. Rei Ayanami just stood next to a tree, watching Shinji stand his ground.

"I really don't want to fight you, Toji," Shinji said earnestly, and not because he was afraid of getting hurt, "it was an accident."

"I'll show you an accident!" Toji swung his fist hard. Shinji easily dodged as the school yard erupted in cheers. Toji tried to punch and swing at Shinji's face, but failed as Shinji dodged with his speed.

"Stand still!" Toji swung his right fist again. Shinji flipped backwards as the other students gasped at his speed, making Toji pass over him as he flipped back up and spun to face him.

"Toji, please stop," Shinji tried to reason, but the bone-headed jock came at him again. With a sigh, Shinji dodged Toji's jab and grabbed him by the arm. He flipped Toji on his back and pulled hard on his arm with a foot planted on his shoulder. The students could not believe that the newcomer had actually subdued the school's basketball jock.

"Agh!" Toji groaned as Shinji had his arm in a lock.

"I told you to stop!" Shinji said in an annoyed tone, "you know nothing about why I had to go out and pilot!"

"Wait a minute," Kensuke asked aloud, "does it have to do with the fact that your dad is the commander of NERV?" That elicited many gasps from the others. That Shinji Ikari was the NERV commander's son was big to many whose lives revolved around NERV in the majority of Tokyo-3.

Toji chuckled sardonically despite the ache he was getting from Shinji subduing him. "What, you think that your old man being the boss around here gives you the right to do whatever you want- AGH!" Shinji tugged on his arm, now sporting a dangerous expression.

"Like I give a damn what he thinks!" Shinji hissed to everyone's surprise, "he made me go out because if I did not, he was going to force an injured girl to do it! I was fighting to protect her from his callousness! He's my boss, but I want nothing to do with him! Nothing!" That elicited even more gasps as the students looked at each other.

Rei hid behind the tree, not wanting to have others stare at her. She didn't know why, but hearing that Shinji was protecting her elicited a feeling in her that was totally foreign to the logical and taciturn personality she held for many years.

Shinji just shook his head and let Toji go. While annoyed, Shinji didn't want to risk hurting Toji with his reduced, but still potent Ultra strength. As he walked away, he could hear Toji getting back up and rushing him. "Still thinking with his fists," Shinji sighed before dodging again and delivering a punch to Toji's gut.

"OH!" Toji yelped as he doubled over. Kensuke and Hikari rushed over to him while everyone else just stared at what had happened. Shinji rubbed his fist with a disappointed expression.

"Think with your brains and not your knuckles, Toji," Shinji finished, "and I'm still on for basketball when you're not trying to punch my lights out." That drew some laughs and giggles of amusement. Shinji had taken conscious effort to not exert his full strength into the punch, but hopefully just enough to teach the jock a fair lesson. He took his lunch tray that he set down previously and walked away. Toji got up, but stumbled a bit as Kensuke and Hikari helped him.

Shinji sensed Rei behind the tree she was near and found her staring up at the sky. "Hey Rei," he said softly. Rei tried not to look at Shinji, but there was a warm sensation that welled up whenever he was near now. He then sat down next to her and started to eat, which made that warm sensation linger more than before.

"Sorry you had to see all that," Shinji suddenly said. Rei's unbandaged eye widened a bit. How could he have perceived her that sharply from such a distance? Nothing in his profile suggested such mental acumen, let alone his physical prowess and strength to go toe-to-toe with Suzuhara, who was considered the muscle man of the school.

"I don't blame him for feeling sick for his sister," Shinji went on, "but he was also just being bullheaded and inconsiderate himself."

"Pilot Ikari ..." Rei suddenly spoke to him for the first time, something she did not think herself of doing outside of NERV-related activity, "why?"

"What?" Shinji asked. Mentally, he thought that Rei's voice was rather gentle and sweet.

Rei still did not look but asked again, "why do you protect me? You only met me, and I am but an instrument of battle."

Shinji frowned in a mixture of sadness, concern, and anger at his father. 'How can she think of herself as a mere instrument? What did you do to her, Father?' "I don't know why I myself feel this strongly, but I do know this," he answered, "I care for other people, including you. All I know is that I don't want you or anyone else hurt, whether it's from the Angels or that man who fails at being my father."

Rei fell silent as the rest of her questions died away from processing what Shinji said. That someone else aside from Commander Ikari would care was alien to her, let alone outside of NERV's confines of her mission and purpose. Not knowing how else to proceed, she did the one thing she knew how. She rose up and walked away.

Shinji watched Rei walk away with a mix of fascination and sadness. Normally this would have been a sign from most people to back off, but the warm Splendor in his pocket was telling him that there was more to this than meets the eye. 'I don't know what is going on or what you did to her, Father... but the Ultra Garrison, Dyna, and I are not only going to protect this world from the beings you call Angels... we'll find out what your true goals are and whatever other dark secrets you and NERV are hiding ...'

Later that evening...

"So you let the whole school know that you were an Evangelion pilot, and wrestled with the school jock whom we both rescued with his friend and sister?" Shin was trying not to laugh as he talked with Shinji late over the phone. "Does your guardian know about that?"

"Nah," Shinji nonchalantly replied, "not about to make a mountain out of a mole hill. It's not like he and his sister were hurt, and that's what's most important. Needless to say, I doubt he will think about venting on any new guys to school anytime soon."

"Hehe," Shin chuckled, "now where did you learn to do all that?"

"Let's see..." Shinji teased, "some hotshot ace pilot wandering the dimensions transforming into a fellow silver giant. I think you know him very well."

"Guilty as charged," Shin admitted. He then asked, "anything new on the NERV or Angel front, little bro?"

"Nothing really," Shinji related, "other than all those sync, combat, and calibration tests with the Eva, I'm not that much closer to figuring out my old man's obsession with the Evas or NERV. It's not like I can ask around too much without drawing suspicion. And then there's Rei Ayanami... she seems so lonely, and yet follows my father like some sort of robot. I tell you, something just does not jive right, and I wouldn't put anything past Father to have something to do with her behavior."

"It does sound weird," Shin concurred, "he loses his wife, ditches you for your uncle to rescue you while burying himself in work on top secret mecha for a mysterious organization with some sort of connection to the Second Impact, and gives attention to a little girl that he never gave his own son. It's kinda creepy."

"Tell me about it," Shinji sighed, "so what are you doing right now?"

Shin glanced over to his prized Alpha Superior. "Ah, just garage work," he said, "gotta say that I'm not so hot about the waiting around for those so-called Angels to make their next move."

"Well with the battery-powered nature of the Evas, it's not like NERV can execute any offensive operations," Shinji pointed out, "and we still know so little about these things."

"I just wish I could do more to help you though," Shin said.

"You are already helping a lot," Shinji said, "you gave me encouragement and strength to take up the Evangel Splendor, and you remind me that there are good guys watching out for me from the outside. While my guardian seems okay and chill, you're like the big brother keeping guard, even from a distance."

Shin smiled. "Why thank you," he said, "I always did want a little brother when I was little."

Shinji chuckled. "Anyways, I've got to go now. Good night, Shin."

"Sleep well, little brother," Shin finished the call. He set the phone down as he helped himself to his calorie-smasher sandwich. While Ultraman King and Ultraman 80 kept reminding him that this was ultimately Ultraman Evangel's mission to finish, he as Dyna would do everything in his power to support him. The thought occurred to him that he could sneak into NERV headquarters to do some snooping around, but had to reflect on the fact that espionage was not exactly his strong point.

'Then again, there is that dinosaur of an old teacher Shinji complained about...' Shin grinned to himself. Maybe he could call in a favor from Ultraman 80 on that front...

Episode 4 - Reactions and Much Ado About Life, Part 2

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively. Ultraman Evangel is my OC. The insert songs are also credited to their rightful owners.

Special Thanks: Chance Green G King on FF.net for formulating the opening sequence.

Alternate Space

The fifteen Angel siblings sat at a round table of sorts in a 'hall of war' of sorts. These were powerful energy beings, two of whom were already identified as the silver-haired and red-eyed 'boy', Tabris, and the other one, Sachiel, who resembled a late-20s man with dark green hair with red eyes.

Sachiel was in a very foul mood, his physical body having been destroyed in battle with Ultraman Evangel some two weeks ago. The eldest of the siblings, he had a reputation of being a silent, yet strong member of the race. He preferred to speak more with strength and actions instead of words. However, the his defeat at the hands of his and his siblings' ancient enemy, Ultraman Evangel had left him with the silence of humiliation and wounded pride, that he refused to talk to anyone at the moment.

"Evangel... our greatest enemy has once again aligned himself with the humans who have wronged us before," one of the Angel siblings spoke.

Then another said, "his strange affection for humanity has not changed since our last encounter with him. Once again, he continues the treachery of his kind by opposing the justice demanded from the humans for Father and Mother."

"Even with the seal broken and reduced strength, he continues to be a thorn in our side," a different Angel complained, "and we only have enough energy reserves to send each of us individually! We would otherwise overwhelm Evangel and the humans with their mocking clones of Father and Mother!"

Tabris looked to his siblings with a bit of amusement. "Brothers and sisters," he said, "you would all be wise to never underestimate him. Surely you all remember why he has been christened as the 'Prince of the Nebula' in the past."

One of the siblings was not pleased. "You are one to speak, little brother. You would also well remember that your past hesitation and weakness was what allowed him to triumph!"

"You would do well to remember your place, Tabris."

"It is because I love and care for all of you," Tabris responded, "and I will remind many of you that misplaced confidence and pride had also a lot to do with our defeat at Evangel's hands."

"Of course, the Angel of Free Will and the youngest of us has to be the rebel!"

"Your past sympathies for Evangel and the Ultramen of the Nebula will once again be your undoing, Tabris!"

"ENOUGH!" The Angel of Strength, Zeruel bellowed with a mighty voice, silencing the arguments, "we are not here to argue responsibility for past defeats, but to decide how to best defeat the humans with their crude clones of our parents and the Prince of the Nebula!" He then pointed to one of the siblings. "Sister Shamshel, it now falls upon you to avenge our brother, Sachiel's defeat!"

"Allow me then," Shamshel, an alien woman with pale skin, long ruby hair and red eyes purred in a sly tone, "Evangel shall be like all other males I've triumphed over with charm and whips in ages past."

Shamshel rose and left the table. She turned around and waved with a smirk to her siblings as she took possession of a glowing S2 organ which began to flash. "Watch me brothers and sisters as I make the Prince kneel before me for my triumphant liberation of Mother." she began to assume her chosen gigantic Angel form as she teleported to Earth.

Opening Song - "Feel Your Breeze" by V6

I say, feel your breeze...

Anytime, anywhere in my heart...

Feel your breeze...

Never stop walking now oh!

As the opening begins with a small guitar riff we see Shinji walking forward and along the way we the faces of various Ultras appear, starting from Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Taro, Ultraman Leo Ultraman 80 before Shinji stopped looking up to see Ultraman Dyna give him a thumbs up before the teen transformed into his own Ultra form, Ultraman Evangel as the title for the story is now seen.

Kesenai kizu wo mata fuyashiteku...

Nanka kaze ga shimite yuku.

(My lasting scars are still increasing...

Somehow, it's like the wind pierces me.)

Next, we see Shinji waking up from bed where he was greeted by Pen Pen followed by Misato greeting him from the door making sure he was up.

Hitori kakaeteru fuan nara...

Ima dare ni mo aru hazu

(The anxiety a person carries along

Right now everybody has it)

Along the way to school he passes by Shin and waves over to him just in the nick of time as Toji and Kensuke run up to walk with him all of them unaware that Rei was behind them while up ahead a certain female red head huffed continuing on forward.

Kitto yoru wa nagaku...

Fukaku shindeta hou ga.

(The night sure is long...

And you sink down deep.)

We now swap over to NERV HQ where numerous personal were seen running around among them being Gendo supervising them closely.

Asahi noboru toki wa...

Sou, kirameku hazu sa.

(When the morning sun rises up...

That's right, it'll be dazzling.)

From the cages of the Eva's we see the three pilots standing in front of their respective Eva's followed by Shinji glancing up and exchanging a cold glare with his father from above.

Itsuka souzou shiteta mirai to...

Ima ga sukoshi chigatte itatte.

(The future you imagined sometimes...

Turned out to be a bit different.)

The Evas are now launched into battle and begin facing off against the Angels in Tokyo 3.

Yume no tame no namida wa...

Mada kiezu ni hikaritsuzukeru.

(The tears shed for the sake of dreams haven't disappeared...

They'll keep shining.)

During the skirmish a couple of kaiju appeared and seeing no other choice, Shinji flashes his Splendor and transforms into Evangel's default form, Ascension Type.

Zutto kokoro wa kimi wo miteru...

Mune ni kizanda kimochi de!

(Your heart is watching out for you...

These feelings are etched into your chest...)

Evangel is now fighting off against a Red King swapping into a red form called Force Type punching the skull monster before swapping into a blue form, Wonder Type and speeds up into the sky firing a few energy blasts at Birdon and Deemaga.

Towa ni yume wo kanjiyou...

Ano natsu kumo afureru you ni!

(Forever, feel your dreams...

Like the summer clouds are overflowing!)

As they monsters proceeded to explode, Evangel lands back down onto the ground returning back to Ascension type but suddenly in the distance the Angel, Zeruel appears. Seeing this new foe, Evangel and the other two Eva Units stand beside him.

I say, feel your breeze...

Anytime, anywhere in my heart!

Feel your breeze...

Never stop walking now oh!

As the song begins to end Shinji is seen running forward with all those he has bonded with running beside him while the Ultra Brothers and Dyna fly above them giving off their signature cries before we see them all gathered together with multiple forms of Evangel and Eva Unit's 00, 01, and 02 present.

Jan. 25, 2045 AD

Tokyo-3 Municipal High School

Shinji Ikari walked into the schoolyard for the third day in a row. Many of the other students made way for Shinji, some saying hello with bright smiles and others whispering murmurs mixed with both respect and fear for him.

"Hey Shinji!" Kensuke came running up to him.

"Ken!" Shinji smiled brightly towards his new friend. Toji however kept his distance as he watched Kensuke. Things were still awkward between Shinji and Toji since the latter tried to accost the former and got himself gut-punched. While Shinji wanted to approach him, Toji just kept away while Kensuke quickly accommodated Shinji to the school. "Good to see you greeting me for a change," Shinji laughed as he shook Kensuke's hand firmly.

Kensuke just shrugged with a chuckle. "Hey, I figured you needed a change from the past two days of guys trying to 'initiate' you... not that you've had much trouble though..." Shinji just shook his head, knowing that Kensuke was referring to the first time with Toji two days ago, and then two big bullies who tried to steal his baseball and forcing Shinji to defend himself. With Evangel's hidden strength and speed, Shinji had no problem knocking down the otherwise bigger boys, but it meant that he had gotten into fights two days in a row.

"They are just going to hurt themselves," Shinji groaned, "and I'm not wanting to hurt anybody."

"I know," Kensuke nodded, but then lit up. "Seriously though, where did you learn to move and fight like that!?"

"Uh..." Shinji realized that he had been acting on reflex, and that he needed to heed the Ultra Brothers' and King's warnings about revealing himself too much, especially since Evangel's presence heightened his body's performance. "I... I took a lot of martial arts lessons... and I guess I just became a natural at it," he presented his alibi.

"But seriously, I've watched some karate and taekwondo matches, and I've never seen anyone move the way you do," Kensuke remarked, "but I guess that's why you were chosen to pilot!"

Shinji groaned, "Ken... why I was selected is far less glamorous than it sounds."

"Why though!" Kensuke jumped, "it must be so cool with all the big robots and guns fighting monsters alongside Ultraman!"

"That's not the point, Ken," Shinji tried to stop him, "remember what I said about a certain someone pressuring me with an injured girl almost being sent?"

"Your dad?" Kensuke asked.

"Exactly," Shinji said in a low and disapproving tone.

"Oh..." Kensuke was stopped in his tracks. It occurred to him that Shinji did not like his father, let alone the mention of him. Nothing seemed to turn his new friend's mood faster than the thought of his NERV commander father.

"Hey, let go of me!" A shout came from a classmate who was fighting two bullies for her sketchbook. The two sadistically laughed as they pushed her down and flipped through his sketchbook. Shinji frowned; they were the same bullies he fended off from yesterday.

"Ultraman? That's a kiddie show!" One taunted with a nasally voice.

"A kiddie show for whinnies and sissies!" The other with a large belly and a mean face added.

Shinji took off his backpack and handed it to Kensuke. "Ken, hold this," he said as he stormed over to the scene. "Hey, jerkheads!" Shinji yelled as he made a show of cracking his knuckles, "want a round two instead?" The two bullies suddenly paled upon seeing Shinji with his smirk and fists.

"Crud! It's that Ikari guy!"

"Screw this!" The two ran off hysterically, leaving the girl artist startled and confused as Shinji said, "yeah, you better run!" He knelt down to help the victim, saying, "you okay?"

"Thanks," the girl said as she collected the sketches that fell out. Shinji helped to collect the pictures, and saw that they were sketches of Evangel and various Ultra Brothers, including the original Ultraman Hayata and his mentor, Ultraman 80. They were very well drawn, especially those depicting Evangel with his unique signature armor features. "Nice drawings," Shinji complimented as he handed them back to the artist.

"Thanks," the girl said, "everyone in the art club's been drawing various Ultramen, but I love that angel-like Ultraman. He's so cool with saving us and having that angel-like armor pattern on him!"

"Yeah," Shinji chuckled, "he's quite something isn't he?" He imagined how this girl would be absolutely fangirling if she knew who he was.

"Oh how I just want to meet him and give him a hug!" The girl had sparkles in her eyes. She took the last drawings back from Shinji. "But you're also cute too," she complimented, "thank you for chasing those goons away."

"Hey," Shinji said kindly, "it's the least I can do as someone who's been bullied before."

As Shinji helped the girl to her feet she introduced herself, "Mana Kirishima, nice to meet you, Ikari!"

"Just call me Shinji, and nice to meet you, Mana." He then gave a thumbs up to her. "And don't ever let those two idiots push you around. They are just a couple of airheads who don't know what Ultraman means to people."

"I won't, thanks to you," Mana winked before walking off to meet with her friends, giggling and squealing to them.

Kensuke and Toji watched all this. "Dude, that guy is just being a chick magnet, and an all-round magnet on top of that," Kensuke said, "just two days and almost everyone likes him."

Toji just huffed in exasperation. "Showoff," he pouted, "and after he beat my ass."

"Well, you did try to knock his lights out," Kensuke remarked, "you could have saved yourself the trouble." Toji just sulked as he and Kensuke were about to walk in.

Shinji suddenly felt a shock up his spine. He felt it coming from his Splendor as his eyes shot to the sky. There was a sudden sense of impending danger. 'Evangel?' It was then that he heard a voice... 'Young prince,' it was Ultraman King, 'the second of Adam's Children has manifested in this world. Be on your guard and may you prove victorious yet again.'

"Another Angel has appeared..." Shinji muttered as he reached out with his mental senses. True enough, he felt that unnatural presence of his enemy through the Evangel Splendor

"Pilot Ikari." Shinji turned to his side to see Rei. She was just down to her facial bandage covering her right eye.

"Hello, Rei," Shinji greeted with a gentle smile, concealing his tension over the approaching danger, "may I help you?" Shinji noted that this was the first time that Rei had approached him instead of him approaching her.

Rei blinked a few times. She was a bit confused by the way Shinji greeted her by asking if she needed assistance. It also did not help that she saw every now and then a faint outline of the same Ultraman from two weeks ago around Shinji's form. However she snapped back to her pilot persona. "An Angel has been sighted. Commander Ikari needs us back at NERV headquarters immediately." While a bit deflated by the lack of emotion in her response, Shinji knew that the Angel was not far away if it was already detected by NERV. True enough, the air raid sirens began to blast.

Shinji and Rei ran through and past the panicky crowd of students and teachers making their way to the shelters. Shinji watched as the whole city went into battle mode with buildings being lowered into the ground. However, from the corner of his vision, Shinji saw Rei slow down and stumble a bit. She had not fully recovered and it was clear that the running was aggravating her head wound. Shinji 's arms shot out as Rei was about to fall over.

"Rei, you are not fully healed," Shinji warned, "don't hurt yourself."

"Time is of the essence," Rei simply answered as she breathed a bit more heavily, "I am recovering well." However, Shinji was not fooled into thinking that she was in any state to do anything, let alone pilot. He then said, "hang onto my back."

"Pilot Ikari?" Rei was surprised yet again.

"Get onto my back and hang on," Shinji told Rei, "I can get us to the Geofront without you getting hurt." Seeing her hesitate, Shinji emphasized, "time is of the essence."

Rei held onto Shinji's shoulders as his arms wrapped around her lower legs. He ran with a speed and stamina that seemed to be far above what she observed with even the healthiest athletic boys around the school. Rei also took note of his upper body strength; he was holding her with a firm grip and not showing any signs of exhaustion. Yet all these physical observations were side notes to her wondering over Shinji's concern for her. While Commander Ikari showed concern, it was always for a practical reason. Shinji's concern for her well-being and interactions with her outside of piloting were completely illogical to her.

The two teenagers reached one of the elevator train entrances to the Geofront. As Shinji set Rei down on a seat and punched one of the buttons to take them down, his thoughts continued to wander towards Rei yet again. 'She puts on a face of stoicism and obedience to NERV and Father...' he mused, 'and hardly reacts to anyone else or even concerns herself with her own health... Whatever is going on with her... I'll find out one way or the other, and I'll be darned if Father or the Angels bring her to any harm.' Shinji's rational half would say that he was being irrational over a girl he had only just met and did not know much about, but something deep down in his and Evangel's spirit told him that it was a very right thing to do.

NERV Command Center

Misato just stared at the 4th Angel's flying form being displayed from a sea destroyer's onboard camera. She did not know whether to groan or laugh at the appearance of the Angel; it almost looked like a pink something that a woman would use on herself. "Of all the things, why did it have to look like... a woman's toy?" Misato just shook her head.

"I was going to say it resembled a form of deep sea life," Ritsuko inputted with a professional expression or tone, but inside she was holding back laughter at the absurdity of the 4th Angel's form. She would laugh herself silly afterwards when no one was looking.

"Oh..." Maya blushed as she averted her gaze, trying not to think about someone using something like 'that' in fantasies. Makoto Hyuga fidgeted with his glasses for a distraction, while Shigeru Aoba allowed some snickers to himself.

Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki watched the Angel on the screens. Of course it had to come when Commander Ikari was away. He watched as the military fired up their land-based batteries, intercept fighters, and VTOLs. They pelted the flying creature with shells and missiles, none of which made it past the AT-field let alone scratched it. "Those soldiers are wasting their time and our tax money," Fuyutsuki shook his head. While the old man was exasperated, another part of him felt thankful to be in command this round. If Ultraman showed up, wherever he was watching from, Fuyutsuki could keep a lid on whatever Gendo and the Instrumentality Committee wanted to do with him. He knew from observation that Gendo and the old men did not welcome Ultraman, and would do whatever they could to minimize or remove him from the equation.

'If I have anything to say about that... they won't stop Ultraman from protecting us,' Fuyutsuki thought. It was a strange, but amazing feeling that he had not felt since the expedition where he was rescued by an Ultraman. He could not remember who exactly that Ultraman was, but he left the younger Fuyutsuki with a sense of wonder and hope when he learned that humanity was not alone in the universe. The fact that this new Ultraman had arrived and defeated the last Angel threatened the scenario SEELE and Gendo had, but Fuyutsuki could see in the people he met around the city that there was a sense of hope that he had not seen in a long time.

"What's the status on the civilian evacuation?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"The evacuation is complete, sir," Shigeru reported, "and I've just received a request from the military for us to deploy Evangelion."

"Oh, so now they want us to help them after all their badmouthing us?" Misato twitched an eyebrow, not forgetting some of the military brass, including the arrogant Colonel Arashi who complained about NERV's inability to kill the last Angel.

"That Angel had surprise on its side and we rushed the deployment of Evangelion for the most part," Fuyutsuki remarked, "but we now have a trained and properly equipped pilot and Evangelion this round. And... even if those fail, we would have bought ourselves some time."

"You mean that guy, Ultraman?" Misato looked up to the vice-commander, "how can you be so sure that he will come?"

"Trust me," Fuyutsuki smiled, "if there is one thing I've learned about Ultraman, he's watching from somewhere."

Misato, Ritsuko, and the bridge bunnies looked amongst themselves. It had pretty much become an open secret among the bridge and command staff that Fuyutsuki had a history with one of the Ultramen, but to see him express this level of hope and confidence still took a lot of getting used to from the otherwise cynical elder man.

Shinji pressed on the plugsuit seal and felt it compress against his body. Getting a feel for it again to make sure it was comfortable, Shinji then grabbed the Evangel Splendor. While he lamented the lack of pockets to put the device in, Shinji was successful in convincing Dr. Akagi to let him hold on to it as a 'lucky charm', which was not entirely untrue in a sense. He started down at the Splendor as the golden wings gave off a bit of a sheen. "Here we go again, Evangel."

Shin Asuka got into the Alpha Superior and started up the engines. With the thrust climbing, he steadily throttled the craft forward out of the garage he was using as his hideout.

"Sorry," Shin muttered to no one in particular as he strapped his helmet on, "but I have no intention of not watching over Shinji in battle." He knew that he was not the main player and hero in this war for this world, but he would be darned if he did not do his own part to help. While Ultraman King said that this was Evangel's battle to fight, he never said Shin could not continue to help in any capacity.

"GUTS Eagle Alpha Superior, take off!" With that, Shin soared into the sky towards the battle site.

Shamshel had to laugh at herself as the human army put up a futile barrage that mounted to nothing but fireworks against her AT-Field. As easily as she could slice through them, the female Angel decided to save her energy and effort to destroying the mockeries they created of their mother, and most of all, the traitor Ultraman Evangel.

'Puny humans with their little guns and bombs,' Shamshel laughed to herself, 'they will soon feel the razor edges of my energy whips soon enough!' Her massive pointed body floated past the anti-aircraft guns, with the VTOLs in pursuit and fighter jets strafing her but not interrupting her smooth aerial cruise whatsoever. Shamshel was the kind to save the best for last, especially for any male worthy or unlucky enough to face her.

Shamshel soon came within sight of the fortress city of Tokyo-3. Soon the humans would face her wrath as she sliced her way through to her mother.

Shinji laid the Evangel Splendor in a compartment next to his seat in the entry plug as it was inserted into Eva Unit 01. While he knew that his best chance against Adam's Children was with the power of Evangel, Ultraman Dyna and the Space Garrison mentors taught Shinji that a true Ultraman used his power with restraint and self-control, and only when all other efforts had been expended and failed. Furthermore, there was also the danger of exposing himself to his father and whomever else he was working with.

It was then that Misato appeared on one of the coms screens. "Shinji, based on the information we have from the field," she briefed, "there are no indications that the Angel has any ranged capabilities so far, but since you will have to get in close to neutralize the AT-Field with Eva Unit 01's own field, expect it to respond at medium to close range."

"Thanks again for the drilling, Misato," Shinji nodded, "I've heard this already for the tenth time already since I came here."

"Someone keeping count?" Misato raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yeah, me," Shinji jested back. It was then that he saw a certain blue-haired girl enter the operations deck of the command center. "Rei?" Shinji blurted out.

Misato quickly turned around and saw the bandaged blue-haired girl walk onto the operations deck. "Rei?" Misato herself was surprised, followed by Ritsuko, the bridge bunnies and everyone else in the room. Even Fuyutsuki looked over with surprise, as Rei normally did not come to the commander center.

"I wish to observe Pilot Ikari's performance in battle," Rei simply stated, "if my presence does not interfere in the operation."

Ritsuko was really surprised that Rei had taken a sudden interest the activities of someone other than her own or Commander Ikari's. If anything, she looked up to Shinji's com window from his entry plug with a look in her eyes that could only be described as fascination behind her professional silent face.

"You may," Fuyutsuki surprised everyone yet again, "if anything, this will be a valuable learning experience for all other pilots, Pilot Ayanami." He then mentally added, 'and likely yet another intervention by our Ultra friend.'

"The target is approaching the city! Range ten kilometers and closing fast from the south," Aoba reported.

"I guess that's my que," Shinji voiced aloud, "ready to launch, Misato!"

"I like your spirit," Misato was encouraged by Shinji's willingness to face the enemy, "Eva Unit 01! Launch!"

Shinji grit his teeth as the catapult elevator shot him to the surface. 'Alright, Evangel, looks like it's gonna us versus Angel Number Two!'

Eva Unit 01 emerged on the surface, as a compartment for its auto rifle popped out next to the catapult hatch at the same time. Shinji wasted no time commanding the purple Eva to reach for and arm the rifle. Unlike the last time, there would be no baby steps with the Eva.

"Where is the Angel, Command?" Shinji called out.

"Six kilometers and closing from the south," Hyuga reported, "we've got a UN VTOL squadron tailing it... hold on a moment..."

"Is something wrong?" Shinji asked, his fingers primed on the controls.

"Um... one of the VTOL squadron leaders is wanting to contact Eva Unit 01," Hyuga continued, "he says that he's a Lieutenant Donnie Reagan."

"In the middle of a NERV combat operation?" Misato looked annoyed, "what could they want now?"

However, Shinji's eyes lit up in recognition, "Misato, that's the American UN Forces pilot I rescued from the last battle! Let me talk to him!"

"Shinji..."

"Please!" Shinji insisted, "he could be trying to help us!"

Misato looked back up to Fuyutsuki, who actually nodded and said, "patch him through."

"Very well... Lt. Hyuga?" Misato asked.

"On it," Hyuga responded as he typed in some commands.

Soon enough, Shinji heard radio static that cleared up into a familiar voice. "This is Lieutenant Reagan," the American pilot radioed, "Evangelion, Shinji Ikari, do you copy?"

"Mr. Reagan!" Shinji called back, "it's good to hear you! You're better now!"

"Hey, I still owe you my life from the first time we met," Donnie said, "and I'm ready to help unleash pain on this guy as soon as this force field of his drops."

Shinji replied, "just don't go crashing on me after I've saved you once. I'll be having my hands full trying to control this thing and bashing the Angel's brains in."

"After all that, I'm not flying that close again," Donnie affirmed, "and speaking of which, that monster's vectoring towards your position; ETA two minutes."

True enough, Shinji saw the rapidly approaching Angel in the distance. He almost snickered at the sight of the ridiculous-looking creature with large googly eyes and its elongated pinkish-red flying body, but remembered Dyna and the Ultra Brothers teaching him to never underestimate a monster using a silly appearance to conceal lethal surprises underneath. Recalling his prior battle two weeks ago, Shinji learned that the kaiju known as the Children of Adam were far above his average wild beasts.

Donnie Reagan and his VTOL squadron carefully circled and shadowed the Angel at a safe hovering distance. Shinji shouldered Eva 01's auto rifle into a ready position, and primed his AT-Field to prepare to contact the Angel's. "Misato, I'm deploying my AT-Field," Shinji informed as Eva Unit 01 briefly flashed orange with the activation of said field.

"Good work, Shinji," Misato complimented, "your AT-Field is showing itself to be at combat effective capability. You should be able to neutralize the Angel's field and damage it at short range."

"Hopefully I can hit it a little further out than that," Shinji remarked as he raised his rifle. "This is Unit 01, preparing to fire," Shinji called out, "you guys might want to clear out."

"Smoke that son of a gun, Ikari, and good luck!" The VTOL aircraft split up.

Shamshel on the other hand, was quite amused at the sight of the purple Evangelion. While she could somehow sense a part of her mother in the Eva, she was quite condescending instead of angry. 'That is their weapon against us? How crude and cute...' Shamshel then stood herself upright, towering a bit over her prey.

Shinji saw the Angel shifting posture over him. He raised an eyebrow at the apparent lack of immediate aggression. 'Either it's not intimidated, or it's trying to intimidate me with its size.' Not wanting to waste time though, Shinji quickly raised his AT-field output and raised his gun. "Let's see how you like this then!" He let loose a stream of automatic fire of 90mm HV rounds.

Shamshel was pelted with the Eva's gunfire, but her AT-Field held up with a steady orange glow as the rounds bounced off with only sparks on the barrier. 'Foolish human,' she thought, 'it's obvious you want to absorb my Barrier of Light for you to hurt me, but I am more intelligent!'

"That Angel is keeping its AT-Field close to its body," Shinji realized, "I'm too far away to neutralize it!"

"Then you'll have to get in closer," Misato commanded, "neutralize that field!"

'So it's a dogfight then,' Shinji steeled himself as he rushed the target.

'Pathetic!' Shamshel let her energy tendrils shoot out of her 'arms' and swung quickly.

"Ugh!" Shinji barely dodged as he hit the ground. The tendril flashed over Unit 01, slicing through the skyscrapers and collapsing them. "That's cutting it close!" Shinji fired a burst at the Angel, but failed to penetrate the field. "Great..." He was forced to break as the Angel lashed out with its whips.

"Shinji, what are you doing?" Misato asked aloud.

"Evading!" Shinji yelled as he tried to avoid the whip-like tendrils slicing through air and buildings.

"You need to neutralize that AT-Field if you want to stand a chance," Misato insisted.

"Easy for you to say when you're not the one about to get sliced up! Hah!" Shinji continued his tactical retreat as the 4th Angel continued its attack. "Stupid cable's slowing me down!"

"Don't lose that cable!" Misato advised, "you do, the battery will only last five minutes!"

"Oh wonderful- yow!" Shinji yelled as one of the whips sliced the barrel off his auto rifle. "Lost my gun!"

Rei was watching all this in observant silence as Eva Unit 01 dropped the ruined weapon and focused on evading. She saw that Eva Unit 01 was being given moves by Shinji that were far more fluid and agile than anything she had seen before. Even with the training and life she had, she had never been able to work Eva Unit 00 the way Shinji was doing.

'He moves... like the Ultraman,' Rei's logical mind began connecting the dots as she noticed similarities in his techniques and reflexes in commanding Unit 01. Furthermore... she kept seeing flashes of Ultraman Evangel sitting in Shinji's place.

"Aw man! This is intense!" Kensuke was filming the battle on his phone. "That Shinji really moves! Wonder that he hasn't been hit by now!"

"If only he can actually start bashing that monster's head in by now," Toji said as he shook his head. He was not terribly hot about Kensuke's idea to sneak out of the shelter with the excuse of a bathroom break, and he especially was not hot about being topside to witness another battle in real time after the last one nearly flattened him and his sister. Yet underneath his hard exterior, the friendly jock in Toji would hate to see his idiotic otaku friend get himself hurt over his enthusiasm for all things military, and not to mention Ultraman.

"Where's he going to get another gun though?" Toji wondered, "that monster just slices through stuff like butter!"

Shin Asuka arrived just outside Tokyo-3 at low altitude and saw the savagery unfolding. The 4th Angel continued to lash out at Unit 01, not giving Shinji any easy window to attack.

"Come on, Shinji," Asuka muttered, "you can beat this jerk." He didn't know if he was cheering on Shinji, reassuring himself, or both, but he did know that despite the words of restraint from Ultraman 80 and Ultraman King, every fiber of his being was practically screaming to go in guns blazing to help Shinji. He had learned a great deal of patience and wisdom over his long travels between worlds, but he honestly hated just watching from the peanut gallery.

"I could use a distraction and a brand new gun!" Shinji shouted over his coms. He had drawn his Eva's progressive knife in an attempt to fend off the Angel and stab back, but the whips of light were so fast and furious that he was forced to focus mainly on ducking, rolling, and running to avoid being sliced. Shinji was keenly aware from last time that the Eva's armor was not great for an anti-kaiju weapon of its size. While he could use the AT-Field to make up for the lack of durability, it required a level of concentration that he did not have at the moment without breaking his evasive maneuvers.

"We're sending a battle rifle up to you now," Misato came over the radio, "hey, Lieutenant Reagan! If you want to be useful, distract that Angel with your fire! And please don't crash on us again!"

Donnie's voice crackled, "I am ready to help! Sheesh, you crash once and they don't let you live it down..." Donnie's VTOL and the others opened up on the Angel, blanketing it with flak as Shinji reached another weapons booth and grabbed a heavier 120mm battle rifle.

"Let's try this on for size then!" Shinji yelled as he ran back towards the Angel, firing heavier caliber HE rounds as he did so.

Shamshel on the other hand was getting really annoyed and tired of playing with the humans with their giant abominable toy. While she was more than capable of taking their bullets, the purple monstrosity apparently made from her mother's flesh was really starting to irk her. 'Alright, enough of this!' She lashed out again with both tendrils.

"Urgh!" Shinji bit his teeth as he felt one of the whips grab him around the Eva's waist. The tendril burned and really hurt! The other tendril went for the cable and sliced clean through it, cutting external power and causing the five minute clock to start counting down for the battery.

"The umbilical cable is cut," Maya reported, "Unit 01 is now on internal battery power!"

"T-minus five minutes of operation," Hyuga added.

"Great... my day is going so well!" Shinji sarcastically bit as the burning pain around his waist continued. Shinji nonetheless fought through the pain and tried to reach for his second progressive knife with his left hand. However, the Angel seemed to realize this and waved him around, shaking the Eva and plug quite violently before throwing him into the air. Shinji yelled out as he lost his grip on both rifle and knife.

"AAAHHH!" Toji and Kensuke screamed as Eva Unit 01 careened towards the hillside they were situated on.

BAAAAMMMM!

The two boys had expected to be crushed by tons of giant robot by now... but they found themselves still awake and alive as they opened their eyes. They flinched when they realized that they were just between the two fingers of the Eva's left hand.

"Thank the heavens!" Kensuke breathed heavily, "I thought we were going to be pancakes!"

"We should have just stayed in the shelter with Class Rep and my little sister," Toji complained.

"Ow..." Shinji groaned as he shook the cobwebs and dizziness off. 'And this is why I prefer flying as Evangel...' He willed the Eva to sit up, but then noticed Toji and Kensuke between Unit 01's left fingers. "What!? Ken! Toji!"

Unit 01's feed also fed back images of the two classmates to NERV Command. "Those are Shinji's classmates!" Misato gasped, "what in blazes are those civilians doing outside of a shelter!?" Now there were two idiot students putting their lives and the whole operation at risk.

"This is just going from bad to worse and worse," Ritsuko groaned as felt a headache coming on.

"Pilot Ikari..." Fuyutsuki now worried for the young Shinji, and it didn't help that his classmates were now in the way.

"Ikari..." Rei muttered silently as she stared up at the screen. This time, she saw a flash of Evangel in place of Unit 01.

"Those two again!?" Shin saw Toji and Kensuke on the ground next to Unit 01. He then saw the Angel floating towards the downed Eva with its energy whips waving threateningly in the air. "I can't land to help them..." It was too dangerous with the Angel so close to Shinji, and he dared not fire with the risk of further endangering the boys.

'Die human abomination!' Shamshel threw her whips forward towards the Eva's head, only for it to catch them both in its hands. 'Oh... playing rough? Then let us play!' She channeled more heat and energy into the cutting tendrils.

"Ugh!" Shinji grit his teeth as his hands burned from the cutting and burning pain. He could barely move as he tried to prevent the tendrils from beheading him and hitting his classmates below. He looked at his clock and saw three minutes and thirty seconds on the battery.

"No good! If I try to move, they'll be crushed or struck by the whips!" Shinji struggled to push the tendrils back further. "I've got to let them in!" Now the battery was down to three minutes.

"Pilot Ikari! That is against the rules to let non-NERV personnel onboard!" Ritsuko protested.

"Better than letting them get killed!" Shinji quickly tapped on the controls to open the plug while he maintained his painful grip. He yelled over the speakers, "KENSUKE, TOJI! GET IN QUICK!"

"What?" Toji was confused.

"YOU WANNA LIVE!? COME ON!" Shinji emphasized. That got the two boys scrambling up for their lives. As soon as they jumped into the plug, they were inundated in LCL.

"W-water!? We'll drown!" Toji panicked.

"My phone, my phone! It'll be ruined!" Kensuke cried.

"It supplies oxygen," Shinji quickly assured, "you can breathe!" The two classmates didn't believe Shinji for a moment, but then felt the LCL enter their lungs and breathed normally. Nonetheless, they both gagged at the horrible taste and smell.

"Yuck!" Toji stuck out his tongue.

Shinji felt flickers in his connection with the Eva; he realized that Ken and Toji's brainwaves were causing interference with the interface. However, with Evangel's physical and mental strength fueling him, Shinji fought through and pushed back on the Angel. He managed to reach for his right hand knife and draw it. "I'm ending this now!" Shinji lunged up to try and strike the Angel in the core, but the Angel pulled back into an upright position and used its left tendril to strike Unit 01 in the hand. "Agh!" Shinji yelled and dropped the knife, before keeling over as he felt the right tendril pierce right through the Eva's left chest.

"SHINJI!" Misato screamed.

The whole command center watched in horror as Unit 01 was at the total mercy of the Angel. Fuyutsuki on the other hand, was saying a silent prayer to the heavens that Ultraman would come intervene. 'Kami-sama... if Ultraman is watching out there... please don't let those three kids die.'

"AAGGGHHH!" Shinji continued to yell in pain as the battery power was now down to around ninety seconds. He realized he was now in a serious disadvantage in the Eva.

"We're gonna die!" Kensuke cried.

"Sakura! I'm sorry!" Toji confessed, wishing to just be back with his sister, and secretly a certain class representative.

However, Shinji was not about to give in. "Not... if I... have something... to say!" He reached for the Angel's core, hoping to grab and crush it. The Angel mocked him though and used the other tendril to wrap around the Eva's arm, squeezing and burning it. Shinji fought hard to not pass out from the pain. He tried to give it his all as a human, but soon felt the urging of Evangel in him. He glanced over to see the Splendor glowing softly, beckoning Shinji to transform. 'In front of NERV... and these two... but if I don't...' He slowly began to reach for the wand...

Suddenly, laser fire hit the Angel on its side. Since Eva Unit 01's AT-Field had been in proximity to the Angel's own, the laser blasts actually hit the Angel's body, though it did very little damage.

Shamshel was surprised and mad. 'Who interferes now!?' She and Unit 01 turned to see the red and nimble Alpha Superior roaring towards them.

"Shinji!" Shin yelled as he continued firing on the Angel. He did not care about staying clear of the fight now... a fellow Ultra and brother needed his help, and he was going to give it.

"Shin..." Shinji muttered in surprise.

"Who is that!?" Donnie Reagan was surprised to see another unknown aircraft suddenly enter the battle zone and fire on the monster. His tour to Tokyo-3 was getting stranger with time; first giant monsters from another world, giant robots being launched to fight said monsters, a real Ultraman appearing, and now a stranger in a strange jet coming out of nowhere and firing on the monster. "Unidentified aircraft has entered the combat zone!"

"Where did that plane come from!?" Misato asked, as she watched the strange fighter jet engage the Angel. "Hyuga, get an ID on that plane!"

"No ID or IFF signals recognized," Hyuga reported, "and there is nothing in our databases on that aircraft!"

"Who the heck?" Aoba muttered.

Misato grunted. "Contact whoever's flying that jet!"

"The best we have is an open channel," Maya indicated.

"Fine..." Misato relented. She then said, "attention, unidentified aircraft! You are interfering in a NERV anti-Angel operation! State your intentions!"

Shin Asuka heard Misato's voice over the radio. He didn't want NERV or the UN wanting to know too much now, but yet also did not need them shooting at him now. Shin decided to answer, "this is your friendly neighbor, Alpha Superior responding..." He referred to himself by the name of his GUTS Eagle jet instead of his own, "I'm an allied unit responding to the kaiju attack on Tokyo-3. I'm sorry to barge in, but I could not stand by and watch a friend in trouble! Alpha Superior, over and out!"

"Now hold on-" Shin cut the radio before Misato could respond, and fired more shots at the Angel.

Shamshel turned up towards the Alpha Superior. 'Away you pesky bird!' She lashed out with her tendril, only for Shin to roll away and fly past her. She shot her tendril up in an attempt to slice him apart.

Shin then sent a mental message to Shinji, 'bro, I know I was not supposed to interfere, but I couldn't stand it! Now's your chance! Retreat and transform!'

Shinji was a bit surprised to hear Shin mentally communicate to him, but knew not to miss the opportunity. With a pained grunt, he pushed himself free of the energy tendril and made off with only less than a minute to spare. "He's giving us time to escape..." Shinji hissed, "let's go!"

"Shinji, who is that?" Kensuke asked, "and where did he get that jet!?"

Shinji just focused on having Eva Unit 01 run to behind a hillside. He glanced back to see Shin keeping the Angel busy in his Alpha Superior fighter. "Hang on..." he muttered as he positioned his Eva in a safe spot. Seeing the battery meter down to ten seconds, he had Eva Unit 01 kneel down. "I'm about to run out of juice..."

Just before the battery ran out, Shinji activated the emergency plug drain protocol to drain out the LCL. After that the plug went completely dark, with the ventilation shafts opening at the last minute to let fresh air in.

"What now, new guy?" Toji asked, "we're out of power now!"

"I thought we were gonna die..." Kensuke said as he sighed in relief, "but yeah, Shinji. The whole machine is out of power." Shinji was about to answer, but winced a bit. Kensuke saw this and asked, "are you okay?"

"Phantom pain..." Shinji said with a grunt, "I felt just about every cut, burn, stab, and all of the above that the Angel inflicted on the Eva... it'll pass though." He then grabbed the Splendor which began to glow more steadily now. "But... I'm not out of the fight just yet."

"How?" Toji asked before he laid eyes on the glowing wand in Shinji's hand. "What on earth is that you're holding?"

Shinji then took a breath and a resolved expression. With the entry plug losing power with the rest of the Eva, there was no getting these two out of the cockpit even manually. And with the Angel on the loose with Shin holding the line... "Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida," he said in a serious deep tone that neither of the boys had ever heard from Shinji up to now, "what I have here is a secret far bigger than anything else you've seen, Angel, Evangelion, or NERV. It's what helps me to protect this world, and not just as an Evangelion pilot. However, you must promise me afterwards... that you will keep my confidence."

"Shinji?" Kensuke was wondering what his new friend was all about.

Shinji then stood up, and flexed his Splendor up. "EVANGEL!" The Splendor's wings opened up and enveloped Shinji in white light. Kensuke and Toji had to cover their eyes for a bit, and when the light died down, they lowered their arms. Both sets of eyes went wide as saucers... where Shinji once stood, was the angel-like Ultraman in human size.

"NO WAY!" Toji fell back in shock upon seeing the new guy to his class transform into the Ultraman from two weeks ago.

Ultraman Evangel looked right at Toji and nodded. He then glanced upwards and flexed his arms out as his color indicator and gold chest protector flashed. In a burst of light, Evangel teleported out of the plug, leaving two classmates with jaws dropped.

"Dude..." Kensuke managed, his mind totally blown.

"Eva Unit 01 has lost power!" Hyuga reported.

Misato gritted her teeth. "Get support crews out to Unit 01's hiding place! We need it charged and rearmed, and see that those two civilians are retrieved safely!"

Fuyutsuki continued to watch grimly from his commander's perch. "Come on... Ultraman..."

"Tsk! Tough son of a gun, are you!?" Shin was avoiding the whip lashes of the manic 4th Angel, which seemed to be really annoyed and looking to take it out on him for interfering. Fortunately, years of experience combined with the Alpha Superior's insane agility meant he could stay ahead of the Angel's attacks.

'Get away you insipid insect!' Shamshel saw red as she chased the fighter that had distracted her from her prey and her mission.

All of a sudden, something flashed above Shamshel. She looked up, and Ultraman Evangel appeared with a swift kick to her head. Shamshel fell back onto another hill as Evangel landed.

"About time!" Shin cheered as he saw his transformed protégé take center stage again.

NERV's command center was a mix of shouts and gasps as Ultraman Evangel posed on the big screen.

"Pattern... white! It's Ultraman!" Hyuga shouted.

"Analyzing pattern," Aoba said, "it's the same being from the battle with the 3rd Angel!"

Maya's eyes gleamed with excitement and happiness. "He's back!"

Misato and Ritsuko on the other hand were almost rendered slack-jawed upon seeing the angel-like Ultra again. "He really did come," Ritsuko muttered.

"Just like the vice-commander said..." Misato added. She looked up, and true enough Fuyutsuki was smiling brightly with that same uncharacteristic confidence and hope.

Rei blinked once as she muttered, "Ultraman..."

In a certain shelter...

Class 2A and the rest of the civilians in the shelter were in awe as remote cameras and distant news helicopters captured the scene of Ultraman facing the new Angel.

"It's Ultraman," Mana squealed, "it's really him!"

"We're saved!"

"Yahoo!"

The whole shelter erupted in cheers and whoops as Ultraman fans such as Mana Kirishima led it.

"Everyone, calm please!" Hikari vainly tried to re-establish order. However, the other students began to chant, "Ultraman! Ultraman! Ultraman!"

Sakura was beaming and squealing with the rest of the crowd. While she was wondering why her brother and his friend were in the bathroom for so long, right now very happy to see her new favorite real-life Ultraman coming to save the day again.

"Hah!" Ultraman Evangel battle-posed as Shamshel began to shift form.

Rib-like protrusions began to form around Shamshel's S2 organ just with Sachiel, her long snake-like lower portion shrank before splitting into slender legs as she no longer hovered but stood, the two main arms elongated and formed elbows for greater degrees of movement, with the eight smaller 'legs' below the core enlarging into sharper-looking and more armored versions. Last but not least, the head changed drastically with armored spiked plates on the forehead and googly eyes disturbingly shifting forward to face Evangel with a menacing red glow.

Not having bothered to speak before, Shamshel decided to engage her and her siblings' ancient nemesis. "You have revealed yourself again, Ultraman Evangel," she said in a deep booming, but feminine voice, "I was getting bored with the little insects that you have such inappropriate affections for, but now I have you to entertain me."

"That Angel talks too!" Ritsuko gasped. She remembered the last one speaking, but it was the first time she was hearing one speak complete sentences.

"Great," Misato groaned, "they only speak to Ultraman, and this one is a female!"

Rei still focused on Ultraman Evangel, her mind in silent running as she formed conclusions.

"You have defeated my brother Sachiel but I," the 4th Angel continued, "Shamshel, daughter of the one called Adam, will triumph!"

Inside Evangel's inner light, Shinji grinned with resolve. "Then try it... Shamshel!"

"Prepare!" Shamshel jumped high and swung with her energy tendril. Evangel side-stepped the tendril cutting deep into the land and fired Brace Shots up at Shamshel, who dodged and swung her second tendril. Evangel rolled out of the way as the energy whip left another gash in the landscape.

Shamshel landed and turned with flashing eyes which unleashed laser beams towards Evangel. Evangel back-flipped through the volley and then unleashed a Charge Cut from his brace. The femme Angel countered with a double slash of her whips which clashed and dissipated the energy attack.

"You have to do better than that!" Shamshel taunted as she charged up her laser eye beams and fired. Evangel used his arm braces to block, but was pushed back by the force.

"This Child of Adam has a stronger set of energy attacks," Shinji realized, "I've got to get in close!"

Evangel leapt up into the air and dove towards Shamshel. "Take this!" She unleashed another blast, which Evangel weaved past, before resorting to more whip lashes and rapid-fire beams. The Ultra prince zig-zaged past the tendril strikes, while using his braces to block and deflect the beams. Evangel landed in front of Shamshel and charged up his left shin brace for a Charge Kick. "Rah!" Evangel kicked Shamshel in the folded armored 'legs' on her lower chest, sending her stumbling back.

"You are still powerful Evangel..."

Evangel rushed forward for a punch.

"BUT NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH!"

Suddenly the legs on Shamshel's chest unfolded, and eight energy tendrils shot forth and hit Evangel square in the chest. "Urgh!" Evangel slid on his back from the blow.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Misato screamed. She asked Hyuga, "what's the status on that resupply team!?"

"They can't approach the battle zone," Hyuga shook his head, "many of the roads are destroyed from the energy attacks, and the VTOLs are reporting that the area is too hot with the battle going on!"

While Misato was sure that Shinji was out of harm's way, Evangel was now getting hit with the Angel... Shamshel's more ferocious tendril and energy attacks. "Shinji... Ultraman."

"Ultraman! Don't lose!" Maya yelled.

"Maya..." Ritsuko was about to chide Maya on protocol when someone else yelled.

"Ultraman, keep fighting," Fuyutsuki called out, "hang in there!" He then commanded Misato, "request the remaining UN Forces to assist Ultraman with a barrage, and have our own gun batteries do the same!"

"Vice-Commander!" Misato was taken aback by Fuyutsuki's sudden urgency of command, "but our conveyntional weapons are ineffective against an AT-Field!"

"We will assist Ultraman in defeating the 4th Angel, calling herself Shamshel," Fuyutsuki made clear, "he came down here to help us, and if he can break AT-Fields, we have a chance to help him with whatever we have in our arsenal. Now fire away!"

"Uh... right!" Misato regained her senses. Eva or no, humans still had a role to play in the battle. "Have our defense batteries fire away! If we can give Ultraman a chance to bust open that field, let's give that femme fatale some fireworks!"

Rei looked around at newly motivated Vice Commander, then Misato, and then Maya Ibuki, who seemed the most excited out of the bridge crew to help out. 'Ultraman gives the Vice Commander and others motivation that would be improbable under normal circumstances...'

"Let's light her up boys," Donnie whipped up his squadron's enthusiasm, "gunner take aim! We are helping Ultraman make the fat lady sing!"

"More like making the fat lady burn," the gunner joked back.

"Fire!" Donnie led the aerial bombardment.

The hillsides of Tokyo-3 opened up with various weapon emplacements targetting the Angel and bombarding her as well. While only producing smoke, the attacking VTOLs and batteries did provide Evangel with a temporary distraction to fire more Brace Shots as he rushed in.

"I've got to break open her core shields for my Cross Ray Beam," Shini muttered.

"Now this is interesting!" Shamshel laughed aloud, "but I still have the cutting edge!" Her chest tendrils shot forth again.

Evangel rolled out of the way of the tendrils, but was then caught in the waist and neck by the main arm tendrils. "Urgh, Agh!" Evangel grunted as he tried to unwrap the one around his neck. Shamshel then had her eight center tendrils hit and stick to his chest and limbs.

"Hahahahaha! I got you now!" Shamshel mocked as her tendrils crackled with electricity. Evangel yelled out in pain as the energy attack inflicted serious damage to his body.

"Agh!" Shinji struggled to stand as the electricity hit him in his inner light, "she was saving her full strength.. for me... for Evangel!"

"Ultraman's in danger!" Donnie shouted to his fellow VTOL pilots, "we gotta do something!"

"Shinji!" Asuka tried for another attack run with Alpha Superior, but Shamshel pivoted her head up and fired another long ray from her eyes. "Look out!" Shin turned and rolled out of the way, but several UN VTOLs were either clipped or blasted out of the sky.

"We're hit!" Donnie's gunner yelled as they lost their left thruster.

"Not again," Donnie groaned, "I shoulda joined the Air Force!" His VTOL crash landed into a paddy field.

Evangel felt the dual pain of the energy tendrils burning and electrocuting him simultaneously through his armor. His color indicator then started flashing red as he felt his strength fading.

"It's that light thing on his chest again," Maya exclaimed, "is he in trouble again?"

"That... young Ibuki," Fuyutsuki answered, "is a chest indicator showing the life of Ultraman... if it flashes any faster, it means he will lose more energy..."

"Oh no..." Misato paled as the whole bridge watched Evangel struggling and weakening.

"Ultraman's in trouble!" One of the students of Class 2A exclaimed.

"What's that blinking red light on his chest!?"

"Bad news!" Mana said, "that's his color timer! It means that he's losing strength and could be defeated if this keeps up!"

The rest of the class and others in the shelter were in pandemonium. Hikari tried to calm everyone, bit slumped in defeat.

"NO!" Sakura yelled, "Ultraman cannot be defeated!" She said that with a surprising volume and confidence that everyone in the shelter stopped and looked at her. Without thinking, she said, "he saved me and my brother from that monster in the last battle, and he can win again if we continue to cheer him on!"

Sakura stared up at the screen showing the battle above the surface. "You can do it, Ultraman!"

"Fight on Ultraman!"

"Kick that kaiju's ass!"

Hikari stared as the whole mood of the shelter changed with Sakura leading the cheering. "That girl..." Hikari muttered. Then she decided to join in. "Ultraman! Break free!"

Shinji felt his inner space shift as he found his surroundings changing. "What is this now?" Shinji wondered.

He suddenly saw Ultraman Evangel fighting a horde of muscular ancient monsters in some mountain passes alongside some other Ultras. He was wrestling one and losing ground. Suddenly, his head crystal and color indicator flashed, and his body colors shifted to red and gold. He then pushed back and wrestled the beast to the ground.

"He changed forms..."

The vision changed again, this time showing Evangel pursuing a flying monster in the sky with a blue body and his armor pieces a sleek silver instead. He flew with a speed and nimbleness greater than his standard form. Avoiding the mobster's fire breath, he charged up a spear made of light and threw it at the monster, piercing its chest and destroying it.

"Ascension... Force... Wonder..."

"Ascension... Force... Wonder..." Shinji repeated. Evangel was telling him something from past memories... It was then that Shinji remembered the times when he trained with Dyna, who showed off different Style changes. "Then the red must be Force, and the blue Wonder!"

Shinji grinned; he knew what to do now.

Insert Song - "Cruel Angel Thesis - Metal Guitar Cover" by corpus callosum (Youtube)

"Hmmmm!" Evangel's eyes flashed as he fought back the shocks and the hot squeezing pain of Shamshel's attack.

"Still not dying?" Shamshel mocked, "or perhaps you just want to look brave when you fall!"

"Not on your life," Shinji retorted as he channeled Evangel's energies, "EVANGEL, FORCE STYLE!"

Crossing his arms, Evangel focused his head crystal and color indicator energies together. "Hah!" Flexing his arms out in a muscular arm pump motion, his silvery body flashed briefly as silver turned to red and the armor pieces blazed an orange gold.

"What!?" Shamshel was surprised as Evangel grabbed the tendril around his neck, and with a strong tug actually forced it off. "Oh," Shamshel said as if she remembered something important and forgot about it. Evangel then pulled on the tendril and yanked upwards, lifting Shamshel into the air before spinning her around and throwing her aside. "Agh!" Shamshel lost her grip with her tendrils as she was flung into a hillside.

"Whoa! He's got Style Changes too!" Shin was in awe for his protege as he stood tall in his crimson body and blazing gold armor.

"Ultraman... he changed colors!" Misato was shocked yet again.

"There is a change in readings from him," Aoba reported in his own surprise, "he did not just change colors!"

"Likewise," Maya followed, "there is an increase in Ultraman's armor density and muscle mass!"

"He can shift forms!" Ritsuko realized.

Donnie and his gunner stumbled out of their ruined craft and saw a red and more muscular Ultraman Evangel. "Wow! Someone's readying for pro wrestling," Donnie was grinning.

"That is so cool!" Mana was squealing excitedly. The whole shelter was now chanting again, "Ultraman! Ultraman! Ultraman!"

"Ganbatte, Ultraman!" Sakura squealed with the other girls of her class. Hikari herself just smiled as she watched Ultraman jump up on the screen.

Force Evangel landed in front of Shamshel, who was standing up again.

"Of course you still have those Style powers," Shamshel said, "but I will still defeat you!" Shamshel unleashed an eye beam barrage upon the Ultraman, but instead of blocking, Evangel's own chest protector and body just seemed to dissipate the energy beams on their own. Clenching his fists, Evangel ran towards Shamshel, with none of the beam shots hurting him. Evangel leapt and drew back a flaming fist and let forth a Force Punch. Shamshel jumped out of the way as Evangel slammed into the ground, scorching it.

"Too slow!" Shamshel shot a tendril towards Evangel, who actually grabbed the extremity and forcefully wrapped it around his left arm brace and elbow. Evangel yanked the femme Angel back towards him and raised a right fist.

"You would hit a lady?" Shamshel asked with one of her eyes actually quirking. Evangel briefly glanced at his fist, but then quickly answered with repeated smacks to Shamshel's head.

"Not normally, but you are no gentle lady!" Shin laughed as he watched Evangel give a smackdown.

"Hiyah!" Evangel delivered an uppercut that sent Shamshel flying in the air. In the process, he struck the protective ribs around the core, cracking some but breaking others enough for a good portion of the glowing organ to show.

"Evangel!" Shamshel regained control in midair and unleashed both whips with maximum energy and cutting force. Evangel quickly sidestepped the deadly extremities, before grabbing onto both with a two flaming Force Hands to protect himself. "Rah!" With a mighty tug, he pulled the tendrils out of Shamshel's arms, dismembering her.

"Argh!" Shamshel screamed in pain as she bled from the arms. Through the pain of losing her main weapons, she realized that she had been toying around too long and going off mission. She merged her legs back together for flight and sped away back towards Tokyo-3. 'Must... save... Mother...' If Shamshel could rescue her mother, she could merge her energies with her own and victory would be ensured.

"Not so fast!" Shinji gathered up Evangel's remaining energies. "EVANGEL, WONDER STYLE!"

"Hah!" Evangel also took flight, but also flashed his head crystal again and flexed his arms down as azure replaced crimson, and his armor turned bright silver. Wonder Evangel shot off after the fleeing Shamshel, who saw him approaching at high speeds and climbed rapidly to evade him. Evangel was much lighter and nimbler now though, and easily kept on the Angel's tail as the two shot across the sky. From everyone's perspective, Shamshel seemed to turn this way and that, but could not outrun the streaming blue streak that was Evangel, who harassed her with a rapid fire version of his Brace Shots.

"Go away, Evangel!" Shamshel unleashed both of her eye beams. Evangel responded by flashing his right brace blue and slashing with his own energy whip, the Wonder Lasher. The Lasher slashed through the weakened blasts and wrapped around Shamshel's body. He then spun her and threw her about the sky in a similar fashion to how she treated Unit 01. He then pulled on the Lasher and spinned with his shin braces flashing for his Screwkick Wonder.

"That guy is taking the Angel to the woodshed! Whoo!" Hyuga was pumping his fist excitedly as he jumped up and down.

"Lt. Hyuga, decorum!" Misato tried to calm her subordinate down, but with Fuyutsuki cheering Ultraman on like a fan at a soccer game, the rest of the bridge crew were yelling, hooping, and hollering at the thrashing Ultraman was giving the enemy.

WHAM!

Shamshel slammed into the ground as Wonder Evangel landed gracefully. Evangel saw his color indicator flashing faster, and knew it was time to end the battle while Shamshel was weakened with an exposed core.

With a brief flash of his aura, Evangel stretched both arms forward as his color indicator gathered in blue particles which flowed into his braces and hands. He clenched his right hand as he spread his arms, holding a white-blue spear of solid light formed from his left hand. Aiming with the same left hand, Evangel primed his energy weapon for a shot.

Shamshel had no time to react as Evangel threw his Angel Spear Arc at her. The spear rapidly accelerated out of Evangel's pointed hand and instantly pierced through the damaged ribs and the core itself. A strong gust of wind kicked up in the wake left by Wonder Evangel's final attack.

A deafening silence briefly endured, before Shamshel's impaled body began to spark. "I hate you, Evangel," were Shamshel's words as she separated her essence from her her physical body before it exploded into particles. Losing the energy of the S2 organ, she was forced to return to her siblings in defeat.

Nodding in satisfaction with the victory, Evangel looked to the skies and took to flight.

"Nice, Evangel!" Asuka gave a thumbs up as he flew away from the battle zone, "that was a great shot!"

"Yeah!" Donnie and his gunner were dancing as they met with other surviving troops who were also celebrating.

Class 2A and everyone else in the shelter hollered in happiness as Ultraman Evangel saved the day again.

"Yay, yay, yay Ultraman!" Mana was hugging and cheering with her art club friends.

Hikari allowed herself to smile for everyone around her and Ultraman's victory, but then realized, "where are those two now?"

Sakura was telling her friends, "see, I told you all Ultraman won't lose!" She hugged them happily as she watched Evangel flying above the city.

"He did it!" Maya hollered.

"Get some, yeah!" Hyuga whooped.

"Not bad, Ultraman," Aoba acutally allowed himself to smile and compliment Ultraman aloud. He was even more impressed than with the last battle.

"It's not over yet," Misato barked orders, "we need to check on Unit 01 and Shinji! Get the supply and relief teams out there now!"

Ritsuko on the other hand, was now dismayed at the Evangelion's close brush with destruction and the apparent lack of success. She was certain that Gendo would get on her and Fuyutsuki's case.

Fuyutsuki on the other hand, seemed to be very pleased and reassured of Ultraman's presence. Now he knew for certain from the back of his mind that Ultraman... no, Ultraman Evangel, as the Angel Shamshel called him, was here to stay and fight. "Ultraman Evangel... what a fitting name for you."

Rei Ayanami, meanwhile took the festive atmosphere of the bridge in with observant silence and looked back up at the screen of Ultraman Evangel in flight. He accelerated with a sonic boom in his wake, becoming a streak of light in the fading afternoon sky before vanishing in a flash. 'Ultraman Evangel... Pilot Ikari...'

Ultraman King and Ultraman 80 saw Evangel vanish into the sky.

"The Prince of the Nebula has prevailed again," Ultraman King said.

"True," Ultraman 80 nodded, "but Shin Asuka's intervention could complicate things if they somehow tie his appearance to Shinji Ikari and Evangel."

"Yes, the Prince is not alone," King clarified, "with the Children of Adam on one side and Gendo Ikari on the other, the Prince of the Nebula will need his allies when the forces of darkness permeating this world will try to destroy him. I sense a shift in the darkness, and it will soon target the Prince..."

Light flashed in Unit 01's entry plug. Toji and Kensuke saw it was Shinji holding onto his Evangel Splendor and breathing heavily in his seat.

"I beat the Angel, if you want to know," Shinji gasped as the exhaustion of the day caught up with him.

"I can't believe it," Kensuke expressed, "you're really Ultraman!"

"Yeah," Shinji said, "you cannot tell anyone else, you understand?"

"Okay, but why? This is the biggest thing in the world!" Kensuke was still trying to process that he went to school with a real Ultraman.

"Yeah, and one my enemies would love to kill me and you for if they found out," Shinji warned, "no one else, and especially my father, can know who I am."

"Ikari man," Toji was finally able to talk, "you saved me and my sister back then... sorry I tried to rough you up." He held out a hand. "Friends?"

"Heh," Shinji smiled despite some residual pain, and shook Toji's hand. "Never held it against you." Shinji then slumped in his seat as he felt a bit more of the effects of today's battle. The Splendor in his grip glowed softly as his healing process began.

"Dude, you okay?" Kensuke asked.

"I'm healing..." Shinji said with a hint of drowsiness, "just phantom pain from the Eva, and then sustaining Evangel's form..."

"That is heavy," Toji said, "you do a lot for us, you know?"

"In more ways than one..." Shinji said as he felt the Splendor's warmth on his chest. "Just promise me... don't tell anyone..." He let himself close his eyes.

Kensuke just stared at his and Toji's sleeping new friend. The otaku in him wanted to scream to the whole world, yet something in Shinji's words strongly compelled him to keep his confidence. Somehow, as many questions as he had, Kensuke found himself agreeing to not say anything until then.

"Oh crud!" Toji smacked his head, "my sis and Class Rep are going to kill us when we are retrieved!"

Kensuke suddenly felt like he had cold water dumped on him upon the realization that he and Toji would be in trouble with the teachers and the authorities. "Crud indeed!"

Shinji's eyes cracked open slightly at the sound of his two new friends panicking. It was going to be an interesting aftermath...

Episode 5: Evangel's Styles Unlocked; Raid of the "Sharp-Whipped Angel", Shamshel

Ending Song: "Inori - You Raise Me Up" by Lena Park

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary

Rei Ayanami is seen floating in a dark space, all alone.

When troubles come and my heart burdened be

Rei is quiet, curled up and still. However, there is a hint of sadness to her taciturn expression.

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence

Until you come and sit awhile and with me

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up, to more than I can be

There is no life - no life without its hunger;

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;

But when you come and I am filled with wonder,

Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity

Suddenly there is a flash of light in front of Rei, causing her to open her eyes, and glimpse Shinji Ikari.

Shinji gives a warm smile as he flies towards Rei.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

Shinji flies up to Rei and reaches out to her with an extended hand.

Rei seems confused by the warmth coming from Shinji as she briefly sees Evangel in his place.

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up, to more than I can be

Rei reaches up and takes Shinji/Evangel's hand, causing light to burn away the darkness.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up, to more than I can be

The light dissipates, and Rei finds herself flying above pure white clouds and a beautiful flower field of irises below. She looks to her right to see Shinji holding her hand as he guided her through the skies with tenderness and affection.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

With a nod to Rei, Shinji flashes his Splendor. Evangel's light enshrouds the couple as he carries the both of them in his hand.

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up, to more than I can be

Still holding Rei, Shinji gives a nod to Evangel.

You raise me up, to more than I can be...

Evangel flies into the skies with Shinji and Rei, the three of them becoming a streak of light.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

I finally got to where I wanted for this fanfic, and the battle with Shamshel is what I consider a major milestone!

Thank you for all who are still sticking with me on this adventure, and for those new to this fic, please read, fave, and review this fanfic with any constructive criticism to help me in this story. I would greatly appreciate it.

Also, stay tuned for the debut of yet another possible Ultraman crossover, "The Miraculous Ultra Adventures"!

God Bless, and may you all have a blessed 2023!