Ultraman grunts? Call me Space Policeman outside!

Chapter 83 A Miraculous Encounter

"The Third Apostle... was actually destroyed in this way." Professor Fuyutsuki, with gray hair and wearing a reddish-brown suit, looked at the Apostle's corpse on the screen with a solemn expression.

Gendo Ikari was the same; a dark cloud seemed to have settled over his face.

According to their plan, the Third Angel should be destroyed by EVA Unit-01, which was part of their plan, but now their plan has been disrupted.

The implications of this matter are significant, and he must make adjustments as soon as possible.

In addition, there was one more crucial thing: he had to confirm that the pilot of EVA Unit-01 would be able to sit in the cockpit for the next mission.

If that giant is a variable that could interfere with their plans, then they must eliminate him.

"Fuyutsuki, I'm leaving this place to you for now." Gendo Ikari adjusted his brown sunglasses, gave the old man beside him a word of advice, and then left the command room.

The apostle has been eliminated, and there is no need for him to remain here. The UN group will be left to Professor Fuyutsuki to deal with.

After this battle, they will take direct control of all matters concerning the Apostles.

......

NERV headquarters medical ward.

In the clean and quiet room, Shinji Ikari lay flat on the hospital bed, his chest rising and falling naturally with each breath, but his eyes were tightly closed.

Even with his eyes closed, he still saw some images.

He seemed to have drifted into outer space, no longer bound by gravity, and in the pitch-black universe, he saw a gigantic figure.

"Who...are you?" The boy floated up, raised his head, and asked the giant with a red and silver body timidly.

The strange scene before him made him a little nervous, but for some reason, he could feel a warmth from the giant that he had never experienced before.

"I am a member of the Space Garrison from the M78 Nebula. I came to this planet to investigate the mastermind behind the spacetime anomalies," the giant's slightly ethereal voice echoed in his mind.

"When I first arrived on this planet, I saw you saving lives in a critical moment. I couldn't bear to let such a young life perish so easily, so I chose to be one with you."

"From today onwards, you can use my power to do things that you cannot do, and I also need to use your body to move around on Earth."

Shinji Ikari listened blankly, completely unaware of what had happened.

I felt the giant getting further and further away, and his voice growing fainter and fainter.

"here it is......?"

"An unfamiliar ceiling..."

Shinji Ikari, lying on the hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling of the ward, and muttered to himself.

He was still thinking about the giant he had seen while he was unconscious.

Suddenly, I noticed a golden, transparent phantom in the ward.

"Whoa!" Shinji Ikari was startled by the phantom.

The other person seemed to be a spirit, sitting on a chair by the hospital bed, trying to grab an apple but unable to. This surreal scene startled Shinji Ikari.

"Oh? You're awake?" Natsuki noticed Shinji Ikari's movement, turned her head to look this way, and said with a smile.

"You...you...you...what...?" Shinji Ikari stared at the transparent Natsuki, his mind blank, and he stammered.

If the giant from before was a dream, then what is this soul that is now appearing before me?

"Didn't I just introduce myself?" Natsuki looked at Shinji Ikari's bewildered expression and pointed to herself, saying, "It's me, a member of the Space Garrison from Nebula M78."

"Of course, for convenience, you can just call me Natsuki."

Shinji Ikari froze, his mind overlapping the phantom in front of him with the giant in his dream... Hmm... these are clearly not the same species, right?

“You’ll gradually learn more about the details later, there’s no need to rush now.” Xia Shu crossed her arms and patiently explained, “In short, all you need to know is that we’ll be working together from now on.”

"Ah... what do you mean by acting together?" Shinji Ikari still looked confused.

"It refers to my job: investigating the mastermind behind the spacetime anomalies."

"Hmm... I don't quite understand it, but it seems really impressive." Shinji Ikari nodded blankly.

"The general idea is that Mr. Natsuki needs me, right?"

Sensitive as he was, he immediately grasped the key point. Having never experienced family affection or had friends since childhood, his first reaction was that he needed someone.

“That’s one way to understand it.” Natsuki noticed Shinji’s current emotions and nodded.

As an Ultraman elder, he had seen all sorts of juniors. In the Land of Light, there were very few children like Shinji who lacked care at first glance, but he had seen quite a few like that on other planets.

For Shinji's safety, he did not choose to share his memories, so he could only guess about Shinji's situation. He guessed that Shinji must have lost his parents when he was young and had never been loved, which led to his personality.

Back in the Land of Light, he had cared for children who had never seen their parents since childhood. Now, by chance, he has encountered such a boy again, and Natsuki will still try his best to help this child overcome the shadows in his heart.

"From today onwards, we're partners." To encourage Shinji Ikari, Natsuki spoke in a rare tone reminiscent of his younger self.

"Partner..." Upon hearing this word, Shinji Ikari's eyes suddenly lit up. This experience was unprecedented for him, so he immediately nodded and said, "Okay!"

The close bond between the two allowed him to clearly feel the kindness that Natsuki conveyed to him. This warm feeling... was something he had never experienced before, something called care.

A soldier who had suffered severe setbacks and whose heart had been changed, and a boy with a tragic past who had never experienced family and friendship, miraculously became partners.

......

At the entrance to the medical room.

Misato Katsuragi was fidgeting, imagining what kind of punishment she would receive.

Commander Ikari ordered him to pick up the important Unit-01 pilot, but he failed to find her in time and put her in danger, which was a serious mistake.

Moreover, Shinji Ikari is the son of Commander Ikari...

This is truly the worst-case scenario...

Misato Katsuragi didn't know Gendo Ikari very well yet, but she thought that as a father, he would at least care about his son.

"Sigh... In the end, it's still my fault." The more Misato Katsuragi thought about it, the more confused she became. So she simply tilted her head back and put on an expression of willingly accepting punishment.

"Tap tap..."

Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Misato Katsuragi instantly resumed her normal sitting posture, turning her head to look to the side.

Chapter 84 Cold

"How is the driver?" Gendo Ikari asked in a low, slightly hoarse voice as he approached the ward.

He didn't refer to Shinji Ikari as "son," and he didn't even use his name to address him; he simply regarded him as the pilot of EVA Unit-01.

It was as if his children, whom he had raised for many years, were merely props to him.

Misato Katsuragi sensed the distance in his words and was taken aback, but quickly recovered and replied, "Shinji's health is fine, or rather... a little too good."

"He will be able to move around normally once he wakes up."

Being so close to the battlefield, one would expect Shinji Ikari to have sustained some minor injuries after being caught in the crossfire. However, the doctor's examination results completely surprised her. Not only was Shinji Ikari uninjured, but he was also healthier than most people.

"I understand." Upon hearing the news, Gendo Ikari immediately turned to leave. "Afterwards, transfer him to the base dormitory. He'll participate in the Unit-01 activation test tomorrow morning."

The words were cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Aren't you... going in to see Shinji?" Misato Katsuragi hesitated for a moment before asking.

"There's no need." Gendo Ikari didn't stop walking; he left completely after saying that.

Misato Katsuragi remained silent.

To be honest, Commander Ikari's attitude infuriated her, but due to their superior-subordinate relationship, she couldn't express her dissatisfaction.

She sympathized with Shinji Ikari because her father had neglected her in the same way in the past.

......

Shinji Ikari, sitting on the hospital bed, also fell silent.

After becoming one with Natsuki, his hearing improved significantly, and he could clearly hear conversations outside the ward.

“Father…” He gripped the bedsheet, his face filled with sorrow.

Any child would be heartbroken to hear their own father say such things.

Father and son had not seen each other for many years. Gendo Ikari's casual remark made him run over like a fool, but his father had no intention of seeing him at all.

"Why... then why did you call me here?" Shinji Ikari fell into self-doubt again. If his father disliked him so much, why did he call him here?

He still harbored a sliver of hope, wishing that his father needed him and that he could help his father.

"I guess... it's related to that 'Unit-01' thing." Natsuki overheard the conversation outside the ward and guessed that Shinji's father had summoned him so that Shinji could pilot Unit-01.

"What is Unit-01?" Shinji asked.

Before coming here, he had no idea that monsters existed in this world, let alone what Unit-01 was.

His father really didn't tell him anything.

Unbeknownst to him, according to the original plan, his father would force him, who had no experience, to pilot Unit-01 against the Third Angel.

"I don't know either, it's probably some kind of mecha or something," Xia Shu guessed.

He came from the Pacific Rim world and guessed that there might be similar mechs in that world.

"So... Father called me here so that I could pilot one of those mechs." Shinji understood.

Knowing that he wasn't there for no reason, but because his father needed him, he felt a little better.

This child...deeply desires his father's approval.

Xia Shu looked at him and sighed silently.

What a tragic child.

He reached out to pat Shinji on the shoulder, but his current form caused his hand to pass right through him.

However, he reached out again, this time using his telekinesis to apply it to Shinji, simulating the feeling of someone touching his shoulder.

He offered words of comfort: "It's okay, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to."

Shinji's bastard father, he really couldn't stand him.

“Mr. Natsuki…” Feeling someone touch his shoulder, Shinji turned to look at Natsuki, a smile appearing on his face. “Thank you.”

This feeling of being cared for was something he had never experienced from his own father.