Ultraman grunts? Call me Space Policeman outside!

Gendo Ikari showed more concern for Rei Ayanami than Shinji did, but his ruthlessness was still evident.

"It's okay, as long as it can start up."

“Li can do it,” he said.

After hearing this, Misato Katsuragi hesitated for two seconds, but finally bowed and said, "I understand."

......

Meanwhile, Shinji, who was resting, also quietly left the apartment and headed to the suburbs to receive Natsuki's special training.

Natsuki's voice came from beside him: "Shinji, we absolutely cannot let that guy get away in the next battle."

--------

--------

Thank you to the amazing author 【嘉文 who likes silky willow】 for the generous donation and verification! Bonus chapter!

Chapter 102 The Passionate Young Man Shinji Ikari

"One more lap!"

"The last ten kilometers!"

In the suburbs under the cover of night, Shinji, dressed in a white school uniform, runs along the roadside. The flickering streetlights, due to their aging equipment, illuminate the dense sweat on his face, revealing an expression with his mouth open and eyes closed.

I could hear Xia Shu's urging voice in my ears.

Shinji was already somewhat delirious.

"Okay...run..." Shinji managed to squeeze out those two words with his last remaining consciousness.

He's working on his physical fitness right now; his original physical condition was still too poor.

Compared to Natsuki's training, Shinji's training can only be described as child's play; the main focus is on honing Shinji's willpower.

......

As dawn approached, Misato Katsuragi finished a combat meeting at NERV headquarters.

He drove back to the apartment, ready to explain the details to Shinji.

"Huh? Where is he?" She returned home and found that Shinji's shoes were not in the entryway, and no one was in the room.

She was stunned for a moment. Where on earth had the child gone?

It's the middle of the night, could she have run away from home?

"The phone... is switched off."

"Oh no...did we put too much pressure on him?" Misato Katsuragi rubbed her forehead, feeling annoyed as she heard the phone call notification that the other party's phone was switched off.

They forcibly dragged Shinji, who knew nothing, into becoming the pilot of Unit-01, completely ignoring the fact that the boy was only 14 years old.

It's normal to feel like running away after experiencing two life-or-death battles, especially since his father's unwillingness to acknowledge him only intensified this feeling.

"The operation has already entered the preparation stage... but of all times..." Misato Katsuragi slumped into a chair in the living room, looked up at the sky, and sighed deeply.

A child who appears strong is, after all, just a child...

Just as he was pondering how to solve this problem.

The apartment doorbell rang.

"Is that Shinji!?" Misato Katsuragi suddenly stood up from her chair, took two steps to the entrance, and opened the door.

When she opened the door, she found that there was no one there.

She peeked out and looked down into the apartment's outer corridor, but couldn't see a soul in sight.

However, when she looked downstairs, she noticed a figure running towards the sun.

"Shinji?" She rubbed her eyes and recognized the boy who had closed his eyes and looked exhausted.

Shinji had now completed his training objective and no longer needed to push himself; he lay flat on the ground.

His expression was exceptionally serene at that moment.

"It's...done...it's done." An unconscious murmur escaped her lips.

"Shinji!" As soon as Misato Katsuragi saw Shinji collapse, she rushed downstairs in her slippers.

I ran all the way down to the open space downstairs.

Shinji, are you alright?

"What happened?"

She came to Shinji's side, looked at Shinji who was panting heavily with his mouth open, and asked with concern.

She couldn't understand why Shinji was so tired. What had the boy been doing all night?

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Shinji breathed heavily, his strength rapidly recovering.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Misato Katsuragi's face and felt a warmth in her heart.

"I'm sorry to have worried Miss Misato," he said, forcing a smile.

"Why are you saying all this? Tell me what happened!" Katsuragi Misato knew that this child was the type who didn't like to bother others, so she asked.

"Uh... training."

"You practiced all night!?"

"why?"

Upon hearing this answer, Misato Katsuragi's eyes widened instantly.

She hadn't expected that Shinji wouldn't choose to run away at all, but instead immediately started training after his defeat, which completely exceeded her expectations.

Shinji still retains a hint of inferiority, but his cowardice... has almost disappeared.

"To defeat the Angels, to save everyone's lives," Shinji replied earnestly.

He's starting to look like a passionate young man.

“Shinji…” Misato Katsuragi paused for a moment, her expression somewhat dazed, then suddenly smiled, “He is truly… an extraordinary young man.”

"Let's go home and get some rest."

"Only by conserving our energy can we defeat the enemy."

"Yes, Miss Misato."

......

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

A man with his long hair tied back and wearing a blue-gray shirt walked through a secluded alley.

He was carrying a briefcase, and a smile appeared on his slightly stubbled face.

"Switching successfully."

"But it was really dangerous... I almost attracted the apostles." The man looked up at the bright moon and sparse stars in the sky, then disappeared into the darkness again.

"Let me guess what Commander Ikari's purpose is in wanting this thing...?" he thought to himself.

......

Third New Tokyo City, 9:00 AM.

"Let Rei Ayanami participate in the mission too!?"

"Her injuries haven't fully healed yet, how could she make such a decision?"

In the apartment's living room, Misato Katsuragi was explaining the operation plan to Shinji in detail, but when she heard that Rei Ayanami would be directly involved in the operation and would act as his bodyguard, Shinji immediately began to question it.

How can we send the wounded to the battlefield?

"I also think this decision is unreasonable, but it's Commander Ikari's decision," Misato Katsuragi said, holding a can of beer, with a hint of helplessness.

"Even if it's Father's decision... I won't accept it!" Shinji hesitated for a second, but still insisted on his stance.

In the past, he might have silently accepted it.

But now, there is another voice in his ear.

"That's right, Shinji."

“Express your desires instead of keeping them bottled up inside,” Natsuki said to Shinji.

Young soldiers who want to protect what they want to protect cannot choose to compromise.

"So what are you going to do?" Misato Katsuragi put down her beer and asked.

"I am prepared to pilot Unit-01 alone to fight. This time, I will absolutely not let the Angel escape," Shinji said firmly.

Upon hearing this answer, Misato Katsuragi sighed silently.

That's truly an answer brimming with youthful spirit.

"Shinji, reality is completely different from shonen manga. You can't defeat the Angels with just passion," Misato Katsuragi said earnestly.

"Without Unit-00 to defend you, the positron cannon would have been burned to ashes by the Angel's attack before it could be fully charged."

"This is a battle where lives are at stake, and we must not let our emotions control our rationality."

Misato Katsuragi's words make a lot of sense, and that is indeed the case.

They must consider all practical factors to address this mission.

But Shinji clearly wouldn't listen.

"I have my own way of fighting."

"I will definitely defeat the Angels, this time I will!" Shinji said, clenching his fist.

Chapter 103 The Old General on the Stage

At noon, the Fifth Apostle, codenamed Thunder Angel, reappeared above the Pacific Ocean.

Heading towards Tokyo-3 and stopping above the city, this time it didn't unleash its firepower. Instead, it extended an ever-extending drill from under its octahedral body, breaking through the ground and preparing to drill all the way to the NERV headquarters below.