EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 109 Then I am not worthy of possessing Tiga’s power

“Ugh… Eh!?”

Asuka gritted her teeth in pain... But she had already made up her mind, and she wouldn't let go even if her wrist was broken...

But the next moment, Asuka let out a surprised whine...

"Why, Unit 2...!?"

Because, the arm of Unit-02 had uncontrollably let go of Unit-01's body the moment Unit-08 launched its charge.

"Idiot—because I severed your forearm flexor muscles. The muscles that generate force are destroyed... so naturally, you lose the ability to grip. It's a simple law of biology... unless you're so idealistic as to regenerate an EVA, you can't defy it. But... I can already sense your determination to never let go... You've made progress, Asuka."

Asuka, who thought she had finally made up her mind but still hadn't accomplished anything... was once again stunned by the unexpected praise and affirmation.

"Whoa!"

The purple flying kick hit Unit 2's side and sent her flying.

"Still need to remain vigilant during combat, though."

Of course... this was just to remove Asuka from Unit 8's attack range. As a result of Asuka's move... Shinji Ikari no longer had the space and time to dodge Unit 8's attack.

At this moment, she was already very close——

One thousandth of a second between life and death...!
Unit-01 suddenly reached out and grabbed Unit-08's body, then...

"…!?"

Everyone's eyes suddenly sank into darkness.

The MAGI's CPU made a buzzing sound due to being shut down without following the rules and regulations, as if complaining about Katsuragi Misato's rudeness.

The plug popped out, and all qualified people were semi-forced out of the LCL drainage of the plug.

"...You've gone too far, Makiba. And, about that thing called the code... I was hoping you could... Makiba? Are you okay? Makiba?"

Misato Katsuragi walked up to Maki without saying a word and scolded her, but found that she had no reaction at all. Her eyes were dull and she looked dazed as she stared at the ceiling.

This scared Misato Katsuragi, who thought that the beastly form had caused some irreversible impact on Makiba's spirit... but she found that Makiba ignored her for a while and walked to Shinji Ikari's side.

"S-Shinji-kun..."

The aftermath of her transformation still lingered in Makiba's mind... leaving her speech function still to recover. But she had to confirm one thing with Ikari Shinji...

"In that final moment——what did you want to do..."

In response to Makiba's question, Shinji Ikari just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I didn't do anything. Anyway, Miss Misato stopped me."

“………………I, can fly, right…”

Makiba's words were so incoherent that no one else had any idea what she was talking about.

Only Shinji Ikari knows—but he won't emphasize it...

At the last moment, Makiba actually saw...he saw himself flying out.

Is it the bestial instinct brought about by beast transformation...?
Or was it the deduction of the next moment that was completed the moment MAGI turned off...?
No matter which one it was...it made Makiba deeply realize his great failure.

He charged forward with all his might, but Ikari Shinji caught him at the moment and redirected the force of his forward charge into a force that flung him upwards. The end result was that Unit 8 flew uncontrollably high into the sky...

"In the end, I'll probably fall to my death. After all, I flew dozens of meters away, meow."

There was no more resentment in my heart... This young man had indeed defeated the beast using human technology in a field that he was not good at.

"How could that be? I will catch you gently, like a princess."

It turns out she noticed it, and she was more perceptive than Shinji Ikari imagined.

Shinji Ikari couldn't help but joke that Makiba could actually see a glimpse of the future.

"Oh, then I have to blame Miss Misato for cutting off the power just before such a beautiful moment."

Seeing the two of them talking to each other, Asuka finally couldn't help but interrupt. "Hey! You two! What are you talking about?! Don't say things that others can't understand!!"

"Nothing—Speaking of which…are we going to end this as a draw?"

“Eh…ah! How can that be possible!!”

Asuka was unhappy when she heard that. Although it was not to order Shinji around, but to prove her own strength, it was really rare to be able to order the stupid Shinji around once... Ah, it was really not for him to do something for her, it was just a casual mention!
Really! Just by the way!

"It's all Misato's fault...otherwise we could have won!"

“…Is that really possible?”

Looking at Asuka who was almost crying due to grievance, Katsuragi Misato made a suggestion.

"Well, how about... you two each ordering the other around once? That would be a draw. But it would also satisfy Asuka's wish."

“Who, who, who made a wish… And why would I, the winner, actually…”

"Asuka, don't you agree?"

"I agree!! Who says I don't agree?!"

Looking at Asuka who did not hide her inconsistency at all, Shinji Ikari smiled bitterly and nodded.

"Well, that's it. Everyone's tired today, so we can rest now."

His eyes fell on Suzuhara Touji and Ayanami Rei, who had been silent... Both of them looked unhappy.

Suzuhara Touji truly realized the fear of fighting...and this was not even a real battle, but just a simulation.

Ayanami Rei, on the other hand, blamed herself for being restrained by Suzuhara in the end, which allowed Unit 02 to interfere with Unit 01.

"Hey, Suzuhara—"

“…Hi, hi!!”

Suzuhara Touji, who was named, felt a little nervous.

"Am I scary?"

"……Hi?"

The unexplained voice was filled with uneasiness.

"I mean, am I… scary when I'm in battle?"

"...Yes, to be honest, it's very scary... I..."

"The apostles are scarier than me. If you want to escape, do it now."

Inexplicably... although it wasn't encouragement, just these words... could soothe Suzuhara Touji's inner tension.

Yosh! I've got the first one done... Next up is Ling Bo...

Just when I was about to find Ling Bo to say a few words... Makiba suddenly appeared in front of me again.

"...Why are you so strong, Wang-chan?"

"……Um?"

"Eva piloting... your skills aren't just about high synchronization... it takes countless hours of practice and repetition to develop muscle memory... I couldn't feel it before, but I can only experience it when I face you. I really admire you... but can't you... become that... Tiga? Why are you still... practicing all this..."

Makiba's voice was filled with confusion and doubt.

"It's very simple - guess, I want to protect everyone because I have the power of Tiga... or do I have the power of Tiga in order to protect everyone?"

"...!"

Shinji Ikari's smile was as bright as the sun. It was as if he was talking about something completely irrelevant...

"If... I am without the power of Tiga, I can't do anything. Then I am not worthy of possessing Tiga's power. Even if one day I lose this power... I will still do the same thing - protect everyone, protect you... It's that simple."

(End of this chapter)