Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

It's a real shame that she got away!

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A giant, bright yellow transport plane departed from Yokohama Port, sweeping over the town below like a behemoth, crossing the sea, and soon the outline of the United Nations fleet came into view in the distance.

The MiG-55D transport helicopter, with its typical Russian design, is a fighter jet that is easy to maintain and can adapt to harsh environments. It is the best choice for most third-world countries.

Misato Katsuragi sat in the passenger seat, her long hair flowing in the sea breeze.

"What's going on? This is your first time riding a helicopter, right? Rei's reaction is understandable, but why are you so indifferent?" Misato Katsuragi turned to look at the boy and girl behind her.

Rei Ayanami sat in the middle seat, her expression indifferent, but she was at least looking at the distant sea and fleet. Shinji Ikari, on the other hand, was holding a tablet and swiping at something.

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PS1: Originally, I did intend to use the new Seventh Angel from the new theatrical version, but as I wrote it, I realized that this Angel was too weak.

I usually compare my strength to Ah Shui, and I've always considered Xiao Zhou to be at the bottom of the Apostle strength rankings. But this seventh Apostle in the new movie is even weaker. Even though he's someone who would be instantly killed, his strength didn't excite me at all.

Let's change it to Ah Yu; at least he has the ability to taunt the UN fleet. He can withstand a few more blows from the iron fist of justice.

Chapter 47: Asuka

"Five aircraft carriers and four battleships, what an impressive fleet!" Shinji Ikari looked up at Misato Katsuragi. "Truly worthy of being the United Nations' proud ace, they are quite outstanding."

Even though she herself wanted Shinji Ikari to react, when she heard her equally proud trump card—the UN fleet—Katsuragi Misato crossed her arms somewhat unhappily.

"Hmph, they're just old relics, but they've really lived a long time."

Shinji Ikari chuckled, "I knew you'd react like this. What else could I possibly be expecting?"

He wasn't unaware of the formidable strength of the fleet before him, but their recent encounter with the Seventh Angel had left them utterly humiliated. Five aircraft carriers and four battleships sounded impressive, but they failed to inspire any awe in Shinji Ikari.

However, the same reaction also occurred with Fleet Commander Robert.

Through his binoculars, he also saw the yellow transport helicopter flying in the distance. Because he had been notified in advance, he knew that the visitors were the operations commander and two pilots from NERV headquarters.

"How carefree, bringing the kids along. They're really treating this trip like a sightseeing tour," the commander said sourly.

His defeat at the hands of the newly emerged Seventh Angel, his inability to mount an effective counterattack, and his humiliating ordeal, had become a laughingstock. However, compared to NERV headquarters, which had a record of killing three Angels, the contrast was undeniable.

"Treat them well, in case the Seventh Apostle appears. We can't let these Japanese chickens look down on us this time," Robert instructed.

Although it is now part of the Combined Fleet, past international and historical conflicts can no longer be brought up in public. However, as Japan's former master, it still doesn't want its subordinate to become a laughing stock.

The transport helicopter hovered above the aircraft carrier, descending slowly after receiving clearance. A young girl in a yellow dress stood imposingly on the platform to the right of the helicopter, gazing disdainfully ahead.

In fact, she had already posed in front of the landing platform the moment the MiG transport helicopters appeared. She was waiting for their arrival, hoping to overwhelm the headquarters pilots with her powerful aura.

The weather was sunny today, but a light drizzle still fell, with fine raindrops drifting through the sunlight. The sea breeze and the drizzle mixed together, and the temperature turned a little cool. Shinji Ikari took off his coat and draped it over Rei Ayanami's shoulders, gesturing for her to go downstairs first.

Rei Ayanami walked at the front, her expression indifferent, as if the deck of some UN fleet were merely a school playground. Shinji Ikari, following closely behind, sensed a slight gaze upon him. The ordinary marines and officers treated them with indifference, even looking at the legendary EVA pilot with some curiosity.

But the truly hostile and scrutinizing gaze came from above. He looked up and met the eyes of the commander standing in front of the third-floor railing.

"Come on, come on, I'll take you to meet a new friend. She's a really, really beautiful mixed-race woman, the kind that will make any boy wag his tail at the sight of her." Misato Katsuragi patted Shinji Ikari's shoulder from behind and walked forward.

Speaking of mixed-race beauties, Shinji Ikari recalled the mixed-race beauty he met yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, he was so confident at the time that he let her get away without even adding her as a LINE friend.

It wasn't really that I wanted to sleep, or maybe I just wanted to hug her because I was looking at her lonely figure.

He looked up. In the azure world, on the other side of the transport plane, a tall girl leaned against the wall, a playful smile on her face. Her long, golden-orange hair rose and fell in the wind, and her earrings, studded with small diamonds, shimmered brightly.

Some kind of force, almost like destiny, brought him back to her.

"Hello, Lord Misato, how have you been lately!"

The blonde girl stepped off the platform and greeted Misato Katsuragi, who was standing at the front, cheerfully.

"It's alright, you've grown quite a bit taller too." Misato Katsuragi tossed her hair, smiling brightly.

The girl combed her long, slightly wavy, golden-orange hair. "Hmm, not only that, but other parts of my body have also become very feminine."

She had completely changed her style of dress. Her hair, which had been loose yesterday, was now neatly combed, but she was still wearing the same beige dress, with strappy wrists and diamond-encrusted earrings that sparkled in the sunlight. Most importantly, she had swapped her purple sandals for red high heels, and she had suddenly grown eight centimeters taller than yesterday, exuding an imposing presence.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of the gentle and refined young man from yesterday. If he were here, she would definitely show him what true aristocratic bearing was!

Thinking this, she revealed a smug expression.

"Let me introduce you. This is the dedicated pilot of EVANGELION Unit 2. A European air ace, the second pilot, Captain Shikinami Asuka Langley."

Just then, she heard clear, powerful applause, and the familiar salty-sweet sea breeze once again filled her nostrils. The girl, whose long golden hair shone in the sun, turned her head and saw the boy in the white shirt standing in front of the platform where she had been standing. His dark, tousled hair fluttered in the wind as he leaned against the railing, gazing at her with a cold smile on his lips.

"What are you doing here?!" Asuka shouted, pointing at the boy on the platform. At that moment, she couldn't tell whether she was filled with surprise or shock.

"You two know each other?" Misato Katsuragi looked at Asuka's reaction with some doubt. "He is the Third Child, Lieutenant Shinji Ikari. Like you, he is also one of our headquarters' ace players."

"You're Shinji Ikari?" Asuka stared intently at the girl standing on the higher platform. "You knew it was me all along, and you were just here to laugh at me! Damn it, I'll remember this grudge!"

After uttering those harsh words, Asuka stomped her eight-centimeter-high red heels and turned away with a flourish. Misato Katsuragi watched the girl's departing figure and walked down to the platform.

"What's going on? You two actually know each other? And you even upset this young lady?" Katsuragi Misato asked.

“She gets upset very easily, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

Actually, he only just found out that the other person was the Second Child. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have tried to chat her up. His reason was the same as Rei Ayanami's.

Rei Ayanami glanced sideways at Shinji Ikari standing on the platform, as if sensing something, then looked at Asuka in the distance. For some reason, she placed her hand on her chest and clenched her fist slightly.

Chapter 48: The Complex Situation of People

"Oh my, I thought she was an older sister leading the Boy Scouts. It seems I was mistaken."

Fleet Commander Robert, wearing a white military cap and holding Misato Katsuragi's identification, had a kind face, but his words carried a hint of sarcastic mockery.

Misato Katsuragi, standing in front of him, seemed not to have caught the sarcasm in his voice, and said calmly after putting away her documents.

"Thank you for your understanding, Captain Robert."

"Haha, it's nothing. I'm happy to see children after so long, since the fleet used to not allow children and women... psychological identification is female, physiological female, to be on board." Robert coughed twice and spoke earnestly.

"Thank you for helping us transport EVA Unit 2. This is the instruction manual for the emergency power socket. Please take a look."

Robert took the instruction manual from Misato Katsuragi, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Oh, you want to activate this robot at sea? I'm sorry, I haven't received any such instructions."

"I can only ask for your understanding; consider this a precaution, after all, you wouldn't want a repeat of the tragedy of the other day." After being rebuffed several times, Katsuragi Misato was also somewhat annoyed. She was mocking the navy's powerlessness against the Fish Angels.

"That's why our Pacific Fleet has come all this way to escort them. Do you think the UN forces are some kind of cargo delivery couriers? Hmph, I remember they only gradually became like this after a certain organization was established." Robert sneered, "To mobilize such a large-scale escort just for a big toy."

"Considering the importance of EVA, this is far from enough. Please sign here."

Misato Katsuragi and the fleet commander were engaged in a heated debate in front, while Asuka, sitting in the back, was bored and glanced sideways at the two pilots observing. The First Girl was as aloof as rumored, or rather, completely devoid of emotional fluctuation. She stood there ramrod straight. And next to her was Shinji Ikari, one arm resting on the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

Asuka took a single step past Rei Ayanami in the middle, pushing her back to her original spot. She then stood next to Shinji Ikari.

Shinji Ikari still didn't react, as if he hadn't seen anything happening, continuing to stare out the window. "What's so interesting outside?" Asuka followed his gaze. White seagulls were taking off and landing on the deck, while a group of shirtless Marines were doing weighted squats.

"Hey." Asuka kicked Shinji Ikari in the shin. "It seems the fleet has a lot of prejudice against your headquarters, and they've been making things difficult for Misato."

"It's not you, it's us." Shinji Ikari turned to look at Asuka and corrected her mistake.

"Heh, of course it's you guys." Asuka crossed her arms and sneered. "You know I'm Europe's ace in the air, right? Although I'm nominally a NERV pilot, that's only because all pilots belong to NERV. I grew up in America and have three-quarters German ancestry. I was chosen, the best one."

Shinji Ikari pursed his lips and smiled faintly.

"Just like you belong to headquarters, while I am the ace promoted by the United Nations, and there seems to be one in IPEA as well. Although we are nominally under NERV, our actual affiliation is different. After all, qualified users are only a minority. The Marduk Research Institute once said that the number of qualified users in the world who can exceed 10% synchronization rate will not exceed fifty. We, the carefully selected qualified users who can pilot EVA, are naturally the elite of the elite."

At that moment, she suddenly couldn't continue speaking, because she suddenly realized that the man in front of her seemed to have broken the 100% limit in their first synchronization.

Asuka then realized her own guilty conscience; she seemed desperate to prove something to him. From the moment she met him again, her original plan to dress up and attend the Intimidation Headquarters for the selected candidates was completely disrupted.

All she could see was the outline of Shinji Ikari's profile and his bright eyes, and he hadn't even glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

The gaze was fixed on them from behind; it was Rei Ayanami.

In the end, Asuka simply snorted, lightly kicked Shinji Ikari, and turned away with a flourish.

Shinji Ikari actually knew what Asuka was trying to say: NERV's existence was squeezing their living space and encroaching on the resources that should have been provided to them. It was just that the topic inexplicably shifted to them, the chosen ones.

"Why don't you go up and coax her? Actually, you just need to catch up with her and say some nice things, and you'll be fine. Asuka is a very lonely girl who craves recognition. I actually think you two are quite a good match." A teasing male voice sounded from behind.

Shinji Ikari naturally understood this principle, but the only difference was whether he wanted to do it or not. Then he turned around and gave the man leaning against the door frame a rather impolite and scrutinizing look.

"I am Kaji Ryoji. I don't know if Ritsuko and Misato have introduced me to you before." The man didn't try to be mysterious and introduced himself to Shinji Ikari with a cheerful smile.

While Shinji Ikari was observing Ryoji Kaji, he had actually been paying attention to this boy whose name had been engraved on him long before he was even born.

Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, the boy had a head of smooth, short black hair, fair skin, and delicate features. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and casual suit pants. As a legendary driver, he was far too refined. Even Asuka, when she first met him, mistook him for a model student who was skipping school for the first time to play video games.

But Kaji Ryoji knew very well how terrifying the handsome young man before him could be beneath that refined exterior. Shinji Ikari, the chosen one, always crushed his opponents with overwhelming ferocity whenever he piloted Unit-01 to confront the Angels. Among all the chosen ones, he was widely recognized as the strongest and most uncontrollable berserker.

"Kashi Ryoji?" Shinji Ikari asked, his tone a mixture of doubt and excitement.

He paid little attention to Asuka as she left, but the moment Ryoji Kaji appeared, a stirring attraction emanated from him, causing ripples to spread across Shinji's calm, lake-like heart. At that moment, he seemed to have found the reason for the enigmatic Seventh Angel.

What is it? What is it? What is it?

It doesn't matter; Shinji Ikari prefers to get the answer from his own hands.

But seeing Shinji Ikari's cruel smile, Kaji Ryoji felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly realized that appearing before him wasn't a wise choice at all.

Shinji Ikari was stretching his muscles when, just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly heard a scream from Misato Katsuragi behind him.

"Ah, what's this guy doing here?!"

Chapter 49: The Fish Apostle Attacks!

Shinji Ikari's initial ferocity dissipated considerably. He turned his head to look at Misato Katsuragi, who was clutching her hair and looking terrified. "Miri, do you know this Mr. Ryoji Kaji?"

"Who wants to know him? If I had known he was on this ship, I wouldn't have come!" Misato Katsuragi gritted her teeth and turned her face away, seemingly not wanting to see the man.

However, her expression proved that he and the other person had a good relationship, which made Shinji Ikari, who was bored and finally found a new toy, return to his usual elegant demeanor.