"You did really well in training today, Shinji."
"Of course! It was exhausting, but it felt amazing."
Shinji lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He had truly worn himself out today.
He lay there admiring the sunset, feeling more at ease than he ever had in his life.
Meanwhile, Toji and Kensuke, who had been watching him, decided to leave.
"Shinji really is training. That's impressive."
"That's why he gets to be a pilot. Look at how committed he is."
"I can't believe he actually tried jumping over that little ravine. He even fell into it once. It looks two or three meters deep."
"The sunset really looks different from up in the mountains than it does in the city..."
Shinji stood up and brushed the dirt off himself.
"I'm definitely taking a nice, long bath when I get home."
He turned and smiled at Zero's spectral figure.
"Thank you, Zero."
"This kid... What are you thanking me for? You did all the work yourself," Zero said, turning his head away to hide his embarrassment.
Shinji staggered home. He really had nothing left in him.
When Misato got home, she noticed that Shinji's shoes were gone. After looking around, she found the note he had left on the table.
Reading Shinji's note, Misato couldn't help wondering.
"Where did that boy go to train?"
But a feeling of admiration rose within her.
Normally, a fourteen-year-old faced with fighting Angels would surely run away, protesting that he was quitting.
Those higher-ups had dragged Shinji, who knew nothing, into being a pilot, completely disregarding the fact that he was only a child.
His father, in particular, not only refused to acknowledge his son but treated him like a tool, never showing him the slightest kindness.
Yet instead of running away, Shinji had taken the initiative to go train.
Just then, the door opened.
"I'm home!"
Misato looked toward the entrance and jumped in shock.
Shinji stood in the doorway, filthy from head to toe, his clothes covered in sweat stains and dirt.
His knees were scraped and had already scabbed over. Most alarming were the marks on his shoulders, as though something had rubbed them raw.
She rubbed her eyes before finally confirming that the boy in front of her was Shinji.
Shinji dragged himself over to the sofa and flopped flat onto it, his mouth open and his eyes closed.
"Finished~~~" he murmured unconsciously, recovering a little after resting for a while.
"Misato... I trained a little too long today... I made the food this morning, so you just need to take it out of the fridge and heat it up later..."
"How long did you train?"
"From seven this morning until just now, I guess. I don't really remember..."
"You trained for nine hours?!"
"And look at you! Did you get into a fight with someone?"
Shinji told her about training with a log on his shoulders and jumping over the little ravine.
"Oh my God, who puts themselves through something like that...?"
As she spoke, Misato turned to get some medicine for Shinji.
"Good thing he made dinner this morning too. Otherwise, this lady's biological weapons really could kill someone."
Zero was still haunted by Misato's cooking.
Misato began applying medicine to Shinji's wounds, scolding him for not taking care of himself while training.
In the bath, Shinji felt more relaxed than ever before.
"So this is how good a bath can feel..."
He gazed at the Zero Glasses.
"Zero, can you teach me how to fight?"
"Right now, your training needs to focus on building stamina."
"Without enough stamina, all the techniques in the world are just for show. Space Martial Arts needs stamina to back it up."
The real reason was that Zero wanted to build up Shinji's strength and stamina before putting him through specialized training tailored to his needs.
Without getting Shinji into better shape first, that training would probably...
Zero's thoughts drifted back to when he had trained Z, and what he had seen in Z's diamond-like eyes...
As for what that special training involved...
Shinji interrupted his thoughts.
"Then I need to keep training as soon as possible, until I'm ready to learn Space Martial Arts."
"Good! That's the spirit!"
That night, Shinji fell asleep the moment he hit the sheets.
Zero looked at Shinji with a mischievous grin.
"I really can't wait for the day I get to put you through special training, Shinji. ^ω^"
That night, Zero recalled their first attack on Ramiel. When Unit-01 had been hit, he had sensed the soul inside it again, and this time, the feeling had been especially strong.
This time, he was certain he hadn't imagined it.
Remembering that Shinji's mother had died during an experiment, he gradually began to form a bold idea.
With Unit-01's synchronization test scheduled for tomorrow, he decided to try an experiment.
The next day, Shinji entered the Entry Plug as usual and began the synchronization test.
Once his surroundings turned transparent, Zero spoke to him.
"Shinji, I sense a soul inside Unit-01."
"Huh?!"
"I want to try an experiment. Help me out. In a moment, just close your eyes and don't think about anything."
"Okay. I want to know what's going on too."
Shinji closed his eyes.
When Zero told him to open them, he discovered that the two of them had arrived in a pure white space.
Zero stood beside him.
"This is Unit-01's mindscape. We've made contact with that soul. My guess was right."
Footsteps rang out, and Shinji and Zero saw a figure approaching them.
"Is that you, Shinji?" The voice began to tremble.
The figure gradually came into focus: a woman with short hair and delicate features, wearing a white lab coat.
Her face resembled Shinji's.
"Mom? Mom!" Shinji's long-buried memories awakened. He remembered now-the woman before him was his mother.
He rushed toward her in tears, trying to embrace her, but his hands passed straight through her body, as though she weren't there at all.
"Why is this happening?" Shinji's spirits sank.
Zero walked up to her.
"You must be Ms. Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother."
"Yes. Thank you for taking care of Shinji." Yui Ikari bowed to Zero.
She had actually been watching Shinji all along, including when Zero helped him fight the Day Angel, when Zero took the damage for him, and when Shinji transformed.
Thanks to Zero, Shinji was far more cheerful than she had expected, and he had been spared those injuries.
"Now that I've confirmed you're inside Unit-01, I'll confront your husband today and contact my people tonight. They can be here the day after tomorrow to get you out."
"Shinji needs a complete family."
The Universe Technology Bureau had conducted some research on the Paraghi Shield and had now largely mastered the ability to travel to universes with known coordinates.
The journey would generally take only a day. With an additional energy transfer, it could even take just an hour.
"That's right, Mom!" Tears filled Shinji's eyes. He desperately wanted to see his mother in the real world.
But Yui Ikari shook her head.
"Not yet, Shinji. I can't leave Unit-01."
"Why?!"
Shinji couldn't understand at all, but thinking of the various conspiracies in this world, Zero believed this was a good opportunity to get to the bottom of them.
"Ms. Yui Ikari, I hope you'll explain why you insist on staying inside Unit-01."
"And please tell us everything you know about the secrets and conspiracies behind NERV, your husband, Eva, and the rest."
"I want to help Shinji and this world. Please."
Hearing the sincerity in Zero's words, Yui Ikari decided he could be trusted and began revealing the true conspiracy hidden beneath everything they had seen.
"The Human Instrumentality Project!"
Before you continue