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[Arashi, Taiga, Leito]
"My God..."
The technician stared at the Angel, smashed into pieces all over the ground, and felt his entire worldview shatter.
Gendo Ikari's expression visibly darkened. This was something completely outside the script.
With that thought, he ordered, "Find a way to track that red sphere! We have to find out what it is!"
"Yes, tracking now... The red sphere is slowly descending toward the ground... It's gone! That's impossible! The red sphere just inexplicably dissipated!"
Gendo Ikari muttered, "What the hell?"
Everything that had happened so far had been part of his plan, including the Angel's first appearance and the ineffectiveness of missiles, shells, and other weapons against it. He even knew that the N² Bomb they had yet to use would be useless against the Angel, and everything that would happen afterward was part of his plan, too.
But now, he felt that with the arrival of this red sphere, everything would slip out of his control.
"Order the personnel on-site to search the area! Have the technicians scan for similar energy fluctuations! We must find a way to locate this strange thing."
"What did it come here for...? What does it want?" Gendo Ikari sank into thought, his gloved hands once again welded to his mouth.
His instincts told him that this red sphere would ruin all his plans.
At the scene
When Misato finally recovered from the shock of seeing an Angel killed by a red sphere crashing into it, she remembered that she needed to find Shinji Ikari. She started her car and sped off again.
"Please be all right, Shinji."
She had never expected an Angel to attack at a time like this, on the very same day Shinji was coming here to report in.
Shinji was the commander's son. She knew nothing about the ice-cold relationship between father and son, so she assumed that if anything happened to Shinji, the commander would punish her.
As she searched anxiously, she caught sight of a familiar figure, and her heart sank.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Recognizing Shinji, she quickly drove over and jumped out before the car had even come to a complete stop.
"Are you Shinji?"
Misato Katsuragi rushed up to Shinji and carefully lifted him.
"There's... a kitten, too?"
After lifting Shinji, she noticed the kitten in his arms.
The kitten looked unharmed and was even asleep. Shinji, however, was in serious danger. His clothes had been blasted into tatters, and there was blood all over him. No matter how much Misato patted him, he would not wake up.
"Oh no, oh no! I have to get him to a hospital!" Misato bundled Shinji into the car, left the cat behind, and sped toward NERV headquarters.
Upon arriving at headquarters, Shinji was immediately taken to the hospital. The doctor said his condition was critical and urged her to notify his family as soon as possible.
Trembling, Misato called the commander. Certain that she would be severely punished, she imagined how he would berate her over the phone.
"Understood." That single icy word brought Misato back to reality.
"That's strange. But the commander never says much anyway... Maybe he's hiding how he really feels." Misato slipped back into her wandering thoughts.
"Please don't die, Shinji."
Meanwhile, in a space invisible to humans, a cross-shaped flash appeared before Shinji's hospital bed, gradually revealing Zero's spectral form.
"You sacrificed yourself to protect a vulnerable life? Appearances really can be deceiving. You're truly brave. Don't be afraid. I'll save you."
Standing at the foot of the bed, Zero extended his hand toward Shinji. His spectral form began to overlap with Shinji's body, settling over him and gradually merging with him.
"These injuries are pretty serious. Don't worry. You'll be fine after some sleep." Now sharing one body and one soul with Shinji, Zero began treating his injuries. After his experience merging with Leito, he figured that letting Shinji stay in bed for a day would be less likely to arouse suspicion.
The doctor watching the readings on the equipment connected to Shinji's body was astonished.
"It's a miracle! The patient's vital signs have stabilized!"
Hearing those words from the doctor as he came out, Misato Katsuragi felt a little more at ease.
Inside the quiet, pristine white hospital room, Shinji lay in bed with an oxygen mask over his face. His chest rose and fell with natural breaths, but his eyes remained tightly shut.
Yet he still saw certain things.
In an unknown space surrounded by light, there was no gravity at all, and he floated freely within it.
An enormous figure appeared before him.
"Who... are you?" The boy looked up and timidly questioned the giant before him, whose body was red, blue, and silver.
"I am a member of the Space Garrison from the M78 Nebula. While pursuing a cosmic criminal, I was attacked and trapped by a Four-Dimensional Monster he unleashed. After breaking free, I arrived here." A voice imbued with divinity rang out in Shinji's mind.
"When I first arrived on this planet, I saw you sacrifice yourself to save a life in a moment of crisis. I couldn't bear to let such a young and brave life end so easily, so I chose to unite my body and soul with yours."
"I was badly injured. From today onward, I will need to use your body to operate on Earth. Depending on the circumstances, I will also grant you my power to do things you could never do before."
Shinji listened in bewilderment. This was not something he could understand in a matter of moments.
The giant's figure gradually faded.
"Wait! Don't go! Explain!"
Zero sat at the head of the bed and looked at Shinji.
"Playing a divine oracle is exhausting..."
Shinji woke up and opened his eyes.
"Where am I...?"
"An unfamiliar ceiling..."
Lying in the hospital bed, Shinji Ikari slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling of the room, muttering to himself.
His mind was still on that three-colored giant.
"You're awake."
Looking toward the voice, Shinji saw the giant from his dream, though he was now a human-sized spectral figure.
His skin was red and blue, with silver stripes running across it. A large expanse of silver armor covered his chest, with a sapphire-like timer glowing at its center. He had angular eyes that shone like light bulbs, a narrow chin, a rakish curve to his mouth, and two objects resembling throwing blades atop his head.
Shinji stared blankly at the spectral figure. When he finally reacted, he nearly fell out of bed.
"What is that??? A ghooooooost!"
"A ghost? Have you ever seen a ghost as handsome as me?!"
Shinji froze. This giant really could talk. This was no dream. If the giant from earlier had been his dream, then what was this spectral figure appearing before him now?
"Didn't I introduce myself earlier? I guess humans usually don't remember what happens in their dreams."
"I'll introduce myself again in more detail."
"I'm Zero, Ultraman Zero! I'm from the M78 Nebula, the son of Ultraseven, and captain of Ultimate Force Zero, under the Space Garrison. I was attacked while pursuing a cosmic criminal and ended up here."
"To keep things simple, just call me Zero. Though, judging by your age, you could also call me Big Brother Zero."
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