"Do I really have to pilot this?!"
"You guessed right, Shinji."
Gendo Ikari's expressionless face, filled with indifference, appeared in the observation room above, separated from them by a pane of blast-resistant glass.
"Pilot Unit-01."
The commander stood high above them, ordering Shinji in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Dad..." Shinji didn't even dare look up at his father. He had looked forward to seeing him, but he had never expected it to happen like this.
"They're actually doing this?! What kind of cosmic joke is this?! They're seriously making a fourteen-year-old kid fight monsters? Am I crazy, or is this world crazy?!"
Although Zero had suspected as much, hearing the order still shocked him.
Shinji froze too. He didn't really dare defy his father's orders, but he was a withdrawn fourteen-year-old boy who didn't know the first thing about fighting! He had never received any training.
"I can't do it!"
"I'll die, Dad!"
The terrifying experience of his last encounter with Shamshel was still vivid in his mind. Shinji clearly remembered the moment he had stood on the brink of death. That terror had seared itself into his memory.
And now they wanted him to fight an Angel that even the military couldn't defeat. Weren't they deliberately sending him to his death?
Shinji shouted at his father, "I don't want to die!" He longed for his father to understand him, even just a little.
Although he agreed with Zero's furious insults toward his father and had known what to expect from the damned bastard, Shinji was still a child who had lost his mother. In his vulnerability, he naturally clung to his father, hoping for even the smallest scrap of affection.
Zero had already started making cutting remarks...
Listening to his son's pleas, Gendo Ikari's glasses continued to catch the light as he said coldly, "It doesn't matter. We'll guide you remotely during the battle."
Shinji sank into utter despair.
What had I done wrong? Mom was gone, Dad had abandoned me, I had to live with relatives who didn't like me, and kids my age gossiped about my parents.
Why did this world hate me so much?
With his low self-esteem, he fell into self-doubt once again, convinced that his father treated him this way because he was so useless.
Zero saw what he was thinking and struggled to suppress his anger.
"It's all right, Shinji. Don't listen to that old bastard! If you don't want to pilot it, don't. This isn't your responsibility at all."
"You're only like this because of that excuse for a human being."
"When you risked yourself to save a helpless life, I saw your kindness and compassion with my own eyes."
"You're a kind, brave boy. That alone makes you someone worth admiring."
"I have the power to change this world, and now I've entrusted that power to you."
"Don't be afraid. Whatever happens, I'll always be there to back you up."
"Don't forget-we're partners!"
"Zero..." As Shinji sank into self-loathing, he heard Zero's words of encouragement, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
His big brother Zero supported him no matter what happened. Sharing one body with him, Shinji felt he finally understood what it meant for an eldest brother to be like a father.
For the first time, he felt understood.
He had never received encouragement like this in his entire life.
Even if it was only to live up to Zero's hopes for him, he was willing to pilot Unit-01 and save lives.
"What are you standing there for?! What are you muttering to yourself about?!"
Gendo Ikari's loathsome voice rang out again, interrupting Shinji's thoughts.
Seeing Shinji suddenly shed tears, turn his head, and talk to himself, he wondered whether something was wrong with his son's brain.
He found this deeply irritating.
"If you can't pilot it, get the hell out!"
Gendo Ikari continued to provoke Shinji.
He was the one who had summoned Shinji here, yet now he was telling him to get out.
All of Zero's encouragement and comfort went down the drain.
Shinji looked as though his soul had been sucked out of him. He hung his head, afraid to look at anyone.
"Shinji, don't run away from your father." Misato's voice came at the worst possible moment.
Although she sympathized with Shinji, she couldn't openly defy the commander. This was the only way she could try to persuade him.
I'll hold back... I'll hold back... I'll keep holding back... Zero's face was nearly as red as Zearth's. He was already preparing to use his power to get justice for Shinji.
"Enough. Have Rei pilot it." Looking at the soulless Shinji, Gendo Ikari gave the order without hesitation.
He still had a backup plan to force his son to pilot it. He believed everything was under his control.
"Rei?! Wasn't she badly injured during Unit-00's test? Can she do it?" Misato was shocked again. Of course she knew Rei Ayanami was also a pilot, but in her current condition, there was absolutely no way she could pilot an EVA.
The staff wheeled in a hospital bed. Lying on it was a beautiful girl with vacant eyes and short, sky-blue hair.
The girl was frail, her entire body wrapped in white bandages. Her right eye, arm, and head were bandaged too. She looked utterly pitiful.
She struggled to sit up, and blood seeped through her bandages.
Her expression was filled with pain, but she endured it and still tried to get out of bed.
"Switch Unit-01 to Rei's configuration. Rei, you'll pilot it!"
While Shinji was still staring blankly at the gravely injured girl before him, Zero reached his limit.
I'll definitely regret this someday, but if I don't do it now, I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life. He made his decision.
Shinji raised his head.
"Changed your mind?" Gendo Ikari smiled faintly, believing his ploy of exploiting pity had worked.
Their eyes met. Gendo Ikari saw the murderous look in Shinji's eyes, and a flicker of unease crossed his mind.
"I sure have changed my mind." A voice that wasn't Shinji's rang out. His eyes were ice-cold as he stared at Gendo Ikari.
"Stop standing around. Go pilot it!" Gendo Ikari barked, trying to conceal his growing panic.
"Shinji, what are you doing?" Misato watched him warily. He was completely different from a moment ago.
"Shinji" sank into a half-crouch, facing Gendo Ikari and staring straight at him.
"Go put on your combat suit, then pilot it!" He was still ordering Shinji around. He hated it when Shinji disobeyed him.
"Hah!" Shinji vanished.
Shinji launched an upward flying kick straight at Gendo Ikari.
"What the-" Gendo Ikari had no time to react.
Crash!
The protective glass before him shattered, and the shock wave knocked Gendo Ikari to the floor. Flying shards left cuts all over his face and hands.
He scrambled to his feet in a sorry state, only to find a large foot right in front of him, along with "Shinji's" icy stare.
"Shinji" brushed a finger beneath his nose.
"You're a real bastard."
"Does someone like you deserve to be a father? No, do you even deserve to be called human?!"
"Shinji" raised two fingers at Gendo Ikari. "You're twenty thousand years too early to boss me around!"
Before you continue