Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the creation of Anno and Gainax. I don't own it, make no claims to it, and am making no profit from this fan fiction. No infringement of copyright is intended. In other words, please don't sue.
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is the creation of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. I don't own it, make no claims to it, and am making no profit from this fan fiction. No infringement of copyright is intended. In other words, please don't sue.
Chaos on the High Seas
Shinji was riding on a helicopter. He didn't quite know why.
All he really knew was that Misato had told him they were going a trip to a "cute little boat" that day, and that he should invite a couple of his friends to come along. He'd wanted to bring Rei with them, too, but NERV needed to have at least one EVA pilot on hand at all times.
Of course, he could've used his ghost powers to go snooping and found out the whole story about the surprise trip. He figured that he could let Misato keep this secret, though. There times when it didn't pay to be too nosy, even if you could always get away with it.
He leaned over to gaze out at the window, looking at the endless expanse of the ocean below. The water seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, and he sighed softly. If I was home right now instead of here, the twins and me would probably be out swimming, he mused.
"You okay, Shinji?" Misato asked. "Not getting motion sickness or anything, I hope."
"Nah," he replied with a rueful smile. "Just feeling a little homesick, I guess. Shinjuku-2 is a coastal town."
Misato's expression became somewhat sad at hearing that. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but was interrupted by Toji.
"So where are we going, anyway?" the jock asked impatiently, completely oblivious to the interplay between Shinji and his guardian.
Toji had been all for it when the Third Child had asked him if he wanted to go on the trip, but it felt like they'd been in the air for a really long time now to him. Seeing as how he wasn't in a good position to ogle Misato, he wanted off the helicopter as soon as possible.
"I told you, we're going a boat ride," she told him. "In fact, we should just be coming into view of the boat right about now."
The three boys went to look out the windows, and their eyes widened as they saw the array of naval power arranged on the ocean beneath them. Shinji was far from an expert on such things, but it seemed like a truly enormous fleet to him.
"Oh…my…god," Kensuke breathed.
"Oh boy, here we go," Toji groaned.
"This is amazing!" the otaku exploded. "Wow, what a fleet! There's one…two…three…four aircraft carriers down there, and at least a dozen destroyers. This is the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Shinji! You are the best friend…ever!"
With that, the bespectacled boy threw his arms around the EVA pilot, embracing him tightly. Less than comfortable with this arrangement, Shinji let out a small yelp and began trying to pry Kensuke off of him.
"Okay, you're welcome, now…please get off of me," the Third Child said awkwardly.
"Give the guy some air, Ken!" Toji exclaimed, helping Shinji pull Kensuke off of him. "Geeze, chill out."
Kensuke released Shinji, though he didn't calm down very much, instead going back to the window to gawk at the fleet some more. "No way! I don't believe it!" he exclaimed. "That's the Over the Rainbow! The pride of the UN Navy!"
"Man, now that's a name that'll strike fear into the enemy," Toji remarked under his breath to Shinji, who smirked.
"Ah, that's where we're going, the Over the Rainbow," Misato said.
Shinji's eyebrows rose. "That's your cute little boat?" he asked.
The Ops Director chuckled. "I guess it doesn't really fit the description, does it?" she asked. "To tell you the truth, I'm surprised that rusty old thing can even still float."
"Aw, she's not that old," Kensuke said. "She was built just before the Second Impact, in fact."
"Misato, what's all this about?" Shinji asked with a frown.
This obviously wasn't just some day trip she'd thrown together on a whim. A fleet that big had to have a reason for assembling and coming to Japan.
His guardian, however, was still being coy about the whole thing. "Just wait and see," she said with a grin.
"So, no life-or-death stuff involved?" he asked.
"Not today," she replied cheerfully.
The helicopter came down for a landing on the massive carrier, and the passengers disembarked. Kensuke immediately pulled out his camcorder and starting filming everything, growing increasingly enthusiastic as he took in the ship.
"Kid's gonna hyperventilate or something if he keeps that up," Toji commented.
Shinji stretched widely, exceedingly glad for the chance to stretch his legs. He decided that he definitely preferred flying under his own power to helicopters. More legroom that way. "I think he'll be okay," he said.
Just then, a gust of wind blew Toji's new baseball cap off his head, sending it across the deck. With a yelp, the jock began running after it, desperate to catch it before the gust took it over the side and into the drink.
He had almost reached it when a foot clad in a red sandal came crashing down onto it, pinning it the deck. Completely ignoring the person the foot was attached to in his zeal to get his cap back, Toji grabbed it and started pulling.
His efforts were completely fruitless; the person standing on his hat was surprisingly strong.
"Whoa…" Shinji breathed as he approached, taking in far more of the scene than his friend. The redheaded girl standing on Toji's hat was gorgeous. He could feel his heartbeat accelerating and his palms sweating as he looked at her.
Then the girl lifted her foot, and Toji went crashing onto his rear end, holding his very crumpled cap.
"Hello, Misato!" the girl called cheerfully.
"Hello, Asuka," the Ops Director replied as she walked up to the group, with Kensuke in tow. "My, you've grown since I last saw you."
Asuka grinned. "And I haven't just gotten taller, my figure's filled out as well," she boasted.
Halfway through pulling Toji to his feet, Shinji blushed.
Then another gust of sea air blew across the deck. This time, Toji was clutching his hat tightly, so it didn't go astray. However, the wind did blow the skirt of the girl's yellow sundress, lifting it just high enough for the three boys present to see a brief flash of white.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Her hand moved so quickly that Shinji never even saw it coming. Unlike with Toji's fist weeks and weeks ago, he never even had the chance to go intangible and avoid the stinging blow. He blinked, too stunned at the expected slap to react.
Toji, however, was quicker on the ball. "What was that for?" the jock snarled.
"That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain, nicht?" Asuka asked haughtily.
Shinji could actually feel his opinion of the pretty redhead dropping precipitously.
"It's overpriced," Toji sneered.
The jock then reached for his belt. Shinji realized what his friend had planed to do just in time, and he reached out, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder and squeezing. Toji turned his head and directed a scowl at Shinji, as though asking why the EVA pilot was stopping him.
Shinji just shook his head, giving Toji a look and hoping his message got through. Words really could not describe how unnecessary what the jock was about to do was.
Reluctantly, Toji removed his hands from his belt buckle and backed off.
"So," Asuka said, placing her hands on her hips as she scrutinized the trio of boys, "which one of you is the famous Third Child?"
"I am. I'm Shinji Ikari," the other pilot answered. He refrained from adding that it was nice to meet her, since that, sadly, would have been a lie.
The redhead leaned close to him, narrowing her eyes, and Shinji couldn't quite keep himself from flinching back at the intrusion into his personal space.
"He's really ordinary," Asuka remarked to Misato, looking disappointed.
The Third Child released a small snicker before he could stop himself.
If only she knew…
"What's so funny?" Asuka demanded.
"Nothing," Shinji lied.
The redhead's glare made it exceedingly obvious that she didn't believe him.
Misato cleared her throat, breaking the tension. "I need to get these transfer documents to the admiral in charge of this fleet," she said, holding up a small sheaf of papers. "Asuka, why don't you show us the way to the bridge?"
About a half an hour later, Shinji was definitely starting to wonder when they would get the chance to go home. They had all followed Asuka to the bridge, where Misato had had a conversation with the admiral (entirely in English, which meant that the trio of boys could only follow very brief bits).
Then things had gotten interesting when a man with a ponytail had shown up. It was obvious that Misato and Ryoji Kaji had a history, and a rocky one, judging by his guardian's reaction to seeing the man.
Still, interesting didn't mean pleasant. The whole lot of them were currently seated at a table in the officer's mess, and Shinji was already starting to fidget with discomfort and his eagerness to be going. Asuka's demeanor hadn't improved, Misato was miserable, and something about Kaji's nature just came off as too friendly to Shinji.
"I must say, it's a pleasure to formally meet you, Ikari-san," the unshaven man said, grinning lopsidedly at Shinji.
It took the Third Child a second to realize that Kaji was speaking to him. He wasn't sure that he'd ever had an adult refer to him as "-san" before.
"Thank you," he said awkwardly.
"So, I hear you're living with Katsuragi," Kaji said.
"Um, yeah," Shinji nodded, not quite sure where the man was going with this.
Kaji cast a look at Misato, then directed his gaze back to the Third Child before speaking again. "Tell me, is she still so wild in bed?"
The reactions from the others sitting around the table were instantaneous. Toji and Kensuke both snapped their heads to the side to look at him, mouths hanging open. Misato choked on the coffee she'd been drinking and started to cough violently. Asuka's face turned crimson, though Shinji wasn't sure if it was because she was embarrassed or because she was enraged.
The Third Child himself released a strangled sound, feeling heat rushing up in his face. "I wouldn't…I wouldn't know anything…" he stammered.
"How could you even suggest such a thing?" Misato roared at the unshaven man, abruptly finding her voice.
Kaji, who was the only person at the table who looked cool and collected, just grinned at Shinji. "She hasn't changed at all, has she?" he asked.
Misato, realizing how easily the man had just pushed her buttons, immediately deflated, wearing an extremely sour expression.
"I wouldn't know about that, either, seeing as how I just met Misato a few months ago," Shinji grumbled. "How do you know so much about me, anyway?"
"Why, you're famous in my line of work," Kaji said. "The pilot of Evangelion Unit One, who destroyed an Angel with no training!"
Shinji could actually feel Asuka's glare intensifying, though he had little clue as to what was making her so angry. Nevertheless, he couldn't help fidgeting a bit.
"Oh, I was just lucky," he said. "To be honest, I barely even remember the last couple minutes of that battle. It's just a blur to me."
"You must have some real killer instincts, then, if you were able to beat the Angel," Kaji suggested.
"Killer instincts? I don't think so," Shinji said, trying to look amused at the idea. "Like I said, I was just lucky."
Of course, he really hadn't been lucky. Spectra showing up and causing his ghost sense to go off at a critical moment had been a terrific stroke of misfortune, to put it mildly.
"Believe me, kid, luck only gets you so far in the defense business," Kaji said. "If that was all you had going for you, you'd be dead by now."
"…thank you?" Shinji blinked.
Asuka exhaled gustily, bringing the strange conversation to an end. "I need some air," she announced as she rose from the table. Without another word, she headed for the door and departed from the room.
"I should probably go after her," Kaji said, getting up. "I think I might have ruffled her feathers a bit there."
He departed, leaving just the trio of boys and Misato, who by that point had her forehead pressed against the tabletop and her arms over her head, as though trying to block out the world.
"You know," Shinji spoke up after a moment of awkward silence, "I think I could use a few minutes on deck, too. Is that all right with you, Misato?" he asked. His guardian just made a sort of grunting noise that he decided to take as an affirmative. "You guys coming?" he asked Toji and Kensuke.
The two boys both cast a glance toward Misato. Both of them would like some time alone with her, but not when she was in this state.
"Sure."
"Why not?"
They followed Shinji out of the mess and up onto the deck. Thankfully, they encountered neither Kaji nor Asuka.
"Whew, this was not exactly the day trip I was expecting," Toji said as they reached an empty observation platform.
"Same here," Shinji agreed, then he frowned. "Were you really going to flash her back there? After she slapped us?"
"Why not?" Toji asked, crossing his arms. "The Red Devil obviously has a high opinion of herself, but that little peek we got was overpriced if you ask me. Just thought I'd give the girl her change."
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Yes, she's snotty, I get it," he said, leaning on the deck's railing. "But I'm going to have to work with her, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't piss her off too much."
"Fine, whatever," Toji grumbled.
With a soft sigh, Shinji turned to look out at the ocean. Working with Asuka wasn't something he was looking forward to in the least.
Am I really going to have to depend on that hotheaded snob to watch my back while we're fighting Angels? He wondered. God, I miss the twins.
"So, what do you think of the famous Third Child?" Kaji asked.
He and Asuka had retreated to one of the ship's more rarely used walkways. Kaji had allowed the redhead a few minutes to cool off before asking his question.
He'd gone a bit too far in praising Shinji. The man had known he'd been taking a risk in doing that, but he was hoping to help the Third Child gain Asuka's respect. The boy was going to need it if he wanted to have a good working relationship with Asuka.
Of course, if I'm very lucky, they'll form a little more than that, he mused.
Asuka's advances had been quite…uncomfortable as of late. It would be best for everyone if she lost her interest in him and set her sights on a boy closer to her own age.
"He's boring," Asuka proclaimed.
Kaji resisted the urge to sigh. Nothing was ever easy, especially where the redhead was concerned.
"Hmm, and yet despite having had no training whatsoever, he was able to sync to over 40 percent the first time in Unit One," Kaji remarked.
"Mein Gott!" Asuka gasped. It had taken her months and months of training just to achieve a sync ratio above the absolute borderline.
Despite the way that seemingly everyone at the Third Branch had been discussing little else besides the Third Child since the First Battle of Tokyo-3, this was news to Asuka. Apparently, no one had bothered to tell her about this until now.
The redhead's hands balled into fists. She had known from the start that the Third Child was a threat to her status as the top EVA pilots, but she hadn't realized until now just how much of a threat he was.
"Excuse me, Kaji," she said, and immediately took off in search of her new rival.
It was time to put Shinji Ikari in his place.
Meanwhile, over a mile below the vast fleet of warships, a creature the size of an aircraft carrier stirred for the first time in years. Opening its multiple red eyes, it started swim upwards, intent on fulfilling its purpose.
The trio of boys was just about to head back down below deck in search of Misato when Asuka intercepted them. Hands planted on her hips, the Second Child glared at the Third for a good five seconds before finally deigning to speak.
"Come with me, Third Child," she said. It was obvious from the tone of her voice that this wasn't intended to be a request.
Shinji more sensed than saw Toji bristling next to him, but he raised a hand to calm the jock. He didn't like the way she was trying to boss him around, either, but he was determined to try and keep things civil between himself and the newly arrived pilot. He'd go along, for now.
"All right," he agreed, then turned to his two friends. "Why don't you two go check on Misato?"
"Fine," Toji said and reluctantly left, with Kensuke in tow.
"Lead the way," Shinji told Asuka.
A short trip on a dingy later, and the two pilots were on board a large freighter positioned at the center of the fleet. Asuka quickly ambled over to a massive container that was covered by a large tarp.
"Come on in, Third Child," she said as she lifted up the edge of the tarp.
"My name is Shinji Ikari, Soryu," he told her as he bent down to step inside under the course brown fabric.
She ignored him, leading him deeper into the massive container. In the center of the thing was a large pool of LCL, in which a crimson Evangelion lay.
"See that, Ikari?" Asuka asked as she hopped across a small bridge formed from wooden planks attached to metal barrels floating in the liquid.
"An Evangelion," he nodded, growing more confused by the moment. Why had Asuka dragged him here just to see her EVA?
"Yes, Third Child, an Evangelion," she said, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him before scampering up onto the prone form of the red EVA. "But not just any Evangelion. This is Unit Two. Unlike Units Zero and One, which were the prototype and the test type, respectively, my Evangelion was built for actual combat. As the first production model, my Unit Two is the first true Evangelion!"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Whether they were made for combat or not, Units Zero and One have both been in it," he pointed out. "Seeing as how me and Rei are still here, I'd say they did okay."
The redhead scowled, placing her hands on her hips as she glowered down at him. She opened her mouth to make some kind of retort, but the whole ship shook beneath them before she could say a word.
With a yelp, Asuka lost her footing and went tumbling down the side of the scarlet giant. Instantly springing into action, Shinji leaped across the little artificial islands floating in the LCL, reaching the one nearest Unit Two just in time to catch the falling redhead in his arms.
"Ooph!" Asuka grunted as she landed.
"You okay?" Shinji asked her.
"Yeah," the redhead answered, still a little dazed. "You know, you're stronger than you look, Third."
"Active lifestyle," he answered he answered with a little smirk.
Then Asuka seemed to remember herself. "Put me down, you pervert!" she snapped, struggling in his grip so much that he nearly dropped.
"All right, all right, sheesh," Shinji grumbled, putting her down. "What the heck was that, anyway?"
"An undersea shockwave," Asuka answered grimly. "And it sounded close. Come on!"
She rushed out of the container, with Shinji right at her heels. Seconds later, the two teens had reached the edge of the freighter's deck.
"Mein Gott!" Asuka exclaimed as she grabbed hold of the safety railing.
Something huge was beneath the surface of the ocean, kicking up a massive plume of seawater as it went. As the two EVA pilots watched, the thing sliced through one of the fleet's destroyers. Several orange fireballs burst from the grievously damaged warship as it rapidly began to sink.
Yet despite this awesome and terrible display of raw destructive power, Shinji soon spotted something that completely stole his attention away from the terror below the depths.
Not far from the fleet, and approaching fast, was another ship, a ship that was very, very different from the modern ones that had been tasked with escorting Unit Two to Japan. It was a wooden vessel, something that wouldn't have looked out of place on the high seas centuries ago. Its off white sails were raggedy and tattered, but the enormous flag was in pristine condition, proudly displaying the grinning visage of the Jolly Rogers.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Shinji groaned.
Of all the times for him to show up…
"What are you looking at, Third Child?" Asuka demanded, seeing him staring off into the distance. "The Angel's over there!"
Shinji's gaze snapped back to Asuka, giving her a surprised look. "Huh? But don't you see…?" he trailed off, confused. He knew that adults couldn't see that particular ghost, but Asuka shouldn't be having trouble. She was the same age he was, after all.
"Don't I see what, stupid?" Asuka demanded.
"Nothing," Shinji said, finally acknowledging that she really couldn't see it. "We have to do something about that Angel before it sinks this whole fleet! Do you know how we can get a message to Misato?"
"Forget about her!" Asuka said, a grin spreading across her face. "I'll take care of this Angel, and you're going to get the privilege of watching me do it. Now come on, Third Child."
"I'm gonna regret this," he said under his breath.
"Come on!" Asuka growled at him, and he reluctantly followed her back toward the container where Unit Two sat. "Open!" she barked at the red giant.
Instantly, the section of armor that covered the entry plug moved, revealing the metal cylinder and allowing it to partial emerge. The entry plug hatch then slid open with a soft hiss.
Shinji's eyebrows went up. Huh, voice commands, he thought. Maybe that thing is better than Unit One.
Asuka quickly scampered into the plug, and Shinji moved to follow her, thinking that they would just have to fight this battle in their regular clothes. However, before he could start climbing up the side of Unit Two, Asuka emerged again, now holding a red duffel bag. Moving back down to the bridge, the Second Child unzipped the bag and withdrew a red plugsuit, which she tossed to him. Shinji caught it, then made a face as he took a better look at it. It was very clearly not made for a man to wear.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Asuka demanded as she withdrew a second, matching plugsuit from the bag.
"Uh, where…?"
"You stay on this side of Unit Two and change, and I'll stay on the other side of Unit Two and change," she commanded. "And if I catch you peeking, I'll murder you!"
Shinji rolled his eyes as she carefully slid down Unit Two's side and vanished from sight. Believe me, if I wanted to steal a peek of you while you were changing, you would never catch me, he thought, annoyed.
Still, a few moments alone was just what the doctor ordered. Setting aside the red plugsuit, Shinji concentrated, and the white rings of energy formed around his body, changing him into Shinji Ikiryo. The ghost boy immediately split himself in two, and one of the pair quickly changed back into human form.
"What the hell was that light?" Asuka demanded. "You're not trying to take pictures of me, are you?"
"No, Asuka," the duplicate in human form said, raising a hand to keep his ghostly counterpart from speaking as well and giving them away.
Without saying a word, Shinji Ikiryo nodded and became invisible, flying out of the room.
With a soft sigh, Shinji Ikari began to take off his clothes, preparing to put on Asuka's spare plugsuit.
"Kensuke, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Toji asked.
"Um, I'd say that depends," the otaku replied. "On a scale of one to ten, how crazy do you feel right now? 'Cuz if the answer's 13, then, yeah, I'd say we're seeing the same thing."
The two boys were standing on the bridge of the Rainbow, having followed Misato there. At the moment, the Ops Director was busy arguing with the admiral over how to deal with the Angel, and the rest of the bridge crew was frantically going about their business. No one was paying attention to the two teens.
Which was good, because they both started violently when a disembodied voice broke into their conversation.
"It's a ghost ship, you can say it. You're not crazy."
"Wha…what was—?"
"Relax, it's me," Shinji replied in a harsh whisper. "And keep your voice down."
"R-Right, sorry," Toji said, much more quietly. He tried to make it look like he was speaking to Kensuke. "So, what's with the stone age pirate ship, and why isn't anybody here saying anything about it?"
"They can't see it," Shinji answered. "It belongs to an old enemy of mine."
"Need some help dealing with him?" Kensuke asked eagerly.
"Thanks, but it's best if I fought this one myself," the half-ghost answered. "I just wanted to give you the heads up. You guys just sit tight, and pretend you don't see the ghost ship. Gotta go."
With that, Shinji Ikiryo departed the bridge of the massive battleship, heading for the much smaller wooden vessel in the distance. The cannons on the starboard side erupted as he drew near, but they had no chance of hitting a target as small and quick as the Ikiryo. Shinji dodged them easily, then came to a landing at the helm of the ship, where a diminutive ghost boy was gripping the wheel of the vessel.
"Youngblood, what are you doing here?" Shinji asked with exasperation.
The ghost boy turned to face the Ikiryo. Like many ghosts Shinji had faced in the past, Youngblood had pale blue skin and green hair. An oversized pirate hat sat on his head, and a green parrot with a tiny eye patch was perched on his shoulder.
"What am I doing here? I'm Captain Youngblood, scourge of the seas! And I spotted an opportunity to create a little chaos!" he exclaimed, pointing out toward the massive UN fleet. "What are you doing here, Ikiryo?"
Shinji shrugged. "I was just in the area, so I thought I'd ruin your fun, kid."
Youngblood growled, his small hands clenching into fists. "Don't call me a kid, you big meanie!" he exclaimed, his anger making him break character.
The parrot on the boy's shoulder cleared its throat. "Ahem, I think you meant to call him a 'scurvy dog', Captain," it said in a surprisingly refined voice.
"Oh, right," Youngblood said, abashed. Then he turned his attention back to Shinji. "Call me a kid again, and I'll make you walk the plank, you scurvy dog!"
Shinji just rolled his eyes. Youngblood really didn't have all that much in the way of ghostly powers, aside from his ability to prevent adults from seeing him or his ship. He, Kamiko, and Fumio usually mopped the floor with the brat when they encountered him.
"Look, kid, just agree to turn this ship around and go home, and I won't have to fight you," Shinji said.
"I told you to stop calling me a kid!" Youngblood snapped. "Now you're going to get it, you blackguard! Get him, boys!"
Before Shinji could ask who Youngblood was talking to, the doors that led below deck burst open, and dozens of human skeletons emerged, all of them coated from head to foot in glowing green ectoplasm. Many of them were wearing bandanas or pirate hats like Youngblood's, and they were all carrying weapons, an assortment of cutlasses and ancient looking pistols.
Oh, this is new, Shinji thought with rising trepidation. In the past, Youngblood had never had anyone actually manning his ghost ship before, bony or otherwise.
"Say hello to my skeleton crew, Ikiryo," Youngblood said, grinning wickedly.
Shinji didn't think he'd ever been so uncomfortable in his entire life, and that was truly saying something. He'd endured some very uncomfortable moments in his mere fourteen years of life.
Nevertheless, squeezing into the entry plug—definitely a one person affair—with Asuka, while wearing one of her very feminine plugsuits, unquestionably took the cake.
The redhead seemed less discomforted than he did, probably because she got to sit in the actual chair while he was cramped into the remaining space. Asuka quickly raced through Unit Two's activation sequence, obviously eager to get to the actual combat.
"Synchro start!" she finished, the crimson Evangelion's systems coming to life around them with a loud hum.
Their dramatic takeoff was interrupted by the red error messages that abruptly flared to life to cover the entry plug's screens.
"What's wrong?" Shinji asked, acutely aware of how vulnerable they were while Unit Two sat motionless on the big, slow freighter.
"You are!" Asuka snapped at him.
"Eh?" Shinji recoiled slightly with surprise.
"You're thinking in Japanese, and Unit Two's set for German!" she barked. "Start thinking in the right language!"
"That's gonna be pretty difficult, since I barely know any German at all," the Third Child said, rolling his eyes.
"You're impossible," Asuka growled, before giving Unit Two a few curt orders in German, switching the language to Japanese. "Restart!"
Immediately, colors and crazed patterns started to swirl across the screens, quickly shifting to a view of the inside of the container. Shinji could feel the now familiar tugging at his brain that came from being synced with an Evangelion, but far more faintly than usual, thanks to his lack of A-10 connectors.
"Unit Two, take off!" Asuka yelled joyously as she gripped the control yokes and willed the crimson Evangelion to spring into action.
It was none too soon. Unit Two stood and leapt from the deck of the freighter mere instants before the Angel plowed right into the ship, tearing the vessel into two pieces and sending it sinking into the ocean.
"God," Shinji gasped, looking down at the ruined freighter.
"Don't freak out on me here, Third," Asuka warned him as they came down for a landing on one of the fleet's cruisers, utterly trashing its forward guns as they landed and causing it to tilt frighteningly in the water before they stabilized. She never took her eyes off the HUD.
"Wasn't planning on it," Shinji replied, his eyes flicking over to the clock that was counting down the amount of time they had before the internal battery was spent. "We only have two minutes, and the power cord's on the carrier. How are we supposed to get there?"
"Simple, we play hopscotch," Asuka replied.
"Hop—?" Shinji's question turned into a strangled cry as the crimson EVA again went into motion, leaping from the cruiser onto one of the smaller carriers.
Nor did she stop there, proceeding to jump from one ship to the next as she made her way to the Rainbow, barely keeping one step ahead of the Angel as he went. Shinji gripped the back of her seat so hard that his knuckles turned white, deciding that this girl was completely insane in addition to being unpleasant.
Though, much as he hated to admit it, he was impressed. He didn't think he could have successfully pulled off a similar stunt with Unit One.
Not that I'd be nuts enough to try, he thought.
Finally, they landed on the deck of the Rainbow, Unit Two's armored feet leaving massive dents in the proud warship as it came down, and Shinji swore he could hear the admiral cursing, even from where he was.
"Look, there's your cable," the Third Child pointed to where a group of sailors was bringing out the massive plug. He hoped he didn't sound as nauseous as he felt, especially since Asuka wasn't looking remotely green around the gills.
"Right," she said, and guided Unit Two through the process of hooking up the cable with practiced ease. The battery's countdown clock winked out as they went to external power. "Now that that's taken care of, it's time to kill that Angel." She added, turning in the direction of the approaching Angel. The immense plume of water the beast was generating was coming toward them at a disturbing rate.
"Please tell me we have a gun somewhere," Shinji practically begged.
"The progressive knife should be just fine," Asuka replied, mentally commanding the compartment in Unit Two' shoulder to open and taking hold of the weapon.
"Against that thing?" Shinji asked incredulously. "Is Unit Two at least setup for underwater combat?"
"No," Asuka answered. "Relax, it'll be fine. You're riding with the ace pilot now, Third."
Before Shinji could say anything else, the Angel finally burst from the surface of the water. Vaguely fish-like, it was easily the largest one Shinji had seen yet, at nearly the same size of the super carrier. The thing crashed onto the deck of the Rainbow with tremendous force, easily knocking Unit Two off its feet and causing the ship to tilt back and forth violently. For a terrifying moment, Shinji really thought that the Rainbow was going to capsize.
Then the shaking stopped, and Asuka somehow got Unit Two out from under the Angel and onto its feet.
"It's like a beached whale," Shinji said.
"Hmph, and here I thought that this Angel might actually give me a challenge," Asuka said as she raised her knife, preparing to fillet the beast.
Shinji was about to warn the Second Child not to get cocky, but he lost the chance as the universe decided to do it for him. The Angel trashed, forcing Unit Two to retreat back a step, and its size two hundred foot happened to land on an aircraft elevator. The thing immediately buckled beneath the Evangelion's weight, sending Unit Two sprawling backwards.
The ship tilted again, and the Angel made its move, shifting its own weight. Before either Shinji or Asuka could react, both Angel and Evangelion went plunging into the drink.
"Oh, geeze, we're in trouble now," Shinji groaned.
"Stop being so negative!" Asuka snapped, but now he thought he detected a hint of fear mixed in with her anger. "I can still do this!"
Attempting to prove her point, she gripped the control yokes again, trying to make Unit Two move. However, she could barely get it to raise its head.
That was enough to give them a very good view of the Angel as it rushed toward them, though. The beast opened its mouth, and Shinji's eyes widened as he saw the ruby core at the back of its throat.
Asuka, on the other hand, was more fixated upon the multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth the Angel boasted. She let out a strangled, wordless cry of fright as the Angel bore down on them, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.
Shinji pressed his palms against either side of the plug and concentrated hard, clenching his jaw. His ghostly powers spread throughout the massive form of the Evangelion, turning it transparent just as the Angel reached them. The beast passed right through Unit Two, its jaws failing to clamp down on the EVA entirely.
The Third Child slumped with both relief and fatigue, allowing the Evangelion to become solid again. He wasn't sure he'd be able to pull that off a second time.
"Wha-what happened?" Asuka asked, opening her eyes.
"It turned away from us at the last second," Shinji lied. "But this isn't over yet. We have to—" He was cut off as Unit Two began to move backwards through the water. "What's happening?"
"They're reeling us in by the power cable," Asuka said.
Within moments, Unit Two had broken the surface of the water again, restoring at least some mobility to the war machine, and they had reached the side of the Rainbow. It was at this point, however, that things became problematic again.
"So how do we get back onto the deck without capsizing the ship?" Shinji asked.
"Be quiet!" Asuka snapped. "I…I'll figure something out!"
Shinji held back a sigh. I really hope that Shinji Ikiryo's having a better day than Shinji Ikari is.
"Man, this just isn't my day," the Ikiryo lamented.
Youngblood's pack of piratical skeletons was proving to be some of the most tenacious foes he'd ever fought before. A single shot of his ghost rays reduced them to small heaps of ectoplasm, but they all immediately reformed the second after he knocked them down.
"My skeleton crew can keep this up all day, Ikiryo!" Youngblood taunted him. The pint-sized pirate had taken position in the ship's crow's nest to better watch as the pack of skeletons pursued Shinji across the wooden vessel. "Can you?"
"Shut up," Shinji grumbled, even as he avoided a hail of pistol fire. It was a good thing that the guns the skeletons were using were all so ancient, or he would've been reduced to Swiss cheese some time ago.
One of the skeletons got close enough to take a swing at the Ikiryo with its cutlass. Shinji nimbly dodged the attack, grabbing hold of the ghost's bony arm and then wrenching the weapon from its grip. With one artless swing, he lopped the bony pirate's skull off, sending the thing clattering to the deck.
Unfortunately, the skeleton's response was to simply pick the skull up and place it back onto its neck, as though there was absolutely nothing to it.
Scowling, Shinji held his commandeered sword up clumsily. He'd never taken kendo or fencing.
God, I wish the twins were here, he thought as he desperately fended off the pack of skeletons with a few swings of his sword, firing blasts of his ghost rays with his free hand.
Unfortunately, Fumio and Kamiko weren't with him, and neither were Toji and Kensuke, for that matter.
You need to do this one solo, so quit wishing for help, he scolded himself. So, what would Fumio do here?
He had a sudden mental image of his friend unleashing a storm of ofunda at the skeletons, forcing them to stay down the next time they were taken out.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option for Shinji. He didn't have any ofunda on him, and in any case, his own ghostly nature usually insured that the things affected him just as much as they did his enemies when he tried to use them.
Okay, so what would Kamiko do? He wondered.
That was a little harder to predict. The female Kasuaga twin liked ecto-pistols as much as her brother enjoyed using his magic, but Kamiko tended to be more of a thinker. Indeed, she had usually figured out how to beat the more powerful ghosts more often than either Shinji or her brother did. She was good at finding the weak spot in their foes' defenses.
But these guys don't have a weakness! Shinji thought. Every time I take them out, they get right back up!
He was seriously thinking about running away by this point. Youngblood liked to raise hell, but he wasn't murderous. Even if he was left to his own devices, there probably wouldn't be any fatalities. The only problem was that if he left, the fleet would have to deal with both the Angel and the ghost pirate.
"Give it up, Ikiryo!" Youngblood shouted down at him. "Surrender now, and maybe I'll spare you! We could use another potato peeler below deck!"
Shinji paused in his battle with the skeletons just long enough to look up at the smaller ghost boy. Why hadn't it occurred to him before?
Abandoning his battle with the skeletons, Shinji flew upwards toward the ship's crow's nest, toward Youngblood. The ghost pirate was just a little bit too slow to react, and Shinji managed to catch him in a full nelson hold, even as he continued to ascend, taking them well above the ghost ship.
"Hey! Let go of me!" he shouted, squirming and using his own flying ability to try and break free.
Shinji didn't let him, ignoring the way Youngblood's pet parrot was frantically flying around his head. "Not a chance," he said. "Now call off your bony friends." He commanded, noticing that the skeletons were taking to the air after him.
Damn, and he'd hoped they couldn't fly.
"Forget it!" Youngblood snapped.
"That wasn't a request, kid," Shinji countered.
"Oh? And what are you gonna do to me if I refuse?" Youngblood replied, smirking. "You're one of the good guys, Ikiryo. And even if you weren't, I'm already a ghost."
Shinji grit his teeth, at a loss for how to proceed. He might've hesitated until the skeletons were on him again, if not for another fateful gust of sea air. The wind blew Youngblood's oversized pirate's hat off his head, sending it tumbling toward the ocean below.
The instant it was off his head, the skeletons stopped dead, hovering motionlessly in the air.
"Bingo," Shinji said, grinning.
The Ikiryo released his hold on the pipsqueak pirate and went into a power dive toward the falling hat. Youngblood immediately followed, shouting insults and cries for Shinji to stop the whole time.
The half ghost ignored him, snatching the hat just before it hit the surface of the water and jamming it onto his own head, trying not to think about how ridiculous he doubtlessly looked.
Geeze, this thing is too big for me, he thought. How does Youngblood wear it?
Shaking his head a bit to clear out his errant thoughts (and making sure to keep a hold on the hat while he did, lest he lose the silly thing), he turned toward the still unmoving group of ghost skeletons.
"Hey, over here!" he shouted. "One of you grab Youngblood!"
As he hoped, they immediately rushed to comply, plucking the small pirate out of the air long before Youngblood could ever reach him.
"Argh! You can't do this to me!" Youngblood howled, struggling furiously as he tried to get free. "I'm the captain, and this is my crew!"
"Consider this a mutiny," Shinji replied. "Now, I think you've had your fun."
He grabbed the Ikari thermos that was clipped to his belt and pointed it at Youngblood, who redoubled his futile escape efforts.
"Nooooo!" he shrieked as he was drawn into the ghost trap.
"Finally," Shinji said, putting the cap back on and putting the thermos back in its place. "Now…"
He trailed off as he finally caught sight of the battle against the Angel that was happening in the distance, giving it his full attention just in time to see Unit Two crest the surface of the water as the Rainbow reeled it in. The crimson Evangelion looked disturbingly helpless as it clung to the side of the super carrier.
Uh-oh, Shinji thought. Clearly, he had to do something, but what? He supposed he could try to trap the Angel in a block of ice, but he doubted he was strong enough to freeze that much water.
Then he smiled as an idea came to him. "All of you," he said, addressing the skeletons, "man the cannons!"
The crew immediately rushed to comply, and Shinji flew up to the wheel of the ship. He turned it, and the supernatural vessel immediately turned, more gracefully than any mundane wooden sailing ship would have been able to. Soon, they were heading straight for the battle.
"This has got to be one of the craziest things I've ever done," Shinji grumbled to himself.
He reached Unit Two just as the Angel was coming in for another attack, its jaws opened wide. Shinji swallowed as he got a good look at the massive creature; Youngblood's ship was like a toy boat in comparison.
Which, actually worked out surprisingly well for him. By now, the Angel was close enough to Unit Two that their AT Fields were neutralizing each other, and thanks to the ship's relatively small size, it sailed right into the beast's open maw.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Shinji exclaimed, keeping a death grip on the wheel, lest the ship be thrown off its collision course. "FIRE!"
The cannons roared, smashing into the insides of the Angel's mouth. The primitive weapons weren't nearly powerful to actually do the beast any harm, but they did do a very good job of getting the Angel's attention.
It released a thunderous roar, the sheer power of which nearly blew the half-ghost boy away. Its jaws clamped shut a moment later, and it began to writhe in pain and fury. Shinji's word became one giant earthquake in the dark, illuminated only a few shafts of light that seeped in between the Angel's teeth.
And still, the Ikiryo held onto the wheel, struggling to keep the ship on course for his target. He grit his teeth as the water around the vessel writhed around him.
He heard wood splintering as the prow of the ship finally crashed into the ruby sphere that was the Angel's core, hopefully doing some damage to it, and he knew it was time to go. Removing the pirate hat and tossing it carelessly aside, he went intangible and flew off.
"What the hell is with this Angel?" Asuka exclaimed, more exasperated than relieved at the way it had abruptly halted in its attack.
"I don't know," Shinji lied. He had seen the ghost ship charging into its mouth, after all. "But I think it's about to—woah!"
One of the Angel's trashing flippers came up and hit them from below, catapulting Unit Two out of the water and sending it careening through the air, flipping end over end as it went. After what felt like an eternity to Shinji, they crashed onto the deck of one of the fleet's cruisers, Unit Two landing face down.
"Ooh," he groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"If you throw up in the LCL, I'll murder you," Asuka warned him, even as she got Unit Two back to its feet.
"Duly noted," Shinji said miserably. "So, it looks like we're right back to square one. How are we going to kill this Angel?"
"You were saying how you wished we had a gun earlier, right?" Asuka asked.
"Yeah, so?" Shinji asked, keeping a nervous eye on the Angel, which was racing toward them once again, apparently having finished devouring Youngblood's ship.
Smirking, Asuka gestured toward the cruiser's giant forward guns with a nod of her head.
"You're kidding," Shinji said.
"You got a better idea?" Asuka demanded.
"…no," the Third Child admitted reluctantly.
Unit Two grabbed hold of the battery, and with a grunt from Asuka, ripped the thing clean out of the cruiser. It was an awkward weapon for the crimson Evangelion, the barrels too long even for an EVA. However, she managed to get a stable grip on it nevertheless.
"Can you even fire that thing?" he asked her.
"Yeah, relax," she said, still grinning like a lunatic. "This'll be a piece of cake."
"I hope so, because here it comes," Shinji said, pointing.
The Angel leapt out of the water again, its jaws opened wide, countless teeth shining in the light of the sun. This time, though, Asuka didn't just wait for the thing to crash into Unit Two.
Instead, she leaped right into its gaping maw.
"Banzai!" She screamed.
Shinji's hands were starting to ache from gripping the back of her chair so tightly for so long, but he didn't loosen his hold.
Crazy though Asuka's maneuver might have been, though, it was effective. It actually seemed to catch the Angel by surprise, and the beast hesitated in clamping its jaws down on them long enough for Unit Two to get to point blank range.
"And the grand finale!" Asuka exclaimed, firing her commandeered weapon.
Massive shells erupted from the barrel of the guns, and they were too close to miss. The already weakened core never stood a chance, shattering to pieces beneath the force of the attack. The Angel released a deep shrieking sound, making Shinji think of a dying orca, then went limp and silent.
Now dead, the beast slowly began to sink into the depths, soon disappearing from sight. Unit Two, meanwhile, floated beneath the surface, remarkably buoyant for something that was covered in heavy armor from head to toe.
"Well," Asuka said, leaning back in her command chair, a smug smile on her face. "It was a bumpier ride than I expected, but I killed that Angel. I told you I was an ace pilot, didn't I, Third?"
Exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Shinji slumped against the back of her chair. As if, he thought. I wonder what tune she'd be singing right now if she'd been able to see Youngblood's ship?
Of course, that wasn't really all that important. There was a much bigger question that was tormenting the Third Child at the moment.
How in the world could he manage to actually work with this crazy girl?
Author's Notes: And here we have Asuka's introduction. I followed canon a little more closely this time around than I would have liked, except for the inclusion of Youngblood, who was the only ghost that made sense for the ocean setting.
Not much else to say here, so as always, thanks to my readers and reviewers, and thanks to my beta reader as well.