Ultraman Evangel – Ultraman vs. Evangelion!
Episode 1 – Evangel, Transform!
Disclaimer: The Ultraman series and Evangelion series are properties of Tsubaraya Productions and GAINAX Company, respectively.
Near Nagoya, Japan, August 19, 2044 AD
"Play ball!" Shin Asuka called out as he threw his baseball. As it soared through the air, the young boy at the home base focused as he poised his bat for a strike.
Shinji Ikari swung his bat, striking the ball and sending it flying. He dropped the bat as the other boys to grab the ball. Shin watched as Shinji ran past first base and managed the second before he could get tagged. Shin smiled for his young friend.
"Not bad, Shinji!" Shin complimented, "that's one base further than the last time!" To that, the boy gave Shin a victory sign with a bit of a shy, but happy smile. Off to the side, Shinji's uncle watched the whole pastime play out.
Yoshide Ikari was a man in his thirties, watching as his young nephew played with the other boys, smiled, and laughed for the first time in a long time. When he had taken custody of a three-year-old Shinji from his worthless coward of a father fourteen years ago, Yoshide had a difficult time trying to rouse him from the trauma of losing his mother, Yui, who was also Yoshide's younger sister. As Shinji grew older, the problem only worsened as bullies picked on him, making him even more withdrawn.
However, it was thanks to this strange but friendly newcomer, Shin Asuka, that Shinji began to open to others in ways that continued to surprise Yoshide. Not only had he started talking with more people and being friends with them, but he also now took an interest in fitness and sports. It had been six months since Shin had shown up in Shinji's life and the difference was incredible. From a small, spry little boy who seemed afraid of his own shadow, Shinji was now showing a confident posture to go with his new toned physique.
The game soon ended, and while Shinji's team lost the round, his teammates still commended him on his improved play. Shinji waved his baseball cap with a smile. He then turned to face Shin, who was also smiling.
"Nice play, kid," Shin complimented, "one of these days you're going to hit home run!"
"Thank you," Shinji said, "I couldn't have done it without your help."
As the two unlikely friends walked together, Shinji's uncle came to meet them. "Good play, Shinji."
"Thanks Uncle Yoshide," Shinji smiled back a grin, "Mister Asuka here was a great player too!"
"Hey, just call me Asuka," Shin laughed, "no need for 'mister'."
"Oh," Shinji realized with a bit of a sheepish smile, "my mistake." He then laughed alongside his friend as they left the field.
Yoshide Ikari's House
Shinji collapsed onto the couch in his uncle's living room, tired but satisfied with the Friday out with his new friends, including Shin Asuka. Before he met Shin, Shinji would have crumbled with bruises from playing baseball with the other boys. The transformation Shinji underwent through this friendship was profound, as Shin became a mentor and a sort of older brother character who shaped the young boy into a confident and fit young man.
Yoshide handed Shinji a glass of iced juice, which he accepted gratefully. "Thank you, Uncle," Shinji expressed, "what did you think of my play?"
"The best yet I've seen from you," Yoshide complimented as he sat in his own seat across from Shinji with his own glass. He gave a gentle and bright grin as he told his nephew, "Shinji, I'm proud and amazed at the young man you are growing into."
Shinji looked up at his uncle. "You are finally becoming the man your mother would have loved to call her son," Yoshide said wistfully.
"Really?" Shinji asked to which Yoshide nodded. It was then that the young Ikari's curiosity was piqued. "Uncle… what was Mom, your sister like?"
Yoshide took on a nostalgic expression as he remembered his long-lost sister. "Headstrong, yet smart and kind," he said wistfully, "she was looking out for me when I was a shy little boy." The teacher looked out his window. "She was also there cheering me on during my wedding... and comforted me when I lost my wife to cancer..."
Shinji was then stunned, realizing that his uncle never talked much about his aunt. "I-I never heard you talk much about my aunt either," he expressed.
Yoshide gave Shinji a sad smile. "I know," he said, "I regret that neither your mom or aunt are here to see the budding young man in front of me... but I'd think that they would both be mighty proud of you, son."
Shinji smiled back as he laid a hand on his uncle's. "Thank you, Uncle," Shinji said, "that... that was the kindest thing you've ever said to me..."
Yoshide nodded. "You know... I have your mother's personal effects," he revealed.
Shinji was once again surprised. "Y-you do? How?"
"I got them just a year ago," Yoshide continued. "Your grandparents... your paternal ones," he added the last bit with a reluctance in his voice, "had been keeping them for years since that day. Apparently, they were trying to save as much as they could since... your father did not want them anymore."
Shinji frowned, not believing that his father could be so cold as to not even want what was left of his mother. "And you've been sitting on these things?"
Yoshide sighed sympathetically. "Don't get me wrong, Shinji... but I didn't want to reopen any old wounds about your mother. You were going through a rough time until that Asuka guy showed up."
Shinji still did not like it that this was kept from him. Still, he somehow understood. Now though, he wanted to actually remember his mother for real. "Can we see them?"
Yoshide nodded in affirmation. "The boxes are in my room."
Ikari uncle and nephew each found a box and started to pick through them. It was bittersweet for both Shinji and Yoshide, but at the same time, it was fun to see the things that represented Yui see the light of day after so long.
Shinji found a few science awards for his mother, but none intrigued him as much as the photos of her younger self. She was bright, happy, and full of life. It was then that he found a photo of her with his uncle. His eyes widened when he saw his uncle in a military flight suit, posing in front of a fighter jet.
Yoshide looked Shinji's way and saw the photo. "Uncle," Shinji gasped, "you never said that you were a fighter pilot!"
Yoshide was surprised, then chuckled a bit. "Yeah... I was," he said, "I was a proud Eagle driver then. That photo was when I have graduated from the Air Defense Force Flight School to fly the F-15 Eagle."
Shinji stared at the photo, learning new things, not only about his mother but his uncle as well. He then rummaged through the photos and found yet another. It was a wedding photo, of both his mother and father. Yui was dressed in a slim white dress with a flowing veil and crown of white roses, while Gendo was dressed in a fine black suit with an arm around Yui's waist. However, what struck Shinji was not the fine dresses or the youth of his parents... No, it was the smiles on both their faces. While he could vaguely remember his mother's kind and loving smiles, seeing his father smile in this picture stood in stark contrast to the ugly reality. Shinji just frowned at the thought that this smiling man in the photo was the same one who abandoned him.
Shinji set the photo aside and continued to dig into his box. Everything was almost cleared away when he saw a small package at the bottom. He cleared the packing material away to remove it. "What's in here?" Shinji wondered aloud, causing Uncle Yoshide to be curious as well. He removed the cover, to find something very unusual.
It was some sort of handle made of what could best be described as marble. It had some writing that Shinji could not immediately identify or understand, and it was topped with what looked to be golden angel wings folded upward.
"What is that?" Shinji asked again.
"It's news to me," Yoshide replied with a similar sense of bewilderment, "some trophy?"
Shinji took the artifact out of its box. He held it as he inspected it for a few seconds. Suddenly, he felt a warm energy from the handle. It flowed into his palm, up his arm, and caused his spine to tingle. It was a mysterious, yet comforting warmth, so much so that Shinji was too intrigued to let it go.
"Shinji?" Yoshide asked after several seconds of his nephew staring at the thing.
Shinji snapped out of his trance. He then looked to his uncle. "Yes?"
"You've been spacing out," Yoshide told him, "are you okay?"
"Yeah..." Shinji muttered as he looked at the mysterious object again, "I think I'll hold on to this." He could not put a finger on it, but something told him that this object was something he had to keep.
Sometime after Shinji showered and had dinner with his uncle, Shinji laid on his futon. Yet, he could not sleep. He turned towards his side to see the very winged object at the center of his unusual attention. He took it in his hand, and there was that warmth again. However, it felt more like a surge or energy that really caused his spine to heat up. Shinji was supposed to be afraid, yet found himself not fearing and being more drawn in.
"What are you?" Shinji asked no one in particular. Suddenly, the object shined brightly as the room was enveloped in a white light. Shinji squinted his eyes as light invaded his vision.
Shin was in his secret garage for his Alpha Superior when he felt a jolt in his Ultra senses. He got up from one of the panels on his plane and rushed outside. He saw a light coming from a house far away. He recognized that it was Shinji's house.
"That light," he muttered.
Shinji kept squinting his eyes from the intensity of the light but then felt it petter off. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was no longer in his room, but was strangely floating in space above the Earth. "W-where am I!? What am I doing here!?" He was weirded out that he was seeing the ravaged Earth from space, and that he was floating around the Earth without suffocating.
As if to compound the surrealness of the experience, he saw a light appear in front of him as the sun came from behind the Earth. The light shined forth before stopping in front of Shinji. The spark of light transformed into a figure of light that stood taller than Shinji.
"What?" Shinji gasped as the glowing figure took form. It was a giant with silvery angel motifs and patterns on his chest, topped with a silver head with glowing eyes looking up past him. Yet Shinji had the impression that this giant had come to him.
"A giant... of light?" Shinji questioned before the whole scene went white from the light the giant radiated.
The next morning...
Shinji was walking down to the park in a contemplative mood, with the mysterious object in his pants pocket giving off that same warmth every now and then. He then sat down on one of the benches thinking about the last night's strange dream. He fished the winged artifact out again, staring at it.
"Hey Shinji!" Shin Asuka came running up to him.
"Asuka?" Shinji looked up, happy to see his friend. It was then that Shin looked down and saw the object in Shinji's hand.
"Is that... what caused that flash of light?" Shin quickly asked.
"What? What are you talking about?" Shinji decided to feign ignorance.
Shin looked at the winged object intently for a while, as it seemed very similar to something he saw years ago.
"Shin?"
Shin straightened up. "Shinji, I think it's time we talked about where I came from..."
"Another dimension?" Shinji blinked for the umpteenth time that morning.
Shin nodded. "I've been jumping and exploring dimensions as a freelance explorer, and that's not all." He produced his most prized possession, the Lieflasher. "This is what allows me to become a giant warrior of light."
"Giant... of light?" Shinji wondered as the dream started coming back to him.
Shin nodded with a grin. "When I'm that giant," he said, "I am known as Ultraman Dyna."
"Ultraman?" Shinji questioned, "you mean the old TV show characters? They're real!?"
Shin laughed and nodded. "They're real as they come."
Shinji looked back to the warm artifact in his hand. His mind flashed back to his dream of that angelic-looking giant of light in space. "You know Asuka," he mentioned, "I saw a giant of light in my dream last night, if that's anything to go by."
The Super GUTs veteran processed that last bit his young friend told him. If that was right... it meant... He then made a decision. "Hey Shinji," he offered, "wanna go for a ride with me?"
The young Ikari was suddenly confused with the change in subject. "A car ride? To where?"
"Oh," Shin Asuka grinned, "even better than a car."
"Woah!" Shinji was pushed back into the back seat of Asuka's Alpha Superior. Never in his lifetime would Shinji have thought that he would fly, let alone in a supersonic space fighter piloted by a friend and transforming giant from another dimension.
"Yahoo!" Shin Asuka yelled as he piloted the Alpha superior through a canyon, giving Shinji a high-speed view of cliff faces rushing by the canopy.
"Where are we supposed to be going again?" Shinji called over the sounds of the engine and Shin's own whooping and yelling.
"A place where we can be alone," Shin called back.
"And how is this supposed to help me find answers?" Shin followed up. His world had already changed with Shin in the picture, but now it was changing at breakneck speeds that made his head spin.
"It's simple," Shin answered, "if that dream about that shining giant is anything to go by, you and I have something in common after all!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Shinji called back.
"It means," Shin Asuka answered again, "that giant of light you saw could be your universe's Ultraman!"
"An Ultraman!?" Shinji was floored again in a very short period of time. First his friend was an Ultraman, and now he met his own world's Ultraman!? "So what does that mean?" Shinji asked for what must have been the twelfth time since morning.
"Something that we are going to find out," Shin simply replied as he flew towards the Japanese Alps. Little did he know that he was being watched...
A shadowy figure from a dark part of space in between dimensions was watching Ultraman Dyna fly his young charge in his jet.
"Ultraman..." the figure said in a malevolent, raspy voice, "as long as my hatred burns... you will suffer..." He pointed a clawed hand towards Ultraman Dyna.
"Go forth! Hyper Golza! Hyper Melba!"
Shin Asuka eventually smoothed out his flying and ascended over the Japanese Alps. He glanced back to the co-pilot seat to see that Shinji was silent and spacing out. The revelations of this morning had to have done an info overload on his mind.
"Hey, look out below," Shin urged the boy, "we're here."
Shinji snapped out of his reverie and saw the mountains from above. He gasped in wonder at seeing them from above.
"It's beautiful..." Shinji marveled as the Alpha Superior circled above. He then turned to his Ultra friend. "This is so cool!"
"Told you," Shin grinned, "and you looked like you needed to get out of the house and off the ground."
"Well..." Shinji laughed, "you got that right. You a mind reader too?"
Shin laughed back. "I may be an Ultraman, but I'm not that clairvoyant!"
It was then that Shin's 'Dyna' sense sent a chill down his spine, warning him of something.
"Hang on!" Shin suddenly rolled hard to avoid twin energy blasts from behind. Shinji lurched in his seat from the maneuvers.
"Asuka, what-" Shinji was about to protest when he saw an unbelievable sight on his co-pilot monitor; a large-wing beaked monster was flying behind them. "What is that!?" Shinji yelled in fright.
Shin glanced back at the flying red and silver fiend. It was of a different color but recognized the monster. "It's Melba!"
"What!?" Shinji asked.
"A monster from my world!" Shin said as he evaded Hyper Melba's eye blasts. He dove towards the mountain ranges to try and shake off the flying beast. "I'm going to try and lose him, hold on tight, Shinji!"
"Ah!" Shinji held tight to the sides of the ejection seat. Even with a warm jacket and helmet on, Shinji felt chillier at the reality that some flying monster was trying to blast him and his ride out of the sky. Hyper Melba shrieked loudly as it fired its eye beams at the Alpha Superior. Shin skillfully zig-zagged the fighter as he flew through the Japanese Alps. "It's still on us!" Shinji yelled.
"Ugh, persistent buzzer, aren't you?" Shin muttered as he tried to outrun Hyper Melba. Suddenly, one of the mountain sides crumbled and burst open as yet another kaiju emerged. It was a muscular, hooded horned titan with a long tail and hardened shell. Shin bit a curse as he also recognized this monster despite its skin being bronze and the shell being silver. "Golza!" He had fought a version of this same monster back on his Earth.
"Another one!?" Shinji was freaking out as Shin narrowly avoided Hyper Golza swatting the Alpha Superior. Shin tried to raise altitude, only to be grazed by Hyper Melba's beams. Shinji yelped as Shin tried to steady the craft.
"Trying to box us in?" Shin put the aircraft on autopilot. "Shinji, stay here," he told the boy, "the autopilot will do the rest."
"What are you going to do," Shinji asked.
"What I always do," Shin replied as he pulled his Lieflasher out of his uniform. He thrust it out in front. "DYNA!" The Lieflasher's crystal opened up with a flash of light, causing Shinji to cover his face.
Hyper Melba chased after the Alpha Superior when a light shot back from the plane and struck it in the head. Hyper Melba fell to the ground as the light that was Shin Asuka descended and transformed. Ultraman Dyna emerged from the light, facing Hyper Golza and Hyper Melba in a mighty pose. Shinji looked out the canopy and stared in awe at Dyna.
"Ultraman... Dyna."
"Heh!" Dyna assumed a fighting pose as he faced the duo of kaiju, which roared and screeched loudly in response to the Ultra's presence. Dyna fired his Beam Slicers at Hyper Melba who evaded with a quick jump. Hyper Golza charged up his horn beam and tried to blast Dyna, who back flipped and rolled sideways avoid the blasts. Dyna then changed from Flash Type to Strong Type and ran towards Hyper Golza.
Shinji watched in awe as Dyna delivered a series of punches and kicks towards the muscular Hyper Golza. 'I'm seeing a real Ultra-kaiju fight,' he thought. However, he spotted Hyper Melba swooping on Dyna from behind. "Look out!"
Hyper Golza suddenly grabbed Dyna by the arms, holding him as its fellow aerial fiend used its leg claws to lift Dyna by the shoulders and slam him into a mountainside. Dyna pried himself lose and turned, only to be rammed back into the rocks by Hyper Golza. The powered-up Golza then proceeded to blast Dyna alongside Melba. Dyna found hiself outflanked and taking damage as his color timer started to blink red.
"Dyna!" Shinji cried out from the Alpha Superior. He desperately wanted to help but did not know how to override the autopilot. Despite his fear, seeing his Ultraman friend being beaten up caused a resolve he never thought he had to build up.
Suddenly, the winged handle he had in his jacket's chest pocket warmed up and flashed. Shinji looked down in surprise and bewilderment. "What the-" Shinji yelled out as he was suddenly consumed by light.
The new light shot forth from the Alpha Superior with blinding brightness as it landed in front of Dyna, causing the kaiju beam blasts to dissipate. It flared up, bathing the Japanese Alps in light and causing Hyper Golza and Hyper Melba to back off.
World of the Land of Light
Ultraman King was on the Ultraman homeworld when he felt a surge of energy from another dimension. He looked up into the sky. "So... the prince has awakened..."
The shadowy figure that sent the two kaiju after Dyna raged as he saw the new light join him. "What!?"
The light subsided as it gave way to yet another giant. He had a silver face that was like a cross between Tiga and Mebius, and a golden chest protector that was styled after angelic wings reaching towards the back. The oval-shaped color timer was in the center. The rest of his body was silver, accented with gold stripes, accompanied by golden braces on his arms and shin protectors on his legs.
Dyna felt the spirit and light of Shinji Ikari coming from this being and knew instantly that this was indeed the Ultraman of this world. He stood up and came beside the new Ultraman, who was looking over himself. "Shinji."
The new Ultraman looked over to Dyna. "Asuka..." he said in what sounded like a deeper version of Shinji's voice, "I'm... really Ultraman."
Dyna nodded. "It looks like the battle caused your powers to awaken," he said.
The Hyper beasts then roared, getting the attention of both Ultras. Dyna then said, "well, this was sooner than I hoped, but you up for some kaiju-bashing?"
Shinji knew that usually he was supposed to be afraid, but this newfound power flowing in his veins was giving him an energy and confidence he had not realized before. He did not know what he was fully capable of, but something told him that his Ultra form was quite powerful. He slowly nodded affirmatively. Shaking hands with Dyna, the new Ultraman clenched his fists and assumed his own fighting stance. "Hah!"
Hyper Golza roared and fired a blast from his horn at the angelic Ultra. Shinji raised the Ultra's arms, and the beam deflected off the golden braces. Dyna rushed forward and delivered a Strong Punch, which scorched Hyper Golza's reinforced chest and caused it to stumble back. Ultra-Shinji rushed forward to back up Dyna with a kick of his own.
Hyper Melba screeched as it swooped down from the sky and hit Ultra Shinji with a mouth beam. Ultra-Shinji stumbled forward and was punched by Hyper Golza before Dyna grabbed its tail and threw it with a good Vulcan swing. Dyna then changed in another flash to his Miracle Type and shot at Hyper Melba with his Hand Shooter, forcing the winged fiend to turn away. Dyna rose into the air and gave chase as Ultra-Shinji recovered.
Ultra-Shinji breathed heavily as he now faced Hyper Golza one-on-one. The young boy inside the Ultra did his best to recall these few Ultraman episodes he saw on how to fight these kaiju. Just looking at Hyper Golza, he knew that he was up against a strong and tank-like monster. Ultra-Shinji rushed forward to try and punch Hyper Golza. Hyper Golza stumbled back from the blow but was far from being hurt by it and swung its tail to swat Ultra Shinji down to the ground.
Ultra-Shinji grunted as he tried to get back up, only to be smashed down again by the suped-up Golza's tail. He then felt his right brace warm up. Not knowing what else to do, Ultra-Shinji allowed his energy to flow into the brace. As the tail came back down, Ultra-Shinji swung his right arm hard, deflecting it. He rose back up and charged Hyper Golza again, his braces now flowing with golden energy as he delivered a punch to Golza's chest and another to his face. Hyper Golza recoiled as its mouth bled from losing a few teeth. "Hah!" Ultra-Shinji grunted confidently as he felt more of his Ultra energy flowing into his limbs. Ultra-Shinji jumped on Hyper Golza to deliver a series of powered kicks and punches, some of which began to crack parts of Hyper Golza's hardened outer skin.
"That's the spirit!" Dyna called down as he continued to spar with Hyper Melba in the sky. Hyper Melba shot at him with a combination of mouth and eye beams, but Dyna was able to roll and spin faster than the beams could hit. With precise aim, Miracle Dyna fired powered Hand Slash beams from both hands, hitting both wings and causing Hyper Melba to crash to the ground. Miracle Dyna then crossed his arms and with a flash of his light crystal, formed an energy lens between his arms above his head. With a burst of sunlight focused into a Shining Judge beam, he hit Hyper Melba with the 33,000 Celsius ray and made it explode into superheated vapor.
Hyper Golza fired a mouth beam at Ultra-Shinji, who blocked again with his braces. They burned with a golden brightness, and Ultra-Shinji decided to attempt another technique. Focusing his energy forward, he thrust his fists forward and a concentrated blast of light shot forth. This blast hit Hyper Golza in the chest, causing the armor to finally give way, exposing his softer underside. Ultra-Shinji grunted with satisfaction at causing some real damage, only for his own color timer to start blinking red in an audible tone similar to Dyna's. Realizing that he was almost out of energy, Ultra-Shinji looked to his braces, which still had enough power for another attack.
Ultra-Shinji then ran forward, charging the exhausted Golza as he focused the remaining energy into the right brace. With a mighty thrust of that fist, Ultra-Shinji sent a powered punch into Hyper Golza's gut. The monster roared in pain just before exploding. As the smoke cleared, the angelic-themed young Ultraman stood. However, he then fell to his knees as the color timer blinked faster from his exhaustion. Ultraman Dyna landed next to him and held him up for support.
"You did well," Dyna told Ultra-Shinji, who nodded back silently in response. Dyna then carried the angelic Ultraman up by the shoulder as they flew into the sky. The two turned back into light and shrank back into the cockpit of the hovering Alpha Superior.
The shadowy figure looked on in anger and seething rage as the Alpha Superior flew away. "Curse you... angel Ultraman..." His attempt to ambush Dyna had failed thanks to this newcomer.
Shinji laid back inside Asuka's garage, the afternoon's excitement catching up to him. Between the ambient warmth of the winged handle in his chest pocket, the cicada sounds from outside, and Shin Asuka's working on the fighter, Shinji closed his eyes thinking about his newfound power. Why did he have this power, and what did it all mean for him to have the ability to become an Ultraman of all things? He did not intend to nap long, but when Shinji opened his eyes again, he found himself hovering in space again.
Shinji was not as freaked out as before but having this sort of dream again only added to the surrealness of his young life. He looked down and saw Earth again. However, instead of the red oceans he and his generation were familiar with, he saw a bright blue planet whose oceans gleamed in the sun. "Whoa..." Shinji gasped, not famliar with the sight of a blue Earth. It was a thing of beauty compared to the Earth he was living on now.
However, the sight did not last long as he saw an explosion of light down at the South Pole. Shinji watched in horror as the continent of Antarctica disintegrated and the waters turned red and spread. At the center of the explosion Shinji saw four wings of light rise out of it.
"The seal has been broken," a young, yet powerful voice sounded behind Shinji. He turned in his place, and saw the same angelic Ultraman look upon him and the vision of Earth. While there was no facial expression due to the Ultraman having a silvery metal face, Shinji felt a sadness emanate off of him.
"Who are you?" Shinji asked, "and what do you mean the seal has been broken?" He had so many questions. Unlike the last time, it seemed the Ultraman looked directly at Shinji and responded...
"Evangel, Prince of the Nebula," the Ultraman introduced himself, "and the seal I used to keep the Fifteen Mighty Children of Adam asleep has been broken."
"Fifteen Children of Adam?" Shinji questioned, "who are they?"
The Ultraman, Evangel continued to look down at Shinji. "Shinji Ikari," he called the boy by name for the first time, "you must use my power for the battles to come for the future of your planet and humanity... in order to save it from another tragedy with the Children of Adam."
Ultraman Evangel then glowed brighter and caused the whole dream scene to white out.
"Shin... Shinji," Shin Asuka's voice greeted Shinji as he awoke back to reality.
"Asuka..." Shinji replied back with a groan. He suddenly found Shin up to his face with a grin. "Ah!" Shinji fell back in surprise to Shin's laughter.
"Got you!" Shin Asuka jested as he laughed at his friend's reaction. Shinji shook his head at the older man's antics, but then laughed along.
"Here," Shin Asuka held out a sandwich to Shinji. The new Ultra host accepted the lunch and the two ate together as they talked about the fight with Hyper Golza and Melba.
"I admit that I was scared out of my mind," Shinji told Shin, "but it was as though someone was there to fight alongside me..."
"Well, I'm glad to be of help," Shin beamed.
Shinji chuckled, "thanks, Asuka." He then glanced away again. "But what I meant was... it was as though someone else was beside me as Ultraman, like someone was inhabiting the same body to give me a boost."
Shin began to put it together. "That was probably from the Ultraman you transformed into," he said, "from a universe I visited, it's not uncommon for the Ultras of that world to save the lives of otherwise normal people and share their life forces with them to give them the powers of Ultramen. Yours is probably that kind of Ultra."
"But why me?" Shinji asked in earnest, pulling out the angel-winged transformation item, "why did he choose me, an ordinary seventeen-year-old guy?"
"That is because you have a destiny to fulfill, Evangel, Prince of the Nebula." An old, mighty voice suddenly sounded in the garage. Shin and Shinji turned to see an Ultra with a kingly appearance of a crowned head with a silver metal beard, red eyes, jewels on his silver torso outfit, and all-round blue and gold regalia topped off with a flowing red cape.
"Whoa!" Shinji gasped, "where did you come from!?"
Shin Asuka rose up in recognition of this powerful Ultra. "Ultraman King!"
Ultraman King of the World of the Land of Light looked upon Shin with a friendly nod. "It is good to see you once again and well, Ultraman Dyna of the World of the Neo Frontier," he greeted. Ultraman King then looked upon Shinji, who was still surprised at his appearance. "No need to be afraid of me, Shinji Ikari," the kingly Ultra assured, "I have only come because you have awakened as Evangel of Nebula M99."
"What are you talking about?" Shinji denied, unsure and a bit intimated by this powerful figure, "I'm not Evangel."
"The Evangel Splendor you have in your possession," Ultraman King replied, "is proof that you are imbued with the power of the hero of your world: Ultraman Evangel, Prince of Nebula M99." Shinji took the winged handle, the Evangel Splendor out of his chest pocket. It flashed briefly as though to emphasize its proof of the Ultraman's essence. "The Evangel Splendor responds to the will of light of those worthy to possess it," Ultraman King explained further, "and you have been chosen to protect your Earth from a series of coming evils that will visit your world."
Shinji was left speechless. He was to be a hero, and an Ultraman to save the world no less, but from whom? "Ultraman King," Shinji ventured to speak, "what sort of evil are you talking about, since you seem to know so much about me and Evangel?"
Ultraman King glanced sideways, giving Shinji the impression that he was frowning and musing. "There is much about this Earth that is unclear," he admitted, "a veil of darkness has descended over this world since the event known as the Second Impact." He then walked up and placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. Shinji felt a sense of comfort, despite the aura of power King exhibited. "However, you will not be forced to face your destiny alone," King reassured, "for your friend here shall be a great mentor and comrade in your endeavor."
"Wait," now it was Shin Asuka's turn to be surprised, "a mentor!?"
Ultraman King looked to Shin. "I have watched your friendship with this young one grow," he said, "and it is due to your influence and determination that this one was able to grow from the trauma of his childhood. You are the closest he has to an Ultra Brother to walk alongside him."
The two young Ultra hosts blinked and looked to one another, completely taken by surprise by what Ultraman King was telling them. Ultraman King then told Shin, "come, I must speak with you more."
"Okay," Shin said, really curious as to what this regal Ultra had to tell him. He walked out of the garage with King but glanced back and gave a reassuring wink to Shinji. As the two older Ultras left, Shinji was left to ponder the news of his new destiny and his most recent vision.
"Ultraman... Evangel," Shinji repeated the name, "what are the Children of Adam? And was that the Second Impact you showed me?" There was so much to learn, and something told him that there was a mystery to his homeworld waiting to be discovered.
Episode 1 – Evangel, Transform!
Finally finished the first episode! Sorry for the delay, my readers. A lot has been going on with RL, other fanfics, and just bad old writer's block in general.
When I read some of the other Ultraman/Evangelion crossovers, I was taken with the idea of the two series interacting. It's also quite interesting how Hideaki Anno himself is an Ultraman fan. Who knows? Maybe one day we can see the two series interact for real on the screen! :D
So now, I've revealed the main Ultraman of this fanfic, and yet there is much to be discovered about this world. I hope you all come along with me for the ride as we explore this alternate Evangelion world graced by the likes of our favorite Ultraman Dyna, now mentor to Shinji Ikari/Ultraman Evangel.
Good day, and God Bless everyone!