*Camera turns on.*

*In front of the camera is M3 and Ice. They are sitting on the chairs as per usual, but this time they are aware that the camera turned on.*

M3: *Tries to say, "And welcome ba-"*

*The camera suddenly tilts to the right too much, causing it and the tripod stand to collapse to the ground on their side.*

IceBite: "SUNOVABITCH!"

*The cameraman quickly stands the device and stand back up...only to accidentally start the chapter prematurely.*

Camera switches over.*

*Chapter 7 starts.*


Arc 2: Knights in Training

Chapter 7: Knights and Robots

The 7th Platoon had just gotten done with meeting up, as the Royal Guard offer still rang inside Connor and Daniel's minds from yesterday.

Of course, that got immediately replaced by something else...

"Hmmm…" Luke hummed.

Ryan asked, "What's the matter now, Luke?"

"Guys, guys, guys, I need an opinion! How's my hair look?"

"Your... hair?" Roderick questioned.

"I'm a soldier of love, seeking out only the most beautiful women, but I... haven't gotten any dates yet," Luke replied.

Katarina sighed. "I'm sorry to say, most of the girls here think of you as small fry. I mean, people think Ryan is a "cutie," or Roderick is "Ohmigosh, so cool!", quite a few see Connor as a caring gentlemen, and some are intrigued by Daniel's charm of mystery."

"Exactly! I didn't get it at first. I thought, "what am I doing wrong?" That's when I realized: it's my hair!" Luke commented.

"Somehow I believe that's not exactly the right conclusion, Luke." Connor replied, trying to not be mean.

"Well, for example, I'll fix up my hair like you or Daniel do! And then…" Luke began, before thinking… … ...and being interrupted by…

"And you'll just be back where you started, with a different hairdo…" Daniel said, as he entered.

Luke slumped as Roderick commented, "As you can see, nobody agrees…"

Katarina then said, "Luke, maybe if you did something about that attitude of yours, you'd be more popular. Oh, it's time. Apparently, today, Sir Jagen wishes to have a word with us before training."


The group eventually met with Jagen, who said, "Three months have passed since you first came here. During this time, I've witnessed many a platoon desert because they couldn't stomach the harsh training. Not to mention platoons that failed due to miserable results... Of all who remain, there are only twenty names."

"Eep, the requirements are incredibly strict!" Katarina squeaked.

"True, but we're still in the game. Just gotta keep on going and we'll get there…" Daniel commented.

"From now on the practical training will be far more grueling. As such, we will be introducing lectures to advise you," Jagen commented.

"So we are adding lectures amongst our training? I can see the usefulness of that…" Connor commented in his mind.

"I am Frey, the knight in charge of lecturing. In my lectures, you will learn essential knowledge that all knights should possess," said a new knight that entered.

"From here on, this is the real thing. Prepare to be pushed to your limits," Jagen added.

Frey then said, "Now, firstly, I'll talk about the preparations you need to make before a battle. Before you fight your enemy on the battlefield, you must ensure that you are sufficiently prepared. Selecting those who will fight, organizing their weapons and items... Daniel, you will do all these things, as part of your role as commander. "

"Uhm...alright, I'll...do my best…" Daniel replied.

"One more important thing: Pay attention to party members who wish to speak with you. Talking to your party members will often yield tactical advice. When you come to a new battlefield, it's always a good idea to check if anybody has something to say," Frey added.


After speaking with the others, Daniel and the group arrived at the next battleground. Cain then announced, "Well then, let us begin today's mock battle. From here on, I will prepare an instructor based on your performances until now. The 7th Platoon's opponent, today, is…"

"I am Draug, armor knight of Altea. Your opponent is none other than me."

"Draug is an armor knight famed for his sturdy defense. Daniel, he'll be a formidable enemy," Katarina commented.

Daniel nodded. "Then I'll take him… … ...and I got JUST the thing to defeat someone in heavy armor…" He then pulled out his Gamer Driver, and two Gashats, one red, and one… … …

"Is that one...pink?" Connor noted aloud as he saw it.

"Not my choice of color," Daniel commented, before activating both Gashats.

"Gekitotsu Robots!"

"Mighty Action X!"

The energy wave appeared, and...like Genm, chocolate blocks appeared all over the place.

Katarina reacted to that. "'Mighty Action X'? Isn't that the one that Daniel used during the first test? Wasn't it purple back then?"

"I assume this is a different version, granted I'm not entire sure myself..." Connor commented.

Then, the ring of icons appeared again, and once more, he tapped the front one, which was ONCE MORE different. The form that resulted looked ALMOST EXACTLY like Genm Level 1, only the 'hair' was pink and the eyes were orange. "Dai-Dai-Dai HENSHIN!" Then, he flipped the lever.

"Gachan! Level Up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Mighty Mighty Action X! A Gacha! Buttobase! Totsugeki! Gekitotsu Punch! Gekitotsu Robots!"

The resulting figure looked like a pink Genm with orange eyes, with some green on him...under a red cuirass with robotic augments on the left arm, ending in a large red robotic fist.

"Kamen Rider...EX-AID! Robot Action Gamer, Level 3!"

"Yet another Level 3, except this one is new. Hmm…" Connor commented in his mind as he got his sword ready.

Katarina, however, knew what Ex-Aid was doing. "YOU PLAN TO PUNCH HIM?!" she shrieked in shock.

"You've never seen a power fist in action, have you?" Ex-Aid replied, smugly. He then turned towards the enemies. "Alright everyone, get ready to-"

"Huff... puff... I-I made it. Hey, where's this Commander Daniel person?" said a new voice. When everyone turned, they found a female cavalier in red armor and a headband on their head.

"I'm...right here…" Ex-Aid commented, "Who are you?"

"I'm Cecil, a junior knight like you! I know it's very sudden, but I was invited by Katarina to join your group," Cecil replied.

"And why am I only hearing about this now?" Ex-Aid asked, turning towards Katarina, who looked sheepish. He sighed. "But...we're glad to have the backup. We'll talk after the battle."

"Sure, I'm glad you understand. Oh yeah, I brought along some strong weapons that Katarina prepared for you! Just give me the orders and I'll give you them to replace your worn out ones," Cecil commented...before saying to Daniel, "Strangely enough, I was told to not bother getting you one...although seeing your getup, I guess I can understand why…"

Ex-Aid nodded. "Alright...NOW, everyone, let's get to it!"


The group split up according to Commander Daniel's orders, with Connor, Luke, and Roderick tasked to take on the enemy Soldiers. Ryan and Gordin entered into a archer war with the archers, while Caeda, being a pegasus knight, was tasked with the mages.

Connor acted as a distraction, getting a foe to focus on him as it tried to attack with a lance. It ended up missing as he countered attacked with his sword, hoping it would defeat the enemy.

The attack landed, but the enemy still stood as their armor took the damage from Connor's worn blade. Connor struck quickly again, finally defeating the enemy soldier as they fell to the ground.

Backing off slightly, but still making sure to be close to Luke and Roderick if they needed the help, Connor examined his sword. As he somewhat expected, it was indeed worn out.

"Commander Daniel, my sword has seen its better days. Tell Cecil to meet with me so I can get the blade replaced!" Connor called out.

"On it!" Ex-Aid called back, before ordering Cecil over to Connor.

"May I have the weapon Katarina prepared for me, if you don't mind?" Connor politely asked as he kept his eyes peeled.

Cecil replied, "Alright...here ya go!" before passing Connor the weapon.

The weapon in question was another sword, but instead of another iron sword, it was made of steel.

"Thank you, Cecil. Make sure to be ready for more orders from the Commander." Connor retorted as he held onto the steel sword.

With the new blade, Connor continued to act as a distraction. This brought more soldiers his way which he defeated quicker due to his improved weapon.

Once everyone was distracted, Ex-Aid rushed for Draug. "I keep hearing about your abilities. Please, allow me to judge for myself whether or not you're the real deal," the knight stated…

Then, Ex-Aid closed...and punched. To Draug's surprise, he staggered. So, he struck back. What resulted was a series of dodging and striking… … ...with Ex-Aid doing a MUCH better job at both.

Eventually, Ex-Aid removed the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat, moved it to the Kimewaza Slot...and…

"Kimewaza! Gekitotsu Critical Strike!"

And...like a rocket, the robo-fist shot off Ex-Aid's hand...and into Draug's gut. Ex-Aid charged...and punched INTO the fist...resulting in a shockwave that knocked Draug flat on his back… … ...a massive dent in his armor…"S-so you managed to penetrate my armor…"

It wasn't long after that the battle was ended…

Once Draug recovered (and removed his armor, which now needed repairs), he approached…"How...? Even my defense couldn't withstand such a tremendous onslaught. Commander Daniel, if you have need of an armor knight's strength, you may call on me."

"We did it, Daniel!" Katarina cheered, "Good job!"

"I agree, another splendid performance." Connor added as well.


Later that night, it was nearing time for everyone to turn in, and Daniel was, once more, off mentally handling his own faction far away...when someone came up behind him…

"Excuse me, Daniel, do you have a moment?" asked Katarina.

"Sure, what's up?" Daniel asked, turning to face her.

"That Royal Guard position that Prince Marth offered us. Did you think about it? I... I'd like be a Royal Guard, if you're in with me. Together, we'd be an unstoppable team... When I imagine a future like that, I feel very happy. ...Um, what about you, Daniel? Do you, perhaps, feel the same as I...? "

"... … ...It would be an intriguing opportunity…" Daniel kindly replied.

"R-really? I'm so glad... Well, this is a little awkward... I should get to bed. Good night, Daniel. Good luck for tomorrow."

"Hold on a sec," Daniel said, and Katarina stopped.

"What is it?" Katarina asked.

"... … ...Is something up?" Daniel asked.

"Uhm, n-nothing...nothing's going on…" Katarina.

"You sure?" Daniel asked. Katarina nodded. "Well… … ...just...if something's going on, come talk to me…I won't judge…"

Katarina nodded skittishly. "Alright, thank you...uhm...good night!" And she hurried off.

Once she was gone..."... … ...After the final test...then...I will confront her fully with what I know…" Daniel declared, before getting up and moving elsewhere...


*Camera switches over.*

M3: "And that was the chapter." *Pauses on purpose.* "Of course, I do have to mention first that due to a mistake that was made, our introduction didn't happen."

IceBite: *glaring at the cameraman*

M3: "We won't do it now because this time is for commentary."


M3: *Getting started.* "So Ice, is there anything you want to bring up?"

IceBite: "We FINALLY get to see Daniel become the primary Rider of the Ex-Aid line-up!"

M3: "That being Ex-Aid, I believe…"

IceBite: "Correct… … ...which makes me wonder: does he have Hyper Muteki? Or just Maximum Mighty X? Or maybe even not that far and just goes up to Mighty Brothers Double-X?"

M3: "...I guess we'll see if which of those are the cases later end up true."


M3: *Changing topics.* "As for something I want to bring up, I believe Connor was sparring against a few soldiers with lances in the battle, was he not?"

IceBite: "Yeah...why, though? Lances beat Swords in the weapons triangle…"

M3: "Perhaps he was challenging himself to practice fighting against those who would have an weapon advantage over him? That's the only reason that comes to mind at the moment."

IceBite: *shrugs*

M3: "Moving on, I see that Daniel is still interacting with Katarina...Except we know that he is aware of what may happen in the future."

IceBite: "And plans to confront her about it once training is over…"

M3: "Hopefully what that entails ends well."


M3: "And I think that is about it. Unless you got anything else to say, Ice?"

*The cameraman accidently hits the power button as Ice was about to respond.*

*Camera turns off.*