I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 100 – Standard Armor

- Oliver -

As the soft lights of the dawn filtered through the dormitory windows, Oliver was still lying in bed when he felt his gauntlet vibrate gently. From the rhythmic sound echoing in the room, he realized it wasn't just his but that of all the recruits around him.

He yawned, blinking his eyes to adjust to the light while trying to focus on the notification on his gauntlet's screen:

| Congratulations on advancing to the next stage.

| Your next test will occur in three days.

| After the end of the first exam.

Upon finishing reading, Oliver fully awakened, his heart beating faster with excitement. He already knew he had passed but was curious about his friends' results. The boy looked around and saw other recruits reacting to their messages.

"Damn it. I didn't pass! This is absurd. I made it to the end of the second round!" exclaimed one of them, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.

"And me? I faced the Mini-Mechas! It's fucking unfair!" complained another while gathering his belongings.

Oliver watched the two grumbling as they left the dormitory, frustration evident on their faces.

Turning around, he found Katherine and Isabela smiling. Although Isabela had cried out of frustration the night before, she now seemed better despite her puffy eyes. It would be difficult for them to be disqualified from the competition after reaching the last round on the first exam.

"It seems that those who were officially disqualified have to leave the base," commented Katherine, observing the movement in the corridor.

"That's going to make the recruits still going to the arena even more nervous," added Isabela.

"No doubt," agreed Oliver.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," said Isabela with a smile that lit up her face.

The trio quickly headed to the food court. Unlike the last two days, the first floor was less crowded. The shops still maintained their promotions, but there were no longer as many lines.

‘Of the 150,000 initial recruits, only 15,000 remain,’ Oliver thought, noticing the difference in the environment.

"Do you have plans for this afternoon?" Katherine asked while serving herself.

"No," Oliver and Isabela replied in unison.

"Why?" Oliver inquired, curious.

"I want to test something with you in the training room," Katherine said with a determined gleam in her eyes.

--

Located on the third floor of the base, besides agility and strength training rooms, there were some simple training rooms.

Upon passing through the metallic door, they could see the small hall. Being one of the simplest rooms, it wasn't as sought after by recruits who preferred to focus on a specific type of training. Its metallic walls were covered with pieces of equipment, weights adjustable by magnetic systems, and embedded control panels that monitored real-time performance.

In the center, there was an area marked by luminous lines, serving as a space for combat training where recruits could face other humans or even drones and robots provided by the room.

Some seats were arranged in the corner of the room for trainers and analysts to observe and evaluate the recruits' performance. The main control panel allowed fine environmental adjustments, including manipulating gravitational resistance to simulate different conditions.

Impressed by the place's sophistication, Oliver couldn't help comparing it to the more straightforward facilities he had used in Arcadia. The Yorks' training room seemed rudimentary in comparison, lacking many advanced functionalities. Driven by curiosity, he approached the control panel and pressed one of the buttons to test its function.

A synthetic voice echoed through the room. "Gravity increased by 30%."

Immediately, Oliver felt his body become heavier. His muscles protested as he tried to raise his arm to deactivate the equipment. Every movement required enormous effort as if he were submerged in a viscous liquid.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking sheepishly at Isabela and Katherine. The two observed him with expressions that mixed surprise and mild reproach.

"Maybe it's better if we don't mess with these panels," Isabela suggested with a contained smile.

As soon as gravity returned to normal, the trio spent a few minutes exploring the environment, familiarizing themselves with the equipment.

Katherine gathered the two in the center of the combat area. "There's something I've found strange about you two, and I've noticed that many other recruits do it too," she began, crossing her arms.

Oliver and Isabela exchanged curious glances. "What do you mean?" asked Oliver, tilting his head.

"Since I only joined the team during the exam on GL581, I thought it was your natural way of fighting, and when we were at my house, most of the time, we trained without the Ranger Armors. But after watching your exams, I have to ask. Why do you only use the Standard mode?" Katherine asked.

"Standard mode?" Oliver frowned, clearly confused.

"I figured you wouldn't know," replied Katherine, turning to Isabela. "But Isabela, don't they explain how to change the armor's usage mode in other Houses?"

"Well..." Isabela scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. "We're taught, but since it demands a lot of training and Energy control, we often don't learn unless we become Rangers."

"Besides, it's not something that will multiply our power," she added. "It just improves our performance a bit."

"Wait, I'm still lost. Can someone explain?" Oliver asked, raising one of his hands as if he were in a classroom.

"I think it's easier to show," Katherine said.

She walked to the center of the arena and activated her armor. A metallic liquid began to spread over her body, forming an elegant and light weight armor.

‘Her armor has always been different from the others,’ thought Oliver, recalling the first time he saw her in action.

Unlike the others, Katherine's armor seemed focused on mobility, sacrificing some protection. The torso was covered by segmented plates instead of continuous metal, providing greater flexibility although leaving some unprotected spaces. Near the waist, the plates diminished, revealing areas covered only by light fabric.

The arms and legs were covered by adjustable segments, with only the necessary metal for protection without compromising agility. The gloves resembled those of Oliver's armor, reinforced and adaptable for combat.

"This armor is not the same as the ones you use," Katherine explained. "I call it the agile model. I planned and modeled each part to ensure speed and lower Energy consumption."

Oliver finally understood the benefits of such a design. ‘Why have you never told me about this, Athena?’ he questioned mentally.

‘It's not my role to interfere in your growth process. Every time I interfere in your decisions, my power is consumed,’ Athena's serene voice resonated in his mind.

"But how do I switch between my model and yours?" Oliver asked while activating his armor.

"Training, lots of training," Isabela replied with a sigh.

"Basically, your armor forms on you based on your body, analyzing how to keep you safer," Katherine explained. "But in combat, you need to be able to prioritize your advantages. That's why you need to train to turn on and off parts of your armor, keeping in mind the desired shape and circulating your Energy to ensure it takes that form."

"It's quite difficult to achieve something like that," Isabela explained.

"Yes, the learning process consumes a lot of Energy. However, once you learn to use it, it's easy to switch between forms," said Katherine, while her armor seemed to melt and adjust to a new shape.

Where before there were small plates, her body was now covered by thicker metal, especially on the torso and arms, with larger coverings—a robust piece on the shoulder reinforced protection close to the head.

The design, though still functional, was heavier. Oliver could imagine how much Energy that format consumed. The overlapping layers of metal focused on maximizing resistance.

"This is a format I created to ensure maximum defense. The biggest problem is the amount of Energy it consumes; I can't maintain it for long," Katherine explained. "But I've been training to increase the speed of switching between forms, being able to react to surprises and use this one temporarily."

Oliver nodded, understanding the logic.

"This format would have been handy for you yesterday, Isabela. You still would have been hit by the missile, but you might have withstood the attack," Oliver commented, visualizing the application.

Isabela agreed with a nod. "Yes, makes sense."

"And you could think of a format that prioritizes your shots and consumes less Energy," suggested Katherine, looking at Oliver. "If you're far from close combat, do you need so much protection on your arms?"

‘I can still keep the standard armor and have three other formats: one focused on shooting with the Energy Pistol, another for hand-to-hand combat, and another for when I'm using [Prometheus],’ Oliver analyzed the possibilities.

However, as he was planning, he remembered that only three days remained until the second stage. "How many days are needed to learn a format?" Oliver asked.

"Depends on your skill with Energy and your patience; it can take a few days or even months," Katherine explained.

"Shit," Oliver thought. The boy spent some time weighing his options.

‘The next challenge will be to enter and exit a labyrinth; being able to react to the unknown will be more important than learning new fighting styles,’ he rationalized.

Oliver finally asked, "Alright. How do I learn?"

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