Level 1: I'm a Kamen Rider

If you asked me who the heroes of our world are...I would say them.

"The patient is Davis Motomiya. Eight years old. Currently transporting him from the scene of the accident. Severe injury to the abdominal area. Internal bleeding a possibility." A paramedic said reading the information of a burgundy haired boy currently unconscious laying down on a stretcher in front of her as the ambulance they were in rushed to the nearest hospital.

"Prepare for urgent blood transfer." One of the doctors said as they rushed inside with the boy until they got to the operating room. "Prepare for emergency operation."

"His blood pressure and heart rate are lowering!" One of the nurses yelled as the boy was hooked up to a heart monitor and had an oxygen mask strapped to him.

They never give up, and keep going, no matter what...

"Are you really going to operate with all these risks!?" One of the doctors in the room yelled as the head surgeon finished putting on his gloves preparing to operate.

"It'll be fine. I'll save him for sure." The doctor looked at Davis with hope in his eyes and a scalpel in his hands and began to operate on the boy.

It's our duty to protect them...

The heroes who save people's lives.

"Hang in there!" An older Davis yelled wearing a white lab coat with three children and two women around him as he kept pushing his hands forward. "Don't die on me!" Davis yelled again as he almost lost the video game in the handheld console in his hands until a victorious beeping sound came from it.

"Wow!" The kids and the women started cheering and clapping for Davis who smiled victoriously until a woman with hair similar to his came and started pulling on his ear.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Davis winced as the woman lifted him up by the ear and gave him an angry smile. "Jun!?"

"Davis, it's time for your appointment!"

"I'm so sorry! I forgot! I'm going now!" Davis gasped realizing what his older sister meant and began to run until he tripped and fell flat on the floor.

"Sheesh...we can't have a doctor hurting themselves! I know you're still an intern but get a grip!" Jun sighed helping her brother up as he held his now bleeding nose.

"Sorry..."

"Sheesh, go!" Davis finished standing and started running leaving his handheld on the floor.

I didn't know then, but I would soon come to understand..

The new virus that threatens the lives of our people.

And...the true heroes that protect our world.

"Hmm...nothing out of the ordinary from what I see." Davis turned around on his chair with a piece of paper towel in his nose to look at a chubby boy and his mother who were currently visiting him for a check-up. "Your loss of appetite is most likely caused by: excessive snacking I think."

"I haven't been eating any!" The boy's answer to his mother made Davis smile at him while Jun and another doctor stood in the doorway watching him smiling as well.

"No wonder the snacks at home have been disappearing so quickly." The boy's mother said putting a hand on her son's head making him playfully stick our his tongue. Davis was now 24 years old, it's been 16 years since his accident and he was currently an intern at the hospital where his sister Jun worked as a nurse specializing with children hoping to be like the man who had saved his life all those years ago...

"Infection complete." A man around Davis's age was sitting on a rooftop playing a game on a similar console like he was as a green reptilian monster approached him with a purple gauntlet resembling a game controller on its right arm with the screen in the middle currently showing binary in orange. "The number of our comrades will soon grow greatly." The reptilian monster said making the man smile and look on at the city below.

"Hey, Graphite. Can you believe this will all soon be ours to play with? Isn't it so exciting?" The man asked smiling as Graphite looked on at the city as well.

"The genius gamer, nicknamed 'D'. His real name is unknown. He's won many tournaments in the past." A brown haired man in an office said looking at a file as a short brown haired girl and a tall purple haired girl wearing glasses stood in front of him.

"If he's a genius gamer, he should be capable of using the Gamer Driver."

"We already have a suitable candidate on his way back to Japan right now. Are you not satisfied with that?"

"It's not that sir..."

"I can't let the tragedy from five years ago happen again." The man stood up and grabbed a black suitcase opening it up and looking inside. "The entire fate of humanity rests on this. As of today, the CR is back in operation...Kari, Yolei."

"Sir!"

"Souta." Davis said walking down a hallway and entered a room looking inside to have a shirt thrown at his head making Jun sigh and look at the small boy inside.

"That's bad, you can't go out yet! Get changed."

"Why do I have to stay in the hospital?" The boy asked throwing his pants at Jun's head and stepping on Davis's foot making him yell in pain.

"Ouch! Ow ow...!" Davis yelled catching his balance and looked at the boy seriously. "You know, Souta, it's so we can find out why you keep getting dizzy."

"I don't like this doctor! He's even got a nosebleed!" The boy yelled pointing at Davis surprising the intern. "You stupid half-baked doctor!" Davis pulled the piece of paper towel out of his nose and they looked around noticing Souta was gone.

"Go after him! Hurry! You're his doctor for crying out loud!"

"Alright!"

"Ah Souta!" Souta was currently crossing the street in front of the hospital as Davis ran out of the hospital seeing him and gave chase as the boy started running too. "You can't do that Souta! Stop!" Davis chased Souta through a park until the intern crashed into a delivery man knocking the man down and all his boxes as Davis began to go downhill on the cart he was using. "Sorry! Watch out!" Davis zoomed past Souta and began going in Kari's direction as the brown haired girl was walking with the suitcase in her hands making her look at him in shock. "Whoa!" Davis hit the curb making him fly over Kari and send him crashing in front of her making her run in his direction.

"Are...Are you alright!?" When she neared him, one of Davis's shoes fell and hit her on the head making her fall and drop the suitcase making a bulky green belt buckle with a handle and a pink cartridge fall from inside it. Souta walked up to them and pick up the cartridge making him gasp when he read it.

"It's 'Mighty Action X'! What's it here for?" Souta looked at it until Kari got back up, got the cartridge and the buckle and the suitcase beginning to leave.

"I'm sorry but I need this!"

"It comes out today! Let me play it, please! Please just for a bit!"

"I'm sorry but no, this isn't your average game." Kari said putting the objects away making Souta look down sadly as Davis regained his composure behind them.

"Excuse me...come on Souta it's time to go back to the hospital." Davis grabbed his arm making Souta take it away still looking down.

"I...can't?" Souta grabbed his head as he suddenly fell to the floor unconscious making Davis crouch to pick him up until the intern noticed odd orange pixels behind Souta's head. Kari noticed this too and gasped grabbing a high tech stethoscope pushing Davis away from Souta. She pulled a trigger making a holographic screen appear with a star circling the boy's head.

"These symptoms..."

"A star?"

"Are you even with the hospital? Where are you taking Souta?" Davis and Kari were pushing Souta on a stretcher into an elevator as he looked at the girl with confusion evident in his voice. Kari then pushed two buttons inside the elevator making the elevator go down rapidly. "Huh? How far down is this thing going?" Davis looked at the screen indicating the floor until it had the letters "CR" on it. "I didn't know we had a place like this here..." Davis and Kari pushed Souta out of the elevator until he noticed the man from the office glaring at them.

"Director Ishida?"

"Director Ishida."

"Kari I've been waiting for you! Come, come!" The man ran forward helping the two push Souta until Davis stopped them.

"Wait! What's going on? There are these weird pixels behind Souta and-"

"You saw the Bugster!?"

"Sir."

"Right, you saw nothing please leave."

"Sir, I can't do that! I'm his doctor!"

"Director's orders! Now let's go!" The two left with Souta leaving Davis behind as they opened a pair of sliding doors as he walked up to them as they closed in front of him. Davis looked at the doors angrily as he began to clench his fist remembering the aftermath of 16 years ago.

"Mister...you saved me?" Davis looked at the surgeon from the operation who sat down next to him taking out a blue handheld console.

"Here you go. This is for being so brave. Your smile is a sign of your health..." The doctor said making Davis smile as he grabbed the game.

'He gave this life to me...' Davis thought grabbing his chest making him look forward. "Now, it's my turn to give back." Davis looked up reading the sign and the screen to open the door. "Cyber Rescue Center?"

"For now, he's been successfully quarantined."

"What we feared has finally happened sir. Is Doctor Takaishi..."

"He should be arriving at the airport soon." Director Ishida looked as Kari entered the elevator with the suitcase. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the genius gamer, D." The doors closed making Director Ishida sigh and light a cigarette.

"Good luck."

"Hm...our numbers are still currently low." The pixels formed outside of Souta into the shape of a monster until it entered back into his body as Davis walked in looking at the boy.

"Souta? How are you feeling?" Davis stood next to the boy who opened his eyes taking out a keychain with a red chibi video game character with spiky hair on it. "That's Mighty right? You like games too?"

"I really wanted to go to the launch party today..." Souta said until he rolled on his side feeling his energy being drained.

"These symptoms...no way..."

"Am I...dying?"

"No, you're Mighty!"

"Huh?"

"Mighty's inside you right now, fighting the final boss. It'll be okay. We'll beat the final boss together." Davis said grabbing the keychain and holding it in his hands and in Souta's.

"Ladies and gentlemen, apologies for the wait. It's been five long years since it was announced." A dark blue haired man wearing a dark grey suit stood on a stage inside a convention center as hundreds of people were crowding around to here his speech. This is Ken Ichijouji, the CEO of the Game Company "Genm Corporation" and he was ready to unveil their newest game. "Now, the legendary game, Mighty Action X...is finally complete!" Ken yelled pointing to the screen behind him as the Load up screen for "Mighty Action X" appeared on it making everyone begin to clap and cheer as many began to play the game in stations everywhere. But Kari was currently there looking for D.

"That genius gamer must be here somewhere...WHAT?!" Kari kept looking around hoping for a sign of the genius gamer until she noticed a familiar intern and a small boy in a yellow hoodie making her run up to them. "Souta!"

"Huh? What are you doing here?" Davis asked looking down at the girl making her stand and pull on his ear out of the line they were in. "Ow ow ow ow!"

"That's what I want to ask you! What were you thinking, taking a patient out without authorization?"

"It was my decision as his doctor." Davis said smiling at the girl making her look at him in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"I'm sure that the reason why Souta's so unwell is because of the built-up stress from waiting for the game."

"Don't diagnose him however you want without knowing anything."

"Even if he recovers right now, if he doesn't smile then we've failed."

"That child needs to be operated on right now."

"Operate...?" Davis asked looking on at the young boy in shock from what Kari had just told him.

"You fail as a doctor." Kari said shaking her head walking away from him as Davis kept looking at the boy. "Souta, come on let's go back to the hospital."

"Let go! It's nearly my turn!"

"This is for your own good."

"It's just for a bit! Let me play!" Souta yelled trying to make the woman let go of him. But suddenly he got an odd pain in his head making him hold it.

"Souta!" Davis ran up to the boy to suddenly be swatted away as he began to hold his head in both hands catching everyone's attention. Suddenly Souta began to yell as orange blobs covered him until he was a colossal monster made of the blobs that began to swing around destroying what was around them as Kari and Davis were still on the floor watching.

"What...is that?"

"It's breaking out..."

"What!?" Davis asked as Kari looked at the monster that was once Souta who then roared noticing them.

"Run!" Kari grabbed Davis by the arm and they joined the crowd currently evacuating the area until Davis stopped them.

"Breaking out!? What was that!?"

"There's a new virus threatening humanity."

"A new virus?"

"A computer virus, born from video games. It evolves by coming into contact with and infecting humans. We call it the Bugstar virus. The virus continues to multiply until the host...is completely taken over by the Bugstar." Kari explained looking inside seeing what the Bugstar was doing shocking Davis who began to walk forward in disbelief.

"Then...Souta...has already..." Davis fell to his knees realizing what was happening and beginning to believe his patient was gone.

"No...there's still a chance." Kari said making Davis look up and turn around as she began to open the suitcase in her hands.

"How can we save Souta!?"

"Using the Gamer Driver and the Rider Gashat, you must operate on Souta and remove the Bugster from him." Kari explained taking out the Driver and the cartridge looking at them.

"Huh? We can operate with that?"

"If you can transform into a Kamen Rider, then yes."

"Kamen Rider..."

"We have to find someone who can use it..."

"Whoa!" Davis and Kari turned to see the Bugstar crash through the building and begin to rampage going away from the two making Davis clench his fist.

"That smile is proof of your health."

"It'll be okay. We'll beat the final boss together."

"Leave the operation to me." Davis stood up and grabbed the two items from Kari beginning to run to where the Bugstar currently was.

"Give it back! Not just anyone can use that game!" Kari yelled following him as Davis stood behind the Bugstar putting the Gamer Driver making the belt form and go around his waist locking in place.

"Game?" Davis looked at the Gashat pressing the button on it making the Holographic load up screen of Mighty Action X appear behind him as countless pink cubes went everywhere even sending a pink grid everywhere catching the Bugstar's attention and surprising Kari.

"The level actually generated!? How...no way!" Kari said looking at Davis as a small gust of wind appeared moving his hair making him smirk.

"When it comes to games, I'm your guy!"

"Huh?"

"I'll change Souta's fate with my own two hands!" Davis yelled preparing to face the Bugstar. "HENSHIN!" He slammed the Gashat inside the driver making a sound come from it as a pink light emanated from it.

GASHATTO!

LET'S GAME! SUPER GAME! ULTRA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!

I'M A KAMEN RIDER!

"Huh? Whoa!" A circle surrounded Davis as one of the faces on the squares going around it enlarged and went over him putting him inside white chibi-like armor with pink spiky hair making resemble Mighty. When he realized what was happening, Davis began to run around in shock from what just happened as the Bugstar behind him combined the blob on its right arm with the one on its left ready to swing at Davis. He had just become what the CR, especially Kari, had hoped that the genius gamer D would be when they found him: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid!

"Look out!" Kari yelled catching Ex-Aid's attention making him turn and jump over the Bugstar's attack and around it until he made it hit itself in the head. He then rolled away holding up his hands making a hammer form and go in his hands.

GASHACON BREAKER!

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid readied himself to attack the Bugstar who roared ready to do the same until he suddenly turned around and began to run away. "Over here! Come get some!"

"Wait! Where are you going?" Kari was watching it all and looked at Ex-Aid confused as he stopped running looking at the Bugstar.

"With Mighty, he gets stronger the more he consumes!" Ex-Aid explained rolling away from the Bugstar who had just tried to crush him under its foot. He then began to bounce around until he broke one of the blocks around him making a coin with a sprinter on it appear and enter Ex-Aid's body. "Got the item! Speed UP!" He then flew at the Bugstar beginning to hit it several times bouncing off the blocks around it. Then he hit the Bugstar so hard it went flying away from him and got slammed on the floor making it stand and roar swinging its arm at the Kamen Rider. But Ex-Aid blocked the attack with his Gashacon Breaker and jumped up spinning and hit the Bugstar repeatedly until he hit it once more making it explode as he landed away from it making a victorious jingle play as Souta reappeared back to normal with the pixels still around him. "Souta!" Ex-Aid ran up to the boy and tried to touch him but his hand went through him as he appeared holographic as Kari ran up behind him.

"The game isn't over yet!"

"Huh?"

"Puny Level 1... Not even worth biting into!" The pieces of the Bugstar combined together becoming a blue conductor like monster as several NPCs resembling cooks with orange chickens on their heads and began to walk towards Ex-Aid and Kari.

"Boss Salty is here too? I just have to beat him right?"

"Stop! You can't handle leveling up any further!" Kari yelled as Ex-Aid walked in front of her and pressed a button on his side making a stage select screen with different locations appear around him.

"I never read the manual anyway; this is how I roll!" Ex-Aid said as the screen disappeared as he found the lever in front of the Gamer Driver. "Found it. Watch. Check out the skills of the genius gamer, D!"

"You're...D...?" Kari asked as Ex-Aid prepared to pull the lever.

"DAI-HENSHIN!" Ex-Aid yelled pulling the lever making a screen appear with an outline of a character resembling a thinner version of Ex-Aid making him run into it.

GACCHAN!

LEVEL UP!

MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!

"Here we go!" Ex-Aid jumped up and the white armor broke off and the Chibi head now became the back as Ex-Aid now became taller and slimmer with the same helmet design as Mighty. He then began to run forward as the Gashacon Breaker re-appeared in his hand.

GASHACON BREAKER!

One by one Ex-Aid began tearing through the NPCs hitting them with his hammer or kicking and punching them. When all he had was one left he cornered it making it raise its hands and put a wok on its heads trying to surrender. Of course Ex-Aid didn't accept its surrender and slammed the hammer on its head knocking it out and rattling its head. He then hit the pink A button on the side of the Gashacon Breaker making a blade fold out and appear.

TADA!

"Tadaaa!" Ex-Aid said preparing to attack again and he ran towards the remaining NPCs slashing them one by one destroying each and everyone.

"Spicing things up are we?" The Boss Salty Bugstar jumped down and tried to attack Ex-Aid from behind. But Ex-Aid expected this and jumped over him trying to slash him but the Bugstar blocked the attack and electrocuted Ex-Aid. Boss Salty then tried to attack again but Ex-Aid dodged yet again this time jumping from block to block until he jumped down slashing Boss Salty and he then began to press the green B button on the side making each slash count for two hits sending Boss Salty flying backwards even more until it was on its back in pain from the attacks.

"Curse you!"

"Let's end this with a finisher!" Ex-Aid pulled out the Gashat and pretended to blow on it like a cartridge and put it on a slot on his waist. He then hit the button on it making his finisher activate.

GACCHAN!

HIMEWAZA!

"All right, here I go!"

"What?" Boss Salty looked on in shock as Ex-Aid's leg began to glow shining in multiple colors as he got ready to attack.

MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE!

Ex-Aid then jumped up kicking the Bugstar once, then once more before turning around and kicking him more and then began to repeatedly stomp on Boss Salty sending the Bugstar back destroying it.

CRITICAL SMASH!

"All right!" Ex-Aid raised his arm celebrating as his transformation began to end reverting him back to Davis.

GAME CLEAR!

"Everything's fine. You're all good now." Kari was checking the now back to normal Souta with her stethoscope checking for any remaining signs of the virus but found none.

"Good work, Souta!" Davis said smiling at the boy who then smiled back at him.

"Thanks mister!"

Unbeknownst to the three, a messy brown haired boy was watching them from a gun scope and pointed his finger at Davis in a gun shape and moved it up like he had just fired it.

"So that's who you found little sister? Bang."

"Things are getting interesting." A blond haired man wearing a black leather jacket walked through the carnage that was Mighty Action X's launch party and picked up a plush toy of Mighty pushing down his glasses to see it clearly. "Everyone's just raring to start the race, huh?"

"Genius Gamer?" Another blond haired man was currently in the backseat of an SUV currently driving over a bridge and smirked looking out the window with a Gamer Driver at his side. "Not worth my time."

"Um...what is this place?" Davis and Kari entered a room in the CR making him look around and question Kari as to what was happening.

"The Cyber Rescue Center, or CR for short. It's a secret department we created to fight the Bugstars."

"What? A game cabinet?" Davis finished looking around seeing a pink game and began to walk towards it making Kari stop him.

"COSTUME...CHANGE!" Kari began to spin accidentally hitting Davis to the floor until she entered the game looking different as she now had pink hair and was wearing a pink skirt resembling a video game character.

"WHAT?!"

"Let me explain, 'Kari' is the person who I infected years ago and her body's my day-to-day disguise! I'm Poppy Pipopapo! Nice to meet you!" Poppy explained waving her hand greeting Davis making him look at her in disbelief.

"A what?!"

"I knew you'd pull through! I have a good eye!" Poppy said making the screen change to show ten different game titles including Mighty Action X until she appeared in a screen behind him. "Clear all of these games and become the super doctor and savior of humanity. Kamen Rider EX-Aid!"

"Huh?" Davis said looking at Poppy in shock as she was smiling at him.

Next time:

"The genius surgeon Takeru Takaishi."

"Withhold concern for your patients. That's how I work."

"Patients aren't just things!"

"There's nothing I can't cut through."

FIGHT FOR YOUR DESTINY, BATTLE FOR YOUR FUTURE!

THIS IS TADDLE QUEST!

LEVEL 2: Two Geniuses? No thank you