Erio, Knight Rider
Erio Mondial (エリオ・モンディアル Erio Mondīaru?) is a character in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. Along with Caro Ru Lushe, he is one of the many kids that Fate Testarossa met and befriended while on duty, and one of the few that she actively looked after. He resembles his Meister Kha a lot and is the lone male of Division 6's Forward Team. Hae has an unusually solemn personality for a boy and has a certain lack of common sense when it came to elements of an ordinary lifestyle.
He is named after the Suzuki Aerio and for the Ferrari Mondial or the Mondial Piega Strada motorcycle
Rebuilt for StrikerS
At least 6 years prior to StrikerS, Erio was taken away from his parents house. During the incident, he learned that he was an artificial human being created as a product of the Project F. Broken in spirit by the revelation and by being practically throw out by the couple that he had known as parents once they learned that the truth had been discovered, Erio was at the mercy of his captors.
During his tormented captivity of day after day of experimenting and indoctrination, Erio found the companionship of an older boy, a true-bred super soldier Null, someone he would come to regard as his older brother. It was during that dark time where Erio also discovered the voice in the wind, which later Acous would teach him was the voice of Mother Nature awakening another of her blessed Shaman sons.
In a strike of luck however, just as he and Null were about to be culled, he was found and protected by Fate Testarossa and the Grade Frame Exia piloted by Kha. Despite nagging doubts, Fate decided to take care of him shortly after.
Even though he was a legal member of the Harlaown family (since he had Fate as his guardian and Lindy Harlaown as his adoptive parent), Erio was placed under a special protection program by the Time-Space Administration Bureau and made to live at the TSAB's headquarters until he was 8 years-old. Not that it mattered; it made it easier for Kha and Fate to take care of him when they were there for pre- and post-mission deployment phases, which was very often for the busy couple.
Under the tutelage of first Fate and later Kha after the events of
Cente Gravia, Erio eventually learned magic and the way of the Belka, and joined the Time-Space Administration Bureau's forces.
The Way of the Wind
Unlike Kha, Erio was not meant to be a Cleric-knight, but instead his mana affinity for Nature together with his talent of listening to the wind made him perfect to be a Shaman which were even rarer amongst the devout Belka. Acous, a Restoration Shaman himself, teaches Erio whatever Kha can’t, and schools him to be a promising force of natural balance. Acous is thinking that Erio could be meant for specializing as an Enhancement Shaman, one focused on the reinforced of the body to be a guardian of the elemental spirits.
Whatever the case, by the time when Operation StrikerS was due to begin, he was a young Private 2nd Class ranked "B" as a mage, and a freshly minted Rank-20 Page with a Probational Operation Licence, allowing him to gain Stars to rank up further in the hands-on rating systems that the Belka use to accredit their Knights and Meisters.
It is not known why does the wind has a penchant of whispering to Erio whenever he is near a young girl in distress...
I Am Lightning
Once transferred to the Mobile Division 6, Erio was placed under the command of his former guardian in the Lightning Squad and code-named "Lightning 3". It has been hinted that he and his squad-partner and technically adopted sister, Caro, are developing a romantic relationship.
At the end of the series, Erio asks to transfer to the TSAB-administrated world No. 61 and works with Caro at its planetary wildlife preservation. They live on-site, along with the recovering Kia, Quint, and Megane. Lutecia and Garyuu would be transferred on-planet, followed soon by the Numbers who were discovered to be Kha’s half-sisters.
Powers
Erio is a user of the Modern-Belka magic system, which complements the capacities of the original Belka system with traits of the Mid-Childa system. During his training, Erio received some tutoring from Fate, Kha and Acous, consequently learning a few of their spells.
Erio's specialties lies in electric-based elemental magic and high-speed close combat (probably also due Fate's and Kha’s training). Because of that, he was given the position of Guard Wing of the Forward Team, where he is supposed provide quick support to all his allies, regardless of their position in the battlefield. Erio possess a spear-like Armed Device named Strada.
Like Kha, Erio learned several tricks about stealth, and has a pair of shoes that can transform himself into an older individual. However, knock those shoes off and he changes back. He uses them to drive around in Kha’s vehicles.
And like the Meister, Erio learned some things about sniping as well.
Telepathy - Just like how it is the case with the Ancient-Belka System, Modern-Belka users usually have access to this ability.
Defensive Abilities
Barrier Jacket - Being a user of the Modern-Belka System, Erio's defensive outfit is referred as a Barrier Jacket instead of Knight Armour. It resembles Fate's Impulse Form Barrier Jacket thanks to the white overcoat and the steel shoes. As for everything else, it was derived from the same Jacket that Kha wore before he switched to Knight Armors.
Sonic Move - One of Fate's original spells that was passed down to Erio, it increases his speeds for a short period of time and allows almost instantaneous movement.
Lightning Shield - This temporary all-round barrier works like Fate's Thunder Arm, but covers all of Erio instead of just the arm. It also has 5 orbs that are consumed when the shield is struck, returning the attack with a bolt of lightning.
Offensive Abilities
Poetry World - Erio's attempt at a Reality Marble like attack. It was supposed to trap an enemy within a space that obeyed his own rules, but what happened was that the curious boy ended up creating a giant mana explosion that left him dazed but fortunately unhurt. That misadventure from attempting to copy his Meister earned him one of the harshest scolding from a worried Fate cracking under stress and borderline clinical depression.
In StrikerS, he never used the attack, but continues to attempt at creating the skill, this time under Kha's supervision.
Leutendes Licht (Brilliant Light) - Erio's sniping attack learned from Kha. While he is not as accurate as Kha, he's reasonably proficient and can swing by on ropes and cut powerlines while shooting. He does a stunt like that, hammering 3 shots into the Ganman-like Type-5 and downing it by the time he swooped past.
Blitz Schraube (Lightning Bolt) - A basic lightning spell taught by Acous allowing Erio to throw a bolt of lightning from his fist. Erio combos this skill with other attack and slashes as it is instant cast.
Kettenblitz (Chain Lightning) - Another lightning spell taught by Acous. Erio unleashes a bolt of lightning that jumps to nearby targets, allowing him to destroy several Gadgets at once.
Luftmesser - Using magic to compress and accelerate the air around Strada, Erio creates blades of wind and throws them at the target.
Speerangriff (Spear Attack) - Another spell learnt from Kha. Strada ignites its main thrusters in order to drive Erio in a high-speed charge attack, making it similar to Vita's Raketen Hammer. If compared to the Raketen Hammer however, it is impossible to acquire the necessary acceleration power unless there is a minimum distance between the targets.
Speerschneiden - The attack that cut a bridge apart in the third episode of StrikerS, its name was revealed in the DVD's booklet. Though it has a great attack power, its charging time makes it unsuitable for a direct battle. Instead, it is usually used as an obstacle remover.
Stahlmesser (Narrow Claw) - A blade of magical energy extends itself from Strada's tip and is then used to cut the target. Used in episode 05 of StrikerS against a Type-III Gadget Drone. It’s due to notice that the pink color that the blade presented at the said time was due to Caro's Twin Boost spell.
Thunder Rage - Another spell learned from Fate, Erio's variation is classified as a Magic-Enhanced Attack-type spell since a skydiving melee strike precedes the magic thunderbolts. (When Strada in Thunderstorm form in episode 17.)
Shiden Issen (Lightning Flash) - A variation of one of Signum's technique. As opposed to Signum who covers Laevatein's blade in flames to increase its attack power, Erio concentrates electrical energy in his fist and punches the enemy to deliver an electric blast.
Because the Zamber Blade was too heavy for little Erio to wield, Erio sought to find another method to break through Garyuu's speed and the insect cloud. And true to his Meister's words about thinking out of the box, Erio did it.
Instead of the usually over-sized nature of Limiter Breaks, Erio's was puny, in fact, Strada shrunk during Full Release, into a gladius-like two-hander with Strada's spearhead lenghtening to that of a sword, the rest of the head becoming it's core, and the hilt shrinking to just enough room for him to grasp with both hands. At the end of Strada is a half-chopped bike chain.
His Barrier Jacket changes appearance, to
Sonikferm. His Jacket becomes closed by a button in the front, he gets longer pants, and the tails of the jacket becomes tattered, as seen in the above video.
The logic behind
Granado es Strada (or
Strada, You Are Grand in Latin) was that by releasing all his mana channels, then transmuting more of Strada's mass to mana, then compressing the rest into a more solid blade, Erio created a blade that was 3 times sharper then before, and he himself boosting his speed by 3 times. And he could increase his speed further by 3 times every 3 minutes up to 3 times before hitting his current physical limit.
As a result, Garyuu lost sight of Erio several times, and barely managed to keep him at bay. Ultimately, the incredible speed and endurance of Erio was the straw that broke the camel's armor.
Meister and Page, Father and Son
Kha and Erio share many similarities:
- Both have red hair.
- Both have a certain lack of common sense in everyday situations.
- Both emphasize speed in their combat styles.
- Both use spear-type devices in their first release mode, and can use swords.
- Both "hear" things.
- Erio hears the whispers of the wind.
- Kha hears the whispers of magic around him.
- Both often find themselves
in harems to be the only male in the group.
- Both are, on track record, irresistable to women their age.
- When attacked, both often get injured first over the girls in the team.
And all the general points are canon facts.
