The Start of The Pride

I waited at the entrance for April and looked at my Z-System to grow more accustomed to it. I upgraded my Lion's Fist using the Zodiac Points I had accumulated.

[Lion's Fist (+1): Now able to combo into Burning Assault! May gain a boost of strength with each successful strike!]

I smiled at the notification then heard my name being called. I looked over and noticed April hurrying toward me with Nina and Lily. "You brought them as well?"

"We are a team now right? Plus we're kinda enemy number one after that speech you gave. The entire class will be wanting a piece of us now. You've got us in some shit, mister." Nina said.

I smiled at Nina then looked away. "You don't have to stick with me if the pressure is too much. I just want everyone to stop messing with the low tiers of this academy. The strong have too much power...using their power for the wrong reasons. We are to be heroes are we not? I am fighting for those who are weak...fighting to protect their pride as a hero."

April smiled at me then held my arm. "And we are gonna succeed!~ You have a strong sense of justice like a Libra but the courage of a warrior~ I like that a lot..~"

Nina watched us then walked forward. "Are we going to the mall, or are you two going to be all lovey dovey?"

"W-Wait for me, sis!" Lily said and hurried after Nina.

"It's important for you to bond with them as well~ You could have them around you like you do with April~ Leo's are a special zodiac who also grow stronger from the trust of their Pride!" Leona said to me.

I smiled then looked at April. "Well? Let's head to the mall, it should be a fun outing."

April nodded then let me go and hurried to join Nina and Lily. I placed my hands in my pockets then followed the three. I felt better than I normally did because I got an amazing first win for my team and now I have Archer's own family hanging out with me.

'Have you had multiple love interests before Leona? I mean I wouldn't be surprised taken on how beautiful you are.' I thought to Leona.

Leona giggled and sighed softly. "Surprisingly no~ I haven't had many love interests really, but I have had a boyfriend before so if you need any love advice, I'm your woman~ Us Leos are actually the best when it comes to love aside from Virgos. Oh man Virgos, I could go on and on about Virgos~"

I smiled and chuckled to myself. 'What makes Virgos so special?'

"Virgos are the original Erogelic Angels, they actually specialize in intimacy and they are the most compatible with Leos no matter what anyone else says. You can't disagree with someone who is a literal Zodiac~ In fact, Lily is a Virgo, you have to get closer to her!" Leona said.

I looked at Lily then rose an eyebrow. 'Really? Does that make Nina one as well?'

"Nina is a Libra. Believe it or not, but Lily is the older one of the twins by two minutes. Lily was born in September 22nd and Nina was born September 23rd." Leona answered.

'Kinda creepy that you know this..' I thought to Leona.

Leona chuckled softly. "Knowing their birthdays isn't as creepy as you think. I don't know anything about them personally, just when they were born. I only know this because Imogen and Harmony plan to make them Zodiac Knights as well. April is also being chosen by Rama. If they impress them during these Mock Battles, you may have a full team of Zodiacs~"

I thought about what it would be like to have a full team of Zodiac Knights. We would be unstoppable since Zodiac Power is basically godlike. I enjoyed the idea of it then nodded, knowing what I had to do.

----------------------------------------------

We made it to a city named Zodiac Square. It was a city built in honor of the Celestial Guardians as this was the original home of the previous Zodiac Champions before the new Champions like Leona came up. The city was lively today as there seemed to be some large festival about to happen.

"August look at that!" April said then pointed at a large banner. "The Zodiac Festival is happening this weekend! We have to go to it!"

I looked at the banner then smiled at it. "The Zodiac Festival huh? I've never been to one of these."

"It's a lively festival! You should go! You'll love it, plus since you're a Zodiac now the Festival Dancers perform a dance which enhances your abilities for an entire week! We call it the Tropical Dance." Leona explained.

Nina looked around then smiled at the scenery. "I've never seen a city so beautiful before..~ The Downtown area was never this beautiful...I feel so much at home here..~"

"Yeah, I agree." I said as I looked around as well.

Lily walked around then accidentally bumped into me and grunted softly. She looked at me and blushed. "S-Sorry!"

I looked at Lily then smiled at her. "No it's alright...Hey, how about we all go in and get some grub? I'm starving."

"Hell yeah, finally someone said something." Nina said and smiled. "That lunch food was not it. Like how do they get away serving shit like that?"

"Right?!" April said and laughed softly. "My sloppy joe looked like it was freaking alive! I never eat the academy lunches. This school is dang there a billion dollar foundation and yet we are eating food that came from prison!"

Nina laughed a bit at what April said. "You and me can both agree on that~ Hey I hear you're a good cook, you've gotta share some of your recipes~"

"Of course I'd love to!~" April smiled.

I smiled at the fact that Nina and April were bonding with each other while I stayed behind and walked with Lily. "Are you feeling okay, Lily?"

Lily smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, just...I wish I could be as outgoing as Nina. It isn't hard for her to make friends. Most people don't even notice me because I'm so quiet... It's just I have a hard time finding my voice.."

"I'll be honest, I didn't even know you were in my class until today...but if you need anyone to talk to I'm here for you. We're teammates now and I want to grow closer to you and Nina..~" I said.

Lily blushed a bit then smiled more. "Thank you..~"

The four of us made it to the mall then walked inside. Before we got any shopping done, we went straight to the food court to get some actual good food and forget about the poisonous lunch food the academy makes us endure. Once we got our food, we sat down at a table together and began to enjoy our food together.

After we ate and chilled out for a bit, the girls got up to go to the bathroom, leaving me alone at the table temporarily. I took this time to try and learn more about the figure we ran into a while ago.

'Leona?' I thought to Leona.

"Mhm?~" Leona immediately answered.

'So where are you technically? Are you nearby or like...' I asked Leona.

Leona tapped my shoulder and I looked back, noticing she was right behind me. "Only you can actually see and hear me right now. The only reason we communicate via telepathy is because I don't want you looking like a fool in public~"

'I kinda figured that.' I said and smiled then looked at my phone. 'So...I wanna ask, that cloaked figure from the other day...who was that?'

Leona crossed her arms then looked up. "I knew this question would arise sooner or later. That Cloaked Figure was actually a being from the Underworld. The seal keeping the Underworld away from the Mortal Realm is slowly breaking, allowing those fiends to infiltrate the Mortal Realm.."

'What are they after? Why was he attacking you?' I asked.

"He wanted to steal my Zodiac Power. As you know Zodiac Power is literally a Godlike Energy Source. Those with Zodiac Power are seen as a higher level being. I'm not the only one who's been attacked, but I've been attacked the most since I am the strongest of all Zodiacs except two." Leona explained.

'Two..?' I asked.

"The Serpent Bearer and the Ancient Sea Beast, Ophiuchus and Cetus. Those two are known as the Forbidden Zodiacs, banished by the Sovereigns who created us to protect everything they created and destroyed together. They don't hold any specific element and both of them are basically like Light and Dark. One is the Order of the Zodiacs while the other is the Chaos." Leona said.

I thought for a bit then closed my eyes. 'They left them out of the lesson for that reason then huh..? The Forbidden Zodiacs...'

"Ophiuchus is the source of all Knowledge, Wisdom, Order, and Healing. Cetus is the source of all Chaos, Insanity, Disaster, and Strife. Only when all Twelve Guardians come together are they able to defeat Cetus and seal him away, but recently Cetus has been escaping his prison. Because of this, Ophiuchus will be awakened again and the New Age of Zodiacs will begin which is why we are finding Knights so we can continue our line." Leona explained.

It was a lot of information to take in, but I processed it. I didn't completely understand it, but I tried to understand the key points of her statement.

"I don't expect you to grasp the concept. The seal is still in place so we are safe from all disasters for right now~ Just leave the demons from the Underworld to me and the other Champions, you focus on making your ladies happy~" Leona said as she watched April and the others come back from the restroom.

'Got it..~' I thought to Leona.

"Sorry we took so long~ Just had to gossip a little, y'know us girls~" April giggled.

I chuckled softly then stood up. "It's alright, I know how you girls are. Are you all ready to get some shopping done?"

"Yeah, I definitely need some new shoes." Nina said then looked at her shoes.

"Alright, let's get to it." I said then walked off.

The four of us began to wander around the mall together. I was definitely garnering some looks from a few guys. I did have three other women with me, but I paid it no mind. The girls didn't seem to mind it at all.

We shopped for a while and my bank account began to look a bit low so I called it a night. We began to head toward the entrance then heard an alarm going off. A group of people were running out of a jewelry store with bags of expensive items.

"What the heck..?" Nina said.

"Someone call the ambulance and stop those thieves!" A woman cried out.

I grunted then began to run toward the thieves. "Hey!"

"August wait! We should get some High Tier Heroes to handle this!" April said in a worried manner.

Leona followed behind me in her Spirit Form and smirked. "Feeling heroic aren't we?~ Well let's get to it!"

I bellowed and tackled a thief then rolled on the ground with him. I mounted on top of him and went for a strike, but his partner kicked me off him. I stood up and my eyes shined. 'They are definitely stronger than me. Ratings of 790.5 and 824.9'

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't lose. If you need my help just roar my name~" Leona said.

"We can't let him do this alone!" Lily called out.

Nina grunted as Lily ran forward. "Lily hold on!"

One of the thieves looked at me then dropped his bag. He fixed his mask then took out his knife. "I'm not letting you live after that stunt, kid."

I got into my stance then glared. "We've got 15 minutes until the cops arrive. That's more than enough time to stop you!"

The thief laughed then got into his stance. "Let's see about that, low tier."

I dashed toward the man then went for a swift punch. The man was caught off guard by my speed then groaned as I hit his face. I landed a kick at his side then struck him with a right hook. The man grunted as he took more damage from my onslaught of attacks.

'This kid's fast..! Who does he train with..?' The thief thought to himself as he regained his footing.

I looked at the man then sensed an attack behind me. Lily summoned her Cross then blocked the attack. I looked back, noticing Lily then smirked.

"Lily." I said.

"I'm with you!" Lily said then her light energy surrounded her body.

I roared and my fiery energy surged around my body. The thieves braced themselves then we dashed toward the two. Lily slashed down with her Cross, but the thief blocked it with his knife and ran forward. He slashed at Lily, but I tackled the man then rolled forward, dodging the other thief's attack.

I dashed toward the second thief then went for a punch, but he blocked it and countered with a body shot. I grunted softly, feeling the power behind his blow. I ducked under his hook punch then charged forward, striking him with a shoulder bump into an Upper Lion's Fist. The man grunted as he was knocked into the air.

"Fly away!" I bellowed then palmed the man's torso, releasing a pulse of flames and launching him into a wall.

"Who is that guy..?" A man asked as he recorded.

"I don't know, but he's pretty strong.." A woman said.

Lily dodged the attacks of the other thief then glid backwards then swiftly slashed at him, striking him perfectly. He grunted as he was now marked. He looked at his stomach seeing angelic markings. Lily made her Cross disappear then summoned her Angelic Gauntlets.

"By the Power of the Ruler of the Sacred Realm...I will strike you down!" Lily said then channelled her aura into her gauntlets, powering them up.

She dashed toward the thief then dodged his slash. She palmed his chest, releasing a force of angelic energy then twirled around him and struck his back, blowing him away. The thief rolled forward then threw his knife at Lily. He warped to the knife then slashed in a circular motion, but Lily dodged it and charged up a punch.

"Angelic Arts, First Stage: Sacred Hand!" Lily bellowed then struck the thief with all her might.

Lily bellowed then launched the thief away, sending him flying. The thief crashed through a wall then laid on the ground. Lily panted softly then her gauntlets disappeared.

"Lily..." Nina said in awe.

Lily smiled then groaned as she was hit by a bullet. My eyes widened then I ran to Lily's aid. Lily cried as she laid on the ground holding her leg. I held Lily and tried to help her. Nina and April ran toward her aid as well then got down.

"She should be lucky I only aimed for her leg." The woman said then adjusted her mask.

Nina listened to her sister cry and stood up. She looked at the woman with a fury that could kill a thousand soldiers. "You'll pay for that.."

The woman laughed as she watched Nina walk forward. "Oh did I hurt your sister?~"

"I'll make you feel my Divine Justice..." Nina growled.

The woman laughed then fired a bullet at Nina, but Nina dodged the bullet. The woman was surprised then fired multiple at her. Nina's aura blocked the bullet then she bellowed and ran toward the woman and landed a wrathful blow to her torso. The woman groaned and coughed in pain. She stumbled backwards then groaned as Nina knocked her upwards with a kick.

"You'll pay your Retribution!" Nina bellowed then knocked the woman away with a roundhouse kick then began to charge up an attack. "Dark Chi Arts: Malevolent Assault!"

Nina bellowed and launched waves of dark energy blasts at the woman. Each energy blast homed in on the woman, striking her. Once her onslaught ended and the smoke cleared, the woman was seen being protected by a shield. She lowered her barrier then chuckled. Nina grunted softly then fell onto one knee.

"Nice try..~" The woman giggled.

I stood up and grunted. "Nina used up all of her strength in that attack...That woman is just too strong.."

"You've only got three minutes left before the cops come!~ You won't even be alive by then!~ Now stand still and die!" The woman yelled.

I growled then took a deep breath. I used up all of my strength to unleash a Supernatural Roar roaring out, "LEONA!"

My voice echoed then everyone looked at me then noticed a pillar of flames appearing in front of Nina. Leona appeared and everyone's eyes locked onto her. April smiled happily at the sight of Leona and held Lily's hand. Lily was in awe as she looked at Leona.

"I-Is that...the Zodiac Champion in front of us?" A guy asked.

"That kid summoned THE LEO CHAMPION LEONA?!" A woman asked in shock.

Leona looked at the woman then licked her lips and smirked. "You're with that organization aren't you..?~ Your masks are the same as the man I took down the other day..~ You're with The Fallen.."

The woman was struck with fear as she looked at Leona. She was too stunned to even speak. She took a step back then dropped her gun.

"Good girl..~" Leona said sadistically then chuckled. "Now you wait patiently while the cops come unless you want a round with me and my paws?~"

The woman got on her knees and immediately surrendered knowing she was out classed in every way possible. "I surrender! We surrender!"

"Good." Leona said then disappeared.

I sighed softly then sat down on the ground then smiled. "We did it..."

Lily smiled at me then closed her eyes to rest. "We did..~"

April reached over and gently rubbed my shoulder. "You all were great..~"

Nina walked back over to us then sat with us. "Well..~ We certainly worked pretty good as a team~"

A guy ran over toward us. "You four! Who are you and what academy do you go to?"

I looked at the guy then looked at April, Lily, and finally Nina. I smiled and looked at the guy. "We're The Pride. A group of heroes who attend an academy called The St. Meishi Academy."

"You must be the leader since you took initiative?" The guy asked.

"Of course he is! He's the Leader of the Pride!~ He's the Lion and we're his Lionesses!" April said.

"Lionesses? C'mon." Nina said.

"Actually that doesn't sound so bad..~" Lily giggled softly.

"The Pride...I promise you all will go viral! The entire Zodiac Square will remember you all for this! Every Hero Association will know of you!" The guy said then hurried off.

I chuckled softly and looked at the three. "Well, I guess we do work great as a team~"

April, Nina, and Lily smiled at me. After these events, we definitely grew closer and our bonds strengthened. We definitely caught the attention of media and it felt great being recognized by the public.

[Event Complete: Zodiac Square Heroes]

[Zodiac Points Earned: +400]

[Burning Assault can be upgraded!]

[Zodiac Arts: Leo Flame Burst can be upgraded!]