Nova Rumble!

"Professor Ray, I brought them." Amunet said as she walked into the classroom.

I walked into the classroom and noticed multiple holographic interfaces around a woman wearing a black lab coat.

The woman fixed her glasses then looked back at us with a smile. "At last...I am glad you all made it safely. You all can call me Rose."

"Ms. Rose! You're absolutely beautiful!" April said in awe.

Rose chuckled softly at April's comment. She gently brushed her hair behind her ear. "Thank you~ Oh yeah, we've got to contact Dahlia so she knows you all made it safely."

I watched as Rose hastily called Ms. Ray then a large digital screen formed on the board. Ms. Ray answered and noticed we were with Rose then smiled.

"I'm glad you all are safe." Ms. Ray said. "They are my best students, you better take good care of them!"

"Calm your nerves, Dahlia...They are in good hands~" Rose said then crossed her arms. "So what's the deal? They're staying under my wing for how long?"

"Until the heat over here dies out. You know how my boss is. If August gets compromised it's over for me as well. Also, I want you to train them. You are more experienced with Zodiac Power than I am since you have more students who wield their power." Ms. Ray said.

Rose looked at the four of us then looked at Ms. Ray and smiled. "Alright. They'll be registered for my class by tomorrow. By the time I send them back, they'll be stronger than you could imagine."

"Thank you a ton—" Ms. Ray started then grunted as Nagini pushed her aside.

"Rose! Is Liao Ru there right now?" Nagini asked.

"Not at the moment. She's meditating over at Peridot Kingdom. Why?" Rose asked.

"I need to make sure she takes part in training my subjects! They need to be back here before the first of March so you have two weeks." Nagini said then grunted as Ms. Ray pushed Nagini out the way.

"And August! I got word from Sephora! She's—" Ms. Ray started then the digital interface disappeared.

"What the heck?" Nina asked.

We noticed the power go out then the alarms went off. Someone came onto the intercom and giggled.

"Good afternoon everyone!~ I hope you're ready because our monthly Nova Rumble shall begin shortly! All students ranking higher than 2500 please come to the Nova Courtyard!" A woman said.

"Tch! Mama Ray was going to say something that was extremely important for me...I don't have time for this." I said then felt Rose place her hand on my shoulder.

"Relax..~ We can call her back later, for now...I think you all should join the rumble. It's a learning experience." Rose said.

"M-Mmph...I suppose." I said despite currently not having any interest in the Nova Rumble.

"Come on, follow me." Rose said then grabbed her laptop and tablet off her desk.

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We made it to the courtyard and I looked around at all of the students outside. As I looked around, I noticed two women our age standing on the top of a building. April, Nina, Lily, and Georgia looked at the women as well.

"Those two are the Headmaster's daughters. They are the Gemini Knights, Athena and Avery. They wield two powerful abilities. One is the Crest of Union and the other are the Zodiac Weapons called Castor and Pollux, two powerful daggers crafted from old Zodiac Crystals that used to belong to Castor and Pollux." Amunet said.

"They feel extremely powerful." Nina said.

"They are powerful, stronger than Blaze. They are this academy's Ace Students." Amunet said.

Athena was the more friendly outgoing twin. She had short sky blue hair, baby blue eyes, and wore a white ribbon on her head. She wore a white leotard with a white long coat and had half of her Zodiac Crystal made into a necklace, which she wore around her neck.

Avery was more aloof, not really seeming as friendly as Athena was. She had long white hair, steely gray eyes, and wore a black ribbon on her head. She wore a black leotard with a black long coat, fishnets, and combat boots. She wore the other half of her Zodiac Crystal as a necklace as well.

"Well!~ I'm glad you're all here for our monthly Nova Rumble!~ We are slowly growing closer to graduation so we're gonna make this rumble special!" A woman said as she stood behind Athena and Avery.

"That's Headmaster Annalise. She's nothing to take lightly as she's able to take on multiple Level 5 Rank S Threats alone." Amunet said.

"She doesn't sound as impressive as our Headmaster..." I said.

"That may be true, but she's a hell of a lot more likable than Headmaster Vinson." Amunet replied.

Annalise held her arms out and smiled. "Today in our rumble, we will have you all split into teams of four and you all rumble! This time, we rumble until one team remain because that winning team will be battling against the Ace Team: Athena, Avery, Virgil, and Shion!"

"Whoa. Only one winning team this go around huh?" A guy asked and smirked.

"That means we're gonna have to try extra hard this go around." Another guy said and chuckled.

Annalise noticed me and my crew then her eyes widened. "Oh! It seems we have visitors! You five must be from St. Meishi correct?"

"Oh we are, but I'm literally here just because I got a ride from them! I know not to dwell in enemy territory!" Georgia answered.

"I see. The rest of you will join our rumble won't you?" Annalise asked.

"We will." I said then looked at Athena and Avery.

"We will be needing them, but we will also be fighting against Amunet and Ishara. I'm sensing one other Zodiac as well. It's Fideline. This is going to be pretty interesting." Leona said then stretched.

'The sun is still out but it's past its zenith, meaning my Solar Charge is running out. This isn't like St. Meishi... we're gonna be fighting until we're the last ones.' I said to Leona.

"Don't worry, My Knight. You'll be fine, remember you performed well that night against Darkness. You can do it again." Leona said and nuzzled me.

I nodded then closed my eyes. "Pride."

April looked at me. "Yeah?"

I put my hair in a ponytail tail then placed a hand on my hip. "Let's show them why were Undefeatable."

Nina smirked and nodded. "They won't know what hit them.."

Lily smiled at me then nodded. "The Pride will be known worldwide~"

Amunet noticed the morale of my team had quickly increased then rose her scarf then vanished and appeared next to Blaze. "His team is full of Zodiacs. We shouldn't underestimate then either. I know first hand how strong they are."

"Really? Hm. We should sit back and watch for now. I need time to reach my full power anyway." Blaze said.

Amunet nodded and rose her scarf. "Understood."

Annalise watched everyone gather into their teams then smiled. "Alright! Since everyone is ready...we may begin! Now to set the battlefield! Domain Creation: Nova Battlefield!"

I grunted softly as a field of energy expanded around the entire campus. I looked around as the area began to warp and shift. The ground shined brightly then a bright light shined, slowly revealing the battlefield.

"Eh..? It looks all the same." I said.

"Team Pride! Welcome to one of my many Domains!~ This domain is called the Nova Battlefield and here you all don't have to fear holding back! Let loose!" Annalise said and giggled. "You all may begin!"

The Rumble was now underway. Everyone began to clash in hopes of battling the Ace Team. It began to look pretty chaotic already as magic attacks and elemental blasts began flying across the area.

I looked at Athena and Avery and noticed they were watching the battles with excitement. I noticed Annalise paying a close eye to me with her arms crossed.

"So he's the guy Vinson has a grudge against?" Annalise asked.

"Yeah, my sister was taking care of him...but after the events of what happened in Fluer Union, she had to send them my way." Rose answered while she was collecting data on everyone.

"So he's Cipher huh..? Part of me is actually excited to see what he can do." Annalise said and smiled.

"August watch out!" April said then bumped me out of the way.

I grunted as April's tackle knocked me away upon impact, allowing me to evade a fireball. I looked in the direction it came from then noticed a woman walking forward. Her eyes shined a yellowish green, her golden brown hair flowed with the winds, and her nails were as sharp as the claws of an adult Lioness.

"Word around campus says you're the Leo Zodiac Knight." The woman said.

Leona's ears perked up as she noticed who this woman was.

"I am. You've come to challenge me yourself? I'd say you need a little backup." I said then smirked.

The woman looked at me, unamused. She flipped her hair, revealing her Peridot Earrings. "I am Melody Lionheart, Princess of the Peridot Kingdom. You, August...if you're gonna wield such power, you're gonna have to show me you're worthy enough for it."

I noticed her gauntlets appear on her hands then chuckled. I summoned my Solar Peridot then my gauntlets appeared. "I like you..~ You're immediately getting to the point..~"

Melody scoffed and got into her stance. "Enough talking, let's get right into action!"

"April, you take lead for the others. I'll deal with the Princess myself." I said.

"Gotcha! Let's go girls!" April said then ran forward.

I looked at Melody then looked around, seeing there was too much havoc happening in this area. "Let's relocate. Too much is happening here."

I ran off to find a more open area to fight. Melody quickly followed behind then her eyes shined as she ran behind me. She pounced toward me, but I dodged her attack then turned around, blocking her punch. I grunted as I slid backwards then watched her dash toward me. I got serious then dashed toward her then we clashed fists.

I grunted as she was a lot stronger than I expected. "Heh...Keeping up with my strength huh?"

"You're not so bad yourself taken you came up from nothing. Of all the people she could've chosen, she chose you!" Melody said then pushed me away.

"She chose me because I show actual promise!" I said then ran forward.

Melody dodged my uppercut then blocked my next strike. She went for a counter, but I evaded it swiftly then knocked her away with a Lion's Fist. I rushed forward and jumped off a table then blasted her away with a fireball. Melody groaned and rolled on the ground then recovered onto her feet.

"Keep up." I said then dashed forward then swiftly appeared behind her.

Melody looked surprised then groaned as I knocked her away then rushed after her then appeared above her. I knocked her to the ground then landed behind her as purple energy surrounded my fists. Melody sat up, coughing and waving away the smoke.

"Did you see that?" Athena asked in awe.

"He was so fast..." Avery said in disbelief.

"Stealth Mode. He traded 50% of all his stats in return he got a 200% boost in speed. Combine that with those Weak Spot attacks...it was like he didn't even lose anything." Rose said.

"He's taking on Melody by himself too. Not many could come close to her power." Annalise said.

Melody stood up and looked back at me. "I guess it's time to take this more seriously."

"You weren't serious from the start? Well I can't complain much, I've only been giving it 30% myself." I said and rested my hands behind my head.

Melody grunted and pointed at me. "You were holding that much back?! Do you take me for some joke?!"

I chuckled and closed my eyes. "I mean I can go further if you want me to. Your wishes are my command after all."

Melody growled, knowing I was taunting her. "I'll make you pay for treating me like a joke!"

She dashed toward me and went for a heavy blow, but I dodged her then landed a swiping chop then knocked her upwards with a kick. She grunted and noticed my smirk. I launched her away with a powerful Lion's Fist and purple energy burst from her stomach. Melody coughed and groaned as she was sent flying.

I roared then awakened my Zodiac Power and dashed after Melody. Melody quickly recovered then roared and her aura surged. She transformed into her Princess Form then dashed toward me. We clashed fists once more, causing a powerful shockwave. We began to rapidly clash until she landed a powerful right hook, knocking me away. She dashed toward me and bellowed.

I flipped backwards off one hand then performed a NY Flare, forming a vortex of flames around me. Melody grunted and sidestepped then noticed powerful winds picking up.

"I've got you!" Nina called out. "Spin!"

I began spinning on the palm of my hand then my Zodiac Crystal shined brightly. I roared and began to resonate with Nina.

"Combination Skill: Burning Cyclone!" Nina and I bellowed then we launched the burning vortex toward Melody.

A woman rushed forward then sliced the vortex in half. Lightning surged around her body. "No one defeats the Princess, not even you!"

I looked at the woman then grunted as she vanished at the blink of an eye. I looked around then sensed an attack behind me then dodged the woman's slash then groaned as a delayed lightning slash hit me.

'She slashed twice within that motion..?!' I thought to myself.

I created some distance then looked at the woman. I looked down and noticed the wound on my torso. "Tch..."

"It would've been a fair fight if you didn't use a combination attack. Now you have me to fight as well." The woman said.

"Fizz! To your right!" Melody warned.

"Too slow!" April laughed, knocking Fizz away with a powerful kick.

Fizz groaned as she crashed into the large fountain. She slowly sat up and looked at April, astonished by her speed and power.

"You shouldn't underestimate us~ Now let us show you what the best duo can do!~" April said then her Crest of War shined brightly on her hand and her Aries Symbol shined on her chest.

Melody grunted and braced herself. 'This is a position I wanted to avoid...People say their teamwork is the deadliest part of their team.'

I walked forward then fixed my jacket. "Alright, April. Let's get this over with."

"I'm with you, my love~" April said.