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Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Gozyu Zero

THE UNIVERSE WAR!

A disastrous calamity struck the universe, threatening to destroy it and plunge everything into darkness. However, such a force was not met without resistance. 49 Sentai Mechs joined together to combat the calamity and save the universe, unfortunately their power would prove inefficient. That was until a new hero arrived to rescue them!

TEGA SWORD!

Hearing the voices of the innocent and brave calling out for a hero, Tega Sword joined together with the other 49 Sentai Robots, utilizing their power to finally put an end to the Calamity, thus bringing the Universe War to a close!

Though the battle was not without cost as Tega Sword's power was too great for the universe to handle. In order to save it from certain destruction, the universe was reset back to ZERO.

Tega Sword scattered all of the power it had used across the universe in the form of rings and entered a deep sleep.

5 Rings containing Tega Sword's power scattered through time and space, choosing certain individuals in hopes of one of them becoming the new savior! To become NUMBER ONE!

Today would be the day!

Today would be HER day!

Elegantly marching her way down the halls of Tristian's Academy of Magic was a young, petite girl of high nobility. She has long, curly, pink hair that reaches her back and complementary pink eyes. Compared to the other females of the academy, she has a small bust, which is a sour mark for her. As a student in the academy, her uniform consists of a white long-sleeved blouse underneath a long, black cloak that reaches her feet, pinned into a spherical, bronze clasp like the rest of the academy students. She also wears a short, black, pleated skirt and a pair of black thigh stockings with black, low-heeled Mary Jane shoes. This is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, or better known throughout the academy…

"Do my eyes deceive me?! Louise the Zero graces us with her presence today?"

Hearing her accursed nickname that she has yet to banish from the minds of her peers, Louise spun around to see the living bane of her existence. "Do you have to show your face to me right now, Zerbst?"

Standing across with her arms folded underneath her impressive bust was Kirche von Zerbst, a foreigner from the neighboring country Germania. Kirche is a tall, young woman with long, red hair, large breasts, and brownish-gold eyes. On her neck lies a gold necklace-like ring and wears a black cloak pinned into a pin with the symbol of the academy. She wears a white, fitted, long-sleeved blouse, which leaves her large bust exposed. She wore black, short skirt and a pair of long, gold boots which reached her skirt.

"What? I can't say hello to a dear friend?" Kirche asked, faking a gasp.

"We're not friends, you cow!"

"Oh right. You have zero friends after all." Kirche's taunt stung the pinkette's heart. "And perhaps, after today, you'll have zero familiars too!" She gives a haughty laugh, infuriating Louise.

"Shut up! I'm not a zero, and I'll prove it today during the summoning ritual!" Louise stuck a sole finger into the air. "I'm going to summon the greatest, most powerful familiar the country-no, the world has ever seen! I'm going to be NUMBER ONE!" She declared powerfully, earning the attention of some of the passing students.

Slightly surprised by Louise's proud declaration, Kirche returns it with a smirk. "Really? Well, I guess one is slightly better than zero. I hope you can back that up, my dear~!" She gives a cute wink to her fuming rival before continuing towards the courtyard.

Louise just stands there, catching her breath as she realizes she just made a fool of herself in the hallway. Grumbling to herself, the pinkette blushed and hurried away, ignoring the whispers and murmurs of her peers.

Ever since she entered this academy, she's done nothing but humiliate herself with her failure to cast even a simple spell. Even in her childhood, her family had done their best to find tutors to figure out the issue, which had all ended in disastrous failures. Any spell she casts just turns into a huge explosion. She couldn't even count on her hands how many clothes she's ruined just by getting blown away by her own failures. Louise had done her best to ignore the looks of pity, disappointment, and ridicule from everyone around her.

Today was her last chance to finally prove to everyone that she wasn't a zero. If she couldn't summon a familiar, something that EVERY mage can do, then she'll have no choice but to drop out of the academy. A hopeless failure that would never be able to accomplish anything in life outside of marrying into some noble family to show some worth.

Louise swore to herself that she wouldn't be a zero anymore.

No matter what, she'll become Number One!

"Number One…"

"Huh?" Louise stopped, turning to find the source of that voice. "Was someone talking to me?" Seeing as there wasn't anyone left in the halls, the zero shook her head. "Great! Am I going crazy now or something?!" She huffs and continues marching towards the courtyard.

"Heed my call and bring forth my familiar!"

POOF!

Everyone in the courtyard watched as the young noble girl, Montmorency, summoned a cute looking frog. She held the little guy, a bit underwhelmed, but satisfied to have gained a familiar of her own.

"I see, this would mean you have the water affinity, miss Montmorency." Professor Colbert, a balding older man with a pair of circular glasses, said. He checked her name off his clipboard as she walked back to join her peers. A loud, pretty boy named Guiche clapped happily for Montmorency's success. His familiar, a giant mole, copied its master's actions to congratulate her.

Louise anxiously kept to the back of the class to keep herself out of everyone's eyes. The last thing she needed was for everyone else to throw off her concentration by insulting her. If she was going to usurp her peers by summoning the greatest familiar ever, then she'd need to be at her best-

"WOOOOAH!"

"Eh?" Louise blinked. She turned her attention to whatever was going on in the courtyard. She pushed through the crowd a bit to see something that caused her mood to sour. Her rival, Kirche, managed to summon a fire-breathing salamander of great power. As if the cow's ego wasn't already big enough!

What made it even worse was that Kirche's best friend, Tabitha. Tabitha is a small, bespectacled girl with light blue hair and corresponding light blue eyes. She wears a white, long-sleeved blouse underneath a long, black cloak reaching until her feet and is pinned by a circular, gold or brass pin attached to a ribbon. She wears black, short skirt and white, long, stocking-like socks reaching up to her skirt, and wears a brown pair of school shoes. She brings with her a large, curved staff, which she uses in place of her wand.

Tabitha had summoned a literal blue dragon of enormous size, captivating everyone in the courtyard. Louise, while she didn't have too much of an issue with Tabita, growled angrily at the luck of it all. How come the girl who barely ever said a word got something so cool?! That should have been her spotlight! How the hell is she supposed to beat that?!

"And lastly, can Louise de La Vallière step forward?! Professor Colbert called her name. All voices in the courtyard hushed as she came forward, their judging eyes fixated on her small back.

Louise gripped her wand, gulping slightly. This wasn't the time to be getting nervous or scared! She was finally granted the moment she needed to prove all of her peers wrong! She'll become Number One by summoning the greatest familiar the world has ever seen!

"Pentagon of the five great elemental powers, heed my summoning! I, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, calls you! Bring forth my familiar!"

BOOM!

Separated from Halkeginia, better yet, the world itself, exists a space-like realm known as No One World. A powerful dark force known as the Buraidans were currently hard at work in uncovering the power of the legendary Tega Sword, which had fallen into a deep sleep after saving the universe from a great calamity. Stationed near their base was the Mech Graveyard, where Tega Sword remains sealed away on top of the pile of robots.

An army of soldiers with bell-like helmets called Combatant Aryees loudly waited for their orders. Walking past his soldiers was an older man wearing a suit tailored to resemble that of a fire candle. He ascends up the hanger of the base to reach the entry point of a giant-sized humanoid-mech of red and gold design. Entering the mech, he savors the sensation of the cockpit with sadistic pleasure. Suddenly, his robot's screen turns on to reveal the face of one of his colleagues.

Meeting him through the video is a young girl with bright pinkish hair and dark eyes. She wears a light blue dress with large white puffy frills on the skirt and sleeves. Covering the top of her head is a similarly white puffy hat with yellow horns protruding upwards. "Mr. Firecandle. Please be sure to usurp the rings before Tega Sword wakes up."

He waves her off. "I get you, Lady Bouquet. The God of Destruction ain't nothing if it's asleep." His eyes turn to the sleeping Tega Sword, who rests upon a pile of destroyed mechs.

She puts her hands on her hips. "And would you please stop it with meaningly violence? You always show off way too much."

"HA HA HA!" Clearly, he wasn't going to listen to her. He grabs the controls of his mech. "King Candela, take-"

Suddenly, the alert system of their base started going off, stopping Firecandle from taking off to his intended destination. "What?! What the hell is going on?!" He demanded of Lady Bouquet.

"How am I supposed to know?!" She shouted back.

"L-Lady Bouquet!" A Combatant Aryees stumbled into their castle's command center, looking frantic. "W-we have an issue!"

"What kind of issue?! Are we under attack?!" She cried.

"N-no! It's the Sentai Ring that was stuck by Tega Sword! It's gone!"

…

…

…

"EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!" Firecandle and Bouquet screamed.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S GONE?!" Firecandle yelled.

The soldier flinched in fear. "S-some of the others saw it vanish in a pink portal! It would seem that it was transported to a different world!"

"Hurry up and track it down!" Bouquet ordered. "Trace its energy, we can't risk someone unknown awakening Tega Sword! Who knows what'll happen?!"

"O-on it, Lady Bouquet! Sir Firecandle!" The Combatant Ayrees quickly hurried away to track the ring's signal.

The two human-like aliens grew serious, fretting over the change of plans. Wherever the ring had gone was now their utmost priority. The last thing they needed was for some ignorant moron to get their hands on the ring. Who knows how much trouble with it!

Louise fell to her rear from the force of the explosion, coughing from all the smoke that covered the courtyard. Her peers were screaming too, cursing her with that insulting nickname for almost blowing them all up.

"Is everyone okay?!" Professor Colbert asked.

"Who cares about them!" Louise screamed, earning cries of anger from her peers. "What about my familiar?! Is my familiar here?!"

When the smoke cleared away, there was nothing standing in the spot of the explosion except some burnt grass. "W-where is it?! Where's my great familiar?!" Louise cried.

"Did she kill it?" A student asked.

"Probably, you know it's impossible for the Zero to accomplish anything."

"I doubt she summoned anything at all."

Ignoring the cruel words, Louise frantically searched for something-anything to appear! That was when she saw something shining in the corner of her eye. Confused, she reached for it and picked it up off the ground. When she opened her palm, Louise could only stare dumbfoundedly at what she had summoned.

Resting in her palm was a small red and gold ring with a wolf-like design. "A-a ring?! I summoned some stupid jewelry?!"

Kirche's laughter met her ears first. "You certainly managed to surpass expectations with this one, my dear! What was that you went on about before? Becoming Number One? Well, you can certainly call yourself the Number One of explosive jewelry!" The mocking laughter of the rest of her peers followed, causing her to blush.

"T-this can't be it!" She turned to Professor Colbert. "Let me do it over! This can't possibly count as a familiar!"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Louise, but you only get one try. You summoned something, so you do pass the exam."

"But it's jewelry! It can't fly, eat, swim, run, fight, or do ANYTHING!"

"Rules are rules, Louise. You'll just have to figure out what it can do." Colbert sighed.

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-"

"Okay, students!" Colbert, seemingly finished with the conversation, addressed the class. Louise stood there, gaping like a fish, her peers continued to snicker at her. Colbert dismissed the class, letting them know they'll have the rest of the day to familiarize themselves with their familiars.

Louise didn't move from her spot as her classmates and professor left the courtyard. Her one chance to prove herself ended in a comedic failure. Instead of the powerful servant she desired, she instead gained a worthless ring.

In the end, Louise is still a zero in the eyes of everyone.

The zero absentmindedly trekked through the courtyard, falling down on a bench with a tired groan. All day she's been tormented constantly since failing to summon a proper familiar, her peers throwing constant insults with even more vigor than before. Kirche was especially loud during lunch, taunting her constantly about her 'Number One' declaration earlier in the day.

Sitting up properly, Louise reached into her cloak to pull out the ring, having kept it hidden all day to avoid even worse jeers. Her eyes narrowed at the jewelry. "What the hell are you even supposed to be?! Never in the history of all of Halkeginia has anyone summoned a piece of jewelry as a familiar!"

Obviously, the ring couldn't respond to her.

"A magic item? Maybe?" She hoped, noticing the intricate design. "Can't be, because I can't feel any magic from it at all!" Louise huffed angrily. "Why couldn't I have gotten a dragon?! Or a salamander?! Hell, I'd even take a stupid mole!"

Was she cursed? Had she offended Brimir or the universe itself to cause her to suffer such humiliation her entire life?!

Isn't she destined for more?! To bring honor to her family name?! She was a noble for Brimir's sake, not some magicless commoner!

All of her efforts, all of her determination to be more than a zero was met with failure after failure after failure!

Looking down at the ring, anger swelled up inside of the pinkette. She gripped the ring in her palm tightly. "And in the end, all I have to show for everything is this stupid, stupid ring!" Louise raised her arm into the air, preparing to throw it away. "JUST DO SOMETHING-"

"Number One…!"

"What?" She stopped, recognizing the voice. "That voice from earlier? Where is it coming from?"

ZIIIIIP!

Louise's musing was interrupted by a loud zipper-like noise coming from above. She turned to the sky to see a huge black hole opening up above the town near the school. Louise wasn't the only one to have seen it as the rest of her schoolmates and teachers could only stare in horror as King Candelor descended from the portal, dropping right in the middle of the town. A shockwave rippled through just from the force of its landing.

"W-what the hell?!" Louise trembled, covering her mouth with her hand. "A golem of that size?!"

King Candelor stomped all over the town, causing as much destruction as it wanted. Inside of the mech, Firecandle laughed sadistically at the destruction. "Look at these peons! Witnesses to the greatness of my King Candelor!" Flames burst from the robot's wrists, setting buildings ablaze without a second thought. "OI! The rest of you join in too! We're gonna find that ring, no matter how much of this world has to be destroyed!"

Following his command, several Combatant Ayrees emerged from even more portals. They all started attacking civilians left and right, brutalizing them effortlessly. The commoners were helpless to the might of the Buraidans! "It's the devil! The devil is here!"

"Who you calling the devil?! I'm here to make this good-for-nothing world all light!" He then scratches his head. "What was it again…? Oh yeah! A savior! I'm savior Number One!" Firecandle declared as he continued razing the town to the ground.

Back at the academy, Louise eventually snapped out of her stupor when she heard the school's alarms blaring. The Headmaster's voice echoing within and outside of the school. "ALL STUDENTS BACK INSIDE OF THE ACADEMY AT ONCE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

At the same time, several professors were deploying the horses in hopes of reaching the town in time to assist the assigned knights in battle. Louise turned around to retreat back into the academy like the rest of the students were in hopes of remaining safe.

"Number One…!"

She stopped as if her body had been frozen. Louise looked back to the chaos happening, then clenched her fists. "What am I doing…?! Running away like some kind of coward?! I'm a noble! I'm Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière! If I'm going to be a mage of this country, then I can't just run away when something bad happens!" But doubt started forming in her head. "But what could I even do? I can't even use spells for battle!"

"Number One…!"

Her eyes widened and she glanced down at her familiar, the mysterious ring she had summoned. For some reason, unlike before, Louise could feel something lying within it. Gulping a bit, she decided to try her luck one more time. "Well, if you're actually powerful or something then you better work!" Louise put the ring on her right finger.

SHINE!

BLING!

"G-GYAAAA!" Louise screamed as a terrible pain invaded her mind. Red lines emerged over her face as the ring illuminated in a bright explosion of light. When the light vanished, Louise was no longer standing in the courtyard.

Louise opened her eyes, finding herself floating in a black void. "W-where am I?! What happened to the school?!"

"Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, this is a contract."

"That voice?" She recognized it immediately. "You're the one who called to me before!" Her eyes widened when an enormous humanoid-robot with armor-like plating with red and gold color-scheme appeared before her. As anyone would, Louise immediately freaked out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"My name is Tega Sword."

"You're not a sword, you're a golem! S-some kind of giant metal one!" She stammered.

"I am far more than that. I grant the wish of those who collect all of the rings. It is the contract of the ring." Tega Sword explained.

"Contract? Rings? Just what are you talking about?!" Louise shouted.

"Let me make this simple. What is your wish?"

"M-my wish?"

"Tell me your wish, and I'll tell you how to achieve it."

She scowled at the robot. "I don't have to tell you anything! In fact, you should be listening to me! My ring brought me here, which means you're connected to it, therefore you're my familiar! You do as I say!"

"So be it."

"Don't try and argue with me! I'm your master-huh?" Louise paused, blinking at the robot. "Did you just agree?"

"I'm your familiar, as you put it, it's my responsibility to do as you say. If you trust in me and tell me your wish, I promise you that you'll become Number One!" Tega Sword raised his finger into the air, the tip shining as bright as a star.

"Number One?" Louise's eyes widened.

"Shut up! I'm not a zero, and I'll prove it today during the summoning ritual!" Louise stuck a sole finger into the air. "I'm going to summon the greatest, most powerful familiar the country-no the world has ever seen! I'm going to be NUMBER ONE!"

Clenching her fists, Louise lowered her head, bangs blocking her eyes. "I-I don't want to be a zero anymore! For so long, everyone has treated me like I'm a failure! For once, I want to be able to feel like I can do more, accomplish something!" She threw her head up to look Tega Sword straight in the eyes. "I refuse to remain a zero forever, no matter what! I WANT TO BECOME NUMBER ONE!"

If he could smile, Tega Sword would be after hearing that declaration. "Aim for the top in every battle the ring brings you to. Then, the world will unfold and your wish shall come true." Tega Sword's body vanished, replaced with three floating objects.

A gold ring, the red ring, and a silver gauntlet with a short blue blade sticking out.

"Louise, you are not a zero."

Words she's been waiting so long to hear filtered into her ears, causing a burst of tears to spring forth. Louise grabbed the rings and the gauntlet, unknowingly undoing the seals placed on Tega Sword. As a fierce light illuminated from her chest, the pinkette's tears dried away to reveal a determined glare.

The golden ring fused with the gauntlet, transforming it into a golden one, while the red ring went back onto her right finger. For some reason, one she couldn't understand yet, the noble girl pulled back her head and released a prideful howl.

SHINE!

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Firecandle, the Combatant Ayrees, the townspeople, and mages all stopped their fighting to see a pillar of red energy exploding in the distance. The light parted the clouds, revealing a gigantic golden gauntlet descending downwards. The gauntlet transformed into the golden visage of Tega Sword, two blue wings extended from its back, while a zigzag blue blade extended from the right gauntlet. A crimson wolf helmet formed over its head.

Within the giant robot's cockpit was Louise, in her hands was a smaller version of Tega Sword. As if the information had been placed into her mind, she placed the mini robot into the command console. "God and Man Union!"

Seize it! Cut it! Red! Seize it! Cut it! Red!

Louise crossed her arms, the visage of Tega Sword flashing over her to signify their union. "HAH!"

TEGA SWORD RED!

Firecandle's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he stared at Tega Sword Red. "I don't believe it! Tega Sword was awoken?!"

"Hey, jerk!" A feminine voice called out to him as Tega Sword Red points at King Candelor. "You're so loud that I practically hear you from the other side of the country! You said something about being Number One, yeah? Too bad! The real Number One is going to be me!"

Firecandle growled at the human that dared to cross him. "In that case, I'll teach you how to fight by blowing you away!"

NOW SEIZE IT NUMBER ONE!

GO! GO! GOZYUGER!

As if they were in some boxing match, Firecandle stepped up first. "I know no defeat and show no mercy! Buraidan Kamikaze Commander, the invincible Firecandle! I'll purge you with my flames!"

Louise met him head-on without fear. "I've faced countless failures for as long as I could remember! But today will be my first victory! My first step in becoming NUMBER ONE!" Her upper outfit changed into white and black robes with black pants covering her lower area.

NUMBER ONE BATTLE! READY, GO!

Tega Sword Red lunged forward, dropping from the sky to land directly in front of King Candelor. She lunged forward, engaging in a fierce sword fight against the commander of the alien army. Townsfolk, minions, and mages fled the scene as the epic battle commenced.

Louise ducked under a swipe of the flaming blade to sweep his leg. King Candelor recovered quickly by using his boosters to keep himself up. He swung his sword to cut her in half, but Louise blocked it with her own blade. With her free hand she thrusted her palm. "Palm Crush!"

"Gah!" Firecandle cried as he was knocked back, his sword falling to the ground. He growled and thrusted his robot's arms out. "BURN!" Skin-melting flames fwoosh out of King Candelor's arms.

"Sole Booster!" Louise pushed forward, leaping over the flames. She struck King Candelor across the chest, throwing him out of the town. She continued to wail on him, punching the red robot even further from the town. Sparks and smoke were spilling out of the red machine from all the damage it had taken.

"I can't believe it! Brought to my knees by a mere human?! Impossible!" Firecandle cried. "I am the strongest!"

"Not anymore, loser!" Louise shouted. She activated the final move of Tega Sword Red, the wings struck upwards, joining together. The legendary robot took to the skies, spinning like a drill. "Tega Sword! Zero Breaker!"

"GRAAAAA!" Firecandle screamed with unbridled fury, unable to stop his defeat from happening.

ZERO! SWORD FINISH!

SLASH!

Tega Sword Red drilled straight through King Candelor, ending the battle with Louise's victory. Though furious, Firecandle wasn't foolish enough to stay within his destructive robot. He activated a portal and retreated back to his base to avoid death. "This isn't over! I'll have my revenge! I promise!" His pride and joy exploded, giving Tega Sword Red an epic backdrop to her victory.

"I won?" Louise couldn't believe it. "I actually managed to win that?!" Before she could fully taste her victory, she looked through the screen to see that the town was still suffering under the Buraidans' attack. The mages and knights were struggling to hold off against such a powerful force. "I have to do something, but I can't use this thing to fight them! I would just end up destroying the town!"

SHINE!

Her ring started shining again, catching her attention. "Tega Sword?" A strange feeling in her chest was telling her to trust the ring once more. As hard headed as she usually is, Louise was willing to listen to her familiar. It has gotten her this far, so she'll be sure to finish the fight this time!

Tega Sword Red kneeled down, lowering its arm to the ground to allow Louise to slide down the metal appendage. With knowledge granted to her by Tega Sword, she placed her red ring into the golden gauntlet. "Engage!"

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

Louise clapped her hands seven times, moving her arm in a circular motion to create a circle of red energy, then leaped into the air to repeat the action for a golden circle. She dropped down and the two circles combined around her, transforming her appearance into something new.

FLASH!

No longer in her academy uniform, Louise was now equipped with a skin-tight black and red suit. Gold and red armor adorned her shoulders and wrists. A golden belt was wrapped around her waist. The helmet covering her identity was red with a black visor going around the head, and gold plating resembling a wolf. Her shoes were white with two gold lines going down the front to resemble claws. The red ring could be seen worn over her right white glove, while the golden gauntlet covered the left one.

GOZYU ZERO!

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Louise released a mighty howl, generating a shockwave that blew most of the enemy Ayrees away. The mages and civilians turned to the masked hero, shocked by her appearance.

"What in the world?!" A mage exclaimed.

"First two massive golems attack the town, now this?!"

"When will we get a break?!"

To their shock, Gozyu Zero lunged past them in order to attack the Combatant Ayrees. She strikes down several of them with her blade, then ducks down to avoid getting nailed. She grabs the Ayree to her left, then throws him into the group behind her. Zero releases several energized swipes that destroy the group of Ayrees. She flips over the next ones, flashing through them like a predator on a hunt. They fell into defeated heaps, unable to stop the ferocious warrior from taking them down.

"S-she's beat them?!" A civilian cried.

"M-maybe that means she's on our side?!"

"If that's the case, then I'm all for cheering her on! Go mysterious red!"

Gozyu Zero ignored their cheering as she tore through her enemies. She kicked one away, then struck down another with her weapon. The more she defeated, the more terrified her enemies had become of her, backing away in fear. Zero didn't let their fear hinder her from fulfilling her duty as a mage and noble.

An Ayree tried to hit her with his weapon, but she grabbed it. "That's not going to work, weakling!" She struck him down after that.

"Enough!" Zero turned to see an Ayree with a golden helmet commanding a small platoon of Ayrees, who were holding some kind of rocket launcher. "That ring you have is the Ring of Destruction that calls forth disaster! Hand it over!" He brought up a hammer, hitting it against his helmet.

Above Zero, a giant golden bell magically appeared. As it dropped on top of her, the platoon fired their weapon to trap her inside of the bell to be blown apart. Contrary to their assumption, Gozyu Zero effortlessly tore her way out of the bell, defeating their attempt at killing her. "A Ring of Destruction?!"

"Wrong!" Zero leaped into the air, landing right in front of the captain. "Watch what you say about my familiar, the greatest power in the world!" She slapped his weapon from his hand and proceeded to lay one hell of a combo on the Ayree captain. "With the power of my familiar, I'm going to be…!" She finished the combo by smashing her blade into his ribs, cosmic power radiating from the weapon.

FINISH! FINGER! ZERO!

Zero slashed him, then kicked his sparking body into his platoon. The captain flew straight into them, exploding himself and his platoon straight to hell. "NUMBER ONE!" Gozyu Zero turned to the townspeople with a single finger raised.

WINNER: GOZYU ZERO!

Unbeknownst to Louise, she wasn't the only one in the world that had been chosen to bear the power of the Tega Sword. Four others, three female and one male, turned their attention to the devastated town. Louise's victory and howl had been an indicator to all that the race to acquire the rings had begun, and that only one of them could become NUMBER ONE!

Go WINNER NO.1! Go WINNER NO.1!

Go WINNER NO.1! Go WINNER NO.1!

Red, Green, Yellow, Black, and Blue Sentai Ring bearers clap their hands to the beat, performing a small dance to go along with it.

Suddenly, they're attacked by a group of Combatant Ayrees and fend them off easily.

The scene switches to show Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche, and Siesta having replaced the costumed warriors in the battle. Their bladed gauntlets striking down their enemies.

Today, somewhere, a niche showdown

Louise is seen trying to perform a spell, failing miserably to cast one, and causing a huge explosion. Tega Sword can be seen watching over her in the background.

Every time, the fight causes a commotion for the winner

I'm the greatest in the whole world!

Break loose now! Break loose!

Guiche is seen trying to impress a bunch of ladies with his looks, just for Kirche to trip him up. Tabitha shakes her head and tries to walk away but ends up walking right into Siesta, who drops her basket of dried laundry.

Behind them, their versions of Tega Sword pose in the background.

10 and animals and 50 wishes…are dormant in the rings with the swords!

Deflect any noise in your way!

Let's jump! Let's jump!

Louise and her fellow ring bearers stand next to their costumed counterparts, then flash their rings and gauntlets at the viewers.

An army of Combatant Ayrees appear in a grass field before the Gozyu-warriors tear through them like butter.

Far away precious universes!

Tega Sword stands at the pinnacle of the robot graveyard, raising one finger into the air.

Take me to another dimension!

Is it an illusion, reality, or even a fantasy?

The Gozyu-warriors square off against several Red Sentai of different generations. When a single ring is thrown into the air, they all forgo their fight to reach it.

Dreams wavering, wavering, wavering hazily, it's not clear

Firecandle and Bouquet dance along to the music with their Combatant Ayrees right behind them.

The past is sturdy. Let it ring out!

Don't fret, don't give up this impulse!

Gozyu Zero and her fellow warriors dance to the beat, behind them a portal opens to showcase all of their personal reasons for bearing the rings of the Tega Sword.

Louise's was the most prominent, her wish for no longer being seen as a Zero held strong.

(Let's jump!) Right now…

(Let's Go!) Right here…

(Go!) The gong of victory rings!

The Gozyu-warriors clap their hands to the beat, then the ringing of the Ayrees bell signals the start of the chorus.

(Dance! Go, go, take Number One!)

Follow the light of your ring!

As Louise, Guiche, Kirche, Tabitha, and Siesta dance to the song, the screen flashes between them and their Gozyu counterparts. They stick their arms up into the air, holding a single finger, then hold up each index finger while kicking out their legs.

(Clap clap! Clap, you're Number One)

Proud Zeros!

Tega Sword copies their movements, following their energy perfectly.

(Go, go! Splendid! Number One!)

With you on the shining ring!

Princess Henrietta does her own dance moves with her arms before pointing to the other end of her throne room to show the Gozyu-warriors dancing once again.

Dance! GO! WINNER! GO! WINNER!

GO! Stand Out!

NO.1 SENTAI ZERO!

Tega Sword and his chosen saviors all stand together, posing one last time as the song reaches its conclusion.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Familiar Treasure

In No-One World, stationed inside of the Buraidans' main tower, Fire Candle paced around the throne room, burning with anger. His humiliating loss against that girl-Gozyu Zero-ended with his prized mech destroyed once again. "Gozyu Zero…! I swear that I'll pay you back for destroying my King Candelor!"

"Will you quit pacing around the room so much?! You're burning the carpets!" Bouquet exclaimed. Fire Candle stopped, looking down at his feet to see that his coworker was correct that his fiery temper was making a mess. "Wouldn't want to make a mess in our mistress' chambers, would we?" She points to the large shut doors behind them, where an ethereal pink glow could be seen from the bottom.

Shaking slightly, the fiery commander let out a puff of smoke from his nose. As angry as he was, he knew it would be foolish to make a mess in here. "Fine. But I expect repairs to be made on King Candelor as soon as possible so that I can get my revenge!"

"Unfortunately, the damage it sustained was a little too much compared to the last time. I can't guarantee an estimated time." She responded.

"What?! How am I supposed to exact my revenge if I can't use King Candelor to crush that tiny girl into paste?!"

"Perhaps we should rethink your position if you're going to struggle against a girl barely half your size."

"What was that-"

"No worries, commander!" The two leaders stopped their arguing when a third voice seized the air. Looking over, Fire Candle and Bouquet found a golden helmet Ayree kneeling down in front of them. "I'll be sure to watch over the progress of King Candelor's recovery to ensure it's back in top fighting form soon!"

Fire Candle smiles at his friend. "Cassios Beia! I knew I could always count on you!" He places a friendly hand on the Ayree's shoulder. The soldier would be smiling if he was capable of doing so.

"Well, if it's Cassios Beia, then we have nothing to worry about with King Candelor's restoration." Bouquet smiled as she continued drinking her tea.

As Cassios Beia made an exit to work on Fire Candle's mech, a dual-colored monster of grey and pink entered the room, a face found on both sides of the creature's body. The pink side, Mrs. Sweet Cake, let out a haughty laugh as she flapped her fan. "Bouquet, Fire Candle, a pleasure! Isn't that right, Mr. Shining Knife?"

The grey side, her husband, loudly agreed. "That's right, Mrs. Sweet Cake! And we couldn't help but hear your troubles dealing with that pesky girl that got in your way yesterday!"

"And?" Fire Candle crossed his arms, glaring at the married duo.

"We believe that you no longer have any need to worry. One of our finest No-Ones is on the scene currently to retrieve the stolen ring. Isn't that right, Mrs. Sweet Cake?"

"Certainly, Mr. Shining Knife~! Their No.1 specialty is certain to retrieve the rings for our queen!" Mrs. Sweet Cake laughed lovingly.

As good as that would be for the No-One to retrieve the ring, Fire Candle was hoping that it wouldn't. He wanted to be the one to defeat Gozyu Zero and retrieve that stolen ring back at all costs.

Tristan Academy was in a feral buzz this morning, students rushing all over the school grounds gossiping to each other about the explosive events of the prior day. When the mysterious red warrior appeared and fought off the sudden invasion that nearly destroyed the town and potentially the academy. Nobody knew where the red warrior had vanished to when the battle was over, but the common townsfolk were singing their praises to the high heavens. The commoners believe the red hero to be a warrior gifted by the Founder in their time of need. A thought that the privileged students of the academy scoffed at. The Founder only favored the nobles and clearly sent this hero to prevent the invaders from reaching the academy, or worse, the capital.

Regardless of the beliefs of whichever side, there was a common thought shared between both classes… The red warrior was a hero.

And currently, that same hero was giggling to herself at her private breakfast table. As per normal for Louise, she kept to herself during meals to avoid the harassment of her classmates, sitting in one of the more hidden corners of the dining hall. But even in this corner, Louise could hear the gossip of her peers.

"I heard some of the maids talking. Apparently, they were in town when the invasion happened. They said the red warrior lunged into battle while riding on some golem that looked like a horse!"

"No, no! It was more like some kind of…tiger!"

"Not a tiger, idiot! It was a bear!"

"A bear? Please! It was totally human!"

"That's way off!"

Louise happily giggled, munching on her eggs with a delight she hasn't felt in a long time. "That's right, fools! Praise me! The 'zero' you've been mocking since the start is the hero of this play!" Her eyes drifted to the red and black ring on her right finger. "My familiar, Tega Sword, with you I'll finally discard my name of 'Louise the Zero' as Gozyu Zero-wait a minute…"

Louise had been riding her own high since passing out on her bed that she never once thought about the name given to her. "WHY IS MY NAME 'GOZYU ZERO'?!" Her hands slam the table, earning a few stares her way. The petite pink mage glares at the ring. "Answer me!"

The ring didn't speak to her.

"Tega-"

"Hm? Talking to jewelry now, are we?"

"Ack!" Quickly, Louise hid her hands away and turned to scowl at the busty redhead standing behind her. "Zerbst!"

Kirche crossed her hands under her impressive bust. "What's wrong, my dear? Embarrassed to show off your familiar? Don't be so afraid. A familiar is a reflection of the master, a precious treasure of your soul. And I'm sure that jewelry can at least reflect that cute face of yours."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of compliment?" Louise scoffed.

"I could have added an insult about how your face is the only positive quality that'll get you far since you can't use magic, but I refrained from doing so."

"You just did it!"

"Oh, I suppose I did." Kirche shrugged without much care. She moved her cape, revealing the large scaly familiar she gained yesterday. "Though even if you did summon something living, it wouldn't compare to my sweet Flame." She lovingly pets him, earning a cute growl from the lizard. "Aren't you the cutest?"

"Tch! I don't have time for your nonsense today!" Louise shot up from her seat, having lost her appetite. "Since classes are canceled today, I have far more important matters to attend to!"

"What? Like, giving yourself uplifting speeches in the mirror every morning?"

The vertically challenged mage stiffened, spinning on her heels. "How do you even know about that?!"
"I didn't, but thanks for confirming~!"

"ARGH! Just shut up!" Louise blushed brightly, ignoring some of the mocking laughter of classmates. Great! She just went from the hot topic of praise to the hot topic of humiliation! Quickly, Louise spun back around to hurry towards the exit of the dining hall. But she wasn't watching where she was going and ended up running into someone. "Eep!"

"Louise."

Blinking, she realizes that she had bumped into Tabitha, the bespectacled girl's eyes shifting downwards. It wasn't like Tabitha was that much taller than her, but she still needed to adjust sight to meet Louise's eyes. "T-Tabitha!"

Tabitha's eyes caught sight of the ring on Louise's finger for a split second before the jewelry was hidden beneath the sleeves. Instead of commenting on it like her friend had done, the quiet girl decided to move out of Louise's way. "Stay safe."

"U-uh, right…thanks…?" Unlike the rivalry she holds with Kirche, Louise didn't have much of a relationship with Tabitha. The girl tended to keep to herself with short, incomplete responses to others. While she has never outright bullied Louise, she never went out of her way to defend her either and her friendship with Kirche tended to prompt Louise to keep distance.

Kirche walked over with Flame following closely, the three watch Louise hastily escape the dining hall. The Germanian redhead looks to her friend, noticing a look in her eyes. "Oh? Has our dear 'Zero' caught the attention of Tabitha?"

Shrugging, the bespectacled mage turned to walk to follow Louise. "Things are going to start getting interesting."

"Hm? What are you implying?" Kirche asked, only to receive no answer in response. Used to this behavior, Kirche decided to trust her friend's words and followed after to see that 'interesting' for herself.

Louise got off the horse, arriving in town to see the damage that had been done to the one peaceful land. So caught up in her ego-boosting she had forgotten just how much chaos had been going on yesterday. Some buildings were wrecked, streets torn apart, and some clearly injured people could be seen. Luckily, mages and medics from nearby towns had been brought over to help with the restoration efforts.

Crossing her arms, Louise let out a small sigh. It wasn't like she could do anything to help out with rebuilding as that was a commoner's job rather than a noble. The best she could do was use her newfound abilities to defend the town again in case those Buraidans decided to show their faces again. As was the role of a noble in training to become a powerful mage.

As she walked through the destroyed street, Louise pondered on that thought, glancing down at the Universe Ring. She still couldn't properly use magic, causing destructive explosions every time she tried. And the only reason she was able to save the day was because of her familiar giving her this ring, not anything she's actually capable of doing on her own.

SQUEAK!

"Ah!" Louise looked down and saw that she stepped on a torn stuffed toy on the ground. She picked it up, feeling the slightly burned fabric of the bear. "A toy? Some kid must have dropped it." Well, not like it was her business to hunt down some random kid just to give them their toy back, if they even still wanted it in this state. Certainly, there was some toy shop around here she could turn it-

"AAAHHH!"

"Eh?!" Louise flinched at the high-pitched scream in the distance. Narrowing her eyes, the petite mage rushes off towards the scream to see what was going on. Unknown to her, Kirche and Tabitha had been following closely on the quiet girl's dragon. Sylphid.

"Seems little Louise is stumbling into some trouble! Looks like you were right about something 'interesting' happening, Tabitha!" Kirche smiled.

"Not yet. Keep following." She gently urges the dragon, who gives a cute cry before following after the pinkette.

Louise turns a corner to see a strange sight in front of her. A purple portal had been opened, with an innocent woman trapped inside begging for help. "Miss!" Louise reaches to help her, but several pieces of armor attach to her body, a golden belt wrapping around her waist. Gold coins gather all over her, completely covering the poor woman's body. A shockwave of white light knocks the mage on her rear.

TREASURE.

GET RICH QUICK.

HUMAN.

NUMBER ONE.

SHINE!

"I am born! It is I, the No-One World's number one in treasure hunting!" Looming over Louise was a monster of strange appearance. Its body was humanoid, clothing resembling a pirate's attire. Chests spilling out golden coins were growing out of his body as well; his face was a frightening purple skull.

"W-what?!" Louise gasped, utterly baffled. "What the hell are you?! And what did you do to that woman?!"

"Hmph! Watch close, girl, let me show you, my power!" Treasure Hunter leaped into the air, flying further into the more populated area of the town. Louise and her hidden classmates watched as the monster began robbing innocent commoners of their belongings, causing even more destruction to the already damaged town. People began to run in fear, terrified of another attack happening so soon.

Treasure Hunter held a golden bag filled with valuables in his hands. "Treasure found! Some fine jewels, haha! A successful treasure hunt!"

"Hey, ugly jerk!"

"What?!" Treasure Hunter turned to see Louise had caught up to him. "What do you want, little girl!"

"Watch it, creep! I'm not some little girl! I'm Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière! A proud mage of this country!" Louise declared. She points an accusatory finger at the monster. "And you're going to return everything you just stole and release that innocent commoner!"

"A mage, huh?" He points his treasure finder at the girl, making a pleased noise. "I've never added a mage to my collection. You'll certainly make a fine addition! Ayrees, come forth!" Treasure Hunter snapped his fingers, calling forth several soldiers from No-One World.

Narrowing her eyes, Louise gripped the ring on her finger. "This doesn't scare me! Enga-"

"Not so fast, my dear!"

Descending from the sky with a burst of wind was Sylphid, Tabitha and Kirche leaping off of the dragon to stand dramatically in front of their petite classmate. Louise gawked at the arrival of her peers. "W-what the?! Zerbst?! Tabitha?! What are you two even doing here?!"

"Following you." Kirche admitted without shame.

"Stalker!"

"Aren't you happy to have admirers then?" She blew a kiss at the pinkette, earning a blush from Louise.

"W-what are you talking about?!"

"Kirche." Tabitha called her friend.

Turning away from Louise, Kirche brushed her air away. "Yes, I suppose we should lend her a hand, yes? Sit and watch, dear Louise. You're about to see something special." She reached between her large mounds while Tabitha opened her palm to summon something.

"What are you talking about?! There's no way the two of you could possibly fight these things! I doubt either of you have been in a fight!" Louise exclaimed.

"That's what you think, dear." Kirche smiled as she unveiled her desired object from between her breasts. A magical light shone above Tabitha's palm before revealing itself to Louise.

Louise could only stare in disbelief as Kirche and Tabitha possessed a very familiar ring each, one blue and the other black. Her stomach dropped as a dreaded feeling burned her chest. "W-wait! How do you two have those rings?! Those should only be-"

"Engage!" Kirche and Tabitha announced as they inserted their rings into their golden gauntlets.

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

Much like Louise had done the previous day, the two girls clapped their hands seven times to the sound of the music. Raising their hands, they motioned circular rings in front and above them. Transforming into their alter egos in a bright flash of light, nearly blinding the small girl behind them.

GOZYU FLAME!

Kirche now wore a similar outfit to Gozyu Zero, except her animal motif was a unicorn instead of a wolf. Her skintight suit was completely black except for the white boots and gloves, pink linings around the armor pieces of her suit. Golden pieces of armor hugged her shoulders, and a gold horn shining on the forehead of her helmet. Gozyu Flame gave a sexy taunt to her enemies, blowing a kiss at them.

GOZYU AQUA!

Tabitha now wore a similar suit, except her animal motif was a lion. Her skintight suit is mostly blue with black areas on the chest and arms. The pieces of armor were blue with gold pieces on the shoulders, and a lion's face on the helmet. Gozyu Aqua simply raised her bladed gauntlet at the Ayrees.

Louise was still frozen, afraid to move from her spot. Her jaw could practically hit the floor with the way it was hanging. "H-how do you two have those rings?! Tega Sword is my familiar, not yours!"

"Not now, my dear. The grown-ups are busy." Gozyu Flame laughed. "Let's go, Tabitha!"

"Yes." Gozyu Aqua nodded.

The two lunged forward at the group of enemies, hacking and slashing without mercy. Gozyu Flame weaved through the oncoming Ayrees with expert grace befitting her social standing. She ducked under a swing before slashing upwards to knock one of them away, then spun with her blade to send a few more flying back. One tried to attack but ended up tripping, falling face first into her chest. "Oh~! Seems someone is a bit excited~!" The Ayree blushed brightly, waving his hands as if to signify that it was an accident. This was his downfall as she stabbed forward, releasing a burst of black flames from her gauntlet.

FINISH FINGER! FLAME!

The burst of heat destroyed the surrounding Ayrees, burning them to ash. Treasure Hunter gasped at how quickly his men were defeated until a wooden staff was aimed at the back of his head. Gozyu Aqua glaring at him through her helmet. "Now, tell us who you are."

"We are No-One. Each with our pride held high of our number one status." Treasure Hunter explained. "However, the human race can only swing a punch in vain. Tactless little things."

"What did you say?!" Louise yelled.

Treasure Hunter stomped the ground, causing a small quake to knock Aqua away to give him some space. "I'll tell you all again! I am the number one in treasuring hunting! If you want to beat me, you'll have to face me in a treasure hunting showdown!"

"Showdown…" Louise muttered.

Become Number One!

Tega Sword's words resurfaced in her mind. Clenching her hand, Louise pushed her current feelings aside for the moment. The monster in front of her needed to be stomped out as quickly as possible. "Fine! I'll beat you in your little showdown!"

"You can count us in it too!" Gozyu Flame pointed to herself and Aqua.

TREASURE HUNT BATTLE! READY, GO!

"The one who hunts the most treasure by the day's end wins!" Treasure Hunter sets the rules of the game.

"Fine." Aqua agrees. "But you have to promise to not destroy the rest of this town in the meantime or any other human establishments."

"Fine by me. As long as you all play the game!" Treasure Hunter promised as he made his exit. The monster vanished through a small invisible portal.

With the monster gone for the moment, Flame and Aqua released their transformation to turn back to normal. Kirche crossed her arms underneath her breasts. "A treasure hunting game, hm? Sounds easy enough."

"Don't underestimate him. His specialty is acquiring priceless treasures." Tabitha warned.

"You worry too much, sweetie." Kirche waved away her concerns.

"HEY!" The friends turn around to see Louise stomping over to them, steam practically rising from the petite girl's head. "You two better start explaining how you're using the abilities of my familiar or else I'll curse you both!" Louise points her wand threateningly.

"Curse? Don't you mean explode?"

"Shut up, Zerbst!"

"But you just told me to explain, dear."

"ARGH! Why do you always have to be so annoying?!" Louise pulled at her hair, grinding her teeth.

"We were also given the power of the Tega Sword to be his warriors." Tabitha answered Louise's question.

"But it's true that we didn't summon him like you had done." Kirche added.

"T-then stop using him! In fact, give me your rings! He's my familiar, MINE! I finally have something that makes me special and I won't have you two ruining that!" Louise shouted.

"Too bad, Louise, that's not how this works." Kirche responded, shocking the pinkie. "Didn't he give you the whole spiel when you put on the ring?"

Louise's eyes widened, remembering what Tega Sword told her when they first met. "He said…"

Aim for the top in every battle the ring brings you to. Then, the world will unfold and your wish shall come true.

Tabitha readjusted her glasses. "We both have our own desires we wish to see become a reality. These rings are our tickets, therefore we can't hand them over."

"Unless it's through a battle." Kirche smiled.

Louise narrowed her eyes, reaching for her ring. "Then we can-"

"Not now. There's more important matters right now." Tabitha shook her head.

"She's right, dear. That Treasure Hunter has a head start, so it'll be best to get moving unless we want to lose." Kirche said as she and Tabitha walked back towards Slyphid.

"W-what?! Are you two working together?!" Louise cried.

"Why not? There's no rule against it." Kirche shrugged. There wasn't any disagreement from Tabitha either. "But trust me when I say that we're in this race for the rings for our own goals. When the time comes for one of us to hand over our rings, we promised that there would be no hard feelings, yes?" She turned to her friend.

"Yes." Tabitha confirmed.

"Tada, Louise! Have fun finding your treasure!" Kirche waved as Sylphid took to the skies, heading off into a direction to find their treasures, leaving Louise to stand on her own.

A strangled growl ruptures from Louise's lips, her anger clear as day. She was furious at the monster, furious at Zerbst, furious at the world, furious at Tega Sword, and…herself.

Louise stormed off to find something, anything that could be a treasure. But she honestly had no idea where to start.

Citizens panicked in terror as Treasure Hunter ravaged through the town, utilizing his treasure finder to loot the pathetic humans. "Give me all of your priceless treasures!"He steals several items from whatever shops he could find. Jewels, jewelry, money, and even weapons were being absorbed into his magical pouch, plundered without a shred of mercy. "Ha ha! It's like taking candy from a child!" And to even prove that point, he swiped a piece of candy from a kid, causing the kid to start crying. The kid's mother quickly grabbed her child and ran away. "Doesn't count as harming if the baby wasn't hurt! Ha ha!"

"Looks like we have one hell of a kleptomaniac here, huh?"

"Hm? Who said that?" Treasure Hunter looked around for the owner of the voice.

"Down here!"

Looking down, underneath his foot, an old looking sword vibrated slightly. "Mind getting your foot off of me?" The sword asked.

"O-oh, sorry!" Treasure Hunter stepped off of the sword. "I didn't see you there-wait a minute-how is a sword talking?!"

"You're a rampaging monster looting everyone in the town and yet a talking sword freaks you out?"

…

"Touche." Treasure Hunter relented. "Well, you don't look super valuable, so I'll be on my way-"

"Not valuable?!" The sword took offense. "Excuse you! How many talking swords do you see hanging around on a daily basis?!"

"...Huh. You're right! Though you look pretty old and useless (Hey!)I'm certain that a talking weapon has a ton of value points!" Treasure Hunter opened his pouch to absorb the sword, however, to his shock a pink rune appeared on the sword's hilt, causing an explosion that knocked the monster on his rear. "Ow! What the hell was that?!"

"Oh that? Yeah, it happens sometimes. Don't worry about it."

"That sounds like something I should be really worried about!"

"What? Scared?" The sword teased, earning a cartoonish tick mark on the monster's head.

"As if! I have a game to win and I can't waste anymore time!" Treasure Hunter got back to his feet, dusting himself off. "If I can't absorb you into my bag, then I'll just have to take you back to No-One World for now. A personal treasure to keep to myself." Treasure Hunter picks up the sword.

"No-One World, huh? Sounds like a fancy place. Are there any good looking ladies?" The sword asked.

"Why do you care, you're a sword?"

"Can't a poor sword have hobbies?"

Rolling his eyes, the No-One quickly retreated back to No-One World in order to hand the sword over to his superiors before returning back to his soon-to-be victory.

For Tabitha and Kirche, the two were collecting treasures from plenty of boys around the school thanks to Kirche's seductive acts. Honestly, getting people to hand over their treasures was never going to be an issue, but the treasures themselves would be. One would expect a school filled with the heirs of royal families to be carrying around priceless treasures but…

"Junk." Kirche tossed away a nicely preserved book.

Tabitha caught it, lightly glaring at the Germanian. "It's worth something."

"Sorry, dear, but we're looking for treasure here. We need items that can be sold for millions of écu. I'm sure we could get something selling some of this junk, but it's not going to win the game." Kirche said.

"Agreed." Tabitha pocketed the book for her own personal use, then closed their bag shut. She tied it onto Sylphid for safe keeping. "At this rate, we won't be able to win."

"We need something, an item so priceless and rare that anyone would want it…" Kirche crossed her arms, thinking harder than she normally would need to.

"Oh, Ms. Zerbst! Ms. Tabitha! I see you two are having some kind of fun." The girls turned to see Professor Colbert approaching them. The balding teacher smiles warmly at his students. "I hope the day has been pleasant for you two after everything that happened yesterday."

Considering the situation they were in, the girls didn't think they could count the day as pleasant. But seeing their professor here did provide them with an opportunity. Kirche smiles warmly at him. "Say, professor, you wouldn't happen to have any…uh…special items, would you?"

"Special items?" He tilted his head.

"Yeah, Tabitha and I are trying to collect things for a little competition with some fellow students. We were hoping to see if you had anything that we could use? Something rare and never before seen!" Kirche explains, playing up her curiosity and innocence.

Colbert rubbed his chin. "Something never before seen…" He looked a bit conflicted, wondering if he really should do this, but seeing the pleading look on Kirche's face made him sigh. If it was for the sake of his students, then he shouldn't have too much problem with it. "I do have something, a project I've been working on, but you have to promise to give it back once your game is over."

"Deal!" Kirche bounced on her heels. "Show us the way!"

The girls follow the professor back into the academy where he leads them to his personal office. Once inside, he reaches behind his desk, grunting a bit as he lifts the big object onto the table, revealing something that neither of the girls recognized. Tabitha adjusts her glasses to clear her sight. "What is that, professor?" She asked.

"I…don't know!" He proudly declared.

"Don't sound so proud about that…" Kirche sweat dropped.

Colbert rubs his hand along the silver metal, smiling intriguely at the item. "From my understanding it's perhaps a piece of metal or technology that doesn't resemble anything we know, perhaps from another country or time long passed. I've been trying to examine it but I haven't been able to breach the metal or tear it apart with tools."

"Why not use magic?" Kirche added.

"And risk damaging it? I couldn't." Colbert responds. "But for now, I'm willing to let you girls use it to wow your competitors. Something foreign and unique is sure to give you the win!"

Kirche gives a look to her partner, who shrugs her shoulders. It wasn't like they had anything else to rely on and they were running out of time. The Germanian gives her professor a bright big smile, clasping her hands. "Oh, thank you, professor! We'll be sure to put this…thing to good use!"

"It makes me happy to hear that!" Colbert smiled.

"Okay, let's go." Tabitha and Kirche turn to leave, confusing the professor.

"Uh, girls, aren't you forgetting-"

"We're not, professor. It's just that you should be the one to carry it back outside for us. It would be ungentlemanly to let young ladies carry such a heavy item, no?" Kirche feigns weakness. She then nudges Tabitha to do the same, earning a slight groan from the quiet girl.

"Yes…tragic." Tabitha puts her acting skills to use.

Colbert wanted to complain since there were a whole two stairwells he'd have to climb just to reach the courtyard again. But they were nobles and were young ladies, so he had no choice but to do the gentleman thing. "Okay! I'll bring it outside for you two!"

"Thanks, professor~!" She waves as she and Tabitha disappear from the office, leisurely walking towards the stairs. They could hear Colbert heaving as he carried the metal contraption behind them. "With this, that competition should be in the bag!"

"Hopefully." Tabitha said.

Kirche tapped her chin. "I wonder how our resident zero is holding up?"

Louise had nothing to her name at the moment. It wasn't like she could use her family status in this competition to win (And considering her personal social standing in that case, it would be even more worthless). And her mind was still occupied by the knowledge that her familiar, Tega Sword, was being shared alongside the likes of Kirche and Tabitha! It wasn't fair! She had finally been able to properly use magic, summon a powerful familiar, and now two others were running around as if he was theirs!

We were also given the power of the Tega Sword to be his warriors.

We both have our own desires we wish to see become a reality. These rings are our tickets; therefore we can't hand them over.

Louise stared down at her Universe Ring, struggling to understand her own emotions. "Tell me, Tega Sword, why did you pick those two?! You're my familiar, which means you belong to me and me alone! So, why did you betray me and share your power with others?!"

He didn't respond to her.

"A-am I not special enough…? Is my status as a 'Zero' so embarrassing that you had to have backups in case I failed?" Louise cried. "Well?! Answer me!"

Tega Sword was silent.

Louise huffed loudly, growing more and more upset at her familiar. How dare he treat her like this, like some kind of failure?! It was bad enough that everyone else in her life already gave up on her ever achieving anything, but now Tega Sword was doing the same. And after he had said he believed in her, he threw her aside like this?! It wasn't fair!

She...she was supposed to be special...

Her brooding stopped when sounds of soft crying could be heard nearby. Louise, curious, followed the noise to see a young commoner girl sitting by herself on a broken slab of concrete. Frowning, Louise approached the child. "Hey, are you okay?"

The girl looked up, tears staining her cheeks. "M-miss?"

As she stared at her, Louise couldn't help but be reminded of herself. A poor little girl, thrown away by the world, left to wallow in her own despair with nobody to aid her. Grabbing the hem of her cloak, Louise started to gently clean the girl's face. Though she was a commoner, Louise didn't feel comfortable leaving a child on their own in such a state. Once the child's face was clean, Louise smiled softly. "There, your face looks cleaner."

'T-thank you." The girl sniffled.

"I'm Louise. You?"

"A-Alice…" Alice answered. She looked at Louise's clothing, noticing how nice and expensive they seemed. "A-are you a noble?"

"I am." Louise replied with a bit of pride. She may be upset, but her pride as a noble wouldn't be forgotten.

Alice lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry you had to see me like this. My mommy always said to keep myself presentable around nobles."

Normally, yes, that would be the case. But Louise didn't feel like that was necessary at the moment. "It's okay. For today, you don't have to worry about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

The little girl sniffled a bit before answering. "I-I lost something."

"What did you lose?" Louise asked.

"M-my toy bear!" Alice cried loudly. "It was d-dropped during the attack yesterday, and I-I don't know where it is!"

"Bear…?" That sounded familiar to Louise. Then she recalled the toy she had stepped on earlier in the day. Reaching into her satchel, the mage pulled out the torn up toy bear for the child to see. "Is this it?"

"BEARY!" The girl's face brightened instantly and she snatched the toy out of Louise's grasp. Alice hugged the bear tightly as if it would disappear if she let go. "I-I thought I had lost you forever!" She turns to Louise, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Ms. Louise!"

Feeling pride swelling in her chest, Louise smiles happily at the young girl. "It's no problem. But are you sure that you still want it? It's pretty torn up."

"Doesn't matter! Beary is still beary! No matter what he looks like, I'll always treasure him!" Alice exclaimed.

"Treasure?" Louise repeats.

"Yeah!" Alice nods her head. "Beary was the last gift my mommy gave me before she died a year ago. Whenever I hold her, it feels like mommy is still here with me, keeping me safe from all the scary stuff. Even if she's not perfect anymore, the feelings between mommy and me are still here!"

Louise stared at the child, surprised by the insightful perspective that she possessed at such a young age. She let out a small laugh. "Having something that you can treasure close to your heart? I wish I knew how that feels."

Alice blinked, tilting her head. "What's wrong, Ms. Louise?"

"W-well…" It was kind of embarrassing to say to a kid, especially a commoner, but Louise figured there wouldn't be any ridicule awaiting her in this case. "I don't really have a treasure like you do with your toy. I thought I did…but…" She stares down at her ring with a pained expression.

"Beary isn't my treasure."

"Huh?" Louise blinked.

"Sure! Beary makes me feel safe, but what I really treasure is the love between my mommy and me! My mommy used to say that the most priceless treasure a person could have isn't money or status, but the emotions they feel towards others!"

Louise let out a gasp, eyes widening as the girl's words sunk into her heart. "The most priceless is…"

A familiar is a reflection of the master, a precious treasure of your soul.

She shot up, confusing the little girl. Louise touched her heart with the hand holding her ring, thinking back on something before. Clenching her hand into a fist, Louise looked down at Alice and smiled. "Thank you, Alice. I think I've figured out what my treasure is…"

"Really?!"

"Yes! For a commoner to help a noble, you should feel proud. I'm sure your mommy would be too." Louise said as Alice's face brightened like the sun. "I have to go now, but be sure to get home safely, okay?!"

"Yes, Miss Louise! And thank you!" Alice waved as Louise took off into the distance, feeling extremely confident for the first time since the day had started.

The time for the game's conclusion had finally come, the competitors meeting on the outskirts of the town. The girls and Treasure Hunter presented their earnings to each other, all three looking assured that victory would be theirs. The No-One saw that their final player hadn't arrived yet, but he had grown impatient. "It seems we're down one, but let's start the game!"

"Seems the Zero couldn't find anything." Kirche sighed, sounding disappointed. Tabitha narrowed her eyes, also surprised to see that Louise had apparently given up.

"GAME START!" Treasure Hunter declared.

Two blue cylinder pillars of energy surrounded the piles of treasure gathered, counting up to measure the value of the acquired goods. The meters were neck and neck, seemingly going to reach for a tie, however, to the girls' shock, their meter came to an abrupt end. It shattered to pieces like broken glass. Treasure Hunter's meter reached the top, making him the winner of the game.

WINNER: TREASURE HUNT NO-ONE!

"HA! I knew it! I am the number one at treasure hunting!" Treasure Hunter declared proudly.

"W-what?! How is that possible!" Kirche shouted. "We have something that nobody has ever seen!" She pointed to the metal contraptions that Colbert had loaned them.

Treasure Hunter stared at it, unimpressed. "You mean a plane engine? Doesn't everyone have those?"

…

…

…

"Engine?! What the hell is that?!" Kirche shouted.

"Something that he apparently knows…" Tabitha scowled. "Therefore, its rarity decreased in value on his scales."

"How is that fair!? It's completely rigged!" The Germanian complained.

"Complain all you want, girls, this battle has been won already! Now it's time to hunt this entire world!" Treasure Hunter declared.

"I can help with that!"

The three of them turned to see a massive humanoid-mech with a bell-like design and giant spear emerge from a circular portal. Inside of the mech, a familiar golden-head Ayree announced his arrival. "I am the greatest spear in the Fire Candle Corps, Cassios Beia! With Ayayser Crossandra, we'll steal everything this world has to offer!"

"Just in time!" Treasure Hunter approached his ally. "Together, let's have the greatest treasure hunt-"

"HOLD IT, YOU STUPID MONSTER!"

Running towards their direction was Louise, a determined expression written all over her face. The young mage glared at the monsters with barely contained disgust. "This match isn't over yet!"

"Louise?!" Kirche exclaimed. Tabitha looked curious, wondering just what Louise had planned here.

Seeing as she had nothing with her, Treasure Hunter scoffed. "And what exactly do you have to show, little girl? What treasure could you have possibly hunted?"

Smirking, Louise raised her hand. "This." She showed off her Universe Ring. "The ultimate treasure of all!"

"Her/The ring?!"

"Treasure isn't about its rarity or monetary value, but the value that it holds to the owner's heart. Unlike these two who were chosen by Tega Sword, I summoned him with my own efforts and power! For the first time in my life, I managed to accomplish something with magic and summon a familiar that I can call my own! A noble's greatest treasure isn't their wealth, but their pride! And a mage's greatest treasure is their familiar, a reflection of their very soul! And that's why…!" Louise took off her ring, a bright flame burning in her eyes. "...I'm going to win! Engage!"

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

GOZYU ZERO!

"AWOOOOOO!" Gozyu Zero pulled back her head and let out a mighty howl that released a shockwave through the field.

Treasure Hunter scoffed. "Compassion? Hearts? None of that is real treasure! The only thing that matters are the valuables that can be stolen!"

NUMBER ONE BATTLE! READY GO!

Gozyu Zero lunged at Treasure Hunter, engaging in a fierce clash against him. At the same time, several Ayrees emerged from No-One World, assisting their current general to take out the petite Gozyuger. Zero swiped at several of them. "Get out of the way!" Then she flipped back to avoid getting crushed by Ayayser Crossandra. "And you're annoying too!"

Standing to the side, watching Louise battle against the Buraidans' forces, Kirche let out a sigh. "I guess we lost this one, huh? To think that Louise the Zero would make such a dramatic entrance. And…" Kirche couldn't help but smile at how Louise took her words from earlier and used them in a way she didn't expect.

"We did underestimate her. Louise has started to grow." Tabitha admits.

"Certainly." Kirche summons the golden gauntlet. "Shall we lend her a hand?"

"We shall." The bespectacled girl agreed, taking off her ring.

"Engage!"

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

GOZYU AQUA!

Aqua clapped her hands, summoning a weapon forth.

AQUA CALIBUR 50!

The quiet mage dashed forward, firing her gun to shoot a burst of water shots that knocked several of the Ayrees away from Zero. Then she snapped her fingers, calling for her familiar to release a burst of wind to send them flying into the sky. She stands back-to-back with Zero. "Louise, you can have the monster. I'll handle the rest."

"Hmph! I didn't need your help!" Zero scoffed but didn't refuse. "Just don't get in my way!" She sprints towards Treasure Hunter, clashing against him once more, while Aqua continues shooting at the Ayrees, drawing them away from Zero's battle.

Kirche stared up at Ayayser Crossandra with her playful smile. "I guess that just leaves you and me, big boy~!" She claps her hands. "Let's show him how a lady handles business, Tega Sword!"

AWAKING!

From the skies above, Tega Sword appeared, morphing from the giant glove and into his mech form. Kirche, now wearing the same pilot uniform as Louise did, was teleported into the cockpit. "Ring in!"

ENTICE IT! BURN IT! BLACK! ENTICE IT! BURN IT! BLACK!

TEGA SWORD BLACK!

She inserts the miniature Tega Sword into the control panel to access control. With full access under her control, the seductress flew into battle, stomping down into the ground to face off against Ayayser Crossandra. "Step too close and you'll get burned!"

Cassios Beia does a small prayer. "Commander Fire Candle, give me strength!" He gently touches a picture of him and Fire Candle with fondness. He pushes forward to clash against the Gozyuger. "I'll win this and claim honor!"

Back with Aqua, she dodges several shots from the Ayrees' guns, using the trees of the forest as cover. She fires back, using her magic to create scattering shots that blow the Ayrees away. When a few push forward to put pressure on her, the quiet girl uses her staff to entrap them with magical roots. A watery bullet drills through their skulls, destroying them immediately.

On Zero's end, she was kicking Treasure Hunter through a few trees. She dashed forward, ducking under a swing to slash at him several times with her blade. He tried to grab her, but her smaller size made it easy for her to avoid it. Zero sweeps Treasure Hunter's legs from under him, knocking him onto his rear. She jumped up to land a finishing jab, energy coursing through her blade.

FINISH! FINGER! ZERO!

Treasure Hunter summoned a giant gold coin to use as a shield. It was blown apart immediately and he was sent flying, crashing into a large tree. He let out a few heavy breaths, using the tree for temporary support. Gozyu Zero slowly walked through the flames and smoke which gave her a pretty intimidating aura. "Are you ready to give up?!"

"E-even if you defeat me, No-One World still has thousands of us Number Ones! They'll keep coming until this entire world has fallen into our grasp!" Treasure Hunter revealed.

"Hah! Do you think something like that will scare me?! Didn't I already tell you how important the pride of a noble is?! Bring as many as you want! I'll keep fighting to defend my home for as long as I can! With my familiar, I'm going to become NUMBER ONE!" Gozyu Zero proudly declared as their battle continued once more.

As Treasure Hunter was sent flying, Aqua leapt between their battle, blowing away several Ayrees as they came her way. She blocked several melee attacks with her staff, then used the watery ammo to create magical tendrils that bashed a few more away. Sylphid arrived to assist her master, using her wings to destroy a few Ayrees.

Above the ground battles, Kirche was putting the beatdown on Cassios Beia. Tega Sword bashed the enemy mech like it was a punching bag. She grabbed him, spinning him around, and threw him into the ground. Ayayser Crossandra got up quickly and jabbed forward with his spear, only for it to melt into liquid as it got closer to Tega Sword. "What?!" Cassios Beia cried.

"I told you to be careful not to get burned!" Kirche smiled. "Time to finish this!"

Sylphid created a mini tornado to gather the last of the Ayrees together as Aqua prepared her final attack. Kirche stomped down behind her, preparing a finishing attack of her own. Cassios Beia and the Ayrees were helpless to stop the duo's assault. "Move, Sylphid!" Aqua ordered and her familiar listened without question. Destructive energy reached maximum output from the girls, and they unleashed their final attacks.

AQUA GATLING BURST!

FLAME BURNING BLAST!

"GYAAAAAAAH!" The Ayrees' final screams were drowned out by their bodies exploding into ash.

"M-MY LOYALTY SHALL GO ON FOREVER!" Cassios Beia cried as Ayayser Crossandra exploded, killing him instantly.

SLASH! SLASH!

Zero, seeing as her peers had finished their fights, knew it was time to finish this. She unleashed a nasty combo on Treasure Hunter, ensuring that he felt every last bit of pain he had caused the commoners of the town. An 11-hit combo that ended with a punch straight into his face. "Lend me a hand, familiar!" Pressing a button on her gauntlet, Zero stabbed into the monster, cutting him open. She saw the trapped woman inside and pulled her out of Treasure Hunter.

FINISH! FINGER! ZERO!

Gozyu Zero finished off Treasure Hunter with one final blow that sent him flying into the bright sky. His body, unable to exist without a host, exploded like a bright display of fireworks. Zero turned her back to it for dramatic effect.

"Looks like I'm Treasure Hunter NUMBER ONE!" Zero held up the No-One's bag of stolen items as if it were a trophy.

WINNER: GOZYU ZERO!

"NOOOOOOOOO! CASSIOS!" Fire Candle cried as he watched his best friend meet an unfortunate end. He let out pained tears, clutching the photo they shared together. Soon enough, his tears turned into growls of rage. "Those wretched ringed warriors won't get away with this! And I'll start with that blasted Gozyu Zero!"

Bouquet noticed something about the three of them. "They each possess golden Tega Swords. I sense an exceptional shine from their rings. Just who are they…?"

"Some cool lookin' ladies, that's for sure!"

Heads turn to stare at the talking sword, having just heard it talk for the first time. The sword, if it were capable, blinked at them. "What?"

Behind them, the giant doors slowly open, a silver feminine mech with bright purple eyes stared at the Gozyugers with intrigue and hunger.

After everything had settled down, Louise and her peers returned all of the valuables stolen by Treasure Hunter back to the town (And Colbert got his project back), then returned back to the academy to sleep for the rest of the day.

When Louise woke up the next day, she found that she was no longer inside of her bedroom. She shot up quickly, eyes frantically searching around for the ones responsible. Louise's hands brush across smooth fabric and she sees that she's sitting on a nice-looking couch. "W-what?! Where am I?!"

"Calm down, dear. You were just kidnapped."

"Zerbst…!" Louise growled, looking over to see Kirche sitting at a table with a cup of tea in her hands. "Where the hell did you drag me?! Is this some kind of lust dungeon?!"

"Oh~? Would you wish to spend a night with me, Louise?" Zerbst flirts.

"IN YOUR DREAMS!" Louise screams, blushing madly.

"Judging by your face, the idea entices you~!"

"THAT'S IT!" Louise whips out her want, charging up a spell. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR-" Her voice went mute; a silencing spell placed over her. The muted pinkette searched for the culprit and found Tabitha sitting at another table with a book in her hand, staff pointed in the other.

"Too loud. Trying to read."

"And to explain." Kirche began speaking to the fuming zero. "This is our new base of operations, hidden near the bottom quadrants of the academy, hidden from other students, common staff, and professors. All thanks to Tabitha~!" Kirche moved to hug her friend, only for Tabitha to move out of the way. "Aw…!" Kirche pouts.

Louise points to her mouth, requesting to be unmuted.

"Do you promise not to shout?"

She slowly nods her head.

"Do you promise not to try and kill her?"

Another nod follows.

Tabitha undoes the spell.

Louise immediately aims her wand at Kirche's head. "DIE- "

She was muted again immediately, and Tabitha took away her want to prevent any explosions from happening.

Ignoring the fact that Louise just tried to kill her twice (Far too used to it), Kirche continued with her explanation. "The reason we brought you here is because we want to bring you into our little alliance. All three of us want to continue collecting rings, so that we can get our wish granted. But working alone wouldn't do us any favors, so by combining our forces, we'll be able to take out the rest of the competition." Kirche closes the distance between herself and Louise. "Of course, we're still rivals at the end of the day. If you win a battle, then take the ring with no questions asked. So, what do you say, Vallière?"

While Louise hated the idea of working with a Zerbst, she couldn't deny that they'd have a far better chance of winning this by joining forces. She opened her mouth, feeling her voice returning from the spell's lift. "Fine. I'll work with you two, but I will be the one to win in the end, got it?! No matter what, I'll become NUMBER ONE!"

Kirche smiled softly, impressed by Louise's dedication and actions today. She had always found the short mage's perseverance admirable (Even if she was a loudmouth brat that didn't know when to shut up). Kirche was certain that when it came to 'never giving up', Louise was already number one at it. But that kind of mentality didn't mean squat without the achievements and skills to back it up, things the zero still lacked in many ways.

"If we're going to have this as our base, then we'll need to give it a name." Kirche crossed her arms underneath her chest. "How about… 'The Gozyu Zero Sex Chamber'?!"

"LIKE HELL!" Louise tackled Kirche, the two tussling on the floor. "Don't remind me about that stupid name! Why does my name have to include 'Zero'?!"

"But it suits you, since you are a 'Zero'!" Kirche laughed as the little mage strangled her.

"ARGH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU STUPID COW-" A silencing spell was placed over them both, preventing the rest of Louise's rant from being heard.

Tabitha continued to drink her tea as she turned a page in her book. She knew that having these two be together for the duration of this collaboration was going to give her constant headaches. Though her friend wasn't wrong about this hideout needing a name. The quiet girl thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

"The Number One Zero. We'll just shorten it to 'Number Zero'."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The Popularity of Zero

It was another peaceful morning at Tristan Academy. Students swarmed the halls, professors prepared their lessons, and the serving staff were making their rounds to the students' dorms.

One maid in particular was pushing a laundry cart through the 2nd year girls' halls. She has short black hair with matching colored eyes. She's dressed in the standard uniform for maids at Tristan, a black dress mostly concealed by a frilly white apron with a soft blue jewel around the collar. This young lady is Siesta, a commoner hailing from the small town Tarbes to earn money for her family.

Currently, Siesta was tasked with retrieving the dirty laundry of the 2nd year noble girls for cleaning. It's a requirement that all dirty laundry be set out in the hallways in the morning before classes, so that the staff could collect them. Siesta has already gathered the dirty clothes of all the other girls except one. And, as most weekly laundry collections go, she was expecting this one to prove a bit challenging. The reason…?

SLAM!

"I'M LATE!"

Siesta was only given a second to blink when a small pink blur dashed into her, knocking all of the dirty laundry all over the halls. Dresses, skirts, blouses, and undergarments rained down all over the two like snow. After pulling off the garments from her body, Siesta sits up to smile gently at the pink-haired noble that was buried underneath a bunch of clothes. "Good morning, Miss Louise."

"BAH!" Louise cries after forcing her way out of the dirty pile. She shakes her head and blinks at the maid. "Siesta?! What are you doing walking by my room?!"

"It is laundry day, my lady." Siesta replies quickly.

The pink shorty goes quiet, scanning over the fallen clothing. It had just occurred to her that she once again forgot to leave out her dirty laundry for cleaning. Instead of admitting to her own blunder, Louise puffs her cheeks. "W-well, that's good to hear! Be sure to collect my clothing from my room! I'm expecting them all to be clean before the next day! A-and fix up this mess, okay?! I can't have such an unclean disaster in front of my room, because you decided to be clumsy!" As she smacks some of the clothes away, Siesta's eyes catch the shining bling of a ring on the noble's hand. "It would drag down my popularity!"

"But, Miss Louise, you're the one who bumped into me. Also, you're supposed to have your clothes readily out here before classes start." Siesta reminds her.

"Are you questioning a noble?!" Louise narrows her eyes.

Realizing her mistake in talking back, the young maid quickly bows her head. "N-no, miss! I apologize for any rudeness I said!"

Louise ignored the slight guilt inside of her, because she knew that Siesta was correct. Hell, none of this would have happened if that stupid Kirche didn't drag her and Tabitha down to the base to play games all night.

Out of all the servants in the academy, Siesta was the one she liked the most. Always punctual, respectful, and ready to lend a hand to the most bullied girl in the school. She was also the only maid she trusted to touch her laundry. But Louise was a stubborn girl and refused to admit fault in front of a commoner servant of all people. "Good! Be sure to watch that tone from now on! If you excuse me, I have to hurry to class before I get hit with another penalty!"

Siesta watched the shortest of the 2nd years sprint down the halls. That's when she noticed the certain…garment fluttering off of Louise's cloak. The maid's eyes widened. "M-Miss Louise! Wait! There's-" Clearly the young mage wasn't listening and turned the corner. "Oh…that won't end well." Sighing, Siesta quickly returned to picking up the fallen garments, so that she could avoid any more unnecessary trouble today.

Though as she worked, her mind flashed back to the ring on Louise's finger. Curiosity burned within her mind as to how the pinkette stumbled upon that kind of treasure.

"As everyone is already aware, magic consists of four major aspects: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and the lost element 'void'-"

SLAM!

"I MADE IT!" Louise huffs loudly as she bursts through the door. She bends down to touch her knees, clearly exhausted from running all the way here. While her classmates giggled and whispered to each other, insulting her when they assumed she couldn't hear them, her professor sighed loudly.

"Miss Vallière, you are 10 minutes late to class…again." The professor, an elderly woman with a small pair of glasses, said. She was clearly not amused in the slightest by Louise's track record. "What excuse do you have this time to explain your tardiness?"

"Yeah, my dear, please enlighten us~!" Kirche speaks up from her seat. Tabitha sat next to her, nose deep in whatever book caught her interest today.

"It's your fault in the first place, Zerbst! You and your stupid games!" Louise growled furiously.

"If so, then how come Tabitha and I are here on time for class, yet you weren't?" Kirche crossed her arms.

Steam billowed out of Louise's nostrils, the pink mage seconds away from blowing her rival away with a magic spell. The only thing that stopped her was the stern coughing of the professor, causing Louise to flinch.

"We will be having a talk about your tardiness after class, Miss Vallière." The Professor's stern tone made the bullied noble wince. "Please hurry up and take a seat."

"Yes, professor!" Louise quickly hurried towards her usual seating, near the back where she could mostly avoid being in the line of fire for mockery. Unfortunately for her, the universe wasn't yet done messing with the little mage.

A noble boy watched as she passed him and noticed some very mature pair of garments fluttering out of the crook of her cloak. Unable to resist the urge, he says loudly for the whole class to hear. "Nice undies, Zero!"

Everyone pauses, Louise's face lights up red. All eyes turn back to Louise, desperate to discover the visible undergarments. Louise's hands quickly shot down to her skirt, hoping that she didn't make the mistake of tucking her cloak and shirt into her skirt again.

"Not there! In your cloak!"

"My cloak…?" She reaches behind her neck and gasps at the soft thin fabric. It felt nothing like the smooth yet durable fabric the academy cloaks consisted of. Louise pulled and displayed to everyone a lacy, see-through, and black pair of panties. The little noble's eyes went wide as saucers. "AAAAHHH!" She flung them away, disgusted by the mature pair. Multiple boys tried desperately to make a reach for the fluttering panties, but the girls in the class wouldn't dare allow that to pass. Eventually the pair landed in the hands of one Kirche von Zerbst, the dark-skinned busty noble eyed the panties for a moment before smirking.

"Ah, my dear~? If you wanted to have a pair of my underwear for yourself, then you could have just asked~!"

Jaws dropped to the floor, eyes flickering back and forth between the distraught Louise and the teasing Kirche. Only one conclusion was unanimously reached by the class. "T-the Zero and Kirche are an item?!"

"HELL NO!" Louise roared, blushing up a storm. "As if I'd ever consider falling in love with that raunchy cow!"

"Then why did you have her underwear?!"

"Are you just some kind of pervert?!"

"NO! I don't even know why I even-ah…" Louise stopped herself. She thought back to prior events of the day, when she crashed into Siesta while the maid was collecting laundry. "T-that must have been when-"

"Ah hem!" The professor loudly coughed, gaining the attention of the students. "While this has been an…chaotic start to class, I would like to get things back on track. Miss Zerbst, I would like for you to put such personal garments somewhere out of sight."

"Already done." Kirche shoved her loose pair into her satchel, showing no shame at all.

"And Miss Vallière!" Louise flinched from the hardened gaze of the adult. "You and I will be having a serious talk about attendance and privacy, understand?"

"B-b-b-but I-" Louise sputtered.

"Am I understood?"

"...yes, professor." Louise pretty much dragged herself to her seat. The Zero could still feel the lingering gazes of her classmates, judgmental and mocking as always. When the lesson was finally able to get back on track, the pinkette groaned softly into the wood. Hopefully the rest of the day would be kind to her.

It wasn't.

She ended up blowing up three classrooms all before lunchtime and still had to deal with the whispers and gossip of some secret relationship being held between herself and Zerbst. By the Founder himself, if her family ever caught wind of this they'd be disappointed, mortified, and probably disown her!

Okay…maybe she was exaggerating that last one, but still! The truth remains that this was one of her worst days.

At least it was finally lunch, which meant that she could finally get some peace and quiet. All Louise needed to do was grab her food, find a quiet space in the courtyard, and-

"You're an inspiration to us all, Sir Guiche!"

Oh, brother, what now?!

Against better judgement, Louise turned her attention to a nearby table. She could see Guiche de Gramont, the school's popular pretty boy, currently sucking up the praises of the younger year boys. Guiche is a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears a white, ruffled-collar blouse underneath a black, long cloak where his collar rests on and his chest is shown and wears a pair of violet pants. He carries an artificial rose which serves as his wand.

If you were to ask Louise of her opinion on her fellow 2nd year, then it would be that Guiche is nothing more than a womanizing flirt with no redeeming qualities. Seriously, she's seen him throwing around his charm at several of the female students, younger and older, and even some of the staff. It disgusted her. What kind of self respecting girl would ever fall in love with a guy like him?

"Oh~! My lovely Sir Guiche accepted my gift today~!" Louise was rudely bumped out of the way as Montmorency and her gaggle of giggling girls made their way to their lunch table. "Nobody is as blessed as I to have such a caring and handsome boyfriend~!"

"Right as always, Miss Montmorency!" The blonde's posse chimed. Montmorency turned to Guiche blowing a kiss his way, which the playboy happily returned before returning to absorbing the ego-boosting praises.

Louise, having luckily been able to avoid dropping her lunch, gagged in disgust. These people had the nerve to constantly bully her when they behaved like preschoolers. Well, there was one thing she couldn't deny, those two had a level of popularity that Louise could only dream of. Though she should quickly get out of here before something else ends up going wrong.

A young 1st year admires the radiant aura of his senior. "Sir Guiche, is it true that you can earn the attention of any lady you cross paths with?"

"Certainly! My radiance knows no bounds, after all!" Guiche poses flamboyantly, sparkling light fluttering around him.

"What about the Zero? Have you tried with her yet?" Another boy asked. He pointed towards the exit where Louise could be seen trying to leave.

Guiche eyes the petite mage with an unimpressed gaze. His opinion on the talentless girl was the same as everyone else. Though she lacked the same physical development as the rest of her fellow female students, Louise's face did have a cute charm that even he couldn't deny.

"I thought she was in love with that 2nd year from Germania? That's what I've heard from some of the students in the halls today." A shorter boy said.

"Heh! Even if she were, my looks and charm can capture the hearts of any lady! Even the ones who play for both sides!" Guiche gets up from the table, strutting his way towards the pinkette.

Just as Louise was finally going to get out of the mess hall, a hand slammed against the expensive wood to prevent her from pulling the handle. Anger burned at the tip of her tongue, wondering which idiot wanted to mess with her now.

"Hello, my dear, Louise~!"

Oh great! It's this idiot!

"What do you want, Guiche?" Louise asked through gritted teeth.

Not picking up on her bad attitude, the playboy gives her a charming wink. "I couldn't help but notice that you were walking off on your lonesome, Louise."

"I'm always on my own." It hurt to admit, but it was the truth.

"Precisely! Which is why I'm offering my hand for you to have the pleasure of sitting with me! I mean, what more could a respectable young maiden want?" Guiche flutters his eyes, but Louise wasn't dumb enough to fall for it.

"A respectable noble woman would know not to fall for such pretty little words and false charisma! And why would I bother sitting with you when I know that'll just make me a bigger target than I already am?" Seriously, putting herself next to Guiche would just earn her the ire of all his fangirls, and that was the last thing she needed today. "Just leave me alone."

When Louise tried to open the door, it was suddenly flung open faster than she could react. Both she and Guiche went flying off to the side of the mess hall, while the rest of the students let out shocked gasps. Emerging from the hallways was an army of Ayrees, armed with their bell-shaped guns and swords. Panic erupts inside of the mess hall as students try to flee through the opposite exit while being attacked.

Louise gets up to see the attack happening and gasps. "These guys again?!" She then remembered the words of Treasure Hunter and how No-One World was going to keep sending over their forces in order to take over their world. "Tch! I'll teach them to-" Guiche's arm blocks her way. "What are you doing?!"

"Apologies, my lovely, Louise. But I cannot allow a young lady to sully her hands against such ruffians. Besides, there's no way that someone who can't use magic would prove useful in defending our classmates." Guiche insults her, irritating the talentless mage even further.

"And what do you plan to do? Charm them with your 'good looks'?!"

"Oh? So, you do love my handsome features?"

"Drown in a puddle!"

"Ho ho ho ho!" Guiche flaunts his arms, reaching into his cloak. "Leave this to me, Louise."

"Seriously, playboy, you can't fight these guys! They're a lot stronger than professional mages, which means that academy students can't-" Louise's mouth dried up when Guiche pulled out a familiar looking ring with a yellow and black color scheme. "NO! Not you too!"

"Watch a real star at work! Engage!" Guiche inserts the ring into the Tega Sword gauntlet.

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

With the flamboyant energy of a womanizer, Guiche raised his hands for two claps, then brought them down for one clap. He gives a sweet twirl as he claps twice again and ends the dance with one last loud clap that shakes the air.

GOZYU EARTH!

The playboy's transformation ends in a brilliant flash of yellow light. Standing before Louise was a warrior dressed similarly to her own transformation. The skin-tight black and yellow suit glimmered in the light, and the helmet's design resembled that of a prehistoric creature of monstrous strength. Earth posed dramatically, as if a single spotlight was upon him. "Now, allow me to steal this show!"

Earth's dash nearly knocked Louise back, her mouth left gaping at the sheer force of her peer's strength. He closed in on the Ayrees, blowing a few of them away with a single swipe of his gauntlet. A few tried to swipe at him with their melee weapons, but Earth easily tore through them without much effort. The Ayrees further back started firing at him, forcing him to deflect the shots. Seeing a nearby table, Earth utilized his enhanced strength to easily throw it straight at the Ayrees.

When the table was blown apart by their blaster shots, Earth dashed through the smoke with a clean cut that sliced right through the Ayrees, bisecting them at the waist.

FINISH! FINGER! EARTH!

All of the Ayrees exploded in an epic display, granting Earth a gorgeous backdrop to accentuate his aura. Off to the side, all of the previously terrified students clapped their hands and cheered for their savior.

"Thank you, masked hero!"

"We knew you'd come and save us again!"

"Wait, but I thought the masked hero was red?"

"Dude, who cares?! That was awesome!"

Gozyu Earth sucked up the praise, especially from all of the beautiful girls squealing for him. "Yes, yes! I'm proud to have served you all in your time of need! Especially for you gorgeous mademoiselles~! Fear not! Whenever trouble strikes Tristan Academy or anywhere in this country, Gozyu Earth shall appear to banish evil!"

"KYAAA~! SIR GOZYU EARTH~!" All of the female students squealed.

Over to the side, forgotten as usual, Louise growled like an angry honey badger. All of the praise and recognition she had gained as Gozyu Zero was being stolen by that pompous playboy using HER familiar! "Could this day get any worse?!"

"Non, non, non! We can't have that can we? Popular Flash!" A deep, conceited voice shouts from around them. Louise and Earth watch as a flash of light evades the mess hall, overtaking the students, silencing their cheers instantly.

"What the hell?!" Earth cried at the weird phenomena. "Are you all okay?" Suddenly, the girls started running towards him which made the playboy believe they were wishing to embrace him. "Oh, mademoiselles~! How can I refute your sweet embra-GWAAAAH!" The girls bulldoze through him, throwing the womanizer through the air and he lands pitifully on his face.

"The only good thing to happen today." Louise took sweet pleasure in Guiche's pain.

Earth wobbles as he tries to get back up, only for the boys to trample over him next, mercilessly stomping over his body. The playboy's transformation undid itself due to the comedic damage sustained. He shakily raises a finger, wheezing painfully. "W-why…?"

"Whatever it was, I want it to happen again." Louise said.

"KYAAAAA~! SIR NO-ONE~!"

"YOU'RE THE COOLEST, SIR NO-ONE!"

"No-One?!" Louise's eyes widened. She hurried over to see who the students were now surrounding.

Standing in the center, sucking up the praises of the young mages, was indeed a brand-new monster. He was black in color with blue and pink hearts lining his chest. His left hand was a large blue fish-fin. The monster's face was covered by a yellow mask. "That's right, everyone! I am the greatest, handsomest, and coolest of all! Popular NO.1!"

"Popular… No.1?" Louise tilts her head.

"Correct, little girl!"

"Little girl?! I'm 16!"

Her shout went ignored as usual. Popular waved his arms, commanding the students to carry him on their backs. "As the Number One at being popular, I shall collect all of the popularity in this world until I've won over the queen!"

Louise's confusion hit an all-time high. "Queen? Are you talking about Henri-"

"My first step will be becoming the most popular in this academy! And with my powers it'll be a cinch!" Popular declared with a haughty laugh.

"How is that being popular?! You're just mind controlling them!" Louise exclaimed.

"Oh? And can you possibly challenge my popularity?" Popular inquired, causing Louise to sputter slightly.

"I-I-I-"

"That would be impossible for our dear little Zero!" Guiche interjects, brushing himself off. He flutters his eyelashes, brushing away the dirt on his clothes. "If there was a measurement, she'd be the Number One at being unpopular! Oh oh oh oh oh!"

"Drown in a puddle!" Louise barks at him.

"But moi, on the other hand, is the exact opposite! There is nobody in this school who can resist the charms of Guiche de Gramont!" Guiche declared. His aura ignited, creating a dazzling display that caught the eyes of the mind controlled girls.

"W-wha!" Popular stumbled when some of the girls broke away to saunter over to Guiche. Montmorency was the first one to fly into his arms, crying out his name with bedazzled looks.

"Oh oh oh oh oh! Can't you see, monster?! The only one worthy of being the Number One in popularity is MOI!" Guiche shouts, laughing arrogantly.

"Ha! A worthy rival if I do say so myself! In that case allow us to have a competition! The one with the most votes by the end of the time limit shall be granted the title of Popular No.1!" Popular laid out the challenge to the Gozyugers.

"I accept your challenge! An easy victory for moi!" Guiche responds.

"We'll see about that!" Popular No.1 snapped his fingers, creating a magical timer above their heads set for 1 hour. "Let the games begin!"

"OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH!" Guiche and Popular laugh as they both walk away, leaving Louise standing on her own.

Her head snaps to both directions, blown away by how easily she had been overlooked. Steam billowed from her nose like a bull. "W-why you no good playboys! Don't you dare overlook Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière! Watch! I'll be the one to win this match and show that I'm capable of being popular!"

"Ah hem."

Louise blinked and turned to see some of the cooking servants entering the dining room. They all stared at her blankly. "W-who are you talking to, Miss Vallière?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Louise roared, scaring them greatly. The tiny mage stomps out of the messy hall, grumbling about popularity, monsters, and playboys. None of the servants had any idea of what she was talking about.

The highest tower of Tristan Academy held the Headmaster's office, where three individuals are seen watching the occurring events within the school from a magical mirror. The first one was Professor Colbert, his face showed great concern. "Headmaster, are you certain that we shouldn't be acting to stop this?!"

"It'll be fine, Mr. Colbert." Headmaster Osmond responds coolly. He's an older man with long gray hair going down his upper back and a stereotypical wizard beard. He's dressed in a black cloak that covers his entire body. "Don't you think so, Miss Longueville?"

"I'll actually have to agree with Professor Colbert, Headmaster. This monster could prove to be extremely dangerous to the student body." Miss Longueville responds, pushing up her glasses. She is a gorgeous woman with dark green hair tied into a round braid. She wears a dark blue dress that stops at her upper thighs with dark leggings underneath, and a dark red cloak. "Are you suggesting that we leave the students, nobles, to the dangers of this creature?"

"Not at all! But you can't deny being curious, can you?" Osmond responds, chuckling softly. "A few days ago, an army that the world has never seen before attacked our town and school, yet it was stopped by a single unknown warrior. Then just the day after, a similar attack occurred just to be stopped by three mysterious colorful warriors." He turns his chair to stare out the window. "I had been concerned about the identity of these heroes only to be pleasantly surprised to see that they were none other than our students."

"But how do we know that it's not just Sir Guiche?" Longueville asked.

"You were watching, weren't you? That ring he used is clearly the key to that transformation." He uses his magic to play back the feed, zooming it to get a closer look at Guiche's ring.

Colbert's eyes widened. "That ring! It's just like the one that Louise summoned during the Familiar Ritual!"

"Miss Vallière too…?" Longueville muttered, her eyes staring intently at the rings the students' possessed.

"Then the one who saved us all when the first attack happened was…?!" Colbert gasped.

Osmond grinned underneath his beard. "Now you're seeing the picture. If things seem to grow too out of hand, then we shall intervene. Until then, I think it'll be fine to watch how our students grow into the protectors their birthrights believe them to be."

"In that case, I'll focus on getting some work done. I'll keep an eye out in case any of the students' lives are placed in danger." Longueville said as she turned for the door.

"Thank you, Miss Longueville." Osmond smiles.

"But before I leave…" She raises her want, using her magic to tear a piece of fabric out from the insides of Osmond's cloak. The secretary held it out, revealing it to be a pair of white panties. "Please stop stealing my underwear unless you wish for me to report this to the Royal Palace." After tucking the private clothing article into her cloak, the secretary left the two old men by themselves.

Colbert gave the headmaster a dry stare. "Did you really…?"

"Ah hem! These are private matters between Miss Longueville and I, Mr. Colbert."

"Right…"

"So, this is a human school…" Lady Bouquet mutters as she walks the fields of Tristan Academy. The general of the Buradians had never seen such a prestigious and antique-looking building in her life. She was only here to keep an eye on the No-One to make sure it could complete its mission unlike the previous one and Fire Candle. But as she observed the academy grounds, her mind wandered in thoughts.

All of the educational establishments back in her world were far more technologically advanced and standard. It was a strict learning environment that forced one to step over their peers if they wished to reach their goals. All for the sake of serving the queen's mission to collect the Sentai Rings.

As she observed the students going about their business in the courtyard, a sense of envy was setting inside of her heart. Bouquet never had the luxury of being able to enjoy her youth in the same way these privileged nobles were able to. Did she hold any disdain for her upbringing? Not really, since serving her queen takes top priority. As long as she can fulfill her duty, then any pain in her life would be worth it.

Noticing a batch of freshly baked muffins being set out by a maid, Bouquet couldn't help but be entranced by the delicious smell. Moving quickly, she snatched one of them to try herself. An explosion of euphoric pleasure greets her taste buds. Bouquet didn't even realize she had finished the muffin until only the crumbles of the wrapping filled her ears. The general's eyes lock onto the basket. "I shouldn't… I have a mission to focus on." She tosses the dirty wrappings into the trash bin next to the table and turns away.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Eh?" Bouquet stops, turning around to see a young maid pushing a card filled to the brim with freshly prepared snacks. Any focus Bouquet may have faltered from the irresistible aroma of the snacks. "A-are you talking to me?"

"Yes!" Siesta replies, smiling brightly. "I can see that you're new here, are you a visitor perhaps?"

"U-uh, yes! I am visiting to see if… I'd like to enroll here in the next school year!" Bouquet lies quickly, rubbing her arm.

"A potential new student, isn't that wonderful! I am Siesta, a maid here. What noble family are you hailing from if you don't mind my rudeness in asking?" Siesta asked.

Knowing that she clearly wasn't from nobility of any sort, the general needed to quickly act on her lie. "I am from…the B-B-Bridian Family!"

"Bridian?" Siesta tilts her head.

"Yes!" Bouquet smiles, hoping that the maid doesn't see through her deceit.

After a few moments, the maid claps her hands. "Wonderful! I haven't heard of that noble line, but perhaps you're from a foreign country, considering the way you're dressed. I'm a commoner, so my own knowledge of nobility is lacking."

"I-I see!" Bouquet lets out an internal breath of relief.

"Would you like to have some of our snacks here? I was just finishing setting them out before catching you enjoying the muffins." Siesta offers, causing the general to blush slightly, a bit embarrassed.

"I-I wouldn't wish to intrude. I best be going-" Bouquet stopped when her eyes caught onto a plate of cupcakes designed after decorative tulips and lilies. "Are those flower themed cupcakes?"

Siesta nods her head. "Yes! I was in charge of preparing them and decided to design them after some of the flowers we have here in the garden. I felt that they'd help put the students at ease during lunch."

Bouquet went silent. She grabbed a wooden chair, took her seat, and positioned herself with an air of nobility that she didn't actually possess. "Perhaps some time for snacks and tea wouldn't be so bad."

"Yes, I agree." Siesta nods as she starts setting out the food. Bouquet noticed that students began to crowd around, clearly excited to eat the food that the maid had prepared for them to enjoy. Their focus was fully taken by the food to even question her appearance, which was fine by Bouquet, at least she could enjoy these tasty treats peacefully.

"Oh oh oh oh oh! Praise me! For I am Popular No.1! The only one deserving of your attention and gratitude!" The monster cried as he continued to nab the hearts of students with his power.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!" Praise me! For I am Guiche de Gramont! The only one deserving of the hearts of you beautiful mademoiselles~!" Guiche uses his pretty and handsome charms to continue wooing the female student body. Even some of the boys were falling for his charisma and joining his side.

Left alone, forgotten and utterly unpopular, was Louise the Zero. The tiny mage hadn't been able to garner a single bit of support since the competition started. Her status as the 'magic-less loser' pretty much meant nobody wanted to give her the time of day outside of mocking her. Any likeability she could garner was non-existent with those two playboy blowhards stealing all of the attention away.

"What can I even do?! At this rate there's no way I can win and prove them wrong!" Louise cried, desperate to think of something that could give her an edge. But there wasn't anything she could possibly do to change the situation to her favor. "Ugh! What does being popular even mean anyway? Having people fawn over you like some lovesick puppies?" Louise couldn't deny that she'd have wanted that before, but watching those two idiots made her realize how unbearable it would actually be. "If that's not popularity, then what is?"

"Miss Louise?"

Turning around, the young mage saw Siesta pushing a cart of treats towards the exit to the courtyard. Just looking at the maid reminded Louise of the humiliation she suffered earlier in the day. "Siesta…?" Anger quickly overtook her delicate features. "Y-you humiliated me!"

"What?!" Siesta cried.

"If you hadn't dropped all those clothes, then I wouldn't have been so terribly ridiculed all day! Maybe I would have been able to work up some levels of likability with my peers to win this stupid game and prove that I can be popular too!" Louise rants, shouting at the terrified maid. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Shaking like a leaf, Siesta lowers herself to the floor, bowing her head. "I-I am terribly sorry, Miss Louise! But any humiliation and suffering you have befallen I'll take full responsibility for!" She doesn't see the way Louise starts to calm down or the way guilt slowly crept onto her face. "But I humbly request that you allow me to still be the one to tend to your needs! I know that we are not friends, simply noble and commoner, but I enjoy your presence and determination to rise above the challenges that block your path! The admiration that I hold for you, helps me continue on through the challenges of my own life! Please, accept this selfish request of mine!"

Louise didn't know it, but she was the closest thing Siesta had to a friend in this academy. As the youngest maid here, Siesta always felt like she was out of her depth and pushed herself in order to match the rest of the servants when it came to serving the noble students and staff. Even the slightest mistake on her part would cause the young maid to break down into tears, fearing her placement in the academy. A similar vein to Louise as the lowest student in the academy, the target for everyone's ridicule.

Nothing but a zero in a line of ones.

Unknown to them both, there was a connection held together by a thin string. Louise could feel that connection, even if she didn't fully understand it.

"D-do you really mean that?" Louise asked.

"What?" Siesta raises her head.

"About admiring me? Do you really mean that?" Louise repeated.

Shifting to sit up on her knees, Siesta places a hand to her heart, smiling softly. "Yes, with all of my heart. You are someone I wish I could be, Miss Louise."

Something inside of Louise's heart shifted ever so quietly. Her mouth opened. "Then, I-"

"TIIIIIME'S UP!"

"What?! Already?!" Louise gasps loudly. "Oh no..!" The girl sprints towards the courtyard to see what was going on. Siesta quickly gets off the floor, pushing the food cart and chasing after Louise.

When they arrived outside, they could see everyone standing and watching the conclusion of the Popularity Contest. A sharp gasp escapes Siesta's throat when she gets a good look at Popular No.1. "Oh my…?! What is that creature?!"

"A monster!" Louise growls. Unbeknownst to them, the fragrance of the freshly cooked food Siesta brought out was blown forward by the breeze, entering the nostrils of everyone in the courtyard.

Several Ayrees placed a table down between Guiche and Popular. Sitting on top of the table was a large white box that would be filled with paper containing the contestants' names. The Ayrees will count them to declare the winner.

"Once the voting begins, the feelings of the people shall flow into the ballots! The heart's true love if you will! Once all have been collected, then a winner will be declared?! Are you ready?!" Popular turned to his opponent, since Louise clearly stood no chance.

"Hmph! My victory is assured!" Guiche scoffed, surrounded by the various gifts of his admirers.

POPULARITY BATTLE! READY, GO!

Louise and Siesta watch with awe as hundreds of papers emerge from everyone, flowing into the ballot box at an alarming pace. Both contestants stood confidently, assured that one of them would be the victor. Once all were collected, the Ayrees dumped the box and started counting.

Bouquet sipped on her tea, assured that the No-One would win this battle with ease.

When the Ayrees were done counting, one of them hurried over to Popular and whispered in his ear. His cool expression turned into shock. "W-what?! Move!" He shoves his minions out of the way to look at the ballots himself. "N-no! This can't be!"

"Hey! No cheating just because I'm the clear winner, monster!" Guiche laughs.

"Dumbass! Neither of our names are on here!"

"HUUUH?!" Louise, Guiche, and Bouquet cried.

"T-then who won?! Don't tell me it was the Zero!" Guiche demanded to know.

All of the ballots floated into the air, lighting up to reveal the face of the true winner. All eyes widened at the declared victor.

"S-SIESTA?!"

"ME?!" The maid herself flinched back, shocked. "H-how did I win?! I didn't even know this was happening!"

"But how is this possible?! All of the hearts I brainwashed should only have voted for me!" Popular shouts, enraged by this turn of events.

Louise was confused too until she smelled the fragrance in the air. Her head turned to the food cart, then to the snack table. "Wait, Siesta, did you prepare the snacks today?"

"Hm? Y-yes. On top of my duties of checking in with the students to ensure their satisfaction, I always make sure to put my utmost love into the food, much like how my mother would for my siblings and I." Siesta explains. "My mother believes that when you truly put your heart into your food, then even the most corruptible hearts can be swayed." She pushes the cart forward towards the snack table. With a surprising burst of speed, all of the food was resupplied for all to enjoy. The students immediately forgot all about the contest in order to snack down on Siesta's food, even Bouquet went back to steal some food to take home.

"S-she won…through food?!" Popular cried, baffled. "That's unfair!"

"No! What's unfair is using cheap tactics to steal people's favor!" Louise shouted at the No-One. "Siesta didn't need to flaunt her status or brainwash people to earn their attention, but through her own hard work and dedication! Just because you're at the bottom, doesn't mean you can't get to the top! I'll fight as hard as I have to reach through people's hearts just like her! Because that's what I admire the most about Siesta!"

"Miss Louise?!" Siesta gasped.

"Louise…you…" Guiche was honestly blown away by the Zero's honesty when it came to a commoner.

But unlike them, the No-One wasn't pleased in the slightest. "Nobody in this world is allowed to be more popular than me! Ayrees! Let's tear this school down!" He roared, summoning more Ayrees from No-One World. The minions filled the courtyard and charged towards the students.

All of the students panic in fear, running away from the courtyard to avoid getting killed. Several Ayrees took aim with their rifles, but their shots were blocked by a huge wall of rocky dirt that sprouted from the ground. "What?!" Popular cried.

Stepping forward, Guiche clapped his hands with respect. "I have to say, this ended far differently than I thought. To think my radiance would be outshined by the Zero and a commoner. It seems that even I have more to learn when it comes to popularity."

"Heh!" Louise smirks as she removes her ring. The smaller mage stands next to Guiche as he removes his own ring. "I guess even you know when to realize you've been beat."

"I'm beautiful, not arrogant."

"Yeah, right."

"What are you fools doing?! Kill them!" Popular ordered and his minions listened immediately, charging at the Gozyugers.

"Engage!"

CLAP YOUR HANDS!

GOZYU ZERO!

GOZYU EARTH!

(Insert song: Ai ga Seigi - Hironobu Kageyama)

"AWHOOOOOO!" Gozyu Zero howls as she leaps over the army, lunging straight for Popular. She swings down her sword with lethal might, cracking the ground beneath the monster.

NUMBER ONE BATTLE! READY! GO!

Her slice sent the monster skidding back across the dirt. She lands on her feet and sprints forward at incredible speeds to continue engaging him. Popular, grunting at the force used, summons a short, curved sword to clash against Zero's gauntlet. When he kicks her back, he releases two energy slashes at the young heroine. The ringed hero dives between them, flips off her hands, and lands a fierce kick across his face.

Gozyu Earth blocks and deflects several gunshots with his gauntlet's blade, then grabs one of the Ayrees by the throat. He spins with his hostage, kicking up a bunch of harsh wind that sends his opposing enemies back. Then he throws his hostage up into the air. After clapping his hands, a weapon emerges from the ring on his chest plate.

EARTH HAMMER 50!

"Witness the strength of a noble!" A large yellow hammer, shaped like a tyrannosaurus rex, appeared in his grasp. Earth swung the hammer with all of his might into the falling Ayree, blasting the poor fool into some of his allies. The collision resulted in a large explosion for him to pose in front of. "Who's next~?!"

Refusing to give up the fight, the army of Ayrees charged at the Gozyuger to tear him apart. He prepared to take them all on until an explosion of black flames blew them back. The Casanova's surprise was momentary until two similarly dressed masked figures dropped from the sky, landing on both his sides.

"I apologize! Are we late to the party?!" Gozyu Flame asked, smirking under her helmet. Her friend, Gozyu Aqua, rolled her eyes.

Zero ducked under a swing from the monster to push him back with two more slashes. She turns back to stare at her irritating peers. "And where the hell have you two been this whole time?!"

"Shopping." Aqua replied.

"We were already on our way back when we heard your howling, my dear. You really have to tone that down, men won't find it attractive~!" Flame taunted.

"SHUT UP!" Zero screeches, then blocks an oncoming energy slash.

"I don't know who you two are, but I figure conversation can wait until the battle is settled, yes?" Earth said.

"Obviously!" Aqua exclaimed, using her blaster to fire precision water bullets at the approaching Ayrees. Earth and Flame lunged for the enemies, the yellow warrior crushed them down with his hammer, creating seismic quakes with each hit. Flame clapped her hands, summoning a weapon of her own from the ring on her chest plate.

FLAME WHIP 50!

A whip of black flames scorched the surrounding Ayrees mercilessly, their cries filling the sadistic dominatrix with extreme pleasure. Flame licked her lips under her helmet. "Okay, boys, let's play~!"

Back with Zero, she tackled Popular, flipping him over with her superior strength. She dashes forward like a predator on its hunt. Popular quickly slashes at the ground, kicking up a shockwave to knock her back. As he stands to catch his breath, a portal opens up in the sky, a large figure dropping down into the battlefield.

It was a large humanoid mech of white and blue colors with spikes protruding from its cone-shaped head. The mech's body was slightly feminine, especially evident by the pilot of the machine, which was none other than Lady Bouquet. "Popular No.1, Bouquet of Love, at your service." Inside of the cockpit, Bouquet is seen with a few baskets of muffins and cupcakes surrounding her. She takes a bite out of one of the cupcakes, muffling her voice. "Pleffse, do not fail todaffy."

"Lady Bouquet, it is an honor to fight by-wait a minute-are you eating?!" Popular shouted.

"N-no…! That's just your imagination!" The mech blushes to show her embarrassment.

"Then what is that delectable aroma coming from-GWAH!" He was interrupted by Zero drop-kicking him in the back.

"Focus on me, stupid monster!" Zero declared angrily.

Flame looked up at the giant mech, then turned to her best friend, who had just blown a few more Ayrees to ash. "Tabitha, be a dear and handle this one for me!"

"Tch! Fine." The bookworm didn't bother arguing. She raised her gauntlet into the air. "Come forth, Tega Sword!"

AWAKING!

Emerging from the clouds was the mighty, and powerful body of Tega Sword. He morphed from his gloved form and into his true body, allowing Tabitha to appear inside the cockpit. She took off her ring and inserted it into the control console. "Ring in!"

SOAK IT! DROWN IT! BLUE! SOAK IT! DROWN IT! BLUE!

TEGA SWORD BLUE!

The blue Tega Sword stomps into battle, ready to face off against Bouquet's Calendius Dress Guard. "Let's make this quick!" Tabitha exclaimed in her usual tone.

"Hand me that ring!" Calendius' jet boosters activate, allowing the mech to soar above the ground. Bouquet aimed the bloom blasters to tear the enemy mech apart. Tega Sword blocks the attacks, then aims its large barrel. A burst of aquatic energy splashes against Calendius, knocking the machine back. Both pilots engage in a fierce gunfight that quickly ends with Calendius getting blown into the dirt.

Inside of the cockpit, Bouquet and her stolen treats are knocked over. To the general's horror, she watches all of her sweets are crushed against each other, ruined and smushed forever. "M-my sweets…!" Her gloved fingers touch the torn muffins and frostless cupcakes. The woman's shock is swiftly replaced by vicious anger. "Bastard…! I won't forgive this…! I WON'T!"

To Tabitha's confusion, Calendius begins to attack ferociously with its Calenda Knifes. The bladed weapons tear against the golden plating of Tega Sword, roughly shaking the cockpit of the godly mech. "W-what the hell has gotten into her?!" When the knives stab through her mech, the bookworm's eyes narrow. "Enough of this!"

"DIE!" Bouquet roars as she descends to impale Tega Sword through the skull. Right before the knives could land, the godly mech bent backwards to avoid the blow. Thrown off balance, there was nothing Bouquet could do when the blue gatling blaster was pushed right into Calendius' chest.

"This will end it!" Tabitha pushes her mini Tega Sword forward.

TEGA SWORD FLASH! AQUA TSUNAMI WAVE!

A massive torrent of energy tore right through Calendius' chest, leaving a gaping hole right where the heart would be. Inside of the smoking and sparking cockpit, Bouquet glared hateful daggers at the Gozyuger as she held the crushed muffin in her hand. "I'll remember this! Next time, I'll kill you for this injustice!" She promised, escaping into a portal back to No-One world before her mech exploded in a bright shower of metal.

Back on the ground, Flame knocked the last of the Ayrees into a large pile. She turned to her fellow Ringed Warrior, leaning on him with her elbow. "Be a dear and wrap this mess up, would ya?"

"As you wish, mademoiselle." Earth took a bow, then pulled out another ring from his pocket. "Engage!"

SENTAI RING!

OHRANGER!

Earth's suit changed into OhRed of the Chouriki Sentai OhRangers! "Begone, wretched monsters!" He stabbed the gauntlet into the ground.

OHRANGER FINISH!

A red pyramid of energy captured the Ayrees, tightening around them. Flame twirled her whip, generating a blazing tornado of black fire, raising it above her head, then bringing it down with a powerful shout.

FLAME TORNADO FINISH!

The two masked heroes turned their backs to the resulting explosion, Earth turning back to his normal suit, and posed dramatically and seductively respectfully.

"GYAH!" Popular cries as he flips through the air before crashing into the dirt. Zero approaches, rotating her wrist, then crouches down to lay the finishing blow on her monstrous opponent. He stumbles and gets off of the ground. "I-I can't lose to someone so…so…so unpopular!"

"So, what if I'm unpopular?! I'd rather be unpopular than throw away my dignity and cheat my way to success!" Zero lunges forward at blitzing speed. "Lend me a hand, familiar!" She stabs the blade into Popular, cutting him open to reveal the trapped human inside. Zero reaches inside and yanks out her professor from Magical Studies class, the older woman flops on the ground, breathing heavily. "And for the record, I'm not aiming to only be popular! I'm aiming to become NUMBER ONE!"

FINISH! FINGER! ZERO!

Zero lays a merciless beatdown on the No-One, an 11-hit combo that sends Popular soaring into the sky. His body overloads from the damage and explodes loudly. Zero turns, walking away with an annoyed huff as the explosion gives her an epic backdrop.

WINNER: GOZYU-

"Nope. Today, someone else is Number One." Zero slaps the winning declaration off to the side, where Siesta had been watching. The words appear above the maid's head, startling her.

WINNER: SIESTA!

"O-oh my…?!" The maid flinches, blushing brightly.

Zero's masked allies stare at her as she walks past. Flame smirks under her helmet. "Never expected you to be one who gives up attention."

"Just shut the hell up."

Aqua rolls her eyes. She looks to her best friend and points at Earth. "Drag him back to the hideout."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Hm-YEOW!" Earth yelps when Flame's fiery whip entails him. "O-ow! That burns! Where are you taking me?! Not that I mind being dragged away by a beautiful maiden-OW!" He screams again after Zero takes Aqua's blaster to shoot him.

Siesta stands off to the side, watching silently as the masked heroes retreated off. Her eyes land on their rings, staring intently at the mystical jewelry. "Those rings…"

Unknown to them all, Siesta wasn't the only one who had been watching the battle take place. Hidden in the shadows, a red warrior keeps their eyes on the retreating Gozyugers. Now wasn't the time, but soon enough, they'll make their move to take those rings. The mysterious red flicks their black cape and disappears.

Now inside of the Number Zero, the girls finished explaining their alliance to Guiche. He silently sat on the couch, digesting the information. "I see. An alliance between us to collect all of the rings, then battle at the end to decide who gets them all. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Guiche." Tabitha answered.

"We'll understand if you don't want to join. Just leave your ring here and get the hell out-

"Oh oh oh oh oh! In that case, count me in!" Guiche shouts, cutting off Louise. "A team filled with maidens needs a shining knight to keep them safe, after all! No wonder you three are so desperate to have me on your side!"

"None of us said that." (Tabitha)

"We really only want you for the rings." (Kirche)

"Drown in a puddle." (Louise)

Clearly, Guiche ignored the rude comments, his own delusions running wild. "Worry not, my sweet mademoiselles, Guiche de Gramont shall lead our team to victory!"

"Who the hell said you'd get to be the leader?!" Louise shouts. "If anything I'm the leader!"

"Eh? My dear, Louise, the role of leadership has a height requirement~!" Kirche sang.

"I'm not that short, shut up!"

"Denial just means it's true~!"

"ARGH! Why are you always so annoying?!"

Tabitha just sighed, taking out a book while the other three just filled the room with noise. If they were to get another member, Tabitha was praying that it was someone far quieter.

Within the privacy of her own quarters, Siesta brought her knees up to her chest. The young maid picked up the small jewelry chest her mother had given her, opening it up to reveal a green and black colored ring. Siesta picked up the ring and saw the golden gauntlet of Tega Sword materialize on her left hand.

She thought back to what Louise and the other students had done. Slowly, Siesta placed the ring inside of the gauntlet. "...Engage…"

Nothing happened.

"Engage."

Nothing.

"E-engage?"

Still not a sound.

Why couldn't she do it? Louise and the others did it so easily, utilizing the powers of her beloved Tega Sword without issue. She didn't even begin to assume that they had been the ones using him to save lives. But now that she knew it was possible, all the maid could think about was using it all the same. And yet…her lord wasn't answering her prayers.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "Why… Lord Tega Sword…why do you not speak to me like you speak to them?"

Chapter End