Hello crazy beautiful world! Sorry this chapter was late, but some squirrel chewed through my internet cable so I was dead in the water for a while. It's fixed now and I've made a nice bowl of soup, so it probably won't happen again.

Exciting news, we are almost at the end of the arc and the second season! Just a chapter or two more and I'll hit that milestone! WOO!

Reviews: hornig3, surprise! Goliath is here! But damn, you're blood thirsty. Hopefully you appreciate how I've written him for this chapter.

Engineer4Ever, may I present, the wild Pandoran Goliath. And Axton did say they were pushing the line already, what's a little ptsd on top?

Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.

Please rate and review!

"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

"Excuse me! Coming through!" A frazzled, bunny eared waitress requested as she ran through the crowds of customers. She huffed and struggled to not tip the platter she was carrying, heavily laden with stacks of casino chips.

"Man, he's won twenty rounds in a row!"

"Look at all that money!"

"How does he do it?!" Several patrons muttered in excited whispers as she pushed through them all and reached the centre of the swarm, the roulette table with a single player. Salvador sat between his female companions and behind his massive towers of winnings. He tapped his finger impatiently off the felt table.

"About damn time." Salvador muttered impatiently as the waitress set the platter down for the croupier, having run out of chips again. The suited man was visibly sweating, likely freaking out that he was costing the establishment so much money.

"W-Where will you be b-betting this time sir?" He asked nervously, desperately trying to keep his welcoming, polite appearance up.

Meanwhile, Maya was still hovering outside of the cluster of watching patrons. She was currently giving off an air of menace and annoyance, which combined with the multiple men with swollen feet and shins hiding from her made it so no one dared approach her.

Inwardly though, Maya was starting to worry. It has been nearly twenty minutes since Angel's last message over the radio. She had Zer0 with her, sure, but she couldn't help but feel concerned for the younger girl's safety. She had only known her for the last week, but she had grown to enjoy her company, especially during their training sessions.

'Is this a teaching thing?' Maya wondered, squeezing her arm absently.

Before she could return to her musings however, something moved out of the corner of her silver eye. Glancing to the side, she could see one of the members of the security put a finger to his ear loop and nod. Then he left his post and started striding towards the centre of the room, towards Salvador.

She looked to the next corridor and saw another, then the next. Guards were approaching from every exit.

'Looks like the jig is up.' Maya narrowed her eyes, slowly reaching up to her earbud.

"Ma'am." A low voice grumbled as a large hand landed on her shoulder. Something sharp jabbed at the small of her back. Looking back, she saw the man discreetly holding her, another guard, a switchblade in hand. "Please come with me. Management wants to speak to you."

'Damn it! I got sloppy!' She clicked her tongue, angry at herself for letting someone sneak up on her.

In front of her, the four men were now brusquely pushing through the crowd and were almost upon her partner. Maya ground her teeth, trying to come up with a plan. They were outnumbered and she was held at knifepoint. That alone wasn't much of a problem, she could easily disarm her captor but they couldn't risk blowing their cover just yet!

*BLAM!* Just then, the doors to the front foyer slammed open, making the entirety of the gambling hall turn. Pouring through the doors was a tide of blue uniformed police officers armed with riot shields and batons!

"Everyone down on the ground! This is a raid!" A sergeant in front bellowed, right as a familiar face leapt in to lead the charge. Dressed in his dark green combat pants and brown flak jacket decorated with a shattered skull, Axton held a pistol in one hand while brandishing a search warrant in the other.

"Milton Redman, the owner of the Pretty Penny casino, is wanted for arrest under the suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking! All employees are under suspicion of corroboration and are asked to come quietly! You have the right to remain silent and an attorney!"

Screams and shouts of alarm rang out as the casino patrons dropped to the floor and cowered while the officers ran in. Whether out of stupidity or panic, most of the guards tried to resist their arrest, pulling out knives and knuckle dusters or resorting to their quirks. The result was absolute pandemonium.

At the centre of the crowd, Salvador jumped onto the roulette table and scooped up some of the now scattered chips. He gave them a look of remorse and sadness.

"Sorry mis amigos. It had to be this way." He said, then stuffed the plastic disks into his mouth like a handful of potato chips. Some rapid chewing and a swallow later, his frown gave way to a bloodthirsty smile. He threw his hat away like a frisbee, revealing his spiked mohawk and flicked his finger barrels out.

"GUNZERKEEEEEEER!" He roared, pointing at the four men that had just been moving to apprehend him.

*BRAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!* Plastic bullets sprayed from his guns and riddled his attackers, sending them to the ground covered in stinging welts!

"Heh." Maya smirked, feeling the man holding her shake in terror. "Just in time."

She snapped her fingers and in a flash, he was instantly enveloped with blue light. With a mental command, he was torn from the hold he had on her and spun in place, screaming all the while. Now free, Maya pivoted on one foot and lashed out with a roundhouse kick across the face. He crashed into a blackjack table, sending cards flying..

Taking a moment, she removed her sunglasses and kicked off her high heels. Then she reached down to the hem of her skirt and gave it a sharp tug, tearing a furrow in the fabric constricting her legs.

"Ahh…much better." She sighed in relief, so glad to be liberated from the tightness of her outfit and her pinching footwear. Retrieving her handgun from her purse and throwing said article away, she turned to the brawls breaking out across the room. The thugs were putting up a good fight, but were easily outclassed by the police and the members of Double Tap.

'Well, almost all of us.' Maya remembered her troubles concerning her young protégé in the basement. 'Hope everything's going okay down there.'

Everything was not okay.

"{I'M GOING TO PLAY JUMP ROPE WITH YOUR SPINES!}" The now frenzied Bubba let out a roar filled with manic glee. Equal parts fury, excitement and sadistic pleasure, the crimson skinned goliath sounded more eloquent than before, paradoxically. It was as if his discarded helmet had been a cork, holding down an appetite for carnage and destruction inside his body and with it, came monstrous strength.

"{RAAAH!}" He bellowed, coiling his legs and launching himself at Zer0 akin to a wrestler jumping off a ring post, rearing both fists over his waggling skull.

Zer0, as ever, disappeared in a blink right before impact.

*BAKOOM!* The earth violently shuddered. The force was so great, several of the thugs that were still conscious were knocked to the ground. With his primary target gone, Bubba's skull swivelled to his comrades.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they all blanched as one.

"RUN!" One of them screamed, scrambling to his feet. He let out a pained yelp when a crimson fist grabbed onto his leg.

"{GET OVER HERE AND SCREAM FOR ME!}" The Goliath bellowed as he swung his captive back and forth. Sickening snaps of bone filled the air as he smashed him against his fellow thugs, effortlessly batting them aside. After a few moments of battering he lifted his improvised club, who hung limp in his grasp, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Without a second glance, he tossed him aside in a bloody heap.

"{MORE CARNAGE! MORRRRRE!}" He cheered and chased after his next victim.

The entire time, one hero in training and three hostages watched from behind a shelf in horror.

'What am I supposed to do now?!' Angel fretted as she shook in her boots, the mayhem unfolding before her sapping all of the courage she had mustered up since the beginning of this mission. She was only meant to be the hacker, the one who could bypass security and download all of Pretty Boy's dirty secrets. Not trapped in a room with an enraged monster, bludgeoning and crushing anything he could get his meaty fists on.

There was no way Yūei would have ever approved of this internship if they knew something like this would happen. She could only imagine what trouble Double Tap will face, if she even survived that is.

Even the knowledge of the skill and expertise that Zer0 possessed didn't reassure her that much. The initial quake seemed to have disrupted the senior hero's concentration or something, as all of his clones had blipped out of existence, leaving him alone against Bubba.

'Can he even win?' She thought. Sure, Zer0 hadn't gotten hit once yet, but he wasn't doing much either. His tonfa and kicks did about as well as they had before, bouncing off of Bubba's now thick and corded muscles instead of rippling fat this time.

Her mind briefly flashed back to the wicked sharp katana Zer0 had used to cut through the cell bars, but immediately dismissed the notion. Heroes didn't kill, that was one of the only things separating them from villains and vigilantes.

How many people will be hurt or die before Bubba was taken down was the problem.

'Darn it! I hate this!' She bit her trembling lip. It was USJ all over again, with one of her teachers(sort of) fighting an impossible battle while she stood on the sidelines, useless.

"{URAAAGH!}" He raised his fists, hopped up and slammed them on the floor again. With a mighty crack, a shockwave of shattered concrete launched more thugs into the air, throwing them against the walls!.

Heck, Bubba could be mistaken for a Nomu if it weren't for all of his barbaric screaming.

'What do I do?!' Angel begged the universe for an answer, squeezing her eyes shut. 'What do I do?!'

"Ah!" A frightened cry next to her made them snap back open. She glanced to her right.

Sitting there, huddling with their backs against the shelf were the two sisters, Karin and Nomi. Tears were pouring down the latter's face while the other girl held her, despite the trembling of her own form implying how frightened she was. Okuma was next to them, looking torn between panicking himself and a desire to do something to help the younger captives.

For a moment, everything slowed as Angel stared at the three helpless hostages, the sight bringing her back to a moment more than half a year ago, during another, seemingly hopeless situation.

Siren's flashed and klaxons blared while the three mercenaries ran through the corridors of the facility. Brick was leading the front and Lilith held up the rear. Between them was their leader, a terrified girl in his arms who clung to his neck.

"Roland… I-I'm scared!" Angel whimpered.

"It's alright to be scared." He answered, not breaking stride. "I'm scared too."

"R-Really?" She asked, feeling him nod in response.

"Of course. It's perfectly normal to feel fear. Right now I'm afraid that my friends and I won't make it. But most of all, I'm scared of what will come of you if I fail. Fear isn't a bad thing. It reminds you of what you have to lose. The trick is making sure to use it for something useful." He told her as he took another step to what would eventually be her freedom.

Angel blinked and straightened her back. That was right. She needed to be the one in control of the situation. She could be afraid, she just couldn't let it show.

She sucked in a breath and pursed her lips, making sure to wipe all traces of fear from her face.

"Hey!" She stage-whispered, catching the three's attention. "Get yourselves up! We need to go, now!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Okuma said, flinching as some poor man let out a pained howl followed by Bubba's mad cackling.

"W-What about the other hero? Will he be okay?" Karin asked.

"We're just going to have to have faith in Zer0. Our job is to get out safely. Now come on, let's go!" Angel told them and knelt down to help the girls back to their feet. Their legs trembled but held. They looked uncertain, but she could detect a hint of trust in their expressions. Looked like her plan had worked, now she needed to make sure they couldn't see her sweat.

"Grab each other's hands. We'll support each other and sneak over to the door. Then once we're out, we make a break for the stairwell. Take a right, round two corners and it will be there. Got it?"

They gave her shaky nods, likely the best she was going to get.

Angel swallowed and looked over the edge of the shelf. Bubba was currently in the process of gripping a thug by the back of the head and repeatedly smashing his face into the floor.

*THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!* He snarled as three kunai bounced themselves off his forearm, clattering to the floor. He looked up from his nearly toothless victim to see Zer0 across the room.

"{YOUR LITTLE KNIVES CAN'T STOP ME! NOTHING CAN!}" Bubba yelled, heaving the thug in his hand over his head and chucking him at the hero, who easily ducked underneath.

Zer0's helmet shifted ever so slightly and Angel could feel his gaze on her. He gave her a subtle nod. She returned it.

He then backflipped to avoid a heavy backhand and promptly vanished.

"{YOU BETTER HIDE FROM ME YOU LITTLE BITCH!}" Bubba yelled as he kept swinging back and forth to try and catch the invisible hero, his back conveniently turned to Angel and the others.

"Now! Come on!" She hissed and she started leading them away from the shelves and towards the door in a crouch. They held their breaths as the air continued to be filled with Bubba's hulking voice and the sound of various items getting thrown around.

Closer and closer. It felt like an eternity, the door never seeming to get any closer, all the while their ankles ached. Their joined palms were slick with sweat, but they held onto each other tightly, taking one step at a time, together as a human chain.

'Come on… almost there… almost there!' Angel chanted in her head. Three feet. Two feet. One foot. She reached out and grasped for the handle.

*CRUNCH!* She jolted and the line froze in place. The room went startlingly quiet.

A glance back. She saw the horrified look on Okuma's face as he raised his shoe, revealing the now crushed caviar tin.

Past that, she saw Bubba halt in place. His skull swiveled in place on his spine and crazed pinpricks met terrified blues.

"GO!" She urged the captives, holding the door open. "RUN FOR THE STAIRS!" She waved Okuma through.

"{IF THERE'S ONE THING I HATE, IT'S COWARDS! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN RIP YOU APART, PIECE BY PIECE!}" He screamed, grabbing a forklift and lifting it over his head.

"GO! GO! GO!" She pushed Karin out, followed by Nomi.

"{THINK FAST!}" The goliath grunted and pitched the heavy machinery straight at Angel.

She dove through the double doors and rolled.

*KLONG!* She just barely avoided getting decapitated by the forklift that crashed through the doors, taking out chunks of the wall with it.

Scrambling to her feet, Angel ran down the hall right after the hostages. She was halfway to the first corner when she heard the thundering of two heavy feet behind her.

"{THERE'S NO RUNNING FROM ME!}" The hulking mass of destruction slammed against the wall and gave chase, his massive body just barely squeezing into the tighter confines of the hall. He ran with a sort of gorilla-like gait, using his oversized arms to push himself along rather than his legs.

On reaction, Angel whipped out her hand.

'Fire!'

Three bolts jumped from her fingers and burst against his chest, burning holes in his shredded dress shirt but not much else.

"{THAT TICKLES, DAHAHAHAHA!}" Bubba laughed as he continued unimpeded.

Angel faced forward just in time to turn left and avoid crashing into the wall. Up ahead she could spy the hostages pushing past a laden money cart resting in the middle of the corridor, it's attendee nowhere to be seen. She ran straight for it and leapt into the air, her wings materializing for just a moment and carrying her overtop. Flipping over in midair, she planted her boots on the end of the trolley.

"HYA!" She cried and kicked, sending it rolling down the hall just as her pursuer rounded the corner.

"{GAH!}" He shouted more in surprise than pain as the cart crashed into him, throwing the stacks of yen up into a small snowstorm of paper. He stumbled about in confusion, trying to get his bearings.

Glad that she had bought a couple seconds at the very least, Angel landed on her feet, her wings dissipating as she ran around the last corner. Straight ahead Okuma was holding the door to the stairwell open for the girls, getting a bit of admiration from her for helping the younger captives. He seemed elated when he spotted her approaching and held it for her too.

As soon as she was in, he slammed it closed behind her.

"Thanks!" She panted, wiping her brow. "Come on, he's right behind us!"

"Gimme a sec!" He promised her, facing the door and pressing a finger to his nose.

She was about to ask what he was doing when he made a gross snorting sound and a stream of transparent, viscous goo streamed out of his nostril. Like a waterhose, he aimed the torrent at the door handle before covering the edges where the door met the frame. Then he finally cut it off, leaving Angel with mixed feelings of disgust and amazement.

"Wait, is that glue?!" She asked.

"Yeah." Okuma sniffed, wiping at his face. "Won't hold that monster for very long though."

As if to prove his point, there was a loud bang as a very big indent of a fist pushed out of the metal. The door budged a bit, but the glue held for now.

"Go!" Angel yelped, sending the two of them scrambling up the stairs. Legs pumping, she climbed the steps as fast as she could, all the while the banging continued, growing louder and louder!

'Doesn't this guy ever quit?!' Angel groaned, following Okuma out to the first floor hallway where the sisters were tentatively waiting for them. The moment she left the stairwell, she immediately heard the sounds of fighting and orders to surrender nearby.

'I'm guessing the police are here.' She surmised, lifting her spirits a little. That meant Maya and Salvador were close and she could leave Bubba to them.

"W-Where do we g-go now?" Karin asked, pacing a little in anticipation to run.

"We-" Angel started.

"Hey!" They all turned down the other end of the hall where two thugs were pointing at them. "They found the deadbeats! We gotta get rid of them before the police find out!"

"We keep running!" Angel yelled, the four of them turning tail and sprinting away.

"After them!"

"What do ya think I'm doing?!" The two men behind them bickered as they gave chase. But just as they were about to pass the stairwell-

*BANG!* The door burst open, swinging out and smacking them in the face, instantly knocking them out! A pair of giant red arms reached through the edges of the doorframe and Bubba squeezed himself through with a snarl. His skull whipped this way and that until his eyes locked onto Angel and company.

"{THERE YOU ARE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PAPERCUTS YOU GAVE ME YOU LITTLE RUNT?!}"

"Oh come on!" Okuma whined as the chase renewed, the small group of teenagers and the young adult rounding another corner. Angel's lungs were starting to burn, but the adrenaline kept her going.

'More worried about the others.' She noted the way the civilian's breathing was becoming more labored. They didn't have morning exercise with Moxxi everyday after all.

If nothing else, Bubba's heavy stomping bearing down on them like a galloping rhino kept them going, but for how long?

"Right!" Angel told them as they approached a crossroad and they took the turn, emerging into the central gambling hall and the chaotic skirmishes within. Everywhere, uniformed police engaged groups of casino security, the latter of whom seemed to be on the losing side. All the while panicked gamblers were being pushed out to the front foyer by the authorities.

"I LIVE FOR THIS!" A familiar accented voice laughed. At the centre of the room standing on a table was Salvador, finger guns blazing. On his side was Axton who was taking slower, more carefully aimed shots with his pistol. And out in the thickest of the fights was Maya. She gracefully weaved through the chaos just as she did during training, nimbly dodging her enemy's movements while using her telekinesis to throw them around and slam them to the ground like gravity had increased tenfold.

"Hey look, it's the intern!" The Mexican dwarf pointed out, momentarily pausing in his shooting.

"She's got the hostages! Covering fire!" Axton ordered.

"Come on!" Angel told her entourage, leading them towards her fellow heroes and safety, keeping their heads down. No thugs dared to try and stop them thanks to the rubber and plastic bullets flying overhead. A couple seconds of traipsing through the mayhem, they finally made it to cover, hiding behind the table.

"Angel, status report! Where's Zer0?!" Axton asked.

"I don't know but we've got bigger problems! There's this one guy chasing us! His quirk is crazy!" She shot back.

"{I'M GOING TO STUFF YOU ALL INTO MY FACE HOLE!}" The entire room looked up as the crimson skinned monster entered. Almost immediately people on all sides screamed and tried to get away from him.

"LOOK OUT, BADASS!" Salvador warned, taking another bite of casino chips then leaping into the fray. He unloaded a barrage of bullets at the behemoth, who shielded his skull with his arm. Unfortunately the plastic projectiles only seemed to ping off Bubba's thick skin.

"{SQUASH YOU FLAT, MIDGET!}" He growled, bending down then throwing himself into the air at the Gunzerker. Salvador dove out of the way as the goliath belly flopped where he had been standing, resulting in a resounding boom! The marble floor cracked and plaster rained from the ceiling from the impact.

"Shit, that's a big bastard!" Axton swore before turning back to Angel. "Good job getting these three out Angel, but looks like our job isn't over yet!"

"So what now?" She asked, flinching as a vending machine floor over the table and smashed against the far wall.

"Stay here and keep these three safe!" He ordered, pointing at the three exhausted and shivering civilians.

Angel's mind halted and she looked at him incredulously. Was she getting pushed to the sidelines again? Seriously?!

"B-But I can help can't I?!" She protested.

"No you can't!" He shook his head, loading a fresh magazine into his pistol. "Remember the contract kid, you aren't allowed to use your quirk offensively! You got us in and did your job, now stay here!"

"But-!"

"That's an order!" He reiterated with a serious look, stifling any further chance for debate. She gave him a shaky nod and watched him vault over the table, running at Bubba weapon drawn.

Said villain was currently plowing through card tables in hot pursuit of Salvador who kept taking shots in between dodges.

Axton grabbed a metal cylinder from his bandolier and yanked it's ring out with his teeth. "Throwing flash!" He yelled, throwing it underhand and bowled it right between Bubba's legs.

*FOOM!*

"GAAAH!" The goliath sputtered, covering his skull. Now that he was distracted, both heroes pulled their triggers, firing off as many shots at their target close range as possible. But once again, their bullets just bounced off his red skin without inflicting any injuries.

"{TRY ALL YOU LIKE, YOU CAN'T STOP ME! I'M THE JUGGERNAUT BITCHES!}" Bubba taunted them, reared back and slapped his giant hands together.

*KAPOW!* His mighty thunderclap generated a wave of air and force, throwing Axton and Salvador backwards and off balance, their ears ringing!

"{DIE!}" Bubba leapt into the air, fists ready to crush Axton into a pancake!

But right at the apex of his jump, there was a flash of blue and he halted as if gravity had walked out on the job. There he floated, contained in an aquamarine bubble.

"{HUH?!}" He gaped and thrashed about, trying to break the force restraining him.

"Guh!" Maya grunted off to the side, glowing arm raised with her other hand. "Get out of there! I can't hold him for long!" She barked as she tried to maintain concentration.

"Thanks Blue!" Axton clambered back up and ran to cover with Salvador.

"{WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS BUBBLE, I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU IN HALF LIKE A WISHBONE!}" Bubba continued punching and kicking overhead.

"Ugh! Dammit!" Maya gasped in pain, her arm trembling. "He's too strong!"

"We need more firepower! Sal, you up to it?" Axton asked his partner who only shook his head.

"I can't! Plastic or rubber isn't going to cut it! I need to eat something harder and a lot of it!" He answered, his face twisted in frustration.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, their plight was being observed by their intern, who clenched the edge of the table out of worry. Once again, things were looking bad and she was stuck watching, being completely useless. She knew that Axton had ordered her to stay out of it, but if Bubba wasn't taken down soon, someone was going to get hurt!

'But what can I even do?!' She asked herself desperately. Even if she disobeyed orders and attacked the rampaging villain, which would land her in a LOT of hot water for technical vigilantism, she wasn't sure her phase blasts or aerial acrobatics fighting style would do the job. The only thing she had that could feasibly work was the beam, but there was no way in hell she was going to use that. She needed something else.

"Oh man! I'm such an idiot!" Angel was shaken out of her thoughts by Okuma's voice beside her, the young man rocking himself as he cried out of shame. "Forgive me father! If only your son didn't get tempted by all the booze, slots and pretty women in this damn place!" He blubbered.

Angel breathed in to try to calm him down, but then she stopped. Her eyes widened and shifted down to her marked palm.

Then a spark lit up in her head and she clenched her fist. 'That's it!'

"Just hold on Maya!" Axton called out to his teammate as he quickly reloaded his weapon.

"I-I can't-!" Maya panted, teeth ground in effort before she finally staggered to her knees and the orb encasing Bubba vanished.

"{FREEEEDOOOOM!}" He crowed as he landed back on the ground. "{TIME TO-!}"

"{H-Hey ugly!}" Every head turned to the side corridor.

Standing there defiantly was a single hero intern.

"{Y-Yeah, I'm talking to you!}" Angel did her best Bakugo impression, pointing at Bubba and giving him a(hopefully) intimidating glare. "{Y-Your mother must be blind, b-because…" She swallowed and screamed. "{BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A FACE EVEN SHE WOULDN'T LOVE!}"

With that, she turned tail and ran.

The room went quiet as everyone stared in disbelief at the strange girl's wimpy attempt at mockery.

Fortunately for her, Bubba's bar wasn't set very high to begin with.

"{RAAAAAGH!}" He fumed like a mad bull, steam billowing from his skull's nose hole! "{NO ONE TALKS ABOUT MY MOMMA LIKE THAAAAAT!}" The walls echoed with his fury and he promptly gave chase, leaving the heroes stupefied before realizing what just happened.

"Angel, what are you doing?!" Axton hollered after her.

"Just trying to help!" She threw back over her shoulder as she ran from Bubba for the second time today. She sprinted down the empty hall as fast as she could muster, the mass of muscle and savagery not too far behind.

'Got his attention, great!'

She honestly couldn't believe that she was doing this, goading the crazed, musclebound murderer into trying to kill her. But her internship contract made her swear to not use her quirk on another person.

Except in the event that she had to defend herself, alas, here she was. Now that Bubba was now successfully drawn away from anyone else, he couldn't hurt anyone but her. Now she just needed to incapacitate him.

'Hope this next part will work or I'm going to be shipped back to Yūei in a box.' She thought grimly all the while she recalled the casino floor plan and one other thing.

She gripped her wrist and let her power flow, urging the metaphorical wind to start climbing up her arm. It was a bit more difficult than the last time she had done this, the constant bouncing of her body making it hard to concentrate. Thankfully, light bled from her markings and began to crawl into her hand and over her fingers.

Angel looked up, approaching another junction and turned left, straight towards her target destination.

The slot hall. Rows upon rows of the automated lottery machines filled the room like a maze made of glittering, one armed statues. She didn't see anyone else around, all the patrons and staff already evacuated.

Perfect.

"{MURDERING YOU IS GONNA FEEL SO GODDAMN GOOD!}" Bubba yelled, helpfully confirming that yes, he was still following her.

Without a moment to lose, Angel dashed down the steps and ran down the centre lane, an endless lineup of slot machines on either side.

'Come on come on come on!' She begged, brow furrowed from the herculean task of focusing her powers on the run. The energy coalesced in her palm, strands from her fingers swirling and mixing together.

"{NOWHERE TO RUN GIRLIE!}"

Angel jolted and looked up again. He was right. Up ahead the two rows of slot machines joined together in a circular formation, a large buffet covered table covered in expensive foodstuffs set up in the centre. She had nowhere else to go.

'Just a little more!' She gazed desperately at the energy in her palm and gave one last push. The amorphous mass held within her fingers swelled, sparked and finally rounded out into an apple sized orb, just like the one from before.

Last time she had been experimenting, exploring what was possible without really knowing what the end result would be. This time, she knew exactly what she was doing.

Angel looked up and slowed herself down, coming to a stop right in front of the buffet table and spun around to face her doom. Bubba was only a few meters away and closing fast.

Her eyes anxiously flicked to her creation and pulled back her other hand.

"Here goes nothing!" She said nervously. Making sure to keep a single phrase in the centre of her mind, she clapped her right hand over her left.

*ZAT!* Her hands flared as the gathered energy was dispersed, sparks rapidly coursing down her legs, along the floor and surging into all the slot machines around her. There was a series of crackling and as one, each machine's lever pulled down and set their slots spinning.

Angel looked up in time to see Bubba slow down and loom over her mockingly, bringing his fists together to pop his knuckles, the sound like firecrackers.

"{ANY LAST, PITIFUL WORDS?}" He chuckled maliciously.

Angel fell onto her rear and began to backpedal towards the table. Bubba raised his bulging fists over his head one last time. There was no way out.

But she was done running.

Angel gave him a knowing smile.

"{Just two. Jackpot!}" She answered and dove under the table.

*Ding! Ding!* Several bells jingled synonymously, all around.

"{HUH?!}" The gangster pulled his eyes away from his prey and looked around in time to see every slot machine around him, all of them with two sevens on their tumblers before being joined by a third.

*DING! DING! DING!* They all chimed and like a circular firing squad, blasted a hailstorm of tokens from their coin trays at high speed!

"{WHAT THE FUAAAAOWWWWW!}" Bubba howled in pain as he was bombarded from all sides by thousands of metal disks, the velocity that they were fired imbedding themselves in his skin and ricocheting off his skull! "{STOP! STOP IT! STOOOOOOP!}"

The entire time Angel hid under the table, shielding her head. For the next half minute the world was a cacophony of agonized wailing, ringing of bells and the pinging of coins bouncing off her wooden shelter.

Then it stopped. All she could hear was the whirring of the slot machine, their ammunition dry. Ignoring the throbbing in her head, Angel peered out from under the table.

"{OoOOooogh…}" Bubba groaned, his skull swaying in a daze. His red skin was now littered with angry purple welts, blood leaking from the bits of currency still sunk into his flesh. The rest of the coins were spilled all over the floor around him.

"{This… country…}" He gurgled and Angel noticed his legs quake under his weight. "{...is fulla assholes…}" With that, he teetered and pitched forward. Right at her.

"WoahwoahWOAH!" Angel yelped and scurried out of the way just in time to avoid getting crushed under the thug's comatose body as he smashed through the table and laid still.

Angel stared, wide eyed in utter disbelief. Slowly, she picked herself up and approached her fallen foe. Still in shock, her brain decided to find out if what she saw was real and nudged him with her foot.

There was a twitch and she leapt back a foot, her back hitting one of the slot machines.

With a wet squelch, a long tongue flopped out of Bubba's neckhole.

"Blehhh…" He exhaled, down, but still alive.

Angel just kept breathing, still not quite believing what had just happened.

'Is it… is it over? Did I… did I really..?'

"Dios mío…" She heard someone gasp in Spanish and she looked up. Standing at the slot hall entrance was three quarters of team Double Tap, joined by a few policemen. All of them stared in surprise and more than a few jaws were dropped.

The first one to break out of their spell was Maya, who quickly strode over. She gave Angel a once over for injuries. Satisfied that her student was okay, she looked down at the man on the ground.

She then turned back and gave her an impressed smile. "Good job kid. You just beat your first real bad guy."

Maya's words slammed into Angel like a hammer. Her legs folded and she slumped against the machine at her back. The back of her head softly hit it's surface.

"Heh." She snickered, staring off into space.

Maya raised a brow. "What's so funny?"

"Oh it's… nothing much really." She shook her head a little. "Just… he asked me if I had any last words and I said "Just two. Jackpot."

She let out a tired giggle and grinned. "But that's only one!"

Maya snorted and they both laughed.