Hello, peeps! First and foremost... heii-lin. I just want you to know that I am so sorry to hear of your ordeals, and if you have anything you'd like to talk about, please feel free to PM me. I am so grateful that you continue to read and review and show support for this story, despite your life situations. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Now then... I need a bit of self-indulgence here, okay peeps? I know you all want to get onto Round 2, and you're wondering what's the deal at the Stadium, and what Mary's role in that is... but this chapter has been speaking to me since the very beginning. I needed to one-up the B. Jenet Heist from last story, since it was one of the lesser-received chapters. So, I present to you: The Malin Heist! It's much better, I assure you. I think you will all be very pleased with it, especially anyone who happened to have a negative reception of certain fights in Round 1.

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter. I put many months of care and planning into it.

EPISODE 7: THE NEXT BIG DAMN HEIST

Footsteps silent, shallow breaths masking her presence in the quiet hallways... a shadow skulked at a measured pace, scanning the numerous doors that littered the sleeping quarters of Castle Stronheim. Ever searching... trying to memorize each one, from the number of occupants, to the faces inside. They all thought she was loitering all evening... a bite here, a drink there, shooting the shit when the occasion rose for meaningless gossip. But she was taking mental notes, watching, listening, preparing... she had a job in the works, one that was going to profit herself greatly, and forever cement the philosophy that blood, sweat, and tears were better left INSIDE the body. There were smarter ways to reap the riches...

Malin finally stopped, gazing upon the simple brown door before her. If calculations were correct, her target should be in one of two places... she'd been bouncing back and forth between rooms depending on the general mood of the day.

With a deep breath, Malin put fist to wood and knocked... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

A while passed, and there was no response. If this was his room, no doubt he was ignoring her. The other one was more likely to respond with a screeching rant and big, anatomical words.

Finally, after a full minute of waiting... the door opened, and there she stood. Bonne Jenet looked shocked, obviously not expecting to be bothered at this time of night. As a result, she seemed unprepared to make herself decent in the event of a knock, as she was concealing herself with naught but a white towel, which, instead of wrapping around herself, she opted to just press against her chest with one palm and let the loose, fluttering cloth cover as it willed. Curiosity was already getting the best of Malin, as she was bobbing her head back and forth, trying to catch a peep of the room behind her... the bed LOOKED lumpy, but-

"Something you need, runt?" Jenet's voice had no shortage of annoyance. Judging from her disheveled hair and heavy eyes, she must have been sleeping like the dead.

"Yeah, Cap'n Whorebeard." Malin opened with an aggressive jeer. "I got a job for us. And none of this threesome shit. Just you and me... bitch to bitch."

It didn't take long to bring Jenet up to speed; naturally, she was thrilled. The taste of adventure, to embrace her rapscallion roots and indulge in the skullduggery she lived for... these pleasures in life fueled her, breathed life into her breast when other authoritative figures tried to put her down. The police? Her parents? The "laws" that governed, or more appropriately, CONTROLLED society? They were all overshadowed by her mighty black banner.

So yeah, of course she would join in a job with Malin! Sure, she didn't like Malin... she sure didn't forgive Malin for botching their last job... but it was a thrill. Adventures were memories, and she wanted to forever have stories to tell of her perilous voyages.

A quick meeting in one of Krauser's social rooms, and some coffee, brought the two ladies to full energy as they went over the plan in full.

"Okay, I've been out talking to a lot of people today." Malin explained, fingers drumming a blank piece of paper on the coffee table. "There's a lot of fighters who are bummed they didn't their shot in the tournament. Some of em are willing to pay, and I mean PAY, to nab an entry card."

Jenet, fully clothed, put a hand to her chin. "Hmmm... I think I know where you're going with this."

"Good. You're not completely slow." Malin jabbed. "Now pay attention... WE, are going to STEAL, entry cards. Tonight. While they're sleeping. Now, I've got this piece of paper here, so we can go over all the easy targets, and all the no-no's. So get thinking!"

Jenet was already getting warm inside with the tingle of excitement... yes... she did love looting and plundering.

"Let's see... Shingo, for sure. Guy's a doofus."

"Bingo." Malin wrote down his name. "Some of the girls... uhhh... Hinako?"

"You're own teammate?!" Jenet gasped.

"Pssh. Just ONCE."

"That's low..."

"Well, she sucks."

"True... worst she could do is throw sand at us."

"Salt, actually."

"Whatever, dude. Damn."

"Okay... Hotaru."

Jenet's face turned a bit. "N-no! Aw cmon Malin... not her..."

"No, f*** that!" Malin argued. "She's an easy mark, so get over it!"

"Hmph. Fine." Jenet frowned. "Hmmm... King?"

"I'm not f***ing with King."

"Okay... how about Mai?"

"Mai?" Malin's face lit up. "Hell yes, Mai! I owe that water balloon merchant a heaping dose of payback!"

Malin seemed to passionately scribble Mai's name on the paper, as Jenet continued. "How about Kula?"

"Lollipop girl... good one." Malin winked. "Worst she'll do it tell her mommies on us. Waaaaaaah waaaaaah."

The two of them took a brief moment of silence to examine the piece of paper: five names had been written down. That may not have seemed like much to 24 potentials... but Malin and Jenet were but two people. They had limited clients, limited time, and high risk. It was time to execute this mission quick, clean... and thoroughly.

"Okay, so we'll split it evenly." Malin declared.

"How do we split five even, math magician?" Jenet mocked.

"That's mathematician, you blonde dummy." Malin countered. "And I'll do two, you do two, and we'll do the last one together. Fair?"

"Alright, fine. Let's do it already, so I can go back to bed." Jenet groaned.

"Just be thankful I'm including you in this, after last time."

"LAST TIME? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO FUC-"

"Shhhh! Keep your damn voice down, you screamer." Malin shushed. "Now cmon."

"Wait a minute!" Jenet stopped the action. "How exactly are we gonna get to town?"

Malin smirked. "Krauser keeps an entire garage full of Mercedes Benz. We'll just take one."

"You gonna get the keys from the sleeping giant?"

"I'll hotwire one. Unless you wanna f*** him for the keys."

"You better stop teasing me, or I'm done!"

"Fine, fine. Keep your tits in your dress."

The execution was swift and punctual; under the blanket of a long day's sleep, the fallen warriors-turned-opportunists infiltrated the sleeping quarters, able to locate each room thanks to Malin's dedicated studies earlier that day.

Shingo was the easiest. The kid hadn't changed his clothes... even taken a shower! Not unless he had multiple copies of the blue flaming boxers he'd been wearing all day.

"Zzzzz...unnnghmmm...zzzz... ungghhwazzat? You wanna...mmmnfhhh punch me in the face? WELLDOIT...mmnhhmmghnnn..." he was obviously having some vivid dream about fighting and was mumbling it aloud. Jenet swiped his entry card with no trouble.

Since Jenet didn't have the heart to steal from Hotaru, Malin obliged. The girl did look absolutely adorable, snuggled in a little ball with her pet Itokatsu curled up against her, and only the blackest of hearts would take advantage of such cuteness... Malin did so with glee.

Hinako was an easy pick for Jenet, as she slipped in, snatched the card, and left the girl to dreams of excessive eating. Which she had, as she was unconsciously shoveling food into her mouth that wasn't even there... holding a pair of chopsticks that weren't even there.

As big a pleasure as it was to steal from Mai... Malin had the displeasure of walking in and seeing her sweaty, naked form curled up against Andy in obvious post-coital snuggling. She had to suppress a gag as she tried to tear her eyes away from the parts the bedsheets didn't quite cover. Finally, she just closed her eyes, felt around on the dresser for the entry card, and sprinted out.

When four of five have been secured, the two girls rendezvoused in the hallways to share their spoils. Malin presented her two, with a cheeky grin, and Jenet showed her two off with a confident wink.

"Hey hey. Not bad, Pirate Queen." Malin gave a backhanded compliment. "You honestly exceeded my expectations."

Jenet rolled her eyes. "You are just so full of charm, you know? It's a wonder everyone doesn't want to be on your team."

"Psssh. Yeah, well at least people don't strive to be on my team because they think I'll sleep with them." Malin poked. "Now then, I need you to do the final step. Go get the last entry card while I hotwire a car. Can you manage that, or do I need to hold your hand?"

Jenet was close to a vein throbbing. "I can do it, Malin! God! And for the record, I don't know exactly what you or others think of me... but I'm not a f***ing cumbucket. I've only given myself to people that were really fun, really charming, and that I respect and admire. And the more you flap your gums, the more your pathetic little insecurity shows. You're an 18 year old girl in a little kid's bod-"

"DON"T. EVEN. GO THERE." Malin's expression went from totally smug... to all defenses raised. The situation had easily just escalated to 9000.

"...Then I suggest you shut up and quit taking stabs at me." Jenet's eyes narrowed. "Now go fire up the bloody car."

"Fine. Don't take too long or I'm leaving with four entry cards... and WITHOUT you."

With that agreement, Malin proceeded to Krauser's precious garage, while Jenet carried out the final raid. She approached Kula's door, slowly creaked it open... the first thing she felt was a drastic temperature change, like they were running an air conditioner at full power. Her feet weren't inside for two second before goose pimples invaded her skin, and she looked down at her chest to see two distinct bumps forming... she had to get the hell out of this refrigerator!

Everyone else seemed peaceful, nonetheless. Kula enjoyed possession of the bed, the ice girl wearing a comfortable smile as she lay cradled in the arms of her android, Candy. The robot held her tight, seemingly stuck in that position as her darkened eyes indicated some type of sleep mode. Regardless, Jenet kept her shivering and teeth chattering to a minimum, as to not make those eyes glow with life...

Meanwhile, Kula's "moms" Diana and Foxy shared the floor, as they lay snuggled up together on a makeshift bed of sheets and quilts. Foxy's head lie on Diana's bosom, draping over the butterfly lady with a mane of white which seldom hung free. Jenet was nearly distracted by the cuteness of the setting, when she noticed it: the distinct card shape, with a glossy laminated sheen. Kula's entry card!

"Sorry cutie." Jenet whispered, trying to stifle mischievous giggles as she crept over. She only dared get close enough that she could outstretch her arm. She put her back into it, leaving over, stretching... reaching... she could feel waves of frigid air blowing down her dress, and it only made her more desperate to be done with it. Her hand got closer... finally her fingers touched the corner, and she pinched down. It was hers! Now to slowly draw back...

...Suddenly, Jenet was blinded by four specs of light: two amber, two red.

"Ahh, ahhhhhh!" Jenet yelped as Kula leaped out of bed, her hair already blue, as a sharp, pointed ice instrument formed in her palm.

"You don't belong here." she spoke in a voice that was frightening just by the LACK of emotion it carried. The ice blade was protruded, nearly touching Jenet's throat.

"Oh-h-h-h-h-h-h-hhh crap... M-MALIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

Jenet was out like the blast of a cannon, sprinting down the hallway... unfortunately, Kula proved to be a speedy pursuer, and not shy to using her special talents... as indicated when three razor-sharp icicles pierced the wooden door, right where Jenet's head resided a second earlier.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Jenet managed to escape the attack with her life... but this birthed a new plethora of problems.

"WHAT'S ALL THE YELLING!" Mai emerged from her bedroom, with naught but two fans covering her naughty bits. "I know I'm the sexiest thing in the universe, but even I need my beauty sleep!"

"Ungh... I need a glass of water..." Hotaru also awakened.

Meanwhile, the person whose door actually got penetrated, Hinako, emerged. "What the... a-ahhh! Was it something I said?!"

Among the cast of characters emerging, so too did the doofus himself, Shingo... and he was still dreaming. "Unhh.. no ref, that was a clean hit... I missed his cup by an inch...mmmghnn...zzzzzzzzzz..."

SLAP! "Wake up, idiot." Angel smacked him to his senses. "What maldito imbécil saw fit to wake me up?"

"Jenet was screaming too loud." Benimaru mumbled. "Girl needs to... yaaaaaaawn... learn to bite down on the pillow..."

"Your entry cards." Kula suddenly opened with that same almost lifeless voice. "Check them."

Everyone in the hallway went into their rooms... seconds passed before they all emerged again to take roll call.

"I've got mine." Benimaru reported.

"Yup." Ryo seconded.

"Nobody was stupid enough to steal mine." King thirded.

"Obviously I have mine, because there's no corpses laying around." Angel declared.

As the number whittled down, the five victims grew more and more narrow... before long, it was clear which ones were hit.

"Oh dear! M-my entry card is... gone..." Hotaru squeaked, her eyes forming little droplets.

"Mine too!" Hinako squealed.

"I think I accidentally used mine in a vending machine..." Shingo shrugged.

...And then there was Mai. The buxom ninja emerged from her bedroom, fully clothed... literal fire was spouting from her eyes. Andy was wise to back very far away.

"SOMEONE STOLE MY ENTRY CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!" fire spewed from her mouth as she spat those words.

"My entry card is missing as well." Kula calmly announced. "It's clear that Jenet is up to no good again."

"Are we sure it was just Jenet?" Benimaru asked. "She might have an accomplice..."

"I heard her yell Malin's name." Kula responded.

Upon hearing that, Mai swung her fans with such a fury, Andy was accidentally caught in the forehead and downed. "OH THAT STUCK UP... BREAST ENVYING... LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! AFTER I GRANTED HER CLEMENCY FOR HUMILIATING ME ON LIVE TELEVISION, SHE GOES AND PULLS THIS CRAP ON ME?! OH HELL NO! HEEEEEEELL NO!"

There was no plan to be made, no decisions to be considered. Mai was already stomping through the hallway, her ponytail swaying with a vengeful fury. She did stop for a minute, however, to turn around and address the other four victims.

"You, you, you, and you. Come with me. We're getting our entry cards back."

Since Hotaru was meek and subservient, she easily came along. Hinako was excited to get some action. Shingo was still half asleep, so the Sumo girl dragged him along.

Kula and Mai led the pack, on a trip to Krauser's garage where they would also jack one of his luxury cards... but Kula quickly spun around before they could leave the hallway and pointed to Candy, who had attempted to follow.

"Candy, protect Diana and Foxy." she ordered.

With a nod, Candy proceeded back to the bedroom, Kula's guardians in tow. There was a partial bit of worry in both of them... but they knew Kula's proficiency, plus she was traveling with a big group, so they were able to go back to their room in comfort.

Everyone else pretty much followed suit. This little shenanigan obviously didn't involve them, so there was no need to stay up and worry about it any longer.

In the garage, things continued to spiral downhill for Jenet and Malin, as the killer bee girl was still stuck in the driver's seat, fiddling around with the wires to start the ignition.

"I thought you knew how to do this!" Jenet's voice withheld no urgency.

"I do, dammit!" Malin defended. "I don't exactly have my manual handy."

"If you don't hurry up, then that deceivingly dangerous ice girl is gonna skewer us! We'll end up worse than Yuri."

...Surprisingly, no response from Malin on that one. A total, unsettling silence filled the car, the only noise Malin's continued fiddling.

"What, nothing? I set you up for that one!" Jenet asked.

Finally, with a sharp sizzle, the car ignited. Malin continued to show no reaction as she sat upright, put hands to wheel, and faced forward. But before proceeding, she did finally throw back a harsh response:

"For the duration of this job, there's two rules... don't talk about my body, and DON'T talk about what happened to Yuri."

Jenet was prepared to dig deeper... but she was distracted by what she saw out of the window, and it put fear on her face. "Oh crap! They're coming!"

Malin grinned. "Are they? Let em get close to the window. I got a surprise for em."

The garage entrance spawned five angry theft victims, none moreso than Mai. Her eyes were ablaze, and she was easily covering the most ground with her ninja speed as opposed to the others who brought up the rear. The only one somewhat able to match her speed was Kula, but Mai was well out in front.

In no time, Mai was slamming a fan against the window, demanding entry. "OPEN UP! OPEN UP RIGHT NOW YOU FILTHY LITTLE RAT! I'LL SHOVE A SPIT UP YOUR ASS AND SLOW ROAST YOU!"

The others finally caught up, and Kula's eyes glowed bright. "Stand aside. I'll get the door open."

...But Kula's offense was halted by a defense mechanism so cunning, so clever... it reduced her to a flustered mess. The window had rolled down, to make eliminating her assailant even easier... but Kula was completely thrown off, never expecting what she found on the other side.

The driver's door window contained Malin's bare ass, followed by the words "SUCK MY PEENER, BITCHES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" as Jenet offered an extra foot to slam on the gas and drive off into the distance. Malin's cackle carried off into the night air.

"I... I..." Kula was at a loss for words.

"I think Malin winked at me." Shingo cringed.

"Snap out of it, you guys! We can still take a car and catch up!" Mai urged them all. She looked around: ugly, ugly... ooh, that was a nice one. "Let's take that one!"

Hotaru naturally had concerns. "But we can't just take something without permi-"

SMASH! Mai shattered the window, reaching her arm in and pressing the unlock mechanism. "Trust me sweetie, Krauser had some karma left over."

The five of them piled in: Hotaru, Hinako, Kula were small enough to fit in the back, while Shingo rode shotgun, and Mai herself hopped in the driver's seat, since she was the only real adult of the group (Shingo didn't quite qualify as a responsible adult).

"Okay, everybody! Seatbelts on! Windows down! And Shingo honey, I'm flattered that you keep staring at my boobs, but I need you to watch my right. Okay?"

Shingo, who, even now, was still looking down her red garb, muttered: "Yes ma'am..."

"OKAY! NOW WE JUST... don't... have a... key." Mai's voice lost its enthusiasm, fading into an eventual fizzle.

"Hey, I read a few online articles about how to start a car!" Shingo finally became helpful for the first time that night. "I was busy looking up..uh... well anyway, so you can use a screwdriver, and a paper clip, and-"

"Do you have those on you?" Hinako reminded.

"...Oh. Right."

"Move aside." Kula forced herself into the passenger seat, pressed her palm against the ignition, twisted... a second later, the car rumbled with life!

"Whoa." Hinako exclaimed.

"Kula-chan, you're amazing~" Hotaru cheered.

"How'd you do that, doll?" Mai inquired.

"I simply took on the form of the key." Kula's explanation was brief.

"...Okay, since Kula's clearly the most useful one of you bunch, I grant her shotgun. Shingo, you're banished to the back."

"Okay..."

"...And stop staring at my bosom!"

Mai slammed her foot on the gas, and the car SHOT out of the garage and into the night, in hot pursuit of the gruesome twosome, one of which who dared to tread on her a second time.

"M-M-M-MAI-SAMA! Th-this is too fast!" Hotaru squealed. The girl, although secured by the seatbelt, was secretly wishing she could leap atop Hinako like a scared cat.

"It'll all be over soon!" Mai reassured. "Let's get this done fast and go to bed! I'm missing out on snuggle time with my beloved Andy!"

Meanwhile, in the offenders' car, they were enjoying a comfortable lead... which led to some colorful conversation.

"Look, I'm not saying I've had dirty thoughts about the entire Outlaw Team before... I'm also NOT not saying-"

"Does that include Mary too~?"

"Mary? Hell no! I wanna poke two holes in her and watch the saline spill out. Oh what, you don't believe they're fake? Huh? I bet you a ghost pepper smoothie I'll give em a big ol' squeeze and find out."

"Tired of living, I see."

"Pssh, I ain't scared of her. I faced down Mai Shirafuckingnui."

"Oh yeeeeeah you're such a badass with your Toys R Us arsenal."

"You wanna go, Miss Mead Jugs?"

"You really hate chicks with big boobs, dontcha?"

"Duh doi."

"So you hate me?"

"Ding ding ding! You're our big f***ing showcase winner! Enjoy your shitty camping supplies."

"So why'd you even take me along then?"

"BECAUSE... my corsair companion.. I simply wanted to demonstrate to you how to execute a SUCCESSFUL job. Very much unlike the horrendous pile of diarrhea you tried to put together in the Kumite last year."

"Well, according to the rear view mirror... this hasn't succeeded quite yet."

On that cue, Malin checked her mirror: sure enough, there was a car very similar to the make and model of their own, gaining on their tail fast.

"Damn! Alright Pirate Queen, strap yourself in." Malin commanded. "I'm about to burn the rubber off these rims!"

Upon hearing that vow, Jenet officially started to fear for her life. "I-It's not too late for us to surrender, ya know!"

"Relax! Malin is in the pilot's seat. This flight is going smooth, zero turbulence. The gas station where the meeting goes down is just a couple miles away!" Malin declared.

"Give it up, Malin. We're never going to make that."

"WE'RE GONNA F***ING MAKE IT!"

In the pursuers' car, one person in particular was about to assure that they DIDN'T make it.

"Please hold it steady, Miss Mai." Kula requested, her torso now hanging out the window, hand extended.

"I'm not sure about this, Kula..." Mai worried. "I don't wanna kill em, you know."

"If their seatbelts aren't fastened, that's their folly."

"Yikes." Hinako blurted.

Mai was gaining considerable distance on them, but just as she thought she was getting close, the bumper grew further away... obviously Malin was either confident in her driving skills, or had fully embraced reckless abandon. Probably the latter.

"She's getting away, Kula! Take the shot!" Mai yelled.

Kula's eyes glowed bright crimson... a blue wave emitted from her hand, producing three icicles that formed mid-flight... one of the icicles flew off track, but the other two soared towards their target... and struck true, into the black of the rear rubber tire.

Malin immediately felt it: the car begin to swerve against her commands. "Ahhh shit, we're hit! HANG ON!"

"Told you." Jenet deadpanned.

"SHUT UP AND CLENCH WHATEVER YOU GOT!"

Mai wisely eased on the brake, as she witnessed the car in front began to spiral in eratic circles. There were plenty of obstacles to hit: fire hydrants, street lights, signs... Malin was sure to crash, unless...

...Wow. Somehow, she managed to stop the car and avoided even the slightest nudge of damage. Krauser would probably be pleased, or at least slightly less angry.

With that, the grand pursuit had officially ended. The car of the victims slowly crept to a halt, while the thieves themselves were grounded, parked horizontal across a curb, mere inches from a street light. The rear tire was devoid of air, laying completely flat on bottom against the asphalt. Suffice to say, the duo were going nowhere.

"Great. Just great." Jenet griped. "There's your big success, Malin. We're stuck here! What the hell do we do now?!"

"...Only thing we can do." Malin calmly declared. Jenet gasped when she saw Malin reach for her knife, casually open the door, and crawl out.

"A-are you insane? It's time to embrace the noble pirate tradition of getting the hell out of Dodge!"

"Well, do what you want." Malin scoffed. "Live up to your reputation, and haul anchor. But I ain't running. I'll face down all five of em if I have to."

"...What is wrong in your head?!" Jenet snapped.

Malin shrugged. "Guess I just like to see things through. Or maybe I've got some dues long overpaid."

Jenet eyeballed her warily. "You... you really are nuts. Sigh... and I guess I am too."

The two of them got out of the trashed car, and walked in tandem to the middle of the road... on the other side, five had also emerged to meet them, in this urban standoff. Mai locked eyes with Malin... the killer bee stared right back. The tense silence seemed like it would never pass, as if the battle being fought was a psychological one, challenging each side to back off first. But no feet moved.

Finally... Malin was the first to take a step forward. She brandished her beloved dagger, waving it threateningly in all their directions. "ALRIGHT! Whichever of you shit-dribblers wants to step up, I'm ready!"

"I'm good." Shingo backed away.

Kula started to take a step... but Mai quickly halted her. "I've got Malin. The rest of you can deal with the pirate bitch."

Malin was less worried than delighted when she saw Mai come forth to meet her, her lips curving into a smile that suggested excitement... of the violent kind. Mai paid no attention to this, as she was much too rage-fueled, too focused to be intimidated by Malin's fearlessness.

When the two met in the middle of the street, Malin was all too eager to provoke. "Ready for Ass Spank 2, you cow?"

Mai was more than prepared this time, already summoning her fiery chi. "I'm not a fan of sequels, with one exception! RYU EMBUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Malin grunted as she leaped backwards to avoid the fiery whip; she had to dive just to dodge it, so she transitioned into a sloppy reverse roll and sprang back to her feet, although it took a bit of a toll on her back and shoulders.

With malicious teeth bared, Malin brandished her blade and backhanded it. She slowly approached Mai, who left herself barehanded at the moment... with a deep lunge and fierce yell, Malin stepped in and swung wild. Three rapid strikes in succession... not a single one managed to nick Mai as she bobbed her head and remained untouched. Before Malin could get another swing off, Mai thrust her chest forward and gave the shorter girl a vicious check to the face. For Malin, the girl who religiously denounced big breasts... getting clocked in the face by them could be no sweeter punishment.

"Ngh!" she yelped as she was sent several steps backwards by the blow, but she shook herself clear and demonstrated her knife talent: twirling it between her fingers, she let go of the blade and let it fly upwards, before barrel-rolling forward and catching it back in her hand. An impressive feat, by all accounts, and the spectacle distracted Mai long enough for Malin to get an attack off. Now thrusting instead of swinging, her margin was more narrow, but more lethal.

Mai swayed her head, just in time to protect her flesh from the sting of the steel... but a few loose auburn strands floated in the air, demonstrating just how close that attack was to making her bleed.

Malin pressed forward, constantly switching between swings and stabs... two swings, one stab, two stabs, one swing... that last swing went to the midsection and would have torn the upper half of her garb, had Mai not leaped back to avoid it.

Finally, Mai saw her opportunity: she predicted the next attack would be a thrust. Reaching into her cleavage, she drew a fan and awaited Malin's arrival... sure enough, a thrust!

"HYAH!" Malin yelled as she attacked, intending to put the knife through her forehead. But a tricky smile spoke trouble for the young girl... Malin's eyes switched to confusion as Mai's fan spread its feathers, revealing the paper interior. Her blade went directly through the white material...

CLAMP! Like jaws, Mai snapped her fan shut, trapping Malin's knife within the wooden foundation. Malin knew she was trapped as soon as she tried to pull the weapon free... and Mai would not let go.

"Nggh! Gaah! Let... go!" Malin yanked left, yanked right... Mai continued that cheeky smirk as she enjoyed having possession of Malin's prized tool, especially after being stolen from herself. On the other hand, Mai was trying to disarm the runt, and she was being fiercely defiant, not letting go of the knife handle.

Devising a solution to that, Mai dived for the asphalt and transitioned into a roll, taking Malin's body with her as the girl was still clinging. The two flopped onto the ground, and the stalemate seemed like it was going to continue with them laying there... but a well-placed kick to the face separated Malin from the knife, and Mai backflipped to her feet, now enjoying full possession of the weapon.

Malin slowly got up, cursing, now nursing a bloody nose... but somehow, those eyes still shone with a persistence. Even now, without her blade, she seemed willing to go toe-to-toe.

Malin pointed with warning. "Don't you d-"

With an even wider smile, Mai threw the weapons far away, into the distance... a small clatter could be heard, where they impacted.

"Oh you are DEAD."

Meanwhile, on the second front, the battle was underway to put the Pirate Queen in the brig where she belonged. Hinako, bless her soul, was the first to step forth, as she always fancied a test... but the battle was going poorly for her.

"HEYAHH!" Hinako leaped forward with a thrusting palm. Another miss. She turned to face the elusive Jenet, who was smirking and blew her a taunting kiss, complete with a pink heart that faded instantly.

With an angry slap of her cheeks, Hinako charged forward with a backhand. "DORYA!"

Jenet swished her dress forward, infusing it with her gale chi, and easily parried the blow. Rolling with the strike, Jenet spun around and was able to punish Hinako with a back kick to the stomach, sending the sumo girl stumbling backwards with an airy grunt.

Already, Hinako seemed winded, both from her missed attacks and from the body hit... nonetheless, she pressed forward and tried to go hand to hand with Jenet. The pirate was simply too savvy with her Savate technique. Her wrist parried Hinako's left, and she struck the Sumo girl's cheek with an openhanded slap. Hinako tried to use her recoil, and slingshot forth with a headbutt, but Jenet seized her head with both hands and countered with a knee to the body.

"Ouuufff..." Hinako felt the air wheeze out of her as she stumbled backwards. The follow-ups were free: a kick to her stomach, a left slap to her cheek, which allowed Jenet to spin around and double up with a spinning right, and finally... the cherry on top, Jenet spun aroud once again, her leg soaring with a contrail of her forceful wind chi. The extra fueled kick caught Hinako across the temple, and the Sumo girl went flying backwards, her strong stance broken like a tree uprooted in a hurricane.

"Waaaaaaaah!" she wailed as she skidded along the ground, stopping at Kula's feet, who looked down at her with a hint of sympathy. This lasted but a second, before the ice girl looked back up with avenging eyes.

"I-I don't want to fight her." Hotaru whined. "We're friends!"

"I'm just gonna stay out of this one." Shingo chuckled nervously. "I like to watch girls fight, not punch em myself."

Kula largely ignored them, having already intended to be Jenet's next challenger. Now that she was elected by default, there was no need to debate it. Her ruby eyed looked upon Jenet with zero fear, and a heap of indifference; clearly, Jenet was feeling more emotional about the situation, as her legs could be seen slightly wobbling.

"Ehehehe... well crap." she laughed. "Looks like the odds failed me."

Despite her fear and resignation, Jenet pressed forward nonetheless. She gave her mightiest yell, leaping into a flying kick. "HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kula casually skated to the left, and Jenet's body went flying past her.

It took a moment for Jenet to recover from the whiff, but she spun around and showed some vigor, attempting to come at Kula a second time. She swished her dress, launching a gust of gale chi, to try and blow Kula off her feet.

...For some reason, Kula didn't even attempt to defend it. The wind attack hit her dead on, her body slightly recoiling, and her hair BLOWING backwards like an non-secure curtain... but strangely, she didn't get blown away!

"What?!' Jenet looked down, and her wide eyes saw the answer: Kula had frozen her feet to the ground, effectively rooting her in that spot, so the wind couldn't disrupt her. Even if the force of the blast hit her, her face didn't even show signs of discomfort.

Undeterred, Jenet continued to charge forward. She leaped up and unleashed another special attack, a flying heel kick, fueled by her gale chi. If she couldn't blow Kula away, she'd still knock her out!

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kula nonchalantly looked up, her eyes still bearing total indifference. She brought her arm up and an ice shield formed wide: the kick struck the shield severely cracking it, but not actually destroying it, leaving Kula once again free of harm.

Kula shoved against Jenet, forcing her momentum to send her flying behind her, out of control. Kula spun around, manifesting her icy chi, her eyes glowing red until the whites were no longer visible... a stream of blue traveled across the ground and met up below the airborne Jenet, sprouting upwards into a huge, fist-shaped pillar. Another ice fist sprouted... a third fist... Jenet ended up getting juggled in mid-air four times before her body finally hit the ground with a harsh THUD. Like a rock being skipped across a pond, Jenet was essentially given the same treatment.

"Uggh...unnghhhh...p...parley... unnghhhh..." Jenet muttered in a pained daze.

With her yo-yo and stun batons fried in the fiery attack from earlier, Malin had no other tools at her disposal except for the steel talons. Thankfully, all those could be replaced... except for the knife. She HAD to get her knife back. That thing was custom made!

Pressing that aside, Malin was trying her best to go hand-to-hand with the beautiful kunoichi: unfortunately for her, the gap between their skills was starting to show. She tried to unleash a rending right cross, but Mai stopped her wrist with the wooden flat of her fan, the talons inches away from her face. Mai smoothly slid the closed fan a few inches down and used the tip to tilt Malin's hand upwards, raising her entire arm, exposing her torso. With vengeful glee, Mai bodied her with a vicious forearm to the ribs, leaving Malin a stumbling, reeling, coughing mess. Before she could escape range, a second attack followed: a backfist to the face, courtesy of the fan-wielding hand. The blonde wobbled backwards a few seconds, before collapsing to her knees in agony. Her nose reopened, the congealed blood replaced by fresh red.

"Cough cough cough! Agh... urrghh..."

Mai stood tall and proud, opening her fan wide and fanning herself with a cocky smirk. In this situation, she COULD have seized the chance to further damage Malin with taunts... but she was enjoying the outcome of the fight itself well enough. No need to stoop low.

Spitting the blood that had dribbled from her nose to her lip, Malin eyed Mai with wrath... and she rushed her. She started out low, dragging the talons across the asphalt, before sharply bringing them upwards, flinging tiny bits of debris into Mai's face. The ninja winced as little pieces caught her eyes, and that brief moment of disruption was all Malin needed to throw herself at Mai, tackling her to the ground with blunt force.

Malin wasted no time; from top position, she raised her talons high and tried to bring them down on the Kunoichi's face. Mai managed to turn her head at the last second, so the talons struck the ground right next to her. Malin enjoyed dominance for only a second, as she had failed to bypass Mai's knees and achieve a full mount. Mai was able to easily buck the girl off... and she brought her legs upwards, seizing the girl's neck between two thick, succulent thighs. Flinging her aside after that was as easy as tossing a beach ball.

Both returned to their feet, Mai healthy, Malin... much less so. Her recovery was nearly twice as long, and even then, she pressed forward on shaky legs. She tried a backhanded swipe high; the ninja dodged and jabbed her in the throat with the closed fan. As Malin stumbled past her, Mai conked in the back of the head with the blunt wood. Stunned but not downed, Malin uttered a raspy growl and spun around to rush her again. The girl wouldn't quit!

Her attack was predictable, undisciplined... she just had her talons drawn back in the same obvious pattern, attempting to thrust them forward with zero subtlety. Mai was able to time attack with little effort; just as Malin attacked, Mai spun around and whipped the fluffy white tail of her garb, the red spherical ornament smacking Malin's hand off-trajectory and sending the girl stumbling off to the right, with no control of her feet.

"MUSABI NO MAI!" Mai leaped up, and skyrocketed into her, slamming into her with her patented flying squirrel technique.

Malin tumbled across the ground, her face clearly showing some pain, as Mai recovered instantly and leaped back to create distance. Malin was slow to get up... EXTREMELY slow. Mai had all the time in the world to launch an attack.

She did so.

A fan landed to Malin's left. Another fan landed right. The two fans were somehow standing perfectly vertical. One landed a yard before her feet, a fourth and final one landing behind her.

Mai put her hands together, and formed a series of ninjitsu hand signs. Her eyes glowed bright amber... no... more than that. Literal fire in her eyes, embers floating like gnats.

"SHIRANUI FIRE JUTSU!"

Malin didn't know what to think. She looked down: the fan in front of her had caught fire, burning the paper to cinders, leaving only the red. She looked around: all of the other fans were ablaze as well.

"What the f-"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

A hellish combustion exploded within the ring of fans, and Malin's scream could be heard within the impact point. It wasn't a large, roaring fire... it was smaller, concentrated, lasting just long enough to make its point. By the time it had subsided to dying embers, Malin was toasted: skin dark, her hair a mess, and how much clothing remaining was a big question.

With a weak groan, she collapsed right next to the aching body of her failure of a partner-in-crime.

"And class is fuh-reaking dismissed!" Mai sassed with a victorious smile. Kula approached her, also managing a sign of happiness on her lips, and the two met with a high five.

"Cmon guys. Let's get Krauser's car back to him and avoid getting a Leg Tomahawk. Enjoy the smell of bacon~!"

With that last taunt, Mai and the foursome gathered their entry cards, piled up in the car, drove off, and left Malin and Jenet there, to wallow in defeat for the second time that day.

"Unghhh... damn, that hurts..." Malin groaned.

"...Smell nice though." Jenet chuckled weakly.

"What?"

"You look tasty enough to sprinkle salt on."

"Oh f*** you."

Since Krauser would no doubt be furious, and they were probably already blacklisted from the castle, Malin and Jenet decided to take the car to the nearest hotel and rent a room there for the night. Hopefully, if they just left the vehicle there, it would be towed and Krauser would get it back at some point. It was no longer their problem. All their weary bodies cared about was a shower, and a warm bed...

Jenet, having already had her turn, sat on the bed draped in a white towel, another towel wrapped around her head like a whipped topping, as she killed time with some mind-numbing television. She secretly wished Malin would hurry up, as it was actually boring without her company.

...Finally, after enough time to go through a half hour show and commercial breaks, Malin finally emerged from the shower, towel wrapped securely around herself. It was one of the rare moments Jenet got to see her hair... it was quite pretty, as her unrestricted blonde locks draped down a good distance and really complimented her amber eyes.

"You look better." Jenet smiled.

"I get it, I don't look like a hot dog that fell to the bottom of the grill." Malin scoffed.

"No, I mean you look good! You look a lot more feminine~" Jenet giggled.

Malin rolled her eyes. "Well, don't get used to it."

They both took their respective beds, sitting on the corner of each, deciding to end the night with drip-drying and tv. Malin was secretly hoping for Jenet to hurry up and fall asleep, since Malin didn't have a change of clothes and didn't want the humiliation of Jenet seeing her... lesser... body.

They were both fairly stimulated by the tv show ongoing, some stupid clip show that rates from least funny to funniest. It wasn't until a commercial break started droning on, that Jenet finally broke the silence.

"So... we got our asses kicked."

"Our top story of the evening..." Malin lazily mumbled.

"Looks like we're 0-2 as far as heists go."

"We should've brought Sinclair. That would've made ALLLLLLL the difference."

The two, for perhaps the first time ever, actually shared a genuine moment of laughter. For two people who didn't get along, had no professional or friendly chemistry... finding their very first common ground was a comforting feeling.

After some brief seconds, it died down, and their temperament returned to normal. Jenet resumed the conversation.

"This proves that you're totally full of shit, you know."

Malin cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You claimed you could run a successful heist."

"Well I still did better than you! You were pissing your knickers, and preparing to run. I stood my ground and got my ass kicked with dignity!"

"Hey, at least I changed my mind. I took pity on you, and decided you shouldn't take all the punishment yourself." Jenet aggressively defended.

"Well, I don't need the help of some titty-flopping, ass-wiggling bimbo anyway." Malin shot.

"...So it comes back to that, huh."

"What?!" Malin grunted.

"You're racist! Against people with sexy bodies!" Jenet laughed.

"So?" Malin shrugged.

"So, you just hate what you ain't. That's all it is." Jenet snickered.

"That's not true." Malin denied.

"It's so true." Jenet pushed.

"No it's not."

"Yes."

"No."

"Denial." Jenet teased

"FACT." Malin yelled.

"You can't just hate someone because they had better genes than you. It's petty. Cmon Malin... can't you be better than that? Malin? Ma...lin...?"

Jenet was curious why the jabs stopped coming. She looked over; Malin's head was hung low. Water droplets were falling off her hair... no... her eyes... tears.

"...Fine." she sniffled. "You wanna hear the truth? You win. You f***ing win. You and all your kind."

Jenet slightly blushed. "My... kind?"

"YES!" Malin screamed. "YOU ALL FUCKING WIN! I hate you all because you're so damn sexy! You think I hate Yuri because she called me a coward? FUCK NO! I hate her because she's a total fucking PAWG! And Mai... good lord, Mai. I WOULD PAY A MILLION DOLLARS FOR MAI TO FUCK MY BRAINS OUT! But you don't get it, do you Jenet? You don't know what it's like to be a petite loser that nobody finds attractive! I'm 18 years old and I look like I belong in fucking ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT IT'S NOT IT'S NOT IT'S N-mmmm...? Mmph...?"

Malin couldn't understand why her words suddenly stopped coming out, like something had forcefully shut her mouth. It wasn't until she REALLY felt it... the soft, velvety texture... that she looked down and noticed... Jenet had pressed her lips to hers.

She closed her eyes and softly moaned, wishing this sensation would never go away... but it finally did, and her eyes reopened to see Jenet staring at her with a grin.

"I get it. You're just frustrated. And I mean frustrated." Jenet gave a small giggle.

"S...s... so...?" Malin gave some paltry excuse of a comeback, as she was lost in a drunken daze of bewilderment.

"So, come here."

SOME TIME LATER...

"What... just... happened..."

Malin was now under the sheets, paralyzed, eyes unable to look any direction that her head could normally move. She was staring at the ceiling, blankly, trying to analyze the chain of events that just led to the past 30 minutes.

Jenet, also under the same sheets, giggled beside her. "What do you think~?"

The two laid there, one in pure exhaustion, one looking only like a slight workout had commenced. The tv had been going on in the background, but neither could tell you what show had been on, or any commercials that had played.

"Did I just... really... with y-"

"Yes, you did." Jenet grinned. "So consider that our first victory."

"W-wow. Ehehehe... wow..." Malin could do nothing but chuckle. Her smile spread ear to ear, as she basked in an afterglow that felt better than any job she had pulled or attempted to pull in the past.

Minutes and minutes ticked by, that they just laid there... breathing peacefully... eventually Malin began to feel a tinge of remorse. She'd been so mean to Jenet today. She'd even done something HORRIBLE to her...!

Suddenly, laying here in this bed with her felt unearned. Things began to feel cold... unwelcome... she didn't deserve this. She should just wrap herself in towels and leave right now. Could coming clean ease her mind? Clear her conscience? Maybe... she just had to recapture that courage, the same courage that compelled her to face down Mai in that ill-fated rematch.

"Hey." she softly called out.

"Hmm~?"

"I... I did something bad."

"Cool~"

"No, really! I did something... you'll be mad." Malin felt her words starting to struggle.

"Well, let me make that call. What is it?"

"I... I'm scared to tell you, because I don't want to lose this."

"Well, you'd have to REALLY piss me off. I think you're good." Jenet winked.

"Okay... here goes." a gulp. "I... I sabotaged the tournament brackets. I... I put you up against Krauser."

Several seconds of silence. Malin winced, preparing for it: the cold shoulder, banishment, scorn...

...Surprisingly, Jenet just giggled. "Heeheehee... hee hee hee hee hee! Did you really? HAHAHAHAHA! Wow. That is DIRRRR TYYYY."

"...You're not mad?"

The two rolled over, meeting eye to eye. Jenet was still smiling. "Naaah. I never stood a chance in that tournament anyway. Neither did you. So you pulled a smart move. Hehehe... how could I be mad? I'm too impressed!"

Malin's cheeks flared red. "I-Impressed?"

Jenet pressed her forehead affectionately against hers. "You're a good bad guy, Malin. And us bad guys have to stick together. So no, I'm not mad... I think you're great. And I think you're beautiful."

Malin started to turn away, at risk of letting anymore tears fall free... but Jenet didn't give her the chance to raise defenses. Malin was forcefully grabbed, pressed tight against the pirate queen, a pair of arms entrapping her in a warm embrace.

No more struggle. No more fight. No more denial. Malin closed her eyes, sank into Jenet's bosom... and let go.

"Please let me fall asleep like this." Malin pleaded. "You can leave if you want... but just don't let me know."

"I won't leave at all." Jenet whispered back to her, as she gently stroked the back of Malin's beautiful blonde hair... she continued the motion repeatedly, until the two drifted off at last.

NEXT CHAPTER: Round 2 is upon us! And I'll gradually shed some light on what went down at the Stadium, as well as Mary's role in things. I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna proceed yet. Flashback medley? Maybe just put off the start of Round 2 for a while longer? A Mary-focused chapter? I dunno. Let's all find out together and be surprised!