Warning: this chapter maybe has uber feels. Enjoy.

"She's beautiful..."

"Heh, yeah she is. Don't I know how to pick em?"

"Where...?"

"Ah, I plucked her off some college campus. Maybe she was on her way to a party, who knows? Does it matter?"

"Why have you brought her here? I demand an explanation."

"Because, Lord Zero... she's the evolution. The next step."

"Explain."

A grinning scientist traced his lecherous hand over her naked body. "I'm going to make her the ultimate physical specimen. None of that mutagen crap, like those other freaks. No... she's gonna be different. Perfect speed, perfect strength, perfect beauty... with this, she'll be flawless. My masterpiece..."

"You inject her with that, she'll lose her mind."

"She's going to be fine. I told you, I know how to pick em... and this girl is something special. I KNOW she'll be able to control it."

"And you're sure this will make her a viable operative?"

"Heh. Viable? She'll be a goddess among men. Unlimited energy. The ability to heal wounds in mere minutes. She'll be capable of feats that even the greatest athletes molded into one figure couldn't match. These nanites will strip away the useless human byproducts, and yet... leave her as a gorgeous and confident woman. One who will still obey us, mind you. I made sure to program these things with precision."

"What about her family? Friends?"

"I programmed the nanites to destroy any remembrance of her past life and acquaintances. I'll take great care to alter her appearance, while leaving... some things... perfectly intact. Heeheeheehee. When she wakes up, she'll be a new person. Any semblance of the girl she once was will be gone. She'll know nothing, except us... the people she works for. The NESTS Cartel."

"I've told you in the past, I don't approve of... tearing kids away from their life."

"But Lord Zero... they always make the best weapons, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hmph... do what you're going to do. But I don't want you putting your hands all over her for reasons other than work. And for god's sake, put some clothes on her."

"You don't know how to have fun. These nanites... they're going to destroy her ability to produce gametes. We can't have her getting distracted from her job after all. So, there's nothing stopping us from-"

"Don't. Say. Another. Word."

"Fine, fine. You just don't believe in my vision. But just you wait... my girl is going to succeed. My Angel will be the ultimate weapon."

We

ArE

NESTS

CarTEl

ThE

NeW

WoRlD

ORdeR

Angel's eyes opened. She looked around: locker room. She must have had a fight coming up.

...What was that dream? She already forgot it. She never did remember them... as soon as her eyes opened, the mysteries always drifted to sea, unanswered.

Whatever. Time to go kick someone's ass.

ROUND 2 FIGHT #7: ANGEL VS KULA DIAMOND

As soon as Angel walked out, she was appropriately treated to a cacophony of boos, proving that being one of the betting favorites to win the entire tournament, didn't make you a popular fighter. Only the ones who had put serious money into her would be sad to see her lose.

Angel gave them a heartfelt response: two middle fingers, as she approached the center of the combat zone and vigorously shouted:

"WHERE'S MY OPPONENT, HUH?! WHERE ARE THEY?! JUST GIMME ALL OF EM, RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Angel finally looked over, towards the "blue corner"... that's when the secret was revealed. Her lips curved to a smile.

"Oh you gotta be shitting me."

Kula was, as always, flanked by her posse: her two human guardians, and her personal android. None of them had a particularly pleased look on their face, especially when they cut eyes towards the combat zone to see Angel's grinning mug wiggling fingers at them.

"Ignore her." Diana turned Foxy away, and they resumed focus on Kula. "Kula sweetie... you know Angel. You know what she's capable of. If at any point you don't feel safe, I want you to yell for us. We'll come in here and extract you before Angel even sees us coming."

Kula shook her head. "Thank you Diana... but there's no need. I'm prepared to face Angel. I'm ready to... she's going to pay for all the times she's hurt us."

Foxy leaned down, and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. "I believe in you, Kula baby. You're going to do fine."

With a last affectionate hand on her cheeks, Diana and Foxy bid Kula farewell as she turned to make her way towards the combat zone, where her greatest challenge to date stood. She almost made it to the rim, where grass turned into dirt... before she turned one last time, to give one last cordial look to them.

"Little NESTS runt!" Angel yelled her attention back to the combat zone. "Now this is better than I could have possibly imagined! Alguien me dio un lindo regalo~!"

Kula didn't dare dignify her by trading banter. She merely stared Angel down, with a fire contrasting that of her cold affinity.

"Don't you look at me like that, runt." Angel rolled her head with sass. "I'll bend you over and spank you right here! Haha... just like the good ol' days. You, Diana, Foxy... I used to slap you around the playground. You were always my bitches. Every one of you."

Kula maintained her composure, her silence... and that same threatening gaze.

"I got news for you, baby girl." Angel kept pouring it on. "You're in my ring now. Just you and me, mujer a niña. Nobody's gonna come to your rescue... and you and me? Ohhh we're about to catch up. And I mean CATCH. UP. You'll wish me and Nines finished the job with you and your leather-wearing emoboy."

"You don't scare me." Kula responded, taking care to show no deficiency in her voice.

"That's cuz I've been off the scene too long, nya." Angel snarked with a smile. "You've forgotten what I'm capable of. You and the rest of your little NESTS reject posse. I should hunt down every last pathetic one of you... and make you squeal like little chanchos! Fufufufufufu~!"

"Enough." Kula took a step forward, at last planting her feet firmly in the dirt ring. "Angel... I'm going to punish you."

Angel's left eye twitched, while the other grew wider. "Little girl, I'm about to turn you into a pile of yellow snow."

FIGHT!

Angel rushed Kula, and immediately showed no mercy: snatching the girl by the shirt, she started driving forearm strikes into her face, repeatedly. Two, three, four... it wasn't until six unanswered shots to the face, that Kula finally shoved her away and stumbled backwards to gain a bit of air.

Angel didn't let up; she phase-shifted forward with impossible speed, and delivered a hobbling stomp kick to Kula's shin. The ice girl hunched over in pain, and offered her chin to Angel... the luchadora obliged, leaping up and CRACKING her with a flying knee. Kula's body went backwards; it was a wonder she was even still standing.

"Oh man, I'm not sure I can watch this." Joe groaned. "This feels like assault."

"Just wait... just wait." Andy persuaded. "Something's gonna happen."

Angel kept the flurry going: she took Kula's left leg out with an inside kick, then blasted the right leg in the same spot... the ice girl's legs were rubber, and Angel leaped up, scissoring her legs around Kula's neck, and backflipping: a textbook Frankensteiner, sending Kula flying through the air, to meet with an uncomfortable impact.

"Kula-chan!" Hotaru squeaked, her hands timidly on her cheeks. "Be brave!"

Many were wondering if the tiny ice girl could even get back up; their inquiries were silenced when she indeed managed to crawl back up to her feet... somehow, she seemed composed, despite the early beating.

Angel couldn't have cared less about reading her; she was relishing in the beatdown.

"Gonna swing back on me at some point, Lollipop?"

Kula continued to offer no defense: Angel closed in on her, stunning her with a forearm to the face, following up with a vicious boot to the stomach... she spun around with a sobat, going back high, and the ice girl was once again on roller skates.

"Why don't you fight back?!" Angel taunted. "Not that I care: you're just making it easier for me!"

Angel drove her foot hard into Kula's calf: the kick was so deep, her legs flew out like she slipped on a banana peel, and Kula was floored.

"Damn!" Foxy cursed. "This is... we gotta do something! We gotta...!"

"Hold on!" Diana had to forcefully hold Foxy back. "We have to believe in Kula."

"You're kidding right?!" Foxy argued. "You just wanna stand here and let that piece of trash beat on-"

"NOT... YET." Diana sharply commanded.

...A nasty grin on Angel's face. She stepped forward... another step... she did a funny kick and raised her arm flamboyantly, curving the elbow... and went down on Kula.

"The People's Elbow. Ouch." Ryo winced.

"You know that move?" Robert inquired.

"I've watched some pro wrestling in my time, okay? Pops is really into it."

"He just likes to see the girls." Yuri rolled her eyes. "Me, I'm partial to the dudes in briefs~"

"Y-Yuri!" Robert whined.

At this point, it was a ridiculous notion to think Kula could get back up. She'd been kicked, kneed, elbow smashed... and Angel seemed to be getting not the least bit tired. This was nothing to Angel: the nanites in her blood granted her endless energy. She could keep this pace all day... and the sadist in her would enjoy every minute.

...Somehow, Kula got back up. Angel had to admit, it was less fun with Kula not fighting back. A small part of her actually wanted to end it... and it was growing stronger by the second.

With that thought in mind, a fearless grin crept on Angel's lips. She pushed forward.

"I guess you're just a worthless pussy when K's not here. Can't fight your own battles!" Angel taunted as she lunged in, burrowing Kula to the stomach with a front kick. Kula grimaced as she hunched over, nearly collapsing to her knees... but Angel wouldn't allow it, for she closed distance on their bodies and seized Kula's neck in a front headlock.

Angel dropped her weight, freefalling backwards with Kula's neck in a crushing grip: a DDT that laid the two of them out flat.

"KULAAAAA!" Foxy screamed. "THROW THE TOWEL FOR GOD'S SAKE!" She turned to her partner. "Diana!"

Diana... didn't look so confident. "Y-you might be right." As she said those words, her arm reflexively crept towards the scabbard of her sword...

With Kula on the ground, Angel demonstrated her wrestling chops: a liquid smooth transition, spinning around from her grounded position to seize Kula's back. She sank two arms around Kula's neck, and another victim found themself in one of Angel's most lethal techniques: rear naked choke.

The effects were immediately felt by Kula: the stoppage of blood to the brain, sapping her of oxygen, as the world around her began to blur, her head awash in a warm fuzz... a strange warmth for the girl that always felt nothing but cold.

"KULA!" Diana and Foxy had their swords out, and Candy had her ray gun out. They were all prepared to rush the ring... but hesitation stopped them all at the last second. They were hoping, HOPING, for Kula to pull something off... their faith in her was that strong.

"Hehehehe... hahahahaha!" Angel cackled as she applied even greater pressure. "I choked out your mommies... and I'm gonna choke you out too, Kula baby! ALL IN THE FAMILY!"

Angel's tongue flailed from her mouth as she all-too delighted in standing the two of them up, demonstrating her superior strength by lifting Kula high in the air, so the audience could see her wriggling, flailing feet, and her face turn blue as the life was squeezed out of her.

"It'll all be over soon, nya~" Angel 'soothed' her with a faux voice. "Just close your eyes and take a nice, long SLEEP~!"

Kula's eyeballs went crimson.

"W-what the..." Angel grunted, as she felt her grip struggling to stay... and she felt... pain?

It started out so subtle... like a prick... then it grew more and more, slowly creeping up her skin, into her bones, the network of her nervous system... up to her wrist, her knuckles, before working its way to her fingers...

"N-ngh! Wh-what are... a-aghhhhh...!"

She was struggling to hold it much longer: the sting had evolved into a gnawing, biting pain, flaring in her very fingertips. It was a cold so powerful, it didn't even numb: she felt every tooth-gnashing second of it, searing like acid to the core of her muscle tissue. She looked down... the veins in her arms were an unnatural neon blue.

Finally... she was forced to let go. "AGHHHH! SHIT! SHIT! YOU LITTLE TREACHEROUS FU-"

Kula silenced her with a back elbow to the nose. She turned around; Angel was staggering backwards, trying to air out her arms, all the while pressing her thumbs to her nose to check for blood. The luchadora was obviously rattled.

"Ah... hah... hrrrgh.." she grunted airy grunts, as she fiercely shook her arms. She raised her left arm, curved the elbow... she slapped her elbow against her palm several times, a simple check on her liberty of movement. All her functions were restored.

She glared daggers at Kula. "Finally, the scared pup gets some bite! Where was this a few minutes ago, when I was pounding your shit in, huh?!"

Kula remained as cold in disposition as the powers she commanded. "I just wanted you to feel good about yourself for a minute."

...Her eye twitched. She lost all composure, and rushed Kula.

She phase-shifted left, right, left, right, attempting to throw off Kula when her first attack launched. She finally closed distance, from the right side, and swung her elbow with forehead-splitting intentions...

Kula evaded, and appeared to parry the attack with her left hand... but left a special surprise for Angel in the process.

"Wh-what...?!"

Angel's attack was suspended, mid swing: her arm encased in ice, at the apex of her strike.

Kula took advantage of her confusion and elbowed her, in the side of the head. A shrill curse erupted from Angel's lungs as she staggered to the side, finally dropping to her knees.

"Litle... f***ing... runt... HRRGH!" Angel slammed her frozen arm against the ground, shattering the prison, and restoring her limb movement once more.

Angel leaped up, and rushed Kula again, this time with a lunging front kick to the face... Kula ducked under it, and briefly touched the underside of Angel's thigh. In a flash, her entire leg was enveloped in blue.

Before Angel had time to even complain about it, Kula drove her foot into Angel's free leg, bending the knee joint, and sending her yelping to the ground in a harsh fall.

"God dammit! Pequeña mocosa infiel...!"

"Oh now it's on." Joe grinned. "Damn Andy, you were right!"

"You got no patience, Joe." Mai teased. "Not like my man Andy here. He's the most patient guy in the world."

"Hehe, yeah." Andy chuckled nervously. "After all, it took a... well... a really, really, REALLY long time to, you know..."

"Okay, sorry Andy, but shut up please." Mai quickly silenced that.

Angel struggled back to her one good foot, until she was hopping... finally, she raised the frozen leg, and brought it slamming down on the ground with an axe kick, destroying the icy shell once more.

"You think you can hurt me?!" Angel lashed out. "You can't f***ing hurt me! Nobody can f***ing hurt me! My blood is pure meth! I'm f***ing Supergirl! I'm ten feet f***ing tall and 300 pounds!"

Kula remained silent, not giving her the courtesy of acknowledgement. That just made Angel lose it more.

Angel charged at her with everything she had, getting a spinning start, to unleash her forearm against Kula's face in one knockout blow... Kula was prepared.

Angel's attack had no chance of hitting, as Kula converged upon her. Left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg... four gentle touches, and Angel's body had become useless, still as a statue.

"GO KULAAAA! FINISH HER!' Foxy and Diana screamed in unison, thrusting their swords to the sky.

With her opponent stuck there, wriggling against the added weight, like dumbbells glued to her limbs, Kula had all the time she desired to slowly approach Angel... those blood eyes locked on hers, her face cold to the concept of mercy.

"Do your worst." Angel spat in defiance.

Kula surprisingly did not swing on Angel: she instead skated backwards, about ten yards. But her eyes never left Angel's; she appeared to have other intentions in mind.

Her body lit up with an azure aura, a frigid force so powerful, the entirety of the Stadium could feel it. An outbreak of goosebumps, like a plague upon then...

Three ice walls sprouted from the Earth, flanking Kula's left, right, and rear... leaving just a space between her and her incapacitated opponent. It looked like a defensive structure, which confused fighters and audience alike.

...A second later, that notion was shattered.

Angel watched with awestruck eyes as a cluster of stalagmites sprouted from the ground, piercing the ice walls that surrounded her... and for a moment... it looked incredibly artistic... a monument to the beauty the NESTS project could create...

The walls shattered into pieces... but before the ice shards could hit the ground, they suddenly rose up, flocking to Kula as if bearing sentience. They swarmed her, orbiting her, like a fleet of locusts.

Kula pointed at Angel... and gave a silent command.

The ice shards flew at Angel, all at once, devouring her within their merciless volley. All that could be heard was Angel's scream, as she was engulfed by what could only be described as an angry bee swarm.

The attack lasted ten, uninterrupted seconds... before the ice shards lost life and fell down around her, like punishing rain. Angel's body was revealed once more: riddled head to toe with lacerations, like crimson scribbles.

"A...agh... th-these... cuts... hurt..." she groaned weakly as she collapsed to her knees... and fell over, on her side.

WINNER: KULA DIAMOND

Kula barely had time to relish in the victory, before she was overrun by a stampede: her three beloved guardians, scooping her up and nearly turning the girl into a slushie with their crushing hug.

"KULAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~" they squealed in unison.

"You did it!" Foxy cheered, planting a kiss on her forehead. "You stood up to Angel!"

"You did what we were never strong enough to do..." Diana confided in her. "You finally gave Angel a taste of her own medicine. I'm so, so proud of you."

"Th-thank you Diana... and Foxy~" Kula blushed madly in the midst of their praise.

"We love you, Kula." Diana gushed. "You're our strong, special little girl."

The two of them planted a simultaneous kiss on both of her cheeks, while Candy affectionately pressed her face against Kula's temple.

"M-Miss Angel, do you require medical-"

"Ngh! Get away from me!" Angel shoved the medical personnel away. To everyone's surprise, she was already back on her feet... and even crazier, was no longer bleeding. It seemed the nanites were indeed working to full capacity... but all was said and done. The fight was over. Kula, a girl that she had long looked down upon, had bested her.

...She couldn't help but cut her eyes to the victorious ice girl, who was being smothered in a bubble of warmth and love by those disgusting losers Diana, Foxy, and Candy.

At that moment, Angel found her eyes cutting towards the audience, towards the fighter stands... perhaps to capture even a glimpse of someone she could call family. Someone who could possibly comfort her, in the dusk of her defeat.

Nobody.

"Fuck this." Angel dismissed the whole damn thing, and turned to walk away. But as hastily as her feet tore through the dirt to retreat... she couldn't help but look one last time at the display... that disgusting display.

Unity.

Family.

Something she didn't have.

Who... did she have? Nines? Long gone. Ramon? He wasn't here, and neither was Mary, or Vanessa... maybe THEY were all off, having a good time. Being together. Being family.

She hated Kula. But maybe... she just wanted what they had. There was a reason it was one of the deadliest sins... and Angel was never deadlier.

She at last found the will to tear herself away from the moment, and retreat to the locker room.

Thus ends the terrible reign of Angel. I want to go ahead and apologize to Nanomemes: she fell in LOVE with Angel, reading this story. It breaks my heart to eliminate characters that I know readers are rooting for in particular... but at the end of the day, I have to follow my vision. Sorry Nano.

NEXT CHAPTER: A certain someone has unfinished business with Iori... but that's never been a startling revelation for a guy like him. Who will it be? Find out next time!

But first... LOOK AFTER THIS PARAGRAPH. IT'S A BONUS SCENE!

BONUS SCENE

The water was scalding, blistering hot... she didn't care. Nothing could damage her skin anyway. Even third degree burns were as inconvenient as if she had forgotten her sunblock at the beach.

She stood there, under the shower head, thick steam emanating around her naked form... but she allowed it. She secretly wished it would melt her away to a pile of refuse, along with the nanites inside her.

It used to be enough... hurting others. But that was when she felt invincible. Untouchable. A goddess among men, as some NESTS guy had always called her. Grope-y little bastard... she delighted in the day he copped a feel of her, and she snapped his neck, leaving him to flop to the ground like a lifeless peel. They were mad at her for a while... but they forgave her. If anything, it just taught them not to fuck with her. They were ALL scared of her: Zero, Ignis, NESTS himself...

Only Nines showed no fear in her presence. Right now, she wanted to see him, more than anyone in the whole world. Just him... if she couldn't see anyone else, she might as well die.

"Bibibibi..."

"WHO'S THERE?!" Angel called out, her voice echoing in the locker room. "I'm not afraid to get out of this shower butt naked and break your fucking-"

She snatched the shower curtain back: a blonde freak with eyeballs in her hair was grinning at her.

"BI BI BIIIII! I have caught you with your pants down! I mean... off~!"

"...You. You're still alive?!" Angel shouted, her voice less shocked than terrified.

"Yup! And you're now my prisoner~!"

"Wha-"

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Angel's story will continue in future chapters. Stay tuned!