Match of the Millennium

As the broadcast goes live, the increasingly-familiar team of Tom and Lou appear on-screen in front of a large electronic display showing the NFG logo. TOM: "Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and all of our other friends, to the official kick-off of the first season of the New Fighting Generation! I'm Tom Bradley, and with me is 'Loverboy' Lou Harris, a storied fighter in his own right and a self-declared expert on fighting women!" LOU: "Uhh, let's just be clear there, Tom, that my expertise is on women in fighting, not fighting /against/ women." TOM: "That's true, Lou. In fact, your success record /against/ women is staggeringly low." LOU: "What can I say? Back in my day, women in fighting wore some /very/ distracting outfits. Especially when nearly all of them were ninjas." TOM: "Fair enough, Lou. I'm sure that had an impact on your decision to become a professional spectator to women's fighting events." LOU: "I just thought somebody had to do it, Tom. Of course, today, it is, as it says on the tin, a new generation of fighters that we're focusing on." TOM: "That's right, and we're here to announce what you can expect this week from the NFG! Hopefully you've had a chance to watch the preseason tournament, but if not, once we're done here, you'll be up to date!" LOU: "And this one's gonna be a fun one, Tom, because for the first three rounds of the NFG season, each of the teams is going to face off against each of the others in a series of singles matches!" TOM: "That's also right! And here are the teams facing off against each other in Round One!" On the screen behind them appear the words, with team logos behind: -==TEAM BLAZE==- versus -==TEAM FROST==- -==TEAM METAL==- versus -==TEAM THUNDER==- (Continued in next post!)

The second matchup disappears as the Blaze versus Frost matchup expands to fill the screen: -==TEAM BLAZE==- versus -==TEAM FROST==- HAWKSLEY versus AYALA COCO versus SARAH IRIS versus GENIE BRIAN STORM versus BIG BUFORD TOM: "So, this graphic hopefully clarifies what we mean by these teams facing off in singles! Each member of each team will be facing a member from the other team to try and win NFG points for themselves and their teams!" LOU: "Yep! Winning a match means getting three NFG points! Drawing means getting two! And losing means getting one point, because kids these days need to be rewarded for participation or they'll just go and play video games or somethin'." As the commentators focus on individual matchups, the screen focuses in on them as well, with pictures of the fighters' faces against an elemental backdrop appropriate to their team appearing on either side. -==HAWKSLEY versus AYALA==- LOCATION: Sunshine City Dragons Football Stadium TOM: "So, here we get to see the first fruits of the decisions made during the draft earlier this month as Blaze faces Frost head to head. And that starts with Team Blaze's Hawksley against Team Frost's Ayala." LOU: "Now here's a guy who doesn't get distracted when he's duelling a dame. Hawksley was on fire throughout the tournament, until his match with Nixie saw him burn out in the final. I've heard rumours that Team Blaze brought in a certain famous boxer to help Hawksley work on his striking game, too." TOM: "Meanwhile, I've heard that Ayala's been practicing her own game by seeking out fights in the streets - a more guerrilla approach to her training, you might say." LOU: "Come on, Tom. She may not know how to work a smart phone, but calling her a gorilla? That's downright offensive. She's a beautiful warrior woman." TOM: "I-I didn't mean - well, I agree with your assessment, Lou. In any case, I think we're probably looking at a no-holds-barred brawl between these two." LOU: "And in a football stadium, no less. Maybe we'll see a guest appearance from NFG dropout Amber Riley, seeing as this is where she works." -==COCO versus SARAH==- LOCATION: Noise Factory Club (on-grid) TOM: "Now, here's something different - a self-proclaimed party girl facing off against a disc jockey." LOU: "What better way to get the party started than with Coco and DJ Supernova? DJs like Sarah have had Coco shakin' her butt for years, but this is one case where she may have trouble getting Coco to dance to her beat." TOM: "They both performed well in the tournament, though - each eliminated in the second round before winning their bonus stage matches." LOU: "That's true. And they're both British, too - although Sarah is from Manchester and Coco is from Chelsea, making this an English North versus South matchup." TOM: "And with the fight taking place in a club, both of these fighters will have the 'home turf' advantage, so to speak." (Continued in next post!)

-==IRIS versus GENIE==- LOCATION: Industrial Area (on-grid) TOM: "And here we have another matchup with some interesting similarities between the competitors." LOU: "You can say that again. Two rich gals, both with mysterious powers, both equally likely to be intimidated and disorientated by their assigned fighting stage. Rumours have it the Sunshine City industrial district was designed by an architect who regularly dropped acid. You've got conveyor belts leading to deadly pits, roadways built on rooftops, and external ladders to reach the upper floors of buildings instead of staircases. It's a health and safety nightmare." TOM: "It should make for a very interesting arena, though. Of course, precautions will be taken to make sure that neither of our competitors suffers from a terminal drop from one of the industrial girders or off of one of the aforementioned conveyor belts. Genie obviously had an impressive opener in the preseason tournament, but we have yet to see Iris compete." LOU: "Genie was easy to underestimate with her privileged background. Actually, the same could be said of Coco, too. There may not be much information to go on, but Team Frost definitely shouldn't skimp on prepping for Iris." -==BRIAN STORM versus BIG BUFORD==- LOCATION: Motor Bus (variant: City Bus) TOM: "And finally, we have the clearest mismatch between these teams: Brian Storm versus Buford." LOU: "A wannabe samurai fighting a lightning-powered wrestler in his hometown. I know you and I had high hopes for Brian that haven't panned out so far, but this could be his chance to turn things around." TOM: "This could definitely be a homefield advantage for Brian Storm, who is likely familiar with the city buses of Sunshine." LOU: "A stage like this could really prove tricky for novice fighters. You have to account for the possibility of sudden turns, the constant feeling of motion under your feet..." TOM: "And the smell of whatever Big Buford is vaping. Hopefully the driver will have cracked the windows in advance." LOU: "Yep - this is definitely the match where we're most likely to see somebody hurl." (Continued in next post!)

The Blaze versus Frost matchup disappears as the Metal versus Thunder matchup fills the screen in its place: -==TEAM METAL==- versus -==TEAM THUNDER==- DJAMILA versus CHEVY KENZO versus BUCK NIXIE versus ICHIKA JOHN DOE versus TAMAKI TOM: "Now, we've got Metal versus Thunder. The sponsors here probably have a score to settle after both sides took fighters in the draft that sponsors on the other team wanted." LOU: "Team Thunder has been making waves in Sunshine City after a charitable soup kitchen drive led to conflict with a local gang. Hopefully, that won't have any bearing on the competition itself, of course." As the commentators focus on individual matchups, the screen focuses in on them as well, with pictures of the fighters' faces against an elemental backdrop appropriate to their team appearing on either side. -==DJAMILA versus CHEVY==- LOCATION: Daybreak Beach TOM: "You seemed very excited about this match in our pre-show discussions." LOU: "Why wouldn't I be? These are two fine young competitors." TOM: "You seemed pleased by the idea of a pole dancer and a water manipulator competing on a beach." LOU: "Well, it's true that it increases the likelihood that they fight in swimsuits." TOM: "Should I repeat what you had to say about their pole-handling skills?" LOU: "I'd prefer you didn't, Tom." -==KENZO versus BUCK==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - George Eddow Ford Dealership TOM: "Now, this stage is slightly different - it's been provided to us by the fine folks at George Eddow Ford. Competitors will have a choice of competing in the lot or in the showroom." LOU: "Apparently they have very good insurance. My understanding is that they've been competing with another Auto Group, who regularly take advantage of martial arts competitions for promotions, and decided that this would be a good way to step up their game." TOM: "It's reputedly the best place to buy Ford in Sunshine City." LOU: "Now, depending on where and how they fight, this could give Kenzo some opportunities to use the environment to his advantage. Buck, on the other hand, will probably feel at home surrounded by Ford automobiles." TOM: "Unless he prefers Chevy." LOU: "I'm not sure what the relationships between fighters has to do with this matchup, Tom. We can discuss them on the podcast, though." (Continued in next post!)

-==NIXIE==- versus -==ICHIKA==- LOCATION: Corona Row District TOM: "Now, here's an interesting matchup for sure. The winner of the tournament has to be a favourite for their first match, but Team Thunder started the draft off by first-picking Ichika. Peng You and his fellow sponsors obviously thought there was potential there." LOU: "And now it's a chance for Ichika to show it. If she can take down Greenie on her first seasonal outing, it'll put a lot of faith in Team Thunder's strategy." TOM: "And with a street fight like this one, there aren't a lot of places to hide. She might be our youngest competitor, but Ichika seems the least likely to fall for Nixie's traps." LOU: "On the other hand, there could be a lot of pressure on the young lady, which can be a lot to take on for a newbie. One of her sponsors all but openly stated she would've rather had Nixie on their team." TOM: "I think it's fair to say that this could have heavy implications for both teams' cohesion and morale." LOU: "And then some." -==JOHN DOE==- versus -==TAMAKI==- LOCATION: Drive-In Theater (on-grid) TOM: "And here's our last match: the cagey heartthrob John Doe faces off against the crafty tanuki Tamaki." LOU: "Appropriately, actor John Doe will be competing on the silver screen, with the ongoing match shown on the screen behind the fighters." TOM: "These two both have unpredictable fighting styles, so this should be an interesting one to watch." LOU: "John Doe is a tough guy, for sure, but I bet Lyraelle's new pet tanuki will have been given a few more tricks up her sleeve under Princess Lightheart's tutelage. This fight feels like it could go the distance." TOM: "And that brings us to the end of our matchups for the upcoming round. We'll be seeing you next time with the results and our matchups for Round Two!" (Continued in next post!)

Hey doodz! It's NFG time! I'm aware that there are a few scenes with conclusions outstanding, but I recommend that you guys get in touch with your designated match partners ASAP! These matches are due for EOD SUNDAY, JUNE 25TH. This round will be slightly longer in order to give time to wrap up extant scenes and ensure that there are two weekend opportunities. The two rounds after this one will give eleven days to be finished each, which will include double weekends. If you haven't got your matches started by JUNE 19TH after trying to schedule with your scene partner, or you're having trouble closing out your match in a timely fashion by that date, then get in touch with me. Now that we've left behind the tournament format, extensions will no longer be granted on matches for the purposes of NFG point scoring. If a match is in progress but has not finished in time, it will be considered a DRAW. If a match hasn't started, it will be considered not to have happened for one reason or another (to be discussed with me) and will not be worth any points. Make sure you take that first step, it's often the hardest! Again, if you know you won't be able to participate in an upcoming round, contact me to arrange substitutions for the benefit of your team (ICly) and your opponent (OOCly). - Pringer X