Match of the Millennium

As the broadcast goes live, the 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 Round 3 of the first season of the New Fighting Generation! I'm Tom Bradley, and here with me is 'Loverboy' Lou Harris! Following an internal discussion, we've officially dropped the use of our screen names 'Tasty' and 'Loverboy' as our primary forms of address." LOU: "That's right, Tom, and I couldn't be happier. Let's get right into the results, shall we?" TOM: "We shall!" The screen changes to show a list of names and scores. RESULTS ---------------- Djamila 66 Tamaki 65 Kenzo 59 Iris 50 Chevy 47 Ichika 46 Brian Storm 45 LOU: "Wow. Those scores have really shot up. And half the fighters are missing. What gives? Budget cuts?" TOM: "Uhh, I'm awaiting confirmation from production - oh, right! This is the results sheet for the Lucky Chloe Beach Cleanup. Each of the fighters who participated was rated based on the trash collected." LOU: "Huh! Interesting. So, that means Djamila's won the date with Lucky Chloe." TOM: "Looks like Chloe's going on a blind date after all." LOU: "Tom! Some fruit is too low-hanging, even for us." TOM: "I apologize. Shall we continue with the actual NFG standings?" LOU: "You betcha." (Continued in next post!)

The individual points standings for the NFG appear on the screen: ================================ NFG - Points ================================ End of Round Two Nixie - 14 Points Hawksley - 14 Points Coco - 14 Points Tamaki - 13 Points Djamila - 12 Points Sarah - 11 Points John Doe - 11 Points Genie - 10 Points Kenzo - 10 Points Buford - 9 Points Chevy - 9 Points Ichika - 8 Points Iris - 8 Points Buck - 8 points Ayala - 7 Points Brian Storm - 7 Points Amber - 4 Points Isamu - 3 Points - Out Nurse Sayuri - 1 Point - Out ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOM: "So, with Nixie's absence from round 2, Hawksley and Coco had the opportunity to catch up, creating a three-way tie for first place." LOU: "And with Djamila losing her match, Tamaki also managed to jump up into fourth. We also saw Sarah and John Doe climb up the standings, and with their first wins under their belts, Chevy and Kenzo are both vying for the upper half." TOM: "One interesting thing to note here is Amber's return to the league - she's technically been given 'Wildcard' status, meaning that she can compete on any team's behalf each round if a substitute is required." LOU: "That's right, and whatever points she earns that round count for that team, but only for that round." TOM: "So, if she ends up fighting as a substitute for Team Blaze next week, Metal would keep the three points she earned this round, but not any she earns next round." LOU: "Seems pretty clear to me. Almost like this was planned and not some last minute decision made by the officials because Nixie went AWOL for a round." TOM: "Precisely. A reminder, if you want more details on how these points were earned -" LOU: "As well as insights into the cutie points of each competitor!" TOM: "- check out our podcast from earlier featuring Zog the Hammer!" (Continued in next post!)

The team points standings appear on the screen: ================================ NFG - Points ================================ End of Round One TEAM METAL - 50 Points TEAM BLAZE - 43 Points TEAM THUNDER - 38 Points TEAM FROST - 37 Points ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOM: "As you can see, Team Metal managed to create some real separation here, dominating Blaze with three wins to one loss." LOU: "Meanwhile, Thunder and Frost remain neck and neck with two wins each this round." TOM: "And with Frost now set to face the top team in Metal, they could be looking at a burial in ice." LOU: "Or they could freeze Metal in their tracks and really tighten the competition up again. TOM: "Let's go ahead and look at this round's matchups!" (Continued in next post!)

-==TEAM FROST==- versus -==TEAM METAL==- AYALA versus DJAMILA SARAH versus NIXIE GENIE versus JOHN DOE BUFORD versus KENZO TOM: "As we alluded to, the matches between Frost and Metal could have major implications for the overall shape of the competition." LOU: "On paper, this looks like an uphill fight for Frost. But you've got to remember, these standings are based on only a handful of matches. There's plenty of potential for these fighters to show us something we haven't seen yet." TOM: "Speaking of uphill fights, how about this one?" -==AYALA versus DJAMILA==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Pink Paradise LOU: "True, Ayala has yet to take a win in the competition, while Djamila is right up near the top - but these two both came off a loss this week, Djamila could be suffering the after-effects of the injuries from her attack, and perhaps most importantly, they're dead even with each other on cutie points." TOM: "Shout out to my boy Zog. Interesting choice of location for the match, by the way." LOU: "I've been scoping out the venue in advance. Very nice establishment. I might try and catch this one live, personally." TOM: "I can't say I'm surprised, Lou." -==SARAH versus NIXIE==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Under the Bridge TOM: "We've had confirmation that Nixie Greene should be back and ready to perform again in her match with DJ Supernova this round." LOU: "Nixie might notta been in the competition last week, but she's still undefeated so far. Supernova's coming off a win, though, so if Nixie isn't feeling fully match fit, we could be looking at an upset." TOM: "I imagine the venue probably favours Nixie, based on my knowledge of goblins." LOU: "Let's just hope she doesn't blow the whole thing up and end up crushing both fighters and the fans under several tons of rubble!" (Continued in next post!)

-==GENIE versus JOHN DOE==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Dragon Books TOM: "And Katy McRae from Dragon Books has kindly offered to let the New Fighting Generation use her store as a venue for another round." LOU: "Here's one match that I'm curious to see. Genie's been in some of the fastest fights in the NFG, while John Doe has been in some of its greatest slugfests. It's safe to say this is a heavy hitter coming up against a brick wall." TOM: "Both hot off of wins, these two will be looking to write another success story in round three!" -==BUFORD versus KENZO==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Venice Canals Walkway TOM: "Now, of all of the matches between these teams, this one seems to have the most real heat coming into it." LOU: "Absolutely. Kenzo seems to have taken a real disliking to Buford. I'm not sure why the guy gets as much flak as he does, really." TOM: "Indeed, especially after his declarations of being a feminist and speaking out on body positivity recently." LOU: "Whatever the reason, this samurai-versus-ninja story is one I'm looking forward to seeing play out. No doubt the Japanophiles out there will be wanting to watch this one." TOM: "And Canadaphiles." LOU: "Canadaphiles?" TOM: "Well, Buford is Canadian, after all." LOU: "Oh, right. We'll see how it goes, eh?" (Continued in next post!)

-==TEAM THUNDER==- versus -==TEAM BLAZE==- BUCK versus HAWKSLEY CHEVY versus COCO TAMAKI versus IRIS ICHIKA versus BRIAN STORM TOM: "Now, the difference in standings between Thunder and Blaze isn't as pronounced. In fact, Thunder has a chance to overtake Blaze here with a strong enough showing." LOU: "And Team Thunder looks to be picking up momentum after last week, while Blaze was looking shakier in their defeat against Team Metal." TOM: "But with chaotic elements like these mixing it up, anything could happen!" LOU: "You mean Fire and Lightning? TOM: "I meant Tamaki, Iris, Buck, Hawksley, Coco -" LOU: "Actually, I see what you mean." -==BUCK versus HAWKSLEY==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Daybreak Beach TOM: "Placing right behind John Doe in the fan vote for 'most roguishly handsome fighter in the NFG,' these two fighters are going to be taking it to the coast for what's sure to be an all-out bonfire." LOU: "Brian Storm was definitely robbed by the decision to put that vote up after he lost his hair in his match with Buford." TOM: "Agreed, but that's just the world that he has to live in now. A true Samson story." LOU: "As for the actual fight, bonfire is right. These guys are actually pretty similar in the way they fight - and that usually involves stuff getting set on fire. I wouldn't be surprised if half the beach were glass by the time they're done." TOM: "Just like before the Lucky Chloe Cleanup Challenge." -==CHEVY versus COCO==- LOCATION: Sunshine City - George Eddow Ford Dealership TOM: "Now, here's an interesting one - our resident girl-next-door Chevy is set to face off against what some fans have described as 'luxury eye candy' Coco." LOU: "And in their minds, they're probably fighting for the favor of Hawksley. After all, he's been seen hanging around with both of them." TOM: "Sounds like a classic romantic comedy situation, except I doubt that either of these two will be finding it funny." LOU: "If we're lucky, this'll turn into a waterlogged cat fight all over the parking lot." (Continued in next post!)

-==TAMAKI versus IRIS=- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Natural Earth Food Store TOM: "Surprisingly, the NFG has been invited back to the Natural Earth Food Store despite the flooding damage caused by last week's match." LOU: "Well, not so surprising when you consider how good the insurance most businesses have these days is. Plus, they did agree in advance. Now, you talked about chaotic elements on these teams - and I think you're looking at them right here." TOM: "Indeed. Iris doesn't seem to have complete control over her magic, and Tamaki's drunken kung fu is inherently unpredictable. The only prediction I feel qualified to make as to the outcome is that premiums will be rising after this one." LOU: "For sure." -==ICHIKA versus BRIAN STORM=- LOCATION: Sunshine City - Factory Interior TOM: "Well, Lou, of all the places that they could have our youngest competitor in Ichika face off against our most reckless competitor in -" BOTH: "- BRIAN STOOOOORM -" TOM: "- I wouldn't have expected it to be this one. A factory full of active conveyor belts, potentially leading into chutes to who-knows-where? This seems like laissez-faire gone wild." LOU: "No need to unionize over this one, Tom. Obviously the trained professionals who've assessed these locations will have taken all potential hazards into account and taken steps to address them." TOM: "We thought that of the last match Brian Storm was in, Lou, but he still ended up going home in a casket." LOU: "That's just because they couldn't figure out how to get the lid off. I heard him say in an interview on the local news that it was the best sleep he'd ever had. Besides, I'm pretty sure the schoolgirl with the samurai sword is the most dangerous thing Brian's gonna have to deal with here." TOM: "Fair enough, Lou. One has to wonder whether Ichika will finally be able to find a victory after so many near-wins so far in the competition." LOU: "Against the Storm? I gotta say, I wouldn't bet it on it - but all the more impressive if she does." TOM: "And that wraps up our matches for this round!" LOU: "We'll look forward to seeing you next time! Be sure to get your tickets online now!" (Continued in next post!)

Hey doodz! Congrats again to everyone for completing their matches for Round 2 on time! Be sure to get in touch with your designated scene partners ASAP! These matches are due for EOD SUNDAY, JULY 23RD. As usual, there are no extensions. If you haven't got your matches started by MONDAY, JULY 17TH 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. As before, if a match is in progress but isn't finished in time, the result will be counted as 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. As always, 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