Match of the Millennium

It's the Ichikast! It looks as though her production values have improved; it's a much better quality camera at any rate. Unfortunately, the girl herself looks... tired. In fact it looks like Ichika hasn't had a good night's sleep in days. She's very pale, deep rings under her eyes, and she's stifling a yawn as she starts things up. "Ah, hello everyone, it's good to be talking with you all again. This was an exciting round of fights, and I've been looking forward to going over them. So, without any further delay, let's discuss Doe-san's fight with Buck!" She smiles and a still image appears at the bottom of the screen, showing the handsome actor wrestling a horrifying snake-faced and hissing half-human half-serpent beast-man. "This fight really demonstrated Buck's flexibility, in more ways than one! He has developed so much over the past few months it really has been incredible to see, and I hope all the new competitors to the tournament note that Buck also began late but has now taken the top spot. John was at his best when he was able to use his startling toughness to punch through an incoming attack, but I feel as though his close range style was ultimately the deciding factor here as Buck was often able to outrange and find a way to divert his attacks. Congratulations to Buck!" She rubs her eyes, and takes a sip from a cup of tea before she continues. A still image of Junko being slammed by a flung stripper pole flashes up in the corner of the screen. It is not a very flattering shot. "Then we have Fadel-san's fight. It was excellent to see how far she has come. Fadel-san and I have a history, and it is still very much my intention to demonstrate to her that I can in fact defeat her, but I do not bear her any ill will." She pauses for a moment and then adds, "I have nothing to say about her opponent." The image changes to one of Chevy at the end of her fight; clearly badly beaten but standing, with Kenzo still on the ground. "Chevy's fight against Kuroiwa-san was incredible! If there is one bout I would recommend watching out of all of this round, I would say this one. In the beginning, I thought Kuroiwa-san had obtained an insurmountable lead. But Chevy is not someone you should ever count out. Her ability to read the flow of battle is improving with every confrontation. Kuroiwa-san remains, I think, the strongest tactical mind in the tournament. He demands a level of flexibility which concerns me, as I do not think the same trick will work against him multiple times. Chevy and Buck have proven they have what it takes to face him. I will endeavour to improve my style so that I may say the same." The still image becomes a picture of Hated R slamming his microphone into the ground and releasing a burst of powerful chi energy. "Kazumi-san against... R-san? Was, interesting. Obviously, Kazumi-san was heavily favoured. Prior to the Rumble she was the eighth highest rated competitor and I believe this was R-san's first battle." She looks conflicted for a moment before she sighs and shrugs. "Musically, R-san's stylings are not to my taste, and honestly, I do not feel that I understood the majority of what he said. However, in terms of fighting? He is impressive. I was not able to maintain my composure in the first fight I undertook, and though his inexperience was clear, it never felt to me as though he was out of the fight. Hopefully, we can help him develop fighting talents to rival his musical ... skill." The image then becomes one of Iris driving a spear down into Ichika's back with the girl obviously caught completely off her guard. This, also, is not a terribly flattering picture. "My battle against Iris was, challenging. Magic proved as difficult to predict as I expected it to be, and Iris' ability to attack from all directions with all manner of weapons made it difficult to approach the fight with a tactical mindset. However, I was able to find my focus and respond. In the end I was victorious, and I learned a great deal. I hope that she did as well."

The image becomes one of Hawksley delivering a flaming uppercut to Tamaki's chin in a freeze-frame worthy of Ken Masters. "Moore-san and Tamaki-san's bout was a showcase of what makes both fighters so impressive. Moore-san took an early lead and did not let up throughout the fight. Nevertheless, I genuinely thought that Tamaki-san may turn it around, until he used this technique. Moore-san's flames have been impressive from the very beginning of the competition, and Tamaki-san did not seem able to turn the technique back against him as she usually does." She shakes her head just a little. "Ah, I like both of these fighters very much. And, Moore-san, I am happy to welcome you as a colleague in the world of fighting commentary as well! Things have been... difficult, lately, and there will be more on that in a little bit, but I would be delighted to take you up on the offer of training together some time soon." The picture becomes Coco grasping Genie's impressive psychic blade between her fingers. Ichika takes another long sip of her tea and rubs at her face before she makes a visible effort to compose herself and resume speaking. This is clearly taking a toll! "I was hoping that Bouvier-san would prove triumphant in this battle against Coalbridge-san. There is nobody in the Project that I have a more difficult time reading than Bouvier-san, and Coalbridge-san's treatment of her in the Rumble seemed... excessive. Then again, 'excessive' seems to be something of a theme with her." She leans back in the chair, briefly looking at the ceiling ass she again composes her thoughts. "Unfortunately, it was not to be. Coalbridge-san's guard remains remarkable. The one time we crossed paths, it was my energy attack which seemed most able to cause her difficulties. Alas, it seems that she has fixed that hole in her style." The next shot is of Nixie and Ayala both sprawled out on the floor, both fighters clearly very unconscious. "A draw! This was an interesting fight to watch. Feldspar-san really showed off how much she has improved. Greene-san is a very difficult person to hit, but she landed all but one attack in this fight. Unfortunately, Feldspar-san wasn't able to defend herself any more successfully in return." There's a self-effacing chuckle from the girl as she shakes her head. "I know how powerful those explosives of hers can be. Honestly, I had Greene-san as the favourite to win this fight, and I hope that Feldspar-san walks away proud of her performance. A little more work on defence and I she definitely has what it takes to be a top tier competitor. Greene-san, of course, has never left that position in my mind, despite what the points may say." The picture now becomes Buford and Braun, Braun's unconscious body serving as a pillow for Buford's collapsed form. "Another draw! This..." Ichika hesitates, struggling to get her thoughts in order. "Honestly surprised me. I didn't know what to expect from Jagerbrud-san, but his speed was very impressive. I would not have thought that so large a man would be capable of such feats. It is unfortunate that our confrontation in the Rumble has not caused Maclanky-kun to reflect on his failings, and in fact may only have deepened his delusions." She sighs softly, shaking her head. "I hope that his sponsors provide some kind of guidance that will make him a less unpleasant person to interact with, but, I shall try to temper my expectations as it does seem unlikely." The still image becomes a heavily censored fuzzy blur which vaguely hints at blood and furious shapes. And Ichika visibly hesitates. "Which brings us to the last fight of this round." She takes a long sip from her tea. "I feel as though I have to point out the obvious. Both fighters here used techniques which would be lethal to most people. I was originally quite excited that we had two more swordswomen in the Project, but..." She shakes her head, looking right into the camera and leaning forwards. "It does not sit well with me to speak ill of anyone. I will say that I think it is very clear that their styles and mine are, very different, and leave it at that. I have worked hard to ensure that I have not inflicted a grievous injury on anyone. It is important that we keep the safety of our fellow competitors in mind throughout our battles." The girl waves her hand loosely. "Nevertheless. I am glad that both were able to walk away from the confrontation. I will hope that the same holds true for the rest of their journey with us. If you watch the full fight, I recommend doing so with an awareness that it is the most violent and bloody we have yet seen. In fact, I believe it may be the bloodiest fight I have seen in any professional fighting context." She yawns, then. A very loud noise, and runs her hand through her hair, making it spike up in a renewed, messy fashion. "Ah, there we go. I have finished."

She smiles sheepishly. "Thank you for staying with me to the end. It has been, a very testing week for me. Which brings me to the last thing I have to ask. There will be no more fight talk, so if that is what you are here for, I thank you for your support and you may now stop listening." The girl closes her eyes, steadies herself. It is the same kind of mental exercise she undertakes when she gathers herself in a fight. When she opens her eyes again, they are refocused, bright blue and intense. "There was an, incident, which has destroyed my laptop and many of the books I require for my schoolwork. Chevy has kindly leant me the use of her laptop for the moment, but this is not sustainable in the long term, and I have had to spend many hours recreating the lost work from memory." Her jaw clenches. Now for the difficult part. "In the description of this video you will find a link to a GoFightMe page. This is set to the amount I require to replace my laptop and the texts I had not already memorised." She bows, and for the first time there's a good shot of the interior of the room she's talking in - a very modest room with a small bed and a few stacks of largely charred books, along with a half-melted laptop perched atop them. When she straightens, she looks straight back into the camera. "None of you owe me anything. This is a situation that arose because of my own foolishness. However, between my training, studies and fighting duties, I do not have the time to work as I normally would. Therefore, I have no choice but to ask, please, that if you have the means to support me... that you do so. I am very sorry that it has come to this. I promise, I have no intention of making this kind of request a regular occurrence." She looks so conflicted as she reaches out to turn off the camera. - And indeed, even as she finishes the recording, Ichika wonders if it is the right thing to do. She is so tempted to cut out the request. As much as she has always loved the community and charity work she does, asking others for help feels like such a failure, and she knows that it will be yet another strike against her relationship with her parents. She should never have reached out to Junko. She knew that the girl was unstable. Whether it was due to the dark power inside her, some historical trauma, or just her own seething inadequacies, it was clear from the first meeting that she was not a reliable person. A deep sigh leaves her as she begins to upload the video. Was it a flaw to reach out, or only to let her guard down when she had done so? She doesn't know. But the damage the miko had wrought was significant. Regardless of the motivation behind it, as well, the message was clear enough. She did not want to be part of the team. Ichika's eyes closed, and she let the fatigue wash over her. Thunder had only done so well as they had thanks to the teamwork that had been instilled in them. Now they had a viper in their nest. Metal had grown, if anything, stronger. Blaze and Frost both had psychotic warriors in their midst. One a literal vampire, the other some kind of summoner of hungry ghosts. She had high hopes when she had retained much of her team and her sponsors, but this... this was a whole different world. She was awoken with a start by a sudden alert from her phone. The donations were coming in already. It wouldn't be long until she could put in the orders and at least solve that particular problem. Then she saw where the first donations had come from. Kasumoto Hana: We love you. (2000 =Y=) Kasumoto Kenji: Stay safe. (2000 =Y=) OtaNoGo: You are not in atari yet. (10,000 =Y=) She felt herself start to tear up, and then as she watched, startled, the bar filled up all the way to the end. Princess Lightheart: Shine on, minions! <3 (50,000 =Y=) And she could not hold back the tears any longer.