Match of the Millennium

-==TEAM METAL==- versus -==TEAM BLAZE==- DJAMILA versus GENIE KENZO versus BRAUN SARAH versus LAUREL JOHN DOE versus AYALA IRIS versus HAWKSLEY TOM: "So, we've already prefaced this matchup. It's the top of the table versus the bottom of the... table." LOU: "Nicely done, Tom. But it's worth pointing out that Team Metal only changed out two of their members, while Blaze shuffled most of their roster. They also picked up two newcomers, while Metal only went for known quantities. They seemed to have completely different draft strategies." TOM: "This could be as much a test of leadership as much as the individual fighters. On paper and looking at past experience, they could be looking at a near-blowout. They'll need to keep their mental up. Hopefully the honeymoon period with this new team and new support staff will continue." LOU: "That sounds like what I'd say here, Tom. You're not trying to steal my job now, are you?" TOM: "N-no, Lou, of course not. It just seemed like a natural response to what you said, which sounded a bit like something I might have said normally. I think the rundown situation is just getting to us. Shall we move on to the individual matchups?" LOU: "Indeed, Lou. I mean, Tom." -==DJAMILA==- versus -==GENIE==- LOCATION: Metro City - Prison Center TOM: "Well, Lou, I guess this is the part where we thank our friends at the Metro City Municipal Correctional Facilities for providing a venue for this matchup." LOU: "Yup. Thanks, Metro City Municipal! So, I'm calling it right now. Genie's doomed in this one. The most genteel and easily-flustered fighter on the roster, forced to fight in front of Mad Gear and Skull Cross's finest? On the other hand, Djamila's probably performed in front of worse audiences. Like Ichika's dad." TOM: "Shots fired in Cell Block D. Security, please report." LOU: "Everyone was thinking it, Tom. Everyone!" TOM: "Nevermind, security. It's an old meme, but it checks out." LOU: "Sometimes the old ones are the best." Lou holds up his coffee mug to toast Tom, which reads 'Give It Your Ass!', and clinks it against Tom's, which reads 'ZOMBIE!'. (Continued in the next post!)

-==KENZO==- versus -==BRAUN==- LOCATION: Metro City - Hood Fight Club TOM: "So, Lou. Do you think that our new primal warrior will be able to overcome his inhibitions against the tech savant in Kenzo, or do you believe in brains over Braun?" LOU: "God, I can't believe I didn't see that one coming. Well, personally, I think Kenzo's been scaling up throughout the competition. Braun, on the other hand, was already huge when he came in. It's a question of vectors." TOM: "And what's the answer?" LOU: "I don't know, Tom. I'm not a geometrist. I just think this'll be a good match." TOM: "Fair enough, Lou. Fair enough." -==SARAH==- versus -==LAUREL==- LOCATION: Metro City - Marble Lake (default) TOM: "So, what do you make of our new fighter in Laurel, Lou?" LOU: "Absolutely terrifying. When I saw her interview, I thought, 'hey, we got a real sweetie here.' Then we had that fight between her and Zarine, and it's like Freddy versus Jason." TOM: "Well, the mask was probably a warning sign. So, what do you think about her facing off with DJ Supernova?" LOU: "At 'Marble Lake?' I think we're in for another horror show. Let's just hope for Sarah's sake that she's the Final Girl." TOM: "It's always the nice ones you've got to watch out for." LOU: "Or the ones with swords. They tend to be dangerous, too." (Continued in the next post!)

-==JOHN DOE==- versus -==AYALA==- LOCATION: Metro City - The Dead Squirrel TOM: "And once again, the NFG returns to our favourite Irish bar, The Dead Squirrel. You know, I've heard rumours that Hawksley got lucky last round at the Dead Squirrel." LOU: "I don't think so, Tom. I'd say he won that fight against Tamaki fair and square. You know who really seemed unlucky, though? John Doe." TOM: "It's true that nothing seemed to go his way in the fight with Buck. Unusual, considering how well J.D. has performed in the past." LOU: "He may have drawn the short straw this round, too. He's competing in the Dead Squirrel against the fighter in the NFG who probably has the most expertise on dead squirrels. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've seen Ayala wearing one." TOM: "Yes, but doesn't John Doe also have an inherent affinity with The Dead Squirrel?" LOU: "What d'you mean, Tom?" TOM: "Well, a lot of people think that John Doe is cute, and a lot of people think that squirrels are cute." LOU: "Yeah, but they wouldn't if he was dead, would they?" -==IRIS==- versus -==HAWKSLEY==- LOCATION: Metro City - Black No. 1 TOM: "And up next, we have Iris and Hawksley fighting in Metro City's premier goth club." LOU: "So, the magical gal with the rainbow hair and the guy who brightens up any room have been scheduled to fight in Black No. 1. This is almost as good as making Miss Swiss Priss fight a poledancer in prison." TOM: "Well, maybe this will help the patrons of Black No. 1 cheer up. I must confess, I don't really have any familiarity with how goth culture works." LOU: "Good, 'cause I was about to make that confession on your behalf. Then again, everybody loves a good fight." TOM: "Except for pacifists." LOU: "I don't really have any familiarity with how pacifist culture works, Tom." (Continued in the next post!)

-==TEAM FROST==- versus -==TEAM THUNDER==- COCO versus BUCK ZARINE versus CHEVY BUFORD versus HATED R TAMAKI versus ICHIKA NIXIE versus JUNKO TOM: "And with Frost and Thunder, we've got two teams that saw upticks in the standings after last week, at least in terms of relative points." LOU: "On paper, this could be a pretty even matchup, Tom. Team Thunder kept most of their core together, but picked up two new fighters. From the sound of things, they've got good team synergy building." TOM: "Then I guess you missed the video that somebody at Team Thunder uploaded to their channel where Junko broke Ichika's computer and they had a massive fight over it." LOU: "Oh, come on, Tom. You don't think Team Thunder would stage something like that? Can I remind you that Princess Lyraelle Lightheart has taken up residence with her team? We saw the video with Chevy, too. It's all just there to build hype." TOM: "Really? Well, I guess..." LOU: "On the other hand, Frost seems to be having a good time too, what with the car-smashing rally and all. Abigail's back on his home turf, and I'm sure the team will see the benefits of that." TOM: "So, you haven't heard about Coco's trailer accidentally getting -" LOU: "Look, Tom, there's no point engaging with rumours. They just make a roux out of Moe and yours." TOM: "But what about Tamaki and Nixie -" LOU: "Let's just carry on with the matchups!" -==COCO==- versus -==BUCK==- LOCATION: Metro City - Abigail's Scrap Metal TOM: "So, have you heard the rumours about these two secretly being an item?" LOU: "You mean after this photo came out?" A grainy photo that might well have been taken from a satellite shows Coco sitting in the bed of a pickup truck in a bikini with Buck, the pair talking to each other. TOM: "Yep, that's the one. And last round, Buck was overheard talking to his brother about Coco." LOU: "Ooh, spicy!" TOM: "I thought you weren't interested in rumours, Lou." LOU: "I'm only interested in the sexiest of rumours, Tom. And the rumours that Coco's been going Buck wild definitely qualify." TOM: "So, which celebrity couple name do you prefer, then? Bucko, or Co-" LOU: "The first one, Tom. The first one." (Continued in the next post!)

-==ZARINE==- versus -==CHEVY==- LOCATION: Metro City - Skywalk Lane (ARTWALK) TOM: "So, Lou, how much do you know when it comes to fighters cleaning blood out of their outfits?" LOU: "Cold water, stain removing powder. Usually works for me. Why do you ask?" TOM: "Well, I'm just concerned about Chevy bringing her new outfit into a fight against Zarine, which is almost definitely going to be a bloodbath, one way or another." LOU: "Oof. Good point. Well, I'm sure that the Midnight Channel's former mistress knows a thing or two about that. Lyraelle will probably take care of it." TOM: "Fair enough, Lou. And how do you think the NFG's hog-farming hydromancer will hold up against the five hundred year old vampire?" LOU: "You mean the cosplayer? Well, again, she's got Lyraelle as her coach, so I'm sure she'll have some insight into that mindset for Chevy. If nothing else, she could try bringing along a priest to bless her water." TOM: "That sounds like it could get incredibly messy, Lou." LOU: "And as I already said, Lyraelle will help take care of that problem." TOM: "I just have visions of rivers of blood pouring off of the Skywalk like a waterfall..." LOU: "If you're having those kinds of visions, Tom, you might want to talk to somebody." TOM: "You're right, it's probably just the job thing getting to me." -==BUFORD==- versus -==HATED R==- LOCATION: Metro City - Drippin' Style TOM: "Now, this is a match that is sure to spark controversy. Hated R and Buford. Two strong, polarizing flavours." LOU: "Like marmite and dog poop. Tom, you know I was practically slated to be a Hated R fan before the first round. However, I have to say, Hated R surprised me." TOM: "I was also surprised, Lou. Not by the fact that Hated R lost, but by the professionalism with which he held himself. Hyping up his own opponent and saying he believed in her ability to win was an incredibly classy move." LOU: "And it turned out he was right. He couldn't cut it. He got me all hyped up, sure, but where was the sweet, sweet taste of victory?" TOM: "Lou, I think you might be projecting your fandom Brian Storm onto Hated R a little too hard." LOU: "What? You... you... oh, dammit! You're right! Dammit! My heart isn't in hating Hated R!" TOM: "I think a lot of fans will be with you after his debut. Hated R might just be on his way to becoming one of the NFG's most beloved fighters." LOU: "But Buford's probably gonna cream him." TOM: "Oh, definitely." (Continued in the next post!)

-==TAMAKI==- versus -==ICHIKA==- LOCATION: Metro City - West Side Rooftops LOU: "Ooh! Ooh! Can I take the lead on this one, Tom?" TOM: "I believe you already have, Lou." LOU: "Alright! Ladies, gentlemen, and friends beyond the binary! I give you the grudge match of the week! Tamaki, the bake-danuki hung out to dry by her team! Ichika, the poster child of Team Thunder! They could have put the band back together, but they didn't want the drummer! Why not? Their most successful member before the Rumble, the unkillable demon raccoon of the ring? Word has it... Ichika wanted her OUT! And now, she's back to take her revenge for backroom politics of Team Thunder on the rooftops of West Side! Watch your step, Kasumoto-chan! It's a long way down!" TOM: "Uh, Lou, I thought you said you weren't doing rumours." LOU: "I couldn't ignore a take this fiery, Tom! Especially not from the source I got it from!" TOM: "You have a... source?" LOU: "From inside Team Thunder itself! I can say no more, Tom!" TOM: "Jeez. It's probably best you don't. -==NIXIE==- versus -==JUNKO==- LOCATION: Metro City - Vito's Restaurant TOM: "And another match takes place at Vito's fine family restaurant!" LOU: "Sponsored by our friendly neighbourhood businessman, Vito Bracca." TOM: "So, what do you think of this matchup, Lou? It hardly seems fair to be placing our winningest fighter against one of our newest, but I suppose that's an inevitability." LOU: "Look, Tom. There's blood in the water after Nixie drew with Ayala last round. And you know what I heard? Junko is specifically trained to hunt darkstalkers. Our Little Miss Evergreen better be ready, 'cause she's about to run into an unexpected storm." TOM: "What, have you heard rumours about Brian coming back to NFG?" LOU: "Sadly no, Tom, but my source from Team Thunder says Nixie is definitely going down for real this round!" TOM: "I'd say you should credit this source, Lou, but honestly, I'm starting to think you're just making things up." LOU: "You'll see, Tom. You'll see." TOM: "Well, I believe that brings us to the end of our matchups for Metro City Round 2! Stay tuned for more information!" LOU: "Laters!" (Continued in the next post!)

Congratulations on the continued 100% completion streak of matches for the season, doodz! Only two more rounds to go before the FINAL TOURNAMENT! All matches are due for EOD SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST. Make sure to get in touch with your scene partner as soon as possible either by @mail or otherwise! As always, there will be no extensions. If you haven't got your matches started by MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH after trying to schedule with your scene partner, or you're having trouble closing out your match in a timely fashion, 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. Remember that matches this split are worth 6 NFG points in total! Losses are worth 1 point, Draws are worth 3 points, and Wins are worth 5 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