Match of the Millennium

-== RECORDING #7, ISLA ZACA RESORT CASINO, 9:00 PM ==- The camera opens on Lou and Tom sat in a room that's at once lively and eerily empty. Rows of casino slot machines sit jingling and blinking in wait of a non-existent customer base. The two commentators haven't changed clothes, and the sweat stains on their Hawaiian shirts are still visible. The pair sit at a table for two, with a can of Zack's Pina Colada-in-a-can and a can of Zack's Baked Beans on the table between them. TOM: "Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and all... all of our..." LOU: "All of our other friends. Sorry, folks. It's kinda hard for Tom to concentrate with all the noise in here." TOM: "Indeed. I have a chequered past with slot machines. Ironic that we are currently struggling to find food, yet we now appear to have unlimited access to air conditioning and slot machines that haven't been stocked with coins." LOU: "Yeah. I'd wonder how this whole place is getting power when there's nobody here, but that'd be like looking a gift horse in the mouth." TOM: "It's a pretty terrible gift horse, Lou. We remain trapped on Zack Island by a seemingly impenetrable wall of fire, we currently have no means of communication with the outside world, and we have no way of knowing when rescue will come, if ever." LOU: "On the bright side, nobody expects us to deal with the angry firebird lady, and we've got a digital recording of an entire keijo tutorial by Constance Coalbridge." TOM: "It was the best of end times, it was the worst of end times." LOU: "Look, I realise we're all basically being held hostage by a terrorist with a god complex with a Sophie's choice between starving to death and perishing in a fiery inferno, but at least it can't get any worse, right? Let's just take a look back at what the NFG crew have been up to." TOM: "Yes, Lou, let's. Here's a highlight reel put together by our tech guy Steve featuring moments with each of our competitors over the last twenty-four hours."

-== SKYE - This Sucks.mp4 ==- "Uggggh," the blonde wrestler's tone is strained. Her twintail style is holding together, but barely between a bit of dirt and grease suggesting she may not have had a shower in the past day. Or two. "THIS SUCKS," Skye tugs her shorts into a (marginally) more comfortable position as she trods heavily across the sand, taking the lead in front of her mentor. "I liked it better when we had free access to the buffet." She sighs, sticking her lips out in a pout. "So is this supposed to be good for training? For ratings?" She pauses. "Or are we seriously stuck here?" -== BUCK - On Sports.mp4 ==- "Not a clue, only sport I did was rodeo, and that's pretty extreme already. But I don't think me riding around on Braun until he knocks me off is what Grinny McDooferson had in mind." Buck rubs his chin, tilting his head to the side as he considers the puzzle. "So maybe.... go wild, screw the rules, and spike a whole hell of a lot? Sounds pretty extreme to me." -== MAX - Sleeves.mp4 ==- "You don't have any sleeves, Mr. Braun," the Gear points out, helpfully. Obviously that particular idiom is one she's yet to be exposed to. "They wouldn't make great places to put things, anyway. They're like... socks with holes on both ends. I guess they're a good place to put arms though." Her neon eyes widen slightly as she considers the possibilities. "Is your new trick arms?! I can grow extra arms, you know! But mom says I shouldn't because it weirds people out." -== BRAUN - Xtreme Volleyball.mp4 ==- "Alright..." he rumbles while bouncing on his feet a few times, testing the surface of the sand beneath him and readying his body as a soft glow filters in his eyes. "Suit yerself! Yer funeral bro!" After a few seconds of build up he lifts his arm, sending the ball hurtling sky high into the air. He steps forward, thundering his clawed foot into the ground to create a plume of sand around him and a ripple into the earth courtesy of Zog and Kongou's training efforts and instant later is airborne, shooting upwards and forward in a dramatic twist of his body as he follows after the ball and then brings a massive clawed open palm swinging forward towards it. The impact is...explosive. Unfortunantely so. As his palm strikes the ball it ruptures, erupting from the wild pressure of the impact and whipping wildly off course as it spins dramatically towards the other side of the net as a flattened mess of synthetic leather and rubber which goes spraying all directions as a confused Braun touches back down in a plume of sand and then hunches his shoulders immediately afterwards in an embarrassed stance reminiscant of a guilty cat caught red handed. "Uh.....whoops?" -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- TOM: "In the end, destroying the ball triggered the Extreme-o-meter. The four of them never did get to play volleyball, but they did find their treasure after all." LOU: "Was it friendship, Tom?" TOM: "No, Lou, it was Zack Coins." (The full footage is available here: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012418.shtml)

-== ALBERT - Knights of the Round.mp4 ==- "BEHOLD! WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!" a voice *booms* out, preceding a figure leaping out through the now-open door, making the jeep visibly jostle on it's suspension from the recoil of the motion that sends the figure sailing across the air, landing onto the ground just short of the edge of the stone ring with a weighty enough of a landing that sends dust and sand billowing theatrically into every direction from around his feet. Yes, that's Albert. Crouched down for a few seconds post-leap, with his (still-fake) sword held out to the side in one hand, with sunlight glinting off of his newly-provided armor with brightness that still doesn't quite match the star-like intensity of his own grin. He springs upright from that crouch, though, and swings the sword up from his side to point it directly up to the sky in what is a clear attempt at recreating any given number of book covers or film posters depicting heroic knights. "THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND ARE HERE!!!!" -== IRIS - And Magic.mp4 ==- "I'd complement your defense," Iris says dryly, raising an eyebrow at the DJ, "but you went ahead and did that all on your own, I suppose. A bit early to be coyly smug, don't you think?" Taking a step back, the magus puts some distance between herself and Sarah. She spares a glance over at the newbie fight; a little too dangerous to split her attention while she's still got an opponent in front of her, but she DOES catch Albert's enthusiastic appraisal of her smithing work, which brings the curve of a slight smile to her lips as she refocuses on Sarah. "Pardon the interruption," she says, bringing a hand up, fingers trailing violet-blue as she traces a shape in the air. Iris has no more words to add, but when the rune she traced vanishes, she DOES have something electrifying to throw in: namely, a lightning bolt arcing out of the sky to strike an unlucky Sarah if she doesn't take steps to defend herself! -== RODRIGO - No Bull.mp4 ==- "Honestly, the fights I've been getting here are more interesting than bulls. If you're comparing yourself to bulls, you're condemning yourself to the less interesting fights category. You don't want to do that now, do you?" Rodrigo uses the caped arm to Albert's sword a shove as he uses a step and pivot to move to the outside of Albert's outside. Once there, Rodrigo performs a trio of quick thrusts with his blade before taking an angled step backwards. -== SARAH - Sleeves Pt 2.mp4 ==- "Seems we both have some tricks up our sleeves, which is saying something considering my sleeves are short!" Sarah comments with a laugh before advancing towards Iris quickly, and then attempts to deliver a backwards flip while bringing her bare foot upwards as she does so. -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- TOM: "It was a close-fought battle, but once Rodrigo was down, the pressure from facing Albert and Iris on her own proved to be too much for DJ Supernova. And also, just to be clear, they are Might and Magic." LOU: "Thanks for clearing that up, Tom. I thought it was Swords and Sorcery." (The full footage is available here: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012417.shtml)

-== HOMURA & ARISA - Nobody Says That.mp4 ==- "Mmm, right, sei - sei - ru - ten, we all honor the cycle of transmi--wait, what? OH. Right. ano -- what is it the Americans say? Let's give everyone a fair milkshake!" "No American has ever said that!" Arisa suddenly hears herself say, entirely and obviously flabbergasted. -== ARISA - Don't Mess With Texas.mp4 ==- Sighting carefully, trying to still her rapidly beating heart, the daughter of a youkai onmyouji and a straight up nightmare American woman of a demon hunter lines up her shot and, with a yell of "KYU KYU NYO RITSU RYOU!" fires her shot. With aching bullet time slowness, the origami bullet -- formed from a purification charm, empowered with onmyoujutsu exorcism incantations -- fires, streaking into the silvery sphere and quite literally blowing it apart into fragments that rain down behind Arisa in a fan-like pattern, taking huge chunks out of the sandy floor but leaving her unscathed. As the curse bullet -- assuredly weakened, likely quite heavily, by the effort of lancing through Homura's attack, but still ABSOLUTELY on target for the shugenja -- finishes its flight, Arisa loudly says one thing: "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS, JERK!" -== HOMURA - Get Mindful.mp4 ==- That .... was costly. One would imagine there'd be much more blood, judging from the boy's middle. But the flicker -- there is a visible flicker -- in the air around him seems to reassert the boy's natural composition. He is already moving, his haori spinning in the air as he whirls. It's almost hard to track how fast the boy moves, and part of his movement is not entirely on the ground, as he rotates in place, planting both of his waraji against the hilt of his sword in a deep crouch. His sealed hand drifts down about the hilt. There is the sound of metal being yanked forcefully from the ground, the snap of silk, a hot wind. "Ano..." the boy starts, eyes inches from Arisa's face. "It's time to get mindful or get wrecked." The boy moves at will, crossing the space between them in near an instant, pulling his sword and running the onmyouji down in an instant. He's slightly in the air above her, and the flash of his blade flares bright silver as he rolls into the one-armed guillotine cut. An instant later and some fifteen feet away, Homura's other arm hits the ground, completely independent of his body. -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- TOM: "Unfortunately, the mentors weren't able to make it to this match. Speculation was that they were simply too European for the Zack Island climate." LOU: "We went lookin' for Zarine, but all we found was a note that said 'Mam toho plne zuby', and none of us speaks Russian. We did find Genie, but she's declared herself on bedrest until somebody gets her some cake." TOM: "Ultimately, Arisa managed to defeat Homura, proving once again that you should not mess with Texas." (The full footage is available here: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012415.shtml)

-== COCO - Stiff Upper Hip.mp4 ==- "Time to give it your ass, Connie. Stiff upper lip," she tells herself. "Or upper hip, I suppose." Turning to face the others, she swings her hands up to clap together, steepling her fingers under her chin. "Right. So, it looks like we've got the equipment here for English Standard Rules - which is where two competitors stand on the same platform and politely take turns trying to knock each other off without falling in themselves. I suppose we could adapt the German regulation, which, by my understanding, involves four competitors on a larger platform in a free-for-all, with the last one in being the winner. Or we could blow up some floaties and go Japanese Youth Division rules, which is played on multiple platforms with aggressive positioning and relies much more heavily on mobility, with chi being allowed. I'm fine with whichever, as long as we can find an electric inflator; the last time I tried to blow something that size, I nearly passed out. Have you lot got any preferences?" -== ROXANA - One Down.mp4 ==- Laughing, Ishida turns his eyes towards Coco as if to signal his next attack... But without actually -doing- so, he suddenly shifts his hips to try and catch Roxana unaware while she's in the midst of trying for another strike. And in doing so -- he finds that Rox has anticipated -that- move and turned tail... to -strike!- Ishida hadn't expected his strike to be met with redoubled force, though -- and with the awkwardness of his positioning, he's taken right off his feet! "Aaah!" And so it is that the keijo battle claims its first casualty, as Ishida's flailing body hits the water in a loud *SPLASH* Does Rox suspect that Ishida is rattled from the clash with Coco? Perhaps. She is part predator after all and he is currently vulnerable prey. As he taps her ass softly with his cheeks, she hits him back hard, the force of her thrust sending him into the swimming pool. Does she murmur "one down" under her breath or do your ears deceive you? -== ISHIDA - Spangles-Flavoured Jerky.mp4 ==- Ishida takes a moment to examine the contents of the vending machine further. His eyes light up as he spots one item in particular, and then hurriedly slots his coin into the vending machine. "Beef jerky," he says, with some measure of hope in his tone. The vending machine whirrs and clicks, and... Then the dispenser goes *ka-CHUNK*. Ishida frowns as he lifts the door to see a small package wrapped in clear plastic. As he pulls it out, he shows it to the others: an inner tube pool float, themed in the style of a certain cowgirl. "... Lightning Spangles...?" The name sounds vaguely familiar, but he seems more disheartened that the beef jerky was -right there- and the machine didn't vend it for him. -== KENZO - Rage Against The Machine.mp4 =-- Kenzo is the next to put his coin in the machine. He holds it up for the camera so there's documented proof of him having the coin before putting it in the machine. The machine lets out a clunky noise as Kenzo's prize drops down. The ninja reaches down and holds up a Zack's Pina Colada-in-a-can. A dark look appears on his face as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. After all, other than the meltdown from being pissed about collateral damage in his fight with Raiza he has kept a tight lid on his emotions with most of his manifestation of his rage has been a cold rage as he attempted to disassemble Buford physically through combat and mentally through his haiku and lack of acknowledgement. His first words are delivered in a cold detached monotone manner as if struggling against the inevitable meltdown. "Fuck Zack. Fuck Junko, Suzaku whatever the fuck it's calling itself. Winning the tournament let alone the season is only going to be a bonus. My goal this season is to have the ability to take the flaming shit bird demon off its fucking perch." His fist connecting with the machine is the harbinger of the meltdown. "WE'RE STUCK ON THIS ISLAND WHERE NECESSITIES ARE LOCKED BEHIND FUCKING GACHAPON ALL BECAUSE A PSYCHOTIC BITCH WITH A THING FOR ATTACKING DOWNED OPPONENTS DECIDED TO DESTROY OUR WAY OFF THE ISLAND!" His fist slams into the machine again. His knuckles swell up. He doesn't care. He does it again. His knuckles bleed. He doesn't care. Over and over his fist connects with the shatterproof glass smearing more and more of his blood on it with his dignity about as much in tact as his hand. While it may change when he has a moment to calm down at least for now... He. Doesn't. Care. -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- LOU: "You know, with a clip called 'Rage Against The Machine,' I wasn't expecting Steve to set that clip to The Pina Colada Song by Rupert Holmes." TOM: "Well, it probably deserved a 'Parental Advisory - Explicit Content' label. I guess all of us could do with an escape at the moment." LOU: "I just wish we coulda watched the keijo match live. Roxana's clearly some kinda prodigy, and Coco's such a good instructor." TOM: "Perhaps we'll see keijo catch on with the competitors, assuming we don't all starve to death." (The full footage of Keijo For Coins is available here: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012414.shtml)

-== TANWEN - The Biggest Rats I've Ever Seen.mp4 ==- As Chevy starts to step up toward the nearest cottage, there's a faint sound of shuffling in response to the creaking stair. Tanwen, oblivious to both, bounds right past Chevy up the steps to the elevated abode. "I'm going to check for traps!" she declares, forgetting that that's supposed to be Evie's designated role. Then, crossing the wooden platform outside, she throws open the screen doors - and gapes. Dozens of beady black eyes turn toward her at once as rodents of unusual size all over the rustic wooden room stop what they're doing and rise up at attention on their hind legs to regard her. The entire room appears to have been ransacked, piles of linen and destroyed pillows forming makeshift nests. Tanwen quickly calculates the CR of the encounter before her, her amber eyes steadily widening as a high-pitched, shuddering wail starts to build in her throat. Instinctively, a pair of curved horns and a long, scaly red tail sprout the sides of her head and small of her back respectively as she prepares for action. Her cry pierces the stillness like a knife. "G-G-G-GIANT RATS!!" She squeals as one of the meerkats, recognizing her as one of the great reptiles of ancestral memory, starts to bark, directing all as one to bum rush the tyrannical lizard, forcing her to dance her way around the stampede before finally losing her balance and falling on her front facing away from the cottage door. She then suffers the indignity of having the last straggler, shiny treasure in hand and still upright, walk across her prone form from ankles to her head before waddling away as fast as it can. -== CHEVY - Crusade Against Meerkat Capitalism.mp4 ==- Chevy does have another lead of her own to pursue though. And as she gets close, she tries another way of attacking at range -- making the air humid directly in front of the path of one of the coin-carrying meerkats. And when it hops into range, there's the sound of crackling ice as it suddenly finds its feet entombed in a block of ice! Chevy catches up to her quarry at about the time Tanwen is wrestling for control. "Oh... These lil' guys are all muscle! Just like the hogs back home, they ain't got no reason to not use their whole strength. If we did that, we'd snap their limbs clear off!" She picks up the half-frozen meerkat, laughing lightly as she notes him shivering. "Hey, sorry there, lil' man. I just need me this thing you're carryin'," she states just over a whisper. To the others, she calls out -- demonstrating the technique on the thawing rodent as she explains, "Jus' grab hold of the coin with one hand and pry one of their lil' hands off it with your other." A moment later, her task is done -- and the victimized meerkat leaps free, scampering off into the distance! She looks back to see -- and -hear- -- Henry unleashing a shockwave to stun the meerkats nearest to him, and nods with an impressed look on her face. "Oh yeah, that'll work! Survival of the fittest an' all that. Or, like..." Puzzled at her own thought, she turns the thought over in her head. "... Is it really -survival- so much as robbing fake gold from critters who cain't spend it?" -== HAWKSLEY - Suspiciously Specific Denial.mp4 ==- "I've never pulled a fella's arms off in my life." Hawksley laughs, looking between the two redheads. "Like you say, Chevy. My style is more pulling people's legs." He grins back at her. "I'll holler my heart out, so I will." With that he's moving deeper inside the cottage. He hears the hissing sound right away. His eyes move straight to the bed in the centre of the room and he feels his heart start to beat faster. "Chevy Beaumont. Don't you dare step foot in here." He calls to her. He's very aware of her fear of snakes. She can't even look at her own boyfriend when he transforms into one and her phobia was obvious in her rematch with Coco. "The rest of you stay out there too." He advises, slowly starting to approach the bed. Why doesn't he just turn around and run? Because he can see that as the snake slithers, there's something gold and shiny on the silk pillow by it. With their situation as desperate as it is, he doesn't want to risk the chance of missing out on any reward they can earn, particularly if it's of the edible variety. Hawksley himself isn't afraid of snakes. He'd handled Buck transforming into a trio of them during their match in his stride. In that situation he'd told the serpents to feck off and then followed up by setting his hands ablaze. If it ain't broke don't fix it. No sooner are the words out of his mouth, then he's approaching the constrictor with flaming fists, intending to scare them off and leave the way clear for him to grab the Zack Coin. -== HENRY - Not My Beans.mp4 ==- "You're not putting my beans on toast." Henry says, suddenly clutching the can a little bit closer to himself. "I don't care if it's a thing on your island, it's a weird thing. The proper way to eat beans is from the can, heated over a campfire. Maybe with a hot dog in it." -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- LOU: "I agree, beans on toast is a crime against nature." TOM: "Speaking of crimes against nature, it seems that Zack Island has a thriving meerkat population - and also possibly snakes. Although, maybe not anymore." LOU: "I guess Junko's fireball missed the meerkats somehow. I don't think they're even native to the Caribbean. Maybe Zack had them imported." TOM: "We'd better show this clip as well, in case anyone decides to try and break into the Zack-in-the-Box machines." -== TANWEN - PSA: Anti-Tampering.mp4 ==- She takes her hat off, eyeing up the machine. Chevy seems to be providing her tacit approval for trying to bash the machine, but isn't equipped to do so. "Oh, I have a way to smash it so nobody has to get hurt or break their sword!" she exclaims, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Everybody, make way!" She steps several paces back from the machine in a straight line, her eyes narrowing as her red tail starts to slither back out from the back of her lifeguard shirt, her dark ruddy-brown horns sprouting and curling outward from the sides of her head. "Ahhhh -!!!" Tanwen charges straight across the sand, her tail giving her added balance to allow her to run at top speed as she lowers her head and charges like an enraged sheep - something she is familiar with - straight at Zack's smiling face. Of course, the positioning of her horns doesn't actually make them especially functional in preventing herself harm, though fortunately her thick skull makes up for it - but as she crashes headlong into the machine, there are suddenly visible sparks of blue electricity dancing across her body. "- aaaAAAOOWW!!" Tanwen collapses backward on the boardwalk, twitching and flailing her limbs as wisps of smoke rise off of her. << Hey, baby! Feeling aggressive? Why not take all that pent-up energy to the volleyball court? >> The ghost of Zack speaks up from within the machine to discourage vandalism. The machine, it seems, is unharmed. -== DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ==- TOM: "Obviously, Zack will not have had these machines designed with life-or-death struggles for sustenance in mind." LOU: "That, or the guy's a complete sadist." TOM: "For now, we'll just need to expand the search for coins - at this rate, things might be looking grim." LOU: "Unless we learn how to digest nylon and spandex." TOM: "At least Max will be okay." (The full footage of Looting For Lucre is available here: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012413.shtml)

The camera cuts back to Tom and Lou in the casino. There's now a green chalkboard behind them, freshly wiped down this time, displaying the brackets for the Zack Island tournament in white chalk. Someone has vandalised it by writing 'Today's Menu: Zack's Baked Beans' off to one side. (To see the updated bracket, check 'https://challonge.com/returntozackisland' or the NFG command!) TOM: "As you can see, feelings about the current state of affairs have been mixed." LOU: "Especially when it comes to beans on toast. Personally, I'd go for it at this point." TOM: "However, the tournament must continue, and with that in mind, we present the updated bracket. As we've yet to locate any cake, Genie has been removed from the competition. And with Skye suffering an unfortunate volleyball-related injury, we've reassigned Arisa to Braun's team in the bracket." LOU: "That gives Hollywood Heat the easiest semifinal run in tournament history." TOM: "Indeed. That leaves us with the matches on the board." Somebody standing behind the chalkboard turns it around to reveal the matches. TOXIQUE versus MIGHT & MAGIC COCO ALBERT ROXANA IRIS STAGE: NIKI BEACH ATLANTIS versus BIG GAME HUNTERS CHEVY BRAUN TANWEN ARISA STAGE: POOL SHOCK AND ROLL versus WILD THINGS KENZO BUCK ISHIDA MAX STAGE: CASINO LOU: "Wait. I feel like there's something wrong with this card." TOM: "I don't think so, Lou." LOU: "You've got Chevy fighting at the pool, Coco fighting on the beach, and Kenzo fighting in a room full of expensive electronic equipment. Don't you think there's some kind of bias here -" TOM: "Look, I'm not washing the board again, and we're not re-recording this segment. Let's just cut this before the part where you start pointing out the flaws. Where's that beeping coming from?" STEVE: "Shoot, guys, I forgot to plug in the camera -" -== RECORDING TERMINATED ==-

-== RECORDING #8, ZACK-OF-ALL-TRADES, ISLA ZACA, 3:00 AM ==- As the unsteady camera follows along behind the silhouette of the shugenja Homura, the night is silent save for the distant chittering of meerkats. They approach the darkened front of the Zack-of-All-Trades shack once operated by a notorious ninja, immortalised in paint on one side of the door frame while Zack gives a thumbs-up from the other side. Suddenly, the door rattles. And then it rattles again. And then there's a groan from inside the building. The camera drops abruptly to the ground, the sound of a girlish scream and retreating footfalls the last thing captured before - -== RECORDING TERMINATED ==- -== RECORDING #9, BRILLIANT JUNGLE, ISLA ZACA, 7:00 AM ==- The camera is following along behind Hawksley and Henry of Hollywood Heat as they delve into the jungle. Vines dangle from the trees, impeding movement. Suddenly, the camera swivels up toward the canopy above as movement is detected. Only a blurry shape can be seen briefly in the trees. "Was that a meerkat?" The cameraperson freezes, then turns back ahead and starts to push past a hanging vine - only to stumble. The camera turns down to reveal that the vine has wrapped around the camera tech's ankle. And also to reveal that it's not a vine. The audio distorts with a cry as the camera falls to the jungle floor, its carrier suddenly wrenched off the ground. Only one word can be made out over the noise: "- Feck -" -== RECORDING TERMINATED ==- -== RECORDING #9, RADIO STATION, ISLA ZACA, 11:00 AM ==- The camera follows the Rhythm Renegades as they approach the concrete radio building that doubles as a luxury residence. Abruptly, from overhead, a tinny voice rings out: << Hello, all you lovely lovebirds! It's eleven o'clock! That means you can tune in to Radio Zack to wake up with an hour-long mix of Third Wave ska! What could be a better soundtrack to train for the upcoming keijo tournament? And by 'tune in,' I mean listen to the speakers - no radio necessary for this classic set! >> Suddenly, there's a monstrous bellow from behind the station, and the camera follows a massive, muscular figure as it leaps up onto the wooden pole and rips the PA speaker from its post. As the sound of Reel Big Fish's Sell Out screeches to silence, the musclebound brute notices the camera, turning its sunglasses toward the lens as it zooms in. "Is that... Zack?!" -== RECORDING TERMINATED ==- -== RECORDING #10, ISLA ZACA, ALT. 1500 FEET, 3:00 PM ==- << Alright, we're coming in above the wall now. >> << Lower altitude to avoid detection. We've got to presume the airspace is hostile. >> << Where is all that fire even coming from? I don't like this shit. >> << Anyone smell smoke? Is that guy vaping again? >> << Got a glare here on the right side - >> << That's not glare. Shit. Everybody brace! >> << Motherrrr!!! >> << Christ, why did we bring these kids - >> -== RECORDING TERMINATED ==-

The NFG crew remain stranded on Isla Zaca, the wall of flames around the island dispelling hope of escape for the time being. Tom and Lou have set up a home base and stockpile in the Casino, which remains somehow air-conditioned and well-lit. A supply of unspoilt rice intended for the Casino's use as a wedding venue has been located and is being rationed at mealtimes. It's soul-crushingly bland, and there's not enough to keep everyone well-fed, so Zack-in-the-Box Snacks and other sources of food remain important. A decision has been made to limit further use of the Jeeps to emergencies unless more fuel supplies can be found, so fighters are mostly traveling on foot. Everything is still being recorded. Things have been going to hell in a handbasket, but at least the handbasket is nice. It's about to be flipped upside-down. Round two of the tournament has one bye, as Martial Arts & Crafts are defunct with Genie out of action and Arisa moved to Thundercats (now Big Game Hunters) with Braun. Toxique (Roxana + Coco) vs Might and Magic (Albert + Iris) Stage: Niki Beach With Might and Magic victorious in their first round match and Toxique victorious in their butt-battle, one of these teams is about to have their (decidedly short) win-streak broken. Perhaps this match will settle the dispute over whether metal breastplates or literal bikinis provide more suitable protection in combat. Atlantis (Tanwen + Chevy) vs Big Game Hunters (Braun + Arisa) Stage: Pool While Arisa comes fresh off of a victory over Homura, she's only got a short time to build synergy with the burly bestial brawler in Braun. Meanwhile, water enthusiast Chevelle Beaumont and self-declared lifeguard Tanwen are here to send these poolside troublemakers to the depths. Or is it keep them out of the depths? Let's be honest, they all just want to win. Shock and Roll (Ishida + Kenzo) vs Wild Things (Buck + Max) Stage: Casino The composed and tactical approach is preferred by Shock and Roll. The other team, made up of two shapeshifters, is literally called 'Wild Things.' Will this clash between opposing forces of chaos and order set in their own chosen headquarters and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment prove that Tom and Lou really don't know what they're doing?

The following scenes will award 2 Zack Coins each to participants. Inconvenience Store (Battle Scene) Participants: Homura vs John Doe With the remaining half of Phantasmagoria eliminated from the tournament by Arisa, Homura is freed to pursue his own agenda on the island. His first destination: Isla Zaca's Zack-of-All-Trades, the mirror counterpart to the shop run by Ryu Hayabusa on Zack Island. He steals out in the dead of night, hoping to have the first hand of any useful items that might have been left by the legendary ninja, but finds himself dogged by a lone, dedicated cameraperson. The last thing he expects is to come face to surprisingly handsome face with the living dead trapped within the shop. Welcome To The Jungle (Battle Scene)* Participants: Hawksley & Henry vs ??? Celebrity bearcat Captain Morgan has last been sighted being meerhandled into the treeline by the invading tribe of Botswanian meerkats. Fearing for the binturong's safety and not wanting to face the wrath of his owner, Hawksley drags Henry along to mount a rescue expedition. Hollywood Heat will soon uncover the first glimpses of the hinted heresy in the hidden depths of the jungle... but if they blink, it might be too late. Dead Air (Battle Scene)* Participants: Sarah & Rodrigo vs Zack? Stage: Radio Station Zack's home on Isla Zaca, like his home on Zack Island, has been designed with multiple purposes in mind. Perhaps the Rhythm Renegades want to use the radio equipment of Radio ZACK to try and contact help from outside. Perhaps they hope to secure Zack's famous dance floor and turntables for some morale-building exercises. Perhaps they just want to raid Zack's extensive cocktail bar. Before they can break in, though, they'll have to deal with a very confused, very angry, and somehow very familiar resident of the island. Whiskey? Tango? Foxtrot? It's all on the menu. Reinforcements Have Arrived (Story Scene) Participants: Veronica, Kenny, Buford, Ayala Stage: Tranquil Beach With over forty-eight hours passed without communications from the NFG prospects on Zack Island, Security Chief Veronica Sullivan gets approval to prepare an away team to investigate. Buford and Kenny volunteer, hoping to join the tournament as a last-minute addition. Not wanting to leak the potential severity of the situation, Sullivan reluctantly agrees. The transport chopper flies in over the wall of flames surrounding the island, not realising that by crossing the threshold of a survival horror environment by helicopter, they've broken the first rule of survival horror: never show up in a helicopter. And to complicate matters further, there's a mysterious denizen lurking on Zack Island in wait for them... one whose fishing trip is about to get even weirder. * DANGER SCENE: The denizens of the island fight with deadly intent! Defeat in this scene risks character injury. However, there are additional rewards to be gained for success.

The following collectibles have been earned by the intrepid adventurers of the NFG courtesy of Zack-in-the-Box: Granola Bar (Roxana)* Strawberry Cream Bikini (Coco) Lightning Spangles Innertube (Ishida) Zack's Pina Colada-in-a-Can (Kenzo) Blue Sagat Baseball Cap (Chevy) Zack's Famous Baked Beans x2 (Henry, Braun) Indigo Bucket Hat (Tanwen) Zack's Pop Punk Mix ft. 'Walking Barefoot' by Ash (Hawksley) Zack's Tunes x2 (Skye, Buck) Zack's Beef Jerky (Max) * Objects already consumed. Those who have uncashed Zack Coins (now or in the future) can get in touch with me to roll on the Zack-in-the-Box loot table. Characters who find Zack's Tunes via the Zack-in-the-Box can choose a song for the official Return to Zack Island playlist, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm4nY7I_rXg&list=PLmFjrk61GZCTNO1SAXihXGO1SMXboLJE- As a reminder, in addition to the stockpile will contribute to morale, which will have a mechanical impact in the Boss Battle(s) at the conclusion of the Zack Island plot! Other events may also impact morale. Current Morale: 12

Greetings, doodz! Thanks to everyone who got their scenes completed! The next round's scenes are due by End of Day Sunday July 14th. I strongly advise you to get these underway ASAP, as the deadline may seem like a long way off, but things can take longer than expected with multiple people involved. If you haven't started your scene or made plans to do so by Sunday June 23rd, please send me a DM on Discord or @mail me in game. The following areas will be used for official scenes this round: NIKI BEACH POOL CASINO ZACK OF ALL TRADES RADIO STATION BRILLIANT JUNGLE SECLUDED BEACH With the exception of SECLUDED BEACH, the above areas can be used for additional RP once the offical scenes have concluded. The following areas can also be considered available for additional RP: NIKI MARINA SEABREEZE COTTAGES BASS ISLAND MOONLIGHT REEF If any of these are already occupied by another scene, there is a ZACK ISLAND STAGE that can be used to stand in for them. Just a reminder that for NFG players who haven't already submitted a cutscene, you can earn 0.5 AP + 0.5 bonus AP per character by completing one before the conclusion of the Zack Island plot. Scenes or cutscenes around hunting for Zack Coins or gathering food can also be used to contribute to the stockpile once your main scenes have been completed (one per character per round). - Pringer X