Opening Ceremonies
Oct 14, 2004 18:03:37 GMT
Post by Dai Kaiōshin on Oct 14, 2004 18:03:37 GMT
By the time every fighter finished checking in on that first day, it was nightfall. The giant flame burning over the archway in front of Io's Colosseum bathed the entire plaza in a red shade that was both barbaric and romantic. Rows of white spotlights on hastily wheeled in carts lit up the main parade-way that led to the colosseum's entrance. Inside the arena itself, the seats were filled beyond capacity and many were standing in the aisles. There was an opening concert, shows, and entertainment of all kinds riling up the crowd before the main parade of fighters arrived. Meanwhile, the hundreds of thousands of fans who couldn't get tickets were lined up for miles along the parade route in mobs ten persons thick. The roar of the crowd both inside and outside could be heard far beyond the city limits.
Every fighter participating met outside the Royal Donatella, where they lined up in two lines and marched towards the colosseum. Isysia's President Daughtry himself led the long column, followed by the mayor and members of the International Martial Arts Committee, who organized the event. Then came the young children, the next generation of martial artists, who walked slowly, blinded by the spotlights shining on them from all sides, and stunned by the combined roar of thousands of strangers. Next came the acrobats and masters of exotic arts who awed the crowd with flips, weapons, and amazing acrobatic feats of all sorts. Finally, the thirty-two fighters who passed the qualifying round marched into Io's Colosseum, and the unaminous deafening cheer blasting towards them shook the immortal building's foundation.
When they entered the center of the ring, they made two long rows of 16, and they faced towards the Presidential Box and the giant jumbotron before them. It took nearly half an hour to soften the riotous crowd before the Minister of Events could even be barely audible.
"Attention-- Attention please!" The noise settled down and the minister continued, "Welcome, welcome! WELCOME TO THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!"
Another roar erupted from the crowd, and he milked their raucousness for another two minutes, while he marched around the ring triumphantly. Then he raised his hand and put his microphone back to his mouth.
"Thank you Mr. President for inviting us here to your beautiful country. Thank you to the IMAC for organizing the event. And most of all, thank you to the beautiful people OF BOLIVIQUE!!"
The crowd was hooked, exploding with exhileration after every sentence.
"We had an unprecedented turnout of talent this year, many of whom are new face to the world stage, and a few who you may remember. We'd like to congratulate all of the fighters here for making it through the preliminary rounds. Out of the 10,568 applicants, only these 32 remain. These are the best in the world, but only one of them can be the best of the best."
The opening ceremonies continued for another half hour, including a highlight reel of last years tournament, and every few minutes pockets of fans of Indigo, Kenu, and the others who had returned from last year broke into loud cheers. Finally, the drums rolled and the curtain over the Jumbotrons at all four ends of the colosseum rose in unison.
"And NOW! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO! THE BRACKETS FOR THIS YEARS WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIP-ISYSIA!!"
Fireworks burst all over, the crowds earth-shaking screams drowned out all other noise, even as the announcer yelled out the Round 1 Brackets and Matches:
-------------------------------------
Bracket 1 (Judged by Bryce)
-------------------------------------
Gage
Yojimbo
Gareeku
Shino
Frey
Carniku
Hakuto
Sonia (NPC)
-------------------------------------
Bracket 2 (Judged by Alykoth)
-------------------------------------
Captain Generica (NPC)
Serenade
J-Bomb
Ceres
Druac
Xarius
Omen
The Mime (NPC)
-------------------------------------
Bracket 3 (Judged by Seriyu)
-------------------------------------
Gokan
Bolt
Kenu
Kalle (NPC)
Musashi
Bryce
Alykoth
Zakk
-------------------------------------
Bracket 4 (Judged by Karius)
-------------------------------------
Tyreth
Dale
Indigo
Zechariah
Seriyu
Zeon (NPC)
Sanity
Osirus
Good luck everyone!!!
Every fighter participating met outside the Royal Donatella, where they lined up in two lines and marched towards the colosseum. Isysia's President Daughtry himself led the long column, followed by the mayor and members of the International Martial Arts Committee, who organized the event. Then came the young children, the next generation of martial artists, who walked slowly, blinded by the spotlights shining on them from all sides, and stunned by the combined roar of thousands of strangers. Next came the acrobats and masters of exotic arts who awed the crowd with flips, weapons, and amazing acrobatic feats of all sorts. Finally, the thirty-two fighters who passed the qualifying round marched into Io's Colosseum, and the unaminous deafening cheer blasting towards them shook the immortal building's foundation.
When they entered the center of the ring, they made two long rows of 16, and they faced towards the Presidential Box and the giant jumbotron before them. It took nearly half an hour to soften the riotous crowd before the Minister of Events could even be barely audible.
"Attention-- Attention please!" The noise settled down and the minister continued, "Welcome, welcome! WELCOME TO THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!"
Another roar erupted from the crowd, and he milked their raucousness for another two minutes, while he marched around the ring triumphantly. Then he raised his hand and put his microphone back to his mouth.
"Thank you Mr. President for inviting us here to your beautiful country. Thank you to the IMAC for organizing the event. And most of all, thank you to the beautiful people OF BOLIVIQUE!!"
The crowd was hooked, exploding with exhileration after every sentence.
"We had an unprecedented turnout of talent this year, many of whom are new face to the world stage, and a few who you may remember. We'd like to congratulate all of the fighters here for making it through the preliminary rounds. Out of the 10,568 applicants, only these 32 remain. These are the best in the world, but only one of them can be the best of the best."
The opening ceremonies continued for another half hour, including a highlight reel of last years tournament, and every few minutes pockets of fans of Indigo, Kenu, and the others who had returned from last year broke into loud cheers. Finally, the drums rolled and the curtain over the Jumbotrons at all four ends of the colosseum rose in unison.
"And NOW! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO! THE BRACKETS FOR THIS YEARS WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIP-ISYSIA!!"
Fireworks burst all over, the crowds earth-shaking screams drowned out all other noise, even as the announcer yelled out the Round 1 Brackets and Matches:
-------------------------------------
Bracket 1 (Judged by Bryce)
-------------------------------------
Gage
Yojimbo
Gareeku
Shino
Frey
Carniku
Hakuto
Sonia (NPC)
-------------------------------------
Bracket 2 (Judged by Alykoth)
-------------------------------------
Captain Generica (NPC)
Serenade
J-Bomb
Ceres
Druac
Xarius
Omen
The Mime (NPC)
-------------------------------------
Bracket 3 (Judged by Seriyu)
-------------------------------------
Gokan
Bolt
Kenu
Kalle (NPC)
Musashi
Bryce
Alykoth
Zakk
-------------------------------------
Bracket 4 (Judged by Karius)
-------------------------------------
Tyreth
Dale
Indigo
Zechariah
Seriyu
Zeon (NPC)
Sanity
Osirus
Good luck everyone!!!