The first round of the tournament. The waiting room was packed with people waiting for their matches to start and Ishida was no different. Where most might be nervous, jittery, and/or very worried about what was coming up shortly, Ishida was thrilled. The thought of getting up on the stage and battling in front of thousands, if not millions of other people didn't seem to bother him in the least. He was sitting in one of the seats in the waiting room, watching the previous match as it was nearing it's completion on the monitor. He was the fifth match of the set, so he had a good chance to watch people battle and prepare himself for what was going to be coming up in not to awfully long anymore. His headphones were on his ears, music pouring through them, at least one would assume so considering he was head bobbing and tapping to the beat, just passing the time anyway he could.

The big tournament again...Akaki Miina had done reasonably well last year, considering how new she was to the game, but not nearly well enough to let her move on. This year, however, she's had a lot more practice. She doesn't sit and wait the whole time in the waiting room, instead choosing to watch the matches from the stands for as long as she can before rushing down, just in time to hear her name called by the attendant. "I'm here!" Once again, she hasn't paid any attention to just who her opponents are...after all, it's more fun if it's a surprise.

The young man glances up as the newest person comes rushing into the room. He looks up at the attendant and stands, pulling his head phones off his ears and holding the ticket out to her. "Looks like it's our turn," he says, nodding at Miina. He didn't know if she really was his opponent or not, but judging on the way she burst in, as well as what she said made it a fairly safe guess. He looks up at the monitor, the match before them only having just ended a moment before. "Want us to head out now? Or should we wait a little bit longer before heading out?"

Miina grins a little as she looks up at him. "We can go out now. It's not nice to keep everybody waiting. They all came to see us!" She giggles, her tiny rabbit angel held in her hands rather than in the safe little pouch she'd taken to carrying with her. She doesn't wait to see if he'll follow, instead making her way down the hallway and out into the arena. The little girl doesn't /quite/ run, but she's quite obviously excited as she climbs into one of the two oddly shaped chairs, pulling the visor on rather quickly.

Ishida follows her out at a much more leisurely pace, hands in his pockets as he steps out into the bright lights of the dome. He blinks for a second in the lights, listening to the crowd cheer. He doesn't let himself get lost in the feeling, moving swiftly forward to the layer and slipping up in the other seat. He puts the visor on, booting it up and settling back in his chair, pulling Hiroto out of a pocket and holding him lightly in one hand. "I guess it's about time to start."

Since she's already in her seat ahead of him, Miina has time to look around at the huge crowd filling the stadium. While that would only make most people more nervous, it seems only to make this little girl more excited. They all come out, just to watch all the angels play. Sure, they don't call it that...but it's all they're really doing is playing. She listens to the announcer as he introduces each deus, watching the sceneries flicker past as one is chosen at random. A factory...she then nods a little and grins as she holds her angel high up over her head. "Alright, Chibi Usagi-tan!" she calls out across the stadium. "Let's show 'em how we play!" With that, she throws the little rabbit toward the layer, as inexpertly as ever. It's a good thing the bunny's used it to it and can react quick enough to land with at least a little bit of grace.

Ishida leans back in the seat. He doesn't so much mind all the noise from the people, he's used to people watching him anyway, so what's a few hundred thousand more? He listens as the announcer drones on, introducing and all that other stuff announcers are prone to do, but it's not until Miina throws Usagi onto the layer that he starts getting excited again. He watches the little rabbit as she enters, lifting Hiroto above his head and chanting out his fallin. "Look to the sky, ride the wind. The breeze carries all on it's way to a new day. Spread your wings and prove that the wind is more than just a breeze and blow down all in your path! Hiroto!" And with that he throws the angel towards the layer, letting him break the barrier and land gracefully on his feet in the middle of the arena. "Let's play."

As Ishida delivers his entry phrase, Miina smiles a little more. Some people just like to get really elaborate, she supposes. Her own is quick and simple, the same as her fighting style. Once on the layer, Usagi-tan begins exploring the factory, hopping over and around it in the few moments she has before the beginning of the match is signaled. As she get closer to Hiroto, she pauses and grins down at him from a catwalk, offering a little wave of a white-furred hand.

Ishida nods a little bit, watching the little rabbit idly. "Time to start." And no sooner does he finish speaking than the timer sounds the start of the match. Hiroto waves back to the rabbit. "Let's dance, miss Usagi." He bows to her, leaping up and moving quickly to her level. "We had such smashing fun last we met, I can only hope this time has as much of an impact." He sweeps a leg out low, trying to trip the little rabbit and knock her to the floor.

Usagi-tan giggles as he speaks, bowing ironically to him as he offers the dance. She's not so foolish as to let down her defenses, however, and so as he kicks out at her legs she hops up, letting his foot pass under her without apparent effort. She spins in the air, twirling rather like a ballerina and landing on furred toes. She continues to spin, lowering herself down with her arms straight up, carrot tip pointed skyward. The tiny rabbit points one leg outward then, her spin seeming to pick up speed as she tries to knock his legs out from under him instead while appearing only to dance. Hey, he offered, right?

Hiroto is once again swept off his feet by the charming little angel. He falls onto his back, rolling a little and ending up on his side, head propped up by one hand, a goofy grin on his face. "Wow, I do believe I've found the angel for me. You've swept me off my feet not once, but twice with your stunning beauty and grace." He rolls again, toward her this time, coming up on his feet and dashing towards her. He leaps up, fluttering his arms slightly and kicking out his legs into an aerial split, trying to in plant one of his feet on her and leave a lasting impression on her.

The silly little rabbit angel slows her spin, gradually coming to a stop and again bowing to her opponent as he speaks. She giggles a little, her eyes twinkling gleefully. She's only played with Hiroto once before, but it was very much fun. This time promises to be the same. "Such a flatterer, Hiro-kun," she chides, waving one tiny finger at him. As his kick comes toward her, she moves that carrot in front of herself, letting him connect with it instead. "But I will not be flattened." She grins as she watches him then, not moving to attack him again just yet. He's entertaining, so she'll play for a bit.

Hiroto lets himself continue against that carrot a little bit, making it so that when he does kick off, he's able to fly much further away, flipping once and landing on his feet already in a deep bow to the bunny, left leg crossed and a short distance in front of the other. "I maybe a flatterer, but it's still not nearly enough for one such as yourself." He glances up at her and grins, straightening and extending a hand out to her. "But alas, my time with you is limited. So let us enjoy the dance that is to come in it's fullest before we are to be separated once more."

Usagi-tan laughs once again, sounding so small and sweet. She jumps after him, closing the short distance in one leap and taking his offered hand in hers for a moment. As she stands there in front of him, the size is different is made very clear. He towers over her, and her hand is easily enfolded in his as she smiles up at him. Of course...such things are not to last in a layer match, and especially not in a tournament. Keeping hold of his hand, she jumps once more, this time upwards. The nimble bunny flips up over his head, her feet in the air high above them both as she seems for freeze for an instant in that perfectly vertical pose, looking down at him now. She then pulls on his hand to launch herself down at him, aiming to plant a knee against his head. A very, very risky maneuver...so much can go wrong...but it's certainly unexpected. Perhaps that will work in her favor.

Hiroto grins slightly, watching her with breath taking awe as she comes falling down, planting that knee firmly on his head without him attempting to block or anything at all. He stumbles back a little, holding his head a little and staring in what he was assuming her general direction. "Oh wow, you're beauty is so stellar you can charm the stars out of the sky. I think I found them all right here, but they aren't anything compared to you." He jumps back, bowing to her again quickly. "Ladies first?"

This time, Usagi-tan just smiles and shakes her head after landing a small distance away from him. "I think I may have knocked you a bit silly. Don't worry, Hiro-kun. I'll fix it," she promises, moving toward him again. She takes hold of her weapon a little more firmly as she steps closer. "Hold still now..." Once close enough, she swings that weapon hard, aimed up at his chin.

HIroto leans back quickly, letting the carrot wiz by him without getting hit by it any. What he doesn't count on is the vat of molten metal right behind him. He slams his head into it and falls over, he scrambles back to his feet kicking out at her. "I don't quite feel like being beat up again just yet. Even if it would be you doing the beating."

Usagi-tan manages to avoid the quick kick by stepping to the side and out of the way, but the splash of liquid metal is a bit more difficult to deal with. After getting her arm and shoulder singed, it only takes her a moment to recover. From his side, she launched a kick of her own in return, aimed very carefully and very quickly at the side of his head.

Hiroto gets nailed in the head and sent flying across the layer. He crashes into one of the steel vats, denting it and slipping down to the ground. He scrambles to his feet, stumbling a little bit and shaking his head slightly. He's a little out of it, trying to manage to piece together something of interest but failing. "Well now... that was a bit of a doozy. You really do know how to take a mans breath away."

The Announcer fudges with his microphone a bit and then rises up out of his seat when Usagi's kick smashes Hiroto in the head, "Usagi-tan's kick explodes against Hiroto's head and sends him flying across the steel mill! That can't feel good, someone get him a hangover cure quick!"

She hadn't really expected the kick to land quite as solidly as it had, but Usagi-tan doesn't hesitate. She charges across the layer after him, knowing that right now she's got the advantage. Things could change at any moment, though, so she's not about to let up. The rabbit flies toward him, barely giving him time to stand before swinging that weapon with both hands, aiming to slam it into his chest.

Hiroto manages to get a hold of himself again, and just in time too. He bends back again, managing to dodge the carrot. The attack that was meant for him, instead hits the vat, causing some of the molten metal to splash out and land on him. He moves quickly, standing and smiling. "Wow, you really are hot, aren't you?" He grins, spinning about and kicking out at the bunny angel with a foot. This attack looks to be exactly like the one she just used, only with a kick instead of a carrot.

This time it's Usagi's turn to narrowly avoid what appears to be a rather dangerous attack. With all the melted metal now spilled over the floor, it's nearly impossible to move without burning a foot, or both of them, and it's obvious that the bunny's choice of position hadn't been favorable to her. She jumps up, partially to get away from the heat and partially to give herself a bit of room. "Get ready, Hiro-kun! I'm gonna show you a real knock-out!" Once up in the air, she readies herself for the descent...not performing her signature heel drop this time, but instead aiming her weapon to slam down on top of Hiroto.

The weight of the steel weapon, coupled with the force of the her actually swinging it means ouch. He braces himself for the impact, managing to deflect some of the force, but not avoiding the squish splat that happens as a result of being hit by such a large weapon. He stands up slowly, a little wobbly but still standing. He sighs once, smiling and looking up at her. "You're small and cute, yet you hit with the force of a truck. I'm awed and honored to have met you." He straightens and looks at her again. "I"m almost done, but I would like the honor of one last dance."

Once again, Usagi-tan laughs a little. The look she gives him as he stands seems to be genuinely fond, and she moves a bit closer to him. "Then let's dance," she replies, grinning then as she reaches out to again take his hand if he'll allow it...but this time she lets her weapon fall to the floor beside her. There is no music...but there is the sound of the workings of the mill that set up regular clangs and a counterpoint of ratcheting...it may not be the most cheerful of songs, but still danceable to those who care to try. The tiny rabbit pauses, listening to the sound of the mill, beginning to sway a little with the metallic rhythm.

Hiroto won't make any effort to keep his hand from her, instead following her lead and dancing through the mill slowly. This is certainly not the match that the audience was expecting to see, but very few people seemed to mind the fact. The dance only continued on for a short time before Hiroto stopped, not releasing her hand but not continuing the dance. "As wonderful as this is, I'm afraid that we should finish this battle now." He nods a little bit slipping back, and only releasing her hand when the distance became to great. "We'll continue when you're ready, miss Usagi." He smiles, hands in his pockets and just waiting for her to prepare herself again.

The silly rabbit seems to enjoy dancing just as much as her partner, and blinks a few times when he finally brings them both to a stop. "Aww...well, I guess if we have to..." she says, pouting rather cutely up at him. Her weapon had been left far behind, but that might not be too much of a problem. She takes a step back away from him, nodding a little once she has given him sufficient time to prepare as well. Usagi-tan then runs forward, jumping up to send a flying kick straight at his chest.

Hiroto jumps up and back, wincing as yet another blast of the scalding metal hits him in the arm. He's not about to stop moving though, not yet. He moves towards her, kicking out with a foot at her chest. He's trying his best, but it's clear that all the damage he's take so far is starting to get to him as his kicks are starting to lack the, well, kick that they had when he was starting off. "I didn't want to stop either," he says, "But we owe the audience the match they came to see."

Without that insanely heavy weapon in hand, it seems that Usagi-tan can move even more quickly than normal. She slips easily to the side of the kick, turning as she does to face the leg. "We do," she agrees, smiling a little once again. Her next move lacks much of the force that would be behind most of her strikes, but the simple little shoulder tackle she attempts could still be rather dangerous. After all, there's still all those moving parts and molten metal around.

Hiroto dodges backwards, only that there's a large vat of the molten metal there. He slams into it, flailing on the edge and nearly falling in. He manages to catch himself before that happens however. He starts walking towards her again, a smile on his face. "Well, it looks like you got me again." He leans in, applying a light kiss on the cheek should he be allowed, but he doesn't lean back again. Instead he continues right on over, falling flat on his face on the ground, his back soaked with the molten metal. The buzzer sounds and the layer reverts to the typical flat. "The winner is Akaki Miina and Chibi Usagi-tan!" The announcement brings the crowd to a loud cheer as the match comes to an end.

Usagi-tan blinks a little as he walks toward her, at first uncertain of what to think of his words. It's not like him to try and trick her, however, so she doesn't try to stop him as he leans down to her. Her eyes widen then, and...wait, angels aren't supposed to be able to blush! Her cheeks reddened, Usagi-tan doesn't seem able to react in time to keep him from falling over, but she kneels at his side as the buzzer sounds. "Gomen ne, Hiro-kun," she manages before falling still as well.

It takes Miina a few moments to snap herself back to reality, and she laughs then as she looks across the layer at the opposing deus. "You and Hiroto are just as silly as Usagi-tan is!" she accuses, laughing a little more as she climbs out of the chair to pick up her angel, and the carrot that lies some distance away. "I'm glad we had so much fun!"

Ishida shrugs a little bit and grins, standing up and reaching into the layer and lifting Hiroto up lightly. "Hiroto has his own unique personality. I don't interfere with him, and he doesn't interfere with me." He glanced up at the cheering crowd once waving to them all before starting to walk towards the doors back to the waiting room. "Coming, Akaki-san?" he asks, looking over his shoulder at her. "That was a really good match, I agree. But we don't want to occupy the layer for more then we need, there are still other people who need to have their battles."

The smaller girl nods a little, then turns and waves to the crowd as well, giggling as she does. Miina then moves to Ishida's side and smiles up at him. "Yes, we can go now," she agrees, staying beside him as they go back down the hall toward the waiting room. "I want to get back up into the stands so I can watch everyone else play, too. It's more fun out there where everyone's cheering. The waiting room is so stiff and boring."

Ishida nods a little bit. "I'd have to agree with you about that. I don't mind being in there a little before the match so I won't be late, but being in there all the time gets to be a little boring. To the stands it is, then." He walks through the room, giving a little nod to one of the other contenders who was obviously feeling more than a little nervous about this herself. He holds open the door back out into the lobby for Miina, speaking again. "Did you have anyone you were needing to meet, or were you here on your own?"