novelraw Chapter 101: Shocking the Board of Directors!
Chapter 101: Shocking the Board of Directors!
"Top four?"
"What top four?"
Fly was a bit bewildered. It wasn't that he felt securing a top-four finish was too difficult, but rather...
His goal was, and only was, the championship.
So why the sudden talk about the top four?
Fly turned to look at Mr. Carter, only to see an awkward smile plastered across his face. Instantly, Fly figured it out.
His homeroom teacher, Mr. Carter, must have felt that aiming for The Jade State League championship was simply too outlandish. To avoid making it sound like a pipe dream to the Directors, he had compromised by claiming their goal was the top four.
This way, The Board would find it much more acceptable and be willing to fund them. It was a solid middle ground.
After all, Star City High had never won The Jade State League championship in its history, and even their chances of making it to the semifinals were pitifully slim.
Mr. Carter kept frantically signaling Fly with his eyes, silently pleading with him to just play along and not blow their cover.
Seeing Fly's reaction, Principal Penn was momentarily stunned; the Directors on the dais exchanged bewildered looks, whispering among themselves.
Principal Penn leaned forward. Although she was the principal, in front of The Board of Directors, she was essentially just a high-level employee. She answered to The Board and couldn't make unilateral decisions. Moreover, the various vice-principals were constantly eyeing her position, ready to replace her at a moment's notice. Thus, even though she believed in Fly, she couldn't help but feel a surge of panic right now.
"Fly, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Carter, guaranteed to us that your talent in Martial Studies is exceptionally high, and that you've even been taken in as a disciple by Grandmaster Muse."
"He stated that if you lead Star City High's team as the captain, we will definitely secure an outstanding top-four finish in The Jade State League."
Principal Penn gently parted her lips to clarify the situation to Fly, while the corner of her eye subtly darted toward Mr. Carter.
Just as I suspected.
Fly thought to himself.
He could certainly just take the out Principal Penn had offered him, but...
How could a mere top-four finish be his ultimate goal?
He completely understood Mr. Carter's intentions, but he still couldn't swallow it.
Fly's starry eyes glinted. "During our previous conversations, Mr. Carter might have misheard me."
"Mis... misheard?" Principal Penn's pupils began to tremble violently.
Almost every freshman homeroom teacher had signed a joint petition, and she had sacrificed her weekend to invite all the Directors here, only to be met with a casual 'misheard'?
At this, even Mr. Ironside and the others couldn't sit still, immediately breaking into hushed, anxious whispers.
Through Mr. Carter, the freshman homeroom teachers had heard quite a few of Fly's bold declarations.
"What does he mean? Did Fly get cold feet seeing all these Directors here?"
"Then what was all our effort for?"
"Does he not even have the resolve to fight for the top four..."
"And to think I had such high hopes for him!"
...
For a moment, countless pairs of eyes sized Fly up and down, filled with the absurd feeling of having placed their trust in the completely wrong person.
On the dais, the expressions of Reginald Cross and the others instantly darkened.
They had all seen Fly's performance in the Freshman Invitational. They originally thought he was a promising seedling, much like Lysander Thorne back in the day. So why did he suddenly lack even an ounce of courage and responsibility?
It was a real pity that Principal Penn and the freshman teachers had bent over backwards for his sake.
These murmurs drilled into Fly's ears from all directions, but he paid them no mind.
"Mr. Carter truly misheard."
"My goal was never the top four."
Fly continued at his own unhurried pace.
"The top eight, then?" Principal Penn hurriedly interjected.
Even if Fly lacked the courage to aim for the top four, she couldn't entirely blame him. But after kicking up such a massive fuss to pull sponsorships, he had to at least have the confidence to reach the top eight, right?
Otherwise, getting out of this meeting today was going to be incredibly difficult to explain.
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But what Principal Penn never expected in her wildest dreams was that Fly's eyes would radiate intense confidence as he delivered a resounding declaration to everyone in the room.
"No, not the top eight either. My goal is—the championship!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the conference room fell utterly dead silent.
The teachers who had just been whispering amongst themselves now stared with eyes as wide and round as saucers, their mouths hanging agape in perfect 'O' shapes.
Dumbfounded! They were truly dumbfounded!
Principal Penn's pupils constricted, unable to stop herself from wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.
Did Fly just say the championship?
The Jade State League championship?
Not the top eight, nor the top four.
But rather, the championship?
"Fly, are you being serious right now?" Ultimately, it was the Chairman of the Board, Reginald Cross, who was the first to regain his composure on the dais.
Ever since the founding of Star City High, absolutely no one had ever claimed The Jade State League championship.
"Of course I'm serious." Fly took a step forward, his confident aura so potent it left several Directors secretly taken aback.
"When Lysander Thorne led the team, didn't they secure a runner-up finish?"
Fly directly brought up the most glorious chapter in Star City High's history.
"If Lysander Thorne could do it, are you saying I, Fly, cannot?"
"Are my talent and effort truly inferior to his?"
As he spoke, Fly directly manifested his Beast Totem.
"Skill, Thunder Strike."
Fly raised his finger and gave it a light flick.
In an instant, accompanied by the crackle of shallow thunder, two distinct bolts of lightning—one light purple, the other deep blue—coiled around Fly's arm, alternately flashing and violently grinding against each other.
"Go!"
Fly thrust his finger forward, pointing it squarely at the window. Instantly, a blinding surge of electricity blasted from his arm.
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the entire conference room. The massive floor-to-ceiling window was instantly blasted to smithereens, sending large chunks of shattered glass hurtling outwards.
Subsequently, a visible shockwave swept out in all directions!
Many of the Directors on the dais jumped out of their skin in fright.
Nobody expected Fly to be this insane. To actually dare to pull a stunt like this in Star City High's most solemn Conference Room One.
"Fly, are you insane?!"
The Vice Chairman of the Board, Alistair Graves, immediately shot to his feet, furiously reprimanding Fly.
The other Directors hurriedly nodded in agreement.
At this moment, every single Director on the dais was covered in dust and looking thoroughly disheveled—a far cry from their usual pristine, high-and-mighty appearances. How could they not be furious?
The Chairman of the Board, Reginald Cross, wore an expression of sheer rage. "Fly, using unauthorized violence in the school's Conference Room One, destroying school property, throwing hazardous objects from a high altitude... These charges combined are practically enough to get you expelled."
Principal Penn looked at Fly, then at the incredibly miserable state of the Directors on the dais, groaning inwardly.
Mr. Carter, Dean Sterling, and Mr. Ironside exchanged helpless glances. They all felt that Fly shouldn't have been so impulsive. Now that disaster was imminent, they had absolutely no idea how to salvage the situation.
Just as this highly volatile atmosphere began to spread, an elderly yet tranquil voice shattered the tension.
"It matters not. You have no need to blame Fly."
Fly traced the sound, only to see the hunched old man sitting at the very back of the dais, who appeared to have been napping the whole time, suddenly speak up.
The old man had now raised his head, opening his cloudy yet kindly eyes, quietly gazing at Fly.
To Fly's astonishment, this frail-looking, hunched old man was completely spotless, forming a stark contrast to the dust-covered, disheveled state of the other Directors.
The old man's words seemed to carry immense weight. In an instant, the conference room fell silent once more. Reginald Cross and Alistair Graves, who had been furious just seconds ago, immediately swapped their scowls for looks of deep reverence.
"Grand Elder Alden."
"Grand Elder Alden."
"Grand Elder Alden."
The other Directors respectfully greeted the elderly man one after another. The old man gave a slight nod in response.
He steered his wheelchair to the front row of the dais. Gazing down at Fly, the slack muscles on his face twitched slightly—he smiled.
This scene left even Principal Penn, sitting below the dais, somewhat astonished.
Although she hadn't been the principal of Star City High for long, she still had a solid grasp of the school's personnel and history.
The era in which this Grand Elder Alden made his name predated even Grandmaster Muse. It was the true dawn of Beast Warrior Martial Arts. Grand Elder Alden had participated in every single Martial War and was hailed as a 'combat hero of humanity'. Simultaneously, he was one of the founding members who had helped establish Star City High.
Now, heavily advanced in years, he hadn't involved himself in worldly affairs for decades, choosing instead to live out his twilight years in seclusion within Star City High.
He could often be seen aimlessly wandering the campus in his wheelchair. Whenever he spotted students cultivating, he would occasionally offer a few words of guidance. Thus, many students had seen him before, affectionately calling him the 'kind old grandpa', never once suspecting that he was actually one of the highest-ranking individuals in Star City High today—Grand Elder Alden.
"Grand Elder Alden, even so, this boy named Fly is acting entirely out of line. It's an utter disregard for the rules!" The Vice Chairman of the Board, Alistair Graves, still wore a look of intense displeasure.
Grand Elder Alden merely waved a hand, gesturing for him to be quiet.
Seeing this, Alistair Graves could only purse his lips to vent the lingering dissatisfaction in his heart.
Unsure of Grand Elder Alden's intentions, the Chairman of the Board, Reginald Cross, tentatively asked, "Grand Elder Alden, this..."
The move Fly had just pulled off had genuinely left a massive impact on Reginald Cross.
It wasn't just how powerful Fly's strike was, but the fact that such an attack was executed by a freshman Beast Warrior—it was simply too terrifying.
He had witnessed Lysander Thorne's might firsthand.
At this moment, he thought to himself: based solely on what Fly had just shown, even if compared to Lysander Thorne, he was likely on par.
No, considering his age, perhaps Fly's talent was even greater.
Maybe, just maybe, this kid really could...
The moment this thought surfaced, Reginald Cross himself was startled. Why am I having such thoughts? Expecting this freshman kid right in front of me to lead the school to The Jade State League championship?
But shock aside, Reginald Cross understood that he was gradually being swayed by Fly. His gaze toward the boy was slowly shifting from reprimand to appreciation.
Grand Elder Alden said, "Fly is a rare talent. You shouldn't be so harsh on him."
With this statement setting the tone, Reginald Cross felt a sense of reassurance. But, seeing as he had just been lambasting Fly moments ago, suddenly playing nice would be a bit too much of a blow to his pride.
Not to mention, he had to consider the pride of his colleagues as well.
Thus, organizing his words, he declared, "Fly, since you're so confident in your own abilities, why don't we make a wager?"
"Oh? What kind of wager?" Fly asked.
"It's quite simple. We are willing to fully fund all the cultivation resources and expenses you require for this Jade State League, but there is a prerequisite. Just as you claimed, I want you to win The Jade State League championship. If you can actually pull that off, today's incident will be completely wiped from the slate."
"But if you fail," Reginald Cross glanced at the utterly wrecked conference room, "I will be holding you fully responsible for the renovation costs of this entire room."