Chapter 67: Ambush Plan

The stands sat silent for a long moment before a tumultuous wave of applause, cheers, and celebration finally boomed across the arena like a spreading wildfire. Some students were clearly thrilled to see someone like Kai finally knocked down a peg, while others no doubt cursed the outcome under their breath. Regardless, Hermione’s popularity among the student body only continued climbing higher.

"Hermione Phoenix, child of the exalted Phoenix family, wins the round!" the referee announced once the match officially closed. Hermione offered a respectful bow toward the crowd, still watching her with open admiration, before turning and making her way off the platform.

Mia smiled as wide as she ever had, replaying in her mind just how close Kai had come to genuinely dying out there. Something bitterly satisfying stirred deep in her chest, a feeling she made no real effort to suppress. Watching her rivals fall had always been one of her favorite pastimes.

A soft chuckle slipped free from her lips before growing into a full, boisterous snicker. She’d thoroughly enjoyed every second of that match. For some reason, it stirred up a strange, sweet urge to actually praise Hermione for making her entire day, humiliating Kai so thoroughly, even while some small, competitive part of her wished the victory had been hers instead.

Mark watched Hermione make her way back to the stands, a warm smile already spreading across his own face. He couldn’t wait to tease her a little himself, exactly the way she always teased him after his own wins, especially now that the competition had officially reached the quarterfinals.

The remaining matches continued rolling forward, keeping the crowd thoroughly entertained with plenty of cheers and excitement, right up until the competition finally wrapped for the day. Students slowly filtered out of the grand arena while the handful of remaining sophomores lingered behind, waiting for the official announcement covering tomorrow’s matches and the approaching final round.

There were also fresh hints dropped regarding the rewards and privileges waiting for the eventual top winners, along with the kind of formal recognition that would follow, permanently etched onto the school’s honor board. Only eight contestants remained heading into tomorrow’s matches, Mark included among them.

Tomorrow wasn’t shaping up to be a particularly long day, with only a handful of matches left standing between the field and a champion. It would very likely be the day a winner was finally crowned, honored formally in front of the entire school.

This stretch represented one of the most defining stages in any sophomore’s school life, and naturally, it was already stirring up even fiercer rivalry and tension among whoever remained standing.

None of that particularly worried Mark, though. If anything, he found himself genuinely eager for tomorrow to arrive, counting down the hours with real impatience.

***

Later that same afternoon, while students scattered casually around the school compound enjoying their free time, Mia strolled through the grounds dressed in a fluffy T shirt, short denim shorts, and a pair of flip flops, naturally drawing a fair share of attention her way as she moved. None of her usual subordinates trailed behind her this time, not after their disappointing failure to advance any further in the competition.

She remained thoroughly unimpressed with the lot of them for the time being. It wasn’t that she genuinely cared about their personal feelings, but their string of losses had chipped visibly at her own carefully cultivated image and reputation.

She eventually drifted toward an outdoor eatery, spotting Kai seated alone at a small, round table, working through a plate of snacks by himself. None of his usual crew sat with him either, and the sight of him completely alone gave her the extra nerve she needed to approach. It also offered a perfect opportunity to needle him a little, purely for her own entertainment.

She dropped herself into the seat across from him with a heavy thud, earning an immediate, unwelcoming glance in return. His eyes stayed cold as he took another bite from his chicken burger, chasing it down with a sip of fruit juice. He paused only once he realized she had no intention of leaving anytime soon, finally swallowing before speaking.

"What do you want? What exactly brings you here right now? Can’t a guy get some privacy?" he asked, wiping a few stray crumbs from the corner of his mouth.

Mia’s eyes swept over him, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "Privacy and respect, huh? Funny, I didn’t see much of either from you during your little match against the Phoenix girl," she said, leaning back comfortably in her seat.

"Honestly, you eat like an absolute pig over something as simple as snacks. Makes me wonder just how messy our supposedly future School King gets when there’s an actual proper meal in front of him."

Kai paused mid bite, eyes narrowing sharply. "Great, thanks for that lovely compliment. What are you actually here for? I don’t have all day to waste. You clearly want something."

Mia’s sly smile only widened further as Kai’s expression hardened in return. "Oh? Well, maybe you’ve got a point there. There is something I genuinely need to tell you, and something I need to ask as well."

"And what exactly is important enough to justify interrupting my lunch?" Kai raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Still sore about me stopping you from spilling any more of that filth all over yourself back there? You really should be thanking me instead," Mia pressed further, clearly enjoying herself.

Kai shook his head and rose from his seat entirely. "Well, congratulations, you’ve successfully driven this guy away. If you’ll excuse me..."

Mia’s eyes widened instantly, a flash of genuine desperation crossing her face as she watched him start to leave. "Wait! Okay, fine, I’ll stop! I actually wanted to talk to you about tomorrow’s match!"

Kai paused mid step, glancing back over his shoulder. He took another slow bite of his burger before finally settling back down into his seat. "Tomorrow’s match? What exactly does that have to do with anything, or with you showing up here uninvited?"

Mia let out a slow breath, shaking her head. "Tomorrow’s match could mean we both end up losing our rightful place among the top sophomores entirely. Someone’s likely to snatch those spots right out from under us, in a way neither of us saw coming."

"And who exactly is supposed to be pulling that off? Hermione Phoenix? Am I meant to start crying over that or something?" Kai scoffed.

"No, well, yes, probably, actually. But let’s be honest, there’s not much either of us can realistically do about her situation at this point. The real problem is the second name, that mundy, Mark Moulow. Honestly, that’s the absolute worst case scenario for both of us, for our prestige, and for every ounce of respect we’ve built up across this entire school," Mia said seriously.

Kai’s eyes widened slightly as the weight of her words finally landed. "You might actually have a point there, but why does it feel like this is scaring you a whole lot more than it’s scaring me? Why would I even fall for something that sounds like a worthless joke? I’m a dragon. I know exactly what I’m worth, and it’s well beyond his level, and everyone else’s here too."

Mia shook her head firmly. "Don’t let blind pride set you up to fall flat on your face like some jerk, Kai. You saw it yourself, firsthand. He took down both your friends and mine without much trouble at all, and there’s nothing stopping the exact same thing from happening to either of us next. This is a genuine unknown, and it’s genuinely dangerous letting that kind of risk keep growing unchecked."

"So what, I’m supposed to start worrying about someone else’s problem now? Please. If this is just your way of dragging me down so you don’t feel so alone in this, congratulations, that mission’s already failed spectacularly." Kai took another unbothered bite of his burger.

"No, that’s not remotely what I’m getting at here. What I’m saying is, why don’t we deploy our own team against the mundy, framed as a way for them to earn back our approval? Sure, they disappointed us during the actual matches, but they can still make things right outside the competition, through a properly coordinated maneuver instead," Mia said, voice dropping into something sly and deliberate as she absently traced one finger along her lower lip.

Kai leaned forward, finishing off the last bite of his burger, genuine interest sparking behind his eyes now. "Alright, I’m listening. Tell me more about this maneuver of yours."

"Honestly, I would have loved to target both Mark and Hermione together, but going after the Phoenix girl just isn’t realistic right now. This works entirely in our favor, though, as the school’s next likely king and queen. So this is our best shot at handling it properly. We need to put together a real operation. An ambush."

Kai’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he gave a slow nod. "Alright, I’m listening closely now. What’s the actual objective behind this plan of yours, and how exactly do you intend to pull our team into it?"

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A/N: I hope you had a nice read. And I’ve been saying it, but if you’ve reached at this point, don’t forget to leave a review.

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