"Indeed, indeed!" the principal beamed, clasping his hands together on the desk.
"Gray, your final exam results just came in. Once again, perfect scores across the board! Absolutely outstanding! You continue to be the shining star of Light Children Academy!"
"Thank you, sir. I just try my best," Gray replied modestly.
"Your 'best' happens to be leagues ahead of everyone else's!" Principal Thornton chuckled.
"Which brings me to the real reason I called you in."
He leaned forward, his expression turning serious but excited. "Gray, based on your flawless academic record, your extracurriculars,"
Gray mentally winced, hoping the principal meant the Mathletes club and not his other activities
"and your exceptional performance on the standardized aptitude tests, I took the liberty of submitting an early application package on your behalf."
Gray's interest piqued. "An application, sir?"
"That's right!" Principal Thornton's eyes twinkled. "To Crestwood University! And they were, to put it mildly… extremely impressed." He paused for dramatic effect.
"Gray, they have offered you a full, four-year scholarship. Early admission. Starting next semester!"
Gray's carefully maintained composure broke for a split second.
His eyes widened. Crestwood? That was one of the top universities in the country, hundreds of miles away in the capital city.
A full scholarship? This wasn't just a way out of poverty; this was a first-class ticket.
"Sir... are you serious?" Gray asked, a genuine note of disbelief and excitement creeping into his voice. This was it. The escape route he had been meticulously building for years.
"As serious as a heart attack!" Principal Thornton boomed, clearly delighted by Gray's reaction.
"They see your potential, Gray. They believe you're destined for great things! This scholarship covers everything, tuition, board, even a generous allowance! It's the opportunity of a lifetime!"
A wide, genuine smile finally spread across Gray's face. "Principal Thornton... I... I don't know what to say. Thank you so much! I'll definitely go for it!"
"Excellent! I knew you'd be thrilled!" the principal clapped his hands together. "The university is already preparing the official documents. They just need your final confirmation."
He leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming slightly more serious, though still friendly.
"Now, Gray," he said, wagging a finger playfully. "This is a golden opportunity. All you need to do is keep your nose clean for the next few months until the semester starts. No trouble, maintain your grades, which I know won't be an issue for you, and just... behave yourself. Smooth sailing, understand?"
He chuckled again, waving off his own concern. "But I'm sure a perfect, model student like you won't have any problems with that, hahaha!"
Gray's smile twitched slightly at the edges. He forced the smile to remain steady. "Haha, of course, Principal Thornton. You don't have to worry about me."
"Wonderful! Well then, congratulations again, Gray! You've made this old principal very proud!" Principal Thornton stood up, offering his hand. Gray shook it firmly.
After leaving the principal's office, Gray walked out into the bright afternoon sun, his mind buzzing. It felt surreal, freedom was finally within his grasp, he felt lighter than he had in years.
Just as he left, a new message notification from his beat-up phone popped up. It was from Leo.
His heart gave a slight lurch. He opened the text.
"Gray. It's set. Grandmaster Dan has agreed to the final showdown. One week from tonight, at his place."
…
Gray's Hideout.
"This is everything I could find, Gray," Rat squeaked, sliding a crumpled piece of paper across the makeshift table.
Gray's crew gathered around.
"Grandmaster Dan isn't like the others," Rat continued, wringing his hands. "He's been the King Of Delinquents for five years. His headquarters is an old parking garage fortress. Nearly fifty guys on call, minimum."
Specs pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose. "Fifty is conservative. Dan commands loyalty. If he calls for aid, others will come. Ratchet up the estimated opposition to potentially over a hundred if prior conflicts are indicative."
"A hundred?!" Knuckles slammed his fist on the table. "Then we gotta be ready! Leo, do we have the pipes?"
Leo nodded grimly, tapping a heavy duffel bag at his feet. "Pipes, chains, weighted gloves… we also have knives."
Specs cleared his throat. "Furthermore," he said, pulling a bulky, oddly shaped object wrapped in oilcloth from his own bag, "contingency measures are advisable."
He unwrapped it, revealing a crudely repaired but undeniably real handgun. "I managed to restore functionality to this confiscated piece. Statistically unreliable, with a 35% chance of misfire or catastrophic failure upon discharge, but its psychological deterrent value is significant."
The mood in the room instantly became heavier.
'It was a gun!'
They had crossed lines before, but never that line.
Gray, who had been leaning back in a rusty chair, finally spoke, his voice cold and sharp. "Put it away, Specs. Put it all away."
The crew looked at him, surprised. "What? Gray, you serious?"
Knuckles asked, bewildered. "We're talking about Grandmaster Dan! He probably sleeps with a knife! And he's got an army!"
"Exactly," Gray said, standing up. "He's got an army. And he's not stupid. What do you think his real plan is?"
The crew looked at him, confused.
"He wants us to show up armed," Gray explained, his voice sharp and analytical, like he was solving an exam problem. "He wants us to start a war. He knows he can't beat me one-on-one, so his only move is to get me arrested. He's baiting me into a brawl so big the cops get called. Cops, arrests, a criminal record... and just like that, my scholarship vanishes. My entire future is gone. He wins without even throwing a punch. That's his trap."
Leo stepped forward, his expression still grim. "That's a smart analysis, Gray. But you're missing the other half. What if his trap is simpler? What if he just plans to have all two hundred of those guys jump you and kill you?"
"Because he's a king," Gray said, his voice laced with a new, cold arrogance. "And a king has an ego."
He grabbed his worn denim jacket. "I walk in there alone. No weapons, no crew. I'm showing him I'm not afraid of his army. I'm showing him I'm on a different level. It flips the script. It preys on his pride. He won't look like a king if he has two hundred men jump one unarmed kid. He'll look like a coward."
"I don't want to start a gang war. This is about the title of King of Delinquents. It needs to be clean."
"Clean?" Leo stepped forward, his expression serious. "Gray, Grandmaster Dan doesn't do clean. You know his reputation. He ambushed Razor with poisoned darts. He set Iron Fist's old hideout on fire. He won't hesitate to use weapons if he feels cornered."
"Then he won't feel cornered," Gray countered. "This isn't a raid. It's a challenge. I go in alone."
"Gray, man, this feels wrong," Knuckles pleaded. "That's too big a risk!"
Gray looked around at their worried faces. "Trust me on this. I've run the calculations. This is the only way I win everything."
His crew looked at Leo, their unofficial conscience. Leo met Gray's determined gaze. He knew that look.
It was the same one Gray had before acing an impossible exam. It was pure, unshakable, arrogant confidence.
Arguing further was useless.
"Alright, Gray," Leo said, his voice heavy with resignation. "We trust you. But..."
He hesitated, his eyes filled with a deep unease. "Be careful. Please."
…
Grandmaster Dan's Headquarters
Gray felt a flicker of unease, remembering Leo's warning.
It did feel like a trap.
But he had already come this far. He walked confidently up the main ramp, his footsteps echoing in the empty space.
He reached the first floor. It was empty, cold, and still.
He took a few more steps in, calling out, "Grandmaster Dan! I'm here! Let's settle this!"
SHIIING! SHIIING!
One by one, harsh industrial floodlights flickered on.
And Gray was no longer alone.
Figures emerged from every shadow, pouring down the ramps and stairwells.
A hundred? A hundred-fifty? Easily. Maybe more.
They were armed with pipes, bats, chains. And at their center, walking calmly down the ramp from the second floor, was Grandmaster Dan.
He was lean, maybe early twenties, with cold, scheming eyes. He clapped slowly.
"Gray," Grandmaster Dan said, his voice calm, almost amused. "I heard you were smart, it seems I overestimated you."
Gray kept his expression neutral, his mind racing.
His crew was right. This was bad. "I came to challenge you for the title, Grandmaster Dan. One-on-one."
Grandmaster Dan chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "One-on-one? Do I look like an idiot? I'm already the king, why should I have to fight for what's already mine?"
He gestured around at the gathered thugs. "This isn't a duel, Gray. This is pest control."
"If there's anything you lack, Gray," Grandmaster Dan said, savoring the look of dawning horror on Gray's face, "it's not strength or skill. It's shamelessness. You're too naive. You still believe in stupid things like 'fair fights' and 'one-on-one'."
"Get him!" Grandmaster Dan ordered.
Just as the massive crowd began to close in, a familiar voice roared from the entrance ramp, where the steel shutter was now slowly rising.
"Looks like you need us after all, boss!"