Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 101 Five Extra Minutes

Bringing out ten extra bottles all of a sudden, the tennis club members would look ridiculous if they agreed!

"Game time is over, and now you show up with ten more bottles. It's obvious you did this because you noticed we had more than you!"

"You said we are violating the rules? You are the one against the rules!"

"We will never accept this, those ten bottles shouldn't be included!"

Casey stood with hands on hips, "Why shouldn't they be included? Lena is also a participant, and she collected her bottles on campus earlier, so they should count. Besides, if you have bottles, you can add them now! Do you have any? No? Then quit complaining!"

Zelena, looking innocent, said, "I found these ten bottles during the game time. I just forgot to put them in the bag until now."

Kaylee exclaimed, "Zelena, you know better than anyone whether you forgot these bottles or not!"

The tennis club members protested loudly, "We refuse to accept this last-minute addition of bottles!"

The dance club members argued back, "Why bother voicing disagreement? You're not in the student council, and whether it's significant or not hinges on their decision! Plus, everyone forgets sometimes. If Lena hadn't picked up those bottles earlier, do you think she could have just made them appear?"

The tennis club members were speechless.

The spectators didn't seem bothered by the disorder and joined the uproar, adding to the confusion of the scene.

Hattie folded her arms and stated icily, "I've heard that the vice president of the tennis club is also the student council president. It seems like the tennis club members might be working together with the studen council and won't support us."

"That's right. Nolan serves as the tennis club's vice president and the student council president. Everybody knows that."

"Listen up, everyone! This is obvious favouritism from the student council!"

Unease flickered among the student council members as they exchanged glances.

Hattie's remarks added weight to the situation. Ignoring the dance club's bottle might fuel speculation of collusion between the student council and the tennis club, potentially inviting gossip and mockery in the future whenever the student council attempted to act.

They turned around and discussed for a moment.

Half a minute later, they announced-

"Here's what we're going to do. Given the circumstances, we've agreed to add five extra minutes to the game time. During this period, anyone with a bottle can hand it in. If there are none within five minutes, we'll declare the winner and loser officially."

It was the most impartial and least contentious resolution they could devise.

Zelena advanced and handed in ten bottles.

Nessie observed with concern, "What now? Do we have any spares?"

Kaylee responded, "No, all the bottles we gathered earlier are already in the bag. We don't have any extras."

They had assumed victory was within reach, but Zelena's hidden reserve caught them off guard.

No one foresaw Zelena's secret cache of ten bottles, throwing them all into turmoil.

Kaylee glanced at Violeta. "Vio, any ideas? We've got just five minutes left, and Fiona couple has already left. We're out of spare bottles. We're really stuck here ... "

Zoren chimed in, "Why don't we grab some water to drink? The empty bottles can count too."

Jasper let out a sigh. "With just five minutes, even if we rush to buy water, there won't be enough time. And even if we manage, the dance club members will start grumbling about rule-breaking. Let's just admit defeat in the game. Nessie, I'll handle your boyfriend's penalty."

The Weekley family holds a prominent position at Toland University. If Jasper lends a hand, resolving the penalty will be a breeze.

Nessie listened to his words, her expression remaining solemn. "Jasper, let's move forward. The penalty won't vanish. I don't wish to trouble you. This game has already consumed everyone's time." Across from them, the dance club members caught wind of their conversation and erupted into laughter.

"Exactly, it's wiser to concede defeat early."

"You never had a shot against us, so why bother?"

"The medal is rightfully ours."

Violeta caught wind of their remarks and glanced towards the dance club, meeting Zelena's smug gaze.

It felt like Zelena was silently taunting: 'See, you still can't beat me.'

As the moments passed, the five minutes quickly ran out.

The student council members directed their focus to the tennis club and asked, "Time is almost up. Do you have any more bottles to turn in?"

Casey commented, "Seniors, why even ask? Just look at them, it's clear they don't have any more bottles to submit. There's no point in asking." "Exactly, if they had more bottles, they would have turned them in by now. Why wait until the last minute?"

It seemed the tennis club had indeed exhausted their supply of bottles.

The student council members glanced at the stopwatch and started the final countdown.

"Initiating the ten-second countdown."

"10, 9, 8, 7..."

As the countdown began, Hattie grinned and remarked, "If they pull off a win now, it would be nothing short of a miracle!"

Zelena replied, "Hattie, rare events like miracles are scarce in this world."