Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 97 We Broke No Rules

Shortly after, a crowd of students exited the school and noticed a barbecue stall across the street.

They were immediately captivated by the sign.

Many people had the idea of taking advantage of the freebies and ordered barbecue to receive complimentary drinks.

Only a few individuals went there to spend a little money and get a drink, while the majority ordered several skewers and ate while waiting in front of the barbecue stall. After finishing their drinks, they would dispose of the empty bottles in the clean trash bin Fiona had prepared.

Once the bin was full, Fiona would drag it to the school gate to hand it over to Violeta and the others.

In less than thirty minutes, Violeta and her group had already collected thirty bottles of mineral water.

However, their act of waiting at the school gate to collect the bottles was quickly discovered by the members of the dance club.

A group of people from the dance club rushed to the school gate and immediately spotted Violeta and her three companions.

Beside their legs were pockets filled to the brim with mineral water bottles.

Just a moment ago, the dance club had only collected twenty-seven bottles throughout the entire school!

Upon seeing this, Casey gritted her teeth and said, "Isn't this cheating?"

Zelena added, "They can just wait here and pick up the mineral water bottles. It's really unfair."

They rushed over and accused Violeta and her companions angrily.

"You have no shame! You're not following the rules of the game!"

"What are you doing here, waiting like this? It's simply too unfair!"

"Who plays games like this, being sneaky and deceitful? Let's report them and have their participation in the competition canceled!" "Yes, exactly!"

As they spoke, someone immediately made a phone call to report them.

Seeing so many people on their side, the senior started to feel a bit anxious.

"Vio, what should we do?"

Violeta stood confidently in front of the members of the dance club and said, "It's okay, let them report us."

Before the game started, Violeta was already very familiar with the rules.

Their actions did not violate any rules, so there was no need to worry.

After a while, members of the student council in charge of supervising the game arrived at the school gate, and the members of the dance club crowded around them. "Look at them! Isn't this considered cheating?"

"We worked hard to collect bottles at school, while Violeta and a few others just waited here! This is so unfair to us!"

"Yeah, what's the point? We could have just waited here too. Who wants to go around the campus picking up bottles?" "Disqualify them!"

An argument broke out.

The members of the student council looked at Violeta and then at the members of the dance club.

Violeta crossed her arms and said, "How exactly have we violated the rules?"

Casey replied, "This! This is how!"

Violeta responded, "The game rules state that it should be played within the campus area. Have we left the campus?"

The members of the student council looked at the positions of Violeta and her group and realized that they had indeed not left the campus. They were just standing at the school gate. "Not really, they didn't leave the school gate. They are still within the school grounds."

Casey couldn't believe it.

Hattie added, "The rule was about picking up bottles, and they didn't pick any here!"

Violeta retorted, "Who said we didn't pick any?"

Just then, Fiona arrived, dragging a bucket filled with newly collected trash.

Instead of handing the bucket directly to Violeta, Fiona dumped the mineral water bottles from the bucket at the school gate. Violeta's team stood at the gate, picking up the discarded bottles. This move completely baffled everyone in the dance club.

Violeta casually remarked, "If we didn't pick the bottles up, then how come these bags are filled with them? Magic?"

Hattie narrowed her eyes, surprised by Violeta's cunning.

The members of the student council nodded in agreement. "Indeed, they did retrieve them, so it doesn't count as a violation."

Zelena expressed her protest, "But their behavior is so unfair to us! Isn't fairness the essence of playing games? If this continues, we won't be able to play anymore!"

However, the student council disregarded the manner in which the game was played; they only considered the number of bottles.

"Violeta and her group did not break any rules. The game will proceed as usual, and the team with the most bottles will win," declared the student council before turning around and leaving without hesitation. The members of the dance club stood there, seething with anger.

How could they, with so many people, still lose to Violeta and her three friends? It was simply unfair.

Casey gritted her teeth and said, "They are truly deceitful and cunning! Their character is despicable."

Kaylee responded, "You guys are the ones with really bad character. All of you in the dance club are listed under one person's name, and it's you who destroyed the fairness of this game!"

From the beginning, the dance club had been bullying the minority. And now they were talking about fairness. It was truly laughable!

Zelena glanced at the barbecue stall across the street. More and more students were going out for lunch. In just a moment, the small bucket had already accumulated quite a few empty water bottles. If things continue like this, the dance club will definitely lose.

Suddenly, Zelena had a bright idea.

"Since we can't determine any violations this way, why don't we also wait here for the bottles?

"Anyway, the bottles will be thrown on the ground, so when the time comes, we can pick them up too!"

Upon hearing this, Casey immediately laughed and said, "Yes, whoever picks up the bottles that are dropped on the ground, they belong to them!"

This was an unfair advantage. The dance club had more people, so if it came to a real fight, Violeta and the other three wouldn't stand a chance.

"Yes, let's wait here too. After the people on the other side bring the bottles over, we'll go and pick them up. Anyway, whoever picks them up first gets to keep them. They only have four people, so they definitely can't pick up more than us!"

Kaylee, upon hearing their words, became furious.

"Are you guys thieves?"

Casey replied, "Don't use such harsh words. Are your names written on the bottles? It's not your stuff! If it falls on the ground, why can't we pick it up?"

The barbecue stall was arranged by Violeta, and the members of the dance club now wanted to take credit for Violeta's achievements.

The senior asked, "Violeta, what should we do? There aren't many bottles in the bag right now. If they try to snatch them from us later, we definitely won't be able to compete."

Kaylee said, "They have no shame. Only Zelena could come up with something like this."

Violeta glanced at her wristwatch and said, "Don't worry, there's still plenty of time until the game ends."

A moment later, Fiona came dragging a trash bin over.

She dumped a whole bin of water bottles on the ground. Just as Kaylee and the others were about to pick them up, they were pushed aside by the approaching members of the dance club. In just a few seconds, all the bottles on the ground were picked up.

Kaylee and the others were no match for the dance club's large number of people.

The dance club had twice as many members as them.

Previously, the dance club had already collected over twenty bottles, and with the new batch, they now had a total of over fifty, equaling the number of Violeta and the others.