Me <---- excited!

Valiant seems confident. I'm guessing he has a new trick he's showing off for the girl. I doubt he'll shout "four lightbulbs!", but we'll all be thinking it.

But why is he staging something like this? Just to court Held, or does he have some ulterior motive? Getting in Puppermane Senior's good graces, perhaps?

@player_03
I think he just knows that getting his request out of winning the challenge will make the dweeb squad more likely to go along than just asking them to be nicer.

Yes, Valiant sure puts on a good face, but I can't help but feel something...unpleasant lies underneath.

I bet there will be only one winner! :D

He could just be an actually nice guy. I mean Purperman looks pretty scary half the time too.

@Kiithnaras

Agreed. Even if this very action is a reasonably good deed, he frames it manipulatively (deferring the stakes) and seems to be setting up the other students for humiliation. They *could* stand to be taken down a peg, given their treatment of Held, but this feels less guided than that.

Also, the vibes at this dojo are rancid, as the kids say, and I think the top student likely has some role in that.

Crayon? You mark the boundaries with chalk, like a professional kid.