NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 42: The Weight of Success
The meteoric rise of Team Portal Crusher had brought with it a flood of new challenges. The gym, once on the verge of closure, was now bursting at the seams. What used to be a quiet space for dedicated fighters was now a chaotic hub of activity, with people from all over pouring into the Society for Creative Battles. The hype surrounding Atlas and his team was undeniable, but with this newfound popularity came a host of problems.
For one, the gym was struggling to accommodate the massive influx of members. What used to be a comfortably spaced training area was now overcrowded, making it nearly impossible to balance the needs of Team Portal Crusher with those of the regular members. The larger ten-vs-ten matches that the team needed to practice required space that the gym simply didn’t have. As a temporary solution, they had been renting the Sword & Iron arena, but the cost was becoming unsustainable.
The influx of new members was a mixed blessing. Some people were thrilled at the opportunity to train in the same gym as the Portal Crushers, boasting to their friends about their brushes with greatness.
“Dude, I just saw Atlas bench pressing 4 plates per side like it was nothing!” someone gushed, while others marveled at the team’s drills, trying to emulate their movements.
“Yeah, I saw him toss off reps of fifteen with crazy speed” his friend responded.
The energy in the gym was electric, with excitement buzzing in the air.
But not everyone was pleased. Long-time members grumbled as they jostled for space on the mats or waited in line for equipment that had never been in such high demand before. “This place used to be chill,” one fighter muttered, glaring at a group of newbies taking selfies in front of the Portal Crushers' banner. “Now it’s a freaking circus.”
The gym’s board convened to address the growing concerns. The influx of new members had brought in much-needed revenue, and for the first time in years, the gym was actually turning a profit. "This is great," one board member said, beaming. "With all this money coming in, we’re finally set."
But with prosperity came tough decisions. The Sword & Iron buyout offer, which had once seemed like a lifeline, now felt like a shackle. With their newfound financial success, the board was inclined to reject the deal. "Well, we’re turning that down, obviously," another member declared, and the room seemed to agree.
However, Mohammed, the savvy owner of Sword & Iron, wasn’t going to let go so easily. He had anticipated their decision and had come prepared with a counteroffer. "I’ll tell you what, guys," he said, his voice smooth and confident. "I’m going to triple the offer for a buyout. I just want to buy the same 40% stake of the gym, and the new Portal Crushers team. I’ll give you three million."
The board was stunned. Three million dollars was far more than they had ever expected. The room buzzed with excitement and apprehension as the members processed the offer.
“Three million dollars…,” one board member murmured, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. “That’s—well, it’s a lot of money.”
“Yeah, but think about what that means,” another chimed in. “Forty percent is almost half the gym. We’d be giving up a lot of control.”
Alicia’s father, who owned the other 40% of the gym, was livid. This gym was his brainchild, his passion project, and there was no way he was going to let Mohammed, of all people, own such a large share. He had built the Society for Creative Battles from the ground up, and the thought of losing control to a corporate giant like Sword & Iron was intolerable.
“This is ridiculous,” he snapped, slamming his hand on the table. “We don’t need his money. We’ve got enough coming in now that we can stand on our own.”
“But can we?” another member countered. “Look at the numbers. Yes, we’re turning a profit, but barely. And that’s with the Portal Crushers bringing in all this buzz. What happens if things slow down? What happens when the next big thing comes along?”
“I agree,” a third member added. “We can’t ignore the fact that this is a golden opportunity. Three million dollars could secure the gym’s future for years, maybe even decades.”
The remaining 20% of the gym was owned collectively by the employees, but that still didn’t ease Alicia’s father’s concerns. If Mohammed bought in, the balance of power would shift dramatically, and he feared losing his influence over the gym’s future.
Sensing the tension, Mohammed played his next card. "I’ll give you a week to think about this," he said, his tone suggesting he already knew what their decision would be. "And, oh, here’s the new arena rental contract, if you want to rent it for your home games."
Home games. The thought had never even crossed their minds. The gym had never fielded a team before, so the concept of hosting home games was completely foreign. But with Team Portal Crusher now a major player in the league, the need for a home arena was suddenly very real.
The way the gate worked was simple: 60% of the ticket sales went to the home team, while the remaining 40% was split among the visiting teams. If they didn’t have a home arena, they would be forced to play all their games at the Sword & Iron arena, effectively handing over a significant portion of their potential earnings to Mohammed for a mere 10% cut of the gate. This didn’t include all the money they weren’t going to be making on merchandise and concessions.
It was a no-win situation. Either they accepted the buyout and surrendered a large chunk of ownership to Mohammed, or they figured out a way to build or secure their own arena. The stakes were high, and the board knew they had to tread carefully.
The week that followed was filled with tense discussions and heated debates. Alicia’s father fought tooth and nail to keep Mohammed out, but the lure of three million dollars was hard for the board to ignore. This was three million for 40% of a gym! Most of the board had been happy to sell a chunk of an old gym for the original one million, but now that they had a Wildcard team? That was a huge difference in the value proposition.
“This isn’t just about money,” Alicia’s father insisted during one particularly heated meeting. “It’s about what this gym stands for. If we sell to Mohammed, we lose that. We become just another corporate gym, like all the rest.”
“But what if we use the money to build our own arena?” another board member suggested. “That way, we don’t have to keep renting from Sword & Iron, and we can keep our independence.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Alicia’s father shot back. “Building an arena takes time—time and money we don’t have. The season is starting soon, and we need a place to play now.”
“What about a loan?” someone else piped up. “We could take out a loan, build the arena, and pay it back with the gate money.”
“And what if the team flops? What if all this hype is just a flash in the pan? Then we’re stuck with a huge debt and no way to pay it off!”
Another member questioned him vehemently.
The employees, who owned the remaining 20%, were split. Some saw the money as a way to secure their futures, while others were loyal to the original vision of the gym and didn’t want to see it swallowed up by a corporate entity. *Who knew if they would have jobs afterwards?*
Meanwhile, Atlas remained focused on the bigger picture. The success of Team Portal Crusher was vital not just for the gym, but for his long-term plan to prepare as many people as possible for the portal. But even he couldn’t deny that the logistics were becoming a nightmare. Without a home arena, they would lose both money and control over their own destiny.
*Seriously! I just want to prepare a team of five other people for the portals! I don’t want to be dealing with this. Maybe I should convince the board to just take the buyout? It doesn’t matter to me who owns the team, * he thought,*but, if Sword & Iron owns the team, I bet that guy would hamstring all my crazy training ideas. That definitely won’t do.*
As the deadline loomed, the pressure mounted. The board knew that whatever decision they made would shape the future of the Society for Creative Battles for years to come. The question was, could they find a solution that satisfied everyone, or would they be forced to make a deal with the devil?
Atlas, ever the strategist, knew one thing for certain: he couldn’t afford to lose. Not now, when everything was finally falling into place. The stakes were too high, and he would do whatever it took to ensure that Team Portal Crusher—and the Society for Creative Battles—emerged victorious.
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