With the team riding a wave of unstoppable momentum,
even Holloway, for the first time, genuinely saw a glimmer of hope for promotion!
After nine consecutive wins, Crystal Palace pole-vaulted up the standings once again—
from tenth place all the way to sixth!
Crystal Palace had officially entered the Championship promotion playoff zone!
The rules of the Championship are simple:
The top two teams at the end of the season gain automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Teams placed third to sixth enter the promotion playoffs, battling for the final Premier League spot.
Promotion!
It no longer felt like a pipe dream.
Before the season began, for both Crystal Palace fans and coaching staff, the idea of promotion was as absurd as a fairy tale.
"Secure sixth place, earn a playoff berth, then fight through and win promotion,"
Holloway was fired up just thinking about it!
However...
He soon realized he had been too conservative.
He had completely underestimated the determination of his star prodigy!
Kai had an entirely different mindset from his head coach.
Two days later—Matchday 20.
Kai delivered a speech in the Crystal Palace dressing room that left Holloway utterly shaken.
"We've broken into the top six. If we can maintain this ranking until the end, we'll qualify for the promotion playoffs.
Win the playoffs, and we get to the Premier League."
"Maybe some of us are already satisfied just reaching this far.
Even just holding on to sixth by the end of the season would be a historic feat for the club."
"But—our goal shouldn't stop there!"
Kai stood tall in the center of the dressing room, captain's armband proudly on his arm.
His eyes swept across his teammates.
Ever since the veteran captain McCarthy had announced his retirement,
this 16-year-old genius had become Crystal Palace's undisputed captain.
The dressing room was silent, every player standing upright, sensing what was coming.
Holloway's heart pounded at the sidelines.
Was that line coming?
Until now, such ambitions were only aired in front of reporters—never internally.
Within the team, when it came to that dream, most players still felt a nervous uncertainty.
It seemed too distant. Too unreal.
But now, Kai's powerful voice echoed through the room:
"Our goal isn't the damn playoffs!
Our goal is to break into the top two and win direct promotion!
To hell with the playoffs—let whoever wants to fight for it, fight!
We're going straight to the Premier League!"
The room erupted in noise and adrenaline—
but Kai pressed his hand down, commanding silence once more.
"You think that's it?"
"No."
"Our aim this season isn't just top two."
"We are going for first place."
"Our true goal—"
"is to become CHAMPIONS of the Championship!"
BOOM.
The Crystal Palace dressing room exploded.
The players could no longer contain their excitement.
They exchanged electrified looks—eyes wide, filled with fire and hope.
Champions.
Not just promotion—Champions of the Championship!
Many had already secretly begun dreaming this bold dream after their nine-game win streak.
Maybe... maybe they could get promoted.
Maybe... maybe they could even win it all.
But none of them dared say it out loud.
Because, not long ago, this very team was struggling just to avoid relegation.
A dream like that? It felt absurd.
But now—
Here he was, standing tall in the center of it all:
A 16-year-old captain. Their leader. Their Eagle King.
Kai had declared the impossible. And in doing so—
made it real.
Now there was no more room for doubt.
Their goal was not exaggerated bravado.
Their goal... was to be champions.
How could they hesitate now?
How could they not follow their leader?
With Kai leading, even the most far-fetched dream seemed like something they could trace a path toward.
"Champions!"
"We're going to be champions!!"
The dressing room echoed with rallying cries.
In that moment, the team became more united than ever before.
A once-fragmented squad in the English second tier had, because of one player's arrival, undergone an unthinkable transformation.
Now, they were like a well-trained army—
Charging forward. Unstoppable.
Kai raised his arm and pointed toward the tunnel—toward the light at the end of it.
"Now, we walk onto that pitch with our heads high—
We take that damned win.
We keep this streak alive."
"Then—"
"Right here. At Selhurst."
"After the match, facing our loyal fans—"
"We show them our unwavering determination!"