Under the night sky of Selhurst Park Stadium—
Every seat was filled.
The fans roared like thunder.
It was Round 20 of the Championship.
Crystal Palace was hosting Reading at home.
A direct clash between the 6th and 5th place teams.
Only two points separated them.
With no draw, the match would directly determine whether the teams would switch places in the standings.
But what should have been an evenly matched showdown—
Turned into a one-sided affair.
Just 20 minutes into the game—
Crystal Palace was already up 2–0!
Kai, gliding across the attacking third, delivered two exquisite assists.
Vaughn scored both goals.
The crowd erupted into wild celebration.
On the near-side stands, fans immediately shouted out updates to Vaughn:
After these two goals, he had officially moved into second on the season's top scorers list!
Just one goal behind first place!
Vaughn collapsed to his knees in disbelief.
His eyes flickered with emotion—
Joy.
A dazed sense of unreality.
This once highly touted striker from Everton—
Was finally close to winning the Golden Boot.
And in Vaughn's mind—
All credit belonged to Kai.
He stood, ran over, and hugged the young genius tightly.
His tears soaked into Kai's jersey.
The fans in the stands applauded wildly at the moving scene.
But Palace's attack was far from over.
Under the furious gaze of Reading's manager,
Just before halftime, Kai once again showcased his extraordinary vision.
Taking on the hybrid "false nine" role,
He pulled the Reading defense out of shape,
Slipping from the No.10 role to a central striker's position like a ghost—
Right into the space behind Palace's front line.
A clever cutback inside the box—
Vaughn scored again.
Two assists for Kai. A hat-trick for Vaughn.
By halftime, Crystal Palace led 3–0.
The crowd was going berserk.
The fans howled, roared, completely out of control.
Even the live commentator was struggling to hold onto his mic:
"Crystal Palace is unstoppable!"
"Our super talent, Kai, has literally fed our fallen striker Vaughn into a Golden Boot contender!"
"From scoring zero goals in the first 10 rounds to now tying the top of the scorers' chart—this is unbelievable!!"
Selhurst Park shook with chants—
"Kai!!"
"The Eagle King of Palace!!"
One banner displayed a drawing of Kai's jersey back—
The bold #10 especially stood out.
And below, a message:
"Eagle King, lead Crystal Palace forward without fear!"
Even Vaughn's name began to echo from the stands:
"Vaughn! Golden Boot!"
Hearing the fans chant his name, Vaughn was moved to tears once more.
In the second half, manager Holloway chose to rest several starters—
Including Kai and Vaughn—
To prepare for the upcoming cup match.
Final score: Crystal Palace 3 – 0 Reading.
A resounding victory in the 5th vs 6th showdown.
Palace's 10th straight league win.
They moved up one more place in the standings—
Swapping with Reading to take 5th.
The crowd roared in celebration.
Then came the team's curtain call.
Led by Kai, the Palace players approached the stands.
They clapped to thank the fans.
And the fans responded with thunderous cheers.
Then suddenly—
Kai shouted toward the stands:
"What's our goal this season?!"
The fans froze for a second—then burst out in chorus:
"Promotion!"
"To the Premier League!"
"We'll fly up through the playoffs!"
Coach Holloway clenched his fists.
Millen's eyes gleamed.
Every player's heart pounded.
It was time.
Time to make an unprecedented declaration to the fans.
Below the stands, Kai raised his hand high:
"No! Our goal this season isn't just the playoffs!"
"Our goal—is the Championship title!!"
The words echoed like thunder.
The jumbotron froze on the moment.
Frame by frame, Kai's declaration to the 30,000 fans was recorded forever.
The supporters stared, wide-eyed, hearts hammering.
And then—
The entire stadium exploded.
The stands erupted with wild, uncontrolled emotion.
Fans leapt from their seats, yelling, roaring, pouring everything into their response to their Eagle King.
That 16-year-old captain stood tall, arm raised high—
Channeling the will of every Palace fan.
"Champions!"
"We're going for the title!!"
"Champions!!!"
They had waited so long to hear it from him.
Every dream of a title had felt like a fantasy—
Until he said it.
When he spoke it, it became real.
It became possible.
Now, every Palace fan believed.
Their cries pierced the night sky—
Coming together in a deafening declaration:
Crystal Palace's goal this season—
Was to win the Championship title.