Basil Triumphant is the thirty-fourth chapter of Stranger in a Strange School.
Plot
"Basil?" Basil turned his head and looked down at Lee, Tina, Brandy, Biffy, Cam, Holger and Chaz. He was standing on the roof of Barrage's car. "What are you doing?"
"Don't try to stop me, Lee!" Basil had his right hand on the strap of his backpack. "This is the only way to make up for what I've done! This is the only way to get out of this."
"What are you being all dramatic about?" Basil frowned and looked at Tina. She thought he was being dramatic?
"Lee, Tina, you won't believe what I'm going to tell you."
"When have we ever not believed you?" Lee's question had a good point. When had Lee and Tina not believed something he said?
"Well, I ended up begging Brad Von Chilstein for protection from the students that were attacked by Murder and I got roped into a revenge scheme against the two of you, said revenge scheme is for that little misunderstanding on Wednesday and before you ask I was there buying a copy of 'King Lear' so naturally I saw the whole thing, the first plan was a cookie dough explosion but after I deliberately saved you two from it, plan b was created by Brad not me and plan b involves sending Murder after the two of you which as we all know won't work since Murder will just go after me so I've come to the conclusion that the only way out of this is to be struck by lightning which will kill me." There was a moment of silence and then Lee and Tina ended up speaking in unison.
"I don't believe you."
"What did I tell you?" Cam's voice made Basil's skin crawl. All of that hostility from early did not help. "He's loco in the coco!"
"Basil, Brad's actually a nice guy." Basil looked at Lee. He couldn't believe this! Lee defending Brad after he asked out Tina? Had the world gone mad? "Now let's just get to our respective detentions."
"That is all a facade!" Basil would have stomped a foot in anger but considering he was standing on the roof of Barrage's car that probably wouldn't end too well.
"Also it's been thundering all afternoon so it probably there probably won't be any lightning." Tina's statement was true. It had been thundering all afternoon but Basil was not going to give up. He wanted lightning! Suddenly, Murder's squawking could be heard.
"Basil!" Basil turned his head and across the parking lot he saw Brad holding Murder's cage with Murder in it. "You're not getting out that easy! When you are dead then you are out!" Brad then placed his hand on the door of Murder's cage. "By the way, accidents do happen!" Brad opened the cage door and almost instantly, Murder flew at Basil.
Basil threw his bag at Murder! Unfortunately, it missed. Basil gulped in horror. "You think I'd be better at this by now!" Basil jumped off the roof of Barrage's car and ran for his life. It was better to be in solitary detention than to be out here with Murder after him! Basil was heading for the entrance! He had to get to solitary detention! Basil stopped as he saw Steve waiting for him. There was a look of dread on Basil's face as Steve looked at Murder, walked into the school and held the doors shut from the inside. Murder's squawking alerted Basil and he ducked, causing the vulture to crash into the doors. Basil laughed as he looked at the dazed bird. "You missed me you stupid bird!" Basil's laughing stopped when Murder flew at him, effectively knocking him down.
As Basil was struggling against Murder, Brad walked over to Basil and stood over him. "You know I think I liked you better with that leg injury. You couldn't really run could you?" Basil wasn't running now. Basil threw Murder at Brad, knocking him down and causing Murder hit the library window, alerting the cleaners to what was going one outside. Basil stood up and looked down at Brad.
"Listen and listen good you pompous, obnoxious, spoiled brat momma's of a baboon." Brad glared at Basil. He was telling him what to do? "Don't ever mess with my friends."
"What are you going to do? Kick me when I'm down?" Lee and Tina both starred at the two. One the son of a famous actor the other the son of a famous and deceased author!
"I'm not like you and I won't be your lackey." There was a grin on Brad's face. Basil starred with a puzzled look on his face. What was he grinning about? Murder's squawking then came to Basil's ears. Basil turned his head just as Barrage came out of the school holding a laptop with Legendre on the video screen. Basil had no chance of escaping Murder. The vulture was so close that its talons would soon met Basil's eyes. Then the unexpected happened. The Red Tatztelwurm, from out of nowhere leapt at Murder. Murder started spiraling out of control as he attemoted to get the Tatzelwurm off of his back.
"Get that blasted bestial critter off of my vulture!" Legendre shouted at Barrage, not realizing he had the intercom on and that everything was being heard by the student body of Xanadu. Once Murder had shaken the Tatzelwurm off of him, the greatest bit of luck happened: Murder was struck by lightning! Legendre's eyes widened and his mouth was hanging open Barrage had the exact same expression on his face. "Murder's dead…" Legendre starred in disbelief before yelling angrily, still not realizing the intercom was on. "MURDER'S DEAD!" A cheer could be heard from Xanadu on the laptop. Barrage starred in disbelief as he just realized that his friend had lost a bit of control over the school he was principal. He would have to make sure that would not happen to him. Barrage turned his head to look at Basil he turned his arm holding the laptop so Legendre could see too. Both had the same look on their face when Lee had received yearlong detention. Brad Von Chilstein was walking away in defeat. Basil then turned to face Barrage and Legendre. "Well, well, it seems that even when you're attending another school you're still a thorn in my side!"
"You boy, for Murder's death, are getting solitary detention for the rest of the year!" Barrag starred down at Basil. There was a grin on Basil's face. Basil wasn't looking at Barrage. He wasn't looking at Legendre. He was looking at Vice Principal Victoria walking towards Barrage.
"There won't be any punishment for Basil Hagen, Principal Barrage." Barrage turned around to look at Victoria. The unhappy look on Legendre's face at this news was the same as Barrage's. Neither wanted Basil to get away with this. "Basil didn't kill Murder, lightning did, a force of nature." Legendre glared at Victoria. She dared deny him vengeance for Murder's death. "Besides as Basil's mother told me, Murder was responsible for the death of his dog Macbeth and his cat Othello. It would seem that justice has been served as the saying goes." Legendre placed a hand around the intercom and started to squeeze it angrily. Justice for Basil but no revenge for Legendre? What was wrong with the world? "And further more, I was looking over acceptable punishments for what Basil did and the type of punishment you have given him is unacceptable so he will be spending his two weeks of detention the same way Lee Ping and Biffy Goldstein do." There was a sickening sound as Legendre completely destroyed the intercom microphone.
"It's just not fair!" Legendre yelled just as Barrage was struck was lightning. Barrage was unharmed but his robotic parts were frozen and the laptop was both short circuiting and malfunctioning with Legendre appearing upside down before the laptop shut down. Basil walked by Barrage, smiling as Barrage attempted to move with his robotic leg frozen by the lightning. As Basil entered the school to head to detention, the students that had been attacked by Murder starred at him with some respect. Lee and Biffy soon caught up to Basil, finding him to be a really fast walker.
"Talk about luck!" Basil laughed at Biffy's comment. "Oh, and sorry about that whole misunderstanding."
"It's alright." Basil looked at Lee, one of his two best friends at A. Nigma. "Brad won't try anything again. He can't carry out a revenge plan by himself. I really hope that the nice guy façade will be more than just a façade for him." Basil grinned and looked at the door to detention. "In the meantime, I'm triumphant."