Mrs. Codd had a very serious look on her face.
This time, even though there was a lingering suspicion that the Trinity team had lost on purpose—perhaps due to some underground betting—by absenting themselves without even putting up a fight, it didn't mean Brooklyn had won solely by luck.
To make it through the preliminaries all the way to this stage, relying only on luck would be an insult to the federal elite education system. Luck? That was a concept only "happy education" believers relied on.
Locke and his team had originally spent their time studying Trinity, given their obvious advantages. Consequently, Midtown High hadn't prepared files on the five Brooklyn contestants.
But now, immediately following Trinity's downfall, the dossiers on the Brooklyn five had been delivered.
The group huddled behind Locke as he flipped open the documents.
The names hit him like a physical blow:
Helen Cho, 18, Korean-American, Brooklyn, NY.
Susan Storm, 18, Long Island, NY.
Ben Grimm, 18, Queens, NY.
Jane Foster, 18, Brooklyn, NY.
Peter Parker, 17, Queens, NY.
(T/N:- 🤣)
...
Peter? Parker? Spidey?
Wait. Locke raised an eyebrow, scanning the other four names, and took a sharp, silent breath.
Holy hell. This was a "holy hell" moment.
Was this the Avengers?
Helen Cho, the future genius scientist associated with the Avengers; Susan Storm—isn't that the Invisible Woman? Ben Grimm—that's The Thing. Jane Foster, Thor's girlfriend on Earth. And as for Peter Parker, he needed no introduction.
If this couldn't be called the Avengers, what could? Was he really about to go head-to-head with the Avengers in a knowledge competition?
Locke looked up at the ceiling.
Fortunately, he was a "cheating" player. If he were a standard free-to-play player, he'd consider surrendering right now. Even a whale player would likely put a "surrender for half-points" deal on the table.
"Don't underestimate Brooklyn this time," Mrs. Codd said, seeing their expressions. Her voice was stern. "Whether it's Helen Cho, Susan Storm, or Jane Foster—Midtown High actually tried to scout all three of them last year."
Cindy asked curiously, "Then why didn't they come?"
Mrs. Codd shrugged. "Why else? Brooklyn is Captain America's alma mater. Last year, Peggy Carter—who has retired to London—actually visited Brooklyn. The Board was hoping to try again and scout them next year."
Even though Midtown High was an elite institution and Brooklyn was a public school, you couldn't beat having a world-class hero like Captain America as an alumnus. That alone made Brooklyn's walls virtually impenetrable. Last year, to scout those three, Midtown had offered the same 3S-level scholarship given to Gwen.
But once the news broke that Peggy Carter was visiting, even a 3S scholarship couldn't tempt them.
Cindy laughed. "Mrs. Codd, we have Locke and Gwen. This match is a guaranteed win."
Locke turned to look at Cindy. Over the past month, he felt like he'd had a dozen death flags planted in his back. If he lost this, not a single person in this room was innocent.
Mrs. Codd nodded. "The school believes in Locke and Gwen as well. So, good luck."
With that, she turned and left, leaving the five of them in the study room specifically vacated by the school for this competition.
Once she was gone, Matt spoke up. "I've dealt with this Helen Cho before."
Kahn looked at him. "How good is she?"
"Don't underestimate her," Matt said, mirroring Mrs. Codd's evaluation. "In the New York State Physics Competition last year, Helen Cho was a mid-season entry. By the end, she still took first place in points and won the championship."
"And you?"
"Second."
Cindy interjected, "Having talent doesn't mean you'll win. Resources are what matter. While Brooklyn is public, its educational resources are stronger than some private schools in New Jersey. You just had bad luck then, Matt. This time, we'll cut them down to size."
Kahn nodded in agreement with his girlfriend. "We made a bold claim at the start—to take all twelve trophies and complete the Grand Slam. Plus, we can avenge our old rivals. It's a win-win."
Moreover, the Midtown High Board had secretly promised: if they achieved a Grand Slam with all twelve trophies, the team would be awarded $100,000—$20,000 each, tax-free.
It was a perfect demonstration of the truth: being good at studying can actually make you rich.
Cindy reached out, placing her hand in the center. "Let's crush Brooklyn and complete the Grand Slam!"
The other three followed suit, then looked at Locke. Locke smiled and placed his hand on top.
Together, they shouted: "Crush Brooklyn, complete the Grand Slam!"
The "middle-school syndrome" energy in the room was palpable.
...
Three days later. April 6th. The sky was clear and cloudless.
A small bus, accompanied by two school buses, arrived from the direction of Brooklyn, crossing the Manhattan Bridge. At 8:00 AM, they pulled into the picturesque parking lot of Midtown High.
The vehicles came to a stop.
Helen Cho, with her smooth black hair and top-tier appearance, was the first to step out. Behind her followed the blonde, blue-eyed Susan Storm and Jane Foster.
Ben Grimm, who was physically sturdy but had a gentle face, stood up and patted Peter Parker, who seemed to be in a daze. "Peter, we're here."
Peter Parker snapped out of it. "Yeah."
"So, this is Midtown High?"
"Doesn't look much different from our school."
"Except for the luxury cars in the lot."
The future Thing and future Spider-Man heard Helen, Susan, and Jane discussing the school as they stepped off.
Ben Grimm leaned in. "Trinity High's lot is even crazier. It's full of the latest sports cars."
Jane Foster, the future girlfriend of Thor, curled her lip. "It's a private school for the children of Manhattan elites, of course it's flashy. But they still lost to us."
Helen Cho shook her head with a smile. "Don't be careless, Jane. This Midtown team isn't weaker than Trinity's. And they aren't going to get food poisoning."
If Midtown High lost this time, it would be a huge story. Usually, it didn't matter who lost as long as the winner was another elite school—that's why elite schools always successfully scouted from public ones. But this was different. If Midtown lost, it meant the "Elite Education" system had lost.
Just then—*Vroom!*
A silver light flashed in the distance. A silver Audi R8 with the personalized license plate "LKNB" slowed down, the engine let out a low, predatory growl as it pulled into a space directly opposite the Brooklyn five.
The engine cut.
Locke spoke to Gwen in the passenger seat as she went to unbuckle her seatbelt. "What do you think about me buying an SUV?"
Gwen looked at him skeptically. "An SUV?"
Locke nodded. "The Q7. It was just released last month."
"Just released? It won't be available that fast."
"I have money, Gwen."
"..." Gwen was silenced by that logic, but she still looked puzzled. "What's wrong with the R8?"
"It doesn't feel right to drive an R8 for hunting," Locke explained. The R8 was a sports coupe; hunting required chasing prey. If he ordered now, the car would arrive just in time for the summer break, and he could go hunting with George.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Then you should buy a pickup truck." Who buys an SUV specifically for hunting? Would you just toss the prey in the back seat? Would the car even be usable after that? Hunters used pickups; you toss the kill in the back and hose it down later.
"Really?" Locke remembered that Texas was indeed full of pickups. "Does Audi make a pickup?"
Gwen gave a brilliant smile. "Mr. Broughton has money. Just pay them. Commission a custom pickup directly from Audi, shouldn't that work?"
Locke's eyes lit up. "Can I do that?"
Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but then simply unbuckled her belt and pushed the door open. She gave up on the conversation. As she saw it, Locke was an orphan, but he was a terrible representative for the demographic. Where else in the world was there an orphan this "extravagant"?
Locke watched Gwen get out and temporarily shelved the idea of calling Audi. He stepped out of the car.
Then, Locke and Gwen saw the crowd of non-Midtown students getting off the buses across from them.
Gwen and Locke shared a brief look and then headed straight out of the parking lot.
This was a powerful opponent coming to their doorstep, intending to step over the five of them—and the prestige of Midtown High. This was a classic "trouble at the gates" situation.
Susan Storm watched Locke and Gwen walk away, her gaze lingering on the silver R8. "That must be the Midtown captain, Locke Broughton, and Gwen Stacy."
Locke's team had studied Brooklyn. Naturally, Brooklyn had studied Midtown.
Especially Locke Broughton.
Helen Cho nodded. "Locke Broughton... I think he's from Texas."
"Yes," Jane Foster tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, watching Locke's retreating figure and recalling the files. "This Locke Broughton is quite the legendary character."
***
300 stones bonus. Thanks y'all for the support.
Next goal is 500 stones, if we hit it before Monday reset then I'll post 3 bonus chapters. Same as last week. We were so close ngl
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Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666