As Locke shook hands with Helen Cho, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Rumor had it that Helen Cho's IQ was no lower than Tony Stark's. If that were the case, and he beat her today, could he claim the transitive property of genius? If Locke > Helen Cho, and Helen Cho Tony Stark, then logically... Locke > Tony Stark?
It seemed like a sound interpretation.
Moreover, as he looked at the four people standing beside her, he noted that while only Spider-Man was a "canon" Avenger, the other four could essentially be considered honorary members or affiliates in this reality.
Nice, Locke thought to himself.
After the ten competitors stood together for a group photo facing the audience, Locke shook Helen's hand once more. "Good luck."
Helen Cho looked at Locke—smiling, poised, and exuding a natural gentlemanly charm. She smiled back. "You too. We'll be giving it our all."
Locke chuckled.
The bells rang, and the competition officially commenced.
...
The format was simple: Midtown High and Brooklyn High were each given fifty questions. If the score remained tied, they would enter a ten-question "lightning round" buzzer phase. The finals spanned four days, totaling twelve matches—three a day. It was a high-intensity marathon of the mind.
For Locke, the process was irrelevant. He only cared about the outcome he desired. For the audience, however, the matches were gripping. Almost every single one of the twelve matches came down to the wire, decided by those ten lightning-round questions that were clearly beyond the standard curriculum.
By 4:00 PM on the fourth day, the number of Brooklyn students in the stands had noticeably dwindled.
The reason?
Unquestionable dominance. As Locke enunciated the perfect answer to the final tenth question of the last match, the conclusion was set. Midtown High had won the final round by a single-point lead.
The final bell chimed.
"OH YEAH!"
"BEAUTIFUL!"
"BROUGHTON! BROUGHTON!"
"NICE!"
The Midtown High students, holding a two-thirds majority in the auditorium, surged to their feet. The cheers were deafening as they applauded their champions. Mrs. Codd, sitting below with her files clutched to her chest, stood up with a beaming smile, clapping wildly.
"A Grand Slam!"
"They actually did it. A total sweep."
"I think this is the 19th year of the Comprehensive Knowledge Competition, and there's never been a Grand Slam."
"There was one once."
"You mean the DC school? That didn't count. They were reported—one of the board members was a parent of a contestant."
"So... we're the first?"
"Yes!"
In the VIP seating, the School Board members were ecstatic. They huddled together, their voices hushed but excited.
"I think we need to increase the bonus."
"Agreed."
"Fifty thousand for the captain, thirty thousand for the other four. We can afford it."
"Seconded!"
"No objections here."
The board was practically delirious. Seventeen thousand dollars in total was a pittance compared to the prestige this Grand Slam brought. From this day forward, even Hotchkiss—the perennial number one in the National League—would have to think twice before speaking down to Midtown High.
As for their local rival, Trinity?
Heh. Trinity had nearly disgraced the entire "Elite School" collective with their food poisoning fiasco. If Midtown hadn't held the line, elite schools nationwide would have been mocked into oblivion. Letting a "happy education" public school reign supreme? The elite circle would have blacklisted Trinity.
But now? Trinity wouldn't dare raise their voice for at least a year.
Hearing the unmasked laughter of the Midtown board, a few staff members from Trinity who had been invited to watch exchanged looks. They noted down the names of Locke and his team, stood up, and walked out.
'Laugh all you want,' they thought. Wait until we scout your winning team to Trinity. Let's see who laughs then. You think you're the only ones with a deep treasury? Trinity has never feared a bidding war.
...
Below the stage, George and Helen sat with the parents of Cindy, Kahn, and Matt. They stood and cheered for their children.
"George."
"Yeah?"
"The phone is going to be ringing off the hook tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Didn't you promise your alma mater that Gwen would go there?"
"It doesn't hurt to hear the offers first."
Helen's alma mater was NYU. In fact, NYU had noticed Gwen as early as last year, reaching out to Helen to see if there was a path for Gwen to join them. In the world of elite education, the "University Plan" begins the moment a student hits the ninth grade.
With a National Grand Slam title in hand, Helen knew that by tomorrow afternoon, emails and calls from universities across the Federation would begin a carpet-bombing campaign. Just as Midtown scouted top middle schoolers, universities would now offer every incentive imaginable to land these five.
Gwen had faced this in the fifth grade. Trinity and Midtown had both courted her. She had chosen Midtown because, while Trinity had more prestige, its social hierarchy was too rigid—populated almost entirely by the Manhattan ultra-elite. Gwen had turned down Trinity's $100,000 annual scholarship to take Midtown's 3S offer.
Though Helen wanted Gwen at NYU (and close to home), the university hadn't made a formal offer yet. Helen wasn't about to let her alma mater "get something for nothing," even if she loved the place.
...
On stage:
*Ding!*
[Quest Objective Reached: "Grand Slam Milestone!"]
[Current Multiplier: 12x!]
The corners of Locke's mouth curled upward. Even against the "Avengers," he had won. Just like always.
120,000 points secured. Including the 45,000 he'd earned during the prep month, his haul for this endeavor was already at 165,000. By the time the final election mission concluded, it would likely hit 250,000.
'Truly, New York is my land of opportunity.'
Locke thought.
Amidst the thunderous applause, Gwen nudged him. Locke stood and walked toward Helen Cho, who had also risen. She looked less than thrilled but managed to force a polite smile.
"Locke Broughton."
"Helen Cho."
They shook hands. Locke glanced at the four "Avengers" behind her. "Seems my luck was a bit better today."
During the final lightning round, both Locke and Helen had hit their buzzers almost simultaneously. However, Locke was a man—his reaction speed and physical hand-speed were naturally a fraction faster.
Helen gave a strained smile. "Luck is a form of strength in its own right."
Twelve trophies, and they were going back with none. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked at Locke. "I look forward to our encounter next year."
She had originally planned to graduate early this year, but she had just changed her mind. She would stay one more year, defeat Locke, and then head to university.
Locke smiled, remembering what Mrs. Codd had told him during lunch. "Actually, there's a way you don't have to wait until next year."
"What?"
"Come to our school."
"Wh—"
Locke continued smoothly, "Midtown High would be more than happy to offer all five of you 2S-level scholarships if you're willing to transfer."
Helen froze, then looked at Locke with a bizarre expression. "Are you trying to poach us, Brou—?"
Locke shrugged. "Please, call me Locke. And may I call you Helen?"
This was "Helen" as in Helen Cho, not Helen Stacy. Locke didn't particularly care about poaching, but Mrs. Codd had begged him to do it. She had been itching to move since before the finals, restrained only by the fear that Brooklyn would report her for "disrupting their players' morale" on home turf.
Mrs. Codd sat in the audience, watching Locke and Helen talk with hungry eyes. As long as Locke planted the seed, she would be at Helen Cho's house tonight for a "friendly visit."
'Brooklyn High doesn't deserve you five,' she thought. Midtown High is the true heaven for scholars. A dragon does not dwell with snakes!
Locke, maintaining his low-profile/high-results persona, tucked away his competitive edge and radiated charm.
"I really hope to see you at Midtown, Helen. It's an offer worth considering seriously."
Helen Cho: "..."
***
Hey y'all, we had 440+ stones before reset, so close yet so far. I'll post this bonus even though we didn't reach it.
Thanks for the support y'all, goals are same as last week.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666