Chapter 031

Chapter 31
Sophia wasn't nervous. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. Over and over and over again. 

Her hands were cold, her stomach was twisted in knots, and the voice in her head kept whispering to her about all the ways today could go wrong. But no, she wasn't nervous, even if she couldn’t stop wringing her hands. 

She looked at her teammates, standing beside her in the assembly hall. They looked calm, focused, and ready for battle. Meanwhile, her own heart was racing like a malfunctioning clock. 

Miss Jean, their supervising teacher, stood in front of them, hands clasped together as she spoke. 

"This is it, team. Today is the day we prove ourselves." Her voice was full of encouragement and optimism. Sophia needed some of that.

“You've all worked so hard for this moment, and no matter what happens, I'm proud of each and every one of you." 

Sophia nodded along, pretending to take the words in. 

Miss Jean turned to her directly.

“Sophia, as team leader, I need you to keep a cool head. Organise your team, stay focused, and don't let anything shake you." 

Sophia nodded again. Cool head. Focus. She could do that. Right? Right.

Miss Jean's expression softened.

“And don't worry too much. Just do your best." 

Sophia almost laughed. Don't worry?That was like telling a fish not to swim. She couldn’t help it. But she forced a smile anyway.

“Of course, Miss Jean. I'll do my best. We all will.” She hoped.

At that moment, the school bell rang, signalling their departure. 

All around them, NexGen students poured out of their classrooms, lining the hallways to cheer for their math and science team. The school had put everything into this competition. Their reputation was on the line, and every student knew it. 

Sophia and her teammates walked through the corridor, receiving claps and high fives from their schoolmates. Some kids even chanted…

“NexGen! NexGen!" As the team made their way to the waiting school shuttle. 

In spite of herself, Sophia felt a small smile creep onto her lips. She was starting to feel the team vibe.

“Alright. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.” She muttered.



Firefly Schools was impressive. 

The moment Sophia entered the grand competition hall, she had to resist the urge to gawk. The ceilings were impossibly high, and there were decorations and lights all over. It looked like something out of a nice science fiction movie. The walls were of polished marble, the floors so clean that they reflected the contestants walking on them. NexGen was an impressive school, and this was too, but in a different way.

Turning to the other side, she saw a shelf labelled “Science Trophies” and the shelf was filled up. Sophia wanted to scoff at their cheap way of attempting to intimidate them. They didn’t come this far to run away because of… forty consecutive trophies?

Her eyes almost popped out of her head.

Rows of chairs were neatly arranged for the spectators, while the main stage was set up for the battle ahead. In the centre stood a long table with individual buzzers for each participant. 

The competition was being broadcasted live, and cameras were stationed at different corners of the hall. A massive digital scoreboard loomed over them, displaying the names of the competing schools. 

No pressure at all. She thought sarcastically, swallowing hard. 

She forced herself to focus on the competition itself. The Firefly team stood on the opposite side of the hall, looking every bit as intimidating as their reputation suggested. 

The leader of their team was a boy named Adrian Noir. He was tall and had this look… he was wearing a smug smile as if he already knew they were going to win. 

Sophia met his gaze across the room, refusing to look away. She was going to wipe that smile off his face.

The battle hadn't even started yet, but she could already feel the silent competition between them. 

“Contestants, take your seats!"
The announcer's voice boomed through the hall, and Sophia took a deep breath before walking towards the stage. 

She sat down, her teammates on either side of her. The buzzers were in front of them, and the moderator sat at his desk, shuffling his question cards. 

“Welcome to the annual National Science and Mathematics Competition!"

The hall erupted into applause. Sophia's fingers held on to the edge of the table. 

The competition was about to begin.   

The first round started with a speed test. 

Each question was read aloud, and the first team to hit their buzzer got to answer. If they got it wrong, the other team had a chance to steal the point. 

The first question was a simple algebraic equation, and Firefly's Adrian buzzed in immediately. 

"x equals negative three.” He answered confidently. 

"Correct!” The moderator confirmed. 

Sophia clenched her jaw. Alright, so they're fast. But they could be faster.

The next question was about chemical reactions, and before the moderator could finish speaking, Sophia slammed the buzzer. 
"The answer is exothermic reaction!” She said. 

"Correct." 

A point for NexGen. 

From there, the game escalated. 

Numbers were thrown back and forth. Formulas were scribbled rapidly on the provided scratch paper. The tension in the room was so thick that even the audience had gone silent, watching every move like hawks and Sophia thought she would pass out from the exhaustion. This was the most thrill she had ever felt in her life!

The teams were going neck and neck, but Sophia was in a zone. 

Every equation, every formula she had studied over the past months came flooding into her mind like second nature. 

She answered questions without hesitation, calculated problems faster than she ever thought possible, answering without even thinking consciously.

Her teammates held their own as well. They backed each other up, filling in the gaps whenever one of them struggled. 

It was a battle of wits, a game of endurance, and slowly but surely, NexGen pulled ahead. 

The scoreboard showed 22-18. 

Then 25-20. 

Then 30-21. 

They were winning.   

Sophia barely registered the final question. 

All she knew was that she had pressed the buzzer, given the answer, and the hall had gone completely silent for a moment. Everyone was silent, and she had feared that she had got it wrong.

Then— 

“That is correct! NexGen wins the competition!" The room exploded into cheers. 

Sophia blinked. 

They had won. 

They had actually won!

That last answer sent her heart beating like a drum. Even though they were winning, it would have been embarrassing to fail the last question like that!

Her teammates shot up from their seats, yelling in celebration. Miss Jean was clapping from the audience, with tears in her eyes. 

Sophia felt like she was floating. They had beat the unbeatable team, and she had led her team into victory!

Firefly's Adrian looked stunned, his confident smirk wiped clean off his face. 

Sophia turned to him, meeting his eyes one last time. 

She smiled. He scowled in response, rolling his eyes before walking off. 

Victory had never tasted so sweet, and she wanted more of it. Sophia had never felt so powerful, so confident in her skills. 

The NexGen team was called to the podium, where gold medals were placed around their necks and cameras were flashing everywhere. 
The audience applauded, cheering loudly and the students from NexGen who had come to spectate were screaming their school name in a loud chat.

Sophia felt strong. She felt unstoppable.