On Friday morning, the quiz bowl team’s designated bus and driver, along with the coach, are parked at the school’s parking lot. This year’s send-off takes on a particular significance in that VA has two squads competing at the HSNCT and shares the same bus. Especially since they catch one last glimpse of their favorites, bearing with them the hopes of the entire region at the HSNCT.

“We finished thirteenth at the MSNCT two weeks ago, here’s to hoping we can do better at the HSNCT this year around!” Warren tells the quiz bowl team, in front of hundreds of VA fans.

“Good luck, and may this postseason be fruitful!” Tanith wishes Gerard as the eight players are about to board the Atlanta-bound minibus with their baggage.

And the parish newspaper takes a group photo of all 8 players along with Warren just outside the minibus, with Audrey front and center. The story would then be published on the newspaper’s website and the parish radio also takes advantage of the event:

“Warren, this year is the first year with two Venomous Agenda squads at the HSNCT. How do you feel about there being two squads this year? Did that change the team’s preparation?” the volunteer journalist asks Warren.

“Not really, except that some drills involved groups from both squads as opposed to pairs from the A team. However, there is one player on the B team that’s a stranger to quiz bowl postseason, Pablo, who joined the quiz bowl team because one of the regulars couldn’t make it to a tournament”

The journalist then turns to Pablo. “Pablo, how do you feel about your life on the quiz bowl team?”

“I struggled at first, both as a quiz bowler and in my social life. Initially, other quiz bowlers didn’t take me seriously because of my role as a tight end on the football team, while football players started to see me as a go-to person for academic help. And I started feeling the pressure to become a straight-A student, too!” Pablo explains to the journalist. “I wasn’t prepared for the pressure, and only Audrey here made me able to make it through!”

The love interests of quiz bowlers, except for Audrey and Pablo, all kiss their loved ones. Be it Ethan, George, Tanith, but it seems like Audrey is the only one on the A-team whose romantic status appears to be stable. In fact, she paid no attention to their romantic lives, and neither did Pablo. I wonder who could Myriam possibly end up dating next season, or Scott? The A-team history player is a senior and hence I wouldn’t be surprised if he broke up last month.

And, after the players’ baggage is stowed at the back of the minibus, they start getting underway, under the eyes of the town’s residents. At which point Pablo and Audrey kiss each other while seated on the third left row.

However, as they ride the bus to Atlanta, while everyone else read collegiate quiz bowl packets as appropriate for their skill level, Pablo asks some questions to Audrey about what to expect of the HSNCT.

“The HSNCT is new to me, I would like to know how, other than the size and field of the tournament, it’s going to differ from any other regular quiz bowl tournament” Pablo asks her.

“The main thing to remember is that, unlike regular quiz bowl tournaments, where teams are seeded and placed into round-robin pools accordingly, at the MSNCT and HSNCT, power-matching is in effect, and it’s done via a system of cards. The winner takes the higher card (i.e. the one with the lowest number) at the end of the game and plays the next opponent accordingly” Audrey explains to him.

“Did you play at the MSNCT?”

“Yes. The only one here who didn’t, other than you, is the A-team’s history player. Finished twenty-first in seventh grade, eighth in eighth grade, but the biggest boost came when Scott was replaced by Lilina; our weaknesses in history at the time were fairly large”

“So why is it that we seemingly never heard about the MSNCT in town? Or at least not as much as the HSNCT?”

To that, Audrey draws a blank. Yes, the town’s sociocultural life revolves around VA, but the only thing she could think of is that the “brains” supporters in town seem to care more about high school quiz bowl because of the “support others doing what you personally can’t” factor.

“Pablo, quiz bowl was overshadowed by debate that year we finished eighth at the MSNCT, because Chantal won it all in international extemp!” Lilina explains to him. “And it was the year where VA didn’t qualify for the HSNCT!”

Sometimes, I wonder what could have been in 2027-2028 if Anna didn’t transfer to Kinder. Sure, Anna was stronger than anyone else playing back then, but Myriam was strongest in math and science. Oh well, it meant more attention to middle school quiz bowl after State that year, Warren ruminates on the fate of VA quiz bowl that year, after hearing about the year where VA didn’t qualify for the HSNCT.

And it’s then that Pablo receives confirmation of Bart’s World History final grade by text message. “Woohoo! C+ in World History and I shall play next season!”

Which pushes him to check on the final grade for the course, too. And, of course, he can thank these eye charts as well as the laser pen users for ensuring that people in the class passed the course. He then asks George about his World History grade, while telling about his own grade in that course.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Audrey, the World History grades are now out!” Pablo whispers in her ear.

“We both got As; what would you expect? That, because of me being the special topics player, I can afford to randomly shine or choke on tests?” Audrey retorts.

“You wouldn’t be the brainiac of the basketball teams if you actually had random dry spells or flashes of brilliance! However, I would be surprised if Nadine didn’t get an A”

“Exactly, Pablo” Nadine tells them from the next bench over.

“And you must realize that, since there is only one section of AP Bio this year, I had to ensure that everyone taking it would be able to get their grades on time for the HSNCT! Same goes for the health and nutrition electives, too!” Warren warns his players upon hearing about how other grades were released. “If anyone here is taking AP Bio, your grades are out!"

“Not that no-pass, no-play has been a real issue in quiz bowl, but other people subject to no-pass, no-play could be taking these courses” Myriam comments on who could possibly take AP Bio.

Time to check on AP Bio! Pablo ruminates, while both Audrey and Pablo have their sports teammates check on their respective final grades in classes. And he realizes that he has 3 straight quarters of straight As. That contrasts with freshman year to him, but that sort of grades is commonplace in middle and high school quiz bowl. And certainly when one talks about M/HSNCT-caliber teams at non-magnet schools.

“It’s clear that, academically, you have grown a lot. It goes to show how important having the right friends really is to succeed” Audrey confesses to Pablo.

“Yes, I have improved as a quiz bowler and as a student. However, I feel like the others would have been strong enough to get the B-team to the HSNCT without me. I’m still the worst player on the B-team, but at least I’m able to pull some weight on the team now”

“I love you, Pablo…” they kiss each other once again, before resuming their reading of collegiate quiz bowl packets.

If Nadine is that strong, I wonder what happened for the B-team to always fall short of a HSNCT berth last season, Pablo then have questions surface in his mind, which he didn’t find the courage to ask Audrey about. But when lunch time comes, in Biloxi, the opportunity arrives to ask these questions at the lunch table. With Nadine seated across from Audrey.

“Please excuse the stupidity of the question, but what made the B-team of last year unable to earn a HSNCT berth?” Pablo asks both girls.

“Last season, we had no real science specialist on the B-team, the closest thing we got was Caleb. And the history player we had then is now playing with me on the A-team. For him, the HSNCT is going to be a swan song” Audrey explains to him.

“And, of course, even middle school quiz bowl stardom doesn’t translate into instant high school quiz bowl success” Nadine tells him. “Whatever middle school quiz bowl stardom really means, anyhow”

In middle school, I was a nationally-ranked literature player. If For ten points, fix this community could be believed, my best rank was ninth. And Lilina was in the top-5 history players nationally among seventh-graders back then, and I really hope neither Lilina nor I would collapse on the big stage this weekend, Nadine ruminates before Pablo asks her a question about their pasts.

“I might be wondering what drew you to quiz bowl...”

“When we were in fourth grade, VA’s first HSNCT participation captured the hearts and minds of the town for a weekend. Growing up, I idolized Marcia, Imélie, Anna, as I started believing that maybe I could one day play quiz bowl as they did”

“I was good at math, too, but I was pushed towards basketball in elementary school because of my size. Because I feel like focusing too much on one subject would hurt me, I turned to quiz bowl as soon as I could play it” Audrey reminisces about that aspect of her childhood.

“You are still good at math, Audrey. To me anyway” Pablo, triggered by Audrey implying that her math talent has vanished, tries to comfort her.

“Pablo, if you compared me to other VA athletes, you’re right. If you compared me to what I feel is necessary to be a mathlete for VA, I am not that strong”

“Never in my life as a quiz bowl coach would I have imagined that kids in town would even dream of playing quiz bowl for the local high school the way boys would dream of playing football for it!”

And then the grades of their friends come back up, ranging from Heather somehow earning an A in AP Bio to Finn and Carrie both getting a C+ in Algebra II. The pair both sigh of relief when they see that all the key teammates they will call upon next season will be able to play their sports.

Warren then announces the logistics of getting the people at home to follow both teams at the HSNCT:

“Since NAQT rules prohibit third parties from filming games at the HSNCT, our bus driver can only liveblog games”

“Which games would NAQT film?” Pablo asks the coach.

“Usually one per round, and we’re assigned the morning session. To be filmed, and hence livecast, in the prelim rounds, a team needs to be playing in the grand ballroom, and that’s random. In the playoffs, however, high seeds tend to be filmed more because the grand ballroom is usually reserved for high seeds”

VA was filmed twice at the HSNCT: TJHSST A in 2024, and DCC A in 2026, as well as once at the MSNCT, in 2029, Warren keeps to himself.

“I had a bad dream last night: I had the impression of being worthless on the court because the Green Wave basketball coach only offered me to attend Tulane as a walk-on! Even in dreams, I told myself that I may as well play quiz bowl for the Green Wave if I was going to attend Tulane!”

“As much as Heather is complementary to you on the court, she is a bad influence on you off the court! She seems to have planted the idea that basketball was worth playing in college only if it helps you attend a higher tier of college, academically speaking, than you would have without!” Pablo retorts.

“I am not fooling myself. I know just how long of a shot it really is to make any kind of living from basketball, so the best anyone on the team can hope for is to use basketball to attend a higher level of college”

“Same goes for football, and even if Finn or Dayton got offers to play in college, I am not sure this strategy would be practicable for them” Pablo adds.

“Just take it easy until we arrive in Atlanta, will you? Remember that the HSNCT is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so make the most out of it” Audrey then hugs Pablo.

And somehow, I have the feeling we will qualify again. Maybe even on the same squad, but I can kind of feel like a few people on the A-team might not have the best motivation in the world. Especially Scott, but I can kind of feel like Myriam is at risk of flaming out next season, Audrey’s mind ruminates about what next season will hold for them.