Lasting over a month and spanning five games, Medford's Spring Invitational season concluded successfully with a victory against West Deck High School.
However, "Project Star Maker" did not terminate with the season.
Riding the momentum of defeating the runner-up team, the newspaper dedicated a small, exclusive column to Mike in the sports section.
Through continuous media exposure and the subsequent poster distribution campaign, Mike had effectively become a minor "sports celebrity" in Texas.
Furthermore, upon receiving his first dividend check from the poster sales, Mike honored his previous commitment to his teammates, treating the entire squad to a lavish outing.
Thanks to their solid performance in the Spring Invitational, Medford had firmly established its status as a powerhouse team.
The players enjoyed a surge in popularity on campus.
Mike, having delivered the most statistically significant performance, was hailed as the "Hero of Medford High."
Principal Tom even held a special commendation assembly in his honor.
Time flashed forward, and another half-month passed.
During this period, Mike noticed that his Level 4 Professional Football Skill had plateaued. Sparring with the Medford team no longer yielded any experience points.
Indeed, constantly dominating novices provided zero marginal utility for improving professional-grade skills.
Unwilling to waste time on inefficient activities, Mike decided that today was the day he would submit his request to leave the team roster to Coach George.
That same afternoon, on the practice field, Mike ran into Captain Aaron, who had been absent for quite some time due to university tryouts.
Since the end of the Spring Invitational, several scouts from local Texas universities had identified Aaron's potential.
Between communicating with university programs and attending on-site tryouts, Aaron had been on leave for over a week.
However, judging by the irrepressible smile on his face, the results of his tryouts were positive.
"Hey, Georgie..." Dressed in casual clothes, Captain Aaron greeted his teammates cheerfully.
Finally, he approached Mike. "Mike, I need to discuss a variable with you."
"Proceed," Mike replied.
"I'm preparing to officially withdraw from the team. I want to transfer the captaincy to you. I hypothesize that under your leadership, the Medford football team will continue to optimize its performance..." Aaron's expression turned serious as he discussed the matter.
It was evident he had a deep emotional attachment to the team.
Holding the captain's armband, he looked like a king passing the crown before abdication.
Unfortunately, the timing was ironic.
"Apologies, Aaron. I'm afraid I cannot accept the captaincy. In fact, I intended to submit my own withdrawal application to Coach George today." Mike declined the armband, contrary to Aaron's expectations.
Aaron then noticed that Mike wasn't wearing his practice gear.
His eyes flickered with realization. After a moment of silence, he said, "Fine. I'll let the coach calculate a solution for that headache."
As the team captain, Aaron was acutely aware of Mike's capabilities.
Mike's superior skill level acted as a massive force multiplier for his teammates' development.
It was essentially unilateral poverty alleviation for their skills.
Of course, since Mike was unwilling to continue, Aaron, as an outgoing captain, wasn't in a position to push the issue.
"What is the status of your tryouts?" Mike shifted to a lighter topic.
"Luck was on my side. I passed the assessment for Abilene Christian University... However, I now need to solve the variable of passing my high school graduation exams..." Aaron's tone was a mix of excitement and anxiety.
Abilene Christian University was a highly ranked institution in Texas. Even as an athletic recruit, Aaron needed to meet the baseline academic requirements.
In layman's terms: You need a high school diploma first.
While Aaron wasn't exactly "all brawn and no brains," his academic neglect made passing the graduation exams a non-trivial challenge.
Of course, it wasn't insurmountable.
To mitigate the risk of failure, he was withdrawing from the team to reallocate his time resources toward studying.
"Aaron! You're back. How did the tryouts go?" Before outdoor practice began, Coach George arrived and immediately spotted Aaron.
"The tryouts were successful..." Aaron reported the good news before continuing, "Coach, I would like to withdraw from the team to focus on my graduation exams."
"That is acceptable. Go ahead." Coach George took the captain's armband from Aaron, patted his shoulder warmly, and encouraged him, "I hope to see you on a professional field someday."
Aaron's dream of becoming a pro player was common knowledge within the team.
Everyone knew he had been working toward that goal.
As for quitting the team?
Many twelfth graders withdrew early as graduation approached. It wasn't a significant deviation from the norm.
After all, regardless of future plans, securing a high school diploma was the priority.
"By the way, Mike. What is your status?" Holding the armband, Coach George turned his attention to Mike.
It was almost practice time, and Mike standing there in civilian clothes was highly conspicuous.
"I have determined that my football proficiency has hit a plateau. Therefore, I wish to apply for a leave of absence to rest," Mike answered diplomatically.
At the high school level, football was just one of Mike's many talents. He didn't intend to quit permanently.
Confident in his abilities, he planned to return and play during the official season games later.
While this approach might seem unfair to the players who grinded daily, Mike possessed the talent to be capricious.
"This..." Coach George looked conflicted. He had planned to hand the captaincy to Mike immediately.
However, he understood Mike's situation.
The world of a genius operates on different parameters than that of ordinary people.
After some thought, Coach George said, "Your skills are already at a professional level. There is no need to rush your development. Taking a break is acceptable. When you wish to return, just notify me. I will keep the captain's position reserved for you..."
Coach George had analyzed the data from the Spring Invitational.
Against strong teams, the entire squad relied heavily on Mike to carry them.
This dependency was detrimental to the team's long-term stability.
After all, they wouldn't always have an anomaly like Mike to bail them out.
So, Coach George decided to use Mike's absence to drill the other players hard.
At the very least, he wanted to ensure that in the Summer League later this year, the rest of the team wouldn't be dead weight for Mike.
---
"Mike, what is your next destination?" Aaron asked as they walked off the practice field.
"I'm heading to the Math Olympiad study room. Someone is waiting for me. And you?" Mike replied.
Ms. Sharon's Math Olympiad study group hadn't disbanded. As a nominal member of the team, Mike naturally used it as a place to kill time.
Since the Math Olympiad competition was still months away, there was no intensive training scheduled.
Therefore, it was highly probable that the only people in the study room today would be Mike and Katie, whom he had notified in advance.
Of course, if Lena from the gymnastics team was free, she might drop by as well.
A three-person microcosm...
The thought was aesthetically pleasing.
"I'm going back to the classroom to study." Aaron remained oblivious to Mike's ulterior motives.
"Very well. We part ways here." Arriving at the main academic building, Mike bid Aaron a serious farewell.
"Alright. Let's maintain contact..." As graduation loomed, Aaron suddenly realized his opportunities to interact with his teammates would diminish significantly.
A wave of melancholy washed over him.
Two players leaving the team at the same time, yet their emotional states were vastly different.
Moments later, they went their separate ways in the hallway: one to a twelfth-grade classroom to hit the books, the other to the Math Olympiad room for a rendezvous with a girl.