Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 515: I Am bored

The sun was hot in London. It was July.

Alex sat in the garden. He was reading a book about quantum physics.

Mark lay on the grass. He was wearing sunglasses and eating a ice cream.

"I am bored," Mark said. "There is no football. There is no school. There is only sun."

"Enjoy the rest," Alex said. "Your muscles need recovery."

"My muscles need speed," Mark argued. "They are twitching. Look at my leg. It is vibrating."

Mark lifted his leg. It was shaking.

"That is a sugar rush," Alex said. "You ate three ice creams."

"Four," Mark corrected. "One melted on my shirt."

Suddenly, a loud noise broke the silence. A helicopter appeared in the sky. It was painted gold.

It lowered into the park behind the garden.

"Is that an invasion?" Mark asked, sitting up.

"No," Alex sighed. "I think it is Milo."

Milo jumped out of the helicopter. He was wearing a white suit and a large hat.

"GENTLEMEN!" Milo shouted through a megaphone. "THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN! ALEX! MARK! I AM SELLING NOSTALGIA! I AM SELLING LEGENDS! PACK YOUR BOOTS!"

"Milo," Alex walked to the fence. "Why do you have a helicopter?"

"IT IS A RENTAL!" Milo yelled. "I TRADED IT FOR A BAG OF SIGNED SHIRTS! LISTEN! I HAVE ORGANIZED A MATCH! THE ULTIMATE MATCH!"

"Against who?" Mark asked.

"THE PAST!" Milo screamed. "THE LEGENDS! ZIDANE! RONALDINHO! HENRY! THEY ARE WAITING AT THE EMIRATES! THE TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT! KICKOFF IS IN TWO HOURS!"

Alex looked at Mark.

Mark dropped his ice cream.

"Thierry Henry?" Mark whispered. "The King?"

"THE KING HIMSELF!" Milo confirmed. "HE WANTS TO RACE YOU!"

Mark stood up. He looked serious.

"I need my fast boots," Mark said. "And a fresh croissant for energy."

The Emirates Stadium.

It was a friendly match. A charity game. The mood was happy.

Alex stood in the tunnel.

Usually, the tunnel was full of tension. Today, it was full of laughter.

On the left side, the Wonderkids. Arsenal. The Treble Winners.

On the right side, the Legends.

Zinedine Zidane stood there. He was bald. He looked calm. He looked like a statue made of wisdom.

Ronaldinho stood there. He was dancing. He was smiling. He had a gold tooth.

And Thierry Henry. The greatest player in Arsenal history.

Henry looked at Mark.

"So," Henry said. "You are the new speed."

"I am the Emperor of Speed," Mark said respectfully. "But you are the King."

"Kings get old," Henry smiled. "Emperors rise. Show me what you have."

Rico walked over to Ronaldinho.

"Master," Rico bowed.

Ronaldinho laughed. He hugged Rico. "Show me the Samba, little one."

Alex looked at Zidane.

Zidane looked back.

"Professor," Zidane said.

"Maestro," Alex replied.

"Football is not just running," Zidane said. "It is thinking. Let us play chess."

"I brought my board," Alex said.

The whistle blew.

The game started.

It was not a normal game. It was a show.

The Legends did not run much. They did not have to. They let the ball do the running.

In the tenth minute, Ronaldinho got the ball.

Rico ran at him.

Ronaldinho did not look at the ball. He looked at the crowd. He smiled.

He did an "Elastico". Flip flap.

The ball went through Rico legs.

The crowd cheered. Even Rico clapped.

"Magic!" Rico yelled.

Ronaldinho passed to Zidane.

Zidane was in the center circle. Alex went to press him.

Alex expected a pass.

Zidane did a "Roulette". He spun over the ball. He shielded it with his body. He turned 360 degrees.

Alex was left chasing air.

"Beautiful," Alex thought. "Efficient."

Zidane chipped the ball forward.

Henry was running.

He was not as fast as before. But his movement was perfect.

Mark was running next to him.

"I can catch you!" Mark said.

"Catch me then," Henry winked.

Henry stopped suddenly. Mark kept running. Mark ran past him.

Henry was free.

He opened his body. He curled the ball into the far corner.

Goal.

Zero one. Legends.

The stadium erupted. It was a goal from the past. A memory brought to life.

Mark ran back. "He tricked me! He used the brakes!"

"Experience," Alex said. "He knew you were too fast. So he stopped."

"I need better brakes," Mark noted.

The game continued. It was a celebration of football.

In the thirtieth minute, Alex got the ball.

He decided to show the new school.

He drove forward.

He saw Zidane waiting.

Alex did not try a trick. He used geometry.

He passed to Rice. Rice passed back.

Alex hit a first time ball. A laser.

It split the defense.

Mark ran onto it.

He was one on one with the goalkeeper, Buffon. The Italian legend.

Mark stopped.

He looked at Henry, who was watching from the halfway line.

Mark opened his body.

He curled the ball into the far corner.

Just like Henry.

Goal.

One one.

Mark did not celebrate. He just pointed at Henry.

Henry clapped. He nodded. Respect.

Halftime. One one.

The atmosphere in the dressing room was light.

"They are good," Rico said, drinking water. "Ronaldinho is a wizard. He made the ball disappear."

"Zidane is a computer," Alex said. "He sees everything."

Steve, the manager, walked in. He was holding a camera. He was taking photos.

"Boss?" Alex asked.

"I am a fan today," Steve laughed. "Just enjoy it. Learn from them."

Second half.

Milo ran onto the pitch.

He was wearing a referee kit. But it was gold.

"SUBSTITUTION!" Milo shouted into a microphone. "THE LEGENDS ARE TIRED! THEY NEED TEA! ALEX! I AM THE NEW REFEREE! I AM SELLING RED CARDS! SEND OFF YOUR FRIENDS FOR TEN POUNDS!"

The real referee laughed and let Milo stay on the sideline.

The game opened up.

Sixtieth minute.

Alex had the ball.

He saw Ronaldinho.

Alex did a "No Look Pass". He looked left. He passed right.

Ronaldinho saw it. He intercepted it.

But Ronaldinho did not keep it. He passed it back to Alex with his back.

A back pass. Literally.

Alex caught it.

He laughed.

He passed to Rico.

Rico did a rainbow flick.

The ball went to Mark.

Mark did a header.

The ball went to Saka.

Saka volleyed.

Goal.

Two one. Arsenal.

The crowd loved it. It was like watching a video game on easy mode.

The game ended. 2 to 1. But the score did not matter.

The final whistle blew.

Alex walked to the center circle.

Zidane was waiting.

The French master took off his shirt. He handed it to Alex.

"You are the future," Zidane said. "Keep the game simple. Simple is hard."

"I will," Alex said. He handed Zidane his Arsenal shirt.

"And tell your friend," Zidane pointed at Mark. "He is fast. But the mind must be faster."

Mark ran over. He was holding Henry shirt. He looked like he had won the lottery.

"Did you hear that?" Mark shouted. "I have the shirt of the King! It smells like goals!"

"It smells like sweat, Mark," Alex said.

"Royal sweat!" Mark insisted.

The teams did a lap of honor together. The young and the old. The past and the future.

Maya was waiting by the tunnel. She was holding a notebook.

"Data analysis," Maya said. "The average age of the Legends team is 45. The average age of your team is 22. Velocity difference was significant. However, technical efficiency of the Legends was 99 percent."

"They never lose it," Alex said.

"Class is permanent," Maya nodded. "Also, Milo sold the match ball to a tourist for five hundred pounds. But it was a beach ball he painted white."

Alex laughed.

They walked out of the stadium.

The sun was setting over London.

It had been a perfect day. A day without pressure. A day of pure football.

Alex looked at his friends.

Mark was wearing the Henry shirt. Rico was trying to teach Maya how to do a stepover. Milo was counting his money.

The summer was just beginning.

But Alex felt ready.

Ready for the next season. Ready for the new challenges.

He had learned from the masters.

Now, it was time to become one.

"Mark," Alex said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to race?"

Mark looked at him.

"Race? You want to race me?"

"To the bus stop," Alex said.

"You lose," Mark grinned.

"On your marks," Alex said.

"Get set," Mark crouched down.

"GO!"