Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 511 - 40 percent

"Resonance," Mr. Reed said softly. "When two frequencies match, they amplify each other. They become louder. They become stronger. They become one sound."

Alex sat at the back. He tapped his finger on the desk.

Resonance.

It was like a football team. When everyone moved at the same speed, with the same thought, they became unstoppable.

"But," Mr. Reed warned, stopping the fork. "If the frequencies clash... you get dissonance. Noise. Chaos."

Mark sat next to Alex. Mark was holding a triangle. He was staring at it intensely.

"Mark," Alex whispered. "Why are you staring at the triangle?"

"I am waiting for the solo," Mark whispered back. "I am the percussion section. I am the heartbeat of the orchestra."

"You have one note, Mark."

"It is a very important note!" Mark insisted. "It is the ting of destiny!"

Mr. Reed raised his baton. "And... begin."

The class started to play. It was a mess. The violins screeched. The drums banged.

Mark hit his triangle.

TING.

He hit it again.

TING. TING. TING.

"Mark!" Mr. Reed shouted. "You are not in time! You are rushing!"

"I cannot help it!" Mark yelled. "I am fast! My rhythm is supersonic!"

The bell rang.

Alex packed his bag.

Resonance. Dissonance.

He needed to remember that.

Tonight was the Champions League Quarter Final.

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich.

The Allianz Arena.

Bayern were strong. They were loud. They played heavy metal football.

Alex walked out to the car park.

Milo was waiting.

Milo was dressed as... a Rock Star.

He was wearing a leather jacket with studs, tight black jeans, and a wig that looked like a bird’s nest. He was holding a guitar made of cardboard.

"HELLO MUNICH!" Milo screamed. "I AM THE LEAD SINGER! ALEX! I AM SELLING EARPLUGS! BUT NOT FOR THE NOISE! FOR THE SILENCE AFTER WE SCORE! ONLY TEN POUNDS A PAIR!"

"Milo, you look like you fell into a costume box," Alex said.

"I AM A REBEL!" Milo shouted, smashing his cardboard guitar on the floor. "ROCK AND ROLL! I AM ALSO SELLING AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR PICKS! THEY ARE JUST CUT UP CREDIT CARDS! BUT THEY ARE SHARP!"

They drove to the airport.

Steve, the manager, was waiting on the plane.

"Bayern Munich," Steve said. "They are a machine. But a machine needs a rhythm. If you break the rhythm, the machine jams."

He pointed to the screen.

Harry Kane. The England captain. The Bayern striker.

"Kane is the metronome," Steve said. "He drops deep. He sprays passes. He dictates the tempo. If he plays his tune, we lose."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. You must be the noise. Disrupt him. Do not let him find his rhythm."

"I will bring the dissonance," Alex promised.

Munich. The Allianz Arena.

The stadium glowed red in the night. It looked like a giant spaceship that had landed in Germany.

The noise inside was incredible. The Bayern fans were singing. They were jumping.

Alex stood in the tunnel.

Harry Kane stood next to him. He looked calm. He looked focused.

"Hello Professor," Harry said. "Welcome back to my garden."

"Hello Captain," Alex said. "Nice grass."

"It is perfect for scoring," Harry smiled. "Do not get in my way."

"I might have to," Alex said.

Jamal Musiala stood behind Harry. He was dancing on the spot. He looked loose.

"I like your shoes," Mark said to Musiala. "Are they aerodynamic?"

"They are comfortable," Musiala shrugged.

"Comfort is the enemy of speed!" Mark declared. "My shoes are tight! They squeeze the speed out of my toes!"

The whistle blew.

The game started.

Bayern came out loud.

They pressed high. Kimmich and Goretzka dominated the midfield.

In the tenth minute, Kane dropped deep.

He got the ball. He looked up.

Alex tried to close him down. But Kane was strong. He used his body to shield the ball.

Kane turned. He hit a long pass to Sane.

Sane ran. He was fast.

He cut inside and shot.

Raya saved it.

"Too easy!" Steve shouted. "Get closer!"

Arsenal struggled to find their resonance. They were out of tune.

Passes went astray. Runs were mistimed.

In the thirtieth minute, Musiala dribbled past Rice. He passed to Kane.

Kane did not shoot. He passed to Coman.

Coman scored.

Goal.

One zero. Bayern Munich.

The stadium erupted. The noise was physical.

"We are playing their song!" Rico yelled. "We need to change the station!"

Alex stood in the center circle.

He closed his eyes.

He listened to the noise. The drums. The chants.

It was overwhelming.

"Mr. Reed said resonance amplifies," Alex thought. "But dissonance breaks."

He looked at Harry Kane. Kane was conducting the game.

"I need to break his baton," Alex whispered.

Arsenal restarted.

Alex changed his position.

He stopped playing as a playmaker. He started playing as a disruptor.

He man marked Harry Kane.

Every time Kane dropped deep, Alex was there. He stood on his toes. He breathed down his neck.

Kane tried to turn. Alex poked the ball away.

Kane tried to pass. Alex blocked the lane.

Kane got frustrated.

"Go away, kid!" Kane grunted.

"No," Alex said calmly.

Forty fifth minute.

Kane dropped deep again. He wanted the ball.

Alex anticipated it.

He intercepted the pass from Upamecano.

Alex had the ball. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Bayern were open. Kane was out of position.

Alex drove forward.

He saw Mark making a run.

But Davies was tracking him. The Roadrunner vs The Emperor.

Alex did not pass to Mark.

He saw Rico on the left.

Alex hit a curved pass.

Rico collected it. He cut inside.

He curled a shot.

Neuer saved it.

But the ball bounced out.

Alex had continued his run.

He arrived at the edge of the box.

He hit the rebound on the volley.

It was pure technique. Resonance.

The ball flew into the bottom corner.

Goal.

One one.

Alex put his finger to his lips. "Quiet."

Halftime. One one.

The dressing room was buzzing.

"You stopped the music," Steve said. "Kane is angry. He is shouting at his teammates. Now, we play our song."

He looked at Mark.

"Speed. Davies is fast. But he turns like a boat. Change direction."

"I will turn like a fly!" Mark said.

Second half.

Arsenal found their rhythm.

Pass. Move. Pass. Move.

The frequencies matched. They amplified each other.

Sixtieth minute.

Alex got the ball.

He saw the pattern.

He passed to Odegaard. Odegaard passed to Saka. Saka passed back to Alex.

Triangles. Geometry. Music.

They moved up the pitch.

Alex was thirty yards out.

He saw Mark.

Mark was standing next to Davies.

Mark looked at Alex. He winked.

Mark ran left. Then he ran right. Then he ran left again.

Davies got confused. He tangled his feet.

Mark sprinted into the box.

Alex chipped the ball.

It was a delicate note. A high pitch.

It floated over the defense.

Mark watched it come down.

He did not head it. He did not kick it.

He chested it.

Then he kneed it.

Then he volleyed it.

Bam. Bam. Boom.

It was a drum solo.

The ball smashed past Neuer.

Goal.

Two one. Arsenal.

Mark ran to the corner. He played an air guitar on the corner flag.

"ROCK AND ROLL!" Mark screamed. "I AM THE SOLOIST!"

Alex ran over. "The rhythm!"

"I felt the beat!" Mark yelled. "The beat of the goal!"

Bayern tried to fight back. They threw everything forward.

Kane headed against the bar. Musiala dribbled through the box but shot wide.

Arsenal held the tune.

They defended in harmony. Saliba and Gabriel were a duet. They moved together.

Ninetieth minute.

Injury time.

Bayern had a free kick.

Kane stood over it.

"This is it," Kane muttered.

He shot.

It hit the wall. It hit Rice.

The referee blew the whistle.

Arsenal 2. Bayern Munich 1.

Victory in Munich.

Alex fell to the ground.

The noise of the Bayern fans stopped. All he could hear was the Arsenal fans singing.

It was a beautiful song.

Harry Kane walked over. He looked tired.

"You stuck to me like glue," Kane said.

"I wanted to hear the music close up," Alex smiled.

Kane laughed. "Go away. Before I tackle you."

Milo ran onto the pitch. He was holding a saxophone (it was plastic).

"THE JAZZ MAN!" Milo screamed. "WE IMPROVISED! ALEX! THE VOLLEY! I AM SELLING AIR GUITARS! THEY ARE VERY LIGHT! EASY TO CARRY! FIVE POUNDS!"

"Milo, you cannot sell air," Alex said.

"IT IS VINTAGE AIR!" Milo shouted. "FROM 1990!"

They walked into the dressing room.

The team was singing. Loudly. Badly.

Alex checked his phone.

A text from Maya.

"Acoustic analysis: Optimal. You disrupted their frequency by 40 percent. Mark’s goal had a decibel level of 110. Very loud. Also, Mr. Reed says you need to practice your scales. Victory does not excuse bad tuning."

Alex smiled.

He looked at Mark.

Mark was using a shin pad as a drum.

"Hey Professor," Mark shouted over the noise.

"Yeah?"

"We are a good band."

"We are," Alex said. "The best band in the world."

"What is our name?" Mark asked.

"The Wonderkids," Alex said.

"No," Mark shook his head. "That is too boring. How about... The Pizza Eaters?"

"No, Mark."

"The Speedy Boys?"

"No."

"Fine," Mark grinned. "We will work on the name."