Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 518: Semi-Finals

"Hello, Professor," Alex whispered.

Maya looked up. She adjusted her glasses. "Alex. Welcome to the citadel of knowledge."

"It is very... brown," Alex noted.

"It is historic," Maya corrected. "I have been analyzing Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso’s team. They are a statistical anomaly."

" The Invincibles," Alex said. "They haven’t lost in forty games."

"Forty-two," Maya corrected. "They play with a 3-4-2-1 formation. Overloads on the wings. Grimaldo and Frimpong. They are essentially wingers who pretend to be defenders."

"So they attack with seven men," Alex said.

"Precisely. It is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. But their probability of losing the ball is minimized by their short passing structure. To beat them, you must disrupt the flow."

Suddenly, a loud snore echoed through the library.

The librarian, a stern woman with grey hair, glared at the corner.

Mark was sleeping on a pile of encyclopedias. He was wearing a graduation gown he had found somewhere and a pair of Harry Potter glasses with no lenses.

"Zzzzz... pizza... zzzzz... faster..." Mark mumbled in his sleep.

"Is he with you?" the librarian whispered angrily.

"I have never seen him before in my life," Alex lied.

"I AM THE WIZARD OF SPEED!" Mark shouted, waking up suddenly. "EXPECTO PATRONUM PIZZA!"

"Out!" the librarian pointed to the door.

They walked out into the courtyard.

"I was having a great dream," Mark complained. "I was flying on a broomstick made of baguette."

"We have a game to prepare for, Mark," Alex said. "Leverkusen. The Quarter Final."

"The German team?" Mark asked. "Do they have pretzels?"

"They have Xhaka," Alex said. "Our old captain."

"Granit!" Mark smiled. "He is scary. But nice scary. Like a bear that hugs you."

The Emirates Stadium. Champions League Quarter Final.

It was a special night. The return of a legend.

Granit Xhaka walked out of the tunnel wearing the black and red of Leverkusen. The Arsenal fans stood up. They applauded. It was a warm reception.

Xhaka waved. He looked touched.

Then he looked at Alex. His face turned to stone. Game face.

"Little Professor," Xhaka said, shaking Alex’s hand. "You grew up."

"I learned from the best," Alex said.

"Tonight, school is back in session," Xhaka warned. "I will teach you about toughness."

"I am ready for the lesson," Alex said.

The whistle blew.

The game started.

Leverkusen were good. Very good.

They played like clockwork. Xhaka controlled the tempo in the middle. Wirtz floated between the lines. Frimpong ran down the wing like a sprinter.

In the tenth minute, Frimpong got the ball.

He ran at Zinchenko.

Frimpong was fast. Maybe even Mark fast.

He pushed the ball past Zinchenko. He crossed.

Boniface, the striker, was there.

He smashed it.

Goal.

Zero one. Leverkusen.

The away fans went wild. The Invincibles were winning again.

"They are too wide!" Rice yelled. "They are stretching us!"

Alex stood in the center circle.

He looked at the formation.

Problem: They create overloads on the flanks. 2 vs 1.

Solution: Plug the middle. Force them inside.

Arsenal restarted.

Alex changed the shape.

He told Saka and Martinelli to drop deeper. To help the fullbacks.

This stopped the bleeding on the wings.

But Leverkusen were comfortable. They kept the ball. Xhaka was passing it around like he was in his back garden.

Thirty fifth minute.

Alex got the ball.

Xhaka came to tackle him.

It was the Master vs the Apprentice.

Xhaka was strong. He went in hard.

Alex didn’t fight the strength. He used "Judo Football".

He waited for Xhaka to commit. Then he rolled the ball under Xhaka’s foot.

He spun around him.

Alex was free.

He saw Mark making a run.

But Tah, the defender, was huge. He blocked the path.

Alex saw Rico.

Rico was in a pocket of space.

Alex passed to Rico.

Rico didn’t run. He stopped.

He put his foot on the ball. He waited for the defender to rush him.

Then Rico did a "Nutmeg Scoop".

He scooped the ball through the defender’s legs and ran around him.

Rico passed to Mark.

Mark was open.

"SPEED!" Mark screamed.

He shot.

It hit the post.

CLANG.

The ball bounced out.

Saka was there.

Saka tapped it in.

Goal.

One one.

Alex ran to Saka. "We broke the rhythm!"

"Xhaka is strong!" Saka said, rubbing his shoulder. "He hits like a truck!"

Halftime. One one.

Steve was intense.

"They think they are invincible," Steve said. "They have forgotten how to lose. Remind them."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. Xhaka controls their heartbeat. Stop the heart."

"I will be the cholesterol," Alex joked.

"Be the surgeon," Steve corrected.

Second half.

The game was a tactical war. Xabi Alonso vs Steve.

Leverkusen kept possession. Arsenal countered.

Sixtieth minute.

Milo ran onto the pitch.

He was wearing a lab coat and holding a giant magnet.

"THE SCIENTIST!" Milo screamed. "I HAVE FOUND THE CURE FOR INVINCIBILITY! ALEX! IT IS MAGNETISM! I AM ATTRACTING THE BALL! ONLY FIFTY POUNDS FOR A POCKET MAGNET!"

"Milo, that is a horseshoe painted red," Alex laughed.

"IT IS SCIENCE!" Milo yelled as the stewards chased him.

The distraction worked. Leverkusen lost focus for a second.

Seventy fifth minute.

The game was tied.

Alex decided to press Xhaka.

Xhaka had the ball deep. He looked calm.

Alex ran at him.

Xhaka tried to turn.

Alex anticipated it. He stuck his foot in.

He won the ball.

Clean tackle.

Alex was through.

He was thirty yards out.

The Leverkusen defense was disorganized.

Mark was running left. Rico was running right.

Alex drove through the middle.

He saw Hradecky, the goalkeeper.

Alex could shoot.

But he remembered Maya’s words.

Probability.

If he passed, the probability of a goal increased by 30%.

He looked at Mark.

Mark was waving his arms. "FEED ME!"

Alex slipped a pass to Mark.

Mark was one on one.

But Frimpong was tracking back. Frimpong was fast.

Mark saw Frimpong coming.

Mark didn’t shoot immediately.

He stopped.

He let Frimpong slide past him.

"TOO FAST!" Mark shouted at Frimpong.

Mark looked at the goal.

He placed it.

Curled into the corner.

Goal.

Two one. Arsenal.

Mark ran to the corner. He put on his invisible glasses.

"I AM HARRY POTTER!" Mark shouted. "EXPELLIARMUS!"

The Emirates erupted.

They had taken the lead against the Invincibles.

Eighty fifth minute.

Leverkusen threw everything forward. They didn’t want to lose their record.

Wirtz dribbled. Grimaldo crossed.

Raya made two huge saves.

Saliba headed a ball off the line.

"Hold the fort!" Gabriel screamed.

Ninetieth minute.

Injury time.

Alex had the ball near the corner flag.

Xhaka came over.

"You learned well," Xhaka said, trying to tackle him.

"You taught me well," Alex said, shielding the ball.

The referee checked his watch.

He blew the whistle.

Arsenal 2. Bayer Leverkusen 1.

The streak was broken. The Invincibles were defeated.

Alex fell to the grass.

It was a massive win.

Xhaka helped him up.

"You ruined our record," Xhaka smiled sadly. "But I am proud of you. You run the midfield now."

"It is still your house, Granit," Alex said respectfully.

"No," Xhaka shook his head. "It is yours."

Milo ran onto the pitch. He was holding a scroll.

"THE HISTORIAN!" Milo shouted. "I AM WRITING THE NEW HISTORY! ALEX! THE DYNASTY CONTINUES! I AM SELLING QUILL PENS! PLUCKED FROM A GOOSE! FIVE POUNDS!"

"Milo, leave the geese alone," Alex laughed.

They walked into the dressing room.

It was buzzing.

Alex checked his phone.

A text from Maya.

"Statistical probability of ending a 42-game streak: 2.3%. You are the outlier. The anomaly. Also, I left my library card in your bag. Please bring it back. The fine is 50 pence a day."

Alex smiled.

He looked at Mark.

Mark was wearing Xhaka’s shirt. It was too big for him.

"I am strong now!" Mark said, flexing his thin arms. "I have the power of the Swiss midfielder!"

"You need more muscles, Mark," Alex said.

"I have speed muscles!" Mark argued. "They are aerodynamic! Invisible muscles!"

Alex leaned back on the bench.

They were in the Semi-Finals. Again.