Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 534: The Law

The law lecture hall was imposing. It had high ceilings and wooden benches that were uncomfortable enough to keep you awake.

Professor Scales stood at the podium. He adjusted his glasses.

"The Law," Professor Scales said. "It is a system of rules. But rules are open to interpretation. There is the letter of the law, and there is the spirit of the law. One is rigid. The other is fluid."

Alex sat in the middle row. He was highlighting his textbook.

Interpretation.

Football was full of laws. Offside. Handball. Foul. But the referee was the judge. And judges were human.

"Mr. Finch," the Professor asked. "If a rule is unjust, do we follow it?"

Alex looked up.

"We follow it, Sir," Alex said. "Until we can change it. Chaos is not the answer."

"A pragmatic answer," the Professor nodded.

Mark sat next to Alex. He was wearing a white wig that looked like it was made of cotton wool. He was also wearing a black robe that was definitely a bathrobe.

"I AM THE JUDGE!" Mark whispered loudly. "I AM JUDGE DREDD! I AM JUDGE JUDY! I AM JUDGE MARK!"

"Mark," Alex whispered. "Please take off the wig. You look like a sheep."

"I am a symbol of justice!" Mark argued. "I am here to sue gravity! It keeps pulling me down! It is harassment!"

"You cannot sue a fundamental force of the universe, Mark."

"Watch me!" Mark said, banging a gavel (a wooden spoon) on the desk. "Case closed!"

The lecture ended.

Alex packed his bag.

Law. Rules. Justice.

He would need all of them tonight.

Champions League. Quarter Final. First Leg.

Arsenal vs Manchester City.

The Emirates Stadium.

It was the English rivalry on the European stage. Pep Guardiola vs The Dynasty. The Master vs The Students.

Alex walked out to the car park.

Milo was waiting.

Milo was dressed as... a Police Officer.

He was wearing a high-visibility jacket, a plastic helmet, and huge aviator sunglasses. He was holding a radar gun (which was a hairdryer).

"PULL OVER!" Milo screamed, pointing the hairdryer at Alex. "YOU ARE WALKING TOO FAST! ALEX! I AM THE FOOTBALL POLICE! I AM ISSUING TICKETS FOR BORING PLAY! I AM SELLING ’GET OUT OF JAIL FREE’ CARDS! ONLY FIFTY POUNDS!"

"Milo, I am walking at a normal speed," Alex laughed.

"SPEEDING IS A STATE OF MIND!" Milo yelled. "I AM ALSO SELLING HANDCUFFS! FOR WHEN YOU LOCK DOWN THE MIDFIELD!"

"Are those fuzzy handcuffs?"

"COMFORT IS KEY!" Milo winked.

They drove to the stadium.

Steve, the manager, was waiting in the dressing room.

"Manchester City," Steve said. "They know us. We know them. There are no secrets."

He looked at the tactics board.

"Pep will try to trap you. He will use ’Tactical Fouls’. Small crimes. Little pushes. Little trips. He plays the edges of the law."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. Do not get angry. If they break the law, let the referee deal with it. You play the game."

"I will be the jury," Alex said.

The Emirates Stadium.

The atmosphere was tense. This wasn’t a party. It was a chess match.

Alex stood in the tunnel.

Phil Foden stood next to him.

"Law school?" Foden asked.

"Something like that," Alex said. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"I prefer the school of hard knocks," Foden grinned. "We are going to hit you today."

"Contact is part of the game," Alex said calmly.

Rodri stood behind Foden. He looked big. He looked like the enforcer.

"No space today," Rodri grunted. "I am the sheriff."

"I am the outlaw," Mark whispered from behind Alex. "The fast outlaw."

The whistle blew.

The game started.

It was exactly what Steve had predicted. A battle of laws.

City kept the ball. When Arsenal won it back, City fouled.

In the tenth minute, Alex spun away from Bernardo Silva. Silva pulled his shirt. Just a little bit.

Alex slowed down. The chance was gone.

The referee gave a free kick, but no card.

"Smart," Alex thought. "They are breaking the flow."

In the twenty-fifth minute, City scored.

De Bruyne played a pass that should have been illegal. It curved around Saliba.

Haaland ran onto it.

He smashed it.

Goal.

Zero one. Manchester City.

The away fans cheered.

"They are cheating!" Mark yelled. "Haaland is a robot! Robots are not allowed!"

Alex stood in the center circle.

He analyzed the situation.

Problem: City are using tactical fouls to stop our rhythm.

Solution: Play faster than the whistle.

"Quick free kicks!" Alex shouted to the team. "Do not wait for the referee! Play!"

Arsenal restarted.

Alex changed the tempo.

When he was fouled, he didn’t roll around. He placed the ball and passed immediately.

Thirty fifth minute.

Saka was tripped by Gvardiol.

The referee blew the whistle.

Gvardiol turned to argue with the referee. The City defense relaxed. They were waiting for the set piece.

Alex ran to the ball.

He didn’t wait.

He saw Rico making a run.

Alex hit a quick pass over the top.

Rico caught the City defense sleeping.

He controlled it. He was in the box.

He squared it to Gyokeres.

The giant Swede tapped it in.

Goal.

One one.

The City players surrounded the referee. "We were not ready!"

"The whistle blew," Alex said calmly to Rodri. "The law says play on."

Rodri glared at him. "Clever boy."

Halftime. One one.

Steve was nodding.

"You caught them napping," Steve said. "They rely on the pauses. They rely on controlling the time. Take the time away from them."

He looked at Mark.

"Speed. Walker is fast. But he relies on recovery pace. If you get a head start, he cannot catch you."

"I will start running yesterday!" Mark said.

Second half.

The game became a legal battle. Every decision was contested. Every tackle was checked.

Sixtieth minute.

Haaland broke through. Gabriel tackled him.

Haaland fell.

"Penalty!" City screamed.

The referee pointed to the spot.

VAR check.

The stadium waited. The giant screen said CHECKING PENALTY.

Alex stood next to the referee. He looked at the screen.

"He got the ball," Alex said quietly.

"We will see," the referee said.

The check took two minutes. It felt like two years.

"NO PENALTY," the screen flashed.

The Emirates roared. Justice.

"Objection overruled!" Mark shouted at Haaland.

Seventy fifth minute.

The game was tied.

Alex had the ball in midfield.

Rodri came to tackle him. Rodri had a yellow card now. He had to be careful.

Alex knew the law.

He drove at Rodri. He invited the challenge.

Rodri stepped back. He couldn’t foul.

This created space.

Alex ran into the space.

He saw Mark.

Mark was on the wing. Walker was tight to him.

Alex didn’t pass to Mark’s feet. He passed to the corner flag.

"Race!" Alex yelled.

Mark turned. Walker turned.

It was the Olympic final.

Mark dug deep. He pumped his arms.

He got there first.

He didn’t cross. He cut back.

He passed to Alex, who had continued his run.

Alex was on the edge of the box.

Ruben Dias stepped out.

Alex faked a shot. Dias blocked the angle.

Alex looked at the goal.

He saw a tiny gap between Dias’s legs.

The Nutmeg.

It wasn’t just a trick. It was the only path.

Alex side-footed the ball.

It went through the legs.

Ederson saw it late.

He dived.

The ball hit the post.

And rolled across the line.

And went in.

GOAL.

Two one. Arsenal.

Eighty second minute.

Alex ran to the corner. He made a "T" shape with his hands.

"Time out!" Alex laughed.

Mark jumped on him. "THE GAVEL HAS SPOKEN! ORDER IN THE COURT!"

City were furious. They threw everything forward.

De Bruyne shot. Raya saved.

Foden dribbled. Saliba tackled.

Ninety fourth minute.

Last chance for City.

Free kick on the edge of the box.

De Bruyne stood over it.

The wall lined up. Alex was in the wall.

"Hold the line!" Alex shouted. "Do not break!"

De Bruyne hit it.

It was a rocket.

Alex didn’t flinch. He jumped.

The ball hit him square in the forehead.

Thud.

It hurt. A lot.

But the ball deflected over the bar.

Corner.

The referee looked at his watch.

He blew the whistle.

Arsenal 2. Manchester City 1.

First leg advantage.

Alex fell to his knees. His head was throbbing.

"Headache?" Rico asked, helping him up.

"Worth it," Alex winced.

Rodri walked past. He offered a hand.

"You play the rules well," Rodri said.

"I study hard," Alex smiled.

Milo ran onto the pitch. He was wearing a barrister’s wig and holding a briefcase.

"THE LAWYER!" Milo screamed. "CASE DISMISSED! ALEX! WE WON THE TRIAL! I AM SELLING LEGAL ADVICE! ’HOW TO WIN AGAINST CITY’! ONE THOUSAND POUNDS A MINUTE!"

"Milo, your wig is on sideways," Alex laughed.

"IT IS A FASHION STATEMENT!" Milo yelled.

They walked into the dressing room.

The team was happy. Beating City was always special.

Alex sat down. He put an ice pack on his head.

He checked his phone.

A text from Maya.

"Jurisprudence analysis: Successful. You exploited the gray areas of the advantage rule. Efficiency rating: 93%. Also, Professor Scales sent an email. He says your header in the wall was ’a solid defense of the territory’. He gave you an A for bravery."

Alex smiled.

He looked at Mark.

Mark was wearing the barrister wig now. He was eating a bagel.

"I am the judge now," Mark announced. "I sentence this bagel to be eaten."

"That is not how the law works, Mark," Alex said.

"It is my court!" Mark mumbled, chewing. "Delicious justice."