Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 537: The final exam

Rows of desks stretched to the horizon. The only sound was the scratching of pens and the ticking of the clock.

Mr. Final (a terrifying invigilator who looked like he ate detention slips for breakfast) walked up and down the aisles.

"Five minutes," Mr. Final whispered. "Five minutes to finish your story."

Alex sat at his desk. He was writing an essay for Philosophy.

Is the journey more important than the destination?

Alex wrote: The destination validates the journey. But the journey creates the character who deserves the destination.

He put his pen down.

Mark sat next to him. Mark was not writing. He was drawing a picture of himself lifting a trophy that was bigger than the sun.

"Mark," Mr. Final whispered. "Please stop drawing cartoons. This is a Philosophy exam."

"It is a visual metaphor!" Mark argued. "The trophy represents happiness! The sun represents pizza!"

"Finish the paper, Mark."

The bell rang.

Alex stood up. He stretched.

Exams were over. University was over (for the summer).

Now, the real final began.

Premier League. Matchday 38. The Final Day. Arsenal vs Manchester United. The Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City were playing West Ham at the same time. If City won, Arsenal had to win. If Arsenal drew, they lost the title.

It was all or nothing.

Alex walked out to the car park.

Milo was waiting.

Milo was dressed as... a King.

He was wearing a purple velvet robe, a crown covered in fake jewels, and holding a scepter made of a toilet brush painted gold.

"ALL HAIL!" Milo screamed. "THE CORONATION IS TODAY! ALEX! I AM SELLING THRONES! THEY ARE JUST PLASTIC CHAIRS SPRAYED GOLD! BUT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE! FIFTY POUNDS!"

"Milo, you look like a pantomime villain," Alex laughed.

"I AM ROYALTY!" Milo insisted. "I AM KING MILO THE FIRST! OF THE CAR PARK!"

They drove to the stadium.

Steve, the manager, was waiting.

"This is it," Steve said. "The last dance of the season."

He looked at the team.

"United have nothing to play for. They are 4th. They are safe. But they hate us. They want to ruin our day."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. You started this journey as a kid. Now you are a man. Finish it."

"I will close the book," Alex said.

The Emirates Stadium.

The sun was shining. The stadium was a sea of red.

Alex stood in the tunnel.

Bruno Fernandes stood next to him.

"So," Bruno said. "One game left."

"One win left," Alex corrected.

"City are winning," Bruno smirked. "I checked the phone. Foden scored in the first minute."

Alex felt a cold drop in his stomach.

"Focus on us," Alex said. "We control our destiny."

Mark stood behind Alex. He was staring at Casemiro.

"You are big," Mark said.

"I am strong," Casemiro grunted.

"I am fast," Mark said. "And I had a very good breakfast. Croissants and victory."

The whistle blew.

The game started.

United were relaxed. They played with freedom. They passed the ball well.

Arsenal were nervous. The pressure was heavy.

In the twentieth minute, Rashford got the ball. He ran at White.

Rashford cut inside. He curled a shot.

It hit the post.

The Emirates gasped.

"Wake up!" Rice screamed.

News filtered through. City were winning 2-0.

Arsenal had to win.

But they couldn’t break United down. The Wall (Casemiro) was solid.

Halftime. Zero zero.

The dressing room was quiet.

"We are choking," Rico whispered. "We are scared."

Steve stood up.

"You are not scared," Steve said. "You are thinking too much."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. Stop calculating. Start playing. Sometimes, the answer isn’t in the textbook. It is in the heart."

Alex looked at his boots.

"Heart," Alex whispered. "The unquantifiable variable."

Second half.

Arsenal came out with fire.

Sixtieth minute.

Alex got the ball.

He didn’t look for the perfect pass. He just ran.

He ran past Mainoo. He ran past Casemiro.

He was thirty yards out.

He shot.

Onana saved it.

Seventy fifth minute.

Still 0-0.

City were winning 3-0.

If it stayed like this, City were champions.

The Arsenal fans were quiet. They were praying.

Eighty fifth minute.

Five minutes left.

The season was slipping away.

Alex had the ball on the wing.

He was tired. His legs felt like lead.

He looked at the box. It was crowded. United had parked the bus.

He saw Mark.

Mark was on the edge of the area. He was surrounded by three defenders.

There was no pass.

Alex looked at the crowd. He saw a little kid holding a sign. BELIEVE.

Alex closed his eyes for a microsecond.

"Believe," he thought.

He didn’t cross. He didn’t shoot.

He did something crazy.

He chipped the ball to the far post. Where nobody was.

It looked like a mistake. A terrible overhit cross.

The United defenders relaxed. They watched the ball sail over their heads.

But then...

Rico appeared.

The Samba King had been hiding near the corner flag. He had made a late run.

Rico sprinted.

He caught the ball on the byline. He kept it in by a millimeter.

He hooked it back into the center.

The United defense was in chaos. They were all looking the wrong way.

The ball fell into the middle of the box.

It bounced.

Who was there?

Not Mark. Not Saka. Not Gyokeres.

Alex.

He had continued his run. He had followed the pass.

The ball bounced in front of him.

He was twelve yards out.

Onana was scrambling across his goal.

Alex didn’t smash it.

He remembered the philosophy lesson.

The journey validates the destination.

He side-footed it.

Gentle. Precise.

The ball rolled.

It rolled past Onana’s hand.

It rolled past Maguire’s foot.

It hit the net.

GOAL.

One zero. Arsenal.

Eighty eighth minute.

The stadium exploded. It was a noise that could be heard from space.

Alex ran to the crowd. He didn’t celebrate. He just stood there and cried.

Mark jumped on him. Rico jumped on him. The whole bench jumped on him.

"THE PROFESSOR!" Mark screamed. "YOU SOLVED IT!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"It wasn’t math!" Alex laughed through his tears. "It was belief!"

United tried to attack. But the Emirates was a wall of noise. They couldn’t hear themselves think.

Ninety fourth minute.

The final whistle blew.

Arsenal 1. Manchester United 0.

Manchester City won their game. But it didn’t matter.

Arsenal were Champions.

Four times in a row. The Invincibles 2.0.

Alex fell to the ground.

The season was over. The journey was complete.

Milo ran onto the pitch. He was wearing a full king’s robe and a crown that was actually made of gold foil this time.

"THE EMPEROR OF COMMERCE!" Milo screamed. "WE DID IT! ALEX! I AM SELLING PIECES OF THE SKY! BECAUSE WE ARE IN HEAVEN! FREE FOR EVERYONE!"

"Free?" Alex laughed. "Are you sick, Milo?"

"TODAY IS A HOLIDAY!" Milo yelled.

They walked up the steps.

Odegaard handed the trophy to Alex.

"You lift it," Odegaard said. "You won it."

Alex looked at the trophy. It reflected the lights of the stadium.

He looked at Mark.

"Together," Alex said.

Mark grabbed one handle. Alex grabbed the other.

"Three," Mark said. "Two. One. PIZZA!"

They lifted the trophy.

Confetti rained down. We Are The Champions played.

Alex looked at the crowd.

He saw his mum and dad. He saw Maya holding a sign: ’PROBABILITY OF THIS MOMENT: 100%. BECAUSE YOU ARE ALEX FINCH.’

Alex smiled.

He looked at Mark.

Mark was wearing the Premier League trophy as a hat (again). He had a slice of pizza in one hand and a gold medal in the other.

"We did it, Professor," Mark said. "We finished the game."

"We finished the level," Alex corrected. "There is always another level."

"Does the next level have flying cars?" Mark asked.

"Maybe," Alex said.

"Cool," Mark grinned. "I want to race a flying car."