Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 557: Lesson one.

Alex paced back and forth. One step. Turn. One step. Turn.

He wasn’t on the pitch. He wasn’t in a lecture. He was in the maternity ward.

"Sit down, Professor," Mark said. Mark was sitting on a plastic chair, eating a bag of jelly babies. "You are making me dizzy. And I am already dizzy from eating too much sugar."

"I can’t sit," Alex said. "The variables are too high. What if something goes wrong? What if the baby doesn’t like football? What if he supports Tottenham?"

"Then we disown him," Mark said calmly, biting the head off a jelly baby. "Just kidding. We will convert him. I will teach him the ways of the pizza."

Rico was there too. He was trying to juggle a rolled-up pair of socks.

"Relax, Alex," Rico said. "Babies are easy. They eat. They sleep. They cry. Like Mark, but smaller."

"Hey!" Mark protested. "I do not cry! Unless I stub my toe. Or run out of cheese."

The door opened.

A nurse walked out. She was smiling.

"Mr. Finch?" she asked.

Alex froze. "Yes?"

"Congratulations," she said. "It is a boy."

Alex let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

"Can we see him?" Mark asked, jumping up. "I want to teach him how to run!"

"Family only for now," the nurse said sternly.

"I am his uncle!" Mark declared. "Uncle Speed! And this is Uncle Samba!" He pointed to Rico.

"Just Alex for now," the nurse said.

Alex walked into the room.

It was quiet. The light was soft.

Maya was lying in the bed. She looked tired but happy. She was holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Hey," Alex whispered.

"Hey, Professor," Maya smiled. "Come meet your son."

Alex walked over. He looked down.

The baby was tiny. He had a small nose and a tuft of dark hair. He was sleeping.

"He is... small," Alex said. "Statistically smaller than average."

"He is perfect," Maya said. "And his vitals are 100%. I checked."

Alex touched the baby’s hand. The tiny fingers curled around his finger.

It was a feeling stronger than winning the World Cup. Stronger than the Ballon d’Or.

It was pure connection.

"What is his name?" Alex asked.

"We talked about Leo," Maya said. "For Leon."

"Leo," Alex whispered. "Leo Finch."

The baby opened his eyes. They were bright. Alert. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"He is calculating," Alex laughed. "He is looking for the angles."

"He is looking for milk," Maya corrected.

The door burst open.

"SURPRISE!"

Mark ran in. He was wearing a giant stork costume. It had a long orange beak and white feathers.

"Mark!" the nurse shouted from the corridor. "Get out!"

"I AM THE STORK OF JOY!" Mark screamed. "I DELIVER THE GOOD NEWS! AND PIZZA!"

He placed a pizza box on the bedside table.

"Mark," Alex sighed. "You cannot bring pizza into a maternity ward."

"It is for the baby!" Mark insisted. "He needs carbohydrates to grow fast!"

Rico walked in behind him. He was holding a tiny Arsenal shirt. It was size 0-3 months. On the back, it said FINCH JR 10.

"For the future," Rico grinned.

Milo appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a doctor’s coat and a stethoscope made of licorice.

"DR. MILO IS HERE!" Milo shouted. "I AM SELLING BABY INSURANCE! WHAT IF HE DROPS HIS DUMMY? I HAVE A REPLACEMENT! ONLY FIVE POUNDS!"

"Out!" the nurse yelled, pushing them all towards the door.

"Wait," Alex said. "Let them see him."

The nurse sighed. "Five minutes. And take off the beak."

Mark took off the beak. He looked at the baby.

"Wow," Mark whispered. "He is really small. Can he run yet?"

"He is one hour old, Mark," Maya said.

"Lazy," Mark shook his head. "By the time I was one hour old, I was already crawling."

"That is a lie," Alex said.

"It is a legend!" Mark corrected.

Rico touched the baby’s foot. "He has good feet. Look at that arch. He will be a dribbler."

"He will be a genius," Maya said.

"He will be fast," Mark said.

"He will be rich," Milo added. "If he signs my contract."

Alex looked at his friends. He looked at Maya. He looked at Leo.

This was his new team. His new squad.

And this was his new favorite position.

Father.

Six months later.

The living room of the penthouse was a mess. There were toys everywhere.

Alex sat on the floor. He was holding a football.

Leo was sitting opposite him. He was wearing the Arsenal shirt Rico gave him.

"Okay, Leo," Alex said seriously. "Lesson one. The pass."

Alex rolled the ball gently towards Leo.

Leo looked at the ball. He gurgled. He grabbed the ball with his hands and tried to eat it.

"Handball!" Mark shouted from the sofa. "Red card!"

Mark was babysitting (under strict supervision). He was eating a sandwich.

"He is a goalkeeper," Mark decided. "He likes using his hands."

"He is a midfielder," Alex insisted. "He is just testing the texture of the sphere."

"He is eating it," Mark said. "He is hungry. Like his Uncle Mark."

Maya walked in. She was holding a tablet.

"Developmental analysis," Maya said. "Motor skills are within the 90th percentile. However, his ball-eating tendency suggests a high appetite for possession."

"See?" Mark said. "He is hungry."

The doorbell rang.

Milo walked in. He was pushing a pram. But it wasn’t a normal pram. It had spoilers, exhaust pipes, and flames painted on the side.

"THE PIMP MY RIDE EDITION!" Milo screamed. "ALEX! I UPGRADED THE CHARIOT! IT HAS TURBO BOOST! (It is just a fan I taped to the back). AND A CUP HOLDER FOR JUICE BOXES! ONLY FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS!"

"Milo, does it have brakes?" Alex asked.

"BRAKES ARE FOR COWARDS!" Milo yelled.

Leo looked at the pram. He laughed.

"He likes it!" Milo cheered. "He has good taste!"

Alex picked up Leo. He held him high in the air.

"You are going to have a crazy life, kid," Alex whispered. "Crazy uncles. Crazy dad."

Leo smiled. A toothless, happy smile.

Alex looked at the trophy shelf. The Ballon d’Or was still there. But it seemed less shiny now.

The real gold was in his arms.

"Hey Alex," Mark said.

"Yeah?"

"When can we teach him the ’Nutmeg’?"

"When he can walk, Mark."

"I can teach him the ’Crawlmeg’," Mark suggested. "It is a nutmeg while crawling. Very effective against toddlers."

Alex laughed.

"Let’s go to the park," Alex said.

"The park?" Mark asked. "To play football?"

"To play life," Alex said.

They walked out.

Alex pushing the turbo pram. Mark running in circles. Milo trying to sell tickets to see the baby. Maya calculating the wind speed.

And Leo, sitting in the pram, watching the world go by with wide eyes.

The Dynasty continued.

But now, it had a new heir.

And the Professor had a new student.

"Class is in session," Alex whispered to his son.

"Lesson one: Have fun."