<div> Alex sat at the head of the table. He was 28, a multi-millionaire, and a global superstar. But here, he was just Alex.
 His mum, Sarah, placed a giant bowl of peas on the table.
 "Eat your greens," she said. "You look pale. Are you eating enough in Italy? Or just pasta?"
 "I eat well, Mum," Alex said. "We have a nutritionist."
 "Does this nutritionist know how to make gravy?" she asked, pouring a thick brown liquid over his plate. "I doubt it. Italians make sauce, not gravy."
 "It is delicious, Mum," Alex said, taking a bite. It tasted like home.
 Leo was sitting next to him. He was trying to build a mashed potato volcano.
 "Grandma," Leo asked. "Did Dad eat his peas when he was little?"
 "He tried to hide them in his pockets," Sarah laughed. "One day, I found a pocket full of mushy peas in his school trousers. It was disgusting."
 "Tactical concealment," Alex muttered.
 After lunch, while Mark and Rico were in the garden trying to teach Leo how to do a bicycle kick (and failing), Alex stayed in the kitchen to help his mum wash up.
 The house was quiet. The clinking of plates was the only sound.
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
 </div> "So," Sarah said, scrubbing a pot. "You seem happy."
 "I am," Alex said, drying a plate. "Life is good."
 "And Maya?"
 "She is great. Busy with work. But great."
 Sarah stopped scrubbing. She looked out the window at the garden. She watched Leo laughing as Mark chased him with a water pistol.
 "You know," she said softly. "When you were little... before the accident... before everything changed... I worried about you."
 Alex froze. The accident. The moment Leon Fischer woke up in Alex Finch's body.
 "Why?" Alex asked.
 "You were so... quiet," Sarah said. "You were always in your own world. You liked puzzles more than people. You didn't care about football."
 She turned to him. Her eyes were warm.
 "And then, one day, you woke up. And you were different. You were still my Alex. But there was a fire in you. A hunger."
 Alex put the plate down.
 He had never told her. About the reincarnation. About the system. About Danein Blake.
 He couldn't. It would sound crazy.
 "I just... found something I loved," Alex said.
 "It wasn't just love," Sarah said. "It was obsession. You trained in the rain. You studied videos until your eyes were red. You grew up so fast."
 She dried her hands on a towel.
 "I always wondered," she said. "Where did it come from? That drive?"
 Alex looked at his hands. The hands that had lifted trophies.
 He thought about Danein Blake. The man who had wasted his talent. The man who had died with regrets.
 "I think..." Alex started. "I think I was afraid of wasting time. I felt like I had a second chance. And I didn't want to blow it."
 Sarah looked at him. She didn't ask what he meant by 'second chance'. Mothers have a way of understanding without knowing.
 "You didn't blow it, love," she said. "You built something amazing."
 She pointed to the garden.
 "Look at them. Your friends. Your son. That is the real trophy. The rest is just metal."
 Alex looked.
 Mark had slipped on the wet grass and was lying on his back, laughing. Rico was trying to help him up but was laughing too hard. Milo was trying to sell Leo a "magic" towel to dry Mark off.
 "They are idiots," Alex smiled.
 "They are your idiots," Sarah said. "And they love you. Not because you are famous. But because you are you."
 She hugged him. It was a mum hug. The kind that makes you feel safe.
 "I am proud of you, Alex," she whispered. "Not because you won the World Cup. But because you stayed kind. You didn't let the world change you."
 Alex hugged her back. He felt a tear in his eye.
 "Thanks, Mum."
 "Now go," she said, pushing him towards the door. "Go save Mark before he drowns in a puddle. And tell him if he ruins my grass, he is not getting dessert."
 Alex walked out into the garden.
 "DAD!" Leo shouted. "UNCLE MARK IS STUCK!"
 Mark was indeed stuck. He had tried to slide through a small pop-up goal and got wedged.
 "I AM TRAPPED!" Mark yelled. "THE GOAL IS EATING ME! SEND HELP! AND PUDDING!"
 Alex shook his head.
 "Mum says if you break the goal, no pudding," Alex said.
 Mark gasped. He wriggled furiously. He popped out like a cork.
 "I AM FREE!" Mark cheered. "THE PUDDING IS SAFE!"
 Alex laughed.
 He looked back at the kitchen window. His mum was watching them, smiling.
 He realized something.
 He had spent three lives trying to prove himself. Trying to be the best.
 But maybe the point wasn't to be the best.
 Maybe the point was just to make his mum proud. To be a good father. To be a good friend.
 The System had given him the skills. But his mum had given him the heart.
 "Hey Alex," Rico said. "Do you want to play?"
 "Play what?"
 "Headers and volleys," Rico said. "Winner gets the last slice of cake."
 The basketball court was indoors. It was shiny. It smelled of squeaky shoes and floor polish.
 "Why are we here?" Mark asked. He was wearing a basketball jersey that was three sizes too big. It said JORDAN 23 on the back, but Mark had taped over "JORDAN" and written SPEED in marker.
 "Cross-training," Alex said. He was bouncing a basketball. It felt weird. Heavy. "Different sports use different muscles. It improves agility."
 "I am already agile!" Mark shouted, doing a star jump. "Look at me! I am a star!"
 Rico was there too. He was spinning the ball on his finger.
 "Basketball is like samba," Rico said. "But with hands. And no music."
 "There is music in my head," Mark said. "It is the Space Jam theme song. On repeat."
 Milo walked in. He was wearing a referee's uniform (black and white stripes) and blowing a whistle.
 "FOUL!" Milo screamed. "TRAVELING! DOUBLE DRIBBLE! ILLEGAL DEFENSE! ALEX! I AM THE REF! I AM SELLING FOULS! FIVE POUNDS FOR A FREE THROW!"
 "Milo, we haven't started yet," Alex laughed.
 "PRE-GAME VIOLATION!" Milo blew his whistle again.
 They divided into teams.
 Alex and Rico vs Mark and Milo.
 "Prepare to lose," Mark said, crouching down in a defensive stance. "I am the LeBron James of... running fast."
 "LeBron is tall, Mark," Alex said. "You are... compact."
 "I am a point guard!" Mark insisted. "I guard the points! Nobody gets points!"
 The game started.
 It was chaos.
 Mark didn't dribble. He just ran holding the ball like a rugby player.
 "Travel!" Alex shouted.
 "I am traveling to the hoop!" Mark yelled. He jumped. He tried to dunk. He missed the rim by two feet. The ball bounced off the backboard and hit him in the face.
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 </div> "FOUL!" Mark screamed, holding his nose. "THE HOOP HIT ME!"
 "The hoop is stationary, Mark," Rico laughed.
 Rico was good. He used his footwork. He did a crossover that made Milo spin in a circle and fall over.
 "My ankles!" Milo cried. "I need insurance!"
 Rico shot. Swish.
 "Two points," Alex said.
 "That doesn't count!" Mark argued. "He used magic!"
 Alex got the ball.
 He looked at the court. It was different from a football pitch. Smaller. Tighter.
 He analyzed the angles.
 If I bounce the ball here, it will reflect there.
 He dribbled. Thump. Thump.
 Mark tried to steal it. Alex did a "Behind the Back" dribble.
 Mark swiped at air.
 Alex passed to Rico. Rico passed back.
 Alex was open. He shot a three-pointer.
 It hit the rim. It bounced up. It bounced down. It went in.
 "Three points!" Alex cheered.
 "Beginner's luck!" Mark huffed.
 The game continued. They sweated. They laughed. They argued about rules that none of them really understood.
 Suddenly, the gym door opened.
 A giant walked in.
 He was seven feet tall. He had to duck to get through the door.
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 It was... Shaquille O'Neal?
 No. It was just a very tall man. But he was wearing a full Lakers kit.
 "Hello," the giant said. His voice rumbled. "Room for one more?"
 Mark looked up. And up. And up.
 "Are you a tree?" Mark whispered.
 "I am Jamal," the giant said. "I play for the London Lions."
 "Professional?" Alex asked.
 "Yeah," Jamal smiled. "I heard the Wonderkid was playing hoops. Wanted to see if you have skills."
 "We have skills!" Mark shouted. "I have the 'Running Dunk'! I haven't landed it yet, but it is theoretical!"
 "Show me," Jamal said.
 They played 3 vs 2. Jamal, Mark, and Milo vs Alex and Rico.
 It was unfair. Jamal just stood under the hoop and dropped the ball in.
 "He is cheating!" Rico complained. "He is too tall! It is like playing against a ladder!"
 "Adapt," Alex said. "Use speed."
 Alex got the ball. Jamal stepped out to guard him.
 Jamal was huge. His arms were like wings.
 Alex couldn't shoot over him. He couldn't pass around him.
 So he went under him.
 Alex dribbled low. Very low. Almost touching the floor.
 He went through Jamal's legs.
 "Nutmeg!" Mark screamed. "In basketball!"
 Alex came out the other side. He laid the ball up.
 Score.
 Jamal laughed. A booming laugh.
 "Nice move, little man," Jamal said.
 "Physics," Alex smiled. "Center of gravity."
 The game ended. They were exhausted.
 They sat on the bleachers, drinking water.
 "Basketball is hard," Mark panted. "Too much jumping. My legs are confused. They want to kick."
 "It is good for you," Jamal said. "Explosive power."
 "I am already explosive," Mark said. "I am a firework."
 Milo was trying to sell Jamal a pair of 'Magic Shoes'.
 "THEY MAKE YOU JUMP HIGHER!" Milo promised. "LOOK AT THE SPRINGS!"
 "Milo, those are just sponges taped to the bottom," Jamal pointed out.
 "SHOCK ABSORPTION!" Milo corrected.
 Alex wiped his face with a towel.
 He looked at the basketball court. The lines. The hoop.
 It was a different game. But the principles were the same.
 Space. Timing. Connection.
 And fun.
 "Hey Jamal," Alex said.
 "Yeah?"
 "Do you want to come to the Emirates next week? VIP box."
 "For the North London Derby?" Jamal asked.
 "Yes."
 "I'm in," Jamal grinned. "But only if Mark wears the jersey."
 "I will wear it!" Mark promised. "I will wear it as a cape! SUPER SPEED!"
 They walked out of the gym.
 The London rain was falling again. It cooled them down.
 Alex looked at his friends.
 Mark, the chaotic sprinter. Rico, the dancing wizard. Milo, the hustler. And now Jamal, the friendly giant.
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 </div> His circle was growing. His world was expanding.
 And he realized something.
 Life wasn't just about one game. It was about playing all of them.
 Football. Basketball. Life.
 "Class dismissed," Alex whispered.
 Mark looked at him.
 "Pizza?" Mark asked.
 "Pizza," Alex agreed.
 "Can we play baseball next?" Mark asked. "I want to hit something with a stick."
 "Maybe cricket," Alex suggested.
 "Cricket takes three days!" Mark groaned. "I will get hungry!"
 "We will bring snacks," Alex laughed.</div>
 

<div style="margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
</div>

Chapter 574: Headers and volleys

Alex sat at the head of the table. He was 28, a multi-millionaire, and a global superstar. But here, he was just Alex. His mum, Sarah, placed a giant bowl of peas on the table. "Eat your greens," she said. "You look pale. Are you eating enough in Italy? Or just pasta?" "I eat well, Mum," Alex said. "We have a nutritionist." "Does this nutritionist know how to make gravy?" she asked, pouring a thick brown liquid over his plate. "I doubt it. Italians make sauce, not gravy." "It is delicious,...

Reincarnated As A Wonderkid

Chapter 574: Headers and volleys

Reincarnated As A Wonderkid - Chapter 574: Headers and volleys