CHAPTER 508: THE UNIVERSITY OF FOOTBALL

"I cannot open it," Mark whispered. "My hands are shaking. It is like taking a penalty in the World Cup but without the ball."

"Just rip it open, Mark," Alex said. "It is just paper."

"It is my destiny!" Mark argued. "If I fail, I have to become a pizza delivery boy. I mean, I would be very good at it because I am fast, but the tips are unpredictable."

Maya walked over. She had already opened her envelope. She looked calm.

"Three A Stars," Maya said. "As predicted. The probability of error was less than 0.5 percent."

"Show off," Mark grumbled.

Alex took a deep breath. He tore the strip off the envelope. He pulled out the paper.

Mathematics: A.

Physics: A.

Economics: B.

"I passed," Alex exhaled. "I am officially educated."

"Open mine!" Mark shoved his envelope into Alex hands. "I cannot look! Tell me if I am doomed!"

Alex opened Mark envelope. He scanned the paper.

"Well?" Mark asked, peeking through his fingers.

"You got a C in Drama," Alex said.

"YES!" Mark screamed. "C FOR CHAMPION!"

"And a D in French," Alex added.

"D FOR DYNAMIC!" Mark yelled.

"And an E in History," Alex finished.

"E FOR EMPEROR!" Mark shouted, throwing his hat in the air. "I PASSED! I AM A GENIUS! I AM BASICALLY EINSTEIN BUT FAST!"

The Headmaster walked past. He looked tired.

"Congratulations, boys," the Headmaster said. "Please take your noise outside. Some students are actually crying."

"Tears of joy, Sir!" Mark said, shaking the Headmaster hand vigorously. "We are free!"

They walked out into the sunshine.

School was over. Forever.

Milo was waiting at the gate.

Milo was wearing a suit made of old report cards stapled together.

"THE GRADUATE!" Milo shouted. "WE SURVIVED THE SYSTEM! ALEX! MARK! I AM SELLING DIPLOMAS! DO YOU WANT TO BE A DOCTOR? A PILOT? AN ASTRONAUT? I HAVE THE PAPERWORK! ONLY FIFTY POUNDS FOR A PHD!"

"Milo, those are printed on napkins," Alex laughed.

"IT IS ECO FRIENDLY PAPER!" Milo insisted. "VERY MODERN!"

They got into the car.

The school gates faded into the distance.

"What now?" Mark asked, taking off his gown. "Do we get jobs?"

"We have jobs, Mark," Alex said. "We play for Arsenal."

"Oh right," Mark grinned. "I forgot. I was too focused on getting that E in History."

Steve, the manager, sent a text to the group chat.

Well done on the exams. Now pack your bags. We leave tonight.

Destination: Tokyo.

Tokyo. Japan.

It was a city of lights, noise, and future.

The Arsenal team bus drove through the neon streets of Shibuya.

Mark was glued to the window.

"Look at the screens!" Mark yelled. "They are huge! Is that Godzilla? No, it is just a cat selling soup. But it is a giant cat!"

Alex looked out. It was different from London. It was faster. Brighter.

"This is efficient," Alex whispered. "Organized chaos."

They arrived at the hotel. It was a skyscraper that touched the clouds.

The lobby was full of fans. They were polite but enthusiastic. They held signs.

WELCOME PROFESSOR.

WELCOME EMPEROR.

Rico, the Brazilian playmaker, walked in. He was wearing sunglasses and carrying a boombox.

"Tokyo!" Rico shouted. "We are here to dance!"

"We are here to play, Rico," Alex said.

"Playing is dancing with a ball," Rico winked.

The next day. The Japan National Stadium.

It was a pre season friendly against the J League All Stars.

The stadium was packed. Sixty thousand fans. It was humid. The air felt like warm soup.

Steve gathered the team.

"This is not a holiday," Steve said. "These guys are midway through their season. They are fit. They are fast. They want to beat the English champions."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. You are the star here. They love you. Show them why."

"I will give a lecture," Alex smiled.

The whistle blew.

The game started.

The J League team was technical. Very technical. They passed the ball quickly. Pop. Pop. Pop.

They had a striker called Kenji. He was small. He had blue hair. And he was fast.

In the tenth minute, Kenji got the ball.

He ran at Ben White.

Kenji did not do a stepover. He did a "360 Spin". He spun like a top.

He went past White.

He shot.

Ramsdale saved it.

"He is slippery!" Ramsdale yelled. "Like an eel!"

"He is fast!" Mark said, looking impressed. "He has blue hair! Maybe blue hair makes you faster? Should I dye my hair blue?"

"Focus, Mark," Alex said.

The game was end to end. It was entertaining.

In the thirtieth minute, Arsenal won a free kick.

It was thirty yards out.

The crowd went silent. They wanted to see the magic.

Alex stood over the ball.

He looked at the wall.

He calculated the humidity. The air was thick. The ball would move differently.

Drag coefficient increased.

He needed power.

He ran up.

He hit the ball.

It stayed low. It went under the wall as they jumped.

It hit the post.

THUD.

The crowd gasped.

"Close!" Rico yelled. "Next time, use some Samba!"

Halftime. Zero zero.

It was a friendly, but nobody wanted to draw.

Steve made changes.

"Milo!" Steve shouted. (Wait, Milo is not a player. Steve shouted for Trossard).

"Trossard, you are on. Martinelli, rest."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. They are organized. Break the grid."

Second half.

The Japanese team pressed higher.

Sixtieth minute.

Alex got the ball in the center circle.

Kenji came to press him.

"You are good," Alex said to Kenji as he shielded the ball.

"I am fast," Kenji replied in English.

"Speed is distance over time," Alex said. "But timing is everything."

Alex waited.

He saw Mark making a run.

But Mark was being tracked by two defenders.

Alex saw Rico.

Rico was standing near the corner flag, waving to the fans.

"Rico!" Alex yelled. "Play!"

Rico woke up. He ran into space.

Alex hit a diagonal pass.

Rico caught it on his chest. He did a little juggle.

He crossed it.

Mark was there.

Mark jumped. He was like a salmon.

He headed the ball.

Goal.

One zero. Arsenal.

Mark ran to the Japanese fans. He bowed deeply.

"ARIGATO!" Mark shouted. "THANK YOU FOR THE SUSHI!"

The fans cheered. They loved him.

Eighty fifth minute.

The game was winding down.

But Kenji wanted a goal.

He got the ball on the wing.

He ran past Zinchenko. He ran past Saliba.

He was through.

Alex was the only one left. He had tracked back.

It was the Professor vs The Blue Blur.

Kenji tried to push the ball past Alex.

Alex knew he could not win the foot race.

So he used physics.

He stepped across Kenji line. He used his body as a shield.

Kenji ran into Alex shoulder.

It was a legal check.

Kenji bounced off.

Alex took the ball.

He turned.

He saw the goalkeeper off his line.

Alex was seventy yards away.

"Don’t do it," Jude shouted from the bench.

Alex did it.

He hit the ball.

It flew through the Tokyo night sky. It went over the midfield. It went over the defense.

It dropped towards the goal.

The goalkeeper backpedaled. He jumped.

He tipped it over the bar.

The crowd sighed. It would have been the goal of the century.

The final whistle blew.

Arsenal 1. J League All Stars 0.

A win in Tokyo.

Alex walked off the pitch. He was sweating buckets.

Kenji walked over. He swapped shirts with Alex.

"You are strong," Kenji said. "For a calculator."

"You are fast," Alex said. "For a Smurf."

Kenji laughed. "See you in the Club World Cup."

Milo ran onto the pitch. He was wearing a kimono and holding a paper fan.

"THE SAMURAI!" Milo screamed. "I AM THE WARRIOR OF COMMERCE! ALEX! I AM SELLING CHOPSTICKS! BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DRUMSTICKS! PLAY YOUR FOOD! PLAY THE DRUMS! MULTI PURPOSE!"

"Milo, you look very comfortable," Alex said.

"IT IS SILK!" Milo shouted. "VERY BREATHABLE!"

They walked into the dressing room.

Sushi was waiting. Trays and trays of sushi.

Mark eyes lit up.

"FISH AND RICE!" Mark yelled. "MY FAVORITE SHAPES! CIRCLES AND SQUARES!"

He started eating with his hands.

"Use the chopsticks, Mark," Alex said.

"Too slow!" Mark said. "My hands are forks!"

Alex sat down. He ate a tuna roll.

He felt good.

School was done. The exams were passed.

He was a professional now. Full time.

No more history essays. No more biology labs.

Just football.

Maya sent a text.

"Match analysis: Solid. Humidity impacted aerobic capacity by 12 percent. But pass completion was 98 percent. Also, I got into Oxford University. Mathematics. See you in the holidays."

Alex smiled.

"Congrats," he typed back.

He looked at his friends.

Rico was teaching Mark how to dance Samba while holding a piece of sushi.

Steve was talking to the press.

This was his life now.

The Dynasty was global.

The Professor leaned back.

"Chapter One is finished," Alex thought. "School is out."

"Chapter Two starts now."

"The University of Football."

And Alex Finch was ready for his degree.

"Mark," Alex said.

"Mmmph?" Mark replied, mouth full of rice.

"Pass the soy sauce."

"Say please in Japanese."

"Kudasai."

"You learn fast, Professor," Mark grinned.