Alex walked into the training ground on Monday morning. He was carrying a new bag.

It wasn't his usual sports bag. It was a sleek, leather briefcase.

Bastian was already in the locker room, drinking an espresso. He raised an eyebrow.

"Professor," Bastian said. "Are you going to work at a bank?"

"No," Alex said, putting the briefcase in his locker. "It is for my... other job."

"You have another job?" Mark asked, bursting through the door. He was wearing a t-shirt that said SPEED DEMON in neon letters. "Is it secret agent? Are you a spy?"

"I am a student," Alex sighed. "I have A-Levels coming up. History. Math. Physics."

"Boring," Mark said, sitting down. "I am studying... speed."

Jude walked in. He was wearing a t-shirt that just said POWER.

"Morning, team," Jude grinned. "Ready for the trip north?"

"Anfield," Antoine said, shuddering as he walked in. "It is cold. It is loud. It is... unpleasant."

"It is a fortress," Steve said, entering the room.

The manager looked serious.

"Liverpool away," Steve said. "We beat them last year. But they are angry. They have not lost at home in twenty games. They want revenge."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. You were the hero last time. The 'Brain in the Rain'. They will target you. They will try to break you."

"I am ready, coach," Alex said.

"Are you?" Steve asked. "Your mind is on history exams. Your body is tired. Can you handle the pressure?"

"I can handle it," Alex said firmly.

"Good," Steve said. "Because we are not going to defend. We are going to attack. We are going to play... 'The Storm'."

The Storm.

It was a new tactic.

Instead of waiting, instead of being patient... Arsenal would unleash everything at once.

Alex, Jude, Antoine, Mark. All pressing. All running. All attacking.

From the first whistle.

"We will shock them," Steve said. "We will hit them so hard they won't know what day it is."

Saturday. Anfield.

The atmosphere was electric. The Kop was singing You'll Never Walk Alone. It was beautiful and terrifying.

Alex stood in the tunnel. He looked at the Liverpool players.

Van Dijk was there. Trent was there.

And their new signing. A midfielder from Brazil. Bruno Guimaraes.

He was tough. He was smart. He was looking right at Alex.

"Ready for school, Professor?" Bruno smirked.

"Class is in session," Alex replied.

They walked out. The roar hit them.

The whistle blew.

Arsenal didn't wait.

"GO!" Alex yelled.

The Hurricane unleashed.

Mark sprinted at Van Dijk. Jude smashed into the midfield. Antoine danced past the fullback.

Liverpool was stunned. They expected Arsenal to sit back.

In the 3rd minute, Alex won the ball high up the pitch.

He intercepted a pass from the goalkeeper.

He was twenty yards out.

The goal was open.

He could shoot.

But he saw Mark.

Mark was making a run across the box.

Alex played a disguised pass. A no-look flick.

Mark ran onto it. He hit it first time.

GOAL!

One zero. Arsenal.

Three minutes in.

Anfield was silenced.

Mark ran to the corner. He did a new celebration. He pretended to read a book.

"THE LIBRARY IS OPEN!" Mark yelled.

Alex laughed. He ran over and hugged him.

"Good reading, Speed," Alex said.

But Liverpool was not dead. They were a wounded animal.

And wounded animals bite.

They woke up. The crowd woke up.

The noise level rose. It became deafening.

Liverpool started to press back. They played heavy metal football. Fast. Aggressive.

In the 20th minute, Liverpool equalized.

A long ball. A mistake by the Arsenal defense.

Salah scored.

One one.

The stadium erupted.

Now, it was a war.

Bruno Guimaraes was hunting Alex. He was tackling hard. He was pulling shirts.

"Too slow, kid!" Bruno yelled, shoving Alex off the ball.

Alex stayed calm. He was the Shield.

He won a tackle. He played a pass to Jude.

Jude drove forward. He was the Power.

He passed to Antoine.

Antoine tried a trick. He lost the ball.

Liverpool countered.

Fast. Deadly.

They scored again.

Two one. Liverpool.

Halftime.

Arsenal was losing. The Storm had blown itself out.

The locker room was quiet.

"We started too fast," Harry, the captain, said. "We burned out."

"No," Steve said. "We stopped believing."

He looked at Alex.

"Professor. You are being bullied. Bruno is eating your lunch."

"He is strong, coach," Alex said.

"So be smarter," Steve said. "Don't fight him. Trick him."

He grabbed the tactics board.

"Second half. We switch. Professor... you go wide."

"Wide?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Go to the right wing. Drag Bruno out of the middle. Make him chase you."

"And who goes in the middle?" Jude asked.

"Antoine," Steve said. "The Magician. In the space Alex creates."

"I like the middle," Antoine smiled. "It is where the spotlight is."

Second half.

Alex moved to the right wing.

Bruno followed him. He didn't want to let the Professor go.

But Alex didn't stay on the wing. He roamed. He went inside. He went outside.

Bruno was confused. He was getting tired of chasing.

The middle opened up.

Antoine was free.

He got the ball. He turned. He danced.

He played a through ball to Mark.

Mark was one on one with Van Dijk.

The Arrow vs The Titan.

Mark pushed the ball past him. He used his speed.

Van Dijk couldn't catch him.

Mark shot.

GOAL!

Two two.

Arsenal was back.

Mark ran to the camera. He pointed at his boots. The silver ones.

"TOO FAST!" he screamed.

The last twenty minutes were pure chaos.

End to end. Attack vs Attack.

Eighty-fifth minute.

Liverpool had a corner.

Van Dijk came up.

The ball came in.

Alex was on the post again.

Van Dijk headed it.

It was going in.

Alex jumped. He headed it off the line.

"Again!" Alex yelled.

The ball fell to Jude.

Jude ran. The counter attack.

It was three vs two.

Jude passed to Alex.

Alex was on the wing. He was tired.

He looked up.

He saw Antoine making a run into the box.

But he also saw Harry Kane at the back post.

Alex didn't cross it high.

He drilled it. Low and hard across the face of goal.

Antoine dummied it. He let it run through his legs.

The Liverpool defense was fooled.

Harry Kane was there.

He tapped it in.

GOAL!

Three two. Arsenal.

In the 88th minute.

The away end went crazy.

Harry ran to Alex. He picked him up.

"THE CROSS!" Harry yelled. "PERFECT!"

Alex laughed. He was exhausted.

The final whistle blew.

Arsenal 3. Liverpool 2.

They had silenced Anfield again.

Bruno Guimaraes walked past Alex. He shook his head.

"You are annoying, kid," Bruno said. "But... respect."

Alex nodded. "Good game."

Milo was waiting in the tunnel. He was wearing a Beatles wig.

"THE MERSEYSIDE MAGIC!" Milo screamed. "WE BEAT THE BEATLES! ALEX! THE WING PLAY! I AM CALLING IT 'THE PROFESSOR ON TOUR'!"

"No tours, Milo," Alex said. "Just the bus."

He walked into the locker room.

He checked his phone.

A text from his history teacher.

"I saw the game. Good resilience. Like the British in the Blitz. Don't forget your essay is due tomorrow."

Alex groaned.

He was a hero. He was a winner.

And he still had homework.

He opened his briefcase. He took out his textbook.

"What are you doing?" Mark asked, peering over his shoulder.

"History," Alex said.

"Boring," Mark said. "Let's sing songs."

"You sing," Alex smiled. "I will study."

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