Birthday

The day passed by in a flash as I finally had the time to unpack the mountain load of thoughts brewing a storm in my head.

Excluding the lunch break when my mates who I play football with at our local club, Gainford FC, gathered to wish me, I utilised most of the remaining time during class to sort my thoughts out.

Although I didn't gain any new information, excitement took over my anxiety-riddled brain as I scratched the surface of the enormous advantage my current situation afforded me.

'I don't need to worry about money anymore. Even basic knowledge of the most successful companies and virtual currency is enough to make plenty of it'

The realisation that I could become one of the most richest and powerful people in the world if my heart so desired didn't matter to me since I was never a slave to making money.

'A certain amount of wealth that guarantees a worry-free life is better than a stressful one trying to constantly chase the next pound'

My revelation also opened an avenue that excited me many times more, "I can play football again, and don't have to worry about making a living from it!", I exclaimed in pure joy as I found myself pedalling harder.

'But first, I have to make sure that I really did travel to the past instead of a parallel Earth', I reminded myself as I spotted my house.

*****************************

The clacking of the keyboard filled my room as I fervently researched history and current culture. 'Never thought I'd use Internet Explorer and Yahoo again', even the clunky user interface and slow loading speeds of the early 2000s couldn't deter me as I soldiered on to confirm if this really was the past in my timeline.

"America is reeling from 9/11 and the first Harry Potter movie caused a sensation last year. Britney Spears is all the craze and teenage boys are infatuated with Avril Lavigne. Tony Blair is prime minister and Beckham is still at United"

"Yep, seems like I have well and truly time-traveled to the past", I muttered.

*****************************

".... I gotta say, son, I am quite impressed", remarked my shocked father while he witnessed the entertainment centre we rented out for the party packed with 10-year-old kids.

"Haha, this is payback for not trusting me when I repeatedly told you not to worry about me having friends", I replied with a stiff smile as I tried to figure out what I'd misjudged.

'I guess being the protagonist of the victory over the upperclassmen during sports day earned me quite a bit of goodwill.'

As a mixed-race child, I found it quite difficult to truly fit in with either of my ethnic groups and while I wasn't bullied or experienced any blatant racism, the nuanced interactions between kids of similar backgrounds left me feeling like an outsider.

As a result, I would often prefer to stay in since I didn't find hanging out with the kids in my neighborhood fun.

'Thank the Lord my mum suggested trying out football to aid me in making friends'

And make some friends I did, 'Turns out, all a British kid needs to make friends is to be good at football'

"Haha, I get it kid, I won't doubt you on this anymore, now go and have some fun!", my father replied while shooing me away.

"Hey, Nick! Tony is wiping the floor with everyone! You any good at smash?", asked Charlie as he pointed to Tony gloating at the kids crowding the GameCube section.

Seeing me approaching the GameCube, Tony flashed me an arrogant smile, "Think you can beat me? I'm not gonna go easy just cuz it's your birthday"

Wordlessly picking up the controller, I frowned at the absence of Marth in the selection screen. Choosing Fox instead, I smirked at him, "Let's go"

****************************

"Game!"

"Nooooo! How did you get so much better after the second round?!", demanded a cross Tony.

"What can I say? I wanted to give you a chance", I replied with a grin that enraged him further.

'Phew, he almost had me there. The game mechanics have evolved a lot over the years'

"My thumb must've slipped, you won by luck! I demand a rematch!", he screamed with a red face.

"Sure", I graciously accepted and proceeded to win all three matches by dunking him offstage.

'That's what you get for challenging the 2019 Brighton Smash Bros Melee champion', I gloated before becoming aware of my childish behaviour.

"Anyone want to play?", I challenged the small audience. Noticing most of the boys avoiding my gaze, I proceeded to put the controller down when I was interrupted by a female voice, "I'll give it a go."

I turned my head to find a confident Emily striding towards us followed by a dumbfounded trio of girls.

'I was quite surprised when the four of them informed me that they'd be attending, especially Emily, since I'd let everyone know that we'd be playing games followed by football later. Unlike the other three, she barely plays football, maybe she's into games?'

Observing the beginning of a sneer forming in the boys' expressions, I hurriedly accepted her challenge, "Sure. Have you played it before?"

"Only with my brother", she answered with a smirk. Intrigued by her confident demeanor, I handed her a controller and selected Fox again.

"Marth isn't unlocked", Emily muttered with a frown, before selecting Sheik. Discovering our shared preference, I offered her a sympathetic smile, "Yeah, I also wanted Marth."

It was a much closer match than I initially thought it was going to be, causing everyone watching to go mute, a few of the boys even had a look of awe.

"Wow! You're almost as good as my brother. And you were somehow getting better during the matches!", exclaimed an impressed Emily before expressing regret, "Ugh! I was so close to winning though!"

"Is your brother good at smash?", I asked her.

"You bet! He regularly takes part in local tournaments often winning them. He even made the quarterfinals during the London tournament", replied an annoyed Emily.

Hearing her reply, everyone made expressions of understanding as a few boys stepped forward to challenge her while the other three girls looked unsure of what to do.

I used this opportunity to encourage them, "Why don't the three of you try some of the games? Maybe you'll find something of interest."

Leaving the GameCube area, I tried out some of the other popular games with a nostalgic smile.

*****************************

After enjoying the various games at the arcade immersed in nostalgia, I reasoned it was the perfect time for a football match when I spotted a few boys and Mia playing an enjoying mini-game in the attached park.

"Anyone interested in a football match, meet me in the park!", I announced out loud and went to fetch my football boots.

Seeing 23 out of the 27 kids gathered, excluding Emily and a trio of boys who were still going to town on the games, I proposed a 12-a-side match with two captains who would choose their respective teams.

"I think Nick and Oscar should be captains since I have no confidence in winning against a team with both of them", joked Charlie, gaining nods of agreement from most of the boys.

"Ok, then. Oscar, you take the first pick"

"Alright, I'll have Jack", spoke Oscar, picking the better of the two goalkeepers.

"I'll have Arthur and Tony then", I replied.

"Ron"

"Mia"

.

.

Watching the stiff-faced girls, I internally sighed at Oscar's choice to not pick them despite there being no significant difference in athletic ability between the two genders before puberty. As a result, all three of them were included in my team earning me a few stares from the boys.

'*sigh* kids'

"Alright everyone, let me know your preferred positions....."

After I was done assigning everyone their positions, Tony asked, "Nick, aren't you a striker? Why are you playing as a midfielder?"

"I have a plan. And don't worry, Mia is an excellent striker", I replied with hopefully a trust-filled smile towards Mia.

"You can count on me", she asserted with a determined expression, to which I exclaimed, "That's the spirit we need to win!"

"Yeah!" * 11

'It's gonna be a chaotic match with no tactics. The role of the playmaker is important to prevent the front line from being isolated. I wouldn't have chosen to play midfielder if there was a proper coach to supply tactics'

The teams readied themselves with my dad acting as the referee.

*Fweeeeeeeeeeeeep*

*Ding*

[Host detected playing football. Starting to collect data]

"Huh?!"

////Author's Notes:

Finally a glance at the system. Tbh, I didn't plan for the initial part to be so long. I promise I'll pick up the pace.

Smash - A Nintendo game called super Smash Bros Melee which was very popular during this time

United here refers to Manchester United, a club in Premier league

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