Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 225: Do Not Open -

Thursday afternoon. Three days before the final battle for the Premier League title.

Michael Sterling should have been watching videos of Everton. He should have been analyzing heat maps. He should have been sleeping.

Instead he was standing on the sideline of Pitch 4 at the Sterling Era Training Complex.

It was windy. It was cold. But the atmosphere was hotter than a volcano.

"This is big Boss," Arthur Milton said. Arthur was wearing a scarf that was too long for him. It dragged in the mud. "The FA Youth Cup Semi Final. Barnsley Under 18s versus Arsenal Under 18s."

"I know Arthur," Michael said. "I am nervous. Why am I nervous? It is just kids."

"Because they are your kids," a deep voice rumbled.

Diego Nunez was standing next to them. The giant defender was not wearing a coat. He was wearing a t shirt that said I LOVE SOCCER.

And he was holding a drum. A very large drum.

"Where did you get the drum Diego?" Michael asked.

"I borrowed it from the fans," Diego said. "I am the leader of the Ultras today. I will scare the Arsenal babies."

The Arsenal Under 18 team looked terrifying. Not because they were big. But because they were perfect.

They wore matching warm up kits. They had matching haircuts. They drank from matching water bottles. They looked like a factory of football robots.

Then there was the Barnsley team.

They looked like... Misfits.

Jax Teller the blue haired wonderkid was chewing gum and doing kick ups.

Max "The Spider" Webster the goalkeeper was cleaning his special strobe glasses.

And at center back was a boy named "Little Dave" who was actually six feet six inches tall and looked like he had walked out of a Viking movie.

"They look disorganized," Kenji Sato said joining the group. The billionaire was eating a hot dog. "But chaos is a ladder."

"Please no philosophy Kenji," Michael said. "Just win."

The referee blew the whistle.

BARNSLEY U18 vs ARSENAL U18

Arsenal started playing beautiful football. Pass. Pass. Pass. It was like watching the senior team. They moved the ball in triangles. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Barnsley chased them.

Minute 10

Jax Teller got the ball.

The blue haired boy wanted to impress Michael. He knew the Boss was watching.

Jax tried to dribble past three Arsenal players.

He went past one. He went past two.

But the third one took the ball easily.

"Pass it Jax!" Michael muttered under his breath.

Arsenal countered. They were fast.

Their striker ran at Little Dave. Dave tried to turn but he was as slow as a cruise ship.

The striker shot.

GOAL!

Arsenal 1. Barnsley 0.

The Arsenal parents on the sideline clapped politely.

Diego Nunez did not clap politely. He banged his drum.

"WAKE UP MINI BULLS!" Diego roared. "EAT THE GRASS! FIGHT!"

THE SPIDER SAVES

Minute 25

Barnsley were struggling. Jax was trying to do everything alone. He was frustrated.

Arsenal broke through again.

One on one with the goalkeeper.

Max The Spider Webster stood on his line. He adjusted his glasses.

The Arsenal striker shot hard to the corner.

Max reacted. His reflexes were unnatural. Maybe the strobe glasses really worked.

He dived low. He tipped the ball onto the post.

The ball bounced out.

Max jumped up and punched the air.

"I SEE EVERYTHING!" Max shouted. "I SEE THE FUTURE!"

"Good save Spider!" Arthur shouted jumping up and down.

The whistle blew for halftime.

0 - 1.

The young players walked to the bench. Their heads were down. They looked defeated. Arsenal were too technical. Too organized.

The U18 coach was drawing tactics on a board.

But Michael Sterling stepped forward.

"Coach," Michael said. "Can I say one word?"

"Of course Boss," the coach said stepping back.

Michael looked at the teenagers.

He looked at Jax. The boy was looking at his flashy boots.

"Jax," Michael said.

Jax looked up.

"You are the best player on this pitch," Michael said.

Jax smiled arrogantly. "I know Boss."

"But," Michael continued. "You are playing like a YouTuber. You are playing for clicks. You are not playing for the badge."

Jax stopped smiling.

Michael pointed at Little Dave.

"Dave is slow. But Dave is fighting for you. Max is saving shots for you. Why are you not passing to them?"

"They cannot control my passes," Jax muttered.

"Make better passes then," Michael said sharply. "A great player makes his team better. A selfish player makes his team watch him lose."

Michael looked at all of them.

"You want to be in the first team? You want to play with Diego and Osimhen? Then show me you are a family. Misfits do not fight alone. Misfits fight together."

Diego Nunez stepped forward. He hit the drum once. A loud ominous beat.

"Listen to Papa Michael," Diego growled. "Or I will play the drum in your ears all night."

The players ran back onto the pitch.

Something had changed. Jax Teller looked different. He was not chewing gum anymore. He looked serious.

Minute 60 Arsenal tried to play out from the back.

"PRESS!" Jax screamed.

The whole Barnsley team moved forward.

Little Dave ran forward like a runaway train. He scared the Arsenal defender. The defender panicked and kicked the ball to Jax.

Jax controlled it.

Usually he would shoot. He was twenty yards out.

But he saw a run.

A small winger named Billy was running into space.

Jax played the pass. It was perfect. Weighted like gold.

Billy ran onto it. He shot first time.

GOAL!! Barnsley 1. Arsenal 1.

The team did not run to Billy. They ran to Jax.

Jax hugged Billy.

"Good run," Jax said.

"Good pass," Billy said.

On the sideline Michael smiled.

"He learned," Michael whispered.

Minute 85

A penalty shootout was looming. Nobody wanted penalties.

Arsenal won a corner.

They crossed it in.

Max The Spider came out. He caught the ball in the air.

He looked up.

He saw Jax sprinting.

Max threw the ball. A long throw. It flew over the halfway line.

Jax controlled it with his chest. The blue hair was flying in the wind.

He was one on one with the last defender.

The defender was big. He was strong.

Jax slowed down. He waited for the defender to commit.

Then Jax did something magic.

He did not dribble past. He did a scoop turn. He lifted the ball over the defender head and ran around him.

"Oh my god," Arthur gasped. "That was filth. That was illegal."

Jax was through on goal.

The goalkeeper came out.

Jax looked at the goal.

But then he saw Little Dave.

The giant center back had run seventy yards. He was puffing. He was red in the face. But he was open.

Jax could score. He could be the hero.

But he remembered the halftime talk. Make your team better.

Jax squared the ball.

Little Dave had an open goal.

Dave tapped it in.

GOAL! Barnsley 2. Arsenal 1.

Minute 88. Little Dave fell to his knees. He was too tired to celebrate.

Jax jumped on his back.

"DAVE!" Jax shouted. "YOU GIANT LEGEND!"

THE FINAL WHISTLE

The referee checked his watch.

Diego Nunez was banging the drum like a madman.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

"END THE GAME!" Diego roared. "THE KIDS NEED PIZZA!"

PEEEP! PEEEP! PEEE-EP!

FULL TIME.

BARNSLEY U18 2 - 1 ARSENAL U18.

They were in the Final.

The kids went crazy. They piled on top of each other.

Michael Sterling watched them. He felt a warmth in his chest.

This was the future.

The blue haired boy who learned to pass. The goalkeeper with the glasses. The giant defender who ran the length of the pitch.

They were Misfits. Just like the first team.

Jax Teller walked over to the sideline. He was covered in mud. The blue hair was messy.

"Boss," Jax said panting.

"Yes Jax?"

"I passed," Jax said.

"I saw," Michael smiled. "It was the best thing you did all season."

"Can I play against Everton now?" Jax asked with a cheeky grin.

"No," Michael laughed. "But you can carry the water bottles."

Jax rolled his eyes but he was smiling.

THE AFTERMATH

Diego Nunez gave the drum to Little Dave.

"You keep it," Diego said. "You are the rhythm now."

Little Dave looked like he had been given a crown jewels.

Michael walked back towards the main building with Arthur.

"That was good Boss," Arthur said. "It took my mind off Sunday. For ninety minutes I forgot about Manchester City."

"Me too," Michael admitted.

"But now..." Arthur looked at the main stadium looming in the distance.

"Now reality comes back," Michael said.

Sunday. Everton. The title.

The kids had done their job. They had reached their final.

Now it was time for the men to do theirs.

Michael phone buzzed.

It was a message from Lukas Weber the Berlin Wall.

I have analyzed Everton set pieces. They are predictable. I will stop them.

Michael chuckled.

"Lukas is working," Michael said. "The robot never sleeps."

He looked back one last time at the academy pitch. The kids were still celebrating.

"Let us go Arthur," Michael said. "We have three days to prepare for the biggest game in the history of this town."

"I will buy more donuts," Arthur said seriously. "Stress donuts."

"Buy a dozen," Michael said. "We are going to need them."