The wheels of the private jet touched down on the runway at Manchester Airport with a gentle bump. It was raining. Of course it was raining. After two weeks of tropical heat in Seoul the grey sky of England felt like a cold wet blanket.
But inside the cabin the mood was sunny.
Michael Sterling stood up and stretched his legs. He looked at Arthur Milton.
The old scout was hugging sothing very large. It was a piece of cardboard about two ters long.
PAY TO: BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB
AMOUNT: £7,000,000
FROM: SEOUL SUPER CUP ORGANIZERS
"Arthur," Michael said. "You do not have to hold the giant check. The money is already in the bank electronically."
"I like holding it Boss," Arthur said patting the cardboard. "It feels real. Seven million pounds. That is a lot of sausage rolls."
"It is transfer budget," Michael corrected. "And stadium upgrades."
"And maybe a small bonus for the scout who found the tournant?" Arthur asked with a hopeful smile.
"Maybe," Michael laughed. "Let us go. The Misfits are ho."
THE ARRIVAL
The doors of the plane opened.
Usually when a team returns from pre season there is a man with a cara and maybe a dog.
But this was different.
As Michael stepped onto the tal stairs he heard a roar. It sounded like the ocean.
"What is that noise?" Diego Nunez asked squeezing past Michael. The Bull was wearing his purple sunglasses and carrying the silver trophy in one hand like a cup of tea.
They looked down.
The tarmac was empty but behind the fence of the private terminal there was a sea of people.
Thousands of fans.
They were wearing the purple kits. They were waving flags. They were holding signs.
WELCO HO KINGS
LEO STONE IS MY FATHER
DIEGO EAT MY HOWORK
"Wow," Isaiah King whispered stepping out behind them. "This is Beatles level. This is massive."
Isaiah imdiately pulled out his phone and started recording.
"We are back baby!" Isaiah shouted at his screen. "Look at the love! Yorkshire stand up!"
They walked down the stairs. The flash of caras was blinding. The dia had arrived in force. Sky Sports. BBC. The local gazette. Even a reporter from France was there.
Michael walked to the fence. He began signing autographs.
A microphone was shoved in his face.
"Michael! Michael!" the reporter shouted. "You won the Seoul Super Cup. You beat Atletico. You discovered a fifteen year old wonderkid. Is this the season Barnsley challenge for the title?"
Michael smiled. He looked at the fans.
"We challenge for everything," Michael said. "We do not set limits. The ceiling does not exist."
"And the prize money?" another reporter asked looking at Arthur who was struggling to get the giant check through the gate. "Seven million pounds. What will you do with it?"
Michael looked at the check.
"We will invest it," Michael said. "In the future. In the facilities. And maybe we buy Arthur a new hat."
The crowd laughed.
THE DIA FRENZY
An hour later the team was back at the Sterling Era Training Complex.
The bus had to drive slowly because fans were lining the streets throwing flowers and confetti. It felt like they had won the Champions League not a pre season friendly tournant.
Michael sat in the dia room. It was packed.
On the table in front of him sat the silver trophy. And next to it Arthur had proudly placed the giant check.
"Okay," Jessica Sterling said from the side. "Questions."
A journalist from The Athletic raised his hand.
"Michael. Let us talk about Leo Stone. The Phantom. He is fifteen. He ca on against Seoul and changed the ga. How do you manage a talent like that? Do you wrap him in cotton wool?"
Michael leaned forward.
"Leo is special," Michael said. "But he is a child. He has school next week. He has howork. We will protect him. He will train with us but he will not play every minute. We do not want to burn him out."
"But the fans want to see him," the journalist pressed. "They are calling him the Yorkshire ssi."
"The fans want to see us win," Michael said. "If Leo helps us win he plays. If he needs rest he rests. I am the manager not the hype man."
Another journalist stood up.
"Diego Nunez," she said. "He has beco a global icon. His shirt sales in Korea have overtaken Harry Kane. Are you worried a big club will co for him?"
Michael laughed.
"Diego is happy," Michael said. "We feed him steak. We let him tackle people. We built him a gym. Why would he leave? At other clubs they would tell him to calm down. Here we tell him to be wild."
He looked at the cara.
"Barnsley is the island of Misfits. We take the crazy ones and we give them a ho. That is our secret."
THE COUNTING ROOM
After the dia circus ended Michael went to his office.
He needed quiet. He needed to process the numbers.
He opened his laptop. The System interface glowed blue.
[TOURNANT COMPLETE: SEOUL SUPER CUP]
[RESULT: WINNER]
[PRIZE MONEY: £7,000,000]
[FAN GROWTH: 500,000 GLOBAL FOLLOWERS]
[REPUTATION: RISING EMPIRE]
Seven million pounds.
It was a huge amount for a club like Barnsley. In the old days seven million would keep the club running for two years. Now it was just prize money.
Michael opened the budget screen.
CURRENT BALANCE: £112,000,000.
"We have too much money," Arthur said sitting on the sofa eating a donut he had stolen from the press conference. "It makes nervous. I feel like I should buy a boat."
"No boats Arthur," Michael said. "We need to use this seven million smartly. The window closes in two weeks."
"Do we need players?" Arthur asked. "We have the Pitbull. We have the Rat. We have the Giant. We have the Phantom."
"We are strong," Michael agreed. "But an Empire always reinforces its walls."
He looked at the stats of the squad.
JAN VISSER (GK): Confidence High. Penalty Saving 99.
DIEGO NUNEZ (CB): Morale Maximum.
ENZO SILVA (CDM): Aggression Dangerous.
JAMIE VARDY (ST): Energy Levels High.
LEO STONE (CAM): Howork Incomplete.
Michael smiled at the last one.
"We are good Arthur," Michael decided. "We save the money. We keep it for January. Or for a rainy day."
"It always rains in Barnsley," Arthur noted. "So we will spend it soon."
THE LOCKER ROOM CELEBRATION
Downstairs the players were celebrating.
They had ordered pizza. Fifty pizzas.
Diego Nunez was sitting in the middle of the room with the trophy. He had put a slice of pepperoni pizza inside the cup.
"It tastes like victory," Diego roared taking a bite.
Enzo Silva was sitting next to him feeding a piece of crust to his dog Rocky who was wearing a tiny Barnsley scarf.
"Good dog," Enzo said. "You are a champion too."
Jamie Vardy was showing the academy kids a card trick.
"Pick a card," Jamie said to Leo Stone. "Any card."
Leo picked a card.
"Is it the King of Hearts?" Jamie asked.
"No," Leo said. "It is the three of clubs."
"Close enough," Jamie grinned. "Magic is hard. Football is easier."
Isaiah King was in the corner filming a TikTok with Jan Visser.
"Okay Jan," Isaiah said. "Do the dance. The Seoul Shuffle."
Jan stood up. He moved his long limbs. He looked like a giraffe trying to ice skate.
"I cannot dance," Jan complained. "My legs are too far from my brain."
"It is trending!" Isaiah shouted showing him the phone. "One million views already! You are viral Jan!"
Michael stood in the doorway watching them.
This was it. The calm before the storm.
Pre season was over. The friendly gas were done. The trophies were shiny but they were not the real prize.
Next week the Premier League started.
Ga One. Wolverhampton Wanderers. At the Fortress.
Michael walked into the room.
"Enjoy the pizza," Michael said loudly.
The room went quiet.
"You earned it," Michael continued. "You traveled the world. You won the cup. You brought ho seven million pounds."
"Can I have five pounds?" Jamie Vardy asked. "I need a Red Bull."
"I will buy you a crate Jamie," Michael laughed.
"But listen," Michael voice turned serious. "Tomorrow the work changes. Tomorrow we stop smiling and start hunting. The Premier League does not care about the Seoul Super Cup. Wolves will co here to eat us."
Diego Nunez stood up. He wiped pizza sauce from his chin.
"Let them co Boss," Diego growled. "I am hungry. Pizza is good. But wolf at is better."
"That is the spirit," Michael said.
He turned to leave.
"Arthur," Michael said.
"Yes Boss?"
"Put the giant check in the safe. Before Diego tries to eat that too."
Arthur scrambled to grab the cardboard check.
"I got it Boss. It is safe with ."
Michael walked out into the cool evening air.
The stadium lights were testing. They flickered on illuminating the new stands.
The Fortress was bigger now. Louder.
And the team inside was richer. Famous. Dangerous.
The Dynasty was no longer just an idea. It was a machine. A seven million pound machine ready to crush anything in its path.
Michael checked his watch.
Six days to kick off.
"Let the gas begin," Michael whispered.
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