Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 222: Five days to destiny

It was Tuesday morning. The Premier League final day was on Sunday. They had five days to prepare for the biggest game of their lives against Everton.

But today Michael had a different mission.

Kenji Sato the billionaire investor burst into the office. He was wearing a neon yellow suit and holding a tablet.

"Michael!" Kenji shouted. "Stop looking at the silver cup. It is old news. We look to the future today!"

Arthur Milton was sitting on the sofa nursing a headache from the Wembley party.

"Can we look at the future quietly?" Arthur whispered. "My head feels like Diego Nunez is drumming inside it."

"No time for quiet!" Kenji said. "Come. I spent ten million pounds on the academy. You need to see where the money went."

THE FUTURE FACTORY

They walked to the far side of the training complex.

Usually this area was just muddy fields where the teenagers played. But now it looked like a scene from a science fiction movie.

There were drones flying in the sky filming the practice. There were sensors on the goalposts. The grass was cut in perfect geometric patterns.

"Welcome to the Sterling Lab," Kenji announced spreading his arms.

"You named it after me?" Michael asked.

"Of course," Kenji smiled. "You are the Emperor. This is where we make the soldiers."

They walked to the sideline. The Under 18 team was playing a training match.

Michael watched closely.

These boys were sixteen and seventeen years old. They were the future. If Michael wanted to build a Dynasty he needed these kids to be ready in two or three years.

"Look at the goalkeeper," Kenji pointed.

Michael looked.

The goalkeeper was a tall skinny boy. But he was wearing strange glasses.

"What is on his face?" Michael asked.

"Strobe glasses," Kenji explained. "They flash light. It makes his brain work faster. It is high tech training. I saw it in a anime."

"Does it work?" Arthur asked doubtfully.

Just then a striker shot the ball. The goalkeeper dived. He caught the ball with one hand.

"I am the Spider!" the goalkeeper shouted.

"It works," Michael nodded impressed. "We should get a pair for Jan Visser."

THE BLUE HAIRED REBEL

But Michael eyes were drawn to a different player.

There was a small midfielder in the center of the pitch. He had bright blue hair. Not dark blue. Electric blue.

He was tiny. He looked like he weighed as much as a bag of feathers.

But he was fierce.

A big defender tried to tackle him. The blue haired boy did a 360 spin standing on the ball. The defender fell over.

Then the boy passed the ball without looking. It was a no look pass that split the defense perfectly.

"Who is that?" Michael asked.

The Academy Director walked over. His name was Coach Miller.

"That is Jax," Coach Miller sighed. "Jax Teller. He is sixteen. He is a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Michael asked.

"He is brilliant," Miller admitted. "But he is arrogant. He dyed his hair blue because he said he wanted to look like a Sonic character. He tells the other players where to run. He even tells me where to stand."

Michael smiled.

"He sounds like a Misfit."

"He is a trouble magnet," Miller said. "But look at his feet."

Jax got the ball again. He was thirty yards out. He did not pass. He chipped the goalkeeper who was wearing the strobe glasses.

The ball floated into the net.

GOAL.

Jax did not celebrate. He just shrugged and walked back to the center circle.

"Too easy," Jax shouted. "Someone give me a challenge."

THE INTERVENTION

Michael walked onto the pitch.

The game stopped. The young players froze. They saw the man in the suit. The man who had just won the FA Cup. The Legend.

"Mr Sterling!" the players whispered.

Jax Teller did not freeze. He looked at Michael. He popped a bubble of gum he was chewing.

"Hello Boss," Jax said. "Did you see my chip? It was better than Jamie Vardy right?"

"It was okay," Michael said calmly. "But Vardy does it against Manchester United. You did it in training."

"Same thing," Jax grinned. "The net is the same size."

"You have talent Jax," Michael said walking closer. "But talent without discipline is just a party trick."

"I have discipline," Jax argued. "I brush my teeth every day."

Arthur Milton laughed from the sideline.

Michael looked at the boy. He saw the spark. The arrogance was a shield. Underneath it was a hunger.

"Do you want to play for the first team one day?" Michael asked.

"I want to play next week," Jax said. "Put me in against Everton. I will score a hat trick."

"You are not ready," Michael said. "Premier League defenders will eat you. Diego Nunez uses players like you as toothpicks."

"Let me try," Jax challenged. " bring Diego here. I will nutmeg him."

THE BULL ARRIVES

As if summoned by magic a loud noise came from the car park.

HONK HONK.

Diego Nunez massive black SUV pulled up right next to the pitch. He had driven on the grass. Again.

Diego jumped out. He was wearing his FA Cup winner medal. He had not taken it off for three days.

"WHO CALLED THE BULL?" Diego roared.

He marched onto the pitch. He was holding a box of ice cream cones.

"I brought treats for the baby bulls!" Diego shouted. "Strawberry and vanilla!"

The Under 18 players looked at him like he was a god.

Michael waved Diego over.

"Diego," Michael said. "This is Jax. He says he can nutmeg you."

Diego looked down at the tiny blue haired boy.

Diego laughed. It was a deep rumbling laugh that shook the ground.

"You?" Diego asked. "You are a Smurf. A tiny blue Smurf."

"I am faster than you," Jax said bravely.

"Okay," Diego handed the ice cream box to Arthur. "Show me."

Diego stood in a defensive stance. He looked massive. Jax looked like an ant.

Jax took a ball. He started dribbling.

He moved left. Diego moved left.

He moved right. Diego moved right.

Jax tried his signature 360 spin.

Diego did not tackle. He just stood still and expanded his chest.

BUMP.

Jax bounced off Diego chest and flew backwards onto the grass.

"Foul!" Jax shouted.

"No foul," Diego grinned. "Physics. Big object stops small object."

Diego walked over and offered a hand.

Jax took it. Diego pulled him up.

"You have guts Smurf," Diego said. "Most people run away. You ran at me. I like you."

Diego took his medal off. He let Jax hold it.

"Feel this," Diego said. "It is heavy. To wear this you must be strong. Not just fast. Strong here."

Diego tapped his heart.

Jax looked at the silver medal. His arrogance vanished for a moment. He looked like a kid with a dream.

"I will get one," Jax whispered.

"Good," Diego took the medal back. "Now eat ice cream. You need calcium to grow."

THE VISION

Michael watched the scene.

Diego Nunez the chaos agent was mentoring the next generation.

Kenji walked up to Michael.

"See?" Kenji said. "The future is bright. Jax is special. And the goalkeeper with the glasses is good too."

"You did good Kenji," Michael said. "This facility... it changes everything. We are not just a team for one season. We are a factory."

"A Dynasty Factory," Kenji corrected.

Michael looked around. He saw the other kids eating ice cream with Diego. He saw Arthur trying to steal a cone. He saw the drones hovering above.

This was it.

Two years ago he was worried about paying the electricity bill. Now he had drones and billionaires and blue haired wonderkids.

"We are building an empire," Michael whispered.

THE REALITY CHECK

Suddenly Michael phone buzzed.

It was a notification.

BREAKING NEWS: MANCHESTER CITY PLAYERS SPOTTED TRAINING. PEP GUARDIOLA SAYS "WE WILL NOT SLIP UP."

The warm fuzzy feeling evaporated.

Sunday was coming.

Michael clapped his hands.

"Okay show is over!" Michael shouted. "Diego stop feeding them sugar! They are athletes!"

"One more cone Papa Michael!" Diego pleaded. "They are growing boys!"

"No more," Michael said. "We have work to do. The big boys need to train now."

He turned to Jax Teller.

"Keep working Jax. Keep the blue hair. Keep the attitude. But learn to take a hit. Because next year... maybe you train with us."

Jax eyes lit up.

"I will be ready Boss. Watch me."

THE WALK BACK

Michael Arthur and Diego walked back to the main building.

"That kid is cheeky," Arthur said. "He reminds me of a young Jamie Vardy. But with worse hair."

"He has the spark," Michael said. "But that is for next season. Now we focus on Everton."

Diego Nunez face turned serious.

"Everton," Diego growled. "They are fighting relegation. They will fight like rats in a corner."

"Exactly," Michael said. "It will be a war. A different kind of war than Liverpool."

"I am ready," Diego said. "I will polish my head. I will make it shiny so it blinds them."

Michael laughed.

"Do whatever you need to do Diego. Just bring me three points."

They reached the office.

The silver FA Cup was still there on the desk shining in the sunlight.

But Michael looked past it. He looked at the empty space next to it.

There was room for one more trophy. A bigger trophy.

The Premier League trophy.

"Five days," Michael said. "Five days to destiny."

He looked back at the academy pitches where the kids were running again.

The future was safe.

Now he just had to secure the present.

"Arthur," Michael said.

"Yes Boss?"

"Get the video of Everton. Every game they played this season. I am not sleeping tonight."