Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 233: Viral Bull

The season was over but the cameras had not left. In fact there were more cameras now than ever before.

Michael Sterling stood by the window of his office at the Sterling Era Training Complex. He was drinking tea but he almost choked when he looked down at the pitch.

It looked like a circus.

There were three different film crews. There were drones buzzing like angry bees. There were people running around with giant microphones.

Arthur Milton walked into the office. He was wearing sunglasses even though he was inside.

"Boss," Arthur said with a wide grin. "We are trending. We are number one on YouTube. We are number one on Twitter. We are even number one on TikTok and I do not even know how to dance."

"What is happening down there Arthur?" Michael asked pointing at the chaos.

"Content," Arthur said simply. "The world wants the Misfits. That YouTuber Danny J is here. He has twenty million subscribers. He is doing a Crossbar Challenge with Diego and Lukas."

Michael sighed. "Lukas agreed to be on YouTube? The boy who reads books about bridges?"

"He did not want to," Arthur admitted. "But Diego told him it was a physics experiment. So Lukas brought a calculator."

Michael decided to go down and watch. He needed to make sure Diego did not accidentally break a camera or eat a microphone.

He walked onto the pitch.

Danny J the famous YouTuber was screaming at a camera. He had endless energy.

"WHAT IS UP GUYS!" Danny screamed. "Welcome back to the channel! Today we are with the FA Cup Winners! The Misfits! And I am here with the scariest man in the Premier League... THE BULL!"

Diego Nunez jumped into the frame. He was wearing sunglasses that were too small for his head.

"HELLO INTERNET!" Diego roared. "SUBSCRIBE OR I TACKLE YOU!"

Danny J laughed nervously. "Please do not tackle me Diego. And we have the Berlin Wall... Lukas Weber!"

Lukas stood stiffly. He looked at the camera lens with zero emotion.

"Hello," Lukas said. "Please ensure the focus is calibrated correctly."

"Okay!" Danny shouted. "The challenge is simple. You have to hit the crossbar from the halfway line. If you miss you have to eat a super sour lemon."

Diego rubbed his hands. "I like lemons. They tickle my tongue."

Lukas adjusted his glasses. "The probability of hitting a 12 centimeter bar from 50 meters is approximately 4.2 percent for an average player."

"Are you average?" Diego asked nudging him.

"No," Lukas said. "I am efficient."

Danny J kicked first. He missed.

Diego kicked second. He ran up and smashed the ball. It flew high. It went over the crossbar. It went over the fence. It went into the car park..

The sound of glass breaking echoed across the complex.

"Oops," Diego said. "I think I hit Arthur car."

"My car!" Arthur shouted from the balcony. "That is the third time this month!"

"Sorry Arthur!" Diego shouted back. "I will buy you a tank! Tanks do not break!"

Then it was Lukas turn.

The German teenager placed the ball. He looked at the wind. He looked at the grass.

He took one step back. He swung his leg. It was a gentle pass.

The ball floated in the air. It did not spin. It just sailed.

It hit the crossbar perfectly in the center.

Danny J screamed. He ran around in circles. "FIRST TRY! THE ROBOT DOES IT FIRST TRY!"

Lukas did not celebrate. He just nodded.

"Physics," Lukas stated. "Force and trajectory. It is simple geometry."

Diego looked at Lukas with respect. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"You are a wizard," Diego whispered. "Teach me the geometry. I only know the smashometry."

Later that afternoon Michael was back in his office. He turned on the TV.

It was Sky Sports News. They were running a special segment called The Rise of the Dynasty.

The host was sitting with two pundits. One was a former Arsenal legend. The other was a grumpy ex defender.

"So," the host asked. "Barnsley. Second place. FA Cup Winners. Are they a flash in the pan? Or are they here to stay?"

The Arsenal legend smiled.

"You cannot ignore them anymore. Michael Sterling has built something special. Look at the players. Amara on the wing looks like a world beater. Leo Stone is a future England captain. And Diego Nunez... well he is a cult hero."

"But can they keep them?" the grumpy defender interrupted. "That is the question. The sharks are circling. Real Madrid. Bayern Munich. PSG. They are all watching. When a big cheque comes on the table loyalty usually goes out the window."

Michael felt a tight knot in his stomach.

The host nodded. "We have breaking news actually. Reports coming from Italy suggest that Juventus are preparing a sixty million pound bid for Victor Osimhen."

The screen flashed a graphic: OSIMHEN TO JUVE?

"And," the host continued. "Barcelona scouts were seen at Wembley watching Leo Stone."

Michael turned the TV off.

The silence in the office was heavy.

Arthur Milton was sitting in the corner. He was not eating anymore.

"Boss," Arthur said quietly. "Did you hear that? Sixty million for Victor? Barcelona for Leo?"

"It is just talk Arthur," Michael said trying to sound confident. "It is just noise."

"But the noise is loud," Arthur said. "We are Misfits Boss. Misfits are used to being rejected. But now? Now they are wanted. Being wanted feels good. What if they want to leave?"

That evening Michael was driving home. He turned on the radio.

It was a popular football podcast. They had a special guest.

Jamie Vardy.

Michael turned up the volume. He wanted to hear what his veteran striker was saying.

"So Jamie," the host asked. "You are thirty seven. You just won the FA Cup. People say you should retire on a high. Are you hanging up the boots?"

Michael held his breath.

Vardy voice crackled over the speakers.

"Retire?" Vardy laughed. It was his signature cackle. "Mate I feel twenty one. The gaffer... Michael... he gave me a second life. Why would I retire when we have the Champions League next year?"

"So you are staying?"

"I am staying until they kick me out," Vardy said. "Listen. I have played for big clubs. I won the league with Leicester. But this Barnsley team? It is different."

"How is it different?"

"It is a family," Vardy said. His voice turned serious. "Diego Nunez is crazy. Jean Luc eats cheese all day. The manager wears suits that are too tight. But we die for each other. You cannot buy that. You can buy players but you cannot buy a soul. Barnsley has a soul."

Michael smiled in the darkness of his car.

"Good lad Jamie," Michael whispered. "Good lad."

Michael arrived home. Sarah and Baby Gabriel were asleep.

He sat in the kitchen. He poured a glass of water.

His phone buzzed.

It was Kenji Sato.

"Michael," Kenji said. "Are you awake?"

"I am now Kenji."

"I just got off the phone with the commercial director," Kenji said. "You know the YouTube video? The one Diego and Lukas made today?"

"Yes. The crossbar challenge."

"It has five million views in four hours," Kenji said. "Michael... our shirt sales just went up three hundred percent. Kids in Tokyo are ordering Nunez shirts. Kids in New York are ordering Weber shirts."

"That is good Kenji."

"It is more than good," Kenji said. "It means we have power. The pundits on TV say we are a small club. We are not small anymore. We are a global brand."

"Brands do not win matches Kenji. Teams do."

"I know," Kenji said. "But brands have money. And we are going to need money. The vultures are coming Michael. I heard the rumors about Osimhen too."

"We do not sell," Michael said firmly. "We are not a supermarket."

"Everyone has a price Michael," Kenji warned. "But I trust you. You built the tank. You drive it."

Michael hung up.

He walked into the living room. The silver FA Cup replica he had been given was sitting on the mantelpiece.

He picked it up.

The pundits were right about one thing. The sharks were circling. The big clubs thought they could just swoop in and take the best parts of the Misfit machine.

They thought Barnsley was just a stepping stone.

Michael looked at his reflection in the silver cup.

"Let them come," Michael whispered.

He remembered the interview he gave earlier. The Philosophy of the Second Chance.

His players were loyal. He believed that.

But money was a powerful weapon.

He sat down at the table and opened his notebook. He turned to a fresh page.

He wrote a heading: SEASON 3: THE EMPIRE STRIKES.

He started writing names.

He did not write the names of players leaving. He wrote the names of players arriving.

If they wanted to compete in the Champions League they needed more.

He wrote:

1. A creative genius to replace Kai Sora properly.

2. A defensive beast to help Diego.

3. A winger who can fly.

He paused.

Then he wrote one more thing at the bottom of the page.

OBJECTIVE: PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE.

The media could talk. The YouTubers could make videos. The pundits could doubt.

But the work was done in the dark.

Michael closed the book.

Tomorrow he would call a meeting. Not with the media. But with the players.

He needed to look them in the eye. He needed to know who was staying for the war and who wanted to take the easy road.

The viral fame was fun. Diego hitting Arthur car was funny.

But the summer transfer window opens in two weeks.

And that is when the real game begins.

Michael turned off the light.