Time is a funny thing in football. Sometimes ninety minutes feels like ten years. And sometimes three months disappears in the blink of an eye.

February went by in a blur of mud and sliding tackles.

March flew past on a wave of last minute goals.

April was a marathon of sweating and shouting.

And now it was May.

The sun was finally shining over Yorkshire. The grass at the Sterling Era Training Complex was green and lush. The air smelled of cut grass and hope.

Michael Sterling stood on the balcony of his office. He looked down at his empire.

A lot had changed in ninety days.

The team that started the season as a group of misfits and scared teenagers was gone. In their place was a machine. A red and white machine that had rolled over the Championship.

Arthur Milton walked onto the balcony. He was not wearing his heavy winter coat anymore. He was wearing a new club tracksuit and he held a tablet in his hands.

"Look at this Boss," Arthur said. His voice was raspy with excitement. "Just look at it. It is beautiful art."

Michael looked at the screen.

EFL CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE - GAME WEEK 44

1. Leicester City - 94 pts (Promoted)

2. Barnsley - 89 pts

3. Leeds United - 88 pts

4. Southampton - 86 pts

Two games left.

They were second. They were in the automatic promotion zone. If they won their next two games they would be a Premier League team.

"We are close Arthur," Michael whispered. "We are so close I can taste the champagne."

"Do not taste it yet," Arthur warned. "Leeds are chasing us. They are angry. And Southampton are lurking like sharks. One slip and we fall into the playoffs. And you know the playoffs. They are a lottery of tears."

Michael nodded. He turned to look at the training pitch below.

The squad was training. But it looked different now.

Three months ago Diego Nunez was a stranger. Now the Uruguayan Bull was the most popular man in Barnsley. The fans had made a song for him. It was very simple. It just involved shouting "DIEGO SMASH" every time he touched the ball.

Diego was currently wrestling with Shaun Higgins near the corner flag. They were laughing. It looked like two bears playing in the woods.

In the midfield Kenji Sato was running. He was always running. The Japanese Engine had broken the league record for distance covered in March. He ran sixteen kilometers in one game against Ipswich. The Ipswich manager had asked to check his boots for motors after the match.

And then there was Kai and Isaiah.

Kai Sora was lying on his back in the center circle. He was wearing sunglasses.

Isaiah King was running circles around him trying to wake him up.

"Get up lazy bones!" Isaiah shouted. "We have a title to win!"

Kai lifted one hand and pointed a finger. "The sun is out Isaiah. Photosynthesis is important. I am charging my battery."

Michael laughed. "They are ready Arthur. They are relaxed. That is good."

"They are too relaxed," Arthur grumbled. "But the stats do not lie. Look at the Golden Boot race."

Michael took the tablet.

TOP SCORERS

1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) - 29 Goals

2. Danny Fletcher (Barnsley) - 28 Goals

3. Adam Armstrong (Southampton) - 25 Goals

4. Isaiah King (Barnsley) - 18 Goals

5. Crysencio Summerville (Leeds) - 17 Goals

Danny Fletcher. The Prince.

The boy who had missed the penalty at Wembley was now one goal away from being the King of the Championship. He had scored in six games in a row.

And Isaiah King. The Reject. The boy Arsenal said was too small. He had eighteen goals and fifteen assists. He was the highest rated teenager in the country.

"Arsenal called me yesterday," Arthur said with a smug grin. "They asked about a buy back clause for Isaiah."

"What did you tell them?" Michael asked.

"I told them the price is one hundred million pounds plus the Emirates Stadium," Arthur cackled. "They hung up."

Later that afternoon the mood in the canteen was electric.

Michael had installed a giant whiteboard on the wall. It showed the fixtures for the final two games.

GAME 45: Barnsley vs. Millwall (Away)

GAME 46: Barnsley vs. Middlesbrough (Home)

Millwall. The Den.

It was famous for being the most hostile stadium in England. The fans were loud. The players were aggressive. It was a place where dreams went to die.

"Millwall," Diego Nunez said chewing on a gigantic steak. "I heard about this place. They say the fans are crazy."

"They are," Jamie Weston said. "They bark at you Diego. Like dogs. Literally."

Diego stopped chewing. A slow smile spread across his face. "They bark? Good. I bite."

Isaiah King was sitting on the table swinging his legs. "I am not scared of dogs. I am faster than dogs. I will run past them and celebrate in front of their faces."

"Do not do that," Danny Fletcher said quietly. "If you celebrate in front of the Millwall fans they might jump on the pitch and eat you."

Isaiah paused. "Really?"

"Yes," Danny smiled. "So just score and run to Diego. It is safer."

Michael walked to the front of the room. He clapped his hands.

"Listen up!"

The room went silent.

"We have two finals," Michael said. "Two games to change your lives. Two games to change this town."

He looked at each of them.

"Three months ago people said we would burn out. They said the squad was too thin. They said the new signings would not adapt."

He pointed at Kenji.

"They said Kenji was too small for the English game."

Kenji bowed his head politely. "I am small Boss. But I am annoying."

Laughter rippled through the room.

"They said Diego was too aggressive," Michael continued.

Diego grunted. "Aggression is love Boss."

"And they said we were lucky," Michael said. "But look at the table. Eighty nine points. That is not luck. That is dominance."

Michael took a deep breath.

"Millwall on Saturday. If we win and Leeds lose... we are promoted. We are Premier League."

The silence in the room was heavy. The Premier League. The promised land. The land of Haaland and Salah and millions of pounds.

"But do not think about the math," Michael said. "Think about the football. Think about the family. We go to The Den. We survive the dogs. And we bring three points home."

"YES BOSS!" they roared.

Saturday. The Den. London.

The atmosphere was toxic. The Millwall fans were whistling and booing before the Barnsley players even stepped off the bus.

"Welcome to hell!" a fan screamed at Michael as he walked towards the tunnel.

Michael just smiled and waved. He liked hell. Hell was where his Dad had built his business.

The locker room was small and smelled of old socks. It was a psychological trick. Millwall wanted the opposition to feel uncomfortable.

"It smells bad," Kenji Sato noted wrinkling his nose. "It smells like unwashed honor."

"Do not worry Kenji," Kai Sora said putting his arm around him. "Just breathe through your mouth. And pass me the ball."

The warm up was intense. The Millwall players were staring at the Barnsley team. They were big men with tattoos and scars.

But Barnsley had the Butcher and the Bull.

Higgins and Diego stood in the center circle during the warm up staring back. They did not blink.

KICKOFF

The game was a war.

Millwall did not want to play football. They wanted to hurt the pretty boys from Barnsley.

Minute 10.

A Millwall midfielder smashed into Isaiah King. It was a terrible tackle. Isaiah flew into the air and landed hard.

The referee waved play on.

"Welcome to Millwall!" the midfielder shouted at Isaiah.

Isaiah stood up. He did not cry. He looked at the midfielder.

"You are slow," Isaiah whispered.

Minute 20.

Barnsley were struggling to find a rhythm. The pitch was bumpy. The crowd was screaming.

Kai Sora got the ball. Three Millwall players rushed at him.

Kai did not panic. He waited until the last second. Then he backheeled the ball.

It went through the legs of the first attacker.

It rolled perfectly to Kenji.

Kenji did not stop. He ran. He ran past the midfield. He ran past the defense.

He saw Danny Fletcher making a run.

Kenji played the pass.

Danny controlled it. He was twenty yards out.

"SHOOT!" the away fans screamed.

Danny hit it.

THWACK

The ball flew towards the corner.

CLANG

The post.

The ball bounced out.

The Millwall defenders cheered.

But they forgot one thing.

The Engine never stops running.

Kenji Sato had continued his run. He was the smallest man on the pitch but he was the hungriest.

He dived. A full flying header.

He connected with the rebound.

GOAL!

1 to 0 Barnsley!

Kenji slid on his knees in front of the hostile Millwall fans. He put his finger to his lips.

"SHHHHHHH!"

The Millwall fans went crazy. They were screaming.

Diego Nunez ran over and picked Kenji up like a baby. "You crazy Japanese warrior! You silenced the dogs!"

Michael punched the air in the dugout. "Yes! That is the desire! That is the fire!"

HALFTIME

1 to 0.

But in the locker room Arthur Milton looked worried. He was checking his phone.

"Boss," Arthur said. "Bad news."

"What?"

"Leeds are winning. They are beating QPR 3 to 0. And Southampton are winning too."

Michael frowned. "So we have to win. If we draw Leeds jump ahead of us."

"We have to win," Arthur confirmed.

SECOND HALF

Millwall came out fighting. They were fighting against relegation. They needed points too.

They threw long balls into the box. They elbowed. They pushed.

Minute 60.

A long ball caught Barnsley sleeping. Higgins slipped on the bumpy grass.

The Millwall striker was through.

Sam Jones came out.

The striker lobbed him.

The ball floated into the net.

GOAL.

1 to 1.

The Den exploded. The noise was terrifying.

Michael felt sick. A draw was not enough. If they drew they would drop to third place. Their destiny would be out of their hands.

"PUSH!" Michael screamed. "DO NOT GIVE UP!"

Minute 85.

It was still 1 to 1.

The players were exhausted. Kenji had run eighteen kilometers. Isaiah was limping. Even Diego looked tired.

But there was one player who never looked tired. Because he never ran unless he had to.

Kai Sora.

Kai was standing in the middle of the chaos. He looked calm. He looked bored.

The ball fell to him.

"Pass it!" Arthur yelled.

Kai did not pass.

He looked up. He saw the goalkeeper was slightly off his line.

Kai was forty yards out.

"No," Michael whispered. "Do not shoot from there."

Kai shot.

He hit it with the outside of his boot. A Trivela.

The ball curved. It swerved away from the goal then swerved back. It defied physics.

The goalkeeper backpedaled. He jumped.

The ball dipped.

It went over his fingers.

And smashed into the top corner.

GOAL!!!

2 to 1!

Michael did not celebrate. He just stood there mouth open.

Kai Sora stood in the center circle. He shrugged. As if to say It is easy.

The final five minutes were torture. Millwall attacked again and again.

Diego Nunez headed everything away. Higgins blocked shots with his face. Kenji tackled everyone.

PHWEEEEET!

The final whistle.

Barnsley 2 - 1 Millwall.

They had done it.

They had survived the dogs.

Michael walked onto the pitch. He hugged Kai.

"You are a genius," Michael said. "A lazy genius."

Kai smiled. "I wanted to go home Boss. A goal is the fastest way to end the game."

Michael checked his phone.

Leeds had won. Southampton had won.

The table:

1. Leicester - 97

2. Barnsley - 92

3. Leeds - 91

One point.

One game left.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.