The summer break was over. The Premier League was waiting. But before the cold winds of England returned Michael Sterling had one final surprise for his squad.

He stood in the departure lounge of Manchester Airport holding a golden ticket in his hand.

Arthur Milton stood next to him. The old scout looked suspicious. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt that was so bright it hurt the eyes of everyone nearby.

"Are you sure about this Boss?" Arthur asked pulling his suitcase. "America? They call football soccer. It is a crime against humanity."

"It is marketing Arthur," Michael smiled. "We are a Premier League team now. We need global exposure. And the weather in Los Angeles is better than Barnsley."

The team arrived at the gate.

They did not look like the Misfits anymore. They looked like movie stars.

Diego Nunez wore huge sunglasses and a tight white t shirt that showed every muscle. He looked like an action hero from the nineties.

Kenji Sato was dressed in a pristine suit. He bowed to the airline staff.

Isaiah King was wearing headphones that were bigger than his head. He was dancing to silent music.

And Kai Sora.

Kai was wearing pajamas. Silk pajamas. In the middle of the airport.

"Kai," Michael sighed walking over. "Why are you wearing pajamas?"

Kai yawned. "It is an eleven hour flight Boss. I plan to sleep for ten hours and fifty nine minutes. Why wear jeans when I can wear silk?"

Michael shook his head. "Fair point. Get on the plane."

The flight was long but luxurious. Michael had used some of the promotion money to upgrade the team to First Class.

Diego Nunez discovered the unlimited menu. He ate four steaks before the plane even crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

"The cow population is in danger," Arthur whispered to Michael as they watched Diego order dessert.

Isaiah King sat next to Finn Riley. They watched movies on the same screen and argued about which superhero was faster.

"Flash is faster," Isaiah insisted.

"No," Finn argued. "I am faster. I ran past Kyle Walker last season on FIFA."

Kenji Sato spent the flight reading a book titled How to Understand American Slang. He was highlighting words like awesome and dude.

Kai Sora did exactly what he promised. He reclined his seat fully covered his eyes with a mask and did not move until the wheels touched the tarmac in California.

Los Angeles hit them like a warm blanket.

The sun was blinding. The palm trees were tall. The air smelled of ocean salt and expensive perfume.

They drove to their training base in a convoy of black SUVs. The base was a university campus with grass that looked like a green carpet.

"Welcome to LA," Michael announced as the players stepped out of the bus.

Isaiah King spun around looking at the Hollywood sign in the distance.

"I belong here," Isaiah declared spreading his arms. "I am a star. This is my natural habitat."

"You are a tourist," Higgins grunted walking past him carrying two bags. "Pick up your luggage Hollywood."

The first training session was intense. The heat was different here. It was dry and heavy.

But Michael noticed something.

His players had changed over the summer. They had evolved.

He activated the System.

[FEATURE: EYES OF THE FOUNDER - ACTIVE]

He looked at Isaiah King.

The box above the head of Isaiah shimmered.

NAME: ISAIAH KING

AGE: 17

HEIGHT: 178 CM (Previously 172 CM)

ATTRIBUTE CHANGE: PHYSICAL GROWTH SPURT

STRENGTH: +3

Michael blinked. Isaiah had grown. He was not the small skinny kid anymore. He had filled out. His shoulders were broader. He was six centimeters taller.

"Arthur," Michael whispered. "Look at Isaiah."

"I see him," Arthur noted. "He ate his vegetables. He looks strong."

Michael looked at Kai Sora.

Kai was juggling the ball in the shade of a palm tree.

NAME: KAI SORA

STATUS: RESTED

NEW TRAIT UNLOCKED: THE QUARTERBACK

DESCRIPTION: LONG PASS ACCURACY INCREASED TO 99%

The Quarterback. It was perfect.

And then Michael looked at Diego Nunez.

NAME: DIEGO NUNEZ

STATUS: CELEBRITY

FAME LEVEL: GLOBAL

INTIMIDATION: MAX

Diego had spent his summer in Uruguay where he was apparently treated like a king. He walked with a new confidence.

"Right!" Michael shouted clapping his hands. "Listen up!"

The players gathered around.

"We are here to work," Michael said. "The Premier League is faster and stronger than the Championship. Haaland is not going to care that we won promotion. Salah is not going to go easy on us."

He pointed at the goal.

"We have a friendly match tomorrow. Against LA Galaxy. They are mid season. They are fit. We need to show them who we are."

"Do they have good food here?" Diego asked raising his hand.

"Yes Diego," Michael laughed. "But no burgers until we win."

The match against LA Galaxy was played in a stadium filled with curious American fans. They wanted to see the English team with the strange reputation.

The Galaxy players were athletic. They ran hard.

But Barnsley had evolved.

Minute 10.

LA Galaxy tried to press.

Kai Sora received the ball deep in his own half. Usually he would pass short to Kenji.

But Kai looked up. He saw the new taller Isaiah King sprinting down the wing.

Kai swung his leg.

WHOOSH

The ball flew sixty yards. It was not a normal pass. It had backspin. It hung in the air like a satellite before dropping precisely onto the foot of Isaiah.

Isaiah controlled it.

The Galaxy defender tried to shove him off the ball.

Last season Isaiah would have fallen.

This season Isaiah stood firm. He used his new strength. He shrugged the defender off like a annoying fly.

Isaiah cut inside. He smashed the ball into the top corner.

GOAL

1 to 0.

Isaiah ran to the camera. He put on a pair of sunglasses that he had hidden in his sock.

"I AM HOLLYWOOD!" Isaiah screamed into the lens.

Arthur Milton facepalmed on the bench. "Where did he get the glasses? He was wearing shin pads a minute ago."

Minute 30.

LA Galaxy attacked. Their striker was fast.

He ran at Diego Nunez.

Diego stood his ground. He did not tackle. He just stepped into the path of the striker.

The striker bounced off the chest of Diego and fell over.

Diego looked down. "No entry amigo," Diego rumbled.

Minute 60.

Kenji Sato was putting on a show. The American commentators were confused.

"This kid is everywhere!" the commentator yelled. "Does he have a twin? There are two number eights on the field!"

Kenji intercepted a pass. He ran forward. He passed to Danny Fletcher.

The Prince scored with a cool finish.

2 to 0.

The game ended 3 to 0 after Jamie Weston scored a penalty.

It was a dominance.

The next day Michael gave the team a day off.

"Go have fun," Michael told them. "Go to the beach. Go to Beverly Hills. Just be back by curfew. And do not get arrested."

The team split up.

Diego Nunez went to a steakhouse. He posted a picture on Instagram holding a steak the size of a car wheel.

Kenji Sato went to a museum. He posted a picture of himself bowing to a dinosaur skeleton.

But Michael was worried about the trio of chaos.

Kai. Isaiah. And Higgins.

They went to Venice Beach.

Michael decided to follow them just in case. He wore a hat and sunglasses to blend in.

He found them at the famous Muscle Beach gym.

Shaun Higgins was surrounded by huge American bodybuilders. They were lifting heavy weights.

"You think that is heavy?" Higgins asked a man who looked like the Hulk.

"Yeah bro," the American grunted. "This is four hundred pounds."

Higgins laughed. "Hold my water."

Higgins lay on the bench. He lifted the weight. He did ten reps. He stood up and did not even sweat.

"Barnsley strength," Higgins said tapping his bicep.

The Americans cheered.

Meanwhile on the basketball court nearby a crowd had gathered.

Kai Sora was playing basketball.

He was wearing his silk shirt and sunglasses.

A tall American player tried to block him.

Kai did not run. He just stood at the three point line. He threw the ball.

SWISH

He threw another one.

SWISH

He threw a third one without looking.

SWISH

"Who is this guy?" the American player asked looking shocked. "Is he NBA?"

"No," Isaiah King shouted from the sidelines holding an ice cream. "He is a footballer. He is just too lazy to miss."

Michael watched from a distance. He smiled.

His team was bonding. They were growing. They were taking over LA one gym and court at a time.

That night the team gathered for a barbecue at the hotel.

Arthur Milton was wearing a chef hat and grilling burgers.

"This is the life Boss," Arthur said flipping a burger. "Sun. Food. And winning."

Michael sat on a lounger.

He looked at his phone. The fixture list for the Premier League had just been released.

He scrolled down.

GAME 1: LIVERPOOL (AWAY)

GAME 2: MANCHESTER UNITED (HOME)

GAME 3: ARSENAL (AWAY)

Michael choked on his water.

"Arthur," Michael said his voice tight. "Have you seen the schedule?"

Arthur looked over. He read the screen. He stopped flipping the burgers.

"Anfield," Arthur whispered. "Old Trafford. The Emirates."

"The computer hates us," Michael said. "It wants to kill us in the first month."

Arthur looked at the players in the pool. Diego was doing a cannonball. Kai was floating on a unicorn inflatable. Isaiah was dancing.

"They do not look scared," Arthur said.

"No," Michael said standing up. "They do not look scared."

He walked over to the pool.

"Listen up!" Michael shouted.

The players stopped splashing.

"We have our first game," Michael announced. "Anfield. Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp."

Silence.

Then Diego Nunez laughed. A deep booming laugh.

"Good," Diego said. "I always wanted to play there. I hear the atmosphere is okay. Not like Uruguay but okay."

"We will silence them," Isaiah said climbing out of the pool water dripping from his new muscles. "I will run past Van Dijk. I will make him turn around."

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