Thursday morning felt different.

Michael Sterling walked into the reception of the Sterling Era Training Complex. He wore sunglasses not because it was sunny but because the flashes from the photographers outside were blinding.

He walked past the reception desk. The receptionist was reading a newspaper.

The headline was huge.

THE PRINCE SLAYS THE KING: BARNSLEY 1 MANCHESTER CITY 0

There was a picture of Danny Fletcher sliding on his knees with tears in his eyes. It was a picture that would hang in the hallway forever.

Michael walked into his office. Arthur Milton was already there. The old scout was sitting on the sofa surrounded by every newspaper in England. He was eating a croissant with a look of pure satisfaction.

"Read this Boss," Arthur said waving a paper. "The Daily Mail says you are a tactical genius. Last week they said you were a fraud who got lucky."

Michael laughed. "Opinions change fast in football Arthur. You are only as good as your last game."

"This one says we destroyed the logic of football," Arthur chuckled reading another paper. "They cannot understand how a team with a right back playing center back beat Erling Haaland. They call it The Barnsley Miracle."

"It was not a miracle," Michael said pouring himself a coffee. "It was hard work. And a very good chip."

"It was magic," Arthur corrected. "Pure magic."

Michael sat at his desk. His phone was buzzing. He had three hundred unread messages. Agents. Sponsors. Old school friends he had not seen in ten years asking for tickets.

But one message stood out.

It was from Julian Thorne the billionaire owner.

Julian: Great win Michael. The world is watching. I have a friend who wants to meet you. He is coming to the training ground today. Be nice to him. He is richer than me.

Michael raised an eyebrow. Richer than Julian? That was hard to imagine.

Michael walked down to the canteen.

The atmosphere was electric. The players were buzzing.

Danny Fletcher was sitting at the main table. He looked tired but happy. He had the match ball sitting next to his cereal bowl.

"Did you sleep with the ball Danny?" Isaiah King asked sitting down next to him.

"Yes," Danny smiled. "I tucked it in. I read it a bedtime story."

"You are weird," Isaiah laughed. "But you are a legend. That goal was fire."

Diego Nunez hobbled into the room on his crutches. The Bull looked grumpy.

"I missed the war," Diego grunted sitting down heavily. "I watched on TV. When Haaland hit the post I broke my remote control."

"You owe me a remote," Michael said walking into the room.

"I will buy you ten remotes Boss," Diego said. "I am rich remember?"

The players cheered.

Michael stood at the front of the room.

"Listen up," Michael said. "Enjoy the headlines. Read the papers. Call your mothers. You deserve it."

He looked at the squad.

"But do not get comfortable. We are fourth in the league. We are in the next round of the cup. Now the expectation changes. People do not expect us to lose anymore. They expect us to win."

He pointed at Kenji Sato.

"Kenji. How are the legs?"

Kenji stood up and bowed. "My legs are fresh Sterling san. I did an ice bath for two hours. I am ready to run to Scotland."

"Please stay in England," Michael laughed.

"Boss," Kai Sora said from the back. Kai was wearing his sunglasses indoors again. "Can we have a day off? My battery is low."

"No day off," Michael said. "We have a guest coming. A VIP. I want everyone looking sharp. No pajamas Kai."

Kai sighed. "Life is hard."

An hour later a helicopter landed on the training pitch.

It was white and gold. It looked like something from a science fiction movie.

Michael walked out to meet it. Arthur stood next to him adjusting his tie.

"Who is this guy?" Arthur whispered. "The King of England?"

"Julian said he is a friend," Michael said.

The door opened. A young man stepped out.

He looked about the same age as Michael. He wore a simple black t shirt and jeans. He had messy hair and wore round glasses. He looked like a university student who studied computer science.

But the way he walked was confident.

"Michael Sterling," the young man said extending a hand. "I am Leo. Leo Volt."

Michael shook his hand. He knew the name. Everyone knew the name.

Leo Volt was the founder of Volt Tech. He was the youngest billionaire in history. He invented the social media app that Isaiah King was addicted to.

"Mr Volt," Michael said. "Welcome to Barnsley. Sorry about the smell. It is the fertilizer."

Leo laughed. "I like it. It smells like reality. In Silicon Valley everything smells like lavender and lies."

"This is Arthur," Michael introduced. "Our Director of Football."

"The man who found the Misfits," Leo said shaking Arthur's hand. "Your data analysis is fascinating Arthur. Buying players based on personality traits instead of just stats. It is revolutionary."

Arthur blinked. "I just look for good boys. I do not know about data."

"Come inside," Michael said. "I will show you around."

They walked through the facility. Leo was impressed by the Biometric Lab. He looked at the VR headsets and the smart treadmills.

"You are using my technology," Leo said pointing at the sensors. "I designed those chips."

"They work well," Michael said. "Kai Sora learned how to play fast using your chips."

"Kai Sora," Leo said his eyes lighting up. "The Architect. I want to meet him. His passing metrics are anomalies. Mathematically he should not be effective because he does not move. But statistically he is the most effective player in Europe."

"He defies logic," Michael agreed.

They walked into the player lounge.

Kai Sora was playing Mario Kart with Isaiah King.

"Hello," Michael said. "Kai. Isaiah. This is Leo."

Kai paused the game. He looked at Leo.

"You are the guy who made the app," Kai said. "The one with the dancing cat videos."

"Yes," Leo grinned. "That is me."

"Thank you," Kai said solemnly. "The cats make me happy."

Isaiah jumped up. "Yo! Leo Volt! Can you verify my account? I have been waiting for the blue tick for months!"

"Done," Leo said tapping his phone. "Check it now."

Isaiah checked his phone. He screamed. "I AM VERIFIED! I AM OFFICIAL! THANK YOU BRO!"

Leo turned to Michael.

"I like this energy," Leo said. "It is raw. It is real."

"Why are you here Leo?" Michael asked. "You did not fly to Yorkshire just to verify Isaiah."

"No," Leo said. "I am here because I am bored."

"Bored?"

"I conquered tech," Leo shrugged. "It is too easy. Algorithms are predictable. Humans are not. Football is the ultimate variable."

Leo looked at the training pitch outside.

"I want to help you Michael. Julian told me about your vision. About the Dynasty."

"We are doing okay," Michael said.

"You are doing okay," Leo agreed. "But you are competing against states. Against oil money. You need an edge."

"What kind of edge?"

"Data," Leo said. "Real time predictive AI. I have a new system. It is called The Oracle. It predicts injuries before they happen. It predicts transfer values five years in the future. It analyzes opposition tactics and finds weaknesses that human eyes cannot see."

Michael felt a chill. This sounded exactly like his System.

Was Leo Volt... like him?

"Why give it to us?" Michael asked.

"Because you are the Misfits," Leo smiled. "And I was a misfit too. The nerds usually lose Michael. I want to help the nerds win."

Michael looked at Leo. He saw a kindred spirit. A disruptor.

"Okay," Michael said. "Show me The Oracle."

They went back to the office. Leo connected his phone to the big screen.

A complex web of data appeared.

[THE ORACLE BETA VERSION]

[MATCH PREDICTION: NEXT GAME]

[OPPONENT: ASTON VILLA]

[TACTICAL SUGGESTION: TARGET THE LEFT HALF SPACE. VILLA DEFENDER CASH TIRES AFTER 60 MINUTES.]

"It knows when players get tired?" Arthur asked amazed.

"It knows everything," Leo said. "It tracks sleep patterns. Diet. Stress levels from social media activity."

Michael looked at his own System interface.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[NEW ALLIANCE DETECTED]

[LEO VOLT: TECH GENIUS]

[BENEFIT: SCOUTING ACCURACY +20%]

[BENEFIT: INJURY PREVENTION +15%]

The System approved.

"We accept," Michael said. "Welcome to the Dynasty Leo."

"Awesome," Leo said. "Now. Can I get a shirt? I want a Kai Sora shirt."

Leo left an hour later promising to send his team of analysts to install the new software next week.

Michael sat in his office. He felt stronger.

He had the money from Julian Thorne. Now he had the brainpower of Leo Volt.

The Empire was growing.

"He is a strange boy," Arthur said eating another croissant. "But he is smart. If he can stop Diego from getting injured again I will kiss him."

"Let us hope it works," Michael said.

He looked at the fixture list.

NEXT MATCH: ASTON VILLA (AWAY)

Aston Villa were strong. Unai Emery was a tactical master. But now Michael had The Oracle. And he had a team that had just beaten the champions.

The door opened.

Isaiah King walked in. He was holding his phone.

"Boss!" Isaiah said. "Look! I have a blue tick! And Leo Volt follows me! I am famous!"

"You were already famous Isaiah," Michael smiled. "You scored the winner at the Emirates."

"Yeah but this is internet famous," Isaiah said seriously. "It is different."

"Go train Isaiah," Michael laughed. "Internet fame does not score goals."

"Watch me," Isaiah said moonwalking out of the room.

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