Minute 20.

The ball… bounced… out… for a Barnsley… throw-in.

It… was KAI SORA.

Arthur… had started… him. The [CA 61]

…*in... the... middle...

…against... a Premier... League... midfield.

Michael… held… his breath.

Kai… didn't… move. He… was walking. Strolling.

A giant, £30-million-pound… Sunderland... midfielder… charged… at… him.

"WAKE UP, KID!"

Kai… just… smirked.

He… flicked… the ball. A no-look, [PA 97]... 'physics'... pass.

It… went… straight… through… the midfielder's... legs.

N-U-T-M-E-G!

The crowd… GASPED.

It… rolled… perfectly… to Raph.

The Sunderland… midfielder… smashed… into… nothing.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOH!" the stadium… sang.

"HE'S… SENT… HIM… *FOR A… HOTDOG!" the commentator shrieked. "THE 'BOUNCER'… IS… BALLING!"

Kai… just… drawled, "It's… *'kinda… easy,'… isn't it?"

Michael… saw… "The Butcher"… smile.

This… team…

…was lethal.

Minute 35:

The… ball… flew… high.

A long... clearance... from a panicked... Sunderland.

It… was coming... down... in the box.

The Sunderland... keeper... was coming... out. "KEEPER!"

Jamie Weston… was charging… in.

But… someone… was there.

A red... shirt.

Already… there.

Waiting.

He… hadn't… run. He… had just… appeared.

Kevin "The Ghost" Sullivan. The [PA 95]... brain... in a [CA 50]... body.

Arthur… was playing… two... strikers.

"WHERE… DID HE… COME FROM?!" the commentator gasped.

"The Ghost"... looked... at the charging... keeper.

He… looked... at the on-rushing... Jamie.

He… can't… move… fast.

He… just… jumped.

A tiny... hop.

And he... headed... the ball.

Backwards.

A perfect, cushioned, "I-knew-you-were-coming"… header.

Right… into… the path… of Jamie Weston.

Jamie… didn't… think.

His [CA 71]... body... just... reacted.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

[POWER SHOT!]

Empty... net.

The goalkeeper… crashed… into… 'The Ghost'…

…one... second… too... late.

The ball… smashed… into… the… net.

1-0, BARNSLEY!

The "Fortress"... EXPLODED.

Jamie… was screaming. He… flew… past… 'The Ghost'…

…grabbed… Kai Sora… (who… looked… horrified… at the contact)…

…and roared… in his face…

"THE 'BOUNCER'! AND THE 'GHOST'! WE… HAVE… *THE… WEIRDEST… TEAM… *IN… THE… WORLD! AND… I… LOVE… IT!"

Michael… was laughing.

His sister… was screaming her head... off.

His Mom… was clapping,... elegantly.

He… looked… up. At the sky.

Are you... watching, Dad?

It's... 1-0. Against... the Premier... League.

...And...

...it's... 'kinda... easy.'

***

Michael Sterling was buzzing.

His sister, Jessica, was beaming next to him, her new 'FLETCHER 9' shirt already a classic.

"He's… my… new… favorite," she grinned, still re-watching the phone-video she'd taken of "The Butcher" deleting… the Premier League winger.

"He's… terrifying," his Mom, Catherine, laughed, fanning herself. "He… is a true… gladiator, non?"

"He's our 'meat and potatoes,' Mom," Michael grinned, his heart soaring.

His team… his "Dynasty"… was 1-0 up… against the Premier League.

The "Fortress" was rocking.

"I… I… I LOVE… THIS… GAME!" the commentator was howling in Michael's earpiece. "THE 'GHOST'… AND THE 'BOUNCER'! THE 'BUTCHER'… AND THE 'BRAIN'! IT'S… IT'S A SUPERHERO… TEAM! AND… SUNDERLAND… ARE FURIOUS!"

He… was right.

Sunderland… were not… "having fun."

They… were embarrassed.

They… were Premier League superstars… getting clowned… by a Championship… team… with a 16-year-old… basketball… player… in midfield.

The £30-million-pound Sunderland midfielder… the one Kai had nutmegged… was seeing… red.

He… was hunting.

Minute 40.

The ball… bounced… out… to Kai. Kai… yawned. He… just… stopped… it. Dead.

The £30M midfielder… roared. He… charged. He… wasn't… going… for the ball. He… was going… for Kai.

"KAI! MOVE!" Michael screamed.

Kai… just… looked… at him.

He… smirked.

THWACK!

The midfielder… launched… a vicious, angry, "I-will-end-your-stupid-drawl"… lunge.

PHWEEEEEEEEET!

The whistle… blew… before… *he... even... landed.

Kai… who *wasn't… there… (he'd… hopped…)… just… dusted… himself… off.

The midfielder… slid… ten… yards… on his face.

He… got up… screaming. "HE… MOVED! HE… HAS… *TO… STAND… STILL!"

The referee… just… looked… at him.

Yellow… card.

"A CYNICAL… FOUL!" the commentator cackled. "HE'S LOST… HIS… HEAD! HE… CAN'T… HANDLE… THE… 'BOUNCER'!"

Michael's heart… leapt.

Free kick.

30 yards out.

It… was… Raph… territory.

Raphael Santos, the "Magician,"… trotted… over.

He… picked up… the ball.

The Wembley… miss… was gone. The Chelsea… miracle… was back.

The Sunderland… wall… was massive. They… looked… scared.

This… was the kid… who chipped… Ederson.

"COME ON, 'MAGICIAN'!" Michael roared.

Raph… placed… the ball.

He… took… his run-up.

He… hit... it.

It… was beautiful. It… curled. It… bent.

It… was a physics-defying… banana.

The goalkeeper… flew.

He… wasn't… getting… it.

TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

The crossbar.

The ball… smashed… down… *onto… the… line…

…and spun… out.

The entire… stadium… groaned. A loud, agonized, "OOOOOOOOH!"

"THE WOODWORK! HE'S *HIT… THE… BAR!" the commentator shrieked. "HE… *WAS… INCHES… AWAY!"

PHWEEEEEEET!

Halftime.

The players… jogged… off… to a standing… ovation.

Michael… was shaking.

"He… he almost… did it!" Jessica gasped.

"He… is magic, non?" his Mom smiled.

Michael… just… grinned. 1-0. This… team.

The locker room… was buzzing.

Michael… didn't… go in. He… knew… better.

He… just… listened… outside… the door.

"IT'S NOT… GOOD… ENOUGH!" Arthur roared (he… was loving this). "ONE… NIL?! ONE?! YOU… SHOULD… *BE… FOUR… UP! THAT… *PREMIER… LEAGUE… RABBLE… *IS… TERRIFIED… *OF… US!"

"But… Gaffer…" Jamie's voice. "I… scored!"

"YOU… SCORED… ONE! *GO… *SCORE… THREE! AND YOU!"

Oh… no. He… was talking… to Kai.

"'BOUNCER'! STOP… WALKING! IT'S NOT… A PARK! START… RUNNING! OR… *I… *WILL… MAKE… YOU!"

A pause.

"…Maybe…" Kai's drawl.

Michael… died. He loved… this team.

He… ran… back… to his seat.

PHWEEEEEEET!

The second… half… began.

And… Sunderland… were angry.

Their manager… had clearly… yelled… at them. They… were flying.

Tackle! Foul!

They… were hunting… Kai.

Minute 47.

Kai… got the ball.

He… wasn't… strolling. He… *was… running. (A… light… jog).

The £30M midfielder, "Angry Mark,"… charged… him… again.

Two-footed. Studs-up. *Off… the… ground.

It… was a *"red-card"… tackle.

A leg-breaker.

"KAI! NO!" Michael screamed.

Kai… wasn't… there.

His [PA 97] brain… his *[CA 61]… body…

…*he… saw… it.

He… didn't… *just… he…he… pirouetted.

A full... *360... spin,… *in... the... air.

"Angry Mark"… missed… Kai… completely.

His studs… connected…

…with… NOTHING… BUT… AIR…

…and he crashed... *to... the... ground.

PHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

The referee… sprinted… over.

He… didn't… even… think.

He… reached… straight… *for… his… *back... pocket.

RED CARD.

"Angry Mark"… was GONE.

The entire… Sunderland… bench… exploded.

The Sunderland… manager… threw… *his… *water… bottle.

But… "Angry Mark"… was OFF.

"A MOMENT… OF PURE… INSANITY!" the commentator was shrieking, crying… *with… laughter. "THE £30-MILLION-POUND… SUPERSTAR… HAS BEEN *SENT… OFF! FOR… TRYING… *TO… DELETE… A... 16-YEAR-OLD! THE 'BOUNCER'… *DIDN'T… EVEN… FLINCH! HE… IS… *MADE… *OF… ICE! IT'S *11… MEN… *VERSUS… 10!"

Michael… was wheezing. He… was laughing… so… hard.

His Mom… was fanning… herself. "My… word… *such… passion!"

Jessica… was *just… screaming… "YES! *GET… OFF! YOU… *BIG… BULLY!"

And now…

…it was… a party.

Sunderland… were broken.

10… men. *1-0… down.

They… gave… up.

Zip. Zip. Zip.

The ball… was all… Barnsley.

It… came… *to… him.

Minute 50:

Danny Fletcher. The 'Prince.'

He… was 30… yards… out.

The Wembley… miss… was a ghost.

The *Wembley… *red… card… was gone.

This… was his… house.

He… heard… them.

All 25,000.

"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!"

Danny… looked… up.

The keeper… was cheating. Again.

Danny… smiled.

He… thought… about… his Dad… (Steve)…

…no… Michael's… Dad.

He… didn't… pass.

He… *let… fly.

A long… shot.

It… wasn't… a curl. It… wasn't… a chip.

It… was a laser.

A 30-yard, angry, "I-am-a-Champion-now"… laser-beam. It… never… rose. It… stayed… six… inches… *off… the… grass.

The goalkeeper… dived.

He… was too… slow.

The ball… smashed… *into… the… bottom… corner…

…before… *he… *even… landed.

SWISH.

2-0, BARNSLEY!

"THE PRINCE! IS BACK!" the commentator was sobbing… *with… joy. "A 30-YARD… SCREAMER! THE *WEMBLEY… GHOSTS… *ARE… GONE! THE 'FORTRESS'… *IS… ALIVE! IT'S 2-0! AND… *THIS… GAME… *IS… OVER!"

Michael… was *on… his… feet.

His sister… was hugging… him. His Mom… was blowing… kisses. He… looked… down… at the pitch.

At Danny.

Danny… wasn't… celebrating.

He… was… just… standing. He… looked… up… at the sky. He… pointed… one… finger… up.

Michael… knew… who… that… *was… for. He… put… his… *own… finger… up,… too.

This… one's… for… you,… Dad.

*The… Dynasty… *is… ready.

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