The return to Dortmund felt like coming home. After the whirlwind of China – the heat, the crowds, the relentless training – the familiar sights of the Westfalenstadion and the training ground were a welcome comfort.

Mateo stared out the bus window as they pulled into the facility, watching the groundskeepers tending to the pitch, the yellow and black flags fluttering in the summer breeze. This was home. This was where he belonged.

Beside him, Lukas was unusually quiet, his leg bouncing with nervous energy. "You alright?" Mateo signed.

Lukas nodded, but his eyes betrayed his anxiety. "Just... thinking. About what's next. About the season."

Mateo understood. The pre-season in China had been intense, but it was also a bubble, a controlled environment. Now they were back, and the real work was about to begin. The Bundesliga season was just weeks away, and with it, the weight of expectation, the pressure to defend their title, and the challenge of proving they could thrive without Lewandowski.

---

That afternoon, Klopp called a team meeting in the main conference room. The atmosphere was different from the meetings in China – more formal, more focused. This was the final phase of preparation, and everyone knew it.

The players filed in, taking their seats, the veterans at the front, the younger players toward the back. Mateo sat with the established first-team members now, a position he had earned through his performances last season. Lukas, along with the other academy players, sat further back, their faces a mix of hope and apprehension.

Klopp stood at the front, his arms crossed, his expression serious but not stern. "Welcome back," he began, his voice carrying easily across the room. "China was good. We learned a lot. We adapted. We grew. But now, the real work begins. The Bundesliga waits for no one. Bayern will be hungry. Every team will want to knock us down. We must be ready."

He paused, letting his words sink in. "To be ready, we need depth. We need quality. We need players who are hungry, who are willing to fight for every minute, every opportunity. That's why, after careful consideration and observation, we are promoting several players from the academy to the first team."

A ripple of excitement and tension spread through the room. The academy players sat up straighter, their eyes fixed on Klopp. Mateo glanced back at Lukas, whose face had gone pale, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair.

Klopp pulled out a sheet of paper. "The following players will train with the first team and be part of the senior squad for the upcoming season." He began reading names, each one met with applause and congratulations from the veterans. Mateo recognized some of them – talented players he had trained with in the academy, players who had shown promise.

Then Klopp said the name that made Mateo's heart swell with pride: "Lukas Müller. Central midfielder."

The room erupted in applause. Mateo turned to see Lukas's face, a mixture of disbelief, joy, and shock. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. Mateo stood, signing furiously, "You did it! You did it!"

Lukas stood slowly, as if in a daze, and the players around him clapped him on the back, offering congratulations. Marco Reus turned around, extending his hand. "Welcome to the first team, Lukas. Now the real work begins."

Lukas shook his hand, his voice barely a whisper. "Thank you. I... I won't let you down."

Klopp finished reading the names and then addressed the newly promoted players. "This is not a gift. This is an opportunity. An opportunity to prove you belong at this level. You will train harder than you ever have.

You will be pushed to your limits. And if you are not good enough, you will be sent back. But if you rise to the challenge, if you show the hunger and the quality we know you possess, you will have a future here. Welcome to Borussia Dortmund's first team."

---

After the meeting, the training ground buzzed with energy. The newly promoted players were surrounded by well-wishers, veterans offering advice, coaches outlining expectations. Mateo found Lukas standing alone near the edge of the pitch, staring out at the grass, his expression a mix of awe and terror.

Mateo walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. Lukas turned, and for a moment, neither of them signed or spoke. They just looked at each other, two boys who had started this journey together in the academy, who had shared a dorm room, who had trained together countless hours, who had become brothers.

Finally, Lukas says, "I can't believe it. Central midfielder. First team. Me."

Mateo grinned, signing back, "I always knew you would make it. All those extra training sessions, all those hours we spent working on your passing, your vision – it paid off, Lukas. You earned this."

Lukas's eyes glistened. "I couldn't have done it without you. You pushed me. You believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

"That's what brothers do," Mateo signed, pulling him into a hug.

---

The first training session with the first team was a baptism by fire. The pace was relentless, the physicality intense, the expectations sky-high. Klopp's drills were designed to push every player to their limit, to test their technical ability, their tactical understanding, and their mental fortitude. For Lukas, it was overwhelming.

Mateo watched from his position in the midfield, offering encouragement whenever he could. He saw Lukas struggle with the speed of play, saw him hesitate on passes, saw him get outmuscled by the more experienced players. But he also saw flashes of brilliance – a perfectly weighted through ball, a clever interception, a moment of vision that reminded Mateo why Klopp had promoted him.

During a water break, Mateo jogged over to Lukas, who was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "You're doing great," Mateo signed.

Lukas looked up, his face flushed. "I'm getting destroyed out there."

"Everyone does at first. I did. It's normal. Just keep playing your game. Don't try to be someone you're not. Use your vision, your passing. That's your strength."

Lukas nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I can do this."

"I know you can."

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