The sun had not risen yet. The sky over Barnsley was a deep charcoal black. The only light came from the massive floodlights of the Sterling Era Training Complex which cut through the morning fog.

It was 6:00 AM. But the pitch was full.

Michael Sterling stood in the center circle. He wore a thick black coat and a beanie hat. He held the Golden Whistle in his gloved hand.

He blew it.

TWEEEEET!

The sound echoed off the metal walls of the indoor facility.

"Again!" Michael shouted. "Faster! The FA thinks you are slow! Show them!"

The squad was running suicides. Line to line. Sprinting. Turning. Sprinting back.

Usually players would complain about training this early. They would moan. They would drag their feet.

But not today.

Today there was no moaning. There was only the sound of heavy breathing and boots pounding the turf.

The 8 points deduction had not broken them. It had forged them into iron.

Diego Nunez was at the front. The Uruguayan Bull had taken his shirt off. Steam was rising from his bald head. He looked like a machine engine overheating.

"Is that all you got FA?!" Diego roared as he sprinted. "Take eight more points! We will win anyway!"

Kai Sora was running next to him. The Architect was usually lazy. But the Golden Whistle effect combined with the rage of the injustice had unlocked something new in him. He was keeping pace with Diego. His sunglasses reflected the floodlights.

Arthur Milton stood on the sideline holding two cups of coffee. He was shivering.

"They are scary Boss," Arthur said as Michael walked over. "They look like a pack of wolves hunting for breakfast."

"They are wolves Arthur," Michael said. "And the league is the sheep."

The metal door of the facility creaked open.

A slice of cold wind blew in.

Two figures walked onto the sideline.

One was Jessica Sterling. Michael's sister and the Head of Media for the club. She was wrapped in a white puffer jacket that made her look like a marshmallow.

Holding her hand was a small boy.

He was about ten years old. He wore a Barnsley shirt that was too big for him. It had NUNEZ 4 on the back. He had messy brown hair and glasses that were fogging up in the cold.

This was Lucas. Michael and Jessica's little brother.

"Michael!" Jessica shouted waving. "We brought supplies!"

Michael walked over. He smiled for the first time that morning.

"Jess," Michael said. "And Lucas. What are you doing here? It is the middle of the night."

"Lucas could not sleep," Jessica explained. "He heard about the points deduction on the news. He was crying. He wanted to come and help."

Michael looked down at his little brother.

Lucas looked up. His eyes were wide behind the foggy glasses.

"Is it true Mike?" Lucas asked. his voice small. "Are we going to get relegated?"

Michael crouched down. He put a hand on Lucas shoulder.

"No Lucas," Michael said firmly. "We are not going to get relegated. We are going to win."

"But the man on the TV said we are cheated," Lucas whispered.

"The man on TV does not know us," Michael said. "Do you want to meet the team?"

Lucas nodded vigorously.

Michael blew the whistle.

"Water break!"

The players stopped running. They walked over to the sideline gasping for air. They were soaked in sweat despite the freezing temperature.

Diego Nunez saw the little boy.

The Bull stopped panting. He wiped his face with a towel. He walked over. He loomed over Lucas like a skyscraper.

Lucas froze. He stared at the giant man.

"You have my name on your back," Diego rumbled pointing at the shirt.

Lucas nodded terrified.

"Good choice," Diego grinned. "I am the strongest."

Diego knelt down. He was still scary but his eyes were kind.

"Why are you here little man? School starts in three hours."

"I wanted to help," Lucas said bravely. "I brought you this."

Lucas reached into his pocket. He pulled out a chocolate bar. It was squashed.

"It is a Snickers," Lucas said. "For energy."

The room went silent. The players watched.

Diego took the tiny chocolate bar in his massive hand. It looked like a Tic Tac.

"You give me your chocolate?" Diego asked.

"Yes," Lucas said. "So you can beat the bad guys."

Diego stood up. He held the chocolate bar up to the light like it was the Holy Grail.

"Did you hear him?!" Diego roared at the team. "The little brother gives us his food! He gives us his strength! Are we going to let him down?!"

"NO!" the squad shouted.

"Are we going to let the FA make him cry?!"

"NO!"

Diego unwrapped the chocolate and ate it in one bite. Wrapper and all probably.

"I feel the power!" Diego shouted beating his chest. "I am powered by Snickers and Justice!"

The players laughed. The tension in the room broke. It was no longer just angry rage. It was happy rage.

"Can he watch?" Jessica asked Michael.

"He can do better than watch," Michael said. "He can help."

Michael turned to the team.

"Okay. Next drill. Shooting practice. Lucas you are the ball boy. If they miss the target you have to laugh at them. Okay?"

Lucas grinned. "Okay Mike."

The session resumed.

It was intense.

Danny Fletcher the Captain was firing rockets at the goal. Sam Jones the goalkeeper was flying from post to post.

Every time a ball went wide Lucas would run and fetch it.

"Unlucky!" Lucas shouted at Erik Olsen when the Viking missed the post.

Erik stopped. He looked at the boy.

"The goal moved," Erik said seriously.

"No it did not!" Lucas laughed throwing the ball back. "You need glasses like me!"

Erik Olsen the man with the frozen heart actually smiled.

"You are cheeky," Erik said. "I like you."

On the other side Kai Sora was practicing free kicks.

Lucas stood next to him.

"How do you do that?" Lucas asked as Kai curled a ball into the top corner. "It looks like magic."

Kai lowered his sunglasses.

"It is physics little brother," Kai said. "And a little bit of magic. Do you want to try?"

"Really?" Lucas asked.

"Yes. Kick it."

Kai placed the ball.

Lucas ran up. He kicked it with his sneakers. The ball rolled slowly towards the goal. It did not even reach the line.

"Goal!" Diego Nunez shouted from the other side of the pitch diving out of the way of the slow ball as if it were a cannonball.

Diego rolled on the floor clutching his stomach.

"He killed me!" Diego screamed. "What a shot! The power! I am dead!"

Lucas giggled uncontrollably.

Michael watched from the center circle.

This was it.

This was the Dynasty.

It was not just about points or money or tactics. It was about this. The connection. The family.

The 8 points deduction had tried to kill their spirit. But instead it had brought them closer together.

At 8:00 AM the session ended.

The sun had finally risen. A pale winter light filtered through the windows.

The players were exhausted but they were buzzing. The Golden Whistle effect combined with the Snickers boost had created a perfect session.

Michael gathered everyone in a circle. Lucas stood in the middle next to Diego.

"Today was good," Michael said. "We worked hard. We remembered who we play for."

He looked at Lucas.

"We play for the fans who cry when we lose. We play for the kids who wear our names on their backs. We play for the family."

"We play for the chocolate," Diego added.

"Yes," Michael smiled. "And the chocolate."

He looked at Arthur Milton.

"Arthur. What is the next fixture?"

Arthur checked his clipboard.

"Saturday," Arthur said. "Away against Brighton."

"Brighton are good," Michael said. "They play nice football. They are seventh. We are eighth."

"Not for long," Isaiah King said stepping forward. He high fived Lucas. "We are coming for everything."

"Lucas," Michael said. "You have to go to school now."

"Awww," Lucas groaned. "Can I not stay? I can be the assistant manager."

"Arthur is the assistant," Michael said. "And he gets jealous."

Arthur winked at the boy. "I will protect my job with my life kid."

Jessica took Lucas hand.

"Come on troublemaker," Jessica said. "Let the big boys shower. You smell like Diego now."

"I smell like victory!" Lucas shouted imitating Diego.

Diego laughed and ruffled the boy hair.

"Bye little Bull," Diego said. "Watch the game on TV. When I tackle someone I will wink at the camera for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Jessica led Lucas to the door. Just before they left Lucas turned around.

"Mike!" Lucas shouted.

"Yeah?"

"Burn the league down!"

Michael froze. He looked at the players. They were all grinning.

"You heard the boy!" Michael shouted. "Burn it down!"

After the players went to the showers Michael sat in his office with Arthur.

The adrenaline was fading but a warm feeling remained.

"That was a good morning," Arthur said sipping a fresh coffee. "The kid has spirit."

"He reminds me why we do this," Michael said.

He looked at the league table on his laptop. The minus 8 points stared back at him. It looked ugly. It looked unfair.

But it no longer looked scary.

He opened the System interface.

[TEAM MORALE: UNBREAKABLE]

[TRAINING RATING: S+]

[HIDDEN EFFECT: THE LITTLE BROTHER BOOST]

[DESCRIPTION: PLAYERS ARE MOTIVATED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT. AGGRESSION INCREASED BY 20 PERCENT.]

"The Little Brother Boost," Michael whispered. "The System counts everything."

He looked out the window. The snow was starting to melt.

The Revenge Tour had officially begun.

And the first stop was Brighton. The Seagulls.

Michael picked up the Golden Whistle from his desk. He put it in his pocket.

"Arthur," Michael said.

"Yes Boss?"

"Get me a Snickers bar. I am hungry."

Arthur laughed.

"Coming right up Boss."

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