Chapter 316: +40% Squad Chemistry
[Squad Status Report]
[Physical Condition:] 88% (Fatigue from Sand Training recovering optimally)
[Mental State:] Chaotic / Highly Distracted
[Defensive Cohesion:] 75% (Improving)
Michael swiped the screen away. The numbers were good, but the "Highly Distracted" status was a massive red flag. Diego Simeone and the entire Atletico Madrid squad were landing in Yorkshire in exactly twenty-four hours for the closed-door friendly. Rodrigo De Paul and Julian Alvarez were not coming to enjoy the English weather. They were coming to break legs and test the Misfits’ resolve.
The door to the office cracked open.
Arthur Milton, Michael’s fiercely loyal assistant manager, peaked his head inside. He was aggressively chewing on a green jelly baby, his glasses slightly crooked.
"Boss..." Arthur started, stepping into the room and closing the door tightly behind him. "We have a situation. A very loud, very expensive situation."
Michael didn’t look up from his notebook. "Did Kenji buy another exotic animal for the stadium? I told him the local council will not allow a live bear near the VIP lounge, Arthur."
"No, Boss, it is not a bear," Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked at the tactical whiteboard, which was covered in arrows detailing how to stop Atletico’s low-block counter-attacks. "Honestly, Boss... looking at these tactics... maybe we need more practice on defense before the Friendly tournament. Because right now, the defenders are not thinking about football."
Michael slowly closed his notebook. He leaned back in his leather chair, his icy blue eyes locking onto his assistant. "What are they thinking about, Arthur?"
Before Arthur could answer, the heavy office door slammed open, rebounding off the wall with a loud bang.
"BOSS~!"
Jax, the teenage winger and social media menace, slid into the office wearing his full training kit and a massive, glittering silver top hat. He was holding his phone on a selfie stick, streaming live to his millions of followers.
"Chat! Look at the Boss! He looks so confused!" Jax laughed loudly, spinning the camera around the room. "I told you I would break the news! We have massive breaking news in the Barnsley camp!"
Michael stood up, his posture rigid and commanding. "Jax. Put the phone away before I make you run the sand dunes until you vomit."
Jax instantly clicked the phone off, though his massive grin remained. "Sorry, Boss. But you need to come downstairs! It is a state of emergency! A good emergency, but still an emergency!"
Michael bypassed Jax and walked out of the office, his footsteps echoing down the concrete hallway. He reached the double doors of the locker room and pushed them open.
The room was completely unrecognizable.
Kenji Sato, the eccentric billionaire owner, was standing on a massage table. He was wearing a custom-tailored suit made entirely of white silk, throwing handfuls of synthetic rose petals into the air.
"More flowers~!" Kenji shouted joyfully. "I want the locker room to smell like romance and victory! Call the caterers! Tell them we need a cake the size of a tractor!"
In the center of the room stood Enzo Moretti. The Italian maestro, usually the epitome of calm, cool elegance, was sweating profusely. He was holding a small velvet box in his hands, staring at it like it was an unexploded bomb.
Surrounding Enzo were Kaito Tanaka, Arda Güler, and Lisandro ’The Butcher’ Martinez.
"You must breathe, Enzo," Kaito said seriously, patting the Italian heavily on the back. "In Japan, we say a man’s heart is like a sword. You must keep it steady!"
"He doesn’t need a sword, Kaito, he needs a drink!" Lisandro laughed his booming, aggressive laugh. "Look at him! He is shaking! The great Enzo Moretti, terrified of a little ring!"
Arda Güler noticed Michael standing in the doorway. The young Turkish star instantly stopped laughing and nudged Kaito. The players quickly parted, creating a path for their manager.
Michael walked into the center of the room. He looked at the rose petals. He looked at Kenji on the table. And finally, he looked at Enzo.
"Enzo," Michael said, his voice entirely detached, slicing through the chaotic noise like a scalpel. "Why is our billionaire owner throwing flowers in my locker room, and why is Jax wearing a silver top hat?"
Enzo swallowed hard. He looked up at Michael, his dark eyes wide with a mixture of terror and sheer joy.
"Boss..." Enzo muttered, his thick Italian accent wavering. "I... I did it. Yesterday. After the sand training. I flew back to Lake Como for the evening. I proposed to Isabella."
Michael processed the information instantly. Isabella. The world-famous Italian supermodel Enzo had spent his summer vacation with.
"And she said yes?" Michael asked flatly.
"She said yes!" Kenji roared from the ceiling, throwing another handful of petals directly onto Michael’s shoulders. "It is a fairy tale! Our Italian prince has found his queen!"
Jax jumped onto a bench, unable to contain himself. "A player will marry tomorrow guys! Literally tomorrow! Enzo doesn’t want to wait! He is rushing the timeline like it’s a FIFA career mode!"
Michael didn’t react to the noise. He simply stared at Enzo. "Tomorrow? You are getting married... tomorrow? The exact same day Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid are arriving to play us in a brutal, closed-door friendly?"
Enzo looked down at his boots guiltily. "Boss, you know how Isabella is... she is very spontaneous. She wants to do it at the registry office in London tomorrow morning. Just a small thing. A signature. But... the team... my brothers..." Enzo gestured around the locker room. "I want them there."
A heavy silence fell over the locker room. The players knew exactly what was at stake. The Atletico match was supposed to be the ultimate test of their new defensive structure. It was supposed to prepare them for the Champions League group of death. If they skipped training to attend a wedding in London, Simeone’s men would completely dismantle them on the pitch.
Arthur Milton stepped forward, chewing his lip nervously. "Boss... the logistics... we can’t send the whole starting eleven to London and back before kick-off. They will be physically exhausted. De Paul will run rings around them."
Michael stood perfectly still. He closed his eyes. To an outsider, he looked like a man furious at the lack of professionalism. But inside his mind, he was analyzing the system prompt that had just exploded in front of his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Football Empire System]
[Emergency Event Triggered: The Maestro’s Vow!]
[Description: Your star playmaker is entering a life-altering contract. Emotional resonance within the squad is at an all-time high. However, physical fatigue from travel will severely penalize match performance.]
[System Dilemma: Do you forbid the squad from attending the wedding to preserve stamina, or do you allow them to go and risk a devastating defeat against Atletico Madrid?]
Michael opened his eyes. He looked at Kaito, who was practically bouncing with excitement for his friend. He looked at Lisandro, who was grinning fiercely, ready to celebrate. He looked at Enzo, who was waiting for his manager’s permission like a soldier waiting for orders.
"Tell, don’t show," Michael whispered to himself. He needed to be direct. He needed to use this emotional energy, not suppress it.
"Kenji," Michael said loudly, turning his cold gaze to the billionaire.
"Yes, Boss?" Kenji saluted, nearly falling off the massage table.
"You have a fleet of purple helicopters, correct?" Michael asked.
Kenji’s eyes lit up like fireworks. "I have six! And they all have leather seats and mini-fridges!"
"Good," Michael nodded, his expression completely serious. "Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, the entire first team boards those helicopters. We fly to London. We watch Enzo sign his papers. We drink exactly one glass of non-alcoholic sparkling cider. And then, we fly straight back to Yorkshire."
The locker room erupted into deafening cheers. Enzo let out a massive breath of relief, running forward to wrap Michael in a tight, emotional hug.
"Thank you, Boss!" Enzo yelled, tears actually forming in his eyes. "You have a cold face, but you have a warm heart! I will play the game of my life for you!"
Michael gently pushed the Italian playmaker away, maintaining his professional distance. "Do not thank me yet, Enzo. Because there is a condition."
The cheering instantly died down. The players knew that Michael Sterling never gave anything away for free.
"Diego Simeone plays a style of football designed to hurt people," Michael said softly, pacing the room. "Atletico Madrid will target you, Enzo. They will tackle you late. They will step on your ankles. They will try to ruin your beautiful face right before you meet your bride."
Michael stopped and pointed directly at Lisandro Martinez and the two young center-backs, Liam and Davies.
"Tomorrow, the tactical plan changes," Michael ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "We are not practicing the asymmetric overload. We are practicing absolute, unyielding protection. Your only job on that pitch is to keep Enzo Moretti completely untouched."
[Ding!]
[Quest Generated: The Groom’s Bodyguards!]
[Objective: Do not allow Enzo Moretti to be tackled to the ground by an Atletico Madrid player during the 90-minute friendly.]
[Reward: +40% Squad Chemistry, ’Brotherhood’ Morale Boost, Enzo Moretti unlocks ’Legendary Vision’ trait.]
[Failure Penalty: Enzo is injured. Morale collapses. Atletico Madrid wins by 4+ goals.]
"If an Atletico player even breathes heavily on Enzo, Lisandro, I want you to put them in the grass," Michael told the Argentine enforcer.
Lisandro cracked his knuckles, a terrifying, predatory smile spreading across his bearded face. "With pleasure, Boss. Nobody touches the groom. I will make Rodrigo De Paul cry."
"And you attackers," Michael turned to Arda and Kaito. "You will not have Enzo pulling the strings all game. He will be playing deep and safe. You will have to create your own magic against the best defense in Europe. Do you understand?"
"We understand, Boss!" Kaito shouted, his eyes burning with competitive fire. "We will score so many goals as a wedding present!"
"Good," Michael nodded, turning back toward the door. "Now clean up these ridiculous flower petals. We have a wedding to attend, and a war to win."
As Michael walked back down the hallway toward his office, Arthur scrambled to keep up with him.
"Boss, that was incredible," Arthur breathed out, taking a frantic bite of a jelly baby. "You turned a massive distraction into the ultimate motivational tool. They are going to fight like lions to protect him."
"It is simple human psychology, Arthur," Michael replied, his voice returning to its normal, detached monotone. "Men will play hard for money. They will play harder for a trophy. But they will break their own bones to protect a brother."
Michael opened his office door and sat back down at his desk, pulling his tactical notebook toward him. The variables had changed. The equation was entirely new.
"Get the helicopter flight paths cleared, Arthur," Michael instructed without looking up. "And find me a grey tie. I suppose I should dress appropriately to watch Simeone’s men suffer."
Arthur grinned widely. "Right away, Boss!"
