Munich in October is cold. But the Allianz Arena is red hot.
The exterior lights of the stadium glowed like molten lava. Inside, the noise was efficient, synchronized chanting. German precision.
Soccer walked onto the pitch.
"It feels tight," Soccer said, stretching his hamstrings. "The air is squeezed."
Noel Noa adjusted his captain's armband. "It is German engineering. They designed the acoustics to crush visiting teams."
Bayern Munich walked out.
They were giants. Every player looked over six feet.
But one stood out.
**Number 99.**
Vincent Drake.
The Dragon had grown. His Bayern kit (Red) was tight around his shoulders. He had shaved his head completely. He looked like a weapon.
"Assassin!" Vincent roared from across the field.
He marched over. He didn't high-five. He head-butted Soccer's chest (gently-ish).
"You survived Barcelona," Vincent grinned. "Barely."
"Silva dances too much," Soccer rubbed his chest. "You look scary, Dragon. Did they feed you plutonium?"
"Schnitzel," Vincent said. "And angry pills. Bayern plays 'Total Heavy Metal' football. We run until you die."
"I like running."
Vincent leaned down. "Soccer. We aren't teammates tonight. If you come into my zone... I will snap your titanium toy in half."
"You can try," Soccer tapped his leg. "It has a warranty."
***
**Kickoff: PSG vs Bayern Munich.**
Bayern didn't wait.
From the first whistle, they swarmed.
Vincent led the press. He sprinted at the PSG defenders like a missile.
"Pressure! Pressure!"
PSG tried to play from the back. Noa dropped deep to help.
Vincent intercepted a pass intended for Noa.
"Mine!"
Vincent charged.
Noa stepped in. The clash of titans.
Vincent didn't finesse. He used the **shoulder charge**.
*THUD.*
Noa absorbed it, but he slid backward. Vincent's sheer mass was overwhelming.
Vincent shot.
Top corner.
The PSG keeper saved it—just barely. Tipped over the bar.
"Close!" the crowd screamed.
Soccer watched from the wing.
*He's heavier. He hits harder.*
***
**Minute 30.**
PSG was pinned. Bayern controlled the midfield.
Noa was getting frustrated. He was being double-teamed by massive German defenders.
"I need space!" Noa shouted at Soccer. "Create separation!"
Soccer looked at the defenders marking him. Two of them. Twin towers.
*They're big. They block the sun.*
Soccer ran.
The defenders matched him stride for stride.
Soccer stopped. He turned his back to the goal.
He waited.
"Trap!" the defenders closed in to sandwich him.
Soccer planted his **Titanium Foot**.
He leaned back *into* the defenders. He used their bodies as a chair.
Then he pushed.
**The Catapult Push-Off.**
He compressed the spring-leg and shoved himself *away* from them, using their chests as the launching pad.
It sent him flying forward into open space.
The defenders stumbled backward, knocking into each other.
Soccer caught the ball.
He was free.
"Noa!"
He crossed it.
Noa met it with a volley.
**GOAL.**
**PSG: 1 - Bayern: 0.**
Soccer bounced over to Vincent. "Space created!"
Vincent spat on the grass. "Cute trick. Bouncing off people."
"It's polite," Soccer grinned. "I call it hugging."
***
**Minute 50.**
Bayern equalized.
Vincent received a high ball. He chested it down.
He held off two PSG defenders. Literally held them. One on each arm. Like a strongman pulling trucks.
"Get OFF!" Vincent roared.
He threw them aside.
He turned and blasted the ball through the keeper's legs.
**GOAL.**
**Bayern: 1 - PSG: 1.**
The game turned into a war of attrition. Bruises. fouls. Sweat.
***
**Minute 80.**
Noa was limping slightly (cleated by a midfielder).
"Can you run?" Soccer asked.
"I can walk," Noa gritted his teeth. "Walking is efficient."
"I'll run for both of us," Soccer said.
PSG attacked.
Soccer got the ball on the flank. He cut inside.
Vincent was tracking back. The Dragon was everywhere.
They met at the top of the box.
"End of the road!" Vincent shouted, sliding in.
It was a scissor tackle. Legal, but devastating.
Soccer saw the legs coming.
He planted his left foot.
*Titanium Load.*
He jumped.
But mid-air, Vincent raised his leg to block the jump.
Collision course.
Soccer reacted. He tucked his legs. He turned into a ball.
He rolled over Vincent's raised leg mid-air.
**The Barrel Roll.**
He landed on his feet on the other side.
"Ninja crap!" Vincent yelled from the ground.
Soccer took one step and shot.
Curling. Fast.
The Bayern keeper clawed it away. Rebound.
Noa tapped it in.
**GOAL.**
**PSG: 2 - Bayern: 1.**
***
**Final Score.**
PSG wins.
Vincent was furious. He ripped his jersey in half (literally ripped it).
"You keep slipping away!" Vincent roared at Soccer. "Stand still and fight!"
"Why?" Soccer asked, drinking water. "Water flows around rocks."
"You aren't water anymore," Vincent pointed at the titanium leg. "You're metal. Metal clashes."
"I'm liquid metal," Soccer smiled. "Like the terminator guy."
Vincent sighed. He shook his head and hugged Soccer. A bear hug that squeezed the air out of his lungs.
"Get out of my stadium," Vincent growled affectionately. "See you in the knockouts."
***
**Post-Match Locker Room.**
Soccer checked his phone.
Messages from the Pack.
*Marcus (Academy): Just beat the U-19 Juventus team. 2-0. Dylan saved a penalty!*
*Elijah: I scored a header! ME! A HEADER!*
And a message from a private number.
*Unknown: "The calculator broke."*
Silas?
Soccer frowned.
**Silas Vance Update:**
*Manchester City vs Liverpool.*
*Silas subbed off minute 15. Knee injury.*
Soccer froze.
He typed back: *"Is it bad?"*
*Unknown (Silas): "ACL rupture. Efficiency dropped to 0%. Recovery estimate: 9 months."*
Nine months.
The season over. No World Cup next year?
Soccer felt cold. The mountain wind blew through the locker room.
"It happens," Noa said, seeing Soccer's face. "The body is fragile. Only the will is durable."
Soccer looked at his own leg. The scar tissue. The metal inside.
"We need to fix him," Soccer stood up.
"You can't fix everyone, Soccer," Noa warned. "You aren't a doctor."
"No," Soccer grabbed his bag. "But I know a guy who fixes broken things."
He dialed Dr. Klaus.
"Hello? Doc? It's the prototype. I have another customer. Yeah. He needs a calculator upgrade."