It was already three or four in the morning when Theodore returned to his villa following the massive title parade.
The adrenaline was finally fading.
Just as his head hit the pillow and sleep threatened to claim him, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A long-awaited sound!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for helping Aston Villa win the English top-flight league championship after 39 years!]
[Mission reward: Peak Card!]
"Another Peak Card!" Theodore muttered, a tired but triumphant smile crossing his face.
He accessed his mental interface, eagerly opening the dazzling golden pack.
Instantly, a holographic projection of Gareth Bale, in his iconic Wales jersey, materialized before him.
Theodore had obtained the [Gareth Bale Peak Speed Card]!
He was absolutely thrilled.
To be honest, this was exactly what he needed.
While his technical, mental, and physical strength attributes were maxed out, pure, explosive speed had always been his one relative weakness.
He had tried continuous private sprint training, but increasing raw pace significantly in a short time is biologically nearly impossible.
But now, he had acquired the explosive velocity of prime Gareth Bale.
He had instantly become one of the fastest athletes on the planet!
[Speed: 78 → 98!]
[Overall Rating: 90 → 91]
His Speed attribute skyrocketed to 98.
This final piece of the puzzle pushed his Overall Rating from a 90 to an elite 91.
...
The next morning, Theodore woke up promptly at seven. He stretched his legs and immediately noticed a difference.
His thigh and calf muscles felt denser, tightly coiled with explosive, fast-twitch energy.
His legs were humming with raw power.
By 8:30 AM, he was on the training pitch at Bodymoor Heath.
Despite securing the Premier League title, there was no time to relax.
In two days, they traveled to Spain to face Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final first leg.
Securing the domestic title early was a massive advantage.
Villa could now pour every ounce of their energy into conquering Europe.
But it wouldn't be easy.
Sevilla were European royalty.
They were universally acknowledged as the "Kings of the Europa League," having won the competition in three consecutive seasons: 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16.
They possessed unparalleled pedigree and experience in this specific tournament.
Furthermore, playing the first leg away at the hostile Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán meant Villa had no advantage in terms of timing or location.
To acclimate to the Spanish heat, the squad flew to Andalusia immediately after training.
During the pre-match press conference, Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui exuded total confidence.
"Sevilla will win tomorrow," Lopetegui declared to the assembled press. "I have studied Villa's schedule. Since January, they have played every three days. That physical toll is impossible to hide. It will affect them."
He leaned forward. "This is our tournament. We will defeat them at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. As for Theodore Bjorn? His numbers are incredible. Over forty goals and thirty assists at eighteen... it is Ballon d'Or level. But football is a team sport, not an individual one."
Lopetegui was a strict disciple of tactical systems over individual brilliance. "Tomorrow night, my players will utilize aggressive running and suffocating pressing. We will cut the supply lines. If we stop the connections between Bjorn and his teammates, he cannot hurt us."
The following evening. 8:00 PM.
The Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán was a cauldron of noise.
Over forty thousand fervent Sevillistas waved their red and white scarves, singing the Himno Centenario with hoarse, passionate voices.
The teams lined up. The referee blew the whistle. Aston Villa kicked off.
Just seconds into the match, the ball was worked to Theodore in the center circle.
Instantly, Sevilla midfielders Joan Jordán and Fernando rushed forward to execute Lopetegui's pressing trap.
But Theodore didn't look for a pass.
Instead, he dropped his shoulder and knocked the ball ten yards ahead of himself into open space.
His acceleration was terrifying.
In a fraction of a second, Theodore shifted from a jog to a full, explosive sprint.
He blew past Jordán so fast the Spanish midfielder didn't even have time to stick out a leg and take a professional foul.
Theodore ate up the ground, driving violently into the attacking third.
"Good heavens, look at him go!" Clive Tyldesley shouted from the gantry.
"Where did he find that speed?!" Ally McCoist gasped. "He's left Jordán absolutely dead! I didn't know he had that kind of explosive pace!"
On Twitter, fans were stunned.
@EuroScout: "Wait, when did Bjorn become prime Usain Bolt?! What is that pace?!"
@Villan82: "He's flying! He just unlocked a new superpower!"
In the blink of an eye, Theodore reached the edge of the Sevilla penalty area.
Center-back Jules Koundé and Fernando scrambled frantically to close him down, forming a two-man wall.
Theodore didn't slow down.
He nudged the ball directly between them and attempted to burst through the microscopic gap.
Desperate to stop the rampaging teenager, Sevilla's covering center-back, Diego Carlos, threw himself into a reckless sliding tackle, completely wiping Theodore out.
Peep!
The referee blew his whistle instantly and pointed to the spot. Penalty to Aston Villa.
He produced a yellow card for Diego Carlos.
"Penalty! Just five minutes in!" Tyldesley roared. "Theodore Bjorn has single-handedly shredded the Sevilla defense with pure, terrifying speed!"
"That is frightening, Clive," McCoist analyzed. "He just out-sprinted three players. Lopetegui's pressing system means nothing if you can't catch the man with the ball."
Theodore picked himself up and grabbed the ball, placing it on the penalty spot.
He took a deep breath, steadying his heart rate.
In the Sevilla goal stood Bono.
The Moroccan keeper was renowned for his elite reflexes and penalty-saving ability.
The referee blew the whistle.
Theodore began a slow, deliberate run-up. Bono crouched, ready to spring.
But as Theodore reached the ball, he didn't shoot. He opened his foot and gently rolled the ball sideways to his right.
A tactical penalty!
Jack Grealish, having timed his run from the edge of the box perfectly, arrived like a freight train.
He didn't take a touch.
He swung his right boot through the rolling ball, smashing it low and hard.
It flew past the completely dumbfounded Bono and into the net.
1-0!
"OH, THE AUDACITY!" Tyldesley bellowed. "THEY'VE PULLED OFF A CRUYFF PENALTY IN A EUROPEAN SEMI-FINAL!"
"Absolutely brilliant!" McCoist laughed out loud. "The sheer arrogance to try that against Bono! Grealish smashes it home, and Villa silence the Sánchez-Pizjuán!"
Down on the touchline, Julen Lopetegui rubbed his face in disbelief.
His masterplan to keep a clean sheet for an hour had been obliterated in six minutes by a combination of terrifying speed and cheeky brilliance.
He screamed at his players to push forward. Sevilla had to attack.
Éver Banega, the veteran Argentine playmaker, began demanding the ball, attempting to orchestrate the Sevilla response.
In the 8th minute, Banega picked up possession on the left flank and whipped a dangerous, inswinging cross toward the penalty spot.
But Tyrone Mings was a titan. The 6'5" center-back rose majestically above the crowd, powering a defensive header out of the box.
Douglas Luiz collected the second ball in midfield. He looked up and instantly pinged a pass out to the left flank.
Theodore was already running.
"Villa counter again!" Tyldesley warned. "Bjorn is isolating Reguilón!"
Receiving the ball, Theodore faced Sergio Reguilón.
The Real Madrid loanee was known for his pace, but he was about to be humbled.
Theodore knocked the ball past the full-back and hit top speed. Reguilón turned and sprinted, but he was losing ground with every step.
Desperate, the Spaniard reached out to grab Theodore's shirt, but his fingers only grabbed thin air.
"He's left him in the dust!" McCoist shouted.
Bypassing Reguilón effortlessly, Theodore cut inside violently toward the edge of the penalty area.
Lopetegui screamed at his center-backs to step up, but it was too late.
Boom!!
Without breaking stride, Theodore unleashed a ferocious, curling strike with his right foot.
The ball tore through the air like an arrow.
Bono launched himself at full stretch, but the shot was tucked so perfectly into the far corner that it was mathematically unsavable.
The net bulged!
2-0.
"SENSATIONAL!" Tyldesley roared. "PURE INDIVIDUAL BRILLIANCE! He wins the ball, sprints half the length of the pitch, and buries a worldie!"
"He is evolving right before our eyes, Clive!" McCoist marveled. "He is an absolute warrior. Scoring, assisting, tackling, and now sprinting like an Olympic sprinter!"
Theodore sprinted to the corner flag, violently pumping his fists.
The Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán fell deathly silent.
High above the pitch, in a private VIP suite, an elderly gentleman in an immaculate tailored suit slowly puffed on a Cuban cigar.
Florentino Pérez, the President of Real Madrid, watched Theodore's celebration with a deeply satisfied smile.
Pérez had flown to Seville specifically to scout the Norwegian phenomenon in person.
His previous emissaries had been repeatedly stonewalled by Villa Sporting Director Jesús García Pitarch, who insisted Theodore was "untouchable."
But after witnessing that terrifying display of pace and power in the opening ten minutes, Pérez had seen enough.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his chief negotiator.
"Give them whatever they want," Pérez ordered simply. "Meet every condition. Bring him to Madrid!"
...
Back on the pitch, Aston Villa were ruthless.
Leading 2-0, they didn't sit back.
Theodore, McGinn, and Luiz initiated a suffocating high press, choking the life out of the Sevilla midfield.
In the 30th minute, the pressure paid off.
Theodore executed a crunching, perfectly timed tackle to dispossess Banega in the center circle.
Without hesitating, Theodore launched a sweeping long pass deep into the Sevilla penalty area.
Grealish brought the ball down beautifully on the left side of the box.
He shifted it onto his right foot and fired a shot.
Bono made a spectacular reactionary save, parrying the ball away.
But Wesley was hunting for the rebound.
The Brazilian striker reacted first, sliding in to smash the loose ball into the roof of the net.
3-0.
Just before halftime, the rout continued.
Theodore rose highest at the back post to meet a McGinn corner, powering a header past a helpless Bono.
4-0.
The second half was a procession. Aston Villa continued to attack, but Grealish and Wesley wasted several presentable chances.
It didn't matter.
Theodore decided to handle the scoring himself.
He completed a devastating hat-trick of long-range strikes, burying shots in the 67th, 78th, and 89th minutes.
The referee blew the final whistle to end the slaughter.
Aston Villa 7, Sevilla 0.
In the post-match press conference, Julen Lopetegui refused to answer questions.
The manager, a devout believer in the superiority of the 'system,' had been broken by pure individual heroism.
Theodore Bjorn—with five goals and an assist—had almost single-handedly dismantled the Kings of the Europa League.
A week later, the two sides met at Villa Park for the second leg.
Knowing the tie was hopelessly lost, Lopetegui fielded a reserve side to protect his starters for La Liga.
Villa, playing in second gear, comfortably won 3-0.
Aston Villa had secured their place in the UEFA Europa League Final!