Lautaro woke up with a drool covered face. He was in a school uniform. He felt the same as he usually would, except he was in a high school. He knew who he was and what he was doing here. He was determined to go back and have fun while doing that.
He had been awoken from his mysterious slumber by the call of the teacher. The students all rotated their bodies in a robot like manner. He was being called to answer a question. In that moment, all the memories of his high-school life came back and it was bitter. Especially moments like these.
The teacher asked him to answer a math question.
'Genesis would be amazing in this situation.'
Lautaro opened his mouth like he was about to give an answer, but then closed it saying.
"Why you asking me?"
"Because you were asleep and I need to know whether you were paying attention or not."
'If this body acts anything like me then this teacher has to know what's up.'
Lautaro correctly guessed as he just shrugged saying nonchalantly.
"I don't know the answer teach."
The teacher performed a long sigh and went on a rant about how students nowadays don't care about their studies and at this rate they won't achieve much in life.
Lautaro obviously didn't listen to this rant as he was trying to figure out what to do so he talked to his ADAM.
'Yo, Cassio how do I complete this First Major Adaptation?'
[You can finish it by uniting all the high schools in the West, East and South.]
'What do you mean by unite?'
[Just beat them all into submission.]
'Bet.'
[By the way you don't get no special power for this.]
Lautaro smirked and thought.
'Don't need any.'
Lautaro got through the class without any any more interruptions.
So he had to fight and win to complete this First Major Adaptation by fighting. A smile appeared on Lautaro's face.
'Easy enough.'
Lautaro got through the class without anymore disturbances and when school was finally over he somehow knew the way home.
'It looks like both bodies are somehow connected.'
He entered the house and found his mother laying on the couch. Bottles of alcohol and the terrible stench were able to be seen and smelt. His usual happy expression died down. Lautaro felt bad for this guy. He had low grades, an alcoholic mother and an absent father.
He did not know what to do. He saw the green wallpaper in house peel off. The roof leak with water, the smell of deplorable mold clear. This was a hard life, yet this person kept on living.
Lautaro did not know how he got into this body and if the person owning it was going to get it back. If the person owning the body was going to get it back then he would be in a lot of surprise.
Lautaro wandered through the somewhat familiar house and took a break to look at himself in the mirror. He looked the same as he usually would except his usually unkept hair was well done.
'Doesn't look too bad. This kid got style.'
Lautaro thought, admiring his reflection.
Lautaro attempted to communicate with his ADAM again but there was no response. He grumbled as he realized he was all alone in this one. But he knew what he had to do now, that was a start.
Lautaro finished his tour of his own house. He then felt if this body was similar to his own. His center of gravity was slightly off but it could be readjusted quickly. He was slightly sluggish in this body. So much more sluggish that Lautaro was scared.
He lifted his shirt up in fear then looked at his stomach. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he still had his abs.
'This won't be to hard right?'
The night was setting in as Lautaro stepped out of his rundown house and he explored his new town. The remembered the town like the back of his hand that he had never seen before. Every house was either rundown like his or looked expensive. There was no in between.
Lautaro heard something or someone causing a commotion. He went down the dark alley with a smile that shined.
'This has to be the fastest way to join a gang.'
He saw a boy around his age being cornered. The boy was being cornered by some other highschoolers with knives. Lautaro couldn't hear what the people with knives were mumbling about all he knew was that he wanted to save this kid and then get into gang violence by saving the kid.
He walked to the crowd of armed men. He alerted them by kicking a nearby garbage can. The men turned their heads around and saw Lautaro. All of them mocked him but then Lautaro surprised them with his capabilities. The first out of 10 boys swung at him. He easily dodged it and let out a devastating kick to the temple knocking him out.
Once that happened the armed attackers, began to take him more seriously. They all charged at him at once but he fought valiantly. With his skills and knowledge he was defeating them one by one.
In the middle of the conquest Lautaro tried something and it actually worked. With a flurry of kicks and dance moves he swiftly defeated the attackers.
'This kid knows Capoeria!'
While the boys groaned on the floor Lautaro went up to the kid who was cornered by them.
"What's the fastest way to join a gang?"
"What wait?!"
"You heard me."
Lautaro responsed, running out of patience.
"Well you probably already made enemies with the only gang in charge of this area."
"So can I join them?"
"You heard what I said right?"
"I made enemies with them and whatever, so can I join them?"
The boy sighed and said.
"Your best course of action is to lay low or make your own gang. The guy who is in charge of these men will hunt you down when he gets news of this."
Lautaro, as if waiting for the kid to stop talking said.
"Do you know how to fight?"
The boy was skeptical at first, but then gave him an answer.
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Salvey."
"Nice name, Salvey. I'll try to remember it because you are now in my gang."
Lautaro said with a smile on his face.
Salvey looked petrified. The men who Lautaro had defeated had gotten up and heard what he had said. He was going to be killed.
Lautaro saw this happening and smirked.
"Now you can't refuse. We're in this together."
Lautaro had forced Salvey's hand by forcing him to be on his team. If he declined the help from Lautaro he was going to be unprotected.
Lautaro had tricked him.
"Was this your plan since the beginning?"
Salvey questioned.
"Something like this yeah. But since we're buddies now I'm Lautaro and together we are going to unite the West, East, and the South."
Salvey almost fainted at Lautaro's big dreams. He then left without a word.
'He's a quite one.'
Lautaro thought.
He then went on his way back home. He started his own gang. He wondered what he should do to prepare with. Since it was highschool gang life then they probably would not be using guns, most would fight with they're fists and maybe some would wield melee weapons.
But the main problem at hand was that this body was to much slower than his other one. Lautaro came into his house to see his mother still sleeping he sighed and got on with his day. He spent the rest of his night and day, working on his legs and trying to adjust to his new center of gravity.
He stayed up late at night to expand more on his fighting style. He did variants with his all his body parts and not just his legs.
Little by little he was getting used to this new body. Lautaro came outside to check on his mother again and found the same sight of his mother, except for the fact the television was on. He waddled over and turned the television off. He sacrificed his own blanket for his mother's sake since her's was ripped into minute pieces.
***
He finished his training as he layed on his bed. Lautaro was pondering what would happen if he failed this First Major Adaptation. He had confidence in himself but he knew his own weaknesses. What if they managed to defeat him?
Lautaro tried to stray from thoughts like those but the more he fled the more they came back.
He used his pillow to cover his head as he was so lost in his thoughts. He wanted to see his friends again. He wanted to crack jokes with them and be goofy as he always was.
But all things took time, whether the agonizing feeling of waiting for something terrible to be over. Or the never ending longing of waiting for something wonderful to return to you.
While wallowing in his mind he eventually drifted off to sleep.
***
Lautaro woke up early. He had gained this habit by staying on the White Room everyone who survived that horrible place woke up as early as he did. It was a habit made for them to survive.
Lautaro pushed his thoughts about the White Room away as he began preparing for his day.
'Hopefully, I get ambushed and then I beat all them up and I go find the leader and I go beat him up and I force him to join my gang and I beat all the other gangsters.'
Lautaro smiled in his ambitions. He was going to win he was made to. He had to win. He had a lot more than one thing to fight for.
He rushed through the house. He picked up overdue bills from the mail box and used them to practice his juggling and accuracy. He finished his session of juggling with a rabona. The bills went straight into the bin.
'Out of sight, out of mind.'
He poured himself some cereal and then poured himself some milk. He ate quickly and then looked into the fridge. He used the culinary expertise of a child to concoct pancakes and bacon for his mother who was still asleep on the couch.
He quickly plopped the food in the microwave and left a note. He left his house early when the sun barely showed signs of shining.
'I just have to wait for them to come to me and win.'
Lautaro thought process was simple. But it may not have been effective. What if the adversaries were stronger than him? After he did not have his normal body and his center of gravity was still slightly off. It was like expecting a newborn baby to win a race when they could barely crawl.
He may actually lose. Even with the help of Salvey he might not actually stand a chance. His new body was still trying to bring back his old strength and with the fighting knowledge of this body he might not be able to win.
Doubt crept in Lautaro's mind. But then a bright smile emerged.
'As if I'd lose!'
He was going to win. He was made to win.
He stayed near the school gate and waited for the bell to ring. If he did manage to fight them and win it would only accelerate the rate of which Lautaro gained his strength back.
Back in the tutorial phase he was slaughtering Agents left and right. He remembered that he killed an Agent with nothing but himself. A smirk appeared on Lautaro's face as he could already hear the music playing.
He waited until he saw a couple shady looking people. They were all led by one man.
"You Lautaro?"
Lautaro smiled.
"Yea."