After hours of practicing Taekwondo Lautaro came to a miraculous epitome. He had to be faster. Taekwondo was almost all about legs and to strike harder he had to make he struck fast. So fast his opponents couldn't react. So that was what he did.
He went on hourly runs. Each one 10 kilometres, he ran faster and faster each time. He used the trees and leg strengthening tools. He kicked faster and faster. He integrated his Capoeria with his Taekwondo to make a style better than both.
Each kick left a dent into the tree. Lautaro kicked until his legs turned bloody. Until the tree broke down. He revelled in the act of his strength and took awhile to decide that he had to dump the tree into the nearby lake.
He walked around the park, he was tired, so very tired. Bit he had to keep going, not because someone forced him to but because he had to. He had a responsibility to. Despite how much he hated responsibility he had to fulfill this one. He wanted to see his friends again.
He smiled to the sun and his both his eyes shone yellow. Yellow with hope. He then stood up and used the metal on the playground as training material. He kicked and punched.
He bled and he hurt. But he never stopped he was going to defeat that cursed black trenhcoat wearing, mafia boss looking, sharing partly the same name as a famous character boxer.
And he was going to do it with a smile. A wide, joyous smile. He thought of ways to train, ways to advance in the arts of highschool gangs. Macell was strong so he just had to be stronger. That was simple enough.
Lautaro timed himself on how fast he could traverse throughout the entire playground. He climbed on the rope ladder effortlessly. He slid from the pole with velocity. Lautaro swung from the monkey bars and finished his obstacle course. He then looked around and saw a girl looking at him.
She was about Lautaro's age and was wearing tight jeans. Her hair was a glorious mix of blonde and brown. She also donned a spiral lilac, ivory and sun like yellow tie dye shirt. Her skin was light and radiant. She looked extremely beautiful. So much so Lautaro almost blurted out Noel, but he didn't because she did not compare to Noel's grace and beauty.
The girl was staring at him strangely. Then Lautaro realized that she had been staring at him climbing and swinging around the playground like a child. He was stunned for a second before saying.
"What are you looking at?"
"You."
"I'm honoured."
The girl scoffed at his sarcasm.
"You were running around the playground like a child."
"What's it to you."
"It's just totally strange."
Lautaro ignored her and got on with his day. The girl interrupted him once again and said.
"Don't you know who I am?"
"Am I supposed to?"
Lautaro with a blank expression.
"Do you know about the "incident" in our school?"
"And which schools are you talking about?"
"We go to the same school I've seen you walking around before."
Lautaro smirked and said.
"If I had known I was in the same school as you, I would've loved school way sooner."
The girl seemed resistant to his flattery and spoke.
"Lemme introduce myself. My name's Rae."
Lautaro looked at her and nodded, he then remembered something.
"Oh right. My name's Lautaro."
It wasn't until later that Lautaro realized how sad she sounded and how her eyes were sunken.
"You good?"
"What do you mean?"
"You look... terrible."
"Oh that was because of the incident."
"So are you gonna tell me what happened or are you gonna keep calling it the "incident"?"
"I don't want to explain but the guy you hang out with blonde hair, dark hoodie and glasses."
Lautaro realized who she was talking about and stated.
"Salvey."
Almost instantly Rae said.
"Don't say his name. I all need to tell you is that you should stop hanging put with him, he's dangerous."
"You should also stop running through the playground like a maniac."
Rae spoke then made her leave. She seemed to hide her pain on her last sentence when she suggested Lautaro should stop being Lautaro. But Lautaro could see the pain she hid almost too clearly. What exactly had Salvey done?
He couldn't have the bad guys on his team. That would make him the main bad guy. Lautaro still reminiscing about his friends imagined Genesis correcting him.
'Actually the "main bad guy" is called the antagonist.'
Antagonist.
That word took alot of brain power, too much brain power. The more he thought of it the more his head scrambled. He never asked Salvey his address but he just followed him home. Every gang leader follows their member home. But if he followed someone home that was bad that would make him the main bad guy and make him the antagonist.
His held his head again. Too big words weren't good for his well-being normally Lautaro could say big words but this body really didn't like that word.
He finally manged to escape from his mind bending thoughts and decided that he needed to go to Salvey's house. He needed to decide something major.
Lautaro found more opportunities to train as he ran all the 10 kilometres to Salvey's house. He knocked on the door and rung the doorbell, but there was no answer. Lautaro felt someone watching him and it took awhile for the door to finally open.
The person who opened the door was a tired 40 year old man who looked as if he had been in a war for ages. He wore a plad shirt with long jeans and a belt. His hair was already turning gray. The man spoke before Lautaro could and said.
"No matter what you think my son did. We still have rights, leave our property this instant!"
Lautaro was blown back but managed to calm the situation.
"I'm one of Salvey's friends from school."
The man took awhile, inspecting Lautaro, watching him and prying into him.
"Yea right try a different excuse."
The man tried to close the door before Lautaro screamed out.
"Say Lautaro is calling him and he'll know just say it!"
The door shut in Lautaro's face. He walked away and saw the upstairs curtains peak open slightly. He hoped it was Salvey opening the curtains and waved.
The door was then open slightly. He heard a familiar voice.
"How do you know where I live?"
"He Golden Boy. Every good leader knows where their member lives."
"So you followed me home?"
"Mmm, yeah."
Lautaro said it as if there was nothing wrong with that he probably almost convinced Salvey there was nothing wrong with doing that.
Salvey sounded reluctant and whipsered silently.
"Come in."
"I know my gang member would follow through eventually."
Salvey nodded half heartedly. The interior of Salvey's house was extremely detailed and intricate. The outside didn't look too special but the inside was filled with expensive looking paintings.
A bright sun like chandelier hung boldly. It hung with such radiance that Lautaro was chandelier struck. The walls were lined with light beige wallpaper. The floor tiles were designed with such details that it was astonishing.
He made his way into Salvey's room and surprisingly Salvey spoke first.
"I assume you were training?"
"Yeah."
"Taekwondo."
The way Salvey spoke seemed like he had been peering into Lautaro's window. He predicted what he had been training.
"How did you know?"
"It's just the most logical option."
Lautaro's head tilted. If there was one word to describe him, and there are many words, logical would never be one of them.
"I'm just trying to put in the most work until the next major fight with mafia man."
"I understand that but you're probably doing it wrong. Here."
Lautaro walked over to Salvey's messy desk. While Salvey handed him a bunch of papers he saw another stack of papers with his name on it.
"I knew you would come here and I knew you followed me home. I've been followed home before and I'm good at discovering who follows."
Lautaro kept his questions to himself as it looked Salvey wasn't ready to do it.
"What are those?"
Lautaro pointed out while pointing out his stack of papers with his name on them.
"Oh those. They were my other training plans."
"What fighting style?"
"Aikido."
"Why Aikido?"
"That wrist flip you used on Macell it was an Aikido move, but a highly advanced version of one."
"Actually?"
"Yes."
Lautaro didn't know the move he'd done was so advanced and he didn't know how he knew of it he just did it instinctively.
Lautaro looked at the stack of papers Salvey handed out to him and took it. He studied them and watched the many different moves and techniques.
He read how this Taekwondo would integrate with with his Capoeria. He saw the way he could perform the moves and the training he needed to it.
All this was so effective and so smart Lautaro couldn't even fathom of devising this.
"This is so smart."
Salvey nodded before quietly saying.
"Thanks."
Lautaro was about to ask Salvey a major question before his father busted through the door with delectable delicacies.
"Dad, knocking exists y'know."
Salvey said so with a smirk.
"Nevermind knocking this looks amazing."
Lautaro said with a smile and took the tray gratefully.
He dug into the amazing pastries. He ate the multiple flavours with such glee it what immeasurable.
"My dad is a baker."
"Still doesn't explain why this is so good."
Salvey smirked lightly.
After devouring the lunch Lautaro worked on the Taekwondo techniques that were in the pages.
"You have to work harder 3 days is not enough to prepare to fight Macell. However, most of these techniques were tweaked to defeated him so I just made it easier."
Lautaro was having an especially hard time learning this one technique but Salvey showed him the way. He did the move with such efficiency it seemed as if he spent his entire life learning it.
"How did you do that?"
"I mean I kind of invented the the move."
"It's still crazy how you can do that. What else can you do?"
Salvey twiddled with his fingers before showing him Capoeria.
Lautaro eyes popped out. How could Golden Boy do Capoeria? It was almost exactly like his if not better.
What Salvey showed him next made him almost give up fighting. He got into a boxing position and did Macell's machine like dempsey roll.
"How?"
"I'm just really good at copying."
"No kidding."
"When you said you could fight I didn't know you were that good."
"I'm not as good as my brother."
"Your brother? Can I meet him."
"He's not here right now."
"Oh."
Salvey seemed to be uncomfortable when talking about his brother. Then he said something strange.
"When we eventually become a major gang you can't let anyone know who I am. Absolutely nobody must know I am on your team and you can't even speak of my existence."
"Why no-"
Salvey cut him off.
"Nobody."
Lautaro took awhile then responded.
"Okay. But how will you contribute with my gang?"
"I'll be your advisor. I'll help form battle plans and everything of the sort."
"You need advisors in the highschool gang life?"
Salvey looked at him disdainfully.
"You probably need an advisor in everything."
"Hey."
They both chuckled, there was a silence after that. Lautaro then asked the big question.
"Salvey what did you do?"
Salvey was confused.
"What do you mean, elaborate."
"There was a girl I met while outside she said you did something horrible, her name was Rae."
Salvey grip went lose. His face as pale as a deceased person. His grip on reality was lost. He muttered and stammered.
"I-I di-didn't d-do it."
"What didn't you do?"
"I don't want to talk about it! She lies!"
Salvey was angry. His voice was dripped with malice and hate. He must have really not liked Rae. Lautaro stood quietly. Salvey said quietly.
"I'll do it for my brother."