After gaining the new gene power, Lazarus felt unstoppable. But even he knew he couldn't get cocky and let his newfound power get the best of him, not now at least. Right about now, Lazarus was stuck in thought about how to get stronger.
Then he remembered, 'Ah, there is that. I heard about it while doing some chores for some people, like always, just a few days before I was kidnapped and sent to the arena. The academy underground brawl nights.'
It happens every night; students or anybody with access can attend. There are rewards for winners and some rich retainers who fund the underground brawls, ensuring nobody can face consequences for fighting or betting.
The only thing now is that he had to find exactly where the fights took place, while hiding his identity. He's still known as some cripple, and everybody in the academy knows him as such. If he shows up to the underground brawls, he'll be turned around just for being so weak.
---
"Who're you betting on tonight?"
"That's tough. But if Nagi's up for the challenges tonight, you know exactly who I'm placing my money on!"
"Wait, it's about to start, let's hurry up."
The two young men started to rush ahead. But, just behind them, lurking, was Lazarus. He watched them move and digested their conversation, instantly understanding that they were talking about the underground brawls taking place.
'I remember him. That guy to the left is one of the guys' chores I was busy doing that day when I heard about the brawls for the first time.'
Lazarus dug in his pocket, pulling out a mask, a chicken mask. Tugging it down over his face, he stood up, running and trailing after the young men ahead of him. He made sure to keep his distance, not wanting them to notice him following them and be spooked out seeing some guy with a chicken head running after them.
As he followed more and more as time progressed, he saw them come to a halt slowly. And following in their movements, so did Lazarus. He saw them go into a small shed, and Lazarus was a bit confused by this.
'How are the brawls gonna take place in that small thing? Do they know I'm following them? Is this a setup? Ah...fuck it.'
He stepped forward, opening the rusty shed door. Behind it sat a man at a wooden desk, bright light surrounding the room. Papers were scattered entirely on the desk, his pen in hand as he seemed to be scribbling down something quickly on the paper directly before him.
As he heard the shed door open and close, the man sitting at the desk looked up. Before him stood Lazarus, but with his chicken mask on. The man's eyebrow raised, his eyes narrowing in a judgmental look.
"Who is this weirdo?"
Lazarus creeped forward, clearing his throat as he prepared to address himself. The man at the desk still looked confused, waiting for Lazarus to speak. His pen tapped at the wooden desk, ready to listen to the chicken-headed man.
"And you are?..."
"Ah. I'm...cuckoo. Yeah, that's me. Could I perhaps participate in the fights? Taking place.."
Lazarus equipped himself with a fake raspy voice. He stumbled over his words, which left an awkward silence afterward. He was smiling beneath the mask awkwardly, sweat beading down the sides of his forehead and cheeks.
"...We don't usually let weirdos through, but I just lost a ton of money on a bet, I really couldn't care who is let through right now." The man sighed heavily, his pen being let go and sent rolling across the wooden desk.
Lazarus then got an idea, "Well, I'm planning to fight. And I'm going to win. So, just bet on me, and you'll get all your money back."
The man scoffed, and in a condescending tone, he said:
"Sure, let's vote on the stranger with a chicken head. Are you trying to make me go deeper into poverty?"
But Lazarus stood his ground, "I can assure you, sir, that I will win. For both of us, just vote for me, and you'll see."
The man picked his head up from leaning into his palm, looking at Lazarus with an unbothered look on his face. "Sure," he said, clearly not listening to him much.
He then pushed the paper for the brawlers forward, allowing Lazarus to sign up for the night. Lazarus grabbed the pen, writing down the alias: "Chicken Head".
"Now that you've signed up, just open that latch and head down. I'll send the paper down later when the fights are set to begin. The rest is up to you, chicken head."
Lazarus turned, nodding at him as he opened the latch. He heard slight claps and cheers already sounding, as a ladder led down to a basement. He stepped down, and the sounds of chatter and people got closer and closer. When he got near the bottom, he saw everything.
People of all kinds of ages stood around, he even saw some of the staff and teachers of the academy around. This was all so new to him, and as a cripple, he knew he would never have gotten to experience things like this.
As he moved through the crowds and shining lights, he stopped as he made it to the make-shift ring. He then heard the sound of a loud voice resonating throughout the large underground basement.
"Hello, brawlers and gamblers! We have some action-packed, blood-pumping, brutal brawls for all of the onlookers today!! Just place your bets! And let's get GOING!"
The sounds of talking and cheers got louder and louder, the claps starting to grow a bit annoying to Lazarus. Then, he felt a hard nudge on his shoulder that shoved forward. He looked over to see a mean-looking young man with a large 'X' mark over his face. He didn't seem to even notice Lazarus and was walking up toward the ring.
"And for today...! We have a rising star in the underground! Welcome, Kane the Crane!"
Cheers sounded, but Lazarus looked around, lost on who the guy was. He didn't recognize him from around school, so he just assumed he must be one of the invited attendees. Most of the underground investors bring in their fighters to earn money; they're usually trained and ready, unlike most brawlers.
"And...his challenger today is...." The announcer went a bit silent, a little confused about what he was reading. He turned over to one of the security guards who surrounded the ring, seemingly mumbling something with a stumped expression.
He then returned to his usual demeanor. "The challenger is a new brawler, making their debut right now, tonight. CHICKEN HEAD!"
The crowd was unmoved, murmurs and confusion crossing each person present.
"Who is that?"
"Anybody know him?"
"Nuh Uh."
"Debut huh..."
"Welp, good luck to whoever bets on him."
Then, moving through the crowd, was the masked Lazarus. He grabbed a guy's shoulder, using it to lift himself up onto the ring. The crowd then saw the chicken-headed goofball, his coat hanging from his shoulders as he tried to create wind to allow his coat to flow.
"What is he doing?"
"I don't know, maybe he's mental."
"Maybe he hides his face because he's ugly."
"I heard that," Lazarus said with an ahem in the silence of the crowd.
..
"Anyway, let's get ready....to BRAWL!"