Morning sunlight pierced through the gaps in Leo's curtains. His phone buzzed on the desk—nonstop.
Group chats. LATAM forums. Discord DMs.
His screen was flooded with clips, memes, breakdowns.
🎮 "Who TF is this new barong guy?!"💥 "Leonardo glitch-smiled at me in the mirror wtf 😭😭😭"🔫 "He moved BEFORE the gun fired… he's bugged or cracked."📈 "#BarongGod trending worldwide"
He barely slept, but he didn't care.
For the first time in weeks, Leo felt awake.
He grabbed his bag and left the house. The walk to school was a blur. He didn't even notice the heat—he was too wired.
The Tarpaulin
As Leo stepped into the campus lobby, the scent of cafeteria food mixed with cheap perfume and printer ink. His shoes echoed against the polished tiles as his eyes caught something massive and new:
A towering tarpaulin pinned to the lobby wall.
🎯 JOIN THE BATTLE🕹️ ECHOES OF RECOIL: CAMPUS CHAMPIONSHIP💥 Open Bracket: 64-Teams. Top 16 advance to LIVE Battle Arena.
🔵 BLUE TEAM: NOVA REGIA – "Strike without warning."🔴 RED TEAM: CRIMSON VELA – "Burn like the tail of a dying star."
🏆 Top players win 30,000 Recoins + Legendary Skin Unlocks
Leo blinked.
Nova Regia… Crimson Vela. The names sounded like factions straight from a sci-fi war manual.
His heart skipped when he spotted a photo on the lower corner of the tarp—María Fernandez, arms crossed, headset around her neck, smirking at the camera.
Her IGN glowed in stylized red:
@MFERNANDEZxLATAM – Team Captain, CRIMSON VELA
A chill ran down his spine.
The Roster
In his excitement the night before, Leo had missed the character screen's fine print.
Now, reviewing the full Echoes of Recoil cast on his phone, he realized Leonardo wasn't just a stylish side-pick—he was the central anomaly in a crew of hand-picked LATAM titans.
Characters:
Leonardo 🇵🇭 Ghost Gunslinger Twin Espada .44s "Phantom Step" – Vanish briefly mid-fire to reposition instantly.
Luna 🇲🇽 Trickshot Scout Golden Bolt Carbine "Echo Ricochet" – Bullets bounce off terrain, chaining hits.
Alice 🇻🇪 Ice Enforcer Frostbite SMG "Cryo Pulse" – Freezes terrain or slows enemy movement.
Flora 🇨🇴 Toxic Tactician Venom Repeater "Spore Cloud" – Creates AoE poison field.
José 🇲🇽 Juggernaut Dual Drum Shotguns "Last Stand" – Immune to stun, damage boost at low HP.
Carlo 🇲🇽 Explosives Expert Sticky Cluster Launcher "Chain Detonate" – Links explosives across walls.
Spence 🇺🇸 Rookie Gunslinger (FREE) Classic Revolver "Deadeye Reset" – Cooldown refresh after a headshot.
Leo stared at Leonardo's abilities.
"Phantom Step..." He remembered using it instinctively the night before—slipping through the map like smoke.
He also remembered how none of the other characters had spoken to him like Leonardo did.
Fateful Encounter
Leo took a deep breath and walked toward the gaming lab across campus.
He wasn't surprised when he spotted María at the terminal bay—already in a private booth, surrounded by fans and upperclassmen gawking from a distance.
She wore a white cropped hoodie, red nails tapping against her mouse. Her voice echoed from her stream:
"—and I don't care who he is. If he mains Leonardo, he better know how to shoot. We're going into the live tournament, not daycare."
Leo froze.
Her eyes glanced toward him, as if sensing something.
"You," she said casually, lifting her headset.
Everyone turned.
"You're the guy with the barong, right?"
Leo stepped forward. Slowly. Like approaching a sniper's scope.
"You glitched out of my team chat mid-tutorial. Thought you rage quit."
"No," he said quietly. "I'm in."
She studied him. Then smiled.
"Good. We need something fresh. The usuals are burning out. I'm drafting for Crimson Vela."
Leo hesitated.
"Not Nova Regia?"
"I'm not the type to wait in the dark and pray for a shot," she smirked.
"I pull the trigger. Then ask who's bleeding."