Arcane: I have Plasmids F*** YEAAAAAAH!!!

Zaun's air smelled like rot and regret.

Which meant Lukas was exactly where he needed to be.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

He threw his arms wide, grinning like an absolute lunatic.

"Welcome… to the Magnificent, the Glorious, the One and Only—"

He took a deep breath.

"Zaun's biggest pile of absolute dogshit."

Because, unfortunately, yes—Lukas was back in the Scrapyard.

Not because he wanted to be, of course.

But because great men make sacrifices.

And if he wanted to change history, he needed parts.

So here he was.

Knee-deep in actual garbage.

His hands covered in mystery grime.

Talking to himself like a lunatic

He already knew what people would say.

"But Lukas, I thought you were done scavenging for trash."

To which he'd smile, shake his head, and would loudly exclaim:

"I NEVER STOPPED!"

Because true visionaries never rest.

They push forward. They strive for greatness.

They dig through literal piles of Scrap, just to find ancient, forgotten technology.

And just as he was getting into his dramatic speech—

His eyes landed on something glorious.

A metal casing, half-buried in filth.

A tangle of wires.

A broken but very real—

"Bingo."

Lukas's grin widened.

His fingers brushed against the metal.

"Finally."

He wrenched it free from the garbage, lifted it above his head, and cackled.

"FINALLY! IT'S MINE!"

Cue dramatic thunder.

Cue maniacal laughter.

Cue—

Lukas violently coughing because the air was actually just toxic fumes.

"COUGH—shit—COUGH—FUCK."

This was not a victory.

This was asthma waiting to happen.

But no matter.

Because he had it.

Step one of his master plan.

Now?

Time for step two.

He turned on his heel, clutching his prize, and bolted back toward the Lanes.

----------

Lukas kicked open the pawn shop door like he owned the place.

Which, to be clear—

He absolutely did not.

But confidence was 90% of getting what you wanted.

And today?

Lukas was a fucking businessman.

From the back, Benzo's voice drifted over.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on a sec—"

Lukas didn't hold on.

He marched straight to the counter, lifted his prize high above his head, and then—

BAM.

Dropped it with a loud-ass metal clang.

From the back of the shop—

There was a violent crash.

Followed by the sound of Benzo swearing.

Lukas winced.

"…Whoops."

---

A second later, Benzo stumbled out, looking like he barely survived a war.

He adjusted his glasses, rubbing his head.

"Kid, I swear to God, one day you're gonna give me a heart attack."

Lukas grinned.

"Wel,l in that case...can I inherit the store?"

Benzo stared.

Then muttered, "I need to start locking my door."

He turned to the random heap of metal on the counter.

Frowned.

"…Is that a telegraph?"

Lukas grinned.

"This...is the future."

Benzo blinked.

Then gave him a deadpan look.

"That's a broken-ass telegraph."

Lukas tapped his temple.

"A visionary sees what others do not."

Benzo rubbed his face.

"For Janna's sake. Here we go."

---

He leaned in, examining the rusted casing and tangled wires.

"Hmph. Not bad. Where'd you find it?"

"Trash heap."

Benzo sighed.

"Of course you did."

Then he shrugged.

"Well, it's a solid find, but it's useless."

Lukas expected that.

He leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, I figured. Zaun doesn't have the infrastructure for wired comms, right? No cables, no lines connecting us to Piltover?"

Benzo arched an eyebrow.

"Huh. Kid actually has a brain."

Lukas ignored that.

"Yeah, yeah. But that's where my idea comes in."

---

He stood up straight, dramatically placing a hand on his chest.

Then took a deep breath.

"Benzo. Last night, I had a dream."

Benzo already looked done.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

Lukas ignored him.

"A dream where people, no matter where they were—"

He gestured grandly to the air.

"—could speak to each other. Across great distances. Without wires."

Benzo stared.

"So what, telepathy? You got magic in that head of yours?"

Lukas grinned.

"Nope. Just science, baby."

---

Benzo sighed.

"Kid, I sell things. I don't build them."

Lukas shrugged.

"So sell me what I need. I'll figure out the rest."

Benzo gave him a long, tired look.

Then scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Only person around here who even gives a damn about these things is my grandson."

Lukas's grin widened.

Benzo narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, no."

Lukas's eyes sparkled with pure scheming energy.

"Oh, YES!"

Benzo sighed deeply.

"You sneaky little shit."

---

Benzo sighed, already regretting speaking.

"Alright. Just so I'm clear—"

He gestured at the broken-ass telegraph.

"You want to take this pile of junk."

Pointed at Lukas.

"With your zero engineering knowledge."

Then jabbed a finger toward the back room.

"And somehow convince my grandson to make it work."

Lukas nodded.

"Correct."

Benzo stared at him.

Then stared harder.

Then sighed.

"Why did I leave the bed today..."

---

Lukas leaned against the counter.

"C'mon, old man. You said it yourself before Ekko's a genius. And I've got ideas."

Benzo scoffed.

"Kid, if ideas were worth money, you'd be richer than the Kirammans."

"Exactly. Now imagine if I actually had the tools to make them real."

Benzo paused.

Then shook his head.

"Nope. Not my problem. If you wanna drag Ekko into your bullshit, go ahead. But leave me out of it."

Lukas grinned.

"Benzo, Benzo, Benzo. You wound me."

Benzo turned around.

"Closing the store now. Goodbye."

Lukas picked up the telegraph.

"Tell Ekko his future business partner says hi."

Benzo groaned.

"For the love of Janna, don't phrase it like that."

Lukas laughed, stepping out into the streets.

He had everything he needed.

Now?

Time to find Zaun's youngest genius.