Children often dream of the future, but there are a number of unpredictable things that come with it. No child dreams of being hurt or abused, and certainly no child would ever want to go through a horrific mutation or bodily change that would alter their entire being and mental stability forever.
Elmo Sputterspark had been just as any child of St. Canard. He was on the smaller side- he didn't know he'd have such a large growth spurt between middle school and high school. He went through glasses like they were tissues from breaking so often- he didn't know goggles were much more resilient and better at holding in place. He was a normal boy that was interested in science- he didn't in a million years know that he'd be forced to endure his own experiment in a torturous, life changing period before ultimately becoming who everyone knew him as today- Megavolt.
Fifth grade was hard, not in an academic sense, he had already skipped a grade due to his development, but socially, the pressure was becoming more and more unbearable. It wasn't as if he wasn't trying to make friends, he just wasn't very good at it. Kids weren't interested in learning about electromagnetic fields, or currents, or even about astrophysics. Likewise, he wasn't really interested in any of the games they played either- too much roughhousing that almost always ended in another pair of glasses biting the dust.
And so Elmo Sputterspark sat alone, with his usual array of reading material, fascinated by physics, when there was a sudden shadow cast over his current page. He squinted up at what he expected was a cloud, only it wasn't, it was none other than Benjamin Bittern and his cronies, who insisted on claiming the playground as their own personal space.
"Hiya Spuh-spuh-SPUTTERSPARK, whatcha readin'? Somethin' dumb I bet!" He kicked the book out of his hands and sent it sprawling to the sand. "Physics? Really? Are you a grown up that's trapped inside of a kid's body, or are you literally insane? Who goes to recess and reads about that kinda stuff? Even my dad doesn't read books like that!"
"That's 'cuz Playduck monthly is his reading material of choice." One of his friends snickered, and was promptly elbowed hard. "Heeeeey! I was just sayin'!"
Elmo pushed his glasses up his nose nervously, "I-it's really cool, i-if you give it a chance! I-it covers a lot of te-territory, about how the world works..."
"Oh wow, yeah, uh-huh, I've always wondered how the world works, haven't you guys?" He looked to his friends with mock sincerity before shoving Elmo over. "Get this, four-eyes, I don't have to know how the world works, because I'm busy actually living in it, unlike you. But how's this, I'll play your dumb little game. I happen to know a little physics too!"
"R-really?" Elmo stared with wide eyes, trembling from the proximity as a fist was slowly curled in front of his face.
"Yeah! Like how fast my fist is gonna collide with your face!"
"HALT, IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!~"
The kids turned around at the newest intrusion, revealing a fellow classmate, with a blanket tied around his neck like a cape. He stood in the sun with his hands on his hips, and a haughty smile, but he still looked ridiculous, even to Elmo.
"I think it's in everyone's best interest if you kindly lowered your fist, good sir!"
"...Uh, are you serious right now? What exactly are you gonna do if I don't? Are you gonna come over here and MAKE me, Mallard?"
"That would be correct-o-mundo!~ That, and you'll get a good detention to teach you better school conduct! This playground belongs to everyone, even readers of chemistry!"
"A-actually, it's physics." Elmo squeaked out.
"Right, whatever! Now, are you gonna come quietly, Benny-boy, or am I gonna have to use force?"
Benjamin scowled and let go of Elmo's shirt to send him falling back to the dirt below. He cracked his knuckles and approached, his friends watching on eagerly from behind.
"Show me your so called force, Drake, this I'd LOVE to see. You're a whole foot shorter than me, you're wrapped in a baby blanket you probably brought from your crib, and you honestly think you can take me in a fight right now!" Ben held out his hands, laughing. "Just because I think you're so ridiculous, first shot's on me! Go ahead! Hit me as hard as you want!"
"That's very generous of you!" The self proclaimed hero beamed, and promptly whipped his blanket cape into his face of his adversary, causing him to flail back in surprise, falling to the sand people. His friends stared for a moment before bursting out into laughter.
"WAY TO GO, BENNY!"
"WOW, THAT'LL SHOW HIM!"
Even Elmo began to giggle as he watched Benny twist around in the dirt, throwing the blanket off angrily, his face reddening with embarrassment. A good chunk of the class had watched that, and how embarrassing it was to have been knocked off of his feet by Drake Mallard of all people! He didn't even throw a punch!
"Ahhhh, e-yup, yup, yup, that's how ya do it, boys and girls! Gotta always be smarter than your enemies! That's how Superduck does it!" He gave a bow to the crowd of kids, who merely laughed at his antics.
"Oh yeah? Well you aren't Superduck-" Benjamin grabbed Drake by the back of his shirt, yanking him up a good foot off of the pavement to bring him eye level. "You're just Drake Mallard, biggest nerd in our class who's about to give up his title to ol' Sparky over here, on account of you bein' in the hospital!" He rose a fist to the duck's face, but never got a hit in. The recess monitor had promptly caught him after seeing the small crowd form around them, and she yanked him away.
"BENJAMIN! You know that violence in this school is not tolerated! How many times have I called your parents already?! Your father is going to get a good earful of what you spent your recess doing today-"
"OW, STOP PULLING ME, NO, DON'T CALL HIM!" Benjamin turned to look back at Drake, "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN, DRAKE, YOU'RE DEAD!"
"His dad's gonna kill him." Benjamin's friend muttered to the other, and he nodded solemnly.
"Show's over!" Drake announced, pulling the blanket up from the sand and flinging it over his shoulder. "Nothin' to see here, folks, go on back to your regularly scheduled recess activities!" He seemed quite relaxed for someone that had nearly been knocked out, let alone sent death wishes. He retrieved Elmo's discarded book and turned to hand it back to him. In the process, he tripped over his own makeshift cape, sending the book flying into a mud pile.
"...Whoops."
Elmo stared at the book, then at Drake, before heaving a sigh, pulling himself to his feet. "Thanks a lot, Drake."
"Doooon't mention it! That's what I'm here for!" Drake gave him a winning smile, but Elmo merely rolled his eyes, trudging off towards the school.
It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for someone stepping in, since he wasn't good at fighting back himself, but Drake always somehow things worse before they got better. He meant well, he really did, but he always managed to-
"OH, hey, Elmo, wait! You forgot your other-!"
And it was then that the older duck crashed into him from behind, sending him flying face first onto the pavement, his glasses skittering away across the floor. The rat squinted out, trying to find his frames, before sitting up, rubbing over a scrape to his elbow.
"...Books. Eheh." Drake meekly smiled, gently placing the books to Elmo's side before climbing off of him. "...S-sorry about your glasses. Again."
Elmo let out a loud groan. This was the third time in a month! His parents were going to kill him!
It was then that the bell finally decided to ring, and Elmo was almost relieved for this period to end. It was just two hours until he got to go home and face the music. He realized then though, that getting away from Drake was the least of his problems. Recess had just ended. Which meant!
There was a sudden stampede over and around him, a mad dash back through the doors and down the hallway to class. Elmo covered his head, whimpering as he felt a few shoes against his back, but luckily they had been smaller kids. When it was safe to move again, he began his crawl for his glasses, realizing that they probably were not so lucky to survive the herd. He just knew he'd be brushing over glass, and the mangled, twisted frames.
To his surprise, however, there was a hand in front of him, and what looked to be his glasses clutched in them. He squinted harder, reaching out to take them, and when he placed them back on, he found that aside from a scratch or two, they were in tact! How fortunate for him! How was that even possible?!
"Boy, that was a close'th one, huh?! And you practically got trampled! Are you okay, pal?"
Elmo looked up at him, never having seen this kid before. He was very tall, he looked to be taller than Benjamin even! And he had bright, colorful clothes on. He stood out, certainly. And most notably, he had an overbite that gave him quite a prominent lisp. It was comical, but he seemed not to be bothered by it, and so Elmo wasn't either.
"Uh, ye-yeah! I'll be okay. Tha-thanks for finding my glasses! I thought I was gonna be toast when I got home today."
"Yeah, I know what that'sth like! I always'th break my toys'th...well, it'sth not really 'breaking' them, s'tho much as'th making them into new kinds'th."
"...You're...you're new here then, aren't you? I've just never seen you before now..." And usually, people avoided him like the plague, and surely this kid didn't get that memo yet.
"Yup! My names'th Jacky!~" The mallard stuck out his hand, both to shake it, and to help him up.
Elmo smiled back, taking it and pulling himself up. "Nice to meet you, mine's Elmo. Elmo Sputterspark. Y-you'll probably hear about me."
"Good things'th?"
"Uh, well. Probably not, in all honesty."
Jacky laughed then, and it sounded just as funny as everything else was about him. Elmo found himself giggling a bit too, despite himself. The new kid had an infectious laugh.
"Good things'th are boring anyway. Everyone knows'th a good sthory is one with drama and conflict! S'tho, my mystherious, ill reputed friend, can you point me in the direction of room 5A?"
"Oh! That's my class! You can follow me."
"Lead the way, friend!"
Elmo Sputterspark seemed like another person entirely now, one that he sometimes remembered things about, things that seemed less like memories and more like dreams of memories. There was a boy in those dreams somewhere, and that boy couldn't have possibly known that one day, he'd grow up to become Megavolt. Would he have wanted to? Would he be disappointed? Thrilled? Everything seemed to happen for a reason though. Everything seemed connected in a weird way, like a circuit, a grid that they were all on and unable to escape from.
"Megsy, you okay? You've been starin' into space! I should know, I go there all the time!"
Megavolt turned to look at the jester beside him, sitting comfortably atop a roof in the middle of St. Canard with him, and the image of a much younger jester left as soon as it had come. He wanted to ask, he wanted to say something about it, but he forgot just what he wanted to say. He forgot what he had just seen.
Maybe it was for the best. Past or future, one thing seemed for certain, people were destined for some things.
"Well, are you ready? The minute we rob that place, you know Dorkwing's gonna be hot on our trails!~"
Megavolt gave his present friend a grin, "We'll be ready for him! I have a shocking new toy I'd like to show him!"
"Ooooh!~ Ya don't say! And just who made that toy for you, I wonder?"
"Some loon named Quackerjack, according to the label."
The pair of villains cackled, and the rest, they say, is history.