Chapter 1
This story takes place two years after the final El Tigre: the Adventures of Manny Rivera episode; No Boots, No Belt, 'Brero. This story is will focus more on Frida, but there's going to be a lot of Manny too, so don't worry. Any reviews, whether positive or negative, are always welcome. I do not own El Tigre, or any of its characters or locations. Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua were the ones who originally created El Tigre, not me.
A loud explosion ripped open the side of the Miracle City Bank. Out of the hole a huge, hairy thug bounced out with large bags of money in his arms. It was El Oso, doing what he did best and loved the most: robbing. He had a necklace of skulls and a hat in the shape of a bear head. The smoke cleared, and the bear-themed villain's grin turned into a snarl when he caught sight of Manny Rivera.
"Stop right there, El Oso!" the brown-haired fifteen-year-old shouted. "Or face…El Tigre!" With a swift spin of his Tigre belt buckle, a flash of light and the mighty roar of a tiger, he had transformed into El Tigre. He was a tiger-based super that was undecided as to whether he should be a villain or a hero, but lately it seemed he was leaning more towards hero. His father and Grandpapi had noticed this too. Rodolfo had been practically walking on air that his only son was following in his heroic footsteps, but the villainous Grandpapi had been more temperamental then usual lately.
He had started to bulk up a little with age, was several inches taller, and the beginnings of what could someday grow into a natural beard or moustache were starting to show. However, what made El Oso suddenly let out a deep laugh was the croak in the boy's voice. "Haha! Mans, you gotta funny-soundin' voice now!"
El Tigre's chocolate eyes narrowed and he balled his clawed hands into fists. With a super fast run he lunged at El Oso. Before the thug could react, El Tigre had punched the super villain right in the middle of his forehead. With a grunt of pain, the dim-witted thug was knocked down onto his bottom.
"Ow! El Tigre, you'll pay for that when I break outta jail again, man!" he said. No sooner had the words left his mouth, he suddenly felt handcuffs being slapped on. He was hauled into the back of the police van by three nervous policemen while El Tigre proudly watched.
"Dude, you knocked El Oso out with one punch! That has to be like a personal record!" a chipper-sounding voice suddenly commented from right next to him. He jumped in surprise before he realized that it was just Frida, Manny's best friend and who now was only occasionally his sidekick/partner in crime. They hadn't been spending as much time together as they used to. She had been spending more time hanging out with her band, the Atomic Sombreros, and he had been spending more time fighting crime and villainy.
Like Manny, the blue-eyed girl had grown taller too. Her blue hair-which, oddly enough, was natural and had been passed down from her father-had grown longer and fuller. Her physique had also started developing, the beginnings of an hourglass figure starting to show. She still wore her favorite outfit though; white shirt, rockstar boots, and a red skirt with suspenders. And mustn't forget her beloved red goggles. They were practically her signature.
"Hey, Frida!" Manny grinned. "Want to go hang out at the arcade? I heard they just got the brand new Super-Macho Fighter IX!" He spun his belt buckle again, returning to his normal self.
Just then, a tall African-American girl with what had to be the best-groomed afro in the world, walked over. She had a stripped pink shirt and jeans on. It was Rosa, the bassist in Frida's band. Next to her was Teeny, the ironically named overweight drummer. "Yo, Freeds, we got a gig to play tomorrow at the Miracle City Park!" Rosa exclaimed excitedly around the lollipop that she was chewing on.
"Yeah, we got to practice tonight so we get everything right!" Teeny added, equally as excited.
"Awesome! We've been trying to play there for ages!" Frida grinned and hi-fived her bandmates. "Well, what are we waiting for let's go!" She started to run off after the two girls, but then she suddenly remembered Manny and stopped. "Oh, uh…hey, Manny…" she started with a nervous smile before Manny waved it off.
"Ah, no problema. Go practice. We can go to the arcade after your concert," he said, trying to act like he wasn't disappointed, even though he was.
"There's going to be an exclusive after party!" Teeny called from the distance.
Frida smiled nervously, fighting between her extreme want to spend time with her band and their fans, and disappointing her best friend. Manny sighed. "Well, we can go to the arcade another time," he said, forcing a smile. "You go on ahead," he said. When she still hesitated, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, it's not like I'll have nothing to do! This city is a cesspool of crime and villainy! Besides, I'll see you at the concert," he assured her.
"Well…alright then. See you later, Manny!" With that, Frida turned around and ran after Rosa and Teeny, leaving Manny alone in the middle of the street.
From inside a dark alleyway, two pairs of eyes had watched the entire scene. The eyes watched Manny walk away with a downtrodden sigh. A slightly wheezy laugh rang out, followed by a light cough. A large form walked out, followed by a much smaller-but no less dangerous-one. The large form was a guacamole monster that had been created by the small boy next to him. However, the boy wasn't any ordinary boy. No, he was a mad scientist that had a flair for evil. His name was Dr. Chipotle Jr, not that many people remembered anyway. He hadn't grown much in the past two years, maybe an inch at most. He was always going to be short, just like his father and grandfather. Also like his paternal ancestors, he wore a lab coat, had dark red eyes, and a robotic arm and eye. His robotic arm could be turned into a devastating weapon. Unlike his balding father and grandfather, however, he had thick, unruly hair that went in all directions. An evil smile was plastered on his face when he looked up at his creation. The monster stared back blankly. Nobody said guacamole monsters were smart.
"Do you know what this means, my Guacamole Monster?" the twelve-year-old genius questioned coyly. When the food monster shook its head, Dr. Chipotle Jr threw his head back and let out another wheezy laugh. Even his monster's stupidity couldn't ruin his good mood! "It means that El Tigre is distracted, and therefore vulnerable!" he began. "Now is the perfect time for I, Dr Chipotle Jr, to strike! I will get ride of El Tigre, and Miracle City shall tremble before us, my Guacamole Monster!" he exclaimed, nearly shouting now from excitement. He had always been on the louder side.
"And also…" His expression grew surprisingly tender. "Frida…my dear, blue-haired love….they aren't as close now as they used to be, but she still likes him, which is a problem!" He rubbed his hands together eagerly, a calculating look in his eyes. "When I get rid of him, she, like the rest of this city; Will. Be. Miiiiine!" he said, ending the sentence with another shout. He laughed again, hastily climbing onto the monster he had created.
"Now, my monster," he hissed determinedly. "To the Miracle City Museum!" Several minutes passed by with no movement. Dr Chipotle Jr frowned and looked down to find his creation holding a tortilla chip and trying to eat itself. His non-robotic eye twitched. "I've told you before, you incompetent beast: stop eating yourself!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Now, move!" he growled, ignoring the simple-minded monster's teary eyes.
Dr Chipotle Jr. could feel that his long-awaited victory was within his grasp. All those other times, from the moustache incident to the Robot Guacamole Cowboy, they were just practice runs. This time, he would get rid of that annoying gato!