"So, Timmy, we meet again. Hand over your lunch money."
"Why should I, Osvaldo?" The bully leaned in to the defiant child. In the playground of Miracle city's elementary school stood two children. Osvaldo was fairly large, and looked vaguely like a young El Oso. Timmy was short even for his young age, kinda pudgy, and looked vaguely like a young Titanium Titan, sans metallic arms.
"Because I'm bigger and stronger than you, and if you don't, I'll beat you into a pulp."
Timmy put a hand to his chin in thought. "You raise a good point. However, I have no lunch money today, so if you'll excuse me…"
Timmy tried to walk past the mini Oso, but Osvaldo blocked his path. "Hey man, if you don't give me any money, then we've got ourselves a problem." Timmy huffed in annoyance.
"I told you, Osvaldo, I don't have any. Now go pick on some other defenseless kid so I can get to class before I'm late." Timmy once again tried and failed to pass the tougher child.
"Oh, I don't think so, man." Osvaldo grabbed Timmy by the front of his shirt and lifted him in the air, snarling.
"Put me down, Osvaldo!"
"Not until you give me your lunch money!"
" I told you, I don't have any!"
"Put him down!" Both boys turned to see… Manny Rivera? But, no, this boy had a squarer jaw, and darker, smoother hair, wore glasses, a white dress shirt, and a fedora, and had no scar. This was a different Rivera. A nerdier Rivera. Osvaldo sneered.
"Stay out of this, Rivera. I don't have time to deal with a goody-two-shoes like you."
"And yet you can somehow find the time to harass an innocent boy? This is an injustice that I will not stand for."
"Ha! What are you gonna do, man? Beat me up? You don't even have your superpowers yet, man."
"I'll tell."
"Ha! As if! I'm an orphan, man. Those teachers can't even touch me."
"I'm not going to tell our teachers. I'm going to tell my papi."
"Oh, yeah? What could your papi do to me, man?"
"Well, my papi is Puma Loco. He says he could do whatever he wants. Which is kinda scary, but that's my papi for you."
A moment of science passed between the three grade school boys. Osvaldo roughly tossed Timmy back on to the ground and walked away, muttering to himself. Timmy got himself into a better position, and the Rivera boy held out a hand.
"Need some help?" Timmy blushed and averted his gaze. He grabbed the hand mumbling "yeah. Sure."
The two walked in silence for a while.
"Hey - thanks for saving me back there. My name's Timmy."
The other boy smiled. "I'm Rodolfo."