Theodore's V-Word


A.N. This one was meant to be uploaded a long time ago, but I ran into a major brick wall with something about the plot, but with a little help from BigMoose01, I was able to break through that wall and finish this Theodore Tugboat story about Theodore finally earning his V-word. With that out of the way, let our story began.


One morning, the tugs were gathered around the Great Ocean Dock for the morning work meeting.

"Good morning, tugboats." said the Dispatcher. "Here are your jobs for today."

Theodore was tasked with collecting barrels with Bayswater and taking them to the oil refinery, Emily and Foduck were tasked with bringing in a cargo ship, Hank was tasked with bringing Shelburne the sea barge to the repair dock for maintenance, and George was tasked with moving Owan the oil rig out to sea. In addition, Foduck was to carry out his regular safety check of the harbor after helping Emily. Once all the tugs were given their assignments, they set off to work, but as he watched them leave, the Dispatcher remembered something.

"Hold it, Theodore!" he said. "Can you come back here for a minute? I want to speak with you."

Theodore was caught off guard by this sudden request, and felt a little worried. Nevertheless, he knew he had to obey, so he turned around and went back to the Dispatcher.

"What is it, sir?" Theodore asked. "Am I in trouble?"

The Dispatcher recognized the worried tone in Theodore's voice and the facial expression that came with it.

"No, Theodore, you're not in trouble." the Dispatcher reassured. "In fact, I have some good news for you."

"Really?" gasped Theodore. "What's the good news?"

"Well, Theodore, you've been working in this harbor for a very long time now." said the Dispatcher. "And during your time here, your work ethic has grown stronger every day. That being said, after much careful consideration, I have decided that you have earned the right to have a V-word like Emily, Foduck, and George."

Theodore couldn't believe it. He had been waiting to hear this kind of news for a very long time. And today was finally the day he heard it!

"You mean it?" he grinned.

"Yes." smiled the Dispatcher.

Theodore couldn't help but cry out in joy.

"Woohoo!" he cheered. "So, what's my V-word going to be?"

"That is up to you." the Dispatcher said. "You may have all day to think about it."

"Thank you, sir!" said Theodore.

"Now, I believe you still have some work to do." the Dispatcher added.

"Right." agreed Theodore.

And with that, Theodore raced away to Bayswater's dock, his engine pumping with excitement.

"I can't believe it!" Theodore said to himself. "My dreams of being an ocean tug are finally coming true!"

Soon, Theodore and Bayswater were working away collecting their barrels, and Theodore had told Bayswater about his upcoming graduation to the role of ocean tug.

"Wow, Theodore!" gasped Bayswater. "That's awesome!"

"I know!" agreed Theodore.

"Did he tell you what your V-word will be?" Bayswater then asked.

"No, not really." replied Theodore. "He said that it's up to me. He's giving me all day to think about it. You don't happen to have any ideas, do you?"

"How about "Valiant"?" suggested Bayswater.

"Isn't that George's V-word?" asked Theodore.

"Oh, right." said Bayswater. "Well, I'm sure you'll think of something sooner or later."

"Yeah." said Theodore. "I'll just keep telling myself that."

Soon, Theodore and Bayswater had collected their barrels and delivered them to their destination. As Theodore was towing Bayswater back to his dock, he saw Hank.

"Hey, Hank!" Theodore whistled to Hank. "Did you hear the news?"

"What news?" Hank asked.

"I'm gonna be a V-tug!" said Theodore.

"Seriously?!" gasped Hank.

"Yeah!" replied Theodore.

Hank felt happy for his best friend.

"Sweet!" Hank cried out joyously. "What's your V-word gonna be?"

"I'm still thinking about it." said Theodore. "The Dispatcher gave me all day to choose one."

"Oh." said Hank. "Well, I hope you choose a good one!"

"I'm sure I will." said Theodore.

Soon, Theodore and Bayswater arrived back at Bayswater's dock, and after Bayswater was moored, Theodore started making his way to his own dock to have a rest. As he was, the Dispatcher noticed him.

"Welcome back, Theodore." he greeted. "Have you decided what you want your V-word to be?"

"Not yet." said Theodore. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Alright." said the Dispatcher. "Well, when you do think of something for it, just let me know."

"You got it." nodded Theodore.

Later, Theodore was just cruising around the harbor when he suddenly saw something out in the distance.

"What's that?" asked Theodore.

Theodore decided to investigate, and as he got closer and closer, he made a very unsettling discovery. It turned out that what he saw was a plume of smoke, and the smoke was coming from a faceless ferry that was on fire! He could see a man frantically waving his arms from the bow.

"Don't worry, sir!" Theodore called to the man. "I'll get help!"

Theodore then got on his radio and alerted Foduck of the situation.

"Stay put, Theodore." said Foduck. "I have your location and I'm on my way."

"Okay." said Theodore.

Soon, Foduck arrived with Constance, the Coast Guard ship, as well as a faceless fireboat.

"Go back to your dock, Theodore." said Constance. "We'll take it from here."

"Actually, I think I'll stay where I am." said Theodore. "Who knows, you might need some extra help."

"He's got a point, Constance." said Foduck as he began spraying water with the faceless craft. "This looks like it could escalate rather quickly. It might become too much for us to handle."

Constance, realizing the gravity of the situation, decided there was no use arguing.

"Very well." she said. "Theodore, I'll need you to help me evacuate the people on this ship."

Theodore agreed, and while Foduck and the faceless fireboat took on the flames, Theodore helped Constance evacuate the craft. Soon, all the people on the ferry were safely off the craft, or so they thought.

"That's everyone." said Constance. "Come on, Theodore, let's get these people to safety."

"Right." said Theodore.

But as Theodore and Constance were leaving, Theodore noticed one of the evacuees onboard Constance racing around Constance's deck. It was the same man Theodore had seen on the bow of the distressed ferry. He looked upset.

"Sir?" Theodore asked. "Are you alright?"

"Where's my daughter?" the man asked.

Just then, Theodore heard something alarming. It sounded like someone calling for help. Theodore felt his engine skip a beat when he heard it.

"That must be his daughter!" Theodore gasped.

Theodore then turned and raced back towards the ferry.

"Theodore, where are you going?" Constance asked. "Come back!"

But Theodore didn't hear Constance. Needless to say, Foduck was surprised to see Theodore return to the ferry so soon.

"What are you doing back here?" he asked.

Foduck's answer came soon enough, because he then saw a girl leaning over the railing. The girl had red hair in two long braided pigtails, green eyes, and was wearing a straw hat with a sunflower on it, a dark blue t-shirt with a white silhouette of a sea turtle on it, a short denim skirt, green knee socks, and blue sneakers. She also had an orange life vest on her.

"Help!" the girl cried. "I'm trapped up here! Help!"

"Stay put, kid!" Theodore replied. "I'll save you!"

Foduck then had two of the men from the faceless fireboat assist Theodore in rescuing the girl. One of the men held a megaphone to his mouth.

"Jump!" the man commanded.

The girl, although slightly afraid, complied, leaping from the railing and into the water. Afterwards, the men threw a line to her, then pulled her onto Theodore's deck. Once the girl was aboard, Theodore raced back to the dock, where paramedics had arrived to check the people from the ferry for any injuries. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured, and the girl was reunited with her father, and eventually, the fire on the ferry was extinguished. Later that evening, the tugs were gathered around the Great Ocean Dock for story time, and when the other tugs and the Dispatcher learned of Theodore's involvement in the rescue, they were all very surprised and proud.

"Well done to both of you." the Dispatcher said to Theodore and Foduck.

"With all due respect, sir, I was just doing my job as a safety tug." said Foduck. "Theodore's the real hero. He was the one who actually called it in, and later helped rescue that girl."

"Yeah." added Theodore. "Besides, somebody had to raise the alarm."

"Very true." said the Dispatcher.

"Three cheers for Theodore!" tooted Hank.

With that, all the other tugs and the Dispatcher did the classic "Hip Hip Hooray!" cheer three times. As the third cheer rang out, they noticed Theodore appeared to be deep in thought.

"Are you alright, Theodore?" asked Emily.

"Oh, yeah." replied Theodore. "I'm just...thinking."

"Still wondering what you want your V-word to be, huh?" guessed George.

"Yeah." said Theodore. "I've also been thinking about that girl I helped rescue. I hope she's alright."

Just then, much to everyone's surprise, that same girl rode onto the dock on a light blue Panama Jack 26-inch Beach Cruiser Bike.

"Great Barrier Reef!" gasped Theodore. "It's you!"

"Hello." the girl greeted with a wave. "I wanted to come and say thanks for saving me."

"Hey, it was nothing." said Theodore. "I was just doing the right thing, that's all."

"Still, I owe you my thanks." said the girl. "Say, what's your name, anyhow?"

"Theodore." replied Theodore. "And these are my friends Emily, Foduck, Hank, and George."

"Hi there." smiled Emily.

"Hello." added Foduck.

"Hiya!" grinned Hank.

"Wassup?" finished George.

"Nice to meet you all." said the girl. "My name is Sandra, but my friends call me "Sandy" because I used to live near a beach."

"Sandy." repeated Theodore. "That's a nice name."

"Thanks." said Sandy.

Sandy then noticed the time on Chimey the clock tower.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't talk much longer." said Sandy as she picked up her bike. "But I need to get home."

"Alright." said Theodore. "Take care, Sandy!"

With that, Sandy mounted her bike and pedaled away as the tugs watched on.

"What a nice girl." said Theodore. "I really hope we'll get to see her again."

"I'm sure we will, Theodore." said Emily.

Just then, Theodore thought of something, and he looked up at the Dispatcher.

"I think I know what I want my V-word to be now." he said.

"Alright." said the Dispatcher. "What will it be?"

"I'm thinking..."Virtuous"." said Theodore. "You know, because of how I was the one who raised the alarm when I saw that ferry on fire, and how I volunteered to help Foduck and Constance with the rescue. In both those instances, I just thought it would be the right thing to do. Also, I just think it suits me."

"Ooh, I like that one." said George.

"Yeah, that's a good one!" agreed Hank.

"I think you've made an excellent choice, Theodore." said the Dispatcher. "First thing tomorrow, you may go to the repair dock to have your V-word fitted."

"Yes, sir!" smiled Theodore.

And so, the next morning, the Dispatcher delayed the morning work meeting so Theodore could have his new V-word fitted. When Theodore returned, he had a green tarp over his stern.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present..." Theodore began.

Theodore then turned around, and pulled the tarp off his stern, revealing a metal plate that had the word "virtuous" on it.

"Theodore the Virtuous!" Theodore announced.

The other tugs cheered for Theodore.

"Well, Theodore, welcome to the V-Tug Club!" laughed George.

"Celebrations can wait, George." said the Dispatcher. "First, today's work assignments."

Soon, all the tugs had been given their jobs, and as Theodore set off to work, he felt very proud to have finally accomplished his lifelong goal of becoming a V-tug just like Emily, Foduck, and George.

The End


A.N.2. This "Sandy" character was created by both BigMoose01 and myself as a human friend to the tugs who regularly hangs out with them starting with this story. He thought this would be a good way to debut her, and I couldn't help but agree.