I apologized it took so long, but I was quite busy at the moment. That and I suffered from a few instances of writer's blocks before I could finish this chapter. I also want to thank EvelioandZgroup for helping me out on this chapter.
Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait.
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 6-The Disguise: Part 1
It was another typical afternoon at Elmore Junior High, as the school bell rang, signaling every students in their classrooms to leave, as they made their way to the cafeteria. Gumball and Brian, along with their fellow classmates, exited Miss Simian's classroom, discussing today's unexpected pop quiz.
"I can't believe Miss Simian would do such a thing! That was just totally unfair and unjust!" Brian exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Well Brian, that's Miss Simian. Whenever she feels like it, she'll do just to get a kick to see how we would react." Gumball explained to the disbelieving fox.
"I'm just glad the weekend is around the corner. At least then I'll be able take a moment to relax." Brian replied.
"Am I'm interrupting anything?" A soft-spoken voice asked out of the blue, prompting the duo to stopped dead in their tracks.
The moment Gumball laid his eyes on the figure, the feline suddenly become awestruck, while Brian was simply puzzled by his friend's demeanor. Standing right in front of them was a peanut with short antlers, wearing orange sneakers and a pair of red and white arm bands on her wrist.
"Hey Penny…" Gumball finally spoke. "Brian and I were just finishing our conversation. Is there something you need?"
"Actually, I do." Penny responded and smiled. "I have to do a 10 page history project that's due next Monday and I could use some help on my research."
"Wow, looks like you got your work cut-out for you." said a surprised Brian.
"Tell me about it." Penny remarked, before focusing her attention to Gumball. "Anyway, do you mind if you come by to my house and help out this afternoon?"
"Sure Penny, I'll do anything for you." Gumball responded, still awe-struck by her presence.
"That's great, Gumball." Penny spoke ecstatically. "I'll see you in a few hours then. Oh and it's nice to meet you Brian."
"It's good to make your acquaintance too, Penny and good luck on your project."
With that, Penny made her way to the cafeteria, disappearing around the corner. As Gumball sighed with happiness, he suddenly noticed the purple fox looking right at him with a grin on his face.
"Gumball, you dog."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Gumball shouted as his face turned bright red. "Brian, its n-not what it l-looks like. M-me and Penny just happens to be f-friends, t-that's all."
"Right, Gumball, I believe every word you said." Brian said sarcastically, before mimicking Gumball's awe-struck expression and mannerism.
"Sure Penny, I'll do anything for you." Brian then chuckled at his own bad performance, prompting Gumball to glare right back at him.
"Relax Gumball, there's nothing to be ashamed about." Brian started to explain. "Also, don't worry about me hitting on her. I just like Penny as a friend."
Upon hearing this, Gumball started to calm down a bit, even though he still felt embarrassed from Brian's teasing. At the same time, he was relieved that the purple fox's interest in Penny was purely platonic. That's one less competitor to worry about.
Before Gumball could say anything else, he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder, gaining his attention. It was none other than Darwin, who appeared much cheerful than usual.
"Hey, buddy, why so upbeat?" Gumball noted his friend's behavior.
"Gumball, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me, Darwin." Gumball was quite curious to see what his pal has to offer.
"Alright, but be amazed for what I'm about to show you." Darwin then proceeds to pull something from his back and when he presented them to his friends, Gumball and Brian responded with amazements.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Gumball.
"That's right, Gumball, I've got us tickets to watch Nocturnal Rises today!" Darwin exclaimed. "It'll be just you and me all day at the movie theatre."
Gumball and Brian stopped what they were doing, clearly stunned by Darwin's answer. Noticing his friends' sudden change in demeanor, Darwin raised his eyebrow with curiosity, before focusing his attention to Gumball.
"Hey Gumball, I thought you would be happy. Is there something you're not telling me?"
But before he could say anything, Brian suddenly spoke after several seconds of silence.
"Gumball's not upset or anything…" Brian started to explain. "It's just that he-"
"Happens to be so excited, I was simply too speechless to say anything else." Gumball replied, cutting the purple fox's explanation.
Puzzled, Darwin looked at the blue feline with suspicion. After a few seconds, the two-legged fish smiled, having bought Gumball's answer.
"I'll take that as a yes then. I can hardly wait for this. Isn't this exciting, Gumball?"
"Yeah, Darwin, I can hardly contain the excitement." Gumball responded nervously, his head sweating profusely.
With that, Darwin cheerfully followed Penny's lead and headed to the cafeteria, disappearing from his friends' sights. Shortly afterwards, Gumball grabbed the collar on Brian's hoodie, pressing his face to the surprised fox's.
"Brian! What should I do?! I'm in so much trouble!"
"First of all Gumball, let go of me." Gumball did what he was told, letting go of Brian's hoodie, who proceeded to regain his composure before confronting the terrified feline.
"Second, just tell Darwin that you already have plans with Penny this afternoon. I'm sure he'll understand."
"I can't do that, Brian…" Gumball began explaining. "If I do, it'll break his heart and I could kiss my friendship goodbye forever. Oh man, what did I have gotten myself into?"
Wanting to calm his terrified friend down, Brian, after a moment of pondering, decided to change the subject, hoping it would be enough to snap Gumball out of his state.
"I'm sure you'll think of way to fix this mess. Besides, it's not like you could be in two places at once."
Suddenly, Gumball's expression had changed, as all the fear and worries were replaced by a wide grin. Brian, noticing this, gave himself a mental facepalm; there was no doubt that Gumball has another hare-brained scheme in his head.
"I just have to open my big mouth!"
"Brian, that's it! I could be two places at once and I think I know how this will work out." Gumball then laid his eyes on Brian; it was then that the purple fox realized what his friend exactly had in mind.
"Wait a minute there, Gumball." Brian spoke defensively. "There's no way I'm getting involved in another mishap after what happened on the weekends. Plus, this idea is crazy. You're crazy."
"But Brian, I really need you on this. Besides, it'll only be just one day."
"Gumball…" Brian talked with a stern expression. "What you're suggesting is both outrageous and risky. There's no way I'm going out to the movies as you. What if Darwin finds out?"
"Let's worry about that later, Brian. But seriously, this plan is foolproof and nothing could go wrong."
"I don't know, Gumball." Brian spoke with uncertainty, taking his eyes off his friend momentarily. "I still think you should have told Darwin the truth instead of creating this crazy scheme. You're going to have to give me one good reason why I should go through with this."
As soon as Brian focuses his attention on the feline again, he is aghast by what his friend is doing right now. Gumball's eyes had suddenly widened, as his pupils had gotten bigger and shining brightly and gave himself an innocent expression. Brian soon realized what his friend is trying to do.
"Oh no, not the puppy dog eyes; It's so cute and yet so creepy at the same time." Brian spoke with disgust, closing his eyes in an effort to resist Gumball's tactic, before one of his eyes slightly opened by accident, getting a glimpse of the feline's eyes, which had gotten even bigger and brighter. In turned, Brian could only cringe at this display.
"Augh, that's just playing dirty right there."
Finding the ordeal unbearable, Brian sighed of defeat. He couldn't believe he's actually going through with this.
"Alright Gumball, I'll help you out on this. Just stop doing that already. It's seriously creeping me out."
Gumball rejoiced over his victory, while Brian just looked on with uncertainty. He just prayed that he doesn't regret getting himself involved in yet another bizarre situation.
Shortly after agreeing to help Gumball out, Brian found himself dragged by the wrist and before long, he and the feline found themselves in the backstage of the auditorium. Thankfully for the fox, the large room was devoid of any people, but he was still a bit perplexed by this. Just what does his friend have in mind?
"Care to explain to me why we're here, Gumball?" Brian asked, puzzled by Gumball's action.
"It's quite simple, Brian." Gumball began explaining. "If we're going to pull this off, you must look, act and behave just like me in the next few hours. That way, Darwin will think that you're me and I'll be helping Penny out on her project. Either way, it's a win-win situation."
"I don't know about this, Gumball." says Brian. "I still think you should tell the Darwin the truth."
"Don't worry about that, Brian. It's going work out just fine." assured Gumball, before inspecting the fox from head-to-toe, noting every detail he could find. After what seemed like a long time, the feline's face brightened; Brian couldn't be certain if that was a good sign or not.
"Hang on a minute, I'll be right back." Gumball then dashed right off stage, leaving a trail of dust behind, causing Brian to cough in the process. A few seconds, Gumball suddenly dashed right through the entrance, carrying a bag of sky blue spray cans, rubber bands and a hair gel. Brian blinked a couple of times, clearly surprised to see his friend disappear and reappear in a matter of seconds.
"Where did you get all of those materials from?" Brian finally asked.
It was just another slow day at the local drugstore, as Pantsbully prepared to fill up the shelves which, for some strange reason, are randomized with sky blue spray cans, rubber bands and hair gels.
As he was about to get the first load, he suddenly felt a slight breeze coming near his way and before he knows it, the entire section was left by a trail of dust. As the dust settled down, Pantsbully turned around, only to notice the shelves were almost empty.
"Hey! Where are all the merchandises?!"
"That's not important right now." Gumball replied. "Right now, I need you to stay still."
"Stay still? For wha-"
Suddenly, Brian found himself covered in a cloud of sky blue spray paints, as Gumball began to spray him all over his body from head-to-toe. Once the cloud settled down, Gumball grabbed a few rubber bands and quickly strapped them onto Brian's tail, causing the fox to yelp out in pain. After covering them with another layer of sky blue spray paints, Gumball used the hair gel to smooth out Brian's head until the three strands of hair were out of sight. Upon further inspections, Gumball pulled out a black marker from his pocket and drew six marks on Brian's face and smiled with satisfaction; this might actually worked out after all.
"So Brian, what do you think?" Gumball asked, as he pulls out a mirror from one of the prop stands. Upon seeing his reflection, Brian could hardly believe what his friend just did. Standing right in front of him was an exact copy of Gumball, from the fur right down to the 'whiskers' on his face.
"Wow, Gumball, I'll have to admit, you really did a good job." Brian responded, still looking at himself with astonishment, before focusing his attention to the feline. "So what's next?"
"I'm glad that you asked." Gumball replied and smiled, leaving Brian a bit uncomfortable by this.
The schoolyard was less active than it was during Brian's visit; either they were studying at the library or weren't simply in the mood for today. Either way, the purple fox was just glad that the few that are at the schoolyard weren't paying any attention to him or Gumball. Speaking of which…
"Could you explain me to why we're out here?" Brian asked.
"It's quite obvious, Brian." Gumball began to explain. "All you have to do is just follow my demonstration and do exactly as I do. It's really quite simple, really."
"Are you sure about this, Gumball? I don't think I could-"
Before he could say another word, Brian found himself silenced as Gumball clamped his paw over his mouth.
"Just watch and do what I do." With that, Gumball let's go of Brian's mouth and headed towards to Carmen, reading a geometry book in peace and unaware of the feline's presence.
"So Carmen, how's the weather up there? Gumball greeted the cactus.
Startled, Carmen turned to see Gumball right next to her, but ignored his presence and resumed reading her book in silence. Undaunted, the feline took a quick peek from her book, prompting the cactus to distance herself from him by a few inches; in response, Gumball got closer to Carmen, still taking another look at her book. By now, Carmen's patience almost reached its limits.
"So, studying for your finals or something?" asked Gumball.
In response, Carmen promptly closed her book onto Gumball's nose, causing him to shriek in pain, before she angrily walked away from him, disappearing from his sights. As Gumball rubbed his nose f, he noticed Brian looking at him, somewhat amused by his friend's action.
"See Brian, it's quite simple." says Gumball. "Now you try and see for yourself."
Brian rolled his eyes in response before turning to the opposite direction, walking right towards to Tobias and Banana Joe, playing a game of basketball.
"Hey guys." Brian greeted the two, prompting both Tobias and Banana Joe to stop playing, looking at the disguised fox with a confused look.
"Um, Gumball, are you feeling alright?" asked Banana Joe.
"What do you mean by that? I feel fine." Brian nervously replied.
"For starters, your voice sounds quite different. Did you have your tonsils removed?" Banana Joe noted "Gumball's" voice.
"Would I say it was puberty?" was all Brian could say, smiling rather sheepishly.
"That's still doesn't explain why you're dressed up like that new kid." Tobias pointed out, prompting Brian to glare at the jock. Fortunately, it appeared he didn't notice this at all.
"Oh come on, you guys, there's nothing wrong with trying something new for a change." Brian exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration.
"You've got a good point right there." Tobias responded. "But its still weird seeing you act so…differently."
For a long while, there was nothing but awkward silence between the three, neither of them making a single move. Finally, in an effort to end it, Brian decided there was only way to finish this conversation.
"Well, see you later you guys." With that, Brian left the scene. As soon as he got back to Gumball, he noticed the feline was a bit angry, glaring directly at him, much to the fox's confusion.
"What?"
Suddenly, Gumball pulled out a blow horn and pressed it right into Brian's ear, leaving a ringing sensation in the process. Once the shocked expression wore off, the fox angrily glared right back at the feline.
"What was that about?! I did what you said!"
"Yeah and you didn't do a good job!" Gumball explained. "Seriously, that was the worst performance I have ever seen!"
"And I suppose what you did with the bookworm was a lot better than what I did back there?" Brian asked, still feeling the ringing in his ears.
"T-that was different." Gumball reacted defensively. "Anyway, I think I should teach you something else if you want to convince Darwin that you're me."
"Such as…?" Brian asked, prompting Gumball to ponder for a moment. Then, it hit him.
"Watch and learn."
Right before Brian's eyes, Gumball began to walk in a rather odd way back and forth, dragging his feet a bit and flailing his arms a little bit. The unusual scene left Brian both speechless and astonished.
"What are you doing, Gumball?" Brian finally asked.
"It's called a 'cool' walk, Brian. Just my way of saying how to exactly walk the way I do." Gumball then stopped in his tracks and looked at the fox, expecting him to mimic the same movement.
"Are you serious?" Brian asked with uncertainty.
"C'mon, man, at least try to get it right." pleaded Gumball.
Despite his reservation, Brian sighed and attempts to mimic the 'cool' walk, albeit in an awkward pace, only to trip halfway into his walk face first on the pavement. Gumball slapped himself on the forehead, a bit disappointed by this.
"Don't worry about it, Brian. I'm sure you'll get the basics right away."
Several minutes later…
The last several minutes were not going so well for Brian and the fox doesn't know how long he could bear Gumball's ridiculous 'methods', including, but not limiting to: how not to catch an object, how to talk dumb and even how to think dumb. In addition, the feline began questioning him on Darwin, from his favorite hobby to events that have occurred prior to his arrival. There was no way he could commit every bit of information he gave him to memorize in a matter of seconds!
Making things much complicated was Gumball punishing him with a blow horn for every 'mistake' he made for not properly mimicking his every move. For crying out loud, how was he supposed to know that Darwin can't use the bathroom without someone whistling for him?
While Brian remained still, his fur frizzled out and his right eye twitching from Gumball's so-called "coaching", the blue feline ponders his next move, oblivious to his friend's state of distress.
"Alright, so the last few methods didn't exactly turn out quite right as I had hope. I know, what if I show you how to-"
"Gumball, just stop this already! This isn't getting us anywhere!" Brian shouted, his patience reaching its limits, prompting the feline to stare at him in response, confused by the fox's action.
"Don't you see, Gumball, your methods aren't helping me out here at all." Brian explained. "I've tried to imitate you as possibly as I can, but I just received a blow horn in return for making mistakes that I wasn't even aware of."
"But-"
"Plus, there's no way I'm able to get that much information about Darwin in less than 3 hours."
"Brian, if you could just-"
"And you would have never thought of this idea to begin with if it wasn't for my suggestion. In fact, you can't think at all."
In the middle of his tirade, Brian paused, realized what he had just said right now.
"Wait a minute! Could it be that all this time…of course, the answer was right in front of me?" The anger suddenly faded away from Brian, slowly realizing the obvious solution was right there from the beginning.
"I'm starting to see why I wasn't able to imitate you as possibly as I could, Gumball. All this time, I've been thinking and using logical reasons instead of doing the opposite." Brian exclaimed, while Gumball nodded his head to confirm this, before the fox resume talking.
"By thinking and using logical reasons, I was convincing myself that anything out of the ordinary is simply impossible. But since you don't think at all Gumball, you challenge such logical reasons and draw your own conclusion instead. I still have reservation about the success of your idea, but with this newfound information, it might just work after all."
"Brian, I think we're finally making progress." Gumball replied.
With that, Brian resumed his training with the remaining minutes they have, using the new information he had just discovered, until Gumball's idea was set into motion.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 7-The Disguise: Part 2
Gumball's plan is set in motion as Brian takes his place for Darwin. But can he manage to maintain the role when Darwin becomes increasingly suspicious of "Gumball's" unusual behavior?
Tidbits
-Once again, I apologize that this chapter took much longer than I originally had planned. I have to both edit and revised this chapter a few times before I finally got the direction I want, even if it isn't what I had planned out. Again, I want to thank EvelioandZgroup for helping me out here.
-Originally, Brian's "training" was going to be a bit longer, but I felt it would have been time consuming, so reluctantly, I have to make his training a bit short.
Again, I apologized for the long wait and hopefully, the next chapter won't take too long to finish.
Hope you enjoyed reading and see ya next chapter!
P.S.-Happy 20th anniversary, Cartoon Network!