I know I mention this in the first two chapters, so I'll bring it up once again: if anyone has an honest opinion, constructive criticism or suggestions for the story, don't be shy or hesitant. Just leave them on your reviews or PM me. I'm more than willing to listen what you guys have to say.
Also, I want to thank EvelioandZgroup again for helping me out.
Anyway, enjoy reading. :)
Update: Have to make a sudden change for the next chapter, including the summary. Anyway, I apologize for this interruption.
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 7-The Disguise: Part 2
Three hours later…
At the Watterson residence, Gumball rapidly paced back and forth in front of his bedroom, waiting for Brian to come out, so that this plan could work perfectly.
Earlier in the afternoon, Gumball was clever enough to convince the school nurse that Brian wasn't feeling so good, giving the fox enough time to continue practicing at his place. Even more amazing is that Miss Simian was in such a good mood, that she dismissed the class 10 minutes ahead of schedule, giving Gumball enough time to make it back home before Darwin did. Still, it was taking much longer than expected and the last thing Gumball wanted to happen is Darwin showing up unexpectedly and discovering their plan.
"What's taking him so long?! Darwin's going to show up any time now and I have to get Penny's place ASAP."
As Gumball impatiently continues to pace around the hallway, the door to his bedroom suddenly opened, prompting the feline to stop pacing and focus his attention on Brian. There he was, wearing the outfit he needs to finish his disguise: a tan sweater with brown cuffs and collar and a pair of grey trousers. Amazingly, his clothes managed to fit rather well on the disguised fox.
Gumball couldn't believe his own eyes: if he hadn't known that it was Brian standing right in front of him, he would have easily mistaken him as a clone.
"I have to admit, Brian, you look pretty good with that outfit." says Gumball.
"Easy for you to say; your sweater feels a bit tight." Brian replied. "Also, why does it smell like it came from the sewer?"
"Believe me, Brian, its best you don't know." Gumball shivers in disgust, recalling the time his dad informed him the origin of his favorite sweater.
"I'm going to take your word for it, Gumball." Thankfully, Brian, though a bit suspicious, didn't question him any further on the subject.
"Anyway, do you have the routines nailed down while I was away?" asked Gumball, wanting to focus the task at hand.
"Hmm…let me see…" Brian began to explain. "I managed to get a good idea of your personality, memorize mostly everything about Darwin, including his hobbies and habits and I mimicked your act long enough for you to show up. So yeah, I pretty much know what to do now."
"It looks like everything is going to turn out just fine after all." Gumball then sighed with relief; it looks like they might have a chance to pull this off.
"Before you head to Penny's place, is there else I should know in case Darwin becomes suspicious?" Brian asked.
"Just one: keep up the act and everything will work out just fine." Gumball responded.
With that, the feline dashed right out of the fox's sight, heading straight downstairs. Brian then heard the door in the kitchen open and then closed shut, prompting him to view the backyard right away. It appears that Gumball was sneaking away from the house as much as possible, most certainly heading towards his destination, as well as avoiding making contact with Darwin.
Brian couldn't believe how his day would turn out: here he is, all alone in the Watterson residence, dressed up as Gumball and having his bizarre but effective methods in mind. Even so, part of him expressed reservation of how successful the feline's idea would turn out.
"Even though I still don't like where this going, you can do this." Brian talked to himself. "All I have to do is just pretend to be Gumball for the rest of the afternoon at the movies with Darwin. I mean, it's just going to be me and him there watching Nocturnal Rises all day. After all, no one else is around here to know that I, Brian O'Quinn-"
"Just happens to expose himself right on the spot." a tiny voice spoke out of nowhere.
Brian paused, his face filled with both surprised and dismay, as he recognized an all too familiar voice. It didn't took him too long to realized that right behind was Anais, smirking with amusement. Somehow, she must have made her way back home much sooner and heard him in the middle of his speech. Brian didn't know what to do, except for one thing…
"How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to know that my brother came up with another scheme, and somehow he managed to get you involved."
Brian sighed. He might as well explain everything to the child prodigy.
"You see, Anais, it began this morning…"
Fifty seconds later…
"…And that's how I ended up helping Gumball out in yet another crazy situation." As Brian finished his explanation, Anais simply nodded her head; why Gumball came up with such an outrageous idea is a mystery.
"I hope you understand what I have to do, despite my reservation of your brother's idea. But please, don't tell Darwin about this. The last thing I want to do is to upset Gumball." Brian pleaded to the child prodigy, hoping she could at least keep this a secret.
Anais pondered for a moment, while Brian waited for an answer from her, uncertain what decision she'll make.
"Oh Man! This isn't good at all. At this point, this plan is a total bust!"
"Alright Brian, I won't tell anyone about this." Anais replied, much to the fox's relief. "In fact, I think I know how you can pull this off."
Brian stared at the four year old, a bit surprised to hear this. Intrigued, the fox raised his eyebrow with curiosity, wanting to hear what the child prodigy has to say.
"I'm listening…"
School was finished for today, but for Darwin, the afternoon had only just begun. All day long, he has been waiting to see Nocturnal Rises, just him and Gumball at the theatres all day and nothing more.
Still, today did seem a bit off. For starters, he learned that Brian suddenly got ill and had to go home for the rest of the day; as if that wasn't strange enough, Gumball suddenly dashed out of Miss Simian's class like he was in a hurry. Even so, his friend did promise he'll be there at the movies today.
"As long as my pal shows up in time, it's all good." says Darwin.
As the two-legged fish was about to press the doorbell, the front door suddenly open and much to Darwin's surprise, it was Gumball, standing right in front of him. Although curious by his sudden presence, Darwin couldn't care less about that for the moment. All that matters is that Gumball is here and just in time too.
"Hey Gumball, are you ready to see Nocturnal Rises?" Darwin asked with delight, barely containing the excitement within him.
"You bet buddy of mine, I'm sure it's the greatest movie either of us will see in our lives." 'Gumball' replied back.
The moment his friend greeted him back, Darwin paused, giving 'Gumball' a confusing look.
"Um, Gumball, what's wrong with your voice?"
'Gumball', or rather Brian, gave himself a mental facepalm. He has to think of something and fast.
"Um…it's puberty?" Brian responded, smiling sheepishly.
For a while, Darwin looked at 'Gumball' with curiosity, uncertain what to make of this. After a few seconds, the fish smiled, having accepted his friend's response.
"Make sense to me. Anyway, we need to head to the movies right now."
"Um, sure thing, buddy of mine; I'll catch up as soon as I could."
Nodding his head in agreement, Darwin headed in the opposite direction. Once he was certain the two-legged fish had left, Brian then checks the receiver attached to his ear, before speaking to it.
"Anais, care to explain to me again why I need this with me?" Brian whispered. After a few seconds of static, the fox got a response from the child prodigy.
"Even though you had memorized almost everything from Gumball's so-called methods, there's a chance that you might hesitate at anytime and Darwin could become suspicious. I'm just simply going to give you a helping hand just in case."
"I guess that make sense." Brian whispered back. "But how are you going to get in without being seen?"
"Don't worry about that, Brian." Anais responded. "I always planned ahead. Just get to the movies and play along with him."
Following this, Brian heard a few rustle from the bushes and saw Anais quickly heading towards the movie theater, prompting the disguised fox to do the same. All Brian could do was pray that everything turned out alright in the end.
Brian managed to catch up to Darwin as fast he could, all the while trying to catch his breath. He had to admit: the fish was quite faster than he imagined. Once he regained his footing, the two made their way to the theatre and handed out their tickets to the voucher (who appears as a humanoid with a rock-shape head) before proceeding inside.
As they we're heading to the entrance, Brian noticed the voucher eyeing on them with suspicion.
"Um, Darwin…" Brian began to explain. "Are you aware that voucher at the entrance is spying on us?"
"What are you talking about, Gumball?" Darwin asked, surprised to hear this. "Larry always acts like that whenever we show up in his presence. It's been that way since we first met him."
Before 'Gumball' could respond, he could hear a few static noises coming from his receiver. After a long while, he could hear Anais' voice loud and clear.
"I know what you're about to say, but that's not important right now. Just do as I say."
After hearing what Anais wanted him to say, Brian focused his attention on Darwin, still confused by his earlier action.
"It's nothing, buddy, it's just that you think Larry would just loosen up a bit by now. Seriously, he really needs to relax."
"Agreed Gumball, but right now, I'm going to get us some seats before the movie starts." Darwin replied.
"If you say so buddy; in the meantime, I need to take a bathroom break."
Nodding his head, Darwin headed into the auditorium. The disguised fox then proceeded to press the receiver in his ear, hoping he could quickly contact Anais.
"Thanks for helping me out there. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all. But just one question: where are you?"
"Just turn to your right and look straight." Anais replied.
Following this odd but simple instruction, Brian did as he was told and in his direction, spotted a trash can in the corner. After a few seconds, the child prodigy suddenly popped out of it, waving her hand, before following Darwin into the auditorium. Brian blinked a couple of times, dumbfounded by what he just witnessed.
"Alright then, I'm not going to even ask how she does that."
Darwin waited patiently for 'Gumball' to show up before the movie began. He was lucky that he was able to find some seats for both he and his friend before the auditorium was filled up. Speaking of which, his friend hadn't shown up yet.
"I wonder what's taking him so long. The movie is about to start anytime"
As Darwin started to ponder, becoming a bit worried, he spotted 'Gumball' heading towards his way, much to the fish's relief. As his friend sat right next to him, though, Darwin noticed something unusual about his appearance; his confused look caught the attention of 'Gumball', puzzled by such a reaction
"What's wrong, Darwin? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't know how to say this, but how come there's three strands of hair sticking out and the tip of your tail is white? Also, when did your tail suddenly became fluffy and what happened to your whiskers?"
Brian paused, stunned to hear Darwin's question. Slowly, he put his paw his face, then on top of his head and felt three strands of hair, before grabbing his tail and checked it with his own eyes.
Brian couldn't believe this hass happened: somehow, the rubber bands must have come off and Gumball must have forgotten to cover the tip of his tail. It also didn't help that the hair gel must have worn off, causing his three strands of hair and the black markers must have faded away. Panic soon sets in on the fox's mind.
"Oh man! This isn't good at all. I got to think something good…and fast."
Brian then took a quick look at Darwin, still looking at him with curiosity and confusion. After a long while, the fox finally came up with a good excuse for the two-legged fish.
"Well, you see, it's a new look I'm trying out. Is there something wrong with that?" Brian then smiled nervously, uncertain how Darwin would respond.
"Um, I guess that makes sense."
Darwin's answer came as a relief for Brian. What happened next, however, took the disguised fox by surprised.
"But still, you've been acting strange since this afternoon. First, your voice sounded very odd. Then, when you asked about Larry, it's as if you just met him for the first time. Finally, your tail just puffed out with a white tip at the end and three strands of hair suddenly appeared out of nowhere. What's going on Gumball? That is, if you really are him."
Several sweat drops formed on Brian's head, clearly in a state of panic. Darwin might not be a genius, but he was smart enough to suspect something's amiss and that wasn't a good sign at all. Where was Anais when he needed her the most?
"Looks like you could use some help right there. Just get him to question you and I'll provide some of the answers to you."
Brian could hear Anais' voice loud and clear, prompting him to look behind his back and saw the child prodigy a few seats behind him, giving the disguised fox a thumbs up in response. Relieved and a bit confident, Brian turned his attention back to Darwin, who has become even more suspicious.
"If you're certain that I may or may not be Gumball, why don't you ask a few questions only I would know?"
"You know, that might help out ." replied Darwin, having accepted the fox's challenge and soon, began to ask him the first question.
"What's the name of the DVD that was once overdue to Laser Video?"
"Alligators on a Train."
"That's correct. Now, what game did we make up just for fun?"
"Dodge or Dare."
"That's true. What is your greatest fear?"
"Spiders."
"What TV channel do you despised watching?"
"The Shopping Channel."
"What is your middle name?"
"Um…Tristopher?"
"Here's the final question: what was the name of the place that we first met?"
Brian paused, taken by complete surprised by the fish's question, as his head sweating profusely and his confidence disappeared. Of all the things Gumball had prepared him for, the fox never anticipated Darwin to ask such a question. He just hoped that Anais could provide the right answer soon.
"Darn it, Anais! What's taking you so long?"
As Brian's mind was beginning to fill with panic and anxiety, he finally heard the child prodigy from the speaker in his ear. It looks like he was going to be safe after all.
"Sorry it took so long, but I think I have the answer to that final question. I think its-"
Suddenly, Brian could hear static and after a few seconds, nothing. Startled, he turns to see Anais behind him, only to find an empty seat instead. That was the last thing that Brian wanted to see.
"Where the heck did she go?! I really need that answer!"
Anais couldn't believe this had to happen. Just as she was about to give Brian the answer, Larry suddenly showed up and dragged her out of the auditorium, preventing her from giving the disguised fox the solution. As the two were making their way to the entrance, Anais struggled, trying to get her hand out of Larry's.
"Larry! It's not what it looks like!" the child prodigy began to explain.
"Oh, I think know what you were up to. You think you can just sneak in here and watch a movie for free without paying? I think not."
Anais was about to open her mouth, but stopped once she saw Larry giving her a stern expression. Sighing and realizing that anything she says would make the situation worse, she allows Larry to lead her to the entrance. It looked like Brian was on his own to get himself out of this situation.
"Well? Do you know the answer or not?" Darwin asked, as he was becoming increasingly impatient.
Brian didn't know what to do at this point. The only one that was helping him was out was nowhere to be found and he has to think of some sort of answer to appease Darwin. Sighing, there was only one way he could answer his question.
"I…forgot?" was all Brian could say.
In response, Darwin became more suspicious than ever, glaring at the uneasy fox. How could 'Gumball' forget their first meeting? Either he's telling the truth or he was talking to an impostor. Either way, he certainly wanted to find out the truth and he just happened to find a good place.
"I think we should continue this in the alley."
"But the movie-"
"Can wait for now. Besides, I still need to know if you really are my friend or not."
Unable to convince the two-legged fish otherwise, Brian sighed and complied, as he and Darwin sneaks out of the auditorium and right into their destination. Could this situation get any worse than it already is?
"Alright Darwin, can you explain to me why we're out here in the alley?" Brian asked the two-legged fish, wanting to know what plan he has in mind.
"Isn't it obvious? I want to put you through another series of test." Darwin started to explain. "I figured the questions didn't do much, so I'm going to put you through another test, just to make certain you're really Gumball."
"Exactly how are you going to test me this time?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.
Without warning, a trash can lid appeared out of nowhere, hitting Brian on the head. While Brian rubbed his head from the unexpected attack, Darwin stared at the disguised fox, rubbing his chin with uncertainty.
"Hmmm…looks like you pass one of the tests." Darwin spoke.
"Jeez Darwin, couldn't you give me a heads up before you did that?" Brian asked, still rubbing his sore head.
"You mean like this?"
Suddenly, Darwin swung his flipper at Brian, prompting the fox to block it in the nick of time with his arm. Undaunted, the two-legged fish made three more attempts and somehow, Brian managed to block each of them without them being able to reach his face. Even so, the situation was going completely out of hand.
"Darwin, this is becoming ridiculous! How long are you going to do this?" Brian shouted in dismay.
"Not until I know for certain you're really Gumball." Darwin responded, prompting Brian to gulp. He doesn't know how much he can put up with this.
Five minutes later…
For the last five minutes, Brian endured one test after another, each more outlandish than the last. From getting blindfolded and narrowly avoiding traffic to exhaling his breath for a long time and getting covered with hot-burning paint, the disguised fox was becoming increasingly distressed: his fur was frizzed out, his right eye began to twitch and he looked like a complete slob.
At this point, Brian wasn't certain he could take any more of this; Darwin was completely out of his mind. Noticing the two-legged fish pondering his next move, the disguised fox made his way to his presence; there was only way he could end this nonsense once and for all.
"Darwin, I'm begging you, please stop this at once! I get it that you have every right to be suspicious, but come on, this is going way too far!" Brian pleaded, not caring how pathetic he sounded at this point.
Though stunned to hear the disguised fox's pleas, Darwin ponders a bit more and for a while, Brian became extremely nervous. After what seems like a long time, Darwin smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Alright then, if you say so, Gumball." Darwin replied. "That last test was all the proof I needed anyway. Sorry if I got carried away, but I just needed to be certain it's really you."
Brian sighed with relief upon hearing this news. Perhaps he was able to make it through the day after all.
"All is forgiven, Darwin. Right now, let's just get back inside and enjoy ourselves." says Brian.
Once the disguised fox regained his composure, he and Darwin made their out of the alley, only for the fox to hear a familiar voice coming from around the corner.
"Are you sure you needed this many books for your research, Penny?" asked Gumball.
"Like I said, its ten pages long and I needed to make sure I have the right information. But I appreciate you helping me out, Gumball." Penny replied
Brian stopped dead in his track, his face filled with fear and anxiety. Of all the places, the real Gumball just happened to come here at the absolute worst time, and with Penny as well. Noticing the disguised fox's action, Darwin turns to his direction and couldn't believe his own eyes: there was another Gumball heading right into their path, carrying a few books that are blocking his view of them, alongside Penny. Wait a minute…how can there be two Gumballs? What the heck was going on here?
"Gumball, is that really you over there?" Darwin asked.
Darwin's question startled the feline, causing him to drop the books he was carrying, before he saw both his friend and Brian right in front of his face; that was the last thing he wanted to see. As Gumball looked on nervously, Penny, puzzled by his behavior, looked at his direction and spotted Darwin looking right back at them, along with…another Gumball?
"Sorry for stating the obvious Gumball…" Penny started to talk. "But could you tell me why there's someone that looks just like you standing across from us?"
For a while, Gumball and Brian looked at one another, then to Darwin and Penny and back to each other. Knowing this plan was a total failure, there was only one thing Brian can do at this point.
"Well…um…I think I heard my mom calling me."
With that, the fox dashed out of his friends' sights, leaving Gumball on his own, facing the glares from both Darwin and Penny; it's clear that they're demanding an explanation from him.
"Um…you see, I could explain…" As Gumball attempted to think of a good excuse, he noticed Anais right besides him.
"What?" Gumball asked, not caring the slightest as to why the child prodigy was even here to being with.
"You're so busted." Anais replied, earning her a glare from her brother.
"You're not helping me here."
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 8-The Project: Part 1
Brian becomes partner with Masami for a project and the fox soon discovers how much of a pain she can be.
Tidbits
-I'll admit that this chapter didn't turn out the way I had hope, but I did the best I could with it. Again, I want to thank EvelioandZgroup for helping me out.
-I apologized for Gumball having a minor role for this chapter, but I wasn't able to find a way to extend his role.
-Originally, Darwin's tests was going to be a bit longer, but I ended up cutting it short, once I realized just how time consuming it can be.
Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and remember, if you have any suggestions, honest opinions or constructive criticism, leave your thoughts in your reviews or PM me. I'm more than willing to hear what you have to say.
See ya next chapter!