I apologized for the long delay, but at the time, I had writer's block, due to the direction I wanted to take with this chapter. Thankfully, with Sal's help, I now know the direction I wanted this chapter to take.
Thank you so much for the positive reception on Rhonda, the love interest of Brian. I'll admit, I wasn't certain whether I done it right or not, but after reading the reviews, I know for certain that I was right on tracked. Again, thank you so much!
BTW, I never imagined I would have 40 reviews ever since I began "The Newcomer". That really means so much to me. :D
Also, as a reminder, I still have a poll up regarding future chapter ideas for "The Newcomer", which will end very soon by New Year's Eve.
Finally, I have another story on the TAWOG archive up; it's called "The Vampire" and if anyone's interested, check it out when you guys have the chance.
Anyway, read and enjoy!
Update: Made a slight change in the summary for "The Mouse: Part 3", but it's otherwise the same chapter.
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 12-The Mouse: Part 2
It took quite longer for Pantsbully to make his way down the long road, but he was finally able to reach Elmore Academy, driving the laundry truck all the way to the back of the school, intending to unload the latest batch of uniforms for the students who could afford it.
Once Pantsbully parked the laundry truck right next to the building, the large blue humanoid got out of the vehicle and made his way towards the back of the truck. But before he could even open it, a blur of blue, orange, pink and purple suddenly dashed right out of the vehicle, leaving Pantsbully both dumbfounded and shocked from what he had witnessed, before quickly inspecting the now open truck. Upon doing so, he noticed something quite off, much to his displeasure.
"What the flip was that?! Why are there four missing uniforms?!"
Gumball, Darwin, Anais and Brian ran as fast as they could, praying that the driver didn't managed to spot them, before they stopped right in front of Elmore Academy, exhausted from their last minute actions.
As Brian and the Watterson siblings try to regain their composure, the purple fox couldn't believe they have managed to pull off such a move. While the laundry truck was making its way towards its destination, both he and his friends were lucky enough to find uniforms matching their sizes, before dashing off from the truck at the last minute. Fortunately, the driver didn't seem to notice their presence or their attempt would have been in vain.
Brian looked at himself, before looking right back at his friends. Similar to Rhonda's outfit, all of them wore blue sweater, with white collars and cuffs, but while Anais wore a green plaid skirt, Brian, Gumball and Darwin wore grey pants, each fitting them perfectly well; plus, the purple fox wore a pair of glasses that he managed to find in one of the uniforms. Brian had to admit: he and his friends looked almost like students of Elmore Academy.
"Hey Brian…" Gumball finally spoke. "Are you sure these uniforms are enough to blend us in with the rest of these students?"
"Let's not worry about that, Gumball." Brian replied. "Right now, we'll just pretend that we are like everyone else in Elmore Academy, all the while locating Rhonda."
"Brian's right." Anais says, agreeing with the purple fox. "As long as we keep everything to ourselves, we'll be able to get in and out of here before they even know it."
"I don't know if that's even possible." Darwin started to doubt. "I'm afraid that Big Mac might find out what we're doing here and go through with his threat. Plus, this outfit is chafing my scales and these pants are a bit tight around my ankles."
"Just bear with it, buddy." says Gumball, as he tries to calm his friend down. "As soon we help Brian find this Rhonda girl, we'll be out of here as soon as possible."
"Besides Darwin, I think you look great in that outfit." assured Anais.
"Anais is right." Brian added. "You really need to wear clothes more often."
"You really think so?" asked Darwin.
"Am I interrupting anything?" A certain rough, deep voice asked.
Both Brian and the Watterson siblings stopped what they were doing, their faces filled with anxiety and fear, as the four slowly turned to face Big Mac, staring down at them. In turn, Big Mac himself looked at the four with curiosity, sensing some familiarity from the four.
"Do I know of any of you?" Big Mac asked with suspicion, arching an eyebrow.
Brian, Gumball, Darwin and Anais nervously looked at another, uncertain how to answer his question. One wrong move and Big Mac will certainly recognized them, chasing them away from the academy and thus ruining their plan. The four had to think of a very good excuse and fast.
"I'm waiting." says Big Mac, his arms crossed and becoming impatient by the four's silence.
After what seems to be a long time, Gumball, with great reluctance, answered Big Mac's question.
"You see, Mr. Big Mac sir, we're new to the academy and we were just discussing how we're going to have a great time. Isn't that right everyone?"
In response, Brian, Darwin and Anais nodded their head in agreement, hoping their quick response was enough to convince the lean, muscular toad. Big Mac continued to look at them, still suspicious by their actions, much to Brian's discomfort.
'Oh man! Don't look at us like that! Just say something!'
After what seems like forever, Big Mac sighed and shook his head, before he eventually gave his response to the four.
"Alright you little munchkins, I'll let this one slide just this once."
Gumball, Darwin, Anais and Brian felt a wave of relief swept all over their body. They were lucky that Big Mac didn't catch on to their actions.
"But next time I spot any of you, I expect to see a hall pass or it's off to detention." warned Big Mac.
The four nervously nodded their head in agreement, before they quickly dashed right into the main building, as Big Mac looked on with suspicion. But this wasn't the place nor the time for such thinking right now. He still needs to be vigilant and keep a sharp eye for trespassers before PE began.
'There's something familiar about those four, but I just can't seem to know why.' Big Mac thought, before he resumes patrolling the academy, all the while still pondering about the presence of four unfamiliar students.
"That was a close one, you guys." says Brian, as he attempts to regain his composure. "It looks like Big Mac didn't know who we are."
"Let's make sure it stays that way Brian." Gumball responded, as he nervously looked behind. "I think we were just lucky that meathead didn't go through with his threat."
"Don't worry about it Gumball." Anais assured, attempting to calm her brother down. "Like I said earlier, we just have to keep everything to ourselves, help Brian locate this girl and we'll be out of our way. Isn't that right Darwin?"
Expecting to hear a response from the two-legged fish, Anais was surprise to receive nothing but silence from her brother, much to the child prodigy's confusion.
"Darwin, what's wrong?" Anais asked, before she confronted the two-legged fish, alongside Gumball and Brian. Much to their surprise, Darwin was struck with astonishment, looking in front of the hallway for some reason.
"Why are you giving us the silent treatment and what's with that look?" Gumball inquired Darwin.
In response, Darwin pointed to the hallway in front of him, prompting the trio to comply and looked at his direction, causing all of them to express the same astonishment as Darwin. None of them couldn't believe what they were just seeing right now.
Never in their young lives have they seen so many students all over the place, busily heading out from one classroom to another, while some have taken a quick break to talk with their fellow peers in the hallway. In a way, Elmore Academy was almost similar to their school, but much larger and far more hectic than they ever imagined.
'Wow!' Brian thought, still amazed by the scenery in front of him. 'I've never expected this place to be so packed.'
As Brian continues to gaze upon the scene, he noticed a familiar figure among the crowd. Curious by this discovery, Brian squinted his eyes as hard as he could, before confirming his suspicion: it was Rhonda Paxton, down the hallway and talking with a group of students, consisting of a parrot, a rose and a peach. The unexpected discovery was enough to make the purple fox very happy.
"There she is, you guys!" Brian exclaimed, as he pointed to Rhonda's position, prompting the Watterson siblings to look at his direction. Upon setting their gaze on Rhonda, the trio was very surprised by her presence, especially Gumball and Darwin.
"Wow Brian, you were right." Gumball spoke with astonishment. "She really does exist."
"No kidding" Darwin added. "She looks exactly like the drawing we saw on your sketchbook yesterday."
"Sorry we ever doubted you to begin with." Anais apologized.
"That's what I've been trying to you guys the entire time." says Brian. "But let's not argue for the moment. Right now, let's get to her and introduced ourselves."
With that, Brian, along with the Watterson siblings, proceeded to make their way in the hallway, all the while attempting to avoid bumping into any oncoming students in their paths. But halfway towards to Rhonda and her friends, Brian suddenly bumped into what appears to be a hard object, causing him and his friends to fell on the floor.
"Well, what do we have here?" asked a voice with a mocking tone.
As soon as Gumball, Darwin, Anais and Brian manage to regain their composure, the four got a full glimpse of the individual standing right in front of them. He is a tall, young bear, with red fur, a strand of hair curled upwards and wearing the same school uniform Brian, Gumball and Darwin were wearing. Needless to say, his presence left the four feel very uncomfortable.
"Look, we're sorry for bumping into you." Brian nervously apologized. "But we're really in a big hurry right now, so we'd best be on our way."
Before Brian and the Watterson siblings could walk away, the red bear put his paw right in front of the four, prompting them to stop right in their tracks.
"Don't be in such a rush." The red bear casually spoke. "Besides, that's no way to greet a fellow student, now is it?"
In response, all four, with great reluctance, nodded their heads in agreement, before the red bear resumed talking.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Ivan Thompson and let me make you guys feel very comfortable." The red bear then snapped his finger and all of a sudden, three students, consisting of broccoli, a mole and a bat, showed up out of nowhere, well prepared and ready for command.
"So what do you need for us, Ivan?" the broccoli asked with a New Jersey accent.
"Just a demonstration on how I greet my fellow students at Elmore Academy, Joey." Ivan replied.
"Gotcha Ivan." Joey says, before he, along with his two friends, dashed right around the corner. A few seconds, the three returned with another student, a humanoid covered in green fur, as he nervously looks at Ivan.
"H-h-how's today g-g-going for y-y-you?" the green fur humanoid asked.
"I'm doing fine so far." Ivan replied, before he picked up the green fur humanoid. "What about you? Are you feeling fine today?"
Before the green fur humanoid could say anything, Ivan suddenly opened up a nearby locker and quickly stuffed the unfortunate student, shutting the locker door with one quick swift of his paw, much to his and his friend's amusement.
As Ivan and his cohorts were laughing with great delight, Gumball, Darwin, Anais and Brian, shocked and in disbelief, couldn't believed what they had just witnessed. This is how Ivan greets his fellow students, by stuffing them into lockers for no apparent reason other than getting a laugh out of it? That was inexcusable! Needless to say, none of them were amused by the red bear's action.
"What the flip did you do that for?!" Brian shouted, causing Ivan and his friends to stop laughing, before confronting the purple fox.
"You and your friends have a problem with that?" Ivan asked with indifference. "Besides, I don't see what the big deal is all about."
"The big deal is that you've intentionally stuffed another kid in the locker for no reason, other than getting a laugh out of it! What kind of person would do that to another individual?! Is that how you always 'greet' people?!"
Ivan, along with his cohorts, were stunned that someone like Brian would actually stood up and expressed how he feels right in their face. Likewise, Gumball, Darwin and Anais were equally surprised by their friend's action and demeanor; they had never expected Brian to react with such anger. Once the shock wore off, Ivan looked at the purple fox with some interests.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that." Ivan then picked up Brian by the collar, pressing the fox's face on his own. "In fact, you have the dubious honor of getting your first taste at Elmore Academy."
"Put him down right now, Ivan!" shouted a feminine voice.
Ivan stopped what he was doing with Brian and looked down, spotting Rhonda standing right next to him, as she glared at the red bear, displeased by his action.
"Oh Rhonda…I didn't notice you were there." Ivan suddenly greeted the mouse in a friendly demeanor. "I was just…um, trying to give this fellow a nice warm welcome, that's all."
Rhonda, however, rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by Ivan's response, before she angrily stared at the red bear once more.
"I'll say this one more time. Put him down right now Ivan."
Despite some hesitation, Ivan complied with the mouse's request, as he puts Brian down to the ground, before Gumball, Darwin and Anais quickly came to the fox's aide.
"Are you alright?" Gumball asked, concerned for his friend's wellbeing.
"I'm good, but I do feel slightly dizzy." Brian replied, attempting to regain his composure.
Meanwhile, as Ivan looked nervously at Rhonda, scratching his head sheepishly, the red bear noticed that the mouse continued to glare at him, much to his confusion.
"What?" Ivan asked, prompting Rhonda to point to the locker next to him. It didn't took Ivan long to realized what she wanted out of him. Reluctantly, Ivan opened the locker, picked up the green fur humanoid and put him down on the ground, who responded by fleeing around the corner of the hallway, screaming for dear life. Rhonda shook her head in dismay by this, before she confronted Ivan once again.
"Do you really have to do this to everyone you meet?"
"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about him." Ivan casually replied. "He'll get over it."
Rhonda rolled her eyes, still not impressed by Ivan's response. How could he behave in such a manner and not express any regret for such behavior? As much as Rhonda wanted to dwell in such thought, there are four new kids that needs help adjusting to their new surrounding and arguing with Ivan would only waste her time.
"If you don't mind Ivan…" Rhonda spoke, as she made her way to the four students. "I'll try to make them feel welcome here at Elmore Academy."
"Um, yeah…you do that Rhonda." Ivan mumbled, before he and his friends walked to the opposite direction of the hallway. Once Ivan and his gang, Rhonda turned her attention to Brian and the Watterson siblings with great concern.
"Are you four alright?" Rhonda asked. "I hope Ivan wasn't giving you guys that much trouble."
"We're good, thank you for asking." Brian assured the mouse, his face blushed slightly and rubbing his arm sheepishly. "But man, he's quite strong."
"No kidding." Gumball noted. "It looked like he really wanted to go out of his way to 'greet' you."
"I'm sorry you guys have to start the day off like that." says Rhonda. "Ivan always does that to every student he meets and makes up one excuse after another whenever he gets caught doing it."
"We're just glad that you came by or the situation would have really turned ugly." says Darwin.
"We really owe you on that one Rhonda." Anais added.
"Oh it was nothing, but thanks anyway." said Rhonda, scratching her head sheepishly, before she focused her attention on to Brian, much to the fox's discomfort.
'Oh no…" Brian thought, slightly panicked as the mouse continued to stare at him. 'Did she manage to find out who I am, even with these glasses on?'
At that moment, Rhonda noticed Brian's discomfort, prompting her to slightly backing away from the fox, before speaking right back to him.
"I'm sorry about that." Rhonda apologized. "It's just that, you reminded me of someone I met. Come to think of it, I don't think I got your name yet."
Brian was relieved that Rhonda didn't see through his disguise. At the same time, however, he didn't want to reveal himself right away and the last thing he wanted was to getting himself in an awkward situation with Rhonda. He needed to think of a good name…and fast!
"Oh that's easy, Rhonda…" Darwin suddenly talked. "His name is-"
Suddenly, Darwin found his mouth covered by Brian's paw, before the purple fox quickly finished the two-legged fish's sentence.
"My name is Harry Caulfield." Brian introduced himself, before letting go of his friend's mouth. "And you've already met Gumball, Darwin and Anais Watterson."
Rhonda looked at Brian, suspicious of his actions, as the purple fox looked on nervously. After what seemed to be forever, Rhonda smiled, accepting 'Harry's' answer.
"It's nice to meet every one of you." says Rhonda. "Anyway, the bell is about to ring anytime soon. I'll take you guys to first period right away."
"Lead the way, by all means." Brian, or rather "Harry", responded dreamily, before he and the Watterson siblings followed the mouse to the nearest classroom.
Unbeknownst to them, Ivan poked his head from the corner of the hallway, looking at the purple fox suspiciously. Noticing the disguised fox looking at Rhonda in a trance-like state, the red bear growled, disgusted that some new kid has developed romantic feelings for the mouse.
"Like I'm going to let you get closer to a girl like Rhonda.' Ivan thought.
3 hours later…
The school bell rang just in time, as the afternoon had finally arrived. Every student from their classroom left, making their way towards to the cafeteria. Among the very large group were Gumball, Darwin, Anais, 'Harry' and Rhonda, having gotten through with the latest lesson, though the purple fox and his friends were overwhelmed from today's subject.
"I can't believe we manage to get through to algebra." Darwin exclaimed, raising his arms in astonishment. "I really wasn't prepared for something like that."
"I can't argue you with that, buddy." Gumball agreed with Darwin's statement. "I'm just that it's over."
"I don't know, you guys." Anais started to talk. "I think it was quite simple, even if it was difficult on some parts."
"That's because you have a genius IQ sis." Gumball pointed out.
"Still, it did felt like a challenge." says Anais. "What do you think, Rhonda?"
"It wasn't that bad, to be honest." Rhonda replied. "But like you said, it did felt challenging. Harry, what do you think?"
As Rhonda turned around to hear the fox's answer, the mouse was puzzled at Harry's demeanor. For some strange reason, Harry was looking at her in an almost trance-like state, much to Rhonda's confusion. At the same time, Harry's mannerism reminded Rhonda of another individual, but she decided it was not the right time to think about it. Her main concern was Harry Caulfield himself.
"Harry, are you alright?"
The moment Rhonda asked 'Harry', the purple fox was shook back into reality. Quickly realizing what he was doing, Brian rubbed his head sheepishly and laughed nervously in response, much to Rhonda's relief.
"Sorry about that Rhonda. I wasn't really paying any attention at all. What was it that you were asking?"
Before Rhonda could say anything, Ivan unexpectedly appeared, rudely shoving "Harry" down on the ground, much to the shock of both Rhonda and the Watterson siblings.
"Harry!" they all shouted, before the Watterson siblings came to "Harry's" aide. Rhonda also attempted to help get the fox off the ground, but before she could, Ivan stood right in front of her, ignoring what was occurring and attempted to casually talk to the mouse, much to her anger.
"So Rhonda…" Ivan started to talk. "Do you to hang out in my place after school?"
"Ivan, what's wrong with you?!" Rhonda demanded. "Harry could have been seriously injured!"
"Gee…I didn't even know he was there to begin with." Ivan replied, feigning pity for the fox.
While Rhonda found herself dealing with Ivan, Gumball, Darwin and Anais helped Brian backed on his feet, still shaken from the bear's earlier action.
"Dude, are you alright?" Gumball asked Brian, as he and siblings help the purple fox regained his composure.
"Aside from a slight bump on the head, I'm alright." Brian responded, before he spotted Ivan attempting to chat with a rather angry Rhonda. Displeased by this, Brian dashed right in front of Ivan, surprising the red bear with such speed.
"Rhonda and I were having a chat of our own until you rudely interrupted it."
"You have a problem with that?" Ivan asked with displeasure, as he glared at the fox.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Brian answered, returning a glare of his own at the bear.
While the two continued to glare at one another, Rhonda, as well as the Watterson siblings, could felt the tension rising between 'Harry' and Ivan. The four looked at one another, uncertain what was going on between the two, but whatever it is, they know fully well that they have to calm both of them down, before things goes from bad to worse.
It had been a very long day for Big Mac, as he continued to patrol the school grounds, looking for any trespassers he could disposed of, before it was time for him to head back to the gym, intending to shape up the academy's out of shape students by any means necessary.
As he continued to patrol the school grounds, the well-built toad couldn't help but think about those four students he saw this morning. Something about them seemed off, but he couldn't be certain whether his intuition was right or wrong. Still, it was hard to ignore his instincts about those four and Big Mac just couldn't let this one slide.
'I wonder…' Big Mac thought with suspicion, before he turned to the opposite direction, making his way towards the main building. Whoever those four students, he intended to find out who they really are.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 13-The Mouse: Part 3
While Brian becomes the target of Ivan's wrath, Big Mac gets one step closer to finding out about him and his friends. Meanwhile, Gumball and Darwin find themselves in a situation of their own when Ivan sends his gang after them.
Tidbits
-When I first came up with a rival for Brian, I intended for Ivan to be very different from Tobias. Unlike him, Ivan is much more of a physical threat, one who wouldn't hesitate to use his fists if he has to.
-Just like some of my OCs, I visualized how the character will sound like, based on their personality and mannerism. For Ivan, I visualized Joshua Lebar (who voiced Flash Thompson on the short-lived Spectacular Spider-Man) voicing him.
-The main inspiration of Ivan came from three different characters: Flash Thompson (for his aggressiveness), Roger Klotz (for his narcissism) and Groose (for his ego).
-Just in case anyone hasn't figured it out, the alias that Brian used to re-introduce himself to Rhonda came from two characters: Harry Potter and Jack Caulfield (the main character from Catcher in the Rye).
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I do. It was quite challenging, but hopefully, I could get Part 3 & 4 done without any delays.
Thanks for reading and see ya next chapter!
PS-Merry Christmas!