I just wanted to thank Silent Arrancar for creating an OC for this two-part chapter. Also, I finally have the time to use Gummypuss' suggestions he made back in chapter 19 and I apologized for the long delay. Finally, I wanted to thank wiseguy1107 for his suggestion on this chapter.
Anyway, please read and enjoy!
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 30-The Fire: Part 1
It was just another day at Elmore Academy, as Rhonda, along with her fellow students, were force to listen to another typical lecture from their economics teacher, Mr. Dull, a moth dressed in a brown suit, with a white dress shirt underneath, along with a red bowtie, black trousers and loafers.
"Alright class…" Mr. Dull spoke in a droning, monotone voice. "Today, I'll be talking about your upcoming exam this week…"
Rhonda, along with the rest of the class, could only groan in dismay, as Mr. Dull began explaining what the exam was about. It's not that they didn't hate Mr. Dull at all; in fact, he was really professional with his job. The real problem is that he always ended up boring the entire class, due to his tone of voice and as a result, most students don't show much interest in his so-called "lectures".
'Skipping school suddenly sounds much fun than listening to this.' Rhonda thought, as she tried her best to pay attention to Mr. Dull.
As the mouse and some of the students tried to stay awake, unbeknownst to Rhonda, one student seemed to pay more attention to her than to Mr. Dull's lecture. He was a humanoid made out of fire and as such, his school uniform was customized to be fireproof to prevent further damage. In addition to this, he was slightly taller than the mouse, though not as tall as a certain red bear. Speaking of which…
"Hey hothead…" Ivan whispered at the fire humanoid. "Who the heck are you staring at?"
"First of all, it's Scorch." The fire humanoid explained, still irked by Ivan's presence. "Second, that's none of your business, Neanderthal."
"Say that again to my face." Ivan snapped back at Scorch, before both boys glared at one another with utter disdain.
"What are you two doing back there?" a certain feminine voice asked out of nowhere, prompting both Ivan and Scorch to happily turn around to see Rhonda looking at them.
"It was nothing important." Ivan and Scorch replied simultaneously, pretending that neither of them was fighting amongst each other.
Rhonda looked at both Ivan and Scorch, still a bit weirded out by their responses. But as much as she wanted to dwell on this, she knew fully well that this was neither the place nor time to think about it, as the mouse, along with the bear and the fire humanoid, quickly focused their attention back to Mr. Dull, just as the moth was finishing up his explanation of the exam.
"Now that has been covered, it's time to move on with today's lesson…"
While the moth went on with the latest economic lecture, Scorch continued to look at Rhonda, admiring the mouse just a few desks away, one of the few things that would make his day much better in Elmore Academy.
'Sooner or later, I'll summon up the courage to let you know how I feel about you.' Scorch thought, dreaming of the day that he can confess his feelings to Rhonda.
The day at Elmore Academy has come to an end, as the school bell rang, prompting the gates to automatically open to let out its students until tomorrow came. Among the students that were coming out was Scorch, looking quite determined and upbeat, as he searched for a certain mouse.
'Where's Rhonda?' Scorch wondered, trying to make his way to the entrance. 'I need to let her know exactly how I-'
"Hey Scorch, what's bring you over here?"
Scorch's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Rhonda, as she was standing right next to the fire humanoid, much to his surprise.
"Oh…um…hey there…" greeted Scorch, his cheeks blushed brightly. "I didn't see you there or anything. So, do you have any plans for today?"
"Actually, I do." Rhonda replied, as she and the fire humanoid walked their way towards the gate. "In fact, I'm waiting for a friend to show up."
"Is that so?" Scorch questioned the mouse. "So are you waiting for Edie, Rose or Momo to come by?"
Before Rhonda could say anything to Scorch, the mouse noticed a certain purple fox standing outside of Elmore Academy, prompting the fire humanoid to look at him curiously.
"Hey there Rhonda." Brian happily greeted the mouse. "Sorry I was late, but my exam took much longer than I imagined."
"Don't worry about it, Brian. My day wasn't any different from yours." assured Rhonda.
"That's good to hear." said Brian, before he noticed Scorch right next to the mouse. "Anyway, who's that?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot…" Rhonda began. "Brian, this is Scorch, a friend of mine from Elmore Academy. Scorch, this is Brian O'Quinn, the one I was talking about."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Scorch." Brian greeted, as he waved his paw at the fire humanoid.
Scorch, however, didn't respond right away, still staring at the purple fox with a mix of disbelief and chagrin. He couldn't believe that Rhonda was hanging out with him. In fact, his secret crush, for one reason or another, had been hanging out with that fox ever since he participated in the exchange school program.
3 weeks earlier…
Scorch couldn't believe his luck when he discovered that Rhonda, along with a handful of students, had signed up for the exchange school program. So when he learned that his crush, as well as a handful of students, were heading to Elmore Junior High, as part of the program, the fire humanoid decided to signed up as well, if only because it would be his chance to confess his feelings for the mouse.
Now here he is, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and blue sneakers, standing in front of Elmore Junior High; Scorch was rather nervous when it came to love, especially when it came to someone he has feelings for. Even so, the fire humanoid was determined to let Rhonda know about his love for her.
"Alright Scorch, you can do this." the fire humanoid muttered to himself, before he proceeded through the school doors, determined to let his crush know how he felt.
'Now where could Rhonda be?' Scorch wondered, as the fire humanoid searched throughout the hallway, looking for the mouse as best as he can. After a few minutes, Scorch eventually spotted her near the corner, much to his joy.
"This is now or never." Scorch says to himself, before he slowly approached Rhonda, ready for the confession. But just as soon as he started to make his way to the mouse, the fire humanoid stopped dead in his tracks and couldn't believe what he was looking at: in front of his crush was a purple fox, along with a blue feline, a two-legged fish and a small, pink rabbit. Judging from their expressions, the four were somehow familiar with Rhonda, especially the purple fox, much to Scorch's displeasure.
'Who the heck is that guy?!' Scorch angrily thought, as he felt his temperature rising from his body. 'Whoever he is, he better not get too friendly with Rhonda!'
As much as Scorch wanted to dwell on this, the fire humanoid lowered the temperature down, eventually calming down a bit, before he turned away, disappointed that his only chance to confess his crush didn't go as he had planned.
The present…
Scorch continued to stand in his spot, still staring at the unsuspecting fox with chagrin. He couldn't believe he had to face him once again; he can still recall the basketball game both the fox and his crush participated and that left him both depressed and bitter. Just what does Rhonda saw in Brain? Furthermore, what ulterior motive does the purple fox have for befriending the mouse?
'I don't know what you're up to…' Scorch thought, looking at Brian suspiciously. 'But whatever it is, I'll make sure that it won't happen.'
"Scorch, are you alright?" Rhonda asked, snapping the fire humanoid back to reality.
"Sorry about that, Rhonda." Scorch apologized, rubbing his head sheepishly. "My mind was…somewhere else."
"Are you sure you're fine?" asked Brian, irking the fire humanoid to hear the purple fox, though not enough to show his contempt.
"Oh yeah, hi there." Scorch greeted the fox, ignoring the fox's question, before he turned his attention to the mouse. "Anyway, I have to go now. I'll see you later Rhonda."
With that, the fire humanoid walked right past Rhonda and Brian, leaving the two confused by the fire humanoid's action.
"What was that just now?" Brian asked Rhonda.
"I'm not so sure." Rhonda replied. "He didn't behave like that before."
As Rhonda pondered about Scorch's action, Brian couldn't help but feel that he might not have made a good impression on the fire humanoid because he was near the mouse's presence. Did Scorch himself harbor the same feeling for Rhonda like he did? Regardless, he hoped to find a way to get on his good side.
The next day at Elmore Junior High, Brian told the Watterson siblings of his encounter with Scorch during his usual routine with Rhonda. As soon as the purple fox finished his story, the trio was surprised to hear this, as well as their friend's behavior towards this person.
"Let me get this straight…" Gumball began. "You just happen to meet this Scorch fellow on your way to meet up with Rhonda yesterday afternoon and he just practically ignored you?"
"Not entirely, Gumball." Brian replied. "I mean, he sort of said 'hi' when I greeted him, but otherwise, he didn't seem to want me around at all. I have the feeling that it might have to do with the fact that I'm hanging out with Rhonda."
"I have to be honest; I'm surprised that your attitude towards Scorch is quite different compare to Ivan." says Darwin.
"That's because Ivan proved to be a bully and a jerk." Brian pointed out. "Besides, Scorch is nothing like Ivan. He seems like a nice guy to me."
"Even if that last statement is true, what makes you so sure that he wanted to be friends with you?" Anais asked the purple fox.
"Honestly, I don't." Brian replied. "But maybe if I tried to find some common grounds with him, or at least impressed him enough, then maybe Scorch would give me a chance and he'll see me in a different light."
"That's easier said than done, considering that you're hanging out with Rhonda every afternoon." says Gumball.
"That's why I want you to come with me after school." Brian suggested, to the blue feline's surprise. "Think about it Gumball, if you showed up with me this afternoon, perhaps Scorch might feel differently towards me."
"I don't know Brian…" Gumball began, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It sounds like a long shot to me. For all we know, it might make things much worse."
"C'mon Gumball, it's just for one day, I swear." Brian pleaded with his friend.
"Maybe you should help Brian on this one, Gumball." Darwin insisted.
"I'm going to have to agree with Darwin." says Anais. "After all, Brian is still our friend and the best thing you can do is help him out as much as you can."
Gumball pondered for a moment, thinking what the purple fox and his siblings had just said. The blue feline had his reservation with Brian's well-meaning intentions and he has no idea on how the day will end. Even so, his siblings were right: Brian was still his friend and he needed someone to be with him if things didn't turn out the way he had planned out.
With that in mind, Gumball took a deep breath and turned his attention towards the purple fox, ready to give him his answer.
"Alright Brian, I'll help you out." Gumball said to his friend. "After all, we're friends."
"That's all I needed to hear." says Brian, relieved that he was getting some help.
Right now, though, he and his friends needed to get back to their classes.
The school bell rang for the last time at Elmore Academy, as the front gate automatically opened on cue, allowing the students to leave the premises. Among the students was Scorch, pushing forward towards the gate, hoping to spot Rhonda and make sure that she was there to listen how he felt about her.
'Alright Scorch; don't mess this one up just like the rest of the days.' the fire humanoid thought, as he tried to build up enough confidence to tell Rhonda he loved her.
As Scorch made his way to the school gate, he managed to spot Rhonda outside of school grounds, apparently talking to someone. It didn't take the fire humanoid long to realize who his secret crush was talking to and already, he could feel the temperature inside his body rising up.
"What are you up to this time?" Scorch asked himself, before he quickly made his way towards Rhonda. As soon as he got there, he was surprised to see another individual standing right next to Brian. Even though he didn't know him personally, the fire humanoid recognized the blue feline as one of the purple fox's friend when he participated in the school exchange program. What is the meaning of this? Furthermore, what are those two up to and why?
As Scorch tried to ponder about this, Rhonda, Brian and Gumball noticed that the fire humanoid was right behind them, prompting the mouse to call out to him.
"Hey Scorch, it's good to see you."
"Oh, hey Rhonda." Scorch greeted, his cheeks slightly blushing. "Sorry if I have to ask you this, but could you explain what's going on?"
"Brian just called me during lunch break and asked me if I was fine if he brought a friend with him after school." Rhonda replied.
"Oh, is that so?" asked Scorch, his right eye twitching with irritation, dismay by what he just heard.
'I don't believe this! That purple fox got Rhonda's phone number?!
"Scorch, are you alright?" asked Rhonda, prompting the fire humanoid to focus his attention back to the mouse.
"Oh sorry, I was thinking about something else." Scorch half-heartedly replied. "Anyway, are you planning to hang with these two for today?"
Before Rhonda could say anything, Brian immediately answered the question in her place, hoping that Scorch would stick around and listen to what he had to say.
"Actually, Rhonda was hoping if you could join with us for today." Brian explained.
"Do you really mean that?" Scorch questioned the purple fox, somewhat suspicious by his claim.
"Brian meant every word about it." Gumball insisted. "Look, I know what you're thinking and I assure you, he's nothing like Ivan."
"Gumball's right…" Rhonda began. "All Brian wanted to do is to be friends with you. At the very least, give him a fair chance, Scorch."
Scorch continued to look at Brian and Gumball, still not convinced by the latter's claim and still stare at the former with serious intent. At the same time, he didn't want to upset Rhonda and that was the last thing he wanted to do. If it'll make her feel better, he'll give the boys a chance to prove their worth, especially Brian.
With his mind made up, the fire humanoid turned his attention to Brian, ready to give him his answer.
"Alright Brian, I'll accept your invitation." Scorch said to the fox. "But I'm only doing this just so you can prove me that you're nothing like Ivan."
"That's all I needed to hear." said Brian, happy to hear that the fire humanoid agreed to hang out. He just hoped that today won't end on a bad note between them.
After several minutes of discussion, Brian, Gumball, Rhonda and Scorch agreed to hang out at the Elmore Mall and as the four would have expected, the area was quite packed, filled with several shoppers walking all over the place, heading from one shop after another, buying who knows what. Despite the mall being packed, the four nevertheless decided to go through with their plans.
"Alright you guys, any ideas on where we should head out first?" Brian asked the group.
"With this many people, it's going to be impossible to find a place to hang out." Gumball replied.
"I agree with the pussycat on this one." says Scorch, irking the blue feline in the process. "It'll be a miracle if we manage to find somewhere to go to."
"Don't worry about it you guys…" Rhonda began. "We'll find somewhere to hang out in the mall. Right now, we'll just walk around until we find what we're looking for."
The boys nodded their heads in agreement and with that, the four began to walk around the mall, hoping to find something to do or find a place of interest to hang out. But in the midst of their walk, the four suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and they soon found themselves confronted by three familiar faces, much to the dismay of Gumball, Brian and Rhonda, while Scorch looked at them with annoyance.
"Hello furball." Tina greeted as she bare her fangs. "Fancy meeting you and your friends here."
"Yeah, what are you knuckleheads doing here?" asked Jamie. "And who's your hotheaded friend?"
"Why don't you get closer and find out for yourself?" Scorch sarcastically asked, before he reared his head towards Jamie's, his temperature starting to rise up.
"Calm down Scorch, we're here to have fun, not start a fight with anyone." said Brian, as he ran in-between the fire humanoid and the hybrid.
"Brian's right, Scorch…" Gumball began. "The last thing any of us want is to cause trouble in a place like this."
Scorch continued to stare at Jamie, all the while pondering about his next move. But then, after realizing that Rhonda is with them, the fire humanoid reluctantly calmed down, as the temperature from his body lowered, before backing off from the hybrid.
"Alright, I'll stop, but only because I don't want to ruin anyone's day." said Scorch. "But don't think that you and your buddies will be lucky next time."
"Your wish is my command, hothead." Jamie mockingly agreed, before she and her friends walked away, laughing their heads off, as the fire humanoid could simmer in response, annoyed by the hybrid's remark.
"Scorch, it's alright. They're gone already." Rhonda calmed the fire humanoid. "Just let it go and move on."
"You're right Rhonda…" Scorch began, controlling the temperature in his body. "I shouldn't let that get the best of me. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." says Rhonda. "But the one you should thank is Brian. He was the one who defused the situation."
The moment Rhonda mentioned the purple fox's name, Scorch could feel the temperature in his body rising, dismay that his crush had brought up Brian in their conversation. His behavior didn't go unnoticed, as Gumball cautiously approached the fire humanoid.
"Dude, you need to relax. You don't need to overreact like that."
In response, the fire humanoid shot a glance at the blue feline, startling Gumball in the process. After staring at the blue feline for a minute or so, Scorch took a deep breath and calm down once more, reducing the rising temperature from his body.
"Sorry Gumball. I shouldn't have reacted like that." Scorch apologized, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"It's all good, man." Gumball said to the fire humanoid, accepting his apology. "Anyway, I think we should go somewhere else, this place is about to get packed."
Everyone in the group agreed with the blue feline's assessment and with that, the four headed for the exit, hoping to find a better location to hang out.
After leaving the mall, the four decided to take a break and head out to Joyful Burger for a quick meal. Once Gumball, Brian, Rhonda and Scorch made their orders, the four managed to find a spot and decided that the best way to pass the time was talking about each other.
"So Brian, what was Folsom like when you're living there?" Rhonda asked the purple fox.
"It's just like any other place in California." Brian answered honestly, slightly chuckling and rubbing his head sheepishly. "But I still liked being here."
'I bet it is.' Scorch thought, irked that the purple fox was behaving like that in front of his crush.
"So Rhonda, how did someone like you managed to attend in such a prestigious place like Elmore Academy?" Gumball asked the mouse.
"My dad managed to get me a scholarship when it became available. That and my athletic skills were enough to convince Principal Pauline to allow me in." Rhonda replied.
"That makes sense." said Brian, as he always wondered why someone like Rhonda would be in a place like Elmore Academy to begin with.
"I thought it was that obvious." Scorch nonchalantly spoke.
"Scorch!" Rhonda scolded the fire humanoid.
"Sorry Rhonda, I didn't mean it like that." The fire humanoid apologized, a bit embarrassed by his comment.
"It's all good, Scorch. I wasn't aware of it myself." says Brian. "Anyway, I'll go and see if our orders are ready."
With that, the purple fox got out of his seat and made his way to the counter, leaving just Gumball, Rhonda and Scorch on their table, prompting the fire humanoid to ask Gumball a question of his own.
"So Gumball, how did you end up meeting Brian to begin with?"
"Oh, that's simple Scorch…" Gumball began. "I befriended Brian on his first day at Elmore Junior High, though I almost got him in trouble, but that's another story. But believe me Scorch, Brian's definitely a good person."
"That's all for now and thank you Gumball." Scorch said to the blue feline, as he reconsidered his view of the purple fox.
"Alright Scorch, it's you turn now." Rhonda pointed out. "Why don't you tell Gumball about what yourself?"
"Are you sure about that Rhonda?" asked Scorch, a bit reluctant to reveal some of his personal information.
"Don't worry about it man, just be honest about it." Gumball insisted.
"Alright, if you say so…" Scorch began, despite hesitation on his part. "You see-"
"Alright you guys, I got our meals." Brian called out, unknowingly interrupting the fire humanoid, as the purple fox was making his way towards his friends.
But halfway towards the table, Brian accidentally stepped on a discarded hamburger, causing the purple fox to trip forward, sending most of the meals on the tray flying towards his friends. Gumball and Rhonda ducked, managing to avoid the food, but Scorch was not so fortunate and before long, he found himself completely covered in hamburgers and soda.
"Sorry about that Scorch. I didn't mean to." Brian profoundly apologized to the fire humanoid.
Scorch, however, didn't respond to the purple fox's apology and instead angrily glared at him, as the temperature from his body rose steadily, getting redder with each second, infuriated that Brian's own clumsiness made him look like a complete fool in front of Rhonda, prompting him to take his reconsideration back.
Before the fire humanoid could do anything else, Gumball, sensing that things were about to get ugly, managed to confront Scorch, hoping to defuse the situation as quickly as possible.
"Dude, you need to chill out. Brian didn't mean to do that. Look, I'll help you get cleaned up, but only if you calm down."
Despite hesitation on his part, Scorch complied with the blue feline's demand, as the fire humanoid took a deep breath and calming himself down once more, the temperature decreasing each second, before both boys head to the restroom to clean up.
"Brian, are you alright?" Rhonda asked the purple fox, as she helped him to regain his composure.
"I'm fine Rhonda." Brian replied, even though in the back of his head, today wasn't going out the way he had planned out.
'Darn! This is going to be a lot tougher than I thought! I have to find a way to make up for what I did.'
Once the fire humanoid got cleaned up, Brian suggested just heading out to the park and playing a game of basketball. Even though Scorch was becoming increasingly annoyed by the purple fox's presence, he restrained himself for the moment and agreed with the others and headed out to the park. Before long, all four were playing against one another and Scorch was starting to forget about what happened minutes earlier, as he was having fun for the first time this afternoon.
"Alright Scorch, heads up!" Brian called out, before he passed the basketball to the fire humanoid.
Not paying any attention to the purple fox, the basketball promptly hit Scorch on the head, allowing Gumball to grab the ball right out from under his nose and began to dribble his way towards the other side of the court. Recovering from the unexpected blow, the fire humanoid followed in pursuit and before he knew it, Rhonda was following with him, much to his joy.
'Maybe this day might not be so bad after all.' Scorch happily thought.
As the fire humanoid was in his own little world, Gumball managed to make it through to the other side of the basketball court, ready to make a shot at the hoop.
'Alright, you can do this.' Gumball thought to himself, before he shot the ball towards the hoop.
Unfortunately for the blue feline, Gumball threw the basketball too hard and not only did it miss its mark, its bounce far away from the court and right towards the other side of the park.
"Don't worry about it, Gumball. I'll go get it." said Rhonda, before she dashed away, leaving just Gumball, Brian and Scorch on the basketball court.
"So Scorch, how are you feeling?" Brian asked the fire humanoid, as the purple fox cautiously approached him.
"To be honest, I'm actually better now." Scorch replied. "You know, maybe you're not such a bad guy after all, despite what happened."
"Don't mention it." says Brian. "I'm just glad to see that you're loosened up a bit."
"Just out of curiosity, how did you know that Rhonda was one of Elmore Academy's athletes?" asked Scorch, realizing that the purple fox didn't seem that too surprised to see Rhonda's skills.
"Oh, that's simple Scorch…" Brian began. "It began just a month ago when we started hanging out with one another."
"Hanging…out?" Scorch asked with incredulity, his right eye twitching in annoyance and the temperature in his body slowly rising.
"Yeah, it did felt like a very long time, but we've been hanging out at the park almost every afternoon." Brian continued on.
"Is that so?" the fire humanoid questioned the purple fox; irked that Brian was talking about it so casually and the temperature within continued to increase.
"It's true Scorch. In fact…"
While Brian continued on with what he and Rhonda do together whenever they're hanging out, all Scorch could do is just listening to the purple fox's every word, all the while becoming increasingly agitated. How could someone like him be hanging out with his crush just like that? How dare he get close to her, acting so friendly and nice like it was no big deal! It should have been him that's supposed to be with his crush, not this clown!
"Dude, are you alright?" Gumball asked Scorch with uncertainty, as he noticed the fire humanoid's erratic behavior.
"Yeah, why are you acting like that?" asked Brian.
Before either Gumball or Brian knew what was about to happen, Scorch suddenly burst into flames, exploding like some sort of firecrackers, which soon increased in size and mass and before long, it took on a distinctive humanoid shape and angrily stared at the boys, leaving the duo utterly terrified, as they held onto one another.
"Brian, what's happening?!" Gumball shouted.
"I don't know, I'm just surprised to see this as you are!" Brian replied.
"I can't believe I almost considered you a friend, Brian!" Scorch yelled at the purple fox. "Just when I thought I got you all wrong, I knew it was too good to be true!"
"Scorch, just tell me what's-"
"Don't even try to talk me out of it, furball! I know you love Rhonda the moment I saw you with her three weeks ago!"
"Dude, if you would just-"
"No, I want you to listen right here and now! Do me a favor and stay away from Elmore Academy and from MY girl!"
"Guys, what's going on?!" a certain mouse demanded.
The moment Rhonda spoke out of the blue, everyone, including Scorch, stopped dead in their tracks, before the fire humanoid reverted back to his original form and slowly turned around saw the mouse standing right behind them, looking at Scorch with astonishment. It didn't take him too long to realize that she had heard everything.
'I don't believe this!' Scorch thought, his face turned bright red with embarrassment and without warning, the fire humanoid ran out of the park, far away from Gumball, Brian and especially Rhonda.
"Guys, what happened? Why was Scorch mad?" Rhonda asked Gumball and Brian, wondering what had occurred in her absence.
"I don't know Rhonda. Scorch just lost his cool and literally blew up on our faces." Gumball replied.
"All I do know is that in the end, Scorch still hates me." Brian gloomily replied, dismay how the day turned out.
"Don't say that, Brian. I'm sure you'll get another chance." assured Rhonda.
"She's right, Brian, you'll eventually get on his good side in time." Gumball agreed with the mouse.
"I'm hope you guys are right." was all Brian could say, disappointed that today had ended rather badly, all the while thinking of Scorch's feelings for Rhonda.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 31-The Fire: Part 2
Determined to find out more about Scorch, Brian, along with Rhonda and the Watterson siblings, decided to pay him a visit at his place.
Tidbits
-I wanted to thank Silent Arrancar for creating Scorch and as such, he gets full credit for his creation.
-I also wanted to thank Gummypuss and wiseguy1107 for their suggestions on this chapter.
-For Mr. Dull, I had envisioned Ben Stein voicing him, due to his deadpanned mannerism, but also for the fact that he actually taught Economics himself.
-For Scorch, Silent Arrancar suggested Tony Oliver, who voiced Ulquiorra from Bleach.
Thanks to everyone who had continued to read "The Newcomer" and I'll be seeing ya next chapter!