I just wanted to thank Danny-of-TAWOG, Supergogeta14 and Sal for their help.
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 42-The Geezer
The weekend had finally come around the corner at the O'Quinn residence and Annie couldn't have been any happier for this moment. Yesterday, her mother informed her that she and her dad will be dropping by to their place and the older, purple fox, along with her husband, wanted to welcome them to their new home in Elmore. But Brian was hardly happy upon learning the news.
"Mom, are you sure about this?" asked Brian.
"Brian, they're just going to be here for the weekend." Annie replied.
"Besides, why are you so upset? They're your grandparents." Gordon pointed out.
"I know that, dad and I'm actually looking forward to see my grandma again…" Brian began, before he rubbed his head sheepishly. "The one person I'm not looking forward to is my grandpa."
"Why would you say that?" Annie questioned her son.
"Mom, every time he shows up, the day always ends on a bad note for me." Brian explained. "He always makes an enemy out of everyone he meets and enjoys creating nicknames and insults whenever he gets the chance."
"Look, I know my dad can be a handful." Annie admitted to her son. "But he's not a heartless jerk, Brian. He's just being honest with his opinions."
"Sure he is." Brian sarcastically remarked.
"Brian!" Gordon scolded his son.
"Sorry dad." Brian apologized to his father. "I'll try to be on my best behavior."
"That's all we wanted to hear." Annie said.
Just then, the doorbell rang, prompting the older, purple fox to immediately make her way over and opened the front door. Standing in front of her were two people: one was an elderly fox of petite size with yellow fur, looking rather optimistic, wearing a straw hat, a red blouse, khaki shorts and sandals. The other was an elderly fox of average size with purple fur, just like Brian and Annie, sporting a grouchy demeanor, wearing an orange plaid sweater and blue jeans.
As soon as they made their appearance, Annie smile grew wider, for she was happy to see them finally arrive.
"Welcome to Elmore." Annie greeted her parents. "How was the long trip, mom?"
"It was rather long and tedious, but otherwise, it was enjoyable." the elderly, yellow fox replied.
"We would have gotten here sooner if you didn't stop every now and then for a picture, Honey." said the elderly, purple fox.
"But it's the only way I could get a good snapshot, Norton." Honey argued.
"Alright you two, enough arguing for one day." Gordon spoke out, as the grey wolf got himself between the two foxes.
"Gordon, you're looking fine as usual." Honey commented.
"But you're still the same nerd the day you and the family move out of Folsom." Norton remarked, though the grey wolf wasn't bothered by that statement.
"It's nice to see you two again." said Gordon, ignoring the elderly, purple fox's comment.
"Hello grandpa and grandma." Brian greeted his grandparents, prompting both foxes to turn their attention to the young, purple fox.
"Brian, it's good to see you again." Honey happily said, as she pinched his cheek, much to his discomfort. "My, you're so big now."
"It's good to meet you again." Brian replied; just as Honey let's go of Brian's cheek.
"You're looking fine as ever." Norton said to his grandson, as he examined Brian closer. "At least you still have some meat on you."
"Now dad, try to be nice to Brian…" Annie began. "Besides, you can use this as an opportunity to improve on your relationship with him."
"Are you kidding me?!" Brian shouted. "I don't have time for that! Besides, I already have plans to hang out with Rhonda today!"
"Well, now that's something I didn't expect to hear." Norton stated with interest. "So who is this Rhonda girl?"
Before Brian could say anything, Annie spoke first, cutting her son off.
"Rhonda happens to be the Brian's crush since he moved here. In fact, they met each other after they crashed their bikes just a few months ago."
"Mom!" Brian shouted, his cheeks blushing slightly in embarrassment.
"Not what I would imagine, but it's close enough." Norton stated. "Say, why don't I meet your girlfriend and get to know her?"
"First off, Rhonda isn't my girlfriend yet." Brian corrected his grandfather. "Second, I don't think that's a-"
"Wonderful idea!" Annie exclaimed, cutting her son off. "In fact, this is just a way for you two to spend some quality time with each other."
Before Brian could object any further, he soon found himself, along with his grandfather, being shoved right out to the front porch by his mother, before Annie quickly closed the front door and focused her attention to her mother and husband.
"So mom, what do you want to do?"
Brian couldn't believe how the weekend was starting off for him. As if his grandfather showing up was bad enough, he had to spend the rest of the day with him alone. Even though Brian didn't like the idea of being with his grandfather all day, the purple fox could only sigh and decided to get this over with, just praying for today to end.
"Alright Brian, you can do this." the purple fox muttered under his breath. "All I have to do is just get along with him for the time being and just prayed nothing bad is happens."
"What are you mumbling about, Brian?" asked Norton, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"N-nothing, Grandpa Norton!" Brian bashfully replied. "Look, Rhonda's showing up any minute, so can you promise not to embarrass me when she's around?"
"…Alright, I'll be on my best behavior." Norton promised his grandson, much to the purple fox's relief. "Besides, you worried too much whenever I show up."
'I have a good reason to be worried.' Brian thought, before a certain mouse caught his attention.
"Hi Brian, how's your day?"
The moment Rhonda spoke, Brian happily turned around and saw the yellow mouse just a few inches from him, as the purple fox made his way to his crush, with his grandfather following his grandson's lead.
"My day is turning out good so far, Rhonda." Brian replied joyfully. "How's your day going so far?"
"My day is fine, thanks for asking." Rhonda said to her friend, before she spotted an older, purple fox right next to him. "By the way, who's this?"
Before Brian could have a chance to say anything, his grandfather made his way to greet the yellow mouse, as the young, purple fox looked on with discomfort.
"The name's Norton Dean, miss and I could see why my grandson took a liking to you." the elderly, purple fox introduced himself, causing Brian to groan while Rhonda gave Norton a perplexed look.
"That's…very kind of you to say that." said Rhonda, still weirded out by the older, purple fox's words. "Anyway, are you planning to come with us?"
"Sure, that's why I'm hanging out with my grandson for the moment." Norton replied. "Besides, I could use a tour around town, if that's alright with you."
Rhonda pondered for a moment, as Brian and Norton looked on, the former becoming nervous about the idea of his grandfather tagging along with them. Eventually, the mouse turned to the elderly, purple fox, ready to give him her answer.
"I don't mind the idea at all, Mr. Dean, just as long as Brian's fine with the idea." Rhonda replied, as she focused her attention to the young, purple fox.
"Yeah…I'm good with it." said Brian, feigning a smile for the mouse, all the while being mortified of the idea.
'This isn't going to end well.' Brian thought, before him, Rhonda and Norton began to walk around the neighborhood.
For the last several minutes, Norton was surprisingly well-behaved, something that left Brian astonished; ever since Rhonda showed up, the elderly, purple fox didn't complain about the brief tour around the neighborhood nor did he made a fuss with the few people that crossed their path. For once, Brian couldn't help but feel relieved.
'Maybe this won't be such a bad day after all.' Brian happily thought.
But as the purple fox was lost in his own thought, he failed to hear the words coming from a certain blue feline calling out to him.
"Hey Brian, how are you today?"
The moment Gumball spoke, Brian snapped back to reality and saw the blue feline, along with his brother, standing right in front of him, Rhonda and Norton.
"Hey Gumball." Brian greeted back. "My day's turning out good."
"That's nice to know…" Darwin began. "By the way, who's that with you and Rhonda?"
Before either the purple fox or the yellow mouse could say anything, Norton suddenly spoke, cutting both of them off in the process.
"The name's Norton Dean and I happen to be Brian's grandfather." the elderly purple fox introduced himself. "Did I mention that you kids are quite weird?"
"Grandpa Norton!" Brian scolded his grandfather.
"I'm just being honest kiddo. Besides, one of your friends happens to be a fish with two legs."
"Yeah and the sun has a face!" Brian stated as he pointed at the sun.
"Don't worry about, Brian. We get that a lot." Gumball assured the young, purple fox. "Besides, it might as well be a compliment."
"Are you sure about that you guys?" asked Rhonda.
"We're positive Rhonda." Darwin replied. "Anyway, Gumball and I are heading back to try out this video game we've been waiting for."
"You know, there's an awesome video game that I tried when I was your age." said Norton.
"There is?!" Gumball and Darwin excitedly asked the elderly, purple fox. "Tell us what it is!"
"It's called the outdoors! You know, when people actually rode on bikes, play a catch of ball and exercise every now and-"
"Alright Grandpa Norton, that's enough already." Brian quickly said, as he quickly dragged his grandfather far away from his friends. "Anyway, we have to get going now. See you guys later!"
"Yeah, see you guys later." Rhonda called out, as the mouse followed her friend, leaving just Gumball and Darwin on the sidewalk, dumbfounded by what had occurred just now.
"Well, that was weird." Gumball commented, before focusing his attention on his brother. "So Darwin, are you ready to check it out?"
"You know I've been waiting for this moment." Darwin happily replied.
Brian didn't know how long he had been running, but once the purple fox was certain that his friends were out of sight, he was able to catch his breath, just as Rhonda caught up with him, before Brian angrily confronted his grandfather about his action.
"Grandpa Norton, what the flip was that about?! You said you were going to be on your best behavior!"
"I was on my best behavior." Norton insisted. "Besides, why did you interrupt me so suddenly?"
"I don't know…" Brian sarcastically responded. "How about for starters that you were talking to my friends like that?!"
"I need to get them to pay attention Brian. What did you want me to do, bore them with every single detail?"
"Alright you guys, that's enough arguing." Rhonda spoke, making her way towards her friend and his grandfather. "I know things didn't get off to a good start, but let's put everything aside and just move on."
Both Brian and Norton nodded their heads, agreeing with the yellow mouse and before long; they resumed touring the neighborhood once more, as the young, purple fox was still upset by how today was already turning out.
'I knew this was too good to be true!' Brian thought.
But as the young, purple fox was minding his own business, he failed to notice a certain red bear making his presence right in front of him.
"Hey fur ball, are you enjoying your weekend?" Ivan mockingly asked Brian, prompting the young, purple fox to saw the red bear right in front of him, Rhonda and Norton.
"Oh, it's you." Brian flatly said. "Look, I'm not in a good mood right now Ivan, so can you back off for?"
"Since this is the weekend and because Rhonda's with you, I'll make an exception just this once." Ivan complied, much to the young, purple fox's surprise, as the red bear passed by them, but not before Ivan purposely bumped into him.
'Well, that went easier than I thought.' Brian thought, before he noticed his grandfather looking at him, unimpressed by his action.
"That's it kiddo? You're just going to let him walk like that without putting up a fight?"
"Grandpa Norton, I'm not here to start a fight with Ivan!" Brian explained, attempting to justify his action.
"That doesn't mean he should get away with that." The elderly, purple fox retorted. "I think it's time I show you how to man up."
"Mr. Dean, what are you talking about?" Rhonda questioned Norton.
"Watch and learn, miss." Norton replied, before he grabbed the nearest rock and hurled it towards Ivan, hitting him hard on the head, much to Brian's horror.
"Grandpa Norton…" Brian began. "What the hay did you do that for?!"
Norton didn't respond to his grandson's question right away, as he picked up the young, purple fox by the hoodie, while Ivan got up on his feet, brushing himself off, before he turned to the trio, eyeing a panicked Brian, outraged that he got hit behind the head just like that.
"You're going to get it now fur ball!" Ivan angrily stated, before he walked right towards his victim, with Rhonda trying to restrain the furious red bear as much as she can.
Brian's day has gone from bad to worse; first, his grandfather criticized his friends and then, he ended up being a punching bag for Ivan, though Rhonda was able to convince him that Norton was the culprit, prompting the red bear to stop what he was doing and stormed off. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Shortly after his brief confrontation with Ivan, Norton got into an argument with Marvin and his friends, after the former called him 'old', prompting both Brian and Rhonda to drag him off before he started getting violent. Next, the trio accidentally bumped into Ocho and Norton thought that it was wise to tell the spider to watch where he was going, prompting Brian to calm him down before Ocho lost his cool. Recently, Norton stirred up an argument with Mr. Robinson after being irked by the puppet's grouchy demeanor, but at Brian's insistence, he reluctantly apologized before walking away from him.
Brian had no idea of how much he would be able to take of this. Sure, he had that incident with his dad following him to school, but that's because Rhonda wasn't there with him. This is clearly not the case now and all Brian could do is silently panicked, wondering what Rhonda planned to do when the day is over.
'What do I do now? Rhonda's probably upset at me because of my grandfather's action and if that's the case, I could kiss my chance of being her boyfriend goodbye!'
While Brian was too busy in his own thoughts, Rhonda decided to have a chat with Norton, hoping to get some answer out of the temperamental fox.
"Mr. Dean, I don't want to sound rude, but what was that just now? All day long, you've been starting arguments one after another over every little thing. I thought you promise Brian that you'd on your best behavior!"
All Norton could do is wince in response, as the mouse continued to glare at him for what he had put her and Brian through. Not wanting to upset Rhonda any further, Norton sighed before offering an explanation to the mouse for his behavior.
"Alright, I'll admit that my behavior wasn't under control."
"Just like every other visit?" Brian sarcastically asked his grandfather.
"Maybe that wasn't the right choice of words." said Norton. "Truth is I'm very opinionated when it comes to mundane things and sometimes, I need to find a way to get some people to at least listen to hear what I have to say."
"Like calling Mr. Robinson 'Unibrow' or telling off Ocho back there?" Rhonda pointed out to the elderly fox.
"Groucho needed to lighten for a change and that spider should have paid attention to begin with."
"But that's still no excuse for getting into an argument with Marvin and his friends." Brian reminded his grandfather.
"They called me 'old' and I have to show him a thing or two about calling someone like that." Norton stated, trying to justify his action.
"Regardless, you shouldn't have caused such a commotion to begin with." Rhonda said to the elderly, purple fox.
"Just do us a favor and don't say or do anything at all." Brian informed his grandfather. "You're just going to mess things up."
As soon as Brian said those words, Norton was stunned that his grandson would say that to him like that. Although the elderly fox wanted to say something, he noticed the glares coming from both Brian and Rhonda, prompting Norton to comply with his grandson's demands, saddened by their reactions.
'All I wanted to do was just try to make today a bit more interesting. I never meant to get anyone upset.' Norton thought.
While the elderly fox continue to think of his actions, he noticed both his grandson and the mouse stopping dead in their tracks, looking at something from above. Norton, out of curiosity, decided to look up as well, only to see a t-rex looming right in front of him.
"Long time no see, fur ball and it looks like the little mouse is with you as well." Tina greeted them with a snide remark, before the carnivore turned her attention to the elderly, purple fox. "Who's the old geezer with you?"
"Look Tina…" Brian began, ignoring the dinosaur's question. "I'm having a really bad day right now. Can't you just leave us alone?"
"Don't be in such a rush." said the t-rex, as she reared her head towards the trio. "We've got all day to chat and I'll decide when we end the conversation."
Brian and Rhonda glanced at one another, clearly uncomfortable with Tina's presence, as neither of them have any idea on this will turned out. But before they could start thinking of a plan, Norton suddenly made his way to Tina, much to their shock.
"Grandpa Norton, what are you-" was all Brian could say, before the elderly, purple fox spoke to his grandson.
"I know you made me promise not to say or do anything, but this is one promise I have to break, for yours and Rhonda's sake." Norton then turned to face the carnivore. "Look lady, if my grandson says he wants to be left alone, I suggest you respect his choice and move on."
"Well, isn't that sweet…" Tina began, speaking with a hint of sarcasm. "Now tell me, old timer, what is that you're going to do? Make me act like a proper lady?"
"Actually, I have something better." Norton replied. "I need you to lean closer so I can show it to you."
Tina looked at the elderly, purple fox, giving him a perplexed look. The t-rex didn't know what Norton was up to, but then again, it might not have been anything serious. Still, the carnivore decided to at least hear him out, as Tina leaned her head towards the elderly, purple fox.
"Alright, you got my attention. Now what is it that you want to show me?"
"I'm glad you asked." Norton happily replied, before the elderly, purple fox quickly reared back and chopped Tina on the neck. Before Brian and Rhonda knew what happened next, the t-rex collapsed on the pavement, clearly knocked out by Norton's move, much to their astonishment.
"Grandpa Norton…" Brian began.
"…How did you do that?" added Rhonda.
Norton didn't answer right away, as the elderly fox couldn't help but chuckle by the kid's amazement, before he took a few coughs and began to give them an explanation to them.
"It's a little trick that I have been practicing for ages. Most of the time, I just use that so that anyone that rubs me the wrong way doesn't see that coming. If you're interested, I am more than willing to teach you how it's done, Brian."
Brian hesitated for a moment, uncertain on how to respond to his grandfather. Even though he had been hard at the elderly fox for his actions and behavior, Brian couldn't help but feel bad for the way he had treated Norton. If this was his way of apologizing, then it was good enough for the young, purple fox.
With that in mind, Brian turned his attention to his grandfather.
"Can you teach me how to do that?"
Several hours later…
The rest of the afternoon was rather pleasant for a change, as Norton was on his best behavior, having a good conversation with both Brian and Rhonda, telling tales of Brian's life in Folsom, from his first day at school to his old friends. For his part, Brian wasn't bother by his grandfather's tales at the slightest, as he found himself enjoying his company for a change.
It was then that the trio finally made their way back to the O'Quinn residence.
"Well, looks like everything turned out alright in the end." said Brian, before facing Norton. "Look, I'm sorry if I was rude back there. I shouldn't have said something like that to begin with."
"It's alright, kiddo. I understand." Norton assured his grandson. "Besides, I owe you and Rhonda an apology for the way I was acting. I mean, I shouldn't have thrown a rock at that red bear to begin with, even if he did deserve it."
"Don't worry, Mr. Dean. Apology accepted." Rhonda informed the elderly, purple fox. "You're not perfect, but you're still a good person at heart."
"I couldn't agree more." Brian spoke, as he smiled.
"Thanks kids…" Norton began. "That really made my day. Anyway, I have to get back inside the house and don't worry Brian; I'll wait for you when you're done."
With that, the elderly, purple fox made his way inside the O'Quinn residence, leaving only Brian and Rhonda on the sidewalk.
"I'm sorry everything didn't turn out the way you wanted." the young, purple fox apologized to the mouse.
"It's alright Brian, there's nothing to be worried about." Rhonda assured her friend. "I'll admit that your grandfather's action made things a bit awkward and despite what happened, today turned out to be good."
Brian couldn't help but smile, glad that everything worked out in the end, despite the fiasco his grandfather had created.
"Well, this is so touching." a certain red bear spoke in mockery, prompting both Brian and Rhonda to find Ivan right behind them, much to their displeasure.
"It was touching until you ruined the mood." Brian flatly said.
"Don't blame me for getting in your way." Ivan said to the purple fox, as the red bear cracked his knuckles. "Which reminds me, are you ready for another round of beating?"
"Actually, I got something to show you before you go through your method. In fact, lean closer so I can show it to you." Brian replied, much to Ivan's curiosity and suspicion.
The red bear doesn't know what the purple fox was up to, but whatever it is; Ivan decided to hear him out before beating Brian up to a pulp, as he leaned closer to the fox.
"Alright fur ball, what is it that you-"
Without warning, Brian suddenly chopped him on the neck and before Ivan knew what happened next, he found himself face down on the pavement, completely knocked out, as Rhonda looked on, amazed by her friend's action.
"I've got to say, I'm impressed Brian…" Rhonda began. "It looks like your grandfather's method really worked after all."
"Yeah, I can't believe it myself." Brian stated. "Anyway, I have to get back inside my house. It was nice hanging out with you."
"Same here Brian." said Rhonda, as the mouse smiled in response.
With that, the two wave each other a goodbye, before the purple fox made his way home, intending to tell his parents and grandmother about what happened today.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 43-The Chessmaster
Gumball accidently loses an heirloom of Penny's when she asks him to hang on to it for a day and it is picked up by the Eggheads, who will only return it if one of them can beat them in a game of blitz chess.
Tidbits
-I'll admit, this isn't the best chapter I ever written, but I did the best I can with "The Geezer"
-Originally, Norton was going to talk to more characters, but due to pacing, I was force to cut some of them off.
-For Norton, I imagined him being voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray, who had voiced many characters, including Captain K'nuckles from Flapjack. For Honey, I envisioned Candi Milo voicing her.
-Once again, I wanted to thank Danny-of-TAWOG, Supergogeta14 and Sal for their help.
I hope everyone like this and I'll be seeing ya next chapter!