The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 58-The Clones: Part 2
It was afternoon at Elmore Junior High, as Gumball, Darwin and Mike sat at their usual spot, waiting for Brian to show up. When the trio learned from the others about Brian's odd behavior, they decided to confront him and hopefully for them, he can give them a straightforward answer about yesterday.
"I hope Brian is back to his old self." Gumball said to his friends.
"I hope so…" Darwin began. "The last thing I want to see is him acting overzealous."
"Or laughing his head off like a lunatic." Mike commented.
As the trio continued with their conversation, it was this point that a certain purple fox finally made his way to the table, as he sat right next to his friends.
"Good afternoon, you guys." Brian greeted them, prompting Gumball, Darwin and Mike to gaze at the fox with weird looks, much to his confusion. "What's wrong, you guys?"
"I don't know, Brian…" Gumball began sarcastically. "How about for starters, you acted off yesterday?"
"Yeah, you weren't yourself." Darwin noted.
"Not to mention that you laughed like a nutcase." Mike insisted.
"…I have no idea what you guys are talking about." Brian replied, much to the trio's frustration.
"Mike told us that you were with him watching some retro cartoons, even though you were with us playing our new game." Gumball explained to the purple fox, with Darwin nodding his head in agreement.
"How are you at my house for two hours while playing video games at the Watterson's?" Mike was about to demand an answer.
Brian didn't respond right away, trying to come up with an answer to satisfy their curiosity. After a moment of pondering, the purple fox finally found an answer for them.
"I, um, just snuck back and forth every chance I get. Yeah, that sounds about right."
Gumball, Darwin and Mike, however, were left dumbfounded by Brian's answer. Never in their lives have they heard such an awful excuse.
"Oh, look at the time, I need to finish my homework." the purple fox nervously said, before he got out of his seat and left the cafeteria as fast he could, not wanting to make the situation more awkward than it already was, leaving his friends confused more than ever.
"Guys, what should we do?" asked Darwin. "Something tells me that Brian knows more than he lets on."
Before either Gumball or Mike could answer the two-legged fish's question, the trio spotted Anais coming right towards their table, alongside Penny, Carrie and Tobias, and none of them seemed to be in a rather good mood.
"Have you seen Brian around here? We want some answers out of him." Anais demanded, prompting Mike to shake his head before responding to the child prodigy's question.
"Sorry Anais, he left before we could get some answers out of him. He kept dodging our questions."
Anais, Penny, Carrie and Tobias could only sigh in disappointment; it was not the answer they were expecting to hear.
"That really bites. I was hoping Brian could explain to me why he was so clueless when he played with me in the backyard." Anais spoke up.
"Well that's funny, because Brian was with me when he helped out with the yard work, until he ruined it and my parents grounded me for a week as a result." Penny darkly stated.
"That's strange…" Carrie began. "Brian was with me when he ate the last limited meal at Joyful Burger."
"That's nothing compared to my situation." said Tobias. "Brian told me to 'shut my yappers' or I'll be living in a van down by the river for the rest of my life. I don't even know what he meant by that."
While the four continued to discuss with each other about what occurred yesterday, Gumball, Darwin and Mike were stunned to hear what their friends had just said to them. Something wasn't adding up and whatever it was, they need to get some answers out of Brian…and fast.
"Mike, what should we do?" asked Gumball, with Darwin nodding his head in agreement.
"Surround him." Mike calmly replied.
Brian wandered around the hallway, both nervous and panicked at the same time. His friends were becoming increasingly suspicious and he needed to come up with a solution for them before things became even more complicated than it already has.
'Oh man! What do I do now?!' the purple fox thought. 'I need to come up with a better excuse before everyone…finds…out…'
Brian's thoughts trailed off the moment he spotted his friends right in front of him, gazing at the purple fox rather sternly. It didn't take too long for him to realize what's going on.
"Oh…um…" was all Brian could say, as he nervously laughed, before he turned around and ran in the opposite direction.
"After him!" Gumball shouted, as he and the rest of his friends took off, with the purple fox running with all of his might.
"Brian, what's going on?"
"Just be honest with us."
"Quit running and just answer our questions!"
Brian, however, continued to run as fast he could, eventually making his way to the school playground, with Mike right behind his tail, as the maroon badger leaped forward and tackled the panicked purple fox down to the ground, just as everyone caught up with them.
"Alright Brian, you better tell us what's going on, because we want the truth right now!" Mike demanded, prompting the purple fox to sigh, before relenting to his friend's request.
"Alright, you guys, I'll tell you everything about what happened yesterday."
Brian's last statement was enough to calm his friends down, but not by much, as they listen in to hear what their friend had to say.
"It all began shortly after school was done…"
Five minutes later…
"…And that's how it happened. I'm really sorry that things turned out that bad."
Once Brian was done with his story, his friends were amazed at what he did, leaving them baffled and speechless. Even though he meant well, it never occurred to him that the clones have become problematic for them and the look of guilt on his face was enough for them to be convinced that he really felt bad for his actions.
"Wow that's some story." Gumball finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"I know..." Darwin began. "Normally, you would be the one held accountable for this kind of mess."
In response, an irate Gumball promptly punched his brother on the shoulder, as the two-legged fish moaned in pain.
"So what did you do with the clones?" Mike asked Brian, as he got off of him and helped the fox up his feet.
"They're in my bedroom." Brian began his explanation. "As far as I could tell, they seemed rather tame."
"What's stopping them from just simply opening a door and walking out?" Penny asked.
"Don't worry Penny, I locked the door to my bedroom and I have the key with me." Brian replied.
"But did you at least lock the window before you left?" Carrie pointed out, causing the purple fox to face palm in response.
"I'm going to take that as a 'no' then." Anais stated.
"Then we should probably go and make sure they're still there." Tobias suggested.
"How? Just leave in the middle of school?" Gumball asked.
"Aren't we watching a movie after lunch?" Darwin reminded his brother.
"Yeah but it's a black and white movie that is extremely boring," Mike said, obviously having seen the movie in question. "Believe me; you don't want to see it."
As everyone tried to figure out on what to do next, everyone stopped pondering when they heard what appeared to be chattering not far from where they were. Curious by this, all eight of them turned around and saw six Brian look-alikes making their way inside the school, much to their shock.
"Wow that was convenient." Gumball flatly commented. "Anyway, what now?"
"Okay we don't have a lot of time." Mike said. "Everyone split up and hunt down those clones!"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, before all eight of them made their way back to the building, intending to contain them before they could cause any trouble in school.
Nobody knows how many minutes had passed, but time was not on their side, as Brian and his friends began the grueling task of track down the clones as fast as they could.
The moment they went inside the school, Mike went off to one area with Carrie, Gumball and Darwin, while Brian went to another area of the building with Tobias, Penny and Anais, in an effort to round up the clones. Surprisingly, they weren't that difficult to find and one by one, they were able to capture them without any difficulty, as Mike's group rounded up some from the gym and the boy's bathroom, while Brian's group managed to round up another group from the cafeteria and one of the classes. Right now, everyone managed to regroup, with the clones by their side, as they tracked down the last one near a dead end in the hallway on the third floor.
"Alright copycat, you had your fun…" Mike began, as he and the rest of his friends slowly approached the panicked clone. "But right now, you and your friends need to come with us so we can discuss this like civilized people."
"What's wrong with you people?!" the clone demanded. "Why are you hunting us like this?!"
"It's nothing personal, but you and your buddies have already caused a lot trouble since yesterday." Gumball attempted to explain.
"I just wish I had done this sooner instead of hanging out at Rhonda's house yesterday." Brian muttered under his breath, before he covered his mouth with his paws.
But it was too little too late; somehow, most of the clones have heard Rhonda's name uttered from the original counterpart, as they turned their gaze at him, clearly angry at what they have just heard, much to Brian's discomfort.
"Guys, let me explain…" was all the purple fox could say, before the clones quickly shoved him and everyone down on the floor, allowing their fellow clone to go, as he passed by them, before making his way up the stairs. Satisfied by this, the clones then turned their attention to the group, before all five charged right at them, much to their shock.
"Incoming!" Gumball declared, before he and his friends collided with the clones.
Soon, the entire gang was fighting for their lives in the hallway, from the Watterson siblings trading one blow after another to Penny dodging and punching a few in her way. As the fight continued to escalate, one of the clones cornered Mike and made a leap towards him. In response, the maroon badger barely dodge the attack, before he grabbed the clone by the collar of his hoodie and launched him out the window, and as Mike watched, he saw the clone revert back to its original state, much to his surprise.
"Huh, so the clones are made out of crystal?" Mike then got an idea. "Guys, they're made of crystal!"
"So?" asked Gumball, as he and Darwin tried to keep a clone from mauling Tobias.
"So we have a way of getting rid of them!" Mike then grabbed another clone and proceeded to throw it out the same window before it too shattered.
Deciding to trust the maroon badger's judgment, everyone grabbed the nearest clone and proceeded to launch them out of the window and as they looked on, each and every clone shattered the moment they hit the ground, reverting right back into crystals. Once they were in the clear, a certain jock decided to confront Mike in regards to their situation.
"So what did that prove?" asked Tobias.
"It proved we can get rid of them just by applying a lot of force." Anais replied, with Mike nodding.
"Like a baseball bat to the face or any blunt instrument for that matter." Darwin added.
"But we're still killing them." Penny pointed out.
"That's true." Gumball predictably agreed.
"They aren't real to begin with. That and they just tried to kill us themselves." Brian was on Mike's side.
"Speaking of which, should we follow that one clone that got away?" Carrie pointed out.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Brian exclaimed. "Let's find him before it's too late."
Fortunately for them, the final bell rang just in time, as everyone immediately rushed to the main entrance, pondering on where the last clone went, until one of them came up with an answer.
"When you mentioned Rhonda is when things went south." Mike explained.
Stunned to hear this, Brian's eyes grew wide and without a moment hesitation, the purple fox immediately dashed off, no doubt heading to his girlfriend's house, as he ran with all of his might.
"Wow, when it comes to Rhonda, Brian sure knows how to run." Darwin commented.
"Yeah, I just realized that right now." Gumball agreed with his brother.
"Guys, this is no time for comments. We need to catch up with Brian before something bad happens to him." Anais reminded her brothers.
Gumball, Darwin and everyone nodded their heads in agreement and took off to the same path that the purple fox went. Mike was also about to run with them when an idea came to his head.
'I hope this works.' the maroon badger thought, before he turned in the opposite direction and ran to his house, hoping he wasn't too late.
Brian didn't know how long he ran since he left Elmore Junior High, but now was not the time to think of such trivial matters. Right now, the purple fox was glad that he made to the Paxton residence just in time, as he made his way to the front door and quickly banged on the door. After waiting for what felt like forever, the door finally opened and to Brian's relief, Rhonda was right in front of him, still in her school uniform, no doubt having just gotten back from the academy.
"Hi Brian, I didn't expect to see you so soon." said Rhonda, who, though surprised, was nevertheless happy to see her boyfriend. "Anyway, why do you look so tired and worn out?"
"Oh I, um…just wanted to see if you were alright." Brian halfheartedly replied.
Rhonda looked at her boyfriend, somewhat suspicious by his claims. But before she could have the chance to ask him another question, the mouse noticed what appeared to be a look-alike of the purple fox himself, right down to the same outfit, much to her confusion. It was this expression, however, that Brian realized something bad was about to happen, before he reluctantly turned around and saw his doppelgänger right behind him.
'Oh no!' the purple fox thought, before his clone immediately tackled him to the ground, as Rhonda looked on, shocked to see two Brian's fighting with each other. But before the mouse could have a chance to save her boyfriend, Gumball, along with his siblings and his friends, showed up right on time, as Tobias and Darwin quickly grabbed the clone by the arm and threw him into a lamppost as hard as they could, as the clone shattered.
"Brian, are you alright?" asked Penny, as she helped the purple fox up to his feet.
"I'm fine, thanks to you guys." Brian replied, before he turned to face Rhonda, still speechless from what she had just witnessed seconds ago.
"Brian, what was that all about? Why did that Brian look-alike turn into a crystal?" the mouse asked, as she approached the purple fox, wanting some answers out of him.
In response, Brian took a deep breath and began the long painstaking task of explaining to his startled girlfriend about yesterday. After the purple fox was done finishing with his story, Rhonda could only look at him, amazed and astonished to hear what had happened.
"I have to be honest with you, Brian…" Rhonda finally spoke. "I have seen some of the most unusual things to ever happen in Elmore, but I never imagined something like that to be remotely possible."
"I know it's hard to swallow, but I'm just glad that this is all over." Brian said to his girlfriend, happy that the situation was dealt with. Or at least, he thought it was until…
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Mike spoke out of the blue, prompting everyone to turn around and see the maroon badger making his way to them carrying a set of clothes on his arm. He also appeared to be pretty badly beaten up.
"Mike, where the flip have you been?" Gumball asked the maroon badger.
"What's with the clothes?" asked Tobias.
"And what did you mean by that last sentence?" Darwin asked Mike.
In response, the maroon badger took a deep breath, in order to catch his breath, before answering his friends' questions.
"Never mind that. Put these on," Mike ordered as he threw the clothes at Brian.
"What the heck happened? You look like you just fought for your life." Brain noted, as he caught the clothes Mike threw at him. There was a green shirt with yellow stripes, a pair of black shorts and sandals.
"I kinda did…" Mike began as he looked himself over. "I went back home so I can bring Brian some clothes to distinguish himself from the rest of the clones. But when I got back home, there were two clones waiting there and they ambushed me. I was able to take them down but it was then that I realized that there were seven clones, not six. That's why I went back to you as fast as I could."
"That can't be right." Brian stated, surprised to hear Mike's claims. "I was certain that I only created six clones yesterday."
"Wait a minute…" Anais finally spoke, before she faced Mike. "If you took down two clones back at your place and we took down another here, that would have been eight clones total."
Everyone eventually understood what the child prodigy was talking about and also wondered about what was going on. But as they continued to ponder about today's unusual turn of events, everyone heard a stomping behind them, each getting louder by the minute, until it abruptly stopped as it began. Curious by this, all nine turned around and saw Hector in front of them, as the friendly giant appeared to have been beaten up, tired and worn out. They then noticed a small figure standing on top of the palm of his hand, as Hector lowered it down, revealing his mother, who appeared to be no worse for wear, as she set her eyes on Brian.
"I told you that you would have unwittingly unleashed chaos, but no, you just had to find out the hard way!" Mrs. Jotunheim berated the purple fox.
"What happened?" Mike asked the witch, prompting her to take a deep breath before answering the maroon badger's question.
"It all began this afternoon, shortly after Hector left for school. It was then that I spotted whom I thought was that fox my son introduced me to yesterday, until I saw a few more of them, before they ambushed me, before making their way to the back of the cave and create more of them. When my son came back from school, they ambushed him before running off with the cloning machine."
Once Mrs. Jotunheim was done with her explanation, everyone gasped in horror, realizing just how grim the situation had suddenly became.
"Mrs. Jotunheim, sorry for asking the obvious, but just how bad is it?" Darwin nervously asked the witch.
"Last time I checked, there were several dozen of them." the witch replied. "Not to mention that they stole several crystals in the process and there will be thousands more if left unchecked."
"If what you say is true, then they could destroy an entire town." Penny stated.
"Not to mention an entire city." Carrie added.
"That's going to be the least of our problems…" Anais began. "If they leave the state, the whole world would be doomed."
"Mrs. Jotunheim, do you know a way to prevent this from happening?" asked Rhonda.
"Actually, I do." the witch happily replied. "I built a fail-safe just in case for such a scenario."
"But how are we going to track it? It could be hours before we locate this cloning machine of yours." Tobias pointed out.
"Fortunately for you, I managed to keep a tracker on me." Mrs. Jotunheim happily said, as she pulled a tracker behind her back, amazing the kids that she was well-prepared for the situation.
"That is one tech savvy witch." Mike thought to himself.
Out of curiosity, everyone gathered around to see what the tracker had regarding the cloning machine, surprised to see that it was at the outskirts of town, along with a few dots. Slowly but surely, the dots began to fill up to the point of covering the entire screen itself and it was clear that the clones are starting to multiply, much to their horror. Even worse, they had to face the fact that they'll be facing an entire army soon and if they don't come up with a plan to stop them, their home and the whole world would be doomed.
"It's never simple, is it…?" Brian asked quietly to himself.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 59-The Clones: Part 3
Brian and his friends must overcome great odds and prevent the clones from invading Elmore before it's too late.
Tidbits
-The chapter was a bit shorter than I thought, but nevertheless, it turned out quite good.
-Once again, I want to thank Sal for his help on this chapter
Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed part 2 of The Clones and I'll see you in the last part.