Chapter Text
The Amazing World of Gumball: Legend Trippers
Chapter one: The Legends begin
A/N; Characters in this story are demi-human ( Look Human but with their cartoon counterpart’s features ) You’ll understand as you read on.
Elmore, morning. No one’s P.O.V.
The sun had barely risen over the town of Elmore when in a small house in the suburbs, a tired-looking cat lady was busy with her usual morning routine while the rest of her family slept. Nicole Watterson moved a strand of her blue hair out of her face as she sipped her morning coffee while she read her newspaper, specifically of strange phenomena going on all over the place; sightings of strange creatures in Washington… people vanishing without a trace and returning just as mysteriously in Nevada… even alleged sightings of giant birds making off with cattle in New Mexico, the list went on and on.
Thankfully the only thing out of the ordinary ( a term used very loosely ) in her little part of the world was that the town’s mayor was reelected for a third consecutive time. “I just don’t understand how he keeps getting reelected… he hasn’t really done anything noteworthy.” Nicole mused as she finished her coffee and prepared to finish getting ready for another day at a job where she worked long hours for a meager salary. She had already finished her usual routine so all that was left was to make sure she had everything she needed, so she stood in front of the mirror in the living room and went through her mental checklist…
Uniform clean and ready? Check.
Purse with ID, keys, and what little money she could spare? Check.
Shoes? Check.
*RING RING*
Nicole’s attention suddenly turned to the phone next to the mirror, which had reminded her…
“Oh right, I still have to pay the phone bill.” She said grimly as she answered the telephone. "Hello, Watterson residence." She announced into the transmitter.
"Come on Nicky, no one really says that anymore." A female voice said on the other line in an amused voice. A voice Nicole recognized immediately as her big sisters.
"Hello Chloe, how are you doing this morning?" Nicole asked her only sibling, Chloe Adams.
The blue-haired cat demi-human hadn't seen much of her sister/best friend since she got married to her high-school sweetheart and moved to Oregon twelve years ago. They always kept in touch though, always giving each other advice or just offering a friendly ear. Nicole always enjoyed getting calls from her sister and vice versa, it always seemed to make the day go easier or take the edge off a tough day, regardless of the reason a simple phone call, or an email, or even a text was always greeted with enthusiasm between the two sisters.
"Oh, I'm not doing too bad." Nicole replied. "Just getting ready for work." A disappointed sigh was heard on the other end of the line.
"Please don't tell me you're still working for that Rainbow Factory Nicky, you know you can do better than that." Chloe said to her little sister, and she was right; Nicole always knew she could always quit her job at the Rainbow Factory and move on to something that had a better salary, more manageable hours, and maybe even benefits. But she spent so long at her current position that it made it hard for her to even consider quitting.
"But I like my job there." She argued half-heartedly, true in a way she had gotten attached to her place of employment, there were several downsides to it, such as the ridiculously long hours, the meager pay, and her boss who was kind of a misogynist. But for some reason, she had a gut feeling this job was going to lead to her big break, and couldn't bring herself to quit. She believed all she had to do was keep toughing it out and she and her family will be able to live a little easier.
Chloe however was not convinced, she knew that if it weren't for their parents’ overbearing attitudes and their irrational need to have their children succeed ( Chloe was the only one to stand up to her Mom and Dad about it ) Nicole would have quit her post at the Rainbow Factory and tried to find a career that would have been better for her and her family. But her little sister was no quitter and had a very stubborn habit to always try to win at everything ( another thing she blamed her parents for ). So she knew that there was no way Nicole would just give up like that.
"Alright hun, I'm just saying you deserve better than this, that's all." Chloe said, not truly understanding why Nicole would stay with the Rainbow Factory like this.
Knowing trying to convince her to call anything quits was a losing battle, Chloe decided to change the subject. "Anyway, how much time do you have till you gotta clock in?"
"I was actually about to go out the door when you called, why what's up? " Nicole asked, knowing there was always a reason for her sister's calls… at least nine times out of ten of the time.
"Alright I'll make it quick, someone with good news wants to talk to you real quick."
Curious at her sisters’ statement Nicole leaned against the wall where the phone usually hung from the hook. "Really? Who?" Nicole asked. She really didn't know any people up in Oregon, so who could be wanting to talk to her? After a moment or two of silence she got her answer… a voice she had not heard for a few years.
"Hey Mom, how's it going?"
The voice of her eldest son, Gumball.
Tears of joy began to well up in the hard-working mothers’ eyes, she wiped them away with a light laugh as she responded to her son. "I'm doing just fine sweetheart, it’s so good to hear from you."
“Awww, you miss me that much huh?” Her son teased playfully, making Nicole’s smile widen and tail twitch joyfully. "Well, then I've got good news."
Now Nicole's curiosity was piqued. "And what is that sweetie?" His answer was the one she had hoped to hear for years.
"I'm coming home soon."
Nicole's tears began to spill out at an uncontrollable rate. After eight years, eight long years her baby boy was finally coming home! She wiped the tears from her eyes and in a slightly breaking voice responded to her son’s good news. "That's the best news I've heard in a while Gummypuss, I can't wait to see you again."
"Likewise." The eldest Watterson child happily said, his heart soaring from hearing his mother's tears of joy. "I'll be home in a week or so, make sure you spread the word and warn everyone that I'm coming!"
Nicole laughed, ever since he was little, Gumball always liked joking around. Now she could only imagine how his sense of humor has grown over the years.
"Well, we're gonna let you go now." Nicole heard her sister's voice as she regained control of the phone. "We'll be seeing you in about a week and a half, take care sissy!"
Wiping another tear from her eye, Nicole said her goodbyes and placed the phone back on the cradle. A small laugh escaped her lips as she stood up straight and wiped away the last of the liquid joy that had been pouring from her eyes for the past few minutes.
A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall was enough to inform her that she had to get moving or she would be late for work. Composing herself, Nicole gathered what she needed and made a beeline for the front door. As she was about to place her hand on the doorknob, the door to the room she shared with her husband opened, and out stepped said husband, Richard Watterson; an overweight rabbit man with pink hair.
"Morning honey." Richard yawned, having the look of someone who woke up too early… however for Richard anytime before one in the afternoon was too early to wake up. Nicole responded to her husband's greeting by wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm and affectionate embrace and planted a small kiss on his chubby cheek.
Taken aback, Richard's eyes widened at his wife's actions as she wasn't normally this cheerful in the morning. Placing his hands on her shoulders he pulled his wife away from himself, a large grin on his face due to his beloved's contagious positivity. "What's gotten you in such a good mood this morning?" The rotund rabbit-like man child asked, gazing into Nicole's eyes which were brimming over with pure happiness.
Nicole just shook her head. "I'm gonna have to tell you when I get home tonight, just know I have really good news!" And after another loving embrace, Nicole opened the door and skipped happily to her car, leaving Richard scratching his head at his wife's unusual but very welcome behavior.
Ten days later.
"You really need to work on your eating habits, Richard." Nicole sighed, driving her family home from a take-out restaurant that sold fried chicken, fries, and other such foods, where she decided to treat everyone due to her high spirits from the news she had received ten days ago. Unfortunately while at said restaurant, her husband's voracious appetite had ended up costing her more than she planned.
"Well, they shouldn't say 'all you can eat if they don't mean it!" The large rabbit man said defensively, holding his share of fried chicken like it was some kind of precious treasure.
"Richard, you ate a chair."
Knowing he was beaten, Richard just looked away from his wife and started nibbling on one of his fries.
In the backseat of the old station wagon sat two children, also holding their share of chicken and fries. There was the adopted child Darwin Watterson ( a dark-skinned fish-boy with an orange hoodie, khaki shorts, and green shoes ) who used to be a pet goldfish, but through a miracle, he became a humanoid fish, and almost immediately after he became a part of the Watterson family.
Next to him was his little sister, Anais Watterson, a little pink-haired bunny girl in an orange dress who most resembled her father… except in the intelligence department. "Well thanks so much for taking us out to eat mom, it was really nice of you to treat us like this." The youngest Watterson said, nibbling on her own fries.
Darwin enthusiastically nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is great!" The young fish boy said, salivating in anticipation to get home and dig in. For more than a week their mother had been doing little things like this as if celebrating something no one else knew about yet. "You've actually been doing things like this a lot lately. What's the occasion? '' Darwin asked curiously.
A smile graced the mother’s lips, the kids had been asking her about her sudden change in mood and behavior for over a week now, and whenever they did, like now, for instance, she'd answer… "You'll just have to wait and see." Darwin and Anais glanced at each other, silently wondering what their mother could mean as it was obvious she wasn't going to outright tell them.
Deciding to drop the subject of their mother's recent behavior, the two Watterson children gazed out the backseat windows while approaching their modest household…
Only to be met with a surprise.
Outside their home was a large moving van with two burly men, one that almost looked like a goblin and the other with big beefy arms and a construction hat ( for some reason ), and a white-haired cat woman giving orders to the moving men. "Now, take those crates to the backyard; place them next to the shed." The mysterious lady ordered as the two men picked up one of five wooden crates, each label in black paint "for workshop".
Meanwhile, after the Wattersons found a spot to park not far from the moving van, they sat and took in the unexpected spectacle before them. Being the most unnerved by what they were seeing both Anais and Darwin started to make their own assumptions, the most prominent was that they were losing their house due to their family’s financial troubles and someone else was moving in.
"What's going o-" Anais tried to ask, but was cut off by a girlish squeal of delight from Nicole, who rushed out of the car almost ripping out the seat belt in the process.
As Nicole quickly made her way to the white-haired cat woman, who was receiving complaints about the weight of the crates they needed to take to the backyard… where they were reminded by the previously mentioned woman that they were being paid to work not whine.
"Chloe!" Nicole shouted happily, rushing to the cat lady who upon hearing her name turned with a happy/surprised expression to her little sister and embraced her in the kind of massive bear hug that only an older sibling could give.
"Oh, it’s soooo good to see you again Nicky!" Chloe said, practically lifting Nicole off the ground.
As the cat sisters caught up, back in the car Darwin and Anais looked on in confusion at the sight before them. Quickly deciding that just observing wasn't going to get them anywhere, they both turned to their father for answers.
"Chloe?" Darwin asked Richard inquisitively who, with a small but obviously joyous smile on his face, finally managed to look away from the semi-heartwarming moment before them.
"Yep! That's your mother's older sister; your Aunt Chloe." Richard explained, happy to see his sister-in-law. The two had always gotten along when Richard and Nicole had started dating, and were always supportive of their relationship especially when the cat sisters’ parents were not. "Come on kids, you two should meet your Aunt Chloe; you'll love her." The large bunny man-child said, opening the passenger side door. With a shrug, the Watterson children followed suit.
As the three approached the conversating cats, Darwin and Anais took another look at the cardboard boxes and wooden crates that were being taken to the front porch and backyard, and noticed a peculiar detail… an ornate blue "G" spray-painted on each parcel. An initial? They thought, but pushed the thought to the back of their heads as they caught the attention of their mother and aunt, the latter of whom was excitedly chatting with her brother-in-law.
"And I'm sure this is your first time meeting your niece and nephew." Richard said gently pushing the Watterson children toward their aunt, urging them to introduce themselves.
Always being excited to meet new people, the first to do so was Darwin, who extended a hand with a large smile. "Hi! I'm Darwin, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aunt Chloe!"
Chloe, quite charmed by Darwin's manners, knelt down to her fishy nephew's height with a smile that had "Oh, he's so cute!" written all over it. She took Darwin's gesture of greeting and started gushing over the adopted Watterson. "Well, aren't you the cutest thing! And of course, the pleasure is all mine. Now, I wanna hear all about how you turned from a goldfish to… this." The white-haired cat-woman said gesturing at all of her nephew. "But that's going to have to wait for a little bit." She said as she turned her attention to Anais.
The youngest Watterson, being a little inexperienced when it came to social interactions outside her immediate family, nervously stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Anais, it's nice to meet you." The little bunny girl said shyly, which Chloe found very endearing.
"So you're Nicole's little genius… your mother just won't stop bragging about you. I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time now." Chloe said to her niece with a warm smile that immediately won Anais over.
With introductions out of the way Darwin saw this as a good opportunity to question Chloe as to the purpose of her visit, personally, he was getting a little tired of speculating and thought just asking would do no harm.
"Well, there's a couple of reasons for my visit actually." Chloe said after Darwin had made his inquiries. "One, I haven't seen my sister or brother-in-law in a while, two; I've been wanting to meet the two of you for the longest time." She continued gesturing to the Watterson kids. "And…" she continued, saving the best for last. "Because I wanted to bring a very special surprise. Can you guess what it is?" Chloe asked Darwin and Anais with a very excited smile.
The youngest Wattersons looked at each other and, seeing as they weren't mind readers, decided to wing it.
A puppy was Darwin's guess, one he made with genuine excitement as he always hoped that one day they would get a family pet… preferably a pit bull puppy… he thought they were cute.
Anais's guess was that their Aunt Chloe had come to live with them, an assumption she made from the moving truck… in her defense, it seemed kind of obvious.
Chloe shook her head. "Sorry kids, good guesses but… no. Couldn't have brought a puppy, because I'm allergic… sorry kiddo." She said sympathetically to Darwin, who looked bummed not getting a puppy… but cheered up literally two seconds later thinking there will be other chances.
She then turned to Anais who was patiently waiting for her guess to be answered. "And… nope. I'm not moving in; I've got a log cabin and a husband to keep an eye on in Oregon, so I can't stay for very long. Sorry to disappoint you."
What her aunt had said caused the little genius to lift an eyebrow. "Wait, if you're not moving in, then who is?" Anais asked now, really curious as to the purpose of the moving truck. Chloe's only answer was a large smile that was slowly stretching across her face.
The smile on Chloe's face, coupled with what she had said just seconds before lit a fire of hope within Nicole; was today the day? The day she had been waiting for years to come?
"Is… is he here?" Was all the feline demi-human mother asked.
Instead of answering, Nicole's sister turned her sights to the Wattersons front porch, and after a brief second, the rest of the family followed her gaze.
There, lounging on the front porches railing, leaning on the left support post, nodding his head to the beat of the music he was listening to on a large set of headphones, was a boy… around the age of twelve, wearing dark grey loose cargo pants and a loose grey A shirt. What surprised the youngest Wattersons about the child they had laid their eyes on, was that he had blue hair, cat ears, and a tail… just like Nicole's.
As if sensing the five pairs of eyes on him, the boy opened his sky blue orbs, sat straight up and moved his headset so that it was hanging around his neck, and turned his attention to the group watching him… specifically the blue-haired cat woman.
"Hey Mom, how's it going?"
Gumball's P.O.V.
As soon as I asked that question tears began spilling from my mother’s eyes. Not really surprising honestly, it's been… seven or eight years since I left Elmore to live with my Aunt in Oregon for reasons… I'm still not entirely sure of, to be honest. I mean, one time I'm told it's for one reason, a couple years later I'm told it's for an entirely different reason altogether.
Who knows, maybe both reasons are true.
By the way, my name is-
"GUMBALL!!"
…Yeah… that's it, Gumball Watterson. And like I said earlier, I've been living in Oregon for the past seven years and now I'm back home in Elmore… Yay!
My mother, who had called out my name earlier, came rushing towards me as I hopped off the porches railing and swept me up in her arms before I even touched the ground.
You ever had those moments where you're being embraced by an overly affectionate family member and it feels like they're trying to kill you with love? Of course, you have, and that's what I'm going through right now. I patted my mother's arm to let her know I was tapping out… hopefully, she will let go while I was still conscious.
"Oh, I missed you so much sweetie! Welcome home!" She kept squeezing, ignoring any effort I made to let her know I was running out of air. Just as I thought I was seeing my ancestors beckoning me to the great beyond, mom finally let me go and I fell to the ground and inhaled some much-needed oxygen… times like this makes me wonder if this is where the whole "killing them with kindness" saying comes from. Kind of effective now that I think about it.
Anyways, after I had caught my breath, mom helped me to my feet and told me there were people she wanted to introduce me to. I looked over to where she had been standing before and saw dad… wider than ever… ok, one of the things I'm going to do is help him out with his diet, give me a few weeks and I'll whip him into shape… if I can remember where I put my bullwhip…
Next to dad were two kids… “Brother and sister, right?” I asked, nodding over at the two over with dad. Once she confirmed my wild guess I walked over to greet my two siblings, both of whom I’ve been wanting to meet for quite some time now.
I decided to introduce myself to my little sister first, so I squatted down ‘til I was eye level with her. “You must be Anais. Mom tells me that you’re some kind of little genius.” Seriously, she actually told me my little sister could solve college-level equations without even trying. Said genius’s face changed from nervous to smug really quick another thing mom told me about Anais was that she always took some pride in her intelligence.
“Well, I don’t want to brag…” I doubt that. “... but I am a couple of grades above Darwin… they’re actually talking about moving me up to highschool.” Ok… now I’m impressed.
“Nice, think you’d be willing to help your big brother out in certain areas…?
She put a finger to her chin and made a fake-thinking face. “Hmmm, maybe… it’s gonna cost you though.” She answered with a beaming smile that gave me a ‘you’re alright’ kind of feeling from her… still extorting her big brother like this… I already love this cheeky little squirt.
“I think we can work something out.” I said patting her head a little before turning to my adopted fish-bro. “And you must be Darwin.” I said simply.
My brother stepped a little closer and held out his hand for me to shake. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you.” He said very politely… if maybe a liiiitle insincere
I looked at the hand that was offered and back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Get that away from me.” I said sternly. He looked quite shocked, I don’t think he was expecting any hostility from me… good thing I didn’t come with any. “Come here, little bro!” I grabbed his wrist and pulled him in for a bro hug, complete with my arm loose ( but not too loose) around his neck and my knuckles gently digging into his scalp.
I honesty always wanted a little brother, so imagine my surprise when I heard I had one waiting for me in Elmore.
Oh, I can tell that he and I are gonna get along just fine.
As I continued to give Darwin a noogie I turned my attention to my father, who was patiently waiting for me to acknowledge him. “Hey old man, is it just me, or did you get a little wider since the last time I saw you?” I asked jokingly… as I had ever since I was a toddler, it’s been kind of a running gag between me and dad since I could stand… if I remember right, in the upstairs room there are markings on the wall chronicling how tall I’ve gotten over the years leading to my relocation in Oregon… and how wide dad’s gotten.
I finally let go of Darwin as mom joined us practically skipping like a schoolgirl. “This is absolutely fantastic! Our family is finally complete again!” I shared with her my own excitement as the moving guys put the last box in front of the house and handed me a clipboard with a sheet of paper to fill out, you know satisfactory level, complaints, signature, things like that. I’ve spent countless hours wandering the forests of my little town in Oregon wondering how everyone I knew in Elmore was doing; from my parents to the friends I left behind… maybe I should look them up soon.
Once I finished the papers, the moving truck was practically back on the road… which meant it was about time for my aunt Chloe to say goodbye.
“Well, I think it’s time I said goodbye.”
Ha! Called it!
But I know she wishes she could stay a little longer, but she has things to do back home so she’ll have to get as many miles as she can before nightfall.
“But before I go…” She pulled out her smartphone. “...how about a quick pic, to commemorate the occasion?”
Mom was beaming at aunt Chloe’s suggestion “That sounds like a wonderful idea Chloe!” I second that. “Could you send me a copy though?” Mom asked obviously wanting to remember this day forever.
We all got into position, mom hanging on dad in the back and us kids in front, Anais sitting on my shoulder, and Darwin in another headlock, the brotherly kind.
After aunt Chloe took the picture, which came out a real keeper, I asked her if she could send me a copy too, which she, of course, obliged.
This would turn out to be one of my favorite pictures of all time… me and my family… finally back together again.
Later on, I posted the picture online after I signed up for Elmore’s exclusive social media site, Elmore+, and on the post, I added a little something that made everything feel… right,
#GoodToBeHome.
Later that day, other side of town, no one's P.O.V.
Once again the sun began to set on the city of Elmore, and its inhabitants began to settle down for the night, not knowing things were about to change for everyone in new, exciting, and terrifying ways. Especially for a certain white-haired bear girl, whose dreams of adventure would soon come true…
But anything like that would have to wait until after she had finished her nightly ritual of making her bedroom spotlessly clean.
Teri Shirone, a student and cheerleader at Elmore Junior High and well-known germaphobe, stood beaming with pride as she looked upon the results of her hard work. The room she had spent the last hour cleaning was so clean you could eat off any surface, although the thought of such an action would probably make her gag. She honestly had no idea why anyone would say something like that, as she believed it to be very, very unsanitary.
After taking one last look around to make sure she had not missed anything, she had congratulated herself on a job well done, her bookshelf containing her fantasy and adventure novels and mangas were dusted, the windows were so clean the glass looked like it wasn’t even there, the floor was devoid of any dirt or dust, and the only thing on her walls were her posters of her favorite singer, Hikaru Utada, and posters of her favorite animes.
Teri’s survey of her living quarters lead her to rest her eyes on a hardcover book that rested on her nightstand, a fantasy/romance novel with a pair of people walking towards the sunset on the cover. It was her favorite story, one she had read several times already, but she never got tired of it. The story was about a young maid who joins an adventurer in search of fame, glory, and excitement as they go on many adventures and slowly fall in love.
Ever since she was little, Teri had always had a love for adventure but never had the courage to got out and seek it… mostly because of the filth and potential diseases that were out there. Maybe… just maybe all she needed was someone to give her a little nudge, like the maid from her favorite story.
Teri caressed the cover of the book and smiled daydreamingly. “Maybe one day someone will come around to go on an adventure with me.” She wished with all her heart.
“Teri! It’s almost time for bed!” A voice she recognized as her mothers came up from the floor below her, Teri looked at the digital clock that also was on her nightstand and saw that it was almost 9 o’clock. After answering her mother, telling her she’d be down to say goodnight soon, she decided to see how her friends were doing on Elmore+.
As soon as she logged in she noticed that everyone from her class was talking about something new that had happened today and decided to join the chat to find out what was going on.
Teri: Hey guys, what’s going on?
Carmen: It’s Darwin, apparently something really big is happening at the Watterson’s place.
Teri: Really? What?
Carrie: Who knows? Darwin’s not giving us a lot of details. Said he’d tell us more later. He seemed a bit flustered tho.
Molly: I wonder if it has anything to do with that moving truck I saw earlier today?
Carmen: Moving truck? Are the Watterson’s moving away!?
Carrie: Absolutely not! Darwin would have told me otherwise!
Leslie: Well then, if no one’s moving away, then obviously someone is moving here.
Penny: Wonder who it could be?
Teri: Cool! It’d be nice to make a new friend!
Masami: I guess.
Penny: Yeah, especially since you don’t have that many, Teri! :)
Teri: -_- Not funny penny.
Carmen: Guys come on, none of that here.
Molly: GUYS CHECK IT OUT!
Carrie: what is it, Molly?
Molly; This was just posted by someone who just joined. Someone named Gumball.
Masami: Gumball? Weird name.
Penny: but familiar tho.
Carmen: what was posted?
Molly: Hang on a sec… here we go!
In the chat, Molly set a picture that was posted by Elmore+’s newest member. It was a picture of the Watterson family on their front yard with someone new… Teri enlarged the picture to get a better view and saw Mr. and Mrs. Watterson, Darwin and his little sister Anais and an older boy with blue hair who looked a lot like Mrs. Watterson.
While everyone chatted about the identity of the blue-haired newcomer, Teri decided to call it a night; she’d find out more about this Gumball person tomorrow… maybe. For now, she went downstairs and wished her mother and father a good night, made a beeline for her bed, donned her blindfold, and turned out the light. And within a few moments, she crossed the threshold to the land of dreams.
Little did she know that with the arrival of Elmore’s newest resident, her dreams of adventure and excitement would soon become reality.
A/N: Wow! First-ever TAWOG Fanfic and honestly I think this will be one of my best. And as I’m sure you’re all wondering… Kung fu Wolf will continue, I’m just trying something new, if you like it, let me know, send a like, review, and fave.
‘Till next time y’all!