Chapter 1
Flashback, four years ago
It was the night of Gumball's thirteenth birthday. He had been playing Dodge or Dare with Darwin and Anais up in their room. The two had fallen asleep. A few minutes later, Gumball heard the voices of his parents. He quietly crept down the stairs and heard them talking. "We can't keep doing this, Richard!" Nicole whispered harshly to her husband. "We don't have enough money to support three kids," Gumball internally gasped. He knew that his family had financial troubles but he didn't know that it had gotten this bad. He went to his room and got his backpack. He put a couple dollars he had into his wallet and packed some extra sweaters. He gave Anais a kiss on the forehead and left Darwin a note explaining the situation. He opened the window and climbed out. He slid off the roof and took off down the street, most likely never to be seen again in Elmore.
Present day
Gumball thoroughly remembered that day. He remembered it pretty well. He was now 17. He sped down the highway to Elmore on his Ducati motorcycle. He was finally returning home after four years. He hadn't been expecting to return home so soon. But times were getting tough for him so he had no choice. He then saw the sign that said 'WELCOME TO ELMORE!' He smiled sadly and stopped his cycle on the side of the road. He took a deep breath and stared at the sign. He was extremely nervous. He first decided to stop at the gas station to get some food. He started his bike back up again and raced past the sign.
Gumball parked at the gas station and walked inside. He grabbed some beef jerky and a soda. He took out his credit card and got into line. When he reached the front of the line he saw an older Larry working at the counter. He chuckled to himself remembering how Larry worked everywhere. "How can I help you?" Larry asked him. "Just these two things please," Gumball told him. He handed Larry his credit card. "Okay," Larry swiped his card and saw the name. He gasped. Gumball rolled his eyes. "G-Gumball Watterson!?" Larry asked in shock. "Try to keep up, Larry," Gumball said as he took his card back and walked out.
As Gumball pulled into his old street he started to shake in nervousness. Would his family recognize him? He did look different. He had grown his hair out so it went down to the nape of his neck. He had also gained a lot of muscle and was taller. He wore a red T-Shirt with loose dark blue jeans and Hi-Top sneakers. But in the end he was still the same Gumball from four years ago. He then saw it. His old house. It looked pretty good. He took a deep breath, butterflies in his stomach. He parked and stepped off of his motorcycle. He pulled off his helmet and walked up to the door. He rang the bell. An orange fish answered the door. He took a moment to register the man standing in front of him. Gumball though, immediately recognized Darwin. "Hey bud," Gumball said. "Who are you?" Darwin asked. Gumball smiled sadly. "I think I owe you a new game of Dodge or Dare," He said. Darwin looked up at him in shock. "Gumball?" he asked. "Glad to see you finally recognized me, bro." Darwin jumped on Gumball and hugged him tightly, tears flowing out of his eyes. "What is going on here?" Gumball heard a little girl's voice. He pushed Darwin off of him and walked into the house. He then saw a nine year old Anais staring at them. "Hey, sis," Gumball said. Anais gasped. She slowly walked up to him and touched his hand. "You're really here." She whispered. "Mom!" Anais yelled. Nicole stepped out of the kitchen and took a look at the situation. She saw the young man in the living room and immediately recognized him. "Hey mom," Gumball said. Nicole called her husband in and he immediately dropped the sausage he was holding. They rushed over to their son while Darwin and Anais also rushed over to him. They all suffocated him in a family group hug. Tears finally made their way to Gumball's eyes and they flowed. Everyone started to cry. And they just stood there in a family embrace.