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Tristan held his father's paw tightly, ensuring to never lose his firm grip; as feelings of desolation and dread soon encompassed his thoughts and subconscious.
"What did Dad find here as a child? What was so menacing that they needed to prevent from reaching our world and dimension?"
The little kitten continued to tighten and tighten his grip until he soon released his claws unintentionally piercing his father's paw.
"Ow!"
Gumball soon glanced at his paw which now had a small incision into it, before looking down to see his son cupping his two paws around his mouth in shock and concern.
"I'm so sorry Dad! I-I-I just was s-so scared and-"
Before the blue kitten could finish his apology, Gumball knelt down on one knee and hugged his son.
"It's okay little man, I completely understand. You're feeling the same way I was when I first came to the Void. I know you're scared, and though I don't appear to be I really am too...but do you know what keeps me going forward?"
Gumball asked, as Tristan let a small faint tear drip down his cheek.
"W-what Dad?"
Tristan's voice trembling as he let out the words.
"Knowing that my family is still out there, your sister, Mother, Uncle, Grandma and Grandpa...they're counting on us kiddo. We Watterson's stick together through thick and thin even though we may not always show it."
Gumball placed his two paws on his son's shoulders as he said this, as Tristan smiled.
"Well...you-you're right Dad. We always stood by one a-another last vacation, so we're not that dysfunctional of a family after all!"
Tristan stated as Gumball chuckled at his remark.
"That's my boy..."
Gumball said, as he soon heard a low rumble come from the desolate and dark street ahead.
"W-w-what was that?"
Tristan asked, soon moving to clutch onto his father's arm, as Gumball shielded him in a protective stance.
Once again a low roar was heard emanating down the street and reverberating towards their end.
"Follow me little man, I have a feeling that we're going to need to hide from whatever that was."
Gumball stated, soon ushering Tristan to a nearby dumpster in an alley adjacent to where they were standing.
The two blue felines crouched as a monstrous pair of footsteps were soon approaching their position.
*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*
Tristan soon let out a small whimper, before rushing to his father's arms.
"Shhhhh, it's okay little man; we just need to stay quiet until whatever this creature is passes..."
Gumball kept his head on a swivel to assess his surroundings before the creature's foot could be seen, slowly scraping along the asphalt of the main street.
Tristan soon let out another faint cry before Gumball gently placed his paw over his son's mouth to suppress any noise that should come out.
Tristan squeezed his father tighter for comfort, as the creature soon moved itself into full view of Gumball's vision of the alleyway leading into the street.
"Wait...what? He's here too?!"
Gumball stated in confusion, as his eyes widened at the sight of one of the darkest creations of his childhood past: Kenneth.
Unfortunately for Gumball and Tristan, Kenneth heard the not so subtle exclamation of shock come from Gumball at seeing it, and soon shifted his gaze toward the long alleyway where it saw the two felines hiding behind overturned municipal dumpster.
Kenneth released a loud shriek as it narrowed its sights and began approaching the two blue cats.
Without a moment's hesitation, Gumball scooped up Tristan in his arms and began running.
"Time to get out of dodge kiddo, hang on!"
Gumball began sprinting down the dimly lit alleyway, utilizing his feline agility and speed he had derived from his mother Nicole.
Gumball dodged projectiles being thrown by the large creature, as it still recognized the creator that destroyed and brought him back all those years ago as a kid.
For what had seemed like an eternity long chase, Gumball quickly spotted an open door to a disfigured store front and quickly increased his speed to make some distance between him and Kenneth.
"We're going to head in to that shop Tristan, hang on!"
Gumball picked up speed as he made clear of the entrance and closed the door behind him, placing Tristan down gently on the store floor.
"Quick! Help me get some items in front of this door! If we slow down Kenneth long enough, he should lose interest in us and move on!"
Tristan put on a confused expression as his father said this.
"Kenneth? Wait, this creature has a name?!"
Tristan asked, as Gumball continued to move furniture and other heavy items in front of the entrance before momentarily turning back to his son.
"It's a long story that I'll tell you about, as soon as we can get ourselves out of this mess okay?!"
Tristan nodded, as he helped his father place whatever they could find to create a blockade in front of the door.
They soon were startled by a loud pounding on the opposite side of the door, each push more violent than the last.
Thankfully, just as Gumball had stated before, the pounding against the door soon dissipated; as Kenneth's footsteps began to move away towards the opposite of the alley where it had chased the two felines.
Both felines breathed a sigh of relief, as Tristan quickly moved over to give his father another hug.
"We did it Dad! We did it!"
Tristan said with excitement, as Gumball ruffled the top of his head and then wrapped his arms around his son.
"We sure did little man, I'm so proud of how you kept calm throughout all of that...I'm so proud of you."
Both felines shared a moment of silence and peace together before they heard a faint noise in the upstairs portion of the shop.
Tristan turned to his father Gumball, who now gestured with his claw to his mouth to be quiet.
Both felines moved slowly up the staircase in the middle of the shop.
Gumball soon took point, with Tristan following close behind his Dad.
Gumball soon reached the top, before he quickly had to react to a baseball bat being swung at him from his right side as he held onto the bat.
Soon, a female voice was heard.
"Gummypuss? Tristan?"
Gumball soon let go of the bat as he turned to see his mother Nicole let go of her grasp of the bat as well.
"Mom?"
Before Gumball could react, his mother soon embraced him in a hug, with Tristan soon joining in, the 3 blue cats sharing a moment of being reunited.
"I was so worried that I lost you boys and was back here in this dreaded place alone...I heard voices coming from this shop, and some loud roaring; I climbed through the fire escape window and then I heard some commotion downstairs...and that's what led to the baseball bat being swung your way...sorry about that..."
Nicole said in a guilty tone, as Gumball chuckled and smiled.
"It's okay Mom, we're in the void so everything is rather unknown at the moment. At least you found a weapon to protect yourself...Tristan and I have been fleeing for the most part."
Nicole chuckled as Gumball said this, before reaching to place her paw on his shoulder.
"Well the important thing is that we found each other, now we just need to find the rest of our family and get out of this place!"
All three of them nodded.
"Shouldn't we rest first though? I'm...a little exhausted from all of the walking we did...not to mention being chased by one of Dad's past creations..."
Nicole soon perked her ears from hearing this, and turned to her son Gumball with concern and worry.
"Creations? What is Tristan talking about Gumball?"
Gumball soon scratched the back of his head with nervousness, as he glanced sporadically from his mother's eyes and back to the shop floor.
"We...ran into Kenneth again..."
Nicole crossed her arms as she heard that, before placing one of her paws against her cheek.
"That disgusting monstrosity was a handful for sure...as if being stuck in the Void wasn't bad enough...how did you even create that thing anyway?"
Gumball chuckled nervously, as he began to speak.
"A whole lot of disgusting ingredients mixing together with just the right amount of radiation from our old microwave..."
Nicole sighed and smiled.
"And THAT is why I wanted to get a new microwave from "Win or don't win" when we were fighting over who would have the T.V remote! It obviously had health and safety violations in at least 50 countries!"
Nicole and Gumball chuckled as they recollected the past memory.
"Perhaps you and I could fix some dinner for the three of us from what's inside this store! I'm sure with it being a general goods store there'll be some food!"
Nicole said to her son, as Tristan's eyes lit up from hearing his grandmother say this.
"Grandma Nicole can I help too?!"
Nicole smiled and knelt down to gently grab and tug the blue kitten's cheek.
"Of course you can sweetie, I'm sure we'll find what we need with your help!"
Nicole said, as Tristan smiled with excitement.
"Alright, we'll stay in close proximity to each other within the store since we don't know what could be lurking here in the Void, so everyone keep your eyes and ears alert at all times."
Gumball and Tristan nodded, with all three moving together towards the staircase to the lower floor of the general store.
"Alright little man, stay close to me and Grandma Nicole and you'll be okay, let's go see if we can scavenge for something to eat for dinner!"
The three felines soon searched high and low for a few minutes, each bringing an item back to have for dinner. Nicole brought some baked beans in maple sauce that was encased in a preservative can ensuring its freshness, with Gumball bringing a loaf of bread; and Tristan 2 cans of hot dogs.
"Alrighty then, dinner should be ready in just a few minutes boys! I saw a stove upstairs in one of the break rooms, I'll let you know when it's ready!"
Nicole quickly ventured back up the staircase, as Tristan tugged on his father's arm gently.
"Hey Dad! You want to explore the store a little before we have dinner?"
Gumball smiled at the blue kitten's enthusiasm and innocence in the tone of his voice.
"Of course we can little man, who knows? Perhaps we can find something cool while we're here too that we can bring back home as a souvenir! It's not often you bring something back from the Void every day is it?"
Both cats chuckled, as Tristan soon spotted something in one of the aisles of the store. He quickly went over to what appeared to be a glowing book in the corner of his eye.
Gumball was soon to accompany the blue kitten as Tristan slowly opened the book.
Gumball was quickly taken aback by the flashing light, before his mind was flooded with memories of his past and childhood. The adventures with Darwin and Anais, the memories spent with his parents Nicole and Richard, his first kiss with Penny, their college years, their wedding...everything flashed in front of him when Tristan opened the book.
Gumball quickly stumbled to the floor, as he was overcome and overwhelmed with the erratic and abrupt experience, quickly grasping his head with his two paws, his claws almost digging in from the stress.
Tristan quickly came to his father's aid, as he gently shook his shoulders.
"Dad? Dad?! Are you okay?!"
Tristan said with deep concern and worry, as Gumball slowly regained his vision and consciousness of his surroundings.
"Y-yeah...I'm fine...just had my whole life flash before me kiddo...literally."
Tristan soon perked his ears up from hearing this remark from his father.
"W-w-what do you mean Dad? How is that possible?"
Tristan asked with curiosity, his concern soon disappearing as his father regained his composure.
"When you opened the book...a flood of memories accompanied the flash, everything that ever happened in my life right up until now just appeared right in front of me..."
Suddenly behind the two felines, another small flashed soon appeared with a small piece of paper bearing a message.
Tristan soon went over to pick up the piece of paper which had a small note on the front which read: "Please give this to your father, Gumball, Tristan - Rob"
Tristan quickly rushed over to his father who was now standing, and quickly gave him the piece of folded paper.
"What's this?"
"It's a note from Rob Dad! I think he's communicating and helping us from Little Elmore!"
Tristan stated, as he gave his father the note.
Gumball quickly unfolded the letter, and inspected the contents of it:
"Gumball, I'm glad to know that you and the rest of your family are okay. I can see that already you all have formed groups with each other, though you are still spread sporadically across the vast expanse of the Void. I'll do everything in my power on my end to keep you guys safe and will send items from our world to the Void to aid you in your journey back; as well as ending the infamous legacy of the place you all find yourselves in now. You should have experienced what is called a "Memory Cascade", which is basically a recollection of memories that has been conducted by the magic that we use here back in Little Elmore. These past memories are the key to defeating the Void, as YOU and your family are the link that is keeping the Void in tact. If we can sever that link...then we defeat the Void. Please Gumball, I implore you, find these memories and reunite your lost loved ones...we're counting on you."
-Rob
Gumball finished reading the letter to its entirety, the urgency of the situation and the crisis dawning upon him.
Tristan soon glanced over to his father with a concerned expression.
"Dad? What does the letter say?"
Gumball soon met with his son's gaze as he looked down, Tristan's eyes were fixated on his father's expression.
"I'll explain over dinner okay? I'm sure your grandmother would like to know as well."
Suddenly Nicole's voice soon could be heard at the top of the store steps, making sure she didn't speak too loud to attract any attention from outside the store.
"Boys, supper is ready!"
Gumball and Tristan's ears perked up as they heard this, as Gumball looked at Tristan with a warm smile.
"Come on little man, I'm sure you're starving just about as much as I am after the day we've had."
As Tristan got up his stomach started to rumble.
"Yeah...I'd say all that running has really caused me to work up an appetite."
Gumball soon followed suit and got up before his stomach started rumbling.
"Make that two of us kiddo, heh heh."
The two felines soon made their way towards the upstairs portion of the store to join Nicole for dinner.
Gumball was able to tell both Nicole and Tristan just what the note entailed over dinner, as all three sat in silence afterwards, before Nicole once again spoke up.
"At least we have a way out of here at least! We just have to reunite our family and capture those memories scattered across the Void!"
Nicole said with a bit of optimism in her tone.
"It is definitely nice to know just how we're going to get out of here Mom, but the tricky part is executing the plan itself."
Gumball stated, as Nicole placed a paw on his shoulder.
"If there's anyone who knows this place better than all of us Gumball, it's you. You've defeated this place before and I KNOW you'll do it again, this time you have a family behind you to help...and we Watterson's never walk away from a fight."
Nicole said with stoicism and affirmation, as Gumball slowly started to smile.
"Thanks Mom"
"Always Gummypuss...always."
Gumball soon looked down at the finished plates.
"Well at least we won't have to worry about dishes in this place I guess huh?"
This caused all three cats to laugh as Gumball made this remark, leaving all three to break the silence of the Void around them.
Nicole had Tristan on her lap as she read a bedtime story to him in one of the chairs they found inside the general store.
Tristan, who was covered in a blanket alongside his grandmother, soon began to drift off into a deep sleep to the soothing voice of Nicole.
Gumball sat adjacent to them in a recliner reading a comic book he had found in one of the book aisles of the store.
He glanced up from his comic and noticed that his mother was quickly dozing off to sleep as well, with each passing word in the book causing her to sound more exhausted than the last.
Gumball dawned a gentle and warm smile at the sight. His mother, who had basically kept together the Watterson family in his childhood years, was now a proud grandparent to his grandson, and three other grandchildren to her name.
Gumball pondered long and hard about what he would face with these memories in the Void. Would they encounter good memories? Bad? He didn't really know, but he knew he had to face every last one if he wanted to get his family out of the desolate Void.
He got up from his recliner quietly and quickly gave a gentle kiss to Tristan and his mother on their foreheads, before readjusting the blanket to cover them more to keep warm.
Then he noticed it, both of them were purring in their sleep, as Nicole had placed her arm over Tristan in a protective manner.
Gumball smiled at this.
Despite the hardship they had gone through, this is what it was all for...family.
They were not the most prominent or wealthy family back home in Elmore, but they were known as being inseparable.
Not too long ago they were loathed and scorned by the town...now they were the family everyone was looking to for the sake of the world and future generations from being swallowed by an entity that rarely sends back for whatever unfortunate traveler should stumble across it.
Gumball turned to turn off the lampshade by the table next to them as he retreated back to his recliner chair.
He sat down and covered himself in his own blanket, spending a few minutes awake to ensure that they were well and truly safe for the night...or by the count of his watch it was night, the Void really didn't have a day and night cycle like in their old world...just endless dark static.
When the coast was well and truly clear, Gumball dozed off to sleep, joining the chorus of his mother and son purring; as all three felines were dreaming of home...and if they would ever see it again.
*END OF CHAPTER*