So with Emerald's little fleet dealt with, it's time for some lighter fare once again...Except for White Diamond.
It was a quick process to bring back the population of Beach City, given that the entire town consisted of maybe one hundred people. Instead of the riotous frenzy that almost broke out when they were asked to leave, many of the citizens were grateful for the protection of the Crystal Gems. Several people even made the effort to personally thank the group for their hard work! Sadie dropped by with a box of Steven's favorite donuts, the entire Pizza family made a trip to share their appreciation, and even Onion gave Steven a solid thumbs-up before going off to undoubtedly do something illegal.
One person that was less than pleased, however, was Connie. She made this abundantly clear after the first one-on-one sword lesson she'd had with Pearl in weeks.
"Thanks again for being so understanding," thanked the slender sensei as they warped into the temple, "I know with all Steven's been through I haven't had much time for you but-"
"Hey, it's okay! Big battles, new team members, crazy stuff, I'm used to it! By the way, do you know where Steven is?"
"He was out on a run, but he should be back any minute now. See you next week?"
"Sure thing! Bye, Pearl!"
And sure enough, the man of the hour returned with a light coat of sweat on him.
"Oh, hey Connie!" he greeted as he drank some water, "Haven't seen you in a while, what's going on?"
"Oh, you know, just finished a lesson with Pearl since she had some free time…"
"Yeah, she's been really focusing on me. Sorry if that meant she had to ignore you."
"It's alright, you need it more than me. While I'm here, though, can I ask you something?"
"Sure!"
"Remember when I almost moved out of Beach City and you stopped me?"
"Uh huh!"
"Do you remember why I got so upset?"
"It was because I went to Homeworld and…left you…behind…"
"Yeeeahhhh…" She crossed her arms and stared at him as he put the pieces together.
"You're really mad at me."
"Yep."
"Are you gonna slap me again?" He winced at the thought.
"No, because I do understand that you've been in life-or-death situations and you had no control over them."
"Soooo…what do you want?"
"What I want is for you to include me, Steven! You got kidnapped by rogue gems! You had an entire battle with Homeworld! You even had one of the Diamonds try blowing you up with spaceships and never once did you think to tell me about it!"
"Well…I just don't want you to get hurt and-"
"On the first day we met, we fought a giant worm monster! We fought a bunch of those freaky gem mutants at the hospital! We fought Jasper, for crying out loud! I've been involved in gem stuff before, so why won't you let me help!"
"Now hold it," interjected Garnet, having observed their entire conversation, "Connie, it's not that Steven doesn't trust you. He cares for you to the point where he doesn't want you put in danger."
"That's right, Connie! I know you can fight, you're really great at it, but I still don't want you throwing yourself into fights just because you want to fight. Okay?"
"Okay…" she took in several deep breaths to steady her thoughts before speaking again.
"So if I can prove to you that I can handle myself, then will you feel more comfortable letting me help?"
"Yeah, that would help!"
"Cool! Then let's fight!"
"What?!" gasped Steven, unsure if he heard her right.
"You and me. I haven't seen all of your training either, so I want to know you're a capable fighter too, plus you get to see how far I've come!"
"Actually, that's not a bad idea…" mused Garnet.
"What?! You're serious?" asked Steven, bewildered by her decision.
"Steven, you've fought the other gems so often that it's getting to be less effective. Connie can provide a fresh challenge for you."
"Well maybe…but-"
"Pearl will be watching over you the entire time. You know she'll intervene long before something goes wrong."
"You're right. Connie, are you sure about this?"
"Yes! I want to show you that I'm not some defenseless kid! I can be a Crystal Gem too, even if I'm a human!"
"Then it's settled," finished Garnet, "I'll let Pearl know while you two get ready."
Word of Steven and Connie's sparring match quickly spread through the temple until every Crystal Gem decided to drop what they were doing and watch. This also gave Connie a chance to meet all the new arrivals. Bismuth was pleased to meet the latest wielder of her magnum opus, Cinnabar and Rutile were as excitable as ever to meet a new face, Topaz and Rhodonite was nervous, but welcoming nonetheless and Padparadscha and Fluorite were pleasant with their greetings per the norm. The only newcomer that rubbed her the wrong way was Adamite, who made it clear she was highly skeptical that a human, and one still developing at that, could be as useful as she claimed.
The stony gem's doubts only strengthened Connie's resolve, making her determination to prove her skills even stronger. Pearl agreed to have the match at the former site of the barn, since they wanted to ensure there was enough space for the two to move freely. Connie also appreciated the change of scenery since she felt it was necessary for her to learn how to use the battlefield to her advantage.
Steven, meanwhile, was standing perfectly still and resisting the urge to wet his pants.
The boy had sparred with Connie in the past, but that was long before his basic physical abilities had started to eclipse normal human standards. He knew he could cut loose with the Crystal Gems since they were hardened warriors who could just reform if anything too damaging happened. That was not a luxury he had with Connie. One false move could mean seriously hurting his best friend.
"Steven, you should loosen up," advised Pearl, "Connie's going through her warm-ups so why aren't you?"
"I, uh, well…"
"I understand your doubts, Steven, but you need to give Connie some credit. The girl isn't what I'd call a greenhorn, so you shouldn't worry about her being banged up. Alright?"
"Okay, Pearl."
With her mission accomplished, the svelte moderator walked until she was directly between the two. She beckoned them both forward so the spar could begin.
"Now, while I'm sure you're both aware this is not a real battle, you should also know that you must give your best effort. To hold back your abilities too much is a disservice to yourself and your opposite since this exercise is to not only gauge your own abilities, but to become more familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses."
As Pearl continued about the importance of cohesion and battle tactics and whatnot, the newer arrivals were shocked by her knowledge in this field. Many had heard whispers of the rogue pearl who defied her master and became one of the most notorious rebels. Some were impressed with her tenacity, others now knew to never get on Pearl's bad side. Cinnabar took special note to be more careful with her fireball juggling lest she face the white gem's wrath.
"Are you both ready?"
Steven summoned his shield. Connie raised her wooden sword. Both of them were poised to strike.
"Begin!"
Connie made the first move and charged forward. She made swing and swing, but all of them were blocked by Steven's shield. Even when she tried to move around his defense, the boy followed her movements perfectly.
"Wow, look at her go!" admired both halves of Rutile as they watched Connie's impressive offense.
"He's pretty tough too, trust me," warned Bismuth as Steven parried every strike.
Eventually the two broke up with Connie looking to catch her breath. Steven had not even broken a sweat.
"Man…You really have been getting better…" admitted the sword-wielding girl as she regained her stamina.
"Yeah, I hope it's not too much for you," apologized Steven.
"Really?! You're still holding back?! Pearl just said not to!"
"But I-"
"Steven, trust me, I can handle it. Don't restrain yourself!"
"O-Okay…"
Now Steven made the first move, charging at her with speed that clashed with his portly physique. He summoned his spear as he ran and quickly began swiping at her feet and landing several blows while she blocked with all her effort. Eventually Connie got the same idea and managed to trip him up, but the boy simply leaped several feet into the air.
As he came back down, he summoned his gauntlets and leapt into action once again. When Connie managed to block one punch, her entire body rattled from the impact. After that she focused solely on dodging, growing genuinely worried when his hits came so close that she could feel the force radiating off of them.
"That human girl is hopelessly outmatched," droned Adamite, "How can she possibly see herself as remotely ready for combat?"
"Connie may not be the strongest, but she's brave and smart! Don't look down on her," admonished Lapis.
As the duel went on, Steven went to his bare hands. Even without his huge gauntlets, his hits still packed a wallop. The fighting friends dodged and weaved with startling accuracy although it was clear Connie was much closer to exhaustion. She could not tell if it was the lack of practice with a partner or the realization of just how much Steven had improved, but she was quickly getting overwhelmed.
Once again the two broke off from each other and spent several seconds getting reoriented. When they charged at each other, both of them looked as determined as could be. The audience could tell that this would be the final clash.
Connie let Steven take the offensive and blocked every attack by his spear with her blade. She knew now that he was definitely her superior in terms of physical strength and versatility, but she her own advantage. When Steven tried to jab her midsection with the butt of his weapon, she instead danced around it and landed a blow to his torso.
This caught the half-gem off-guard and left him open for her to strike him again. Now Steven was on the defensive as Connie flew from one blow to the next, landing hit after hit as he struggled to even follow her movements let alone react in time.
"Man, she doesn't quit," admired Bismuth, "She really must be Pearl's student."
"A considerable effort given her physiology," remarked Peridot, "Given that she can't overpower Steven, she opted to rely on agility and deception to gain the upper-hand. It explains how she managed to cut off my Internet access…"
"How'd that happen?" asked Topaz.
"It involved Pumpkin needing a bath, hedge-trimmers, my old tractor, and several rutabagas. Don't bring it up around her."
Meanwhile, the duel was winding down as Steven and Connie were reaching their limits. The continued strain of their back-and-forth was showing as each of them got more and more sluggish. The two were finally equals as Steven's enhanced power met Connie's superior strategy blow for blow, neither of them landing a hit on each other. The former, however, landed the final strike when he pulled out his whip.
Connie readied herself, planning to get in close to deprive the range advantage of his weapon, but was surprised when he instead wrapped the whip around her hand holding the sword. With one hard jerk, Connie was disarmed and quickly trapped as Steven moved on top of her and pinned her down.
"So…" gasped Connie as she got her breath under control, "You…Got me…Nice going…"
"You…Were pretty good…too," complimented Steven as exhaustion came over him, "I…was wrong…You can really fight…"
"Thanks, but…I'm still sorry…"
"About…What?"
"All that complaining…But you were right…I'm not up to your level yet…I need to work harder…"
"Yeah, but you're still…Really good…I'm sorry I thought…You were in trouble…"
"Well, I most certainly agree you both have come a long way!" interceded Pearl. She handed the two water bottles while the rest of the audience applauded, thoroughly impressed with their efforts.
"Now then, I do agree that you both need more fine-tuning to your abilities. Connie could use more physical conditioning to increase her dexterity and stamina and Steven can shift his training to give more finesse and strategy. This is exactly what I wanted you both to get out of this exercise!"
"Thanks," they both replied as the laid down in the grass and let their bodies recharge. Tuckered out as they were, the best buds smiled know that not only could they hold their own but they would always a capable friend behind them.
"Now, with all that work done for today, relax until tomorrow so we can begin your cross-training in earnest."
"So…that's your report?" asked White Diamond, all but drilling into the pitiful-looking gem beneath her with her gaze.
"Y-Y-Yes, White Diamond…" stuttered Emerald, her usual pomposity gone, "T-The mission was a-a-a total failure."
"And according to this, all three of the destroyers under your command were obliterated…by a single defective quartz soldier who somehow possessed impossible agility and a single peridot who sabotaged the ship right next to you."
Emerald could only nod. She was just waiting for the moment the grand matriarch sentenced her to shattering.
"…You are dismissed. Report to Yellow Diamond so she may give her jurisdiction."
The one-eyed captain could not believe it, but hastily put herself together.
"Understood, White Diamond!"
"Oh, but before you leave…"
As the green gem turned around, White shot a searing beam of energy from her eyes straight at her. Instead of inserting her influence into her, however, it was purely designed to cause immense pain. Emerald screamed and cried as her entire form was wracked with agony, so much so that she almost wished for that order to be shattered. She had no idea how long her torture went on for, but the diamond eventually decided she had enough.
"That is for personally humiliating me with your failure," she spoke serenely, "And I will personally ensure you will feel far worse if you make such a blunder again. Am I understood?"
Emerald could only nod, still trembling from her torment. White Pearl grimaced in disgust as she left despite being a fraction of the captain's size.
"My Diamond, do you have any retaliation for the Rose Quartz in mind?"
"I will need time to contemplate on that, Pearl. While I do that, report to Yellow and Blue about the…failure of this operation."
"At once, My Diamond." With that, the uncanny pearl left the chamber and White was left alone with her thoughts. She felt immense rage and scorn at being rebuked by a group of disorderly rebels, but she quelled her emotion so her immaculate logic could work its magic.
"We lost three destiny destroyers, sixteen star screamers, and over one-hundred gems in this debacle, but that is insignificant in the grand scheme of my domain. What confuses me is how?"
If it were not for lack of evidence to the contrary, she would not have believed Emerald's report about the situation.
"A rouge peridot rerouted all the power from the main blasters to the engines so they would explode upon ignition, so at least the destruction of her fleet is understandable…But that quartz…"
That was what stuck out to the matriarch the most. A rogue quartz, a defective quartz at that, somehow spontaneously gained the ability that enabled her to run at sonic speeds? She had hundreds of words to describe imperfect gems and while they were certainly horrific and needing to be eradicated, never had one become such a threat.
"Then again, Rose Quartz herself is the greatest defect of all. That insubordinate, despicable, blasphemous, horrendous, pernicious abomination is the antithesis to my vision for this universe! And she did all of this for some unremarkable planet, making her even more baffling!"
Amidst the searing hatred that stewed in her mind, an idea came.
"That planet…Earth. Could that be the answer? A planet with properties that could actively modify and mutate gems into something different? That is a terrifying thought…This demands immediate investigation."
White wondered how she could gain information about the world without launching another full-scale attack, until she recalled a successful deception they pulled over the rebels some time ago. It had seemed truly inconsequential at first, nothing more than depriving their numbers and a possible ransom situation that could utilized later, but now it piqued her interest for a different reason.
She brought up the information about the bizarre gems kept in bubbles within Rose's headquarters and was pleased to see they had only been held in captivity instead of shattered on sight. She grinned as she realized these corrupted gems could be the key to gaining insight about the rebellion and bring her one step closer to finally eliminating her greatest enemy.
And, like the show this is based on, something trivial comes back into the story! What will become of the corrupted gems and White Diamond? Find out next time!
Thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!