Here it is, the chapter we've been waiting for, based on my absolute favorite Lapis episode from season three. How will Lapis react to Ash's confession? How well has Brock adapted to life in Beach City? What happens when Jasper gets involved? And why is Ash even in the Gem's world in the first place? These questions will all be answered in my possibly favorite new chapter to our tale. *I DON'T OWN POKEMON OR STEVEN UNIVERSE*
Ash and Brock walked down the pier towards Brock's new job at Fishtew Pizza.
"Morning Fishtews" they told the pizza owner as they entered the business.
"Morning Ash, Brock" Jenny greeted her friend and new coworker, "my dad's in the kitchen waiting for you Brock."
"Thanks Jenny. Well Ash, this is your big day," he said slapping his friend on the back "best of luck, i know she's gonna say yes"
"Ooo Ash, you got a girl now?" Jenny asked with interest "who is she?"
"Uh yah," he said with a large blush appearing on his head "it's that girl i told you about when we were all at the cornfield, i'm confessing my feelings to her this afternoon on a yacht."
"Aw that's so sweet, best of luck to yah"
"Thanks, enjoy your first day on the job Brock" he said leaving. He made his way to Steven's house to get Greg and Steven to begin "Operation Waterworks" as Steven called it. "My dad's already down at the docks, shall we go get your princess my prince charming?" Steven teased. They returned to the barn to see Lapis still sleeping on her pile of hay
"Lapis" Ash whispered while gently nudging her "wake up, we've got a surprise for you"
"What?" she asked dreamily, which only made her sound even cuter to Ash.
"Come with us, and cover your eyes" Steven said helping her up. He lead them down to the docks while Ash walked side-by-side with her. All the while, she covered her eyes with her wings , but she could still see through them.
"I'm starting to guess the surprise guys"
"Hey we told you to cover your eyes" Ash playfully told her
Lapis laughed "sorry" she said closing her eyes under her wings
"SURPRISE!" the three men shouted giving Lapis her notification to open her eyes
"We bought a boat!" Steven exclaimed
"Correction, we rented a boat. I may be rich, but buying a boat would be going a bit overboard" Greg explained
"Ayyyy" Steven acknowledged his father's pun
"Just a joke i picked up from some sailors, they have a surprisingly clean sense of humor"
"Guys who is this?"
"Oh that's right, we've never met, i'm Steven's father and Ash's employer Greg Universe,"
He said as he extended his hand to her "you broke my leg while trying to use the ocean trying to get back to your Homeworld"
"Lapis Lazuli, nice to meet you" there was an awkward pause as she didn't shake his hand not understanding the custom.
"I'll get the boat ready" Greg left to start up the ship.
"It was Ash's idea, what do you think?"
"It's nice, thank you Ash, but I just don't know"
"Lapis," Ash responded "I know you spent an awful amount of time fused with "she who must not be named" at the bottom of the ocean. But you're not Malachite anymore, and water is an important part of you, and i'll be damned if the most important part of my friend is taken away by one bad experience."
"It was more than one"
"Come on Lapis!" Steven argued "just give it a chance, we promise that this'll be the most fun you've ever had! In fact, I'm sure this trip will change your entire life!"
"Guys i don't deserve this"
"Of course you do!" Ash exclaimed "Lapis, you're one of the most important people in my life, you're special to me Lapis, I care about your well being" he told her taking her hand, he wanted to tell her right there, but then it would completely ruin the plan, he had to wait till the perfect moment "I care about you"
"Besides, we even named the boat "Li'l Lappy" Steven added showing a banner on the side of the ship, which promptly fell off to reveal the true name of the ship to be "S. S. Misery"
Lapis gave an adorable snort chuckle "ok, I'll give it a chance, but just one" she took the boys by their arms and boarded the ship.
"You kids ready to set sail?"
"Aye-eye Captain!"
"Then full speed ahead!" Greg commanded as he started up the boat. A smashing noise came behind them and the boat jolted forward, they all looked behind them to see that Greg had forgotten to untie the ship and a chunk of the dock went with them. "Aw geez, I knew I was forgetting something"
After Greg wrote a check to pay for the damage, they eventually did head out to sea. "Well I did a number on that dock, I think someone else should take a shot at being captain, wouldn't you think Captain Lazuli?" He asked offering the captain's hat to her
"I shouldn't"
"Go for it Lapis"
"DONT PUT ME IN CHARGE!" She demanded before she realized how bad that sounded "I mean, y-you shouldn't put me in charge of the boat"
"It's alright Lapis" Ash reassured her.
"You can still wear the hat if you want" Greg offered
"Thanks, but i'm not putting that on my body"
"Alrighty then, let's set a course for fun!"
As the day went on, Greg manned the boat while Ash, Steven and Lapis participated in different activities, Ash was planning to confess while the sun was setting with an ocean view, so they had some time to kill. However, Lapis didn't seem to be enjoying herself sunbathing, but Ash had an idea, he lead Lapis to the bridge and instructed her to blow the horn, with one mighty pull the ship echoed loudly. A smile finally appeared on her face as she pulled again, then again over and over, Lapis laughing louder and louder with each tug. Greg retreated to the starboard side of the ship to escape the deafening roar. Eventually she got tired after the maybe twentieth pull and they rejoined their captain.
"Hey you three, finally get enough of that horn?"
"WHAT?" Steven asked with his hearing temporarily gone
"What are you doing?" Lapis asked
"Catching fish" Greg explained throwing his line into the water
"Oh i can help" she said, taking a step back, she raised her arms, and the water surrounding Greg's hook rose with them, creating a beautiful aquarium aesthetic.
"That's a uh, fancy way of catching fish" Greg nervously said
"That's cause Lapis is super strong!" Steven complimented his friend
"It is pretty awesome" Ash added
"Well, i uh, appreciate the gesture Lapis, but i think i'd be safer to stick to the old fashioned way of fishing"
"Oh, sure" she said disappointed as she dropped the massive waterball causing the whole ship to shake
"So, how do you fish the old fashioned way?" she asked with interest
"Oh it's pretty simple, you start with a rod with a hook on the end of your line, and then when you feel a nibble, you reel it in"
"But, why would a fish ever bite a hook?"
"You've got to bait it with something the fish wants, like a worm or a twenty dollar bill" he tossed his line into the water "see, fishing!" he said with excitement. After nearly twenty minutes, Steven dragged Ash to the bow of the ship
"It's almost one o'clock, when are you gonna tell her?"
"Sunset, this whole teaching her how to fish thing is really just Greg stalling for time" Ash explained "don't worry bud, "Operation Waterworks" is still a go"
"Woah i've got a big one!" they heard Greg shout, they ran over to see Lapis struggling to reel in the fish attached to the line "you've got it Lapis, it looks like a big one!" suddenly the line jerked forward taking Lapis nearly overboard
"Lapis!" Ash screamed grabbing her by the waist
"Ash!" Steven said grabbing Ash's leg
"Steven!" shouted Greg who grabbed his son, trying desperately to pull the three back on the boat. Ash could feel just how big whatever on the other end of the line was as it continued to drag them to the railing. Lapis persisted, and soon a large shadow appeared under the surface. Then the pole itself snapped from the pressure, sending all four of them backward, the shadow vanished beneath the waves. Lapis rushed to the rail and watched whatever it was dissapear.
"Well, that's my quota for adventure for the day" Greg said "if you kids need me just holler to the controls" Greg retreated to the control room as the boys looked over to Lapis, to see she was gone. They found her sitting on a chair on the bow of the boat
"So fishing was a bust," Steven went on, hoping to continue stalling until it was sunset "ut i've got an even better idea. Shuffleboarding! What do ya say?"
Before Lapis could answer, the boat once again violently shook
"Steven do you have a minute!?" his father asked from the control room
"Sure" he said as he went to the control room. There was a brief minute or two of silence between sh and Lapis before he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry you're not having fun on this trip i made you go on"
"It's ok Ash, hey can i ask you something?"
"Anything"
"Why do you care so much about me?"
"No," he thought to himself "she's treading into dangerous waters here, it's too early" the sky was darkening and the ocean breeze had become stronger "because you're my friend Lapis"
"No, that's not it" she told him "ever since i moved in with you, Peridot and Rock"
"His name's Brock"
"I don't care, ever since we've been living together, you've been treating me weird, you constantly ask about me everyday, you look at me like i'm on fire or something, and just act crazy when we're alone together" she scolded him angrily "why do you care so much about me!?"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU LAPIS!" he found himself involuntarily saying. Lapis looked at him with disbelief as Ash was shocked at what he told her as well. Rain started to fall, as they suddenly heard something climbing up the boat, Ash turned around, and his bad situation just became even worse. Standing on the deck, soaking wet, was Jasper.
"Finally" she exclaimed with a maniacal smile.
"Jasper!"
"I thought i'd never catch up to you"
"You've been following us?"
"I've been following YOU Lapis"
"LAPIS GET BEHIND ME!" Ash screamed reaching for Sceptile's pokeball, but then it hit him, he'd left all his pokemon back at the barn with Peridot, all he could think to do was ball his fist and set himself like a boxer.
Jasper laughed at him "this scrawny, pathetic human works for you now? You're aiming that punch you're ready to throw the wrong way. She's the one you should be afraid of"
"That's not true" Lapis said
"You can'tl lie to me, i've seen first hand what you're capable of, i thought i was a brute, but you, you're a monster"
"Lapis doesn't want anything to do wit you, you bitch!" Ash said as he swung his punch at Jasper, who caught it with her hand, and in one foul swoop, snapped Ash's arm in half. He screamed in agony as a pain he had never felt before entered his arm and he hear his bones snap over the thunder. Jasper dropped Ash and then dropped herself down to Lapis's knees
"Let's be Malachite again!"
"Why, would you want that?"
"I was wrong about fusion, you made me understand! Malachite, was bigger and stronger than both of us! We could fly!
An adrenaline rush kicked into Ash, allowing him to brave the pain and leap onto Jasper's back, and using his good arm, he began clawing and punching her "don't listen to her Lapis!" he screamed "you're a stronger person than this!"
"Stay out of this twerp" Jasper exclaimed as she grabbed Ash and threw him to the ground face first, Ash felt another great deal of pain and felt blood on his face, Jasper had definitely just broken his nose.
Lapis was in complete shock, all she could do was watch before she finally spoke up "i was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed you. I hated you. It was bad!"
"It'll be better this time! I've changed! You've changed me! I'm the only one who can handle your kind of power." she went on, backing Lapis into the wall of the control room. "Together, we'll be unstoppable!"
"Lapis if you do this" Ash softly said choking on his tears and blood, "there's no coming back"
"I said stay out of this!" Jasper screamed kicking him hard in the stomach
"NO" She stood up to Jasper
"What!?"
"What we had wasn't healthy. I never want to feel like how i felt with you ever again! So just go!"
"Lapis"
"She said NO!" Ash screamed trying to get up, finally getting Jasper's true attention.
"This is your fault twerp! I'll shatter you for good this time!" she said, preparing to stomp his skull into the ground
"ASH!" Lapis screamed as she summoned a giant fist through the boat, knocking Jasper far off, ironically it wasn't the paint Jasper did to him that finally sent Ash into critical condition, it was a piece of wood from the deck Lapis accidentally hit him with defending him that finally got him. As everything went dark, he heard Lapis scream his name, before it was all just black.
Ash woke up in a mysterious place, the pain over his body had subsided and he realized he was completely alone in an odd garden. He checked his surroundings realizing he was all alone, "Lapis? Steven? Greg? Anybody?" he asked, he suddenly heard the familiar call of wild Pidgey flying past them. Ash suddenly realized he was in the Viridian Forest of Kanto. "No!" he screamed "Take me back! Pikachu's still there! Brock's still there! Lapis is still there!" he screamed punching the dirt
"Do not be angry o chosen one" a mighty voice boomed behind him, he turned to be facing the one true pokemon.
"Arceus!" he said "you need to send me back now!"
"Do not worry Chosen One. you are still in the world i sent you to."
"Wait, you're the one who brought me and Brock to the Gems? Why?"
"That is a question i cannot answer, you will know when the time is right. But my friend here wanted to give you a clue to your destiny."
A woman suddenly appeared to Ash, she wore a beautiful white dress that had a area exposing her navel with a pink stone similar to Steven's exposed, she had enormous pink colored hair that looked liked it weighed as much as he did. Ash recognized her as the woman in a portrait in Steven's house "Rose Quartz" he said
"Hello Ash" she softly said "i'm Rose, and i just wanted to tell you that you are needed in my world, with my family, your new friends, i can't explain everything, but you are important to the Gems"
"But i've already saved the world, I've fulfilled the prophecy. Arceus don't tell me I'm the chosen one on this world to"
"You'll understand in time my friend, your time for that will come. We will see each other again Chosen One"
"And Ash", Rose intervened, "tell Steven, and Greg and the Gems, that I love them very much, and that I'm so proud of them, and I'll always be with them. Thank you Ash Ketchum."
And with that, he jolted awake on Steven's couch.
"ASH!" Lapis screamed embracing him in a concerned hug "we thought you died"
"I remember, you sent Team Rocket blasting off"
"What?"
"Sorry, force of habit. I remember you sent Jasper, blasting off, then I was back home, and Rose was there"
"WHAT!?" Steven and Greg responded
"Yeah, she told me to tell you guys she loves you a lot, and she's always with you guys no matter what" Greg and Steven reflected on his message. "But enough about me, Lapis, are you ok?"
"Ash, I think we need to talk, alone" she said helping him up, "let's go home and talk on the way" she suggested.
Ash knew exactly what was about to happen, his stomach felt like a bottomless pit, as she lead him out the door "thanks for healing my wounds Steven" he said as they left.
There was a tense silence as they walked to the barn. He looked at Lapis who had suddenly stopped.
"So, you love me" she said
"Yes. I have since the time you took the ocean, i've tried to tell myself this is just a stupid crush, all because you flirted with me in the mirror, but I've come to find that, what I feel is genuine Lapis, I was going to try and tell you around now on the yacht, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. If you could ever"
Lapis interrupted him by planting a firm yet gentle kiss on his lips. Ash was taken aback at first, but he eventually returned the kiss with passion to equal hers. When she finally broke away, he looked at her with astonishment.
"If it's all the same Ash, I've felt the same exact way since the Homeworld ship cell. You risked your life to stop Jasper, to stop me from making a horrible mistake, I was going to go back to her, but seeing how she treated you, it made me realize I was looking true love in the face. I love you to Ash Ketchum" she finished by kissing him again, this time he was prepared for it. They walked back to the barn holding hands all the way. Brock greeted them at the door covered in pizza flour.
"Glad to see everything worked out well" he teased, Peridot's just started up season 3 of Camp Pinning Hearts guys, I'll make some snacks if you want"
"Thanks Brock, but it's been a long day. I think I'm gonna hit the sack early."
"Alright, goodnight Ash, Lapis." He said retreating to the newly designated TV room.
Ash lay down on his floor mattress and shut his eyes, Pikachu snuggled up next to him. As he began to sleep, he felt something press up against him. He turned to see Lapis had crawled into bed with him, wrapping her arms around him and had begun to sleep besides him. He accepted it and turned to face her, cradling her in his arms to. It was the best night sleep he had in months