Greetings once again friends. Jasper's back, and even worse, she's not alone. *En omista pokemon tai steven universumia* shout out to all my Finnish viewers, i apologize if i terribly misspelled it.
Ash walked down very excitedly to Steven's home, he opened the door to see Steven, Pearl and Connie bundling up for cold weather.
"Good morning Ash" Pearl wished him "i trust you brought your cold weather clothing"
He nodded as he took out his parka, blue to match his jacket.
"How's Brock doing? We really freaked him out last time we saw him with the whole Stevonnie thing"
"He's fine, he's just a bit weirded out that he accidentally flirted with two children"
"So you've met Stevonnie?" Pearl asked
"Yea, she, or he, is really cool" he said," i wonder where Stevonnie gets their coolness factor from?" he joked to Steven. "So what do you need me here for?"
"We've been tracking corrupted gem activity and we believe we've located one in the Great North" Pearl explained
"That's in Canada" Steven added
"You're here Ash, because we've also noticed changes in the atmosphere similar to the conditions from when you and Brock arrived in our world"
"So you think that another pokemon trainer has arrived?"
"I don't know, but if there is, we're going to need you to make sure they don't panic and go berserk like Brock's Steelix did. Not only that, but the extreme cold will most likely likely kill them if we don't get to them in time. So Ash, Connie, welcome to your first missions as Crystal Gems" Pearl lead them onto the warp pad, "now Connie, this might feel odd" she said as she activated the pad, the next thing Ash knew, the group was now surrounded by blinding snow and cold.
Ash could feel Pikachu shivering on his shoulder, so he rubbed his hand around Pikachu's torso, and act that Pikachu greatly appreciated.
"Everyone get close!" Steven commanded, "I promised Connie's mom i'd take pictures! Alright all of you look to the camera!" Ash, Pikachu, Connie and Pearl all stood a pose for the camera. "Alright, now do one as if you are all looking for something" Steven directed. Ash made a cartoonish shrug with Pikachu. "Ok, now this one can be silly" Ash stuck his tongue out. "Now we"
"Ok let's go" Pearl said, having had enough of Seven's pictures. She lead the group through the pine trees until they came across a fork in the path.
"How will we know if the corrupted gem is nearby?" Connie asked. As if on cue, a ferocious roar came from the trees, and a giant, doglike creature emerged from the clearing.
"That's how! Get ready!" Pearl ordered while summoning her spear. Steven and Connie drew their weapons while Ash took out Charizard's pokeball. Before any of them could attack, an identical gem emerged as well. The two monsters looked at each other, making noises at each other to communicate. Then, they charged at the group.
"Steven, bubble!" Pearl ordered, Steven covered them with a protective, pink bubble. But the gems completely avoided them as they separated down the different paths in the trees, with the monsters gone, Steven receded their protective shield.
"There weren't supposed to be two" Pearl thought out loud
"I have an idea, we could split up!" Connie suggested "Steven and I can go after one, and you and Ash can go after the other"
"Sounds good to me" Ash agreed
"No, Connie, i have no doubt in your abilities, however i think this might be too risky, you've never been in a fight before"
"Not true," Steven defended his friend "Connie defeated those Gem experiments when they attacked the hospital"
"When did that happen?" Ash asked
"Oh it was during that time you were closed off and depressed about losing Lapis to Malachite. And here Pearl," Steven added handing Pearl a walkie talkie "we can communicate in case something happens"
Pearl thought for a minute before she came to a conclusion "alright, but when you find it, i want you to call me immediately, I don't want you fighting this thing alone."
"Here, take Glalie to" Ash said handing Connie Glalie's pokeball, "he trusts you guys and will respond"
"Remember, what are you looking for?" Pearl asked
"A monster" the kids obediently answered
"And if you find it?"
"Call you"
"And who's your favorite Gem?" she asked with a "mom blush"
"Pearl" Steven joked "but Ash is pretty cool to"
"Alright, we'll meet up here in two hours. Me, Ash and Pikachu will go to the right, you two go left" Steven hugged him and Pearl as they split up. He and Pearl never had any time to themselves before so it felt a little awkward.
"How is Lapis?" Pearl suddenly asked him after a few minutes of silence
"She's fine, still recovering but is much more open to everything, she smiles more now"
"I'm glad, and i don't want to sound naggy, but i still want you to keep in mind about what Greg told you about him and Rose. i don't wish to discourage you, but this whole thing might not end well for either of you"
Before Ash could think of a response, Pearl let out a scream of pain and sat down in the snow.
"What happened?" he asked with concern
"I think i stepped on something, i feel it in my foot, Ash i need you to take it out" she cried in pain
Ash looked at the foot she was talking about, and sure enough, there was a jagged piece of metal in her foot, if Pearl had blood the wound would've been bleeding. He got a grip of the item and quickly pulled it out. "You ok?"
"Yes, thank you Ash, what is that?"
He examined the object, at first he thought it might've been a discarded can top, but closer inspection revealed the true identification of the object.
"This is a bottle cap" he answered her, he looked at the top to see the brand as a kind of Lemonade, but what shocked him was that in the place of the "o" in "Lemonade", was a pokeball. "A trainer's definitely been here. You can only get this brand on my world. Stay alert" he said helping Pearl to her feet, the walked further and encountered another oddity, a crashed hot air balloon basket. They inspected the wreckage, Pearl felt the funnel that filled the balloon with warmth.
"It's nowhere near warm, think this might be from our lost friend?"
"Can't tell. Hey wait a second" he said looking into the balloon basket, he had found more bottle caps inside. "These are the same as the one you stepped on, we're not alone out here" he then turned to the woods "HEY!" he screamed "if you're a pokemon trainer come out! We're friendly and we're not going to hurt you!" he got no response.
Pearl had taken out the radio and tried speaking to the kids, "Hello? Anyone there?" silence "ok, i'm just going to keep talking until somebody answers. Is this about the whole "favorite Gem" thing? Hey it was just a joke, don't tell Garnet"
After a few minutes, Connie finally responded "Pearl! Ash! We've found the monster! We need your help! Wait, who's that!?" was what she could say before the radio lost signal.
"We'll be right there!" Ash shouted as the two began to run through the trees to the path the kids went down. They entered the clearing to see Steven, Connie and Glalie inside of another bubble, and standing nearby was Ash's hated enemy. "Jasper"
The monster Gem picked something off the ground before turning to Steven and Ash, she held out her hands to show them the gems of the two corrupted Gems as well as a belt with 3 pokeballs on it, Ash assumed it was from the lost trainer, as he also noticed blood on the white belt.
"Hey Rose" she said with a menacing laugh, "look what i got" she then turned and walked off into the oncoming snowstorm until she was out of sight.
"Are you two ok?" Pearl asked
"Yeah, we're ok"
"Oh thank goodness!" Pearl exclaiming as she drew them both into a tight hug "i never would've let you go alone if i knew Jasper was here!"
"Guys, did you see anyone else out here?" Ash asked as he returned Glalie
"Yeah, we saw footprints with blood in them, and then we saw some guy slouched in the distance, he looked really hurt, then the gem monster and Jasper showed up" Connie explained
"Ash, where did Jasper get those pokeballs from?" Steven asked
He felt a pit in his stomach "we were too late" he said in a gimm tone "Jasper's going to pay for this"
They returned to the Temple, where Ash immediately began to cry, his face was still cold so the tears stung on contact
"Ash it isn't your fault" Pearl reassured him, "Garnet!" she screamed to summon the Gem leader from her room in the temple.
"Jasper?" She asked
"Yes, she's on the move. If we can catch her, we'll need to go now!"
"Let's go"
As Pearl and Garnet boarded the warp pad, Pearl turned to Amethyst sitting on the couch "you and Ash will have to hold the fort while we're gone"
"So what do you guys wanna do?" She asked as soon as they were gone"
"We could maybe get some more training in?" Connie suggested. They walked down to the beach where Ash sat in the sand with Pikachu, Amethyst sat on top of a rock, and Steven and Connie drew their weapons to begin sparring. Ash watched, but wasn't fully paying attention, he was too busy grieving over the poor trainer Jasper killed.
"Ash?" Steven asked him bringing him back to reality.
"Oh, hey what's up bud?"
"We were gonna get some donuts, you want to come?"
"Yeah sure, let's go"
The four made their way to the Big Donut as Amethyst shapeshifted into Lars "donuts are on me" she walked into the store trying her best to pretend to be Lars and steal donuts, but Sadie didn't really buy into it on account of "Lars's" purple skin. Ash wound up walking in, apologizing to his friend and paying for everything.
They walked around all day, eating donuts, and going to various sites in Beach City. The sun started to set, as they made their way down the beach, Amethyst surfing with herself as the surfboard. Ash walked over to Sour Cream relaxing on a lawn chair a few feet away.
"Hey man what's going on?" Sour Cream asked
"Too much"
"Girlfriend issues?"
"What? No Lapis and I are fine, it's just, I think I failed to save someone from my world today"
"Harsh"
"Yea, it sucks. The worst part was I probably could've saved him." He said reaching into his pocket, taking out the bottle cap he pulled out of Pearl earlier that day.
"Well man, you don't really know if you could HOLY CRAP!" He tried to say before he got up "ASH RUN!"
Ash turned around to see the corrupted gems from before exiting the water and storming the beach. Jasper was riding one of them
"You're in a lot of trouble" she proclaimed to Ash as the others regrouped around him.
"And make it double!" He heard a flamboyant, familiar voice come from the other monster.
"No" Ash said out loud at the sight of the Team Rocket member James looking down at him. "You can't even let me live in THIS place peacefully to!?" He angrily confronted James "you honestly have to follow me into another Arceus be damned world, just to try and steal Pikachu!"
"Who is that Ash?" Steven asked
"He's mine!" He screamed as he summoned Greninja
"I'll take Jasper!" Amethyst declared "you two take that thing she's on!"
"Carnivine! Use bite!" James said releasing his toothy Pokémon, which promptly bite down onto his own trainer's head "BITE HIM NOT ME!"
"Greninja, aerial ace!" Ash commanded
"Dodge and use vine whip!" But Greninja was too fast and struck Carnivine sending him flying into James. He struck the sandbar with a thud, as Ash kept on top of him, grabbing him by his Team Rocket uniform.
"What did you and Jasper do to that trainer!" He demanded to know as he saw Amethyst begin to e overpowered by Jasper
"What trainer?"
"The one who Jasper killed for his Pokémon!"
Before James could answer, Ash saw Jasper finally overpower Amethyst, causing her to poof. Lion had come out of nowhere and took down the other gem monster, while Steven and Connie fused into Stevonnie again. Armed with Steven's shield and Connie's sword, she struck Jasper into the ocean with her remaining beast.
"Fusion, fusion, fusion, it's always fusion!" Jasper angrily screamed she picked up the other gem's gem and began to retreat into the ocean "this was just a warmup. Get ready for next time Rose! Jasper's just keep going. Jasper's don't stop, until we get what we want. Keep the scrawny human, he's useless to me"
"Hey! Wait for me!" James screamed, but he was now stranded with the Gems. "Now twerp, you must understand" but his pleas fell on deaf ears, as Ash struck James on the back of the head knocking him to the ground.
"I told you guys about Team Rocket right?" He asked.
Amethyst finally rejoined the group, but she was different now, her black top was white, and she seemed almost smaller than normal.
"You ok?" Ash asked her
"No" she said walking away back to the house leaving Ash, Pikachu and Stevonnie with James on the ground crying in pain