I know, i've left you all in suspense! I was originally going to just continue from the previous chapter, but i did decide that Jasper's corruption was too much of an important subject not to include, besides i also felt like it was time Brock had his time to shine. This chapter takes place during the previous one, while Ash and Lapis have their battle *I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR STEVEN UNIVERSE*
Brock followed Peridot, Steven and Amethyst towards the warp pad after saying their goodbyes to Ash, Lapis and James. Peridot directed the warp pad and Brock felt extremely lightheaded as the light dissolved around him. When the dizziness stopped, he found they were no longer at the barn, but now were at an enormous canyon. The sun shone brightly and the air was dry and hot.
"Here we are, Jasper's origin. The Beta Kindergarten." Peridot explained to the group
Brock examined the red sandstone canyon covered with what appeared to be virus cells, but much larger, covering the perimeter of it. There were holes all over the walls of the canyon. Despite Peridot being their guide, because he towered over all three of his smaller companions Brock felt like the chaperone.
"So, how does it work?" he asked
"I'm glad you asked Brock," Peridot excitedly told her roommate "the injectors up at the top extract organic material, then the mechanism creates a gem from it, then once the gem's form is chosen, it will emerge from the host site creating the holes you see. Now Amethyst, as you can see, this place has got the right growing conditions in a pinch." she paused to pick up a rock and licked it before tossing it aside, "but it's too small! It was obviously a total rush job!"
"Rush job?" Brock asked still a little confused
"Halfway through the rebellion, Homeworld scrambled to generate extra soldiers on the ground" the small gem explained, she then turned her attention to one of the holes "look at this, the holes don't even line up! Ha ha! It's like they just threw injectors down wherever! Oh and that one?" she said pointing to another hole close to the ground, "this Carnelian came out sideways! How could she not, the walls are curved!"
"So, that one came out different like Amethyst did?" Brock asked
"I would assume so. I tell you Amethyst, it really makes you appreciate the Prime Kindergarten. It was so well thought through! Sure you spent a little extra time being created, but everything else is stacked in your favor. Great location, great holes, even spacing…."
Brock honestly stopped paying attention and was too busy admiring the sight. He walked side-by-side with Steven as they approached a fallen injector, Brock saw it was mission it's supporting legs.
"Steven, what happened here?" he asked. Before Steven could give him an answer, Peridot moved on from her rant about the Prime Kindergarten and was stopped looking at an enormous hole in the side of the canyon wall. It was shaped to look like a person flexing.
"Jasper" Peridot whispered
"This is Jasper's hole?" Steven asked
"It's huge" Amethyst said
"Oh come on, we already know she's tall" Peridot began trying to trash talk it. From what Ash told him about Jasper, how she had beaten the crap out of him, his pokemon, Steven, Amethyst, Garnet, Lapis and James, Brock definitely didn't want to meet her any time soon. Brock was too busy looking at the intimidating hole to notice Peridot had climbed inside to examine it and just finished her evaluation.
"This is the most perfect exit hole i've ever seen"
"Of course it is" Amethyst said defeated
"Amethyst, that doesn't matter. Who you are isn't about where you came from!" Steven said trying to encourage her "it's who you wanna be! It's what you work hard for. It's what you care about! That's what really matters"
Amethyst thought about what her friend had said, truthfully Steven was the most mature person Brock had met his entire life, he admired how much Steven seemed to grow with each experience while never seeming to give up, Ash had told him how he had almost single handedly redeemed Peridot and made her the loveable roommate he knew.
"Yeah, you're right! It is about who i wanna be!" Amethyst said enthusiastically "And i wanna be the Gem that beats Jasper into the dirt!"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Peridot, who clearly didn't understand the point Steven was trying to make, Brock jabbed at her with his elbow bringing her up to speed "wait, no don't fight her! She's the ultimate quartz!"
But their prayers fell on deaf ears "I'm doing it, not just for me, but for all the weird holes out there, like this guy, and skinny up there, and this mess!" she said pointing to a gaping hole in front of her "yeah, i bet she was great!"
"No no no no," Peridot said to herself as she approached the hole in question, "something's seriously wrong with this one, these marks are new, this hole was recently dug out, even more strange, it looks like it was dug from the outside"
"How could that be?" Brock asked with worry
"Look, there's more" Peridot pointed out different holes, some even had metal bars on the outside like prison cells
"What are they?" Brock asked as he came to one with bars in front of it. Suddenly, a large, doglike monster leapt from the hole at Brock, only being held back by the makeshift bars.
"Corrupted Gems? In cages?" Steven asked
"Guys what's going on?" Brock asked
"That's what's going on!" Peridot pointed to the lower level on the canyon. Looking down, Brock saw a large, well built orange lady wrestling another beast, like the one in the cage. She was absolutely beautiful.
"Jasper" Amethyst said grudgingly
"We should get the others to handle this with us" Peridot suggested.
"Good idea" Steven agreed, but before they could go, Brock had given in and ran towards Jasper, the usual feeling of Butterfrees in his stomach, he knew exactly what Jasper had done, to Ash, to Lapis, to James, to Steven and the Gems, but he thought if he could just get through to her, he could make a Crystal Gem out of Jasper.
"JASPER!" he shouted quickly taking her hand, looking her dead in her beautiful eyes. "My name is Brock, i am a friend of Ash Ketchum. I understand everything that has happened between you and the other Gems, but i can look past that for the power of love. Please accept my feelings Jasper and together you and i can be great!" he said with a passionate smile.
Jasper looked him dead in the eye not changing her expression, using her free hand, she rested it gently on Brock's shoulder, not moving her fixed gaze on him. Brock honestly thought she was actually about to accept his feelings, but then she summoned a battle helmet from her gem, and smashed her head straight into his face. Brock felt a great deal of pain as he fell to the ground, blood gushing from his nose, which he could tell Jasper had broken. He felt Peridot drag him behind a rock while Steven and Amethyst kept Jasper distracted.
"What were you thinking you Clod!?" Peridot shouted at him "that was the stupidest thing i've ever seen, and i watched Camp Pinning Hearts season five! You honestly know what she's done to your best friend right? To his girlfriend?"
"I thought i could change her, please don't tell Ash" Brock moaned through his pain, tasting his own blood. He eventually pushed through his pain and stood up joining the fight against Jasper "Crobat confuse ray!"
Crobat launched a purple beam of light at Jasper's face, she stepped back allowing Amethyst to continue her assault.
"Who's the runt now!?" she asked whipping Jasper repeatedly. "You ready for more?" she said as she struck her in the face but Jasper gave no reaction. Amethyst continued her lashing to no avail.
Seeing she needed his help, Brock decided to step in "Crobat, cross poison!" Crobat crossed his wings and launched an X shaped poison beam at the monstrous Gem, when the dust cleared, Jasper was still on her feet and was still unaffected.
"Has it sunk in yet?" she rhetorically asked them, kicking Amethyst to the ground.
"Time to bring out the big guns, STEELIX EARTHQUAKE!" he commanded to his most powerful pokemon. Steelix roared at Jasper and began to shake the ground violently, injectors and boulders fell all around them, with Amethyst, Jasper and Brock all narrowly avoiding one. Brock lost his balance and fell to the ground, just in time to see Jasper pick up Steelix with one arm.
"When i saw this pathetic creature i was excited, i thought: "finally a challenge!" but this "poke-moms" or whatever you call them Brock, is more pathetic and Amethyst! More pathetic than you!" she shouted throwing the pokemon to the ground. She then approached Brock on the ground, before she could finish him off, a new voice Brock had never heard before came from the other side of the canyon.
"What a beau-tiful day!" the new person declared, Brock saw she had Steven's shirt on, and just instantly knew she was on his side.
"Who are you supposed to be!?" Jasper commanded
"Oh yeah, who am i now?" she asked herself, "let's see, i feel that a Rose Quartz and an Amethyst make a, Smokey Quartz!" Smokey summoned both Steven's shield and Amethyst's whip, combining them to make a yo-yo.
"Is fusion the only trick you Crystal Gems know!?"
"Oh i've got plenty of tricks, ever seen "Sink the Dink?" she asked smashing her yo-yo into Jasper's face, causing her to drop Brock, who moved over to Smokey's side.
Jasper attempted a spin dash attack, Smokey grabbed Brock and swung out of the angry Gem's direction. Her attack crashed into the wall of the canyon, releasing most of the corrupted gem monsters from their cages.
"NO! My army!" Jasper shouted as they escaped, Smokey set Brock down and turned her attention back to Jasper, who was running towards the last corrupted gem. "I will not, be beaten by another fusion!" she screamed as she forced the gem to fuse with her. The abomination laughed and clawed at them, Brock knew when he was done and retreated back behind a rock while Smokey began dodging each swing.
"Hold on" she told the monster "i've got a move that will blow you away!" she said as she began using her yo-yo as a fan, seeing it wasn't working, she quickly improvised. "It's cool if you don't like it, i've already got three huge fans" she summoned two more yo-yo's and increased her attack, knocking the corrupted fusion off her feet. "Brocky Balboa" Smokey jokingly asked Brock, "it looks like she could use a little rock and roll in her life"
Brock caught on "GOLEM STONE EDGE" he commanded as Golem finished the Jasper fusion off.
The corrupted fusion defused and the monster escaped despite Jasper's attempt at keeping it with her. "No one i fuse with ever wants to stay" she sadly said. She began climbing out of the crater she fell in and Brock, Smokey and Peridot all saw that Jasper was beginning to change. Her skin was beginning to harden and turn blue
"Ew that's disgusting" Peridot exclaimed
"It's corruption" Smokey stated, a grey light covered her and she defused into Steven and Amethyst.
"Steven be careful" Amethyst told her little friend
"It's ok, this just happened, maybe i can help her, Jasper it's ok, i'm here"
"Rose"
"I'm not Rose, i'm Steven, I just wanna try to heal you" his kindness was rewarded by Jasper slashing at his shirt making a cut on it. Nevertheless, Steven continued to approach her.
Jasper laughed "I see how you do it now Rose, you want Gems after they're worthless, you wait until after they've lost, because when you're at the bottom, you'll follow anyone that makes you feel less of a failure. Just look at what you've done to her" she said addressing Peridot "she's lost everything, her status, her limb enhancers, her dignity"
"Hey, i still have at least one of those things Jasper!"
"How could you side with Rose Quartz?! Why? Why protect a useless shell of a planet?"
"It's not a shell, there's so much life living here, and that's what i'm doing, living here. I'm learning new things about myself everyday. I've learned that i'm capable of great things. This is what Earth does Jasper, it sets you free" Peridot explained
"Earth is a prison. I only escaped because i'm better than this place!" she cringed in pain as the corruption spread, spikes began emerging and her crusted skin continued to harden.
"It's getting worse, Jasper let me help you"
"You can't manipulate me Rose Quartz!"
"I'm not manipulating you Jasper i'm trying to help!"
"Help!? I've been fighting ever since i broke free from this planet's crust, because of what YOU did to my colony! Because of what YOU did to my planet! Because of what YOU did to my Diamond!"
"To Yellow Diamond?"
"Wha? No, MY Diamond! YOUR Diamond! PINK DIAMOND!" those were Jasper's last words before the corruption got her completely. She had become like the very beasts she enslaved and sa as bellow her.
"Jasper?" Brock asked in one last attempt to break through to her. But Jasper was gone, the monster that was once Jasper lunged at Steven and Brock growling. But Peridot threw a metal rod from the remains of one of the cages straight through her chest. Brock gasped at the gruesome sight, as the monster poofed into a cloud of orange smoke, leaving only the gem on her nose behind.
"You're welcome!" Peridot shouted as Amethyst approached the duo, she picked up what remained of Jasper and bubbled it.
"Come here sis" she sadly said as she sent the bubble away.
The four walked back to the warp pad in utter silence before Steven noticed Brock's broken nose. "Let me help you with that" he said spitting his into hand and pinching Brock's nose. Brock felt a tingling sensation on his nose before he felt the pain go away.
"You guys aren't going to tell Ash about what happened between me and Jasper right?" he asked as Peridot prepared the warp pad.
"Oh we are" Amethyst cheekily told him
"I still can't believe you both fused!" Peridot admired "Smokey Quartz was so cool!"
"Yeah, i owe her my life" Brock agreed as they returned to the barn to see Ash, James and the other Gems standing around a red pod, and Lapis had five small, red people Brock had never seen before trapped into spheres made from water.
"Whats' going on?" he asked his best friend with extreme confusion.