And so the plot thickens. I guess there isn't much to say. Do you guys even read these or do you just skip it and go straight to the story? If that's the case then i could probably put anything in this disclaimer. A fantasy of mine is for Gordon Ramsay to baste me in butter while i'm wearing a tuxedo and then we'll marathon Attack On Titan together on my couch, which is now greasy from my butter basting. See i could've put anything in that last sentence and you wouldn't have read it. *I DO NOT OWN STEVEN UNIVERSE OR POKEMON*
Ash had an all day shift at the carwash, but he knew that before he could go to work, he had to go to the Temple to check in on the Gem's search for May. Luckily he didn't have to wait long to get the results as the second he entered the house, they returned.
"Ash I'm sorry," Pearl said "we combed the entire desert all night long and we didn't find a trace of anyone in it. No footprints, no clothes, and no body"
"It's like your friend just vanished" Amethyst added "hey at least it means she's probably still alive, if she's even here"
"You know Amethyst, shockingly, that's not making me feel better"
"I'm sorry Ash, but besides that bag, there's no trace of her anywhere" Garnet consulted him "are you certain that bag belongs to your friend?"
"Look i know at first glance it looks like this could be any old bag, but i know for a fact this belongs to May. She's out there somewhere and i'll be damned if we just leave her to die"
Garnet and Pearl looked at each other before Amethyst volunteered to return to the desert one last time, of course since they didn't want Amethyst getting lost with May out there, Garnet and Pearl left with her to resume their search.
As the day went on, Ash worked all through his worry until the wash closed at six. Absolutely exhausted, he was about to walk home but was stopped by Steven and Connie who approached him before he could even leave the driveway.
"Evening Steven, Connie, what's up?"
"We were both just about to go to the Fryshack before Peedee and James close up, you wanna come?" Connie asked
"Well i am pretty hungry, plus i've got to walk with James home anyway, might as well take him home with some food" he joked trying to hide his concern.
The three made it to the restaurant to see Peedee Fryman running the front counter, while the Fryman's hired help James was operating the fryer and the Fryman patriarch was finishing up with closing duties.
They were served Steven's favorite fry bits and sat down on a bench waiting for James to be relieved of duty.
"Man, life can get really intense sometimes" Steven reflected as he popped a small handful of bits in his mouth
"Yeah, especially you and Ash's lives, let's see, alien abduction"
"Going to a weird zoo for humans in space."
"sneaking out past a pair of intergalactic tyrants!"
"And Ash was even in jail last week!" they laughed together
"Well, it's nice to know that we can still have peaceful days like this without any trouble." Steven continued
"Well, as little trouble as we can get" Ash retorted
"Hey, kid!" they all suddenly heard a man with a megaphone shout at them "Drop those fry bits! drop em'!" the source was a man wearing a jacket he had seen Stevonnie wear.
"Oh no, it's the cops!" Steven cried "All the years of ordering off menu have finally come back to taunt me!"
"You meant haunt you?" Connie corrected him "Steven that's not even a police car, it's just-"
"I surrender!" he screamed raising his hands in the air and fell to his knees. "I knew I was breaking the rules but, I did it anyway! The bits had their hooks in me!"
"Steven i'm pretty sure you can't get arrested for that" Ash told him
"Dad, quit joking around!" Connie then told the man
"Come on, Connie I almost had him!" the man told her with a smug smile
"Mr. Maheswaran!?" he exclaimed as he fell to the ground in exaggerated shock
"Wow, i didn't think you'd take it that seriously. You alright Steven?" Mr. Maheswaran asked.
"Oh, yeah, I love it down here."
"And how's my swashbuckling swashbuckler doing?" he asked Connie
"I'm good dad."
"You know, Steven, maybe you're dehydrated. Probably from eating all that garbage before dinner"
"Respectfully, Fry Bits are not garbage."
"Don't worry, Steven, he's just messing with you." Connie reassured him
"Sorry Steven, Let's get you up" he said as the group helped the boy to his feet "and i take it this is the famous Ash Ketchum i've been told about. I heard so much about you, it's really nice to meet you"
"Nice to meet you to Mr. Maheswaran" he said shaking his hand
"Now Ash, you're an adult, you can call me Doug. i insist. Oh where is that Pikachu? I'd love to see him in action"
"Well Doug, Pikachu doesn't come with me to work, he likes to take naps with my girlfriend anyway. But i can show you the next best thing" he said tossing a pokeball and releasing Staraptor
"Woah! That's SO cool!" Doug exclaimed as he watched the flying type soar above him
"If you like that Doug, wait till you see this!" he said also releasing Charizard, who threw a flamethrower into the air in a blatant display of might
"WOAH! That's the coolest thing i've ever seen!" Doug again fangirled
Angry that his spotlight had been stolen by Charizard, Staraptor got into his teammate's face and angrily growled at each other.
"Alright you two, play nice" their trainer said returning them before things could get ugly
"So what are you doing in Beach City dad?" Connie asked
"I'm here out on a job actually, The private security company I work for got a call from a Mr. Harold Smiley, stating that somebody was lurking around Funland after hours. So I'll be here all night on a stakeout"
"Woah, a stakeout!" Steven said excitedly
"Dad, that's so cool!"
"Yeah, it is pretty cool. Protecting the citizens of Beach City, just like you guys"
"wow , I'd love to go on a stakeout sometime." Steven told him
"Maybe you guys, could help out tonight." he asked the trio
"Even though we're not officially sanctioned security personnel?" Connie asked
"Hey, why not. It's probably just some kid loitering. What do you say?"
"We're in!" Steven and Connie both said
"I don't know guys, i've kind of had a long day and i'm thinking of just going home and sleep" Ash said trying to decline the offer
"Ash, i think you need to see something" he heard James suddenly say from behind them "and you said something about investigating something going on at Funland?" he asked Doug
"Yes, who are you?"
"It's alright Doug, he's a friend of mine"
"If he is supposed to investigate Funland then he should see this with you. Follow me" James explained as he lead Ash and Doug into the Fryshack.
"Hey Mr. Fryman, Peedee" Ash addressed them as James lead them upstairs to a dark room, only light by a computer screen. Sitting in front of the computer, was Ronaldo
"Good evening Ash, my former Crystal Gem companion" he welcomed him
"Show them what you showed me today" James told him
"Very well, but first he must answer my questions three"
"Cut the crap Ronaldo and show me what you've got to show me" Ash told him with annoyance
"Okay geez, give me a sec" he said as he pulled up his blog "Keep Beach City Weird" "i was on a website that allows you to watch security cameras live. Last night i saw this on the Funland security cameras and immediately recorded it. Check it out"
The video started with the timestamp of two AM the previous night, and appeared to be recorded from the top of the ferris wheel as Ash was able to see the rooftops of the concession stands and prize booths. All of a sudden, a large, white, light appeared on the rooftop of an ice cream stand. When the light dissipated, a figure was standing on top, easily six feet tall and standing on it's hind legs. The figure crouched down for some reason, and then jumped from rooftop to rooftop until it was completely out of sight.
"What is that?" Doug asked
"Change of plans i'm coming with you guys" Ash said as they left the Fryman home
"I'm coming to on your little stakeout" James insisted "i'm James by the way"
"Alright, on one condition. Steven and Connie, especially Connie, don't need to know about that thing"
Personally, Ash didn't think that was necessary. He knew they had seen worse on missions before, but in the end, he decided to respect Doug's wish to protect his daughter.
They piled into Doug's car and drove to the closed gates of Funland. The group waited for two hours in the car with absolutely nothing happening.
"Things seem pretty quiet so far." Connie said finally breaking the silence
"Well yeah, nobody's gonna even try hopping the fence with us here. But you never know, sometimes, I actually leave the car." Doug said trying his best to sound cool in front of his daughter. "I'm sure you guys do lots of waiting when you're saving the world. It can't be all bam, pow action all the time."
"Aw, I wish. There's a lot of fighting, I mean, I kind of inherited a intergalactic war and Ash is the one who is supposed to save the world" Steven joked
"Hey dad, what's this box?"
"Oh, I just confiscated that from a kid who was shoplifting in a costume shop."
"Woah!" Steven said digging through the boxes contents "You could totally use these for disguises! Don't you ever need to go.. Undercover?"
"How do you know I'm not undercover. Right now?" he asked them when he removed his glasses "Just kidding, I need these to see. But if you guys want to play with that stuff go ahead." he said with a chuckle
"Okay, well I want to be undercover. I'll be.. Veronica Cucamonga." she said as she put on a red dress suit and matching sun hat
"It's a-me, Peter Pizzapoppolis, from Italia!" Steven said putting on a green cap and fake mustache, along with a stereotypical italian accent.
"Pizzapoppolis? That sounds Greek. You sure you don't want anything dad? There's a clown nose back here."
"No thanks, being a security guard is no joke"
"You and James want a disguise Ash?" Steven asked
"Thanks bud, but i'm not sure me and James and share a clown nose"
"Oh, i've got disguises" James said with an evil giggle and removed a small briefcase seemingly out of nowhere
Connie gasped "the official Team Rocket disguise kit!" she said recognizing the box
James opened the case and threw on a beige colored shirt and cargo pants "call me: Eric Stuart!" he then tossed another costume to Ash, who entertained the idea by putting on the red colored jacket with a white stripe, blue jeans and a matching red and white cap.
"I guess you can call me "Red"
Everyone was taken aback by a loud crash that appeared right in front of them.
"What was that?" Doug asked as the group exited the car and ran to the source. There was an enormous hole in the chain link fence now, despite nobody having seen the thing that broke it
"Mama mia the fence-a!" "Peter" shouted with despair
"How on earth did this happen? If this were some punk with a pair of bolt cutters this would have been a clean cut. But this chain looks like it was torn apart. This was no kid."
Ash and James looked at each other, worrying if what they saw on the video might have been the culprit.
"Well, if it wasn't a misguided teen, what could it be?" "Veronica" asked
"It's up to us to find out! Sounds like we better investigate. Cucamonga, Pizzapoppolis, Stuart, Red. Let's investigate"
As the group entered the park through the large hole in the fence, Doug took the lead as he had the flashlight "Hello? This is security! You are trespassing on private property. Do not attempt to make yourself a corn dog. Funland incorporated is not liable for the harm you may incur on trying to operate a deep fryer without a license!" he shouted into the seemingly empty park
"You need a license to operate a deep fryer?" Steven asked. But before anyone could answer him, they heard a loud crash in the distance. As they turned around, they saw a large shadow quickly move from in front of them.
"Hey, stop right there!" Doug shouted as they all ran towards the shadow, but the shadow was no longer there
"Did we lose them?" James asked
"Which a-way did they go so fast-a?" Steven asked still not breaking character
"They could be anywhere in this place, i suggest we split up" Ash suggested "Doug should take the kids, while James and I will go the other side of the park"
"Sounds good, we'll meet back here in thirty minutes" Doug agreed as the two groups split up.
The two trainers walked down to the area by the ferris wheel, the same area they saw the figure in the video. Ash then turned to the security camera that recorded it, sticking up his middle finger at it playfully thinking Ronaldo could be watching.
"Are thinking what i'm thinking that the thing in that video was?" Ash asked
"If you're thinking that the figure in that video was some sort of pokemon. Then i believe you're thinking what i'm thinking"
"Not just any pokemon, i think it was a Blaziken. May has a Blaziken. I have no idea if this means that it was May on that rooftop but-"
"Do you smell that?" James suddenly interrupted him.
He took a deep breath in and smelled what James was smelling, it was a sweet odor that he thought he recognized.
"That's Vileplume No. 5" James explained "i remember Jessie would constantly complain about it after contests because your friend May would apply so much"
"It definitely reminds me of May's. But what i don't get is what she's doing here, why is she jumping from rooftop to rooftop like she's in hiding?"
Before James could give him an answer, they heard a loud mechanical noise and screaming come from the opposite side of the park. They ran over to the source and saw that one of the rides, a fast spinning ride called Hyper Space, was turned on at full speed, but they arrived just in time to see it turn off and the Maheswarans and Steven stumbled out.
"Are you guys alright!?" he asked
"Listen, you bodybuilding escape artist criminal." Doug shouted, ignoring him "This isn't a game. You've endangered a officer of the law and two small children. Show yourself before you get into serious trouble!"
"Guys, do you think this might be some kind of gem mutant or monster?" Connie asked
"It could be, but, it trapped us. The monsters and mutants aren't that smart."
"Could it be we're dealing with a Homeworld Gem?"
At this point, Ash finally decided to go against Doug's wish and informed them about the video and May.
"Homeworld? Gem? Pokemon? Mutant? I, uh - well, whatever it is" Doug said clearly frazzled "if someone's trespassing, they'll have to answer to me." he then said as he pulled on a false bravery.
As is on cue, every single light turned on in the park, and carnival music began to blast over the music system.
"I can't believe this. They're mocking us. Show yourself! What is it that you want here?! Prizes? Fun? You think this is the place to get your kicks? You sick monster. Destroying the sanctity of this land of fun!" Doug screamed in an overly dramatic tone that could've rivaled Jamie
Ash suddenly felt a disturbance nearby and felt he needed to look up. His assumptions were correct as he saw a shadow of something small in stature crouching down on top of one of the prize booths. As soon as the small shadow noticed it had been seen, it leapt away out of sight.
"Dad behind you!" he heard Connie shout followed by a loud crash. Turning around, he saw that the chain link fence had fallen on top of the adult
"Doug are you alright!?"
"Ugh, don't worry, I'm fine. Just-" he began to say before another, much larger shadow ran towards the alley nearby "There they are! LEAVE ME!"
"Alright guys, let's-a go!" Steven shouted as he, Connie and Ash followed it while James stayed behind to help Doug
They ran down the pier in the direction they saw the shadow go, but out of nowhere, a gumball machine fell over, presumably by the perpetrator, and hundreds of gumballs spilled out onto the floor.
"That's a lot of gumballs!" Connie shouted as Steven grabbed her and Ash, lifting them into the air with his floating powers, allowing them to avoid tripping on the spherical candies.
"It's time to give up!" Connie stated as the trio reached a dead end, expecting whoever, or whatever, they were chasing to be trapped
"Gumballs? Aaah!" they heard Doug exclaim as he and James tripped over the gumballs. "Hey kids" he then addressed them after they all regrouped
"The culprits at the end of this corner, dad."
"Good work you guys. Now, let's shed some light on this subject!" he said as he pointed his flashlight at the cornered person. But instead of seeing a troublesome teen, Homeworld Gem or even May, they were greeted to the sight of a small child cornered at the wall.
"Wait, Onion?!" Steven asked
"You know this kid Steven?" Ash asked having never seen the child before
"He's my friend Onion, he's Sour Cream's little brother" he explained
"What are you doing here? We're in the middle of a very important investigation." Doug scolded the boy
"Dad, I think this is who's been causing all this trouble."
"Onion, It's me, Steven." He calmly told the younger boy removing his cap and fake mustache "Steven Universe"
Onion's eyes grew wide when he recognized his friend, and ran straight towards him, babbling and pointing at the top of the wall like a madman.
"That's just Mr. Maheswaren and my friends Ash and James. Oh my gosh did you think a bunch of strangers were chasing you? No wonder you were trying to throw us off your trail. Onion, everything's okay."
"It can't just be a kid. It doesn't make any since! What about that huge shadow?"
Connie quickly answered her father's question by pointing her flashlight in Onion's direction, his shadow was much more exaggerated and appeared to make him look bigger than he already was.
"But the fence was ripped apart!"
"Well, I have seen him use a blowtorch before" Steven recalled
"I also found this piece of fabric stuck in the fence." Connie revealed showing a piece of torn, red cloth. Onion turned around to see that a piece of his pant leg was torn off.
Doug just groaned in annoyance "of course. It's never actually something"
"Dad what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, It's just my job isn't the exhilarating adventures you've been having with Steven. Or the life-threatening emergencies your mom deals with at the hospital. The most action I see is telling kids to stop loitering around. I was hoping maybe you'd get to see me take on a serious job. But I guess all i'm good at is being your silly, old dad." He then proved his point by slipping on some of the gun balls and falling on his butt, getting a small chuckle out of James.
"You're right, you are silly. But that's why I like hanging out with you. I've got enough serious things going on in my life. Sometimes I just wanna spend time with my dad."
Doug smiled at his daughter's touching words and pulled her into a hug "Thanks, you're a keeper Veronica Cucamonga." He then turned his attention to Onion "Well, kid. This may have been a big misunderstanding. But you're still in trouble for this fence."
Onion just pointed at himself and shook his head, as if he was trying to deny he was responsible for the vandalism.
"Oh, yes you are." Doug sternly told him
"Just let him off the hook on this one. We already scared him straight." Steven insisted
"The law must be different for someone his age. Right?" Ash asked
Doug looked at the pleading kids, then back at Onion "you really learned your lesson?"
Onion nodded
"Then you're free to go"
"See ya later Onion!" Steven told his friend, who declined a ride home. Ash and James also decided to walk home, and wished the others a goodnight.
Ash checked his phone, which until that point had been put on silent mode, and saw that just a few minutes ago Ronaldo had texted him at least four times and even tried calling. The texts all read the same thing: "watch out for the girl in the alley"
Ash texted back what he meant by that, and almost instantly, he received a video from Ronaldo and pressed play. The video was dark and grainy, but he could see enough, Ash's assumptions were correct and Ronaldo had been watching them the entire time using the spy website he told them about.
The video was literally just a few minutes old, and was of he, Steven, Connie, Doug and James had cornered Onion in the alleyway. Directly behind them, Ash then noticed the shadowy figure watching them in the alley. He zoomed in on the person, thinking it might've been May. But as the resolution cleared, he realized that he did recognize the girl's face. But the stalker wasn't May, it was his friend Dawn.
Ash and James looked at each other and ran back into the park
"DAWN?!" "DAWN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" Ash screamed into the seemingly empty park. But he got no response.
"Ash" he heard James somberly say as he pointed up. Ash looked up to see the security camera Ronaldo had used to watch them was completely destroyed. As if something large had smashed it to pieces, just barely staying on its mount.
"Ash, what the hell is going on?"
"I don't know. But one thing is clear, May and Dawn are both in Beach City. And we've got to find them"