Alright, this is where we begin to venture into AU territory. Ash's adventure on Homeworld is about to react it's conclusion. But not before he has a fateful encounter with Blue Diamond, and take a guess at what's to come considering his track record with blue gems. Also to let you guys know, I have started college so my writing time has been limited again, I will be trying to get as much in as possible but im still trying to get around my new school schedule. There is some violence in this chapter *I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR STEVEN UNIVERSE*
Ash followed Blue Pearl through the illuminated halls towards Blue Diamond's quarters, Blue Zircon's gem still resting him his hand. Finally, they reached an enormous door at the end of the hall that Blue Pearl pushed open.
The room they had entered was just as big as the door, and standing in the dead center of her quarters was the one and only Blue Diamond.
"My Diamond, I present to you the great Chosen One" Blue Pearl announced with a bow.
"Thank you Pearl, that will be all" she somberly answered her as she approached a large tank filled with water on the wall.
The tank itself was almost as tall as she was, being only a few feet shorter so she could reach in to feed its occupants. Ash could see from where he was standing that the tank was stocked with enough water type Pokemon to put Misty to shame. In addition to the schools of Luvdisc, Seaking and Tentacool, there was a large Dewgong, a Kingdra, a Milotic, a Cloyster, a Sharpedo and a Dragalge each alone in the tank, leading Ash to assume they were Blue Diamond's personal Pokemon team.
"Such peculiar creatures" she finally commented after a few seconds of awkward silence, "they put up such a fight, yet after they are captured they bend to their new master's will without hesitation, they will live and die for you. Yellow calls it pathetic, I wonder what you think of it. You addressed yourself in the courtroom as "Ash" if I'm not mistaken?"
He took a brief pause before thinking of how to properly respond "I think it's the bond that the Pokémon and its master at work. The loyalty they feel when trained knows no bounds and the feeling is mutual with the master."
Blue Diamond personally removed the top to the tank and began to pour some sort of food into it, Ash was honestly taken aback by the passion she showed for her Pokémon. But then he remembered that she was still a tyrant, just because she showed him mercy in the courtroom didn't mean she was without evil. As he watched the Pokémon happily eat, he couldn't help but remember the human zoo, how the humans there like Wy-six and Jay-ten had been groomed over time to trust the Diamonds and live their lives basically in a cage, just like Blue Diamond's Pokemon were.
"Such fascinating creatures" she remarked "your world is such a strange place, and once the invasion commences I hope I get to see more of it"
"You're not gonna destroy my world?"
"No, the earth that the Crystal Gems reside on is doomed with or without our interference, a geoweapon is incubating within the center of it, and once it's hatched it will destroy the planet, then we shall colonize your world using it. But we will not destroy it, your world's resources are necessary for our empire, and it has more importance to us intact" she revealed,
He couldn't help but be relieved that the Diamond's plans required the Cluster, and they had no idea that Steven had defeated and bubbled it, Ash planned to keep it that way.
Finally, Blue Diamond turned around to face him eye-to-eye, and when she did she noticed the lapis lazuli pendant around his neck "so you are the warrior I was told, you smite a Lapis and wear her gem around your neck?" She angrily asked, reaching for the necklace
"NO!" He exclaimed wrapping his hands around his neck to protect it "this isn't a gem! It's just a rock! Please, don't!" He pleaded for her not to take it from him. Then something even more unexpected happened, she stopped at his request
"It's just a necklace, why beg for it not to be taken?" She asked with legit curiosity
"Because, because it was given to me by someone I love. If you're really gonna turn me into a weapon, please, please let me keep it. It's all I have left to remind me of her. That's all I ask"
Blue Diamond looked down at him with confusion before taking a deep breath "so be it. Bring me the Zircon"
Relieved, Ash relaxed his grip on the pendant before reaching into his pocket and removing the square, blue gem from it. As soon as it was out in the open, it levitated and glowed until it returned back to the lawyer he knew.
"MY- MY DIAMOND!" She panicked with a quick salute, "please, be merciful! I got far to out of line and understand the repercussions of my actions! Please grant me mercy I was only doing my job!" She screamed finally dropping to her knees to beg
"On your feet Zircon" Blue Diamond commanded "you committed grand treason today, and had Yellow Diamond been alone you'd in all likelihood have been shattered on the spot. I have granted you mercy from Yellow Diamond's wrath for being a loyal member of my court for thousands of years, but in return for your life I demand to know one thing"
"Anything my Diamond!" Zircon cried as she slumped into Ash's arms, who awkwardly tried to consult her, knowing the end was most likely inevitable
"Your accusation on the shattering of Pink Diamond, that only a Diamond could do it and cover it all up, did you honestly mean it? Or were you simply throwing a conspiracy in the air to try and make a case for yourself?" She asked, her face turning from angry to being sad once again
Zircon released herself from Ash's grip and faced her leader "I uh…" she began to stuffer, turning to Ash for support, he answered her with an understanding nod "...I meant every word of it. The evidence and testimony presented makes absolutely no sense at all for Rose Quartz alone to be the perpetrator. And not a single one of the supposed witnesses has come forth, nor has given a concrete source. Yellow Diamond silencing me was just the last straw, I'm sorry my Diamond "
Blue Diamond held back tears as the room once again become incredibly cold. "Very well, your assistance is appreciated, and I hereby pardon you of any wrongdoing Zircon. I look forward to working with you at our side Great Chosen One. Please return him to the Clemont" she requested with a clap of her hands.
The door opened and May and Dawn entered the room, grabbing him by his shoulders and dragging Ash back the way he and Blue Pearl came
"Wait my Diamond! Plea-" was all he could hear Blue Zircon plead to her before the door was shut.
"Quit struggling Ash, it's not going to help you" May told him as they forced him back into the cell with Skinny and Pikachu
"I'm sorry Ash, just calm down and it will all be over soon" Dawn told him with a tone of regret and sorrow as she closed the door.
"What did Big Blue want?" Skinny asked while Pikachu moved from her lap to Ash's shoulder, he was happy that Clemont's torture hadn't broken her spirits.
"My opinion" he explained as had sat down next to her
Skinny laughed, "that's a definite first" once again resting her head on his shoulders out of exhaustion.
"I'm just glad I'm not alone in this" he remarked
"Yeah we'll get used to having me around"
"Why?"
"I think i'm the lucky one whose gem you're gonna get."
Before he could respond, the door once again opened and a Peridot entered the room. She had on her limb enhancers so she was as tall as he was, but he knew underneath she was just as small as Peridot was. Her gem was located on her eye and her her hair was in the shape of a box rather than a triangle, leading Ash to nickname her "Squareidot" to distinguish her from his friend.
"It's time" she told them while gesturing for them to follow. After bubbling Pikachu once more, she lead them down the hall towards a new room that had two tables in it. Working on some sort of chamber with a clear glass door, was Clemont.
He was in even worse shape than the last time Ash saw him at the Human Zoo, he was so thin that he could see his rib cage, his skin was pale from the lack of sun that it almost looked bleached. Dark circles surrounded his eyes so it must've been days since he last slept. But what caught Ash's attention the most however, was that he was wearing his own set of limb enhancers like Squareidot was except they were a light yellow color, but despite the enhancers, Clemont didn't appear any taller, in fact he looked as tall as he was the last time they saw each other.
"Is it ready?" Squareidot asked coldly
"Yes" he quietly answered her
Squareidot cocked her robotic fingers back into the shape of a gun and pointed it at Ash and Skinny "get on"
As he laid his back down on the table, he saw Pikachu floating above them, looking down at his trainer horrified, alongside him were six more bubbles, five containing Ash's pokeballs, and the last one contained his sword
After Squareidot strapped him to the table, she turned her attention back to Clemont "shall we allow the Chosen One to meet his commanding officer before he is turned?" She suggested
Clemont knew she wasn't suggesting and immediately began to flip buttons and switches on the control panel for the chamber, Ash looked inside now and was able to see an orange, triangular shaped Jasper was inside.
After Clemont pressed a few more buttons, Jasper began to take form into her corrupted state. The canine thrashed around angrily and terrified before the entire chamber filled with sparks.
At first, because this was a Clemont invention, Ash anticipated the device to explode and Jasper to be either released or killed in the blast. But as the smoke from inside it cleared, he saw an orange light emit from the device and the roars and grunts from corrupted Jasper turned into screams. The dog form stood on its hind legs and it's paws once again became hands before the machine stopped humming.
He watched in horror as Jasper stepped out into the room, once again in her natural form. But like Centipeetle, the corruption wasn't completely reversed as spikes now covered Jasper's shoulders, knees and elbows, her eyes were yellow and deranged, her front canine teeth had grown out into razor sharp fangs, and her hands now spurted claws.
"Speak" Squareidot demanded
Silence followed, leading him to believe she lost the ability to speak at first, but after a few seconds,
"Where am I?" She angrily asked
"You are home Jasper" she answered "your distress signal was received and a gem squadron retrieved you"
Jasper's attention then went from Squareidot to him "Ketchum!" She shouted as he saw her begin to approach the table he was strapped to with intent to hurt.
"Stop!" Squareidot demanded "your mission is not over yet, and you require his presence to complete it. Things have changed since you've been gone Jasper, a new world is ours for the taking. And you will lead the invading army in the name of Pink Diamond. And he is designated by the Diamonds to be your greatest warrior in your army."
Jasper relaxed herself and looked him dead in the eye "he's my weapon?"
Squareidot nodded
"Well then in that case, for Pink Diamond I guess I can put my differences with you aside and fight with you Ketchum, but I assure you once the war is won, I WILL shatter you, Rose Quartz, and all the other pathetic wastes of space you call allies. Then I will find that little brat of a Lapis Lazuli you're so fond of, and keep her as my pet"
The mere mention of her taking Lapis again was more than enough to send him into a blind rage. He began thrashing in his restraints as he tried to attack Jasper
"ILL KILL YOU IF YOU TOUCH HER! YOU HEAR ME JASPER!?" He screamed like a madman
"Stop struggling Ash" Clemont stated as tears fell down his face, "there's nothing you can do now. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"
"Enough" Squareidot decreed "the time has come. Any last words off color?" She asked Skinny
"Yea, Ash, when you're killing these guys, get an extra jab in for me" Skinny said with a cheeky grin, not letting her sense of humor die with her
"Jasper, if you'd do the honors" Squareidot requested as a pointed object fell down from the ceiling, aiming directly at Skinny's gem on her naval.
"Anything to remove this insult of the Jasper cut off the face of Homeworld" she said, slamming her spike covered fist down on a button Clemont presented to her.
The pointed object jabbed straight down onto her naval, Ash heard a loud crack as Skinny turned to him with a look of both pain but kept the trademark Skinny grin.
"Win this war for us Ash" was all she choked out as crack lines appeared across her body, the thin lines spread slowly as she cringed in pain before she burst into a ball of orange light, once the explosion of light faded, all that was left of his friend were five shards of her circular, Jasper gem.
"SKINNY!" Ash screamed as he began to sob over his deceased friend
"Clemont, I trust you to complete the operation" Squareidot said "I shall take Jasper to her consultation with the Diamonds and Giovanni"
Jasper turned back to face the pile of shards and Ash one more time "good riddance to that disgusting off color, at least we're getting some use out of it. By the way Ash, I was wondering, should I keep you alive to watch me take Lapis back and be Malachite again? Or should I just kill you as soon as I don't need you anymore? Either way Lapis will have to live with it, I sure hope her grief for you won't impact how she reacts to Malachite in any way" she said as she followed Squareidot outside
"I forgave you Jasper" he softly said "back at the Temple's bubble room I forgave you for everything you did"
Jasper turned to look at him one last time, as if she was putting that into consideration, before turning her back to him again "I remember, and I don't care Ketchum" she coldly said as she and Squareidot closed the door behind them.
Clemont collected the shards of what once was Skinny and placed them inside another machine. It hummed as it placed an enormous pressure on the shards, so much so that the shards bent back into place, as they returned to their original form. Afterward, he took the gem out and approached him, the gem in one hand and a tube connected to a tank in the other
"I'm sorry Ash" he said as he forced his mouth open and began stuffing the tube down his throat, Ash gagged and choked as he felt a gas of some sort enter his body through the tube. "I'm gonna try to make it as quick and as painless as possible" he heard Clemont again say as he began to lose consciousness "it'll all be over soon"
"PIKA-PI!" He heard Pikachu shout from his bubble as his eyes closed, and Clemont began to get to his work.
Ash found himself trapped in the darkness once again, but despite being in the middle of seemingly nowhere, he knew exactly where he was. He had been having this dream between the time he first met Lapis with Steven, up until they first rescued Lapis from Jasper and Malachite. In the dream he was always trapped in the endless void of darkness, in the distance was a light and Lapis. He would run to her, desperately trying to reach her while calling her name repeatedly. Eventually he would reach her, but once he did the light would disappear, and Lapis would turn into Malachite and attack him.
But this time, the dream was different. This time he was already at Lapis, he held her in his arms gently, but indicating he had absolutely no intention of letting go. Yet despite his attempt to keep her with him, she broke free and turned her back to him, streams of tears falling down her eyes so thick he couldn't even see them. The still crying Lapis sprouted her wings and took off, leaving him behind.
"Lapis wait!" He heard himself screaming as he reacted out for her, only to be grabbed and held back. Turning around he saw his mother was holding him to the ground. But she wasn't alone, as he saw Professor Oak, Tracy, Gary, Cilan, Iris, Jessie, Meowth and a number of other people he recognized from his world all had their arms outstretched, as if their combined energy was holding him down. He looked from the mob of his loved ones still on his world back to where Lapis was, only to see a tiny speck in the sky as she flew off.
"LAPIS NO! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE!" He begged as he squirmed in the other's grip.
All of a sudden, he saw Steven, The Crystal Gems, and all his friends from or on Steven's world standing in front of him, all of their faces were filled with dread and pain.
"You failed us Ash" Steven told him as everyone began pointing at him accusingly
The nightmare began to fade as he regained consciousness. He felt light headed and a slight burning sensation in his chest, as he tried to reassess his surroundings, knowing full well what had happened.
"You're awake, good" Clemont said as he looked down at his friend
"How long was I-"
"Two days"
"TWO DAYS!?" He shouted as he tried to sit up, his restraints preventing him from doing so.
"Don't struggle Ash, trust me" he said examining his heart rate, "Blue Diamond told me to give this to you once you woke up" he explained as he handed Ash back his necklace
"So, i take it they're gonna try to blackmail or torture me now to serve under Jasper right?"
"Actually no." he explained as he presented what appeared to be a small microchip "the Diamonds know you can't be threatened into serving them like the others, this chip is going to, well, make you their bitch. I just wanted wait until you woke up to explain myself to you, you see…"
"The Diamonds have Bonnie trapped in a human zoo and you have to serve and build them whatever they want or they'll kill her" he answered him
"How did you-"
"We actually found her before you. We got her out Clemont, don't worry she's safe"
Clemont turned his back to Ash and leaned forward on the panel, placing his head on his robotic hands and Ash heard him begin to cry.
"So it was all for nothing" he choked out through his painful tears "all these horrible things i've done, taking away your humanity, killing living beings, selling out two entire worlds, ALL OR NOTHING!?" he shouted, slamming his fists down
"You were protecting your family Clemont, it wasn't all for nothing"
"I've killed Gems Ash. i've made things that are gonna kill people, innocent people."
"That's not you Clemont, they had complete control over you"
He took a second to collect himself, "yeah, i guess so. And you're right on that part about them having complete control over my actions, that Peridot has remote control over my limb enhancers i step out of line, and-"
The door opened and Squareidot entered the room "why is he awake? Have you inserted the control chip yet?"
"No" he told her after a few seconds
"WHAT!? WHY NOT!?" she demanded
Clemont turned from her to Ash, then back to her "i am not your puppet anymore!" he decreed, crushing the chip using his limb enhancers
"How dare you!" Squareidot shouted and pressed a button on her own set of enhancers with rage.
Clemont began screaming in agony as sparks began to fly from his armor. He fell to his knees and then fell completely to the floor as he lost consciousness, Ash could only watch in horror.
"On account of the Clemont's incompetence, i'll put the chip in myself!" she declared as she began to approach Ash, but before she could end him, she was suddenly struck from behind and fell to the floor herself.
"What are you-" she began to ask her assailant before she was struck repeatedly by a club until she poofed, leaving behind her gem, and her limb enhancers in a disorganized pile. The assailant then approached Ash, but he realized that he recognized her.
"Topaz! What are you doing here?"
"Making things right" she answered as she bubbled Squareidot's gem and tore the restraints off him.
"How did you know where i was? You didn't bring me to the lab"
"That, i had a friend to help me with" she told him with a friendly smile, the door opened again as a familiar, blue gem joined them
"Hello again Ash" Blue Zircon addressed him, "you were there for me, now i'm here for you. We're gonna get you outta here"
"How? It's not like we can just go out the door" he sarcastically told them
"Actually, we can" Zircon explained "we'll just say that Clemont has to transport you to a different research facility, with his new security team so generously provided by one of the highest ranking members of Blue Diamond's court"
Ash knew Topaz was with escorting, but just one person didn't count as a team, but the door once again opened and he was introduced, or reintroduced, to the team Blue Zircon provided for him. "Oh no" he thought to himself as the four Lapis Lazulis he and Misty confronted in Cerulean City joined them.
Like how Steven had given nicknames to the Ruby squadron to distinct themselves apart, he had given the Lapis squad nicknames as well. The one with her gem in her eye, the one who he remembered was the leader, said she was "Cut 6XY" so her name was 6XY. The Lapis whose gem was on her left shoulder he nicknamed "Lefty", and the one whom he had seduced in the field whose gem was on her chest he named "Heart", the final Lapis he hadn't named as she was quiet and he couldn't see where her gem was.
6XY and Heart gently lifted Clemont off the ground and placed him on the table, and Ash checked his pulse, it was weak but he was still alive.
"How are we gonna get him out? It's gonna look suspicious if Topaz or someone else is carrying him"
"Simple," 6XY explained "one of my Lapis will assume his form and the Topaz will hide him inside her fusion" she snapped her fingers and the final Lapis who went nameless by Ash stepped forward, she glowed a blue light and the next thing Ash knew he was looking a blue Clemont face-to-face.
"No, no, no this is never gonna work. He's blue"
"Trust me, the Amethysts guarding this place are some of the dullest gems you'd ever meet. Let's get his limb enhancers on her."
Ash, Topaz, Heart and Lefty all collected the pieces off of Clemont, that's when he realized the reason why Clemont's height wasn't affected by his attachments. Once the leg pieces were removed, he saw that both of Clemont's legs had been amputated at the knee, as well as part of his left arm at the elbow. "Oh sweet Arceus"
The Clemont Lapis leapt next to Clemont on the table and in an attempt to match his height for the enhancers, she changed her form to copy his amputations. It was when she sat down that Ash saw that her gem was located at the bottom of her right foot on her heel.
"Topaz will escort you to the escape route." Zircon explained as she began to smash the control pad with a stick
"You're not coming with us Zircon?"
"Like i said Ash, someone's got to get your back. My newfound position of power in Blue Diamond's court allows me to say, cover up you and Clemont's disappearances. It was a total shame you escaped with him after this control pad exploded and poofed Clemont's supervisor." she said with a wink.
He couldn't believe he was talking to the same nervous wreck he saw two days ago by how confident she was acting. "Thank you Zircon" he said hugging the blue gem goodbye
"Don't worry Ash, i trust that we will see each other again, hopefully on better terms. Now go, you guys don't have much time"
Topaz defused and absorbed Clemont and Pikachu into her fold. Heel Lapis lead the group in her disguise while 6XY and Heart held Ash back and walked besides him, Ash taking notice on Heart trying to get closer and closer to him. As they walked slowly down the corridor, he silently prayed in his head that they did not encounter May or Dawn, thankfully they finally reached an elevator without being spotted.
Once inside the elevator, Heart rested her head on his shoulder in a romantic advance. After he took a deep breath, he decided to tell her the truth. "Listen, uh, about what happened between us in that field. When i said i thought you're beautiful i meant it, but everything else i'd done that night for you, i manipulated you for your information. And i can never repay what you and your squad are doing for me, but i cannot return your feelings. I'm sorry but my heart belongs to someone else"
Heart backed off from his shoulder and began to look to the ground in rejection. After she took a deep breath, she looked back at him "i guess i got carried away, when i first saw you, you took me by surprise, I never thought that organic life was so beautiful until i saw you. After our last encounter, we were sent back for our scouting mission in Cerulean City, once we went there i saw around the world for how beautiful it truly was. I guess that once i fell in love with you, i naturally fell in love with Earth." she explained with a shy smile "you set me free Chosen One, but i guess i fell for you because of that. I suppose that i should've known better, i'm sorry"
Everyone lunged forward slightly as the elevator came to a complete stop. After piling out, Topaz defused as 6XY handed Ash his pokeballs and his sword back, which she and Lefty had kept in their gems. The exit lead out to a grim, wasteland of empty rock and stone.
"Last chance" he told everyone as Topaz rested Clemont onto his back "if anyone wants to come with us now might be your last chance"
"Going to Earth and being able to be myself sounds like the greatest thing that could happen to me" Topaz stated, "but right now, i can't. Someone's got to stay behind and protect Zircon and these guys Ash, but i can promise you that through thin and through thick i've got your back here. Best of luck in finding your friends Ash, and thank you" she told him and pulling him into a hug
"What about you guys?" he asked the Lapis squad once Topaz released him "i promise you guys my Lapis won't get jealous, and we've got plenty of room" both of which he knew were lies, but he felt like he needed to tell them that to get them to come
"Thanks, but no" 6XY answered for all of them "we've been assigned to help the Zircon uncover what she calls the "Pink Diamond Conspiracy" and we were sown to help her. Besides, whatever type of invasion tactic Homeworld and that Jasper are planning to use, we can find out with our inside information. But like the Topaz said, "we've got your back" she said while stretching her hand out, which he shook out of respect.
After shaking Lefty and Heel's hands as well, Heart decided to hug him instead, which he gently returned "i'll never forget you great Chosen One" she softly told him
"It's Ash" he corrected her kindly "and i'll see you guys later" he said thankfully as he turned around and began escorting Pikachu and Clemont through the underbelly of Homeworld to begin his quest to find Steven and Lars, praying to Arceus he wasn't too late.