No poseo Pokemon o Steven Universe, shoutout to all my spanish viewers. I chose not to do the episode Gemcation because I found it to not only be boring, but more importantly I couldn't write Ash and the pokemon into the episode with relevance to the story for the life of me. I rewrote the episode at least fifteen times, yet I just couldn't come up with a satisfactory conclusion or action. As a result I just decided to skip that episode and go to the next one I wanted to do. I also chose to do Kevin Party before I caught up with the episode Raise the Barn because the events of this chapter will cross into that chapter once I finish it. *POKEMON AND STEVEN UNIVERSE ARE NOT OWNED BY ME*
Sitting on his back, shirtless on Jamie's dining room table, Ash squinted his eyes to the small flashlight Clemont shined into them.
"Don't struggle through this Ash. I know it's uncomfortable, but I need to monitor the effects your gem has on your human body through long term exposure to Earth's atmosphere. Now stay still". He began to feel Ash's chest, and gently taped Skinny's Jasper as if he expected a reaction, one that he didn't get. Suddenly he took out a rubber glove, "alright I think you know what comes next"
"WOAH!" he exclaimed jumping off the table, "this is getting a little too weird for me Clemont, I'm fine really."
"Fine, but I'll still require a blood sample for study"
"OW!" he exclaimed when his friend jabbed a needle into his arm and drew a small amount of blood, collecting it in a test tube. Clemont began to bandage up his arm, where Ash turned to the kitchen and saw that Serena was hiding, trying her best not to let Ash catch her ogling at him shirtless, but even he could see her blushing and biting her lip. With Clemont's "physical" over, he threw his undershirt and favorite blue jacket back on and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder from the counter top, ready to exit the house for he had another important meeting that day. "I'll see you guys later".
Excitedly walking down the boardwalk, Ash took this opportunity to reflect on himself. A few seagulls squawked above him in the hot sun as he lost himself in thought about his current situation. Since his performance, Lapis had still been quiet and reserved around him, but had expressed her excitement for their upcoming marriage. And with the appointment he was going to, he was going to bring them one step closer to achieving that goal. He entered Fish Stew Pizza with a hoard of Butterfrees in his stomach, taking a seat with the little, old lady with a mountain of papers at the table. "Hello Mayor Nanefua".
"Hello Ash, and you've saved this city time and time again, you can just refer to me as "Nanefua" she told him, giving Pikachu a quick scratch behind the ears, much to the pokemon's delight. "Now, I have examined the necessary paperwork, and it will take me a couple more days to get your marriage certificate authenticated, as you are technically not a citizen and Miss Lapis isn't a human at all. I'll have to jump through quite a few hoops, but I'm positive that I can get it verified, just give me two days".
He stood up and hugged the little woman out of joy "thank you so much Nanefua!"
The bell to the entrance dinged after Steven entered the shop, grimly carrying an armful of fliers. Ash was about to tell him the good news, but changed his mind after seeing how miserable Steven looked. "What's wrong bud? What's with the fliers?"
"It's Lion. He still hasn't come home and has got me worried"
"When's the last time you saw him?"
"With Connie the night Arceus gave us our pokemon. It was also the last time since she's talked to me"
"But that was a week ago! Come on, I'll help you look for him. See you later Nanefua"
"If you see Lion call me right away! He's my only interdimensional gateway into space, and I love him!" Steven told the Fishtews as they exited the shop to begin their search "alright, I think I have enough fliers to-"
He was interrupted by a yellow sports car quickly speeding down the boardwalk, just barely missing the two and stopping in front of them. Both knew exactly whose car this was, as the driver stepped outside and leaned back on the car, acting cool. "What are you guys doing tonight?"
Steven sighed in annoyance before he began to lead Ash in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Listen Ash, Little Kid-"
"Beat it Kevin, we don't have time for this"
"Look, I'm throwing a party tonight at my parent's palatial estate. All the coolest teens in Delmarva have already RSVPed, except for two. The only two cooler than I am"
Steven looked at Ash confused "are you, talking about me?"
"What? Ew no. I'm talking about Ash, and Stevonnie"
Ash just rolled his eyes while Steven just looked at him almost offended "what? You can't just, This is the last thing we need right now. Come on Ash, let's go"
"Look kid, Stevonnie is better than me okay?" Kevin confessed, blocking the two as they tried to leave, "better dancer, better driver, Stevonnie truly does not care what anyone thinks, that's why they're the coolest. And I can't be the coolest, I at least gotta be seen hanging with the coolest"
"Stevonnie only exists when Connie and I are together, and we're, I'm not coming. And neither is Ash"
Kevin looked at them upset "great, so I invited that other kid for nothing" he told himself as he began to get back into his car.
Kevin's words struck Steven like a truck "Connie's going!?"
"Of course she's going, no one turns down an invitation to a Kevin Party"
"Well we just did" Ash joked to him
"But she can't stand you Kevin. Why would she agree? Wait, did you say all of this to her to!? Does she think I'm gonna be there? IS IT TOO LATE TO RSVP?!"
"Yes, but I'll make an exception for Stevonnie, and also Ash has to come if you go"
"Well, good thing I didn't have plans tonight, we'll be there"
"Cool, and bring your cat," he said pointing at Pikachu, "chicks love cats"
"Yeah, I'm getting married and Pikachu's not a cat"
"Then you won't mind if I used him then?" he asked reaching for the pokemon.
"Kevin don't!"
"PIK-A-CHU!" the electric pokemon exclaimed, electrocuting him in self defense.
"On second thought, don't bring him" he coughed through his pain, "what's your number? I'll text you guys the address. You know what? Here," he said handing Steven his cell phone "just put it in"
"How do we?"
"You roll the little ball to navigate"
After both of them put their numbers into Kevin's phone and returned it, he examined the two new contacts "your name's Steven? Weird, I thought it was Clarence. See you tonight, Ash and Steven"
After spending the entire day worrying about looking for Lion, the two went alone to address Kevin texted them. Under normal circumstances Ash would've invited his friends and Lapis to come along, but Kevin made it specifically clear the party was invite only. Walking in through the backyard gate, they saw the party was... boring to say the least as most of the party goers were either on their phones or just relaxing in the hot tub.
"Steven! Ash! What took you guys so long?" the host angrily asked.
"We kinda got got lost coming up the driveway"
"Yo Kev!" one of the guests screamed from across the patio "who invited the seven year old?"
"Shut your mouth Derek! I thought I told you to go buy us some more ice!" his gaze turned to Steven wearing his pink, collar shirt and cringed "did you just come from picture day at school or something?"
"We brought snacks" Steven awkwardly tried to change the subject. Kevin responded by grabbing the plastic bag and throwing it into the tree of his backyard.
"This party is lame enough as it is, look at these people! This is forgettable, but not for long. When Stevonnie shows up on the scene, everybody's talking about it. And when Stevonnie shows up to my party tonight, everyone will be talking about it until they're old grandparents, and their last words to their grandchildren will be: "Kevin throws the best parties".
Ash just rolled his eyes before noticing something out of place at the party. Lion.
Steven followed Ash's gaze and saw his missing feline "wait, you're the one who had him the whole time?"
"What? No, I'm allergic to dogs"
Lion turned his body to reveal the real reason for being at Kevin's party. Laughing with the teens taking selfies with Lion and her pokemon was Connie, but not as Ash remembered her. Sometime during the week she had cut her hair much shorter than it was the last time he saw her, and it was obvious she'd been training nonstop because her Honedge had already evolved into Doublade.
Steven quickly hid behind the taller boys when she looked in their direction. "I haven't seen her in so long. She looks so different. I thought she'd be here to see me, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe she's just here to have a good time. Maybe she's moved on"
"She's moved on?" Kevin asked completely ignorant to the situation "wait, did you guys break up? Can seven year olds even do that?"
"I'm fourteen"
"You didn't tell me you guys broke up. You got a free ticket to what would've been the coolest teen party in Delmarva. But now it's just some sad kid party getting crashed by a couple of sad kids!"
"Alright we're leaving" Ash finally came to Steven's defense
Kevin took a deep breath "no, we can fix this, when did this happen?"
"Last week"
"Have you been texting her?"
"Several dozen times"
"She text you back?"
"No"
Kevin evaluated the situation "but she knew you'd be here"
"Right, I'll just go talk to her. I'll tell her how sorry I am. I'll tell her how much I-" he began to choke on his words and cry.
"WOAH! NO, NO, NO, NO" Kevin protested him, blocking him from approaching her. "Okay kid, listen. I wouldn't normally do this because you're a pitiful kid with snot coming out of your nose, but I need those old people to whisper my name before they die. And if you don't pull it together you're gonna regret it, and it'll be Sabina all over again!"
"Whose Sabina?"
Ash struggled to hold back his laughter at Kevin's blushing face, but he shook it off and got back into his plan. "Look, you can't just dump your emotional honesty face all over her, you're gonna freak her out!"
"I'd hate to admit it Steven, but he's right. We have to approach this carefully"
"I just want us to talk again"
"Exactly," Kevin agreed "but look what she's doing. Her life is good, she's got a dog now"
"And a haircut"
"Right, but your life is good too. You don't need to talk to her either. You've got new stuff going on. New shirt, new friends."
"She gave me this shirt for my birthday"
Kevin groaned, "Ash give him your jacket"
"What? No"
"You're right it looks too good on you" Kevin then turned his attention to Derek "DEREK! GIVE ME YOUR JACKET!" he marched right over to the other boy and wrestled the teal jacket off him. "Here, put this on, collar up"
"You're friend looks kinda mad"
"He's not my friend. And that's not quite cool enough," he then removed his own scarf and put it over Steven's neck. "Nice, it's almost like you have style"
"Why does he need the scarf? It's not even cold out"
"Why do you wear the jacket?" Kevin asked Ash in response "now come on man, let's show Connie what a good time Steven's having with his friends Ash and Kevin". For the next two hours, Kevin brought the two into forced conversation with obnoxious strangers, got them to drink disgusting energy drinks, and even got into a dance off between himself and Steven while Ash just struggled to keep some of the hipster girls there from flirting with him. It was no secret now that some of the girls in Beach City found him attractive, as he would catch some girls staring at him while he was washing cars at work, and admittedly he sometimes let himself get wet enough so the inside of his shirt were visible and the ladies could get a quick peek at the goods he was packing, but he was a one gem man, so this night he was basically fighting the girls back with a stick. Suddenly, Kevin jabbed him with his elbow and pointed in Connie's direction, who was pretending not to have been looking at Steven. He couldn't believe it, but Kevin was right about everything.
"Hey kid, you should go talk to Connie"
"So I can tell her about my feelings?!" Steven excitedly asked
"No. Be casual, you're showing her how you have it together. You're not dying to talk to her because you're not dying at all. You're living, now make her want that life with you"
"Wow Kevin, that's pretty moving." Ash couldn't help but admire.
"I know it is" he arrogantly told him "so move already Steven. And remember, be cool, be casual, and walk away"
After taking a moment to collect himself, Steven stood up and walked over to Connie, Lion and Doublade.
"You know Kevin, earlier you talked about this Sabina girl" Ash told him with a smirk "does the mighty Kevin actually care about someone other than himself?"
"Shut up Ash"
"No I'm serious. You've really changed since the first time I met you, you posted my bail, helped Lapis get where she needed to be the night I got taken, and the others told me how you had been one of the first people to help volunteer to rebuild the Centipeetle's ship to help me and Steven. I think there's more to you than meets the eye. But I can't help but wonder, am I your only friend?"
"I don't have friends Ash, just people who worship the ground I walk on"
"That's not what you told me at the gas station though. I see that you obviously care about me at least, so for that, here." he told him handing Kevin a piece of paper.
"What's this?"
"An invitation to my wedding. I need some groomsman, would you be one of mine? After all we've been through?"
Kevin looked like he truly took what Ash just told him to heart and accepted the invitation, placing it in his pocket. Then Steven came back.
"That was terrible! This is all wrong guys!"
"No way little man" Kevin pointed to Connie running towards them "look, your girl's coming back for more"
"Steven! What is going on! I came here hoping we could talk, but it seems like you only want to talk to Kevin and Ash! I guess they're you're best friends now!"
"No, no but you're my best friend!" Steven tried to protest as she began to walk away.
"Best friend? What are you kids even talking about? I thought she was your ex? Great now what am I going to do? Think Kevin, how do people treat their friends?" he asked himself as Steven ran after Connie.
"Kevin, am I your only actual friend?" Ash asked him again while he was panicking. This time however, Kevin actually answered him.
"Yes! Okay, yes! Is that what you wanted to hear from me!? I like having you as a "friend" Ash! I like, feeling gross and mushy when you give me a stupid invite to a stupid wedding, and I like being able to feel like I was helping! Is that what you wanted!?" Ash slapped him across the face to calm him down "thank you, I needed that"
"Hey Ash!" they heard Steven say, hugging Connie.
"Wow, that was quick. Glad you two made up" Ash told them.
Recovering from his sudden meltdown, Kevin grew a big smile and grabbed a microphone "Hey everybody are you having fun?"
"YEAH!"
"LIARS! You're all so fake you make me sick! But get ready, me and my friend Ash here are about to introduce you all to someone so real you'll all feel as sick as I am! This party starts now! Children! Go!"
Steven and Connie shrugged and mounted Lion, while Connie returned Doublade "it's getting late, we'd better head out"
Kevin looked at Ash, who was too busy giggling to himself to respond, then began walking towards the two, "but, you've got to do the thing. What did I help you for if you're not gonna elevate my party!? Don't you walk away from m-" he exclaimed as he fell into the pool because he wasn't paying attention, causing everyone to laugh.
"If it helps Kevin, I think you threw a very nice party" Connie teased
"See yah Kevin, you coming Ash?"
"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay a little bit longer" he told them, helping Kevin out of the pool.
"Alright, see you later then!" Steven told him, as Lion summoned a portal and took the two home.
"ARRGHHH!" Kevin groaned in defeat "Those brats just betrayed me!"
"No they didn't Kevin, look on the bright side, they trust you now. Maybe you'll get that rematch at the wedding, plus today you learned a valuable lesson"
"Which is?"
"You know who you can trust. Now come on, let's have a good time!"
After drying himself off, Kevin returned to the party that Ash had wound up bringing up by putting one of Sour Cream's mixtapes into the DJ booth invoking a large dancing crowd in the backyard. Ash and Kevin both decided it'd be fun to dance along to and soon they both began to lose track of how long they'd been partying, then things took a dark turn.
"Yo Kevin" Derek interrupted a conversation Ash had been having between Kevin and a few other people about how pokemon contests work "some chicks crashed the party"
"WHAT! No one crashes a- wait, are they hot?"
"Uh, not really"
"NOBODY CRASHES A KEVIN PARTY, WHERE ARE THEY!?"
"They're over there" Derek pointed towards the front gate, the only exit as if the girls were blocking it "they're the one's with the stupid haircuts and the leather"
All the color dropped from Ash's face once he recognized Kevin's unwanted guests. The older girl possessed bright, blond hair tied into two enormous buns, wore a spandex crop top and a pair of dark sunglasses, he recognized her as the Team Rocket agent he'd met in Alto Mare named Annie. Her sister Oakley stood right besides her, with sky blue hair styled into wings and was more younger than her sister. Both were examining the crowd as if they were looking for someone. "No" he whispered to himself.
"You know those chicks Ash?"
"They're Team Rocket Agents from my world. I don't know how, but they somehow found me. And I know who they're looking for. You've got to help me Kevin!" he begged as he tried to hide behind him.
"Team what?"
"They're some bad people from my world who are after me and Lapis."
Kevin thought about how to handle the situation before coming up with an idea "follow me" he said grabbing Ash's arm and dragging him into the pool house. "Take your clothes off"
"What are you doing!?" he demanded as Kevin began to take off his clothes.
"They're looking for Ash Ketchum, not Kevin. I say, let them find him, if you know what I mean"
Ash finally caught on, and began to strip as well. Once they were both in their underwear, they exchanged clothes. With Ash's blue jacket now on Kevin, he began to admire himself in the jacket. "Wow, this is actually very comfortable. What design is this?"
"My mom made it for me"
"No kidding? Could she make me something like that?"
"Can we talk about this later?"
"Right" he said, "I'll get those two away from the gate, now get out of here. I'll text you and tell you what happens next after they see through our trick. Thank you Ash by the way, I've never really had a friend, a real friend, before. I'll bring a nice cheese plate to the wedding."
"Yeah, that's not you bring to a wedding, but I do appreciate it. Good luck Kevin".
After giving him an understanding nod, Kevin forced his way out of the pool house and charged across the backyard, getting the attention of the Team Rocket sisters enough to get them to follow him. With their ruse a success, Ash bolted out the door and ran down the street, looking over his shoulder every few minutes just in case he'd been followed by any other Team Rocket agents. Fortunately he was able to safely make his way back to the barn, where everyone was in the truck watching Camp Pinning Hearts. "Brock, Misty, James, I need to talk to you guys in private" he said practically pushing them away from the TV.
"What's wrong, and what the heck are you wearing?" Brock asked.
"That's not important. I saw two Team Rocket operatives at Kevin's house outside Beach City. It was Annie and Oakley."
"Oh gosh. They didn't follow you did they?"
"No, Kevin kept them distracted long enough for me to get away" he then felt his phone vibrate, and after seeing Kevin was the one who texted him. "They just left, I might've mentioned you ran off to Keystone."
"If the boss sent Annie and Oakley to do something, it must be of top priority. You're lucky you weren't followed" James concluded.
"Look, all I know now is, Lapis doesn't need to know this. She's already got, whatever's going on with her, and if she found out about this then she'd freak out even more. Everyone should just be on alert for the next couple of days."
"Agreed" the three trainers concluded and returned inside.
"What was all that about?" Peridot asked.
"We just," he paused because he hated having to lie to her, but he knew it was for the best "we just needed to talk about the wedding."