Author's Note: I almost had a brain meltdown writing this chapter. Thank you for the comments and support, I love you all <3.
The place was bathed in a soft pink hue, and everything around it was lost among slowly drifting clouds. In the midst of that ethereal atmosphere, two figures could be distinguished. One of them was doing one-handed push-ups, while the other sat on their back.
Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three... the figure repeated with a steady rhythm, as beads of sweat fell to the floor. The other figure, calm and serene, watched without moving.
When they reached one hundred, they held the position for a few more seconds, breathing deeply. The figure on top spoke in a calm tone, asking if they had finished. Steven, who was doing the push-ups, replied with a tired yet confident smile that he would stay in that position a little longer. He told Connie that if she wanted, she could ask the room for anything, and they would do it without hesitation.
Connie, in her form-fitting training suit, nodded with a slight smile and asked for a figure to be created for her to practice on. She requested a version of herself, but with pink hair to match the surroundings, so she wouldn't get confused during combat. In a matter of seconds, her clone appeared before her, and the two began training with their swords, the metallic clashes echoing in the air.
Meanwhile, Steven switched arms to continue his push-ups, maintaining his focus on his training, though his mind was far away. He was thinking about the days to come, about what was about to happen.
Peridot is coming, he mused silently. If she comes, there's a good chance Jasper will show up too. And if that happens, I'll have a lot of trouble beating her. Winning would be possible, of course, as long as she doesn't pull one of those crazy things out of her giant ship. Even with years of training, I can't beat a huge hand that fires laser beams like it's nothing.
With that thought nagging at him, he continued doing push-ups. More than an hour had passed, and she repeated the routine. The room, aware of her desire to improve, had added an invisible weight to her back to increase the difficulty of the training.
Behind her, the sounds of clashing swords filled the air. Shouts of exertion and rapid breathing accompanied each movement. Connie moved with precision, dodging her clone's attacks, returning swift and firm blows.
Come on, she encouraged herself between gasps, dodging a thrust. Wait, she murmured suddenly, taking a few steps back as she stared intently at her copy. They stood face to face for a few seconds, until a smile spread across her lips. From now on, you will be called Con, she said with a determined tone.
The clone nodded serenely, accepting her new name, and both returned to the fight with renewed energy.
Connie raised her sword as if her life depended on it, which, in a way, it was. The intensity of her training increased with each strike. She moved with precision, unleashing swift sword slashes until she found an opening to strike. With a determined thrust, she delivered a direct blow to the clone, striking it squarely. The copy stumbled back several steps before nodding, as if accepting its defeat.
Exhausted after nearly two hours, Connie collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. They had entered the room five hours earlier with Steven. After he explained the room's properties to her, they had spent almost four hours training without rest. While she took a well-deserved break, Steven continued training with the same intensity, as if the fate of the world depended on it.
When the clone disappeared, Connie watched him silently.
She stared at him for a few seconds, saying nothing, noticing the concentration on his face. She already knew quite a bit about the Gems; Steven had confided everything to her. This worried her, but it also inspired her. She would do everything she could for him. He was her first friend, her best friend, her first lo— She cut the thought short with a quick shake of her head, preventing her mind from going any further down that path.
She stretched slowly and started walking toward the exit of the room. Her mother would be arriving soon, and she would have to walk farther than usual, since the rains had made the beach inaccessible to cars. She stopped for a moment and looked at Steven with a smile.
"Hey, Steven," she called energetically.
He looked up and answered naturally. Then, with a burst of momentum from both arms, he leaped into an impressive jump, finishing with a backflip and landing on his feet, as if he'd done it a thousand times before. A blanket appeared beside him to wipe away the sweat, and Connie couldn't help but notice something she'd always known.
Steven was in excellent shape. His muscles weren't exaggerated, but they were defined enough to catch her eye. His neck had subtle lines that, for some reason, always fascinated her. His jawline, though still a little rounded with age, showed signs that it would soon become more defined thanks to consistent training. The tight t-shirt didn't leave much to the imagination: his abs were firm, visible, and clearly the result of hard work.
She had muscle too, of course, but not as much as him. She didn't push herself to the limit like Steven, who seemed to give 500 percent in every workout. Connie lowered her gaze as she watched him deep in thought, staring into space, his mind elsewhere. That was something she loved about him from the moment she met him: he was always thinking, daydreaming, imagining. Sometimes his ideas were a little strange, but many turned out to be brilliant. Several had even helped her improve her workouts, and thanks to that, she had a figure that many girls her age envied.
The last few months had been incredibly satisfying. Her legs were toned, her body stronger, and she often trained with Steven in unconventional ways. Sometimes he carried her on his back while they ran almost on water, using bubbles on their feet to keep from sinking. Steven said it was to avoid being eaten by sharks, although, come to think of it, he didn't believe any shark would be capable of eating him.
Connie shook her head, snapping back to reality. Overthinking was something she'd picked up from spending so much time with Steven. Whenever he had free time, he invited her to train or just to talk. And although at first it seemed like a curious habit, it wasn't a bad thing. Thanks to him, she now had more friends at school, people who had previously tried to get close but whom she, trapped in her own "bubble," never let in.
As Steven used to tell her, "You have to break the bubble to let the light in." And he was right. Now, although she had good friends, none of them compared to him.
"What happened?" Steven asked after wiping away most of his sweat, though a little still remained.
Connie smiled and replied that she had to go, reminding him that he had promised to walk her home.
"Of course," Steven said as he walked beside her. They both headed toward the exit in comfortable silence. After a few seconds, Steven, snapping out of his thoughts, looked at her and said that, although he didn't want to sound cheesy, he was truly grateful to have met her. He was quiet for a few moments, showing that he had many ideas swirling in his head, and then smiled mischievously, placed a hand on his chest, and raised his chin in an exaggerated gesture, as if to affirm that knowing himself was a blessing. Connie burst out laughing and told him to take it seriously. He insisted he was, with even more theatricality if that was possible, and a door appeared as they both left, laughing at each other's antics.
From outside, the room was empty. At that moment, the Gem door opened, and Connie and Steven came out, walking at the same pace. Steven handed Connie a bottle of water and changed his clothes before leaving; she did the same. She hadn't told her mother she was training, though she figured her mother wouldn't notice the changes yet. "When she does," Connie thought, "I'm going to love seeing her reaction."
After getting dressed, they looked at the lion that had just entered through the door. The lion stared at them as if to say, "What are those kids doing?" Steven, who wasn't afraid of anything, asked if he would give them a ride. The lion only looked at them for a few seconds, ignored them, and fell asleep.
Steven, holding his hand up in a somewhat ridiculous gesture as if offering fish, coughed when Leon completely ignored him. Connie laughed loudly at his embarrassment. Steven declared it was time to leave, because Connie's mother would beat him up if she saw her not outside. Connie nodded, and together they left the house.
The beach was somewhat chaotic after the rains; it wasn't impossible to get through, but it was difficult for cars. They walked in silence until Connie broke the calm, asking, almost curiously, "You know, Steven, those gems you told me about, from one to ten, how strong are they? Tell me seriously."
Steven was silent for a moment and then responded by asking if she had fought him before. Connie looked a little confused but nodded. He commented, with a suppressed chuckle, that she used to beat him up. Connie frowned and hit him on the back of the head, a move she'd learned from Garnet and Amethyst. Steven groaned and rubbed his head. She shook her head with a snort.
Steven added that, possibly, some gems were like nine more Stevens. Connie looked at him with a "really?" expression, and he, confused, repeated that it was just a guess. Looking out at the sea, he commented that the gems didn't tell him much about their strength; He was only preparing for the worst and training with the mindset of someone who could easily surpass him. "I train so I won't be caught off guard," Steven thought to himself.
As Steven gazed at the sea, his face suddenly paled. His eyes widened with a mixture of fear and resignation, and he turned to Connie with a nervous smile that failed to conceal his discomfort. He greeted her in a trembling voice, feigning normalcy. Connie looked at him, puzzled by the sudden change in his tone. He swallowed hard and, still smiling with obvious tension, warned her not to look where he was looking.
He earnestly asked her to heed his advice, to keep walking and not look, assuring her that what she had seen was practically the devil himself. Connie, driven by curiosity, barely turned her head and immediately regretted it. A chill ran down her spine when she saw a small boy with a disturbingly calm expression, holding an axe and a fish that she prayed wasn't a shark.
Connie could barely speak as she murmured in horror, asking what it was, what he was. Steven, drenched in cold sweat, replied that it was Onion. He described him as weird, but not weird in a cute or funny way, weird in a disturbing way. Not even the Gems, who came from space, were as strange as him. Without a second thought, they both started running as if their lives depended on it.
Onion, on the other hand, just watched them silently with a bottle of ketchup in his mouth. Then he looked back at the fish, let out a low chuckle, and carried it off to who knows where, completely unfazed.
Connie, still breathless, tried to catch her breath when they both reached the spot where her mother was supposed to appear. Steven tried to lighten the mood, telling her that at least she wouldn't have to go through something like this again. Connie nodded, her heart still racing, but just then they heard the sound of a family car approaching.
The car stopped, and Dr. Priyanka Maheswaran got out, speaking on the phone in an authoritative tone. She said that of course she could do it, that she was the best doctor in the hospital, that she would do it without hesitation, until she finally hung up and looked up, noticing the two young people in front of her.
With a raised eyebrow, she regarded them skeptically and asked if they were exercising. Before Steven could say anything, Connie quickly covered his mouth and replied with a nervous smile that yes, a little. Connie's mother sighed, used to their quirks, and reminded her daughter that she had classes to attend and that she would soon need to get her glasses replaced. Then she looked at Steven and asked about his mother.
He considered explaining what was really going on, but simply said calmly that his mother was home taking care of some things. The doctor nodded indifferently, gave a quick goodbye, and asked Connie to do the same while she sent work messages.
Steven leaned slightly toward Connie and whispered that she should talk to his mother more. She replied quietly that she would in the next few days, and then, with a small smile, said goodbye. They hugged briefly before the car started and disappeared down the road.
Silence filled the air. Steven put his hands in his pockets and noticed he still had some money. He sighed and muttered to himself that he was craving pizza. Without thinking much about it, he started walking toward the only pizzeria in Beach City, letting the sound of the sea accompany his steps.
The sound of cooking filled the shop. Kiki was at the oven with her headphones on, taking orders for many nearby houses. From the counter, she heard Nane's voice calling her. Kiki turned and, with a raised eyebrow, answered, "Yes?"
At the counter was a frail-looking old woman who, nevertheless, didn't seem so old when she ran: "Don't let her appearance fool you, she's smart and runs like a youngster," the old woman commented.
"What's up, Nane?" asked Kiki. "You have a new order, it's from one of your favorite customers," Nane said with a small smile. Kiki frowned in confusion at the mention of "favorite customer," until she noticed the order on the tray and smiled. "Oh, Steven," she said cheerfully. "The usual, right?" Kiki efficiently set to work preparing the pizzas, while the pizzas came out of the oven and were delivered to customers and tourists who wanted to try different flavors.
The door to Kofi Pizza opened, and someone walked in who seemed to be liked by everyone; even the tourists felt a sense of calm in his presence. Kiki greeted him with a smile. "Come on, come here, my boy," Nane said from behind the counter. Steven, the protagonist, smiled and returned the greeting casually. "Good evening, how are you? The pizzeria is booming thanks to your ideas," Mrs. Nane remarked gratefully. Steven scratched the back of his neck and said he was doing his best.
Kiki came out of the kitchen and hugged Steven like a brother. He groaned, squeezed tight in the embrace. "You're suffocating him!" Nane exclaimed, a bead of sweat forming on her brow. "No, hold on," Kiki insisted, squeezing him even tighter. After a few seconds, she let go.
Steven looked at her with a "I almost died" expression. "What?" Kiki asked, surprised. "It's been a while since you've been here, I'm surprised," she added playfully, touching her chin. "I've been training more, sorry about that," Steven replied. Nane saw her granddaughter off with a light tap on the back of her neck with her cane. "Ow," Kiki complained, rubbing it. "Your pizza's burning," Nane warned, and Kiki ran to the oven to retrieve the tray.
"Goodbye, Steven, take care," Kiki said as she waved goodbye. He smiled and looked at Nane, who was already holding his pizza. "Here, son, and you get a frequent customer discount," the old woman said. Steven quickly paid with a five-dollar discount and left, waving goodbye, with Kiki calling out a "See you later!" that echoed down the street.
Walking back home, Steven thought quietly about his plans. "Let's see, if my memory serves me right... and now I'm about twenty percent sure some of it does, I have a Gem obsessed with my mother. If she sees the symbol on my shield, she'll target me just for that. I have a chance to avoid defeat; I'd need to attack Peridot first, then try to take Lapis out, and then engage Jasper. I have an idea I got from a manga, Jujutsu Kaisen. I've been practicing it, and it's worked about sixty percent of the time. I need to increase that percentage. I think the only one who could keep up with me in that attack would be Amethyst. Although Jasper, being a perfect Jasper, would have disadvantages."
A voice in his mind said, "You'd lose," but Steven smiled smugly and silently replied, "Nah, I'd win," chewing on a piece of pizza. When he got home, he noticed the girls still hadn't come out. He sighed. "They haven't come out in three weeks," he thought. The robots keep coming and coming, but we haven't even gotten to the kindergarten part yet.
The silence of the night accompanied him as he entered the house, the taste of pizza still lingering in his mouth and training plans swirling in his head.
He should train more. He didn't want to involve Connie in this fight, but if possible, he would like to take her to the daycare, and even if she didn't like it, it would be better to do it in a Stevonnie fusion. While eating and showering to wash off the sweat from training, he stretched and lay down, put on relaxing music, and with a sigh, left some pizza slices for the lion before drifting off to sleep. Between sleepy murmurs, he managed to say something like "one Connie, two Connies," and soon found himself floating in a dream filled with smiles as he ate a roast chicken like the ones from his previous life, savoring the moment.
"So delicious," he said as he cried manly tears and ate nonstop. He knew it was a dream, but he thought it was a beautiful one. Suddenly, he raised a hand in the air and shouted, laughing, that he chose Leon as his Pokémon. A yellow lion appeared, just as confused as its real-life counterpart. Steven ordered it to use Nuclear Beam, but the lion just stared at him silently, ignoring him as always.
Steven sighed and glanced to the side, searching for some explanation for his illumination. "Uh," he muttered, confused, seeing a yellow and pink area. "What's this?" he thought as he floated toward it. He took a few steps before suddenly collapsing to the ground.
"Ow," he said in a mock-painful voice.
"Who said that?" a gruff voice boomed.
"Uh," he replied, confused, and looking up, wished he'd never come to this place.
End of Chapter 26.