It had been a few days since the incident with the Centipeedle and the Crystal Gems were still unsure about how to process what they saw on the beach; Steven had managed to summon a shield that belonged to their former leader Rose Quartz which made Pearl happier than anything, though it also confused both her and Amethyst as to how ice cream was able to be the catalyst of his powers, Garnet on the other hand seemed more concerned about Kai after he had been able to not just survive underwater for far longer than he should…But he also was able to physically manipulate a Gem into moving with his bare hands despite being 100% Human, it was a situation too up in the air for someone who relied on solid answers and not maybes.
Kai was understandably worried once the three finally decided to quiz him on everything, not because Pearl had a look of worry on her face but because Garnet was a rather intimidating sight when she needed answers. "S-So what was it that you wanted to ask me?"
Pearl needed answers too but she seemed to falter a little at Kai's visible anxiety and decided to at least try to ease him into the topic. "Kai, we just wanted to talk with you about what happened with the Centipeedle…I think you can agree that the events of that day weren't exactly normal."
Kai fidgeted a little in his seat but kept trying to maintain his cool. "Well, it could be puberty…maybe I'm a late bloomer?" He suggested with a rather unconvincing chuckle, one that died down when Garnet didn't look amused…Or angry, or anything at all.
"This is serious." Garnet said flatly as she kept her gaze on him; "A normal human shouldn't be able to do what you did…Did anything happen before we came back from our mission? Or even before that?" She asked him with the same even tone.
"I don't know, I just jumped in and heaved with all my strength…That's all I did." Kai protested with every ounce of honesty that he could muster under Garnet's hard stare. "Really! I don't know."
Garnet wordlessly kept her gaze on him but then decided to try testing something. "Alright." She relented and then sat in front of Kai and placed her arm on the table. "Let's see how much you've strengthened yourself if you've been trying to train your body."
"You…Want me to arm wrestle with you? Garnet, that's a tall ask even for one of the gems." Kai admitted as he was used to seeing Amethyst try to arm wrestle Garnet as a bet to get her way…10 times out of 10 was Garnet's win.
Amethyst froze as she poked her head out from her room and rushed over to the kitchen; "You serious?! Garnet, you might just put him in the hospital with that gun show!" She tried to argue like she was trying to be reasonable, though she was also quickly putting popcorn in the microwave at the same time.
Pearl had to admit that she was happy to call what happened on the beach a fluke but she was still curious about the sudden change with Kai. "I'll go get the medkit." She said as she headed for the cabinet.
"Steven, you got the timer?" Garnet asked as she saw Steven looking excited at the prospect of seeing the tallest Gem in action."Besides, all I'm asking is for you to try."
"Ladies, Gentlemen and Crystal Gems! Welcome to the 11th annual Arm Wrestle with Garnet!" Steven said as an announcement as he had somehow donned a referee uniform. "And her opponent: The coolest Gem Wrestler on this side of the boardwalk…KAI!"
"KICK HER BUTT, KAI-BRO!" Amethyst cheered as she had shapeshifted into a copy of Steven with the uniform; Whooping and cheering as she scoffed mouthful after mouthful of buttery popcorn, only stopping to hold the bag out to Steven to share.
The beep of the timer was their equivalent of a wrestling bell as Kai strained and tried to push, Garnet on the other hand held her arm in the same position and was barely budging. "Kai…I saw what happened on the beach, I know you can do better than this." She said as she was trying to goad him into showing a similar display to what happened before.
"I'm…Trying…" Kai said as he kept trying to push; As he started putting more effort in, he could feel her arm slowly moving under him but she then pushed back quicker than anyone noticed. "Am..Am I actually doing it?" He thought to himself and started trying harder.
Even though her shades hid it, Garnet was surprised to feel her arm slightly give as Kai pushed but this stimulated her competitiveness as she began to push back like he hadn't even moved her at all. "So it's not just adrenaline…He IS getting stronger." She thought to herself as the sounds of Amethyst and Steven cheering the two on echoed around them.
The two looked like they were stuck in a stalemate but then something started to beep from Kai's pocket, which ended up distracting the boy long enough for Garnet to lightly push his arm down and take the win. Earning a groan of defeat from Amethyst and a cheer from Steven as Garnet still had her winning streak as the Crystal Gem's resident badass.
Kai took out his phone and his eyes widened when he realised the time; "Crap, I gotta go!" He said nervously as he ran to his room which was opposite of the bathroom; He then came back out again in a dark blue polo shirt, jeans and his sneakers, which was a good indicator on where he was planning. "I'm off."
When Kai had told them that he was gonna start trying to work a job, it took everyone barring Garnet by surprise when he told them why he was doing it. "Kai, do you really need to go through with this? You're more than welcome to stay at the temple, we wouldn't need you to get money for anything." Pearl asked him as she was still confused about the concept of Kai having a job while staying with them, though she was also still a little concerned/guilty that he took the whole consistent rejections for missions to heart.
"I know…But it can't hurt to have something to keep me busy while you guys are away, even more so when Steven goes on missions." Kai admitted as he pocketed an old looking phone and his wallet. "Besides, I'm 18…I think that I'm a little too old to keep relying on an allowance from Mr. Dad."
"Dude, you just wrangled a Gem like a rodeo bull AND you didn't immediately lose to Garnet in armwrestling…I'd like to think that you at least earned your "Hearing out" on missions with us!" Amethyst pointed out as she sat on the countertop in the kitchen. "He's at least gotten that much, right?"
"She's not wrong…" Garnet said aloud as she then looked to Pearl and Amethyst before turning to Steven. "But if Kai wants to do this then I say that's his choice, it shows that he is at least responsible enough to consider alternatives." She said and then gave her thumbs up of approval as he left the house, she had a lot to think about and it made it all the more apparent as she noticed something while Pearl and Amethyst bickered.
The table that her and Kai had just armwrestled on was now cracked down the middle and hanging by a thread, at least until Steven placed his timer down on it and then it caved inward…Something that had been taken notice by the least likely of the four.
"Alright, time to shine!" Kai said to himself as he shut the door and headed into the town; He had been debating on this particular choice ever since Pearl and Garnet first told the two boys about Steven's eventual Gem Powers along with his heritage as a Crystal Gem. After a while of being told no, Kai had started planning on a fallback in case he ended up being the one left in the house while Steven and the others did Gem Missions. "Okay, let's think about things…Where to start….How about Mr. Smiley? He's got jobs pretty much everywhere on the boardwalk."
Kai's first stop was at it's core, the first place he and Steven named their ideal job: Mr. Smiley's Arcade. The sounds of people having fun plus the idea about being around video games all day made a tempting idea for the two boys before the prospect of fighting sentient gem aliens became a thing. "Mr. Smiley! Are you in here?"
"In the flesh, little buddy! What can I do for you?" Mr. Smiley asked with that same giant grin that he had plastered all over his face, something that always stuck even when he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and that kind of bugged Kai. "No Steven with you this time?"
"No…" Kai admitted as he then looked around the lit up arcade. "I was actually wondering if you had a place for me to work?" He asked curiously but the taller man was more confused that the kid who hung around the "Weirdest family in Beach City" was trying to get employment.
"Why? Did you and Steven break something?" Smiley asked as he leaned in with that same smile that somehow looked more manic now. "Again? Because I'm still a little peeved about the teacups…"
"I thought we squared that up after fixing it?" Kai asked as he remembered the incident from a few weeks ago; Steven had taken him and the Gems to the theme park for some downtime, only for Steven to jump off mid-ride because he was motion sick and snapped the lever controlling the teacup ride. "Me, Steven and Amethyst chipped in to fix it…Well, Amethyst did for a little before Garnet stepped in."
"You still lost me money for those few days of being down." Smiley said before shaking his head. "Sorry, little man…But even still, I've got nothing right now, not in the arcade or the Park…Why not hit up Fryman's or Fish-Stew?"
"I guess I'll have to…Thanks anyway, Mr. Smiley…" Kai said dejectedly but still remained polite regardless before continuing on the boardwalk, he picked his beaten phone out of his pocket and checked the time before sighing and deleting Smiley's numerous jobs from his notes. "Welp…Onto the next one." He said as he began to try going for other places to similar results.
"Sorry, no license." The manager of the Bus company in Beach City remarked as he took look at Kai.
"I don't take interns anymore, young man." Mayor Dewey said seriously as he shook his head. "Not after a bunch of teenagers TP'd my van…"
"You wanna work here?" Jenny asked as she leaned against the checkout of the pizza place. "Full time? By choice?"
"Well…I've tried pretty much anywhere else and I'm either not qualified or I don't have a driver's license." Kai admitted as he came clean. "But I do wanna try my best if your dad or Nanafua would be willing to take me on."
Jenny laughed a little at his enthusiasm but ultimately had an apologetic smile on her face. "Look, I hate to be the BBN…But even if I wanted to because honestly, having you around might be good fun…" She explained before leaning over the counter towards Kai. "Dad isn't eager on hiring anyone who isn't a relative: He says it's a "Family Business" and only Pizzas can truly know the legend of Fish-Stew Pizza."
The boy groaned as he swiped the name off of the phone and then looked to Jenny. "Same thing that Fryman said…Still, if Mr. Pizza needs help with deliveries then I'll give leave my number here with him."
Jenny however seemed to have a different idea in mind as she gently yoinked Kai's phone out of his hand and began tapping at an almost rapid speed, raising it to her face and snapping a picture before handing it back to Kai. "Tell you what; You're a good enough guy so I'll try sweet talking Dad into it, I'll hit you up if I find anything I can swing your way." She said as she then opened up the door for him out of the back since it was closer.
Kai quickly followed out the door before glancing down at his phone. He felt a little down that he was still whiffing but his mood did have an uptick when he saw what his phone got yoinked for, noticing that Jenny had entered her number into his contacts and even put her picture under the name. "That's really amazing, Jenny…Thanks a lot!" He said aloud but then noticed that the door shut behind him and felt like an idiot for thanking a closed door.
"Hey Kai!" Kiki said as she climbed out of the Pizza's delivery car, "What brings you out here? Did Jenny bug you for a donut run or something?" She asked as she twirled the keys on her fingers, not putting it past her sister to get friends to "Do her a solid."
Kai smiled a little and waved politely at her when he saw the other Pizza sister. "Actually I was looking for work but Jenny said you guys weren't taking." He said and explained about the whole thing with his search for a job along with Jenny's sudden offer with his phone.
Kiki raised an eyebrow but then remembered that she still had her job and quickly darted onto her backseat to grab her empty delivery bag. "Just be careful with what you wish for when it comes to having Jenny's number in your phone and her with your's…She says she'll look out for you but she'll also ask you to get her snacks if you get too okay about it."
"Don't worry, I know how to say no…Amethyst normally gives me a good practice when I have to hide food…It helps that I'm taller too." Kai joked which brought a laugh out of Kiki too as he pocketed his phone and started heading off. "I don't wanna keep you so I'll see if Big Donut's got anything…See you guys around!" He said happily and waved at Kiki before rounding the corner to get back onto the boardwalk.
Kiki waved back and found herself with a confusing question: Why DID Jenny, her bratty twin sister that would make guys work into overdrive just to get her to look up from her phone, willingly give Kai her number? If it was anything like how either sister tried getting ahold of Steven, they would've just showed up at the house on the beach.
Though it was at the same time that she put the pieces together; Kai was 6ft and while not the buffest guy to walk the beach, he was still pretty cute…In a chunky, sweetheart kind of way. "Alright Jenny…Time for Sisterly Inquisition." She thought as she shut the door behind her into the heat filled restaurant.
Kai sighed as he then took a breather on the bench, he knew it'd be difficult to try getting a job in Beach City but he never actually realised how much trouble it'd be…Or how hot it'd be outside ever since he started looking. "If I can't luck out with Big Donut, maybe I should just talk to Mr. Dad and see if I can get part time washing cars…" He thought to himself as he gazed down at the beaten up cell phone that he was given as a 16th birthday present by Greg and Vidalia.
Speak of the Devil was never more fitting than it was now as the phone then buzzed with the sound of a phone call, Greg Universe's hot dog stuffed face popped up to the instrumental jingle of "Like a Comet" as a ringtone. Without hesitating, he picked up the phone and held it to his ear: "Hi Mr. Dad, everything okay?"
"Kai-bo! You'll never guess what happened!" Greg Universe said over the phone with his normal excitability, his adoptive dad was pretty fun to be around but he did tend to get sidetracked a lot. While he and Steven did stick up for Greg whenever the Gems were a little more critical about his attitude as Steven's biological dad and Kai's adoptive dad…A lot of the times were a little hard to defend when he got distracted. "I managed to score a little extra scratch at the car wash today so how about you and Steven stop by and we can have a pizza together."
Almost like magic, Kai's face lit up in a smile at the mention of pizza and he got the pep back. "That sounds great, I'll stop by later after I grab some drinks." He said and hung up before glancing up at the sky when he could feel things getting hotter and dryer. "Definitely need to get some water…"
After picking up some bottled water from the store and making a beeline for the Car Wash, Kai glanced around as he saw Greg Universe setting up the Van for dinnertime.
"Slice for your thoughts? Anything I can help with?" Greg asked curiously as he noticed that Kai was a little out of it even with the promise of pizza.
"I was looking for a job on the boardwalk and no one's taking." Kai admitted as out of anyone within his social group, Greg and Vidalia who were the closest thing to actual parents for him, Mr Universe had more understanding of this kind of thing than the Gems or Steven.
"Well, you're trying at least and that's what counts." Greg mentioned as he laughed a little. "I'd give you a job working the car wash if I could but I don't actually have enough going to pay for employees."
"It's fine, Mr. Dad…" Kai assured him as he then sighed. "I do kinda feel jealous for Steven, he doesn't have to worry about this kinda stuff."
"Kai, Steven's mom is a giant space warrior lady and you two are surrounded by the Gems when you're at the Temple…Steven's more different than you are so I don't think it's really fair to compare you two."
"I guess so, though Garnet seems to think I'm just as weird anyway." Kai admitted as he remembered the whole ordeal on the beach with the giant centipede.
"Well, to the Gems, Humans are the ones that are weird…But you can't judge yourself by the Gems' standards or even Steven's." Greg pointed out and laughed at his unintentional rhyme. "Look, I know it's tough to be the odd one out, trust me…I get that better than anyone."
Kai sighed as he realised that while being the only full human among Gem-hybrids and hardened Gem warriors was a little weird, he also couldn't really put himself on their levels. "So what do I do then? Just work at the Big Donut or Fish Stew Pizza until I'm an old man while watching Steven go out on adventures once he gets his powers?"
"Jeez…" Greg scratched at the bald spot on top of his head; He knew that this kind of thing was bound to happen eventually but he also felt guilty because while Steven was supposedly destined to follow in what his mom was doing, Kai was for all intents and purposes stuck. "Life's what you make of it, kiddo…things don't normally go the way that you want it to but sometimes that's okay…It just means that while Steven has his avenues to go on, you have your's."
"I suppose…Though I guess between doing this and whatever I can find for work, I guess it helps to at least have friends around plus it's not like I'm never going to see Steven again…Plus since Steven pointed out some stuff, it gives me more time to figure out the stuff I can do." Kai admitted as he then picked a pepperoni slice off of his pizza.
"Stuff you can do?" Greg asked in confusion though he then Kai's expression change like the gears were turning in his head.
"One time on the beach, the Gems got weirded out at how long I held my breath under the water and then they freaked out after a monster attacked the beach." Kai explained as he then regaled Greg with the details of what exactly happened, though he was happy to explain things, the boy didn't quite notice the look of growing worry on his foster dad's face.
"W-Wait a minute!" Greg stopped Kai as he was starting to grow concerned at what he was saying; The one thing that the Gems could agree with Mr Universe on was that there was a difference between what a normal human like Kai could do and what someone like Steven could. "You tried to wrestle a giant monster?! Kai, don't you realise how dangerous that is? I mean, you're still human…You could've been hurt or worse!"
"I know…" Kai admitted with a guilty expression as he was all too aware of the consequences after Pearl gave him a similar reprimand for acting recklessly. "But Garnet and the others said that I DID have results, so they must've seen something…Right? I've already been able to hold my breath underwater for a while, so maybe they'll hear me out more."
Greg was conflicted…One part of him wanted to be supportive and to believe Kai that he did indeed have a shot now, though the other part of him couldn't shake that same paternal instinct to stop him from going too far with this…Steven was already given the grand task to be a Crystal Gem like his mom but Greg knew that Kai was human. "Okay…But just holding your breath isn't going t-Wait, what are you doing?" He asked before he got up out of his seat on the van to see what Kai was planning.
Kai then moved towards the van's side and then placed both hands on the lip of the van; With a powerful grunt, Kai heaved the whole thing up so it was now tilting at an angle before his hands moved to the underside of the van, not quite lifting the whole thing over his head but it still looked very concerning.
"Ho…ly…Shit…" Greg said with an accidental swear on his mouth, he was stunned at seeing this kid who had once tried the same thing as a much younger boy to try showing he could hang out with Steven…Though that result was a little more expected, mostly since the van barely moved an inch when the 8 year old tried. "Kai…This is…When did you…HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" He asked with an ever mounting list of questions that would either make him question Kai's existence or his own sanity.
Kai was equally as shocked since unlike with Garnet who seemed to restrain herself, he could tell something was wrong if the normally easygoing Greg was freaking out. "I'm…I'm not even sure either…But I do know that the armwrestling with Garnet wasn't entirely a fluke…"
"A flu-" Greg started but then felt his brain slow down once Kai carefully readjusted the van to how it was, the elder Universe jumped inside of it with no further words, the sounds of clattering were heard as he rifled through his belongings before climbing back out with something in his hand. "You just lifted 2 tons of van! That's not something a human does, that's something Mightyman would do."
"Mightyman?" Kai asked but then felt Greg thrust a rather old looking comic book into his hand; The front page had what looked like a tall muscular man in a white and gold bodysuit, emblazoned with a stylised M on the belt buckle, stopping a train with one hand and punching a robber with the other. "How long have you held on to this?"
"Come on, Kai-bo…You really think that all I did on the road as Mr. Universe was play the guitar?" Greg asked jokingly as he took the comic back and eyed with pride. "Mightyman is a superhero from the Ultimaverse and crashlanded on Earth as a baby, I used to read this ever since I was your's and Steven's age…It was the one thing that I was adamant on keeping when my parents started getting on my case."
Kai blinked as he was surprised by a nostalgia bomb that went off in his brain; He had seen the stuff for Mightyman on TV and he never bat an eye before now, it had remained popular for so long that it had been able to contend with the likes of Dog Copter, a memory then came back of him watching the old cartoon back when he was still a little kid. "So I guess that explains why I liked superheroes back then."
Greg laughed as he knew that was an understatement. "Are you kidding? It was ALL you used to watch, it was like Steven with Crying Breakfast Friends." He mentioned as he sat down next to Kai with a more cautious look on his face. "Look, regardless of that, this is still….A lot to take in, especially after what you just told me."
Kai nodded as he had to agree that there was a lot to unpack; He initially shrugged off the time when he held his breath as Steven dropping the stopwatch and accidentally fastforwarding it, the Centipeedle incident was a little harder to convince but he considered that adrenaline had something to do with it…The van however was right there in his face and he had Greg to confirm that it did indeed happen.
"But I don't get it…You and the Gems found me at the Temple's doorstep not a crashed spacepod, I don't have some Gem in my body and I don't even know much about…" Kai said but then stopped as he collected himself and really thought about what he was going to say next. "I don't even know much about me to begin with…Outside of what you and Mrs. Mom tell me."
The truth was, neither did Greg, Vidalia or the Gems; Greg was treated to a shock around 18 years ago when he was still in his budding relationship with Rose and endearing himself to the other Gems, it certainly surprised him when Pearl asked him about a Human infestation while holding a baby up to him, it took a good while to explain to Pearl that things don't work like that…And the unfortunate fact of what may have happened.
"Look, kiddo…I'm not gonna tell you that we have all the answers and I'm not gonna say that there was a reason…But there is something that I DO know." Greg said as he then gently slapped a hand on Kai's back. "You're still you and that's all that matters: a great guy with a solid head on his shoulders…Who now is able to lift a van. You may not be a Gem but why not try again with the others? You show them what you showed me and they're bound to give you at least a chance."
Kai thought on it but then nodded. "Yeah…Though they have really high bars for that…" He admitted but then exhaled as he could feel a flush of heat. "Man, it is BAKING out here."
"Uh…Kai-bo, did the Gems ever do weather forecasts or mention anything?" Greg asked as his sunburned face looked up and saw the sun or what he thought it was; Up in the sky was a large orb that burned uncontrollably with a gem-like pupil glaring down at them. "Because I don't think the sun does that."
Kai was about to agree but for some particular reason, he felt everything around him bristle in that moment and his head felt like it was splitting in two from the worst sensory overload he ever felt…He felt his eyes start to strain even when he wasn't looking up at the "sun", his ears started to thump like he had been blasted with a giant speaker at full volume.
"Kai? Kai, what's wrong?!" Greg started to panic as he started leafing through his van to see if he could find something to help…whatever was happening.
"Head hurts…Hard to…AH!" Kai grunted before doubling over he heard something else; The sound of someone yelling like they were across the street and slowly getting quieter, then quickly followed by a dull thud that sounded like someone hitting their face on a screen door, it was only after that when the sounds started subsiding and it was now starting to become more…normal-ish. "Okay…Okay, I think I'm good now."
"Good?! You looked like you were just about to have a seizure, what happened?!" Greg asked with a worried expression, it was one thing for Steven to act out of the ordinary but this needed all the context possible before he decided on hospital or pharmacy.
"I don't know…One minute I was feeling the sun…Or whatever that thing is beating down on me and then the next thing I know, I'm trying to stop my head from splitting like a melon." Kai explained as he sat back up, the pain now fading and everything felt like it evened out again. "It felt like everything just…closed in on me…Like I could smell the beach from here and hear stuff that I couldn't normally hear before."
"Huh…" Greg mumbled as he then had a brainwave and started flicking through the comic in his hands as he picked out key panels: "Mightyman could hear a pindrop halfway around the world and he could see through solid objects just by staring at them…This might be a long shot but you COULD be developing the same things."
"Mr. Dad, I know that this is a lot to take in, it certainly is for me…But I really don't think that I'm just suddenly developing comic book superpowers just because of Gem Wrestling." Kai would say as he was trying to channel Pearl's realistic way of thinking even though he did want to believe it as well.
Greg wanted to try and be reasonable too but he also knew that a lot was lining up and what he saw in the comic book was making way too much sense in the moment. "Think about it…You suddenly started being able to be underwater for nearly a half hour without needing to take a breath, you just had…whatever this was and for god's sake, you just lifted my van like you were doing a rep with weights."
"DAD! DAD!" Steven cried as he smacked on the side of the van and looked out of breath. "Something's going on and-Kai? What are you doing here?"
Greg jumped at the sudden yelling but then calmed down when he saw his son running up to the van. "Steven! Where's the fire?"
"If we don't hurry up and find the thing, it'll be on the beach!" Steven said in a panic as he pointed to the giant floating eyeball. "Pearl said we needed something called a Light Cannon and that you probably have it somewhere."
Greg looked to both Kai and then to Steven, the giant orb was getting closer at this rate and considering that Steven had a good reason to freak out, he decided to help out. "Alright, let's see if I got it in storage." He suggested as he pulled out some keys and headed towards a nearby garage.
"A light cannon?" Kai asked as he got up and stretched, knowing that this was a bigger problem now, he figured it'd be better to try helping where he could. "Let me help out, we can probably find it easier if we both look."
"Thanks!" Steven said with a grin as he headed over to the garage. "So how did it go out there? You get something yet?"
Kai was partly thankful that Steven brought him back to reality since it distracted him from his and Greg's most recent talk along with the impending threat of the potential catastrophe in the sky. "Well, Mr. Smiley's still sore about the teacups, Fryman and Mr Pizza both said it's a family thing and then I ended up here…"
Steven frowned a little, feeling a little guilty when Mr. Smiley was mentioned but ultimately decided to try the optimistic approach. "Dang…So what are you gonna do now? I can always talk to Pearl, she saw what happened with the table after the arm wrestling and Amethyst is on board either way."
"What do you mean?" Kai asked as he saw the door to the garage open up into what looked like various knick knacks stuffed into a confined Tetris like pattern. "I figured that the ship had sailed after the last time we asked.
"Yeah…But last time, they weren't there when you held your breath for a long time but they did see you wrangle a Gem Monster and I saw you snap the table in half during the arm wrestle." Steven pointed out as he then dug out what looked like a bag full of golf clubs. "The worst that could happen is they say no again."
"It also helps that he can bench press the van…Not sure what Garnet and the others are letting you two eat there." Greg said to partially vouch for Kai and partly to quiz Steven if he knew anything.
Steven dropped the clubs midway when he heard that. "You…You can lift the van?"
"I mean…It's hard to hold it but yeah."
Steven then wrapped his arms around Kai with an excited laugh. "This is great! First you cracked the table in half at the house from arm wrestling Garnet, you headlocked a Gem Monster and now you can lift vans! Kai, this means that now the Gems HAVE to say yes."
"Let's…Not get too far ahead for now…Besides, Light Cannon and protect Beach City first, questions about my weird body later." Kai stated as he tried to calm Steven down as they went rifling through the junk pile before finding the large cannon in question.
"Okay…So how do we do this? I think this might be too heavy for the back of the van." Greg pointed out as he watched Steven and Kai heave the very heavy Gem weapon into the back with some surprise as the anomalous Kai was making loud noises of exertion. "I guess he's still got his limits too."
"Well, considering that this'll wear down the van if we floor it…I say you drive slowly to avoid messing up the van, Steven sits up front in case anything happens and I'll run behind while holding up part of the cannon so it alleviates some of the weight."
"And risk throwing your back out while running through traffic?" Steven asked with surprise as he was shocked at how casual this was brought up. "You realise that it's a trek from here to the beach, right?"
"Don't sell him short, Steven." Greg pointed out as he then hooked up what looked like bungee cords around the cannon. "From the story he gave me today, I think he can do it."
It took both Kai and Greg to convince Steven but they managed to get on the road in brisk time, Steven and Greg singing along to one of Mr. Universe's old songs while Kai took some solace in the fact that he could keep the whole thing lifted at a jogging pace.
Right in time to see Garnet throwing Amethyst once again at the giant eyeball that was glaring downward with a building heat. "Okay, there has to be a better way to deal with this…" Amethyst groaned as she waded out of the water and holding her head.
"We still need Steven to get back with the Light Cannon, once we have that then we can make a dent in this thing." Garnet stated as she then heard a familiar beeping as Greg showed up in the van. "Right on cue."
"Please tell me you have it!" Pearl asked urgently as she watched Steven hop out of the van. "We don't know how much longer this thing has."
"All clear, Pearl…Just need to get it turned on and fire away." Steven saluted as they watched Amethyst and Kai carry the Light Cannon onto the beach and began to aim.
"Alright P, we're hot to trot…Is there a password for this thing?" Amethyst asked as she tried tapping it and doing anything to activate it.
Pearl then somehow looked paler than before as that dawned on her. "Rose never gave that to me…Did Rose ever tell any one of you anything?" She asked both Garnet and Amethyst.
"No."
"Seriously Pearl? Even you don't know?!"
"Unfortunately the topic never actually came up for how to arm potentially dangerous space weapons." Greg put his two cents in as he could see everyone was starting to panic. "What exactly can it be?"
"We'll figure something out like we always do!" Steven tried to be optimistic about it as he checked over the cannon for anything hidden.
Kai was trying to help as well but then gazed up at the threat. "Besides…If every pork chop was perfect, we wouldn't have hit dogs." He repeated the same phrase that Greg used when something went wrong, though he began to worry when he felt the cannon hum into life. "No way…"
"It…It's working!" Amethyst yelled as she, Pearl and Garnet got behind it to try aiming with the controls, though it seemed that this wasn't as easy. "Aim Control failure…Are you kidding me?!"
With hearing that and seeing that there was about 5 seconds before this thing fired off, Kai decided to act quickly and moved under the cannon and began to lift up…positioning the barrel of the cannon up towards the glaring red gem pointed at them and holding it up with all his might. "Guys…Fire…Fire now because I can't hold it!" He warned in a strained tone as he felt his body shake from trying to hold it's weight.
Garnet nodded as she and the others including Steven put everything they had into bracing the cannon; The front lit up and then fired off an arrow of light that took on the form of Rose Quartz before shooting straight through the monster.
Everything went quiet and then the monster cracked before exploding into several pieces that hurtled down to hit the beach…No longer risking widespread destruction but at the very least, it was a lot more manageable.
"And just like that…we did it." Kai panted before he hit the ground in a tired heap, any sense of energy from before got sapped away with his adrenaline.
"I still can't believe that phrase was what Rose used for the Cannon." Pearl mused to herself, struggling to understand the logic.
"You know it could just be that Earthly wisdom rubbed off on her." Greg said proudly as he was riding the high of knowing that his corny motto were the keys to a space cannon.
"Guys…Please help…Can't really move my body right now." Kai asked weakly as he then felt Steven and Garnet both lift him up and helped him walk towards the house.
"So…How's that for a showcase that Kai can come along?" Steven asked as he tried to sneak in a possible turnaround for Kai joining them for missions. "He's already shown he can do a lot of stuff like you guys can AND you've seen it for yourself now too."
Garnet was quiet for the rest of the trek up to the house but then as they got to the door, she turned to look at Kai and Steven. "I'll talk to Pearl and Amethyst, they should be alright with it after the events of today but I need you two to follow some rules because of this."
Both Kai and Steven nodded once they realised that it wasn't an outright "No."
"First rule: You stay with us at all times when we go on missions, Second: You listen to everything that myself and Pearl say to you…And third: If you think you're out of your depth then tell us." Garnet explained with a voice that made it clear that she wasn't budging on these requirements.
Steven had already made these agreements when he was allowed in so he was already well aware of what Garnet expected of them. "I'll make sure he follows it."
"It goes double for you, Steven." Garnet said seriously. "While the Gems fully accept you can come along with us for missions, you need to be additionally cautious with Kai, he is still biologically human after all and until we see otherwise…We can't afford to take risks."
"I promise, I'll follow the rules and make sure to do you guys proud." Kai said as he smiled up at Garnet, though he wasn't sure why but the chuckle in her throat and the gentle ruffle of his hair made it clear that she had some faith that he would.
He did it…He wasn't just a playmate for Steven, he was now a Crystal Gem.…Honorary at least but it was a start.