Homeworld's Favorite Quartz - Rewrite - (Steven x Harem)

XXIII - You've got The Touch!!

Narrator POV

Steven shrugged off his drowsiness as Garnet looked over him. She wore slight smirk. He had a job to do. One that required the upmost fortitude and inner acceptance of the risks. He accepted the risks a long time ago however.

"Corruption must be cured, no matter the cost" Steven spoke as he gathered all the corrupted gems and warped to Rose's, or Pink's rather, fountain. He plopped all the now unbubbled gems inside the massive pool of the fountain. He grabbed the edges of the Matrix of Focusing on his hip and brought it above his head.

He slowly pulled on the edges of the design as a power-metal riff flowed through his head.

He's been put to the test, but it's never been enough. He's never backed down when his back was to the wall, he's a fighter. The Matrix glowed as his gem connected to it via a pink beam of light, with said beam accruing in The Matrix before shooting out into each individual gem. Sickly black corruption oozed out of them before forming in the middle of the pool, about ten yards away from Steven.

The black ooze became misty as it shaped itself, becoming larger and larger until it was eye level with Steven himself. Steven remained undaunted.

Steven's eyes widened as the corruption mirrored him, the vile machinations of the mental infliction deciding to take his form to try and break his resolve.

"Steven Universe!" the misty corruption spoke. It's words were sharp, with a thin layer of venomous hatred.

"I shall stand, you shall fall!" Steven returned, the wind in the pool kicking up. His eyes were steeled as he readied for combat.

"Why throw away your life so recklessly?" the corruption inquired, though it was more so a thinly veiled threat than an actual question.

"That's a question you should ask yourself!" Steven returned with a stoic, yet soft voice. If this was his end, he showed no fear.

"I'll tear out your Diamond!" the corruption roared as it charged Steven, drawing a grim mirror of his sword and shield. Steven did the same as the two clashed.

A heroic clash of dark and light, right and wrong, good and evil. A duel of fates, not of their own, but of the thousands of gems floating around them.

Steven easily outmatched the corruption as a clean fighter, and as a physical opponent. His power and willingness to throw in punches with his shield and question mark kicks threw off his replicant opponent.

Eventually Steven disarms his opponent, which only further angers the seething black mass of corruption. It spears Steven as he tumbles to the ground. A tendril of evil energy slashes into Steven's side, before some minor salt is thrown in the wound via a sharp rock being thrust into the already opened wound.

Steven clutches his side as he fights the corruption vehemently, he had the heart. He will never bend, he will never break. He knows just what it will take to end this.

Steven lowers his head and tackles his opponent, not before getting slashed in the same spot as before. The wound was starting to worry him a bit, as despite the pools healing properties corruption counteracted them, or at the very least delayed them.

Steven fell to his hands and knees as the wound bled profusely. This painted the pink waters a deathly red, giving an ominous arua.

The corruption version of himself lords over him, taunting and jeering. It spoke of being made of stronger energy, sterner stuff.

"Join us, become one with the corruption" the black mass tempted. Steven felt a pink glow surge throughout his hands as he swung them upwards in a double axehandle. "NEVER!" Steven shouts as the corruption is sent flying, it's form significantly diminishing as the infectious light took over.

Steven stood as he walked to it, crushing the corruption's dark tools as he did.

"And you said you were made of sterner stuff, such bad comedy" Steven returned the taunting as he finished the corruption with one swift shield thrust.

As he did however, his gem began to glow again. Every fiber of his body burned as his skin radiated a pink perspiration. His knees became weak, his arms falling to his sides as they became twice their weight.

He fell backwards into the pink waters as his gem continued to glow.

Little did he know however, the gems all around him had reformed minutes ago. All of them watching in awe of the fight. Those same gems, regardless of class or allegiance picked up Steven, and carried him to the safe edge of the pool. Loud, thundering footsteps were heard as the Diamonds themselves came to the scene, having been alerted by Garnet and Peridot of Stevens' intentions.

He had done it, he had cured corruption.

He truly did have...The Touch...

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(AN: Yes this entire chapter was a Transformers 86' reference. Also note I had the corruption act like Megatron did during his and Optimus's fight at Autobot city. Both the corruption and Megatron targeted their opponents left side and kept attacking that wound, which is something I felt fit to write in. Also peep the lyrics from "The Touch" by Stan Bush, I tried to implement them a lot.

Anyway, stay safe out there folks and remember to give your nearest family member a hug!)

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