Author's note I'm sorry for being absent from this Crossover for three years, for a long time, I got caught up with life and other things elsewhere

But now I finally have gotten the motivation to work on this again! Crystal Hunter X is back! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

At the lighthouse high above the hills of the giant crystal temple, the maverick hunters had been busy at work for the past few days, making rooms for each other. Ever since X's audition with the crystal gems, the hunters realized that they would be stuck in Beach City for a while, so they would continue making their home away from home at the lighthouse.

And X, while settling in, felt like he couldn't leave Steven behind. He started feeling a need to be there for him.

The hunters had adjusted furniture and set up technological equipment with some financial help from Greg as gratitude for protecting his son. He was all too happy to return the favor. As they were setting up their new home, X and Zero worked on the furniture, Axl did his best with moving the computers around, and Iris was hard at work building a med bay to treat the wounded, reploid, human or otherwise. She had remembered her training as a medic while working for repliforce and as a navigator of the maverick hunters, and she was determined to help in any way she can

X had wished his navigator Alia was there with the hunters. Her past scientific expertise would be a great help for setting up the tech around their resting place on the lighthouse, but for now, the hunters would make do with what they had. After all, they had a duty to fulfill and would see it through.

One day, while sitting on a brown, soft fabric couch, X felt curious and decided to visit Steven and the crystal gems at the temple below while the others were working. After all, they had much to learn about each other, so he sat up and walked towards Zero, who was walking to the living room carrying a Box of tools.

"Hey, Zero," Greeted X, getting his best friend's attention.

"Hey, X," said Zero, facing X while carrying the tools. "What's up?"

"I'm going out to the crystal temple and visit Steven for a while," Answered X. "I'd like to get to know him better; you and the others keep up the good work here."

"Okay, X, but be careful," said Zero, who nodded his head. "something tells me there's more to that kid and his family than meets the eye."

"You think there's something more to the crystal gems?" asked X

"I think so, X," Said Zero skeptically, "especially with their leader, the mysterious rose quartz..."

X looked thoughtful. Zero had a point. Rose Quartz hadn't told the gems about the light cannon when they needed it to destroy the red eye on a collision course with Beach City, nor did she tell them the password.

"Anyway, we'll think it over later. X," Zero Spoke up, knowing this wasn't the time for theories. "Have fun with Steven, and take care of yourselves, okay?"

"We will, thanks, Zero," X smiled as he walked out the door. "I'll be back, guys!"

"Have fun, X!" Said Axl, who was pushing a table supported by steel beams

Zero nodded with a smile and returned to the task at hand, still wondering about Steven and her mother, Rose Quartz. He then laid down the box of tools and started assembling another table, which had just arrived earlier today by delivery.

Later, X arrived at the beach shore at the Crystal Temple and was getting closer to the house when he saw lapis lazuli exit the front door. When she turned around and noticed X after hearing his mechanical footsteps approaching

"Hey! X!" Waved Lapis with a smile, summoning a waving water hand from her back gemstone, and she rushed towards him.

"Hello lapis!" Greeted X with a gentle smile. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good today," said lapis. "How are you?"

"I feel the same way," nodded X. "How's Steven? Is he in the temple?"

"Yeah, he just came half an hour ago," nodded lapis, turning toward the temple. "he also got something in the mail earlier."

"Really? What is it?" Asked X with Curiosity

"He said it was some sort of backpack..." answered lapis, rubbing the back of her head

"A backpack?" Questioned X

Suddenly, The Temple's windows flashed with bright light, Catching X and Lapis' attention, who heard the commotion and saw the glowing blue lights before they faded.

"That must be the others!" Exclaimed Lapis, who ran towards the temple. "Come on! Steven's waiting for us!"

"I'm on my way!" Cried X, following lapis to the temple. Sand began blowing everywhere with each running step.

lapis and X each entered, opened the door to the temple and saw the three primary crystal gems in the room. Garnet was covered in feathers, pearl, and Amethyst, bickering over a giant egg from their recent battle, trying to get it to fit in the refrigerator and make an omelet out of it. All the while, Pearl was holding a strange idol-like statue in her hands, shaped like a woman holding a blue-white jewel with a shaped bottom on the pedestal.

Steven was on the couch holding a recently arrived package when Jamie, the mailman, noticed X and Lapis entering the temple and was delighted to see them.

"Hey X! Hey Lapis!" Greeted Steven with stars in his eyes again

"Hello, Steven!" X greeted with a smile before turning his attention to the gems

"Hey, Steven!" Smiled Lapis, who then hugged Steven in her light blue arms

"What happened to you guys?" Asked X, noting the feathers on Garnet's cube-like afro

"We fought a giant bird," said Pearl with a sly smile she was holding.

"You guys fought a giant bird?" asked X, surprised to find out that such bizarre creatures exist

"Yep, and we brought back an egg!" Said Amethyst with a grin and chuckled

"Cool!" Awed Steven

"We're only back for a second, though," said Pearl. "We got to go back out."

"Why?" Asked Steven from the couch

"What for?" Asked X before noticing the statue in Pearl's hands. "And what's that you're holding?"

"This Is the moon goddess statue," Explained Pearl, "and we've got to place it on top of the lunar sea spire before midnight; without it, the whole place will fall apart."

"What is the lunar sea spire?" Asked X confused

"Oh Steven, you and X should have the spire in its hay day," said Pearl excitedly before creating a holo projection from the gemstone on her forehead showing the spire and the gems who lived there millennia ago during the war for Earth "It was an oasis for gems on earth."

"An oasis for gems?" Said X, surprised. "You mean there's more like you guys?"

"Yeah, there are X, but..." said lapis before crossing her arms and sighing sadly. "not all of them are like us, though..."

"Very true, lapis," nodded Pearl, who then disengaged the holo-projection. "It's abandoned now, but we can still save it with this statue."

"Gasp! That's perfect!" Cried Steven

"Why is that, Steven?" Asked X, raising an eyebrow under his helmet

"Because I can help carry it for you guys!" Answered Steven, who then opened his package. "In this!"

Steven then made dramatic and enthusiastic noises as he unveiled his delivery, a backpack shaped like a cheeseburger. Steven pulled out his new backpack and presented it to the gems.

"A Hamburger?" Asked Pearl, not knowing what to make of Steven's new gift

"It's a novelty backpack shaped like a cheeseburger!" Said Steven, who looked at his new backpack with pride. "Aw, man...I blew it."

"Why do you say that, Steven?" asked X, concerned.

"Because X, I was just gonna wear it one day, and they'll think I'm cool!" Said Steven, putting on his new backpack. "but this is important gem business,"

"Yes, so you should let us take Care of it," said Pearl nonchalantly

"Whaaat?" Steven said in disbelief before lifting his shirt and unveiling his belly gem. "I'm a gem too!"

"What?" Said X in surprise before kneeling down to look at the gemstone in bewilderment. "But aren't you human?"

"Oh yeah, I never told you and your friends X..." said Steven "I'm half gem!"

"Half gem and half human?" Asked X, "How is this possible?"

"It's..a long story. I'll tell you about it another time," said Steven, rubbing the back of his head before facing the crystal gems again. "the point is I'm a crystal gem too, and I should go with you,"

"But you still got a lot to learn," said Pearl sternly and rather condescendingly

"Now hang on a minute, pearl," said a female voice, causing Pearl to widen her eyes in surprise

Pearl and the others looked up to see Spinel hanging upside down on a wooden beam of the temple, her elastic legs wrapped around it. She released her legs and fell to the floor, only to spring back up straight while looking at Pearl with disapproval.

"How's Steven gonna learn if he doesn't try?" Said Spinel with a frown and sternly tapping her foot, which made squeaky noises

"Yeah, Pearl, let him come!" Vouched Amethyst: "It'll be educational~"

Pearl thought about it for a moment. She thought Steven wasn't worthy of joining them on missions because she did not know enough of his powers, but on the other hand, Spinel was right. How is Steven going to learn if he doesn't try? She then relented

"Alright," sighed Pearl, passing the moon goddess statue to Steven, "you can carry it in your hamburger."

Steven grasped the statue, knelt down, and opened his backpack, revealing its many functions. X looked at it with curiosity.

"Check this out! Everything's a pocket! Even the cheese is a pocket!" Exclaimed Steven excitedly

"Is it really?" Asked X, having never heard of a backpack shaped like a cheeseburger before

"Yeah! I could fit a lot more stuff in here!" Said Steven before rushing off around the living room. "Give me a minute! I'll pack extra supplies."

"Okay, but hurry," nodded X, "we gotta leave as soon as possible!"

"Don't worry, X! I'll be ready," said Steven as he began loading stuff into his backpack

"I just love him," smiled lapis

"Yeah, he's adorable!" squealed Spinel, placing her gloved hands on her left cheek.

X had to admit that this was a nice change of pace from how he and his fellow hunters did their missions and with such pleasant company.

"Alright, When Steven's ready, I'd like to go with you guys," Requested X, hoping to keep Steven safe alongside the gems.

"I'm coming too!" said Lapis. "Knowing what's over there, you may need my help too!"

"That's fine by us," nodded Garnet, her future vision already at work. "The more, the merrier."

"I guess I'll stay here then," said Spinel with a hint of sadness. "Try not to be gone too long!"

"We'll do our best, spinel," reassured X, placing a hand on Spinel's squeaky shoulder. "and Don't worry, we'll be back."

A few minutes passed, and Steven continued to pack things in his new backpack with X watching over him on his bed. Steven had made sure to pack things that may be useful on the way to the lunar sea spire.

"Steeeeeven!" Called Pearl impatiently. "Let's goooooo!"

"Coming!" said Steven before coming down the stairs in a hurry

X went to follow Steven when the blue reploid Noticed something on the floor and picked it up. He then decided to hang on to it and put it on his back before rushing to the other crystal gems on the warp pad in the center of the temple.

"Woah, Steven, did you pack your whole room?" Asked pearl

"I don't think that backpack can carry a whole room pearl," replied X

"She was just joking, X," said Amethyst teasingly

"see you guys soon!" said spinel, waving an enlarged hand "please be back soon!"

"Let's warp!" Announced Garnet before the warp pad lit up and shot out a pillar of light, engulfing the group except Steven, whose gut was blocking a section of the warp streamX noticed this and grabbed him back into the warp pad. The pillar of light then fully engulfed the crystal gems and transported them across a light tube. The blue maverick hunter held on to Steven to keep him from floating away. The young gem hybrid laughed in excitement all the while,

A few moments later, the warp took them to the lunar sea spire. The building was enormous, a gigantic tower whose architecture was similar to Ancient Rome with a spiral staircase to the top of the ancient alien tower, but what amazed X and Steven the most was the water surrounding it was being held back from engulfing it by a gravitational field keep the ocean waters from flooding the structure while the ground they stood on was the seabed of the ocean

"Whoa..." awed Steven, taking in the area's beauty as X put him down. "The sea spire!"

"What is this place?" Asked X with wide eyes, never having seen this type of structure in his days as a maverick hunter

"Welcome to the lunar sea spire X," sighed lapis, who walked forward when suddenly a section of the sea spire broke off and crashed into the raging whirlpool below the tower

Everyone walked off the warp pad and took in their surroundings on the seabed floor. X and Steven, the most curious among them,

"It wasn't like this a hundred years ago..." sighed Pearl as she stepped forward

"I'm foreseeing structural instability," said Garnet as she adjusted her visor

Steven was about to comment when he felt the ground cracking beneath him. When he saw what was happening, he backed up before bumping into X's left armored leg. Steven looked up and saw X looking down at him. The other crystal gems looked relieved to see Steven was all right.

"Are you okay, Steven?" Asked X before he knelt down and helped him up

"Yeah, I'm okay, X," replied Steven

"I'm glad, but you've got to be more careful," said X, worried for Steven's safety

"I know, but I can do this X!" Nodded Steven

"I know you can," nodded X, "but please stay close to us. We'll protect you."

"Okay, X," said Steven with a thumbs-up

"Alright, let's keep moving!" Said X, getting everyone back on track

The crystal gems moved toward a cliff that would be a bridge to the sea spire, but there was no bridge to get across. Garnet signaled everyone to halt.

"What's the hold-up?" Asked Amethyst, "We can clear this easily!"

"No," said Garnet cautiously, looking down at the whirlpool below the spire. "The Gravity field that sustains the whirlpool creates a vortex that will pull us below."

To demonstrate this, Garnet threw a nearby rock over the ridge, only for the rock to freeze and plummet down to the whirlpool below, pulled by the intense gravitational pull of the whirlpool.

"So, we can't jump?" Said Pearl before turning to lapis. "Can't you use the water here, lapis?"

"I'll try," said the aquatic crystal gem, holding out a hand to manipulate the water around her to create a bridge. But she couldn't; the vortex's G-forces were too intense. "Ugh...I can't. The whirlpool's too strong."

"What do we do?" Asked X

"Wait a minute!" Said Steven, who just had an idea before he pulled out two sweaters from his backpack and tied them together

"What are those for?" Asked amethyst

"They were for keeping warm, but check it out!" Said Steven before he slung the two sweaters onto a hole on the spire railing before positioning himself and grasping the other end like a grapple rope

"It's like a grapple!" Cried X before he also got an idea. "Hold on a minute, Steven."

"What are you gonna do, X?" Asked Steven, looking at his Reploid friend with interest

X Turned his Armor Purple and Equipped his X-buster, charging it up before aiming at the same hole Steven used to secure his grapple hold on it. He fired his Strike Chain special weapon at the hole. The hook at the end of the chain wrapped itself around the hole with its claws tightly. With the grapple secure, X moved towards Steven's side while keeping his strike chain secured at the grapple point.

"Cool!" Steven cried, amazed at X's Special Weapon. "You have a grapple, too!"

"Thank you, Steven," smiled X as he nodded at Steven. "It's called strike chain, actually."

"Okay, let's do this," said Steven as he took a deep breath and prepared himself, but the crystal gems looked on with worry

"Steven!" Cried Amethyst, worried for her little adoptive brother

"Wait," cried Pearl with anxiety, "it's not safe!"

"Don't worry, guys," X reassured as he wrapped a metal arm around Steven and grasped his waist. I'll protect Steven."

"Let's go! X!" cried Steven, eager to make the jump

The Original Reploid Nodded and the duo rushed off the cliff and jumped across with their grapples. Suddenly, the vortex's gravitational pull pulled them down, and they found themselves hanging for dear life. The crystal gems cried out Steven's name with worry.

"STEVEN!" They yelled with horror in their eyes

X, refusing to lose Steven to the vortex, held him closer and planted his metal boots on the side of the spire. Steven placed at X for a moment and shared a look of gratitude with X before they let out a loud cry of determination as X and Steven pulled themselves up the top, fighting against the vortex's pull until they landed at the top of the spire, X and Steven Panted as they released their grapples and the other crystal gems looked on in shock.

"Way to go, guys! You made it," cheered Amethyst before turning to the other crystal gems. "C'mon, guys! Steven and X style!"

"Right behind you, amethyst," smirked lapis

Amethyst summoned her whip and wrapped it around the same hole Steven and X used to get across the spire. She then held garnet and pearl around her left arm while lapis lazuli piggyback rode Amethyst's back. The purple crystal gem then rushed off the cliff and, just like before, struggled against the vortex's gravitational pull, but Amethyst didn't give up and landed her boots on the side wall of the spire and got to the top before releasing her passengers.

"Whew! Don't ever do that again!" Pearl Scolded Steven, who was waiting by X's side

"I'm sorry," said Steven, rubbing his left arm awkwardly

"...But, it was pretty great," said Pearl, ruffling Steven's hair before they continued on their joinery through the sea spire to the top

The crystal gems continued their trek across the sea spire. They saw the structure had been worn down by sea erosion and dilapidated for centuries. Pearl continuously lamented the spire's fate for having been abandoned for so long, which annoyed Lapis because she felt Steven wasn't getting enough credit or respect.

X looked confused since he didn't know much about Gem history yet. He was confident, however, that he and his fellow hunters would cross that bridge when they got there. Still, as X was walking with his friends, his thoughts were focused on Steven as he looked at him with worry in his heart and how he was hanging for dear life earlier against the vortex, X was glad his strength could protect Steven from falling, but he was still worried about him but respected his determination nonetheless.

Lapis noticed X's body language as they walked through the spire and placed a blue hand on his left metal shoulder pad.

"What's the matter, X?" Asked Lapis, ignoring Pearl's spiel about the damage to the sea spire

"I'm just worried about Steven..." Sighed X,

"Aw... don't worry, X," said Steven with a smile, still carrying his backpack. "I'll be alright."

"But...you almost fell into the vortex," said X. "If you did...I..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, X!" reassured Lapis. "Steven's safe right now, and he has us to look after him! He'll be fine."

"Yeah, don't worry too much, X!" Replied Amethyst. "Steven Can do this! We're all in this together!"

"... you're right!" Nodded X, regaining his resolve and sweeping his thoughts aside, "There's no time to be wishy-washy here! We still have a mission to complete!"

"That's the spirit X," nodded Garnet with a smile, and they continued.

Later, coming across a ledge, Pearl, X, and Steven looked at a four-armed statue with two hands clasped together, two hands waving upward, and a head that was missing a section.

"Oh, Steven, X," sighed Pearl, looking at the statue's structural damage. "Once the statue's in place, it'll restore all of this to its former glory..."

Suddenly, small invertebrate-like gem creatures crawled out from behind the statue's back, causing Pearl's anxiety to spike through the roof, and she stammered before she summoned her spear and sliced the statue in half with one swipe. Making it fall into the whirlpool below

"What was that goober?" Said Steven, startled by Pearl's frantic outburst

"Crystal shrimp!" Cried pearl, still shaken by the statue's infestation

"Crystal shrimp?" Asked X. "I don't think those looked like shrimp..."

"You guys!" Called Amethyst, "We got a problem!"

The trio joined the rest of the crystal gems to find an infestation of crystal shrimp. The invertebrates were worming their way around the floor, and on two pillars, they were everywhere, blocking their path to the top of the ancient structure.

"It's an infestation!" Said Pearl, disgusted by the sight of the crystal shrimp infesting the spire grounds. "And we have to pass through there to get to the top."

"Can't you just squish 'em?" Asked Steven, leaning toward the shrimp

"Don't touch that! Don't touch that; their shards are deadly!" cried Pearl frantically, grabbing Steven from behind before shoving him aside. "We need to clear a path!"

Pearl began to lay out a complex plan to get past the crystal shrimp with garnet and Amethyst, projecting holograms in the process, but while she was talking, Steven looked down at his backpack before looking at X and lapis, who gave him a thumbs up in approval, showing a grateful smile Steven rummaged through his backpack until he found ingredients for a bagel sandwich with them in hand, Steven created two of them quickly and rushed out just as pearl was finishing her plan.

"Bagel sandwich!" Cried Steven as he flung out the two bagel sandwiches he had made at the crystal shrimp. They then crawled to the two sandwiches to devour them with ease and, in the process, cleared the path.

"Oh hey! What do you know!" Smiled amethyst

"Brilliant!" Smirked garnet

"Cheeseburger backpack saves the day again!" Cheered lapis with a thumbs-up

Pearl stammered and couldn't believe her eyes, not only were the crystal shrimp out of the way, but her complex plan was outwitted by a far simpler one; she then walked up to Steven in disbelief.

"how...did you know that would work?" Asked pearl

"Well, if I were a shrimp, that's what I would do," replied Steven

"Simple but effective," smiled X, giving Steven another thumbs up. "Great work, Steven!"

X and Steven rejoined the crystal gems on their walk to the top of the spire.

"Thanks, X!" Nodded Steven and followed the other crystal gems past the invertebrates

"I just want everyone to know: my plan would have also worked." Said Pearl, trying to preserve a shred of dignity

"Pfft yeah right," scoffed lapis, rolling her eyes, not believing Pearl before rejoining the others

The group climbed the spiral staircase to the top, but then Garnet saw something in her future vision that foresaw danger up ahead after narrowing down countless possibilities. She halted the crystal gems with a hand.

"Watch out!" Cried Garnet, holding out a hand to stop everyone urgently

As Garnet halted everyone, the wall began to crack and then exploded open with a torrent of water shooting out of it, flooding and breaking apart the bridge in front of them, blocking the gems' path again. The crystal gems looked in bewilderment as they wondered how they would be able to get across

"What are we gonna do?" Asked Amethyst

"Lapis," said Garnet, Already predicting the answer to their problem, "You're up!"

"You got it, garnet," nodded lapis, who walked forward and stretched her hands, making them pop. "This is a job for me!"

With a mere gesture of her hand, lapis lazuli halted the flowing stream of water in its tracks and turned it into a water bridge to get across. X looked at Lapis' powers with amazement. He never met anyone with that much control and power over water. He wondered just how powerful she was

"Great work, lapis!" Smiled Steven with literal stars in his eyes

"Anytime, Steven!" Waved lapis before walking across the bridge construct "Come on everybody,"

"We're right behind you, lapis!" Nodded, X followed lapis across with the crystal gems behind them

They climbed up the rest of the stairway to the top of the lunar sea spire. As Pearl talked more about the spire, X grew more curious about the crystal gems and the corrupted gem he and the hunters fought when they arrived in this timeline. Just what were they, and where did they come from? X knew that this was not the time and place to find answers to those questions.

The group continued their way up the lunar sea spire until, at last, they reached their destination, the top of the sea spire. The sky had turned dark, indicating that it was nighttime from where they were, with the moon almost overhead in the beautiful night sky; Steven and X marveled at the beauty; the top was surrounded by triangular-shaped edges, while in the middle stood the moon goddess pedestal, which was comprised of a cone shape with a section made to hold the moon goddess pedestal.

"This is it! The moon goddess pedestal" gasped Pearl before looking at the sky to see the moon. "And the moon is almost overhead!"

X and Steven followed Pearl's excited gaze to see the moon nearing its overhead orbit. The moonlight shone down on Steven and reflected off X's Blue metal body.

"It's not too late to save this piece of history!" squeed Pearl with excitement

"So, placing the moon goddess statue on the pedestal will restore the sea spire?" Asked X. "the place was falling apart every step of the way."

"Yes, that's right," nodded Pearl, "and don't worry, I'm sure this will work."

"Steven," said Garnet, turning to the young gem hybrid, "the statue."

Steven nodded and opened his cheeseburger backpack to find the moon goddess statue, but his eyes widened when he couldn't feel it; frantically, he tried again, searching all the pockets in his backpack. The crystal gems looked at him as he tried vainly to find the moon goddess statue.

"What's the hold-up?" Asked amethyst

"Yeah, is everything alright? Summer fun, buddy?" Said lapis

"...I don't have it," realized Steven with fear and sweated bullets

"What!?" Gasped pearl

"I must have left it on the bed!" theorized Steven

Pearl looked at the moon just inches away from being overhead from the sea spire. Steven looked guilty. He felt this was all his fault. He had forgotten to pack the statue before they left the temple that morning.

"There's... There's no time..." stammered Pearl. "Without the moon goddess statue, the sea spire will never see the light of day again..."

"Do you mean this?" Asked X as he grabbed something from his back and revealed it to be the moon goddess statue, making the crystal gems widen their eyes and smile with relief

"There it is!" Smiled Steven with relief

"That's it!" Cried Pearl with awe. "The moon goddess statue! Where was it?"

"I found it lying on Steven's bed when he was packing up before we left," explained X with a smile. "I knew we couldn't just leave it there."

"Oh X...thanks a lot!!" Said Steven, hugging X's right leg

"You're welcome, Steven." nodded X and hugged him back.

Then, the blue maverick hunter kneeled down and passed the statue to Steven.

"So Steven," said X, "would you like to do the honors?"

"Do I ever!" Said Steven, grabbing the statue and walking towards the pedestal with the moon goddess statue in hand

"Hurry, Steven!" Cried Pearl. "The moon is almost overhead!"

Steven continued to walk towards the pedestal and set the moon goddess statue on it where it would fit the spike-shaped bottom. The pedestal shot out a beam of light that struck the moon at overhead orbit in perfect alignment and engulfed the statue, causing blue lines to form underneath the pedestal. The statue began to levitate above the pad as the crystal gems watched in awe.

But at that moment, as it rose, the moon goddess statue began to disintegrate and then exploded in mid-air, leaving behind a cloud of dust. The crystal gems looked dumbfounded, but their troubles were not over yet. The lunar sea spire suddenly began to shake and rumble, and everyone held for dear life. X and Steven suddenly saw the ocean water starting to close in to fill the hole in the ocean after countless millennia with the gravitational barrier destroyed.

"Everyone! Keep Steady!" Cried Garnet, trying to keep everyone on their feet, but Amethyst and lapis fell over as the structure continued to wobble and collapse

"No! No! No!" Said Steven repeatedly

X tried his best to keep his balance, but he saw lapis on the floor of the spire, too shaken by the quake to concentrate and use her powers. X knew he had to act quickly, or he and his friends would be buried in the ocean, putting on a look of determination, the blue maverick. Hunter Dashed toward the tower's edge; the crystal gems watched as X Charged up his X-Buster before waving out his hands and unleashing one of his special weapons.

"FROST TOWER!" cried X. Suddenly, a gigantic ice shard materialized in the sky and crashed into the ocean before them, making big waves creating a giant ice platform. "Everyone! Hurry!"

"Good thinking, X!" cried Garnet as she ran over to jump on the ice platform

One by one, the crystal gems rushed over to the ice platform and jumped on it. X went to jump on the ice platform, but it was too late. The floor split in two, and X fell down with a cry before he was swallowed up by the ocean along with the spire. Steven rushed out to grab him, but he saw X sinking into the sea below.

"X!!" Cried Steven with sadness, and tears were forming in his eyes before turning to the gems. "Guys! Come on! We have to rescue him."

"We're right behind you, Steven," nodded lapis with a look of determination.

"Yeah, we're not leaving our buddy behind!" Nodded Amethyst

Lapis then created a giant water bubble in front of the ice platform. The crystal gems nodded to each other and got inside the bubble, with lapis taking place at the center; she commanded the bubble construct to dive underwater but kept the water from getting in and drowning Steven inside; the young gem hybrid looked around in the bubble for any sign of X until he saw him sinking into the water with his arms raised, moments later he landed on the ocean bottom and gathered his barrings before turning his attention to the collapsing sea spire.

Steven and the gems searched for X on the bottom, who was dusting himself off; lapis continued to steer the bubble before she spotted X and moved the bubble towards their robotic friend in need; the crystal gems got ready to jump out of the bubble, and into the bottom sea level to rescue their friend.

"Look! There's X!" cried Steven, who pointed at the original reploid, who turned his head to Steven when he heard him. "Guys! Let's hurry!"

"No problem, Steven!" Said Amethyst as she, Pearl, and Garnet jumped out of the bubble to land beside X, who then rushed toward his friends

"X!" Are you okay?" Asked Garnet with concern; she was unfazed by the water level since gems are immune to needing oxygen

"Yeah... I'm alright, " said X with a frown. "But the spire, it's destroyed."

"Aw...this is all my fault.." Sighed Steven with sadness, "I broke it..."

"No...Steven, the spire was already falling apart when we got here," said Pearl, trying to reassure Steven. "you and X handled everything well under pressure; you both did great,"

"Are you sure, pearl?" Asked X

"I'm positive X" nodded pearl

"Yeah, don't worry, Steven," said lapis, ruffling Steven's hair. "you did a great job on this mission with us! And got to see the spire up close!"

"And besides, you and lapis also did a good job of taking care of Steven," Comforted Garnet, placing her hands on X's metal shoulder pads. "don't blame yourselves for this outcome."

"Thank you, Garnet," nodded X. "I'm glad I could help take care of Steven."

Steven was starting to feel better as he hugged lapis by her leg, and lapis shared a heartwarming smile. But then, suddenly, they heard an underwater growl. The crystal gems and X turned their heads toward the source of the sound, got into defensive stances, summoned their weapons, and lapis braced herself in the bubble.

*siren effects*

WARNING!

From out of the shadows of the water came a Corrupted gem with a barrel-shaped gelatinous body with three pairs of short stubby legs with four fingers; the creature resembled a water bear parasite; its head had a lavender-violet coned gemstone on it, making it it's eye, the water bear crawled towards the gems and roared out again, threatening them.

"What is that thing?" Asked X, gripping his X-buster arm

"It's a water bear!" Cried Pearl, grasping her spear. "Everyone! Attack!"

The water bear jumped up and tried to body slam the crystal gems, but they rolled out of the way just in time; lapis controlled the bubble to steer away from the ongoing battle and protect Steven. X rolled to the side and fired several shots from his X-buster at the water bear, dealing damage to it and getting it to roll over; the water bear then got back up and retaliated by firing an orb of blue ooze out; X charged his buster and fired at the glob, making it explode.

Garnet unleashed a double rocket punch from her gauntlets at the water bear, hitting its left side. The water bear sprawled over, injured, and let out a growl of irritation. Then, charging at Garnet, Amethyst hit her in the face with a spin dash. The water bear retaliated by knocking Amethyst to the side.

"Amethyst!" Cried Pearl as she rushed to recover amethyst

"You're gonna pay for that!" Cried X as he fired his X-buster at the water bear

The water bear took some damage but crawled towards X and jumped to body-slam him. X barely got away from the water bear, but he was sent sprawling over; he then recovered and fired two homing torpedos at it in retaliation; the water bear squealed in pain from the two projectiles and rushed toward X again, but suddenly, the water bear was wrapped around its stomach by Amethyst's whip, who looked at the corrupted gem with a grin.

"I don't think so, dude!" Smirked Amethyst before swinging the water bear around and around and then let go, sending the corrupted gem flying across the ocean

"Go get her, guys!!" Cheered Steven, rooting for the crystal gems and their robotic friend

The water bear slammed against a giant rock on the ocean floor and sprawled across it before roaring and charging at the crystal gems blindly in a rage. Pearl attacked swiftly with her spear and slashed the water bear three times before firing an orb of light at it, knocking it down to the floor.

The water bear barely recovered when it was hit by several shots from X's buster. This pushed the water bear back and allowed the crystal gems to regroup near X, who kept his buster trained on the corrupted gem as she struggled to get up from the damage it was taking in this underwater battle. The crystal gems readied themselves to deal the final blow.

"Looks like she's almost down for the count!" Said Amethyst, cracking her whip

"Yeah, but when this is over," said X, keeping his arm cannon aimed at the water bear, "I would like an explanation on these kinds of gems!"

"You'll have one soon enough," Nodded Garnet, holding up her fists. "Now, let's finish this!"

The water bear roared and jumped up to do a body slam, only for X to fire his shotgun ice special weapon, launching a shard of ice and freezing the water bear upon impact, seeing their chance garnet and amethyst attack with a one-two punch combo and a spin dash, breaking the ice off of the water bear, X charged up his X-Buster to level 2 and fired at the water bear, dealing significant damage as the water bear shrieked in pain.

But Garnet was not done yet; she jumped up and delivered one final punch to the water bear in the stomach and slammed it crashing to the ground, sending sand and pebbles everywhere. With one final roar, the water bear exploded in a cloud of dust along the ocean seabed, and only her gemstone remained. Garnet knelt down and bubbled it before sending it back to the crystal temple with a simple tap.

"You did it, guys!!" Cheered Steven, pumping a fist. "You got her!"

"Great job everyone!" Nodded X. "Mission accomplished!"

"Thanks, X!" chuckled Amethyst

"X! You did it!" Called Steven, catching X's attention, whose eyes then widened upon seeing Steven in the bubble

"Steven! Are you alright!?" Asked X, worried for Steven's life, thinking that he would drown inside the water bubble construct

"Don't worry, X! He's fine," reassured lapis with a smile. "As long as I'm holding up this bubble, Steven won't drown!"

"You...you can control the water?" Asked X in bewilderment

"Yep, I sure can!" Said Lapis. "By the way, how are you not drowning?"

"Yes, that's what I would want to know as well," said Pearl, who walked up to X, curious about his ability to survive and function underwater. "any other human wouldn't survive down here,"

"But... I'm not a human..." said X, who turned to face Pearl. "I'm a reploid."

"Repli-what?" Said Amethyst, confused,

"Reploid," corrected Garnet.

"A reploid is a new type of robot who can think and act independently," explained X. "Just like human beings, it's a long story."

"Whoa! That's cool!" Said, Steven

"Very Interesting," agreed Garnet. "but I think we should hear more about it when we get back to the temple."

"I'm with you, Garnet," nodded lapis. "Come on inside, X! It's time we head back up."

"You got it!" Nodded X, who dash jumped up to the bubble alongside the crystal gems

With everyone inside, lapis brought everyone back up to the surface near the frost tower ice platform X created before the battle below, and everyone sat down on the ice. Steven looked at the former sight of the sea spire with distraught eyes; he felt like he had failed the mission despite that they had managed to poof a corrupted gem in the process.

"Sigh...this is all my fault!" sobbed Steven "I broke it"

"No...Steven, the Spire was falling apart when we got here," comforted Pearl, who walked up to Steven and sat down next to him. "You and X handled everything well under pressure. You both did great!"

"And don't forget we got another corrupted gem monster poofed!" said Amethyst, who joined Steven and Pearl next to them. "It's not a total loss at all!"

"And at least we got to see the spire one last time." nodded lapis

"Yeah! I guess you're right!" Steven said. " It was a successful mission, after all."

"That's the spirit, Steven!" Nodded X with a smile, "and I'll be more than happy to tell you guys more about reploids"

"We would appreciate that X," said Pearl, who then put a hand on her chin. Now then...how will we get back to the temple?"

"Steven?" Asked X, who walked up to Steven, "Any ideas?"

"Wait...me!?" asked Steven, surprised the gems were looking to him for ideas

"What have you got?" Asked Garnet, referring to his cheeseburger backpack

Steven snapped to attention, opened up his backpack, and began to rummage through it for anything that would get them back home, during which Amethyst chanted "cheeseburger backpack! Cheeseburger backpack!" several times and got Pearl and lapis to join her, giving Steven more confidence as he rummaged through backpack for the answer to their problem until he pulls out...

"A raft!" Cried Steven, pulling out a yellow colored inflatable raft with a red plastic handle on it"That could work!" Nodded Amethyst

Steven pulled the red handle on the raft to inflate it. Once fully inflated, Steven tossed the raft into the water, and everyone got on board and sat down. Then, they prepared for the long trip home by sailing the ocean back.

"It's a three-hour paddle home," notified Garnet.

"I'll try to speed things up," said lapis, putting out her hand and commanding the water to push the raft forward. "this way, we don't have to worry about any tidal waves on the way back."

"Thanks a lot summer fun buddy!" Smiled Steven "And X?"

"Yeah, Steven?" Said X, glancing at the young gem hybrid

"I'm glad you could come with us on this mission," said Steven with gratitude

"You're very welcome, Steven," smiled X with a thumbs up and looked at the sea before them.

Steven laid down between lapis and X as the raft carried them home to the crystal temple, leaving the destroyed lunar sea spire behind. While the gems sat sail, garnet ruffled Steven's hair with a smile. Steven and X had many questions forming in their minds, what are reploids? And what are these corrupted gems? These would be answered in time over at the crystal temple; it was a long boat ride back; X then activated his com-link to contact his fellow maverick hunters back at the lighthouse, telling them he was going to be a while before he and the gems return home...