The Black Pearl Brigade chapter 4: Brain Brawl (originally published on April 4, 2022)
AN: Looks like things are finally starting to heat up! After writing for Dalmatian Jasper & Zoisite and loving how much I made them play off each other, I got a good feeling about the rest of Cinnabar's team. For this chapter, we shall focus on Bloodstone, the Ronaldo-like chief scientist and conspiracy theorist who, much like Ronaldo, is found incredibly annoying by tons of people for acting so damn insane. But unlike Ronaldo, there may be more to Bloodstone than her insane ramblings may imply.
Synopsis: IQ competes against the genius conspiracy theorist Bloodstone for the entertainment of a species that prides intelligence.
Cast:
Deedee-Magno Hall as The Black Pearl Brigade
Lena Hall as Bloodstone
Avi Roque as Cinnabar
Awkwafina as Kyanite
Michaela Dietz as Unlucky Amethysts
Corey Burton as Intellgia Emissary
Mike Pollock, Cissy Jones & Ben Diskin as Intelliga High Council
Kathleen Barr as Púrén
Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond
Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond
Allison Janney as Pyrite
Featuring Jonathan Hyde as Supreme Intelligent One
--
The Intelliga, quite possibly one of the most highly advanced and intelligent races to exist throughout the galaxy. Having survived for eons through their beyond genius intellect and machinery, they pride themselves on reviewing the intelligence of other races and pitting them against each other in what they dub a Brain Brawl, a competition they hold to see who is vastly more intelligent. On their futuristic home planet of Teslein, some of the Intelliga's high council were busy reviewing future Brain Brawl contestants across the stars.
"Hm, such a bright young lady for an Earthling." The leader of the high council observed as he and his comrades observed Connie Maheswaran preparing for college via a universal surveillance system. "But I fear even her brain might not be able to comprehend our way of life."
"Let us move on." A female member responded as their surveillance turned to Peridot teaching her class how to pronounce photosynthesis. "A Peridot, eh? She could be promising."
"But I was expecting a Peridot to be building weapons of war or performing experiments for their masters, not teaching at a school." A third council member stated before they happened upon Pearl reading a childcare book. "My word, a Pearl?! But they were meant to be common slaves, and this one seems to be reading!"
"How curious." A fourth council member replied, stroking his goatee while deep in thought. "Let us see what else Earth has to offer." The council then began spying on Black Rutile hiding in a cave, working on a device while wearing a holographic welding mask. "I've heard of this Rutile before. Isn't she a wanted criminal?"
"That would get the Diamonds on our tail." The second council member muttered. "Let's try something that won't get us in trouble." Finally, the screen seemed to settle on two Gems simultaneously. One was Bloodstone, who was hard at work on a new weapon while doing some calculations on a holographic board. The other was IQ, busy doing maintenance on the Servant with help from Púrén. "What about these two?"
"Another Pearl!" the fourth member exclaimed in shock. "And that Bloodstone over there is quite intelligent as well!"
"Well, this shall certainly be an interesting Brain Brawl." The leader of the Intelliga declared. "So, are we all in agreement, ladies and gentlemen?"
"AYE!" the rest of the high council answered.
"Motion carried." The leader responded before turning to an emissary. "Track down these Gems at once and extend our invitation to them."
"I shall do as you command, Supreme Intelligent One!" the emissary saluted proudly as he tapped on a smartwatch that made him teleport away.
--
"Just need to make some last finishing touches here." Bloodstone mumbled to herself as she worked on her latest weapon. "This machine is capable of not just shattering a Gem, but also completely disintegrating the gemstone and leaving nothing behind. And I picked you two to be my lucky test subjects."
"This won't go wrong like the last few tests, right?" one of the Amethysts that Bloodstone forced to volunteer for her experiments. The Amethyst's question would soon be answered as Bloodstone presented her device, a giant laser cannon she had to carry around like a mini-gun, and fired at the Amethyst's gem. Quickly realizing what might happen to her, the Amethyst began panicking while the cannon hit her in her gem before she exploded in a flash of light. Just as Bloodstone predicted, there was nothing left of the Amethyst.
"EUREKA!" Bloodstone yelled excitedly. "I have a breakthrough! What do you think about that?!"
"I think you need to consider why not many people like you, Bloodstone!" the surviving Amethyst yelled. "You're just an insane crackpot whose experiments always get Gems hurt!"
"Uh, hello? I'm a mad scientist in service to a terrorist working for an even bigger terrorist." Bloodstone replied. "It comes with the territory!"
"Yeah, but even before you joined Cinnabar, you always were a loose cannon!" the Amethyst added. "Your theories made you a total laughingstock!"
--
"I urge you to believe me, my Diamonds!" Bloodstone said to Yellow and Blue Diamond thousands of years ago during the Rebellion, while also surrounded by dozens of other Gems as she presented her latest theory. "This rebellion was all built on lies, a complete waste of our time even! Pink Diamond had all this staged out of boredom and sadism, and she must be stopped! Please, my fellow Gems, we must come together to end this war and stop this shared enemy!"
However, none of the Gems responded for a few precious seconds. Then, they all started to point and laugh at Bloodstone for her outlandish claims. Even the Diamonds let out a few snickers before they silenced their subjects so they could speak.
"I admire your passion Bloodstone, but I find it hard to believe that Pink Diamond would've faked her own shattering out of total boredom!" Yellow Diamond declared. "She may be a pain in the neck at times, but I don't think she'd go that far."
"And a shared enemy, too?" Blue Diamond raised an eyebrow while bringing a finger to her lips. "Clearly, she's gone mad. But then again, she's always been eccentric, right?"
"ECCENTRIC, ECCENTRIC, ECCENTRIC!" the Gems jeered Bloodstone out of the audience chamber as she walked out with her hands in her coat pockets and a scowl on her face. "ECCENTRIC, ECCENTRIC, ECCENTRIC!"
"Oh, mock me all you want, but you'll all see I'm right." Bloodstone snarled at the mocking Gems. "YOU'LL ALL SEE, I TELLS YA!"
"No, we won't!" a voice called out to the scientist amidst the continued mocking, which continued even after she left.
--
A few hours later, at her lab, Bloodstone decided to vent her frustrations on bullying by doing what she does best, designing new weapons for use in war. However, this weapon would be different from the others Bloodstone had built. "I'm sure White Diamond would love to use one like this." Bloodstone muttered after running a few calculations. "One zap of this, and I'll be good as perfect."
Though Bloodstone didn't look like it, she came out with a few imperfections herself upon creation that made her mind unlike other Gems that shared her intellect. Once she pulls the trigger, those imperfections will be blown away like the wind. Before she could finish the job, however, the door behind Bloodstone opened, and in walked Pyrite.
"Oh, Bloodstone, my darling, how are you?!" Pyrite exclaimed as she skipped into Bloodstone's lab when she noticed what Bloodstone was about to do. "Oh, making yourself a guinea pig again? I swear, you have got to put a stop to that. It's really unhealthy, sweetie pie."
"I know; it's just, I got laughed at for one of my crazy theories again." Bloodstone stated while putting down the weapon. "I had told everyone that I thought Pink Diamond was behind this whole war because she was a total sociopath that was getting bored with how things work here."
"Bored sociopath? That's a little far-fetched if I do say so myself." Pyrite commented, causing Bloodstone to glare at her. "But besides the point, I got a big order coming up, and I need you to help me!" she commanded the scientist. "We got some Prasiolites wanting some of your tools, and we don't have all the time in the world, so chop chop!"
"OK, Pyrite." Bloodstone obeyed the business-Gem's orders before throwing her imperfection remover away and working on some new kinds of weapons. This cycle would continue on for the next couple thousand years during and since the Rebellion, but there would soon come a day when Bloodstone would finally be vindicated.
--
"So guess what, I was right all along!" Bloodstone declared as she sat across from another Gem in a dark room. "This was all built upon Pink Diamond being a psychotic brat who only wanted to see everything that isn't her suffer! Because of her, we left all those innocent soldiers to be corrupted, and our resources were nearly bled dry!" she began ranting. "And I don't think her little boy will make anything better! He's probably pretending to be all nice and sweet and stuff to hide the fact that he's basically enslaved us all! And did anyone still believe what I had to say?! No!"
"I can see that recent events have stressed you, Bloodstone." Black Rutile said while leaning into the light. "I can definitely relate, as can many other Gems. How would you like to join me and finally be proven right?"
"Yes, that would mean so much to me!" Bloodstone eagerly accepted the Rutile's offer. "Oh, it would be my honor to work alongside such a tactical genius like the Striking Shadow of the Rebellion and be surrounded by Gems that won't ruthlessly pick on me for being annoying!"
"Someone's eager." Black Rutile smiled at the scientist.
--
In the present day, Bloodstone strolled down a long hallway to her quarters, where she intended to hide herself away in shame of how nothing has changed about her lifestyle since joining the Rutile Rebels. "What's the use in this anymore?" she moped while locking the door behind her. "I want to fight for justice and peace for all, I'm fighting for a legitimately good cause, yet still no one will treat me right! If only someone would give me a sign that I can be of use!"
"Hey yo, Bloodstone, come out of there!" Kyanite called for the scientist while pounding on the door. "Someone's calling for you!"
"Hmph, what a coincidence." Bloodstone muttered and opened the door to reveal Kyanite and Cinnabar on the other side. "Anything you need?"
"An emissary of the Intelliga wishes to speak with you." Cinnabar replied, motioning for a blue-skinned, floating humanoid with a medium-sized cranium to appear. "I believe our friend Bloodstone is the one you're looking for."
"A pleasure to meet you, Bloodstone." The emissary said as he shook Bloodstone's hand. "I am an emissary of the Intelliga, and they wish to invite you to their world for a little Brain Brawl against an equally intelligent Gem."
"A Brain Brawl, invited, me?!" Bloodstone stuttered excitedly before she descended into excited squealing. "EEEEEEE, THIS HAS BEEN MY LIFELONG DREAM, EEEEEEE!"
"Yes, we are very happy for you, Bloodstone." Cinnabar snarked while covering her ears. "Now, can you please shut up and behave yourself?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Bloodstone immediately did as she was told before turning back to the emissary. "So, when can we start?"
"We shall begin as soon as your opponent is brought to Teslein." The emissary explained. "But let us bring you to the arena in the meantime." Tapping on his smartwatch again, the emissary teleported away with Bloodstone, Cinnabar, and Kyanite accompanying him.
--
Meanwhile, on the Servant, IQ worked hard on new weapons for the Brigade in her laboratory, hoping that they'd be strong enough to assist them in their battles. "Hopefully, with these, we won't get captured again like what happened with Dalmatian Jasper and Zoisite." She muttered to herself. "It's funny, really. We've only known each other for a few weeks, but we've grown quite a bit as a team since Yellow Diamond found us. I'm always there to supply the team with useful information, Cap always calls the shots with ease, Pony is a handy number two, Braids is one of the strongest Gems I know, and when she's given enough motivation, Tails knows how to be a team player."
Just then, Púrén suddenly appeared behind IQ, giving the genius Pearl a scare as she didn't expect the AI to appear. "My apologies." Púrén said calmly. "It's just that Cap has a message for you."
"Just play it back for me." IQ requested the AI, who quickly transformed into Cap to replay her message.
"IQ, we got a job." Cap's message stated. "An emissary of the Intelliga wants to speak with you about participating in a Brain Brawl. Please stop what you're doing and report to my quarters."
"Wait, the Intelliga want to enter me in a Brain Brawl?!" IQ gasped in excitement. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any sentient being with an advanced intelligence!" She then put down her tools and burst from her lab to meet the emissary. "DON'T WAIT UP!"
Kicking down the door to Cap's quarters, IQ locked eyes with the rest of the Brigade and the emissary standing together before the latter hovered towards Pearl. "Ah, this must be IQ. Quite a fitting name, I must say."
"It is an honor to meet a member of the Intelliga." IQ said as the two geniuses shook hands. "You said you wanted me to enter one of your Brain Brawls?"
"Indeed." The emissary replied. "We have been monitoring the smartest beings in the universe for eons to select them as contestants, and you just happen to be one of the latest. We were also pondering selecting other Gems to enter, but you seemed to be a good fit for this."
"So, where shall we have this battle?" Braids asked.
"This Brain Brawl, as do all Brain Brawls, shall take place on our home planet of Teslein, and the winner shall be dubbed one of the smartest to have ever lived." The emissary declared. "We shall arrive there posthaste with my teleportation watch."
"No need. Allow us to bring you home with our ship." Cap stated. "Púrén, set a course for Teslein!"
"Affirmative." Púrén obliged and began routing the ship towards the Intelliga's home planet. "And good luck on the Brain Brawl, IQ."
"Thanks." IQ grinned.
--
The Servant touched down on Teslein, a grand and advanced planet that seemed to be colored primarily in cold blues, grays, and blacks. The capital city of Chiteki was particularly in Brain Brawl fever, with billboards all over the place advertising the upcoming bout between IQ and Bloodstone.
"Welcome to Chiteki, Pearls." The emissary proclaimed as he and the Brigade disembarked. "Follow me to the High Council Headquarters now. We haven't all the time in the world."
"So, this is Teslein." Braids nodded while taking in the Pearls' new surroundings, watching the citizens of the Intelliga's home planet gaze at them with amazement and fear. Some refused to acknowledge their crystalline visitors as anything but conquerors, but others were eager to see Gems in real life. "Hm, pretty glorious, I must say."
"Excuse me, Pearls, could I perhaps take a picture with you for a research project I'm working on?" a young Intelligan asked the five Gems as he floated up to them.
"We're a little short on time, but I suppose we can make room for at least one photo." Pony replied as the Pearls struck a pose for a picture. As soon as the Intelligan took the photo, he was off like a light while the six continued on their way.
"I can only assume that boy will probably show that photo off to his friends." Pony muttered before they finally reached the high council's tower and entered the nearest elevator. "At least he wasn't recoiling in fear of us."
"I guess some people have more trouble adjusting to the Diamonds changing their ways more than others." IQ replied while the elevator kept creeping up the tower. "So, who is our opponent supposed to be?"
"Oh, it's someone who is very eager to see you." The emissary answered cheerfully when the Pearls heard a ding. "Oh, speak of the devil; we're right on time." As the doors opened, the Brigade began gaping in shock as they realized that IQ's opponent in the upcoming Brain Brawl was accompanied by someone they never thought they'd see.
"CINNABAR?!" the Pearls yelled at the former general, who turned to them with a cold glare as she stood with Bloodstone and Kyanite.
"Ah, the Black Pearl Brigade." Cinnabar scowled at the mercenaries. "I never thought today would be the day we'd meet each other in person for the first time." Though she secretly wanted to shatter them all on the spot and have Bloodstone be declared the victor by default, Cinnabar kept herself restrained as she politely greeted the Gems that had already outwitted three of her top lieutenants and stuck out her hand. "May the best genius win."
"Good to see you being a team player." IQ replied and shook with Cinnabar, sounding just as restrained as their archenemy.
"If we win, we get to destroy them, right?" Kyanite asked bluntly, forcing Cinnabar to hold her mouth shut as the Supreme Intelligent One made his grand entrance.
"Welcome Gems to Chiteki, the capital city of Teslein!" the Supreme Intelligent One bombastically declared while descending upon his visitors. "You may refer to me as the Supreme Intelligent One, and I welcome all of you to this latest Brain Brawl. Now, what is a Brain Brawl, you may ask?"
"We didn't ask anything." Braids replied cluelessly.
"Well, to put it simply, a Brain Brawl is when we select two individuals from across the stars to compete on our homeworld for the ultimate prize of being dubbed the smartest ever to exist." The Supreme Intelligent One continued, ignoring Braids' literal reply. "The contest will be held in a series of three challenges. First, the contestants face off in a trivia challenge themed around a certain topic. In your case, the questions shall be based around the Gem race."
"Interesting." Cinnabar commented.
"The second challenge will test skill and ingenuity by building androids and pitting them against each other." The Supreme Intelligent One proclaimed. "And finally, the third challenge will test your emotional intelligence by testing how well you know your comrades in a series of true or false questions based on data telepathically gathered and submitted to us by the audience."
"Wow, that's a Brain Brawl?" Pony wondered out loud. "I kind of expected things to be a bit more complicated than that."
"Oh, don't underestimate us, Pearl." The emissary declared. "Many have been tested through Brain Brawls for eons, and let me tell you, the losers left completely ashamed of themselves. So I advise you all get ready because the stakes have never been higher."
"He is indeed right." The leader of the Intelliga agreed. "Let the Brain Brawl begin!"
--
As the Brain Brawl got off to a roaring start, IQ and Bloodstone stood face to face on a set resembling that of a game show while the Supreme Intelligent One stood by with a microphone in hand. "Welcome one and all to this edition of Brain Brawl! I am your host and esteemed leader, the Supreme Intelligent One. For this contest, we have gained the participation of two Gems currently in the stands. Please, introduce yourselves, ladies."
"My name is Bloodstone, and I shall compete on behalf of the mighty Black Rutile and Cinnabar!" Bloodstone passionately declared while snatching the mic from the Intelligent One's hand. "Once the Crystal Gems are no more, and this universe is ours to control, you all shall be among the planets that will fall to our unlimited power!"
"Yeah, you go, girl!" Kyanite whooped from the audience.
"My my, someone's excited." The Gems' super genius host grinned while beckoning his microphone back to his hand. "And what about you, dear Pearl?"
"You may refer to me as IQ." IQ introduced herself to the audience. "I am part of an elite mercenary squad in service to Yellow Diamond, tasked with terminating the other rebels who have pledged allegiance to Black Rutile, Cinnabar chief among them."
"Very nice, ladies." The host stated. "Now, without further ado, let the Brain Brawl begin!" The audience began cheering wildly as the contest commenced and then immediately calmed down to allow their leader to reveal the first challenge. "Now, as stated earlier, the first challenge shall be in the form of a trivia contest based on the contestants' lives. In this case, the questions shall be based around the Gem empire and its dominion over many planets. First question, how much of the universe did the Diamonds rule over before Era 3?"
IQ pressed the buzzer first. "They claimed at least 63.7% of all known planets in the universe. The rest are property of the Universal Lords."
"Correct!" the Supreme Intelligent One exclaimed. "Second question. How many years ago did Pink Diamond quote-unquote "shatter" herself?"
Bloodstone was quick to answer. "Approximately 5,052 years ago."
"That is also correct." The Supreme Intelligent One stated. "Now for the third question."
The two Gems were eager to press the buzzer again as the next question was read. "Approximately how many Gems were created by the height of the Rebellion?"
Before IQ could buzz in, she quickly froze. She was only a few weeks old. How could she possibly know how many Gems were created at that period? While the Pearl began to space out from sheer anxiety, Bloodstone confidently answered. "Around 15,616,700,250,340,800 Gems."
"That is correct." The Supreme Intelligent One declared.
"Wait, THAT many?!" Braids declared, utterly flabbergasted at the massive number she just heard. "I simply wasn't aware of such a number."
"Yeah, me neither." Pony replied, just as stunned before she noticed IQ still staring in shock. "Uh, is IQ gonna be OK?"
"Question #4, which was the first planet to be colonized at the start of Era 1?" the Supreme Intelligent One continued. Since IQ was still frozen in shock, Bloodstone again took the answer. "Bloodstone?"
"That would be Sigmas-17," Bloodstone stated. "It is where some of our earliest technology comes from."
"Correct again, Bloodstone." The host responded before turning back to IQ. "IQ, darling, best try to catch up for this last question. Which is, what was the operation's name that led to the creation of the Pearl facility on Titan?"
"It was Project Nacre!" IQ frantically shoved her opponent's hand out of the way and pushed the buzzer before her. "Project Nacre was named for a Gem known as Nacre, dubbed the Mother of Pearls because she served as a prototype for the modern Pearl!"
"You are correct, Pearl, but unfortunately, you didn't answer all the questions." The Supreme Intelligent One said glumly. "Which is why this victory shall go to Bloodstone."
"As expected." Cinnabar grinned smugly in response.
"WHOO, GO BLOODSTONE, YOU'RE NUMBER ONE!" Kyanite screamed excitedly at her teammate's triumph.
"Yes, yes, I am so amazing," Bloodstone smirked before turning to IQ. "Just goes to show how experience can save your life once in a while. Now, good luck on the next challenge." As the scientist laughed callously while walking backstage, IQ got up and sulked back to her teammates in the audience, who were shocked at their machinist's loss.
"What happened there, IQ?" Cap asked. "You had that first question in the bag, but then you just froze up at the big numbers!"
"I'm sorry girls, but there are some things that even I don't know." IQ said, trying her hardest not to cry over her loss. "I mean, I'm supposed to be the smart one of the gang! If I'm not the smart one, then who am I?!"
"It doesn't matter what kind of Pearl you are; you're still our friend regardless." Pony proclaimed to comfort IQ. "So, what's the next trial again?"
"I believe robot building." Braids answered. "I believe that might be more your style, IQ."
"Yeah, it doesn't matter whether you're the smart one or not. Just do what you think suits you best." Tails repeated what Pony said earlier. "Now then, let's get building."
--
Meanwhile, Bloodstone was busy reveling in her victory to her master, and was having an utter blast doing so. "You should've seen the look on her face! The Pearl looked like she had seen a ghost or something, and when we left, it seemed like she was going to cry!"
"Don't get too cocky, Bloodstone." Cinnabar declared, cutting Bloodstone's reverie short. "Just like Pyrite and Dalmatian Jasper & Zoisite before you, your pride will undoubtedly be your downfall. Remember to keep that in mind or else."
"And good luck on the robot building too!" Kyanite added happily.
--
"Let us begin the second round!" the Supreme Intelligent One announced the next challenge of the Brain Brawl. "For this challenge, our contestants shall build mechanical lifeforms to battle to the finish, in which only one shall remain standing to declare their creator the winner!"
"This is it; let's go." IQ said while the Pearls stood around a silver human skeleton with menacing red eyes and a cannon in place of a left arm. "Sculder, you are free to go."
Before marching into the arena, Sculder gave no verbal response, only a quiet nod. On the other side of the battlefield, Bloodstone confidently stood with her arms crossed beside a much brawnier, bulkier machine with red & gold plating and circular lights on its chest and palms. The two robots just stood there, intensely glaring at each other, before the referee made his entrance.
"Are you ready for some mechanical melee?!" the referee boomed, causing the audience to cheer excitedly. "Well, that's all I need to hear because it's robot-fighting time!"
"ROBOTS ACTIVATE." A mechanical voice declared, signifying the beginning of the match as Bloodstone's android made the first move, tackling IQ's robot to the ground and pressing one of his palms against its opponent's face, the heat causing the other machine's cheek to melt a little. Luckily, Sculder retaliated by using its arm cannon to propel itself off the ground, knocking the other machine down before it was gunned down.
"GO, SCULDER, GO!" IQ cheered for her creation before the red and gold robot formed an energy shield to deflect Sculder's cannon blasts.
"You can do it, uh….." Kyanite exclaimed when she realized that Bloodstone may not have given her machine a name. "Hey Bloodstone, what did you call your bot?"
"I did not bother with a name because that means I'll get attached." Bloodstone responded. "But if it's any consolation, I think the Pearl-verizer would suffice."
"And I don't think you bothered giving it good defenses either." Cinnabar proclaimed, taking her scientist by the shoulder and pointing at the arena. "Look, IQ's skeleton has found a way to break through the shield!"
Cinnabar was right, as Sculder just kept ramming at the shield projected by its opponent, causing it to crack more and more until finally, the shield was broken. In desperation, the Pearl-verizer prepared to throw the fight by running away, but Sculder extended its hands like tentacles to grab the Pearl-verizer's ankles and toss it into the air.
"Did you even think straight while building that thing?!" Cinnabar shouted, clearly on the verge of losing her cool as the Pearl-verizer was on the edge of defeat.
"To be fair, I was indeed blinded by arrogance as you predicted." Bloodstone bluntly replied. "My apologies."
Meanwhile, Sculder prepared to land the finishing blow by supercharging its cannon arm and fired. The Pearl-verizer was about to fight back by slapping the energy blast back, but it was too late. Instead, the robot was blown to pieces, leaving several pieces remaining for Sculder to gather up and walk towards IQ, whose wrist it grabbed to declare its creator the winner.
"The robot has spoken. IQ wins the challenge!" the referee exclaimed, much to IQ's delight.
"Oh stars, I actually did it!" IQ squealed in delight and gave the metallic fruit of her labor a big hug. "Thank you so much for proving that I am still worth something after all!" Sculder replied by gently stroking the Pearl's hair before dropping the pieces on the ground. "What's that boy? Do you want an upgrade? I'll be sure to get to it once we leave."
"GLORIOUS!" Tails roared excitedly as the Pearls raised IQ to the air in celebration. "Three cheers for IQ! Hip hip!"
"Hooray!" the other Pearls cheered.
"Don't celebrate just yet, Pearls!" Bloodstone interrupted the Brigade's celebration. "There's still only one challenge left, and you can be sure that I'll win fair and square!"
"Someone is getting too cocky." Tails frowned at the conspiracy theorist. "Just admit that you lost, OK?!"
"NEVER!" Bloodstone started screaming. "I have eyes, you know! They're under my eyebrows, telling me that I will win this and prove myself the smartest in the universe!"
"See what I mean about pride being your downfall?" Bloodstone said to Kyanite as they watched Bloodstone have a meltdown of egotism. "Don't let the same happen to you when your time comes, Kyanite."
"I won't fail you, Cinnabar!" Kyanite obediently stated. "Now, which one of us will calm her down so we can think of a plan for the final challenge? I think cheating looks pretty good right now."
--
As soon as Bloodstone started to relax, the final challenge of the Brain Brawl was about to begin. Returning to the game show set, IQ and Bloodstone were ready to accept whatever challenges would come their way while the Supreme Intelligent One cleared his throat. "For this final round of the Brain Brawl, we asked our audience to submit questions based on the thoughts of our contestants and telepathically transfer them to me."
"But isn't that an invasion of our privacy?" IQ asked with a raise of her hand.
"Don't think too hard about it." The Supreme Intelligent One tried to justify his actions before moving on. "Now, you will be given a series of true or false questions based upon the experiences shared by you and your comrades. Answer them correctly, and you will win the Brawl. Are you two ready?"
"We're ready." The two Gems declared.
"Very well, let's begin with the first question." The Supreme Intelligent One stated. "True or false? Pyrite originally served as an arms dealer who sold weapons to both Crystal and Homeworld Gems during the Rebellion."
"True." Bloodstone nodded. "I should know, I made some of those weapons."
"Interesting to know." The Intelligent One replied. "True or false? Dalmatian Jasper was initially believed to be defective upon emerging in a Kindergarten due to her gem being in the place of a hand, but she quickly proved her worth against a squad of Crystal Gems."
"False?" IQ answered, showing how little she knew about Dalmatian Jasper. "I mean, she did take us by surprise when we met her and Zoisite."
"I apologize, but the answer is true." The host stated. "True or false? When Shell was rediscovered by Black Rutile, she put it to work on generating five dozen Pearls per minute."
"That one is true." IQ said, causing Bloodstone to scoff since, of course, a Pearl created by Shell would know about this. "Not so high and mighty now, aren't you, Bloodstone?"
"You just got one question right, who gave you permission to act all smug?!" Bloodstone yelled in frustration.
"I got permission because I realized that I don't have to be uber-perfect," IQ responded confidently. "Did anyone ever give you the same lesson?"
"I'm already perfect; I am one of the Gems' greatest minds ever created!" Bloodstone boasted. "And once I win, I shall be one of the smartest in the entire universe too!"
"OK, ladies, enough bickering now, for these shall be the last few questions." The Supreme Intelligent One interrupted as he proceeded with the game. "True or false? Black Rutile went by many names in her time fighting for Homeworld in the Rebellion, but one that sticks out is her title of the Striking Shadow of the Rebellion."
"TRUE!" both Gems cried out in unison before glaring at one another.
"I answered first!" IQ yelled.
"Well, I'm louder!" Bloodstone responded while the Pearls and Sculder watched.
"We're getting nowhere." Cap groaned as the two kept bickering. "Half the time, they're just arguing with each other."
"Buckle in, girls. We're gonna be here a while." Tails snarked when she discovered something. "Hey, wait for a second; something doesn't seem right."
"What are you talking about?" Braids asked Tails, who took her by the shoulder and pointed to the other side of the soundstage, where Cinnabar was standing next to a machine that seemed to be hacking into the Intelligans' thoughts, giving them questions only Bloodstone would answer. "Of course Bloodstone would try to cheat."
"We have to warn IQ before it's too late!" Cap stated. "Or maybe she'll find out herself. Either way, Bloodstone has to be stopped."
As IQ and Bloodstone kept arguing with the Supreme Intelligent One watched with bemusement, IQ noticed something behind Bloodstone. It was the same machine that her fellow Pearls discovered, pumping vital information into the minds of the Intelliga to ensure her victory. With a confident smile, IQ asked her own question. "True or false Bloodstone. Are you cheating your way to victory here with that machine over there?"
"False! What machine?!" Bloodstone panicked, desperately trying to hide her duplicity before Sculder fired its cannon arm at the stage, exposing the machine as it shut down. The audience gasped in alarm while Cinnabar facepalmed in disgust.
"This can only end so well." Cinnabar groaned.
"A literal cheating device, I see." The Supreme Intelligent One observed, floating over to examine the remains of the device. "This was a pretty close match, but ultimately, Bloodstone is disqualified from the proceedings, and thus, IQ is the winner. Not just for doing so well, but for seeing what the others couldn't."
"We saw it first; everything was just a coincidence!" Braids shouted as the Pearls rushed over to congratulate IQ on the victory.
"Yes, we did it!" Pony declared happily.
"Indeed, well done." The Supreme Intelligent One added. "Congratulations IQ on becoming the smartest in the universe. If you and your compatriots hadn't noticed the machine, who knows what could've happened."
"Good, now let's get on out of here." Tails said. "I feel like things ended a little too abruptly."
"Ha, who's laughing now?!" IQ jeered smugly at the aghast Bloodstone, who just kept staring at the Pearls as the Supreme High Intelligence allowed them and Sculder to leave.
"You may win this round, Pearls, but we will most certainly meet again." Bloodstone declared coldly as she turned to Bloodstone. "And as for you."
"You're going to lock me up for my failures, aren't you?" Bloodstone wondered aloud. "Go ahead. I'm sure Pyrite, DJ, and Zee could use the company."
"Actually, no." Cinnabar corrected her scientist. "Regardless of the loss, I still believe you have some use left in you. Kyanite?"
"Right here, boss!" Kyanite eagerly said as she handed over some blueprints Cinnabar showed to Bloodstone.
"What are these?" Bloodstone asked, gazing at the strange golems with large gems in their chests.
"I call this Project Concrete." Cinnabar explained while the three Gems began walking. "They are a breed of super soldiers I've been planning for a while now, and I feel you might be the Gem best suited for supervising development. Would you be willing to do so?"
Eager to prove herself once more, Bloodstone had on a sadistic smile. "Sure, my Cinnabar."
--
Tails was right, that did end a little abruptly. I guess that's what happens when you don't have existing episodes of a show to work from and have to come up with your own. You know, maybe at some point, I should take a little break once Season 1 finishes so I can re-center myself, focus on other stories, and not rush myself so much when I get back to it. But on a lighter subject, next up is Kyanite's time to shine! Hopefully it won't be as awkwardly written. See you then, pardners!