Pokemon: The Jeweled Towers of Armor (some Isle of Armor spoilers ahoy!)

[EmeraldSky]

(rated E10+ for fantasy violence and frightening images)

To celebrate the Isle of Armor coming out, I decided to story-fy and expand on the DLC into a much bigger location, and more Urshifu forms to choose from. The story is based on the Sword version of the DLC. While it does follow the DLC at first, most of the story is all new. So be warned--this is not quite the same DLC you played through!

Prologue: To a New Challenge


"So, how does it feel to be not just a victorious team, but the Heroes of Galar?" Victor asked Ash as the group strolled down the bustling streets of Wyndon. It had been a few weeks since Ash, Misty, and Brock had defeated Leon and been crowned a Champion Team. Chairman Rose, once widely revered across Galar, was now widely shunned by most Galarians for unleashing the primal dragon Pokemon Eternatus during the height of the Champion's Tournament. Fortunately, Ash had used his Swanna Song to call the wolf-kings Zacian and Zamazenta to the stadium, where they had combined their Swanna Songs to banish Eternatus once and for all.

"While the world may never know the definitive reason why Chairman Rose wanted to destroy Galar, I'm just thankful that Eternatus is sealed again, and Galar is safe." Ash replied.

"Yes--thank you so much for saving us all from another Darkest Day." Victor smiled.

"Fingers crossed that no one else gets the bright idea to release that big ol' dragon." Misty grinned as the group approached a pier.

"But if someone does, you'll just fire rainbow thunderbolts from the Master Sword again, right?" Brock agreed, giving Ash a playful nudge.

Everyone laughed at this, including Ash. "So what's next for you three?" Gloria asked. "If you like, you can explore the huge Isle of Armor, or the northern wilds of the Crown Tundra..."

"What's the Isle of Armor?" Ash was intrigued.

"The Isle of Armor is a huge island off the eastern coast of here, close to Spikemuth." Gloria explained. "It could very well be a region in itself, with all the towns, cities, and martial arts dojos there."

"Martial arts? Sounds cool!" Ash smiled, memories of hundreds of kung fu heroes from movies, TV shows, comics, and plays dancing in his mind.

"I looked into taking lessons, but never could find a style I wanted to learn." Misty mused.

"I wanted to take lessons, but at the time, Pallet's dojos were a little expensive for Mom and Dad's comfort." Ash admitted. "Maybe one of the dojos on the Isle of Armor could teach me!"

Gloria smiled. "Well, if you need a suggestion for a dojo to train in, there's the Kikuzu Dojo. People say Leon studied martial arts there when he was a lad."

"Never knew Leon was a martial artist as well." Brock mused as Ash took a Poke Ball and prepared to heave it skyward.

"Cuidachta! Show us the way to a new adventure!" Ash called as he heaved the Poke Ball skyward, making a large raven Pokemon materialize on the pier.

[Good day, Young Master--how does it feel to be immortalized in Galar's lore for ages to come?] the majestic black bird Pokemon asked as it stretched its wings.

"It always feels amazing to save the world--no matter how much pain and trouble you went through." Ash replied.

He embraced Gloria. "Thank you...for all you and Victor have done for us, and fighting alongside us."

"The pleasure's all mine." Gloria smiled. "It is an honor to be part of a Champion Team, especially if the Heroes of Galar were your teammates. If you ever need a place to stay in Galar, my door is open for you."

"Sonia gives her regards--she wishes you three well on your next journey, and asks that you continue delighting and inspiring the world with your music and stories." Victor added.

Gloria nodded. "I can't wait to hear 'The Ballad of the Heroes of Galar'." she told Brock.

"I'll get on writing a song about the trip." Brock smiled. "When we come to Circhester next, I'll play it in the Noble Mare's next session."

"I still get chills when I remember your rendition of 'Ah, Rosheen'..." Victor smiled at a memory.

Ash motioned for his faithful Corviknight as his companions finished their last conversations and said their goodbyes. "Cuidachta...do you know the way to the Isle of Armor?"

[Of course I do.] Cuidachta replied. [After you have said your farewells, I'll take you three there.]

Ash nodded, then looked back at Victor and Gloria. "Aren't you guys coming with us?"

"We'd love to, but helping Hop learn the ropes of being the Champion comes first." Gloria replied.

Ash offered Victor and Gloria a card with his, Misty's and Brock's contact information on it. "If you want to say hi, or come visit us in Kanto, here's all our info."

"And here is ours in return." Gloria smiled as she too gave Ash a card. "Good luck, and safe travels on the Isle of Armor!"

"Thanks!" Ash smiled back as he climbed on Cuidachta's back, with Misty and Brock not far behind. Once sure his friends were safely aboard the majestic raven Pokemon, Ash called "Okay! Take us to the Isle of Armor!"

---------

The flight to the island was uneventful, and before long, the Corviknight was elegantly circling down towards the train station connecting the island to the Galarian mainland. "Wow..." Misty gasped as she spotted an elegant blue pagoda-like tower far off in the distance.

"Wonder what that is?" Ash mused as Cuidachta touched down near the station entrance.

[That is the Tower of Water, Young Master--one of twelve such towers on the island.] Cuidachta replied. [You'll likely learn their secret if you head for the dojo Gloria was telling you about.]

Ash nodded as he climbed on the ground. "I will--but how will I know which one's the right one?"

"Look for some Kantonian monji at the entryway--this monji always spells the dojo's name." Brock explained as he climbed on the ground.

After retrieving a piece of paper, he wrote three characters, plus their transliteration into English letters for Ash to see. "These are the three characters we need to look for--ki, ku, zu.

He noticed a girl in purple, white, and green garb, and a large wing like bow crowning her pink hair. "Uh, hello?" he stammered.

The girl smiled as she approached the three friends. "Hey, have we met before or something?" she asked, aware of Ash's nervous look.

When Ash didn't reply, she giggled. "Oh, it doesn't really matter, I guess! I'm Klara!"

"Nice to meet you, Klara." Misty smiled. "Forgive Ash--I guess your clothes intimidated him a bit..."

"I suppose I can be intimidating..." Klara replied before turning business-like again. "I've been at Kikuzu Dojo for a while, so they sent me to help out the newbies! Kept making a big to-do about them being heroes or somesuch...so if you need directions, Kikuzu Dojo's just up the hill! See you there!"

Ash collected himself as Klara dashed away. "Heroes or somesuch? It's Gary all over again…"

"Look at it this way--just like Gary came to learn to love and respect Pokemon and people; maybe Klara will come around soon enough." Brock assured Ash.

"I can only hope you're right..." Ash replied as he recalled his Corviknight. "Let's head on up to the dojo."

To Be Continued...