The Darkened Quarry--for millennia, many worlds have fallen to their dark arts, and now our world is their next target.

To combat the threat of this close knit group, the corporations of the world decided to extract the mystical energy of a gem, creating an armor-like suit that sleeps within a person's heart, only to awaken when the subject's Heart Song, normally used to induce Mega Evolution, is sung.

After three rounds of successful testing, my friends and I were the first five out of a pool of millions to use these modern marvels to fight against the Darkened Quarry.

This is our story...

Together, we are the Glittering Celestial V!

[OP theme]

Episode 4: The impure pearl and the fire breathing Donphan!

In the Crystal Castle...

A girl with white hair in a robe-like white suit with gold trim materialized into Diamond Saber's chamber. "You called, chief?"

"Pearl Tome...my most trusted agent." Diamond Saber grins at the girl. "I have a perfect mission for you..."

"Go on..." the girl smiles.

Diamond Saber conjures a scene of our heroes performing at a local school. "Take a look at these five--they are this world's defense force."

"Really, now? They don't look any different than any other humans." Pearl Tome muses as she watches Ash, in character as a hero in a story, say a humorous line, making the offscreen audience laugh.

She turns business-like again. "Then again, if my comrades say they are dangerous, then I too will take extra precautions against them. We'll see how well they fare against attacks of a magical nature."

"Excellent." Diamond Saber smiles as Pearl Tome departs, presumably to begin her own conjuration ritual.

In the Jewel Training Center...

"I must say, you five are excellent storytellers." Mr. Hamada grinned as we welcomed the group a few days later. "Touya has been talking non-stop about you guys' show ever since your performance--I wish I could have been there to see it."

Brock thought for a moment. "We don't just perform at traditional schools--we'll perform at libraries, festivals, and anywhere else that will enjoy a good story."

"Say...you think the kids that are training for core implantation would love a performance?" May offered.

"Yeah!" Serena agreed. "We kill two Fletchlings with one stone--Mr. Hamada gets to see the show his son is raving about, and the kids get a break from studying and training."

"And another audience member that's near and dear to all of us...Clemont's sister Bonnie." Misty added.

Serena balked in surprise. "I didn't know she was in training to get a core!"

"She is--and she did it by her own choice, unlike a majority of the kids." Mr. Hamada explained. "The trainers constantly tell me how she is on track to receive a suit well before her peers."

"Does she understand that having a Jewel Suit inside you is not all fun and games?" Brock asked.

"And that you must constantly train and get better?" Serena added.

"She appears to know this well--I see her constantly training in one way or another." Mr. Hamada assured the group. "And I will leave you to yours

Ash motioned for the group to follow him into the main training hall. "Come on, guys--let's get--!"

This was as far as he got before some concerned chatter by a computer console got his attention. While the researchers' technobabble made no sense to him, he managed to catch a glimpse of a large metallic beast similar to a Donphan ransacking a school as kids and adults rushed to get away. "Could it be...we have more sinister viewers in the audience?"

"Huh?" Misty asked before she noticed the Donphan monster blip on a status screen with the word ALERT, making sirens and red lights flash throughout the building.

"Celestial V, I need you to go on a scouting mission--find that Donphan monster, and intercept it before it can attack again." Mr. Hamada instructed.

"But how? The only means we can fly is the wings on our suits, and I don't know how far of a distance they'd be able to go." Misty wondered.

"Luckily, I have a solution to your problem..." Clemont smiled, beckoning the group to follow him to the research and development wing.

Somewhere in the research and development department...

"Presenting the latest addition to your arsenal...the V-Ship!" Clemont smiled, making a grand gesture to a fleet of sleek V-shaped spaceship-like vehicles, each one in the group's respective color.

"Wow!" Misty gasped.

"Beautiful!" Serena agreed as she made a beeline to the yellow V-Ship and laid her hand on the beautiful ship's wing.

"These are mainly for scouting and patrol flights, but they do come with weaponry should the need to fight in the air arise." Clemont explained before draping flight suits over the group's backs. "You can fly them in your Jewel Suit or in these."

"Cool!" Ash smiled as he gathered up his flight suit. "Can we take them for a test flight?"

"Of course." Clemont replied before pressing a button, opening the hangar door and revealing a runway.

"No prizes for guessing what our formation will be." Ash grinned as the cockpit door of the red V-ship opened, allowing him to climb inside.

"The V." Brock smiled as he climbed inside the green V-ship.

"Rainbow to Celestial V, you are cleared for takeoff." the air controller reported over Ash's radio.

"Roger, Rainbow--Celestial V moving out." Ash replied before the five V-Ships took off.

In the skies above Malaville...

"Wow!" May gasped as she saw the skyline of Malaville below them.

"What a view!" Misty agreed as the five V-ships flew low over the city, looking for any sign of the Donphan monster that had been spotted a few hours earlier.

"I'm glad you like the view, but remember, we're mainly out looking for a Darkened Quarry creep." Ash reminded the girls.

For a while, the flight was uneventful, but just when Misty was about to radio Ash to ask to return to the Training Center, she spotted something large and metallic charring a light pole nearby Malaville Elementary School. "Icy Sapphire to Fire Ruby, I've found our target, over."

"Icy Sapphire, there is a landing area by the school, so let's all land and engage the target on the ground." Ash radioed back before leading the group to land.

In the grass not far from Malaville Elementary School...

"There it is..." Misty pointed out a large silvery Donphan-like creature with large circular turbines for ears setting another lamppost on fire with its hose-like trunk.

"Donphans are Ground types, right?" Brock mused as he started towards the pavement. "That means Gaia Emerald should have an advantage."

With that, he held the emerald pendant he wore close and sang Imultaos, ame no hao bakezo... creating a green burst as the jewel in his pendant flickered for a few seconds, creating a cocoon of leaves, crystals and light.

Inside the cocoon of leaves, green light and crystals, five glowing leaves formed on Brock's hands, expanding into one armplate, with a second set forming the other some seconds later. The legplates formed not long after that, then a quiver full of sparkling green arrows appeared on Brock's back as the chest plate, with a glowing emerald inside, formed in an explosion of leaves. "Gaia Emerald, bloom!"

"So you're one of the defense force?" Pearl Tome smiled as she appeared on the pavement by the Donphan-monster's side. "I was expecting there would be children here..."

"You picked the wrong day to attack a school, because even children deserve the Glittering Celestial V's protection!" Brock challenged.

Pearl Tome smirked, amused. "There's five of you? I only see one...and that one is weak to Hachouchin's fire."

Brock dove back into the grass as Hachouchin aimed a stream of fire at him, which only exploded in the sky.

Undettered, he took a deep breath, and unleashed his hypersonic scream, making Hachouchin bellow in pain and Pearl Tome cover her ears to block out the painful loud noise.

Misty noticed the sound waves battering Hachouchin. "That should buy enough time for the rest of us to transform!"

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... Ash sang, creating a burst of fire and rubies that lit up the grass. Unlike Hachouchin's fire, the cocoon Ash was inside of was holy fire that would not harm plant life.

Inside the fiery cocoon, two heavily armored deep red leg plates appeared on Ash in a shower of rubies. Two armplates and gloves came next in another ruby explosion. A red chestplate was next, with a glowing ruby in the center, and a helmet with a ruby in the center rolled up with a swish, replacing his humble baseball cap. "Fire Ruby, burn!" he called to the metallic Donphan as he ran to join Brock.

"In case of emergency, use Hyper Voice." Brock grinned, relieved Ash had arrived.

"I'll do what we can, but we really need Misty." Ash replied in between aiming Flame Shots at Hachouchin. "She has water power, you know."

Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... Misty sang from the brush, creating a burst of waves and icy crystals that embraced her like a warm blanket. The armplates came first, then the chestplate appeared in an icy explosion, complete with a glowing sapphire in the center. After the royal blue legplates formed, Misty proceeded to perform a few karate kicks, as if challenging the metallic Donphan.

A high pitched A note signaling that a small tiara that was part of Icy Sapphire's helmet was forming got the boys' attention. "Icy Sapphire, freeze!" Misty announced before summoning her Starmie shield. "You want water, you got it!"

Hachouchin heaved another fire blast, but it was easily absorbed. "Misty saves the day again!" Ash grinned, relieved that help had arrived.

"Not that I mind having to save you guys..." Misty smiled back.

Inspired, Brock heaved a fist at the ground. "Golem Fist!"

Misty balked at Hachouchin was skewered by the stalagmite that appeared from the force of Brock's punch. "Wow...when they said these things had super strength, they MEANT super strength!"

"We really need the strength of May and Serena right now..." Ash heaved as Hachouchin whacked away another stream of fireballs with its trunk.

Karuto, iichiida shou... May was next to sing, creating a red and blue tornado of wind around her. Inside her wind cocoon, the armplates of May's suit came first, each one punctuated by a fountain of amethysts. Next, the two halves of the chestplate bonded to her body, complete with a glowing amethyst in the center. The legplates came next, neatly forming from a stream of light that rolled up May's legs. Her bandanna then became the suit's helmet, complete with small Eon wing ornaments on the sides. "Stormy Amethyst, ride!"

Seios, higarima laisido... Serena sang before a burst of yellow light lit up the blacktop in a burst of light. Inside the cocoon of yellow light, Serena's legplates came first--first the left leg, then the right. Next came the armplates in explosions of yellow diamonds, with the right armplate holding a small projectile weapon that looked similar to a Fennekin tail. A stream of light wrapped around her body and became the chestplate, complete with a yellow diamond in the center, followed by a rain of light wrapping around her head and becoming the suit's helmet. "Shine Diamond, sparkle!"

"Now there should be five!" Ash challenged Pearl Tome.

"We are the Glittering Celestial V!" Misty announced to no one in particular. "Our rainbow light pierces the darkness!"

"Nice to meet you, Glittering Celestials...is your power a match for this?" Pearl Tome sneered, warping away before Hachouchin's tusks became twin launchers.

"Uh oh..." May swallowed hard.

"Hit the dirt!" Serena called as Hachouchin began rapidly firing shining tusks.

Brock summoned his visor. "Okay...Hachouchin is a metallic monster capable of breathing fire, using its tusks as missiles, and using its turbine like ears to create a massive energy wave. That means we should try and destroy it before it uses the ear attack."

The group nodded. "Then if it is a steel type, maybe we should fight fire with fire!" Ash suggested.

"Nine Tailed Arrow!" Brock called as he fired a single arrow skyward.

"That's one way to fight fire with fire..." May smiled as millions of flaming arrows rained down on Hachouchin. Some firey shots from the Fox Tail managed to hold Hachouchin on the ground, while Misty and May provided defense for the attackers.

Once sure Hachouchin was not getting up, Ash called "Let's fly, Fire Ruby!"

"Wha...?" Serena gasped as Ash took off, effortlessly soaring over the large Donphan-monster's head.

"He must've been practicing in the aerial training room!" Misty smiled, pleased at her friend's quick progress in mastering his suit's flying abilities.

Ash, meanwhile, kept climbing higher and higher, creating a trail of fire behind him, before diving downward, creating a burst of fire that resembled Moltres. "Moltres Rising!"

May watched as the Moltres-burst impacted their opponent, destroying it and healing any damage that had been caused. "Great flying, Ash!"

"If you're curious, I have in fact been training in the aerial room." Ash assured May. "Our work here is done--let's fly back to base."

"Even better, we can still perform at the school tomorrow." Serena smiled as she climbed back into her V-Ship. "The students and staff have no idea anything happened."

As the five V-Ships took off for their flight home, the five friends did not see the white humanoid flying over the mountains....

To Be Continued...