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 7: The jade sickle isn't human!

In the Crystal Castle...

The whoosh of a whirlwind snapped two young men--one in a rainbow metallic suit, and another in a slightly lighter blue metallic suit--from a game of chess. "Oh, you've returned, Jade Sickle." the blue suited man grinned as he made his move, acknowledging the racoon-like creature in a pale green metallic suit with a nod.

"This world is HUGE--I wasn't sure if my magic was gonna get me completely around it at first." Jade Sickle wheezed as he trudged inside the room. "Quartz--Lapis is in check." he whispered to the rainbow suited man, pointing out the black king in a favorable position.

"I know how to play chess, Jade Sickle, thank you." Quartz Plate assured the tiny sickle weasel before him as he moved a bishop into range to capture the black king. "Check."

Lapis Lance calmly moved the black king to a safer place on the board, aware that Quartz Plate could put him back in check at any moment. "If you want to make yourself useful, Jade Sickle, you can fly over the human city and try to wound or capture the defense forces that keep frustrating us. Besides, it's an easy job for a tanooki."

"Oooh...I am NOT a tanooki!" Jade Sickle snapped. "I am a sickle weasel! Get it right!"

"Leave him alone!" Emerald Arrow pleaded, breaking up the impending fight. As Lapis Lance and Quartz Plate resumed their game, she took Jade Sickle to the castle library. "Okay...the defense force we're up against are five humans-three girls and two guys-who wear armored suits with jewels in the middle of the chest." she explained as she conjured a scene of Ash and the others enjoying a meal in a restaurant.

"The girls I'm not worried about--it's the two guys I'm interested in." Jade Sickle grinned, flexing his long claws in anticipation as he saw scenes of the group, now in a forested campground, overlooking a lake.

"Here's one...You'll need to be wary of this one, as he has great wisdom and tracking abilities granted by his armored suit." Emerald Arrow warned as the scene showed Brock teaching Bonnie how to fish. "The other one, their leader, mainly wields fire, but Topaz Dagger tells me he also knows lightning abilities thanks to his beloved pet mouse creature...I think it's called a Pikachu."

"Aw, a boy and his Pika...whatever." Jade Sickle grinned. "I'll steer clear of Wise Guy for now, but maybe if I can wound the leader, the rest of the defensive forces will retreat!"

"I don't doubt the power of your claws, Jade Sickle, but it won't be quite that easy to wound the leader--he has four others as protection." Emerald Arrow warned.

"Okay, new idea--take out the bodyguards and THEN wound the leader." Jade Sickle mused, now in a better mood. "This is why you are my best friend, Emerald--you come up with great battle ideas, and stick up for me when the big lugs pick on me and call me a tanooki."

Emerald Arrow just smiled. "Well, good luck on your mission...let me know how it went later." Jade Sickle nodded, and disappeared in a tornado, leaving Emerald Arrow to quietly read.

Meanwhile, in the forested campground just outside of Malaville...

The forest rang with a familiar Spanish melody as Bonnie spun and jumped around the campfire in a not quite flamenco-like dance as Brock played the exotic melody on his guitar. Ash led the clapping, admiring Bonnie's careful yet enthusiastic steps near the flames. "She's doing great!" Misty raved as she watched the performance unfold.

"Well, Mr. Hamada remembered Bonnie loves to dance, and figured that would help her learn to dodge and move quickly, so he added in some dance training." Clemont explained, applauding as Bonnie struck a triumphant pose over the guitar's last chord.

"Know any good ghost stories, big bro?" Bonnie asked as she collapsed on a rock, exhausted from her enthusiastic dance.

"Here's one for you..." Brock suggested over an ominous chord. "In the mountains and the forests of this area, grandparents warn their grandchildren to beware of kama itachi, or “sickle weasels.” These itachi have learned to ride the swirling whirlwinds of this region like we would ride Ponytas. They have claws that are as strong as steel and as sharp as razors. Their fur is spiny like Shaymin, and they bark like a Growlithe--and that's if they make a sound at all. They move so quickly that they are invisible to the naked eye, and they come...and...go...with the wind...."

"Brock? Everything okay?" Serena asked, concerned before she too felt wind rippling her shirt. "That's funny...this breeze feels a little off..."

The group watched in awe as Jade Sickle materialized before then. "Surprise! Betcha didn't know sickle weasels were real, didja?" he smirked.

"You don't look like a sickle weasel to me!" Bonnie shot back. "You look more like a tanooki to me!"

"Oooh...I am NOT a tanooki!" Jade Sickle retorted. "I am a 100% genuine sickle weasel!"

"No you're not!" Bonnie cried.

"Am too!" Jade Sickle replied.

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"While Bonnie's busy distracting the...sickle weasel-that's-really-a-tanooki..." Clemont whispered. "Maybe you guys should transform."

"Good idea..." Ash replied before nearly whispering Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul..., creating a burst of fire and rubies that lit up the sky.

"What the?" Jade Sickle gasped, but went tumbling down the hill as Bonnie kicked him in the stomach. "Why you..." he grumbled as he got up. "Fine...if you wanna play rough, I can bring out the big guns!" he sneered, making a V slash in the air with his claws, summoning a sleek bird creature made of gold fire as he disappeared in his whirlwind.

"I'll get Bonnie to safety!" Clemont volunteered as he led Bonnie back to the main tent. "Go, Celestial V!"

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 no one in particular as he landed before the glowing red and gold bird.

The firebird spewed a line of flames at Ash, but the protective aura around him absorbed it all. "I'm gonna need more help than this..." he stammered as he jumped away from the firebird's talons.

Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... Misty sang, 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 sleek glowing bird.

A high pitched A note signaling that a small tiara that was part of Icy Sapphire's helmet was forming got Ash's attention. "Icy Sapphire, freeze!" Misty announced, silently daring the phoenix-like bird to attack her.

Ash heaved a relieved sigh. "I could use some defense..."

"You got it! Water Guard! Misty commanded, reflecting the firebird's attack off of Ash and back on itself.

Back in the tent, Brock was comforting a teary eyed Bonnie. "I know you didn't expect a monster to ruin our campout, but that's just part of being a Jewel Suit user--you always have to be ready no matter when and where evil shows up."

After offering Clemont the box of Kleenexes, he departed. "Wait here...and don't come out until one of us says the coast is clear, okay?

"Okay..." Bonnie sniffled as Clemont held her close.

Brock emerged from the tent in time to watch Ash attempt to attack the firebird with defense from Misty. I have to defeat this fiend, and make that tanooki pay for making Bonnie cry!

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!"

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 sky. 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!"

"We are the Glittering Celestial V!" Serena challenged the firebird monster. "Our rainbow light pierces the darkness!"

Misty expanded the Water Guard to protect the others, then blasted an icy fog at the firebird. "Billowing Crystal!"

"Watch out!" Brock called as he saw the firebird's massive wing attempt to whack Misty away, but Misty rolled away, making the hard attack miss.

"Thank you, Billowing Crystal!" Ash grinned. "New power?"

"Yeah...learned it thanks to our training session in the Nameless Cavern." Misty replied before summoning the Aurora Bow and readying an arrow.

"Prism Shot!" A flurry of prism shards went flying at the confused firebird, only to get hammered by a stream of raindrops as Serena kept rapidfiring the Fox Tail.

"Blizzard Arrow!" Misty fired her shot, freezing the firebird solid. "Who wants to finish this thing?"

"I do!" Brock volunteered before punching the ground. "Golem Fist!"

Ash watched as the resulting stalagmite impaled the frozen firebird, making it disappear in a swatch of fire. Once sure no other monsters or foes were in the area, he called towards the tent "Okay! the coast is clear!"

Bonnie came running from the tent moments later. "Yay! You beat the monster!" she smiled before hugging Ash. "Although, I wish I could've helped you fight...."

"Don't worry, sis--you'll get a chance to fight some monsters one day." Clemont assured Bonnie.

"How bout it, Brock? Another song?" May smiled as the suits disappeared off of the group.

"Sure...and I'll let Bonnie pick it as thanks for that dance from before." Brock grinned as he returned to the campfire and his waiting guitar, which was miraculously unharmed.

Bonnie thought a moment. "'Yellow Submarine'!"

"All right..." With that, Brock started the familiar song, blissfully unaware of the silvery humanoid flying over the mountains. In the town, where I was born, lived a man who sailed to sea...

TO BE CONTINUED...