Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
Camilla, Pico and Balto are informed by Professor Jacq of unusual happenings from four years ago leading to the arrival of sleeper agents (three of which used to be students at the Academy until they were destroyed), but Director Clavell tells them that they have to stay in their dorms for seven days so they can heal, meaning they won't get to participate in the special project when everyone else does...
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Meanwhile in Artazon, it was another peaceful afternoon. The huge windmill in the center of town was slowly spun by a gentle breeze, the people were enjoying the park equipment, the pool or the many pieces of art, and all over town were thousands of colorful flowers in full bloom. But today, something was different...
A Flying Taxi had landed at the Pokemon Center on the east side of town, and after the passenger door opened, out came Professor Jacq. "Thanks for the ride," he told Hilda, the cab driver.
"All in the line of duty, my good man," Hilda replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more passengers to ferry. Enjoy your stay!"
The Squawkabilly flock then carried the cab to its next destination as Jacq entered the red-brick town of Artazon, eager to put his latest experiment to the test now that he had new information... but before he could do that, there was one thing standing in his way...
He continued down to the Sunflora ranch by the park, where the floral Pokemon that inspired the most popular sculpture in town were gathered. He then stepped up to the front of the house and knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
The door was opened, and a man with green, wavy hair resembling thorns stood on the other side. The man wore a mauve sweatshirt with patches of chartreuse triangles, black dress slacks, and hard, forest-green shoes. A coiled-up vine of thorns hung by a gold carabiner on one of his belt loops, with the end of it wrapped around his waist, making him look like a tall, walking bramble.
That man... was Gym Leader Brassius.
"Yes? What is it that you want?" the man said in a confident tone that contrasted his tired, worn-out countenance. "I was putting the finishing touches on one of my latest pieces, so consider yourself lucky."
"Right," Jacq replied, a little uneasy. "Well, sorry for disturbing you on such short notice, Brassius, regarding your work away from work, but I'll be needing your help for something. I need to borrow your Sunflora to help gather the citizens of Artazon to your ranch, so that I can possibly weed out any potential sleeper agents that were planted in this town two years ago. I know it sounds crazy, but-"
"Completely and utterly," Brassius cut in before pausing for a few seconds... then adding with a wide-eyed, beaming smile, "AVANT-GARDE!"
"Huh?"
"As I said," Brassius explained, "I had completed and named my latest masterpiece, so I was already on the lookout for my latest burst of inspiration... and here you come, out of the blue with something so fantastic, that my curiosity was grabbed out of thin air! A sign from the legendaries themselves, as if they were answering my question before it got the chance to pass my lips... even when it was still in the embryonic stage in my mind!"
"So you'll help me?" Jacq asked with budding hope.
"Of course," Brassius answered. "And who knows? Perhaps when all this is said and done, I can create a new masterpiece even MORE avant-garde than the last!"
Huh. Maybe I am lucky, Jacq thought.
"Now go, my beautiful Sunflora," Brassius called out to the walking flowers before him, "and gather the townspeople to my humble ranch for my guest!"
Without question, the sunflower Pokemon swarmed out of the ranch and placed themselves throughout town as if another Gym Mission got started... but this time, they spoke directly to the citizens and gestured for them to follow them back to the ranch. Although they were skeptical at first, they agreed to go along with what was going on if the strongest Pokemon Trainer in town put them up to it, and it wasn't long before everyone gathered at Brassius' front yard along with the Sunflora.
"Well done, my Sunflora!" Brassius praised. "Now, Jacq, you may proceed."
"Thanks," Jacq said, but after looking up, everyone looked at him with confusion and uncertainty, but he had experience with crowds before. "Hello, everyone! My name is Professor Jacq, former biology teacher of the Foremost, World-Renowned Pokemon Academy of Paldea! Perhaps some of you may have been there while I was teaching there before?"
Only two or three hands were raised in response.
"Okay, only a few of you remember me," Jacq said. "That's fine, that's understandable. It's been some time... But that's not why I'm here today. The reason you've all been gathered here is that I have one thing to say to you all, and if none of you react, I'll get out of your hair. And that one thing is..."
Everyone listened closely, eager to know what they were getting roped into.
"Isn't it a lovely day?" Jacq exclaimed, catching even Brassius off-guard.
"What are you-"
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Jacq mumbled to the Grass-type Gym Leader before he spoke to the crowd again. "I mean, would you look at this? The sun is out..."
That got some nods from the crowd, but not much else.
"...the sky is blue..."
Still no visible reaction from the crowd, so Jacq had one chance left.
"And look how green the grass is in here!"
At that sentence, however, only one person gained a blank expression, then changed emotions. "I remember no-"
"AHA!" Jacq shouted as he threw two Poke Balls. "Slowbro! Farigiraf! Use Psychic together!"
As the flashes of white light burst from the balls, a third flash shone from the person whose sentence was stepped on. When the Pokemon in question took form, their eyes started glowing blue, and an invsible force caught another crystal humanoid creature with long spikes on its shoulders in midair!
"What in the world!?" Brassius exclaimed, shocked out of his wits!
"THIS is why you were all gathered!" Jacq called out as the crowd stood in amazement, with some of them recording on their Rotom Phones. "Behold, the sleeper agent placed among Artazon to make us pay for our crimes without even giving us the satisfaction of knowing what they are! And before that, three of its ilk were discoverd and shut down back at the Academy where I used to teach!"
"What the ha!?" the crowd gasped in shock!
"But it doesn't end there!" Jacq continued. "All throughout Paldea, there have been more just like that one lying in wait until they heard the same sentence I said, and it took powerful Pokemon to put the kibosh on them, starting as far back as two years ago when the Great Crater went dark!"
All that time, the creature remained where it was in the air, listening to every word from the disheveled professor. "So," it finally spoke, "you figured it all out, have you?"
"Not everything," Jacq responded, "but how do we know you'll comply to filling in the blanks, whatever you are?"
"Fair enough," the crystal humanoid admitted. "Then filling this blank should be enough to tide you over... for now. My 'ilk,' as you put it so bluntly, does have a name to its species, and I'll tell you what that is. I am called... a Diademon."
"Well, Diademon," Jacq demanded as he got the taste of the new word on his tongue, "as long as you're still trapped by my Pokemon, how about letting us know why you're here?"
"Sorry, but I've already said too much!" the Diademon spat back. "So if you want more answers, then you'd better just find more of my kind and ask them... if you can!"
"Well, suit yourself," Jacq resigned. "Slowbro? Farigiraf?"
Finally, the two Pokemon let the mental hold go, and the invisible force flickered off. "What the ha!?" the Diademon exclaimed as he knew what was going to happen at his current height. "No no no no no NOOOOOOO!!!!"
But it was too late. The crystal humanoid plummeted down to solid ground, and upon impact, shattered into sparkling dust that left behind a clear scepter, just like the ones at the Academy.
"Now, which one of you has been recording?" Jacq asked, and several people raised their hands and phones up. "Then get this while you're at it. Listen up, all strong Pokemon Trainers of Paldea! What just happened was a real event that can now be fought against! If you see an unusual person that you've never met before, simply say the phrase, 'Look how green the grass is in here' before trusting them! That's IN, not out, words matter! If that person changes expression when you say the phrase, have your strongest Pokemon strike them down so they don't strike you down! And together, we can bring peace to our home region again! Spread the word!"
The events of what happened that afternoon still had Brassius frozen with shock as Professor Jacq left the ranch. Whether it inspired new art or not was never known, but the crystal scepter left behind was eventually noticed and picked up...
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To be continued.
