Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
Rosita and Jessica are stopped by Balto's father, Baron Rhett Mijuumi, but a pleasant chat with him gets them back on track to find more spirits. After some power flexing from Leopold, they reach their next stop: Casseroya Lake...
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Once the girls climbed up the hill with their partners in tow, they found themselves on a long, green expanse of land that surrounded a large body of water, almost making the whole thing close to resembling an atoll if not for the small islands in the lake... one of which in the distance was encapsulated in a large, iridescent crystal dome.
"Yet another crystal dome, why am I not surprised," Rosita commented sarcastically.
"Okay, no big deal," Jessica reasoned. "We'll just have to avoid that, and focus on finding the next member of our little team... whatever we're going to call it."
"Good thing we can cross water now, because the only thing standing in the way of our third teammate waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over there," Conner said as he pointed off into the distance with his eye stalk, "are these little patches of land... AND THE DEEP."
At that, the word "deep" echoed around the lake, making the girls feel uneasy with every time it repeated.
"Does that echo happen a lot around here?" Rosita asked out loud.
"Oh, yeah, all the time," Leopold answered. "But only if you say the word 'deep.'" And the echo happened again, proving the little snow-puff right.
"Okay, well, hopefully we won't have to depend on that wo-" Jessica started, but the echo happened a third time somehow. "...Why!?"
"Okay, enough references," Rosita said. "Time for Leopold to get his little lungs in gear!"
And so, Leopold breathed another ice-sigh, creating an ice bridge to their first island... but due to the Principle of Ruin, the girls had to hurry across so they wouldn't fall into the water and become fish food. Luckily, they were able to touch land before the bridge broke into more ice floes, which cooled the water a few degrees.
"Okay, now, while we're at a stopping point for Leopold to refuel," Jessica said as she fed her partner another Qualot Berry, "I don't mean to be 'that' snow leopard, but we still haven't addressed the Gigantamax Copperajah in the room here. Rosita, what are we going to call our little group?"
"Is that really a priority?" Rosita asked.
"Yes it is," Jessica pressed. "Because people are going to ask that very question, and I'd like to have an answer."
"Okay?" Rosita supposed. "Well, the first thing we'll need to know is what makes us a team; what we have in common, how it can include others, that sort of thing."
"There we go, now we're getting somewhere!" Jessica encouraged.
"Let's see," Rosita pondered. "From what I can tell, both of us were facing a personal problem that was making us miserable. I was rejected from enrolling into the Academy, and you... were dealing with something else. But, we were thrust into adventure when we were trapped in the shrines that held our current partners, and it took a little chat with them to get us out. Now we can travel the Paldea region more easily, and transform into magical girls to stop these crystal monsters before they become too much of a problem."
"Okay, now that we have the facts, how can we use them to decide on a name for our group?" Jessica asked. "We were each going through hell, sent in and out of prisons, can cure this plague of monsters before it really is a plague... so, like a pre-cure?"
"Wait a minute," Rosita said. "Idea forming..." Suddenly, she gasped and snapped her fingers before saying, "I've got it! How about 'Hell-Sent Precure?'"
"Hmm..." Conner said, having heard the conversation. "Creative, imposing, yet encourages hope... I like it."
"Then it's settled!" Rosita said. "'Hell-Sent Precure' it is!"
"Great!" Leopold added, having finished his snack. "Now that we have that answer, and I'm full and rested up again, let's keep going!" And with another ice-sigh, another ice bridge flowed down the lake, this one longer than the last two combined, so they had to hurry. Halfway across, the ice was starting to crack behind them, forcing them to race against the crack... but once again, they touched land before the bridge shattered into more ice floes, cooling the lake a little more and attracting the attention of some Ice-types. Now that they were on the home stretch, Leopold had enough in him for one more sigh, and the shortness of the last bridge combined with the temperature of the water helped it hold more solid, but the girls still didn't tempt fate. Once the group reached the last shore of the trek, they turned around in time to watch the bridge crack start to finish and break into even more ice floes that were carried off into the ocean by the current.
"Hah... You did good, Leopold," Jessica praised, giving the weasel scritches under his chin. "You did good."
The little snow-puff churred happily from the affection, but the group now faced its next obstacle: a wide wall of stone. "Alright, everyone, stand back," Conner announced. "I'll take care of this one." And with a look of concentration, the snail conjured up a cluster of vines from the grass that stretched up, higher and higher until there was a ladder of vines up to the top of the wall.
Rosita took the cue and started climbing the ladder, and Jessica with her experience in climbing up great heights followed suit. They had made it to the top just as the vines wilted, and turned around to watch the ladder collapse and crumble away.
"Whew," Rosita said. "Thanks for the help and all, guys, but I think we can hoof it from here. You two deserve a break."
"Good idea," Jessica agreed, and the two girls gave their partners another Berry treat; Kelpsy for Conner, Qualot for Leopold. As the spirits enjoyed their snack, their bearers continued on the path that zigzagged down the hill...
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To be continued.
