Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
Pico, Jessica and Dina (plus Balto, but he didn't do much) set out to remove the domes around Paldea, starting with the peridot dome over Cortondo. After some discovery and effort, it takes the defeat of one of the Diamants (the Monarch Diamant, to be precise) to truly rescue the small olive farming town and everyone in it...
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Meanwhile, in a different dome (doesn't matter which one, they're all the same), two of the Diademons were having a little chat. "Oh, my fellow compatriot," one said, "there is absolutely no way on earth this grand master plan of the Diamants' can POSSIBLY crap out!"
"Indeed so," the other Diademon agreed... but then added, "er... unless, of course, all 18 of the Diamants were to fall victim to 18 seperate unfortunate mishaps and were unable to continue making Paldea answer for its upset against the light... but that's impossible!"
"Durn straight it is!" the former asserted.
"Well, I mean, uh," the latter tried to reason, "6 unfortunate mishaps, that could happen. 12 unfortunate mishaps, there's an outside chance. But 18? Pfft! I'd like to see that!"
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(Dome 2: A Spoonful of Herbs)
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Back at the east gate of Mesagoza, Camilla, Rosita and Eartha had stepped out onto the rocky, dry South Area 3. "So, uh," Rosita started, trying to break the ice with her neighbor as the group trekked down the path. "How have things been since I was, uh... well, you know."
"I'll admit, it was a little lonely without you there," Camilla said, trying to keep the ball rolling, "but not too bad... considering three days after I was fully enrolled, I uh... sprained my foot. But I've had more than a week to recover from that, so I'm okay."
"Okay, good," the caracal said. "But other than that, everything there was good?"
"Not too bad," the bunny answered. "Before you walked in, as you remember, I had just finished the biggest test the Academy had. By the by, would not recommend to newcomers, it is hard."
"Yes, I was there, too," Eartha chimed in.
"Look, can I just say something crazy here?" Rosita said. "I know part of me wishes that I could've handled that day differently so we could still be together- as classmates, mind you... but part of me sort of... doesn't. Like, if I hadn't gotten kicked out for telling Clavell off, then I wouldn't have met all these new friends I have now. Does that make sense?"
"I think it does," Camilla said. "So, enough about me. Besides this little fluff, who are some of the other friends you've met?"
"Uh, I have a name, you know," the fennec fox piped up. "It's Eartha Crust."
"You'll have to forgive Eartha, Cammie," Rosita said. "She seems to be one of those people who doesn't like nicknames. But to answer your question, there's also Jessica, Dina, and a very nice man I met while visiting Porto Marinada whose name rings a bell with me somehow. I think his name was Baron Rhe-"
"Found the dome," Eartha interrupted, pointing out the unbleached quartz dome over the easternmost portion of the area, just after the second picnic area on the path.
"Durn it! There it goes again!"
"We'll have time to worry about this Baron Rhe later," Eartha reminded. "But right now, we have a job to do; id est, removing this dome along with others from the region."
"Right," Rosita said, putting her wonderings aside for now. "And after we do that, we'll have access to Area Zero... and possibly have my Academy enrollment reinstated."
"Not to mention restore the Battle Court in Mesagoza's central plaza," Camilla added. "But, first things first: how do we remove the dome in the first place?"
"I... don't know," the caracal admitted, lowering her ears. "Usually, all we've had to worry about were the monsters that came from the domes, not how to get rid of them altogether."
"Speaking of which," the fennec fox pointed out, "should we do something about that before-"
But it was too late. A wild Klawf had scuttled down the path and sidestepped towards the dome, but before anyone could hop into action, the crab Pokemon touched the surface and was absorbed.
"...and we're too late," Eartha said.
"What?" Camilla asked.
"We couldn't save the Klawf in time, the dome caught it."
"Oh, crab," Rosita said without meaning it to fit the situation in a humorous way. "Oh, crab."
"Oh, crab," Eartha repeated.
"Oh, crab, crab, crab, CRAB!"
"What!?" Camilla demanded. "What's with all the 'oh, crabs?' What's going to happen?"
"The dome's going to make one or more Diademons, that's what!" Rosita said, and sure enough, she was right. But along with the expected unbleached quartz Diademon topped with an inverted pyramid and adorned with a Klawf Claw, there were also several others adorned with Cyclizar Scales. "Guess I was more on the money with more."
"But we can still fight them!" Eartha said as she took out her Sealing Ball. "Time to transform!"
Rosita agreed as she brought out her own Sealing Ball. "Welp, guess this was bound to come out sooner or later!"
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Rosita and Eartha raised the Sealing Balls over their heads and shouted together, "Precure Ruination!"
Conner and Anton dissipated into grass and dirt, and it swirled around the girls and made their clothes turn into colored light... then they started changing!
First, their torsos were surrounded in grass and dirt and collected into their tops.
Next, more grass and dirt collected around their waists and became their bottoms.
Then, even more grass and dirt collected around their limbs until they became their arm and leg covers.
Finally, they threw the Sealing Balls in the air as more colored light poured from their heads and became their hair, then the balls got on their chests and became their adornments.
"Antithesis of forgiveness, Cure Grudge!"
"Antithesis of courage, Cure Fear!"
"Answer for your injustices! Hell-Sent Precure!"
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"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what's going on!?" Camilla questioned.
"Well, since the cat's out of the bag- no offense, Grudge," Cure Fear explained as she started swinging her fists.
"None taken, Fear," Cure Grudge said as she unraveled her vine-laces.
"The both of us, along with two others, formed bonds with the spirits of the Treasures of Ruin, and now we're able to transform into magical anti-heroes with destructive powers, which is how we were able to survive traveling around Paldea with the domes and all."
"Well," the bunny said now that she had some context, "comforting to know that you haven't used those powers for evil. Paldea's structure is already on enough shaky ground as it is." She punctuated that last sentence with a dull, knowing look at the 4th wall.
"Hello!?" one of the Diademons interrupted. "We're going to destroy you here, remember!?"
"You know what!?" Cure Grudge griped. "Just for that..."
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Cure Grudge leapt into the air and sent out all of her vine laces, and they grabbed half of the Diademons all over their bodies!
"This is the punishment for your crimes! Precure... Grasswither..."
The vines pulled with all their might, and it tore the Diademons apart with each vine coiled around a piece!
"FRENZY!!!"
The vines flailed all over the place, bludgeoning the pieces into the ground before they smashed them all together in midair!
"You have issues!" the Diademons seemed to say before they were shattered into diamond dust.
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Cure Fear jumped up and slammed her fists onto the ground, causing it to crack towards the rest of the Diademons!
"This is the punishment for your crimes! Precure... Groundblight..."
She pulled the ground apart with all her strength, and the crack opened up wide to look like a gaping mouth!
"WRECKER!!!"
She kept slamming the crack open and shut, making it crunch the Diademons into bits!
"You have issues!" the Diademons seemed to say before they were shattered into diamond dust.
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"Whew," Cure Grudge said. "Sorry you had to see that, Cammie, but in my defence... they were ticking me off."
"But now the Diademons are gone, and all that's left of them is the diamond dust they broke into," Cure Fear added.
"That's nice," Camilla said, "but it still doesn't accomplish the main objective: getting rid of the dome."
But then, something mysterious happened. Said diamond dust began to shimmer, spiral and swirl around Camilla, prompting her to take out her crystal scepter. Then, all the sparkling absorbed into the spherical part of the scepter, making it shine brighter and brighter and forcing everyone to shield their eyes!
"Whoa, that is blinding!" the bunny said before pointing the object at the unbleached quartz dome, and it fired a massive beam of light at the surface that made it shine brighter and crack wider until finally...
TSSSHHH!!!
The dome was shattered, and everyone who was captured inside it was freed, but still unmoving. Among the people and Pokemon, the girls noticed some Academy students and their Cyclizar. "Oh, so THAT explains the Diademons with Cyclizar Scales," Rosita said as she powered down.
Eartha also powered down and added, "Apparently these domes can save previous hordes of Diademons for later. Interesting."
"But, why aren't any of them moving?" Camilla asked. "Do they not notice the dome's gone and they can leave?"
That was answered by a voice that said,
"Ah, an interesting question that you propose,
And I would be pleased to answer in prose."
"Up there!" Eartha said as she pointed upwards, and there was a floating gray kimono with a pattern of falling rocks and an obi with a similar design... as well as a Rock Tera Jewel for a head, positioned so the hexagonal gemstone was its face!
"Allow me to introduce myself to you all,
The Monument Diamant is what I am called.
As for the people and Pokes down below,
The energy they had, in me it now flows.
And now I shall use it to avenge my home,
By smashing you females for smashing my dome!"
The Monument Diamant then raised its sleeves, and shimmers of light came from each one before shadows appeared over the girls.
"Heads up!" Camilla shouted before she and the other girls dove out of the way. Good thing, too, because boulders crashed down where the shadows were, and they exploded into tan sparkles and gravel. "Sweet baby carrots, that was a close call!"
"Look out!" Rosita called as she dove and pushed her neighbor out of the way of another shadow before she was crushed under another boulder! "By my whiskers, that was a closer call!"
"And there's even more of those calls coming!" Eartha pointed out, as there were even more boulders falling from the sky! "We've gotta stop that robe before we're turned into pea gravel!"
"But how!?" Rosita asked as the group kept dodging boulders. "None of our attacks can reach that thing!"
Just then, Camilla got an idea. "Pardon me, I'm going to try something! Go, Rosie!" She then threw her Poke Ball, and in a flash of light, her Sprigatito appeared with a "Mrow!"
"Alright, Rosie, get ready! Climb up the watchtower with Quick Attack, then blast that gray kimono with Magical Leaf once you're high up enough!"
"Row!" The grass cat Pokemon nodded in confirmation, then took off running with light trailing behind her as she climbed up the tall tower, leaping through the openings in the tiers until she reached the top, then dove after the Monument Diamant to enact Phase 2. "Mrr... REEEERRR!!!" With a loud yowl, Rosie sprayed a flurry of glowing green leaves from her collar fur right at her target!
"AAAUUUUGGHHHH!!!" The Monument Diamant was reduced to tattered shreds and shone for three seconds, then exploded in a blinding dazzle that showered the area in glittering light that restored the energy of everyone there and reversed the damage the boulders caused. But the feline Pokemon was in a free fall, and Camilla ran to catch her!
"I'm coming, Rosie!" she called out with her arms forward, and just before her Sprigatito could crumple from the height... the bunny caught her and held her close with a little spin. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Rosie! You did such a good job, I'm so proud of you, sweetie!"
"Mew!" Rosie mewled softly before nuzzling into her Trainer with gratitude, tickling her before she saw something hover towards her. It was a small Rock Tera Jewel, but the hexagonal gemstone displayed the Rock-type logo instead of angry eyes.
Then a mysterious voice spoke to her. "Camilla Otore. You have broken the influence of the light over the Rock-type, which has granted you access to one of Paldea's pantries. As such, please accept this Prime Tera Jewel as a reward, for it shall grant you more power to aid you in your quest. But take heed, for there are still more tasks for you to undertake and hurdles for you to overcome."
After Camilla pocketed the jewel with one paw and held her Poke-kitty with the other arm, Rosita Verdes and Eartha Crust caught up to her so the former could ask, "So, now that there's no more boulders falling from the sky to crush us, you nicknamed your Sprigatito... after me?"
"I did," Camilla answered as she placed Rosie on the ground, "because I missed you."
"Aw, thanks," the caracal said with a smile.
"Anyway, thanks for helping me out back there, all of you," Camilla said as she held out her Poke Ball, "but there's one more thing I have to do before I can call this mission complete. Rosie, return!"
After the beam of red light put the green kitty back to her ball, Camilla climbed down one of the ladders and approached the Stony Cliff Titan's den, thankfully unoccupied. Inside, she was treated with the sight of bushels of glowing, pink plants growing in the floor of the cave... Sweet Herba Mystica.
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(Monument Diamant defeated!)
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To be continued.
