Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
While exploring South Area 3, Rosita and Eartha reveal to Camilla their Cure identities to help clear out the unbleached quartz dome there. When they do, the Monument Diamant attacks, but Camilla makes short work of it and claims the Prime Rock Tera Jewel (as well as a large crop of Sweet Herba Mystica)...
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Back in Mesagoza, the group gathered together at the south gate since they still couldn't pass through the middle of town. As Camilla, Rosita and Eartha came from the east, Pico, Jessica, Dina and a now-groggy Balto came in from the west. When the two groups rejoined, Camilla started the conversation with, "You four would not believe what we've been through today."
"You know," Pico replied, "I was just about to say the same thing."
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One long and detailed, but still very insightful explaination later.
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"So, let me see if I got this straight," Camilla said after absorbing the information. "Each of the domes is able to produce Diademons of the same color, each with their own head adornment. The ones you faced were daisy-headed, ours were... foundation-headed. After our bodyguards transform and destroy the Diademons with their powers, the dust that results gets absorbed into our scepters, and it fires a beam that destroys the dome... but also releases a floating kimono with a Tera Jewel head called a Diamant that blasts us with bullet-hell powers until it gets destroyed, relinquishing the energy it stole as well as a Prime Tera Jewel. Is that the gist of it?"
"Sounds it in an Apricorn shell to me," Pico said. "Which reminds me, you wanna see it?"
"You show me yours, I'll show you mine."
While everyone else smirked at the double entendre, the bunny and lizard pulled the small, shining jewels from their pockets and showed them to each other. The items seemed to hover in their palms, and trails of glitter shimmered away from them and around the city through the buildings.
"Ooh," Dina mused. "They're so pretty, they are."
"But, what's with the lines swirling around the city they're making?" Rosita asked.
"Maybe the jewels are sentient, and they're trying to tell us something?" Jessica supposed.
"Only one way to find out," Eartha said. "Let's follow those sparkles!"
And so, the group followed the trails back towards the east gate, then turned towards the central plaza... right where the darkened Battle Court was, where the trails seemed to end near the first staircase towards the Academy. What's more, they seemed to get brighter the closer the group got to the end. Deciding to trust the jewels, they kept walking until they reached the end, and the jewels left their holders' hands to hover in two places at the grayed circle, where after a few seconds, the Bug and Rock-type logos reappeared in flashes of light!
"Whoa!" Balto commented as the jewels returned to their holders. "We've already brought two logos back to the square!"
"Yes, Balto," Pico confirmed. "That only means we have 16 more to go."
"But at least we have a game plan to do it," Camilla added as she took out her Rotom Phone and pulled up the map. "And now to map out the next action. This time, Pico and I will switch gates so he can take out the emerald dome I saw over Artazon, and I can get-"
"The sky-blue ice dome over West Area 1, where I work," Jessica cut in.
"And where I fought my first Diademon," Rosita added, "a cloud-headed one."
"Right," Camilla said, continuing. "So, the bodyguards for me will be Jessica and Eartha, while Rosita and Dina should protect Pico. One more thing: after I clear my second dome, I'll hand off my guards to Balto so he can clear his first dome, further up West Area 1."
"Ah, the obsidian dome over the Segin Squad base," Jessica said.
"So, everyone clear on the plan?" Camilla asked, and everyone nodded in confirmation. "Then let's head out!"
Once again, everyone went their separate ways to clear out more domes.
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Meanwhile, back at the Academy, Ko and Miss Miriam had just finished their chat about Ko's dream, and the bear was back on his feet and ready to start his own journey. "Miss Miriam is right," Ko said to himself. "That dream I had wasn't telling me that I was forcing a friendship on my own terms, just that I should ease up on the old TV shows. But I should also get a move on with my own Treasure Hunt, and the answer to my mystery wasn't a treasure I wanted to keep. So I'll have to find a different treasure, starting with making my jam on my own. It won't be easy, but I'll just have to do my best, starting with obtaining plenty of jars and sugar here at the school store, then going out to get more Berries in the wild. I should be able to get those in spades!" And with his new goal in mind, Ko left his dorm, eager to put his plan into action...
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To be continued.
