Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
On their way to Artazon, Dina reveals to Pico and Rosita that after the domes appeared, she then set off for a new place to live, which led her to Zapapico. But before any more details could be said, the group arrives at their destination and clears Paldea a little more; both of the emerald dome and the Bouquet Diamant...
-
Back at the Pokemon League building, Rika was on the phone at her desk. "Okay... uh-huh... Well, that's certainly good to hear. Thanks for letting me know that, I'll be sure to tell the chairwoman at once. Okay, goodbye." After hanging up with a tap of her Rotom Phone's touchscreen, she saw her boss' image in its reflection.
"Tell me what, Rika?" Geeta inquired.
"Ah, perfect timing, Chairwoman Geeta," Rika said as she swiveled her chair in her employer's direction. "I was just about to inform you that I just got off the phone with another Gym Leader, namely Brassius. He's reported that the dome over his post has just been removed, and all of Artazon is back to normal."
"Excellent," Geeta said with a smile. "It appears my trust in those seven anthros was well-placed. And what of the citizens of Artazon? Are they also back to normal?"
"Same as those of Cortondo, Chairwoman," Rika confirmed. "From what I've gathered, people that are inside the domes don't get turned into those Diademon whatevers, just lose their motivation to do anything while they're in there. Otherwise, they're not really hurt, just... left alone."
"I see," Geeta contemplated. "Well, it is comforting to know that no one gets hurt inside the domes, but the order for them to be removed still stands. It is only the reason that has changed."
-
(Dome 4: A Herbal Pill to Swallow)
-
Back at the west gate, Camilla, Balto, Jessica and Eartha started their trek down the path to West Area 1. "So," Eartha piped up, "now that the dome over Cortondo is gone, perhaps we could make a stop there along the way to the next dome? I want to pick up a few supplies."
"Alright, but make it quick," Camilla said as they stopped at the town's entrance. "After all, we 'have a job to do,' as you put it so bluntly earlier."
After a quick stop at Deli Cioso and the Artisan Bakery, Eartha rejoined the group with a big satchel of fruits, vegetables, sauces and whatnot. "Whew! I was feeling a bit naked without any sandwich ingredients, but now I'm prepared for any recipe! 'A Girl Scout is always prepared,' as they say."
"Great," Camilla said. "Then let's go."
"Ooh, wadja get? Wadja get?" Balto asked excitedly with his tail wagging, trying to nose the satchel before Jessica stopped him.
"Easy, boy, easy," the snow loepard said. "You know what they say, 'Curiousity ran the dog over.'"
"Oh, don't be so mean," Camilla chided as the group left the town. "He's allowed to wonder."
"And like I already said, it's just sandwich ingredients," Eartha said. "And plenty of them, at that. Ever since these domes popped up out of the Great Crater, according to local claims, I haven't been able to stock up on food supplies as much as I'd want. Do you have any idea how much you can make with bread if you don't have much to put between two pieces of it?"
"It's true," Jessica said. "When Rosita and I first met Eartha, all we had to eat between us was curry toast. I mean, it was good, but still."
"Well, seeing as we still have a ways to go before we reach our destination," Camilla said as the group went down the winding path, "I might as well tell you why I chose to clear out the domes on the Path of Legends specifically. While I was recovering from my sprained ankle back at the Academy, I borrowed some reading material from the libratrium- that's what some students call the entrance hall, and one of those books told me something very interesting. Apparently, in five places in Paldea are five caverns, each containing a rare and special plant called Herba Mystica. Alone, each individual variant of said plant is said to provide magical health benifits: increased appetite, boosted immune support, recovery from exhaustion, pain alleviation, and metabolistic detoxing. But together, all five types converged claim to be a miracle cure that can even prevail where Potions and Pokemon Centers fail... and there has been such a case four years ago. Now, after the Monument Diamant was felled earlier, I set out to search for one of those herbs, and found a whole crop of one. So, if the other four types are out there in such an abundance, I want to be certain of it."
"Wow, Camilla," Balto said, "that story had it all."
"It sure did," Eartha agreed before turning towards the husky. "So, Balto, why did you chose to clear the domes on Starfall Street, since we're on the subject?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Balto said. "You see-"
"Dome's here," Jessica interrupted, and the group found themselves at the aquamarine dome without realizing it. "Now, Balto, Eartha and I are going to transform and coax out some Diademons, and you're not gonna faint once we do that, are you?"
"I'll try," Balto said.
"That's all we're asking," Eartha said as she and Jessica took out their Sealing Balls. "You'll just have to tell us your reasons once we get to your first dome."
"Wait," Camilla stopped them as leftover diamond dust swirled around her. "Maybe we don't need to coax out more Diademons to shatter." She then took out her scepter and let the sparkles be absorbed, but it only managed to illuminate it to an average glow... and when she tried to fire a beam, it didn't happen. "Okay, obviously we do. It seems we need a certain amount of glitter to blast the dome."
"Not if we shatter you first!" That voice came from three more Diademons that matched Rosita's description: topped with clouds that were adorned with... Bombirdier Feathers?
"Perfect timing," Camilla said, then snapped her finger-beans and added, "Sic 'em, girls!"
-
Jessica and Eartha raised the Sealing Balls over their heads and shouted together, "Precure Ruination!"
Leopold and Anton dissipated into snow 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 snow and dirt and collected into their tops.
Next, more snow and dirt collected around their waists and became their bottoms.
Then, even more snow 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 love, Cure Hatred!"
"Antithesis of courage, Cure Fear!"
"Answer for your injustices! Hell-Sent Precure!"
-
"Whoa!" Balto said in amazement. "That is so cool!"
"It's about to get a whole lot cooler, puppy-pup," Cure Hatred replied.
"Right," Cure Fear added. "Let's turn some glass back into sand!"
-
Cure Hatred rushed forward and elongated her ice blades, right towards two of the Diademons!
"This is the punishment for your crimes! Precure... Icerend..."
She thrusted the blades forward with all her might, and they impaled the Diademons clean through!
"MINCER!!!"
She flailed the blades all over the place, slicing and dicing the Diademons into bits!
"You have issues!" the Diademons seemed to say before they were shattered into diamond dust.
-
Cure Fear jumped up and slammed her fists onto the ground, causing it to crack towards the last Diademon!
"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 Diademon into bits!
"You have issues!" the Diademon seemed to say before it was shattered into diamond dust.
-
Now that there was more diamond dust to charge Camilla's scepter, she let the glittering powder soak into the head of the item until it was blinding enough, then fired a beam from it to destroy the dome over the Open Sky Titan's den.
"Whew," the bunny said as her bodyguards powered down. "Good work, girls. Now we just have to wait for the boss to come out and see what all the commotion is." And, as if on cue, a faded-blue kimono with a like-patterned obi and a Flying Tera Jewel for a head descended and spoke,
"I already know what this racket is about,
With the powers of the Spirits of Ruin you tout.
You've come here to take these edible flowers,
Even after we've already claimed them as ours.
But if you think I'll lose to your puppy and cat,
The Balloon Diamant will have words about that!"
"Wait, is that thing talking about us?" Eartha asked as the Balloon Diamant raised its sleeves and light shimmered from them. "Because if I was just called a puppy-"
But there was no time to finish that sentence, for this particular Diamant used its powers to conjure a tornado!
"Forget the nicknames you don't like!" Balto shouted. "LET'S CHEESE IT!!!"
"Seriously!?" Camilla exclaimed as she was also ditched. "Welp, rabbit's feet, don't fail me now." She then scampered up the mountainside path, avoiding the tornado and dodging the boulders along the way. But when she looked back, she saw the boulders being picked up by the tornado like they were cherry tomatoes from the vine!
That's when her face lit up with inspiration, and she stopped cold and held her arms out. But to top it all off, she was standing on one of the boulders that was right slap in the tornado's path!
The Balloon Diamant saw that and only cackled in response before saying,
"Deciding to give up so easy, my friend?
But now you'll be facing-"
"Your untimely end!" Camilla synced, which caught the kimono off-guard.
"Wait, what?"
But it was too late to call off the tornado, as the bunny was picked up along with the boulder she was on, then nimbly hopped upwards from boulder to boulder, climbing higher and higher as if the tornado were a spiral staircase. Then, as soon as she reached the topmost boulder, she held her arms out and spun around with the tornado's current, carrying the boulder in her feet as if she was a propeller doll toy. Finally, she rode the tornado up to the top and swung her legs at the Diamant, tossing the boulder with all her might!
"AAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH!!!" As the boulder made contact, it crashed hard, causing the Diamant to shine, then explode with light that reversed the damage, but if it restored anyone's energy, no one could tell. Meanwhile, Camilla fell along with the other boulders, but she hopped down them quickly to counter any crumpling the gravity could cause before she landed clean on solid ground, sticking the landing!
"And now to wait for the voice to give me the prize I earned."
Again, as if on cue, a small Flying Tera Jewel with the Flying-type logo appeared before the lapine as the voice said, "Camilla Otore. You have broken the influence of the light over the Flying type, which has granted you access to one of the Paldea region's pantries. By accepting this Prime Flying Tera Jewel, you shall gain even more power to aid you in your quest, but do not falter. There is still much work to be done."
"I don't doubt that," Camilla said as she pocketed her second Prime Tera Jewel. "But first, I need to hand off my guards to Balto so he can... wait, where'd they go?"
"Ro-to-to!"
Hearing the chime, Camilla took out her Rotom Phone, which indicated that she got a text from Balto. "Camilla," she read, "sorry for ditching you when the Diamant attacked. Hopefully you were able to win, and the girls and I are already on our way to my first dome. See you back in Mesagoza! ;3" Re-pocketing her phone with a shrug, she walked back up the mountain path to the top where the den was, then walked inside to find a bushel of Bitter Herba Mystica. "Jackpot."
-
(Balloon Diamant defeated!)
-
To be continued.
