Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
Camilla, Balto, Jessica and Eartha set out to West Area 1, where Camilla divulges her reasons for selecting Path of Legends domes. (i.e. the Herba Mystica) When the aquamarine dome is cleared out, Balto takes the two bodyguards with him, leaving Camilla to defeat the Balloon Diamant and gain the Prime Flying Tera Jewel by herself...
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(Dome 5: Segin Soundtrack)
As soon as Balto took Jessica and Eartha along with him to cheese it, they didn't stop running after they crossed the bridge until they reached the Pokemon Center outside the gates of the Segin Squad's base. "Whoa... that was close," the husky panted.
"For you, maybe," Jessica said, "but we just ditched Camilla with one of the Diamants!"
"Oh, I don't think that's going to be much of an issue," Eartha said as she perked up her ears. "In fact..."
During the pause, Balto and Jessica looked back up the hill, and saw a bright flash of light followed by a shower of sparkles where the path was, indicating that Camilla won against her opponent.
"Yeah, she's fine."
"Okay, then," the snow leopard said. "Comforting to know that we're not failing our job as bodyguards because the bodies we're guarding haven't been hurt. I only say this because I don't want to let Chairwoman Geeta down. I don't want to let all of Paldea down. But most importantly, I don't want to let our new friends down."
"Aw, shucks," Balto grinned with a wag in his tail. "Just think of this as payback for keeping me safe back at Cortondo."
"So, while we're at a stopping point," Eartha piped up, "are you going to tell us why you picked the domes along Starfall Street now?"
"As a matter of fact, I will," Balto answered, but then looked around for any possible disruptions that could interrupt him. After finding none, he began. "You see, my father, Baron Rhett Mijuumi, is an auto mechanic, but lately he hasn't been getting any work done because no one here in Paldea uses cars to transport themselves... except for a select few."
"That select few being the Team Star admins?" Eartha guessed.
"Exactly," Balto confirmed with a snap of his finger-beans. "Now, I've been made aware that Team Star has gone defunct for a few years since the bigwigs graduated, but after the team went their seperate ways, they left their Starmobiles behind as sort of monuments celebrating them turning over new leaves... after the Pokemon powering them were relieved of duty, that is. That's when I got a call from my dad telling me that he got permission to restore and revamp the Starmobiles into actual cars, and he wants me to collect them as soon as I'm able. But before I can do that, obviously I have to clear out the domes over the bases to get to them... and defeat the Diamants guarding them as well."
"I see," Jessica said. "So, basically your portion of the quest to restore Paldea makes us repo workers."
"No," Eartha clarified, "he said his dad got permission. We're not repo workers, we're merely... collectors."
"You could call it that," Balto supposed. "But in any case, first we have to get rid of the domes, and since I was conscious this time, I now have an idea on how to do it." He then picked up a stick, and motioned for the girls to follow him to the dirt path, where he started drawing in the dirt as he explained his plan.
"Step 1: The Hell-Sent girls and I approach the dome needing to be cleared out.
Step 2: Once the Diademons appear, the Hell-Sent girls shall transform and destroy them, creating raw material to charge my crystal scepter.
Step 3: After using the scepter to erase the dome, doing so shall flush out the Diamant.
Step 4: I face the Diamant and defeat it. Mission accomplished."
After kicking the dirt to erase his drawing, Balto asked, "Any questions?"
"I have one," Eartha said as she raised her paw. "When you're doing Step 4, are you going to send out your Pokemon to do it?"
"You'll find out soon enough," the husky said as he started for the gate. "Now let's go!"
And with that, the trio passed the gate, letting the flags flutter in the breeze as they continued down the path to the first right turn, taking it to witness the obsidian dome over the Segin Squad's base. "Here it is, girls," Balto said as they stopped before the wall of black crystal. "Just like that, we've already completed Step 1."
Meanwhile, further up the path along the second right turn, a Mudbray was sauntering along the path, looking for something. Suddenly, it seemed to see something through the crystal wall to the other side... something beckoning it. Now, ordinarily, a Mudbray's attention meant you'd get mud spit at you, so that's what it did. But while the brown substance stuck to the smooth surface, it fell off dry a few seconds later. That only made it frustrated, so it did the only thing it could think of: it charged towards the wall, stopped short, turned around and bucked its hind legs at the wall-
Thoomp.
That quickly, Balto, Jessica and Eartha were met with three Diademons wearing spiked bands on their heads adorned with Mudbray Mud. "Okay, looks like it's time for Step 2. Ready, girls?"
"Don't have to ask us twice!" Jessica said as she and Eartha held their Sealing Balls at the ready.
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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!"
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"Wow," one of the Diademons said, "you won't let us get the first shot in, will you?"
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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.
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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.
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"I think you have your answer," Cure Hatred said before the diamond dust settled.
"Hope this is enough, Balto!" Cure Fear called out.
"Alright, here comes Step 3!"
The husky took out his crystal scepter at last, and the diamond dust was absorbed into the round end of it, making it shine brighter and brighter. He then pointed the item at the dome's surface, and a beam was fired at it, making it glow a deep red and crack until it finally shattered, revealing the makeshift gates to the base; tables, desks, cones, tires and all.
"We're almost done with the plan, girls," Balto said as he passed through the gates. "But I'll need you to stay close until after I defeat the Diamant."
"Huh," Cure Hatred said, impressed. "Sounds like the pupper-dog knows what he's doing."
"There's doubt?" Cure Fear questioned as they followed the husky into the base.
Just then, a black kimono with a red X design descended before them, sporting a Dark Tera Jewel for a head which confused its witnesses as to which face was its face. It then spoke:
"So now you've destroyed dome number five,
And it's past a miracle you've stayed alive.
But since you're all here, we can finally see
How you'll face the Wicked Grin Diamant; me.
I know that you're really after this base's car,
But first I must know if your skill's up to par!"
"Alright, time to kick Step 4 into overdrive!" Balto said as he quickly threw his Poke Ball while the Wicked Grin Diamant raised its sleeves and gathered sparkles. "Go, Prince! Use Aqua Jet and get to that robe as quick as you can!"
"Quax!" As soon as Balto's Quaxly solidified, water gathered around it and rocketed the duckling Pokemon towards the floating kimono just as it fired off a tunnel of red and black crescents... right at the poor husky!
"Oh no you DON'T!" Cure Fear shouted as she kicked up a slab of rock, and Cure Hatred froze it solid by crossing her ice-daggers behind it, creating a wall of frozen mud that blocked the tunnel and kept Balto safe.
"Thanks for the save, girls," Balto said before putting his focus back on the fight. "Now, Prince! Switch to Wing Attack!"
As soon as the Quaxly closed in on the Diamant, the water around it was dispelled and its wings shone white as it crossed them together, slashing through the fabric of the kimono as if it was a pair of energy scissors!
"AAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!!!" The Diamant then shone and exploded with light that reversed the damage and restored the energy of the captured Mudbray... along with plenty of Team Star grunts that were quietly hidden in the background.
"Whuh... what happened?" one of the grunts asked before he noticed the anthros lightly spritzed with water from the Aqua Jet, causing their fur to glisten in the light. "Are you the ones who saved us?"
"Yes," Balto confirmed with a swipe of his headfur. "Yes, we are."
"Thank you," the grunt said in gratitude. "You have just given us a second chance to be good people, and we're not going to waste it! Come, fellow classmates! Let us return to the Academy!"
After the crowd exited the base, a small Dark Tera Jewel with the Dark-type logo appeared before Balto. "Balto Mijuumi," the voice said. "You have broken the influence of the light over the Dark-type, which has also liberated the hearts of these students. 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."
Balto then pocketed the jewel and said, "Good job, everyone. We all pulled together and removed yet another dome from Paldea, but now there's one more task to complete before we can call it a day."
"Right, the Starmobile," Jessica said after she and Eartha powered down. "I almost forgot about that."
"Welp, logic dictates that we'll find it in the biggest tent here," Eartha deduced. "And, lucky for us, it's right over there!"
Right where the fennec fox was pointing, there was the large tent. She and the snow leopard then opened the curtains, revealing the black Segin Starmobile in... most of its glory, as the engine and rear wheels were missing like Balto said.
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(Wicked Grin Diamant defeated!)
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To be continued.
