Previously on Oranges to Grapes...
While Ko wraps up his first sale day to turn his first installment of the AEF over to the Academy, the Pomegranetes and the (increasingly irrelevant) Hell-Sent girls smooth things over with Hilda before liberating Montenevera...
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Back at the Academy, Ko had just returned from his first sale day to the libratrium. "Okay, back from my first sales of my multi-Berry jam, and ready to donate my first installment to the Academy Expansion Fund. Just one question... where do I do that?"
"Perhaps I can help with that," a familiar voice spoke, catching the bear's attention... but what he saw was a man in bergundy pants, a gray jacket... and a big pompadour! "The name's Clive. I'm an old friend of the Academy's director."
"Oh, um, well... hello, Clive," Ko said, totally off-guard from the sudden appearance of the new presence. "I'm Kosaru, but you can call me Ko if that's easy enough for you to remember."
"Right, pleasure to meet you, Ko," Clive said. "So, I hear you got some money to donate to the Academy?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," the bear stated, but squinted his eyes suspiciously before adding, "but how do I know you're not posing as a student so you'll take the money for yourself?"
Clive then lowered his voice and wispered, "Master Kosaru, it's me, Director Clavell. I'm using my old Clive persona as a go-between so you can make the donation personally without raising suspicion."
"Oh..." Ko said as the situation clicked for him. "Right, of course, because if you weren't a student here, you wouldn't have gotten their uniform... but just as a formality, look how green the grass is in here."
"What grass?" Clive asked.
Finding no trigger reaction, Ko said, "Alright, I'm convinced. Be sure to give the director my regards when you take this to him." He then took out the profits from his sales and placed them in Clive's hand.
"Ah, thanks," the incognito student said as he accepted the money. "And tomorrow, he may call you up to his office to discuss how much more you'll need to give to pay the fund in full."
"I'll be looking forward to that," Ko said with a wink, "but for now, I should get some rest for tomorrow. That jam isn't going to make and sell itself!"
"Of course," Clive said as he and Ko went their separate ways for the night. "See you later, then!"
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(Dome 14: Ruchbah Regality)
Back in Montenevera, the group was standing outside Dina's building, waiting for her to come back. Eventually, the axolotl returned to the group and said, "Okay, friends, I've checked my apartment in the building, and everything is still there as I left it, when I left it. I even got some closure by heating up some leftovers I still had."
"I see," Camilla supposed. "Well, good thing no one ransacked your place while you were gone, but I doubt anyone would have the energy for a purge in the dome."
"Right, but back to the matter at paw," Eartha said. "If we all hurry, we should have just enough time to reach the Ruchbah Squad's base, clear the dome there and deal with all that other kerfaffle."
"And send another Starmobile to my dad," Balto piped up.
"Didn't I just say 'ALL that other kerfaffle?'"
"Hey!" Pico said. "I know we're in a hurry, but I do not appreciate that tone!"
"Let's just go," Rosita said with exhaustion. "The quicker we get the rose quartz dome cleared out, the quicker we can stop for the night."
"Then we may have to transform to save even more time," Jessica suggested as she took out her Sealing Ball. "Besides, I feel like I haven't done it in forever and don't want my powers to get rusty."
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Rosita, Jessica, Eartha and Dina raised the Sealing Balls over their heads and shouted together, "Precure Ruination!"
Conner, Leopold, Anton and Bea dissipated into grass, snow, dirt and flames, 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, snow, dirt and flames and collected into their tops.
Next, more grass, snow, dirt and flames collected around their waists and became their bottoms.
Then, even more grass, snow, dirt and flames 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 love, Cure Hatred!"
"Antithesis of courage, Cure Fear!"
"Antithesis of gratitude, Cure Envy!"
"Answer for your injustices! Hell-Sent Precure!"
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"And for even more time saving," Cure Grudge added, "Precure Triangle Plus Formation!"
As the girls became the rocket-powered hang glider, Balto called out, "Hey! What about us!?"
"We'll meet you at the bottom!" Cure Fear called back. "Don't worry, you all have your Rotom Phones to give you some hangtime on the jumps!"
Unfortunately, while the Cures had the luxury of the power of flight, the Pomegranates had Camilla's Cyclizar who was a little small for more than one passenger, but Pico was able to ride in the back without giving the lizard-bike much difficulty. As for Balto, he still had his own bicycle on him, so the on-foot detour worked out for the three quite nicely as they rode down the hill to catch up with their bodyguards at the Pokemon Center at North Area 3.
"See? What did I tell you?" Cure Fear said as the students caught up. "You guys had nothing to worry about. Now all Balto has to do is sweep up the diamond dust, pop the dome, strike down the Diamant inside, and we'll be done in time to go back to town so we can rest for tomorrow."
"Let's not put pressure on the doggy," Cure Hatred said, "but she's right. It is as simple as that."
"You're not going to do anything?" Balto asked.
"Maybe if the Diamant gives you too much trouble," Cure Envy suggested. "But you've probably got this."
"Whoo, that's pressing," Balto said, "but here goes nothing." He then sent out Prince and produced his scepter, going through the motions as he approached the rose quartz dome. As expected, the diamond dust from the last time was absorbed into the scepter, and there was enough to fire another beam that popped it. Now all that was left was to find the Diamant that governed it. "Alright, Diamant, wherever you are," the husky called out to the flower meadow on the other side of the gate, "don't think I'm afraid to face you just because I didn't have to shatter any of your Diademons! And don't think I wasn't paying attention to what any of the other Diamants were spouting off! So what if a bunch of other people went a little battle-happy! So what if they abused Terastal energy to storm crystal dens quicker than they could pop up! And so what if you're actually one person in lots of different places! None of those are reasons to make Paldea hell!"
"Oh, no?"
As the retort was spat out, a pink kimono with a flower-and-butterfly pattern and a Fairy Tera Jewel for a head had just descended from the northern lighthouse to size up the fluffy canine and his Quaxwell.
"Who do you think you are coming here,
Spouting off in the Angel Heart Diamant's ear?
Our reasons for acting are righteous and just,
But if you're still gunning for our efforts to go bust,
As a prize for erasing two domes times seven,
I'll put you through hell... by sending you to heaven!"
Extended sleeves, gathered sparkles, but this variant caused wisps of pink perfume to waft through the air along with pink hearts. They were absorbed into the flowers and magnified their natural aroma, causing it to seep through the open air...
"What the-" Balto said before he sniffed the air. "Oh, that smell... it's so nice..."
"Balto! No!" Cure Fear shouted in the background. "It's a trap!"
But it was no use. "Dog instinct... TAKING OVER!!!" Balto had gone gloss-eyed and went bounding after the flowers on all fours... but a vine had grabbed the bunch and uprooted it before he could get to it.
"Bad dog!" Cure Grudge called as the bunch was thrown into the snow. "No falling for the Diamant's ploy!"
"Grudge! He can't help it!" Cure Hatred said as she flung one of her Icicle Kunai at another patch. "His nose is drawn to the smell of the flowers! As a dog, it's in his nature to sniff!"
"Then we'll have to get rid of them all to snap him out of it!" Cure Fear surmised.
"Leave it to me, girls! I've got this!" Cure Envy said as she rushed forward. "Bakuretsu Kaen Bushin!" She then darted around from patch to patch, leaving afterimages in each one before the base was populated by Cure Envies. "Seibai!"
All of the afterimages exploded, incinerating all the flowers in the massive blast... but Balto was laying in the stream that spread through the base, so it didn't affect him. (Or Prince, due to his Water-typing.) The Angel Heart Diamant, however... wasn't so lucky as it was singed by the flames.
"Ah! My threads have been scorched, and my fabric enflamed!
Now my cute pattern will never be the same!"
"You're right," Balto said now that there wasn't any tantalizing smells to trick him anymore. "In fact, why don't I do you a kindness and put you out of your misery! Prince! Jump up and give that robe an Aqua Cutter coup de gras!"
"With an added boost from me!" Cure Fear added as she slammed her fist on the ground! "Gavel Bash!"
What it did was catapult Prince into the air as he spun in place on a platform of dislodged earth, assulting the Diamant with a deluge of blue energy crescents that gained force as the Quaxwell came back down!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The resulting shower of light restored the energy of the capured Team Star Grunts and reversed the damage, including reviving the flowers in the meadow that were destroyed by the fight.
"And that was for making me get arm cramps!" Eartha asserted as she powered down.
"What?" Balto asked.
"Long story, I'll tell you tomorrow."
"She tried to break the dome herself, but got hurt," Rosita said as she powered down.
"Huh," Dina supposed as she powered down. "Doesn't sound very long to me."
"Then how's this for a stretch?" Jessica added as SHE powered down. "It was a good thing Rosita and I were there to help her, otherwise she could still be writhing in pain."
Now that her story got spoiled, Eartha lowered her ears in disappointment as she regrouped with the others before the Prime Fairy Tera Jewel descended before Balto. "Balto Mijuumi," the voice said, "you have broken the influence of the light over the Fairy type, and as such, have liberated the hearts of these Academy students. As you accept this Prime Tera Jewel, take solace in the fact that there is but one more part in your quest for you to clear."
"Of course," Balto said as he pocketed his fourth Prime Tera Jewel. "Now to get what I really came here for." He and Prince then sought out the main tent of the base, opened the curtain... and there sat the pink Ruchbah Starmobile for the collectors to come get...
(Angel Heart Diamant defeated!)
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To be continued.
