Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

Rosita conducts a meeting with Rika for permission to enter Area Zero with the Hell-Sent girls, but ultimately gets turned down. Just when she's about to concede defeat, however, Chairwoman Geeta steps in...

-

Rosita turned to face the tall woman in black, blue and gold... then said, "So, we meet at last... Chairwoman Geeta."

"Indeed so," Geeta responded, "Rosita Verdes, resident of Los Platos."

"Okay, people," Jessica cut in, "with all due respect, I'm going to have to politely ask everyone to back the Distortion World up. What... in all Legendaries' combined names... is going on here?"

"Exactly what I was gunning for, that's what," Rosita explained. "During our journey around Paldea, we've gone through some tough mess, but every time we felt certain that we accomplished our goal, something happened that made us eat Murkrow. So, following that logic, if I claim that we fail and there's nothing we can do about it, something would happen that would prove me wrong, but in a way I'd be happy about!"

"So, basically," Dina summed up, "we say that all's well, and all becomes not well, but we say that all's not well, and all becomes well?"

"Exactly!" Rosita said with a snap of her finger-beans. 

"Hooray! Everything's backwards, but I can follow the logic!" the axolotl cheered.

"And, thanks to said logic," Rosita continued, "we are in the presence of the chairwoman of the Paldean Pokemon League herself, whose job it is to know the names of the region's Pokemon Trainers through her secretary so she can prepare for the chance she'll face them in the Champion's Assessment!"

"All excellent arguements," Geeta said after listening patiently. "However, you did leave out one small, but crucially important detail in your speech. Not only am I the chairwoman of the Pokemon League in Paldea, I am also the chairwoman of the Foremost World-Renowned Pokemon Academy of Paldea's school board, which gives me authourity over said Academy's faculty and students."

The caracal's eyebrows raised at that. "All the Academy's faculty, you say? Including Director Clavell?"

"Especially him."

Rosita lowered her ears at the claim and added, "So then you must know about how unfairly he treated me last week. Not only did he refuse to help me get one of my Pokemon friends back from one of his students, but out of the four new recruits that arrived to enroll in the Academy that day, I was the only one he turned away."

"Quite the contrary," the chairwoman replied. "you gave him every right to do what he did. He could have had an explanation as to how the situation could be addressed, and all you had to do was calm down. But you openly admitted that you were not going to do so, so he had no choice but to deem you unreasonable and disruptive, traits that could not mesh with the image of our lovely Academy."

"And thus, the fail," Rosita said to the other Hell-Sent girls before facing Geeta again. "Yes, I know that I let my emotions cloud my behavior. If I go back to the Academy and apologize to the director, would that help me and the others have permission to enter Area Zero?"

"I told you access deni-" Rika started, but was cut off.

"Rika, enough." The order was short, but slightly tinged with annoyance if one heard closely enough.

"Yes, chairwoman," the green-haired secretary submitted.

"Oh, I am willing to let you and your friends enter Area Zero," Geeta said to the caracal, "but you'll have to work for it first."

"Work for it how?" Rosita asked curiously.

"Glad you asked," the chairwoman said with a smile. "As you stated before, these domes all over Paldea have encapsulated the major settlements and the STCs, both of which are major obstacles in my chairwoman duties. If you four can find a way to remove them from the region, I shall grant you access to Area Zero."

"May I interject?" Eartha cut in. "Didn't Rosita also state that any living, conscious being who touches the domes vanishes upon contact?"

"She did," Geeta stated.

"Then I guess we have no choice," Dina said, but with a wink to Jessica and Eartha. "I hate having no choice, but Geeta is the chairwoman of the Pokemon League and the school board, the Top Champion, La Primera; she can say or do whatever she wants and no one would be able to stop her."

"And she can't cut us any slack?" Jessica asked.

"And where would the value be in that?" Geeta coolly challenged. "After years of being the Top Champion of the Paldea region, I've learned the position can get boring at times, so I have to keep things interesting. I'm sure others can relate. Sure, I could just snap my fingers and make people do a lot of things, but that isn't why I became the chairwoman. I became the chairwoman to save Paldea's citizens from their own personal demons, by inspiring Pokemon Trainers of the region to rise to their fullest potential... and I have a front-row seat to the action."

Everyone in the room during that speech was awestruck, so much so that they were at a loss for words.

Taking that as a cue to continue, Geeta cleared her throat and said, "Well then. As I said, the terms still stand. However, play your cards right, and not only will you have access to Area Zero, I may think about giving you another chance to be an Academy student so you can apologize to Clavell, as you said."

"Chairwoman Geeta," Rosita said as she extended her paw, "you got yourself a deal."

"You have got to be kidding me," Jessica muttered as Rosita and Geeta shook on it.

"Permission to introduce recent information?" Rika piped up.

"Granted," Geeta said. "What is it?"

"These four girls may not have to go it alone," the secretary stated. "Apparently, three students at the Academy didn't get poofed by the domes, and are about to be on their way to start their own Treasure Hunt. Maybe they could join them?"

"Is that so?" the chairwoman asked. "Slight change of plans, then. Rika, you and our visitors are coming with me. We are going to pay the Academy a little visit."

-

To be continued.