Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

Camilla, Pico and Balto are still at the Academy, where they meet a fellow student named Ko at the cafeteria. Ko mentions that he's participating in his own version of the Treasure Hunt, and invites the gang to join him at the entrance later so he can explain...

-

Back on Soccarat Trail, Rosita and Jessica had given Eartha enough time to let their bombshell sink in, and the fennec fox girl had re-gathered her bearings and took a deep breath.

"So, let me get this straight," she started. "The reason you two were on Soccarat Trail in the first place is that you were looking for someone to get landed in the same position as you, as in recruited a spirit partner equivalant of the Treasures of Ruin because they were in proximity of their shrine?"

"That... is the situation boiled down to its essence, yes," Rosita said.

"And, not that your company was bad, I did enjoy that," Eartha stated, "but what makes you think I would fall under that criteria?"

"Because if you don't," Jessica started, but suddenly... she couldn't find an end to her sentence because Eartha had a point. How could they convince her to join without a good reason? "Then... we'll... um..."

"Exactly," Eartha said. "You don't have a reason for me to join."

"Now, wait just a purple-hull pea-hulling minute-" Rosita started, but then Conner conjured up a vine from the ground to shush her.

"Rosita, enough," the snail said sternly. "Obviously, Eartha has no interest in joining us, and we shouldn't make her come if she doesn't want to. We'll just have to find someone else."

"Conner's right," Leopold said. "She doesn't want to come, and we can't make her." He then winked at Jessica on the last part.

"What are you..."

"I said, Eartha doesn't want to come with us, and we can't make her," the weasel repeated, winking on the last part again.

Finally, Jessica connected the dots and said, "Ohhh..." She then folded her arms and added, "Yep, I guess you're right. A young Girl Scout extrordinaire has no reason to join two older women on a journey around Paldea to stop a plague of Pokemon-deleting monsters. But, I'm sure she'll be fine. The closest dome that spawns the darn things is surrounded by water at the bottom of a high ledge, and I don't think they can swim or climb walls like we can." Finally she called out to the distance, "What could possibly go wrong!?"

Wouldn't you know it, that last sentence caught the attention of a Gyarados swimming by the dome, but the turn of its head made one of its long whiskers graze the crystal surface... and it vanished. As a result, three Diademons were created, topped with salmon-colored castle towers that were adorned with Magikarp Scales, swimming in the water surprisingly well before they swam up to the bottom of Casseroya Falls. Suddenly, they started darting up the falls against the current, climbing it up to the bridge before they dismounted, landing on the middle one by one with a flourish!

"Jessica, how many times do I have to tell you not to say things that jinx us!?" Rosita cried out.

"Trust me! I know what I'm doing here!" Jessica cried back, then turned to Eartha and asked her, "The point being, clearly you're capable of handling... THOSE things, right?!"

Eartha looked where Jessica was pointing and saw the three Diademons in question... then gave a little smirk. "Obviously, you two don't remember how the world works around here. Allow me to refresh your memory! Rotom, use Thunder Wave!"

On her command, the orange mini-fridge called out, and a pulse of static electricity was emmitted from it. The pulse made contact with all three Diademons... and they were frozen in place.

"Ha! Never fails!" the vulpine girl gloated cockily. "What are you gonna do now that you're paralyzed, punks!? Whatcha gonna do!? Whatcha gonna do!? Whatcha gonna-"

Suddenly, the three bipedal monsters quickly swung out an arm each, and one by one, the electricity was broken of its influence!

"...do?" Eartha whimpered quietly now that her starting move was rendered pointless.

"Huh," Conner commented. "Apparently, these things can shatter status ailments. Good to know."

But the translucent trio's bag of tricks wasn't emptied yet, because they all tensed up and shone red and blue light, then held their hands in front of them at Rotom. At that, three swirls of purple wind surrounded the floating square and merged into a purple tornado that battered it around until it exploded in three bursts of salmon and indigo sparkles, dazzling the bystanders and knocking Rotom out!

"ROTOM! NOOOOOO!!!" Eartha cried out in anguish.

"Huh," Leopold commented. "Apparently these things can use moves based on what materials they have, and certain moves are stronger based on which crystal dome they come from. Also good to know."

"Doi ya think!?" Jessica commented sarcastically.

"Come on, Jessie!" Rosita said as she brandished her Sealing Ball. "Now it's our turn to show these things what we can do!"

"Right behind you, Rosie!" Jessica agreed as she did the same.

-

To be continued.