Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

With Conner, Leopold and Anton still missing in action, Rosita, Jessica and Eartha are left with no choice but to wait for them to reform. The girls locate a cave to take shelter in in the meantime, as well as... take care of something.

-

Now, while the girls are settling into their temporary situation, let's go back to the Academy and see how the students are doing since it's about to get dark out.

Ko was retracing his steps to where he was sitting when he gathered the others to start the whole mystery-solving idea, and when he reached the desk he sat at, he looked around and saw two fellow students: one sleeping at another desk, and one between two Misdreavus.

Deciding to try the one who was awake, Ko walked up to him and his Ghost-type entourage to test his theory. "Excuse me," he said. "You, uh, wouldn't happened to have been here yesterday, were you?"

"As I have every night here, yes," the student answered.

Deciding to cut to the chase, Ko followed up with, "Then you probably know where you go when the sun comes back up, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" the student asked suspiciously.

"Okay, I'm just gonna be blunt here," Ko said outright. "This school has a big mystery that no one seems to have solved, and I've decided to make the answer to that mystery my treasure, but I'm gonna need some help doing so. Would you like to join me?"

"What's the mystery?"

"Where does everyone during the day go when it's nighttime, and vice versa. It's called The Mystery of... They Who Come and Go During Shift Change."

"That's it?" the student asked. "You know why that happens, don't you?"

"Watch it," Ko warned. "Remember Rule 3 of the student code."

Taking that as a 'No, but don't spoil it,' the student said, "Sorry, yes I would."

"That's more like it," Ko responded calmly. "Then I certainly don't need to remind you of our security phrase and its authorized response, but don't tell anyone else about it. You're a special case since you overheard me yesterday."

"What about him?" the student asked as he pointed to the sleeping student.

"Niether a Sawk nor a Throh can produce an Egg without a Ditto," the snoozer mumbled in his sleep, "because there are no females..."

"So!" Ko exclaimed as he marched up to the student in question. "HE'S the leaker!"

"Rule 3 of the student code~" the student reminded him.

As soon as Ko reached the desk where the sleeping student was, he raised his paw... and gently tapped the sleeper's shoulder. "Wakey wakey, boiled eggs and bacey~" he whispered softly.

"Hernk!" the sleeper gasped as he was roused. With a yawn, he stretched and said, "Nnnng... Hoh, boy that was a nap. Sorry for dozing off, can I help you?"

"Actually, yes," Ko said. "But first, my name is Ko, what's yours?"

"Name's Drew, nice to meet you."

"Well, Drew, I was just inviting my newest school friend, uhh..."

"My name's Sam," the student with the Misdreavus said.

"-Sam here to join me in solving a mystery, and he suggested that I invite you as well," Ko explained.

"That so?" Drew asked. "A little out of the blue, but alright. So, what's the mystery?"

"He's trying to find out where everyone comes and goes during shift change," Sam said before silently mouthing, 'do NOT spoil it for him, please.'

"Oh, oh, right. Well, I'd be happy to help you solve it!" Drew said, going along with it.

"Excellent!" Ko said. "Welcome to the group, Drew and Sam. Starting tomorrow, after classes, that is, you'll be asking students around the school if they know that other students take their place when day becomes night and vice versa. But for now, my work here is done." He then turned to Drew and added, "By the way, Drew, you tend to talk in your sleep. Might wanna have something done about that."

"Right, sorry," Drew said. "Well, see you tomorrow!"

"Same here," Sam added.

"Will do!" Ko said before he took his leave back to his dorm.

-

(Scene transition: Academy crest)

-

As soon as Ko was settled back into his dorm, he sent a text to all three of his first friends. A few quick taps later, the device pulsed with light-blue rings of light. "And now we wait. In the meantime, however..."

As the bear waited for the response to come through, he walked up to the mini-fridge in his kitchen nook and looked inside, revealing that it was stocked full of Lemonade cans and Berries. "Soon, my precious. Soon-"

"Ro-to-to-to-to..."

"Well, that was quick."

The fridge was quickly closed up as Ko's Rotom Phone flew up to his face, displaying Camilla, Pico and Balto together on split-screen images. "Good news, conference callers!" he said. "Not only did I locate the leaker and get him to stop, I also recruited him and another fellow student to our cause!"

"Really?" Pico asked. "So, who's joining us tomorrow?"

"Drew and Sam," Ko answered. "Drew was the leaker... the sleep-leaker, that is." That earned him a muffled giggle from Balto. "But enough about me. How did your search come up?"

"Well, I found out that day or night, people enjoy the bread in the school store," Balto reported. "Oh, and Pokemon tend to sleep by the wooden door there."

"As for the Art room," Pico added, "people can't seem to take their eyes off the Staraptor statue, or help but debate whether to use their cameras or their pencils to make art."

"Okay," Ko said. "And what about you, Camilla? How did you fare with Home Ec?"

"Well," Camilla said, "I did find out that the Skwovet there don't seem to leave that room, just crowd the students when they eat and curl up on top of the cabinets any other time. But I also found out what I want to do once I can set out on my own Treasure Hunt!"

"And when is that?" Ko asked.

"Well, about..." Camilla mused as she counted on her finger-beans, "24 more classes."

"Then we've still got some time," Ko said, "but not a lot left. I think we're ready to tackle the big score."

"Big score?" Balto asked.

"What's the big score?" Pico added.

"I thought no one would ever ask!" Ko answered. "After class hours tomorrow, all four of us are going to get together to examine the Foremost World-Renowned Pokemon Academy of Paldea's largest room of all... the schoolyard. If any room of the Academy has an answer to The Mystery of..."

"They Who Come and Go During Shift Change," all four anthros said simultaneously.

"...it has to be there!" the bear finished. "So, everybody get some rest, because we'll need all the energy we can get for tomorrow."

"But don't you want to hear about what-"

"Too sleepy, can't focus, gotta go, bye-eeee," Ko said before he ended transmission and turned his phone off.

-

To be continued.