Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

Ko submits his findings on his mystery, while Camilla, Pico and Balto get started on the FWR-PAPAR. Meanwhile, the Hell-Sent girls set out for permission to enter Area Zero...

-

As the sky was still not fully lit, the Pokemon were still feeling a little groggy. But even they knew they couldn't sleep forever, because they had other needs to tend to. That was especially true on the path beyond the northern tunnel of Mesagoza, where our story continues.

There, on the grassy, uphill path populated by Igglybuff, Fidough and Tandemaus, those Pokemon were rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and yawning their cute, little yawns before they were looking for something... or rather, somewhere. As soon as those little critters found good spots on the sides of the path, they spread their nubby legs apart, closed their eyes, took deep breaths, and...

Ssssssshhhhhh...

Ffffffffrrrr...

Plp. Plp. Plp. Plp...

Finally, after hours of holding it in while their owners were in their REM cycles, dozens of little bladders and bowels could finally expel their contents onto the grass. As buttholes were opened up by small pellets and gas puffs being released with abandon, trickles of urine passed through vulvas and sheathes... some of which were sporting morning... twigs, as it were.

Each of the Poke-pipsqueaks were reveling in the relief they felt; the Igglybuff seemed to deflate slightly as they went potty, the Fidough were panting from the emptying they did, and the Tandemaus even proved that the couple that stays together... goes together, even going so far as to watch the other one finish.

Just as the last iota of waste was let out, footsteps could be heard from the tunnel at the bottom of the path... and the Hell-Sent girls were just coming from it. Once the group stopped, Rosita showed the others the rest of the road they needed to take and said, "Take it all in, girls. Once we reach the top of that hill, there will be the final threshold we must cross for permission to access Area Zero. Welcome... to the homestretch of Victory Road."

Eartha took a deep breath... then started scrunching her nose in mild regret. "It seems we may be taking in the aftermath of an intimate moment... again."

"Whoo!" Jessica huffed as she waved her arm in front of her. "Tell me about it. Now that we're intimately familiar with other Pokemon and their various exits, let's get up that hill."

"Right behind you," Dina called, keeping her eyes down on the path in case there was any potential mine she might step on.

Deciding that the axolotl had the right idea, the others also kept a close eye on where they were putting their feet, forcing their spirit partners to apologize on their behalf.

"You'll have to forgive them, they've been on the road for a while now," Conner said to an Igglybuff they were passing.

"Iggly igglybuff," it responded.

"Oh, good, so you understand where they're coming from," Leopold chimed in.

Eartha did a double-take at that. "Wait, you guys speak Pokemon?"

"Well, somebody in this relationship has to," Anton said.

"Remember, before we became the Spirits of Ruin you see before you, we were once Pokemon ourselves," Bea explained. "So the language is basically our native tongue."

"Huh," Jessica commented. "Could come in handy if we need a translator. Neat."

"So, what did the Igglybuff say?" Rosita asked curiously.

"Happens all the time," Conner answered. "Now then, let's get back to-"

"I see the building!" Dina interrupted. Sure enough, there was the tall, silver and blue-trimmed building they were gunning for... right past another Pokemon Center.

"What the..." Jessica commented upon seeing the familiar red kiosk. "There was another Pokemon Center closer to the building?"

Rosita saw the kiosk herself and said, "Huh. Apparently, ye-"

"We could've had a closer resting point to our destination?" the snow leopard interrupted with building annoyance. "But instead, we had to do some extra walking and burn ourselves out in the city?!"

"Maybe Rosita wanted us to do this in the daytime when the path wasn't dark," the fennec fox offered, "and we'd see where we were stepping?"

"Obviously, we were being gaslit!" Jessica spat.

"Whoa! Hey! That is a wild accusation and a false analogy!" Rosita defended. "Besides, if I were gaslighting anyone, neither of us would know it."

"Well, I won't have it!" the angry snep snapped as she rushed up to the front door of the Pokemon League building and grabbed the door handles. "We are getting this mission over with and done, and I am not hearing another-" But as soon as she pulled the handles to open the door...

KRK!

"AOW! My back..."

Jessica toppled onto her side, thankfully landing on clean ground. "Augh... blasted worker's hitch... must.. get to painkillers..." she groaned as she reached into one of her pockets.

"Hang on, Jessie! I'll help!" Leopold offered as he ran behind his bearer. "Just tell me where it hurts."

"Right between the ribcage and the dip, but not too lo- Ooh, chilly!"

That exclamation of surprise was caused by the weasel made of snow softly jumping onto Jessica's back, using his body as a makeshift ice-pack to try and dull the pain. "Is it working?"

"Oh.. Actually, it feels kind of nice... and I think it is working."

"Well, how... can you get back up?" Rosita asked.

"I'll try." With a little effort, Jessica righted herself back up onto her feet. "Augh... Okay, guess I didn't need the back patch after all."

"Good to hear," a voice unfamiliar to anyone said.

"Who said that?" Eartha asked, caught off-guard and pivoting her ears around.

"I did."

-

To be continued. (Sorry not sorry~)