Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

After the Pomegranetes and Hell-Sent Girls go their separate ways to tackle the last three domes, Ko is called to the director's office to discuss his jam peddling, which seems to have hit a snag...

-

(Dome 16: A Dash Best Swerved Cold)

Pico and Dina left Mesagoza and decided to call the taxi up again to drop them off at Montenevera. After the cab landed and was promptly boarded, Pico decided to break the ice with, "So, ah... how does it feel to be able to come back home now that the dome's gone?" before he chided himself with a silent, Carajo!

"Not too bad," Dina replied. "Actually, I'm very comforted in the fact that I'm able to return to my place of residence... because of you."

Not sensing any dull annoyance, the lizard thought, Roll with it, before saying out loud, "Thanks."

Just then, the cab landed on solid ground as Hilda called out, "Okay, you two, we're here. And I just got another pickup order, so I'll need to get moving soon."

"Don't have to tell us twice, Hilda," Pico said as he and Dina disembarked the cab. The Squawkabilly then carried the whole Flying Taxi away, leaving the two in the second-coldest place in Paldea.

"Okay, since you asked me a question," the axolotl said before she led Pico to the gate on the other side of town, "I think it's only fair that I get to ask you one as well."

"Fire away," Pico said as he followed.

"So, I'm given to understand that this Academy you're enrolled in has an independent study project, where the main objective is to find something to treasure," Dina said as she and Pico exited the town. "If I were enrolled in the Academy myself, would I be able to do that?"

"Yes, you could," Pico answered. "And the best part of it is, there's no age limit for students to enroll, so anyone can do it. Hey, one time I even met a little girl who shared a class with her grandmother, I josh you not."

"Interesting," Dina mused.

"Why, is there a specific treasure you'd like to find?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Dina answered Pico. "You might not believe it at first, but being limited to how far I can go without my gill-buds running out of water doesn't allow me a lot of time outside of town if I don't replenish my supply every so often. Speaking of which, one sec." She then took out a bottle of Fresh Water and chugged it down, refilling her gill-buds before Pico to emphasize her point. "So, if I could go on this Treasure Hunt, as I hear it's called, the one treasure I would look for is a way to keep my water supply maxed out so I could take my time and enjoy all of the wonders this region has to offer... with my friends."

"Oh," Pico remarked. "That's a nice treasure to look for."

"It is," Dina said before she tried to find the words for her next sentence. "Um, so... if it's not too personal for me to ask..."

"What kind of treasure am I looking for?" Pico guessed. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to tell you, since you're friends with my mother and all. First off, before I tell you what I'm looking for, I need to say what I have."

At that, Apple popped out of its Poke Ball, and Bea formed from the heat energy emitted from its nest of flames. "Sounds like the lizard has a story to tell," Bea supposed, "and I guess we cannot stop him."

"Crocalor," the fire croc Pokemon trilled.

"Alright, didn't think I'd have an audience for this, but here goes," Pico said before clearing his throat, warmed up by the fire. "Ahem... Before it was just Mama and me living in Zapapico, I had an older sister. She and I used to play together when we were just little hatchlings. Whenever I was having a bad day, she'd notice it and try to make me feel better... ah, I miss those days." After his wistfulness was expressed, he then shaded his face with the brim of his hat and added, "But one day, when she came of age, she signed up for classes at the Academy, and that's when things started to get complicated. She packed her bags and moved into her dorm... away from our town, but I wasn't worried. Mama was there to reassure me that when I got a little older, I would get into the Academy myself, and after my sister graduated, we would be together as a family again. Ay papi, was that just blowing sunshine up my vent. After she got her Hall of Fame Badge for clearing all three lines of the Academy's curricculum, she wanted more, so a few strings were pulled to get her transferred to a better Academy from out of the region before I could get a say in edgewise. My heart was bruised, my family was stretched to a snapping point, but I didn't hold it against anyone. If I ever got into the Academy- and I obviously did- I promised myself that my treasure would be a chance to see my sister again, so we could be a family once more."

A tear rolled down Dina's cheek before she softly said, "Beautiful..."

Pico sighed and said, "Hoh... Boy, did that feel good to get off my chest. Usually when we provide backstory, we get cut off by closing in on the dome, but it's like we're nowhere near it this time."

"Actually, we are," Dina pointed out, showing that they were a few feet away from the turquoise dome over the summit of Glaseado Mountain. "I just paused the walk so the cutscene speech wouldn't end prematurely."

"Oh," Pico simply said.

But as soon as they got closer, Diademons topped with snow forts adorned with Snover Berries, Snorunt Fur and Cryogonal Ice popped off of the surface. "Do you two have any reservations?" one of them asked.

"Not about kicking your frosty jewels, we don't!" Pico retorted as Apple growled, and Dina produced her Sealing Ball.

-

Dina raised the Sealing Ball over her head and shouted, "Precure Ruination!"

Bea dissipated into embers, and it swirled around Dina and made her clothes turn into golden light... then they started changing!

First, her torso became surrounded with flames that coalesced onto her until they became a tan bodice with gold puffed sleeves and a gold pinstripe.

Next, more flames spiraled around her waist and became a gold knee-skirt with red and orange edges.

Then, even more flames swirled around her wrists and ankles until they became billowing gold sleeve extensions and red gladiator-laced net boots.

Finally, she threw the Sealing Ball in the air as more golden light poured out of the top of her head, and she twirled her fingers through it as it became a set of golden braids. The ball then landed on her chest and became a cerulean center knot of a gold ribbon tied in a bow.

"Antithesis of gratitude, Cure Envy!"

-

"Time to turn up the heat!" Pico said as Cure Envy primed herself. "Apple, help her out with Flamethrower!"

"CAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" As Pico's Crocalor shouted fire at the Diademons, the gold Cure darted forward with an explosion fueled by the flames, making it even bigger and shattering the crystal monsters into diamond dust already.

"Huh," Cure Envy supposed. "You wouldn't think Diademons would be this easily shatterable this deep into the quest."

"You may be onto something there," Pico said as he brought out his scepter. "This could be a setup for a trap, so whatever you do, don't power down until I get my last Prime Tera Jewel." After he fired another beam to pop the last crystal dome on Victory Road, the three approached the Pokemon Center at the summit of Glaseado Mountain and looked around.

But as they looked around, Cure Envy saw more Diademons coming up the mountain! "Pico! Look out!"

-

Cure Envy ignited into flames and ran at full speed towards the Diademons!

"This is the punishment for your crimes! Precure... Firescourge..."

She crashed into the Diademons multiple times, forcing heat energy into their bodies and making them hotter and hotter!

"INFERNO!!!"

With a snap of her fingers, the Diademons exploded spectacularly in a massive blaze of glory!

-

...Or they would have, if all that was left of them weren't puddles of water. "Wha?"

"Incoming reinforcements!" Pico called out as even more Diademons came up from the other side! "Apple! Use Flamethrower again!"

"CAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" The Crocalor blasted another shout of fire at the next wave... and as Pico and Cure Envy saw, the Diademons caught in the blaze melted down into more puddles of water!

"What's going on here?" the magical axolotl questioned. "Could this Diamant have technically found a way to amass Diademons even without a dome?"

"Sort of," Pico supposed. "But these aren't really Diademons... because they're made of ice!"

As if to confirm the lizard's words, cold air and sparkles collected over the puddles... and refroze the water into a large iceberg that exploded in a flurry of snow and glitter, bringing the felled ice minions back!

"We've got to find the Diamant responsible," Pico said as Apple kept blasting Flamethrowers, "or the gangs are just gonna keep coming back!"

"Up there!"

Cure Envy pointed over Paldea's Highest Peak, and hovering over it was an ice-blue kimono with a pattern of inter-connected diamonds, circles and lines and an Ice Tera Jewel for a head... the last one for Pico to stop. Upon noticing it was spotted, the Diamant began its speech.

"I see that your minds are not totally dead,
When you both have decided to look over your head.
But I must avenge my compatriots past,
So I'll punch you down until we're both at the last.
And if the light cannot truly be avenged by our hand,
Then you will surely ruin your beloved homeland.
Needless to say, niether outcome is nice,
So let the Snowflake Diamant... put you on ice!"

As its sleeves were already raised and gathering sparkles, the cold air was gathering even more as Cure Envy was sending out clone bombs to fend off the army while Pico ordered Apple to change its trajectory to the Snowflake Diamant, but loud as it shouted, the Flamethrower couldn't reach.

"Come on, Apple!" the lizard called out! "You can do it! Don't stop until that robe is destroyed like the last seven we beat! Do it for Paldea! For our friends and family! !!!!POR MI HERMANA!!!!"

That burst of encouragement alone caused the limits of Apple's power to break... and it started to shine with white light!

"Could it be?" Cure Envy asked after some more clone bombs. "Could it possibly be!?"

It was. As it did before, the construct of light began to change shape; its body became larger and wider, its snout and tail grew longer... and as the nest of flames migrated down to the sides of massive, gaping jaws, the oval hovered in midair and began to crack little by little until it finally hatched into a small, baby bird of fire that perched onto the snout's bridge. Apple had reached the final stage of its evolution... Skeledirge.

Jumping on the opportunity, Cure Envy darted away from the ruins of the crowd she deleted with no puddle to refreeze, and called out, "Bakuretsu Kaen Bushin!" Another group of clone bombs had gathered around the Diamant's location in a circle, and readied themselves to run.

But the Diamant only scoffed in response,
"Ha! Your loss is inevitable, no matter what you try!
You simply cannot reach me, I'm far too up high!"

"ATSUI TATSUMAKI!!!!" As the ring of Cure Envies ran around and exploded, the blast was swirled together into a flaming tornado that rose higher and higher, reaching high enough for the heat to lick the kimono's fabric. "PICO! NOW!"

"Apple! End this hell once and for all with Torch Song!"

At that order, the little firebird hopped off of Apple's snout and extended into the shape of a microphone stand. "SKE! LE! DIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRGE!!!!" On the last shout, the microphone lost its long leg and grew massive wings of flames, using them to soar directly into the tornado. Once it was inside, the bird shot itself upwards and absorbed the heat into its wings, making them bigger and bigger as it rose higher and higher until finally, the giant phoenix that resulted CRASHED into the Diamant and engulfed it in every flame it had!

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! SOOOOOO BEEEEEE IIIIIIIIIIIT!!!"

After those last words, the Diamant exploded in a shower of light that hung in the sky long enough for Pico to gaze upon its beauty and feel proud for stopping all the Diamants on the path he chose, before finally reaching the ground to restore the energy of the dome's hostages and reverse the damage the battle caused, putting a fresh coat of snow on the mountain to replace what got melted.

Cure Envy dispelled the tornado and stopped running, trying to catch her breath. "We... did it... Pico-" was all she could get out before she collapsed in exhaustion, separating into Dina and Bea again.

"Dina!" Pico called out before he called Apple back into its Poke Ball. "Apple, return!"

Already running as the red beam swallowed up the Skeledirge, Pico rushed to where Dina had collapsed, and Bea was still floating over her. "What happened?" the lizard asked in concern.

"She spent too much energy fueling the final blow," Bea stated. "Her body is still intact, but the heat almost dried out her water reserves. If she does not get some fluids into her system soon, she will die."

"Come on, come on," Pico muttered as he scrambled for any water he could give Dina. "Someone please help! My friend is going to die of thirst if she doesn't get anything to drink!"

As if Arceus heard his call, a bottle of Fresh Water dropped between the two anthros. With no time for questions, Pico quickly unscrewed the cap off and held the bottle to Dina's mouth. "Come on, Dina, please don't die," Pico pleaded as the clear liquid was poured into her maw. "I don't want to lose you! Not after everything we've been through! Remember how you met my mother at her job? And how you became a Hell-Sent Cure? And how we became friends and shared our dreams with each other!?"

As Pico spoke, Dina's gill-buds were starting to refill, but her eyes were still closed.

"Please! You have to fight this!" Pico begged. "Por favor..." A single tear was shed from the lizard's eye and landed on the axolotl's face... and her eyelid fluttered. "Please, I don't want you to die..."

"Ugh..."

That one small moan made Pico open his eyes, and he saw Dina in his arms struggling to move again. "Dina? Can you hear me?"

"Uh-huh," Dina groaned, still a little groggy.

"!Ay, Arceus mio!" Pico said with joy as he hugged Dina. "Oh, thank legendaries you're okay!"

"Pico Hatsuki," the voice said as the Prime Ice Tera Jewel descended before the two anthros. "You have broken the influence of the light over the Ice-type, and as such, have earned the respect of the whole of the Paldea region and all who inhabit it. Not only that, you have also demonstrated the qualities of one of the pillars of Pokemon training to rescue your bodyguard: friendship. Please present your crystal scepter, so you shall gain one of the legendary talismans needed to perform a new task in the future."

Pico took out his scepter again, and as light poured into it, it began to change shape into the firebird that hatched from Apple's egg when it evolved. The bird then extended its wings and connected the tips to form a full circle before the light faded.

"Before you is the Round of Friendship," the voice continued. "Accept it and your final Prime Tera Jewel, for you have earned them both well."

"Thank you," Pico said as he pocketed his eighth and final Prime Tera Jewel, as well as held his earned talisman in his hands. "Not only did we defeat all the Diamants on Victory Road, but I rescued Dina with a miracle."

"Actually, you did rescue your friend," another voice pointed out, "but I gave you the miracle." Both anthros looked up to see that they were being approached by the eighth Gym Leader of Paldea, Grusha. "After you made that robe blow up with all that fire, I heard you call out for help. Good thing I had an extra bottle of Fresh Water on me. But anyways, thanks for saving me and my Gym. Care for a photo?"

"I can answer that," Dina said. "It would be an honor."

(Snowflake Diamant defeated!)

(Victory Road cleared!)

-

To be continued.