Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

The Hell-Sent girls set off to take Eartha's Rotom to the nearest Pokemon Center and explore the powers Anton has in the interim, one of which is allowing Eartha to jump higher than before. Meanwhile, Ko and his new friends set their own plan in motion...

-

And so, the Hell-Sent girls continued down the path east, getting further and further away from the crystal dome in Casseroya Lake. But it wasn't long before the group reached their first ledge, so Rosita had to explain something to Eartha.

"Okay, Eartha, we've seen what you and Anton can do together," the caracal said, "And that bridge of ice we used to cross the moat? That was Leopold's doing. But now you get to see what my spirit partner is capable of. Conner, do your thing!"

"As you wish," the snail said before focusing on the ground at the bottom of the ledge. As expected, vines started growing up and entwining around each other, forming a ladder that crawled up the ledge to the top.

"Now, everybody climb!" Rosita said, and everybody started climbing up the vine ladder as quick as they could. Just as soon as the last person reached the top, though, the vines withered and collapsed.

"Whoa, what the?" Eartha exclaimed. "Did our ladder just crash down?"

"That's the Principle of Ruin at work," Jessica explained. "Apparently, our partners' powers of creation have a time limit to hold."

"Is that so?" Anton questioned. "Well, we'll see about that. Where's the next stop?"

"According to the map," Rosita answered, "across the log bridges to just before we reach Glaseado's Grasp."

"Well, Eartha, you heard her," the moose said. "Last one to the big hand cliff is a bad egg!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" the fennec fox called out as she chased her spirit partner. "I still have your Sealing Ball!"

"Well, that lit a fire under her tail," Rosita said. "Maybe we'll get to the Pokemon Center before nightfall after all."

"We'll see," Jessica supposed before the group took off faster down the path. Along the way, the girls were passing Tatsugiri in its different forms, puffing up their sacs to disguise themselves... which would work in their favor, except...

"Huh," Rosita said. "Suddenly I have the strangest craving for sushi. Don't know why..."

That strange craving started coming and going as the group crossed the log bridges past Casseroya Falls, but once they reached Casseroya Watchtower No. 3, which was the homestretch, they saw that Eartha and Anton were already there and snapped out of it.

"Eartha!" Jessica said. "How did you get here so fast?"

"The same way you did," the vulpine girl replied. "I walked, but faster."

"And why does it look like you were trying to super-jump up the ledge instead of waiting for Conner to make another ladder?" Leopold inquired, noticing all the upturned earth.

"Well, the answer to that," Anton stated, "is that I was preparing Phase 1 of a way to bypass this Principle of Ruin. Now that Conner's here, it's time for Phase 2!"

"I see," Conner said. "Well, here goes... something." And as he focused on the bottom of the ledge where the soil was loosened... something unusual happened. Vines rose up from the ground, but these were thicker, greener, and were growing even faster and longer than before!

"Whoa!" Rosita exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't think you had that in you, Conner!"

"Not originally," Conner said, also in awe of what happened. "It is possible that Anton merely tilled the soil so the vines could pull more nutrients from it and grow stronger. But bear in mind, I did say I just came up with the Principle of Ruin when we first met."

"We'll figure that out later," Eartha said. "Right now, we're almost where we need to be, and Rotom can get the help it needs, so let's get climbing!"

Kind of like when Conner and Leopold made that ice-slide when we needed to get to Porto Marinada, Jessica thought to herself as the girls climbed up the thicker vines, passing the snow-line of Glaseado Mountain until they reached the top of the ledge, where they saw the unmistakable shine of a Poke Ball-shaped light on a metal pole... in other words, a Pokemon Center signpost past the top of a snowy slope.

"Follow that beacon!" Anton said, and the group hurried up the slopes just as the sky was turning orange, signaling the start of sunset. Finally, when they reached the top, there was the electronic kiosk that was the beacon of hope for Pokemon Trainers all across Paldea.

"Whoo! We made it!" Eartha said after the trek. "Finally Rotom can get medical attention!" She then approached the red portion of the desk. "Excuse me, I would like to treat my Rotom, please."

"That's what I'm here for," the nurse said as she took Eartha's Poke Ball, then placed it into the healing machine and typed away on the holographic keyboard. The chime rang pleasantly as the image of the Pokemon inside the ball was surrounded with green plus marks, and the health bar was refilled. "Here you are, young lady. Rotom should be back to full health. We hope to see you again!"

"Okay, mission accomplished," Eartha said. "So, what's next on the docket?"

"Glad you asked," Conner said. "After those run-ins with those crystal monsters in the past, I have an idea to fight them before they come after us."

"Of course," Leopold added. "Because how do you defend yourself against the unknown?"

"With a pre-attemptive strike!" Anton answered enthusiastically.

"Close enough," Conner supposed. "But, as we can see, it's almost time for the sun to go down, so let's set up a rest area here."

As much as they were disappointed for not finding out what Conner had in mind, he did have a point. So they reluctantly went along with the thought...

-

Meanwhile, back at the Academy.

-

And speaking of sunset, Ko and his friends were waiting patiently for sunset to get here so the day shift could leave. As each of them looked out the window, they saw the sun creep down over the western horizon.

"Here it is, the sunset," Ko said in the cafeteria. "I just have to count it down, and I'll be able to witness the changing of the shifts. And with every one we witness, we'll be that much closer to solving the Mystery of... They Who Come and Go During Shift Change, the answer to which will be my treasure. Five..."

"Four," Camilla said in her homeroom outside of class hours.

"Three," Pico added at his post.

"Two," Balto tacked on where he was, until the last, unknowingly simultaneous...

"One."

-

To be continued.