Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

Rosita and Jessica (mostly Jessica) buy a pack of both Kelpsy and Qualot Berries at the Porto Marinara marketplace, but the reason they got them had gone missing. But when Rosita tries to explain that they have nothing to worry about, they get spotted by a concerned resident...

-

There was no time to stop and think of a plan, so the girls only had one option to take...

"CHEESE IT!"

The both of them suddenly darted away from the house before its resident could see them. Now, allow me to remind you that that particular blue house in Porto Marinada, if you don't remember, is the home of one of our current Academy students, Balto Mijuumi... as well as his father, who was currently in more casual clothing to settle down for the night: blue sweatpants, a gray T-shirt with the words "Proud Papa" in black, and gray crew socks under brown slippers.

"Huh," the big husky said. "Could've sworn I heard someone out here... Eh, must've left."

Meanwhile, Rosita and Jessica were on the other side of town, trying to catch their breath by the crepe and ice cream stands. "Wow... that was close," Rosita said.

"Yeah... sorry for jinxing us again," Jessica said. "Guess we'll have to look elsewhere for Conner and Leopold."

"Right," Rosita concurred before she looked around. "But in the meantime... we are next to some snack vendors with some extra money left over from the auction, so... care for a bite? I'm buying."

"I don't see why not," Jessica supposed, and she decided on a Fizzy-Pop Ice Cream cone while Rosita settled for a Strawberry Chocolate Crepe. After they sat down with their newly-purchased treats...

"Time to dig in!"

Each of them took a bite, and as the sweet flavors washed over their tongues... "Mmm... Yum!"

But right in the middle of their eating, Rosita felt something tickle her ankle while Jessica felt something cool against her paw, and when they looked down... "Any room for two more?"

"Conner!" "Leopold!"

"Where have you two been?" Rosita asked. "We thought we lost you back at the marketplace earlier!"

"Yeah..." Conner said uneasily. "Turns out we can't hold our forms inside buildings. Sorry we didn't tell you."

"And what about you?" Jessica asked her partner. "Where did you get the ice for a new body?"

"The frost buildup in the ice cream stand's freezer," Leopold explained.

"Well, whatever," Rosita said as Jessica took out the Berry bag. "Come on and join us, because we did get a bag of your favorite Berries at the auction, and it cost us a pretty Poke, let me tell you!"

Both snail and weasel took up the offer, and soon all four of the group were happily enjoying their little meal...

-

Meanwhile, back at the Academy.

-

Speaking of Balto, he was still in his dorm room getting ready for bed since he finished his alloted classes for the day. He flashed a just-brushed smile at no one in particular, showing that the cracks in his teeth were sealing up nicely.

"Boy, that enamel-repair toothpaste sure is doing its job," he said before he let out a yawn, "but I should be hitting the hay soon. Only a few more days of dorm-schooling before I can head out on my own Treasure Hunt." As he settled down and snuggled under the covers, he let the drowsiness take over before he mumbled... "Hope I don't lose my mind before then..."

-

As the husky pup snoozed, an unusual shine shimmered around him, and when he opened his eyes... he found himself inside a sphere of glass hexagons, making it look like a crystal honeycomb of light. "Whoa... where am I?"

"Somewhere unavailable to all but a select few," a soft, childlike voice spoke.

"Wha-" Balto said, caught off-guard. "Who said that?"

"I did," the voice said, and Balto followed the voice to find a small mass of light in the shape of a hexagon. "I cannot tell you my true identity, but I have learned of yours. Balto Mijuumi, you may call me by my working title... Terry."

"Okay," Balto supposed. "So, Terry... why exactly am I here?"

"Because," Terry explained, "I have come to you to warn you of a terrible occurence that will beset this land and others in several days. During such, all Tera Orbs will lose their power, and no Trainer will be able to Terastalize their Pokemon again... which may sound like a good or bad thing depending on where you stand on the debate, but the point is it will happen."

"Alright," Balto said after he let the information sink in, "but what if I want to stop it?"

"It cannot be stopped," Terry said gravely, "however, once the event begins, there is a way for the lands to be avenged. All you need is what you gained after your hardship. That object alone... is the key."

"What object?" Balto asked. "And what hardship?"

But Terry was already fading away along with the dome. "You already know. And now, I must warn two others of the same. Fare thee well..."

And Balto was left alone in his dream, hoping to change it to something else...

-

To be continued.