Previously on Oranges to Grapes...

While our heroes rest up for their next day of their quest at Artazon's pool, Rosita and Dina finally realize they met Balto and Pico's parents respectively, and start kicking themselves for not seeing it sooner. But the thought is pushed to the back of their minds, because they still have a job to do...

-

As the sun rose on a new day in Paldea, the group still laid on the chairs in their swim clothes, roused by the sunbeams one by one. As they got up from the beach chairs, they stretched and yawned, ready to take on another busy day.

"Mmmm... Good morning, everybody!" Camilla said with a stretch of her own as she saw everyone else was up.

"Good morning, Camilla!" everyone else said... well, almost everyone. Rosita and Dina were still suffering some fallout from yesterday. "Morning," they said simply.

"So, are we all clear on the plan?" Pico asked as he stood up. "Balto takes down the ruby dome over the Schedar Squad's base, I get the topaz dome over Levincia, and Camilla does the smoky quartz dome near Zapapico."

"After we get changed into our walking-around clothes, and get some breakfast," Jessica piped up.

"Good point," Eartha said.

"Can I ask something?" Balto asked. "Why don't Pico and I take care of our domes at the same time? That way, Camilla can have some time to converse on the way to her dome."

"Alright, then I volunteer to come with Pico," Rosita said.

"And I'll go with Balto," Dina added.

"I'm coming with Dina to watch over Balto," Eartha piped up.

"And I'll go with Rosita... to look after Pico?" Jessica tacked on.

"Sounds fine with everyone here," Camilla said. "And... break!" And with a clap of her paws, the group left the pool to get ready...

-

(Dome 6: Schedar Strength)
(Dome 7: Bright Lightning, Big City)

After everyone was back in proper attire and fed, the group left Artazon and split into two: while Balto, Eartha and Dina went to the ruby dome, Pico, Rosita and Jessica approached the topaz dome with Camilla following the latter group. Unfortunately, everyone overlooked one small, but crucially important detail: while the path to the Schedar Squad's base was long and straightforward, Levincia was cut off by a long stream that sloped down to the beach.

That was when the Hell-Sent girls finally decided to reveal their spirit partners from their Sealing Balls, and showed what they could do with them besides transforming. Leopold breathed an ice-sigh on the water at the end of the stream to create an ice bridge, and Bea helped Dina carry Eartha and Balto while she was darting past the gates with her super-speed. Before long, the groups found themselves outside their assigned domes and waited for some Diademons to show up.

At the ruby dome, a Paldean Tauros took notice of the three anthros that encroached on his territory, and chased after them!

Balto looked behind himself and saw the black-furred bovine charging after them. "Dina! Look out!" 

Just as the axolotl took notice, the group was at the edge of the dome, and she put them down quickly before the angry Pokemon closed in on them. The husky and fennec fox gave her some space as she taunted the Tauros by fluttering the side of her skirt like a matador's cape. That threw the Tauros into a hotter rage, and he concentrated all his efforts to crash the intruders at all costs... but all Dina had to do was twirl to the side, and the dome swallowed him up like he was candy!

"Ole!"

Back at the topaz dome, Pico was impressed at how easily his group handled getting there, but there was still the matter of goading Pokemon at the dome to make Diademons for scepter fuel. But he didn't need to worry much, because a small school of Tadbulb was under the bridge to the city, and they bumped into the dome's surface under the water without anyone noticing a thing.

Now the domes had what they needed to call for backup, and in a few short seconds, six Diademons total had appeared before the groups: three with flaming heads adorned with Tauros Hair, and three with contact-screw heads adorned with Tadbulb Mucus.

"Good morrow, all, greetings and salutations!" one of the topaz dome Diademons said.

"You are in our sight, caught in our light!" another added.

"Who and what are we?" the third asked before they were cut off.

"In the way!" Rosita spat, and the groups prepared to fight!

-

"Answer for your injustices! Hell-Sent Precure!"

-

"Ha!" one of the ruby dome Diademons retorted. "The only injustices commited here are yours against the light!"

"Oh, blow it out your hole!" Cure Fear spat. "Oh, wait, that's right... YOU CAN'T!"

-

Cure Grudge leapt into the air and sent out all of her vine laces, and they grabbed one of the topaz Diademons all over its body!

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

The vines pulled with all their might, and it tore the Diademon apart with each vine coiled around a piece!

"FRENZY!!!"

The vines flailed all over the place, bludgeoning the pieces into the ground before they smashed them all together in midair!

"You have issues!" the Diademon seemed to say before it was shattered into diamond dust.

-

Cure Hatred rushed forward and elongated her ice blades, right towards two of the topaz Diademons!

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

She thrusted the blades forward with all her might, and they impaled the Diademons clean through!

"MINCER!!!"

She flailed the blades all over the place, slicing and dicing the Diademons into bits!

"You have issues!" the Diademons seemed to say before they were shattered into diamond dust.

-

Cure Fear jumped up and slammed her fists onto the ground, causing it to crack towards two of the ruby Diademons!

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

She pulled the ground apart with all her strength, and the crack opened up wide to look like a gaping mouth!

"WRECKER!!!"

She kept slamming the crack open and shut, making it crunch the Diademons into bits!

"You have issues!" the Diademons seemed to say before they were shattered into diamond dust.

-

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

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

She crashed into the Diademon multiple times, forcing heat energy into its body and making it hotter and hotter!

"INFERNO!!!"

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

"You have issues!" the Diademon seemed to say before it was shattered into diamond dust.

-

"Now! Use the scepter!" the girls called out, and Pico and Balto brandished their crystal scepters to absorb the diamond dust, and with a beam from each, two domes were removed from Paldea at the same time!

"Alright, let's see if this whole 'divide and conquer' strategy works for us in the long run!" Pico said as he entered the city to investigate.

"Don't power down just yet, girls!" Balto said as he led his group through the gateway of the base. "If we're going to stand against two Diamants, we'll need as much power as we can get!" He then punctuated his last sentence with a toss of his Poke Ball to let Prince join them.

As soon as both groups were deep enough in the territories, two different sentient kimonos made their presence known: a red one with a flame-burst pattern and a Fire Tera Jewel for a head was in the Schedar Squad's base, and a black and yellow zigzag-patterned one with an Electric Tera Jewel for a head was in Levincia. Both of them looked up from the groups, and once they saw that their neighbor's dome was also gone, spoke in unison.

"So you interlopers have shattered two domes,
Appearing more desperate to rescue your homes.
But the Candelabra and Lightbulb Diamants
Have no interest to hear your needs or wants.
If you're still jonesing hard to act against the light,
Then prepare yourselves... for twice the fight!"

And just as before, the Diamants raised their sleeves and sparkles gathered near them... but this time, they each had their own effect. While the Candelabra Diamant shot a steady stream of flames that scorched the ground, the Lightbulb Diamant summoned lightning bolts from the sky that shot at its opponents' feet!

"AH!" both the lizard and husky said in sync without knowing. "If only there was a way to make Fire/Electric attacks weaker!"

"Guess I'll have to rush forward with everything I have!" Balto decided. "Fear! Envy! Give Prince a boost up!"

"Right!" the aforementioned Cures replied. As Cure Fear slammed her fist into the ground, Cure Envy sped up to Balto's Quaxly, racing the crack that formed. Once she was there, she stopped, then sped off as the crack caught up, leaving an afterimage that exploded just when a chunk of rock catapulted the duckling Pokemon, using the force of the burst to gain extra hang-time.

As the makeshift platform fell back to earth, Balto barked, "Now! Prince, use Aqua Jet!"

"Qua!" the little mallard said as he barreled through a tunnel of water towards the red kimono.

Back in Levincia, Pico was still having a time against the Lightbulb Diamant until Cures Grudge and Hatred combined their powers to fling an ice-ball with Grudge's vine-lace, stunning it for a few seconds. But the act alone gave the lizard an idea.

"I've got it!" he said as he took out a Poke Ball... but not Apple's. "Go, Smoliv!"

"Smoliv!?" everyone nearby questioned as the olive Pokemon appeared in a flash of light.

"No time to explain!" Pico said. "Grudge! Get ready to fling Smoliv up to the Diamant!"

"Smo-smoliv..." the little Pokemon trembled nervously.

Be gentle, it said, Conner's voice translated.

"I'll try," the caracal said as she flung the poor thing at the striped kimono with all she had. But the adrenaline scared Smoliv out of its mind, so much so that once it was within range of the Diamant as it shook off the stunning-

PLASH!

That quickly, Pico was standing directly below the oil-doused Diamant's shadow, the owner of which was seething with wrath!

"Trying to stop me with a splash of grease!?
Big mistake, bub- NOW YOUR LIVING SHALL CEASE!!!"

"That's what you think, you oily rag!" Pico taunted as he caught Smoliv in his hand. But the Diamant realized too late that it was about to fire a lightning bolt at itself... while covered in an inflammable substance!

"...Oh, poop."

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!" Just as the domes were shattered at the same time, the Diamants they held were defeated at the same time as well. Both of them exploded in showers of light that restored the energy of its captives and reversed the damage, and several seconds later, two Prime Tera Jewels revealed themselves to Balto and Pico, telling them that the former liberated the hearts of the Schedar Squad, and the latter earned the respect of the community of Levincia.

After Balto pocketed the Prime Fire Tera Jewel, Dina and Eartha powered down, and the group approached the large tent of the base they liberated while the reformed students returned to the Academy. Once the curtains were opened, there stood the red Schedar Starmobile.

"Almost forgot about this part of my Treasure Hunt," the husky said. "But now I have two cars to bring to Dad."

"That reminds me," Eartha interjected. "How did you get the Segin Starmobile to your dad?"

"I didn't," the husky admitted. "But it did get picked up. I just had to get a photo of it before the collectors showed up."

"The collectors?" Dina asked.

(Candelabra Diamant defeated!)

Back in Levincia, Camilla asked Pico, "So, now that you rescued three cities with Gyms, are you going to ask this Gym's Leader for a favor?"

"I dunno, maybe?" Pico answered as he pocketed the Prime Electric Tera Jewel while Rosita and Jessica powered down.

"Someone call my name?"

That question had to have come from only one person, and as the group looked towards the voice, they were right about who it was!

"'Ello, ello, ello, ciao and bonjour! Your eyes are mine, caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit?"

"Iono!" the group answered.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" the Electric-type Gym Leader said with a giggle. "Anywhos, I just came out to see who brought back all the color in Levincia! There was way too much yellow here for a long while, and coming from me, that's sayin' somethin'!"

"That would be me, plus others," the lizard said. "Pico Hatsuki, at your service."

"Pekot, huh? Well, anyone who can save a city as big as mine is certainly MY cup of tea!" Iono joked. "So, what can I do to thank you for letting some fresh air back into my neck o' the region? Just don't ask for a Badge, cuz' ya didn't beat me in a Pokemon battle~!"

"Well, there is one thing," the lizard mused...

(Lightbulb Diamant defeated!)

-

To be continued.