A short one for Silver & Soul, because Dec 24 being Silver's birthday and all. In the next update, this one-shot will be placed on top of the next one-shot, since this is too short to take up a whole chapter on its own. Also, since this had been done rather... hastily, it may have some grammatical errors. Sorry for that.

January 1st edit: the next one-shot is now placed on the bottom. Enjoy!

Primary: Silver & Soul.

Unexpected:

Mahogany Town, Johto, 7 pm…

Silver sat in his room in the Pokémon Center, staring through the window. It was snowing quite a lot and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground.

Silver sighed, grateful that he could spend his birthday quietly. He remembered what happened to Crystal during her birthday, and as such, he stayed away from the other Dex Holders (particularly Blue) during his birthday. The last thing he wanted was to be embarrassed in front of everyone.

Blue had already called to wish him a happy birthday. It seemed that, for once, she didn't have anything planned (thankfully). Crystal too, had called him and wished him a happy birthday. Of those who knew when his birthday was, Gold was the only one who didn't call. He probably forgot a long time ago, anyways.

Silver shrugged. He didn't care. He had no idea when Gold's birthday was either, and it would most likely stay that way forever.

After a stretch, he rose to his feet. Since it was his birthday, maybe he'd go get something good to eat. He always ate something he packed, but this time, maybe he'd go to a restaurant or something. He grabbed his coat and after ensuring that he had his wallet, left his room.

The hallways were rather loud and busy. Because of the weather, many people have chosen to stay indoors, and naturally, they were making lots of noise. Silver made a note to himself that perhaps he should stay at another Pokémon Center, perhaps somewhere where the weather is better.

Before long, he reached the main desk of the Pokémon Center, where lots and lots of people were gathered. Ignoring the crowd, Silver walked towards a wall where a detailed map of Mahogany was posted. Not too far away from the Pokémon Center, there was a decent restaurant that served good food for moderate price. He pulled out his wallet to check the amount of money he had. He planned on purchasing Christmas gifts for a few people. Well, 3 people. Blue (for obvious reasons), Crystal (for remembering his birthday), and of course…

"Happy birthday, Silver!" a cheerful female voice squealed from behind.

Out of surprise, Silver dropped his wallet. Perhaps he heard wrong? There were only two people (apart from Giovanni) who remembered his birthday. Crystal was helping out Professor Oak in Hoenn, and Blue was in Viridian, probably bothering Green. So… who could this be? That voice sounded too familiar for comfort.

Calmly, Silver picked up his wallet and turned around. Upon seeing the mystery girl, he dropped his wallet again.

"… Soul?" he muttered, utterly shocked.

"Hi, Silver! Did you miss me?" she asked happily. "I bet you didn't expect to see me, huh?"

"How… how did you find me? And how do you know that it's my birthday today?"

"A new friend of mine told me," Soul replied as she picked up Silver's wallet. "She told me where to find you too."

Silver froze. He could guess what happened. He took his wallet back and after securing it in his pocket, put both of his hands on Soul's shoulders.

"How did you meet her? Who introduced you?" he asked somewhat desperately.

Soul smiled. "Well, he told me not to tell you, but… I'll tell you anyway! It was Gold. A few days ago, he took me to Viridian City in Kanto and he introduced me to an older girl named Blue. And earlier today, she told me that it was your birthday today, and that you were staying in Mahogany Town."

"Gold… damn him…" Silver muttered angrily. "Do you know why he randomly introduced you to sis?"

"Well, he said "now Crys must never hear of that incident," but that's all I heard."

Silver sighed. Gold had been (once again) blackmailed. So it really wasn't his fault. But then again, if he hadn't mentioned Soul to Blue in the first place, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

'Interesting… perhaps I should find out what this 'incident' is. Maybe I should get Gold a gift too. I'll just borrow an Electrode from Crys and send it to Gold. It IS the season of giving, after all. Merry Christmas, you son of a-'

"Anyways, Silver, I came here to wish you a happy birthday and to buy you dinner," Soul said with another smile. "Normally you should be buying me dinner, but since this is your birthday, I'm willing to let it pass. So what do you say? It'd be just the two of us."

Silver looked surprised again. "Uh… sure, that sounds good." 'I should thank sis for this. Perhaps a pair of winter boots for sis, a scarf for Crys, an Electrode for Gold, and… whatever Soul wants…'

Soul winked at him and began to pull on his arm. "Well then, come on, Silver. I know this great restaurant not too far away."

Silver smiled as he followed. "Thanks, Soul. This is rather… unexpected, but thanks anyways."

"No problem, Silver. And again, happy birthday!"

January 1st edit: the next one-shot has arrived!

Beware: like Unexpected, this one was also done rather hastily, thus may have some errors. Sorry.

Primary: Ruby & Sapphire.

New Year's Party:

Route 101, Hoenn…

Sapphire hung upside down on a tree in Route 101, waiting for the other Dex Holders to arrive. It was a gathering for the New Year's party. The location was set in Lavaridge Town's hot springs. It may not be the most suited location for the party, but Sapphire felt that some parties really should take place outside, not indoors. And besides, with the chilly weather, the hot springs would feel very pleasant.

"Hey, Sapphire!" came Ruby's voice from below.

"What?"

"There's been a problem! You better come back home!"

Surprised, Sapphire quickly jumped down and ran back to Littleroot. In her home, she could see Gold's image on the picture phone. For some reason, he had band-aids all over his face.

"Yeah, uh… about that New Year's party," Gold began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't go there," he said after a pause.

"Why not?" Sapphire asked.

"Well… let's just say that some smartass whose name begins with S and ends with R sent me a bomb for Christmas, and I'm still busy pulling splinters out of my ass."

Sapphire looked confused. 'Someone sent a bomb?'

"And I think someone whose name begins with C and ends with L may have been involved too. So the very first place I'm going to visit this year is wherever these two smartasses are, but it won't be any time soon. Sorry, but you won't see me there today."

Gold hung up afterwards, leaving Sapphire a little disappointed. But even without Gold, there was still a total of 12 Dex Holders.

… Or so she thought…

Soon, Sapphire received another call, this one from Sandgem Town of Sinnoh. Apparently, Platinum had been ill for quite some time and her condition had become a little worse, preventing her from leaving her room, let alone go all the way to Hoenn. And with the heiress sick, Diamond had chosen to stay by her side until she recovered. And Pearl (who was with Diamond and Platinum in the Berlitz Mansion) said that he would spend the day with his father in Twinleaf.

Sapphire sighed. Now there were 9 left…

The next one to call was Crystal. But unlike the other calls, she seemed eager for the party.

"So, I'm assuming that you can come?" Sapphire asked hopefully.

"Of course," Crystal replied. "I wouldn't want to miss it."

"Well, that's good. Because Gold and the Sinnoh trio said that they can't come."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Platinum's sick, Dia is staying with her, Pearl is staying home with his dad, and Gold is… well, he's apparently busy recovering from a bomb that you and Silver sent."

Crystal blinked. "What? Silver and I sent a bomb to him?" she asked, utterly confused.

Sapphire nodded. "He said "some smartass whose name begins with S and ends with R sent me a bomb for Christmas" and "someone whose name begins with C and ends with L may have been involved". He said that he'll visit those two 'smartasses' once he recovers."

Crystal looked somewhat angry. "He's blaming me? I took him all the way to Cianwood City that day!"

"So why did you send a bomb?"

"I didn't! I…" Crystal trailed off, having a thought occur. "Oh, now I see… Silver asked me whether he could borrow an Electrode earlier that day, and I lent one to him. He must've sent that Electrode over to Gold, and had it use Explosion… And Gold blames me for that? He called me a smartass because of that?"

"Um…" Sapphire started, thinking of something to say that'll calm her senior.

"That jerk! I'm going over to him right now!" Crystal yelled, hanging up.

Sapphire turned to face Ruby with a depressed look. "Well, it looks like she's not coming either."

"Your fault," Ruby said. "You just had to tell her what Gold said…"

The next several calls were all about Dex Holders NOT coming as well. Silver said that he couldn't because someone (Soul) was nagging at him to take her somewhere. According to Yellow, Red had forgotten about the party itself and had disappeared somewhere to train, and she was going to try and find him. Blue said that she was going to stay home and spend time with her parents (first New Year's with them in 15 years, as she always spent New Year's with other Dex Holders), Green said he was busy (didn't specify), and Emerald wasn't coming since no one else was.

Sapphire slumped against the wall. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me…" she said to Ruby.

"Yeah… about that…" he started to look around, perhaps thinking of an excuse… "I think I hear dad calling me!" he said, trying to leave the room. He knew exactly what would happen if he were to have a party with only Sapphire.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sapphire asked, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of going to the hot springs with just me?"

"Look, I don't remember what happened on Mirage Island, alright?" Ruby said, trying to free himself.

Sapphire grinned. "I didn't say anything about that."

Ruby stopped struggling. 'Crap… I shouldn't have said that…' "Uh… force of habit…"

Instantly he broke free of Sapphire's grip and started to run. Because she was right behind him, he had no time to put his Running Shoes on (no shoes indoors). Knowing that he couldn't escape this time, Sapphire calmly put her shoes on, took Ruby's Running Shoes, and called her Tropius. Since Ruby had no Pokémon that could fly, there was nothing he could do to avoid her this time.

Ruby desperately ran away. His feet hurt because he had no shoes on, but he still had to run. That way, he could buy time to think of a response once Sapphire captures and interrogates him.

'Okay… she knows why I'm running. If she asks whether I still love her, I can say that I can't answer, because one answer is a blatant lie and the other is too much for me to say. If she asks why I've been pretending to have forgotten all this time? Uh… … crap!'

Sapphire smiled as she watched Ruby from high above. 'Ah… the perfect way to kick off the New Year… chasing Ruby and perhaps ending this constant chase once and for all…' She thought for a moment. 'What should I say or do to end it?'

Suddenly, she recalled the little "girls' meeting" she had with the other female Dex Holders a while back.

1 year ago…

"There was something I wanted to teach to someone, but unfortunately, out of all the other girls, there had been no one who could've used this effectively enough to make it worth it," Blue said, looking at all the other female Dex Holders gathered. "However, now I see that there IS a candidate."

"What are you going to teach?" Crystal asked.

"It's something that if you know how to use properly, it would make the likes of Red and Gold utterly HARMLESS to you."

Crystal sighed. "Oh… Now I see where you're going with this… and there's no way that I'll do that."

"I know, Crys. I wasn't expecting to teach you in the first place," Blue replied. "Yellow can't use it because it won't have enough effect. If you're too nervous, you'll mess it up. Crys can't use it as well, because her personality won't allow it."

"There's also pride, Blue," Crystal said with another sigh. "I feel it's degrading."

Blue narrowed her eyes. "Don't imply anything, Crys. I can make you regret that forever."

Crystal instantly became silent. Sapphire looked confused.

"What about me?" she asked.

"The way I see it, it'll only work against Ruby, and that's it. And I don't know whether it'll work all that well to begin with," Blue replied after a moment of thought. "Which then leaves you, Platinum. In fact, you are the candidate I was talking about."

"Me, senior?"

"Yes. I can tell that you'll be able to use this REALLY effectively. And I can't tell you how useful this is against Red. It's not degrading, and it'll maintain its effectiveness if you don't use it frequently. It's called using fake tears."

Platinum looked somewhat confused. "How would that be effective?"

"Have you ever noticed how much people around you panicked when you cried?" Blue asked.

The heiress thought for a few seconds. She did recall what happened when she cried in front of Gold when he… tried something against her. She remembered him looking around, not knowing what to do, stammering, trying to make her stop, pretty much begging her not to cry…

"I remember…" she muttered.

"Good. Now if you were to take advantage of such situations… Come with me, Platinum. I'll teach you how to use it properly. I'll teach you everything."

Sapphire snapped out of her thoughts. 'That's it… fake tears… Only useful against Ruby, huh? Looks like I'll have to see exactly how useful it is.' With a plan forming in her head, she aimed at Ruby (who was still running) and jumped off of her Tropius.

Ruby looked up just in time to see her fall towards him and acted just in time to catch her. From the momentum of the fall, he fell to the ground as well. Sapphire slowly rose to her feet, thinking of the most depressing moment of her life, trying to generate the tears necessary for this… trick.

"So, Ruby," she started slowly. "Tell me about that Mirage Island incident. Tell me why you've been lying to me." But before Ruby could say anything, she cut him off. "Do you still like me?"

"Uh… I can't answer that," Ruby said, just as he prepared. "One answer is a blatant lie and the other is too much for me to say."

"Why? Would it hurt my feelings?" Sapphire asked. 'Ugh this is just too… mushy for my taste. I'll never use this trick ever again…'

"Huh? No, no, it's not like that, it's…"

"You know I still love you," Sapphire said with a sadder tone. 'Yuck… why the hell did I even consider doing this? Crap… it's too late to back out now…' With much, much effort, she dropped to her knees and started to cry. "You were lying to me when you said that you liked me, weren't you? How could you hurt my feelings like this on New Year's Day?"

Ruby froze. 'Is… is she crying?' "H – Hey, listen…" His eyes opened wide in shock. He had seen this somewhere before… But where?

"Look, I chased away the Salamence!"

"Scary… so scary…"

'The Salamence incident! She was crying then, on her knees, rubbing her eyes… just like now!' Ruby started to panic; really panic. 'No, no, no… not again… I tainted her crystal clear heart last time… I don't want to know what I did this time!'

Sapphire continued to cry, feeling miserable. 'I feel so f*cking stupid…'

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…" Ruby stammered. "No, Sapphire, please don't cry, please!"

'Hey, it works!' "Then tell me the truth!" Sapphire yelled.

"Okay, okay… just please stop crying!" Ruby begged desperately. "Okay, the truth is…"

"What?" 'Quit stalling!'

"I always liked you, and after that Salamence incident, I gave up on the path of strength so I could be more like you… well, the way you used to be. Then, when we met again, you changed so much, yet you still liked me. I couldn't believe that you liked a weird guy like me… and I was afraid that if we were to… you know, be in a relationship, you'd be disappointed in me."

'… What? THAT's the reason?' Sapphire desperately suppressed the urge to smirk. "That's a stupid-ass wor- I mean… um… … Really?"

"Yeah… Sorry for lying to you. But I really do like you."

With a smile, Sapphire hugged Ruby. Surprised, he carefully hugged her back. He felt that if he didn't, she would snap him in half. At any rate, he was glad that she wasn't crying anymore.

"Hey, let's go to Lavaridge. There's an appointment with the hot springs, after all," Ruby said nicely.

Sapphire rose to her feet. "Sure. Why not? It'll be just the two of us, right?"

"Of course."

"Great. Let's go then!" 'This day didn't turn out bad after all. So the fake tears really do work. But I rather die before I use it again. But then again, it looks like I won't have to anymore.'

Upon calling her Tropius again, Sapphire hopped on and with Ruby, headed towards Lavaridge Town.

The next 3 one-shots will be all Diamond & Platinum. Call it a D&Pt burst. The reason is that I have some ideas leftover for Diamond & Platinum, and I might forget about them if I keep cycling around the various pairings.