For those who noted on the difference in Platinum in the last chapter, that was done on purpose. Quite different from my other stories, right? Compared to the rest of S-EARLY, in which Platinum is 13 or 14 years old most of the time, she is 19 in SY. As such, she is more mature (in more ways than one, hence Black's reaction). Also, since she has yet to meet any of her seniors in SY, when she's upset, she won't act like Gold, and instead, be ice-cold. … The rhyme was completely unintentional.
Anyways, some Dex Holders may act differently in SY when compared to the other stories thanks to the age differences. Though some won't be all that different. Crystal, for example. 17 or 26, she'll act pretty much the same. Same for Ruby and Sapphire. Hence the title.
Platinum's personality difference is a trial run for the future. The others are not. Will explain later if required.
Chapter 5: Grown Up or Not
"So, your name is Platinum, huh?" Black asked. He immediately received more fierce glares from the surrounding Berlitz Mansion guards. "Uh… how should I address you?" he asked quickly so that he wouldn't be mauled.
Platinum smiled just a little. "You may have just saved my parents' lives. You may address me however you wish."
Black glanced at the Berlitz Mansion guards. They were still glaring at him. One even made a signal by moving his thumb across his throat. Platinum couldn't see the threat, as that guard was standing behind her.
"I… I think I'll just call you Miss Berlitz. Or just Missy for short," Black said eventually.
"An odd choice, but as you wish," Platinum said. "Now then, what is your next course of action?"
Curtis looked at his notes. "We are going over to Hoenn in order to recruit two of the three Hoenn Dex Holders, who go by the names of Ruby and Sapphire Birch."
"How are we going to get there?" the heiress asked. "I imagine going over to Hoenn by boat will take far too long."
Black nodded. "Yes, which is why we'll be using a private jet. We used it to get here from Unova."
Curtis looked over to the side and pointed. "It's over there, if you want to see it."
Platinum looked where he pointed and saw a rather large private jet parked in the distance… with the pilots arguing with the police over a massive parking ticket, by the looks of it.
"Uh oh, that's not good," Black muttered.
"I shall go take care of that," Platinum said as she proceeded to walk towards the jet. Two of the Berlitz Mansion guards followed.
Once the heiress was out of hearing range, the other guards walked up to Black.
"Do not show any more disrespect to the Lady, understood?" the guard growled out.
"Y – Yes, sir…"
Curtis avoided eye contact with the guards and simply watched Platinum as she approached the police in the distance. The two policemen looked quite startled upon seeing the heiress and backed away from the private jet. She bowed to them and they hastily bowed back. After a few seconds of talking, the policemen left the two pilots alone and went about their business. The heiress talked a little with the two pilots before returning to Black.
"What did you say to them, uh… Missy?"
"I told them that the private jet has been called to Sandgem Town by me, and that all the occupants are my guests," the heiress said. "And I told them that I shall be paying for the parking violation fines of 100 000 PKD. Many parking rules have been violated, it seems."
"Really?" Curtis asked. "They seemed to be quite afraid of you, in a sense. Couldn't you just tell them to go away?"
Platinum shook her head. "Using one's status or authority to ignore or break the law is the first step of becoming a hated tyrant. I have no intention of becoming one. Also, I do have to set an example for all those who know me. They say that people act like those they serve. I do not want anyone working in my mansion to become arrogant simply because of the family they serve."
"… Wow," Black muttered. "When should we pay you back for the fines?"
"You do not have to repay me," the heiress answered. "In order to facilitate unit cohesion, we should not bother one another for minor instances such as this."
"Uh… thank you, Missy," Black said. 'Though I can't see how 100 000 PKD is minor.'
"Now then," Platinum said as she turned to look at the Berlitz Mansion guards. "I would like two of you to follow me, along with 4 of my servants. Everyone else, please take good care of my parents. And please update me on their progress once every 12 hours, at 10 am and 10 pm. But do not hesitate to contact me if anything happens. And if Diamond and Pearl return to Sinnoh and ask for my whereabouts, tell them what happened, and that I would appreciate it if they would stay with my parents. They would most likely call me directly, but it is possible that they would try to visit me instead. So keep this in mind."
"Yes, Lady."
Several minutes later, Platinum found herself sitting on a seat of the private jet, looking through the window at her home while the pilots prepared to lift off again. She silently wished for her parents' wellbeing as the plane lifted off and headed south. Black and Curtis repeatedly tried to cheer her up, but her expression remained dark. Only good news regarding her parents would cheer her up, it seemed.
8 hours later, the plane landed once again in another unfamiliar region. Black woke up when the pilots announced the landing, and immediately took a look around the plane to remember what was happening.
Curtis was shutting down his laptop and Black could see that the background was a picture of White standing next to the green haired boy. Again, he'll deal with that issue after rescuing the girl.
On the other side of the plane, Black spotted Platinum staring through the open window with a closed book in her hands. She didn't seem to blink as her eyes registered the setting of the new region. Since it was past midnight, there wasn't much to see, but the heiress stared at the shadows of the setting anyways.
"Alright, so where are we now?" Black asked as he stretched his body.
"Since we're looking for the region's professor's daughter, I figured the best place to start is the town with the professor's lab," Curtis answered. "This is Littleroot Town. The professor's lab should be… somewhere around here."
"Okay. So we should just find some building that looks like a lab."
Platinum interrupted the two boys. "It is past midnight. We will be a nuisance if we visit the professor at this hour. It will be best if we spend the night at a hotel and then visit the professor in the morning."
"There are no hotels in Littleroot," Curtis said as he checked the map. "The nearest one is in… Petalburg City."
"Then we'll spend the night here. There are bound to be suitable places for camping, right?" Black asked.
"Probably."
Platinum slightly narrowed her eyes at the thought of camping in some unknown town in an unknown region, but let the issue slide. As Diamond and Pearl once told her, she couldn't expect to spend every night in some luxurious hotel no matter where she was.
Next morning, Platinum, Black, and Curtis headed towards Professor Birch's lab. The lab wasn't exactly hard to find. According to the map of Littleroot the heiress had purchased, there was only one building that was partially surrounded by trees, and that was the lab. Platinum found it curious that a lab needed to be so close to a forest, but… it was Hoenn. Maybe that was common here.
It was 10 am when the heiress reached the lab. Before knocking on the door, she checked her Pokégear and received situation update regarding her parents. Their conditions weren't getting any worse, but they weren't improving at the moment. Black and Curtis waited for Platinum to finish dealing with her message. The heiress let out a sigh and put her Pokégear away. She then spent a few seconds managing her emotions and expression before knocking on the door. A minute later, the door opened and Professor Birch appeared in the doorway. The heiress recognized him, as she had seen his face a few times during Professor Rowan's picture phone calls.
"Hello, Professor Birch," Platinum said politely as she bowed.
"Hello, there. Who are you?"
"My name is Platinum Berlitz, and I am an assistant of Professor Rowan of Sinnoh," the heiress replied. Normally, her introductions are much longer, but as Pearl pointed out one day, having a really long introduction can be quite annoying.
"Berlitz?" Professor Birch muttered. "I heard of that name before. So you're the daughter of Professor Berlitz who worked on the Green Orb all those years ago, right?"
"Yes, professor."
Professor Birch extended a hand and the heiress shook it with a bow. "Nice to meet you. So, what brings you all the way here in Hoenn?"
Platinum looked over at Black. The Unova Dex Holder stepped forward.
"We are here to ask your daughter for help," he said. "I'm from the region of Unova. It's currently under attack by a group of Legendary Pokémon and the trainers of Unova themselves are not strong enough. We need help from talented trainers from other regions. We understand that your daughter, as a senior Pokédex Holder, has experience in battling Legendary Pokémon and saving regions."
"Oh, Sapphire? Well, I suppose," the professor muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sure she would help you, if she… well…"
"Is something wrong, professor?" Platinum asked.
"Let's just say that she has a bet going on with our neighbor Ruby and she's not going to back down or do anything else until she wins the bet."
"Where is she, professor?"
"Probably in Route 119. Unless she's looking somewhere completely wrong."
"If I may ask, what is the bet?" Platinum asked.
"I don't know. Something about finding Feebas. Ruby had one. It's a Milotic now, but he had one. If I had to guess, Ruby probably bet that Sapphire couldn't find a Feebas faster than him."
Platinum, Black, and Curtis soon headed towards Route 119. The private jet remained parked in Littleroot Town, as this trip did not require flying from region to region. Black used his Braviary, Curtis used his own aerial transport, and Platinum used the Staravia she borrowed from one of her guards. During the trip, while Black and Curtis wondered about how they would recruit Sapphire, Platinum thought about how… childish this trip was.
When Black tried to recruit her, Platinum initially refused because of her parents' conditions. But this Sapphire was likely to refuse because of some childish bet? How old was Sapphire to take a bet like this? Wasn't she supposed to be 25? The heiress certainly hoped that the other senior Dex Holders were not like Ruby and Sapphire. But since she did not meet them yet, she would reserve her judgment and try to see them in a positive light.
…
Route 119, Hoenn…
…
It wasn't raining in the route, for once. The sky was cloudless and strong sunlight poured down on the heavily vegetated ground. The thick and tall trees covered most of the ground, with the forest getting thicker north of the route, which may explain why Fortree City has every single building built on trees, except for the Gym.
The three guests of the region landed on the only road of the route. Platinum once again took some time to look around and note the differences between Sinnoh and Hoenn. The three guests then proceeded to walk towards the nearest body of water.
"Uh, Missy," Black started. "… What's a Feebas?"
"It is a small Water type fish Pokémon that evolves into Milotic," the heiress answered. "It is exceedingly rare. It is only found in certain waters, but only at very specific times that vary from day to day. Needless to say, finding one is a matter of luck or determination. You can easily find one if you search every cubic centimeter of the water in routes or areas in which they are found."
"And Sapphire is looking for one?"
"That appears to be the case."
"Damn it, where the hell are you?!" came a loud female voice from nearby.
Platinum, Black, and Curtis stopped walking and looked around for the source of the voice. They heard a splash coming from the left and walked over. They eventually spotted a woman fishing, with a huge pile of knocked out Carvanhas right next to her. She was wearing a red sleeveless one-piece with black shorts/spandex/leggings that reached down to her thighs, and had a red bandana wrapped around her head.
"Ha! Got you, you little…" the woman muttered as she pulled on her fishing rod. A Carvanha popped out of the water and charged at her with its teeth bared. "Damn it!" she yelled out in frustration. She still punched the flying fish with an uppercut, sending it flying off into the distance. "I'll fish up every damn thing living in this river if it means I can find a freaking Feebas!"
Platinum stared at the woman from behind, seriously hoping that this person was not Sapphire. The heiress unclenched her teeth and took a small breath.
"Excuse me," she said rather politely as she approaching the woman.
"Hm?"
"Are you Sapphire Birch?"
The woman turned to face her. She was surprisingly beautiful given her apparent personality. She also had very sharp teeth. "Yeah. Who are you?"
Platinum clenched her teeth again. "I am Platinum Berlitz from Sinnoh. I have come to find you… senior."
"Senior?" Sapphire muttered. She pulled the fishing rod out of the water and stood up. "… So what, you're a Dex Holder too?"
"Yes. We have come to ask for your assistance."
"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something really important here."
Platinum tried to stifle her disappointment. "… This is a matter of regional safety and security. It cannot wait."
Black intervened. "I'm from the region of Unova. Someone has captured the Legendary Dragons of the region and has kidnapped a very important figure. She's a very close friend of mine and a fellow Dex Holder. I need to rescue her, but the Legendaries are way too strong. I need help."
"Unova, huh?" Sapphire muttered. "That's really far away. By the time I get there and come back, I'd have lost the bet and that smug jerk Ruby would gloat forever…"
"… Public duties come first, senior," Platinum said. "… I have left my parents, who are in critical conditions, in order to complete my duties as a Dex Holders. Your reasons for staying in Hoenn are puerile."
Sapphire narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh. Well, if you're so high and mighty, I'm sure you won't need any help. Good luck with that."
Platinum looked over at Black and Curtis, silently asking if they should just leave. Curtis lightly shook his head. Black took a step towards Sapphire.
"We really need your help. Is there anything we can do to get you to help us?"
Sapphire crossed her arms. "Either go find Ruby and get him to put this bet on hold, or help me find a Feebas."
Platinum let out a sigh. "… Senior, if you intend to look for a Feebas, it is advisable to change your fishing location regularly. The Feebas do not stay in the same spot."
"This pile of Carvanha didn't come from this exact spot, you know," Sapphire retorted. "I've been fishing all around this section of the river all day so far. And for many days now."
"Don't you have any Water type Pokémon to help you?" Black asked.
"Well, I already sent out Relili my Relicanth into the water. I could send Wailulu my Wailord too, but that would just clog up the river."
Just then, something surfaced on the water and Sapphire turned to look. Noticing that it was her Relicanth, she quickly focused on it.
"Did you find any?" The Relicanth nodded. "Good. Lead the way!"
The Relicanth proceeded to swim and Sapphire followed it on foot. Platinum and the others followed as well. The Relicanth eventually stopped swimming and dived underwater again, indicating that the Feebas was found right there. Sapphire grinned and after removing her bag strapped around her waist, she simply dived into the water after it.
Platinum turned to look at Black and Curtis. "Perhaps this trip to Hoenn was a mistake."
"We need her," Curtis said.
"Well… give her a while," Black said. "You can't let the first impression be the only judge of character. I mean, I made the crappiest first impressions of all time and you're giving me a chance."
Platinum sighed again. "Perhaps you are correct. We shall see."
There was no sign of Sapphire in the water for 4 minutes after she dived in. Just as Platinum and the others were beginning to think that she drowned, the Hoenn Dex Holder resurfaced, carrying a knocked out Sharpedo in one hand and a Feebas in the other.
"Finally!" she yelled out. "A Feebas!"
Sapphire tossed the Feebas onto the ground and threw the Sharpedo away before climbing out of the water. She brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and strapped her bag around her waist again. She returned her Relicanth, stowed the fishing rod away, and sent out her Tropius. With the Feebas in hand, she hopped on.
"Alright, Tororo, let's go find that sissy in Lilycove City!" Before lifting off, she turned to look at Platinum and the others. "Follow me and we'll sort this thing out."
Platinum sent out the Staravia she borrowed and grabbed on. "… There is nothing to sort out. It is a very simple matter," she grumbled out silently, completely unaware that Sapphire had superior hearing and could hear her every word.
…
Lilycove City, 12 pm…
…
Sapphire looked down from high above and scanned the streets below. Ruby was in the city somewhere, probably doing some preparations for an event in the Contest Hall. Maybe he was partaking in a fan meeting. Either way, she was going to interrupt him.
As expected, Sapphire spotted Ruby standing by the Contest Hall, doing some autograph signing for his regular Contest fans. She quickly got her Tropius to land. Ruby was distracted by the group of fans and failed to notice. Good.
"Now, now, wait your turn," came Ruby's voice. "There'll be enough time for all of you."
Sapphire grinned and approached him from behind, holding the Feebas in her hands. Once she got close, she lifted the Feebas so that her face could not be seen and faked her voice.
"Um… can you sign my Feebas?"
Ruby turned to look at her. "Sure thing. A Feebas huh? Reminds me of Mimi before it evolved. So, what's your name?"
Sapphire grinned and lowered the Feebas. "Surprise, you sissy!"
Ruby jumped in surprise. "Sapphire! What are you… Wait, a Feebas?"
"That's right! I found one faster than you! I told you I would!"
Ruby stared at the Feebas and looked at Sapphire from head to toe. "… Why are you drenched? Wait… oh, now I see. You got your Relicanth to search for you, huh? That's cheating! I win by default!"
Sapphire snorted. "The hell you do! When you caught your Feebas, you had help from that swimmer guy! I still did it all alone, with nothing but Relili! I win!"
"But you cheated! You used your Pokémon!"
"Oh, picky, picky, picky. You cheated too! So I win!"
Platinum, Black, and Curtis landed nearby and watched the two Hoenn Dex Holders bicker like children. The heiress sighed again and put a hand over her face. Curtis simply watched in amusement, and Black took a step forward to try to stop them.
"Excuse me," he started. "But we're really in a hurry. You two can settle the argument later. Can you help us now?"
Ruby and Sapphire both turned to look at him.
"… And who are you?" Ruby asked.
"I am Platinum Berlitz, and he is Black," the heiress answered. "I am a Sinnoh Dex Holder and he is an Unova Dex Holder. There is a crisis in Unova and I have agreed to help. We require your assistance as well."
"That's another reason I came," Sapphire said as she looked at Ruby. "They want me to help them fight the Unova Legendary Dragons. Now that I won that bet, I have no reason to not go to Unova to help. Want to come too?"
Ruby crossed his arms. "Another regional threat, huh? I guess it's our jobs as Dex Holders. And hey, a free tour to Unova, right?"
"So I take that as a yes?" Sapphire asked.
"Well, if you're going, someone has to tag along to make sure you're not doing anything overly crazy. Since I won that bet, I have no reason not to go either."
"Keep telling yourself that you won, Ruby, if it'll make you feel better. Because we both know that I won."
Platinum rolled her eyes a little as her two seniors bickered some more. Curtis checked over his notes to see which Dex Holder should be recruited next. Black just watched the bickering, wondering if they would ever stop.
Everyone stopped when they heard a ringing sound, like an alarm or a Pokégear chime. Black looked at his Xtransciever and pressed the button to receive.
"Black, it's Cheren," came the Aspertia Gym Leader's voice. "Where are you?"
"Somewhere in Hoenn," Black replied. "What's wrong?"
"We found White," Cheren said. "She's still under control, but she's being much more aggressive. And Kyurem… changed."
"Wait, where are you?"
"We're in Opelucid right now. We'll try to stall White as long as we can. Get over here as fast as you can!"
Black's Xtransciever shut off and the Unova Dex Holder looked at everyone else. "… I think it's time we see what 3 additional Dex Holders can do. We're going to Unova."
"There is a plane parked in Littleroot Town. It will take us to Unova quickly," Platinum said to Ruby and Sapphire.
Ruby and Sapphire glanced at each other before shrugging. Sapphire sent out her Tropius again and hopped on. Ruby hopped on as well and the moment he did, Sapphire cast a quick glare at Platinum. The heiress ignored her as she got her borrowed Staravia to prepare to carry her.
Sapphire got her Tropius to lift off and clenched her teeth. 'Oh, I am going to show that smug, spoiled bitch what I'm capable of. Treat me like a kid, huh? Why that little…'
At the same time, Platinum had similar thoughts as well and occasionally glanced over at Sapphire. 'In Unova, I shall show this Sapphire what it is like to be a true Dex Holder. She may be my senior, but she needs to act as such…'
And so begins the rumored/legendary/ancient/whatever feud/enmity/rivalry between Platinum and Sapphire in S-EARLY. When using their actual personalities, it's really unlikely that they would get into an actual feud. As such, one or more of their personalities are to be edited a little for this to happen. SY's rivalry will be caused by slightly editing both Platinum and Sapphire's personalities. So this enmity is both their fault, equally divided.
Black will refer to Platinum as "Missy" in SY only because of the official English translation (or something; don't care) of the DP arc, in which Diamond and Pearl call her that, and I need something unique. Diamond calls her "Lady" and Pearl calls her "Miss Lady" in S-EARLY. No one says "Missy". Now, I don't give a damn about the official English translations (as I say every now and then), hence Platinum's response of "odd choice".