So… let's get the basics out of the way. By "basics", I mean what WAS news in the long duration between this chapter and the last. In order, it shall go: Tumblr, my stories, and Pokémon Special and its effects.

Let's see… Oh yes. SA2 is live, not by me. Check Tumblr, scroll down (a LOT) until you find the link. So far, it has SL-class update speed, so no one missed much except the first chapter. But before doing that, check my most recent Tumblr post to see the analysis of Blue because quite a lot of you keep complaining about her SL rampancy. Either you don't understand what "rampancy" means, or you don't like the way I characterize her. So, I created a post detailing her personality and why I have her do what she does. She's not a very happy Dex Holder, so she's prone to rampancy. Then, check the post before the Blue-post for a list of all those prominent faithful reviewers who went into the howling dark known as "missing in action" and did not return. Or at least to the reviewing world. The awkwardness of posting a reviewer as MIA only to have that reviewer's Tumblr account LIKE that post… Or another declared-MIA reviewer's Tumblr account liking the NEXT post… Maybe one day, they'll return. Like the other 26 or so on that list, some of which have been MIA since mid SE.

Moving on, I ended SY (that miserable f*ck) and created SC (Special Chronicles) containing the backstory of Blue, thus showing that she was never a happy Dex Holder. And I also created Destiny (Dex Holders' Destiny), designed to be the successor of SA and SL to a degree. Please read and like it. It is… planned to be huge, and I'd like it to get to that stage without being shot by me for being a failure (think SA).

Anyways. Regarding the latest BW arc chapter… That is a huge incident. … Or was, since that was a while ago. In fact, so huge that it will be ignored for SL. There will be problems within the Black & White segment if I try to implement it, so it shall be ignored. However, as "sympathy", I will be taking it easy on White for the remainder of SL (since she already got crushed twice and tried to kill herself). Besides, think of it like this. Black got sealed in the Light Stone at Volume 51 when BW arc ended. And logically, the scene featuring White reuniting with Black will not occur until at least 2 to 3 volumes have passed, near the end of the BW2 arc. So those who love Black and White... you're screwed! Which is why I will stop picking on them so much! Yes, they'll still appear. But instead of hammering them, I'll just hammer their direct seniors.

Speaking of which…

Segment: Diamond & Platinum.

Chapter 22: Joyless Reunion

April 25, 8 pm, Pallet Town…

A bus soon came to a stop and Platinum came out from the exit. Diamond followed her closely. The heiress was currently excited from the thought of finally meeting Prof. Oak while Diamond simply watched her with a cold smile. No, not yet. He wasn't going to push her towards Pearl yet. Doing so right now wouldn't accomplish much. He had to wait. Starting tomorrow would be best. That way, he can pretend to have had a bad dream, giving himself an excuse to be cold to her. While Platinum may still get a little hurt, she'll still stick around in hopes that he'll return to his senses. And then things would start to escalate.

That was the plan, at least. Diamond wasn't sure if his heart could handle it. Being purposely cold to Platinum… that was hard. Very hard. His heart wanted him to stop his plans and start being nice to her once again. But his brain told him to continue. He will be hurt, yes. She will be hurt worse. But once she runs off towards Pearl, she would start to be happy with him. If he continued to be nice to her, she'll end up stuck between him and Pearl, and things would become very messy in the long run.

So until tomorrow, he was going to be nice to her. Get her to come even closer so that he can push her away harder.

"Lady," he started. "I don't think we should go see Professor Oak right now. It's getting kind of late. Visiting him now might be a little rude."

Platinum checked the time and reluctantly nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are correct. We should not visit someone too early or too late."

"Yeah. So I think we should just go eat dinner and find a hotel for the night."

The heiress nodded once more. She took out a map of Pallet Town and began to look for a suitable restaurant and hotel. She was able to find the best suited one rather quickly, and excitedly showed her findings to Diamond.

The boy felt so much remorse… Seeing the girl so happy, so innocent, so… oblivious to what was about to happen to her… He was less than 12 hours away from starting to break her heart, and she hadn't a clue…

"Yes, that's great," Diamond said with a faked smile. 'Lady… I'm so sorry…' "Let's go now. I'm getting hungry."

Platinum giggled. "You are always hungry, Diamond. But yes. We should head to the restaurant now. I am getting hungry as well."

Completely unaware of her closest friend's emotional turmoil, the heiress began to lead the way to the restaurant. It wasn't that far away. Though it wouldn't be as great in quality as those in the cities, this one was apparently very good.

Diamond followed Platinum with a silent sigh. And so, it begins…

…

Next day, April 26, 10 am…

…

Platinum waited patiently in the hotel's lobby while reading a book. Diamond was always late to come to the lobby. She knew that from experience. Pearl would always be there first, and when she got there, he'd always look impatient. And then Diamond would come, slow as ever, and greet them with his innocent smile.

The heiress couldn't help but smile as she recalled the days when she traveled around Sinnoh with her two friends. The initial misunderstanding, developing friendship and cooperation, the mishap at Canalave, and the start of a stronger friendship. All the days she spent with them were her treasured memories. And now, here she was, about to make new ones in another region. She took a glance at her Pokédex. There would be no "morning sound" this time, as Pearl wasn't here. Yet. But still, Diamond was with her. And whenever he was around, she just felt… happy.

Several minutes later, the elevator opened and Diamond stepped out. Platinum saw him come and waved at him. She quickly put her book away and with an impossibly bright smile, she went up to him to greet him.

"Good morning, Diamond," she said happily.

Diamond just stared at her. Something about his expression was just… cold. He didn't wave back or return her greeting. Platinum's heart fell a little as she felt that something was very wrong. Her smile quickly faded and she became worried. Diamond was cold to her early in Johto. Was that going to repeat?

"Diamond? Is something wrong?" Platinum asked, partially afraid of the answer.

"No," Diamond answered rather coldly.

"Are you sure?" Platinum asked, even more worried now.

"I said nothing's wrong," Diamond snapped at her.

The heiress visibly flinched from his cold words. Diamond saw the hurt expression and clenched his hands into fists in his pockets. This had to be done. It just had to be… for the greater good. But it hurt so much to see her like this…

Platinum fell silent and took half of a step back. She didn't know what to say anymore. Why was Diamond so angry today? Or rather, why was he so cold again? Did he really not want to come with her on this trip?

"Let's just go get breakfast," Diamond said with a sigh.

The two Sinnoh Dex Holders walked towards the dining hall in complete silence. The heiress seemed to keep all thoughts to herself now, as if she was being careful to not get on his nerves. Diamond focused on her in his peripheral vision. She kept her head down a little. His cold attitude had really dampened her mood very quickly. She had looked so happy earlier…

The breakfast was more of a buffet with breakfast menu items. It didn't take too long for the two Dex Holders to make their choices. They sat at a table and ate in complete silence as well. Diamond ate his usual amount (3 plates worth), while Platinum ate half of what she'd normally eat. She ate extra slowly as well, as she had lost her appetite and enthusiasm.

Diamond put another spoonful of food in his mouth and slowly chewed as he observed Platinum's expression. She was looking down at the table with her shoulders slumped. She was chewing very slowly and avoided looking up at him.

'Abort! Abort!' his heart told him. Diamond's brain told him otherwise. He had to be cold to her so that she'd get away from him and go to Pearl. But… it didn't have to happen over the course of one meal… If he just got gradually colder instead of rushing, maybe she won't look so hurt and crushed.

"Lady," he started rather warmly. Platinum slowly looked up into his eyes.

"… Yes?"

"I'm sorry if I sounded so cold," he said. "To be honest, I had a couple of bad dreams last night. I guess they really ruined my mood for the day."

The girl's expression brightened. She didn't look nearly as happy as when he first saw her today, but it was still significantly better.

"Oh. I understand. I will try to cheer you up," she said, forcing a smile. "If you wish to talk… please remember that I am always here for you."

Diamond winced inside. 'Lady… why did you have to say that?' "Of course. Thank you."

The two Dex Holders finished eating and soon left the hotel. The weather outside was very pleasant, and it seemed to restore Platinum's happiness. She smiled more often now, though she was still being careful around Diamond.

"Should we go see Professor Oak now?" Platinum asked. "… Or would you like to do something else?"

"Lady, why don't you go see the professor while I walk around to collect my thoughts?" Diamond asked.

Platinum frowned, as the notion of being separated from both of her friends at once defeated the purpose of traveling together. But she didn't want to bother her friend when he was so annoyed today.

"Oh… okay. Should I look for you when I am finished?"

"I don't know. We'll see," Diamond said distractedly. He waved her off and began to walk away.

Platinum watched him leave and for a long while, simply stood there. Once again, she was regretting her decision to leave Sinnoh. She was so happy back at home… Diamond was so happy too. And he just started to turn cold. She had no idea why.

The heiress stood in place for an hour before she slowly made her way towards Prof. Oak's lab. She arrived pretty quickly and stood in front of the door for a while so that she could manage her expressions. She didn't want to make a bad first impression.

After straightening out her clothes and her hair, she cleared her throat and knocked on the door. She waited for a short while, thinking about how she was going to introduce herself.

The door opened and a complete stranger appeared. Platinum had seen Prof. Oak a few times, though not in person, so she knew what he looked like. But the person standing in front of her wasn't recognizable. He had brown spiky hair and cold looking green eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked sternly.

"Hello," the heiress started, surprised that he was being so cold to her. … Was it just her, or was everyone cold to her? "I am Platinum Berlitz from Sinnoh, and I have come to see Professor Oak."

"You came all the way from Sinnoh?"

"Yes. I have heard of Professor Oak from Professor Rowan and I have always wanted to meet him in person."

The spiky haired stranger lightened his expression and stepped aside. "Come in."

"May I ask who you are?" Platinum asked as she entered the lab.

"I'm Green. Professor Oak's grandson."

Platinum looked surprised again. "Oh. It is so nice to meet you," she said with a polite bow.

He simply nodded at her bow and proceeded to walk deeper into the lab. Platinum blinked a couple of times before she followed. She didn't know why this Green was being cold. Maybe that was just how he was? He didn't sound particularly upset or anything. And she didn't do anything to get on his nerves either.

"So you know Professor Rowan?" Green asked as he led her to the "living room" of the lab.

"Yes. I am his assistant. My father is also his assistant," the heiress answered.

"Assistant?" Green muttered. "Hmm… Then you might be able to help me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My grandfather is currently in Goldenrod City for a radio talk show. There is a lot of research work to be done for an upcoming presentation. While normally, there is someone else here who does quite a lot of work, she's been completely out of contact for a few days. And unfortunately, this isn't something I can do anything about. I can visit her in Violet City, but that won't change anything. So, can you help?"

Platinum thought for a short while. Diamond probably wasn't waiting for her, and he seemed to want being left alone for a while. So if she was to help out here, it wouldn't bother him. And, if she helped out Prof. Oak, then once she met him in person, she could make herself look even better.

"Yes. I shall try my best."

…

Meanwhile…

…

Diamond let out another long sigh as he stared into the sky. He had to stay away from Platinum as much as possible. That way, she could get lonely and want company. He'd deny her that company, thus prompting her to go to Pearl. Plus, if he stayed away from her, he wouldn't have to see her beautiful face marred by the sad frown. He wouldn't have to see her hurt expression… that was a big reason. He couldn't handle seeing her so sad for an extended period of time. He needed a break in between. And he needed time to think about what he did and what he was going to do.

He recalled Platinum's expressions when he suggested that she go to Prof. Oak by herself. Since she didn't say anything, he could guess that she'd try to talk to him about it afterwards. She'd want to talk and all he had to do was wave her off. He'd wait until the evening to see her again, and if she tried to talk to him, he'd just say that he was tired and go to sleep. He'd just repeat the process again tomorrow and hope that Platinum would run off to Pearl quickly before he killed himself inside.

He wandered aimlessly around Pallet Town. The atmosphere was similar to that of Twinleaf Town. So that was something. It was very peaceful, and it helped him feel a little better. He was going to need to feel really good to be able to pursue his plans without feeling the urge to stab himself. He might punch himself in the end, though.

Once the sun started to set, he headed back towards the hotel. He didn't know if Platinum was still in Prof. Oak's lab. If she moved somewhere, she didn't tell him, as he received no messages or calls from her yet. So obviously, Platinum felt him being cold to her. Usually, she'd have sent him a message by now, telling him of anything interesting that had happened.

He walked extra slow, so by the time he got to the hotel, it was around 10:30 pm. He sent her a message now, telling her that he was back at the hotel so that she doesn't have to wander around to find him. The heiress messaged back shortly after, acknowledging his message.

As expected, the girl knocked on his hotel room door within half an hour. Diamond reluctantly opened the door and immediately knew from the girl's expression that she really wanted to talk.

"Diamond… may I talk to you?" Platinum asked nervously.

Diamond purposely let out a frustrated sigh. He glanced at the clock and looked at the heiress with narrowed eyes. "Make it quick, Lady. I'm really tired."

Platinum took a brief moment to think about what she was going to say. "Diamond… why are you in such a bad mood? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Diamond rolled his eyes. "I don't know, alright? And no, there's nothing you can do about it. I don't know what to do about it either. Just let me take care of it myself, alright?"

He closed the door immediately afterwards, leaving the heiress alone in the hallway. The girl sighed and lowered her head, feeling hurt again by her friend's cold attitude. She wiped at her eyes to remove the forming tears and slowly headed towards the elevator.

Diamond saw her leave through the peephole and the moment she was gone, he bashed his head into a wall for being such a jerk to her.

While waiting for an elevator, Platinum decided that she had to cheer up her closest friend. She couldn't handle the thought of losing him, as it utterly broke her heart. So she would pour her heart into a gift for him. A gift to cheer him up.

"Sometimes, just eating something delicious can cheer someone up."

That's what Diamond had said to her at one point, in Hearthome City during her Contest run. If he still remembered that… if she somehow managed to recreate the pie he made for her that day… maybe Diamond would cheer up… She hadn't a clue how to bake a pie and barely remembered the correct flavor, but she'd figure it out. She had to, or else she'd end up losing her closest friend…

…

Next day, April 27, 10 am…

…

Again, Platinum waited in the lobby of the hotel for Diamond to come down. Though she was quite anxious, she held on to the sliver of hope that her closest friend would be happy today. If he wasn't…

The elevator opened and Diamond appeared with the same expression as yesterday. Platinum's heart fell but still walked up towards him nonetheless. She couldn't help but tremble a little as she was quite afraid of his reactions.

"Good morning, Diamond," she greeted, her voice shaking just a little. 'Please be happy… please…'

Diamond winced. Platinum was clearly trying to appear happy when she was quite hurt inside. And here he was, about to make things worse. He took a deep breath to ready himself.

"Don't talk to me," he said quietly and in monotone.

Platinum looked at him in disbelief. "… Another… bad dream?" Diamond nodded and put a hand to his head. "I – I understand… If… if you need time to yourself… I – I won't bother you…" She took a shuddering breath before she continued. "I was going to tell you this yesterday, but… … Diamond, please go over to Professor Oak's lab. I met our senior Dex Holders, and I think it is important for everyone to meet."

She then didn't wait for Diamond to respond and almost ran towards the elevator. Diamond didn't stop her and instead, silently berated himself. With a long sigh, he headed towards the dining room to get breakfast. Bastard or not, he was hungry.

Meanwhile, Platinum headed towards her hotel room as fast as possible. This thing with Diamond was getting out of hand. She couldn't take much more of this. She had to cheer him up as soon as possible. She considered in calling Pearl, but she had a feeling that Diamond was being cold to her because of what she did. This was her problem to solve. And she didn't want to look helpless to Pearl of all people. She couldn't just go to him for help every time she didn't know what to do.

Platinum ran over towards the kitchen counter and began to take out the ingredients she purchased last night. She researched the basic steps and ingredients required to bake a pie, and she would practice all day every day until she got it right. Starting right now.

She closed her eyes and focused on her memories. That day in Hearthome City when she tried out the Contest. She had tried to forfeit because she couldn't handle the hatred she received from the other competitors. But then he came along with a slice of pie and comforted her. What did the pie taste like? She had to recreate it.

The heiress soon opened her eyes and got to work. She had to rely solely on her memories. She still remembered the taste of the pie vaguely. And she had enough research on details on how to bake something. She would start with a very small sample in order to conserve time and resources. She would experiment until she got the taste right. Then once she got the correct taste, she would replicate it in full scale. Platinum clenched her teeth. She would pour her heart into this. And then surely Diamond would not reject her sincerity…

A tear began to roll down her cheek as she thought about how Diamond was acting towards her. He was being so cold… she was beginning to be afraid to go near him. Did she do something wrong? Platinum thought about everything she had said to him for the past few days. … She didn't do anything wrong. But she must have… He always looked happy around her until recently. But she didn't do anything! No matter how hard she thought, she didn't understand. The pie she was baking was her trump card.

This… pie. If… if Diamond rejected it as well…

The heiress suddenly broke down into tears. She missed the kindhearted Diamond… she missed the boy who did everything he could to make her feel happy… Not the one who glared at her and ignored her like this. Not the one who purposely avoided talking to her or even be anywhere near her. She didn't want to lose him, but she was rapidly losing him… Platinum soon calmed herself down and focused on the pie. She had to perfect this, no matter what. And she would seek forgiveness from Diamond, for whatever she did wrong…

SL. Where everything goes to hell. Also… Fulfill your evil input quota for the day! Just read one chapter of SL!

I purposely created a lot of "wince" moments early on in this chapter, from Platinum's point of view. Ouch. The evilness of SL is just… wow. And it's just getting started (for this segment). So, Platinum's world isn't so happy and perfect anymore, as a nuke's about to land.

Next up: continuation of the Diamond & Platinum segment.

I'm restoring the "what segment do you want to see next?" review-poll from the earlier days of SL. Each segment will have 2 chapters consecutively before moving on, but still, it helps with the overall direction if I decide on the next segment earlier on. And I can't decide if I'm focusing on Destiny and DE, so I am giving you back the power to decide for me. So, what segment do you want to see after the next chapter?

Review now! … Please. Thank you.

Also, alert. That Sapphire vs. Platinum rivalry will no longer occur in SL. The Sinnoh segment has no place for it (as I recently realized), and the Hoenn segment has to start on its own problems. Trying to have the rivalry occur in full (instead of the occasional glares from Platinum) will screw with both segments. So that rivalry will be cancelled here. As a result, Destiny will incorporate that aspect instead. If you like SA and/or SL, you will love Destiny. … It'll also make me feel better if you like it, since it is my new "capital ship" story. Hopefully, I won't have to nuke it like I did with SA.