I was supposed to have uploaded this thing a week or so ago, but… meh. For a while, I just wanted to have nothing to do with anything. "Not in the mood", for those who saw my Twitter.
Alert: impending SL cancellation! … Sort of!
I already declared that the Hoenn segment was going to be discontinued. Which leaves 4 segments. Kanto segment is repetitive and redundant, thanks to Destiny, so it should be cancelled. I personally don't give a rat's ass about the Johto segment. So that's cancelled too.
What does that leave? The Unova and Sinnoh segments. As per cancellation procedure, SL will now have exactly 2 more updates before death, for a combined total of 3 chapters including this one. I originally planned to have all 3 to be Sinnoh segment updates, which would then conclude that segment just in time for the cancellation. BUT! After being very easily convinced on Tumblr, this chapter will conclude the Unova segment, while the next 2 chapters cover the Sinnoh one.
So it's an odd mix of cancellation and continuation.
If this declaration of cancellation was a surprise to you, then… I have no comment, given how many times it was mentioned in my Twitter and Tumblr, which I mentioned/advertised countless times.
Segment: Black & White.
Chapter 27: Decision
April 24, Olivine City, Johto, 1 pm…
White slowly followed Black as he practically dragged her somewhere. She occasionally glanced at the direction of her seniors, wishing that Ruby and Sapphire did not allow Black to drag her away so easily.
… She did not want to be left alone with Black. Not yet.
She just felt… so sorry. He had spent so much time and effort to look for her in Unova when she first tried to vanish. She even attacked him so that she could be left alone. But even then, he looked for her and even took her into his home so that she could have a place to rest.
He gladly went on a journey with her so that she could regain her confidence. He was more than supportive and White really appreciated his help. But then, in Mistralton City, she tried to kill herself in front of him and ended up stabbing his left arm with the long shard of glass.
And he struck her three times as well. That was… quite scary. She wanted to avoid a repeat of that at all costs. With Ruby and Sapphire around, Black wouldn't lose his temper so easily, unless another drastic situation occurs. But now that the two Hoenn Dex Holders were gone…
White didn't want to talk to Black right now. Not yet. She didn't know what to say, or even how to feel. She wanted to thank him, apologize to him, and even ask him to not get angry at her anymore. She didn't know what she should say first.
"Miss President," Black started abruptly.
White almost jumped in surprise. Black didn't sound angry at all, but she wasn't ready to talk. The boy sat down on a bench and waited for her, so she reluctantly sat beside him as well.
"Listen," he said nicely. "I've been thinking about it during lunch, and I really feel that you should try the Gym challenge again, but here in Johto. Last time, you were doing so well, and you looked so happy. Until Mistralton City, I really thought that you'd be able to regain your confidence."
White kept staring at the ground. "… I don't want to."
"Why not?" Black asked. "Are you going to stay depressed like this forever?"
"I'm really tired, Black," White said with a sigh. "All this… traveling around, flying from place to place… I'm tired…"
"Well, I'm tired too, you know. I mean, I did travel all around Unova to find you, then again to support you in your Gym challenge. And now, we're here in this completely foreign region, with a hole in my arm." Black frowned a bit, upon realizing that he sounded as if he was blaming her. "But the way I see it, your well being is much more important. I want you to be happy again. You know? I want you to smile more. Get your confidence back."
White groaned as she put her hands over her face. Black quickly put a hand on her back.
"Uh… is something wrong?"
"I'm just… so sorry," White said as she lowered her hands again. "Because of me, you… wasted so much time…"
"Hey, come on," Black said nicely. "We're friends, aren't we? I care deeply about you. I'm not wasting time. I'm… … uh… spending time. With you." He rubbed the back of his neck, as he felt that his words came out a little bit weird. "Uh… yeah. And I know that if something happened to me, you'll do the same thing. It's natural for friends to help each other out."
"Please just stop," White said as she looked away. "Every time you say something like that, I feel guiltier…"
Black pulled his hand back. "Uh… okay. Is there anything I can do to help you with that?"
"No." White looked up from the ground and sighed. "Black, listen… I just need time. I've been thinking about this since Mistralton City. … I just need time alone."
"… Alone?" Black asked. "Uh… the last time you were alone…"
"I know. I got attacked by that mob. But this is Johto. I don't have anything to worry about. I need this time to gather my thoughts and think about what I'm going to do next. Without feeling guilty."
Black let out a sigh. "Okay, Miss President. If you really want to be left alone for a while, then I won't bother you."
White finally turned to face him. He looked so sad and worried… He clearly didn't want to be separated from her, and he was worried about her well-being as well. Of course, she felt the same for him. But right now, she just wanted to be left alone. Once she gathered her thoughts and thought about her future, she would look for Black before doing anything else.
"Thank you for understanding," she said with a very faint smile.
"But before I leave you alone, can you at least let me take you to see our senior Dex Holders?" Black asked. "After we meet everyone, you can do whatever you want and I won't bother you. I mean, if we're going to meet the others, we should do it together, right?"
For a while, White stared at him as she struggled to decide. She wanted to be left alone for a while, and right now. But she didn't want to hurt his feelings. And she felt that she owed a lot to him. She couldn't refuse his request.
She eventually nodded with a sigh. "Okay." Her eyes moved onto Black's left arm. More specifically, the area where she had stabbed. "… But first, let's go to a hospital."
Black looked at his injured arm and lightly poked at the bandage. He immediately winced and regretted his decision. "Ow… yeah, let's go there first." He glanced at White's face to see if his humorous self-abuse had managed to put a smile on her lips. … Nope. She looked even guiltier. Damn. He frowned a little as the current position of the sun made the bruises on White's cheek especially visible. The bruises that he caused. Now he felt guilty. "You should get yourself checked out too. That mob hurt you pretty badly, and I don't want things to get worse. And…" Black slowly reached towards her with his right hand and gently felt around her cheek, being careful not to touch the bruises too much. White pulled back just a little, but didn't stop him. "I'm really sorry for this… We should have this checked too."
White felt his hand with hers and slowly nodded again. "Okay…"
For a while, the two Unova Dex Holders stared at each other. White stared at her friend's injured arm, and in return, he stared at the bruises on her cheek. Their eyes met for a split second before they looked at their injuries again.
Black eventually pulled his hand back and took a brief look around the area. "Miss President, do you know where the nearest hospital is?"
"… No," White said as she felt around her cheek with her hand. "Let's go to the Pokémon Center and ask."
"Do you know where that is?"
"… No."
"Well then," Black said as he pushed himself off the bench. "Let's start looking for it. It's a nice day today, so the walk won't be too bad." He extended a hand towards White. "What do you say?"
White finally managed to smile and nod. "Yes." Though she still wanted to be left alone for a bit, if she was going to be with Black for a little longer, then she might as well lighten up a little. His enthusiasm and attempts to lighten the mood were certainly appreciated. She took his hand and got up to her feet. She didn't let go as he slowly began to lead her away.
…
Several hours later…
…
White sat on the grassy hill leading towards Johto's Battle Frontier, looking off into the horizon. The sun was setting, and the ocean beneath the setting sun was sparkling. It wasn't a sight that the girl had ever seen (outside of movies or pictures), so she was completely engrossed in its beauty.
After locating the hospital, Black and White had spend most of the day getting various checkups. The results were very good, which relieved White very much. All of her injuries weren't severe. She was bruised quite badly in a lot of places and had a lot of cuts made by shattered glass, but they would all heal up within a few days.
Black's injury was a bit more severe, as it did involve being stabbed with broken glass. Removing all the tiny glass shards was difficult, but the wound would fully heal in a few weeks.
And right now, Black was currently in the Olivine City harbor getting tickets for the ride to Vermillion City of Kanto. White didn't voice her opinion on this matter. She didn't really care.
She thought about everything that Ruby and Sapphire had said to her. She remembered what they said to comfort her, and thought about her current actions and expressions. Yes, she was still quite depressed and hurt inside thanks to what happened in Mistralton City. But she was in a new region right now. Staying depressed like this wasn't going to help. She was trying to lighten her mood, though. She was trying her best to calm herself down and look at the bright side of things. Needless to say, Black's assistance here was very helpful.
Now White wasn't sure what she wanted. Earlier that day, she wanted to be left alone for a few days. But Black was being so helpful, she wasn't sure anymore.
"Hey, Miss President," Black said as he approached her.
"Hi, Black," White said with a smile as she faced him. "How'd it go?"
"I got the tickets," Black answered. He sat down on the grass next to her and took out the tickets. "We have to be at the harbor by noon tomorrow."
"Okay." White looked off into the distance once more.
"Is something wrong?" Black asked.
"No," she answered. She took a deep breath. "Just… admiring the sunset. It's so beautiful. Look at that…"
Black did as told but soon looked at White again. The girl was more beautiful than the sunset, to be honest.
"You don't think this is beautiful?" White asked as she looked into his eyes. "Sunrise, sunset… nothing?"
Black simply shrugged. "Sorry."
"You're missing out." She let out a content sigh. "In that case, can you just stay with me for the sunset? And the sunrise tomorrow morning?"
"A sunset and another sunrise, huh? Sure thing." He moved a little closer to her. "Maybe I'll begin to see what's beautiful about them."
White leaned a little bit into him and soon lost herself into the sunset once more, while Black did his best to not disturb her in the slightest. Which was easy, as all he had to do was sit perfectly still.
…
3 days later, April 27, Pallet Town, Kanto, 3 pm…
…
Black and White slowly approached the lab, wondering if this was where the mandatory Dex Holder meeting would take place. Ruby had contacted them yesterday and told them to get over to Pallet Town to meet the other Dex Holders. Then, a few hours ago, he said that there was a mandatory meeting. The two Unova Dex Holders took some time to locate the lab where the meeting would take place and proceeded to enter.
Black entered the lab first, as he was rather excited to meet everyone. If they were as strong (or stronger) than Ruby and Sapphire, then he just HAD to meet them. White hesitantly entered. Meeting more of her seniors right now didn't seem like the best idea. How would she introduce herself? That she's the owner of a now-dead company and is on the run from the public of Unova?
And… there was a bigger concern following the meeting. She had told Black a few days ago that she wanted time alone, and Black had convinced her to at least meet the other Dex Holders first. He probably assumed that she hadn't changed her mind. And with the meeting of the senior Dex Holders, he would most likely think that it would be okay for him to follow them around for a few days to train and learn from them, giving White her isolation at the same time.
But White had changed her mind. During the… perfect relaxing cruise from Olivine to Vermillion and peaceful strolls through the routes of Kanto, White had purged all of her worries about Black losing his temper again, and had started to feel much better. She had lightened up significantly, and wanted to stay with Black in order to feel better and better. She felt happy and safe around him, and he might leave her soon.
She could tell him that she changed her mind, but that would end up denying Black his chance to hang out with the senior Dex Holders. He looked so excited to meet them, she couldn't ruin his chances. And if she told him to stay with her, he might get worried as well, thinking that she was afraid of something that might hurt her badly.
The best option was for White to let Black go with the seniors for a few days, while she… did something. She didn't know yet. Maybe she'd talk to the older Dex Holders too.
The meeting soon started around a large circular table in the main room of the lab. There weren't that many people there. So Black and White sat next to the only people they knew: Ruby and Sapphire. White frowned as she detected the odd atmosphere around the large table. No one looked happy. Everyone looked concerned to some degree. Ruby looked a little… guilty? He occasionally glanced at Sapphire, who looked awfully calm. She was completely devoid of her enthusiasm for some reason. She still had a smile on her lips, but… didn't look normal.
Sapphire quietly told White the names of the other Dex Holders. The black haired older Dex Holder was Red. The spiky brown haired one was Green. The red haired Dex Holder was Silver, and the girl with the long dark hair sitting silently was Platinum. She was the one who had scolded Sapphire during lunch a few days ago. Sapphire explained that because of the first encounter, the official meeting the previous day had been a little awkward. Sapphire said that she had apologized to Platinum and the heiress did the same, so things weren't too bad between them.
Green soon stood up. "So Blue, Yellow, Gold, Crystal, and Emerald are not coming," he said with a quick look around. "And we only have one Sinnoh Dex Holder attending. That'll have to do. First, Black and White, stand up."
Black and White did as told. Black was excited to be introduced to his seniors, but White was concerned about the overall mood. She had to be careful and not make things worse, or draw any unnecessary attention to herself.
"They're Unova Dex Holders, and they are our newest juniors," Green said. "Talk to them and get to know them better later. Similarly, Platinum, stand up."
Black and White sat down and Platinum stood up. She politely bowed to everyone as a greeting. White looked at her carefully. This girl had so much elegance, and White had dealt with this type of people before. This Platinum was definitely from a super rich family. But she looked… really sad.
"She is the 11th Dex Holder, and currently the only one from Sinnoh attending," Green continued. "Again, talk to her and get to know her better later. Next, Ruby and Sapphire. Welcome to Kanto. It's been a while, but this unfortunately isn't the time to catch up. We'll have to talk later. Now. The pressing issues. One, we need to do something about the pack of fan girls. I saw them attacking Crystal, and this cannot continue. We need to brainstorm ideas to get them off of us. And the most pressing issue is Blue. I don't know what happened, but she seemed to have snapped. We need to find out why and figure out what can be done to get her back to normal. Also, no one has heard from or seen Crystal for the past couple of days. Again, we need to find out why and what we can do to help. Any other pressing issues?"
Black glanced at White, silently asking if she should state her problem. White shook her head. This was not the time or place. It seemed that everyone had their own issues to deal with. Blue had snapped? … She looked okay when the two Unova Dex Holders saw her back in Olivine City. … Then again, since when did they know her? Who knows what she's like in normal circumstances.
No one else spoke up, so Green continued. "Okay then. About Crystal. The only new hint about what happened to her is the message that I got from Gold today. He said that he won't be attending this meeting if Crystal was coming as well. Something happened between the two, and that is likely the cause of Crystal's disappearance, especially after what happened between her and Blue. So Silver, do you think you can go and talk to Crystal and find out what's wrong?"
Silver shook his head. "I doubt she'll talk to me. She already told me that she liked Gold. So knowing that and after seeing what happened, she probably won't let me in."
Green nodded. "In that case, I will go talk to her. Next, Blue. … I know I'm the reason why she snapped. And as such, I'll do all that I can to get her back to normal. But I don't know how, and she won't talk to me. Silver, I'm sure you're as surprised as I am about her sudden change. So go talk to her. You may be the only one who can convince her to talk to you."
"I don't know what good it'll do, but I'll try. She never really talked to me about any of her problems, but maybe if I try hard enough, she might this time…"
"Good. Now, the fan girl issue is not as pressing as the issues with Blue and Crystal, so we'll discuss that in a future meeting. Until then, brainstorm ideas. I'll update you on the progress of Blue and Crystal if you want to stay up to date."
"Really Green? You can that a meeting?" came a female voice from the doorway.
White looked over and spotted Blue standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and a smirk across her lips. Based on the tone of her voice and overall posture, White could tell that Blue had a lot of anger pent up at the spiky haired Dex Holder known as Green.
"Blue," Green started slowly. "We need to talk."
Blue ignored him and suddenly looked over at Platinum. "Well, look who it is. What happened to your two friends? Did they abandon you after realizing that you were just some spoiled brat?"
White frowned as she saw her Sinnoh senior wince and lower her head. She looked as if she was going to cry soon, and White figured that Blue had touched a really sensitive subject. … But why? Blue wasn't… mean when they first met in Olivine City. She was actually quite nice. A little… rude, maybe, but not like this…
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?" Blue sneered with a smirk. Her expression suddenly turned ice cold. "Welcome to the real world. Get used to it."
Platinum quietly rose to her feet. "… Excuse me…" she mumbled before she quickly left the meeting. White followed her with her eyes and could see the heiress rubbing her eyes as she ran.
… So was this what Green meant? Blue had "snapped" to become like this? If yes, then this was a serious problem.
"Blue, why did you say that?" Red asked. "She's a really nice girl. You shouldn't have hurt her like that."
"Perhaps," Blue said nonchalantly as she sat down on the chair vacated by Platinum. "Well, Green. I'm apparently a giant issue for you, so let it out. What the hell do you want from me?"
Green let out a sigh and glanced at the four junior Dex Holders, namely Ruby, Sapphire, Black, and White. "… You four should probably leave."
"Yes. Leave us," Blue said. "This is a private issue that should not bother anyone who's not involved."
The four Dex Holders did as told and slowly left the meeting. White occasionally glanced at Blue while doing so, wondering what exactly was going on.
"So… what do we do?" Black asked the moment they were outside.
"I thought Blue was really nice," White said. "… What happened to her exactly?"
"I have no idea," Sapphire answered. "But I'm sure Red and Green would have answers. Crystal is missing too, huh? … I think that's something we can do something about. Crystal's not the type to ignore her juniors, no matter what happens."
"So I think-" Ruby began, but Sapphire cut him off.
"White and I will go talk to Platinum," she said as she crossed her arms. "You and Black should go find Emerald, and with him, go talk to Crystal. Crystal won't ignore her juniors, especially not Emerald. And she hasn't seen you in a while, Ruby. She'll be more willing to talk if you're there. And with a brand new junior with you at the same time, she'll definitely talk."
Ruby frowned and turned to face Sapphire completely. "Wait… you're going to Platinum while I-"
"Yeah," Sapphire said, interrupting him again. "I need time away from you." She glanced at White and gave her a signal. "Come on, White. Let's find out where Platinum is staying."
White almost jumped at the sudden realization and looked over at Black. He had a rather sad smile on his face and nodded at her. This was it. He was giving her the time alone. The time that she didn't really want. He even gave her a wave.
At least it was only for a few days. 3 at most. White managed a faint smile and waved back before following Sapphire. A thought suddenly occurred and she quickly jogged up to her senior.
"Wait… did you have a fight with Ruby or something? Why do you need time away from him?" she asked once Ruby and Black were out of hearing range.
Sapphire let out a short laugh. "I actually don't. It wasn't really a fight. Just more of a… misunderstanding, I guess. I know that he's never going to betray my trust. He knows that I love him, and he knows that I know that he loves me too. I'm just pretending to need time apart so that we can get this whole awkward phase behind us. Of course, he doesn't know that. Or at least I don't think he does. So he should be even nicer to me when I do decide to talk to him again."
White tilted her head, as that thought had never occurred to her before. "Huh… so if Black and I spend a little time apart from each other when we don't want to separate…"
"He'll be nicer to you and you'll be nicer to him when you two meet up again."
The Unova Dex Holder slowly nodded. "Okay. So it's a good thing."
"Yep. And we can use this time to… I don't know. Get friendly with the others." Sapphire stopped walking and glanced at White. "I actually haven't a clue as to where Platinum would be staying. I've been following the scent of her perfume, but the scent trail kind of faded. And it's hard to track her perfume thanks to yours."
"Oh. Sorry. So… now what?"
"Red probably knows… I saw him talk to her for a while yesterday after we first met, so she probably told him where she's staying."
"Then we have to wait until he's done with… Blue."
"Whenever that'll be. They seemed to have a lot to talk about." Sapphire let out a long sigh. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that…"
…
Next day, April 28, 1 pm…
…
White followed Red and Sapphire down the halls of the only hotel in Pallet Town. The hotel wasn't the best she had seen, as she had seen much larger and fancier ones in Castelia City of Unova. But for a quiet town like Pallet, the hotel was pretty good.
Red eventually stopped in front of the door to Platinum's room. Apparently the heiress had told him where she would be staying. White understood why she told him. The heiress probably wanted to get familiar with the other Dex Holders, starting with Red. So far, White felt that Red was the easiest senior to get acquainted with really quickly. He was really kind, smiled often, and was one of the first Dex Holders, so befriending him was quite significant. And unlike Blue, Red didn't have any coldness in his expression. And unlike Sapphire, he didn't get angry easily. Though for Sapphire, the anger is only against Ruby and very temporary, she yelled a lot. Red did no such thing. So far, at least. So Platinum probably wanted him to visit her often so that they could get to know each other faster.
Given her expressions, White assumed that this visit would be very important. Platinum looked really lonely and hurt during the meeting yesterday. So this visit would prove to her that she wasn't all alone.
… Huh. Didn't Black say something like that to her when she tried to hide from everyone in Unova? … Perhaps she could use this situation with Platinum to reflect on what was happening in her own life.
Red soon knocked on the door. White focused on the task at hand and thought about what she could say to help out Platinum. She honestly didn't know. She didn't know her Sinnoh senior well enough, and certainly didn't know what was happening to her. After all, she had never spoken to her. The only thing she knew was that Platinum was from the probably wealthiest family in the world, according to Red. So formality had to be a thing. White couldn't call her by her name only. She probably had to call her "Miss Platinum" or "Lady Berlitz". The former sounded friendlier but less formal. The latter was more polite and formal, but a bit distant.
The door soon opened and Platinum appeared in the doorway.
"What are you…" the heiress mumbled, blinking a few times.
"Hi, Platinum," Sapphire said nicely.
"Let's talk for a bit," Red said as well.
Platinum simply nodded and let the three Dex Holders inside. They all sat by the dinner table, with Red sitting next to the heiress.
"First, I'll apologize on behalf of Blue," Red began. "Right now, she's… a little distressed, I suppose. Something really bad happened to her, and she's not acting like herself. She was harsh to Crys too, and now she's being mean to you. Don't take her words seriously. I know she doesn't mean it."
Platinum slowly nodded despite having a blank look on her face. "If you say so…"
"That said, it's probably best for you to avoid her until she's back to normal," Red continued. "So until then, you may have to stay in this hotel room. We'll visit you if you feel lonely."
"That said," Sapphire said, mimicking her senior. "Come on, let's do something together. Like… eating something. Something smells really good here, and we haven't had lunch yet."
White decided to say something too. "Were you doing something, Lady Platinum?" she asked quietly, trying to avoid sounding intrusive. She had wanted to address her as "Lady Berlitz" or "Miss Platinum", but the two got merged together into "Lady Platinum". White supposed it still sounded formal enough.
Platinum glanced over at the kitchen. "I have been practicing baking pies. It is… very important that I perfect it…"
"Can you make us one?" Red asked. "I think it'll be really good."
Platinum silently made her way towards the kitchen and began to work. White took the opportunity to assist her senior and set up the table. Forks, knives, plates, napkins, among others placed evenly around the table for four people. Platinum finished baking the pie within an hour and set it in the center of the table. She remained standing, as if she didn't want to sit down and eat. Red cut a slice of the pie and placed it on Platinum's plate first anyways before distributing the other slices to everyone else.
Sapphire tried the pie first. White watched for her reaction and at the same time, glanced at Platinum's expression too. The heiress seemed to be waiting for Sapphire's reaction. The Hoenn Dex Holder slowly munched on the pie, but her expression was really bright. She seemed to be enjoying it.
"Hey, this is really good," she said after swallowing. "You know, you looked really nervous so I kind of doubted it at first, but it's amazing. You did really well!" She took a larger bite of the pie. "Mm… I don't think I ever had anything quite like this before."
Red tried his pie as well and nodded approvingly. "This is delicious, Platinum. Great job."
Platinum finally cracked a small smile. White quickly tried her slice of pie. It was actually really good. She had thought that maybe her seniors were faking the pie being so good just to cheer up the heiress, but the pie was quite delicious.
"Lady Platinum, this is amazing," she said with a bright smile. "Why don't you try it yourself?"
Platinum looked down at her own slice. After a short sigh, she tasted her own work. She frowned as she chewed, however, as if something was wrong. White didn't understand. Was the heiress looking for a specific flavor? Or were her standards just too high? To her surprise, Platinum collapsed onto her chair.
"Oh, this isn't it either!" she cried out in a mix of a sob and a whimper. She buried her face into her hands and started to tremble.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sapphire quickly asked.
"What's wrong?" Red asked too.
"This is wrong… this…" Platinum mumbled as she shook her head. "I have to get it right… I have to…"
"Whatever you're aiming for, I'm sure you'll get it," Sapphire said nicely. "Don't give up."
White wanted to say something to cheer up her senior too, but no words came. She didn't know how to cheer her up. But it… relieved her in an odd way. She wasn't the only one suffering from something. Other people were miserable too, and were obviously having trouble in overcoming it. Even someone with as much… resources as Platinum was suffering from something.
Platinum steadily calmed down. With a distracted look in her eyes, she moved into the kitchen and began to bake another pie. "I must get it right…" she mumbled, as if something in her mind had been detached. "I must get it right…"
White and Sapphire followed Platinum and tried to talk to her. The heiress didn't seem to notice their presence as she mindlessly baked the pie.
"Lady Platinum?" White called, trying to get her attention. Still nothing. Platinum didn't seem to hear her or see her at all.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Sapphire tried. "Come on. Look at me."
Again, nothing. Platinum didn't blink or move her eyes. She simply baked the pie as if she was a machine.
"I think she's going crazy," Sapphire said as she looked over at Red. "… What do we do?"
Red approached the three girls and tried to get Platinum's attention. Again, nothing. The heiress moved around the kitchen as if no one else was around. White wondered if Red had placed a small wall in front of Platinum, the heiress would walk into the wall and continue walking into it like an AI controlled character in a video game caught in a loop.
"We should leave," Red said at last. "There's nothing we can do. We'll have to wait until she snaps out."
White nodded and bowed to Platinum. She was certain that the heiress wouldn't know if she showed her formality or not, but that didn't matter. "I wish you good luck, Lady Platinum. Please accomplish your goals as soon as possible."
Red soon led Sapphire and White out of Platinum's hotel room. Platinum didn't seem to have noticed them leave and continued baking. The electronic door soon shut and locked itself. White cast a last worried glance towards Platinum's hotel room before she followed Red and Sapphire down the hall towards the elevator. White felt so bad for her, and yet… felt… a strange determination forming inside her.
"You see that, White?" Red asked as he pushed the button to call the elevator. "Other people are experiencing their own problems too. And as you saw, trying to deal with your problems alone tend to cause more problems. There's no shame in asking for help. We are all Dex Holders. We should help each other."
White slowly nodded as a plan began to form in her mind. "Yes… Asking for help… I… should get help from someone who has experienced something similar."
Sapphire crossed her arms behind her. "Yeah. For me, I think I'll just go and talk to Ruby some more. And afterwards, we can focus on helping others too."
White entered the open elevator and stared at the floor while exploring her thought deeper. From what she managed to gather, there was only one person who had experience in being chased by an angry mob, and only one person who had experience in overcoming such… hatred from the public.
'I have to go talk to Blue and ask her for help… She told me to ask her if Crystal was unavailable. I haven't seen Crystal yet, and from the sounds of it, she's not in any position to help. So Blue should be able right now…'
…
Next day, April 29, 11 am…
…
White knocked on the door to Red's house. As offered by her seniors, she had spent the night in Prof. Oak's lab (apparently there were vacant rooms upstairs in the event that visiting Dex Holders from the other regions didn't have hotel reservations), and had woken up at around 5 in the morning. She then spent the next 4 hours by the shore in southern Pallet Town, watching the sunrise over the sea. She had used that time to think more about her life and what was going to happen.
Yesterday, White decided to ask Blue for help. But given what she had seen and heard so far, she didn't know anymore. She was… well… afraid to go to Blue. White saw Blue hurting Platinum when the heiress clearly needed support. She heard that Blue had basically ruined Crystal's life. So she was quite afraid of what would happen if she went to talk to Blue. Would she seriously insult her too and make her want to stick another large shard of glass into her throat?
After much contemplation, White decided to talk to Red first. He knew Blue better than anyone. Apart from Silver, anyways. But Silver didn't look like the talkative type, and didn't look anywhere near friendly, so… Red it was.
Red soon opened the door and immediately greeted her with a warm smile. "Hey, White. What's up?"
"Hi, Red," White said with a slight bow. "There's something important I need to discuss with you."
"Sure thing. Come in."
White followed her senior into the living room and sat down on the couch next to him. She took a brief moment to straighten out her clothes before facing her senior.
"I need to ask you about Blue."
Red let out a short sigh. "Alright. What do you want to know?"
"A few days ago, in Olivine City, Black and I first met Blue by the harbor," White began. "She asked what had happened to me since I had bandages on my arms and legs. We told her, and there, she told me to ask Crystal for help first, and then come back to her if Crystal did not help for whatever reason. And right now, I think it's safe to assume that Crystal is not really in any position to help me. So if I listen to Blue, then I should go ask her for help now. But… I'm afraid of what'll happen if I do."
Red slowly nodded. "I understand what you mean. You're afraid that Blue would be mean to you and hurt your feelings really badly. But I don't think you have anything to fear. I know Blue. And though this change was a bit shocking, I talked to her a bit and I sort of understand her perspective. And it makes sense a bit. Right now, Blue is quite… distressed, I guess. She is attacking everyone who has caused her misery over the years. Which would be Green and Crys. Though for Crys, it's indirect. It's not her fault at all, but… yeah. Since you have nothing to do with Blue and all that she had to deal with over the years, you should be perfectly fine."
"But what about Lady Platinum?" White asked. "I'm sure she doesn't have anything to do with Blue's past. So… why her?"
"That's probably because of Platinum," Red answered. "Think about Blue's past. She got kidnapped when she was 5, and escaped at 9. She had to steal to live, which did get a lot of people to hate her. She found her parents 11 years after being separated, lived with them a year after that, and then found out that she doesn't get along with them at all. And now look at Platinum. She's so rich. She never would've had to do anything bad to live. She would also have people actively protecting her from harm. She would never get kidnapped. And I'm sure her parents are real nice to her too. So basically, Platinum is like the opposite of Blue. And let's just say that Blue is the envious type. But then someone insulted her for being jealous, and now she snapped. So she's attacking those who makes her feel envious. Like Platinum."
"Oh. I see."
"So do you think Blue would have any reason to attack you?"
White briefly thought. Would there be any reason why Blue would want to attack her right now? … Maybe if Black was with her and showed her too much care. But otherwise…
"I don't think so. I mean, I… lost my company, the people of Unova hate me, and some really hate me, to the point of trying to beat me up in public. Which is why I'm here. I'm hiding from the people I've tried to help for my whole life."
"You don't have anything to worry about. In fact, I think Blue would want to help you. What you're experiencing right now is what Blue had experienced for years following her kidnapping. She should want to help you."
"Okay then. I'll talk to her. But do you know where she is?"
"No, but I can call her and ask her to meet you somewhere. When do you want to meet her?"
"As soon as possible," White replied. "Preferably today, somewhere close."
"I'll give her a call then."
White waited for a few minutes while Red made the call to Blue. He avoided talking about recent happenings or asking about what she was doing. He simply asked her if she was willing to help White with her problem. Though White couldn't hear Blue's reply, she didn't sound all too enthusiastic. But she didn't sound angry or anything either. So maybe that was a good thing?
Red soon hung up after thanking Blue, so White let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps the distressed Dex Holder was going to help out after all.
"She wants to meet you on the rooftop of Celadon Department Store," Red said as he faced his junior once more. "Do you know where that is?"
"Um… if I buy a map of Kanto, maybe…"
Red stood up. "Well, come on, then. I'll take you there."
"Oh, but that's not really necessary," White tried to say, but Red didn't allow her.
"I'm pretty certain that I can take you there much faster than you going there by yourself. Besides, you'll need to get there as soon as possible. Blue said that she'll meet you there in an hour, but if you're not there first, she might just leave. And though she said an hour, there's no telling if she might get there earlier."
White rose to her feet and gave her senior a polite bow. "Thank you so much, then."
The two Dex Holders headed outside and Red sent out his Aerodactyl, which promptly grabbed onto his shoulders.
"Let's go then," Red said as he signaled White to come closer.
"… Huh? Isn't your Aerodactyl only for one?"
"Yeah, but I can carry you," Red said. "Like I said, this'll be much faster."
"Um…" White hesitated, but Red simply lifted her onto his arms before she could protest. "Ah!"
"Sorry," Red said quickly. "Are you still hurting?"
"N – No, it's just… sudden…" White stammered, her cheeks flushed bright red.
"Just relax, and we'll be there in Celadon in no time," Red said as his Aerodactyl lifted off the ground.
White tried to calm down and focus on the task at hand. But the awkward position made things rather difficult. She didn't know where to place her hands. She didn't know what she should focus on. The fact that her senior's arms were currently on her bare legs? Or the fact that this was… surprisingly comfortable? Or maybe the fact that one slip up and she would be plummeting towards her demise.
"Hey, you're…" Red started as he glanced down at her.
"Huh?"
"You're a lot lighter than I thought," he said at last. "Not saying that you look heavy, but… are you skipping out on meals, or what?"
White let out a short sigh. "I'm not really in the mood to eat much."
"You need to eat stuff," Red said with concern in his voice. "Eating gives you energy and whatnot."
"I'm not starving," White said. "Or at least, not anymore. Back in Unova, I didn't really eat for a week. But here, I'm eating twice a day. Just very little."
"Maybe you just don't know all the good restaurants here," Red said. "Maybe I can show you some?"
"I'll pass on that, thank you," White said with a smile. "For now, at least."
Within 20 minutes, the two Dex Holders arrived in Celadon City. The city was pretty big. Of course, not as big as Castelia City, but that also meant that Celadon was not as chaotic. In Castelia City, it was really easy to get lost or be separated from groups due to the sheer amount of people traversing on a daily basis. But in here, there weren't nearly as many people.
"There's the Department Store," Red said as he looked ahead.
White looked where her senior was looking (as he obviously couldn't point at it) and spotted a huge building amidst the condominiums. It looked bigger than the store in Route 9 of Unova. And surprisingly, the rooftop was accessible from the outside and had… vending machines? So the rooftop was a shopping floor too? … What happens during rains?
At least there were only a few benches and vending machines, so a rainstorm wouldn't ruin anything. It was more of a rest floor than a shopping floor.
"Here we are," Red said as he set White on the rooftop. "Blue's not here yet, but she might come pretty soon."
"Thank you for the flight," White said with a bow. "Would you like a drink from the vending machine? It's the least I can do." 'Even though I'm completely broke…'
"Nah, that's okay," Red said. "And I should be going now. We still have that huge fan girl problem and there's no telling what'll happen if they spot me with you. So I'll be going now. Good luck, White."
White smiled and waved at her senior as he rapidly flew away. Now that he was gone, she let out a sigh and leaned against the railing. She needed some time to think about what she was going to say to Blue.
She wanted to return to Unova. But only after the public no longer hated her. Whenever that would be. The public tend to be… fickle. The BW Agency was very popular and liked until one incident happened and all of a sudden, here she was, practically exiled from Unova. But once the public hated someone, that someone was hated forever.
… Maybe she could do what Blue would do in this situation. Call in a few friends to take care of this problem permanently.
"Good view, huh?" came a female voice from behind.
White snapped out of her thoughts and looked back. She spotted Blue walking over with a can of Soda Pop (from the vending machine) in hand.
"Oh, hi, Blue," White said with a quick bow. "And yes, the view of all of Celadon City is pretty good."
Blue leaned against the railing and took a sip. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"You told me to ask you for help if Crystal was unavailable," White began. "And… from what I can tell, she's not available. So… can you help me?"
Blue shrugged. "Depends on what you need from me."
"Just… advice would suffice," White said.
Blue turned to face her while still leaning into the railing. "Alright then. Tell me what's happening with you. Why exactly are you here? And why are you hiding from Unova, basically?"
White took a deep breath and explained everything. The start of her company, meeting Black, becoming a Dex Holder, and the start of the rapid decline. Going bankrupt, losing her company, shutting down the Musical, repeated lawsuits, hiding in Village Bridge working as a waitress, being spotted by Black, meeting Ruby and Sapphire, traveling around Unova in a disguise to rebuild confidence until being detected in Mistralton, being almost beaten to death and then trying to kill herself.
White sniffled and rubbed at her eyes as the bad memories flooded in. But at the same time, she felt… anger. A lot of anger. After all these years of making sure her clients were satisfied, they just turned their backs on her like that… Blue just remained silent, perhaps giving her time to calm down. White soon wiped away the last of her tears.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Blue said quietly. She sounded empathic at least. "I know what it's like to be chased by mobs."
"So what should I do?" White asked. "How do I get them to leave me alone?"
"You just need to focus on why they're chasing you in the first place," Blue said. "In my case… The first time I got chased was when I had to steal to live. Obviously, the people I stole from got very angry at me and chased after me. The reason they chased me was because I stole from them or scammed them. So what I had to do was return what I stole or scammed. Once I became a Dex Holder, I did exactly that. I returned everything I stole. After that, people stopped chasing after me. The second time I got chased was… when my parents got kidnapped. Team Rocket broadcasted lies that Red, Green, and I were causing destruction on the Sevii Islands. The people of One Island chased after us. I was in the hospital at the time, but the mob came with bats, torches, and all that stuff anyways. They wanted blood. The reason for them chasing me was because of those broadcasts. In order to stop them, all we had to do was to stop Team Rocket's schemes and get them out of the Sevii Islands. They stopped chasing me, so it's safe to assume that it worked. So White. Why are you being chased?"
"All those refunds and lawsuits," White mumbled. "And lies that I'm scamming people."
"There you go," Blue said. "Find out who started those lawsuits and why. Convince them or stop them and people will soon get off your back. So what will you do?"
White slowly took a deep breath. "… What if I do what you would do?"
"What?" Blue asked, looking quite surprised.
"… I mean, I spent so many years of my life ensuring that my clients were satisfied. I lost so much money that I didn't have to lose to make sure they were happy. And yet, my efforts were in vain. Why should I try anymore?" White let out a short sigh. "They seemed to have forgotten who I am. I will gladly remind them that my job allowed me to encounter and even befriend all sorts of people. People who will gladly help me out with anything if I just ask them. Or in some cases, pay them." She stared at her Xtransceiver. "I'll give them a friendly reminder that all I have to do is make one call, and-"
"Knock it off," Blue said sternly. "Don't do anything you'll regret later."
"But what about you?" White asked. "You're… attacking Crystal right now, aren't you? And even Lady Platinum. Aren't you going to regret that later?"
"I know that I am hurting them," Blue said rather angrily. "And I know that I'll regret everything I did. But I plan on disappearing forever after this. I won't be anywhere near the other Dex Holders. But if you snap as well and take your revenge on the public of Unova, what's next? Do you plan on never returning to Unova ever again?"
White suddenly blinked a few times as she returned to her senses. "… You're right." She let out a long sigh and her shoulders slumped again. "… Then what should I do?"
"Find out who's leading the charge against you," Blue suggested. "Just find out why. Once you know the reason, you may have the solution. But keep it discreet. And until then, stay in Kanto or Johto and work on rebuilding your confidence. And don't do what I'm doing against Crys. Platinum is more of a casualty and I know she doesn't deserve it. Again, this is why you shouldn't do what I'm doing. Just make that one call, but only for finding out who started the lawsuits."
"Okay… Thank you."
"Now, is there anything else?"
"Um… what about you? Can you stop doing what you'll regret later? I think if you stop now, everything will turn out okay."
Blue's expression suddenly turned ice cold. "That's none of your concern." She took a deep breath and lightened her expression. "If that's everything, I'll be going now."
White decided to not push her luck any further. She nodded and bowed to her senior. Blue soon left, leaving the Unova Dex Holder alone to think about everything that was said.
She soon pressed a series of buttons on her Xtransceiver. The person on the other side picked up after a few rings.
"Hi, Sora. It's me," White said after clearing her throat.
"Oh, hey! I heard about what happened in Unova. Are you doing okay?" came her friend's voice.
"I'm doing okay, given what happened. I'm calling from-"
"Celadon City," the girl said from the other side. "Or so says the tracker. So, what's up?"
"I need to call in a favor," White said. "So you've read the news about everything that happened to me. All those lawsuits and refunds and all that stuff. Can you… use your skills to find out who's leading the charge against me? And why? And from there on… use your judgment."
"Oh. Hmm… okay. I can do it."
"Thanks so much."
White chatted with her friend for a bit before hanging up. She let out a long sigh and stared at the view of Celadon City. So that was that then. Within a few days, she would know who exactly was hating her so much in Unova and why. And there, Sora would decide whether a swift elimination, threatening, or even convincing would be the best course of action. And eventually, White would be able to return home.
… So would Black as well. She almost forgot about this completely. Black was out of his home too. Only because he wanted to accompany her during her time of need. He was sacrificing so much for her. And here she was, sort of wasting his sacrifices by staying depressed.
Time to start repaying him. White quickly pressed a series of buttons on her Xtranceiver.
"Hey, Miss President!" came Black's cheerful voice as his face appeared on the Xtranceiver screen. "What's up?"
"Hi, Black!" White said with a bright smile.
"Whoa, you look happy, Miss President," Black said with a smile of his own. "Are you feeling good?"
White nodded. "Yeah. I think everything will be good from now on."
"What happened?"
"I talked to Blue and she gave me advice on how I should deal with the mob chasing me around in Unova. And I'm sure that in a couple of weeks, we'll be able to return home."
"That's great!" Black said happily. "I'm so glad for you."
"Yeah…" White gave him a sheepish smile. "Listen… Thank you. For everything. You've been more than supportive during my time of need, and I really can't thank you enough. I'd rather tell you face to face, but it's important I say it now though. Black, because of me, you're also in this foreign region, far away from home. You've put your dreams on hold while you're helping me, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Miss President. We're friends, right?"
White slowly nodded. "And you're the best friend I can ask for." She felt her cheeks warming for being so honest and quickly added. "So listen, I had my time alone to sort out my thoughts, and now that it's done, if you want to do something… with me, I'll gladly go with you."
"That's great! I was about to go out for lunch, so if you want, let's go together," Black said. "I split off from Ruby and Emerald and I was kind of getting bored. So if you want to stay with me, that's great! Where are you?"
"I'm on the rooftop of the Celadon City Department Store. Where are you?"
"Hey, I'm in Celadon too! There's an eatery here and I was going to see what they offered. Let's go together! I'll wait for you in front of the store!"
"Okay! I'm coming," White said excitedly. She took a quick glance off the balcony. "Really quickly too!"
"Hold on, I'm coming," Black said as his screen began to shake quite violently.
"What's happening?" White asked with a slight frown. She quickly looked past the railing into the ground below and spotted a familiar Braviary flying towards the entrance. "Oh! I see you!" She sent out her Vullaby and grabbed onto it. She also sent out her Solosis as well. "I'll see you in a few seconds!"
With her Vullaby firmly in her grasp, and her Solosis floating next to her head, she quickly jumped over the railing and plummeted towards the ground. The Vullaby rapidly flapped its wings to control the descent, and the Solosis carefully used Psychic to control the descent as well.
From the ground, Black looked up and spotted White plummeting towards him. For a brief moment, he thought the worst and panicked. But then he saw her glowing blue, and that she wasn't falling nearly as fast as she should. Much to his relief, he realized that White had her Vullaby and Solosis to fall down safely. Still, he couldn't risk it and ran closer with his arms stretched out.
A thought suddenly occurred and he wondered if this was all intentional on White's part. Back when White fell off the Ferris wheel, Black wasn't there to help her. He found her way after that incident, and he always felt bad about it. He wasn't there when she needed him, because he was busy trying to pursue his dreams. She knew that as well. She probably knew how bad he felt due to that incident. So was she giving him his second chance?
… Eh, it was much appreciated.
This was important then. Ever since the Ferris wheel incident, he had plenty of time to think about what was more important. His dreams, or White. And the answer that came was obviously White.
It was why he was here in Kanto instead of in Unova. He put his dreams on hold so that he could be there for White when she needed him. And when she declared that she needed time alone, it hurt him, as he felt that he couldn't be with her in her time of need.
And now things have changed. White wanted to be with him, and he was ready to help her. And what better way to start the new phase in his relationship with her than catching her from a fall.
White's Solosis and Vullaby controlled the descent in a way that allowed White to fall rather quickly. This would allow Black to catch her without hurting her or himself, but so that his presence was still important. He would not be helping if White was falling as slow as a feather.
Black caught White in his arms. And immediately, both Dex Holders looked into each other's eyes and smiled brightly.
"Got you!" Black said happily.
"And thank you," White said with a slight giggle.
"Ready to go?" Black asked as he set White on her feet.
"Sure am," she said. "And I've been thinking… after lunch, why don't we start touring this region? Or Johto?"
"I thought you were tired of traveling around from place to place," Black said.
"Well, I suppose I am a bit tired, but…" She blushed as she willed herself to keep looking into his eyes. "… I think it's fun when you're with me."
Black's face turned slightly red too. "That's good to hear, Miss President. It's fun traveling with you too. So in that case… let's travel around Johto first. After lunch, we'll go to Saffron City and take the Magnet Train there. We've never ridden a train together, have we?"
White smiled again. She suddenly recalled the time when she split from Black the first time in the Gear Station of Nimbasa City. So Black felt sad about that separation as well.
"That sounds great, Black. I can't wait."
"Then let's get going."
Black slowly led White towards the eatery and the girl followed after moment of simply watching him with a smile on her lips. She ran up towards him and then grabbed his hand as she walked at the same pace.
Though right now, White still had some concern deep inside her about what would happen to her in the future, she still felt… happy. In fact, she was a little glad that this whole thing happened. Without this whole lawsuit stuff happening, she probably would not have been able to get this close to Black.
And right now, being this close to Black just made her feel happy. She trusted him. And she had absolutely no doubt that as long as she stayed with him, he would continue to make her happier. And one day, when everything in Unova was clear, she would be able to go home with Black and she would be able to repay him. Whether or not her company was back up, she would accompany him in his journey and help him accomplish his dreams.
White looked over at Black and smiled. Surely that was what he wanted as well? She held his hand tight. In response, Black gave her a warm smile and gave her hand a light squeeze.
Yep. Everything would be just fine now.
Hurray! Unova segment got a happy ending! Woohoo! But in the end, I decided to cut down about 3000 words (still a 5 digit word count), which would show White eventually returning to Unova. I feel that section doesn't really do a whole lot (in terms of Black & White relationship) for the amount of effort that would have to go into it. So this is the quickly patched up ending. White finally gains peace of mind, and focuses on building up her friendship (and more) with Black.
And one of my created characters appeared for... one call. Wasn't mentioned before, wasn't mentioned again. It is the fate of my created (non enemy) characters.
Wow, this chapter was hard. Because I realized while writing this that the Unova segment didn't have a relationship issue, so… there's nothing to "solve". If I didn't force myself to give this pairing a happy ending, I would've gone with the planned (and scrapped) idea, where White is forced to choose whether she would sacrifice herself to save Black, or just let him die.
Next up: Sinnoh segment. Time to make you cry. Or try to.
Oh, another thing: don't overreact about the SL cancellation. Because when you think about it, how much of SL am I cancelling? I finished the Unova segment. Sinnoh segment will be completed. There really is no Hoenn segment. Kanto segment is sort of in Destiny right now. So only the Johto segment is cancelled. So in actuality, it's closer to SL just ending than being cancelled.