notes: here i am, after 4 years of not writing any pokefic! i wonder who's still around? if you're still around, thanks for being here! i don't intend to write much pokefic anymore, and now spend more time on my animanga fics. actually, even that i don't write so often, so i'm just floating around fandom and hey, if you'd like to just chill and talk to me, you can find me on twitter (petaldancing), tumblr (mayakyaa) or on AO3 (petaldancing). i don't know who'll read this, after so long, but i hope it'll be worth your time (:

why don't we share some cake?

It's strange, how you can save the world with someone not once, but twice , and still not quite understand them.

The thought irritated Pearl, because these kind of things were supposed to come naturally to him. At least, that was how it was with pokémon, whose little flexes of movement told him so much about what they were going to do next. He knew he couldn't compare pokémon to humans, but Dia's a human and Pearl thought he could read him pretty well too. That was supposed to be a given, after having spent their whole lives together.

When Dia first announced that he was going to study baking, Pearl had seen it coming for years: the way Dia's eyes lit up when he read a new recipe, the deftness in his movements when he was in the kitchen, the big goofy grin he had whenever he succeeded in making a tasty poffin for his pokémon, those were all signs pointing to the inevitable.

He'd realised this when he was fifteen and Dia baked his first cake to share with him and Platinum. Back then, Pearl had been smart enough start planning it all out. He decided that when they had had enough with being kids and wanted to grow up, when the world was a calmer place which didn't need saving every other year, Dia would pursue his baking dreams in the region's best school in Hearthome and Pearl would sign them on to a talent agency. They'd make a name for themselves with double act performances on nights and weekends. On his off time, he could always train with Master Wake or his dad at the Battle Frontier for a change of pace.

They'd continue doing what they'd promised each other back when they were five. Now, three years later, it was finally time to set that plan into motion.

"I got accepted, Pearl!" Dia told him when the mail came in one afternoon, waving the open envelope in the air as he entered the room. Lax followed behind him, carrying even more snacks to add to their arsenal. They were all set up in Dia's room, surrounded by ample rice crackers and sheets of paper with double act jokes they were working on. They didn't have any upcoming gigs—Dia had been too distracted and nervous all week to focus on training even if they did. Despite this, Pearl didn't postpone their weekly joke-writing sessions because he always liked to be prepared and Dia never objected.

As Pearl sorted through the scribbles and stacks of paper, he asked, "Which school was it again?" He'd helped Dia with his numerous applications and didn't want to go around boasting that his best friend was in the top school in Hearthome if it turned out he'd ended up in one of the smaller ones in the city.

"To Lumoise Culinary School," Dia said as he sat down on the rug next to Pearl.

"Of course you did! I always knew you had it in you! Yes! Yes..." Pearl's nods slowed as he registered his friend's answer. Behind him, perched on the windowsill, Chahiko repeated "Lumoise!" a few times, which was what the bird pokémon always did with unfamiliar words.

Pearl swerved to his right and grabbed Dia by the shoulders.

"Dia! No, I mean, Diamond!"

Dia scratched his cheek with one finger sheepishly. "Ah, you probably want to know where that is. It's in Kalos."

Pearl felt his grip tighten. Then and there, he wanted shake Dia and demand to know what was the matter with him. Why was he throwing a spanner into the works, why was he totally calm about it, why was he changing his, no, their dream and going off somewhere that Pearl couldn't follow?

And yet, the first question that broke out of his flurry of thoughts was: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dia held his gaze, lips pressing together for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and placed his hand on Pearl's arm, holding it there, firm but gentle. "Because... you would've stopped me if I'd told you."

"That's—" Pearl stopped short. A lump had formed in his throat, and it blocked the rest of his words. He released Dia, his arms falling back to his sides and scrunched his eyebrows. He didn't know what to say because it was true.

What he did know, was that he could still talk Dia out of it now. He just had to come up with a quick list of reasons, reasons that he would've used to deny Dia from applying, because he knew what was best for the both of them, right? It was ridiculous for them to go to a brand new region where they had no name for themselves, after all the contacts they'd built up in the entertainment industry in Sinnoh. How was their double act supposed to take-off there? Pearl had spent too long making connections the last couple of years. He was already eighteen, he—

He'd never stopped to consider that Dia was doing his own growing up the last few years.

The sound of Lax munching on the rice crackers snapped Pearl out of his thoughts. He turned back to Dia, who was peering at him nervously, as if bracing for the eventual outburst.

Instead, Pearl bit his tongue and ran his hands through his hair back and forth for a few seconds. He tucked his chin as he messed up his hair, gluing his eyes to the floor, where his notes were. The words on the paper had gone out of focus, blurry, probably because he wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

When Pearl straightened his posture, he'd collected himself enough to be able to say, "Congrats, Dia." He even lifted the corner of his mouth in his best attempt at a smile.

"You're not mad?" Diamond asked. His shoulders, which had been braced for Pearl's shouts, eased.

Pearl didn't reply. The one thing he could never do was lie to Dia. Instead, he looked over his shoulder to Chahiko and nodded in the direction of the open window. Chahiko rustled its feathers to show its disapproval, but Pearl raised his hand to point this time. The bird clipped its beak before flying out of the window, in the direction of his house.

"Where are you headed? What about all this?" Diamond asked, twiddling his thumbs with uneasiness. Even Lax had stopped eating to observe them.

Pearl quickly gathered up his notes and tucked them under his arm. He stood up and grabbed his scarf off the hook behind Dia's bedroom door. "You should be spending time preparing for school now, not doing stand-up routines." His voice was a mumble, it wasn't the kind of voice a performer should have.

"Pearl? You're scaring me." Dia got up his bare feet, but Pearl held his hand up between them.

"Don't worry about me, Dia. I get it. I really do." The corner of his mouth twitched up again. "You just don't spring something like this on me, you know? I need some time to collect my thoughts and decide what I want to do from now on."

Hearing those words coming from himself, Pearl couldn't keep it together. What did he want to do? What could he do?

He walked out of Dia's room without looking back, and as he descended the staircase, Dia's voice cracked behind him. "Okay," was all he said.

Just like that, the Diamond and Pearl show was put on hold.

On the day of Dia's departure, Pearl stepped into Canalave port at noon. He hadn't spoken to Dia for two weeks, not since that day. Pearl was still getting used to the idea that those afternoons spent in Dia's cluttered room might never come back. He'd distracted himself from such childish thoughts by working on potential solo stand-up routines, and looking into competitions with single categories. Despite this flood of new information, he never stopped double-checking Dia's departure date with his mother and figuring out what to say to him. He still didn't know what to say but here he was, carrying a lunchbox packed full of riceballs made by his mother. The crisp sea air filled Pearl's lungs, making him feel just a little bit better.

As he approached the large ship that would carry Dia, Pearl caught sight of them. Dia's pokémon were all out of their pokéballs, even Reg, who earned looks of bewilderment from the sailors walking by.

Chimhiko, who enjoyed being out when the sun was hottest, broke into a dash towards Wig, who growled in greeting. It was only now, when Chimhiko couldn't get its arms around Wig's shell, that Pearl realised that the torterra had grown larger over the years. Chimhiko had no choice but to hug Wig's neck. Wig didn't seem to mind. They'd been together ever since they were a turtwig and chimchar, after all.

Dia was decked out in a new set of clothes. He'd exchanged his red beret for a cap and looked older, more mature in his new blue jacket. Pearl touched his own tattered green scarf self-consciously. He chose to catch the attention of Dia's mother first, waving to her, before sliding his gaze back to Dia.

Before Dia could open his mouth, Pearl caught a glimmer from the corner of his eye. It was from an empoleon, whose three front horns had caught the sunshine and the sparkle of the ocean waves. Pearl recognised it immediately as it sauntered over to Wig and Chahiko, trying to play it cool and composed. This act didn't last for long, because it was shortly bowled over by both the infernape and torterra.

The familiar clip-clop of hooves coming from behind signalled Platinum's arrival. Pearl had to squint up at her as she was positioned just beneath the sun, on Rapidash's back. Platinum regarded him with a blank, unamused expression on her face, the very one that he could never really read. Pearl's eyebrow twitched. Sure, she appeared grown up—she'd tied her hair back into a ponytail lately and wore a black blouse and pink skirt, reminiscent of her old outfit—but at times like these, he felt like they were twelve again.

"Good afternoon," Platinum greeted as she dismounted Rapidash with skill. When her eyes met Dia's, her countenance changed from nonchalance to something warmer, and she even smiled at him.

"Missy!" Dia called out both happy and yet mildly distressed. He never kicked the habit of calling Platinum by that title. Pearl found it weird to call her 'Platinum' too, and so he chose to address her through other means.

"Hey, you're not busy with research?" Pearl asked, folding his arms. He'd meant it as a joke, but quickly realised that it was in bad taste. Platinum always put them before her work, never failing to show up for important celebrations and to invite them for tea. It was just that he hardly saw her these days. He hadn't even spoken to her in the last two weeks.

"This was more important to me," Platinum explained without taking offense. She called Rapidash back into its pokéball, unzipped her yellow bag, and began to rummage around inside. "Come here, Dia." She beckoned him over with her free hand.

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. She drew out a small velvet box that had the Berlitz insignia imprinted on it. When she opened it, her family crest shimmered under the sunlight. "I wanted you to bring this with you to Kalos," she explained as she removed the brooch and thrusted the empty box into Pearl's hands.

"I-I couldn't take it from you, it's your family heirloom!" Dia sputtered, though he made no move to stop the young lady from pinning the crest on his jacket.

"Please accept it, Diamond. It's special to me, but I've more than proven myself part of the Berlitz family. Take it as a good luck charm," Platinum said, patting the brooch twice before rising back to her full height. "Anyway, I'm sure being associated with the Berlitz family will grant you some boons."

"Let's hope it brings more boons than trouble," Pearl jabbed. It was easier talking now that Platinum was here. And then, as if she could read his mind, Platinum tilted her chin and left their side to say hello to Dia's mother and bid farewell to the rest of Dia's team.

Pearl balled his hands and narrowed his eyes at her back. He was going to ask her what was her problem later. For now, he was stuck with figuring out what to say to Dia. The longer the silence between them stretched, the more Pearl became aware that he was the one made all the ruckus, between the two of them. He was always the one who decided where to go, what to do, who to become. He couldn't blame Dia now, not when he never bothered to stop and listen to him. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck. When had he started holding his breath?

Dia did not say anything. Instead, he held his arms open.

Pearl could never reject a good old hug. He threw his arms around his friend without hesitation, surprised and embarrassed by his own reaction. He really was going to miss this guy. But even at this proximity, he couldn't say anything. Instead, he pat Dia hard on the back. This was much easier than talking, but there was still an unmistakable pang in his chest. It was right where Platinum's brooch pressed into his shirt. The sensation of the wind tussling his hair and the sound of the waves crashing against the docks made this feel more like a beginning than an end.

"I'll do my best, Pearl."

Ah, that's right. This was Dia's beginning.

"Here." Pearl held the lunchbox out with one hand. It was wrapped in his mother's favourite eevee tea towel. "In case you get hungry on the journey there." It was obvious that he was dodging, but he stuck to his act.

Dia didn't even mind. A smile, one that was so thankful and sincere, spread across his face as he accepted the food with both hands. "Thanks for always looking out for me, Pearl."

The muscles in his back stiffened. Pearl wanted to laugh just then, even though it wasn't funny at all, but held it back when he noticed that Dia hadn't finished.

"Listen, what if—" the deep wail of the ship's horn cut between them sharply. A muffled announcement soon followed, asking passengers to begin boarding.

"Quickly! Let's take a photo together!" Platinum jogged up to them the next second, brandishing the latest Pokétch model on her left wrist. It had a front camera and a photo-taking function, but because Platinum's arm could only stretch so far, Pearl had to squat down in the centre so that they could all fit into the frame. After they untangled themselves, they stood around the Pokétch to see the photo. Pearl had a weak, crooked smile, Dia's cheeks were flushed and Platinum was trying her hardest not to look like she was straining herself.

"It's perfect," Dia said with an easygoing laugh. "I'll use it was my wallpaper!"

"Diamond! Come now, let's get everyone settled and get you onboard!" Dia's mother had already called all his pokémon back into their pokéballs, except for Lax, who was wearing sunglasses and looking very ready for a cruise experience.

Dia didn't go just yet. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and tried again. "Pearl, I know it's late, but—"

"It's okay." It wasn't, but Pearl had to at least do this right. "Just go! Quick! Before you miss the ship!" his voice spiked. He had never questioned his habit of raising his voice at Dia till now.

"Diamond!" Dia's mother clicked her tongue.

Twisting his hands into the material of his jacket, Dia gave one final nod to Platinum, and then to Pearl. Pearl knew he wasn't finishing talking, but he had decided to turn on his heel anyway. Maybe this was Dia's way of getting back at him, for walking out of his room that afternoon. Pearl let him, watching his back grow smaller and smaller. Whatever words that were meant to pass between them were now left to drown out in the sea.

Dia didn't look back until he was halfway up the ship's gangplank. By then, Pearl could only raise his hand and wave.

Minutes passed and the sun continued to beat down on them. Chimhiko was back in his pokéball, and Pearl had half a mind to leave and find shelter. He hadn't intended to linger after Dia was onboard the ship, but Platinum wasn't budging from her spot next time him. He couldn't leave her now. He didn't want to feel more alone than he already was. So, he stood there, hands in his pockets, and watched the ocean liner pull out of the port. Platinum waved both her hands at the ship even though Dia was nowhere to be seen.

Chahiko, who'd been perched on Pearl's shoulder, nudged the side of his head.

"Yeah, go ahead. Just in case," Pearl whispered, running his hand down Chahiko's back to encourage him. The bird hesitated for a moment before pushing off his shoulder and into the air. It beat its wings furiously to catch up with the ship as it broke into the sea beyond Canalave City.

Pearl watched the chatot glide further into the distance, becoming a thin line in the sky.

"How unlike you, to not have anything to say," Platinum spoke once Chahiko disappeared from their vision. Her words were not harsh, but there was a bite to them that told Pearl she was upset.

He stared down at his sneakers, flecked with stray droplets from when the waves hit the docks underneath them. "I've said enough, haven't I?"

"You haven't said enough," Platinum corrected him.

"I didn't want to influence Dia with my opinion. I just came to say goodbye," Pearl admitted, to both himself and her. He thought Platinum would appreciate his confession, but instead, her eyes darkened and she inhaled sharply.

"You already miss him, huh?" Pearl threw out a guess.

"I do," Platinum said without faltering. Her words, careless and free, made Pearl's gut stir with envy. This unpleasant sensation was quickly masked by the small victory that was deciphering Platinum's thoughts.

"Then why're you upset with me?" he asked. He had a good feeling that it was because he hadn't spoken to her for the past two weeks.

Platinum, determined to never give him the pleasure of being right, sighed as she said, "I'm not upset. I'm disappointed."

"What?!" Pearl glared at her, raising both his voice and his eyebrows. It was back to square one again.

The young lady picked up her bag from the ground as Rapidash appeared next to them in a flash of red light. It seemed that she wasn't in the mood to discuss any further. "I'll see you soon, Pearl," she said in an even tone as she mounted Rapidash, as if their conversation hadn't even happened.

As the sound of Rapidash's hooves faded into the hum of the ocean's waves, Pearl found himself alone and staring out at the open sea. Dia's ship was now an indiscernible speck amongst the others lining the horizon. The last half an hour felt like a blur to him, especially with the way Dia had departed, and Platinum had excused herself.

He still couldn't read Platinum, could he? He couldn't understand her. Now, he didn't really understand Dia either. It made Pearl question, for all that he was letting happen, whether he even understood himself.

Up on this stage, there was no one else but him.

Pearl's initial idea had been to put together an act consisting of himself and Chahiko, who was the only one in his team who had any sense of comedic timing. That plan was now obsolete, so here he was, standing by himself, battling with the feedback from the microphone.

"When I think about pokémon, I think about how many different species there are! Just when I think I've got the all their names memorised, I learn that there's another 150 in a whole other region!" Pearl propped his elbow on the top of the mike stand, darting his gaze to different parts of the room. Doing a solo act was much harder than it looked. With Dia gone, he had to be able to retain the attention of the audience without someone to play off of. The crowd was reasonably-sized. He could spot familiar faces: the young kids of Jubilife City who liked to come by to listen to a show, as well as the elderly couples who were looking for something to pass the time.

He began to walk from one side of the stage to the other. There was a much bigger space he had to cover, now that he was one person. "Funny story is, when I was younger, I got a hold of this device over here—" He drew out his pokédex to show the crowd, eliciting 'oo's and 'ah's. He smirked, having succeeded in drawing their eyes. "This pokédex can tell me the name of any pokémon I meet!"

Then, he delivered his finishing line: "Now, if only I could get a device that could tell me the names of all the people who owe me money!"

The applause was modest, but it wasn't what Pearl had been hoping for. It was hard to balance between being a straight man and a funny man—he didn't know how to deliver lines the way Dia did without sounding forced.

"Alright, I have one more short one to finish up today's show," Pearl said as he returned to his original spot in the centre of the stage, his voice reverberating from the overhead speakers.

"A Dodrio walking into a bar," he began as the door at the back of the hall opened. Pearl diverted his line of sight to the audience in the first row, reminding himself not to get distracted.

"As it walked up to the bartender, the bartender only had one question to ask!" he continued, pausing for effect. The latecomer had made their way up closer to the front, and he recognised them immediately under the bright stage lights.

Platinum.

"What are you do-duoing here?! " he shouted, gripping the mike with both hands and kicking the mike stand over in a flurry. "T-This is a human bar!" He tripped over a word, but managed to land the joke.

That drew a few sympathetic laughs from the audience, and then someone was clapping, and then everyone else was clapping, calling for the end of Pearl's show.

"T-Thank you, everyone! I'll be here on Friday night too with a brand new act! See you!" he spoke with haste, bowing as the audience began to thin out.

Once he was sure no one else was looking at him, Pearl righted the stand and fixed the mike back in place before hopping offstage. The lights came back on as everyone slowly filed out of the room. Everyone, except Platinum, who took a seat in the second row of plastic chairs, tucked her hand under her chin and looked expectantly at Pearl, as it he was the one who had arrived unannounced.

"Look, it's great seeing you and all, but you should really chose a better time to come in for the show. It's not that I didn't want to invite you," Pearl informed her, arms akimbo. "It's just that… I wanted to have a better show ready before telling you about it," he said, softer this time.

"It's alright. I wanted to see how you were doing," she said in quiet understanding.

"Me? I'm fine. I'm more than fine! I'm great!" As Pearl said this, he reasoned with himself. It really wasn't that bad all things considered, he just needed more time to write his stand-up routine and do some trial and error.

"Don't put an act up in front of me." Platinum was resolute. "You're not doing well. You need to see Dia again, don't you?"

Pearl didn't want to give Platinum the satisfaction of being right. Ever since striking it out alone, Pearl came to realise that he only ever shined because Dia was with him. "Whatever the case, Dia's in Kalos now, I don't have any way to talk to him," he pointed out.

"That's why we're going to change that," Platinum declared, as if it were the simplest thing.

"Huh?" Pearl had half a mind to tell Platinum that money couldn't buy everything, but then he remembered who she was. As he saw a eager smile spread across her face, he pursed his lips and decided to hold back his comments for the time being.

Platinum stuck her nose in the air and said, proudly, "What do you think I've spent the last week doing?"

"Um. Work?"

"Well, yes. Work." The young lady lowered her chin and coughed, making an effort to maintain her decorum. "But through work, I managed to convince Professor Rowan to let me do a field study of Kalos, or rather, how pokémon native to Sinnoh react to the climate of Kalos. And for this field study, I've appointed you as my assistant."

"Wait a second." Pearl held a stern finger out to her. "Is this going to be like that bodyguard thing we—I—did when we were twelve?"

"Of course not," Platinum tutted, raising her own index finger. Her diamond ring glinted under the room's light. "I'm quite capable of defending myself now."

"Then why do you want me to go along with you? I'm building up my career here!" Pearl gestured to the stage. They hadn't had time to put up a signboard for him, so he'd resorted to using a marker and whiteboard to write: "The Brand New Gut-Busting Pearl Show!" He had good penmanship, honestly.

"Right..." Platinum said feebly.

"You don't think it's good enough." Pearl frowned.

"Well, I…" she trailed off, then pretended to check her pokétch for updates.

"You don't!" Pearl didn't know if he was frustrated at her or himself. What he did know, was that he wasn't going to jump at the opportunity to go to Kalos just because he was having a rocky start with his solo act. "This is all I could do with the budget I had, just so you know," he said defensively.

"Ah." Platinum banged her fist into the palm of her other hand. "You're going to get paid for this field study. Why not use that money to help design a proper logo and props for your act?"

"I don't need money!" Pearl sliced his hand through the air and felt his face grow hot.

"You need money to build your career." Platinum stared at him. Hard.

"No, you don't. You just need willpower and guts," he corrected her, meeting her gaze.

Suddenly, a third person joined their conversation. "I'm afraid you need more than just that, Pearl." It was the producer's voice. Pearl glanced over Platinum's shoulder and saw that the older woman was marching towards them, clipboard in hand. "I just did a survey with the audience and they're not taking well to your new approach. They want Diamond back," she said as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Pearl's lip quivered, and he felt his insides swell with something ugly.

"Do you have any other comments from them?" Platinum immediately stood up between them, stepping back so that she was standing next to Pearl.

Pearl's hand, which had been clenched into a ball, started to relax.

"He's great at his articulation and delivery. It's just the punchlines that don't quite land," the producer read out as she skimmed through her clipboard. "Pearl, honey, why don't you think a break? You've rushed into this. I'd be glad to open a slot on stage for you whenever you're up for it again."

"Pearl will take your offer. He's going with me to Kalos, after all. He'll be able to come up with new material there." Platinum went ahead and made the decision for him.

Before Pearl could protest, the producer sounded her approval: "Excellent! I have contacts in Kalos, actually. Just say the word and I'll let them know about you, they'll welcome you with open arms!"

Crap. He was cornered. Why was Platinum trying to hard to persuade him to go with her? Wasn't she mad at him just a few days ago?

"Right, now that that's settled, I've got other acts to manage. Be a dear and send me a postcard from Kalos, alright?" The producer wiggled her fingers at him as she walked away.

"Hold on! Hey!" Pearl extended an arm out to her, but the producer was already out the door of the hall.

Platinum took the chance to reach out and grab his hand before he could pull it back. She held it tightly between her palms and looked at him very seriously and said, "Pearl. You need to come with me."

It wasn't a plea, nor was it an order. Maybe it was because her hands were clammy yet reassuring, or because she was the person who, years ago, told him to follow her up Mount Coronet, and he'd never regretted a single moment of that journey.

Whatever it was, Pearl finally lowered his head and relented.

The next day, Platinum (or rather, Empoleon) burst into Pearl's room unannounced.

"Hey, you know how your butlers have to announce our arrival? Could we maybe do something similar like that around here?" was Pearl's first sentence to her. He folded up an extra shirt and stuffed it into his bag before standing up from his bed. He'd stayed up late cleaning up his room yesterday, pre-empting Platinum's arrival and the fact that his mother would let her in without any fuss.

"It's not my fault you don't have butlers," Platinum said, hand poised over her collar. She was wearing a new outfit today—a black shirt and red skirt, and a matching hat. Pearl had been thinking about changing clothes too. She noticed him staring and told him, "I got this straight from Kalos. Delibird Delivery is rather efficient nowadays." She did a little twirl to show-off, and Pearl couldn't help but shake his head and smile at that.

"I'll be done in another five minutes," he said, double checking that he'd packed all that he needed before squeezing past Empoleon to get to the hallway. After his mother learned about his trip yesterday evening, she told him that she'd set aside new clothes for him.

He found it on the dining table. It was a green jacket, and it matched with the one Dia had worn that day.

His mother walked in through the front door, her hands covered in soil. She had been tending to the garden outside. "Ah yes. Opal gave it to me when we met for tea last week. She'd gotten one for Dia, and told me the other one was meant for you. Remember to thank her!"

"I will," Pearl mumbled as he unfolded the jacket and held it out in front of himself.

Why did Dia's mother get him this jacket if she knew that Dia would be going off to Kalos by himself?

Clunk. Clunk. Empoleon was coming down the staircase, and behind him, Platinum was slinging Pearl's bag over her shoulder. Seeing this, Pearl undid his old scarf and hung it over the back of the chair. He threw on the new jacket and zipped it up as he walked over to the foot of the staircase and received his bag from Platinum.

"We've no time to waste. There's a schedule we need to keep to," she explained, withdrawing Empoleon safely into its pokeball and tucking it into her shoulder bag.

As Pearl sat down next to the shoe rack and laced up his sneakers, Platinum thanked his mother for the hospitality and was showered with coos and well wishes in response. In contrast, Pearl's goodbye consisted of strict reminders to eat well and to not be a bother to Platinum.

As he closed the front door behind them, Pearl felt rather savvy as he asked, "So which way to the private yacht?"

He was wrong. It wasn't a yacht. It was a fully fledged ship with the words "S.S. Berlitz" painted in intricate cursive on the front of its hull. Trust the Berlitz to own a proper ocean liner, running regular schedules between all the regions of the world. Platinum explained that this was how different members of her family travelled for work without batting an eyelid. Pearl had only himself to blame. He should've been used to this by now.

The amount of staff onboard the ship greatly outnumbered the passengers, of which consisted himself, Platinum and her distant aunt. This aunt, whose arbok trailed behind her everywhere she walked, hailed from Kalos and had finished her week-long stay in Sinnoh. Platinum, being the prim and conscientious person she was, left to have tea with her aunt on the sun deck.

The next two days passed by faster than Pearl expected. He's spent half a day exploring the ship with his pokémon, finding a swimming pool, bowling alley and casino (it seemed that they also had strict rules about letting Platinum near the slots). The rest of his time was spent in his cabin, working on new routines in between the hearty buffet meals served by the kitchen.

On the last day of the cruise, Pearl chose to spend his afternoon on the lower deck with Chimhiko, who enjoyed the breeze but yelped whenever splashes of water sprayed onto the deck. The Berlitz staff stopped asking him if they could get him anything after the fifth time he'd turned them away, and it was only from then on, when no one was watching him, that he could really relax. He sat down and thumbed through a pocket-sized guide of Kalos that he bought from a kiosk at Canalave, taking note of the interesting landmarks.

When he was done reading, he noticed that Chimhiko, who'd been lounging in one of the wooden deck chairs, had dozed off. He smiled as he got up to lean against the golden railing and stare out of the looming horizon. The fact that he was out here in the middle of the ocean made it easier to let go of all the thoughts that were preoccupying him, for at least a while. The salty tang of the air and the cool breeze were a welcome change after weeks spent at his desk and in stuffy halls.

"You've been looking better the past few days."

Platinum held her hat down to her head as a strong gust of wind rippled across the deck. The sun was slowly beginning to set. He hadn't noticed the time passing.

"Did I really look like I was in bad shape?" Pearl gave a weak laugh as he stared at the dark, churning waters below.

"You did. I was worried." Platinum laced her hands together as she braced her elbows against the rails, keeping a polite distance between them. "I didn't know what else I could do, except for this."

Crossing the seas on a private ship just to see her friend was a lot, Pearl thought. Then again, for Platinum, it was always talking about feelings that was tougher on her, wasn't it?

"Thanks," Pearl said even though he didn't know what good would come out of this rash journey.

The setting sun inked the sky a deep orange, like it was something out of a painting. To the sun and the moon, it didn't matter that they were crossing the sea on impulse. They would continue to rise and set. The scenery that expanded out before him was so beautiful that in that moment, Pearl forgot about all the bad things and just wished Dia could be with them so that they could share this memory together.

"Dia must've seen this sunset too." Platinum said wistfully, as if she'd heard his thoughts.

The simple realisation made Pearl feel that maybe they weren't so far apart, after all. Yeah, he could imagine Dia sitting out here, enjoying the simple beauty of it all without a care in the world. That was the kind of guy he was, the kind who reminded you to slow down every once in awhile and just breathe. And so, Pearl took a deep breath in through his nose and let it all out in a slow exhale.

Platinum combed a hand through her hair as it tangled in the wind. "Have you figured it out, Pearl? What you couldn't say to Dia that day?" she asked, stepping towards him as she did. "We'll reach Kalos tomorrow morning, after all. I don't want this to be a wasted trip."

All at once, the reason why Platinum had been upset with him on the day of Dia's departure came to light.

"What are you talking about? I said all that I could that day!" Pearl controlled the volume of the voice even though he felt like he'd been mislead. "Aren't we here because you want to see Dia? You've missed him ever since that day, and you asked me along because you..." He balled his hands at his sides, feeling the sting as he said, "... because you pitied me."

"You misunderstand my intentions, Pearl."

Platinum was not angry, as if she knew that Pearl hadn't truly meant what he said. He wondered when she'd become so perceptive, and when he'd lost his touch. "Then tell me, what was I supposed to say to Dia?" he asked, longing to know the answer.

"You need to figure it out yourself." Was all Platinum deigned to tell him, even after she had egged him on about saying the right thing, acting like she was a know-it-all. And yet, Pearl could not find it in himself to resent her.

The lights on the ship flickered on around them. The sun had set completely now. Platinum walked towards the deck chairs and nudged Chimhiko awake, before informing Pearl which dining hall dinner would be served at. For some infuriating reason, she seemed to sense that he wanted to be alone, so she headed off first without saying anything more.

Chimhiko rubbed its eyes as it crouched next to Pearl. It shook off its drowsiness and stared at him, understanding that something was wrong.

Pearl gave the infernape a couple of pats on the back for reassurance. He let out another breath of air and turned to the wide open sea and allowed his question to be whisked away into the quiet night.

"When did I mess up, buddy?"

Coumarine City greeted them with sunny weather and the first monorail station Pearl had ever come across. His awe was dwarfed by Platinum's sheer fascination with everything around them, including the greenery and the unfamiliar species of pokémon that wandered around the streets with their trainers.

Platinum tugged Pearl by the elbow as they headed for the Pokémon Centre to stock up on essentials. "Look! I think those are meowstic!" She gestured to the pair of matching pokémon who were waiting for their trainer outside a small convenience store. Pearl whipped out his pokédex, which had been upgraded by Professor Rowan with one tiny data chip. The little device beeped to life and Meowstic's data entry flashed onto the screen.

"Good. It works," he said as he tucked it into the pocket of his jacket.

But Platinum was no longer next to him. She'd gone into the store and was now examining the different brands of food they stocked, her eyes sparkling.

"Look, Pearl! Spicy Braixen Chips! We should get this!" She waved a packet at him as he entered in after her.

Pearl let out a big huff at first, but began to snicker in spite of himself when he saw that Platinum was unphased by this. She continued browsing the snack shelf, indifferent to his disapproval. He'd forgotten that he used to be the one who wrangled Platinum and Dia whenever they got sidetracked. He'd enjoyed that a lot, even though he always complained about it.

After they replenished their supplies (and Platinum tucked the packet of Braixen Chips safely in her bag), they decided to head for the exit to Route 13. As Pearl stood along the walkway to decipher the map of the region he'd bought, Platinum wandered off to look at the large building next to the Centre. It was the Coumarine Gym.

Pearl didn't call her back straightaway. He folded the map and kept it away, thinking back to the time when Platinum had first started battling and how him and Dia had cheered her on and helped her train. Those were fun times he wished he could revisit. You were never too old to take on a gym challenge.

"Hey, Platinum! Let's get going!"

Hearing this, the young lady crossed her arms behind herself and looked back to Pearl with a small smile and a nod.

The two of them managed to cross the harsh terrain of Route 13 on the backs of Rayhiko and Rapidash in just over an hour. It would've been faster if Platinum hadn't stopped to take samples of the vegetation and the soil, and photos of the Kalos badlands. Pearl was secretly relieved that they had these little tasks to delay them. He pressed his face into the back of Rayhiko's head, feeling the fur tickle his cheeks. He still didn't know what he was supposed to say to Dia, after all.

Eventually, they reached Lumoise City. By now, Platinum had calmed down enough not to be sidetracked, even with the huge tower looming up over them in the city centre and the countless, new pokémon that they passed by on the street. Instead, she was the one taking the lead, weaving them through the crowd, in the direction of the Lumoise Culinary School. Its main building came into view at the end of a shopping arcade, standing out because of its beautifully tiled roof. The compound was gated on all sides, and near its entrance was a silver plaque that read: Lumoise Culinary School: For the World's Best & Brightest!

Pearl lingered in front of this plaque. He thought about how Dia was a student here, and felt a small surge of warmth from deep in his chest. He'd been so caught up thinking about the future and how to save his dream, he hadn't given a thought about the present until he was here, standing in front of it.

A crowd of students and their pokémon passed him, chattering about where they could go to grab a bite. Ah, it was lunch break now, the perfect time to sneak onto the campus and find Dia. As Pearl walked onto the grounds, furnished with beautiful plants and even a swanna fountain in front of the main building, he realised that the school was much bigger than they'd anticipated. Apart from the main building, there were two taller buildings located in the grounds. In seemed that one was for classes and lectures, and the other for practicals. Students, most of them around their age, were pouring out of all three buildings.

"How are we going to find Dia?" Pearl asked aloud.

"Simple. We ask." Platinum walked up to a girl and her houndoom. "Excuse me, do you happen to know Diamond?"

"Sorry, never heard of him," the redhead answered curtly, fidgeting with her hoop earrings as she side-stepped past Platinum.

"Are you a first year?" Pearl cut in, unable to bear Platinum's look of utter rejection.

The stranger stopped in her tracks and frowned at him, as if irked by how easy it was for Pearl to guess her seniority. "Yeah, I am. Who are you two?"

"We're looking for our friend, Dia. You may not know his name but he's this friendly guy who loves to eat and loves to bake even more," Pearl explained as the girl's houndoom sniffed cautiously at his pant leg.

She tilted her head from side to side. "Sounds like a lot of the guys in this school. You've got to be more specific here."

"He's very humble and kind," Platinum offered, "and he has a munchlax!"

Instantly, the redhead's expression shifted. "Oh, that guy! He's always staying back in the cooking studio, even during breaks. You'll probably find him on the third floor." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder to the practical building.

After they'd thanked her and she and her houndoom had gone off, Pearl craned his neck to take in the entire building. It was about eight storeys tall. Platinum copied him, staring at the building. As they neared it, she broke ahead of Pearl, towards the entrance of the building. Seeing her walk forward, Pearl intended to follow, and yet, his feet would not budge. The reality that they had come all this way to see Dia was sinking in, the gravity of the situation holding him back. Dia was going to accomplish great things here, wasn't he? What was Pearl doing here?

But Platinum did not care for his doubts. She took a hold of his hand wordlessly, and he let himself be pulled along with her. Pearl's thoughts were blank as they pushed past the glass doors and climbed the staircase to the third floor.

Midway up the stairs, a beeping noise began to emit from from Platinum's bag and Pearl's jacket. The sound made Pearl jump, but Platinum tightened her grip on his hand as they reached the third floor. He held the door open for her as they entered the corridor. On either side, through the wide, glass windows, he could see the cooking studios. Each lab consisted of ten stoves and a shared countered between them. Everything had been cleaned up and placed back where it belonged, and the floor was emptied of students. With every step they took, the Pokédexes grew louder.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

From one of the studios further along the corridor, a munchlax poked its head out in curiousity.

"Lax!" Pearl couldn't help but smile. He let go of Platinum's hand and quickened his pace. The munchlax dashed out towards them and nearly knocked Pearl over with the force of his hug. A few berries fell out from underneath him, and tumbled to Platinum's feet. She bent over to pick them up, patting Lax's head as she stood back upright.

The two of them then peered into the studio where Lax had come out from.

Dia held a big bowl in one hand, and in the other, a small hand mixer that was already covered in batter. Chahiko was perched on a high chair just behind him, and he squawked excitedly at the sight of Pearl. Pearl pressed his hands to the glass and grinned.

"Hi Pearl! Hi Missy!" Dia waved his flour-covered hand at them as they walked into the room.

"You don't sound very surprised! We just crossed the ocean for you!" Was the first thing that came out of Pearl's mouth, overcome with adrenaline.

"Oh, I had a feeling that the two of you were gonna show up sooner or later," Dia said as he went back to mixing his ingredients. He started humming a little tune.

Pearl and Platinum exchanged dumbfounded looks, before simultaneously asking, "How did you know?!"

In reply, Dia shoved the bowl of icing in front of their faces, gesturing for them to try. Chahiko grabbed two spare spoons from the counter and coasted through the air to drop them into Pearl and Platinum's hands. After they each had a spoonful of icing ("It's sweet and sour, I like it!" Platinum chirped), Dia placed the bowl down and said, "It was Missy's brooch and Chahiko."

Pearl glanced over to the chair Chahiko was perched on. Dia had hung his blue jacket over the back of the chair, and Platinum's brooch was still pinned on it.

"I knew that Missy would want to visit to check up on me and the brooch, and when Chahiko burst in through my cabin window back on the ship, I knew that Pearl wanted him to look out for me." Dia wiped his hands against his apron, his cheeks flushing. "It made me realise that I had to focus and do my best here, to make both of you proud."

Pearl stopped. He clenched both his hands and swallowed, and felt like a pretty horrible person.

"I'm already proud of you, Dia."

The words came out easily, and with it, all the frustration that Pearl had kept bottled up. Why hadn't he supported Dia from the beginning? Why hadn't be been a better friend?

"I'm sorry, buddy," he laughed in spite of himself, and blinked his eyes furiously so that the tears wouldn't well up.

"W-what?! No, Pearl! I should've told you sooner I just… I just didn't know how to convince you and you were working so hard on everything!" Dia flailed his arms around. "I, I didn't have a good enough reason for applying, but someone told me that I should still try and..." he trailed off.

"And?" Platinum coughed. She discreetly handed Pearl a handkerchief.

"And, I thought you would want to come to Kalos too, Pearl. My mother went ahead to buy the jackets before I could ever ask you though. But when I saw that you wanted to continue working on your act in Sinnoh, I couldn't say anything." Dia bit his lip. "I realised it would've been selfish of me to ask you to come along, and that I had to learn not to keep relying on you anymore."

Platinum reached her arms out to pat both their foreheads, somehow managing to be both comforting and patronising at the same time. Maybe it was because she was shorter than Pearl now, after his growth spurt. "If both of you had said this all from the start, I wouldn't have needed to step in," she said.

"Dia knew that I wouldn't listen to him." Pearl wiped the corners of his eyes. "I had it all planned out, I didn't want our plans to change, but… Dia, no, I mean, Diamond." Years ago, the boy standing in front of him would have been content to follow wherever Pearl went, listen to him and do whatever as long as they were together. Now, he was chasing his own dreams. Pearl was determined to become as strong as Dia.

Talking about Kalos and seeing it for himself, it was no longer a place that had stolen Dia away from him. Instead, it was a region of new possibilities. Pearl gave his best friend a thumbs-up as he said, "It's okay to change."

Dia's face lit up, and he nodded with enthusiasm. "I wanted to be able to make something amazing for both of you, all by myself." He paused, before adding with budding confidence, "I think I can." He gestured to the oven underneath the stove. "I've actually been working on it ever since I got here."

They crouched on either side of Dia, squeezing in to see what was baking.

Platinum caught a whiff of the aroma of the cake. "Ah, could this be Mago Cake?"

"Mago and Tanga Berry Cake," Dia corrected her bashfully. "It's equal parts sweet and sour, I wanted to perfect a recipe that both of you would like. Just five more minutes and it should be done."

As the three of them stood up, Pearl was overcome with newfound energy as he swung an arm around Dia's shoulders. "How about a Double Act off the cuff? For old time's sake," he asked. He didn't know when was the next time they'd be able to do it, but he wasn't worried or scared anymore.

Dia wasn't surprised by the suggestion, in fact, it seemed that he was expecting it. "We need an audience, don't we?" he replied.

"Ahem." Platinum cleared her throat. "I believe it would be my privilege." She lifted Lax up in her arms and proceeded to sit down on the chair with the munchlax on her lap. Chahiko jumped to sit on her shoulder as Platinum glued her knees together and squared her shoulders, staring at both of them with anticipation.

"When you think about Pokemon!" Pearl started, raising his finger in the air.

"When you think about Pokemon!" Dia sang out.

"There's many things you can do in Kalos, where should we go first?" Pearl thrusted his pocket guide out to demonstrate.

"What about the Battle Chateau? There, you can battle highly skilled members and rise up through the ranks!" Pearl recalled.

Dia thought about it for a moment before saying, "I'm game to try, but if I lose a battle, it'll Chateau my confidence!"

"What about Super Training, then?" Pearl asked.

"That sounds super draining," Dia answered.

"You're not coming with us, you're staying here to bake, pastry boy!" Pearl smacked the top of Dia's head lightly with the guidebook.

Platinum's giggles filled the room, along with Lax and Chahiko's.

Pearl felt an idea click in his head in the midst of the laughter. It was one of those flashes of inspiration that always gave him his best jokes and foolproof plans. He turned to Platinum and asked, "So, are we going to take on the Kalos gym challenge?"

She regarded him with a raise of her eyebrows, the corner of her lips quirking upwards. "I'll have to check with Professor Rowan, it would certainly be useful for me to stay here longer to study the landscape and the environmental conditions but… are you saying you'll be my escort, Pearl?"

Pearl scratched the back of his head and heaved a deep sigh. He couldn't anticipate what was going to happen next, but perhaps it was better this way. "Take it as me returning the favour for the ride over here. I'll take the chance to get some inspiration for my act. Anyway, I'm your assistant until we return to Sinnoh, aren't I?" He raised an open palm to her, and she placed her hand in his without saying anything more.

"Before you two head off, do you want to help me decorate the cake?" Dia asked with a chuckle as he opened the oven.

"I do!" Platinum leapt off the chair with unbridled eagerness, keeping her balance with Pearl's help before scurrying to Dia's side. Lax managed to get off in the nick of time, or else he would've been catapulted across the room.

"I'll lend a hand too." Pearl said, walking over to the counter to join them.

"Thanks everyone," Dia said as he poured the icing into bags for them. He stopped halfway to say, "I'm still working on the recipe, so it may not be perfect yet."

"Dia, this won't be the last cake we're eating!" Pearl declared.

"Yeah. You're right." Dia gave him a big, goofy grin.

It was a promise.

Pearl was fifteen when he realised that Dia wanted to become a serious baker.

It was weird for him to tell Pearl to go ahead to the Berlitz manor. They could have easily met up outside their houses and walked over together, but Dia had insisted. Pearl could tell that he was hiding something, but he decided to play along for oncce. Gramps welcomed him at the front door and brought him to the sitting room. As Pearl sinked into the amazingly soft sofa, he tried to sit very still. No matter how many times he visited, he was always scared that even breathing would cause one of the expensive glass decorations adorning the room to break.

Dia arrived not long after Platinum came down from her room and they had been served afternoon tea. He came not from the direction of the front door, but from the kitchen, holding a cake stand between his hands, a sheepish look on his face. It was a lopsided butter cake.

"This is my first time doing it, so…" Dia stared at the pristine marble flooring as he placed the cake down on the coffee table. The cake was already cut in neat slices, and Pearl helped himself to a piece with his hands. Platinum used a small metal fork to cut a small piece for herself.

Dia seemed to be sweating with apprehension as the both of them took their first bite.

"It's wonderful!" Platinum said, going in for another piece.

"It ain't half bad," Pearl agreed, wiping the crumbs off his mouth with his other hand.

"You two are just saying that because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

"I see nothing wrong with that. Of course, it doesn't taste anywhere near as good as what my chefs bake for me back at the manor but somehow..." Platinum nibbled on the tip of her fork, then excused herself for the rude gesture. "I don't want to stop eating this."

Dia's mouth hung open as he tried to parse whether Platinum had meant to say something nice.

Pearl took on the role of translator. "What she's trying to say is that it's delicious because it was made by you, Dia." He felt the same way, though he didn't feel the need to share it.

Platinum nodded, unable to speak as she was chewing on another piece of cake.

"Thanks you two. The only reason I baked this cake was so I could share it with you guys. It's tough so I don't know if I'll ever be good at it" Dia admitted. Though he said this, Pearl could see that in his eyes, there was a spark, a small flame, a hunger to get better.

"Then bake more, Dia!" Pearl told him.

"R-really? You think I should?"

"You need to!" Platinum said. "I'm sure you'll be a great baker!"

Dia finally picked up a fork and started digging into the half-eaten cake. He smiled as he tasted it, probably thinking about how he could improve it.

"One day, I'll bake the perfect cake, and it'll only be for the three of us to share!"

Pearl didn't know what the perfect cake would taste like, but he was sure that it'd be incredible as long as the three of them were together.

end

notes: this was written as a gift for teru, as part of the 2017 Secret Stantler fandom exchange! never wrote a sinnoh trio centric fic before and it was challenging (all the more since i haven't touched pkmn for awhile) but it was fun! i apologise for any weird formatting issues... please find me on AO3 for my recent fics!