MORE HAUGHTYSHIPPING! It's ridiculous how much I love this pairing. Whenever I feel like writing a random Pokespe story, it always seems to have to do with Haughtyshipping… Oh well. *shrugs*

Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine. Though I wish it was. Oh so much. Or maybe just Gold…

"Thank you for an outstanding battle, Mr. Palmer," the girl said, bowing to the Frontier Brain as they exited the Battle Tower.

"No problem, Platinum. I must say, that's the first time I was beaten by a challenger in a long time," Palmer laughed. "My son must have trained you well."

"Oh, yes. Pearl was an excellent trainer. I would not be as skilled as I am if it were not for him and Diamond. Though I suppose I should thank you as well, Mr. Palmer. Pearl credits much of his battling skills to your teaching."

Palmer scratched his head in embarrassment. "Don't thank me."

"Speaking of Pearl, do you know where he might be? I visited Twinleaf Town before coming here and Diamond said that Pearl was with you. I have a small favor to ask of him," Platinum said.

"Whenever he's not training with me he's always in the Resort Area. He's been hanging around there ever since I told him you might be coming to the Battle Frontier. I think he's hoping a certain someone will make a little trip back to their villa…" Palmer told her, winking.

Platinum clapped her hands excitedly. "Thank you, Mr. Palmer! I'll be headed over there right away."

Platinum released her Rapidash and rode all the way over to the Resort Area. She stopped in front of her villa and hopped off of Rapidash. She straightened out her skirt and ran a hand through her hair before freezing in her tracks.

'Why am I so worried about my appearance? This is simply Pearl,' Platinum thought to herself. She shook her head slightly before opening the door of the villa.

Platinum flipped the light switch on in the dark villa, the electric chandelier suddenly bathing the whole place in warm light. She looked around, but there was no sign of Pearl.

"Pearl? Are you there?" she called, but there was no reply.

Platinum disappointedly turned back towards the door of the villa until a series of bright flames in the backyard caught her eye through the glass doors in the back. Platinum hurried over and saw Pearl through the glass, training his Infernape. She was entranced by the attack Pearl and Chimhiko were practicing; it was a formidable move, in which a powerful explosion of fire burst from Chimhiko, causing great damage to the training dummy. Platinum's jaw dropped at the sheer power and beauty of the move. That's when Pearl noticed her watching and waved, rushing over to the doors.

"Little Miss! You're finally here! It's about time!" Pearl greeted, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "How'd we do? Blast Burn's a pretty awesome move, isn't it?"

"Blast Burn? Isn't that the fire-type starter Pokémon's ultimate move?" Platinum questioned. "How did you learn it?"

"There's a guy over on Route 228 who gave me this bracelet from his friend in the Sevii Islands," Pearl explained, showing her the metal bracelet on his wrist. "He said if I worked hard enough we'd be able to master the ultimate move."

"Well, it's quite impressive," Platinum said.

"So how'd your battle with Dad go?" Pearl asked her.

Platinum showed him her new commemorative print, this one with an image of the Battle Tower and Palmer.

"You won! Great job, Little Miss," Pearl said proudly. "I bet it was a good battle."

Platinum nodded and the two stood there in awkward silence. Platinum couldn't help but notice how tall Pearl had gotten in the two months she hadn't seen him. He was now at least a head taller than her. He was looking more and more like his father, a fact that had made him quite popular with the female trainers he ran into at the Fight and Resort Areas. Pearl had become a man, but to Platinum, she would always think of him as the hot-blooded comedian who had taken it upon himself to protect her at all costs.

"So, uh, have you talked to Dia lately?" Pearl asked, rubbing his neck embarrassedly when he noticed that Platinum was staring at him.

"Oh, yes. I visited him before coming here. He was quite happy to see me."

"I'll bet." Pearl cleared his throat. "Did you want to talk or something?"

"I have a favor to ask," Platinum said. "There is a going to be a gala held in Hearthome City for the professors of the different regions. My parents and I will be attending and as it is a formal event, it would be more convenient if I had an escort to accompany me."

Pearl looked confused. "Are you asking me to go with you?"

Platinum nodded, relieved. "Yes. Are you available tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. But if it's a fancy kind of thing, I don't really have anything to wear. The suit you gave me a while ago has gotten too small…"

"Do not worry about it. I will send over some appropriate clothing tomorrow morning. I will see you at Hearthome City, Pearl," Platinum told him as she made her way to the front door.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Pearl called. "I thought you were staying in your villa."

"No. I just wanted to talk to you. I've missed you," Platinum replied. "Goodbye Pearl."

Platinum walked out of the villa and Pearl just stared after her. "Bye."

Pearl turned to Chimhiko and Chahiko. "She visited the villa just to talk to me. How pointless is that?"

"Missed you! Missed you!" Chahiko repeated, causing Pearl's face to turn a brilliant scarlet.

"Don't make me use Blast Burn on you," Pearl muttered as Chahiko and Chimhiko started laughing at him. Pearl clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get back to training!"

"Do I look alright, Sebastian?" Platinum asked anxiously, surveying her reflection in the mirror.

Her reflection was the epitome of grace and beauty, despite the quite un-elegant look of worry on her face. She was wearing an expensive strapless dress made of lavender silk and chiffon. Delicate pearl earrings hung from her ears, and her dark hair flowed down her left shoulder in loose waves. Her familiar diamond and pearl rings were at their usual places on her fingers.

"You look stunning, Miss," Sebastian assured her. "Your mother and father are waiting for you in the lobby."

"Thank you Sebastian," Platinum said.

"And do try to enjoy yourself tonight, Miss!"

"I will!"

Platinum made her way to the lobby of the Hearthome Grand Hotel, where her parents were waiting. They left the hotel and began walking to the Contest Hall, which had been specially renovated for the night. Instead of the usual stage and audience seats, a ballroom floor had been constructed. Platinum could see the different professors and their assistants chatting or dancing or snacking at the buffet table. Professor Oak of Kanto was discussing something with a young man with spiky brown hair and a green tie who looked like a relative of his. Professor Birch from the Hoenn region and a brunette girl with what looked like fangs were talking to a teenage girl in a dark blue dress whose pigtails seemed to defy gravity. Professor Juniper and Professor Fennel of the Unova region were dancing with Professors Elm and Rowan on the ballroom floor.

"Do you see Pearl anywhere, sweetheart?" her mother asked her.

Platinum's eyes scanned the room until she saw Pearl at the opposite end of the ballroom. "There he is."

Platinum hurried over to him. Once Pearl saw her, his bright orange eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Before she could realize that his awestruck reaction was due to how pretty she looked, Pearl cleared his throat and greeted her.

"Hi Little Miss. You look…nice," Pearl said.

Platinum beamed. "Thank you, Pearl. You look nice as well."

Pearl shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "I would credit it to your fashion sense, Little Miss. So, do you feel like dancing?"

"I would love to," Platinum replied, taking hold of Pearl's hand and leading him to the center of the dancefloor.

"I'm not really sure how to ballroom dance—"Pearl began.

"Just follow my lead. You taught me how to battle, I'll teach you how to dance." Platinum placed her other hand on Pearl's shoulder and he placed his on her waist.

Platinum began slowly swaying to the music as Pearl awkwardly mimicked her movements. Platinum giggled at his attempts to slow dance and Pearl narrowed his eyes.

"Are you laughing at me, Little Miss?" he asked.

Platinum's face immediately became clear of all emotion. "No, I was not."

Pearl grinned. "Yes, you were. I heard you."

"No, I was not," Platinum laughed. "Stop being a pest."

They both laughed, reminiscing on the old times when they used to travel together. Neither would admit it, but they both missed their adventures as a trio.

"Pearl, you know my name now. Why are you still calling me 'Little Miss?' You are the only one who still does."

"Force of habit, I guess," Pearl shrugged. "You're the famous Platinum Berlitz now, but to me, you'll always be my Little Miss."

"Your Little Miss?" Platinum questioned, blushing.

Pearl's face started to heat up. "Don't take it like that!"

"Why not?" Platinum asked innocently. "I'd like to think of myself as yours."

Pearl suddenly froze in his tracks. "No. Please don't."

"But why?" Platinum could only watch in confusion as Pearl walked away from her and headed outside. She tried to follow him, but Professor Rowan suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Ah, Platinum. There are some people I think you should meet," he told her, dragging her towards Professor Oak. Next to the Kanto professor was the brown-haired young man, as well as the girls with the fangs and pigtails. "Platinum, this is Professor Oak. And these three…are your seniors."

Platinum bowed to them. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. And you as well, seniors."

"So you're one of the Pokedex Holders of Sinnoh?" the pigtail girl said. "We've heard so much about you. I'm Crystal, but you can just call me Crys."

"I'm Sapphire Birch," the fanged girl greeted. "Nice to finally meet ya, rookie!"

"And this is my grandson, Green," Professor Oak introduced as Green nodded in acknowledgement.

"It has been a great pleasure meeting you all, but I really have to go." Platinum hurried away, hearing Professor Rowan muse to the others that it was quite unlike her to go running off like that.

Platinum burst through the doors of the Contest Hall, walking around the city before she spotted Pearl sitting on a bench by the fountains.

"Pearl!" she called, rushing over to him. "I was looking for you! I practically ran out on Professors Oak and Rowan as well as our seniors trying to follow you!"

"Then why did you bother following me?" he asked her, refusing to look her in the eye.

"You are my friend. I can tell that something is bothering you. And I have the vaguest idea that it involves me somehow," Platinum said.

"You said that you visited Twinleaf Town before heading to the Battle Zone, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, why didn't you just ask Dia to take you to the gala? Why did you ask me?" Pearl asked.

"Does it surprise you that I chose to ask you?"

"I mean, yeah. I thought you liked Dia. He certainly likes you," Pearl said, shrugging. "That's why I went to the Battle Zone for two months. I wanted to give you guys some space."

"That is the reason you left us for two months? That's a horrible reason, Pearl," Platinum told him. "Diamond and I both missed you! When would you have come back? When did you think you had given us enough 'space?' Did you ever think that maybe we never wanted you to leave?"

Pearl looked surprised. "I just thought—"

"It does not seem like you thought through this at all!" Platinum huffed. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I did not like Diamond in that way? Did you ever think that maybe I chose to ask you to be my escort to the gala because I liked you?"

"But why me? I'm not suited for you at all! Dia's the perfect prince for a princess like you, Little Miss."

"Did it ever occur to you that I may not want a perfect prince?" Platinum demanded. "Maybe this princess wants someone who will argue with her! Maybe this princess wants someone who will not agree to everything she asks for! Maybe this princess wants a hasty, determined, imperfect knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet! Maybe…maybe I'm just not a proper princess!"

Pearl just stared at her in shock. Once her words finally sank in, a grin spread on Pearl's face. "You're right, Little Miss. You certainly aren't a proper princess."

Platinum looked like she was about to make a retort, but Pearl held up his hand to silence her.

"I mean, what kind of princess goes chasing after the guy she wants instead of waiting for him? What kind of princess saves the world from Team Galactic? What kind of princess will argue with commoners? What kind of princess runs out on her seniors just to follow me? What kind of princess is as weird and annoying as you?" Pearl asked.

"Pearl!" Platinum protested.

"I'll tell you what kind of princess that is. That's my kind of princess," Pearl said. "My haughty, annoying, self-important, imperfect Little Miss of a princess."

Pearl took hold of Platinum's hand. "And who would've thought that the imperfect knight in shining armor and the imperfect princess's decision to be imperfect together would be the most perfect idea of all?"

Platinum giggled and squeezed Pearl's hand. "I most definitely didn't think so."

"Yes, you did. You just said so!"

"No, I did not. Stop being a pest." Platinum sighed contentedly. "Pearl?"

"Yes Little Miss?"

"I like being imperfect."

"Yeah, me too."

THE END! Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this story! If you did, a review would be much appreciated. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* :)