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Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, and Orange had finally defeated Team Galactic and the mad scientist Charon. Tired and weary from the big fight, the four kids checked into a hotel for the night. Platinum booked the four of them a luxury two-bedroom suite so they could all stay together since none of them wanted to separate after the traumatic experience of almost losing Diamond during the fight. At the moment, Diamond had gone to the kitchen to bake a cake as a way to destress, and Platinum had gone with him to keep him company. This left Pearl and Orange in the room alone, they were just sitting there in awkward silence reflecting on everything that had happened. After a while, Orange tried to break the silence.
“Well, that battle was…intense.” he said. “Don’t ya think so, Pearl?” Pearl said nothing in response, instead he just remained sitting there, staring into space. Orange, noticing this, got up from his seat and walked over to him, waving a hand in front of his face. “Pearl…?” he asked. “Pearl, buddy…?” Orange tried to get his friend’s attention. After a minute of this, Pearl finally snapped out of it and looked up at Orange.
“Huh?” he said, startled, before noticing Orange looking at him with a worried expression. “Oh…sorry, O. I just spaced out for a sec…I’m fine, don’t worry.” He looked around the room realizing that Diamond and Platinum weren’t there, and his eyes widened in horror. “Wait…where’s Dia?!” He started to panic, worrying if the last few minutes had been a dream and Diamond was actually killed by Giratina’s Shadow Force attack. He pinched himself and was relieved to find that he wasn’t dreaming. Orange knew he had to calm him down.
“Pearl, calm down! Dia’s fine!” Orange exclaimed, frantically waving his arms around. “He an’ Lady went t’make us all a cake t’destress…remember?”
Hearing Orange’s words, Pearl immediately calmed down and facepalmed. “Oh…right…” he said. “Sorry about that…” Orange had a feeling he knew why Pearl had suddenly freaked out when he saw Diamond wasn’t in the room with them.
“Don’t tell me…” he started to say. “You’re still thinkin’ ‘bout that Shadow Force…” he said as he shuddered. He began to run his hands up and down his soft scarf to try and calm down as Thunderheart nuzzled his face from her perch on his shoulder. Pearl flinched upon hearing the words ‘Shadow Force’ and nodded slowly. “I knew it…” Orange said. “I’m still thinkin’ ‘bout it too…I thought Dia was -” He was cut off as Pearl angrily interrupted him.
“Don’t…don’t you DARE say that word!” Pearl exclaimed, before raising his voice to panicked yelling. “NOT WHEN YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED TOO!!! O…NO ORANGE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!” He was scolding Orange but he was more scared than angry, his eyes were wild with panic as he yelled at his friend. Orange, however, was genuinely confused, and scared from the loud yells of his friend. He covered his ears and tried to figure out what Pearl was so mad about, but came up blank.
“...Whaddaya mean…?” Orange asked, still covering his ears, but now tilting his head to the side like a confused Growlithe. This only made Pearl more upset, thinking Orange was just choosing to ignore what happened…so he slapped his cheek in anger.
“DON’T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!!!” he screamed. “YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!!! WHY DID YOU GO AFTER CHARON YOURSELF?!?! YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED DOING THAT, YOU KNOW!!!”
Thunderheart was NOT happy seeing someone who was supposed to be her Trainer’s friend getting physical with him. “Pika…Pika pika pikachu pika pi pika…PI. KA. CHU!!!” she growled, glaring at Pearl for even DARING to hit her best friend. This was all it took for Orange to snap.
“WHAT TH’HECK WAZZAT FOR?!?!?!” he screamed as he hit Pearl back in retaliation. “HERE, PAYBACK!!! A TASTE O’ YOUR OWN MEDICINE!!!” He began yelling louder and faster with every word that followed. “ANYWAY, I DID WHAT I DID ‘CAUSE I’VE SEEN DEATH BEFORE AN’ I THOUGHT I’D JUST LOST ANOTHER FRIEND, ‘KAY?!?!?! I WAS MAD AN’ UPSET AN’ SCARED AN’ DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ELSE T’DO!!! PLUS MY POKÉMON ATTACKED’IM WITH ME AN’ THEY WERE FULLY PREPARED T’HELP ME ESCAPE IF IT GOT T’BE TOO MUCH!!! I GOT TWELVE OF ‘EM, PEARL! TWELVE! OF! THEM!!!! TWELVE POKÉ-PALS WHO’LL ALWAYS HAVE MY BACK NO MATTER WHAT!!! WE COULDA DEFINITELY GOTTEN OUTTA THERE IF WE NEEDED TO!!!” Orange was out of breath and panting after he finished yelling, but he and Thunderheart both gave Pearl a death glare, before Orange looked down at the floor, lost in thought. ‘I couldn’t just stand by and watch ANOTHER friend of mine die…not again, NEVER again…’ he thought, eyes closed and body shaking as he remembered his past. ‘If an innocent person or Pokémon is in trouble, I’ll do ANYTHING I can to SAVE THEM!’ His eyes snapped open again with newfound determination to always stay true to that cause. ‘Even if it costs me my OWN life!’
Pearl looked down at the floor. “You say that…but…” he mumbled before raising his voice again, making Orange cover his ears once more. “IF YOU WEREN’T ABLE TO ESCAPE WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD’VE HAPPENED TO YOU!!! HOW DO YOU THINK EVERYONE WOULD FEEL IF WE RETURNED FROM THE FIGHT WITH ONE LESS PERSON!!!” He took a breath and started mumbling again. “...Or two if Dia was actually…” He trailed off, unable to finish that sentence, unable to even think about the possibility of losing any of his friends. Tears welled in his eyes and he squeezed them shut, fighting them back.
Even though Pearl was mumbling, Orange still heard every word loud and clear thanks to his hypersensitive ears.
“... …” Orange didn’t know how to respond to that, so he remained silent, and looked down in shame. He now understood why Pearl was so angry with him, and he felt incredibly guilty. After a minute of renewed silence and tension, the door to the room suddenly opened, revealing Diamond and Platinum carrying a big cake with the words, ‘We did it! It’s over!’ written on it with icing.
“Hey guys, cake’s ready!” Diamond announced, before looking at his two friends and noticing the tension. “Oh no…what happened…?” He was worried.
Platinum, looking equally worried, spoke up. “It appears to me that Orange and Pearl had a fight while we were absent from the room…” she said.
“I think you’re right, Lady…” Diamond said, before noticing the nasty bruise on Orange’s cheek where Pearl had slapped him. “Oh no…” Diamond gasped, before turning to Pearl. “Pearl! What did you do?!” he asked, upset. “Why did you hit him?!”
Pearl said nothing, still focused on keeping his emotions in check, trying to keep himself from crying. Orange’s gaze remained downward in shame, as he began to tear up himself.
“Are you two okay…?” Platinum asked. “It seems to me like something is bothering you…”
Thunderheart gave Orange a worried look before patting his bruised cheek in an attempt to comfort him. “Pikachu. Pika pika.” she said gently, giving him the push he needed to explain what happened. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to speak, but still refusing to look up.
“We got into a fight about wha’happened in th’battle…Pearl got mad an’ hit me ‘cause I attacked Charon myself…said I coulda gotten myself killed…” Orange explained, before using the boost to his power that adrenaline rushes and intense emotional states provide, to telekinetically spin Pearl around so that Diamond and Platinum could see the equally nasty bruise on his cheek. “An’ then I hit him back…” he confessed.
Pearl took a deep breath and spoke up next. “Then O said he thought Dia was dead and it made him mad and upset…so he attacked Charon himself without a second thought…said he had all twelve of his Pokémon there helping him and ready to help him escape if they needed to…” he explained as his voice started to shake. “A-and I asked him h-how would e-everyone feel i-if he was l-lost in that battle…e-especially since we already thought w-we lost D-Dia…” As he said this, he covered his face with his hands to hide the tears that were now starting to spill over.
“An’ then I finally got why he was so mad…” Orange said, while hugging and petting Thunderheart for emotional support. “...He was scared outta his mind durin’ th’fight against Charon…” His eyes then widened remembering what Thunderheart had said to Pearl during their fight, and his eyes turned the color of his namesake as he turned to scold her in her language. “An’ YOU, missy…needa CHILL! Threatenin’ people like that ain’t okay, ya hear me?! Just ‘cause I’m the only one who can understand whatcher sayin’ don’t give ya th’right t’threaten people like that!” Everyone else in the room was confused about what Orange and Thunderheart were talking about, but they didn’t question it and instead turned back to Pearl as he began to speak again.
“I-I was TERRIFIED!” Pearl exclaimed, hands gesturing wildly as he spoke. “We’re just KIDS…we shouldn’t have had to fight this big evil team and save the world like that…we shouldn’t have had to worry about losing our lives like that either…” Everyone looked towards the floor at that, suddenly feeling the reality of how messed up everything they went through really was. Thunderheart jumped off of Orange’s shoulder and onto the couch, crossing her arms and nodding her head in agreement.
“Pika pika pikachu pika pi pikachu…” she said, and Orange nodded his head in agreement.
“Ya sure said it, Thunderheart…” he said in her language. “I ain't felt like this since when Team Rocket attacked Viridian Forest all those years ago…an’ I hate feelin’ like this…can’t really describe it but I know it’s a bad feelin’...” Thunderheart jumped back up onto Orange’s shoulder for comfort and nuzzled his face again. Orange smiled slightly at this and reached up to give her an ear scratch. “Thanks, buddy.” he said.
“Okay…O, you KNOW we can’t understand Pokémon language…” Diamond said. “So…could you maybe translate for us…? Please…?” he asked. Orange rubbed the back of his head and chuckled in embarrassment.
“Oh…right…” he said. “Sorry…I’ll translate for ya guys from now on, don’t worry.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “She said that it was a bad situation for us t’be in…an’ before that…well…y’all don’t gotta know that…it ain’t important…” he gave Thunderheart a scolding look again as the Pikachu looked down with a guilty expression. “But anyway, I told her I ain’t felt like this in a long…LONG time…not since I was four…” He started to shake a little as he remembered his past.
“Pi-ka…” Thunderheart said, shaking her head sadly. “Pi-ka…pika pikachu pika pika pi pikachu pi pika pikachu chu pi chu…pika pikachu…”
“...Yeah…I guess you’re right, buddy…” Orange said in her language, as the others looked at him waiting for the translation.
“What’re you two talking about…?” Pearl asked, still trying to keep his emotions in check.
Orange’s body began trembling even more and his own tears started to spill over. “I-it’s…a long story…” he said. “…A-about what happened back when I was o-only four years old…in Viridian Forest…”
“I’m not certain I like where this is going…” Platinum said, worried. “By the way you look so distraught, I take it that something terrible happened to you back then…?”
Orange just squeezed his eyes shut and nodded slowly, his body still shaking like a leaf.
“Are you okay, O…?” Diamond asked, a look of pure concern and worry for his friend on his face. “You know you don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to or if it’s too much for you…”
Orange shook his head. “No…no…” he said, holding his hand up to stop Diamond from talking. “Thunderheart said I can’t keep leavin’ ya guys in th’dark about it if it’s still hauntin’ us like this…an’ she’s totally right. So…I gotta tell ya ‘bout it…” He clenched his fists and looked up with a determined expression despite his teary eyes.
“...This isn’t gonna be some kinda horror story is it…?” Pearl asked. “I…dunno if I can handle that kinda stuff right now…”
“Uhhh…” Orange said, scratching his cheek in thought. “It depends on whatcha’d call a ‘horror story’ but…prob’ly…?” His voice went up an octave as he finished that sentence, as it was definitely a horror story to him and he was still anxious about telling his friends about it.
“Oh no…” Pearl said, finally realizing what Orange was about to talk about. “You said you’ve…” He paused for a moment before raising his voice in panic. “YOU SAID YOU’VE SEEN DEATH BEFORE! IS THAT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?!” Orange only nodded slowly to confirm that yes, that was in fact what he was going to talk about.
Platinum’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hands and gasped in shock. “That’s terrible!” she exclaimed. “You were so young too, Orange!” Orange just nodded slowly again, now staring into space as he prepared to tell his story.
“O…” Diamond said, reaching out a hand in concern, but Thunderheart shook her head and held up a paw in a ‘stop’ gesture, giving Diamond a look that said, “No, he needs to do this.” Diamond let his hand fall back to his side, understanding the Pokémon’s gestures and facial expressions.
“I don’t think I wanna hear this…” Pearl said, still recovering from the scare they had just had in the battle with Charon. “But…” He knew he had to try, for Orange’s sake.
Orange pulled out his noise-cancelling headphones from his backpack and held them out to his struggling friend. “Here, Pearl.” he said. “Ya can put these on an’ they’ll block th’sound out…ya won’t be able t’hear th’conversation with ‘em on…an’ I’m…I’m sorry…I get why ya were so mad now…” Orange apologized for his earlier behavior.
Pearl took the headphones offered to him, but he was just as determined to hear Orange out as Orange was to tell his friends about his past. “Thanks, O…” he said. “But…I gotta try and hear it…but I’m putting them on if it gets to be too much!”
Orange chuckled at Pearl’s stubbornness. “You’re welcome.” he said, then looked down with a sad expression. “I…jus’don’t want ya t’freak out more…I-I hate seein’ my friends like this…”
Pearl began taking deep breaths, bracing himself for the heavy story his best friend was about to share. “Hey, it’s okay, O.” he reassured Orange. “I forgive you, and…I’m sorry too…I have a feeling that after this story I’ll definitely get why you did what you did…”
Diamond smiled at his two best friends. “I’m glad you two aren’t fighting anymore.” he said, relieved.
“Yes, it’s much better when we all get along.” Platinum agreed, also with a relieved smile.
Orange and Pearl nodded at each other, Orange tensing up at what he was about to share. “Whenever you’re ready, O.” Pearl said.
“We’re right here for you if you need anything.” Diamond said. “And so is Thunderheart!”
Orange looked at Thunderheart, who nodded in affirmation. “Pika pika pikachu!” she exclaimed while giving him a comforting nuzzle once again. Orange smiled fondly at his best Poké-pal, and took a deep breath, finally ready to try and tell everyone about his past.
“This ain’t gonna be easy to tell at all…but I’ll try.” he said, clenching his fists in determination. “When I was four, I was playin’ with Thunderheart an’ the other Pokémon in Viridian Forest when Team Rocket attacked! Team Rocket was an evil organization terrorizin’ both Kanto an’ Johto, kinda like how Team Galactic was an evil organization terrorizin’ Sinnoh, an’ this time their target was th’very forest that I called my true home!” Orange shuddered before continuing, “It was AWFUL! They were destroyin’ th’forest an’ messin’ everythin’ up! I still remember all th’trees they knocked over an’ all th’Pokémon that lost their homes…a-an’ all th’Pokémon that l-lost their l-lives that day…” Orange began tearing up and shaking once more as Thunderheart let out a heartbreaking cry from her perch on his shoulder.
“Pikachu…” she cried. “PIKACHU!!!” She jumped into Orange’s arms in need of comfort as she cried, mourning the loss of her brother. Orange was more than glad to oblige and he began hugging and petting her to help the both of them feel better.
“I know…I know buddy…” Orange said in a soothing manner, before his own tears began streaming down his face and he was reduced to a sobbing, stuttering mess as he continued. “Th-Thunderheart lost h-her brother that d-day…” he explained. “Th-that’s why she’s s-so u-upset right now…a-a-an’ I lost a BUNCHA Poké-pals th-that day…they-they-they tried their b-best t’f-fight back but-but-but they were overwhelmed in the end an’-an’-an’ lost their l-lives…I-I-I-I-I tried m-my b-best t’direct th’Pokémon who s-sur-survived in b-battle t’drive Team Rocket out-out-outta Viridian Forest, u-usin’ th’power of th’forest as energy an’ power boosts, a-a-an’ I actually managed t’sync w-with ‘em despite ‘em bein’ wild Pokémon. I-I-I-I-I-I commanded ‘em usin’ telepathy while usin’ th’destruction a-as a-a hidin’ place s-so no one would see me, a-all they’d see was a-a-a buncha angry, power-boosted wild Pokémon c-comin’ at ‘em.” Orange was clearly struggling to speak but he kept going. “I-It was Yellow nee-chan though, that REALLY drove ‘em outta th’forest.” he said. “Sh-she usually HATES fightin’ but she also really HATES when Viridian Forest is in danger.”
Orange’s speech steadied itself and he was able to stop stuttering for a bit as he talked about his big sister that he looked up to so much. “She was SO MAD, she was able t’use her power t’boost her Pokémon’s levels all th’way t’the 80’s!” he exclaimed. “I could feel her power gatherin’ th’forest’s energy from where I was hidin’, an’ I could also hear her voice in my head…I think she could feel my power too, that’s why she used telepathy t’talk t’me.” he explained. “She told me that I’d done a good job, that I was already a great battler, that she was proud o’me an’ that she’d take it from there. Then she had Kitty, her Butterfree, grab her an’ they flew away, givin’ chase all th’way t’Team Rocket’s ginormous airship!” He stretched out his arms as wide as he could to emphasize how big the airship was as he continued. “I screamed her name with telepathy, an’ as she snuck onto the airship she apologized and said she prob’ly wouldn’t be back for a while…which caused me t’scream her name over an’ over till she got too far away from me that th’psychic link between us went away an’ I couldn’t feel her presence anymore…”
Now that he was finished talking about Yellow and how cool she was, he was once again reduced to a crying, stuttering mess as he told the rest of the story. “M-Me, Thunderheart, a-an’ all the other Pokémon who’d lost e-e-everythin’, all just cried for hours in m-mourning a-after it was all over…a-an’ I felt like i-it was a-a-all m-my fault it happened. I-I-I went ‘round th’forest healin’ i-injured Pokémon th’best I could t-till I collapsed from exhaustion from o-o-overusin’ my powers.” he explained. “I-I-I-I s-still blame myself for n-not bein’ able to s-save e-e-everyone… Th-Thunderheart stayed a-at my house in V-Viridian City th-that n-night…sh-she didn’t wanna be in th’forest a-after it had just been a-a-a-attacked…we both a-a-actually STILL have l-lotsa n-n-nightmares ‘bout it. We’re both t-terrified of d-d-d-death now, a-an’ I can’t even LOOK at Ghost-types without feelin’ like I’m gonna-gonna-gonna be sick…never m-mind pl-places like that tower on R-Route 209…I can’t be anywhere NEAR those wi-with-without completely freakin’ out an’ goin’ into-into full-on panic mode…” He shuddered as he mentioned the Lost Tower as places like that were his greatest phobia. “R-red nii-chan s-said I prob’ly have somethin’ called PTSD…he has it himself a-a-an’ he said that it always gets worse b-before it g-gets b-b-better…Y-Yellow nee-chan agrees with him…a-an’ she c-can t-tell Th-Thunderheart has it too…”
“Pi…” Thunderheart said, nodding in affirmation, her voice muffled from still having her face buried in Orange’s shirt. Orange gently stroked her soft fur as he continued on.
“S-so after that whole thing was over, w-while I was waitin’ for Yellow nee-chan t’c-come h-home again, the Viridian Forest was not only SUPER mad at Team Rocket for what they did…b-b-but it a-a-also wouldn’t stop cryin’ out t’me for help, it-it kept pullin’ me towards it like a magnet…a-a-an’ at first I didn’t wanna go b-back there ‘cause o’the bad memories, but…I-I-I felt guilty enough already a-an’ I knew I was the o-o-only Child of Viridian Forest there t’hear its cries an’ do-do-do somethin’ ‘bout it, ya know? S-so I went ba-back each day with a wheelbarrow full o’baby trees t’plant an’ a Squirt Bottle t’water ‘em with. Th-Thunderheart a-an’ the other Pokémon helped me plant ‘em all, an’ by th’time I moved here, they were comin’ along nicely…” He trailed off thinking about Yellow and the baby trees. “I wonder how much more they’ve grown…I hope Yellow nee-chan’s still takin’ care of ‘em…” he wondered aloud. “...I’m sure she is. She cares for Viridian Forest just as much as me, there ain’t no way she’d leave those trees alone for even a single day!” Orange had finally exhausted all his tears and was able to speak clearer now.
“Pikachu pikachu pika pi, Pi-ka.” Thunderheart said as Orange began wiping away his tears and steadying his breathing.
“Yeah, you’re right, Thunderheart.” he said, as the others looked to him for translation. “She said I can always video-call Yellow nee-chan.”
“That’s good that you can do that.” Platinum said, glad that his communications with his sister figure weren’t cut off when he moved.
“Yeah.” Orange said, turning to his friends. “...So…that’s what happened…y’all doin’ all right…? I know it was a lot…”
Diamond gave Orange an incredulous look. “...Are WE all right?!” he exclaimed. “O…you just told us your worst memories EVER! WE should be the ones asking YOU that!”
“I…I dunno…” Orange said, feeling completely drained from sharing his story. “...It took A LOT outta both me an’ Thunderheart t’tell y’all this stuff…”
All three of his new friends’ eyes widened in realization. They had finally come to understand why Orange acted the way he did at times during their journey.
“So THAT’S why you refused to come inside the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest with us and instead chose to camp out in the wilds of the forest…” Pearl said. “I thought you were just being stubborn, but you were actually scared out of your mind…”
Orange nodded in response, feeling too drained to speak anymore.
“And why you were so anxious around Fantina and her Ghost-type Pokémon…” Platinum said. “You looked like you didn’t trust her at all and you didn’t speak when we were with her either…I thought you didn’t like Fantina herself, but now I realize that you were only afraid of the Ghost Pokémon…”
Orange flinched hearing the words ‘Ghost-type Pokémon’ before nodding again in response.
“And why you completely freaked out and had a panic attack when Fantina took us to the Lost Tower on Route 209…you bolted as far away from it as possible as soon as we got in front of it…” Diamond said. “Now I know why you freaked out like that…”
Orange flinched again, this time at the words ‘Lost Tower’ before nodding once again in response.
“...And why you physically attacked Charon yourself…” Pearl said. “Because you were just as upset and terrified as I was that we had lost Dia…and you didn’t know what else to do…”
Orange flinched again, squeezed his eyes shut and nodded in response, shaking like a leaf once more.
“Arceus, O…I’m so sorry…” Pearl said. “You’ve been through A LOT…more than any of us…and you’re only JUST about to turn 12! You’re really strong to keep going the way you do, you know!” He grinned at Orange and patted his shoulder. “That takes A LOT of willpower!”
Orange looked at him with a smile. “Thanks, Pearl.” he said. “It’s really hard though…”
Diamond came running up and hugged Orange tightly, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t believe all that stuff happened to you, O!” he cried. “Between that and all the bullies, you couldn’t ever catch a break, could you…? And now, because of me, you’ve got even MORE bad memories to live with! I’m sorry, O! I’m so sorry!”
Orange was taken aback by Diamond’s sudden hug, but he didn’t push him away this time. He knew he needed it. “I-it’s okay, Dia!” he exclaimed. “It ain’t your fault! It ain’t your fault at all! It ain’t anyone in this room’s fault, it’s Charon’s! So don’t worry ‘bout it, ‘kay? An’ don’t blame yourself! That goes for everyone here!” he declared.
Diamond, feeling a little better now, pulled away from the hug, wiped his tears, and gave Orange a slight smile. “Thanks, O.” he said, relieved that Orange didn’t blame him.
“No problem, Dia.” Orange said, smiling back at him.
“I cannot even begin to imagine how much pain and sorrow everything you’ve gone through has caused you, Orange…” Platinum said sadly. “I’m so sorry to hear about what happened to Viridian Forest, and Thunderheart, you have my deepest condolences…”
“It’s all right, Lady.” Orange said. “It was a long time ago now, an’ actually…I think tellin’ all of ya ‘bout it might be th’first step t’healin’...I kinda feel like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders, ya know?”
Thunderheart jumped out of Orange’s arms and ran towards the Berlitz heiress, before jumping up into her arms. “Pika pika pikachu!” she exclaimed.
Platinum was taken aback by this at first, but she recovered quickly and smiled at the Pikachu while petting her. “Your fur is so soft!” she exclaimed, before turning to Orange. “What did she say…?”
“She said that she’s okay now, so ya don’t needa worry ‘bout her.” Orange said, before realizing something. “Oh, right!” he suddenly exclaimed. “This is your first time pettin’ her, huh? She does have really soft fur, pettin’ her really helps me calm down!”
“Yes, it is quite calming.” Platinum agreed. “I’m glad you’ve always had her by your side, Orange. She’s definitely helped you through a lot.”
“Yeah, she sure has!” Orange said, grateful to his best Poké-pal for all she had done for him through the years, glad that she remained by his side to this day.
“Pika!” Thunderheart said, as she jumped down from Platinum’s arms and ran back to Orange.
“She said thank you!” Orange translated, grinning at the Pikachu as she settled back onto his shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” Platinum said to Thunderheart before turning back to the others. “I’m glad everyone seems to be in brighter spirits now.” she said with a relieved expression. “I know that we’re all still trying to process everything that just happened, as well as what Orange just told us about his past, but I know now that we’ll all be okay.”
“You said it, Lady!” Diamond exclaimed, before turning to Orange. “And O…you know you can trust us, right…? You know you can tell us anything, right…? Because we’re best friends! We’ll do our best to help you if you need it!” he said, grinning at Orange.
“Thanks, Dia.” Orange said, glad he didn’t have to be alone anymore.
“Yeah, Dia’s right!” Pearl exclaimed. “That’s what friends are for, you know!” He also grinned at Orange.
“Thanks, Pearl.” Orange said, feeling much better now that he had a solid friend group to help him through his troubles.
“I cannot help but agree, and I will also give my best effort to help in any way I can.” Platinum said, smiling fondly at the three boys.
“Thanks, Lady.” Orange said, finally starting to cheer up and smile himself.
“Pikachu pika pika pi pika, Pi-ka!” Thunderheart exclaimed, putting a paw over her heart in a promise to always be there for her best friend.
“I know ya will.” Orange said to his best Poké-pal in her language. “Thanks, Thunderheart!” He grinned at all of his friends, much happier now.
The four kids put their fists out, doing their signature quadruple fist bump, as Thunderheart made her way down Orange’s arm to add her own fist to the group.
“IT’S A PROMISE!!!” the kids shouted.
“PIKA PIKA!!!” Thunderheart shouted with them, saying the same thing.
“Okay, now that everyone’s feeling better…let’s eat the cake I made!” Diamond exclaimed. “Oh, and don’t worry, O. I know you don’t like the sweet buttercream frosting, so instead, I made this one with the whipped cream frosting you prefer so you can eat it too!” Diamond was very proud of himself for remembering that Orange didn’t like sweet frosting.
“Sweet!” Orange exclaimed, excited that he could enjoy this cake with his friends, before pausing and realizing what he had just said. “...No pun intended!” He couldn’t help but laugh at his unintended pun. “Thanks, Dia!”
“No problem, O!” Diamond giggled.
“O…if I didn’t know you as well as I do, I would swear to Arceus that you did that on purpose!” Pearl said, laughing at his friend’s unintentional humor.
“Orange, intended or not, that was still a very fitting pun!” Platinum giggled.
Orange just rubbed the back of his head and chuckled in embarrassment.
“All right guys!” Diamond announced. “I finished cutting and plating the cake! Here you go!” He handed a plate of cake and a fork to everyone.
“Wow, Dia! This looks amazing!” Orange exclaimed.
“That’s my Dia for you!” Pearl said, as if he was a proud parent.
“I was there watching him make it!” Platinum said. “I can’t wait to finally eat it!”
“Thanks, you guys! I hope you all like it!” Diamond said, before getting an idea. “But first let’s all count to three and yell, “We did it!” and then we’ll dig in, how’s that sound?”
“All right! Sounds good to me!” Pearl said.
“Me too!” Orange exclaimed.
“Yes, that’s a great idea!” Platinum agreed.
“All right then, everybody!” Diamond said. “Here we go!”
“1, 2, 3…WE DID IT!!!” the four kids all cheered.
“PIKACHU!!!” Thunderheart cheered along with them, saying the same thing.
“Let’s dig in!” they all said as they took a bite of cake.
“Dia…this is so yummy!” Orange praised. “The frosting’s just how I like it, too!”
“Yeah, it’s great!” Pearl agreed. “Awesome job, Dia!”
“It’s absolutely delicious!” Platinum exclaimed. “You are quite the chef, Diamond!”
Diamond blushed in embarrassment from all the praise and compliments his friends were giving him. “Aww, thanks, you guys!” he said. “I’m glad you all like it so much!”
Thunderheart looked at Orange’s cake with wide, pleading eyes. “Pika…Pikachu!” she whined.
Orange giggled at his best Poké-pal’s antics. “Ya want some, buddy?” he asked in her language, getting a nod in response. “All right, here ya go!” he said, grabbing another fork and giving her a bite.
Thunderheart was very pleased. “Pikachu!” she exclaimed, giving Diamond a thumbs-up to let him know she liked it too.
“She says it’s so yummy!” Orange translated.
“Thanks, Thunderheart!” Diamond exclaimed. “Glad you like it too!”
After giving Thunderheart a bite, Orange finished the rest of his slice in seconds, to the shock and amazement of everyone.
“Dia, ya were totally right back at Hearthome’s Contest Hall!” Orange exclaimed, finally understanding the meaning of Diamond’s words back then. “Eatin’ somethin’ yummy like this cake really CAN make ya happier! I finally get it now!”
“See? I TOLD you!” Diamond laughed. “But it’s not your fault you don’t like food, O, I’m just joking with you.”
Orange gave an embarrassed chuckle in response before asking, "Uhhh…can I have seconds?" Diamond nodded as he prepared another slice for his friend, happy that he was enjoying it since he didn't like much of anything when it came to food.
“Anyway…” Diamond said. “Let’s all just enjoy this cake and not think about the bad times anymore, okay guys?”
“Right!” the four kids exclaimed in agreement.
“Pi!” Thunderheart exclaimed along with them, saying the same thing.
As they all continued eating and chatting, Orange began thinking.
‘Dia, Pearl, Lady…’ he thought. ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me…I’m so lucky to finally be in a place where other people care about me and want me to be happy…I really don’t deserve you guys, but I’m so glad I met you. And Yellow nee-chan…Red nii-chan…you don’t have to worry about me anymore…I’m happy now that I found some amazing friends, both human and Pokémon, who will always stay by my side no matter what.’