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Pokemon Adventures Rate & Review - Diamond and Pearl/P/HGSS (Gen 4)

How would you rate the Gen 4 trilogy?

  • 5/5

    Votes: 4 40.0%
  • 4/5

    Votes: 3 30.0%
  • 3/5

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • 2/5

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • 1/5

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    10

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Pokemon Adventures Rate & Review Discussion - DP/P/HGSS Arc (Gen 4)
Discuss the many awesome, fun, hilarious, and questionable moments of Pokemon's Diamond and Pearl, Platinum and HeartGold and SoulSilver arcs! Lay out your thoughts of some of the best chapters of Pokemon Adventures!

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Pokemon Adventures Quick Summary - Diamond and Pearl Chapter
The cold region of Sinnoh, divided by Mt. Coronet. It is here that two young boys who dream of being Pokemon comedians end up being mistaken for bodyguards of Platinum, the daughter of the wealthy Berlitz Family. Platinum is a young girl who is eager to learn about the world of Pokemon as her two "bodyguards" teach and support her what it means to be a Pokemon trainer.

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Pokemon Adventures Quick Summary - Platinum Chapter
Taking place after the events of the DP chapter, Platinum, Diamond and Pearl investigate Sinnoh's legends across the region in order to rescue Platinum's actual bodyguards, Paka and Uji. As Platinum challenges the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, the vengeful ruler of the Distortion World silently gazes upon the old world.

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Pokemon Adventures Quick Summary - HeartGold and SoulSilver chapter
Lance has gone missing and Team Rocket has resurfaced, lead by the Four Generals, in order to find their currently-missing leader Giovanni. It's a race against time to battle the Alpha Pokemon, Arceus.

Guidelines/Notes
  • All the Rate & Review Threads are excluded from the 60 days limit rule.
  • There is a 5/5 poll. Other than that, there is no recommend system. Discuss and rate the story arcs as freely as you want.
  • You can rate, review and express your thoughts on the whole chapter or certain moments.
  • BE AWARE OF SPOILERS. Please alert others with a "Spoiler Warning!" if your review or thoughts does indeed have potential spoilers.
  • Have fun discussing the many amazing, funny or even questionable moments you've seen in the fourth generation of Pokemon Adventures!
Links to other current Rate & Review discussion threads
 
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DPPt is probably the chapter I'm looking forward to reading most (haven't even gotten around to buying the RS chapters yet!) and part of the reason I hope we get DPPt remakes is so we can have another arc with these characters. I'm thinking of reading the HGSS chapter before the DPPt one, since HGSS occurs first (some years before, it seems, since Diamond's Munchlax is heavily implied to be the child of Red and Emerald's Snorlax, but I'm an expert on the timeline) but on the other hand it might be nice to take a break from the RGBYGSC cast after the Emerald chapter, which I love because it's such a final and conclusive ending. What do you think?
 

e9310103838

Well-Known Member
DPPt is probably the chapter I'm looking forward to reading most (haven't even gotten around to buying the RS chapters yet!) and part of the reason I hope we get DPPt remakes is so we can have another arc with these characters. I'm thinking of reading the HGSS chapter before the DPPt one, since HGSS occurs first (some years before, it seems, since Diamond's Munchlax is heavily implied to be the child of Red and Emerald's Snorlax, but I'm an expert on the timeline) but on the other hand it might be nice to take a break from the RGBYGSC cast after the Emerald chapter, which I love because it's such a final and conclusive ending. What do you think?

In my opinion the best way to read is to follow the order of the volumes. Although starting from HGSS, it is not completely in accordance with the timeline, reading in this way is still the smoothest.

And I think DPPt is a great chapter. I really like the interaction of Sinnoh trio. Although many characters like some Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, the 5 stat trainers, and elite four can still have a lot of room to play in the late of Pt, this chapter is still a epic chapter. :cool:
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Diamond and Pearl Review and Thoughts Post

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This is easily a 5/5 story for me! If I had to absolutely recommend a story arc to those Ash & friends anime fans it would undoubtedly be the Diamond and Pearl Story Arc. Why? It is arguably the most light-hearted story arc of the series featuring it's own trio of characters that share similar characteristics to that of Ash, Brock and Misty but also have enough differences of their own to stand out as their own characters in a tightly-connected fast-paced progressing storyline. Not to mention the entire 4th gen line of story arcs has some of the most beautiful heartwarming moments you will ever see in any Pokemon storyline. And like Ruby and Sapphire and sort of to an extant, Gold and Silver, you don't have to read the past story arcs to enjoy Diamond and Pearl as it starts off freshly with an entirely new story. In fact what's most interesting is that the 4th generation of story-lines is a new fresh start of lore that echoes to past or new story lines, much in the same way Prof. Oak's past in RGB came back to haunt the Pokdex Holders in the Yellow and GSC story arcs. Story-wise, the Diamond and Pearl Platinum story arcs feel like it's own separate story that has nothing to do with the others but when you put that magnifying glass, you realize that there are a lot of characters and lore that serve as the important background of some of the major storylines in past or future stories. Let's begin.

The Short Review (NO SPOILERS EXCEPT FOR BELOW)
  • It's a fresh new story that is set in the cold region of Sinnoh divided by Mt. Coronet featuring three young characters.
  • Diamond and Pearl are two best friends who dream of being Pokemon comedians. What instead happens is that they end up mistaken as Platina Berlitz of the Berlitz's family bodyguards. The funny part is, that Diamond and Pearl thinks Platina is a tour guide as part of the prize they won earlier, having no clue what situation they found themselves in.
  • What's the story? Platina Berlitz is eager to learn about the WORLD OF POKEMON! However her main goal is actually to fulfill a family tradition by using Mt. Coronet's material to create an accessory bearing her family crest.
  • This is arguably the first major story arc where trainers don't travel alone throughout much of the entire story. They actually travel as a group together and from this, some of the best, if not the best character dynamics happen in Pokemon Adventures.
  • So who are each of them?
  • Diamond is your mellow happy go-lucky boy who loves to eat, cook and has a pretty obvious crush on Platina, calling her a princess. He's Diamond, he's everyone's friend. Even with his laid-back nature, he has a trait of noticing things that seem out-of-place or suspicious. Because of his personality, he utilizes heavy-weight Pokemon getting Turtwig as his starter. Also he kind of reminds me of Brock's love of cooking and girls from the anime.
  • Pearl is arguably the responsible leader and teacher of the group. He's a hyper somewhat bossy short-tempered but common sense kid who teaches a lot about Platina about Pokemon battles and other things about Pokemon. This actually makes a lot of sense that he's this knowledgeable about Pokemon battles and other things about Pokemon if you understand Pearl's background, specifically who his father is. Because of his personality, he utilizes fast and aggressive Pokemon starting with Chimchar. Because of his bossy short-tempered but common sense behavior, he reminds me of Misty from the anime.
  • Platinum is the daughter of the wealthy Berlitz family. She is extremely knowledgeable about the world of Pokemon but she has absolutely no experience in it meaning she's practically a new trainer from the start. However she is eager to learn about the world of Pokemon and has a very competitive spirit as she does not like to settle on losing, aiming for victory. It's from this competitive spirit however she turns out to have a particularly bad problem when it comes to the Game Corner. Due to her eagerness to gain more experience and her competitive nature, she sets out to challenge the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh while maintaining an elegant charismatic personality. Because of her personality, she utilizes elegant and charismatic Pokemon starting with Piplup. Because of her competitive spirit and eagerness to learn about Pokemon, she reminds me of Ash from the anime series.
  • As they journey across the Sinnoh region having many hilarious, fun or downright intense adventures, they encounter the mysterious Team Galactic. It's noted that Adventures take on Team Galactic is not only a bit different but does a good job explaining why so many grunts blindly join the organization wearing such odd space outfits.
  • The Diamond and Pearl story arc has some of the best action scenes to offer in the Pokemon Adventure series. In fact one in particular I might describe as somewhat awe-inspiring.
  • The art is gorgeous, does a good job detailing each new environment the trio enters.
  • One thing I believe should be noted is the art-style. The art-style of the character and Sinnoh region is beautiful, especially during certain moments but it should be noted that the Diamond and Pearl story arcs brings back some of Mato's style of gamey art-style from Gen 1 and Gen 2 mixed into Yamamato's more anime artstyle. In fact this is partly how it contributes to how Diamond, Pearl and Platinum are one of the shorter protagonists of the Pokemon Adventure series.
  • I like Diamond's Munchlax's little shenanigans in the background.
  • A lot more fun side-story content than previous story arcs.
SPOILERS BEYOND HERE
  • Cyrus is pretty damn intimidating. In fact this is probably his most intimidating take on the Cyrus character yet as of this moment. He terrifies a lot of people that surround him, including the DPP trio and he's one of the most strongest trainers of the Pokemon Adventures-verse, forcing Cynthia's Garchomp into a corner in a fair Pokemon match.
  • We later see the reason why so many grunts join Team Galactic. They joined against their will, being brainwashed into a space cult. Due to this they act like relentless robots then loyal grunts.
  • Each of the gym leaders are brimming with personality.
  • The same can be said for the Galactic Lieutenants. Mars looks like she's the inspiration for Courtney's change in-charget in the ORAS remakes. Saturn is loyal to Cyrus and Jupiter is the quiet but muscle of the group.
  • The plot is largely the same as the games, Platinum goes after the gym badges, Cyrus wants the Lake Guardians to create the red chain in order to take control of Dialga and Palkia to create his own universe. One major difference however is it how things end setting up the events for the Platinum Story Arc, how a large mysterious shadowy figure takes the unconscious Cyrus and the weakened Dialga and Palkia by force through a hole in the sky.
  • Many of the side adventures are really fun. Some that stood out, is how they deal with early on against an army of Bidoofs lol, investigate the Old Chateau, take part in the Super Pokemon Contests, Platinum learning to overcome her gambling addiction only for it to understandably return later in the Platinum Story arc.
  • The Pokemon Adventures manga takes a more intense turn. Diamond and Pearl finally realizes that they are mistaken for bodyguards of Platina and they see Paka and Uji, the actual bodyguards, seemingly wiped off the face of existence by one of Team Galactic's inventions. They soon later start to realize just how terrifyingly powerful Team Galactic is, seeing the relentless brainwashed grunts coming after them in endless numbers. They later decide to keep their promise to protect Platinum from these grunts who are after her for ransom money. At the same time they want to tell her the truth but are afraid how she'll react after spending so much time together. It's quite a turning point as suddenly those child-hearted adventure takes a dark mature turn.
  • Diamond is the most worried about Platina. Eventually there comes to a point that Diamond has had enough of Pearl's bossy nature saying "Your not the boss of me." which actually surprises Pearl a little. I think even he realizes at that point that he's been acting too much like his boss. It's during this powerful moment that we see Diamond stand up to Cyrus, trying to understand what he's trying to say but is left clueless in the end.
  • Eventually they tell Platina about what happened and you can tell by the look on her face that she felt lied to or betrayed. She eventually forgives them though after hilariously revealing that she kept a list of simple childish lies she made previously.
  • There comes a point where the Pokemon Adventures manga reminds you, the reader, that they've been traveling happily together as a trio. Specifically how the three have to split up, traveling alone across the Sinnoh region to the three lakes. You can see that they are not quite used to traveling alone as previous protagonists, for the first time they felt really alone.
  • Through this they gain more Pokemon and enhance their skills as a Pokemon trainer, working around their Pokemon's weaknesses, besting powerful trainers and befriending new Pokemon. For Diamond's case, he befriends the legendary Regigigias. Despite being alone, it's quite amazing how they've progressed so much on their own.
  • One of the funniest moments I thought was Volkner appearing out of nowhere and wiping the floor off of two fellow Gym Leaders and a far more experienced Platinum.
  • Volkner I personally think is the most interesting Gym Leader, being incredibly bored of battling to the Pokemon he got so excited to battle Platinum, being told she was a strong trainer, that he wasn't thinking clearly and took them by surprise lol.
  • The three later find themselves reunited at the Team Galactic HQ building after they've successfully freed Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf. Meanwhile Cynthia and Cyrus are duking it out. Cynthia is pushed into a corner forcing to use Draco Meteor. It's one of the most amazing action scenes I've seen in any Pokemon medium.
  • It all ends with the six remaining Gym Leaders fighting the Galactic Lieutenants and Diamond, Pearl and Platinum dealing with Cyrus and his controlled Dialga and Palkia. The manga doesn't shy away from the fact that what Cyrus is doing is causing chaos across the Sinnoh region, something I feel both the games and manga failed to show.
  • I liked how they explained Dialga and Palkia's relationship. They serve as more of guardians of their laws rather than as an antagonizing rivals like Groudon or Kyogre.
  • Although I liked the action of the final battle I honestly liked the dialogue and interactions more. Specifically...
  • ... how the trio defeats Cyrus and Diamond explains that he understands Cyrus's philosophy something which Dialga and Palkia agreed to. This would later serve as a turning point for Cyrus later on.
  • It ends happily with the three friends fist-bumping each others fists. It ends happily ever...
  • Shadowy Giant Figure in the hole in the sky: HERE'S JOHNNNY!"
The Long Review - NO SPOILERS EXCEPT FOR BELOW!

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The "prize" money seems to be in order...

The Diamond and Pearl Story Arc! This is so good! So start with. It's kind of crazy how Kusaka expanded Rowan's assistant role for Platina into the daughter of a rich research family but at the same time also have her as the gym challenger role? What seems like a tiny forgettable role in the games is now suddenly a major integral part of the Adventures-verse. Okay. So the story begins with two Pokemon Comedians, Diamond and Pearl, and Rowan's assistant, Platinum. To Diamond and Pearl's surprise, they won the prize and are full of joy and excitement. During the excitement, they accidentally bump into Prof. Rowan. Rowan is annoyed of course, the three picking up their papers. During this, Diamond and Pearl pick up the letter, their "prize". Like the excited kids they are, they completely ignore the "bodyguards" role written in the prize and instead focus on the huge "prize" money and the directions where to go. One thing I thought was interesting is how the writer made it pretty obvious to the reader that it says "MISSION: BODYGUARD" but Pearl and Diamond fail to notice that part lol. It's from this mistake, that the Diamond and Pearl story arc begins, more specifically Diamond's, Pearl's and Platinum's Pokemon journey begins.

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Onwards to a Pokemon Adventure!

Eventually the three meet Platinum or nicknamed "Missy" by the boys and are given a package that comes with this "prize" money. In the package, they get the remaining Pokedexs, Poketchs and the starters, Chimchar and Turtwig. So who do Diamond and Pearl choose? Well actually that's an interesting little detail. Diamond and Pearl don't get to choose the Pokemon. Instead it's Turtwig and Chimchar who chooses their trainers, tackling and scratching their heads. Turtwig jumps into Diamond's face and Chimchar attacks Pearl in the face lol as way of showing affection. The two Pokemon prove their battling capabilities, introduce each other and Diamond already has a huge obvious crush on Platinum calling her a Princess in his mind. So what does Platinum do? She says "My butler warned me not to give out my name to commoners." Diamond doesn't mind this but Pearl being the short-tempered kid gets annoyed. This is something that has to be mentioned but Platinum's name, Platinum is actually a spoiler. So why is it mentioned so much before this review even happened? Unfortunately it's pretty hard not to call her this that it's become common knowledge. It's not really a spoiler for most at this point. It's also from this attitude that you realize she's a bit sheltered compared to Diamond and Pearl, all the more excited when she sees what the world has to offer.

Throughout the journey, Platinum decides the best way to learn about the world of Pokemon is through experience, experience she believes she can gain through the eight gyms of Sinnoh each with their own type specialty, gym trial and of course the Gym Leader themselves.

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Oreburgh Gym

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Eterna Gym

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Veilstone Gym

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Pastoria Gym

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Hearthrome Gym

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Canalave Gym

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Sunyshore Gym

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Floaroma Town, Old Chateau and Lake Verity

One thing that definitely has to be mentioned is the amazing artwork done for Pokemon Adventures. Throughout the story, specifically much of the dialogue and conversation, the artwork can be simplistic to speed up the story but when the Adventures manga shows the surroundings of our heroes, it can be pretty in some cases breathtaking. Although most other manga might do the job better, Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl story arc really does an amazing job showing just how beautiful and in some cases, magical the Sinnoh region can truly be.

The plot starts out actually fairly simple compared to past storylines. In the past storylines, the story would almost always introduce the villains fairly early on usually before one of the protagonists meets the first gym leader. Here however, our heroes don't really meet the villains until after the first Gym Leader at the Valley Windworks. In fact unlike past stories that were far more fast-paced and focused mainly on the main story, the Diamond & Pearl story arc is in some ways relaxing, taking it's time at developing it's trio of characters through not just the main story but also through side stories. In fact the first major situation that Diamond, Pearl and Platinum deal with isn't the Legendary Mew that Team Rocket is after, or a thief stealing a Pokemon nor is it mysterious earthquakes or tsunami's that have happened in recent times. Instead the very first adventure the trio faces is an army of hostile Bidoofs. You heard me right. An army of hostile Bidoofs and the thought of it, much more seeing it is quite funny.

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It appears the Bidoof fans were onto something...

It is this first scene you can tell that the Diamond and Pearl story arc is going to be a much more light-hearted and amusing adventure compared to past entries. Not only that seeing a story arc with more focus on side-stories also reminds me of the anime's more fun filler episodes that don't drag away attention from the main story too much. Personally sometimes I can't help but want to see more of the trio's adventures outside of the main story. Luckily the main story is just as good and is able to hold your attention, pushing the character into unknown territory.

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Pearl's experience as a Pokemon trainer and Diamond's caring nature has helped Platinum get through some of the hardships of her Pokemon journey.

Throughout the story, Platinum challenges the eight Gym Leaders. Platinum is a very knowledgeble trainer who spends her time during childhood reading ten books a day which absolutely shocks Diamond and Pearl. However due to her sheltered life, she lacks experience. Inexperience that leads to dangerous situations to the point she becomes a damsel-in-distress early so often that Pearl just outright funnily and frustratedly calls her one of those annoying damsel-in-distress characters. It's all the more satisfying actually how Platinum develops from a damsel-in-distress joke character to one of the strongest Pokemon trainers in the Adventures universe thanks to Diamond and Pearl's help. Diamond could be best called the cheerleader of the group that cheers up Platinum during her most worst times. You can tell Diamond clearly cares the most about Platinum, actually he pretty much just cares about anyone who he befriends. He's Diamond. He's everyone's friend. As for Pearl, Pearl on the other hand is like Platinum's teacher, having a lot of experience in Pokemon battles and it makes a lot of sense the more you think about it before and after Pearl mentions that his father is a good Pokemon trainer. To those who know the game lore, one should understand that Pearl's father is far more than a "good" Pokemon trainer, he's one of the most extremely powerful trainers in the entire Pokemon universe. Learning this, Platinum is even more excited of how "professional" her bodyguards are lol.

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Not all action scenes are battle scenes. Some are creative solutions to different situations...

Of course you can't have a Pokemon story without meeting new Pokemon and exciting battle scenes. Throughout Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl arc, the trio meets all sorts of Pokemon, perhaps even more so than previous story arcs. I say that because thanks to Diamond and Pearl chapter's story spreading out into all kinds of directions, side-stories and longer transitional stages between the main story, the trio meets all sorts of Pokemon who are part of the story more than before. As mentioned previously, the army of Bidoofs is just one of these. In one case, the trio find themselves at the Old Chateau dealing with a mysterious electric "plasma" that haunts the Chateau. In another case, Platinum finds herself unconscious as she's riding down a bike down the cycling road and soon later finds herself encountering one of the most stinkiest Pokemon out there, a Stunky that causes everyone in the next town to stay away from them. And then there is the action scenes. You get a sense of nostalgia seeing Platinum battling the Eight Gym Leaders, remembering the classic Diamond and Pearl battle theme music as you challenge the Gym Leaders, the heat is on! However the action isn't just battles. It wouldn't be Pokemon Adventures-style action if there weren't some creative problem solving of the many situations around them. As mentioned before, Platinum finds herself unconscious to the point she doesn't realize she's speeding so fast that she could be sent flying off the bridge to her doom. Diamond and Pearl's quick-thinking skills have Platinum's Prinplup use ice-beam to create a ramp quickly. This is just one of many environmental "action" scenes you will see.

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Cyrus - "Oh, now that's just cute... OH S******T!" - Okay, Cyrus doesn't actually say that but the thought of it was too funny to pass up.

Back to the battles. The battles are certainly great and clever giving you a sense of nostalgia from the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games. In some ways, you will see yourself in Platinum's shoes as she challenges the Gym Leaders. There is also one particular action scene near the end between Cyrus and Cynthia that I would describe as intense and swift that you have no clue whose going to come out as the victor, ending with an awe-inspiring move that takes the opponent by complete surprise. It's such fights that will get you pumped up and excited, wondering what will happen next. Sometimes you will know the result but you wonder more how the result will happen, not what is the result.

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Cyrus's first appearance.

Speaking of Cyrus. Cyrus is the main antagonist of the Diamond and Pearl story arc and the Leader of Team Galactic but I'm pretty sure most of you reading know this from your experiences playing the Diamond and Pearl games. What you may or may not know is that this is by far the most intimidating and relentless take on Cyrus ever done to this date. He is undoubtedly a man who will not give up on his dreams of creating a universe, a goal that confuses many. If his goal is so confusing, why does he have so many grunts under his control? The answer is surprisingly clever. Against their free will, these grunts aren't simpletons but are brainwashed to serve Cyrus's goal which adds more believability to the team's theme of a space cult. In some ways it's funny how they act like an endless supply of robots. In others, it's somewhat creepy especially hearing one grunt's story of what it was like to be brainwashed later. Cyrus's lieutenants are also quite powerful. You have Mars that in many ways felt like she served the inspiration for Courtney's change in character in ORAS. You have Saturn who is extremely loyal to Cyrus's cause. Finally there is Jupiter who appears a bit later, acting as the muscle of the group. They are all very powerful and loyal to Cyrus to the end. What's also interesting is how Diamond tries to reason with Cyrus's nihilistic views and understand why he's doing this.

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Diamond stands up for himself.

Speaking of Team Galactic, it's Team Galactic and a fateful meeting of Platinum's actual bodyguards, Paka and Uji, that makes Diamond and Pearl realize that this isn't part of the reward of that contest they won and just how much of a dangerous situation they are in, even more so for Platinum as she, the daughter of a wealthy family, is the target for ransom money used to fund Team Galactic's projects. Suddenly things take a dark turn when Paka and Uji are seemingly wiped off from the face of the earth from a mysterious beam caused by one of Team Galactic's inventions. Paka and Uji smile telling the two boys to protect Platinum, recognizing their battling skills. It's from this that Diamond and Pearl keep their promise to Paka and Uji but at the same time, have a hard time telling Platinum the truth that they aren't her real bodyguards, there just a couple of boys who wanted to be Pokemon comedians. Throughout this revelation, Diamond and Pearl continue to grow into surprising new ways. Diamond is a particularly interesting case. Underneath that mellow nature, is a very observant boy who noted something that was particularly obvious to the reader but felt like it flew over their heads at first glance. That he spotted the word "bodyguard" on the "prize" letter. Diamond wants to do everything he can to protect Platinum by standing up to the relentless selfish man, Cyrus but Pearl rejects this. Eventually Diamond stands up to Pearl saying, "You're not the boss of me." It's quite a powerful and character-changing moment for Diamond.

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Starting today... I'm alone...

Diamond and Pearl try their best to teach and protect Platinum while at the same time having a tough time when to reveal this truth. It isn't until the sixth gym leader that the truth is revealed and Platinum acts coldly to them which terrifies the boys. She needs time to think and eventually she forgives them hilariously revealing that she kept a list of the small childish but harmless lies she did previously, apologizing for each and every lie she made lol. The three make up and are a trio again... only they aren't later. They now have a new duty to do requested by Prof. Rowan. The three must stop the Galactic Lieutenants from setting off a bomb in one of the three lakes, lakes that are spread out in the three corners of Sinnoh. This means that they have to travel across the Sinnoh region alone for the first time. As they walk alone for the first time, you start to remember and realize that they aren't teenagers or adults, that they aren't used to this kind of situation, that this isn't like the previous Adventure stories where protagonists often travel alone. They're just kids afraid of being alone for the very first time after being through so much together.

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A happy reunion

Through their adventures alone, they meet many new people, temporary teachers and meet new Pokemon. Diamond in particular befriends a Regigigas at one point. Unlike before however, the plot is nearing the end and the unpredictable Cyrus is up to something. No one has a clue what he means by creating a new universe. Throughout this part of the journey, we see the three continue to progress as Pokemon trainers. Platinum is still challenging the last two Gym Leaders on her own this time. Pearl, although an experienced trainer a cut above the rest, has somewhat of a difficult time befriending his newest Pokemon, Buizel. As for Diamond, he is learning much from Riley on Iron Island, trying to figure out how to overcome his Pokemon's weakness, their slow speed. It's through this do we see that even alone, these trainers can still progress forward and with that, give a much tougher fight to Team Galactic ahead. Eventually they meet Team Galactic at the lakes and unfortunately they lose despite all their efforts. The bomb has set off and Team Galactic has captured the Lake Guardians in order to use their powers to create the Red Chain, an item used to capture the legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia, the rulers of Space and Time. Diamond, Pearl and Platinum all head to the Galactic HQ Building, the last stronghold of Team Galactic and it is here that they happily reunite thanks to their Pokedex's, in a way a callback to previous story arcs featuring similar moments, while freeing the Lake Guardians as Cynthia battles Cyrus. Cynthia is starting to make some sense out of Cyrus's plans. He literally means to create a new universe through the destructive power of time and space that Dialga and Palkia holds and Cyrus can do this with the red chain. However this would also mean the end of their own universe, killing everyone in the process. Cynthia and the DPP trio must hurry before it's too late.

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Out of all the people who could understand the nihilistic Cyrus, it is ironically Diamond, the boy who represents emotion.

It's the final battle for SPACE AND TIME! The eight, er... I mean seven... no just six. SIX Gym Leaders are here to duke it out against the Galactic Lieutenants. Cynthia and the DPP trio hurry to the scene all the meanwhile an unexpected villain returns from Gen 3, Sird. To some reader's disappointment, Sird really doesn't do much however the finale to the Diamond and Pearl story arc is still quite an epic blast. Throughout the chaos, Cynthia and the three young trainers do everything in their power to stop Cyrus. They succeed with Cyrus explaining his philosophy, frustrated how they are in his way. Diamond, the boy who represents emotion, on the other hand explains that he understands the nihilistic man's philosophy, explaining that the "time" is the time he spent with his friends, Platinum and Pearl, and the "space" is the vast stretches of the Sinnoh region he explored. You can see it in Cyrus's face, despite his rejection, that there is something on his mind what Diamond said.

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A happy ending...

And with that, the three fistbump as Dialga and Palkia are freed, the two dragons smiling happily at the three young Pokemon trainers. This was quite the epic journey from beginning to end. This is one of my favorite epics of the Pokemon series and it's nice to see everyone come out alright in the end. It's a happy ending...










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... or is it?

 
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shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Do you think Platina challenged the Pokemon League after getting 8 badges?
Actually I don't think she even realizes you can challenge the Pokemon League. She only challenged the eight gyms to learn more about Pokemon and improve her skills as a Pokemon trainer. She does however battle the more powerful Battle Frontier afterwards.
 
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Lucky3

Well-Known Member
Not gonna lie, these are some of my least favorite arcs in Pokespe. I don't dislike them, I just don't like them as much as the others.

DPP was a little slow at times. I think it was the only time I've gotten bored reading Pokespe. I get that it's necessary to show the growing friendship of the characters, which is the main point of the arc, but I distinctly remember reading a chapter where they visited Dr. Footstep and rolling my eyes. The anime kind of burnt me down to this whole 'travel the region with a couple companions and collect badges' plot, specially when we just did a much more interesting version of collecting badges with Sapphire. The characters aren't interesting enough to me that I want to follow them do trivial things, either. I had a lot more fun reading the wacky adventures of Gold, Ruby or Sapphire. I love Platinum, and I like what Diamond represents. You rarely see a shonen protagonist with such a meek attitude. But he's still not among my favorites. And Pearl is just meh. That said, the character development in this arc is definitely top tier, and there were many moments where I truly felt for them, despite not being as invested as I could. I think this is more a matter of personal taste than anything else.

Platinum I actually like quite a lot. I'm fond of things that change the rules like the Battle Frontier, so I always appreciate when Pokespe delves into them. And the final battle in the Distortion World with all the legendaries going crazy was pretty cool. This arc doesn't really have a lot going on, but I like everything in it. It works nicely as an epilogue of sorts to DPP.

HGSS is just okay. I always like to see Gold again but this arc really pales in comparison to FRLG. The pacing is all over tha place. We go from 'Gold chilling in the Pokeathlon' to 'Final battle of Ultimate Destiny' in a couple chapters. Gold and Silver get some new development but not much. Crys is barely there. Honestly, it doesn't feel like there's much of a plot here. It seems more like an excuse to show off the new features of the games. It does have some great moments, but it feels like they're stitched together more than following a natural narrative thread.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Platinum Review and Thoughts Post

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In many ways, Platinum Chapter feels like a true farewell letter to all of Gen 4. Whether you think highly of Sinnoh or not, this chapter truly does show how epic Gen 4 is.

Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl is a beloved chapter because of how it took it's time to tell the story, expanding into little side mis-adventures of Dia, Pearl and Missy. In past story arcs, the protagonists always felt like they had a friendship through a rivalry. For Gen 4 however, instead of rivals, they come across as companions much in the same way as Ash, Brock and Misty. Many people liked this refreshing style of storytelling however for some, it was some of there least favorites for the side adventures that often slowed the pace as mentioned by @Lucky7... and this is where the Platinum story arc changes things up that embodies the more fast-paced nature of some of the previous Adventure story arcs. There are almost no side-stories in the Platinum story arc, what many see as the true endgame chapter to Diamond and Pearl. Not only that but Platinum Chapter takes a different approach to it's characters starting off with Platinum who is arguably the lead female character in much of the same way as Ash Ketchum who stands out from Brock and Misty. Missy is one of huge highlights of this chapter, putting a smile on many people's face to see just how far Platinum's skills as an expert trainer has come. This is no longer the sheltered inexperience girl we knew early in the DP chapter where Pearl jokingly called her a "Damsel-in-distress". She's an experienced Pokemon trainer that could possibly even challenge the Elite Four and with these skills, she's come to the Sinnoh Battle Frontier to save a couple of bodyguards who are in some serious trouble at the mercy of the violent ruler of the distortion world, Giratina. For an end-game chapter that's meant to not only wrap up all of Sinnoh's myths and legends but also to serve as the finale to Diamond and Pearl, there is so much shocking character development to unpack here including arguably the most heartwarming moment in all of the Pokemon series. Long-time father-son reunions will be made, Frontier Facilities conquered, many of Sinnoh's famous and most popular trainers unexpectedly step in and a clash of legendaries unlike no other in the Pokemon series is all here.

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Get ready for one epic ride unlike no other Pokemon story before it.

So if your looking for a much more fast-paced chapter full of action, awesome battle legends and legendaries of Sinnoh duking it out and also some finalized character development for now... you've come to the right chapter.

The Short Review (NO SPOILERS EXCEPT FOR BELOW)

  • This is the endgame story arc to Diamond and Pearl. It's recommended that you read the Diamond and Pearl story arc first.
  • The premise of the story arc is that Platinum is searching for a way to save Paka and Uji, her actual bodyguards, from wherever they were banished to. Her investigations leads to Sinnoh's Battle Frontier where she encounters International Policeman Looker, the stat trainers and Pearl's father, Tower Tycoon Palmer the strongest of the Sinnoh Frontier Brains. Looker is out to investigate the mysterious disappearances of Team Galactic as Platinum's investigation leads to one source, the Distortion World. Meanwhile Diamond and Pearl investigate the legendaries that Galactic Member Charon is so interested in.
  • Platinum's, Diamond's and Pearl's stories are each done really well.
  • Platinum is undoubtedly the lead main character here, the Pokemon trainer who challenges the Frontier Brains hoping she can get some information from them in her investigations. Platinum's skills as a trainer and her friendship with her Pokemon are pushed to the limits to the point that even an experience trainer like her still has a lot to learn.
  • Platinum's battles against the Frontier Brains are undoubtedly some of the best and cleverly created fight scenes, not just characterization but full-blown action, in the entire Pokemon series. Each Frontier brain has a gimmick that changes up how battles are done and some of these battles completely turn Platinum's favor upside down in an instant such as the case for the Battle Arcade where the complete unexpected just happens, testing not only Platinum's skills but her friendship with her Pokemon.
  • Each of the Frontier Brains are some of the most fun characters in the entire Pokemon series you'll ever meet. It's honestly quite a shame that the Pokemon anime chose to skip them after seeing just how they interact with Platinum during the Battle Frontier storyline.
  • Looker is a fun supporting character early on who from time-to-time fills in Diamond and Pearl's cheerleader and coach role.
  • The stat trainers, although short, each give their time to shine. Most noticeably Riley, Buck and Marley. Riley is clearly the strongest of the stat trainers however Marley and Riley's interactions with certain legendaries also makes them fairly intriguing characters.
  • One character I don't think anyone expected to return, simply because of how obscure he is in Team Galactic, makes a return. Underneath that classic space-man-like uniform, he's surprisingly a interesting character and is actually one of the few connections to Sird, a previous antagonist. You honestly kind of feel sorry for what he's been through.
  • Diamond's story is arguably far more intriguing than Platinum even though she is the star for one simple reason. His interactions and understanding of a particular returning character that has lead this man to change his ways in arguably the most heartwarming and dare I say human moment in the entire Pokemon series. Anyone familiar with the games did not see this coming.
  • Pearl's story by comparison is the least interesting but he isn't boring at all. He's fairly competent and his story largely consists of interactions with his friend Dia, one that stood out was how horrified he was during Giratina's brutal actions during his first-time appearance. However Pearl's most interesting part of the story is how he interacts with his father, Tower Tycoon Palmer.
  • This chapter undoubtedly has the best clash of legendaries. I don't mean one-on-one battles. I mean full-on legendary fanservice in the form of large all-out skirmishes. The Platinum Chapter has one of the greatest battles in Pokemon history.
  • To sum up this chapter. IT IS SO FREAKING EPIC!!!!! It's Pokemon goodness like this that makes the whiny childish fanboy in me scream "WHY CAN'T THE POKEMON ADVENTURES MANGA GET AN ANIME ADAPTATION!"
SPOILERS BEYOND HERE
  • Fist fights, blade fights, beam fights, legendary fights, rotational fights, meteor fights! Whatever Pokemon battle you can think of, Platinum Chapter probably has it! This is so amazing! Pew pew pew!
  • One huge problem with Pokemon Adventures is due to tight schedules, Pokemon trainers don't always earn their Pokemon through captures, battles or befriending them but are given them by more powerful trainers. That is the case for literally half of Platinum's team and they get almost no character development in the Diamond and Pearl chapter. In the Platinum chapter however, it's much different. There is much more character development between Platinum and her team. You'll see the group smile and hug each other, look worried and downright terrified at each other, or have faith and determination each other. This chapter was a huge improvement over Platnium's relationship with her Pokemon, now if only I can say the same for Pearl. Pearl's non-Sinnoh Pokemon, Tauros and Diglett, rarely, if at all, makes any appearance here. It was nice seeing Pearl interact with his father but this chapter didn't do a whole lot for Pearl's team in the end.
  • I know I keep saying this is an epic chapter due to how it successfully brings so many legendaries and Sinnoh's battle legends together however there is a problem. The Platinum chapter is clearly made to wrap things up due to just how short their epic moments are. Like this is Avengers Infinity War short meaning even though it is short, it's actually still just enough time to show off just how each of these characters are so badass in their own right. When they have their short moment, wow does it leave a good impression on you. The problem isn't really that it's short. The problem is this leaves you, the reader, craving for more!
  • The funny thing is Sinnoh isn't even in my Top 3 favorite regions but Platinum Chapter does so much good Sinnoh fan-service it does make you consider how awesome of a region Sinnoh is.
  • During this chapter, we see Cynthia training with her grandmother in order to become the OP Pokemon Champion that Pokemon fans know her in the anime. Her interactions with her Grandmother, specifically how Cynthia's Grandmother is basically the boss lol, is pretty funny.
  • Flint and Volkner. Are you freaking serious! They are taking on freaking Giratina in his healthy state with all of it's brute strength and Flint and Volkner are doing some serious damage as Giratina is literally attempting to kill them. And what does Flint and Volkner do as they escape his attacks? They smile. They freaking smile like the cocky master trainers they are lol. That is such a fun moment and what's even more funny is that it takes a freaking powerful legendary to bring Volkner out of his boredom of battles lol. I don't know about you but I really do think this take on Flint and Volkner makes them potentially two of the top ten most powerful trainers in the entire Pokemon series for this feat alone. This is just so insane!
  • Charon. He's kind of... just there... to move the plot. He's... alright I guess? I guess that's my only real complaint of this chapter, that he's technically the main antagonist of this awesome chapter. I suppose I'm not that impressed because Charon isn't actually all that much of an interesting character to begin with in the games. I don't even think the anime knew what to do with his character. I don't know about you but Charon, whose only looking out for himself, would be an interesting side villain/underling and here it definitely feels that he's a side character forced into the main villain role that just doesn't quite fit.
  • Diamond's Regigigas is at his most badass in this chapter. You will be freaking surprised how absurdly strong Diamond's legendary Pokemon is. To get you an idea, Regigigas manages to easily throw a healthy Giratina with just one arm, slamming the creation dragon into the very ground. I was surprised to see how strong Regigigas is. I knew he was really strong but I didn't think he was strong enough to overpower a villainous creation dragon already this early into the chapter!
  • Speaking of Giratina, it's really interesting here. We never really got an appropriate take of Giratina's Pokedex entry, a violent banished ruler, in almost any form of media except this one, not even the games. This is arguably the first time where Giratina is shown as this arrogant cocky but also toyfully menacing dragon. In fact I think this is actually the first time Pokemon Adventures has had a Pokemon as a villain and Giratina is certainly a tanky fellow able to take on so many hits. One thing I always thought was pretty menacing is how through Shadow Force, this giant dragon can easily dodge attacks and move pretty fast.
  • Later in the story, Dia "dies" from Giratina's attacks which just terrifies Pearl and their Pokemon. You can really see it on their faces and on Dia's lifeless face that things could actually go really wrong here. Luckily that does not happen lol. Dia actually finds himself in the Distortion World meeting an unexpected ally, Cyrus of Team Galactic.
  • What's interesting about Cyrus is how the most faithful and accurate depiction of Cyrus up until this point thinks long and hard that what he did was wrong. I don't think anyone expected Cyrus to be like this afterwards. In fact Pokemon Adventure fans who were not satisfied with Cyrus from the anime, truly did think the Adventures take was the best version for the simple fact that it was actually faithful to the source material. Due to Adventures reputation for being faithful to the source material, this was a complete mind-blowing twist that no one saw coming. Cyrus is regaining his faith in humanity again after realizing how incomplete he is. As strange as this sounds, this is actually pretty faithful to the character's philosophy, more specifically how Cyrus is trying to aiming to be complete.
  • In fact what happens later is arguably the most tearjerker most heartwarming moment in the entire Pokemon series. It's not just that but it's also the most human moment in the Pokemon series, Shaymin recognizes Cyrus's newfound gratitude for life. For those who don't understand how clever Kusaka made use of Shaymin here to interact with Cyrus, Shaymin is a Pokemon that can only change into it's Skye forme once it senses a human full of gratitude in their heart. Shaymin's change to a Skye forme is a symbol of Cyrus's faith in humanity restored and it's quite a surprising but beautiful moment that I can't really see any other future Pokemon scene top.
  • And you know what's funny about this? Kusaka described Diamond as actually the hardest character to write because of how "normal" he is. Pearl has a talent for recognizing how moves work and Platinum is super-rich but it's Diamond, the "normal" kid, who understands and changes a lot of people during his travels. He manage to cheer up Platinum when she felt like a loser during the Pokemon Contests, he made Pearl realize that he's not his boss, he makes master trainers like Cynthia laugh, he makes Dialga and Palkia smile in agreement and here he makes Cyrus realize that he's the one who is incomplete here. It's through this that Diamond the most "normal" character here is actually the most interesting. He brings out a lot of goodness in people and Pokemon and honestly I wouldn't be surprised in a Sinnoh Remake chapter that Diamond is the one who understands and convinces Giratina to change his violent ways.
  • After a bunch of huge epic skirmishes between battle legends and legendaries, Giratina has an "OH S*******************************T!" moment when he thinks he's safe, escaping the distortion world only to face a barrage of mastered Draco Meteors by none other than Cynthia. This was such an epic and powerful finishing blow to Giratina that signifies that Cynthia is THE OP Pokemon Champion that we know from the games and anime.
  • After this, the story ends. A weakened Giratina goes back to the Distortion World after realizing he's too outnumbered. Cyrus does the unexpected, he disbands Team Galactic and here we really see just how loyal Cyrus's lieutenants are, wanting to go with Cyrus's new Pokemon journey. Cyrus surprises them by having his Magnezone carry them on his travels. It's quite a happy ending for Team Galactic actually. Looker arrests Charon, the other trainers go back to their happy lives and what happens to Platinum, Diamond and Pearl? Before Platinum challenges Tower Tycoon Palmer, she wants to see Diamond and Pearl do one last comedy act for the day as she hasn't seen it in a long time.
  • What Platinum just said, I just realized that there hasn't been a single time that Diamond and Pearl has done their comedy act throughout the Platinum chapter. A lot of Pokemon Adventure fans, even those who liked the Diamond and Pearl story arc, have mixed reception on the comedy bits but here it's honestly kind of a nostalgic charming farewell to those who enjoyed Gen 4.
  • It's honestly kind of sad that the DP+P story arcs has to end. This was such an epic story that leaves you craving for more. The Platinum Chapter is truly the best farewell letter to Gen 4 fans.

The Long Review - SPOILERS
So just a heads up, if you want the non-spoiler review, it's pretty much just the introduction above that I feel I don't need to write it again twice. This is the long detailed review and it's Spoilers from here on out.

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Diamond and Pearl's Ending - The Battle Zone from a great distance, one of the major settings of the Platinum Chapter

Pokemon Adventures Platinum Chapter is a continuation of Diamond and Pearl Chapter. In fact it's more proper to say that it's the true finale to the Diamond and Pearl storyline where we last saw Diamond, Pearl and Platinum hi-fiving just when things seem like it was alright until a hole appeared dragging a weakened Palkia, Dialga and unconcious Cyrus with it's menacing appendages. Suddenly a mysterious galactic member named Charon appears, leaving behind notes. What I just described is the ending of the Diamond and Pearl Chapter but for the Platinum Chapter... this is only just the beginning.


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Platina's Final Team prepped and ready for Sinnoh's Battle Frontier By SCIIZORS

Our main characters are Diamond, Pearl and Platinum however unlike before where each character equally shared the role of a main character traveling together as companions, this time Platinum chapter starts off with a lead character role in much of the same way Red stood out from Green and Blue or Ash stood out from Brock and Misty in the original seasons. The lead character is Platinum and throughout this chapter, you will be amazed how much she's progressed from the inexperienced sheltered rich girl who Pearl jokingly calls a "damnsel-in-distress". She's not with Diamond and Pearl anymore but rather she's investigating the Battle Frontier alone and determined however it never really feels she's alone as Platinum makes many new friends along the way such as Looker, the Frontier Brains and the Stat Trainers. The biggest reason why Platinum doesn't feel like she's alone however is her Pokemon. One of the biggest complaints about Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl was a lack of character development between Platinum and her recently obtained Pokemon from the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh. This was seen as forced and last-second probably due to time constraints. It's here that the Platinum Chapter makes up for that throughout long.

We get a sense that Platinum is working with her team of Pokemon in terms of preparation, battling and dealing with the villains of the series. It is through her Pokemon that we get some of the most thrilling battles the entire Pokemon serise has to offer, more specifically through the Battle Frontier's gimmicky facilities that places limitations on her team. Platinum is investigating her actual bodguards, Paka and Uji, who mysterious disappeared and she has a lead in Sinnoh's Battle Frontier. She hopes to get information from the Frontier Brains themselves and to do this, she has to battle in their facilities as Looker fills the role of coach/cheerleader that normally Pearl and Diamond do. Looker is a funny character with just enough on-screen time to not steal the show. His disguises, gadgets and reaction-movement against even Pokemon are quite hilarious however he also supports Platinum by giving her some advice on how the Frontier facilities may work from time to time.

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Action is swift, intense and is more than just blows and dodges but is a match to outsmart the other.

Platinum Chapter is a very fast-paced chapter and it is here we get to non-stop action scenes quickly! Ever tactic, every blow and every move the Pokemon makes in a arena affected by the facilities gimmicks are quite thrilling. One moment it may seem Platinum has the advantage, the next she's suddenly pushed into a corner not because like how the anime handles it's fights through powerful blows and speeds but because essentially each battle Platinum enters against the Frontier Brain is not only a battle of quick reactionary time but also outsmarting the other Pokemon through skills and tactics. For example, there is one scene where Ursaring and Alakazam are quite exhauted, down to a fist-fight, dealing severe blows to each other where each fist feels like it has weight to it, punching into their guts and into their cheekbones. The action is quite intense and it may seem like a simple action scene but there's more to the picture. What Factory Head Thorton didn't realized was that the move Alakazam was using underneath this simple action-scene was none other than Drain Punch, a super-effective move against normal-type but also recovers health for each blow allowing Alakazam to last longer in field. It's moment like this that truly describes how there's more to these action scenes than meets the eye.

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Giratina, the main antagonist of Platinum Chapter

However that's just the Battle Factory where Platinum utilizes rental Pokemon. How do her own Pokemon fare? Pretty well but as I said before each facility is a testament to Platinum's skills as a Pokemon trainer and her bond with her Pokemon. Each action scene is quite intense putting Platinum in different situations. In fact there was one noticeable action scene during the Battle Arcade where Platinum's friendship in her Pokemon was literally put to the test in a way that terrified her. The Battle Arcade uses a roulette system that randomizes certain factors about a battle, for this case, Platinum's team got switched with Arcade Star's Dahlia's team. This means that Platinum is forced to use the Frontier Brain's Pokemon team and while this may seem great that she has an OP team on her side, this also means she has to literally hurt her own Pokemon in order to win. It's not only worrying for her but also worrying for her own Pokemon. Her Pokemon has faith in her and they want her to win which is why at first they are so nervous and afraid to battle at their hardest for Platinum's opponent when they can simply just disobey and let Platinum attack them. In the end, this is literally one of the most compelling and convincing ways where friendship actually triumphs in the end and progresses even stronger. Platinum tells her Pokemon team to do their best as an opponent and Platinum swallows her fears and uses Dahlia's Pokemon against them. It's quite an intense moment, not only from an action perspective but also from a character development perspective. It is later that Platinum has already beaten four out of the five Frontier Brains. She's delaying the fifth out of priorities, more specifically she now has a better idea where Paka and Uji are at thanks to the Frontier Brains. Platinum's eyes are wide-open in shock, they are in the Distortion World, a world on the other side of theirs where everything humanity knows is twisted in that realm, inhabited by only one ruler... or it's prisoner, Giratina.

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Diamond & Pearl investigating the Old Chateau

Although Platinum gets a huge boost in character development, Diamond and Pearl are also vital to this story, out to search for the legendary Pokemon according to Charon's notes. It's from here that we once again see the fun little antics of Diamond and Pearl that we normally see in the side-ventures of the DP story arc through their investigation of the Old Chateau near Eternia City. It's quite funny and a bit noticeable that their action scenes have more hilarity to it. One thing lead to another and Diamond befriends a mischievous Rotom from the Old Chateau near Eternia City. To their surprise, Giratina has arrived and he is as menacing as ever... also Charon's there... for reasons.

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Regigigas overpowers Giratina

So much happens in such little time during Diamond and Pearl's time in Eternia City. Battles unfold and a shocker emerges. Giratina seemingly kills Dia with one it's appendages. Dia isn't trembling in pain or knocked out unconscious. No, he lays there with a lifeless look on his face that certainly will get any reader worried as Pearl and their Pokemon panics. It's from this that Regigigas, Diamond's Legendary Pokemon, is furious. One of the most noticeable highlights is that this is the first time we see Regigigas duke out against Giratina in any form of Pokemon medium. So how does Regigigas. Surprisingly, Regigigas may actually be stronger than Giratina and this is literally Giratina's first epic reveal. Giratina is a menacing creation dragon and he is in a healthy state so it's quite awesome, putting a smile on your face, how overpowering Regigigas can be. In fact things get only more intense when Giratina "kills" Dia which angers Regigigas even more. One of the coolest displays of strength is that Regigigas uses just one arm to grab Giratina by the head, swinging the massive creation dragon into the sky before slamming his head into the ground. This is some earth-shattering action here. Luckily things turn alright when in actuality Giratina's attack sent Dia to the Distortion World. And from there and unexpected shocker for most fans, Cyrus stands there waiting.

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The Distortion World

So what happens next. Stat trainers meet Platinum again. Pearl later meets his father. Diamond meets Cyrus. Team Galactic meets Stat Trainers and Marley meets... the Advanced Galactic Grunt? That is definitely a surprise that I don't think anyone was expecting. The Advanced Galactic Grunt is a rather obscure character who served as the only henchman who could really talk like a person... to an extant. Now here he is holding Marley demanding answers. Surprisingly the Advanced Galactic Grunt is actually a fairly interesting character underneath the grunt attire, having been brainwashed, forgotten his original identity but is allowed as one of the few special grunts allowed to think on his own to an extant by none other than Sird as in this character is one of the few connections to Sird and so is Darkrai as it's revealed that he was the one who got in Mewtwo's way during the events of FRLG. The strange part is that it does make you wonder if Kusaka planned this mysterious character ahead of time from the Diamond and Pearl story arc as the Advance Level Grunt frequently mentions the Pokedexes and the past Pokedex holders which seems to have almost no relation to Team Galactic until now. Now he regrets every horrible thing he has done while brainwashed, wanting to atone for his mistakes and search for answers into the Distortion World. The last time we see this character is when he sympathizes with Darkrai, a Pokemon that means no harm but unintentionally causes nightmares wherever it goes.

On a different note, one thing has to be mentioned is the Distortion World. This is probably truly the first and only time in any Pokemon adaptation do we get to see Pokemon battle enacted at several different angles in the Distortion world a world where what humans are familiar with in the Pokemon world are twisted and bizarre here. The battle scenes in the artwork are quite mesmerizing that it reminds you of some classic paintings only with Pokemon battles in it.

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Flint & Volkner challenging Giratina to a Pokemon battle

So what does these group of trainers find when they enter the Distortion World lol? Flint and Volkner having a great time fighting Giratina lol. It's quite a hilarious and fun surprise, especially considering that Volkner has gotten more and more bored of battles, finding excitement in battling one of the creation dragons himself. Giratina is trying to kill them as he actually can feel the damage from these two master trainers and what do Flint and Volkner do? Every time they dodge a fatal blow, they can't help but smile in excitement. Flint and Volkner are truly one of the crazier and more daring trainers out there lol.

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Battle Legends and Sinnoh Legendaries. A reunion and a clash of epic legends at the same time.

Throughout their ventures of the Distorion World, more battles are made, legendaries caught or befriended previously by different trainers such as Palmer's Cresselia and Marley's Shaymin interact with this dangerous world. It truly becomes an epic clash of legends when these legendaries start duking it out. It is amazing seeing all these legendaries going up against each other and more importantly feels relevant to the plot at the same time, the stakes being incredibly high for everyone. However arguably Platinum Chapter's best moment is not a battle scene but rather something leading up to it. Diamond's interaction with Cyrus.

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Diamond meets Cyrus

In Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl, Cyrus has had the most accurate and faithful adaptation of Cyrus almost out of version of Cyrus to date, even having a more intimidated cold look than his game counterpart. It's here where things take a surprisingly light-hearted turn that no one was expecting. Cyrus has come to the conclusion that he was wrong this whole time. He still believes humans are in general incomplete beings however he now believes himself to be one as he witnessed Diamond, Pearl and Platinum's actions, that to be complete you have to work together. Cyrus wonders if his life would be any different if he had friends like Diamond's. It's quite an emotional moment that turns into a hilarious one as Diamond angrily hits in the head once for all the terrible things he's done before smiling at him like a friend. It's from here that Cyrus alongside a weakened Palkia and Dialga decides to help out. From here on out, it's everyone vs. Giratina but it doesn't end there.

What's funny about this scene is that it's a reminder of not only how well-written Cyrus is but how well-written Diamond is. According to some interviews, Kusaka, the writer of Pokemon Adventures, described Diamond as actually the hardest character to write because of how "normal" he is. The other two he claims are easier because Pearl is a talented kid who can recognize how moves work and is the son of Tower Tycoon Palmer while Platinum is super-rich but it's Diamond, the "normal" kid, who understands and changes a lot of people during his travels. He manages to cheer up Platinum when she felt like a loser during the Pokemon Contests, he makes Pearl realize that he's not his boss, he makes master trainers like Cynthia laugh, he makes Dialga and Palkia smile in agreement and here he's the one who understands Cyrus's philosophy and makes him realize that he's the one who is incomplete here. It's through this that Diamond the most "normal" character here is actually the most interesting. He brings out a lot of goodness in people and Pokemon and honestly I wouldn't be surprised in a Sinnoh Remake chapter that Diamond is the one who understands and convinces Giratina to change his violent ways.

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Shaymin recognizes Cyrus's newfound gratitude for life.

Speaking of Cyrus, In an even further shocking moment is arguably not only Shaymin's best appearance in any form of media but the fact that Shaymin is a symbol of arguably the greatest heartwarming and even the most human moment in the Pokemon series. Shaymin happily jumps into Cyrus's arms much to everyone's surprise and from there Shaymin transforms into a Skye form, leaping out of Cyrus's arms. This is quite a magical Pokemon moment as Shaymin is proof that Cyrus has restored his faith in humanity, only changing into his Skye forme when Shaymin senses a human's heart full of gratitude for life and it's Cyrus of all people. It's quite a tearjerker to see a nihilistic character like Cyrus suddenly regain their faith in humanity through such a magical moment.

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Draco Meteor

Through the combined efforts of all these trainers, Giratina can't deal with this and quickly escapes into the real world... also Charon is there. When Giratina escapes into the other side, he finds himself shocked, stunned, surprised at what he finds. A barrage of mastered Draco Meteors by none other than Cynthia herself. Unlike the chaotic somewhat inaccurate Draco Meteor from before, this is accurate and locked-on to Giratina 100%, a symbol that Cynthia has finally become the OP Pokemon Champion we all know and love from the games and anime. What better way to show how far Cynthia has come than landing the finishing blow to one of the powerful legendaries in the Pokemon series.

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Everyone makes it out healthy and alive.

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A farewell to Gen 4 fans.

So what happens next? A weakened Giratina realizes he's outnumbered and goes back to the Distortion World in defeat. Looker arrests Charon and as for Cyrus? Cyrus surprises his loyal followers that he's disbanding Team Galactic for good, deciding to go on a Pokemon journey. Considering his newfound gratitude for life, whatever Cyrus does in the future would certainly be quite unexpected due to the unpredictability of Cyrus's choice and this is certainly one of them. It's also from here that Cyrus's followers feel betrayed. So what do they do? They demand to go with him on his journey and Cyrus accepts. It's quite a happy ending for Team Galactic and this scene really shows just how loyal the lieutenants are to Cyrus. As for the rest, everyone happily goes back to their duties. Platinum decides she wants to challenge Tower Tycoon Palmer soon but before that she wants to hear Diamond and Pearl's comedy routine as she hasn't heard it in a long time. It's a surprising reminder that Diamond and Pearl haven't really done any comedy routines throughout this chapter until now. It was met with mixed reception by fans, even those who love the story arc but here. It feels like a nostalgic farewell to the Pokemon fans who loved Gen 4.
 
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shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Would the 2 Pokemon Ranger manga series be part of gen 4? I mean, some of the events are connected to D/P/Pl.
Huh... never thought about including Pokemon Ranger into the fold. If were going by games, the first Pokemon Ranger would be Gen 3 and the second Pokemon Ranger would be Gen 4. Interesting idea. I don't know what do you think? Do you think Pokemon Ranger deserves it's own separate thread or should be included here?
 

ellifeedn

Thinker
Like I said before the events of those 2 series connect to D/P/Pl, albeit very minimally, so I think they're better off in this thread. Plus they are really short so a thread just for them is a bit much.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Like I said before the events of those 2 series connect to D/P/Pl, albeit very minimally, so I think they're better off in this thread. Plus they are really short so a thread just for them is a bit much.
EDIT: I talked to the mod and he explained the manga's connection to the Pokespe (Pokemon Adventures/Special) is too small to be considered a spin-off of Pokemon Adventures. From that, it has to be a discussion thread separate from the Pokemon Adventures discussion threads. You can still talk about the little connection, the Manaphy egg, though if you want.
 
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mehmeh1

Not thinking twice!
dia is just a delight to see tbh, I really like his laid back but still level headed attitude, and both his relationships with pearl and cyrus were great, though from what I remember (haven't read dp, pt, or hgss since 2016), he didn't really have many interactions with
platina
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
dia is just a delight to see tbh, I really like his laid back but still level headed attitude, and both his relationships with pearl and cyrus were great, though from what I remember (haven't read dp, pt, or hgss since 2016), he didn't really have many interactions with
platina
Don't think it's really a spoiler at this point. Her name is literally in use as her official name over "Little Missy" or "Ms. Berlitz" in Bulbapedia and Serebii. Dia doesn't have a lot of interactions with her in the late story. He does however have a lot with her early on in the story as basically a cheerleader and an assistant to Platina's Gym Battles.
 

BenLee really not taken

Hey everyone, Bhrjr here.
EDIT: I talked to the mod and he explained the manga's connection to the Pokespe (Pokemon Adventures/Special) is too small to be considered a spin-off of Pokemon Adventures. From that, it has to be a discussion thread separate from the Pokemon Adventures discussion threads. You can still talk about the little connection, the Manaphy egg, though if you want.
I recently realized those mangas are also written by Kusaka, and is planning to read. So, if you did read it, is the story good? Does it hold to all other Pokespe arcs? I did see Animelist score showing a score of 6
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
I recently realized those mangas are also written by Kusaka, and is planning to read. So, if you did read it, is the story good? Does it hold to all other Pokespe arcs? I did see Animelist score showing a score of 6
Never actually read it but I'm assume it's more like a short story than an epic.
 

Redstar45

The Anime/Special's canon know it all.
'travel the region with a couple companions and collect badges' plot,
Hey! I love that aspect of the dppt arc as i love dpt anime and it is feel like this ani feelings into and platinum is funny characters then boys and it feels like this is almost like a reboot to special manga and it barely called back to the Classic Pokemon special manga which i wish kusaka keep that to sun and moon arc.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Hey! I love that aspect of the dppt arc as i love dpt anime and it is feel like this ani feelings into and platinum is funny characters then boys and it feels like this is almost like a reboot to special manga and it barely called back to the Classic Pokemon special manga which i wish kusaka keep that to sun and moon arc.
If I had to recommend anime fans what chapter they might like, Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl + Platinum would definitely be number 1. There's no Pokemon Championship at the end but I feel like the Battle Frontier more than made up for that with fast-paced action scenes. In fact Platinum Chapter definitely has some of the most tight close-quarters fast-paced action while maintaining that usual quick battle feel you get from story-mode or competitive battles of the Pokemon video games.
 

Redstar45

The Anime/Special's canon know it all.
Well if i would recommend and frlg arc as sort of Pokemon anime au to ani fan ? then yes i would
 
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