If it turns out it's just doing what the (GM OE) program is telling it to do, the solutions are:
Use Tow / Haul mode to avoid this behavior - assuming this might work
Have pcm properly reprogrammed - this WILL DEFINITELY ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY work if the gripe is thoroughly understood by tuner
I tried tow/haul mode and using 3 instead of D... While I didn't see the exact scenario, it was similar. I'm going to try both again to try and recreate the scenarios again.
One thing I haven't looked at is the exhaust manifold bolts. If the bolts are loose or missing or broken, would the problem get worse as the engine is warm? The engine and trans do not overheat. I'm wondering if once the engine gets to temp, the exhaust manifold expands and the leaks get worse and causing misfires to get worse. Which could be why the transmission specialist saw nothing wrong with the trans data but saw misfires, but my normal mechanic said it felt like a trans slip? Does this hold water?