Jumpluff, the seasoned Pokémon medic, quickly helped all three Pokémon recover from their injuries. However, due to the heavy energy expenditure during training, they still looked a little drained.
"Rawr!"
Bagon, now fully healed, circled around Monferno with eyes full of envy.
The two had been neck and neck in strength for a while, but now that Chimchar had evolved, the balance was shattered again. Bagon was frustrated and jealous—he'd been the one chasing Monferno all this time, and now the gap had widened.
Meanwhile, Monferno, still basking in the glow of its evolution, wore a smug smile and patted Bagon's shoulder like a big brother. That only made Bagon more agitated, and the alliance they'd formed to survive training with Blaziken was now in shambles.
All Bagon wanted now was to evolve into Shelgon as soon as possible.
Understanding Bagon's mood, Rex knelt and offered encouragement. "You're not quite ready yet, Bagon. But once you evolve into Shelgon, your strength will skyrocket. At that point, you'll crush Monferno without breaking a sweat."
"Rawr!"
Bagon's frustration quickly melted into fiery determination. Its energy returned, and it plunged back into training, more motivated than ever to reach evolution and reclaim dominance.
"Your Bagon is hilarious!" Korrina giggled.
She couldn't help but be fond of such a silly and expressive little guy. Her own Lucario had always been composed and mature, even as a Riolu—so mature, in fact, that Korrina often felt like she was the one being looked after instead.
"You've really done a great job raising Bagon, Rex. It's grown so much since you caught it!" said Mai, impressed.
Though she and Rex had only been apart for about a month, the difference in Bagon was staggering—not just in power, but in attitude. While part of it came from Bagon's natural potential, the rest was clearly due to Rex's training.
"To be honest, Monferno deserves a lot of the credit. If it weren't for the rivalry between them, Bagon probably wouldn't be this driven."
Rex clapped Monferno on the shoulder as he said this.
"Exactly! It's all thanks to me!" Monferno chimed in proudly, still glowing with the thrill of evolution.
Its shameless self-satisfaction sent Mai and Korrina into fits of laughter.
Just then, Rex remembered something. "By the way, Korrina, do you know anything about the Diamond Kingdom?"
"You mean the legendary place where the mythical Pokémon Diancie lives? The one said to be filled with diamonds?"
Korrina blinked in surprise.
"That's the one—the underground Diamond Kingdom, home to Diancie and countless Carbink."
"But… you're from Hoenn, right? How do you know about something that even most people in Kalos have never heard of?"
Korrina only knew about the Diamond Kingdom from a story her grandfather used to tell her as a child when she couldn't sleep. She'd been so captivated by the tale of Diancie that she'd even looked into it herself.
According to her research, the legend originated from a book written long ago by a lone explorer. In it, he described a dazzling underground kingdom filled with valuable gems and ruled by a mythical Pokémon who could create diamonds at will.
The story captured the attention of many adventurers, and expeditions were launched based on the book's clues. But despite their efforts, no one ever found the Diamond Kingdom. Over time, people dismissed it as a fantasy. The legend faded into obscurity, now treated more like a fairy tale than a real place.
"Then I've come to the right person," Rex said with a grin, seeing her reaction.
Though she didn't know why he was so interested in the legend, Korrina still explained everything she knew about the Diamond Kingdom, including what she'd read in the original explorer's account.
Rex, in turn, told them about his real reason for asking—his Carbink.
But without having seen the Carbink himself, neither Mai nor Korrina could really believe that Rex might've stumbled upon a clue to the actual Diamond Kingdom. They figured he was just chasing an old bedtime story.
"Hey Korrina, does your gym have a Pokémon transfer system?"
"Huh? Oh—yes, we do!" she replied quickly, as if realizing her earlier reaction might have come off as dismissive.
Korrina led him to a room outfitted with various modern devices, including the transfer system.
Rex contacted Yuri back in Hoenn and arranged for Carbink and Sandslash to be sent over. In exchange, he returned Pyukumuku, Mareanie, and his shiny Flaaffy.
He brought Sandslash because its abilities would be invaluable when exploring Kalos's underground—especially if the Diamond Kingdom truly existed beneath the surface.
As for the shiny Flaaffy, it wasn't much use in underground exploration, and it missed its flock back on the farm. So, it was going home—for now.