That the [Power of Viridian] would lose effectiveness this quickly was indeed a surprise to Elias.
Dianna had once mentioned to him that her body had been injured by a powerful Pokémon.
Now, it seemed she hadn't exaggerated; the abilities of that Pokémon were genuinely troublesome.
Yet Elias hadn't given up because of this.
On the contrary, he felt he might have found a way to heal her completely.
Thinking of this, Elias glanced down at his semi-transparent palm.
From the moment he had still been attached to that crystal—right after his consciousness first emerged—
He'd felt a distinct life energy continuously accumulating within him.
Compared to the [Power of Viridian], this energy was purer and significantly stronger.
His rapid growth was mostly due to this power.
Much like the energy troubling Dianna, Elias wondered if this power inside him might also originate from some Pokémon.
If he could use it properly, perhaps he could completely purge all the negative effects plaguing Dianna's body.
But…
What Elias couldn't be sure of was whether the life energy stored within him was sufficient.
After all, strictly speaking, he hadn't been alive for very long.
Dianna's condition was already teetering on the brink, not leaving him much time to prepare.
Meanwhile, noticing Elias seemed as if he wanted to say something, Dianna tilted her head slightly, asking:
"Is something wrong?"
As she spoke, she glanced down at her own body, wondering if something was amiss.
After some hesitation, Elias finally asked:
"Dianna, about how much longer can your body hold on?"
Hearing this, Dianna slightly furrowed her brow, but quickly replied:
"A month at most, perhaps…"
From her tone, not a single trace of emotional turmoil could be detected.
Clearly, Dianna had thought this matter through countless times, and had long since made peace with it.
Rather, seeming worried Elias might be distressed, she even gently reassured him:
"No need to feel sorry for me."
"As gemstone Pokémon, we've already lived far longer than most other Pokémon."
"Ending my life a little ahead of time isn't particularly difficult to accept."
As she spoke, Elias could faintly sense a trace of a queen's dignified grace radiating from her.
"Diancie will definitely be very sad," he said after a moment's thought.
Only upon hearing this did Dianna not know how to respond.
Diancie was still young, still immature in many ways.
As her senior who had always cared for her, suddenly passing away would inevitably cause Diancie a lot of pain.
Yet, compared to that, the series of preparations Diancie would face when she became queen—that was the true challenge awaiting her.
"Please take care of that child for me in the future," Dianna gently requested.
Fortunately, that child now had such a versatile ghost by her side.
Thinking this far, Dianna couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Why hadn't she managed to find one for herself back then…?
Now that she'd finally encountered one, it belonged to her successor.
And most crucially, her own time was already running out.
Thinking about all this, Dianna puffed out her cheeks slightly, exactly as Diancie had done earlier.
Seeing this, Elias was momentarily dumbfounded.
He had to admit, Dianna—usually so cold and stoic—suddenly making such an unfitting expression had a surprisingly huge impact.
Realizing she'd momentarily lost composure, Dianna quickly schooled her expression back into neutrality.
She shot Elias a faint glance, silently warning him not to speak of it.
Seeing her reaction, Elias cleared his throat and redirected the topic back:
"As a princess, Diancie surely still needs guidance from the previous queen to properly walk her own path."
"So…if I said there was a chance to eliminate the negative effects in your body, would you be willing to believe me?"
When Dianna heard only the first half of his sentence, she was somewhat confused.
Naturally, it would be best for Diancie to learn from her directly.
But what Elias had just said was simply stating the obvious. Right now, she could hardly even protect herself.
However…
As the second half of his words reached her ears, her expression involuntarily froze.
Her breathing paused slightly; eyes widened, she stared blankly at Elias.
She felt Elias must surely be joking with her, yet…
When she shifted her gaze toward him, she didn't find a single trace of humor on his face.
Rather, Elias appeared completely serious.
"You…"
Dianna opened her mouth, feeling suddenly dry in the throat.
She felt as though she must've been hit by [Hypnosis]. For a split second, she truly believed he might have a solution.
But just as she'd initially thought…
How could a mere ghost possibly undo the negative effects left by a Legendary Pokémon?
Could it only be done by using his own life?
...
Ka-cha—
Late at night, Elias gently pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
By now, Dianna had naturally already left.
Seeing that he'd been able to enter without obstruction, a soft smile appeared on Elias's face.
Earlier, the wooden door had been locked tight—but now he was free to enter.
Clearly, Diancie had left him the chance to come back into the room after all.
After quietly closing the door behind him, Elias moved toward the bed.
There wasn't a single light source in the room, yet thanks to his telekinesis, he was able to move about freely.
But when he reached the bedside, the sight before him left him momentarily stunned.
Several thick, massive slabs of rock now stretched across the room, completely blocking his path to the bed.
And for some reason, three thick layers of soft bedding had been placed across the floor.
Clearly, this was Diancie's masterpiece.
"Diancie?" Elias called out tentatively.
His instincts told him she wasn't asleep yet.
Indeed, as soon as he spoke, a faint hum of acknowledgment came from behind the rocks.
Although quiet, the sound still clearly reached his ears.
"Could you move the rocks aside?"
He asked gently.
This time, no response came from the other side.
Just as he was about to speak again, a sparkling object flew out from a small gap near the ceiling between the stones.
Thud—
With a muffled sound, the object landed onto the cushioned bedding below.
Elias recognized it immediately—it was the very diamond he'd been attached to since his birth.
The glittering pink diamond was now riddled with cracks, appearing as if it might shatter at any moment.
He now understood why Diancie had covered the floor with so many layers of bedding.
Clearly, it had all been set up for this irritated toss…
Elias couldn't help but smile at the thought.
Indeed, just as Dianna had said, Diancie really was still just a child.
Meanwhile, after throwing the diamond exactly along the path she'd planned, Diancie's heart grew nervous.
Hearing nothing for a long moment, she worried she'd missed the mark and shattered the diamond on the floor.
Or worse, had Elias become angry and stormed out of the room?
Just as she was anxiously debating whether to move aside the rocks to sneak a peek—
A soft, warm embrace suddenly enveloped her from behind.