[In the following days, because Dianna continued to come looking for you daily, Diancie's dissatisfaction only grew stronger.]
[Even after all this time, it seemed she still had no intention of initiating conversation with you.]
"I tried a new recipe today—how's the taste? To your liking?"
Elias quietly asked, sitting off to the side and watching as Diancie ate with small bites.
Upon hearing his question, she pressed her lips together, seemingly about to nod.
But at the last moment, Diancie stubbornly stopped herself, giving a tiny huff and continuing to eat.
However, judging by how quickly she picked up her pace afterward, it probably suited her tastes quite well.
Seeing this, Elias smiled helplessly, silently memorizing the recipe for this Pokémon dish.
After all this time spent cooking, he'd more or less figured out her preferences.
From now on, it would only require small adjustments.
Rather than a Pokémon Trainer, Elias felt he'd become more like a Pokémon Breeder from the human world.
Seeing that Elias hadn't spoken again, Diancie also drifted into a daze.
It's already been days…and Elias still hasn't explained anything.
After reflecting over these past few days, she realized she might've indeed been acting a bit too childish.
Though she still felt uncomfortable seeing Elias and Her Highness together…
When she thought about it carefully, perhaps those two really had some important matter to deal with…
But most importantly, Diancie felt that if this silence continued any longer, she would definitely be the first to crack.
Just these few short days had already filled her with things she desperately wanted to share with Elias.
If this went on for too long, she'd probably even dream about wanting to talk with him.
Thinking this, Diancie clenched her tiny fists.
Even if it seemed like admitting defeat…she decided she'd hold out just a few more days.
If Elias still wouldn't explain by this weekend, she would forget about it entirely and go talk to him herself!
Diancie silently resolved in her heart.
...
"So…you really have a solution?"
Dianna stared uncertainly at the ghostly figure in front of her.
When Elias had first claimed he could completely cure her condition, she honestly hadn't believed it much at all.
Not that she didn't trust him.
It was more that, in her view, Elias himself probably hadn't fully understood her condition and had simply overestimated his abilities.
But after these few days, when he brought it up again, Dianna started wavering.
After all this time, and after he'd repeatedly treated her with the Power of Viridian, surely he understood her body's situation clearly?
"Whether or not it'll work…we won't know until we try, right?"
Elias responded calmly.
Given the limited life energy stored within his body, even he wasn't entirely certain it would be effective.
But based on these last few days of observation, Dianna's condition wasn't quite as dire as he'd initially feared.
Plus, as the queen of the underground kingdom, her own inherent strength wasn't weak.
Overall, things shouldn't go too wrong.
Only…
"Do I need to—or do you need to—do anything special?"
Dianna furrowed her brow slightly, questioning Elias.
Just now, she'd felt her heart skip a beat, a surge of excitement rushing through her entire body.
But soon enough, she calmed down again.
Her injuries were caused by Yveltal, a Legendary Pokémon of absolute power.
If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have suffered this many years, now forced even to pay with her life.
Yet Elias said he could cure her. Rationally, Dianna knew this was completely impossible.
At the very least…either she or Elias would have to pay an equivalent price.
"You mean the cost?"
"In the worst-case scenario…I'll probably just have to return to the diamond and sleep again."
Elias answered thoughtfully.
This was the conclusion he'd reached after careful calculation.
If the majority of his life energy were depleted, he would revert to how he'd been at the very beginning—returning to slumber within his diamond.
As for the next time he woke up, it would likely be after another long interval.
Upon hearing this, Dianna wasn't surprised.
Indeed, the cost would fall upon Elias.
But…
"How long will you have to sleep?"
Dianna asked instinctively, her brows furrowing again.
When she considered that she might not see Elias for an extended period, she felt a sudden, inexplicable emptiness deep inside.
After the words slipped out, Dianna suddenly felt it wasn't appropriate to ask this way, so she quickly added:
"If Diancie finds out, she certainly won't be happy."
Hearing this, Elias was a bit taken aback by Dianna's line of thought.
As a queen, she shouldn't be this slow, right?
"To clear away all the negative effects from your body at such a small cost—it's already more than worth it, isn't it?"
"And don't worry. From the perspective of you gemstone Pokémon, the time I'll spend asleep won't really be that long."
Elias patiently explained.
Realizing she'd asked something rather foolish, Dianna fell silent for a moment.
Then she lowered her head slightly, softly saying:
"I'm causing you trouble. Regarding Diancie…I'll try talking to her."
Borrowing her Successor's companion without permission to rid herself of an ancient injury threatening her life…
Even Dianna felt her cheeks heating up slightly.
"By the way, what method exactly are you planning to use?"
Dianna couldn't help asking further.
Although Elias made it sound simple, she felt she should clarify precisely how he intended to solve this.
If…the cost was too great, she would definitely refuse.
Unfortunately, Elias merely waved his hand, clearly not intending to explain.
"You'll know when the time comes. Let's set it for this weekend, alright?"
After all, delaying a week or two longer wouldn't change much.
"…Alright."
Seeing his firm stance, Dianna reluctantly nodded without pressing further.
This was the first time she'd ever felt such intense curiosity—
And toward a ghostly existence in human form, no less.
That she, who had always despised humans, could feel this way was incomprehensible even to herself.
Yet…
"Is it really just going back to sleep for a while…?"
Dianna murmured softly to herself.
She still couldn't imagine what method Elias might use—one that could erase Yveltal's residual power from her body at so minor a cost.
---
[Since you've already decided to use your life energy to help Dianna, in the following days, you stopped using the Power of Viridian to treat her.]
[As a result, Diancie's mood noticeably improved.]
---
T/N: bonus chaps tomorrow
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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