Just behind Diancie, Cogita had already quietly approached very close.
A few more steps, and she'd be able to reach out and touch Diancie's shoulder.
Yet at this very moment, Cogita paused, hesitating in place.
Her brow knitted slightly, uncertainty flickering across her expression.
Not because she no longer wanted to find Elias.
Rather, it was because she'd suddenly noticed—that familiar feeling she'd sensed strongly on Diancie previously was now completely absent.
During their earlier encounters, Diancie had felt as if Elias himself was standing right there. If Cogita had closed her eyes, she would've sworn Elias was before her.
Yet now, although Diancie was clearly right in front of her, the feeling was no different from that of an unfamiliar Pokémon. There wasn't a trace of the warmth or intimacy from before.
It made Cogita briefly question herself—had she merely imagined it the last two times?
Or perhaps… Elias's ghostly form had already departed from this Pokémon?
At that second possibility, Cogita felt as though her heart had skipped a beat.
She didn't allow herself to pursue that thought further. Instead, she quickly resumed her steps, decisively closing the distance.
No matter what, she would still question the only Pokémon who could possibly know the truth.
...
At the same moment, while Diancie was anxiously wondering where exactly she should look for helpful books—
A gentle hand suddenly tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
"Ah!"
Diancie jumped, startled, her whole body involuntarily trembling.
She immediately hopped forward two steps, steadying herself before turning around warily.
The figure in front of her was somewhat familiar.
Diancie stared blankly for a moment, quickly recognizing the annoying human woman from their previous two encounters.
If it had been any other time, she'd already be fussing, demanding that Elias keep far away from this human.
But now, after some thought, Diancie ultimately remained standing where she was.
"It's…been a while."
She stiffly raised her small hand, greeting awkwardly.
Hearing this, Cogita looked slightly surprised.
From her memories, this Pokémon clearly held great hostility towards her, always eager to avoid her completely. She certainly hadn't expected Diancie to greet her willingly this time.
"It has indeed."
Despite her confusion, Cogita politely returned the greeting.
"What are you looking for?"
She casually glanced around Diancie. Seeing nothing but empty space, she asked softly, feigning nonchalance.
"Books…"
Diancie replied quietly.
Cogita's question had precisely hit her purpose for coming here.
She herself couldn't read human language, and with Elias now absent, she needed someone else's help to find the right books…
Likewise, Cogita also received the confirmation she sought.
If memory served correctly, during their last encounter, Diancie hadn't merely been able to read human books—she'd even taken notes.
Yet now, this Pokémon looked utterly lost, as if she couldn't even understand the labels marking each shelf.
This alone revealed plenty.
A deep unease settled in Cogita's chest. She pressed further, asking softly:
"What kind of books exactly? If you tell me, perhaps I can help you find them."
As she spoke, Cogita gestured toward the shelves nearby.
Hearing this, Diancie cast an astonished glance toward Cogita.
Was this human always so nice…?
She tilted her head slightly. Perhaps because she'd been overly wary previously, she'd never properly noticed Cogita's actual attitude.
Thinking about it now, apart from the human's subtle curiosity toward Elias, she'd actually been quite pleasant overall.
But still…
Just as Diancie opened her mouth to speak, hesitation overtook her.
She'd come here to find information that could help a ghost-like entity quickly recover. Setting aside whether this library even contained such books, asking Cogita directly for help would undoubtedly expose Elias's condition.
After all, she'd previously openly acknowledged Elias's existence to Cogita.
This realization froze Diancie in place, rendering her speechless.
Seeing Diancie's conflicted expression, Cogita felt her anxiety rising sharply.
From earlier, a nagging discomfort had been steadily spreading throughout her heart. Now, seeing Diancie's hesitation, she felt as though tiny claws were lightly scratching at her chest.
Rarely, the usually composed Cogita found herself struggling to remain patient.
Or rather—
Whenever the issue involved Elias, calmness had always eluded her completely.
In a flash of intuition, Cogita suddenly guessed why Diancie was hesitating so much.
"Something happened to your ghost, didn't it?"
"Tell me now."
Cogita's breathing tightened slightly, and she leaned forward to peer into Diancie's eyes.
Cogita's emerald-green gaze was reflected clearly in Diancie's startled pupils, making the latter unconsciously step back.
Yet immediately afterward, processing Cogita's words, Diancie's eyes widened in shock.
This human…how did she know?!
The thought burst instantly into Diancie's mind.
She hadn't spoken a single word yet, but her face had already betrayed everything.
Cogita suddenly felt faint.
What had begun as mere suspicion was now fully confirmed by Diancie's reaction, sending Cogita's mind spiraling chaotically.
Thankfully, she quickly steadied herself.
Taking a deep breath, Cogita forced herself to regain composure.
Then, looking intently back at Diancie, she seriously asked:
"Could you…tell me exactly what happened?"
Hearing Cogita's tone, Diancie hastily covered her face with her small hands, finally realizing how transparent her reaction had been.
After gently rubbing her cheeks, Diancie lowered her hands, hesitantly meeting Cogita's gaze again.
This human seemed incredibly earnest about this matter.
Furthermore, Cogita had clearly expressed strong interest in Elias previously.
Diancie struggled briefly, debating whether it was appropriate to let a strange human know about this.
Yet considering she might genuinely need help, she ultimately nodded in reluctant agreement.
...
Moments later, Cogita clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them in silence.
Diancie had hesitantly explained the simplified version of Elias's situation.
Although many critical details were omitted, Cogita's instincts told her unmistakably that this was indeed the Elias she'd raised.
The presence she felt was simply far too familiar.
But now…this ghost-like entity—most likely Elias himself—had fallen into deep slumber because of another Pokémon.
Cogita felt a rare moment of deep confusion and helplessness.
The glimmer of hope she'd just regained had immediately turned back into crushing despair.
---
Cogita:Pokémon really can't be relied on after all…
T/N: yeah... pokemon in this fic are so unreliable :sob:
was gonna update earlier but got lazy, so im just doing 4 chapters for today's update, should be an update tomorrow too maybe 4 maybe not
Hello. I'm Enkidu.
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guys say thank you to enkidu or i kill you