"You... Are you alright?"
Diancie sat opposite Cogita, carefully probing with her question.
After hearing her story, the other party had clearly sunk into gloom.
Diancie found this strange. Elias didn't know this human at all, so why was she repeatedly showing such deep concern for him?
At Diancie's voice, Cogita slightly snapped back to attention.
She glanced at Diancie, feeling a tinge of resentment within her heart.
If not for these Pokémon, she wouldn't be this troubled right now.
But eventually, Cogita softly sighed, deciding not to say anything more.
"I'm fine," she shook her head and said.
In any case, the other party was merely asleep, which meant there was still hope.
Yet, what truly troubled Cogita was whether she should keep waiting.
According to Diancie, that ghost had absolutely no intention of waking up anytime soon.
And although Cogita felt strongly that it was Elias, it remained merely her speculation for now.
If she guessed wrong, and the ghost was just some unfamiliar spirit—
Then wouldn't all this waiting here… be completely meaningless?
Most importantly, she didn't want to wait full of hope, only to welcome an even greater disappointment.
Thinking about this, Cogita subconsciously furrowed her brows.
"Um… I need to go take care of my things now."
At this moment, Diancie suddenly spoke up.
Knowing she had to ask Cogita for help, Diancie inevitably felt a little nervous.
Aside from Elias, Cogita was the only human she'd ever conversed with at length.
Hearing Diancie's hesitant voice, Cogita turned her gaze towards her.
She took a glance, already guessing what Diancie intended.
"You want help finding a way to restore energy to that ghost, right?" she asked.
At that, Diancie hurriedly nodded.
If Cogita refused to help, she'd have no choice but to find another way on her own.
Fortunately, Cogita agreed to her request without hesitation.
"Let's go. First, I'll help you find the books you need."
Cogita stood up and waved her hand casually.
Regardless of whether the ghost really was Elias or not, she'd decided to first assist Diancie and wake him as soon as possible.
Deep down, she still hoped this ghost would indeed be the person she was waiting for.
Seeing Cogita agree, Diancie's eyes brightened, excitement clearly written on her face.
"Thank you so much!"
Suddenly, she felt like this human wasn't as disagreeable as she initially appeared.
"However... I have one condition~"
Before Diancie could feel happy for too long, Cogita suddenly rolled her eyes mischievously and added.
Hearing this, Diancie obediently nodded her little head.
"Go ahead!"
No matter what the request was, she was determined to fulfill it—as long as Cogita would help her!
Diancie firmly resolved in her heart.
Yet, just a moment later, she already began to regret it.
Cogita stretched out her slender finger, pointing directly at the diamond Diancie held in her embrace.
"Let me have a look at this diamond, and I'll help you," Cogita gently negotiated.
She now knew the ghost was sleeping inside that very diamond Diancie held so preciously.
Naturally, she also wanted to examine it herself.
But to Diancie, this request was undoubtedly among the cruelest she could hear.
"No!"
She hugged the diamond tightly, rejecting without a second thought.
She couldn't entrust Elias to anyone else.
Even her Senpai would struggle to take this diamond from her, let alone Cogita, who she'd only just met a few times.
Yet even after Diancie's firm refusal, Cogita maintained her lazy demeanor.
"If you can't find a way to restore his energy, who knows how long it'll take Elias to wake up again," she began slowly.
"A few decades? Centuries, perhaps? Or maybe he'll never wake again."
Cogita casually tapped her chin with her gloved finger, speaking as if it were nothing significant.
But with each word, Diancie's face turned paler.
By the end, Diancie was trembling slightly all over.
Everything Cogita said had perfectly captured Diancie's deepest fears.
Even though Senpai had reassured her it would be fine—
The older Diancie herself seemed uncertain, leaving Diancie unable to truly trust those assurances.
So... if things really turned out as Cogita described, then what should she do?
"Have you decided yet?"
"Relax, I just want a quick look—I'll be extremely careful."
Seeing the timing was right, Cogita narrowed her eyes, gently prompting Diancie again.
...
Diancie sat stiffly in her chair, watching from afar as Cogita gently lifted the diamond—holding Elias inside—with her soft, warm hands. Diancie suddenly felt her chest grow tight and uncomfortable.
It felt as if she'd just done something terribly foolish.
But... whenever she recalled what Cogita said earlier, she couldn't help but panic again.
"Can we look for the book now?"
Gritting her teeth, Diancie asked Cogita.
She wanted the other party to quickly help her so she could get Elias back as soon as possible.
The entire time she spoke, her eyes remained locked onto the diamond, as if terrified Cogita might accidentally let it slip from her fingers.
Had Cogita shown even a hint of malice, Diancie never would have agreed to such a request!
"Alright, alright, I'll help you find it," Cogita replied casually, though her attention stayed fixed on the diamond in her hands.
The moment her skin touched it, she felt that familiar sensation return.
And compared to earlier, the feeling was far stronger this time.
For a fleeting second, she even felt as though she'd returned to several years ago, lazily leaning against Elias back at home—
quietly waiting as he brewed tea for her.
"Is it really you...?"
She softly whispered.
Then, under Diancie's increasingly irritated gaze, Cogita finally stood up, carefully holding the diamond.
"Tornadus."
Taking the Poké Ball from her waist, she tossed it gently, releasing a Pokémon enveloped entirely in pink.
"This child wants to find a way to restore energy to a ghost. Take her to the ghost-type section to have a look," Cogita instructed Tornadus.
At that, Tornadus nodded, waving cheerfully at Diancie.
Seeing this, Diancie appeared momentarily stunned.
"She... She can read human writing?"
Diancie's eyes widened in astonishment as she turned toward Cogita.
"Of course," Cogita nodded casually.
Tornadus had followed her for so long and was a legendary Pokémon—naturally, she could read human language.
"Then, what about you?" Diancie froze for two seconds before continuing her questions.
"Me?" Cogita smiled faintly, settling herself comfortably back into the chair.
"Of course, I'll just sit here and wait for you both."
As she spoke, Cogita gently cupped the diamond between her gloved hands.
She intended to stay right here and thoroughly confirm if the being inside was truly Elias or not.
Diancie: ???
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T/N: hmmm the humans are better than the pokemanz...