In the end, Cogita still shook her head.
It had to be her imagination.
With Elias in his current Ghost Form, almost no living creature could even perceive him—how could anyone possibly be watching him?
Besides, with both her and Tornadus around, ordinary Pokémon posed no threat whatsoever.
While Cogita drifted into thought, Diancie had already stepped protectively in front of Elias.
She shot Cogita a sharp glare, her eyes full of open hostility.
Compared to Dianna, Cogita's intentions were far more direct—and much easier to read.
And more importantly…
Rumor had it that Cogita's past with Elias had been far from ordinary.
They'd even known each other longer than Diancie had.
The mere thought that Cogita might once have touched Elias back when he still had a human body sent a pang of envy surging through Diancie's chest.
---
[In the end, under Diancie's nearly tearful gaze, Cogita actually agreed to her request.]
[This time, only you and Diancie would go to the library—Cogita would stay behind.]
[Overjoyed, Diancie spent the entire day in a bright mood, even helping Cogita clean up her tea set with surprising enthusiasm.]
[After dinner, she went upstairs unusually early, determined to wake up at full energy the next morning.]
[You, on the other hand, planned to spend the night crafting a few extra Poké Balls in the courtyard—just in case.]
[Curiously, Cogita didn't come out to "bother" you tonight.]
[When she saw you, she simply bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then quietly turned and went back inside.]
---
The next morning, uncharacteristically for Diancie, she woke up early.
Stepping into the courtyard, her eyes immediately lit up when she spotted Elias.
"Good morning, Elias!" she called, waving cheerfully.
Hearing her voice, Elias turned. Judging from her lively tone and sparkling eyes, she really was in great spirits today.
Still, he used telekinesis to draw a dry towel from nearby and gently wiped the mist off her body.
Feeling his quiet care, Diancie's eyes curved into happy crescents, her lips curling in a soft smile.
Elias was always more considerate than she expected.
The forest was thick with morning fog, the air damp and heavy—pure misery for a Rock-type like her.
The moment she'd stepped outside, she'd frowned instinctively, though she hadn't said a word.
Yet Elias had noticed right away.
"Are we leaving now?"
Patting her cheeks to stay awake, she blinked up at him eagerly.
If they waited too long, she was sure she'd start dozing off again.
Elias paused to think.
Cogita wouldn't wake for a while yet, and they'd already discussed everything yesterday.
No need to delay. Since Diancie was so eager, they might as well go now.
"Let's go," he said, smiling.
"Yes!"
...
At the Kalos Library.
Wrapped in her hooded disguise cloak, Diancie slumped over the table, lazily flipping through a book.
With her other hand, she toyed absentmindedly with the Poké Ball Elias had given her—completely unconcerned that she might accidentally trigger it and trap herself inside.
Beside her, Elias was absorbed in another book, pages turning one after another.
They'd arrived at the library earlier that morning.
It was the same one they'd visited nearly a century ago, nestled in the heart of Shalour City.
To Diancie's surprise, she found she rather liked this seaside city.
Compared to a hundred years ago, it had changed dramatically.
At least from Elias's perspective, the most striking thing was how far human technology had advanced.
"Elias, how do you read this sentence?"
Diancie tilted her book toward him, whispering softly.
Elias glanced over—and went momentarily speechless.
So, technology had improved, yes… but apparently the number of pointless books in libraries had skyrocketed too.
"A Pokémon's type usually determines its type," he read aloud dryly.
Diancie nodded solemnly, pretending to understand, murmured a polite "Oh," and quietly pulled the book back.
Elias rubbed his temples.
He'd run into a serious problem: the library's massive collection now contained far too many useless or unreliable works.
Most, like Diancie's, were filled with empty statements.
Even when something looked useful, there was no guarantee it was correct.
Which meant finding genuinely valuable material had become a slow, exhausting process.
Watching the other visitors, Elias noticed most humans simply asked the staff for help.
Unfortunately, in his Ghost Form—and with Diancie being a Pokémon—that wasn't an option.
"Elias, if you can't find it, maybe we should just… let it go," Diancie said softly, worry flickering in her eyes.
She hated seeing him strain himself like this.
"I'm alright, don't worry."
Elias gave her cheeks a gentle pinch, smiling faintly.
With telekinesis and his Ghost Form's stamina, fatigue wasn't really the issue.
The problem was simply the lack of useful information.
If this kept up, who knew how long it would take to fix Diancie's body?
"Excuse me—were you looking for this book?"
A clear, pleasant voice came from nearby.
Elias turned toward it.
A young girl stood a short distance away, her dark ash-gray hair falling in soft curls. She wore an elegant white dress trimmed with golden embroidery along the sleeves.
At her feet stood a small Ralts.
Even among humans, the girl stood out immediately.
Right now, she was addressing Diancie directly.
Elias's gaze fell to the book in her hands—
"How to Raise Pokémon Born with Physical Deficiencies."
A specialized breeder's guide—and exactly the sort of reference he'd been searching for.
He'd spent ages combing through piles of nonsense for something like this.
And now, this girl had brought it right to them.
Maybe she'd noticed the mountain of discarded books beside Diancie?
That had to be it.
After all, ordinary humans shouldn't have been able to see him at all.
Across from Diancie, the girl—Diantha—smiled warmly, a soft radiance in her gaze, her presence calm yet magnetic.
---
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