In another corner of the forest.
"How much more of this electronic junk does the organization even have?!"
Lysandre finally snapped, roaring at Xerosic beside him.
The instant Elias had Teleported them here, many questions in his head suddenly clicked into place.
He finally understood Elias's intentions.
Just as Lysandre had initially guessed, Elias really had used Yveltal to draw out Xerneas.
But…
The key difference was Elias never intended to conquer that Pokémon by force.
If Lysandre wasn't mistaken, Elias most likely had a way to persuade Xerneas to cooperate.
And that was precisely why Lysandre felt even more anxious.
Under normal circumstances, Elias had no reason to attack Team Flare when they'd rushed over to help.
Yet Elias had cleared the field without hesitation, Teleporting them away to some godforsaken location.
Not just Team Flare—even Delphox, a Pokémon, had been turned to stone along with them.
That abnormal behavior could only mean one thing—
Whatever Elias planned next was dangerous. Dangerous enough that both he and Delphox would stop it at any cost.
Crack… crack…
Realizing this, Lysandre clenched his fists until his knuckles creaked, his expression darkening.
He should have seen it sooner, but it was too late now.
Teleported at random, they didn't even know where they were, let alone how to return.
Fortunately, the few large machines left behind were equipped with tracking systems.
There was still hope of getting back.
But…
At this critical moment, Xerosic's locator malfunctioned.
No matter how he fiddled with it, the screen only showed garbled nonsense.
Watching Xerosic panic and scramble, Lysandre felt sick with anger.
"Boss! It's fixed!"
Just then, Xerosic shouted in relief, his whole body trembling.
Moments earlier, when Lysandre had glared at him with murderous intent, he'd genuinely feared for his life.
Thank Arceus—he'd managed to survive another day.
Hearing him, Lysandre strode forward, snatched the tracker away, and released his Pyroar with his other hand.
"Move!"
He swung onto Pyroar's back, barking coldly.
At his voice, Pyroar shuddered, then tore off at full speed in the indicated direction.
Watching Lysandre vanish into the distance, Xerosic swallowed nervously.
"Mr. Elias… Please don't let anything happen…"
Or he might end up as Pyroar's dinner.
...
Elsewhere.
Xerneas shifted continuously, desperately dodging Diancie's relentless attacks.
Even so, the wide-ranging Diamond Storm wounded her despite her best efforts.
"Dian—"
BOOOOM!
Xerneas seemed to want to say something, but the ceaseless barrage made finishing a sentence nearly impossible.
Barely evading another burst of flying rubble, Xerneas felt a headache forming.
It wasn't that she couldn't defeat Diancie.
In her current state, even Zygarde posed little threat—making Diancie cry would be easy enough.
But after realizing why Diancie was attacking, Xerneas's guilt prevented her from striking back.
There had clearly been a misunderstanding.
Yet…
Diancie's Trainer really had died by her jaws.
All she could do now was wait until Diancie exhausted herself.
Behind them.
Dianna weakly opened her eyes, her vision still blurred.
Not long ago, Diancie had drained almost all remaining power from the giant diamond.
Thankfully, Dianna had evacuated the Carbink beforehand.
Before the diamond's power fully dissipated, the underground kingdom would remain stable.
But as its creator, Dianna inevitably suffered backlash when the diamond shattered, leaving her body weak and drained.
"I'm not a worthy queen…"
Dianna murmured softly, her expression complex.
She'd willingly allowed Diancie to drain the diamond's power, driven solely by the hope Diancie could achieve revenge.
Right—Diancie!
Remembering suddenly, Dianna quickly widened her eyes.
Adjusting to the harsh brightness, she glanced urgently forward.
Diancie radiated dazzling brilliance, firing off moves like a living artillery turret, tirelessly launching attack after attack.
Meanwhile, the elegant Xerneas struggled under the dense bombardment, repeatedly clipped by flying debris.
The legendary Life Pokémon now looked unusually ragged.
Dianna went blank, her mind struggling to process the sight.
Diancie had absorbed power from a diamond already near collapse—not some legendary Plate from Arceus.
How had Diancie suddenly become this powerful?
Her eyes narrowed slightly, examining carefully.
A second later, Dianna's eyes widened.
Diancie's bodily defects were repaired?!
She was certain of it.
Diancie now appeared flawless—her body's shining diamonds alone proved that.
More than flawless…
Diancie seemed even more vibrant than ordinary members of their species.
Dianna immediately understood this couldn't be the diamond's doing.
After ruling for so long, her composure surpassed Diancie's.
Observing Xerneas's evasions without any counterattack, Dianna had a guess.
"Diancie, wait!"
She hurriedly approached Diancie and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Startled, Diancie flinched and turned her head.
Recognizing her, Diancie frowned—but didn't halt her assault.
Seeing the blood-red gleam in Diancie's eyes, Dianna froze.
Instinct told her that her successor had changed.
That shift—
Was the transition from princess to queen.
Dianna took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
"Xerneas might have made a deal with Elias."
"Listen to what she has to say first."
After speaking, Dianna's expression grew strained.
If she'd guessed correctly, this would only make Diancie's grief deepen.
Hearing Dianna's words, Diancie seemed to regain a shred of clarity.
She glanced at Xerneas, who still hadn't retaliated, and after two tense seconds, finally ceased her relentless barrage.
"Why… did you attack Elias?"
She asked coldly, eyes locked onto Xerneas.
---
T/N: DIANNA IS SO MUCH BETTERRRRRRRRR