"That's what happened."
"You had a good Trainer," Xerneas said softly, looking at Diancie.
Now that she'd calmed down and replayed everything clearly, she realized she'd likely been part of the ghost's plan all along.
Yveltal's sudden rampage had probably also been orchestrated by him.
After being dragged into so much needless trouble, she ought to be angry.
But seeing Diancie's bloodshot eyes, and remembering that human ghost's expression as he made his request…
In the end, Xerneas could only sigh and pin all blame squarely on Yveltal.
If that foolish bird hadn't lost to a ghost, none of this would've happened.
Xerneas nodded slightly, pleased at having found a perfectly logical excuse.
Across from her.
The fierce aura around Diancie had vanished completely, leaving only confusion and exhaustion behind.
Tears slipped uncontrollably from her eyes, dripping onto the flowers at her feet.
Compared to her earlier anger, all that remained in Diancie now was profound sorrow and despair.
Elias really had sought Xerneas for her sake.
But…
The process was nothing like what she'd imagined.
She'd never dreamed he would choose to confront a Pokémon as dangerous as Yveltal just to force Xerneas out.
And she'd never guessed that Elias hadn't been attacked by Xerneas at all.
Instead, he'd willingly made a deal, sacrificing his own life.
All of it… just to heal her body.
"Mmm…"
A stifled sob trembled from Diancie's throat.
If Elias had been killed directly, she could've transformed her grief into hatred, directing it at his murderer.
But in the end…
She herself was the murderer.
If it weren't for her, Elias never would've made such a choice.
The one most deserving of revenge wasn't Xerneas—it was herself.
Seeing Diancie's faintly trembling body, Dianna's eyes filled with worry.
Just as she'd expected.
After learning the truth, Diancie's emotional wound had grown even deeper.
Only…
Dianna had a different perspective on Elias's decision.
Diancie's defect was troublesome, but not life-threatening.
It limited her strength, but never endangered her survival.
Dianna had clearly explained that to Elias long ago.
Yet even knowing this, he'd still chosen to make that deal with Xerneas.
The price and reward simply didn't match.
Then—
Had it actually been for her?
Dianna suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
In the original plan, once the diamond collapsed, the Underground Kingdom would descend into chaos within days.
As queen, Dianna would have remained underground to maintain stability.
But Diancie wasn't suited to battle—her likely fate was to stay underground permanently.
Yet now, Diancie's body had been restored, her strength had greatly increased, and she could already forge a new diamond.
That meant Dianna no longer had to face the danger outlined in the original plan.
"So it really was to help me…"
Dianna's eyes lost focus as she arrived at what felt like Elias's true reason.
Only through her lens did his actions seem fully understandable.
Regret spread swiftly through Dianna's heart, staining everything like spilled ink.
She regretted it so deeply it hurt to breathe.
Even now, she'd never once embraced him as Diancie had—never openly shown affection or closeness.
Similarly, even though she was Elias's Pokémon, she'd never once fought beside him in a real tournament battle.
In fact, for the past half month, she'd consciously or unconsciously avoided him.
She'd thought her time was limited, and believed fading those memories would be for the best.
Even last night, when Diancie offered her the phone, she'd refused it coldly.
She didn't know whether Elias had been disappointed in her at the end.
But Dianna knew one thing clearly—she'd forever lost her last chance to hear his voice.
"I've fulfilled my promise to him. Now it's time for me to go."
Ignoring the dazed Dianna and Diancie, Xerneas turned away.
She wasn't sure if Zygarde would honor their agreement.
If it decided to pursue her in its complete form, she'd stand no chance.
And besides…
Xerneas narrowed her eyes, noticing the capture net on the hill was now torn open.
Human technology couldn't possibly restrain a Pokémon of Yveltal's level.
While she'd been distracted, that foolish bird had slipped away.
Badly wounded, it likely wouldn't reappear anytime soon.
Shaking her head, Xerneas lightly tapped the ground and darted gracefully into the forest.
Within mere seconds, she disappeared from the clearing.
"Shff—"
A Pyroar burst from the brush.
Watching Xerneas vanish, Lysandre narrowed his eyes, his hand instinctively reaching toward the Poké Ball at his waist.
But ultimately… he gave up the thought.
He climbed down from Pyroar and gazed after Xerneas's departing figure.
Two figures glittered faintly in the sunlight not far ahead.
Lysandre paused, recognizing them as Elias's Diancie and Dianna.
He'd heard the two Pokémon had been busy lately, so he hadn't seen them in some time.
He hadn't expected them to surface today.
But…
Where was Elias?
Gazing at the empty field and the two Pokémon's listless backs, Lysandre felt a growing unease.
For once, he actually felt afraid.
He swallowed nervously, his heart pounding with dread as he stepped forward.
Please… let this just be his imagination.
...
"The final match is canceled?"
Reading the message on her communicator, Diantha frowned deeply.
Hearing that, the Gardevoir beside her leaned in curiously.
"Garde?"
It tilted its head in confusion.
After a moment, Diantha sighed softly.
"Malva—the contestant we were supposed to battle—seems to have suddenly withdrawn for something urgent."
"With no opponent, the final match has been ruled our victory."
Diantha gently rubbed Gardevoir's head, looking faintly disappointed.
Winning the Champion title without even battling made the achievement feel hollow.
"Garde…"
Gardevoir appeared downcast as well.
She'd trained tirelessly in the Carbink Kingdom, yet ultimately hadn't gotten to show any of it.
And she'd been planning to brag to Diancie and the others…
"Ah well. It's not all bad."
"At least we can celebrate early with Elias, right?"
Diantha's eyes brightened slightly as she spoke.
"Garde!"
---
T/N: yes! celebrate! IN HIATUS HELL MUAHUAHUAHUA anyway i caught up to all the raws i have
T/N2: dw im like 100 chapters ahead in patreon so ya i got new raws
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
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