A moment later, the man in black pulled out a Poké Ball. A Hariyama emerged and dragged a handle on the cage, leading Infernape out of the detention room.
Before long, Infernape was bound with iron chains to a cross. The man in black held a leather whip and lashed out at it frantically.
"How dare you be so arrogant! Take that!"
Gaka~
No matter how many times the man struck Infernape, it did not submit in the slightest. Its howls, one after another, vented its resentment toward him.
"Very good! Truly a stubborn one. I want to see how long your backbone lasts," the man in black said, tossing the whip aside and pulling out a remote control from somewhere.
He grinned cruelly and pressed a golden button. The next second, a powerful electric current erupted from the cross behind Infernape, coursing through its entire body.
Gaka!!!
Infernape wailed piteously, its voice echoing continuously throughout the room.
"Hahaha~"
Watching Infernape's misery, the man laughed with delight. "Try glaring at me again! Just try it!"
At that moment, Infernape ignored the intense pain and suddenly snapped its head down to look at him. The hatred and intimidation in its gaze were so piercing that the man stumbled back in fear.
Once he regained his composure and realized he had been frightened, he felt humiliated and became even more enraged. He snorted coldly. "Fine! Let's see how long you can hold out."
He pressed a blue button on the remote. Consequently, the floor beneath Infernape cracked open, revealing a water tank.
"Since you have such a fiery temper, why don't you cool off in the pool?" the man laughed brutally.
As his words fell, the cross holding Infernape began to descend slowly. Its body was gradually submerged into the water until it was completely underwater.
For a Fire-type Pokémon, this was likely the most painful form of torture.
After being soaked for over ten minutes, Infernape was brought back to the surface by the cross. Its head hung low, the flame on its head had been extinguished, and water droplets dripped steadily from its fur.
Seeing Infernape in such a pathetic state, the man laughed heartily again. He walked over to it and slapped its cheeks hard.
"Why aren't you screaming anymore? If it weren't for the client, I would have killed you myself! You damn beast."
Suddenly, Infernape snapped its head up, an unyielding fire burning in its eyes. It lunged to bite the man, but he had been prepared and dodged the attack instantly.
"You little brat, still trying to ambush me? I'll make sure you're properly punished."
He pressed the button again, and the cross holding Infernape submerged once more, leaving it completely soaked in the water again.
Minutes passed as the man immersed himself in the pleasure of abusing Infernape. This time, he kept it submerged for a full fifteen minutes.
Sensing that enough time had passed, the man whistled a tune in a good mood, intending to drag Infernape back out.
However, at that very moment, the water tank suddenly began to bubble and boil. Simultaneously, a streak of crimson churned violently beneath the surface.
"What's happening?" the man froze.
Just as he moved forward to investigate, the tank suddenly exploded. Water and fire splashed into the air together. Infernape, its eyes bloodshot, leapt out of the pool with terrifying flames swirling around its body.
"Stay... stay back!"
The man instinctively retreated and threw a Poké Ball to release Hariyama.
"Hariyama, catch... catch it!"
Hariyama dashed forward immediately, raising its fists to attack Infernape.
Gaka~
Infernape roared again. The fury in its voice made the man's heart tremble with fear. The flames surrounding it began to burn even more violently.
In the next second, an incredibly thick pillar of fire erupted, instantly swallowing Hariyama and brushing past the man's cheek.
When the fire dissipated, Hariyama lay on the ground unable to move. The man, paralyzed by fear, collapsed to the floor as a certain liquid began to soak his trousers.
He watched helplessly as Infernape walked toward him step by step. Terrified, he scrambled backward while muttering:
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Gaka~
Infernape leapt high into the air and smashed its fist down toward the man.
Boom!! With a loud crash, the man was pinned to the ground. Infernape's fist struck his face, creating cracks in the floor beneath his head.
The man's face was visibly deformed.
Gaka~ Gaka~~
However, Infernape was not satisfied. It struck the man again and again. Subsequently, his ribs, arms, and legs were broken one by one. Piteous screams echoed through the empty room.
Others from the taming arena arrived after hearing the commotion. Horrified by the man's state, they released their own Pokémon to try and capture Infernape.
By this time, Infernape had completely lost its sanity. It moved like a berserker among the incoming Pokémon. Every time it swung a fist, another Pokémon was knocked down with terrifying force.
Its strength far exceeded their expectations, and the scene soon became a complete mess.
After defeating all the Pokémon, Infernape charged into the crowd, injuring everyone before escaping the room.
It ran wild through the taming arena, leaving a trail of towering flames. Everyone who tried to intercept it was defeated. Before long, the entire facility was set ablaze.
In a corner of the Azoth Royal Capital, an explosion suddenly occurred. Following this, a flame-shrouded Infernape soared into the sky. Crimson fire spread like a storm, dyeing the night sky red.
It jumped onto the roof of a house and began to run and leap across the ridgelines. It crossed half the city almost in the blink of an eye.
Infernape caused a massive disturbance in the city. Countless sparks flew from where it ran, igniting houses and streets. People screamed in the night as the sirens of police cars and fire trucks began to wail.
Ange and Diancie intended to head home after leaving the Ferris wheel. After a few steps, Ange noticed the relaxed smile on Diancie's face and asked:
"Did you have fun today?"
Diancie nodded. "I did."
Ange patted its head and smiled. "Then my efforts weren't in vain."
At that moment, Diancie stopped and offered the diamond in its hand to Ange.
"Ange, this is for you."
Ange stared at the large, bright diamond for a moment. He took it and smiled. "Is this a thank-you gift?"
Diancie nodded playfully. "Yes, though it will disappear soon."
Ange solemnly placed the diamond in his breast pocket and patted it gently. "Then I will treasure it dearly before it vanishes."
"That's a promise!" A brilliant smile appeared on Diancie's face.
The moment Diancie looked up, it saw a flicker of fire at the highest point of the Ferris wheel. It asked in confusion: "What is that?"
Ange squinted to look, but it was too far away to see clearly. He shook his head. "I don't know. A light?"
However, in the next second, that flicker of fire descended from the sky with a trailing tail of flames.
Boom!!!
A deafening sound echoed as the ground cracked. Countless sparks flew in all directions. An Infernape with a violent aura landed right in front of Ange and Diancie.
Gaka~~
Infernape roared at the sky. The flames on its head exploded outward in a radial pattern, igniting everything around it. Flowers, trees, and buildings were all swallowed by a raging fire.
Although there were fewer people in the amusement park at night, it wasn't empty. Terrified, the visitors immediately began to flee in panic.
Diancie stood in front of Ange, raising a Light Screen to block all the incoming flames.
Ange was stunned by this sudden event. Where did this Infernape come from?
Before he could think further, Infernape launched an attack. It leapt over their heads and reached Ange's side in an instant, swinging a flame-wrapped fist at him.
Ange reacted quickly. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. As Infernape prepared to pursue him, Diancie blocked its path and erected a Reflect.
Gaka~~
Infernape roared, smashing its fists into the Reflect again and again.
Crack!
The sound of shattering rang out as the Reflect disintegrated. Diancie was sent flying by a heavy blow from Infernape.
"Diancie!"
Ange shouted, but Infernape was already swinging its fist at him. Without thinking, Ange threw a punch to meet it head-on.
Boom!!!
The collision of their fists generated an impact that sent a shockwave through the air.
At the moment of impact, Ange funneled all his Aura Power into his fist. Through the Aura, he could clearly sense Infernape's rage and resentment.
What happened? Why is it so angry?
These thoughts flashed by in an instant. In terms of raw strength, Ange was obviously no match for Infernape. Consequently, he was knocked back, crashing hard into the bushes behind him.
Fortunately, his powerful physique prevented any serious injury.
Infernape was relentless, reaching Ange again in an instant. As it swung its fist, Ange rolled across the ground to dodge.
Suddenly, a yellow-green beam of light shot out, knocking the enraged Infernape back.
It was Diancie's Power Gem!
"Ange, are you okay?" Diancie quickly rushed to his side.
Ange shook his head. "I'm fine. What about you?"
Diancie: "I'm fine too."
They both turned to look at Infernape. Because of Diancie's attack, Infernape's rage grew even more intense. After climbing up, it breathed out a pillar of fire that swept across the area.
In an instant, the entire amusement park turned into a sea of flames. They were trapped in the center of the fire as scorching heat waves surged toward them.
In the distance, Diancie could even see tourists fleeing in panic through the fire.
Looking at Ange and then at the purgatory-like amusement park, cries for help echoed in Diancie's mind. For some reason, it suddenly remembered Xerneas's words:
The one who nurtures life is yourself.
Infernape locked its gaze on Ange once more and breathed out a pillar of fire directly at him.
Seeing the growing fire in his vision, Ange was about to tell Diancie to dodge with him, but he saw Diancie step forward with an expression of absolute determination.
Diancie held its hands forward. A massive amount of pink energy gathered in front of it. Then, to Ange's astonishment, Diancie's entire body erupted in a dazzling, multicolored light.
What Ange didn't notice was that the diamond Diancie had given him was also glowing brilliantly in his pocket.
Because the light from Diancie was so intense, the glow from the diamond in his pocket was masked.
Within the light, Diancie's form began to change rapidly. The rocks on its body vanished, replaced entirely by diamonds. The crown on its head became heart-shaped, with two pink ribbons flowing from it. Its lower body extended into prismatic diamonds, forming a magnificent gown.
Diancie had Mega Evolved!
Ange was left speechless. How did it Mega Evolve so suddenly?
An enormous pink diamond formed in front of Mega Diancie, blocking Infernape's Flamethrower.
Ange's vision was completely filled with pink. "Is that... the Holy Diamond?"
Diancie pushed the massive diamond forward, slowly forcing Infernape's flames back until they were completely extinguished.
Once the fire was gone, the huge diamond instantly dissolved into sparkling points of light. A massive amount of Fairy and Rock-type energy radiated outward from Diancie, permeating the entire amusement park.
The power gathered by the Holy Diamond was incredibly vast!
As the energy covered the area, the fires started by Infernape began to die out. The amusement park was finally saved.
After a flash of light, Diancie reverted from its Mega Evolution, collapsing weakly to the side.
Ange rushed over to catch it.
"Diancie, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Diancie lay in his arms and shook its head. "I'm fine. I'm just exhausted. I'll be okay after a little rest."
Creating a Holy Diamond was no easy feat!
Hearing this, Ange breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, did I just create the Holy Diamond?" Diancie asked excitedly.
"Yes, you did. You even defeated Infernape and put out the fires. You were amazing!" Ange said with immense pride.
By this point, Infernape had also collapsed from exhaustion.
Diancie let out a couple of soft laughs, then turned to look at the fallen Pokémon. "That Infernape is badly hurt. Take it to the Pokémon Center quickly!" It stood up while leaning on Ange's arm.
After confirming Diancie was truly alright, Ange ran to Infernape to check its condition. When he saw the dense network of wounds and scars on its body, he was shocked.
This... Infernape... what has it been through?
Injuries like these were far beyond what he could handle. He prepared to carry Infernape to the Pokémon Center.
However, the moment he touched its body, he had to pull his hand back from the scorching heat.