Though Diancie's attempts over the past several years to nurture Ghost-type Pokémon had proven ineffective, at least they served to rule out many wrong paths.
Thanks to that, Cogita could now confidently conclude that if she wanted Elias to awaken quickly, she must try other methods.
"Hmm..."
Her finger lightly stroked across the diamond in her hand, her expression becoming thoughtful.
Now that Diancie wasn't draining energy from the diamond, Elias's awakening time would certainly be far shorter than the initial thousand years.
But even then, it would still probably take around five hundred years.
Although Cogita could afford to wait five centuries, just imagining such a long passage of time inevitably left her feeling suffocated.
After all…
Even these past few years had made her unbearably restless—as though cat claws gently scratched the softest part of her heart.
Occasionally, she'd even lose sleep over it.
Waiting five hundred years, Cogita was sure she might go mad.
Thinking this, she refocused her attention on the diamond in her hand.
Her silk-gloved finger gently brushed across its surface, but what met her touch wasn't smoothness at all.
Instead, because of numerous cracks on the diamond, it felt rough—almost sharp—under her fingers.
Cogita's eyes flashed briefly with pain.
With all these cracks in the diamond, I wonder if Elias, as a ghost, is also feeling any pain...?
She'd long wanted to reprimand Diancie over this matter.
If it hadn't been for her, the diamond wouldn't be in such a battered state.
"Hm?"
Cogita's hand suddenly paused, as if she had noticed something.
In her line of sight, a faint beam of light had emerged from within the diamond, stretching straight toward a pile of stones nearby.
That small heap of stones had been deliberately left over from when she'd first built her cottage.
Since those stones had unexpectedly good quality, she planned to use them elsewhere later.
Seeing the situation, Cogita narrowed her eyes slightly.
She stood up slowly, shifting her steps cautiously.
Unsurprisingly, the faint beam of light remained steadily locked onto that small pile of stones, unaffected by her movements.
Instantly, Cogita's breathing grew a bit faster.
A guess rapidly formed in her mind.
"Tornadus."
With a flick of her wrist, she released her Pokémon.
As the pink form appeared, Cogita wasted no time, pointing directly at the diamond in her hand and asking:
"Can you sense anything strange about this diamond?"
At that, Tornadus carefully observed the diamond.
As a Pokémon of vitality and spring, Tornadus was extremely sensitive to life energy.
After merely glancing at it, Tornadus immediately detected the anomaly.
—The stone in Cogita's hand was actually slowly accumulating life energy.
Though its pace was incredibly sluggish, turtle-like even—absorbing a full breath of energy and then releasing half of it back out—it was nonetheless continuously repeating this process.
Confirming this, Tornadus conveyed her findings to Cogita through gestures.
Seeing this, Cogita showed an "as expected" expression.
She'd suspected this for a long while but had never received confirmation until now.
Only after Tornadus's nod did she finally feel certain.
But still…
"Absorbing energy, then releasing half again…?"
She murmured quietly, puzzled.
Clearly, this was problematic.
While pondering, Cogita's eyes swept across the diamond's numerous cracks.
If this diamond truly was the vessel containing Elias's slumbering spirit, then these cracks would certainly have a negative effect.
Perhaps that faint beam of light pointing toward the intact stones was Elias's attempt at letting her know.
At that moment, Cogita felt a distinct satisfaction, as if she had successfully held a conversation with Elias.
"I'll find you a new home."
Cogita moved her full lips closer to the diamond, whispering softly.
...
[Due to your senses still being dulled, you didn't feel too uncomfortable after being handed over to the human woman named Cogita.]
[In fact, maybe it was just your imagination, but you felt considerably lighter than before.]
[Even your rate of growth was now noticeably faster than when you were with Diancie.]
[After extensive inspection, you finally understood clearly: the primary reason for your slow progress was largely due to the damaged diamond itself.]
[All the life energy you absorbed had continuously leaked out through the cracks.]
[To alert Cogita of this, you spared no effort, expending large amounts of energy to send her a sign.]
[Fortunately, Cogita was sharp enough to quickly grasp your intentions.]
[However, when Cogita brought a new stone for you, you felt strangely conflicted about whether or not to move into it.]
"Eli...Elias, if you want to move into a new home, come into this diamond necklace."
Smiling warmly, Cogita pushed a carefully crafted necklace onto the table.
The necklace was lined with shining, silvery edges, framing a faintly red diamond at the center.
At first glance, it didn't seem too different from the diamond Elias currently inhabited.
Except…
Unlike the current diamond, which had to be held in the palm, Cogita could wear this necklace directly against her skin.
She'd already decided—once Elias entered the necklace, she would never take it off again.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have specifically turned it into a necklace in the first place.
Thinking this, Cogita narrowed her eyes slightly, growing increasingly satisfied the more she admired it.
And to avoid any complaints from Diancie, Cogita had even deliberately requested this fine diamond from the little mineral princess herself.
Predictably, the diamond was of superior quality, both in appearance and substance.
Because Cogita's lips were pressed directly against the diamond when she spoke, Elias could clearly hear her voice despite his dulled senses.
He could faintly make out the shape of the necklace, easily imagining how it would look once Cogita wore it around her neck.
Imagining that scene, Elias suddenly felt hesitant.
This seems…a bit inappropriate, doesn't it?
Even as a ghostly form, it still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Noticing no reaction from the diamond, Cogita considered for a moment, then spoke again:
"If you don't move inside, you won't have anywhere else to live, you know?"
"If this diamond eventually shatters and you become homeless, Diancie would certainly feel heartbroken."
Knowing Elias well, Cogita was certain he'd agree if she put it this way.
After all, back in Hisui, she'd often used Zoroark as leverage to persuade him.
Sure enough…
After only a few seconds, the necklace began to faintly glow from within.
Seeing this, Cogita smiled with satisfaction.
Even though Elias had lost all memories, it seemed his personality hadn't changed in the slightest.
As for how Diancie would feel after realizing the diamond had become an empty shell, Cogita didn't really care.
Besides, by now Diancie probably already knew she'd been inadvertently absorbing Elias's life energy.
Given this, Diancie likely wouldn't have the heart to protest too much…
Cogita rested her chin on her hand, silently contemplating these thoughts.
---
Cogita:Using a diamond Diancie found to make the necklace, so she can feel involved too.