Hearing Diantha's question, Diancie's face immediately darkened.
The way she said it—like Elias was the problem—when it was clearly Ralts's fault!
Elias had already gone out of his way to stay hidden, yet he'd still been dragged out by force. The whole thing left Diancie deeply irritated.
"I have strong psychic energy. Ralts was probably drawn to that," Elias explained with a small smile, rubbing Diancie's head.
As he spoke, he extended a hand, letting a faint ripple of psychic power shimmer through the air before Diantha's eyes.
As expected, Ralts's eyes lit up at once.
If Diantha hadn't been holding her tightly, she would've dashed straight toward Elias.
Seeing that, Diantha looked a bit embarrassed.
Ralts was always like this.
She was supposed to be timid by nature, yet this one was unusually bold—and had an insatiable hunger for psychic energy.
Every time she sensed it, she'd pull some sneaky trick just to absorb a little for herself.
Still… from the looks of it, this really was Ralts's fault.
With that in mind, Diantha gently slid the book in her hands toward Diancie and said apologetically,
"Sorry. I was the one being rude earlier."
"As an apology, please accept this book. It's yours."
She spoke sincerely.
The volume wasn't a library copy—it was from her own private collection.
Compared to the average book here, its quality and rarity were on a different level.
At the very least, it wouldn't be full of the kind of pointless rambling that made reading so frustrating.
Seeing Diantha's genuine attitude—and that she hadn't done anything else inappropriate—Diancie finally relaxed a little.
At least compared to Cogita, who'd clung to Elias the first time they met, this human seemed far less dangerous.
"It's fine, I forgive you!"
Cradling the book carefully against her chest, Diancie waved a small hand as if brushing off the incident.
Now that she'd gotten what she came for, she just wanted to take Elias and leave.
After all, that restless Ralts was someone she needed to stay wary of—completely.
Not to mention, from what she knew, the species' final evolution—Gardevoir—was extremely popular among humans.
Seeing Diancie about to go, Diantha suddenly panicked for no clear reason.
She and Diancie weren't close, and since she'd offered the book herself, it would be rude to stop them.
But…
She couldn't help being fascinated by the strange, ghostly figure at Diancie's side.
She'd never seen anything like him before.
And from the way Ralts reacted, just being near him seemed to benefit her in some mysterious way.
That made Diantha even less willing to let them leave so quickly.
"Wait a moment!"
Diantha coughed lightly and called out.
Hearing her voice, Diancie turned back, wary and questioning.
What does this human want now?
Her instincts screamed that she shouldn't look back—that she should just grab Elias and run.
And sure enough—
After a brief pause, Diantha smiled faintly and said,
"Ralts was just impulsive earlier. But if you finish that book and want more, you can come to my house. I have plenty of others."
Noticing Elias's interest in books, Diantha decided to indulge it.
After all, she lived alone, usually surrounded only by her Pokémon. Most days were terribly dull.
Now that she'd met such intriguing individuals, she naturally wanted to keep the connection alive.
Besides, Diantha couldn't shake a certain feeling—
That one day, this mysterious pair might help her in some important way.
On the other side, Diancie first glanced at Elias.
Seeing that he left the choice to her, she thought briefly, then nodded.
Diantha's offer wasn't bad—in fact, Elias would probably need more books later.
If they could get useful information from her collection, it was a good deal.
---
[After agreeing to Diantha's suggestion, you and Diancie still left together that day.]
[After all, you'd already gotten the book you needed—there was no reason to stay, and certainly no need to visit her home.]
[To your mild dismay, once Ralts realized you were leaving, she became visibly upset.]
[Diancie looked annoyed at that, even puffing up her tiny fists to threaten the other Pokémon.]
[At one point, Diancie even suspected Ralts might use Teleport to secretly follow you.]
---
"Elias, you have to be careful around Pokémon like that from now on," Diancie warned uneasily as they walked along the forest path.
She'd thought only she could see Elias—aside from maybe Her Highness Dianna or Cogita.
But to her surprise, a Psychic-type like Ralts, with heightened perception, could sense him too.
That immediately put her on edge.
"Alright, I know," Elias said with a faint smile, gently reassuring her.
He understood exactly what she was worried about.
But before he could continue, he suddenly stopped—the words catching in his throat.
"Elias, what's wrong?"
Diancie tilted her head in confusion.
Yet as soon as she spoke, she sensed it too.
They were already deep in the forest—but around them, everything was unnervingly silent.
Not a trace of the usual forest life.
And that eerie stillness—Diancie had felt it once before.
Many years ago, shortly after she'd first found Elias, back when he still slumbered inside the diamond.
That time, if not for his timely intervention, she might have lost her life.
Now, facing the same suffocating silence again, Diancie instantly grew alert.
When it came to her and Elias's safety, she would never take chances.
"Elias… let's take a detour, alright?"
She whispered the suggestion.
She couldn't risk assuming this was any different from last time.
Back then, the aftermath had left Elias's diamond vessel cracked—damage that had even affected his recovery.
Now, she'd rather take the long route than risk anything happening again.
Elias nodded immediately.
He agreed—there was no need for unnecessary risks.
But…
Even as he nodded, he suddenly froze.
He'd just remembered something—
The Pokémon they'd encountered that time… looked remarkably similar to one Dianna had once described.
And that Pokémon, if he was right, might be directly connected to healing Diancie's condition.
...
Meanwhile, back at the library, Diantha—who was about to leave—suddenly realized something terrible.
Her Ralts was gone.
---
T/N: gardevoir vs gardevoir in the future...?
bonus chaps
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200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
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