"E-Elias… You—!"
Diancie pointed at Elias with a trembling little finger, her cheeks burning bright red. For a long moment, she couldn't even form a proper sentence.
The only reason she'd so confidently agreed to his condition—that she'd go deeper into the forest if they had one more person—was because she'd been certain no one else would show up at a time like this.
Cogita and Her Highness Dianna were both far away.
And as far as Diancie knew, Elias didn't have any other human or Pokémon acquaintances besides them.
That was why she'd said it so boldly.
Yet…
She never would've imagined that Diantha—the human they'd just met in the library—would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Is that Ralts some kind of stalker?!
It was bad enough that she'd secretly followed Elias herself—but now she'd even dragged her Trainer along!
Diancie bit her lip, her tiny face full of anger and frustration.
But since she'd already given Elias her word, there was no taking it back.
"Mmm…"
A quiet, pitiful noise slipped from her throat.
On the other side, hearing Elias's suggestion, Diantha froze as well.
For a moment, she thought she'd misheard.
Did he mean… he was willing to help her find Ralts, even with danger ahead?
Yes—that was exactly how Diantha understood it.
As a member of Kalos nobility, Diantha was mature for her age. She wasn't naive enough to take everything at face value. Elias had mentioned earlier that he also happened to have "business" deeper in the forest…
But she didn't believe that for a second.
When they'd just met moments ago, Elias had clearly been on his way out of the woods. Diancie had been tugging urgently on his sleeve, practically dragging him toward the exit.
It was obvious that he'd originally intended to leave the danger behind.
Yet the instant he learned that Ralts was missing, he'd offered to help without hesitation.
To Diantha, that was unmistakably genuine kindness.
Warmth bloomed in her chest at the thought, spreading into a faint, fluttering feeling she couldn't quite name. Her cheeks turned a delicate pink.
"N-no need… I can find Ralts myself," she said softly, shaking her head.
Having only met Elias once before, she was already touched by his willingness to help. She didn't want him to risk himself any further.
But Elias's resolve was firm. He truly did need to go deeper into the forest to confirm his suspicions. And when he'd briefly extended his Aura earlier, he'd detected a faint trace of Life Energy ahead—
A sign directly connected to Diancie's condition.
So, while Diantha was still politely refusing, Elias calmly released a ripple of psychic energy through the air.
"Don't worry. If there's any real danger, I can teleport us away," he said, his tone steady and reassuring.
Hearing that, Diantha bit her lip lightly, unsure how to respond.
She silently promised herself that once she found Ralts, she would find a proper way to thank Elias.
As that thought crossed her mind, she glanced at him again.
Under the sunlight filtering through the trees, his form was still faintly translucent—yet somehow, he seemed even more striking than when she'd first seen him.
Meanwhile, Diancie's expression grew darker by the second.
She knew Elias was entering the forest for her sake—but even so, the thought of going to rescue that Ralts made her bristle with irritation.
That Pokémon was obviously some lovestruck stalker obsessed with Elias!
If she didn't keep an eye out, who knew what it might try next?
Still, seeing Elias's determined look, Diancie could only sigh and nod reluctantly.
"Be careful, okay?" she said. "If anything feels dangerous, teleport away immediately. Got it?"
Elias smiled gently. "Of course. Besides, I have Diancie here to protect me, don't I?"
At that, Diancie immediately perked up, her cheeks puffing with pride.
That's right—she could protect him too!
Clenching her tiny fists, she felt her confidence surge back.
...
As Elias and Diancie hurried deeper into the forest, Ralts was already in grave danger.
"Ralu! Ralu! (Stop chasing me already! Stop!)"
Ralts darted frantically between the trees, her tiny body weaving through the dense underbrush.
Despite hiding so carefully behind a massive boulder earlier, that monstrous bird Pokémon had still managed to track her down.
And from the moment Yveltal had laid eyes on her, it had attacked without hesitation.
Negotiation was impossible.
BOOM—!
Another devastating beam of energy tore through the forest. Ralts barely managed to leap aside, diving behind another stone just in time.
The crimson-black blast passed so close that it nearly grazed her shoulder—and everything it touched instantly withered into lifeless stone.
Panting heavily, Ralts clutched her chest.
Her psychic reserves were almost empty. If she couldn't escape soon, she'd end up as another statue.
She'd only wanted to sneak out and steal a tiny taste of that ghostly boy's incredible energy… and now she was being hunted by a living nightmare.
The sheer unfairness of it all made her want to cry.
If she could just have one more taste of that pure, intoxicating energy she'd sensed from Elias, she'd do anything.
Even thinking about it made her throat tighten with longing.
Then, as she inhaled shakily, a faintly sweet scent filled her senses—something warm and strangely familiar.
Ralts froze.
This feeling… it's—
But before she could finish the thought, another searing beam of red and black light came crashing down from above.
Yveltal had spotted her hiding place.
And this time, Ralts was half a second too slow.
She couldn't dodge it. She knew she couldn't.
Her thoughts went perfectly still—
Just as, far away, Diantha's heart clenched in horror.
Even from this distance, she could clearly make out Ralts's tiny figure.
There was no mistaking it—that was her Pokémon.
And the enormous creature hovering above her… was aiming straight for her.
In that instant, it felt as though time itself had stopped cold.
---
bonus chaps
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