As the queen of the Underground Kingdom—the true highest ruler of the Carbink tribe—Dianna normally didn't let her emotions show on her face.
She wasn't like Diancie. Dianna knew there was no point in it, and that it would only invite trouble.
But today, she kept frowning.
Even with no one else around, she would knit her brows again and again, fingers anxiously rubbing together.
"What's going on?"
Maybe she couldn't stand the strange feeling anymore. Dianna finally stopped, staring blankly at her own palm.
She was certain this wasn't because of her.
Recently, she hadn't been injured, and she hadn't fallen ill, either.
Yet this constant sense of her heart skipping and tightening had been clinging to her since morning.
After thinking for a moment, as if something occurred to her, Dianna's eyes widened slightly.
She'd experienced something like this before, and every single time, it had been when Diancie went out and got attacked.
It seemed like some kind of instinct.
If someone close to her was hurt, she would feel it too—frowning before she even understood why.
Only…
Normally, that feeling would flash by in an instant, or at most linger for a short while.
At that thought, Dianna's heartbeat inexplicably sped up.
She pressed a hand lightly to her chest, telling herself she was overthinking it.
Maybe she really was just sick?
Just as she was thinking that, Dianna suddenly noticed something at her waist flicker.
She froze, then slowly took the flashing object down.
It was a pink gemstone.
The color matched her own—because it was the diamond from the moment she was born.
Back then, she'd given half of it to Elias.
She remembered telling him specifically: with these two diamonds, no matter how far apart they were, she would still be able to contact him.
Now that the diamond was blinking, it meant he was trying to reach her.
It should've been a good thing, but the unease in Dianna's chest only grew sharper.
After receiving the message, she tried sending a signal back to Elias as well.
But this time, no matter what she did, it was as if the message had been cut off—there was no response at all.
In an instant, Dianna's face went pale.
She realized…
She might have found the reason for that nameless dread.
Without thinking, she quickly locked onto Elias's location.
The diamond had a tracking function too. If she got there in time, he would be fine.
...
[As it turned out, your call for help did work.]
[Just as Yveltal finished charging and launched its attack at you, Dianna's Diamond Storm struck it.]
...
Two ear-splitting blasts detonated in the sky almost at the same time.
Thick smoke swallowed the entire area in an instant.
Yveltal, which had stayed hanging high in the air the whole time, was finally sent crashing straight down into the forest by that hit.
"Elias!"
"Del!"
Two urgent voices of concern rang out together as Dianna and Delphox rushed over in a panic.
Even with smoke still blanketing the area, it didn't stop them from feeling their way toward where Elias was.
Thanks to being closer, Delphox reached him first.
Once she made out his rough outline, she didn't hesitate—she stretched out her fluffy little paw.
It looked like she wanted to pull Elias into her arms.
However…
The instant her paw passed right through Elias's body, Delphox felt like half her brain stopped working.
In the past, Elias had always been icy cold, but as long as she reached out, she could still touch him.
That had never changed—even back when she was still a Fennekin.
But now, she couldn't touch him at all.
When she looked up, she saw that the color of Elias's body had faded a great deal too.
She could almost see through him—make out the scenery behind him.
Delphox froze in place, her whole body trembling.
Just then, Dianna arrived as well.
Unlike Delphox, she spotted what was wrong with Elias at a glance.
Because she knew that look all too well.
When they first met, he'd been like this—faint and flickering, as though he might disperse at any moment.
Dianna knew it was a sign Elias was far too weak.
But seeing it again now still made her heart stutter hard.
"E-Elias?"
She reached out carefully, as if afraid she might accidentally scatter him.
Hearing the concern coming one after another, Elias's mind finally cleared a little.
Right now, all he felt was weakness spreading through his body.
After taking Yveltal's hit head-on, a violent, domineering energy was crashing through him nonstop.
Elias recognized it as similar to the energy that had once appeared inside Dianna.
Only, back then, the little bit she had was completely purged with his effort.
But now, after his Life Energy had been drained again and again, it was hanging by a thread.
He could only barely slow that force down.
Still, even though it felt like his chest was on fire…
Elias could just barely keep himself conscious.
"I'm fine. Get to somewhere safe first."
He lifted a hand, motioning to Delphox and Dianna beside him.
Hearing that weak voice, the panic in both Pokémon only deepened.
But then…
"Raaah—"
Yveltal's furious roar seemed to ring out again.
They both knew this wasn't the time to linger.
Getting Elias out of here was what mattered most.
With that in mind, Dianna quickly pointed out the tunnel she'd come from.
They couldn't touch Elias, but he still had a sliver of strength left.
Before the smoke could clear, he finally managed to leap into the safe burrow.
"Elias!"
Watching Elias fall unconscious the moment he got inside, Dianna's little face turned deathly pale.
As the queen of the Underground Kingdom, she rarely ever lost her composure like this.
She took a deep breath, trying to regain her usual calm and handle Elias's situation with steady hands.
But no matter how hard she tried, Dianna felt her body trembling.
In that short span of time, she could see Elias's color had dimmed even more.
If it kept going like this… she didn't dare imagine what would happen.
Leaning close beside Elias, Dianna felt her own hands and feet turning cold.
She bit her lip, knowing that in his current state, she absolutely couldn't take him to Diancie.