Just waking up from unconsciousness, the first thing Elias saw was a room that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
With hazy memories, he knew he'd just blocked Yveltal's attack, then immediately blacked out.
After that, someone seemed to have come and saved him, but with his head still foggy, Elias couldn't recall who.
Still, the room in front of him looked a lot like the style Diancie had lived in back in the Underground Kingdom.
But on a closer look… there were differences.
As Elias sat there blankly, two worried voices came one after the other.
"Elias!"
"Del!"
Seeing Elias awake, Dianna and Delphox both showed a trace of joy without realizing it.
Dianna seemed to want to keep up her dignified image, so she only walked over at an unhurried pace.
Delphox had no such reservations—she dove straight into Elias's arms.
Watching Delphox cling to him, a softness flickered across Elias's face.
If it hadn't been for her, they never would've held out that long.
With his thoughts clearing, Elias suddenly remembered—after Enamorus turned into a stone statue, it seemed they'd left her behind at the scene.
He had no idea how she was doing now.
He buried the worry and turned his gaze back to the side.
"Dianna, I really owe you this time."
Elias smiled gently as he thanked her.
Only now did he remember that when he first ran into Yveltal, he'd used the diamond Dianna gave him to call for help.
From the look of it, Dianna had taken it to heart—she'd rushed over in such a short time.
Hearing Elias's thanks, Dianna's lips curved up on their own.
It was just a simple thank-you, but it was the best she'd felt in days.
But as if she thought of something, the smile vanished in an instant.
"Elias—why would you run into a Pokémon that dangerous?!"
Her tone carried a sharpness that wasn't like her usual self as she frowned at Elias.
For a moment, Elias could vaguely see the way she normally scolded Diancie in her.
"Yveltal, you mean?"
"Maybe… it has something to do with me carrying Xerneas's aura."
Elias spread his hands helplessly as he answered.
Xerneas?
Hearing the names of two Legendary Pokémon back to back, Dianna froze.
Then, once she processed what Elias had said, her eyes slowly widened.
Slap—
A breeze passed, and Elias saw a small hand—soft-looking and delicate—press against the space right in front of his forehead.
A faint pale-pink glow shimmered in Dianna's palm, as if she were sensing something.
After a moment…
She slowly withdrew her hand, her expression turning ugly.
Elias wasn't wrong. She really did feel Xerneas on him.
When he saved her before, she'd already suspected something.
That dense life energy was simply too rare.
Now it seemed clear—it really was tied to Xerneas, the Legendary Pokémon that symbolized life.
But that wasn't good news.
At least, not during a time when Yveltal was active while Xerneas lay dormant—there was no worse situation than that.
If Yveltal couldn't find its mortal enemy, it would only hunt Elias instead, drawn by the same aura.
Dianna didn't need much effort to figure out the reason.
This time, she'd made it in time—and Yveltal hadn't reacted quickly enough.
But what about next time? And the time after that?
She couldn't possibly be a match for Yveltal. One slip, and Elias could die to its attack.
Thinking of that possibility made Dianna's breathing speed up.
Her small hands clenched tightly, hard enough that her palms began to whiten.
What if she just locked him underground?
Would he agree…?
Before she realized it, all sorts of strange thoughts were bubbling up in Dianna's head.
"Dianna… Dianna?"
As she weighed how feasible it was, Elias's gentle voice called to her again and again.
"Ah—yes, I'm here."
Dianna answered guiltily.
Elias gave her a strange look, then said slowly, "Did you send any Carbink to let Diancie and Cogita know?"
With him missing, Cogita and Diancie waiting at home would definitely be frantic.
Elias wanted to let them know he was safe as soon as possible.
And it wasn't just them—Lysandre's side had probably erupted into chaos too.
Thinking about all that made Elias feel a dull ache in his head.
"Not yet. I'll send someone right away."
Dianna shook her head and said softly.
Her mind had been too messy yesterday. She hadn't thought of it.
And besides…
Deep down, she seemed to have deliberately ignored it.
Dianna bit her lip, finding it hard to admit that she'd been trying to "compete" with Diancie over Elias.
On the bedding, Delphox cast Dianna a faint sideways glance.
Compared to silly Diancie, this "queen" of hers was always sharp and imposing.
In Delphox's eyes, she was a troublesome rival.
But right now, looking at Elias's body that was still half-transparent, Delphox only felt worry.
She could tell—his condition hadn't improved at all.
...
Meanwhile—
Enamorus's statue was picked up and brought back to the cottage by Cogita and Diancie, who had gone out searching early in the morning.
Looking at Enamorus, now turned into a sculpture, Cogita's expression was ugly.
On closer inspection, you could see the pallor in her face—and the fear in her eyes.
And beside her, Diancie's jewel-like eyes had already filled with tears.
Her body trembled in little shakes, like she was trying hard not to cry.
"Cogita… that's Yveltal's handiwork, right?"
With a faint sob in her voice, Diancie asked Cogita to confirm it.
When they arrived, the area had already gone quiet again.
But with so many collapsed, petrified trunks, it wasn't hard to tell a fierce battle had taken place there not long ago.
Some of the ground was even scorched, looking like Delphox's work.
However…
Enamorus was petrified, and Delphox and Elias were nowhere to be seen—almost like it proved the final outcome.
Among all those stone chips scattered across the ground, there might even be…
Diancie didn't dare keep thinking.
"Don't get carried away. Enamorus is Enamorus. Elias is Elias."
Cogita frowned, rejecting Diancie's conclusion.
He had Aura, Psychic, and even the Power of Viridian that could heal injuries.
On top of that, even with his memories gone, he still fought with the instinctive battle habits he'd had back in the Hisui Region.
Calling Elias a humanoid Pokémon wouldn't be wrong.
With Yveltal's methods, it should be hard to catch him.
Unless…
Elias had been willing to fight to the very last moment to protect Delphox.