Dianna hadn't expected Elias to suddenly steer the conversation to the diamond, and she couldn't help freezing for a moment.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
Once she came back to herself, she asked in curiosity.
The diamond was important—tied to the Carbinks, even the survival of the underground world.
But before this, Elias rarely talked to her about it.
Even though she found it strange, Dianna still answered honestly.
"It's not great, but it should hold for another three or four years."
"With how quickly Diancie's strength is growing—and with your help, Elias—she should be able to make another diamond by then."
On that point, Dianna wasn't as anxious as she used to be.
Diancie was working hard, and Elias had ways to boost her strength.
Even though Diancie was born with a damaged body, if they put in the effort, making a diamond should still be possible.
Thinking that, Dianna couldn't help feeling a little envious of Diancie's luck.
Not strong enough on her own, but with a Ghost Form like Elias supporting her—she'd had better fortune than Dianna and the queens before her.
When she thought of how radiant Diancie looked these days, a faint sourness rose in Dianna's chest.
But she quickly relaxed again.
Once she stepped down as queen, the one stuck "serving time" underground would be Diancie!
And the one who'd get to live in the human world with Elias would be her.
With that thought, Dianna unconsciously licked her lips.
What she didn't notice was that after hearing her answer, Elias's brows knit slightly.
Three or four years—plus his help—and only then would Diancie have a chance of creating a diamond.
So what if that time were cut in half, while his body kept weakening?
The outcome was obvious.
Staring at the dazzling diamond beyond the window, Elias felt helpless.
That diamond was really not pulling its weight. If only it could last a little longer.
But when he did the math, it had already been "working" for hundreds of years. It was about time it gave out.
Still…
That meant the only options left were Xerneas or the Ultimate Weapon.
According to Team Flare's investigations, with Xerneas's blessing, Diancie's strength would surge dramatically.
At the same time, her congenital physical problem would be healed as well.
And as for the Ultimate Weapon… it could even do something as absurd as bringing the dead back to life.
Both paths looked like they could lead to success.
But the reason they'd been left on the shelf for so long was simple—there were only two obstacles.
First, activating the Ultimate Weapon required Yveltal and Xerneas.
Both were Legendary Pokémon—immensely powerful, and extremely difficult to capture.
Second, after Xerneas was injured by Yveltal, it vanished completely.
Its ability to turn into a tree and enter dormancy—Carbink could scour the land in force and still fail to find it.
That second problem basically blocked both plans at once.
That was why Elias had been so frustrated.
Kalos was huge, and its forest cover dwarfed other regions.
Finding that stag with the colorful antlers… you didn't need to imagine how hard it would be.
Even Yveltal had managed to slip past Team Flare's eyes and show up right at his doorstep.
So for Xerneas, a Pokémon even better at hiding… it went without saying.
But…
Elias wasn't completely without an idea.
Xerneas and Yveltal were opposing Pokémon, representing life and death.
Together, they maintained Kalos's ecosystem.
When one side grew too strong—or too weak—the other would often appear to restore balance.
Usually, though, it never reached that point.
But if he enraged Yveltal and made it shatter that balance on its own…
Then Xerneas would inevitably show itself.
After all, Xerneas might be impossible to find—but Yveltal was still out there roaming.
As that thought formed, Elias's eyes darkened.
He hadn't mentioned this method to anyone—not even Lysandre knew.
Because… angering a Legendary Pokémon was extremely dangerous.
Especially Yveltal. Once it decided you were its enemy, it would chase you to the end.
Knock knock—
Just as Elias was weighing whether his plan was feasible, someone suddenly knocked on the wooden door.
A Carbink peeked in and walked inside.
"Your Majesty, the princess and an unknown human have come."
It reported.
Dianna wasn't surprised.
With Elias missing, it was normal that she couldn't sit still and came looking for her.
But…
"Now she knows how to panic."
"Usually I don't see her putting in any extra effort training."
Dianna snorted, clearly not intending to let Diancie feel at ease so easily.
Seeing Dianna look like she was pondering deeply, Elias silently offered a couple prayers for Diancie.
Hopefully she wouldn't get bullied into tears…
...
"Your Highness—Your Highness!"
After getting permission, Diancie ran into the depths of the territory in a fluster.
It was where Dianna usually stayed.
Behind her, Cogita followed along, studying the underground kingdom as she went.
Soon, a Pokémon that looked eighty percent like Diancie came into her view—only taller in posture, more poised and elegant.
Cogita narrowed her eyes and recognized her as the current queen.
"So frantic. What is it?"
Dianna looked at Diancie, who'd run up in front of her, and asked even though she obviously knew.
As for Elias, he'd already been told to hide for the moment at Dianna's request.
Finally seeing Dianna, Diancie panted twice, then blurted out anxiously.
"Your Highness, Elias… Elias has been missing since he went out last night."
"When we went to look today, I only found signs of a battle in the forest."
"Please have the tribe go out and search!"
She rattled it off quickly, her small face full of panic.
She looked like a startled little deer.
However…
Dianna only cast Diancie a bland glance, then replied unhurriedly with a single word.
"Oh."
Flat and indifferent, like she didn't care at all.
When the word landed, she seemed to feel it wasn't quite appropriate, and added, "If there's nothing else, go back and rest."
Diancie: ?
Her little mouth fell open as she stared at Dianna's unconcerned face, her brain shorting out for a moment.
Y-Your Highness… didn't hear what she said?
---
A/N: Kalos is kind of like Hoenn—after X and Y get into a huge fight, Z comes out and gives both of them a good thrashing.
Then Z slowly restores the wrecked ecosystem.