[After saying goodbye, you left Diantha's home.]
[Since it was already night, traveling too fast would be dangerous, so you and Delphox didn't hurry as you had on the way there.]
...
"Delphox, don't wander off."
As they walked, Elias gently reminded the Pokémon at his side.
"Mm—"
Delphox responded softly, taking the opportunity to cling to Elias's arm.
As if that alone would prevent her from getting lost.
Elias didn't object.
Even though his Ghost Form body was highly resistant to heat and cold—and he wouldn't feel chilled even at night—Delphox's warm body still felt comforting, especially with how soft her fur was to the touch.
With rare quiet time to himself, Elias walked along, sensing the state of his body.
He could finally understand how Dianna had felt back then.
Yveltal's energy was like a starving monster, constantly gnawing away at the Life Energy inside him.
Unless he encountered Xerneas, there was little he could do.
Compared to a year ago, his Life Energy had already decreased by more than half.
Sooner or later, he would likely be forced to disappear from this world.
Elias wasn't frightened—just somewhat regretful.
Thinking about no longer being able to stay with Diancie and the others made him feel down.
"Mm?"
Sensing Elias's mood, Delphox tilted her head and moved even closer.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking very attached.
For Delphox…
even though neither Diancie nor Gardevoir was around right now—no one was competing with her for Elias—if Elias wasn't happy, her mood wouldn't improve either.
Looking at the obedient Pokémon beside him, Elias let out a small smile and gently rubbed her head.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
He reassured Delphox.
...
[By the time you returned to the Underground Kingdom, it was deep into the night.]
[Compared to before, the Carbink territory's most noticeable change was that fewer Carbink were around.]
[Perhaps worried that the giant diamond might suddenly shatter, many Carbink had moved away from the core area.]
...
"Elias!"
From quite a distance away, Elias heard a soft call.
Diancie bounced over eagerly.
Normally, she'd already be asleep at this hour, soothed by Elias.
But tonight she was still wandering around—clearly, she'd been deliberately waiting for him.
"It's late."
Elias caught Diancie as she threw herself at him, speaking helplessly.
Diancie might look small, but she carried plenty of diamonds, making her weight nothing to scoff at.
Only because he could use both Aura and psychokinesis simultaneously had he managed to stay upright.
Otherwise, Diancie's tackle really would've knocked him flat.
After being caught, Diancie narrowed her eyes, hugging him tightly.
His embrace remained as cold as ever, but she'd long gotten used to it.
"Not bad. Elias kept his word."
She nodded approvingly.
Before he left, he'd promised to return today.
Though it was late, at least it hadn't dragged into tomorrow.
As if suddenly remembering something, Diancie abruptly lifted her head, wide-eyed as she looked around.
"You sent her off?"
She asked pointedly.
"Mm. I did," Elias replied softly.
"Both of them?" Diancie's tone grew excited.
Unfortunately…
"Delphox got sleepy and returned to her Poké Ball."
Elias mercilessly punctured Diancie's fantasy.
"Mm…"
Sure enough, Diancie let out a small whine, looking dejected.
She'd thought perhaps he might have sent both away at once.
"Elias—after the giant diamond issue is settled, no matter how it turns out, can we enter the human Pokémon League tournament?"
As they walked, Diancie asked from where she was curled up in his arms.
She knew Gardevoir had left this time to take part in a human competition.
Diancie wasn't unfamiliar with League tournaments either.
A hundred years ago, she'd even watched the very first Kalos League.
She was deeply fascinated by competitions in which humans and Pokémon fought as one.
She wanted to team up with Elias too.
When a sparkling, shining Diancie stood on the battle stage, she'd certainly draw everyone's eyes.
Seeing how eager Diancie looked, Elias couldn't help but feel surprised.
He hadn't expected her to be interested in the League.
However…
"If you want to enter, we'll have to wait until the year after next."
This year's registration had already closed. If they wanted in, they'd have to wait until the next one.
"Mhm!"
Diancie nodded, unconcerned.
A few years were nothing to her.
"We could even participate every year afterward. Maybe we'll become an urban legend."
Diancie giggled behind her hand.
In her mind, she and Elias would live together for a very, very long time.
Thinking of all the happy days ahead, Diancie felt the burden of the giant diamond issue lighten somewhat.
...
[All the way home, Diancie's eyes sparkled as she planned out their future life.]
[Clearly, despite her long life, she'd rarely traveled far.]
[If given the chance, Diancie would probably want to see the entire world.]
[Only deep into the night did she finally fall asleep, gently soothed into dreams by you.]
[Over the following days, Diancie seemed even more motivated. Without reminders, she began her daily training independently.]
[Meanwhile, your contact with Lysandre grew increasingly frequent.]
...
"Mr. Elias—three reports per day… isn't that a bit much?"
On the other end of the communicator, Lysandre scratched at his lion-like hair, asking uncertainly.
Just two days ago, as Team Flare's Deputy Leader, Elias had issued an order—
Every morning, noon, and evening, Team Flare must report Yveltal's approximate location to him, and simulate its possible routes for the next half-day.
Simultaneously, they had to systematically search through forested regions for signs of Xerneas.
These two tasks sounded simple, but in practice the workload was enormous.
From Team Flare's executives down to the ordinary members, everyone suffered daily.
The extra work pushed many to the brink of collapse.
If Team Flare hadn't expanded in scale recently, with relatively ample manpower, they likely would've collapsed from exhaustion within just a few days.