After a brief moment of stunned silence, Dianna quickly regained her composure.
She turned her head slightly away and sternly refused.
"No. When the time comes, the underground will be in chaos. If you stay here, you'll just make things worse."
Even though she knew he wasn't merely in Ghost Form, and could skillfully wield three powers—Psychic, Aura, and the Power of Viridian—Dianna still couldn't rest easy.
When the underground descended into chaos, nobody could guarantee what would happen.
Dianna's refusal was naturally within Elias's expectations.
He'd guessed long ago she wouldn't agree, but…
That wasn't his real goal anyway.
With that in mind, he continued, "Dianna, if the diamond collapses, even if you remain here alone, it won't change the outcome."
Elias's words weren't exaggerated.
Only a handful of Pokémon could handle a large-scale upheaval, and Dianna clearly wasn't among them.
Dianna understood this too, but her responsibilities as queen wouldn't let her flee with a clear conscience.
Ultimately, it had come to this because of her injury back then.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have rushed Diancie into existence, leaving Diancie born with a weak body.
Seeing Elias's stubbornness, Dianna fell silent.
Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she raised her head again.
"Elias… you really can't use Life Energy to repair the diamond?"
Her question was filled with suspicion.
It wasn't that she had changed her mind and wanted him to sacrifice himself.
Rather…
Seeing him struggle so hard to stay behind, she felt an inexplicable surge of fear.
As if he were planning something.
She worried that he'd lied to her and Diancie—that Life Energy actually could repair the diamond.
That he intended to sacrifice his own life to extend the diamond's lifespan.
If that were true, she'd do whatever it took to keep him far away from the giant diamond.
Seeing that Dianna seemed to suspect something, Elias's heart tightened slightly.
A Pokémon's instincts were truly frightening.
Fortunately, Dianna's question wasn't critical.
As her words fell, a puff of pink light flared in her hand.
A moment later, she tossed over a palm-sized diamond.
Elias caught it lightly and saw it covered with cracks—like a miniature version of the giant diamond.
He immediately understood what Dianna meant.
The corner of his mouth curved slightly. Under her gaze, Elias released a small amount of Life Energy and the Power of Viridian.
The two green-glimmering energies intertwined, enveloping the diamond in an instant.
One second…
Two seconds…
...
Several seconds passed, yet the cracks on the diamond's surface showed no signs of healing.
Clearly, energies capable of healing living wounds couldn't fix cracks in a diamond.
Dianna visibly relaxed.
Right—how could life-restoring energy affect something lifeless like a diamond?
She'd been overthinking things.
"If you still don't trust me, have Diancie stay with me for a while."
"You can use that time to handle matters in the human world."
"When the diamond's about to collapse—those final days—you can take her to the surface."
Dianna waved her small hand, laying down her final condition.
Compared to Elias, Diancie was easier to control.
When the time came, even if Diancie refused to leave, Dianna had ways of forcing her to safety.
But Elias was another matter entirely…
Hearing Dianna's demand, a subtle flash of satisfaction crossed Elias's eyes.
Goal achieved.
If Diancie accompanied him now, she would cling closely, giving him no chance at all to provoke Yveltal.
But if she spent time by Dianna's side, his own movements would open up significantly.
Without realizing it, Dianna had solved the final headache Elias was wrestling with.
Seeing that Elias still hadn't responded, Dianna spoke first.
"This is my greatest concession. No matter what, I'm still the queen of this people."
A hint of her usual authority surfaced.
She wasn't afraid to bear responsibility, nor was she afraid of staying underground despite the danger.
"If we're lucky, after the unrest… seeing each other again won't be difficult."
She patted Elias's arm comfortingly.
At her words, Elias's gaze darkened briefly—then quickly returned to normal.
"I understand. For now, let Diancie keep you company a little longer," he replied, sounding as if he had no other choice.
Seeing Elias give in, a triumphant smile appeared on Dianna's face.
This time, she'd finally managed to look like a proper queen before him.
"Elias, this is already good. If not for your help, a hundred years ago I would've succumbed to Yveltal's energy."
After her smile faded, Dianna spoke sincerely.
She'd never forgotten—if Diancie hadn't found Elias first, and if Diancie weren't her successor, she would've snatched him away long ago.
As things stood, this was the best possible arrangement.
Once the unrest ended, with Elias's help, Diancie would only need a few years to fully master diamond creation.
Then… they could simply rebuild the Underground Kingdom.
…
In the end, Dianna concluded the conversation, satisfied.
Off to the side, Elias quietly studied Dianna for a moment.
She said nothing else, a faint smile still lingering on her lips.
Though she appeared untroubled, Elias still detected a trace of guilt beneath her expression.
So…
Even though she claimed she wasn't afraid, deep down Dianna still felt some fear.
After all, even as queen, she couldn't guarantee emerging from the upheaval unscathed.
In the following days, restless voices among the people grew increasingly louder, spreading anxiety everywhere.
Gradually, even other Pokémon living underground began to grow uneasy.
Much like the giant diamond, the dwindling Life Energy inside Elias's body was also running out.
"Lysandre, send me a standard set of equipment used by Pokémon hunters."
Staring at his now slightly more transparent hands, Elias spoke into the communicator.
His body was close to dissipating, but after a year of training, his combat power had actually risen significantly.
At the very least, his skills with Psychic and Aura were no longer inferior to Pokémon specialized in them.