Wait.
All of a sudden, Lysandre remembered—Elias's goal had always seemed to be treating Diancie's body.
So…
From the very beginning, he'd been aiming for Xerneas?
"You're planning to persuade Xerneas to help?"
That was the only possibility Lysandre could think of.
Compared to Yveltal, Xerneas did have a gentler temperament—but that didn't mean it was weak.
Otherwise, the Kalos ecosystem would've collapsed long ago. Those two Legendary Pokémon couldn't have remained locked in conflict for so many years without balance.
Yet to Lysandre's surprise, Elias shook his head, rejecting the idea.
"Xerneas was asleep before this. It was forced out this time."
"Put yourself in its place—would you be willing to help the person who disturbed your rest?"
Elias asked calmly.
Lysandre frowned.
True. Forget Xerneas—even waking a Chansey while it was resting would probably earn you a beating.
And Legendary Pokémon were proud by nature.
Without their recognition, there was no chance they'd offer help.
Then…
"Mr. Elias… you're not actually planning to settle this by force, are you?"
Lysandre swallowed and asked carefully.
Who fought Yveltal and then immediately turned around to face Xerneas?
Even League tournaments didn't arrange matchups like that—let alone against Kalos's two strongest Pokémon.
Behind Elias, Delphox scratched her head.
What Elias and "Pyroar" were talking about was completely beyond her.
As for Yveltal and Xerneas, she knew even less—nothing at all.
But from "Pyroar's" tone, it sounded like more trouble was coming.
Realizing that, Delphox's expression tightened.
Elias's safety was always her top priority.
She'd already grown into a big fox, and Diancie hadn't followed them.
This time, Elias's safety rested entirely on her shoulders.
And even if she didn't understand their conversation, she did have the ability to glimpse the future.
Earlier, back at the house, there hadn't been enough time for a second reading.
Now that she remembered, Delphox didn't hesitate for a moment—she immediately pulled out her wand.
An orange-yellow flame bloomed at its tip, casting a soft glow.
Delphox took a deep breath and focused on the flame.
Perhaps because she believed the battle was already over, she entered the state with ease this time.
The flame slowly spread, like an orange-lit screen.
And from Delphox's perspective, a future scene began to take shape, piece by piece.
Clatter—!
The instant she saw it clearly, Delphox's pupils shrank violently, and the wand slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground.
Even at the most dangerous moment of the earlier fight, she'd never let go of her wand.
Hearing the sound, both Elias and Lysandre turned to look.
The moment he saw Delphox's expression, Elias knew what she'd done.
"Delphox."
He called softly, his voice as gentle as ever.
But Delphox—already snapping back to herself—jerked sharply.
Without thinking, she bent down and grabbed the wand.
At the same time, a faint white glow gathered at the tip, condensing into a small ball of psychic energy.
A psychic shock.
It wasn't very powerful, but its target was Elias—her Trainer.
Unfortunately, the fight with Yveltal had already drained most of Delphox's stamina.
Before the move could fully form, Telekinesis seized her wand.
"Del—!"
With her current strength, Delphox couldn't possibly resist.
Elias gave a light tug, and the wooden wand was already in his hand.
"Sorry."
In the next instant, Elias used Teleport and appeared behind her.
His apologetic voice brushed past her ear, carrying the faint warmth of his breath.
Under any other circumstances,
Delphox's nimble fox ears would have twitched in embarrassment, heat rushing to her face.
But now, her eyes held only urgency and fear.
Thud!
Just like in the vision she'd seen, Elias's palm landed lightly against her back.
The motion was gentle—almost like a massage.
Yet Delphox felt it clearly: a power unlike psychokinesis had taken hold of her.
A trace of Yveltal's destructive energy that Elias had secretly retained.
"DEL! (NO!)"
For the first time, within her blazing body, Delphox felt her core turn ice-cold.
The moment she'd seen the future, she'd understood his plan.
And yet…
As the destructive energy spread, her body began to stiffen rapidly.
Starting from her back, petrification raced through her limbs.
No. No!
She'd grown up—his safety was supposed to be hers to protect.
She couldn't become a stone statue!
Crk—
The petrification spread too fast.
So fast that the tears welling at the corners of her eyes never even had time to fall—before she was already a statue.
The sudden turn of events left everyone present frozen.
Lysandre couldn't comprehend it—why would Elias strike his own Pokémon, and why would his Pokémon strike back?
Off to the side, Xerosic stood with his mouth slightly open, his mind clearly unable to keep up.
Even Yveltal, trapped in the special net, went still for a brief moment.
"Mr. El—"
BOOOOM!
Before Lysandre could finish, a massive explosion thundered in the distance.
The sound was so overwhelming it drowned out even the earlier battle with Yveltal.
"Boss—Xerneas really showed up!"
Staring at the instruments as the Life Energy readings shot past the limit, Xerosic's eyes widened.
Xerneas?
That much, Lysandre had expected.
Then… what Pokémon was fighting it—something capable of causing a disturbance like this?
A chill crept up Lysandre's spine, stabbing straight into his already overloaded mind.
He realized that besides those two—
There was another ecological enforcer, one with even more terrifying power, that he'd subconsciously been ignoring all along.
And then he remembered Elias's words.
"Mr. Elias, you—!"
WHUM—
Before Lysandre could finish, an irresistible force seized him.
Not just him—Xerosic, and the Team Flare members behind them as well.
They all felt it.
The world lurched; when Lysandre's vision refocused, the scenery had completely changed.
Everyone had been Teleported to another part of the forest.
Everyone except—the heavy equipment he'd brought with him.
"Gulp."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Lysandre's temple.
---
T/N: BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_