She had gained the upper hand, yet Xerneas felt no joy.
She'd had a favorable impression of that human ghost. If possible… she'd have preferred not to fulfill such a painful request for him.
Moreover…
Now that she'd reclaimed his blessing, Xerneas was certain it wasn't something she'd ever granted.
The reason was simple: if she'd lost so much power before, there was no way she wouldn't have noticed.
Even if she overlooked it, Yveltal—always vigilant—would never have ignored such an opportunity.
That stupid bird wouldn't miss any chance to defeat her.
Yet, this realization only deepened her confusion.
She could no longer clearly define her relationship with that ghost.
As Xerneas pondered, the smoke nearby gradually cleared.
When Zygarde reemerged, it had completely halted its absorption of cells.
Facing Xerneas, it hesitated.
In its understanding, absorbing cells should have made it stronger.
Yet after their clash, it had ended up at a disadvantage.
The faint mist lingering around made Zygarde—a Dragon-type Pokémon—feel inexplicably uneasy.
It glanced at Xerneas, intending to replicate its earlier attack with Extreme Speed.
However…
This time, a green aura flashed across Xerneas's body first.
GIGA IMPACT!
The instant the green light appeared, Xerneas charged forward, trailing a brilliant streak behind her.
Zygarde's cumbersome serpent body left no room to evade. It hastily raised its tail, countering with Strength.
Thud—!
A dull collision rang out, the resulting shockwave rapidly clearing away the mist.
Xerneas stumbled back two steps, head buzzing from the impact.
The difference in size gave Zygarde an inherent advantage.
Yet Zygarde wasn't unscathed.
Two clear wounds appeared on its scales—pierced by Xerneas's antlers.
Zygarde began to question if it had been asleep too long, becoming obsolete.
This multicolored deer it once easily subdued had suddenly grown shockingly powerful—as if she'd consumed something extraordinary.
Zygarde felt uneasy sensing another powerful Pokémon nearby.
The type energy storm in the distance signaled a Pokémon no weaker than itself.
Shing—!
While Zygarde was distracted, a sharp sound split the air.
Xerneas tapped a forehoof, and a psychic blade stabbed neatly into the ground beside Yveltal.
A hair's breadth closer, and the blade would have freed Yveltal from its capture net.
"Zygarde, this destruction was mostly caused by Yveltal."
"Let this incident end here. I'll personally restore the ecosystem afterward."
Xerneas lifted her head confidently, negotiating with Zygarde.
That ghost had given her the confidence she needed.
In the past, Zygarde would never entertain such an absurd request.
But now… it actually paused to consider it.
Xerneas's intent was clear. Refusal would mean she might release Yveltal at any moment.
Furthermore, this ecological disaster… didn't seem to involve her.
Most importantly, Zygarde lacked full confidence.
Without its complete form, victory seemed unlikely…
The air froze into silence.
Several seconds later, Zygarde's enormous body slowly turned, retreating in the direction it came.
Clearly, it had chosen compromise.
Watching Zygarde leave, Xerneas released an almost human sigh of relief.
Normally, today's events would have spelled her certain doom.
She glanced down at her chest, considering.
Rather than "reclaiming a blessing"…
It felt as though that ghost had bestowed one upon her.
Shaking her head, Xerneas ignored Yveltal's struggling beside her, looking instead toward Diancie in the distance.
This was the Pokémon the ghost had willingly given his life to save…
Narrowing her eyes, she lightly tapped her forehooves, racing swiftly toward Diancie.
...
Right now.
Panic already filled Dianna's expression.
Something was wrong with Diancie.
Very wrong!
Because of her birth defect, Diancie's strength had always progressed slowly.
Yet, in mere minutes, Diancie's aura had surpassed Dianna's own.
Dianna didn't know what was happening, but she was certain of one thing: Diancie was drawing power from the giant diamond.
She felt it clearly—the giant diamond's energy was rapidly draining.
"Have I gone mad too?"
Dianna muttered, dazed.
The giant diamond would soon be prematurely destroyed by Diancie. As queen, she should have done everything possible to stop it.
Yet…
Minutes had passed, and all she'd done was send word to the Carbink near the territory to evacuate immediately.
Yes. She didn't want to stop Diancie.
Quite the opposite—she hoped Diancie would become stronger.
She wanted Yveltal to pay. She wanted Xerneas to regret what it had done!
The thought took hold in her mind, impossible to shake off no matter how she tried.
In this moment, she no longer wanted to be a proper queen.
She only wanted to be a proper Pokémon—and avenge her master…
Tap!
Suddenly, something landed lightly nearby.
Xerneas gracefully touched down before Diancie.
Seeing two Diancie, Xerneas froze.
Don't tell her she had to bless both of them?
Confused, she observed them carefully—and quickly locked onto the Diancie in the center of the type storm.
Exactly as the human ghost had described: weak constitution from birth.
To a Pokémon born frail, the Legendary Life Pokémon might as well have been a god.
Because she could heal her.
Xerneas had assumed this Diancie would collapse in shock upon seeing her.
She'd even prepared herself to catch her.
Yet…
When Diancie saw her, the tiny Pokémon's pupils contracted sharply, fists tightly clenched.
Her whole body trembled slightly.
Xerneas abruptly halted.
For some reason, an icy chill ran down her spine.
---
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