After the Dace finished speaking, he led everyone forward and out through the nearby exit.
They emerged on a mountaintop, where the view stretched endlessly into the distance. Towering trees filled the land below, and the Allearth Forest spread outward like a living sea of green, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.
"Princess Diancie, from here on, we shall accompany you in the search for Xerneas," the Dace said, bowing slightly.
Diancie nodded firmly.
And so, the group began their journey deeper into the Allearth Forest.
------
"Ash, it feels like you've been preoccupied with something this whole time," Serena suddenly whispered, leaning close to Ash's ear.
Her fragrance brushed against him, and Ash couldn't help but smile. He reached out and gently pressed down on her head.
"Yeah… I've been thinking about capturing a certain Pokémon."
"Oh? Which Pokémon do you want to capture? The Allearth Forest is full of many kinds of Pokémon—I'll help you look," Serena offered eagerly, hoping Ash could complete his twenty-two-goal mission sooner.
Ash's lips curled into a knowing grin.
"The one I want to capture is… Yveltal."
"…What!?"
Serena gasped, her rosy lips parting in shock.
"What's wrong? Surprised?" Ash chuckled.
Shaking her head, Serena replied softly, "No… I just think, if it's you, Ash, then anything you set your mind to—you can achieve."
To others, capturing Yveltal sounded impossible. But to Serena, who was fiercely attracted to Ash, there was no room for doubt—her Ash could do it!
-------
"Ah! I sense a strong Fairy Aura—it must be Xerneas!"
Suddenly, Diancie darted ahead toward a glowing presence.
Activating his Aura powers, Ash followed her gaze and indeed saw it: atop a high plateau stood a majestic Pokémon resembling a stag, cloaked in prismatic brilliance.
Every step it took caused flowers to bloom and trees to grow lusher. A thick wave of life energy pulsed outward, filling the air.
"Xerneas! Xerneas!"
Diancie ran to it, her voice trembling with joy.
Xerneas, however, stepped lightly, its body gliding like a drifting spirit, moving farther away. But at last, Diancie managed to catch up.
"I understand your purpose," came a soft, gentle voice—Xerneas's telepathy. "Then I shall grant it to you."
Ash and the others stopped at a respectful distance, watching in awe.
From Xerneas's magnificent rainbow antlers burst streams of radiant multicolored light. The energy of life itself flowed outward like rain, revitalizing the land. Pokémon across the forest poked their heads out curiously, drawn by the surge.
Bathed in this flood of Fairy Aura, Diancie felt something deep within her begin to awaken—a hidden power stirring to life!
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere, four figures had gathered at the fabled resting place of the Cocoon of Destruction: the notorious father-daughter thieves, Argus and Millis, as well as the smaller-time crooks, Riot and Merilyn.
Strangely, all four had the same idea: to use the legend of the Cocoon of Destruction to frighten Ash's group.
"Ha! Cocoon of Destruction? What a joke. There's nothing here except this lake!" Argus laughed boisterously, standing at the water's edge.
Millis's eyes narrowed as she turned to the other two.
"You two will check the lake for us. Don't make us dirty our own hands."
Yes—after bumping into each other, Riot and Merilyn had quickly been overpowered by Argus and Millis, leaving them little choice but to comply.
Grinding his teeth, Riot sent his Greninja diving into the lake to investigate. But the Pokémon found nothing.
Sharing a glance, Merilyn and Riot both jumped into the water themselves.
Still—nothing.
This emboldened Argus and Millis, who soon followed, wading into the depths with their Pokémon.
But then…
"…Wait." Millis's sharp eyes spotted something strange.
The water around them had shifted—black and violet streaks were slowly spreading across the lake.
"This… doesn't feel right. Maybe we should… head back to shore," Riot said uneasily.
And as if to confirm his fears—
From the depths came a sinister, bone-chilling laugh.
"Jie-jie-jie…"
Suddenly—
SPLASH!
A massive, black-and-purple cocoon erupted upward from the bottom of the lake, towering above them.
"The… Cocoon of Destruction… it's real!?"
All four froze in horror.
In a blind panic, they scrambled onto their Pokémon, desperate to flee the pit!
But the giant cocoon shuddered violently, cracks spreading across its surface—
And then it split open.
From its depths emerged the Destruction Pokémon itself—Yveltal!
"JIEEEE!!! JIEEEE!!!"
With a blood-curdling roar, the newly awakened Yveltal spread its vast crimson-and-black wings, its body radiating waves of destructive energy.
Its glowing eyes locked immediately onto the intruders who had dared disturb its slumber.
Those who awaken the God of Destruction… must be punished!
Yveltal's wings pulsed, releasing surges of annihilation.
Dark beams of Oblivion Wing carved through the forest, draining life from everything they touched.
-----
At the same time, back with Ash's group—
Even Ash himself hadn't expected it. Because of the thieves' meddling, Yveltal had awakened in this way.
Just as Diancie was about to finish receiving Xerneas's blessing and return to save her crumbling Diamond Domain, a terrible cry tore through the skies—
"JIEEEEE!!!"
Yveltal was here!
It had already petrified its earlier trespassers, draining their life force. Now, tasting destruction, it reveled in spreading chaos further!
"Wh-what!? Who could have awakened Yveltal from its slumber!?" Dace trembled, gazing upward in horror.
The sky itself darkened under Yveltal's ominous wings.
Serena turned toward Ash, her eyes wide with worry. But Ash only shook his head firmly.
Not yet.
If he stepped in too soon, Diancie's trial would be incomplete. She had to awaken her true power—to find her resolve. Only then could she undergo Mega Evolution.
And only as Mega Diancie could she summon the true power of Diamond Storm, forging the eternal Heart Diamond that would save her kingdom, Diamond Domain.
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