"I… I…"
Despite Diancie's voice holding not a shred of respect toward her senpai, Dianna was uncharacteristically tongue-tied.
She stepped back unconsciously, panic briefly surfacing on her face.
Normally, given her proud nature, Dianna wouldn't flinch even if Diancie was furious.
If Diancie dared speak to her without even basic respect, she'd coldly reprimand her without the slightest guilt.
But now…
Dianna had no confidence to stand firm at all.
Having witnessed everything that had just happened, she'd already guessed the likely truth.
Though she couldn't see Elias herself, Diancie clearly could.
And judging from Diancie's reaction, Elias's condition was certainly dire.
Realizing this, Dianna stumbled over her words, utterly unable to form a coherent explanation in response to Diancie's questioning.
"Di-Diancie… Let me explain."
Dianna spoke haltingly.
She hadn't forced Elias; it was he who willingly offered his help.
Yet no matter how she reasoned it, the current situation was undeniably connected to her.
Guilt and confusion mingled together, clouding her mind completely.
And Dianna's hesitant demeanor only further confirmed Diancie's suspicions.
Usually, her senpai wore an indifferent mask, always exuding subtle dignity and cold detachment.
But right now, that familiar face—so similar to her own—was filled with an anxious urgency that clearly answered all questions.
Diancie's rage flared even stronger. With a sharp wave of her hand, dozens of sharp rock shards erupted from the ground around her.
Instantly, they shot toward Dianna like a barrage of bullets, tearing through the air with piercing whistles.
Seeing this, Dianna froze, briefly unsure if she should even try to defend herself.
While she hesitated, the rock shards closed the distance in an instant.
Yet perhaps Diancie retained some shred of reason, as the stones narrowly missed Dianna's body, burying themselves deeply in the ground just behind her.
Boom—!
The thunderous impact echoed repeatedly through the empty underground chamber.
Dianna exhaled shakily, her tense body slowly relaxing.
When she turned to look again, Diancie had already crouched down anxiously beside a large rock.
From Diancie's careful movements, Dianna realized she must be cautiously checking Elias's condition.
Dianna clearly noticed small, glittering tears forming in Diancie's eyes.
Seeing this, Dianna hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached.
"Diancie… I'm sorry."
She apologized sincerely.
But Diancie seemed to have no intention of responding.
Seeing her silence, Dianna didn't feel upset. She quietly stood to one side.
Staring at the empty air before her, Dianna subconsciously bit her lip.
She desperately wished she could also see Elias as clearly as Diancie could.
But sadly…
"Can you…tell me what exactly happened?"
Before Dianna's thoughts finished forming, Diancie suddenly spoke up.
Her voice trembled faintly, clearly on the verge of tears.
Yet compared to her earlier angry outburst, she seemed to have regained a bit of calm.
...
Moments later, Diancie fell into absolute silence.
All this time, she'd been deeply curious about what Elias and her senpai were hiding from her.
Yet now that she knew the truth, she felt no happiness at all.
Just remembering how she'd gotten angry with Elias previously made her heart ache sharply, like it was being pierced repeatedly.
"Your Highness… I'm sorry."
Diancie softly apologized, her voice subdued.
Earlier, she'd lost control of her emotions.
The moment she'd seen Elias collapsed and unconscious, rationality had vanished completely from her mind.
Hearing Diancie's apology, Dianna simply nodded without further comment.
Diancie's reaction was entirely understandable.
If their positions were reversed, and her own Ghost companion lay unconscious before someone else, she'd also lose all sense of composure.
In fact…
Even imagining another Pokémon bullying Elias now made her angry.
Pa—
Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out through the air.
From Diancie's perspective, Elias's form slowly faded, dissolving into countless shimmering specks of light, all swiftly drawn back into the diamond lying nearby.
That diamond was the very same one Elias had originally inhabited.
Diancie's face paled momentarily in panic.
But soon, she realized what had happened—Elias's form could no longer sustain itself, and he had retreated back into the diamond, entering a deep slumber again.
Exactly the same as when she'd first found him.
"Your Highness, I want to go rest now."
Diancie carefully picked up the diamond, her voice listless and drained.
"Mm."
Dianna nodded lightly.
Her eyes drifted unconsciously toward the diamond in Diancie's hands. Briefly, she considered asking if she could temporarily take custody of it.
But after a moment, she abandoned that unrealistic thought.
Diancie would never agree—
At least…not right now.
Suppressing her fleeting desire, Dianna gently said:
"Go get some rest. Elias… He'll be fine."
Even as she spoke, Dianna herself felt uncertain.
Although Elias had explicitly told her he'd only sleep for a while, after witnessing the continuous life energy pouring into her body, she found it difficult to believe completely.
Then, reaching out and gently pressing her fingers against her restored, healthy body, she felt an inexplicable warmth fill her heart.
Since the day of her birth, no one had ever treated her with such kindness before…
On those days when Elias treated her using the [Power of Viridian], if the timing was right, he'd always prepare a delicious meal afterward.
That was precisely why she'd always chosen their sessions around mealtimes.
Thinking about those moments, Dianna's gaze softened considerably.
No matter what it takes, I'll find a way to awaken him.
On the other side, Diancie simply nodded numbly in response to Dianna's reassurance.
"Your Highness, please take care of yourself as well."
Recalling that Dianna had only just recovered herself, Diancie gently reminded her before turning away.
Then, clutching the diamond tightly, she walked slowly back toward her room.
In just one night, everything had changed so drastically that Diancie felt utterly overwhelmed.
Upon returning to her room, she placed the diamond carefully onto her desk and stared blankly at it, lost in thought.
Suddenly recalling something, she pulled out the gift Elias had given her a few days ago—
The notebook filled with detailed training plans.
At the time, she'd thought it strange that Elias would compile something like this.
After all, he was always the one who arranged her training sessions personally.
But thinking about it now…
Elias must have anticipated exactly this kind of situation long ago.
It was she who hadn't realized sooner.