[With Fennekin officially caught in a Poké Ball, Diancie—no matter how unwilling—could only accept the reality of another Pokémon joining the household.]
[Her greatest regret today was not destroying that Poké Ball quickly enough.]
[Under Diantha's guidance, you headed to the library to select the books you needed.]
[To your surprise, Diantha's library was indeed vast, easily rivaling the Kalos Library in Shalour City.]
---
"You don't want to pick a few more?" Diantha asked, pursing her lips slightly as she eyed the four books in Elias's hands.
Normally, she rarely set foot in this library. If not for Mr. Mime diligently cleaning it, these books might have long gathered a thick layer of dust.
Rather than letting them sit neglected, she hoped they might pique Elias's interest.
"I probably wouldn't finish more than this anyway," Elias shook his head, smiling slightly.
"I'll just come back for more once I'm done with these," he added after a brief thought.
At that, Diantha's eyes lit up instantly.
That's right—this would only mean Elias would visit more often. That was certainly good news.
Satisfied, Diantha didn't press him further.
---
[Having selected your books, night had fully settled.]
[You'd already spent too much time today with Lysandre, so it couldn't be helped.]
[Seeing Diancie's slightly resentful expression, you borrowed Diantha's kitchen to prepare a lavish dinner.]
---
"La-lu~"
Ralts let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, happily nibbling from the small bowl before her.
Diantha never neglected her meals, yet she'd still never tasted anything quite this good.
Above all else, Ralts suspected the key lay in how Elias handled ingredients with his psychic powers.
Just the residual psychic energy alone was enough to rank this dish as a delicacy in her heart.
---
[After dinner, Mr. Mime quickly cleared away the plates.]
[Then, Diantha extended an invitation for you to stay overnight.]
---
"It's already quite late. Traveling home now could be dangerous," Diantha explained seriously.
While she admittedly had selfish reasons for wanting Elias to stay, it genuinely was risky to travel late at night, considering powerful Pokémon often roamed about.
"Diancie, what do you think?" Elias gently squeezed Diancie's small hand as he asked.
"Hmm..." Diancie had been deeply frowning ever since she heard Diantha's suggestion, carefully weighing her options.
Yet the more she thought about it, the more she realized there wasn't really a safe choice anywhere.
Returning to Cogita's cottage meant facing Cogita's watchful eyes.
Staying here involved dealing with the ever-scheming Diantha.
And returning underground, Dianna wasn't someone she could easily fool either.
But among these choices, Diantha seemed the easiest to handle…
"F-fine… Let's stay overnight," Diancie finally agreed reluctantly.
Thinking more deeply, she realized having Elias by her side seemed dangerous no matter where they stayed.
She really shouldn't have shown him off so proudly before…
Seeing Diancie actually relent, Diantha was stunned for a moment before quickly breaking into a bright smile.
Success!
Now that even Diancie had agreed, Elias could only sigh quietly and nod along.
He could already imagine how long Cogita would interrogate him tomorrow once they returned.
A short while later, Diantha arranged for Elias to stay in the room directly next to hers.
"Elias, I'll prepare a proper room for you soon."
"Sorry, but please bear with this for tonight," Diantha said somewhat embarrassedly, glancing around the room's clearly feminine decor.
This room originally belonged to a very close friend who occasionally stayed overnight during visits.
Ideally, she would have arranged a different room for Elias—but this was the only other suitable room left near hers.
If she put him too far away, she wouldn't be satisfied either.
Thus, she could only make do temporarily.
Even so, Diantha carefully cleaned the room from top to bottom, making sure no trace of her friend's presence lingered.
Elias nodded slightly, not bothered at all.
He didn't really need sleep anyway; the room was mostly for Diancie and Fennekin.
However, upon hearing Diantha's explanation, he subconsciously glanced at the nameplate on the door.
He couldn't see clearly, but it seemed to read something like "Shi—" something.
"Ah, better not touch this pillow. It's probably dirty."
Noticing a large Garchomp-shaped pillow on a chair, Diantha swiftly removed it without hesitation.
Only Arceus knew what that Garchomp enthusiast had done with it before.
"Oh right, Diantha, have you heard of something called the 'Ultimate Weapon'?" Elias suddenly asked.
Since Diancie and Fennekin were downstairs happily munching pastries, Elias seized this chance.
Before thoroughly understanding this subject, he didn't want Diancie placing too much hope on it.
The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment if things didn't work out.
Hearing Elias's words, Diantha immediately froze for a moment.
"You… who mentioned this to you?" she cautiously replied.
As a member of an old Kalosian noble family, Diantha indeed knew about many things ordinary people considered mere legends.
And among those was the incident involving the Ultimate Weapon over a thousand years ago.
Noticing Diantha's reaction, Elias narrowed his eyes slightly.
Her subconscious expression had already confirmed Lysandre's implication—that this wasn't a simple topic.
In other words…
Lysandre likely hadn't lied to him.
"I met a strange Pokémon researcher today. He brought it up," Elias explained lightly.
Hearing this, Diantha visibly relaxed.
She'd hoped Elias wouldn't actively involve himself with something so dangerous.
But since it appeared merely to be casual interest, she decided there was no need to hide it either.
Recalling the bits of history she'd once studied, Diantha moved quietly toward the balcony, leaning casually against the railing as she spoke.
A soft breeze brushed past, gently swaying her pure white skirt.
Her slender, pale legs flashed briefly beneath, yet Elias's attention wasn't on them at all.
Instead, Diantha's clear voice drew him in completely, drifting over to him with the gentle wind.
Almost from the very beginning, Elias's attention was firmly captured.
Because the first thing Diantha recounted was the death of a Floette—and the first desperate attempt by its master, the king of Kalos at that time, was to resurrect his beloved Floette…
---
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