Diancie's Request (Two-in-One Chapter)

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar looked at the two people across from them, along with Delphox and Greninja, then at Diancie, who was backing away with a frightened expression.

It lightly scratched its head.

Friends?

Friends?

Larvitar "awakened" and raised its little hand to wave at them.

"Yoji!"

Hello there!

Millis and Marilyn Flame didn't understand what Gengar and Larvitar's situation was, but...

"They're here to catch me!" Diancie immediately shouted.

Hm?

Gengar and Larvitar's expressions immediately changed.

Catch Diancie?

This was their "friend," an existence that could produce rare and precious pink diamonds for them!

But Millis and Marilyn Flame were obviously faster.

Attack!

"Delphox, Mystical Fire!"

"Woo—!!"

Delphox, draped in red and yellow fur, let out a low cry, as if chanting a spell. The branch in its hand, or rather its wand, burning with flames, gently traced a circle of fire in the air, immediately causing a ball of flame wrapped in mysterious power to spew forth.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

Standing on the treetop, Greninja maintained a cold expression, spreading both hands. Several water shuriken glowing with blue light immediately appeared in its hands, which it threw at Larvitar without hesitation.

"Be careful!" Diancie was the first to cry out in alarm.

Seeing the attacks incoming, although Johan wasn't commanding them, Gengar and Larvitar's reaction speed was still quite good.

"Yoji!"

Larvitar stomped heavily on the ground, and with a "rumble," numerous cracks appeared on the ground surface. Rocks of various sizes shot up, forming a dense stone wall.

Bang bang bang—

Greninja's Water Shuriken struck the broken rocks, shattering them further, but failed to attack Larvitar.

At the same time.

Gengar grinned maliciously, making strange sounds as black mist surged from its body, making the already dim forest even darker.

Simultaneously, within the black mist, a black sphere appeared, like a black hole. Delphox's Mystical Fire disappeared without a trace the moment it entered!

This...

Seeing this scene, both Millis and Marilyn Flame showed surprised expressions.

These two Pokémon that had appeared out of nowhere seemed to have considerable strength.

"Yoji! (Д)σ"

You saw it, they attacked first!

Larvitar looked at Diancie, then pointed at Millis and Greninja in the tree.

Hearing this, Diancie was stunned and unconsciously nodded.

"Mm-hmm."

Having found a "witness," Larvitar immediately became energized.

At the Battle Chateau, it hadn't had a chance to battle in the final match, and was still feeling unsatisfied. Now someone was delivering themselves to its doorstep!

Larvitar's gaze locked firmly onto Greninja.

For some unknown reason, being stared at by Larvitar like this, Millis's Greninja suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.

Moreover, the black mist spreading around them, and the disappeared Gengar, also made it quite uneasy.

Not only Greninja felt this way, but Millis and Marilyn Flame did too. Delphox's Mystical Fire had just been "devoured" like that?

"Join forces!" Marilyn Flame said in a low voice.

Millis wisely didn't refuse. "Deal with them first, then capture Diancie!"

Just then.

"Ka-kaah~(▼皿▼)" Gengar suddenly appeared between Marilyn Flame and Delphox, poking its head out from behind them.

You two have already been surrounded by us~

This cold feeling, combined with the sudden appearance, made Marilyn Flame and Delphox's faces change dramatically.

"Delphox!" Marilyn Flame hastily called out.

"Woo!"

Without needing Marilyn Flame's command, Delphox had already reacted. Its entire body was surrounded by psychic energy waves as it launched a Psychic attack mixed with mental power toward Gengar at its side.

Poof—

However.

Gengar dispersed like a bubble.

Fake?

At the same time.

Greninja on the treetop wrapped its scarf-like tongue around itself and spat out a Water Gun at Larvitar, then its body glowed with white light as it rushed toward Larvitar at extreme speed.

Bang!!

The Water Gun was once again blocked by the rocks Larvitar had shaken up.

But Greninja also used Quick Attack to reach Larvitar's side, where there were no rocks blocking it.

Greninja maintained its cold expression, glancing sideways at Larvitar while holding two large Water Shuriken in its palms, striking toward Larvitar's side at incredible speed.

Thwack! Thwack!

The large Water Shuriken grazed past Larvitar's small body.

Greninja's eyes showed some satisfaction.

It had seen Larvitar-type Pokémon before. They were 4x weak to Water-type moves. As long as attacks weren't blocked and hit accurately...

But the next second.

The satisfaction in Greninja's eyes was replaced by bewilderment.

Where its Water Shuriken had struck, Larvitar's body showed a metallic luster.

Iron Defense?

This hard?

"Yoji!"

That really hurt!!

Larvitar cried out in pain, making a pained expression.

Although it looked like Iron Defense had blocked the attack, it really did hurt!

However...

"Yoji!"

I caught you!

Larvitar's seemingly honest eyes showed some cunning.

Only then did Greninja seem to realize something. Looking down, it discovered that its tongue had somehow been grabbed by Larvitar!

When did this happen?!

"Yoji!!"

Power!!

Dragon Dance!

Taking advantage of the earlier rock cover blocking vision, Larvitar's Dragon Dance had already completed its boost!

It grabbed Greninja's tongue and then swung it hard toward the ground on the other side.

Bang!!

The seemingly small Larvitar unleashed unimaginable power, slamming Greninja heavily to the ground.

Moreover, the little one didn't hesitate to lift its foot again and stomp down heavily.

Rumble—

The ground suddenly shook as a huge crack rapidly spread from under Larvitar's foot, heading straight for Greninja lying on the ground.

Seeing this scene, Millis's pupils contracted sharply.

Fissure?!

He quickly shouted:

"Greninja!"

The Greninja on the ground also hastily tried to get up, but its tongue was still being held by Larvitar and couldn't break free.

The next moment.

Rumble!!!

The fissure, carrying rich Ground-type energy, completely "devoured" Greninja.

Witnessing the entire process, Millis stood in the tree with twitching eyes.

What the hell kind of Larvitar was this?

A Tyranitar wearing Larvitar skin?

It was clearly just a cub, yet it could display such strength...

Although he, Millis, couldn't claim to be an incredibly powerful Pokémon hunter, he had quite a reputation in the Kalos region. Never mind anything else, even some Gym Leaders in the Kalos region, he wouldn't fear.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have set his sights on Diancie.

But his main ace Greninja, despite having type advantage, was actually... taught a lesson by a Larvitar?

This result far exceeded his expectations.

Wait!

Millis suddenly realized - where was Marilyn Flame?

Weren't they supposed to fight together?

Millis quickly turned toward where Marilyn Flame and Delphox had been, only to see their previous location was pitch black with nothing left...

Hm?

Where did they go?

Then, a lazy voice suddenly came from behind Millis.

"Ka-kaah?"

Are you looking for them?

Thud—Thud—

He saw Marilyn Flame and Delphox being thrown out of the black mist, falling to the ground, having already lost their ability to move.

Seeing this scene, Millis's pupils contracted.

As fellow famous Pokémon hunters, Millis and Marilyn Flame were basically rivals, and they'd competed numerous times, so they were quite familiar with each other's strength.

Yet he never imagined that Marilyn Flame, whom he found quite troublesome, would be subdued without even making much of a commotion?

This Gengar, this Larvitar... what exactly were these two Pokémon...

Before his various thoughts could finish flashing through his mind, Millis felt his thinking becoming extremely muddled, his eyelids starting to fight each other.

Hyp... Hypnosis?

The next second, Millis fell straight down from the tree, landing on the ground together with Marilyn Flame and Delphox.

Clap clap clap—

Gengar grinned, clapping its hands as it emerged from the black mist. The fog that had been spreading around gradually dispersed, turning into wisps of mist that returned to its body.

Done.

It thought they were some big shots, but turned out... that's all?

Larvitar mimicked Gengar's clapping, feeling unsatisfied. It turned toward the ground and...

Ptui!

Diancie stared blankly at the nonchalant Gengar and Larvitar, opening its mouth but not knowing what to say.

It just felt these two Pokémon were really strong.

If they were its guards, it should be able to find Xerneas more safely, right?

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar waved its hand, drawing out several wisps of black mist from its body that wrapped around the unconscious Millis, Marilyn Flame, Delphox, and Greninja on the ground.

Let's go find Johan.

Larvitar moved a rock from the side, carefully covering the cracks in the stone, patting it firm.

Can't let someone else claim what they'd be coming back to dig later.

"Regieleki, stop electrifying, I'm numb..."

In the tent, Johan mumbled.

"Regi?"

Regieleki looked confused, looking left and right, then shrugged.

I didn't use electricity...

Johan groggily awakened from his dream, took out a Rawst Berry from his pocket and bit into it, then wiped his face and sat up, saying somewhat irritably:

"Gengar!"

Gengar, which had been crouched beside Johan preparing to continue licking, suddenly stood up, put its hands on its hips, pursed its lips and started whistling, with one foot constantly swaying, looking like it was saying "I don't know what you're talking about."

Johan shook his head, not wanting to say more about this. He was long used to it.

There was just one thing he didn't understand.

After being licked by Gengar for so long - almost a year now - how had he still not developed resistance?

With his current physical condition, plus aura, he shouldn't be considered an ordinary person anymore, right?

Johan lifted the tent flap and peeked outside. The moon hung in the west, the sun hadn't risen in the east yet, but there was a faint purple glow.

He picked up the Rotom Pokédex to check the time.

Great, 4 AM.

"You better have something important..." Putting on clothes while biting the Rawst Berry, Johan walked out of the tent irritably.

Although he said this, Johan understood Gengar's nature. Unless there was really something important, it would never wake him at this hour.

When he walked out of the tent, he was shocked by the scene before him.

Diamonds!

A pile of diamonds!

Various sizes, all irregular shapes, but undoubtedly all diamonds. The pile was... almost as tall as Urshifu, more than what he'd bought from Steven last time.

Beside that pile of diamonds, Larvitar sat with arms crossed and legs up, looking very proud.

"Did you guys... go rob the Diamond Kingdom?" Johan asked, taking the half-eaten Rawst Berry from his mouth.

"No, no... not from the Diamond Kingdom."

A soft, weak voice came from the side.

Following the voice.

"Diancie?" Johan's eyes widened slightly.

Then he looked toward Larvitar and Gengar. You two really did rob the Diamond Kingdom?

Even brought back Diamond Princess Diancie?

"Ka-kaah~Ka-kaah~"

Gengar quickly pointed behind the diamond pile.

Johan walked around the diamond pile with confusion, and saw the tied-up Millis and Marilyn Flame.

"They are..."

Looking at their appearance, Johan slowly frowned, feeling somewhat serious.

Then, Gengar and Larvitar took turns telling their story in a jumbled manner.

Although their account was a bit chaotic, Johan roughly understood the sequence and general process.

Last night, Gengar and Larvitar went out to mine minerals, accidentally dug into a diamond vein, then encountered the pursued Diancie and her two pursuers. Gengar and Larvitar helped Diancie and defeated these two.

Watching Gengar stick out its tongue around its neck and throw black shuriken, Johan's mouth twitched.

With that pose, any Pokémon fan would know what it was imitating.

Greninja!

Combined with Larvitar beside it holding a branch pretending to breathe fire, plus the two people on the ground...

"So it's them." Johan crouched in front of the two people, recognizing them.

These were exactly the thieves from the movie "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction" who tried to capture Diancie, attempting to make it create diamonds.

They even accidentally entered the sleeping place of Yveltal's "Cocoon of Destruction" while pursuing Diancie later, awakening Yveltal.

However, when the plot completely ended, the two seemed to have reformed and even became a couple, opening a cosplay clothing store together.

Millis and Marilyn Flame had already awakened. When they saw that the person who walked out of the tent was actually Teacher Johan, they knew they were doomed.

The two looked at each other.

Both saw shock in the other's eyes.

It was actually Teacher Johan!

They should have thought of it earlier, really. When they encountered such a powerful Gengar, they should have thought of it.

Teacher Johan!

Said to have at least Elite Four-level strength, even comparable to Champions!

They were screwed.

However, their mouths were also sealed, so they could only make "mmm" sounds.

Johan smiled slightly, took out his International Police Inspector credentials from his clothes, and said:

"Sorry, you two are under arrest."

Millis and Marilyn Flame dejectedly hung their heads, accepting their fate.

There was no choice - they definitely couldn't win in a fight. No wait, they were already tied up and didn't even have a chance to fight.

He'd call Officer Jenny to take them away later.

However, Johan remembered that in the movie "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction," there was another group of powerful Pokémon hunters, even more formidable than these two, and also knowledgeable.

It seemed to be a father-daughter pair.

Knowing that the current Diancie couldn't yet condense real diamonds, they even protected Diancie from Millis and Marilyn Flame's capture along the way, until Diancie met Xerneas. Only when they believed Diancie had "matured" did they make their move.

He just didn't know where this father-daughter pair was now.

Because they had an invisible airship, they weren't that easy to find.

"Gengar, let them have another good sleep." Johan said.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar casually waved, and the two people wrapped in black mist soon fell into deep sleep again.

Anyway...

"Let's go dig diamonds!" Johan dug out a pickaxe from Gengar's mouth and said excitedly.

Heaven knows how much he'd worried about Larvitar's food expenses.

Others said that to train an Elite Four-level Pokémon, besides investing enormous effort and patience, you also needed to invest at least fifty million Pokédollars in resources.

Pseudo-legendary Pokémon needed even more.

After all, pseudo-legendary Pokémon were famously "late bloomers." Only after training to their complete form would they experience an explosive growth in strength, truly worthy of the "pseudo-legendary" title.

But Johan had no idea how much money he'd thrown into training just Larvitar, a cub that hadn't even evolved yet.

This didn't even count what they dug up themselves, mining at every place they visited.

Not to mention top-tier resource materials like Earth Plate fragments and Soft Sand that couldn't be bought with money.

One of Johan's purposes in coming to the Kalos region was to see if he could find a Carbink diamond vein to get some food for Larvitar, comforting his spiritually wounded wallet.

He never expected to actually find one!

Leaving Regieleki to guard the sleeping two, Johan shouldered his pickaxe and took all his little ones mining!

Today, he'd be a gold miner - no, a diamond miner!

Led by Gengar and Larvitar, Johan's group quickly found the passage to the underground diamond vein and entered it.

"Rotom, lights! Maximum power!"

"Understood, Rotom!"

Zzzt zzzt zzzt—

With some electrical current activity, the light illuminated half the underground cavern.

As the light appeared, the originally dark underground mine immediately brightened. Countless diamonds on stone pillars and walls sparkled brilliantly under the illumination, as if entering some kind of palace.

Looking at the cavern full of diamonds, all the Pokémon including Johan had the same expression:

($̀_$́)

"We're rich..."

Johan murmured softly.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar waved its hand dramatically.

Get to work!

The little ones immediately sprang into action.

Gengar manipulated black mist, Ninetales used psychic powers, Tinkaton swung its big hammer.

Dragonite and Urshifu had no special techniques but had strength, directly prying with their hands. Their efficiency wasn't low either.

Ceruledge's form flashed around the cavern as diamonds of various sizes fell one after another.

Larvitar was the most straightforward, most savage, but also most satisfying.

It directly latched onto a rock wall and used its teeth to gnaw, mining while eating, quite like picking strawberries in a strawberry field.

"Vii~"

Victini revealed its form, sitting on Johan's shoulder, cheering everyone on while not forgetting to add some energy boosts, making the "mining gang" even more motivated.

Diancie also came along, watching the "bandit"-like group with some bewilderment.

You could say they were just mining diamonds, but why did they want dirt and stones too? Were they... desperately poor?

"Ahem." Johan then remembered there was a Diamond Princess beside him.

"Diancie, what do you think of this diamond vein?" Johan asked.

Diancie snapped back to attention, looked at the diamonds that had been pried loose, and gently shook its head.

"Small village."

"Small village?"

Good grief.

So many diamonds, yet to Diancie, this was just a small village?

Diancie said softly: "According to records, originally about twenty Carbink should have lived here."

It picked up a diamond from the ground. "But these diamonds have rough, dull surfaces, obviously not polished for a long time. They're the poorest quality diamonds I've seen."

Tsk...

Johan clicked his tongue.

Poor quality...

For Diancie, or rather for Carbink Pokémon, diamonds needed polishing, whether the ones they left behind or the ones on their bodies.

If diamonds weren't polished, they'd become rough, as if covered with a layer of dust, neither bright nor beautiful. This was how they judged diamond quality.

But for Johan...

Whether diamonds were bright or not didn't matter - they'd all go into Larvitar's mouth anyway. After chewing and digesting, they'd all be the same in the end.

However, Johan also noticed the content in Diancie's words.

"About twenty Carbink?"

This diamond vein currently didn't show even a shadow of Carbink, and obviously hadn't shown signs of life for a very long time. Otherwise, Johan wouldn't have allowed his little ones to "destroy" other Pokémon's homes like this.

This was also why he was quite excited.

He'd originally thought finding a Carbink vein and trading some energy cubes for diamonds would be pretty good. He hadn't expected to encounter an abandoned vein where everything could be taken...

He just didn't know how much time those twenty-something Carbink had spent to produce so many diamonds.

It should take at least over a hundred years, right?

Diancie's expression became downcast.

"With no new Carbink being born, over time... it becomes like this."

Theoretically, Carbink also had a lifespan limit. After all, they were living beings, even if they were mineral creatures.

Although Carbink definitely lived longer than humans, in the face of the true river of time, they all ended up the same - the difference was just sooner or later.

Not only this Carbink "village," but wasn't its Diamond Kingdom the same?

After being melancholy for a while, Diancie suddenly reacted, looking toward Johan and hastily saying:

"Could, could you not take everything?"

"Hm?" Johan was stunned.

Diancie lowered its head slightly. "These diamonds, after hundreds or thousands of years, might... might give birth to new Carbink..."

Besides the Diamond Kingdom's "Eternal Crystal," wild Carbink were born this way.

If everything was taken... there'd never be a possibility of new Carbink being born here.

"And it might also collapse."

Johan understood.

You can't be too extreme in doing things.

He immediately became serious, turning to shout at his little ones:

"Don't dig everything out! We'll take fifty percent!"

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar and the other little ones all turned around, looking confused.

So many diamonds...

However, they wouldn't question Johan's words.

Fifty percent was fifty percent. It was already quite a lot.

Diancie visibly relaxed, looking at Johan with much more friendly eyes.

It had just noticed Johan and Larvitar's expressions when facing these diamonds - they obviously really wanted them.

Yet now when he said to give up half, he gave up half...

Mm, he's a good person.

Then...

Diancie looked hopeful and asked: "They said you could help me master my own power, help me find Xerneas. Can you help me?"

Hm?

They said?

Johan looked toward Gengar, half-squinting his eyes.

This purple fatty, making promises outside again?

Seeming to sense Johan's gaze, the spikes on Gengar's back stood up one by one, but it didn't turn around. Instead, it ran deeper to dig for diamonds.

Johan shook his head.

But... this was a Pokémon, Diancie, seeking help...

"Is it not possible..." Seeing Johan shake his head, Diancie thought he was refusing and became somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Johan smiled. "I didn't say it wasn't possible, just... I'm not certain."

"Not certain?" Hope returned to Diancie's eyes, mixed with some confusion.

"I don't know if I can help you control your power." Johan's voice was gentle. "As for Xerneas... that's really not up to me."

He wasn't Ash, who could just say he'd help Diancie find Xerneas and actually find it. This depended on luck.

Moreover.

The movie proved that whether Diancie could create "Eternal Crystal" actually had little real relationship with whether it met Xerneas. It just couldn't find the knack, couldn't grasp its own power, so it couldn't condense "Eternal Crystal."

To use a more "anime" or "chunibyo" way of putting it, the current Diancie simply couldn't find what it truly wanted to protect.

It was working hard only because it was the Diamond Kingdom's princess, bearing responsibility. This responsibility also drove it to seek Xerneas.

Active versus passive - this was the difference.

"Of course, if you're willing... you could try observing how our little ones master their own power."

Couldn't find Xerneas?

This disappointed Diancie somewhat.

But thinking about the strength Gengar and Larvitar had displayed earlier...

Being able to command such power so skillfully, they must have great "techniques for mastering power," right?

Diancie was moved.

Finally, it nodded.

"Okay!"

Johan smiled.

Diancie's presence would likely lead to some complications.

But undeniably, it would also bring some benefits.

For example... the Pokémon hunters Johan was looking for.

Another example was places like this current one - small Carbink "villages" scattered throughout the Kalos region.

Even if not all were uninhabited, and he couldn't dig them all clean, there were so many of them.

Finding three or four such "villages" would probably mean he'd never need to worry about Larvitar's food again.

If he could find seven or eight, then even if Larvitar immediately evolved into Tyranitar right now, Johan could accept it without worrying too much about food.

As for the problems Diancie would bring...

Let them come.

It wasn't Hoopa, bringing a whole group at once. At most, just one Yveltal would be a bit harder to handle.

When Yveltal appeared, Xerneas would inevitably appear too. Just endure for a while.

Anyway...

One more Regieleki was a lot, one more Diancie was also a lot.

The current Johan wasn't really afraid of trouble to that extent.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Above Johan's camp, an invisible airship appeared near the clouds. Inside the ship were a middle-aged man and a young girl.

The father and daughter looked at the large screen showing the unconscious Millis and Marilyn Flame tied up on the ground, falling into contemplation.

"They..." the girl Millis Steel pointed at the screen.

The middle-aged man Argus Steel also looked at the screen, but secretly moved his finger away from the girl's sight toward a box of chocolates on the table.

But Argus's small movement was seen through by his daughter.

Bang!

Millis glanced at her father who was about to secretly eat chocolate, slapping the table with anger flashing behind her glasses.

Argus immediately withdrew his hand, laughing sheepishly while saying: "They, ahem, those two seem to have been captured?"

Millis adjusted her glasses. "We were originally planning to have them train Diancie a bit, but now..."

"But their strength isn't weak either. Who captured them?" Argus was somewhat confused.

They'd arrived at just the right time - only Millis, Marilyn Flame, and a tent remained at the camp.

Captured but no one watching - how convenient.

"Should we rescue them?" Argus looked at his daughter Millis.

These two still had some use, they could attract attention on the surface.

Millis's gaze swept across the screen, seeming to confirm there really was no one guarding.

"Resc—"

She'd just started speaking when her pupils suddenly contracted. She saw a golden figure suddenly appear in the tent, and then the entire screen became distorted and blurry.

What Pokémon was that?!

As master thieves, they'd never seen such a thing.

Could it be... a legendary Pokémon?

To interfere with their airship from such a distance.

Beep—beep—beep—

Red alarms immediately sounded in the airship, indicating problems with the ship's signals and circuits.

"Try again later, retreat first!"

Argus immediately decided.

Whoosh—

The airship immediately disappeared into the clouds. Due to its invisible state, there was no visible change, only some floating clouds swaying.

"Regi?"

Below, Regieleki raised its head and lightly scratched itself.

What was that about?

It had just entered the tent to see if there were any energy cubes to eat, when it suddenly felt... subtle electrical currents appearing in the air. It thought it was going to thunder and was preparing to come out for a feast.

But then that feeling suddenly disappeared...

"Eleki..."

Somewhat disinterested, Regieleki moved over a small stool and sat in front of Millis and Marilyn Flame, chin propped on its hand.

Johan told it to watch these two, so...

Mm.

Watching...

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Powerstones?

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