It seems that simply mass-producing the eternal crystal diamond would not be feasible, but creating it in small, controlled quantities should not pose a problem for Diancie. Aoki immediately provided an explanation for this observed phenomenon. Therefore, the diamond held in Magearna's hand would not disappear. So, did this mean Diancie now possessed the ability to create eternal crystal diamonds? Aoki felt a surge of surprise at the realization. As long as Diancie could create the eternal crystal diamond, it meant she could continuously produce smaller diamonds! He decided he would need to test this later. For now, Aoki needed to resolve the primary issue concerning Magearna.
"Magearna," Aoki called out.
A soft hum echoed in the chamber as Magearna, hearing Aoki's voice, turned her gaze towards him. The fear she had initially felt upon first seeing him was now gone. Diancie also looked at Aoki, curious about his intentions.
"Do you want to come with me?" Aoki did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose. Upon hearing this, Magearna immediately shook her head. When the scientist Nikola had sealed her away, he had impressed upon her that her existence was for the benefit of the entire Azoth Kingdom, not to follow a specific person. She must not become anyone's personal weapon. This was the core of the headache Aoki faced.
However, there was a potential solution. Aoki called for Mismagius and asked Slowking and Gengar to maintain Volcanion in a sleeping state. Compared to Volcanion's formidable power, pulling Magearna into a dream was a much simpler task. Mismagius successfully hypnotized her before she could resist. Then, Aoki and Mismagius entered Magearna's dream together.
...
They arrived in a sea of fire. This was the Kingdom of Azoth, five hundred years in the past. The entire palace was ablaze, a conflict raging over the possession of Magearna. Aoki stood behind Magearna and an old man with a long white beard. This person was Nikola, the genius scientist who had invented Magearna.
"Magearna, you exist to protect the Kingdom of Azoth, but because of your very existence, the kingdom has fallen into chaos. Therefore, I now have no choice but to seal you away and send you elsewhere," Nikola said, his voice heavy with regret.
Upon hearing this, Magearna, who was still adorned in her colorful attire, displayed a deeply saddened expression. She loved her country deeply, yet her presence had brought suffering to its people. Magearna could clearly sense the pain emanating from the civilians' hearts, all of which was gathered and felt by her own soul-heart. She wanted to curl up and hide from these painful emotions, but she could not, and a part of her did not want to ignore their plight.
A low hum resonated from her as Magearna raised her arms, pointing the two bouquets of flowers integrated into her hands towards the burning palace. This was the last thing she could do for the Azoth royal family and its subjects. She felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and insignificance.
Aoki and Mismagius, standing behind Nikola, observed like outsiders. But then, a flash of psychic power appeared in Aoki's eyes, and at the precise moment Nikola lowered his head, the old man's eyes also glinted subtly, mirroring Aoki's. In the dream, Aoki had now replaced Nikola. Magearna did not notice the substitution.
"Magearna," the figure of Nikola asked, "can you feel the suffering of the people?"
Magearna, being a mechanical being, could not shed tears, but if she could, she would have been weeping. She nodded helplessly, unsure of what to say.
"It is alright, it is not your fault. But you must remember this: although you were created for the Azoth Kingdom, I do not wish for you to carry this heavy burden forever. When you meet someone who can truly accept you, someone with a genuinely kind heart, someone whom the Pokemon around him possess a strong sense of dependence upon, then... there is no need to resist. You will have the opportunity to start over and make your own choices. You do not have to be eternally bound to the fate of the Azoth Kingdom; you can live the life you choose for yourself. This is what your creator, Nikola, hopes for you. I simply wish for you to find happiness." The eyes of the figure were filled with profound kindness and doting affection.
Magearna stared blankly at Nikola, feeling that something was amiss but unable to pinpoint what it was. The logic of his words, however, seemed sound.
"Promise me, will you not? Magearna," the figure of Nikola asked again.
Magearna nodded repeatedly. She trusted Nikola implicitly and knew he would not lie to her. Afterwards, within the dream, Nikola proceeded to seal Magearna away, and the entire dreamscape began to dissolve.
...
When Magearna opened her eyes again, a deep confusion was evident in her gaze. Had she been dreaming? It had felt incredibly real, the surrounding scenes lifelike, as if she had been physically present there. The words spoken by Nikola echoed incessantly in her mind. Live... your own life well? Magearna felt a persistent sense of wrongness. She recalled Nikola having told her not to become a tool in anyone's hands. For a moment, she could not distinguish which memory was real and which was the dream. But the words Nikola had just spoken in front of her became like a powerful suggestion, constantly circling in her heart and mind, while the details of the older memory began to fade. This was a technique Aoki had refined after his experience using dreams on Lysandre: restore the scene accurately, alter a few key phrases, and then reinforce that new impression deeply. In this way, unless one deliberately challenged the core of the memory, it became difficult to separate truth from fabrication. Of course, to accomplish this, one needed to know the weakest and most vulnerable part of the other's heart and strive to recreate the original scene as perfectly as possible—things nearly impossible for anyone else. But Aoki understood the paramount importance of Nikola in Magearna's heart. This was his opportunity.
"Well, Magearna, will you not reconsider?" Aoki's voice broke the silence. "Look at my Pokemon. They have never been disappointed since choosing to follow me. I believe you, with your unique abilities, can fully sense the strength of the bond between me and them. You... need to make your own choices. You need to live your own life." At the end, Aoki deliberately emphasized the words "your own life," aiming to trigger and reinforce the dream Magearna had just experienced, further blurring the line between the dream and her actual memories.
Upon hearing Aoki's words again, Magearna fell into deep thought. She did not reject the idea outright this time. She was genuinely contemplating whether Aoki was someone she could trust. While she could indeed feel the deep bonds between Aoki and his Pokemon, she could not directly perceive the true nature of Aoki's heart.
"Magearna."
At that moment, Diancie, who was standing beside Magearna, nodded encouragingly at her. Diancie had developed a fondness for Magearna, and the feeling was mutual. When an image of the sealed Volcanion flashed in Magearna's mind, Diancie's gesture seemed to interrupt that thought, offering silent support. Was Diancie suggesting she should agree? In the end, the gentle-natured Magearna found she did not know how to refuse, nor did she have a compelling reason to do so. It appeared that Aoki met nearly all the criteria mentioned by Nikola in the dream. Slowly, Magearna nodded. She had agreed. A final, fleeting doubt crossed her mind: It shouldn't be... that I am placing my trust in the wrong person, right? I suppose... it should be... probably... alright? This was the only hesitation that remained after her nod.