If the underground mines had a master, it would surely be the Carbink clans—innumerable in number, clever of mind.
Compared to other Pokémon, they were closer to humans, with kingdoms and territories of their own.
And as one of the rare mutated Carbink, Diancie had, from the moment of her birth, been destined to inherit the crown.
To become the underground queen who ruled the clans.
Only… for now—
She looked nothing like a queen at all.
Thinking this, Diancie rubbed her small hands together and let out a soft sigh.
Her highness—the current queen of the clan—taught her things she couldn't understand at all.
Not only that, the books brought back specially from the human world… she couldn't read them either.
Human script was hard and twisting.
Much of it she couldn't even read smoothly, let alone study.
This time she'd snuck away precisely because she couldn't stand the dull practice anymore. She wanted to go out and ease her mind.
If only her highness just stayed queen forever…
Diancie puffed her cheeks, thinking rebelliously.
Yet, awkwardly enough—though she said so with her mouth, somewhere deep down, she still wanted to be queen someday.
Caught between the two thoughts, Diancie walked along a tunnel remembered from her last escape.
That tunnel led to a massive cavern.
But before, it had been guarded by humans.
According to the word she'd heard, though, recently—for reasons unknown—the humans had abandoned it.
That gave her the perfect chance.
While her thoughts spun, a faint light appeared at the tunnel's end.
Her gemstone eyes lit up too.
Even for a Pokémon born underground, the sight of clear sunlight made her heart race.
Leaping lightly, Diancie emerged onto the surface.
After making sure no clansfolk had followed, she carefully dragged a stone across to cover the tunnel's mouth.
"I'm finally up!"
She wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead, thinking with relief.
From here, the cave's exit led straight into a lush forest.
She wasn't a bad child—she wouldn't go wandering into the human world.
Even when she wanted to clear her heart, she only ever sat quietly in the forests where no one passed, for half a day at most.
She told herself this was proof of her obedience to her queen's words—certainly not because she was timid.
Just as she was hopping along, ready to leave the cave—
A stone in the corner caught her gaze.
Diancie blinked her jewel-bright eyes, peering over.
It was a diamond too, its pale pink sheen much like her own.
In the human world such a stone might be precious, but here in the mines, they were not rare.
By rights, it shouldn't have drawn her eye.
And yet…
Was it her imagination?
She could feel a flicker of life from that stone.
A mineral… with life?
That couldn't be.
Tilting her head, Diancie's eyes opened wider.
Could it be… a sister?
After all, she herself had been born like this, from the depths of the mines.
If luck favored them, perhaps another Diancie could be nurtured.
Swallowing nervously, she reached out her tiny hands and picked up the gem.
---
[Age 4. One day, you were picked up by a strangely elegant Pokémon.]
[Her whole body was pink, seemingly formed from stone.]
[And yet, curiously—her little hands were soft, not hard as you had imagined.]
[That was the conclusion of your still-clouded mind.]
[Unfortunately, you could not yet communicate with her.]
Proud beyond measure to have "found a sister," Diancie lost all interest in playing.
Tucking the gem carefully away, she returned to the kingdom.
"Her highness, look!"
Ignoring the wide-eyed Carbink who were still searching for her, Diancie rushed into the kingdom's heart.
There, among the richest diamond veins, stood a Diancie taller, steadier—
The true queen of the clan.
Holding out the stone with pride, she said brightly:
"I found this!"
She believed her queen's discerning gaze would instantly see its difference.
But to Diancie's shock, the queen only cast a brief glance, then sighed:
"Reckless child. Where's the dignity of a princess in you?"
"Such stones are everywhere. Better worry about solving your own problems first."
Her own body was weakening with each day, and as queen, she worried whether Diancie could truly inherit her place.
Especially because unlike naturally-born Diancie, this one was a "premature child," hastened into life by the queen's own power.
Her vitality was weaker from the start. Without a solution, her path would be short-lived.
Every time she thought of it, the queen's head ached.
Seeing her "sister" dismissed, Diancie's lips parted, her eyes wide.
This was her queen—the one she admired, the strongest of the clan.
She herself had felt the strange life within the gem. Could it be… her queen truly hadn't noticed?
Her heart sank with disappointment.
She tuned out the scolding words that followed, letting them pass unheard.
Not until she returned to her own chamber did her thoughts settle again.
Looking at the stone in her hands, that peculiar life still pulsed faintly.
"…Was it really just an illusion?"
She sighed, unwillingly setting the gem aside.
Her queen told her to throw it away, but she couldn't bring herself to.
Maybe… one day, when she returned, she would suddenly find another Diancie waiting in her room.
And then—her queen would have to look at her differently!
So Diancie dreamed, unrealistically.
Setting the gem down, she opened one of the human books.
The words were still as incomprehensible as ever…
Without someone to teach her, there was no way she could learn.
And contact with humans was impossible.
Flipping aimlessly through a few pages, her eyes grew heavy.
Thud—
At last she toppled forward, drifting into sleep.
But what she didn't see—
The stone beside her began to shine with the faintest light.