"Pyroar!"
Seeing his Pokémon collapse, Lysandre hurried over.
Though Pyroar was robust, enduring successive injuries was extremely difficult.
Especially after being on high alert in the forest for days, Pyroar's mental state had long reached its limit.
After Noivern's powerful blow, it naturally lost consciousness.
Fortunately, after a quick check, Lysandre found that Pyroar had simply fainted.
This allowed him to let out a slight sigh of relief.
After returning Pyroar to its Poké Ball, he straightened himself, gazing at Noivern without showing a hint of fear.
Though extremely tense inside, Lysandre forced himself to maintain a calm facade.
As a Pokémon researcher, he was intimately familiar with wild Pokémon habits.
If he showed even the slightest panic, these seasoned hunters would immediately seize the opportunity to strike.
Despite that, Lysandre involuntarily clenched his fists tighter.
Right now, he desperately wished another wild Pokémon would appear to drive Noivern away.
Yet, this Noivern was incredibly strong; ordinary Pokémon probably wouldn't stand a chance.
Ideally, he hoped a Rock or Fairy-type Pokémon would show up.
These two types would both deal devastating double-type effectiveness against Noivern, which was Flying and Dragon.
Even in this dire moment, Lysandre's academic mind couldn't help but analyze the optimal solution.
Unfortunately…
He knew he was just daydreaming.
Given the devastation around him, what were the odds that a Rock or Fairy Pokémon would casually wander by?
Honestly, any Pokémon appearing to save him now would practically be a miracle sent by Xerneas.
"Roar—!"
A low growl emerged from Noivern's throat, rippling through the air, visibly stirring the dirt.
It had already seen through the human's forced composure.
At this point, there was no need to hesitate—if it charged forward now, the prey was guaranteed.
Thinking this, Noivern crouched slightly, muscles tense, readying itself.
Three.
Two.
One—
"Diancie, [Diamond Storm]. Follow up immediately with [Dazzling Gleam]."
Just as Noivern prepared to charge, a calm voice suddenly rang out.
Before Noivern could react, a cacophonous sound reached its ears first.
It instinctively turned its head, only to see a wave of pink rushing toward it.
To be precise—a wave of pink diamonds.
Diamond Storm's speed was astonishing; by the time Noivern realized what was happening, the attack was already upon it.
BOOM!
Diamonds of varying sizes pummeled Noivern's body, distorting its expression in sheer agony.
Its wings, already fragile, almost ended up riddled with holes.
"Raaagh!"
Noivern let out a miserable roar, slammed into the dirt by the relentless barrage.
But what truly plunged it into despair was the swiftly following Dazzling Gleam.
With a casual gesture from Diancie's tiny hands, a glowing white sphere soared directly above Noivern.
Sizzle—
Just as Noivern struggled to rise, the sphere burst open.
Blinding light filled its vision, followed immediately by searing pain.
"Roaaarr!"
The scorching heat wrenched another anguished cry from Noivern.
Both Diamond Storm and Dazzling Gleam exploited its vulnerabilities—stacked together, the damage inflicted was staggering.
Indeed, Noivern still hadn't fully grasped what had happened.
It only vaguely understood that it had been attacked, brutally and decisively.
Just two moves, and it was struggling to even breathe.
If it didn't flee now, something even worse awaited.
In panic, Noivern instinctively made its decision.
The instant its vision cleared slightly, it flapped its wings with all its might, rocketing upward without a pause—instead swiftly flying away in the opposite direction from Elias.
"Well done, Diancie."
Elias gently patted Diancie's little head, praising her warmly.
That Noivern wasn't weak at all—Diancie's performance had truly been remarkable.
Though, admittedly…
Her type advantage had undeniably played a huge part.
As for the fleeing Noivern, he never intended to capture it anyway.
He wasn't a real Pokémon trainer, after all—having Diancie and Fennekin was more than enough.
Hearing Elias's praise, Diancie raised her chin proudly.
At the same time, she shot a glance at Fennekin, who was still curled in Elias's arms.
Compared to a Pokémon who only hid behind Elias, she was clearly far superior—she'd singlehandedly driven away Noivern!
Noticing Diancie's smug expression, Fennekin disdainfully turned her head away.
If I wasn't injured, I could've chased Noivern off easily, too!
...
Meanwhile, as Elias and Diancie interacted, Lysandre remained frozen in place nearby.
He reached down and touched the Poké Ball at his waist, confirming with certainty that he wasn't hallucinating.
Yet…
Just moments ago he was facing mortal danger, and now he was suddenly saved.
Moreover, rescued at the very epicenter of this disaster-ravaged forest.
It all felt rather unreal to Lysandre.
Most importantly—
If he wasn't mistaken, the diamond-covered Pokémon over there…wasn't she also a legendary Pokémon?
—Diancie, the princess of the Underground Kingdom.
Though not as famous as Yveltal or Xerneas, in certain respects, Diancie was even more precious than both combined.
After all, an entire underground mineral network was at her command…
Thinking this, Lysandre drew a deep breath.
Since when had legendary Pokémon begun casually appearing in such numbers?
In the past, this would've been beyond even his wildest dreams.
"Are you alright?"
At this point, Elias had already approached with Diancie and Fennekin.
Stopping nearby, Elias quickly sized up the man before him.
He looks a bit older, though probably not actually old…
And that hairstyle… honestly, quite odd.
It strongly reminded Elias of the Pokémon called Pyroar.
"I...I'm fine."
"Thank you for your assistance," Lysandre said respectfully, finally regaining himself.
Though this "human" before him gave off a somewhat odd vibe, it didn't change the fact that Elias had saved him.
---
A/N:—Noivern: A Pokémon with both Rock and Fairy moves…is something like this really okay...?
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