1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 35: Heart Diamond

The road beyond our last training stop opened into a wider valley, where the light on the stones reminded me of Miroir Way but felt less playful.

Everyone was still carrying pieces of the last few days with them. Braixen walked beside Serena with the twig in her tail held carefully, still getting used to the balance of her evolved body. Frogadier walked beside us, but I kept watching him more than I meant to. Something about the way he had changed still bothered me, even if I did not know what it meant yet. Quilladin tried to guard the rear with his new armor, and Dedenne sent small signals to Pikachu whenever the path ahead twisted.

Before we reached the next town, we found Astrid training near a rocky field. Her Absol stood beside her, and the Mega Stone on it caught the sunlight before she even challenged me. A short battle followed, intense and clean, with Charla answering Mega Absol in her Mega Charizard Y form.

Astrid fought well, but Charla's sunlight and steady wings broke through Absol's sharp movements. When the battle ended, Charla landed beside me with a proud breath.

"Nice work, Charla," I said, placing a hand against her neck.

Charla lowered her head toward me, and her meaning reached me through the warmth beneath my hand. "The storm of another Mega Evolution was sharp, but our sky did not break."

Astrid returned Absol and sighed with a smile that was more impressed than upset. "I lost to a Mega Charizard again. I recently lost to a Mega Charizard X, and for some reason its battle style felt a lot like yours."

I kept my expression steady, though my mind went straight to Alain. "Really?"

Serena gave me a quick look because she knew what I was thinking. If Astrid had battled Alain, then Charla's mate had already been using Charizardite X well enough to leave a strong impression.

We continued walking after saying goodbye, but Pikachu soon stiffened on my shoulder. His ears snapped toward the trees, and he leaped down before I even asked what he heard.

"Pikachu, what did you hear?" I called.

He ran ahead, and we followed him through the bushes until the path opened near a small clearing. Two Trainers were attacking a small jeweled Pokémon with a Delphox and a Greninja, and the sight made my chest tighten. The Pokémon was not just rare. The way it moved, the way light gathered around it, and the way the thieves focused on it all told me this was something more.

"Stop," I shouted. "Ganging up on one Pokémon like that, what do you think you are doing?"

The woman with the Delphox turned with a smirk. "Stay out of this. I want the diamonds this one can make."

The ninja beside her clicked his tongue. "You talk too much, Merilyn. You are not a master thief. You are a master blabbermouth."

Bonnie gasped. "They are thieves?"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, and keep them back," I called.

"Zoroark, Dark Pulse," Serena added.

Electricity and darkness struck together, forcing Delphox and Greninja back long enough for the jeweled Pokémon to escape toward us. Serena gathered it carefully into her arms, and we ran before the thieves could regroup.

Once we reached a safer place, the jeweled Pokémon floated in front of us with a graceful little bow. Her meaning reached me with a refined calm that felt almost royal. "Everyone, I am very grateful that you rescued me."

Serena's eyes widened. "This is Diancie."

Elline leaned closer, amazed. "So Diancie is a Pokémon?"

"Diancie has the power to make diamonds," Serena said. "Luke has been trying to find this Pokémon, but he never had any luck."