The Type Specialist

Like I promised my team, I temporarily let myself forget the pressing issue of Lysandre to cook them a meal.

Food from cans and packages tended to be either flavored kibble or a mixture of various ingredients that resembled a dense chili. I personally thought they looked disgusting, but my Pokémon absolutely loved them. However, since those brands of food were generic meals specifically made for certain Types, the nutrients included were intended to support general growth rather than anything targeted. If I wanted to better support my Pokémon’s personal growth, I needed to learn how to make even more nutritious meals to help them develop in the ways their species needed.

In the anime, Brock frequently served Ash’s Pokémon with what looked to be large brown pellets. They were denser versions of the kibble I bought for my team, and my intention tonight was to figure out how to make them.

I ended up learning that essentially, they weren’t kibble with a uniform texture, but instead breaded pellets stuffed with ingredients that catered to its eater. I made sure to try to use berries and vegetables that contained the vitamins that best suited my Pokémon’s development, but some of them didn’t perfectly match the flavor preferences of what my Pokémon liked.

To my surprise, even if the taste wasn’t exactly what they preferred, and even though they were lumpy and didn’t quite match the intended shape, my team actually devoured what I gave them. The biggest surprise was with Ninetales, who preferred sweet flavors but absolutely devoured her moderately bitter meals that were rich in calcium. I asked Ramos if my Pokémon actually enjoyed the meal and if they weren’t just pretending to make me feel better, and he explained that Pokémon are drawn to food that helps them grow, so the more nutritious it was, the more they liked it.

Apparently, while Pokémon might dislike certain flavors, if it was healthy, they would enjoy it. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous that it took little effort to make them eat well.

Included in the dinner, of course, was Diancie, and she was a bit more of a problem. First off, I didn’t know what she liked, and despite being a Fairy Type, she was also a Rock Type. Rock Types needed a higher quantity of minerals in their food than other Pokémon, and I wasn’t sure what that entailed. So instead, I ended up putting together something that was a combination of Mawile and Florges’s meals, since a Steel Type’s preference combined with a pure Fairy Type’s preference might get close enough, and thankfully, she enjoyed it. Diancie was far more polite when eating compared to my other Pokémon, taking small bites each time, but she did love the food I made which meant maybe I wasn’t completely hopeless as a cook.

I made sure to give Dedenne a bit extra, since his help meant I could be carried by the ingredients he chose. Without his expertise when it came to food, I doubted my Pokémon would have enjoyed it this much.

With the meal finished and my Pokémon distracted by eating, it was finally time to use this chance to figure out what was going on with Diancie.

Ramos was nearby, and Hope was next to him. Together, we were eating a meal alongside our Pokémon, essentially having a makeshift picnic area in the battlefield at the very top of the tree. Hope had done something similar for her team, so her Pokémon were also enjoying a cooked meal the same as mine. With the way Ramos was sending her approving nods, I got the sense that while she didn’t cook often, it was something she had learned to do under him.

Diancie was currently chatting with Florges, who actually seemed to get along with her pretty well. While Diancie was a bit more energetic than Florges, Florges and her were both generally more reserved than some of my more excitable members of the team, like Whimsicott and Altaria. While they spoke, Ramos, Hope, and I occasionally got brief telepathic glimpses of Diancie’s emotions, which tended to be full of happiness and excitement. I couldn't tell if she was doing it intentionally, or if it was just a consequence of her wanting to interact with everyone.

“So, Diancie,” I said, speaking up to grab her attention, “what brings you to Coumarine?”

Diancie’s large eyes turned my way, and almost immediately, they began to water. Aligned with her emotions, I was hit by a powerful psychic pulse of sadness.

It was a mistake to speak with a drink in my hand, because I almost spilled it right there.

“Are... are you okay?” I asked, wiping tears out of my eyes.

Diancie sniffled and nodded her head, and pulled her mouth closed and paused for a few moments. Eventually, without her looking up or saying anything out loud, I got a bit of telepathic communication from her as she tried to explain to me her purpose here.

“Heart, broken! Search!” her voice rang out in my mind.

“You’re searching for a new heart?” I asked, confused.

She shook her head.

“Heart, broken! Find, forest! Tree!”

I furrowed my brows, confused, but then out of nowhere Ramos dropped his drink. Hope and I glanced his way, and he rubbed his temples with his eyes wide. Standing up, he continued that motion while muttering to himself and left the room, taking the elevator back down into the tree.

Neither Hope nor I understood what happened.

“Anyway, I promise I’ll help you,” I said. “Anything you need, I’ll make sure you stay safe.”

“I second that promise as well. Alex and I will make sure no one takes advantage of you,” Hope added.

Diancie gave us a brilliant smile, and nodded her head with a “mhm!” sound. She rubbed her eyes as warm feelings washed over us, and she sent a single word reply.

“Friends!”

At that moment, a ding from the elevator signaled that Ramos had returned despite only having left moments ago.

Almost reverently, he was carrying some kind of unknown object wrapped in a thick tarp. It was held in both of his hands and extended out about half the length of his arm. Slowly, he approached Diancie, who looked curiously at him.

“This... this was collected over a hundred years ago,” he began to explain. “In that time, it never once faded or even lost its brightness. Please, tell me if this is what yeh seek.”

As Ramos began to unwrap whatever it was he was holding, I watched as almost every member of my team except Altaria suddenly perked up. Ninetales ran over to sit next to Diancie, and the rest of my team’s eyes went wide. They almost seemed to sway in place, and their attention was solely on the object Ramos had. Even Mawile, who didn’t usually care for things like this, was staring intently at what was going on. She didn’t even have her special stone out.

Diancie was frozen as well, and as the tarp was finally completely removed, a strange light was unveiled. Rainbow colors flooded the area, and the branches of the tree above us almost seemed to grow out and stretch towards it.

My breath nearly stopped as I saw what it was.

“Xerneas...” I whispered.

Hope’s head shot to face me, and her entire body stiffened.

Hidden within the tarp, now revealed to all close by, was what looked to be a long, thin, sliver of some kind of yellow horn. It almost seemed to be made of wood, and what looked to be a dried chunk of tree sap was embedded in one end of it. That dried chunk almost resembled a crystal and gave off the glow. It emanated a rainbow light, and slowly, Diancie hesitantly reached out to touch it.

As her small, gray hand rested on its surface, the light grew momentarily, before dimming and focusing itself to be solely located within her hand. Everyone went quiet as she brought the glow to her chest, where she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to begin to focus. Once more, the light grew in power but this time it was full of iridescent colors with a heavy focus on pink, and soon, the colors leaking out between her hands faded away. When she opened her eyes, she almost looked disappointed.

“Small. Weak.”

Even though Diancie looked a bit upset, her eyes lit up when she glanced towards Hope and I. Diancie floated over around the table us two were eating at, then grabbed my hand to place something cool into it. She smiled to us gently, and once more, we heard her words in our minds.

“Present. Thank you.”

Whatever she had done, it wasn’t a success, but it was still an incredible creation. Holding it up for everyone to see, a pure pink diamond glinted off the sunset light that peaked through between the leaves.

Ramos stared at it with a pensive look on his face.

“...The splinter yeh used to make this was a shard from when Xerneas was shedding its horns,” he explained. “Many years ago, a forest not too far away was subjected to a terrible catastrophe. No one knows for sure what happened, but Xerneas appeared and brought it back from the brink of death. Ever since, it has been known to visit occasionally, and I as well as several others work to keep it safe.”

The room was silent as Ramos spoke. Diancie stared at him with wonder evident in her eyes.

“When you said you were searching for a forest, I could think of no other possibility. Based on yer reaction, I imagine Xerneas must be yer goal, but seeking a Legendary Pokémon such as it is no simple task. Tell me, why do yeh want to meet Xerneas?”

Diancie’s face hardened.

“Find, empower! Heart, heal!” her thoughts rang out once more.

However, she suddenly took on a mournful look. The sheer depths of her sorrow practically reverberated throughout the room.

“...Kingdom, save.”

I finally put two and two together.

“Wait, Diancie, is your kingdom in Reflection Cave?”

She looked at me curiously. I smacked my forehead.

“Oh, duh, you don’t know its name. Is it in a place that’s covered with reflective surfaces and large crystals?”

“Home!” She sent, her eyes happy and nodding fervently.

Warm and nostalgic feelings were sent to me, but I couldn’t help but to feel awful. My gut started to churn as I understood what had happened, and Hope’s eyes widened as she began to fully understand as well.

Hope stood up to kneel in front of Diancie, and slowly grabbed her hand comfortingly.

“Please, think about this carefully,” Hope said. “Have any people in red suits come and hurt your home?”

Dianice looked sad once more, and tears started to appear in the corner of her eyes.

“Save them.” She tapped her chest. “Princess.”

I looked at Ramos, who had a frown on his face. He shifted his expression to maintain a demeanor of a kind grandfather, and he moved closer to Diancie to give her a soft smile.

“A princess, are yeh? Well, why don’t you come with me? I’ll make sure to write down what yeh experienced so the bad people can be taken care of. We’ll make sure yer home is saved.”

Diancie brightened up, but I could tell she was still a little distressed. Following him into the elevator down, they disappeared into the depths of the tree.

As soon as they were gone, Hope stood up and began to pace.

“Those bastards! No wonder Reflection Cave was blocked off! They were going after Diancie! Fuck, Alex! We have to help her.”

Hope spoke that sentence as if it was fact, and I completely agreed.

“I think I hate Lysandre,” I said. “I’ve been through a lot since I started my journey, but nothing has scared me as much as the threat he poses. If he wants Diancie, he wants to use her for something. We can’t let that happen. Even if things don’t work out tomorrow... Well, Lysandre is going to be here. Alone.”

Hope paused where she was walking and gave me a look. The plan was to use Steven’s connections to arrest Lysandre, since as an ex-Champion he’d be able to have some kind of influence over the situation. However, with Diancie’s testimony that Ramos was collecting, we could be sure he stood no chance to resist.

However, I knew he was a conniving bastard, and could probably weasel his way out. If our plan didn’t work, Hope and I might have to take drastic actions.

It was my fault Lysandre was here, and unlike what happened in that Lumiose restaurant, I wouldn’t hesitate.

Hope nodded hesitantly, and I forced a smile. While my stomach might have been churning, I needed to push past that to properly prepare for tomorrow.

Steven couldn’t hide it. He was nervous.

Alex, his mysterious source of otherworldly knowledge, had specifically requested his presence, and he wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Was something wrong? Did Alex want to reveal something else? Or was this a cordial visit, and just calling in a favor? The information had been subtly passed to Steven via Phoebe, and it had been lacking. Steven wouldn’t be personally called in for something simple, right?

He fidgeted in his seat, and looked out the window of the cruise ship he had taken to reach Kalos. Traveling via boat was a bit slower than plane, but Phoebe had suggested he follow through with it in order to disguise his visit as a vacation. Plus, his destination was relatively close to Reflection Cave, and he wouldn’t mind visiting there himself. It was bound to have a number of rare stones, and who knows? Perhaps he might even befriend a local Carbink.

However, those thoughts were a distraction, and Steven once more focused on the mission at hand.

Dockworkers shouted below him as the large boat docked in Coumarine port, and instead of leaving the ship via the stairs, he simply sent out Claydol and teleported into the city proper.

Steven wasn’t wearing his normal outfit, but rather a simple one to disguise his identity. He wore a pair of white shorts and an open blue-spotted shirt with a black tank top underneath. It was the perfect outfit to pretend to be a tourist visiting Kalos, although it was slightly out of place at the end of March. He shivered, a little cold, but returned Claydol and began to walk down the street as if he was anyone else. Despite his relative fame, he doubted people would recognize him with both his unusual outfit and a pair of shaded sunglasses he kept on his face.

Following Phoebe’s advice, he stopped by a local electronics store and bought a generic phone—paying in cash, of course—and gave the person who had caused so much trouble a call.

“Good, you’re here,” Alex said. “How quickly can you make it to Coumarine Gym, and to bring someone with authority with you as well?”

Steven almost stumbled where he was walking, but years of experience let him continue to walk with a cool and casual gait.

“How high of an authority do you need?” Steven asked.

There was a pregnant pause on the other side of the call, one that didn’t help his nerves at all.

“As high as it can go,” Alex said before hanging up.

Unable to fake it, Steven numbly walked over to the bench and slipped his phone into his pocket, where it was promptly and subtly crushed by Metagross within its Pokéball. He took the briefest of moments to sigh and collect himself, then pulled out his actual PokéNav to make a new call.

“Steven! I can’t say I expected a call from you. What’s the occasion?” Diantha, the current Champion of Kalos said.

Steven took a long moment to prepare what he wanted to say.

“A bench just outside the old incense store in Coumarine. Disguise yourself.”

He hung up the phone and crossed his hands over each other to wait. A number of people passed by and he took a moment to people-watch, attempting to calm his internal nerves. Alex needed the highest authority? There was no way this was just a friendly visit, like he had hoped. This was something big.

A few minutes later, Diantha appeared next to Steven, already sitting on the bench, and she returned her partner, Gardevoir, before anyone could notice her for too long.

Her disguise, which just consisted of a light gray trench coat over her normal outfit, was good enough for a short visit but nothing extensive. A wide brimmed hat and a pair of glasses hid her face, and she gave Steven a playful smirk as she leaned into the bench.

“I haven’t known you to be so demanding, Steven. Recent changes in lifestyle have anything to do with it?” she asked.

Steven was unable to smile.

“We might be doing something necessary for the safety of the region, if not the planet. I have little details. Be on high alert.”

Immediately, the smirk dropped from Diantha’s face, and she stood up.

“You might not be the Champion of Hoenn anymore, but we both know that’s only temporary,” Diantha said. “Tell me what we’re doing.”

Steven pushed back to his feet, and brushed off his shirt. He might not be wearing his favorite suit, but he still needed to look presentable.

“Well, it seems we’re going to Coumarine Gym. I was told the highest authority was needed.”

Diantha’s face almost paled—after all, Steven thought, who would be so important as to request this through someone like himself?—and Gardevoir returned to the field.

A quick Teleport later, and Steven and Diantha were at Coumarine Gym. Ahead of them, the glass doors that led to the waiting room were already open, and they could see the form of Ramos already waiting for them. When they entered, the glass doors closed behind them, but neither of them acted shocked, only extremely serious.

“Good, yeh two are here,” Ramos said. “Alex is... hosting a dinner party,”

Steven’s expression dropped in disbelief. Diantha huffed as whatever serious mood they had before was now completely ruined.

“Oh, pooh. I didn’t even get to put on a nice outfit,” she said. “Didn’t realize a ‘high authority’ would be needed for a party. Who is Alex, anyway?”

“There has to be more to this,” Steven stated.

He paused and briefly considered Phoebe’s words. Did this situation necessitate the reveal, and was Diantha someone to be trusted? Well, the Champion of the region was someone he could inherently trust, and decided that if Diantha were to understand the sheer depth of this situation, he didn’t really have a choice.

Moving closer, he leaned in to whisper in Diantha’s ear.

“Alex is my source.”

Diantha stiffened at Steven’s words, and Ramos continued to stare at them with a serious expression on his face. Diantha’s initial casual shift disappeared once more, and, with deliberate steps, the pair followed Ramos to a room just down the hall.

Before they entered, however, he passed both of them a note, and they quickly read it over.

Lysandre is intending to use the Ultimate Weapon for reasons unknown. Most likely, to destroy the current understanding of society to ensure everything stays beautiful. He’s going after Diancie, who we have here, safe. We have testimony from her as evidence that Team Flare is performing illegal actions, and as the leader of the group, nothing they’ve done has been without Lysandre’s permission. To keep her safe, and also to keep the region safe, it is imperative that you arrest him.

Neither Steven nor Diantha were able to get away with reading the message only once. Steven was stunned at the implication that Lysandre was using the Ultimate Weapon for his own goals rather than just disassembling it, and couldn’t help but to feel disappointed. While it wasn’t commonly known, he had personally met the man several times in the past to hash out deals between the Devon Corporation and Lysandre Labs. In fact, it was the Devon Corporation that created the name “infinity energy” to properly refer to the energy source involved in so many of Lysandre Lab’s studies.

...And also, Diancie? Really? How did Alex manage to get close to another Legendary Pokémon? First Groudon, then Rayquaza, and then Kyogre technically, too. Steven was caught off guard by the knowledge a Legendary Pokémon was just resting somewhere in the same building he was in. Despite the wish to meet a Legendary Pokémon so closely tied to rare stones, he cleared his mind of distractions and glanced up to face Diantha.

Unlike Steven, Diantha hadn’t yet looked up from her card. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes were reading it over again. Steven couldn’t tell how many times she had read it, but it was clearly a lot.

He quietly cleared her throat to grab her attention. Diantha looked up from the note to stare Steven in the eyes.

“...I refuse to believe that Lysandre would do such a thing,” she whispered.

“They promised evidence from Diancie,” Steven replied. “Nothing shared with me has been wrong before. In fact, it’s information from Alex that revealed the presence of the Ultimate Weapon to us. We have no choice but to follow along. I’m ready to move in now.”

Diantha bit her lip, and read the card over once more. Unhappily, she tucked it into a pocket of her coat, and put her hand on the doorknob.

“Fine, but I need to talk to him first. I know Lysandre. I can’t believe he would do something like this.”

Steven grimaced, but accepted her decision. After all, it wasn’t every day a close friend was accused of plotting to destroy “the current understanding of the world.”

Quickly, the door was open, allowing Steven and Diantha to walk in.

The room they entered was built into the tree itself. The walls were wood and there was an alcove with a fire on one wall. A long table grown out of the floor was situated in the center of the room, and he couldn’t help but to be impressed at the presence of it in this building. After all, fancy dining rooms like this weren’t standard in Gyms, so he imagined that Ramos must have created it with Grass Types within the past twenty-four hours.

Alex sat on one side of the table, and Lysandre sat on the other. Both of them looked towards Steven and Diantha with wildly different expressions that were still somehow very alike. They both had a calm facade, but Alex’s eyes were almost glinting with excitement, and Lysandre’s were ever so slightly widened in surprise.

There was a pause as everyone looked around at each other, which was interrupted when Diantha moved to sit down at an empty seat. She smiled politely at Alex.

“You must be Alex. I hope we aren’t intruding,” she said.

Alex’s expression returned to being rather affable and gestured to the sides of the table.

“There’s no need to worry, there’s plenty of space. The same goes for you, Steven.”

The confidence Alex was now exuding bothered Steven a bit. When he had met with Alex in the past, each time their conversations had been filled with nerves and worry. Here, though, Alex seemed to be in control and almost looked relieved, too.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened since the last time they spoke.

“Well, since you’re here, I think I should include you two on the conversation Lysandre and I were having,” Alex said. “Is that okay with you, Lysandre?”

Lysandre simply looked amused.

“By all means. It would be rude of me to exclude them,” he replied.

“Then, let’s start with a question, Steven. If you had to choose between destroying the world or letting it lose its beauty, what would you choose?”

Diantha looked a bit stunned, and glanced over to Lysandre. Steven was sure she recognized the question. Of course, Steven also recognized the question, as Lysandre had asked it to him when he first met.

So, he repeated the answer he gave the first time around.

“Destroying the world would be a remarkably foolish decision that shows a lack of foresight. ‘Letting it lose its beauty’ is an extremely vague stand-in for moral degeneracy, which even then is hardly worth mass destruction over. The question is flawed and presents a false equivalency, so I refuse to pay it any further mind.”

The room was sent into stunned silence.

Lysandre was frowning, Diantha’s mouth was open with shock, and Alex just smiled.

Steven shifted awkwardly in his chair and tried his best to regain his lost decorum.

“Ah, that, uh, forgive me. After dealing with Team Magma and Team Aqua for so long, the whole idea of wide, sweeping actions tends to set me alight.”

The room was quiet for a few more seconds.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Alex said. “It was a good answer. What about you, Diantha?”

“I’ve answered it before, and I’ll answer it again,” she said while glancing over to Lysandre. “There’s more to life than just beauty. Everything is constantly changing, and it would be a fool’s choice to destroy the world simply because it seems ugly at the moment. Nothing is constant: it’d just become beautiful again at a later time.” She paused. “Lysandre, I know your answer. Why would you want to destroy the world?”

“I believe that society is led by the-”

“No, I’m not doing this. Lysandre, you’re my friend. I know there’s good in you. Why would you want to use the Ultimate Weapon to destroy society?”

“Ah.”

The room became so still it was possible to hear a pin drop. Lysandre leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on the table as Diantha and Steven stared at him. Both Champion and ex-Champion were ready to move at a moment’s notice, the tension clear in their bodies. However, that moment passed when a snickering sound rang out.

Everyone turned to face Alex, who immediately burst into laughter.

“Sorry, sorry! I just, wow. I shouldn’t be laughing, but you have to admit that this situation is kind of absurd. Not the way I thought this would be going.”

“Either way, I know my rights and I will not respond to such baseless accusations,” Lysandre said. “Arrest me if you will, but you have no evidence. There are laws in place that prevent Champions from overstepping their bounds, and I know where I stand.”

Diantha stared at Lysandre, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Lysandre, you didn’t answer the question.”

He stayed silent.

“Lysandre, please tell me you aren’t using the Ultimate Weapon for nefarious purposes.”

No response.

“Lysandre, please.”

“Both of you have incredibly strong Psychic Types on your teams, and if either of you said I was lying, the authorities would believe you rather than me,” Lysandre said. “I understand that you are most likely communicating with them right now, so I will say this: nothing I have done has ever been to harm Kalos or any other region. I only want the best for humanity as a whole.”

Steven stayed quiet as a faint pulse from Metagross within its Pokéball told him that Lysandre was telling the truth. Diantha ever so slightly relaxed, and started to smile once more until—

“But what about Pokémon?” Alex said. “You’ve said several times you want the best for humanity, but you never bring up Pokémon. Why don’t you ever include them?”

Steven’s eyebrows rose. He had to give Alex credit, he hadn’t picked up on that at all in any of the conversations he had with Lysandre. However, now that he thought about it, it was true Lysandre only ever did things for humans. Even his work with infinity energy had the sole intention to use it as a power source rather than to assist with Mega Evolution, and the things he discovered about the phenomenon were never what he intended to find.

Sure he donated to Pokémon Centers and Sycamore’s research, but Steven’s monthly donations far outpaced Lysandre’s yearly donations, and he never made it as public as Lysandre had done. Honestly, they were more like publicity stunts for Lysandre than anything else.

Lysandre stayed quiet, and Diantha’s expression went absolutely neutral. Steven had never seen that expression on her face before.

“Also, for your legal stance, I don’t think you have any footing,” Alex said, catching everyone’s attention once more.

Lysandre raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? Do tell.”

All he got was a scoff in return.

“Do I look dumb enough to tell you what I have against you? No, Lysandre. That’s to give to the Pokémon League, and for you to find out later.”

“Very well, then.” Lysandre stood up. Diantha and Steven immediately did the same. “I submit myself to your custody, as well as your judgment. I have faith my views will be seen and understood, and that the right thing will be done in the end. I’m impressed, Alex. I never would have thought you were Steven’s mysterious source. It certainly explains your negative reactions to me.”

Diantha froze.

“How do you know that? You were only supposed to know about the Ultimate Weapon to disassemble it. Only a handful of League employees were told it was Steven who had that knowledge.”

A cruel smirk appeared on Lysandre’s face, and the glint in his eyes told Steven all he would ever need to know about this situation. While it was wrong to judge based on appearances, he had never known anyone with good intentions to look so malicious.

“Oh, I have my ways,” Lysandre said.

Diantha looked shaken, but sent out her Gardevoir and she and her friend disappeared from the room. Steven took out Claydol to do the same, but was stopped by Alex calling out to him.

“I’m trying to fix this, Steven,” Alex said. “It’s my fault Lysandre got so close to the Ultimate Weapon. If I had been more upfront with you, you would have known the risks involved with him. I’ve been too focused on not drawing attention to myself, but I can’t risk people like him succeeding. I’ve changed things too much, so it’s time to change them more. As soon as Lysandre is properly taken care of, as soon as I’m confident he’s not secretly spying on everyone, I’m going to tell you.

“Steven, in a short while, I’m going to give you every single bit of otherworldly knowledge I know.”