Chapter 286: The Decision
Looking at the tearful Diancie, Ryan could feel her emotions. Helplessness, hatred for her own weakness, and an extraordinary desire to become stronger.
"It's been a long time since I felt this way. It's like when Charizard, or rather Charmeleon, was defeated by Tapu Lele. Charmeleon's resentment and thirst for power. Although you're weak now, I really like your desire to become stronger."
In Diancie, Ryan saw the original Charmeleon. He had initially given up on catching Diancie because of her weak strength, but now the desire was rekindled. A weak Pokémon didn't matter; when it came to training Pokémon, Ryan was second to none! With his unique abilities and the capability to help Pokémon understand their essence, Ryan could rapidly transform a weak Pokémon into a powerhouse.
Although Diancie was very weak, Ryan didn't care. What he admired was Diancie's purest and most genuine pursuit of strength. Only such a Pokémon was worth Ryan's training, and only such a Pokémon could advance step by step!
Diancie was somewhat shocked by Ryan's words. Such a powerful Charizard had such a past; how strong must this trainer be!
Taking out a Full Restore from his backpack and using it on Diancie, Ryan patted Diancie's head and said, "Leave your affairs to me. My name is Ryan. Come with me first, we'll go pick someone up, and then we'll go rescue your people."
Diancie looked at Ryan and nodded somewhat reassured. However, still easily frightened, Diancie, to be on the safe side, grabbed Ryan's hand. Under Ryan's guidance, Diancie met Lillie.
Lillie looked at Diancie, who was being led by Ryan, and slapped her forehead speechlessly. "Ryan, you're too fast! You found Diancie in such a short time. Have you caught her?"
Ryan shook his head, then looked down at Diancie. "I haven't caught her yet, but I like her very much. She's a bit weak, but her pursuit of strength is admirable. I'll formally catch her after I help her resolve her problems."
Diancie looked at Lillie, released Ryan's hand, and gave Lillie an elegant bow. "Nice to meet you, I am Diancie. Thank you for your help, and I also want to train under Ryan's guidance. My strength is far too low; it's insufficient to protect my people. I want to become a qualified princess!"
Hearing Diancie's telepathic communication, Lillie couldn't help but look at Diancie with newfound respect: No wonder Ryan wanted to catch Diancie despite her low strength; this kind of mentality is what Ryan admires most.
After a brief exchange, Diancie led Ryan and Lillie back to where she had come from.
At the spot where the three Carbink had fought with Riot and Merilyn, Riot and Merilyn returned and found some rope to tie up the three Carbink.
"Hey, what are you doing? Will Diancie come back to save them?" Merilyn asked, looking at Riot as he tied up the Carbink.
"What other way do you have?" Riot said. "Diancie is hiding in Santalune City, and Officer Jenny will definitely be cracking down hard these days, so we have no chance of getting in. Having these three Carbink in our hands gives us a slight chance of Diancie returning. If we let them escape, who knows where they'll go."
After moving all the tied-up Carbink to a tree, Riot took out some medicine to treat his Greninja. All they could do now was wait.
However, what Riot and Merilyn didn't expect was that while they had finally welcomed Diancie's return, she had also brought a menacing figure with her.
Two hours later, just as Riot and Merilyn were losing patience, a man and a woman approached them with Diancie. Riot and Merilyn's Greninja and Delphox also stepped forward, ready for battle at any moment.
Ryan looked at Riot and Merilyn expressionlessly and said, "You two are the jewel thieves, aren't you? If I were you, the first thing I'd think of is fighting, not running away."
Riot and Merilyn exchanged a glance and smiled bitterly, "We know President Ryan of the Mercenary Guild. If we could escape, why wouldn't we? We just didn't expect to see you here. Our luck is just too bad."
As he said this, Riot secretly took out two smoke bombs and, taking advantage of Ryan's inattention, smashed them to the ground. Then, the two recalled their Pokémon, and Riot picked up Merilyn. With the help of the Ninjask, they quickly fled.
"Is it really okay to just let them go like this?" Lillie asked, looking at the smoke.
"I'll let you two go this time. But if I find out you two are still doing thievery, then you'll have to go to prison and reflect on your actions!" Ryan said calmly.
These words reached the ears of Riot and Merilyn, who were on the run. Riot and Merilyn gave a wry smile: it seemed their life as master thieves was coming to an end. It was time to find a partner and settle down.
They exchanged a glance, a silent exchange of understanding, and then quickly parted ways. Riot and Merilyn thought to themselves: this guy wasn't so bad after all.
Having released Riot and Merilyn, Ryan activated his Psychic powers, untying all the ropes binding the Carbink. Diancie was finally able to meet her people.
"Thank you, Ryan, Lillie." Diancie bowed to Ryan and Lillie. "Although I will stay by your side to train, my current goal is to find Xerneas. I need to master my power as soon as possible, create a Heart Diamond, and save my domain."
"Xerneas? I have one."
Ryan's voice reached Diancie and the Carbink's ears. The four Pokémon were stunned for a moment. After a long while, Diancie excitedly said, "Ryan, you mean you've captured Xerneas?!"
"Yes. You didn't ask me, how would I know you were looking for Xerneas?"
Diancie was enveloped in a feeling of happiness. She felt that meeting Ryan and Lillie was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her. First, she was saved, her people were saved, then she learned about Xerneas, and she could even follow Ryan to improve her strength. All her worries were solved!
(End of Chapter)
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