Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 136 Celebration

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist of the Oruans Forest, refracting a rainbow of colors onto the dewdrops.

The group returned to the entrance of the Diamond Kingdom. After a night's rest, Diancie was noticeably different. The small crown on her head shone even brighter in the morning light, her diamond body emanated a warm and stable energy fluctuation, and her eyes held a calm and confident look that came with experience.

"Are you ready, Your Highness?" Zhang Jianying crouched down to meet Tianxi's gaze.

Tianxi nodded vigorously, her little hands clenched into fists: "Ready!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Diancie walked up to the Sacred Diamond. She took a deep breath.

Then, it raised its hands, palms facing the huge pink crystal pillar.

A pale pink light emanated from Diancie, spreading like ripples. The small crown on her head began to glow, creating a wondrous resonance with the energy patterns within the sacred diamond.

—

A deep, resonant sound echoed through the cave. Inside the sacred diamond, the energy patterns began to flow faster, as if infused with new vitality.

Diancie closed her eyes, immersing herself completely in the resonance with the sacred diamond. Through the battle with the legend, the gift of Xerneas, and the understanding of life and death, her control over her own power had reached an unprecedented level.

It's no longer about barely maintaining the status quo, but about skillfully guiding and harmonizing.

The pink light grew brighter and brighter, gradually filling the entire cave. The tiny diamonds gathered together, their bodies glowing slightly in rhythm with the light, as if cheering on their princess.

Elder Day stood to one side, his mineral-formed "beard" trembling slightly with excitement. He had guarded this kingdom for thousands of years and witnessed the growth of several princesses, but he had never seen anyone as exceptionally talented and rapidly progressing as this princess.

Ten minutes later, the light slowly faded.

Diancie opened her eyes, a relieved smile spreading across her small face. She turned and nodded to Elder Day and the tribespeople: "It's done. The energy of the Sacred Diamond has stabilized and shouldn't cause any more problems for at least the next few decades."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire diamond kingdom seemed to come "alive".

The crystals on the rock face were even more translucent, refracting light even brighter; the broken diamonds on the ground made a pleasant clattering sound, like cheerful music; even the air felt fresher, full of vibrant life.

"Buzzing—!"

The tiny diamonds cheered, circling around Diancie, expressing their joy and reverence in their own unique way.

Elder Day stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Highness. You have saved our kingdom."

Tianxi quickly helped the elder up: "It's what I should do. And it's also thanks to everyone's help."

It looked at Zhang Jianying, Cynthia, Karen, Steven, and Ash and his friends, its eyes filled with gratitude.

Seeing that everything was back on track, everyone knew it was time to say goodbye.

Cynthia tidied her backpack and spoke first: "I should go back to Sinnoh too. There's still a lot of preparation work to be done for the League Conference, and I also need to prepare for the refereeing matters in advance."

Karune took her best friend's arm: "Then I'll go back with you. Before the tournament starts, I want to wander around Sinnoh and relax." She touched her lower abdomen, her smile gentle.

Ash clenched his fist, his fighting spirit high: "We need to go back to Iron Island and continue our special training! I learned a lot from my experience in Kalos, and I'm going to use all of that experience in my preparations for the League Tournament!"

Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder: "Pikachu!"

Hikari and Brock agreed. As trainers and team members, they all had their own goals and plans.

Daigo nudged Zhang Jianying: "And you? What are your plans?"

Zhang Jianying thought for a moment and said, "I plan to stay in Kalos for a while longer. The League Tournament is still over a month away, and I want to find some high-level wild Pokémon to train the team. I also need to make targeted preparations for the competition."

He paused, then added, "Besides, since I've come all the way to Kalos, I'd like to learn more about the local customs, culture, and Pokémon."

Upon hearing this, Diancie's eyes suddenly lit up, even though she had been somewhat reluctant to part with him.

It raised its little hand, and a clear telepathic message reached everyone's hearts: "I know! I know where there are Pokémon with high energy levels!"

Zhang Jianying smiled and squatted down, touching the small crown on Tianxi's head: "That's wonderful." He looked into Tianxi's eyes: "For the next period of time, I'll be relying on Your Highness as my guide."

Tianxi's eyes crinkled with joy as she nodded happily, "Okay~!"

The group left the Diamond Kingdom and arrived at the edge of the Oruans Forest, where Daigo had parked his flying machine.

The silver-white aircraft sat quietly in a forest clearing, which was also the perfect spot for the two best friends to hitch a ride back to Sinnoh. Daigo's private aircraft was fully equipped and extremely fast, taking only a few hours to travel from Kalos to Sinnoh.

Before parting, Daigo was still unwilling to give up. He walked up to Diancie, knelt down, and looked at the Diamond Princess with the eyes of someone looking at a rare treasure, his tone sincere: "Your Highness, is it really impossible to expand the Diamond Kingdom to the Hoenn region? With the technical support of Devon Corporation, I can build you the most perfect underground kingdom facilities, guaranteed to be even more magnificent and spectacular than the current Diamond Kingdom."

Diancie's little face immediately fell, her two tiny diamond hands twisting nervously together. She responded telepathically, her voice tinged with apology: "I'm sorry, Mr. Daigo—my abilities aren't yet sufficient to establish underground mines across regions. Unless—"

Zhang Jianying, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, suddenly became interested when he heard the word "unless." He asked on behalf of Da Wu, whose eyes had lit up, "Unless what?"

Daigo immediately took over, smiling confidently: "Please speak, Your Highness. What kind of help do you need? If it's financial assistance..."

I can help you solve any problems related to resources or even technology!

He spoke with great confidence; as the heir to Devon Corporation and a former Hoenn champion, he certainly had the credentials to back it up.

However, Diancie shook her head: "None of that is necessary. It's just—my abilities aren't yet sufficient to carve a diamond mine tunnel connecting Carlos and Hoenn beneath the seabed rock. Unless, of course, I have the help of the legendary Earth God."

Zhang Jianying was nodding seriously, inwardly admiring Daigo for being the heir to this world-class company, and thinking how domineering he sounded.

When he heard the solution proposed by Tianxi, he almost choked.

The Earth God? Isn't that Groudon?!

Ask Groudon to help create a tunnel in the ocean?! Leaving aside whether that giant would even agree, even if they did find it, sending it to "create land" in the sea would be pointless.

In an instant, Zhang Jianying's mind flashed the terrifying image of the raging Kyogre unleashing towering waves, and Groudon battling it for three hundred rounds in the sea, ultimately flooding the entire Hoenn region.

Daigo's expression also froze, his confident smile instantly frozen on his face, making his expression quite interesting.

Karini chuckled. She looked at Daigo mischievously and teased, "Daigo-san, can you solve this problem?"

Daigo coughed twice, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Let's forget about this."

It's something we can solve, but we can't do anything about it!

Even if we find Groudon, that big guy, and convince it to go to the sea to "help,"

Won't this get blown up by the enraged Kyogre and Groudon? If that happens, forget about opening a passage, the entire Hoenn region might disappear from the map!

Seeing this, Zhang Jianying quickly stepped forward and grabbed Daiwu, who was still about to ask for more details, pushing him towards the aircraft: "Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, you've miscalculated! If you want to see Her Highness the Princess, why don't you come to Carlos for tourism more often? It's not far anyway!"

He lowered his voice and quickly whispered in Steven's ear, "Please have mercy, Steven! We want to live a few more years! Please don't actually go after Groudon!"

Daigo was half-pushed and half-persuaded by Zhang Jianying to board the aircraft, his face still showing a look of unwillingness. But he also knew that Diancie's proposed plan was indeed unrealistic, at least not at the current stage.

Ash and his friends, along with Carrion, boarded the aircraft with smiles. Cynthia was the last to arrive. She stopped at the hatch, turned around, and looked at Zhang Jianying.

In the morning light, her long golden hair swayed gently in the wind, and her eyes were soft.

She didn't say much, but stepped forward and reached out to straighten Zhang Jianying's slightly disheveled collar.

"I was planning to give you special training, but it seems unnecessary now," Cynthia said softly, her voice tinged with amusement. "In fact, it seems to be even more effective."

She paused, her eyes becoming serious: "I look forward to your performance at the League Conference."

Having said that, she didn't linger, turned around, and boarded the aircraft. The hatch slowly closed, and the hum of the starting engine echoed through the forest.

Zhang Jianying stood there until Tianxi pulled his hand, and he came back to his senses.

"We should go now," Diancie reminded him telepathically.

Zhang Jianying nodded and took Diancie's little hand. The two of them, one human and one Pokémon, stepped back to a safe distance and watched the aircraft slowly take off.

The silver-white fuselage drew a graceful arc in the morning light, the tail thrusters spewed out a stream of azure ions, and then with a "whoosh," it sped off towards Sinnoh, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

The bustling open space fell silent, leaving only the sounds of the forest wind and birdsong.

Zhang Jianying looked down at Tianxi beside him. The little guy was also looking up at him, his diamond eyes reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

"Let's go, Your Highness."

Zhang Jianying said with a smile, "Let me take you for a stroll in town first. Last time was too rushed, but this time there's nothing else urgent, so we can have a good look around."

Upon hearing this, Tianxi excitedly grabbed Zhang Jianying's hand and skipped towards the town, exclaiming, "Great! I want to eat those crepes again! And that spinning music box, I want to take another closer look!"

A person and their Pokémon return to a small town on the edge of the forest.

Despite yesterday's legendary battle and the city-wide petrification crisis, the town remained as peaceful and harmonious as if nothing had happened.

The streets were clean and tidy, shops were open as usual, and residents wore peaceful smiles. Children chased and played in the square, and Pokémon stayed by their owners' sides; everything seemed so ordinary.

Zhang Jianying walked down the street, looking at the peaceful atmosphere, and nodded.

He recalled that after the incident, Karuni made a phone call to the Carlos Alliance immediately.

Although the champion was usually playful and a bit gossipy, she was indeed decisive and efficient when it came to serious matters. She not only quickly organized rescue and follow-up work, but also issued a notice to all residents of the town on behalf of the league, explaining what had happened and calming people down.

It seems to be working well.

"Looks like that unscrupulous and gossipy woman is actually quite good at managing the alliance," Zhang Jianying muttered to himself.

Tigongxi didn't hear what he said, and shifted his posture slyly: "Hmm?"

"It's nothing," Zhang Jianying said with a smile, swaying slightly. "Let's go check out the shopping street. Didn't you want to eat crepes?"

"Yes, yes! Crepes!"

Tigongxi's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Zhang Jianying, ready to run towards the stall she remembered.

However, they had only taken a few steps when a voice suddenly called out from behind, "Little servant! Wait!"

Zhang Jianying and Tianxi turned around at the same time.

Just then, the man who sold crepes to Tigong Xichong was seen rushing towards them, pushing his little cart. A sign on the cart read "Crepes - Homemade Flavor," swaying as he ran. In a baby chair at the front of the cart sat a little girl waving her tiny hands and babbling.

The little girl looked about two or three years old, with a round face, big eyes, and wearing a pink dress. She was clutching something in her hand that glittered in the sunlight.

Da Jie, sweating profusely, rushed to Yilan and his Pokémon. He stopped his car, wiped the cigarette smoke from his face and hands with the tuft of hair hanging around his neck, and then squatted down to look Digongxi in the eye.

"We all know, little servant."

Da Jiecong's voice was somewhat excited, but he tried his best to remain gentle. "Your name is Tigongxi, right? Thank you, thank you for protecting our family."

As he spoke, he carefully lifted his daughter out of the baby chair. The little girl's eyes widened immediately upon seeing Tigongxi, and she waved her little hands, babbling excitedly.

The thing she was clutching in her hand was now clearly visible to Zhong Lan.

It was a thumb-sized, pink diamond, perfectly cut, refracting a mesmerizing halo of light in the sunlight, clearly destined to last forever.

Tigongxi looked at the diamond, then at the happy little girl, a gentle smile spreading across her face.

It hopped forward, stretched out its little hand, and waved to the little girl: "Hello~"

Da Jie watched the two "little cuties" interacting, a kind smile spreading across his face. Holding his daughter, he turned to Zhang Jianying and extended his other hand: "Are you this child's trainer? Thank you for your help."

Zhang Jianying shook hands with Da Jie and shook his head slightly: "No, I am not a Tigongshi Cong trainer. We are just traveling together temporarily."

"9

He paused, then asked with a somewhat sly grin, "By the way, how did you know who saved you?"

The man put his daughter down, and the little girl couldn't wait to get closer to Tigongxi, then took out her phone from her apron pocket.

"The League issued a notice last night." Da Jie said, swiping the screen to find the announcement. "The notice said that two Oxygen Grove Pokémon got into a fight, causing the 'Grove' grove to become petrified. A Pokémon named Tigongxi calmed the two Pokémon down, allowing everyone to recover from the petrification."

He turned his phone screen towards Zhang Jianying. The screen displayed a brief announcement, accompanied by a very blurry photo of a cluster of clusters, the outline of which was vaguely visible as pink diamonds, but Qiu Xiwan couldn't make it out.

The announcement used very official language, making no mention of Xerneas and Yveltal's names, simply referring to them as "two powerful Pokémon." The focus was on "thanking the unsung hero, Tigon."

"At first, it seemed very familiar," Da Jie continued, "but after seeing the description 'pink diamond,' it suddenly connected the dots."

He glanced around and lowered his voice, "But because I was worried about getting into trouble, I didn't tell Vublan. And—"

A proud smile spread across Da Jie's face: "The town is planning a celebration for Tigon in the next couple of days. Although most people don't know exactly what kind of Pokémon Tigon is, everyone knows that it saved us. So everyone sincerely wants to thank it."

Zhang Jianying looked at the simple explanation and blurry photo on the screen and understood the pose.

Although the truth is somewhat different.

Diggory didn't "absorb" the legendary Pokémon; rather, it played a crucial role in the battle. This approach wasn't bad. It protected Diggory's true identity and gave the residents someone to be grateful to.

And—there are even special celebrations?

Zhang Jianying looked at Cong Digongxi, who was happily interacting with the little girl, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The little dog seemed to really like children. It was carefully touching the little girl's hand with its tiny paws, while the little girl was playfully stroking the little dog's arm, giggling softly.

Da Jie watched this scene, his eyes softening even more. He hesitated for a moment, then quietly asked Zhang Jianying, "Um—can the matter of Ti Gongxi Cong be made public? I really hope that this little guy who saved our town can enjoy the treatment of a hero."

Zhang Jianying thought for a moment, then didn't answer immediately. He squatted down and said to Cong Digongxi, who was playing with the little girl, "Your Highness, this gentleman wants to ask if it's possible to make your affairs public? The town wants you to hold a celebration."

Tigongxi paused for a moment. It raised its head, looked at Da Jie's expectant eyes, then at Zhang Jianying, and finally at the surrounding town.

Morning light streamed down the streets, and residents began their new day. An auntie selling bread greeted customers with a smile, the postman delivered mail door-to-door on his bicycle, and several children ran past them, each clutching their Pokémon.

Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

And it deserves some credit for all of this.

A warm smile slowly spread across Tigongxi's little face. It responded telepathically, its voice clear and firm: "Sure. If everyone wants to celebrate, I'd be happy to share this joy with you all."

Upon hearing this, Da Jie nodded vigorously and said, "Thank you, little one."

He picked up his daughter and said to Zhang Jianying, "The celebration is the day after tomorrow, at the town center square. If you're still in town by then, you must come!"

"Definitely," Zhang Jianying replied with a smile.

Da Jie said goodbye to Tigongxi again before pushing the stroller away. The little girl, perched on her father's shoulder, kept looking back at Tigongxi, waving her little hands incessantly.

Zhang Jianying only looked away after the father and daughter disappeared around the street corner.

He looked at Tigongxi, whose little family was still standing there, watching them leave in the direction they were going. His diamond eyes sparkled with a complex light, a mix of happiness, emotion, and a sense of responsibility for growing up.

"Let's go," Zhang Jianying gently patted the Tigongxi's Crown, "Let's fill our stomachs first, have some fun for a couple of days, and after the festival, take me to find those high-level Tigong Pokémon."

Tigongxi turned around and clapped her hands vigorously: "Mmm, okay~"

It took Zhang Jianying's hand and skipped ahead. Sunlight shone on the two of them, casting long shadows on the stone path.

Meanwhile, in the town square, several workers had already begun setting up a stage for the celebration. Colorful banners fluttered in the morning breeze, adorned with rough designs, though one could vaguely discern a silhouette made of pink diamonds.

That was Cong Enlan.

She was the Diamond Princess who saved the entire town.