The round pink diamond on its head radiated a brilliant glow, symbolizing its energy.
Diancie wore a crown composed of four octahedral diamonds and two elongated diamond rods.
Around its neck was a golden arc embedded with an octahedral diamond, while the upper part of its body resembled a white, flowing gown.
The lower part of its body was a rough diamond ore, partially exposing uncut gems.
This noble and beautiful form was what people called the "Royal Pink Princess."
Even in its normal form, Diancie was breathtakingly beautiful, but its Mega-Evolved form was even more stunning.
In that state, the diamond on its head would transform into a heart shape, and its body would grow slightly larger, as if maturing from a young girl.
Diancie blinked its ruby-like eyes, which reflected Jin's panicked expression. Though small in stature, Diancie exuded the grace of a princess in every way. Yet, despite its adorable and beautiful appearance, Jin's face twisted in horror at the sight of it.
No! This can't be!
Instinctively, Jin clenched his jaw, and energy surged through his body.
Like a wild beast facing danger, he bared his teeth defensively.
'Could it be... that they used some method to summon another one of their kings?'
After a brief moment of shock, Jin quickly calmed down, his expression turning suspicious as he racked his brain for answers.
In truth, Jin had not originally been the leader of his Stone Giant race—another Stone Giant had held that position.
He had only become the leader because the former chieftain hadn't died of old age but had perished in that great battle.
Jin remembered this vividly because, in his mind, that former leader had been the strongest.
The former leader and Jin had also shared a certain connection.
The reproduction of stone giants involves a higher-level giant separating a part of itself to form a new stone giant.
Jin was one such stone giant, separated from the former leader.
By human standards, Jin could be considered the former leader's child.
Yet, despite his immense power, the former leader ultimately met his end.
He perished in a mutual destruction with the Diamond Spirit King.
The Diamond Spirit race has a very distinct hierarchy, with the Diamond Spirit King standing far above the rest.
Not only does the king appear more radiant and beautiful in form, but his strength is also vastly superior.
He possesses several unique abilities, each with devastating effects—one of which was the self-destruction that took the former leader's life.
Jin had been present at the time, witnessing the horrifying scene firsthand and etching it deeply into his memory.
Like a recurring nightmare, the image often resurfaces in his mind.
The former leader had been dominating the battle, but in the end, the Diamond Spirit King unleashed his self-destruction.
The sheer destructive force of that explosion still sends shivers down Jin's spine.
Every stone giant present was reduced to ashes.
Had it not been for his teleportation ability, he too would have perished.
Even so, he was a fraction too slow, suffering partial damage from the blast.
Though grievously wounded, he at least survived.
Since then, he has kept the Diamond Spirits under strict surveillance, fearing the emergence of another Diamond Spirit King.
Thus, over countless years, two beings have remained the objects of Jin's deepest dread—ones he still fears facing to this day.
One is the Diamond Spirit King, who left him with psychological scars.
The other is the Hellbell Snake lurking in the swamps.
And now, standing before him, Diancie bore an uncanny resemblance to the Diamond Spirit King!
Only a moment had passed, but Jin's mind raced through a storm of thoughts.
Finally, as he scrutinized the details, the truth dawned on him.
'No… this isn't…' Jin narrowed his eyes at Diancie, a cold glint flashing within.
Though strikingly similar, there were many differences in its appearance—and an oddly familiar aura.
Just like those other giant beasts from before!
Jin inwardly sighed in relief.
Had he not seared that memory into his mind, he might have truly forgotten after all this time.
'A pursuer, then?'
'But this one doesn't seem too strong—just startled me with its appearance.'
'To think they'd catch up so quickly…'
Jin's expression tensed as he cursed inwardly, but soon relaxed.
His cooldown period had ended.
This meant he could teleport again—and this time, directly to the surface.
Once there, the sky would be his limit, the ocean his playground.
Escape would be effortless, and then he could plot his Payback in peace.
Jin's imagination ran wild, convinced he was moments from freedom, already envisioning his triumphant return.
He paid no heed to the glare, dismissing it as some kind of terrain-altering ability.
He'd encountered such things before—teleportation always broke him free.
Diancie tilted its head, its adorable face brimming with curiosity, then slowly raised its hands.
Its small palms faced Jin directly as energy surged through it, diamond-like radiance flickering in waves.
Jin's heart jolted as he clearly sensed the aura emanating from Diancie!
He had miscalculated! This enemy was also incredibly powerful!
Jin's body swayed as he immediately prepared to teleport away—no matter what, he couldn't stay in this place any longer.
Too dangerous!
Even now, he couldn't understand why enemies of this caliber, whom he'd rarely encountered before, were suddenly swarming out like a disturbed hive, appearing one after another.
Just the number of powerful beings he'd seen today already matched all those he'd encountered since his birth.
Logically, this shouldn't be happening.
This was merely the outskirts, not yet the deeper regions.
But Jin had neither the mind nor the time to dwell on this now.
Escape was the most crucial thing at this moment.
How grateful he felt that his cooldown period had ended—otherwise, he would have truly met his end here.
And it was all thanks to that unknown ore he had consumed long ago, granting him the invaluable spatial ability.
Not only could he store objects within his body, but he also possessed this heaven-defying teleportation skill.
Jin hurriedly channeled the energy within him for this most critical teleportation.
After successively using the Hundred Slash Blade, defending against Marshadow's assault, creating nine clones, and performing long-distance teleportation...
Coupled with the natural energy dissipation over time, his reserves were nearly depleted.
One more teleportation would likely reduce him back to his previous power level.
At that point, escape would be even more impossible, so he had to seize this sole chance for survival!
The hidden Flow of energy coursed through Jin's body, preparing to transport him away.
In an instant, an invisible force obstructed the teleportation, leaving Jin rooted in place, unchanged.
Jin's expression twisted in horror as he cursed aloud.
"What's going on?! Teleport now!!"
His body trembled violently, his voice quivering with fear, his terror unmistakable.
Yet no matter how he raged, he remained stuck in place, the teleportation failing.
Like a frozen loading screen.
Jin's face stiffened as he jerked his head up, instinctively raising his arms to block the incoming attack.
A massive Diamond Storm surged toward him at blinding speed, appearing before him in the blink of an eye.
Countless diamonds of varying sizes swirled through the air in a patterned, high-speed rotation, pulsing with intense energy.
The diamonds glittered brilliantly, and the storm they formed was dazzling beyond compare.
Each gem radiated such bright light that it illuminated the dark passageway, creating an illusion of daylight.
As Diancie's signature move, this Diamond Storm naturally carried its unique flair.
Diancie could compress carbon elements from the air to continuously produce diamonds—each of exceptionally high quality.
If Akira were to compare, these casually crafted diamonds would rival even those imbued with Gemstone Power.
Thus, one could say that with Diancie, wealth would never be an issue.
Not only were the gems of supreme quality, fetching exorbitant prices, but their production also required no capital.
Yet beyond their ornamental value, Diancie's diamonds served another purpose—combat.
By rapidly generating vast quantities of diamonds and infusing them with energy, they could be unleashed as a devastating "storm" attack.
It can unleash unimaginable destructive power!
At the same time, its range is considerable, capable of striking multiple areas at once.
Such a magnificent and spectacular move would undoubtedly win top honors if performed in a Pokémon Contest.
Yet few can achieve this.
After all, as a Mythical Pokémon, Diancie is so rare that merely encountering one is a privilege, let alone capturing it.
Beneath its dazzling display lies a fierce and deadly attack!
At this moment, time seemed to freeze.
As Jin watched the attack rapidly expanding in his vision, a sudden realization struck him.
It was that eerie gaze!
Those eyes had glanced at him, and not only was he unable to flee, but even his teleportation ability had been disrupted!
With death looming just a hair's breadth away, Jin finally understood what had shattered his last vestige of hope.
It was those monsters' endless array of bizarre abilities!
And their terrifyingly overwhelming strength!
His defeat was inevitable...
"BOOM!!"
The dazzling Diamond Storm abruptly engulfed Jin.
Already drained of much of his energy, his arms shattered after only a brief resistance.
His once-powerful body fragmented into countless pieces, scattered by the storm, only to be further pulverized into even finer particles.
Until finally, they became imperceptible dust, settling unnoticed upon the ground.
Seeing that it was enough, Diancie ceased its Aura output, and the storm rapidly diminished in size.
Moments later, the last remnants of the storm dissipated completely, leaving only the broken remnants of Jin sprawled on the ground.
Now, Jin was in a pitiful state—collapsed on the ground, his body reduced to tattered fragments.
His limbs had vanished without a trace, turned into invisible shards mingling with the dust.
His unique core was exposed, pulsing weakly but unmistakably alive.
Beyond these ordinary remnants, something peculiar lay within Jin's abdomen.
With his energy depleted and his dimensional storage collapsing, its contents spilled into the open air.
Among them were several peculiar blades, led by the Hundred Slash Blade, and radiant Gemstone Power.
Strangely, there were also a few ancient, square objects—timeworn books.
Their covers were even made from some kind of animal hide.
Then, a spatial distortion rippled nearby as Porygon-Z slowly emerged, its lifeless eyes fixed on the fallen Jin.
Now, Porygon-Z had reverted to its normal form, as the other stone golems had already been completely dealt with.
Meanwhile, Steelix was already feasting heartily within Jin's cave.
Though Jin now teetered on the brink of death, Porygon-Z showed no reaction, merely hovering silently above him.
A surge of pink Aura manifested, lifting the blades and other items into the digital world.
Then, waves of pure Aura seeped from Porygon-Z's toy-like body, enveloping Jin's broken remains.
Though unconscious, Jin could still sense an impending threat.
The sudden quickening pulse of his core betrayed his unease.
As the Aura cocooned him completely, the information within his mind seemed to solidify into tangible form.
Lines of green data surged like countless rivers flowing into the sea, floating through the air in ribbon-like streams.
All converged toward Porygon-Z at the center.
Porygon-Z was absorbing Jin's memories!
Years of Jin's memories were being forcibly transmitted as data into Porygon-Z.
This was why Akira had instructed Diancie to keep Jin barely alive.
Jin possessed many valuable things.
Such as his experience points, the weapons he owned, and more.
Among these, his memories held equal value.
As an entity that had lived many years in the Dark Continent with considerable strength, his memories were highly valuable.
And this would help Akira resolve some lingering questions.
At the same time, it would allow this Jin—who should have died—to make one final contribution.
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