Dian pretended not to notice Volcanion's gaze.
A faint smile lingered on his face as he gently stroked Alolan Vulpix's fluffy mane without a word.
Volcanion snorted and turned its head away. It took a deep breath. "Magearna, hold on tight!"
With that, it blasted out a violent torrent of scalding steam and flew toward the area where the purple light was densest.
Humans could never be trusted. Their... the Pokémon's Paradise would ultimately still depend on it for protection!
"Despicable humans! This time, I won't hold back!"
Volcanion roared and plunged straight into the forest below...
Dian watched Volcanion's retreating figure, an inscrutable gleam in his eyes.
Misdreavus blinked, dispersed the scalding steam around them, then floated back above her Trainer's head. She tugged at his black hair, which still stood stubbornly upright. "Mis?"
Were they really not going to help?
Judging by the scale of the attack, even Volcanion probably would not be able to hold them off. Once they broke through into the Nebel Plateau and seized a bunch of "hostages," Volcanion would probably... no, given Magearna's temperament, she would probably surrender without a fight and leave herself at their mercy.
Dian took out a Poké Ball and recalled Alolan Vulpix, then scrunched Misdreavus's pink hair tips into a ball. He finally stopped just as her pout was about to turn into an outburst. Glancing at the scattered points of ominous purple light below, he said, "Don't rush. Not all the actors are in place yet. Isn't our opponent waiting too?"
He gazed toward the distant sky, his eyes narrowing slightly. Ignoring the explosions and flames below, his smile grew even brighter. "Besides, have I ever let you down?"
At that, Misdreavus finally settled down, though her ruby-red eyes remained fixed on the scene below.
Dian knew