Hearing Diantha's name came as quite a surprise to Xia You, too.
At that moment, the noisy voices outside the studio seemed to recede a little, and his thoughts drifted back to long ago, to the time he had spent living in the Kalos Region just after crossing over.
The woman's face and voice surfaced in his mind.
Their last meeting felt like only yesterday.
The clearest image in his memory was of an afternoon, after they had spent some time together and she had learned he wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer. Bathed in the afternoon glow, she had brought a somewhat shy Ralts over to him, gently pointed at Ralts and then at him, and said in a warm voice, "I'm entrusting this little one to you as your Starter Pokémon. Take good care of it."
He never imagined...
She was right here.
To Xia You, Diantha was more than just a movie star. She was the person who had helped set him on this path, someone to whom he owed a debt of gratitude.
Without Diantha's help back then, without the Ralts she had brought him, perhaps he would have turned out quite differently.
But on reflection, it was hardly surprising. This was Pokéstar Studios, after all, a filming base closely involved in everything from movie promotion to postproduction. As a movie star, Diantha spent most of each year here.
Seeing all the tourists around them flocking in that direction, Xia You turned to the three women beside him.
"Well? Do you want to go have a look?"
"Of course!" Dawn's reaction was the most immediate, her cheeks flushing faintly with excitement. "My mom loves her in Lumiose City Holiday and Graceful Lady! Just like my mom, I'm a huge fan!"
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke,