Chapter 261: The Stolen Sacred Diamond! The Forest is Dying

"This is truly spectacular."

Karl led his team and Pokémon through the dimly lit cave.

He looked at the Carbink lying on the cave floor with excitement. "There's definitely something extraordinary down here."

"Despicable humans!"

At that moment, the Carbink Minister, who had successfully resisted the hypnosis with Protect, stood up.

It glared at Karl and shouted angrily before launching an attack.

"Get out of here!"

"Golem~"

The Golem beside Karl glanced at the Carbink Minister and then waved its hand, condensing a massive boulder.

Bam~

Rock Slide came crashing down.

The Carbink Minister was instantly pinned to the ground by the boulder.

"It can talk?"

Karl looked at the Carbink Minister in surprise and grinned. "A talking Pokémon is worth a fortune."

"You vile human, I'll never let you get away with this!"

The Carbink Minister glared furiously at Karl.

Karl scratched his ear and then stepped forward, placing his foot on the Carbink Minister. "Old timer, just stay quiet for now."

"Mr. Karl!"

At that moment, a staff member excitedly reported, "We've detected a strong life energy signature!"

"Life energy?"

Karl turned to the staff member with a look of delight. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

"According to the energy scans, there's a massive underground world below us!"

"Haha, excellent!"

"Let's head down immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

The Carbink Minister finally panicked. "No, you can't!"

Karl smirked at the Carbink Minister. "Looks like you know a lot about this place."

"Bring it along."

"Yes, sir!"

Karl and his team descended further into the underground tunnels.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered Pokémon living in the caves, but nothing else of note.

Everything went smoothly.

As they passed through the dark tunnels, a light appeared ahead.

Karl and his team quickened their pace and emerged from the cave entrance.

Whoosh~

They stepped out of the underground cave, and the world before them opened up.

In front of them was an enormous, glowing pink diamond floating in the underground space.

The walls around it were adorned with numerous gems emitting faint glows.

"This... this is!"

Karl's heart raced as he took in the sight.

He stared at the discovery in awe and excitement. "Could this be the resting place of Lord Xerneas?"

"It's so beautiful."

The people around Karl began to murmur. "I never imagined something like this existed down here."

"Truly, the underground holds many treasures."

After a moment of stunned silence, Karl regained his composure. "Whether this is Xerneas or not, we're taking it back."

"This will be a great achievement to report to the higher-ups."

"No, you can't!"

The Carbink Minister cried out in panic. "You must not touch the Sacred Diamond!"

"Sacred Diamond?"

Karl turned to the Carbink Minister with a grin. "So, you know what this is."

"This is the life source of our Underground Kingdom! If you take it, our world will be destroyed!"

Karl shrugged. "What do I care if your world is destroyed?"

"Get the equipment down here. We're moving it."

"Yes, sir!"

The Carbink Minister struggled violently. "No!"

"Death will come for this place if you do this!"

Karl sneered at the Carbink Minister. "By the time that happens, we'll be long gone."

"You monster!"

The Carbink Minister, furious, tried to lunge at Karl again.

Bam~

Golem's fist came down, knocking the Carbink Minister unconscious.

"Foolish."

Karl muttered indifferently before turning to his team. "Everyone, get moving! Let's finish this quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

Karl and his team worked swiftly. Before long, a machine resembling a small cart was brought beneath the Sacred Diamond.

Whoosh~

The machine shot out something like a net, which enveloped the Sacred Diamond and pulled it onto its back.

Everything went smoothly.

The machine began to move upward.

"Let's go!"

However, none of them noticed that as the Sacred Diamond was moved, the gems on the walls, which had been glowing, began to dim.

Soon, the cave was plunged into darkness.

The machine's headlights illuminated the path ahead.

"Why does it feel so much darker now?"

Karl muttered, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

But as he looked at the glowing pink diamond, his mood lifted.

"Whatever."

Karl thought excitedly. "This is a huge success."

"Everyone, hurry up."

"Let's get out of here."

"Yes, sir!"

Above ground, in the snow-covered forest.

Natsume looked at a construction site-like area in the woods ahead. "This is the place, right?"

"It's quite lively."

Diancie, on the other hand, seemed excited.

After all, this was the entrance to Diancie's Diamond Kingdom.

"Natsume, you'll soon see the massive Sacred Diamond with your own eyes."

Diancie eagerly anticipated Natsume's reaction to the Sacred Diamond.

"It's truly magnificent."

Natsume smiled. "Yeah~"

"I can't wait to see the Sacred Diamond."

As Natsume and Diancie were talking, he noticed Gardevoir staring at the ground.

"What's wrong, Gardevoir?"

Natsume followed Gardevoir's gaze.

On the ground, the weeds that had been thriving despite the snow were now withering.

Natsume was momentarily stunned before he quickly looked around.

The surrounding trees were rapidly turning black and withering.

"Spearow~"

A large flock of Spearow took to the sky in panic, flying away from the area.

Deerling, Rattata, and other Pokémon that lived nearby were also becoming restless.

Natsume, watching the changes around him, felt a chill run down his spine.

A terrifying energy was rapidly spreading from the underground world to the surface!

The forest, under the influence of this energy, was dying!

"Natsume!"

Diancie suddenly pointed frantically at the construction site ahead.

"That's... that's our Sacred Diamond!"