The streets of Lumiose City were as crowded as ever: taxis zoomed this way and that, taking people from one end of the city to the other. There were several Gogoat running up and down the boulevard ferrying people as well, for those Trainers who wanted to travel around the city in a bit more style. Groups of friends traveled from one café to the next, conversing loudly about the newest PR video they'd seen, or the latest accessory they'd purchased at the boutique. Even more common was the sight of a lost or weary tourist, struggling in vain to find their way to their destination. The elegant Prism Tower stood illuminated in the centre of the city, attracting the largest crowds of any tourist attraction in Lumiose, for it doubled as an official Pokémon League Gym.
Amid all the hustle and bustle of Lumiose City, a solitary figure riding a flying Pokémon was landing in front of the South Boulevard Pokémon Center. It was a woman dressed in a brown overcoat, a matching fedora hat, and large opaque sunglasses. She dismounted her Hawlucha, thanked it for the ride, and returned it to its Poké Ball. She then turned right from the Pokémon Center, heading down South Boulevard to her next destination. The woman could have taken a taxi to make her trip quicker, but sometimes she liked walking down the boulevard, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city:
" - Oh you gotta try a Lumiose Galette, they taste absolutely amazing, and your Pokémon will really - "
" - Forget Pokévision, try PR Video, where anyone can become a star - "
" - I told you, you gotta stop wasting your time at the Loto-ID Center, you're never going to - "
" - Corporation bought out Lysandre Labs today, making it the second company along with Devon of - "
" - Did you hear that they're thinking of giving Restaurant Le Nah another star?! Whoever they are - "
" - My hair is absolutely RUINED!"
A man burst out of Coiffure Clips, almost running into the woman walking down the boulevard. "Oops, sorry lady," he said, before sidestepping her and continuing down the street in a huff. The woman looked at the hairdresser's building and smiled. Her destination was right next door.
There was the slight tinkle of a bell as the woman entered the café. The barista was collecting empty cups from a table close to the door. She smiled at the new arrival and walked over to greet her.
"Welcome to Café Soleil," she said cheerily. "What can I get you today?"
"Actually," the woman said in a low voice, adjusting her glasses slightly and scanning the room. "I'm here to meet a friend. I don't suppose you've seen a man with... Ah..."
The woman fell silent as her eyes landed on a table in the far corner of the café. Sitting there was an extremely tall man with long white hair. He looked very uncomfortable squished into the small chairs of Café Soleil, but he sat without complaint, drinking silently in the corner. The barista followed the woman's gaze to the back of the shop, and her smiled faltered slightly.
"That's... your friend?" she asked in a slightly haughty tone.
The woman in the overcoat nodded and proceeded to walk over to the man, leaving the barista standing by the door with a sour look on her face.
"You're early," the woman said as she reached the table. The man, who did not notice her approach, immediately began to get up to greet her properly. The woman smiled kindly and gestured him to remain seated. "Please," she said warmly, as the man sat back down. "It looks as though you're uncomfortable enough, don't start getting up and down for my sake." The woman looked around for the barista. "In fact, why don't we ask for a more comfortable chair?"
"This is the biggest chair they had," the man said flatly. "But I appreciate your kindness. Please, sit."
The woman smiled and took the seat opposite the man. "I was surprised to hear from you, if I'm being honest," she said to the man, who continued to drink. "Although I was even more surprised when you said you wanted to meet here. Café Soleil just so happens to be my favourite café in Lumiose City."
"I know, that's why I picked it," the man said, putting down his cup. He reached into a dirty rucksack on the floor and pulled out a magazine entitled Kalos Confidential. The woman sat bemused as the man flicked to a page in the magazine.
"If you're looking for Lumiose hotspots, look no further than Café Soleil, " the man read out loud. "Kalos Champion and regional superstar Diantha has proclaimed it to be her favourite café in the city, where she enjoys finding Trainers with real potential!"
The woman named Diantha sat in silence for several seconds. Finally, she giggled softly.
"Well, Mr. AZ," she said teasingly, "I didn't take you for someone who reads Kalos Confidential."
"I like their archeology articles," AZ said simply.
Diantha giggled again. "Well, I appreciate your consideration," she said genuinely, "but your message made it sound as though you had some important matters to discuss. Usually when I come in here, I never get a moment's peace! I'm always inundated by fans."
AZ tilted his head slightly and indicated Diantha's attire. "Is that why you're dressed like this?" he asked. "To avoid being recognized?"
Diantha nodded. AZ gave a small frown. "I apologize for causing you inconvenience," he said dolefully.
"No no, it's fine," Diantha reassured him. "Occasionally I come in here dressed like this anyway, on days when I just want some time to myself."
"The life of a movie star must be difficult," AZ said quietly.
"It can be," she said contemplatively, staring out the café window. She looked back at AZ and smiled sadly. "Although, my struggles seem inconsequential compared to the suffering others have had to endure." She reached out and placed a hand on AZ's arm. He gave a small smile of gratitude. Diantha returned his smile and retracted her arm, putting both hands in her lap.
"Now then," she said finally, as AZ picked up his cup again, "what is it that you wanted to discuss?"
AZ finished his drink and placed the empty cup back on the table. He leaned in a bit closer to Diantha and lowered his voice slightly.
"I've been examining the pit in Geosenge Town," he said quietly.
Diantha looked slightly taken aback. "Geosenge Town?" she asked. "Isn't that the place where..?"
AZ nodded and continued. "I think somebody has been in there recently."
Diantha's expression turned rather serious as she asked, "Do you think that Lysandre has been back to his old headquarters?"
AZ shook his head. "I don't believe so," he told her. "When I examined the weapon, it was covered in a fine layer of dust, hadn't been touched since the headquarter's destruction"
Diantha breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Besides," AZ continued with a small smirk, reaching under his green scarf, "even if it had been Lysandre back to try again, he wouldn't have gotten very far."
AZ revealed a dull bronze key on a chain around his neck. Diantha removed her sunglasses to get a better look at the key.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked disbelievingly. AZ nodded, tucking the key back under his clothes. "But I thought you said it was lost!" Diantha exclaimed. "Either destroyed or in the hands of Lysandre himself!"
"That's what I thought, upon first inspection of the ruins," AZ told her. "However, after the 'Honor of Kalos' parade, I paid another visit to the headquarters, joined by a fresh pair of eyes. Needless to say," AZ said in response to Diantha's confused look, "my friend is much more adept at finding things than I. She retrieved the key for me." AZ smiled at the thought of his companion.
"You have the key, the Ultimate Weapon is inactive... This all sounds like good news to me..." Diantha said wearily. "Why do I feel like the other Roller Skate is about to drop?"
AZ's smile faded. He leaned in closer to Diantha and spoke in barely a whisper.
"I've been monitoring the ruined headquarters very closely," he explained quietly, "in order to ensure that no one tries to reactivate the weapon again. I feel as though it's my responsibility, given the circumstances of the weapon's origins." He gave a sorrowful look as he remembered his past, but continued. "Every time I've been down in that Team Flare basement, there have always been two things: the Ultimate Weapon, and the inert form of the Legendary Pokémon."
"That's right," Diantha whispered. "According to the Champion, the Legendary Pokémon returned to a dormant state after it was quelled in Team Flare's Secret HQ."
"Lysandre attempted to reclaim the Pokémon's power but was soundly defeated by the Champion," AZ remarked. "In a last-ditch effort, Lysandre used what little power the Ultimate Weapon had left to bring the Secret HQ crumbling down. The headquarters was buried, as was the weapon and the slumbering form of the Legendary Pokémon."
Diantha's eyes widened with worry. "Wait, you don't mean to tell me that..."
AZ nodded solemnly. "Yes," he confirmed. "I'm afraid the Legendary Pokémon is gone."
Diantha sat in silence. A few tables down, two patrons were stealing glances at the Champion and AZ, speaking in hushed and excited voices behind their hands. "So," Diantha said finally, "you don't think Lysandre is responsible?"
AZ shook his head. "If he were responsible," he reasoned, "he wouldn't have taken the Legendary Pokémon off somewhere else, the Ultimate Weapon is right there."
"True," Diantha agreed. "But then, is it possible that the Legendary Pokémon has simply awakened, and found a more suitable place to reside?"
AZ gave a small smile. "I've already had a similar thought, and I've sent a friend of mine to investigate further," he said.
The murmuring a few tables down grew louder. AZ glanced in the direction of the noise. "I think we should continue this conversation elsewhere," he said, standing up. "My friend should be meeting us at Prism Tower shortly."
Diantha looked toward the source of the noise as well, spotting several blushing and excited fans. She nodded in agreement, and the two of them left Café Soleil. AZ and Diantha took a few left turns, walking down Bleu Plaza and ending their journey in Centrico Plaza. Diantha glanced up at the towering, majestic form of Prism Tower.
"I never get tired of coming to see this tower," she said fondly, as she and AZ took a seat on a park bench. She turned to face him. "So who is this "friend" of yours, and what did you send her to find out?"
"You can ask her yourself," AZ said with a smile, pointing towards the sky. Diantha looked up. A dainty Pokémon was descending from above, silhouetted against the sun. As it hovered above AZ's outstretched hand, Diantha recognized it as a Floette, though this Floette was holding a type of flower Diantha had never seen before: the flower had black and red petals and an oddly familiar shape, like something Diantha had seen before in the buried ruins of Geosenge Town...
"So, Floette?" AZ asked the Pokémon imploringly. "Did you find..?"
Floette frowned and shook its head. AZ's heart sank as he hung his head. Floette landed in his palm and gave his hand a gentle hug. AZ smiled and stroked the Pokémon affectionately with his finger, then turned to Diantha in dismay.
"Tell me," AZ asked her, "have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Zygarde?"
"Yes," Diantha answered. "It's rumoured to watch over the world's ecosystem and maintain order."
"Floette has just been to Terminus Cave," he reported sadly, "the cave where Zygarde makes its nest in the Kalos Region. She searched the entire cave, and as I told you, she's very adept at finding things. But apparently... Zygarde was nowhere to be found."
Diantha was visibly shocked. "Two Legendary Pokémon disappearing at the same time?" she asked disbelievingly. "That hardly seems like a coincidence."
"I have some contacts in Sootopolis City in the Hoenn Region," AZ continued, "and they've told me that they are experiencing similar disappearances."
Diantha frowned. "So the question remains," she said in a tone of foreboding, "who or what is responsible for these disappearances?"
AZ didn't answer. Diantha returned his silence, lost in her own thoughts. After a time, AZ and Floette proceeded down Vernal Avenue, and Diantha followed. She turned and took one last look at Prism Tower; it remained as tall and bright and majestic as ever, the glowing cracks forming on its surface camouflaged by the tower's luminescence.