Aoki nodded slowly, his expression turning serious.
"Indeed, if you remain hidden underground, you might avoid discovery for a long time. But now that I've found you, can you really stay hidden forever?"
He didn't say it outright, but the implication was clear—they had already been exposed.
Aoki smiled, though it lacked warmth.
"I may be the first human to find you in centuries, but if there's a first, there will be a second. And how can you guarantee that the next person who discovers you won't be malicious? Are you willing to gamble your entire colony's safety on that?"
He gestured at the crystalline walls around them.
"The diamonds you produce are highly valuable in the outside world. And Pokémon like you? You're considered extremely rare commodities."
The Carbink Minister flinched at being called a "commodity," but its fairy-type instincts told it Aoki wasn't lying. If what he said was true, the surface world offered them nothing but danger.
Their existence alone would make them targets.
"Then why are you telling us this?" the Minister demanded, cutting to the heart of the matter.
Instead of answering directly, Aoki's smile turned sharper.
"Let me share another piece of information. Right now, I'm one of the first thirty people to arrive on this island. But soon, far more dangerous individuals will follow. And when they find you?"
He let the implication hang.
"Your entire colony will be harvested like resources."
The Carbink Minister paled.
"Don't think digging deeper will save you," Aoki continued. "Those people have the means to track you no matter how far down you go. Your value makes it worth their effort."
The Minister's expression darkened. That had been its first thought—if they weren't hidden well enough, they just needed to burrow further. But Aoki's words suggested even that wouldn't work.
Why is the outside world so much worse than the old tales? it wondered. The legends passed down by its ancestors spoke of dangers, yes, but never of creatures called "humans" who could command Pokémon.
Had their elders never encountered trainers? Centuries ago, when this region was undiscovered by the Pokémon League, perhaps humans hadn't yet mastered the art of training.
"Then what do you want?" the Minister pressed. "I don't believe you came here just to warn us."
This time, Aoki didn't evade the question. His lips curled into a grin, his eyes glinting in the dim light.
Watching this, Slowking and the other Pokémon shivered.
Here it comes, they thought. The boss is about to swindle another Pokémon.
Aoki would never admit to outright deception, of course. He preferred letting his targets realize his goals on their own.
Blunt force was for amateurs. If he could secure an entire Carbink colony without lifting a finger? That was true efficiency.
From their earlier exchange, he'd learned this was their full population. Though they'd suffered no losses over the years, their reproduction rate was painfully slow—only two hundred in all this time.
Enough to feed Larvitar and Aron for a while, Aoki mused.
"Of course it's not that simple," he said smoothly. "Tell me… have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Diancie?"
The Carbink Minister jolted as if struck.
The other Carbink might not understand, but from the moment it had evolved into its Minister form, it had known its purpose:
To serve Diancie.
To help it ascend as the ruler of the Carbink, transforming their colony into a true kingdom.
This was imprinted in its blood—an instinct deeper than thought.
And that regal, pink figure had haunted the Minister's dreams ever since. A being it had sought but never seen.
"Y-you've… seen Diancie?" the Minister stammered.
Legends of Diancie existed among the Carbink elders, but most dismissed them as myths. Only the Minister, with its visions, truly believed.
Over the years, it had convinced the colony of Diancie's existence—but none had ever laid eyes on it.
Aoki shook his head. "I haven't."
The Minister's hope shattered. "You—!"
"But think," Aoki continued, unfazed. "How would a human who's never met Carbink before know about Diancie? You've never seen it either, have you? To you, it's just a legend."
The Minister hesitated. That… was true.
Aoki pressed his advantage.
"I do know how to find Diancie. And I can give you a king within five years." He spread his hands. "Imagine it—your colony, no longer prey, but a true kingdom under Diancie's rule. With its power, you'd rank among the strongest Pokémon."
Five years?
Aoki had no intention of keeping that promise. By then, Larvitar would be a Tyranitar, and he'd likely be a Champion-tier trainer. Tracking down a Diancie would be difficult, but not impossible.
And if he failed? Well, the Carbink wouldn't be in a position to complain.
Aoki's grand deception was in full swing.