Xia Huanao went out for a stroll and returned with three people: one was the princess of Myllon, and the other two were Feng and Mei.
Xia Huanao plopped onto a chair, his confidence in his personal charm wavering intensely. "This is so strange. Is my personal charm that bad? Only three people showed up in the end."
As he spoke, Xia Huanao glanced at Mei, who was sitting obediently on a chair. "This one just tagged along stubbornly."
Mei pouted unhappily. "What are you saying? What do you mean 'tagged along stubbornly'? Aren't we good friends?"
As she spoke, Mei picked up a fruit and took a fierce bite, channeling all her annoyance with Xia Huanao into the fruit. Xia Huanao felt a shiver run down his spine, and he held his teacup, concealing his expression.
For Meng Tianya, it didn't matter much that Xia Huanao and his group had turned their tea party into a three-way talk. After all, three out of the top four contenders were present, so it was as good as a resolution even without a formal decision.
After a few casual remarks, they steered the conversation towards the specific arrangements for mining the next day. Xia Huanao broke the ice. "So, what's the plan for mining tomorrow?"
Meng Tianya pointed at Xia Huanao. "Others might not know, but you're definitely going in. Who else understands Mega Stones as well as you do?"
Xia Huanao glanced at Feng and the others. They also looked at Xia Huanao with expressions of expectation. Xia Huanao scratched his cheek. "Is that so? Then what about Mu Zhishui, will she also..."
"Are you suggesting we let a girl go into a mine?" Princess Zhuo Lei said. Xia Huanao looked at Mu Zhishui, who calmly took a sip of her tea. "If you wish, I can go down with you."
Xia Huanao shook his head. "Forget it. You stay outside. If I really brought you down, the girls from all the other teams would probably drown me in their spit."
Seeing Xia Huanao concede, Feng and Zhuo Lei also relaxed. If both Xia Huanao and Mu Zhishui, the two Mega experts, were to enter, the impact on resource allocation would be too significant. They preferred Xia Huanao having the final say inside rather than two of them colluding.
Xia Huanao looked at Meng Tianya, nudged his stool closer, and whispered, "If I go in, does that mean I can do whatever I want inside without needing permission?"
Meng Tianya pondered for a long time before making his decision. "Yes, you can do as you please inside, as long as you don't cause any major trouble."
...
We don't know what other conclusions were reached during the afternoon tea of these three families. However, the next morning, as the eight participants from the top four were about to enter the mine, Xia Huanao's expression was clearly not happy.
"Why do they all get to bring girls into the mine, but I have to take Yu Longdu?"
Yu Longdu's face was also not too pleasant. "Do you think I want to go? I'd rather be outside cuddling with my girlfriend."
Xia Huanao pushed Yu Longdu back towards the Minglong Kingdom's camp. "Alright, alright. I can handle this mission alone. If things get heated inside, I can verbally spar with all six of them by myself and still not lose."
The team of eight thus became seven. Just as these seven were about to enter the mine, Xia Huanao suddenly stopped Zhuo Lei, who was standing beside him, and then directly threw out a Poké Ball. After releasing the Poké Ball, Xia Huanao touched his right bracelet with two fingers of his left hand. "Diancie, Mega Evolve."
Everyone around was stunned. What was he doing? Before even entering, he was about to unleash an attack? Since when did the Minglong Kingdom have such a bold trainer? He should at least wait until they were deeper inside to make a move.
Meng Tianya was also quite startled by Xia Huanao's action. "Why Mega Evolve immediately? What is he planning?"
Amidst the surrounding discussions, Xia Huanao stared intently at the mine entrance. Suddenly, an energy fluctuation emanated from within the mine, and then stones flew out from the mountain, heading towards Xia Huanao and Diancie.
Xia Huanao decisively counterattacked. Dazzling Gleam sliced through the air, striking the flying pebbles and then exploding inside the cave.
Although the light from Dazzling Gleam was very bright, Xia Huanao saw nothing unusual when he looked inside.
After Xia Huanao exchanged a blow with the unknown opponent, the other trainers present also began to take out their Poké Balls, ready to assist Xia Huanao. Xia Huanao quickly raised his hand. "Everyone, don't move. This is my own business."
Arthur rolled his eyes at him. "Your business? Don't use that as an excuse to delay everyone from entering."
Arthur, relying on his understanding, took out a Poké Ball and sent out his first Pokémon. As soon as it appeared, it was directly defeated by a large rock that flew out of the mine. Xia Huanao said helplessly, "I told you this was my own business, but you insisted on interfering. Aren't you asking for trouble?"
Arthur angrily recalled his Pokémon and watched Xia Huanao and Diancie continue to battle the mysterious entity inside the mine. Su Xiaojiu leaned towards Mu Zhishui. "What Pokémon could be inside?"
Mu Zhishui shook her head. Not many Pokémon could suppress a Mega Diancie of this caliber. However, it had been explicitly stated that there were no other Pokémon on this island. Why was this happening?
As Mu Zhishui pondered, a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew out from the cave, carrying colorful crystals towards Diancie.
"It's Diamond Storm, Diancie, let's go!"
"Impossible! With Diancie's abilities, how could it use Diamond Storm now?"
Diamond Storm, Diancie's signature move, can only be learned after reaching level fifty. Although Xia Huanao's Diancie had gained a lot of experience from the previous battle, it should still be a few steps away from level fifty. How could it possibly use Diamond Storm?
But Xia Huanao was Xia Huanao after all. If Diancie couldn't throw Diamond Storm, couldn't it throw rocks? Xia Huanao and Diancie managed to play Rock Slide with the effect of Diamond Storm. Of course, the real deal was significantly more powerful than the imitation. Soon, Diamond Storm overpowered Diancie's Rock Slide. Fortunately, the Diamond Storm didn't last too long, or rather, the Diancie inside didn't go for the kill, which gave Xia Huanao a moment to recover.
It was also after the Diamond Storm ended that everyone discovered another Diancie at the mine entrance, and it was a Mega-Evolved Diancie.
This was the only Diancie, besides Xia Huanao's Diancie, that had appeared before everyone on the island of Reikai. If one could capture it, their trainer career might soar.
Xia Huanao addressed these trainers, whose intentions were clearly suspect. "I advise you not to be foolish. If our Diancie is the little princess of the Diamond Mining Kingdom, then the one before you is the actual queen of the Diamond Mining Kingdom. She's about the same level as our Meng Jie. Even if you all attack together, you won't stand a chance."
At first, they didn't believe Xia Huanao. However, when they turned and saw Arthur, whose Pokémon had just been defeated, they finally believed him. Furthermore, the witch from the Lixing Kingdom provided them with an explanation of how formidable Xia Huanao's Meng Jie was, which silenced them even further.
Mu Zhishui smiled knowingly at the expressions of the trainers who wanted to capture Diancie. "They are mother and daughter reuniting for a chat, so don't interfere. Xia Huanao, good luck!"
Xia Huanao and Diancie engaged in a few more rounds with Her Majesty the Queen. Although Xia Huanao and Diancie gave their all, and Queen Diancie was holding back, the Queen ultimately emerged victorious. Xia Huanao helplessly returned Diancie to her Poké Ball to recover her combat power, then summoned Diancie again to reunite with her mother.
Her Majesty the Queen contentedly patted her daughter's head, then looked at Xia Huanao. Xia Huanao smiled. "I knew it. Why haven't you been in good spirits these past few days? Was it the pressure from Your Majesty? But if you missed your daughter, you could have just let me take her back, right? Why come here?"
The Queen pointed to the mine. "This is also our Diamond Mining Kingdom's territory. Can't I patrol my territory and come here?"
This was Diancie's family's territory? It made sense. Whether it was a Key Stone or a Mega Stone, they could ultimately be considered a type of gem. A mine rich in gems like this could be considered the territory of the Diamond Mining Kingdom.
The others couldn't understand their conversation at all. Fortunately, Xia Huanao summoned Rotom to act as an interpreter, which made everyone's mood complicated.
Meng Tianya was not happy. If he had known this place was part of the Diamond Mining Kingdom, Xia Huanao could have exercised some form of sovereign rights. In that case, what was the point of the competition? Couldn't Xia Huanao simply take up the position of the little princess Diancie?
As for the leaders of the other countries, they were also in a complex mood. If only they had gotten along better with Xia Huanao, he might have shared some of it with them.
"So, can we go in and take a look?"
"Of course. Although this is our Diamond Mining Kingdom's territory, neither Key Stones nor Mega Stones are of much use to us. As long as you don't mine them indiscriminately, we don't refuse to share these things with humans."
Everyone couldn't help but thank Her Majesty the Queen for her generosity. Her Majesty turned and walked into the mine. "Follow me. I'll take you around here."
Xia Huanao turned around and shrugged. "Then I'll go in first. Don't worry too much. Just consider me accompanying my girlfriend on a visit to her family..."