Having passed through the cave before, Cole and Diantha found that Noivern and the Zubat let them pass freely this time.
Mabel looked surprised to see Cole return.
She glanced at Diantha beside him and put on a stern face, "Young man, you haven't just brought anyone here to try to appease me, have you?"
Diantha's face showed panic at these words, worried about making a poor first impression.
Cole quickly replied, "How would I dare? The final decision is yours — what would be the point of bringing just anyone?"
Mabel's face softened into a kind expression. She turned to Diantha and asked, "Young lady, you understand why you're here today, right?"
Diantha took a deep breath, "I... I know. I will prove that I'm worthy to be your disciple."
Though meeting her idol up close made her incredibly nervous inside.
Mabel nodded with satisfaction, "Very good, you're a confident girl. I like confident people. What's your name, young lady?"
"My name is Diantha." She answered, trying her best to stay calm.
"Good, Diantha." Mabel turned around, "Follow me."
She led them to a grassy area and took a wooden whistle hanging from her neck, blowing it hard.
"Chirrup~"
A soft cry rang out as an Altaria gracefully descended before them.
Altaria affectionately rubbed its head against Mabel while she gently stroked its neck.
"There, there, stop being so clingy. We have guests." Mabel said after their affectionate greeting. She turned to Diantha, "Have a battle with Altaria."
"Yes!" Diantha replied firmly. Despite facing a Champion's Pokémon, she showed no fear.
Mabel nodded approvingly, "Then let's begin!"
"Chirrup!"
Altaria let out a soft cry and flew to the center of the grass, taking a battle stance.
Diantha walked forward with determination. In a flash of red light, Gardevoir appeared opposite Altaria.
"Garde~"
Gardevoir's expression mirrored her trainer's resolve.
"Chirrup~ Chirrup."
Altaria gently flapped its wings and called out twice, radiating confidence.
Cole turned to Diantha, "Diantha, Altaria is letting you attack first."
Mabel looked at him in surprise, "You can actually understand Pokémon language."
No wonder she had sensed this young man's unusual connection with Pokémon — this explained everything.
"Yes, I can understand a bit." Cole replied with a smile.
Mabel simply nodded without saying more.
After hearing his hint, Diantha didn't hesitate. Facing a League Champion's Pokémon, she knew she couldn't afford to be careless.
"Gardevoir, Imprison!"
At her command, a red flash appeared in Gardevoir's eyes, followed by the same red light briefly flashing over Altaria.
Imprison prevents opponents from using any moves that the user knows. Although Altaria was a Dragon/Flying-type, it could learn powerful Fairy-type moves. With Imprison, Gardevoir effectively sealed away all of Altaria's Fairy-type moves, since Gardevoir knew nearly all the Fairy moves Altaria could learn.
Better yet, as a Fairy-type, Gardevoir was immune to Altaria's Dragon moves.
The battle-experienced Altaria quickly grasped the strategy but remained perfectly composed.
"Chirrup~"
It gently flapped its wings, gazing down at Gardevoir from above. In an instant, its aura turned fierce as it shot forward like a bullet.
Diantha's eyes widened, "Gardevoir, dodge!"
With a thunderous boom, a crater appeared in the grass, dirt flying up around Altaria's feet.
It had used Aerial Ace.
Fortunately, Gardevoir's quick reflexes allowed it to dodge using Teleport. Its form flickered, and suddenly dozens of identical Gardevoir surrounded Altaria.
This was Double Team.
"Gardevoir, Growl!"
All the Gardevoir copies let out piercing cries that echoed through the field, making it impossible for Altaria to identify the real one. While Growl would lower Altaria's attack power, that was just a bonus for Diantha.
"Chirrup~"
Irritated by the cries, Altaria roared and swept an Ice Beam across the field, dispelling all the illusions.
But as Gardevoir flickered again, the copies instantly reappeared.
While Teleport was invaluable, it drained considerable energy. After just two uses, Gardevoir was already breathing heavily.
"Gardevoir, Chatter!"
At Diantha's command, Gardevoir's lips moved rapidly, bombarding Altaria's ears with an intense stream of psychic-infused words. No one except Altaria could understand what Gardevoir was saying — the sound was like an endless swarm of insects buzzing in its ears, threatening to split its head apart.
"CHIRRUP!!!"
Altaria roared in fury, its reason slipping away as rage took over. It unleashed Dragon Pulse, but Gardevoir stood unharmed in the explosion's smoke, completely immune to Dragon-type moves.
While Chatter's primary effect was to lower Special Attack, it also had a hidden benefit — disrupting the opponent's focus. This was exactly what Diantha had planned, combining it with her earlier use of Growl.
No one had noticed the faint purple light flickering in Gardevoir's eyes since the battle began. Suddenly, the enraged Altaria froze. Its fury vanished, replaced by vacant, empty eyes.
Diantha smiled while Cole looked puzzled.
Mabel explained, "It's Hypnosis."
Understanding dawned on Cole.
Hypnosis rarely succeeded, especially against a Pokémon as powerful as Altaria. To land it successfully required creating the right opening — which was exactly why Diantha had caused all those disruptions.
She had chosen this strategy knowing the enormous power gap between Gardevoir and Altaria. Even with type advantage and Altaria holding back, Gardevoir stood no chance in a direct battle.
With Hypnosis successful, Diantha's smile widened — now was her chance to strike!
"Gardevoir, Moonblast!"
"Garde!"
The illusions vanished as a full moon materialized behind the real Gardevoir. A brilliant silver beam shot forth, striking the hypnotized Altaria.
BOOM!!!
The explosion engulfed Altaria in smoke.
But Diantha's smile quickly faded.
"Chirrup!!!"
The smoke burst apart as Altaria soared skyward with a piercing cry. It glared down at Gardevoir and Diantha, eyes blazing with fury, as if ready to unleash a devastating Flamethrower.
In that instant, both human and Pokémon felt themselves locked in the crosshairs of a terrifying presence, sending chills down their spines.
Gardevoir's full-power attack had barely scratched Altaria — and worse, it had awakened the creature from its hypnotic state. This was not the outcome Diantha had anticipated.
Clap Clap Clap!
Mabel clapped her hands.
"Alright, that's enough."
At her words, the intensity radiating from Altaria instantly vanished. Its fierce demeanor melted away as it landed beside Mabel, wearing a pitiful expression and seeking her attention.
"There, there, it's your own fault for letting your guard down," Mabel said affectionately while patting Altaria's neck.
Diantha and Gardevoir exhaled deeply in relief — Altaria's display of power had truly been frightening.
"Go play now." After comforting it, Mabel waved her hand, and Altaria soared back into the sky until it disappeared, "Come here, young lady."
She beckoned to Diantha, who approached obediently with Gardevoir.
"Well done." Mabel praised with a smile.
Since Diantha hadn't undergone Noivern's test in the cave, Mabel had wanted to evaluate the girl's abilities herself. The performance had exceeded her expectations.
While Mabel didn't place natural talent above all else, she did maintain certain standards — and in terms of raw ability, the girl before her certainly made the grade.
Hearing this praise, Diantha's face lit up with a bright smile. Even though it was just two words of praise, she was already completely satisfied.
"Come with me." Mabel said to her.
The test of ability was just the first step. Whether Diantha could actually become her disciple would require further trials. Just as Mabel had told Cole earlier, talent wasn't the most important thing — what mattered was whether she and the candidate could get along.
Cole and Diantha followed Mabel back to her house, but just as Cole was about to follow them inside, Mabel suddenly turned and said:
"You don't need to come in."
Ugh... Cole looked dejected. What's the deal? They weren't doing anything secret, so why couldn't he come in?
He really wanted to see how Mabel would continue testing Diantha. He wasn't trying to be nosy — he just wanted to know the results as soon as possible.
The Mawile following close behind Mabel stood blocking the doorway, glaring at Cole with an expression that clearly said, "If you dare come in, I'll punch you."
"Okay, okay, I won't go in." Cole quickly waved his hands and backed away from the door.
At that moment, Lurantis came over, smiling and beckoning to him. It led him to the backyard where there was a fruit tree with a table and chairs underneath — presumably where Mabel usually spent her time.
Lurantis invited Cole to sit down, brought him a plate of fruit, and brewed a fragrant cup of tea.
"Chirp~ Chirp~ Chi~" — Just sit here and wait, you can do whatever you like, or chat with me.
Cole was touched by its gentleness — compared to Mawile, it was like an angel!
He sat in the backyard for about three hours before Lurantis informed him that Mabel and Diantha had come out. He quickly ran over and saw Diantha sitting expressionless on the steps in front of the door, making his heart sink.
"What's wrong? Didn't make it?" Cole asked gently, afraid of making her cry.
Diantha looked up at him blankly, then suddenly her face broke into a radiant smile. She jumped up and gave him a big hug.
"Cole! I did it, I became Mabel's disciple!"
"Really?" Cole asked delightedly.
"Really, really!" Diantha hugged him and jumped up and down excitedly. Being taller than him, her enthusiastic jumping almost made him dizzy.
"That's wonderful!!!" Cole was just as excited — her success meant he could get the Ancient Crown.
At that moment, Mabel came out of the house and glanced at the two of them, "What are you two doing? Come in and eat!"
Cole and Diantha jumped apart like startled rabbits. Looking at the time, they realized it was indeed lunchtime.
Lunch was still prepared by Mabel, and this time Cole felt much more relaxed while eating.
Having found a disciple she liked, the old woman's rules had become more lenient. Cole internally called her out for having double standards — a disciple becomes precious while everyone else is treated like grass by the roadside.
Mabel: What else did you expect?
After lunch, she turned to Cole, "You said earlier you wanted my help with something. What was it?"
"I heard you have an Ancient Crown, and I was wondering..."
He told her about Hatterene's situation and asked her to give him the Ancient Crown.
"I'll agree to any conditions you have, as long as you're willing to give me the Ancient Crown." Cole said sincerely.
Mabel had a moment of realization, "So that's what you wanted."
No wonder something had seemed off when she saw the boy's Hatterene earlier.
She got up and went to her bedroom, returning shortly with an ornate box.
"This is just a collectible to me. Since you've fulfilled our agreement by helping me find a disciple, it's yours. I have no other conditions."
"Thank you so much." Cole quickly accepted the box and eagerly opened it.
Inside lay a palm-sized silver crown studded with red gems — an exquisite work of art.
He could sense a subtle, mysterious power emanating from it. This unknown force would surely help Hatterene suppress its Psychic Energy.
With the Ancient Crown now in his possession, he immediately released Hatterene.
"Hatterene, look! I got the Ancient Crown. You don't have to worry anymore."
Now that they had the Crown to suppress its Psychic Power, finding items to accelerate Fairy Energy accumulation wasn't so urgent.
"Hatte~ Hatte~"
Hatterene's eyes welled up with tears as it expressed its gratitude. It had silently remembered every effort Cole had made to help treat it.
"Let me put it on you."
"Hatte~"
Hatterene nodded.
Cole placed the Ancient Crown on its witch hat, fitting it around the pointed tip like a decorative ring, giving Hatterene a regal appearance.
"It looks beautiful." He praised sincerely.
"Hatte~"
Hatterene smiled shyly. The moment it put on the Ancient Crown, its mind became remarkably clearer.
Though it had seemed fine before, its thoughts had always been foggy and unfocused. Now that cloudiness was completely gone.
✲✲✲
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