The next morning, after resting up, Sunny and Xander stood outside the breeding house, waving goodbye to Carver.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality last night. Goodbye, sir!"
Carver smiled and nodded. "Safe travels!"
With their departure, the breeding house once again fell quiet.
Bewear headed upstairs to clean the guest rooms.
Meanwhile, Carver took down the "Open for Business" sign outside.
That freeloading Taillow came again today, as usual. But Carver noticed something different this time.
After a few visits, the food at the breeding house no longer satisfied it. The meals could fill Taillow's stomach, sure—but they didn't bring it joy anymore.
And without raising its Happiness, Carver couldn't extract more intel about Latias and Latios.
"Looks like developing new Pokémon recipes just moved up on the to-do list," Carver muttered.
But first, he had another task.
The intel Taillow previously gave about Clefairy had stayed on his mind. Plus, from Xander's visit, he had received a specific location where Clefairy appeared en masse.
So Carver decided to take a half-day break. He'd bring Bewear and Growlithe to Meteor Falls in search of Clefairy.
As for the Axew habitat mentioned by Xander…
According to the intel, Axew lived in clans protected by powerful Haxorus. Unless Axew willingly joined him, Carver wouldn't stand a chance.
While Bewear was still cleaning, Carver checked in on Swampert and Quagsire in the backyard, then swung by the herb garden to check Oddish's progress.
But Oddish's current power was limited. Unlike stronger Grass-types, it couldn't rapidly grow plants, and the seeds in the garden had barely sprouted.
Oddish seemed a bit discouraged, wondering if it was really being helpful.
But Carver didn't scold it—he just patted its head and reassured it, "Don't rush. Take your time."
"Odd!" The Oddish perked up, visibly cheered.
Smiling, Carver turned and headed back to the main hall with his little tailing Growlithe.
Bewear, already cleaned up, was waiting by the door.
"Let's go. Time to head out," said Carver.
"Bewear!" it replied.
One man and two Pokémon closed the breeding house and officially set off toward Meteor Falls.
The house sat between Meteor Falls and Autumnleaf Town. Heading east along the main road led to town.
But heading west led directly to Meteor Falls.
Legend said that Meteor Falls had once been a towering mountain, with a massive waterfall plunging from the peak. But one day, a giant meteor crashed into it, carving out a vast cavern. The waterfall now flowed within.
The meteor's impact created a unique ecosystem—Solrock and Lunatone, rare elsewhere, were common there.
At 8 a.m., Carver and Bewear reached Meteor Falls.
At the end of the road stood a dark cave entrance. Beside it was a warning sign:
"Dangerous Pokémon inside. Unauthorized entry prohibited."
"I guess we don't count as 'unauthorized,' huh?" Carver mumbled.
"How's your strength, Bewear?" he asked.
Instead of answering, Bewear grabbed Carver and Growlithe under each arm and charged straight into the cave.
Carver: "…"
Well, that answers that.
If it got too dangerous, they could always run.
To his surprise, the interior wasn't nearly as dark as he expected. The meteor hole in the mountaintop allowed shafts of sunlight to beam through, lighting the cave.
In the distance, several Solrock and Lunatone floated silently in midair.
"Let's steer clear of them," said Carver.
These Pokémon could use Explosion—a 250-power move. One misstep and it'd be game over.
Plus, they weren't here for Solrock or Lunatone. The target was Clefairy.
Bewear eyed the floating celestial Pokémon without comment.
Meteor Falls had multiple levels—ground, underground, upper floors. Its internal structure was complex and maze-like.
Thankfully, Carver had the exact location of Clefairy's sighting.
He avoided Solrock and Lunatone, followed a carved staircase upward, passed through Geodude and Graveler territory, and finally reached the spot described in the intel.
After a bit of searching, Carver finally spotted a familiar figure in a pit.
A pink, star-shaped, fluffy, chubby Pokémon—it was clearly a Clefairy.
It was adorably plump, with a big tail on its back.
Clefairy spotted!
The Clefairy had its head down, glancing left and right, seemingly searching for something.
"Huh? Just one Clefairy?"
Wasn't it supposed to be a crashed ship full of them?
With a focused thought, Carver pulled up Clefairy's info.
[Pokémon: Clefairy]
Gender: Female
Ability: Magic Guard
Moves: Pound, Growl, Sing, Defense Curl, Bounce, Sweet Kiss, Baby-Doll Eyes, Copycat, Disarming Voice, Stored Power
Status: Healthy
Mood: Confused
Happiness: -30
Friendship: 0 (You're strangers)
Note: "If I don't fix that ship soon, I'm stuck here forever!" —Clefairy
Carver: "???"
Fix the ship?
No way. He could accept that Solrock and Lunatone came via meteors…
But did these Clefairy really arrive in a spaceship?
He was stunned.
Just then, Clefairy suddenly ducked into a narrow tunnel and vanished.
Carver blinked and stepped forward to inspect. The passage was narrow and dark, possibly carved by Onix or Geodude. No telling where it led.
But if Clefairy went in comfortably, then it probably wasn't too dangerous.