"In that case, it's settled!"
"Growlithe, use Odor Sleuth!"
Clefairy had just passed through, leaving behind its scent.
Upon receiving the command, Growlithe rushed ahead a few steps and began sniffing the ground intently.
Before long, a bright light bulb lit up over its head.
Target found!
"Arf arf!"
Growlithe barked twice, then took the lead.
Carver and his two Pokémon entered the narrow tunnel. It was manageable for Carver, but a tight squeeze for Bewear.
Luckily, Bewear was strong enough. As it squeezed through, it forcibly widened the tunnel.
Carver, who'd considered asking it to wait outside: "…"
He just shook his head and kept going.
Although the cave was dim, the path wasn't too complex.
Growlithe led the way, following Clefairy's scent trail.
Carver noticed that the deeper they went, the wider the passage became—eventually, they could walk upright.
"Arf!"
Suddenly, Growlithe stopped. Up ahead was a fork in the tunnel.
"Can you tell which way Clefairy went?" Carver asked.
Growlithe sniffed the ground again, then confidently chose a direction.
A few more minutes in, Carver heard a shrill scream from the end of the tunnel.
"Clefairy!" he exclaimed.
Next moment, a familiar figure came dashing toward them—it was that same Clefairy!
Behind it roared a vicious, grotesque, red-headed, blue-bodied Dragon-type Pokémon.
That was… Druddigon!
Clefairy fled in panic, while the Druddigon snarled and gave chase.
Before Carver could react, Clefairy barreled headfirst into his arms with a Headbutt.
Druddigon was close behind.
Sensing danger, Growlithe didn't retreat. Instead, it courageously launched a Ember attack.
But the tiny flame barely fazed the enraged Druddigon—it only made things worse.
"ROARRRR!!"
Its deafening roar filled the tunnel.
Then, out of nowhere, Bewear stepped forward with a stern expression and towering presence.
The sheer pressure from Bewear made Druddigon flinch for a split second.
But fury surged back even stronger, and the dragon prepared to unleash Dragon Rage, its mouth glowing with purple flame.
Before it could fire, Bewear raised a massive, fuzzy arm and smashed Druddigon across the face with a crushing punch.
The attack interrupted the move mid-charge—Druddigon's breath exploded internally.
Eyes wide with fear, the once-aggressive dragon turned and bolted.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Its heavy footsteps echoed down the tunnel until they faded into the distance.
With the danger gone, Bewear turned back to Carver and the others, wearing an expression that seemed to say:
"You're next."
"Clefairy!!"
Horrified by Bewear's overwhelming might, Clefairy squealed and dove back into Carver's arms.
Carver: "…"
Clefairy squeezed its eyes shut, bracing for a blow. But nothing happened.
Cautiously, it peeked open. "Clefairy?"
It found itself staring at three unfamiliar faces: Carver, Bewear, and Growlithe.
"Clefaiiiryyy!" it gasped, realizing it was still in Carver's arms, then quickly leapt away in embarrassment.
Carver, mildly exasperated, thought: You're only noticing that now?
"Hello, Clefairy!" he said cheerfully, despite his thoughts.
Clefairy finally processed what had happened—these strangers had just saved it!
It was filled with gratitude. "Clefairy~!"
Carver noticed its friendship rose from 0 to 30.
"No need to thank us. I'm Carver, and these are my partners, Bewear and Growlithe. We're happy to meet you."
"Clef…"
Clefairy blinked, suddenly remembering its original mission!
It looked down at its paw, where a Moon Stone shimmered with a pale, silvery glow.
Moon Stone: A mysterious stone that triggers evolution in certain Pokémon. As dark as the night sky.
A Moon Stone? So that's what Clefairy was looking for? Carver wondered.
Was it trying to evolve into Clefable?
Suddenly, a soft white light enveloped Clefairy—evolution!
"Clefairy!" it grunted, holding back the glow.
But a second later, the light faded away, and Clefairy sighed in relief.
Still holding the Moon Stone, it turned and darted into another narrow tunnel, glancing back at Carver's group as if inviting them to follow.
Carver paused, then quickly gave chase.
Clefairy guided them through twists and turns, pausing often to observe the surroundings.
After passing through several winding passages, they emerged into a vast cavern.
It seemed to be located at the summit of Meteor Falls. The mountain's top had been blasted open, letting sunlight pour in from above.
Below, nestled at the cavern's center, sat an enormous, unusually shaped meteorite—clearly not native to this place.
Around it, dozens of Clefairy had gathered. Carver counted at least ten.
But what stunned him was the structure at the center—what the Clefairies were crowding around:
Spaceship: A vehicle capable of interstellar travel. Powered by Moon Stone energy. Capacity: 20 Clefairy. Manufactured by Clefairy Tech.
It really was a spaceship.
Carver was floored.
Just how far has the Clefairy civilization developed?
He looked at the Clefairy next to him, still holding its Moon Stone.
So this was the reason it had been searching?
Reunited with its group, Clefairy was overjoyed.
It jumped down and placed the Moon Stone into the ship's energy core.
The surrounding Clefairies gathered and cheered for their friend.
Then, that Clefairy turned around, looked back at Carver—and waved vigorously.
"Clefairy!"