Carver jumped down from the ledge and landed in front of the Clefairies.
The other Clefairies, upon spotting this stranger, immediately displayed wary expressions.
However, the Clefairy that had been chased by Druddigon turned to the others and chirped cheerfully, "Clef, Clefa~!"
The surrounding Clefairies blinked in surprise, and their wariness quickly melted away.
"Clefai~!"
But they didn't linger on Carver for long—there was more pressing business at hand.
They were finally going to launch their spaceship back into the sky, powered by the energy of the Moon Stones!
One Clefairy rushed forward to check the energy stores aboard the ship.
Seeing the storage chamber brimming with Moon Stones, it excitedly called out, "Clef~! Clef~!"
Instantly, the other Clefairies' eyes lit up.
"Clefairy!"
Cheering joyfully, they all rushed toward the spaceship and scrambled one after another into what appeared to be an entrance hatch. In no time, every Clefairy was inside.
They were finally heading back to the stars, ready to resume their "Great Voyage" through the galaxy!
"Clefaaaaairy!"
Cosmic Power!
Gravity!
A brilliant pink glow enveloped each Clefairy, spreading to the entire spaceship.
With a deep rumble, the spacecraft—previously embedded in the depths of Meteor Falls—began to lift off the ground!
Carver's eyes widened in amazement.
In that instant, he grasped what was happening:
The Clefairies were channeling Cosmic Power to draw energy from the Moon Stones, recharging themselves and the ship. Then they activated Gravity, but not the standard kind.
No—this was reverse gravity!
Normally, Gravity increases the force pulling Pokémon to the ground, hampering Flying and Levitate abilities. But these Clefairies had inverted the pull, strengthening the gravitational force of the sky itself—allowing the ship to be pulled upward by the heavens!
Genius Clefairies!
The ship steadily rose toward the cavern's opening—until suddenly, the soft pink glow surrounding it blinked out.
In a flash, amid startled Clefairy yelps and screams, the spaceship came crashing down with a thunderous BOOM.
Covered in dust and debris, the Clefairies scrambled out, dazed and disheveled.
One of them checked the ship's energy storage, found it empty—and burst into tears.
All of the Moon Stones they had worked so hard to collect over the past few days had been consumed in a single attempt.
And to make matters worse… the crash had damaged the ship!
"Clefairy…"
They plopped onto the ground in utter despair.
In truth, Clefairy technology wasn't all that advanced. Long ago, a few Clefairies had discovered that combining Cosmic Power with Moon Stones could lift giant rocks (i.e., spacecraft).
Thus began their Great Voyage Era.
Clefairies started leaving their home planet in ships to explore the stars. Some returned with tales of a legendary world:
A land flowing with milk and honey, overflowing with food and fruit juice—like a paradise.
Any Clefairy who reached it would live in eternal bliss.
Entranced, the Clefairies began gathering Moon Stones by the thousands. While rare on this planet, they were common pebbles back home.
With their stash full, they launched their ship in search of this promised land.
But now… the dream had shattered like stardust.
The mission had failed.
Stranded, with no fuel and a damaged ship, they would be trapped here forever.
"Clefairy…"
All around, the Clefairies drooped in depression.
Watching all this, Carver remained silent.
He glanced around—every Clefairy's head was shrouded by gloomy storm clouds. Some even had raindrops falling from them.
Checking their emotional state, Carver saw messages that explained everything:
We're doomed. No more Moon Stones. The ship's broken. We're stuck here! — Clefairy
There's truly no way to leave now. — Clefairy
What a terrible day. — Clefairy
He stepped over to the ship's energy chamber and peeked inside. Sure enough, it was completely empty.
Once activated, Evolution Stones dissolve upon use, their energy spent.
The Clefairies had used it all in their failed launch.
Now Carver understood their despair.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Roughly how many of those stones would you need to fly again?"
"Clefai?"
Though confused, the Clefairies still trusted the person who had helped one of their own.
One Clefairy stepped up and gestured with its stubby arms.
It meant: "We filled this whole chamber when we came."
"Full chamber?" Carver confirmed.
"Clefairy!" it nodded.
"Then even if I searched all of Meteor Falls, I probably couldn't find that many Moon Stones…"
The Clefairies drooped even further.
"But," Carver continued, smiling, "I might have a solution."
He quickly counted—there were about twelve Clefairies in total.
"Clefai?"
They looked up eagerly.
"Why don't you come stay with me for now? I run a facility nearby with plenty of space. You can live there comfortably."
"And if you're willing, you can help out around the place. In return, I'll provide food and juice—and I'll also help you collect Moon Stones."
The Clefairies, being socially intelligent Pokémon, understood immediately.
Several of them gasped: "Clefairy?!"
Seriously?
Free food, juice, AND Moon Stones?
What kind of heaven is this?!
Several began bouncing with excitement.