"Hey, hey, hey, wake up, buddy. You're just a soul right now, don't get ahead of yourself."
Blue dumped a bucket of cold water on Red's mental state.
"If we don't find a way to fix this, in a few years when Azure gets married and starts a family, are we supposed to watch the 'live broadcast' from the front row?"
Just the thought of it made Blue shudder. "The worst part is, she and I share the same nervous system!"
Red: "..."
Blue suddenly patted Red's shoulder, offering some comfort. "Actually, you probably don't have to worry. That kid Ash is a freak of nature—a total steel-hearted jock. Give him another 20 years and he still might not find a girlfriend."
"Just like you." She added the finishing blow.
Red: "..." (Women. Nothing but trouble.)
After some deliberation, they reached a consensus. Stealing bodies was out—Ash and Azure were essentially alternate versions of themselves; they couldn't exactly murder their own counterparts. The best bet was to find some mad scientists like Team Rocket.
After all, if those guys could create Mewtwo—a Pokémon that was basically a god—then the "black tech" to transfer a soul into a new body shouldn't be impossible. If human science failed, they'd have to pray to the gods. This world was crawling with Legendary Pokémon whose divine powers could surely help them.
The two officially formed their second alliance. The first alliance, naturally, was to eventually team up and beat the snot out of Gary and Green.
"Since we're settled, I should help this brat catch a Clefairy. If she stays a vegetarian for seven days and ends up empty-handed, she might actually lose her mind."
Blue stretched her limbs, then stood up and pulled Red toward a bush near the stone platform.
"In my old world, I caught a Clefairy at Mt. Moon too. Usually, every Monday night, the Clefairy swarms place a Moon Stone on that altar as an offering for a mysterious ritual. Gary wasn't lying about that."
Red frowned. They had been waiting for seven or eight hours. Did the Clefairies only show up in the dead of night?
"Idiot, it's a secret ritual. They aren't going to come out while humans are standing around. The Clefairies were probably waiting more impatiently than we were."
Sure enough, once the "humans" were hidden and the area went silent, a shadow emerged from a crack in the rock wall. It was a cute, pink Pokémon, peering around cautiously. Once it confirmed the humans were gone, it relaxed and called out to its companions.
"Clefairy~" "Clefairy~"
Dozens of them filed out in a neat line. A few of the brawnier "pink devils" were carrying a meteorite nearly a meter wide. Apparently, that was the main sacrifice.
Blue suddenly grinned. "Hey, what if we jumped out and scared them right now? Do you think the sentry Clefairy would get beaten up by the rest of the swarm for slacking off?"
Red: "..." (He stepped a bit further away from her. Absolutely no morals.)
In the meadow, the Clefairies worked together to hoist the meteorite onto the altar. They circled the platform, chanting and hopping in a rhythmic, ancient dance.
"How are you going to catch one?" Red asked, curious. With an entire family of Clefairies there, the easiest way was to hurl a rock into the crowd. You'd hit one even with your eyes closed.
"I have my ways," Blue smirked. She pulled a Pokéball from her belt. In a flash of red light, another pink Pokémon appeared—larger, rounder, and far more imposing.
Pokédex: "Beep-beep. Clefable, the Fairy Pokémon. A Haunter's favorite snack."
The Two: "..." (This Pokédex is worth less than a brick.)
"Go, Clefable. Lure a cute little one over for me," Blue whispered. "Oh, and grab a couple of Moon Stones while you're at it."
"Clefable~"
Clefable nodded and trotted toward the swarm. Its sudden appearance startled them, but they quickly recognized it as a "senior" and invited it to join the dance.
Kidnapping Step 1: Infiltration. Clefable put on a harmless, sweet smile and joined the game.
Red suddenly spoke up. "That Clefable... is it from...?"
"Yeah. Brought it over from the old world," Blue nodded, a rare flash of seriousness crossing her face. "I'm lucky they came with me. Otherwise, I'd be just as shut-in as you."
Red said nothing. He understood. He felt fortunate that his own Pokémon hadn't been erased. To him, this was the greatest gift the heavens had provided.
"But man, is this Azure girl an airhead or what? I put Clefable's ball right on her belt, and she hasn't noticed to this day." Blue smacked her own forehead.
Red remained silent. His Pikachu's ball was hanging on Ash's belt, and that dense kid hadn't noticed either. Red had to get up every night to find food for his Pikachu. Perhaps they were just birds of a feather.
On the field, the dance was ending. This was the time for high-level Clefairies to receive a Moon Stone and evolve. As for where the already-evolved Clefables went? They usually hid deep within Mt. Moon's core to start the next generation.
"Clefable~"
The infiltrated Clefable suddenly called out. It basically said: The world outside is huge. Who wants to come with me and conquer it?
Kidnapping Step 2: Persuasion. Most of the swarm shook their heads; they preferred their carefree life here. However, one small Clefairy looked interested. Clefable locked eyes with it.
The other Clefairies realized the outsider was trying to take one of their kin and turned hostile. A few of the brawny ones leaped onto the altar, touching the meteorite to evolve into Clefables on the spot to fight back.
"Clefable!?" Blue's Clefable narrowed its eyes, veins popping on its pink forehead. Having spent so much time with Blue, did they really think it was some innocent little flower?!
Vroom!
It raised a pudgy palm, condensing a pink sphere of energy. The sphere shot into the sky and exploded into a terrifying blast of Fairy energy.
Moonblast!!
The shockwave hit the local Clefairies and Clefables right in the face. It was a power they had never even seen before.
Clefable patted its hands together, its expression saying it all: "You Kanto bumpkins... never seen a Moonblast before?"
Kidnapping Step 3: Superior Firepower! After seeing that flash of pink light, the little Clefairy made up its mind. It wanted to learn that move!
The other Clefairies could only watch in awe as their kin followed the "Big Boss" away. Before leaving, Blue's Clefable casually broke off a large chunk of the meteorite, gave the swarm a Taunting smirk, and strolled away. Pure arrogance.
"Well done, Clefable!" Blue patted her partner's head. She caught the little Clefairy effortlessly since it was a willing volunteer. She checked the meteorite chunk; it contained at least five high-quality Moon Stones.
"Here, I'm looking out for you." Blue broke off a tiny shard and tossed it to Red.
Red looked at the shard. Aside from the useless outer crust, there wasn't a speck of Moon Stone left on it. He fell into a silent gloom.