"Growlithe, use Odor Sleuth!"
As soon as the command was given, Growlithe stepped forward and began sniffing the ground intently.
Clefairy had just walked through here, leaving its scent behind.
Moments later, a bright lightbulb appeared above Growlithe's head.
Target locked!
"Woof woof!"
Growlithe barked twice, then took the lead.
Kawaki and his two Pokémon entered the tunnel. It was narrow—manageable for Kawaki, but clearly a tight squeeze for Bewear.
Not that it mattered.
With sheer force, Bewear widened the cramped passage just by forcing her way through.
Kawaki, who had been thinking of telling her to wait outside: "…Forget it."
He looked away and continued forward.
The cave was dim, but not maze-like. Thankfully, the layout wasn't too complex.
Growlithe tracked Clefairy's scent with ease.
As they advanced, Kawaki noticed something strange—the tunnel got wider the farther they went. Eventually, it was spacious enough for them to walk upright.
"Woof!"
Growlithe suddenly stopped.
Kawaki looked ahead and saw a fork in the path.
"Can you tell which way it went?" he asked.
Growlithe sniffed the ground, then decisively picked a direction.
They continued for a few more minutes—until a scream echoed from the end of the tunnel.
"Clefairy!"
Kawaki snapped to attention.
The next moment, a familiar pink puffball came bolting toward them—none other than the same Clefairy from earlier!
Behind it was a snarling, ugly dragon-type Pokémon with a crimson head and blue body—
A Druddigon!
Clefairy was in a panic, fleeing for its life. The Druddigon roared furiously as it gave chase.
Before Kawaki could react, Clefairy dove headfirst into his arms.
The Druddigon closed in.
Sensing danger, Growlithe didn't retreat—instead, it bravely launched an Ember at the approaching threat.
But the small spark barely phased Druddigon—in fact, it only made it angrier.
"ROOOOAAARR!"
The roar shook the tunnel.
But then, Bewear appeared.
She stepped forward with a stern expression, towering over the dragon.
Her sheer presence made Druddigon flinch.
But then, rage flared anew in Druddigon's eyes—it unleashed a Dragon Rage, purple fire curling from its mouth.
Before it could strike, Bewear raised her furry fist and slammed it into Druddigon's face.
CRACK!
Druddigon's face twisted from the force of the blow.
Its half-formed attack fizzled as it was sent reeling.
Staggering back, Druddigon stared in horror at the deceptively cute but monstrously strong Pokémon before it—then turned tail and fled.
THUD THUD THUD—its heavy footsteps echoed until they faded into the distance.
Crisis averted, Bewear turned back to face Kawaki and the others.
Her expression said: Anyone else?
"Clefa—!"
Clefairy was visibly traumatized. Seeing the fearsome Bewear again, it yelped and dove back into Kawaki's arms, shaking.
Kawaki: "…"
Eyes shut tight, Clefairy braced for another hit—only to realize after a few seconds… nothing had happened.
"Clefairy?" it opened one eye cautiously.
Instead of danger, it saw three unfamiliar faces.
Kawaki. Bewear. Growlithe.
"Clefairy!" it yelped and scrambled out of Kawaki's arms, flustered.
Kawaki sighed. You just realized where you were?
"Hey there, Clefairy." Despite the chaos, Kawaki greeted it with a smile.
Only now did Clefairy realize these strangers had actually saved it.
Why they were here, it didn't know—but it was grateful.
"Clefairy~!"
A system message appeared: Clefairy's friendship level rose from 0 to 3.
"No need to thank us," Kawaki said kindly. "I'm Kawaki, and these are my partners—Bewear and Growlithe. We're happy to meet you."
Clefairy blinked, then remembered something.
It glanced down at its paw, where it held a softly glowing, moonlit gem.
[Moon Stone: A mystical stone said to grant evolution to certain Pokémon. Dark as the night sky, it glows with a silvery luster.]
A Moon Stone? Kawaki thought. Was Clefairy looking for this?
To evolve into Clefable?
Just then, the stone shimmered—and Clefairy's entire body lit up in a pale, radiant glow.
Evolution!
"Clefairy!" it cried, resisting the change.
But a second later, the light faded.
Clefairy took a deep breath, visibly relieved.
It then turned and scurried into a nearby side tunnel—but not before looking back and waving them over.
Kawaki blinked. Was it… inviting them to follow?
He hurried after it.
Clefairy led the way—sometimes turning, sometimes stopping to check their surroundings.
After a long journey through winding paths, the tunnel finally opened into an enormous cavern.
They had reached the uppermost part of Meteor Falls.
The cratered ceiling—once a mountaintop—had been blown open by the meteor, letting in shafts of golden sunlight.
And on the cavern floor sat a massive, unnatural structure—something that clearly did not belong in this world.
A giant "meteorite"—no, it was clearly artificial.
Surrounding it were at least ten Clefairy.
As Kawaki scanned the crowd, his gaze fell upon the massive object in the center.
His face twisted in shock.
[Spaceship: A vessel capable of interstellar travel. Powered by Moon Stones. Capacity: 20 Clefairy. Manufactured with Clefairy Technology.]
That thing… was really a spaceship!?
Kawaki was stunned.
What kind of tech tree does the Clefairy race even have!?
He looked to the Clefairy beside him, who still held the Moon Stone.
So that's why it was searching for one?
The Clefairy was overjoyed to have made it back to the landing site.
It leapt from a ledge with the Moon Stone in hand, landed smoothly, and dropped the stone into a compartment on the ship.
The surrounding Clefairy gathered around, cheering for their friend who had recovered the precious energy source.
Then the Clefairy turned back, looked at Kawaki—
—and waved enthusiastically.
"Clefairy!"
Clefairy: Human, come home with us~