Kawaki leapt down from the ledge and landed right in front of the Clefairy group.
The other Clefairy immediately tensed, alarmed by the appearance of a stranger.
But the one that had been chased by Druddigon turned to them happily and chirped, "Clef! Clef~!"
It explained that thanks to the Moon Stone it found, they could finally reactivate the spaceship and return to the stars.
One of the Clefairy went to inspect the ship's power core to check how much energy had been gathered.
The rest, hearing the good news, relaxed visibly.
"Clef~!"
But they didn't focus on Kawaki for long—there was work to be done.
Seeing the power core full of Moon Stones, the Clefairy called out to the others with excitement: "Clef! Clef!"
Their eyes lit up.
"Clefairy!"
With delighted cries, the Clefairy rushed toward the massive spaceship, one by one vanishing into a hidden hatch.
At last—they could return to space, and continue their "Grand Voyage" among the stars.
"Clef~aaaairyyy!"
Cosmic Power.
Gravity.
A soft pink glow enveloped the Clefairy and their spaceship as they began to channel their energy.
In the next moment, the spaceship—lodged in Meteor Falls since its crash landing—trembled with a rumble, then slowly lifted off the ground.
Kawaki's eyes widened in shock.
In an instant, he understood.
They were using Cosmic Power to activate the Moon Stones and replenish both the ship's and their own energy. Then, with Gravity, they were manipulating gravitational fields to launch the ship skyward.
No—this wasn't normal gravity.
This was reversed gravity!
Where regular Gravity increased the planet's pull—disabling Flying-types and Levitate Pokémon—this was doing the opposite.
They were enhancing the pull of the sky instead of the ground, allowing the ship to be "drawn" upward into the stars.
What… Gravity can be used like that!?
Genius Clefairy!
The spaceship rose steadily—until, just as it reached the cave ceiling, the pink glow surrounding it flickered—and vanished.
With panicked squeals and shrieks, the spaceship lurched—
—and crashed right back to where it started.
BOOM!
Clefairy tumbled out, dazed and covered in soot. One of them ran to check the power core—only to find it completely empty.
It broke into sobs.
All the Moon Stones they'd spent the last two days gathering… were gone.
And the worst part? The crash had damaged the ship.
They were grounded.
The Clefairy sat on the ground in despair, their faces heavy with gloom.
The truth was, Clefairy technology wasn't that advanced.
Long ago, one of their tribes had discovered that by combining Cosmic Power with Moon Stones, they could levitate massive rocks—eventually identifying them as "spaceships."
Thus, the Clefairy space exploration age began.
Tribes took to the stars on voyages, some returning to share stories.
One such story spread like wildfire: at the edge of the universe, there was a planet flowing with milk and honey. An endless paradise of food and juice. Those who reached it would live happily ever after.
That Clefairy must've been named "Cleffo Polo."
Enchanted by the tale, they stockpiled Moon Stones.
Back on their home planet, Moon Stones were as common as pebbles.
Once they'd filled their energy stores, they set off to find this mythical world—a land flowing with milk and honey, where all Clefairy could live in peace and joy.
But now...
That dream had crashed, quite literally.
They couldn't go home. Their mission had failed.
And they were stranded.
Kawaki, who had witnessed the whole thing: "…"
He looked around.
Almost every Clefairy had a storm cloud floating over its head—some dark and heavy, others literally raining.
Their emotions were in shambles.
And the system confirmed it:
[It's over. The Moon Stones are gone. The ship is broken. We're stuck here. —Clefairy]
[There's really no way out this time. —Clefairy]
[What a horrible day… —Clefairy]
Gone? Kawaki stepped closer and peered into the spaceship's power core.
Just as he'd suspected—completely empty.
Evolution stones were solidified forms of pure energy. Once used, they vanished without a trace.
The launch had drained them all.
Now he understood why the Clefairy were so depressed.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Roughly how many of those stones would you need to power the ship again?"
"Clef?"
They didn't quite get it, but since Kawaki had helped their friend, they answered politely.
"Clefairy!" one of them gestured with its arms—indicating the energy chamber had been filled to the brim.
"I see. Filled up?"
"Clef!" the Clefairy nodded.
The mood sank even lower.
But Kawaki smiled. "Well, I might have a proposal that could help."
He glanced around—twelve Clefairy in total.
The Clefairy perked up.
"Why don't you all come back to my place? I run a facility nearby with plenty of space. You can live there for the time being."
"If you're willing, you could even help me out a bit around the place. In exchange, I'll provide food and juice—and help gather more Moon Stones."
The Clefairy, being semi-social Pokémon, quickly grasped the offer.
"Clef?!" some gasped.
Seriously!?
Food and Moon Stones!? Was that even possible!?
Several of them began to buzz with excitement.