"It's fine now. It's already over," Hayato said calmly.
Dr. Lund looked at the boy before him. After a long silence, he let out a deep sigh and turned to the others."Alright, that will be the end of this matter. Let's focus on finishing the remaining parts of our plan. Once we're done, we can head home."
"Yes, sir!"
And so, the incident with Deoxys came to an end.
For the members of the investigation team, the cosmic Pokémon named Deoxys had simply departed. To say they felt no regret would have been impossible.
Dr. Lund stepped out of the chamber. Above, the sky remained wrapped in polar night. The aurora borealis shimmered across the heavens, blending seamlessly with the boundless cosmos beyond—a grand, mysterious canvas stretching into eternity.
The world was vast. So vast that countless things still awaited discovery.
Even beyond Earth's atmosphere, there were Pokémon humans had never encountered.
"If only one day," Dr. Lund thought wistfully, "I could see every single Pokémon in this world with my own eyes…"
…
The moment Hayato left the round table hall, he was greeted by the sight of his Charmeleon, wearing an utterly dejected expression.
He couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
Inside the chamber, the temperature wasn't nearly as frigid as outside, so the Clefairy weren't shivering anymore.
With the warmth of the fire filling the tent, their fluffy blankets now draped loosely over their shoulders, the Clefairy all looked relaxed and comfortable.
Now that the Deoxys incident had been settled, it was their turn to be dealt with.
It had been a long, long time since their parting at Mt. Moon.
Hayato had never imagined he would meet them again here, of all places.
To say he wasn't surprised would be a lie.
"Clefairy?"
One drowsy Clefairy blinked its eyes open and spotted him.
Seeing this, Hayato approached the hearth, smiling as he asked the Clefairy, "Why have you come back to this planet again?"
The little Pokémon only looked at him in confusion.
Just then, a few other Clefairy called out from behind him.
"Clef-clef-clefairy~!"
Hayato: "…" Wrong Clefairy.
Awkwardly clearing his throat, he turned around to face the familiar group of Clefairy. He released Gengar, and together they sat by the fire.
With the warmth of the hearth, Gengar no longer resisted leaving its Poké Ball.
It blinked, listened carefully to the Clefairy, then translated for Hayato:"They said, 'We came here to play with you~.'"
Hayato tilted his head in thought. "How did you know I was here?"
The Clefairy shook its head and replied, "Clefairy…" (We didn't. It was because of that alien that we crashed here…)
This time, Hayato understood.
After thinking it through, he asked, "So you're saying, on your way here, you encountered Deoxys, and followed it to this place?"
"Clefairy!" The Clefairy pouted angrily. "Clef-clef!" (No way! It's because our spaceship was affected by it and lost control! We crashed!)
Hayato: "…"
That explained it.
Finally, everything made sense.
Why there had been no meteor shower in the movie, but there was one in this world.
Because it wasn't meteors at all, but the Clefairy, flying their ships toward Earth under his influence…
The butterfly wings he had flapped in the past had created subtle ripples in time, changing the present.
After pondering for a moment, he asked, "And the other Clefairy?"
"Clefairy…" (They're our companions. They wanted to come to this planet too, so we brought them along…)
As it spoke, the Clefairy seemed to remember something. Standing up, its blanket slipped off, and it tugged on Hayato's sleeve, urging him outside. "Clef!"
Hayato blinked. "You want me to follow you?"
The Clefairy nodded.
With nothing else to do, Hayato followed it out of the tent.
But the moment they stepped into the wind, the Clefairy shivered violently.
"Cle… f-f-fairy…"
Hayato: "…"
Sighing, he borrowed a cold-resistant uniform from one of the investigators, wrapping it snugly around the Clefairy.
Led by the little Pokémon, Hayato arrived at the battlefield where Rayquaza and Deoxys had clashed.
From atop a ridge, he looked down. Across the vast frozen plains lay countless fallen "meteors."
In truth—they were Clefairy spaceships.
Some were lodged halfway into ice caverns. Others had burned upon entry, reduced to empty husks. Many more were shattered beyond recognition.
Hayato's face twitched at the sight. Pointing at one wreck, he asked, "…Are those still usable?"
The Clefairy lowered its head sadly. "Clefairy…"
But it hadn't brought him here for the ships.
Its mood soon brightened again as it cheerfully tugged him forward.
They passed several wrecks until they reached a massive meteorite.
The Clefairy climbed atop it, feeling around until it squealed in delight. "Clefairy!"
Turning back, its fluffy pink fur now smeared gray with dust, its eyes shone brilliantly.
Holding out its tiny paw, it revealed a jet-black stone, glimmering like the night sky.
[Moon Stone: A special stone, black as the night sky, that can cause certain Pokémon to evolve.]
Hayato felt a twinge of emotion.
"This… is for me?"
The Clefairy nodded happily. "Clefairy!" (Mhm!)
It turned back and dug again, soon producing a second Moon Stone, which it offered to him as well.
This time, though, its face grew troubled.
"What's wrong?" Hayato asked.
The Clefairy glanced around at the other meteorites and said, "Clefairy…" (There are so many more… I don't think we can carry them all…)
Hayato's expression froze.
Wait. Don't tell him… all those meteors were filled with Moon Stones?
"Clefairy!"
Hayato: "…"
…All of them? For him?
"Clefairy!"
…
In total, thirty-five Clefairy had come.
Among them were the same ones Hayato had met back at Mt. Moon.
According to them, this journey had been meant as a gift delivery.
But midway, Deoxys had caused their ships to crash.
Thankfully, none of the Clefairy had lost their lives—only some suffered injuries.
While Dr. Lund's team continued their ecological survey of the Arctic Pokémon, Hayato worked with the Clefairy to collect the stones they had brought from space.
Not only Moon Stones, but also rare cosmic meteorites, brimming with mysterious energy much like those he had once found at Meteor Falls.
Hayato turned one over in his hand, half-worried the radiation might mutate him into the Hulk.
But then again, Steven handled meteorites all the time without growing green muscles.
Still, to be safe, Hayato texted Steven to ask about it.
He wasn't about to risk getting cancer at his age.
Steven didn't reply immediately, but the next day a message came back:
[It's true some meteorites contain vast amounts of cosmic energy. But unless your constitution is extremely weak, the radiation won't harm normal humans.]
After answering, Steven added:
[Energy-bearing meteorites are very rare and extremely valuable. They're often used in scientific experiments. A single meteorite can be worth enough to raise a powerful Pokémon.]
Hayato: "…"
Why did that sound like Steven was hinting at something?
Glancing at the literal mountain of stones before him, Hayato realized he had somehow become a "stone tycoon."
But he had no intention of selling or gifting them away. He would bring them home to display in his collection.
When all the stones were gathered, Hayato turned to the Clefairy."What do you plan to do now?"
Given the condition of their ships, repairing them seemed doubtful.
Unfamiliar with this planet, they had nowhere to go. If they wished, Hayato was willing to reserve a section of the Ecological Park for them to live in.
That way, they wouldn't have to scavenge in garbage cans like last time.
The Clefairy looked at one another and shook their heads sadly. "Clefairy…" (We don't know…)
"Then why not stay with me for now?" Hayato suggested.
"Clefairy!"
Having nowhere else to go, the Clefairy happily agreed.
Seeing their delighted faces, Hayato couldn't shake the feeling he had walked right into their trap.
But in truth, everyone was happy with the outcome.
He didn't mind his Ecological Park becoming livelier, and the Clefairy likely just wanted a warm home.
And so, the Arctic expedition finally came to an end.
Dr. Lund's group planned to return to Hoenn in two days.
As for the Clefairy, they hated the cold. For the past few days, they'd stayed huddled around the fire inside the tents, chattering away cheerfully.
So, Hayato used the Poké Ball Transporter to send them back to the Ecological Park ahead of time.
That very night, Professor Birch's house was flooded with Clefairy.
It wasn't until Slowking arrived to escort them away that Birch finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Still, his eyes sparkled with joy.
Clefairy—the Pokémon rumored to come from outer space! At last, he had new research material!
That boy Hayato… he never failed to surprise him.
Excited, Birch decided he would head to the Ecological Park first thing in the morning.
His wife, Brendan's mother, could only stare speechlessly and sigh."Why don't you just move in and live with the Pokémon already?"
…
With the Clefairy sent off, Hayato's eyes turned toward the fallen "spaceships."
To humans, they were nothing more than meteorites.
After some thought, Hayato decided to take them too. Perhaps they would be useful one day.
So he enlisted Gengar's help, along with Roserade and Ralts.
Roserade used Vine Whip, Ralts supported with telekinesis, and Gengar… stood frozen, horrified at the massive boulders flying toward it.
"Ral!" Ralts cheered it on.
Gengar shook its head furiously.
No way! They were huge! It would die!
Hayato: "…"
Circling the meteorite, Hayato realized Gengar had a point.
It was far larger than him. Unless it were a Gigantamax Gengar, there was no way.
But Gigantamax only existed in Galar, not Hoenn.
Scratching his chin, he considered asking Dr. Lund to help with transport.
But what if the weight broke their plane? Wouldn't they end up like the Clefairy—crashed and dead?
While he fretted, a voice stirred.
Marshadow emerged from his shadow, dark flames flickering silently. Its gaze lingered on the boulder.
Then, without a word, it pulled the entire meteorite into the Shadow World.
Hayato blinked in surprise.
Marshadow looked up at him.
After a moment, Hayato smiled gratefully. "I'll leave it to you, then."
"Marshaa…"
Marshadow turned back and continued swallowing meteorites into the shadows, assisted by Ralts and Roserade.
Hayato simply watched as his tiny shadow devoured mountain-sized stones.
At first, he worried it might affect him too.
But sensing his body, he realized he felt perfectly healthy—just like Steven had said. The radiation wasn't affecting him at all.
…
February 7th.
The LaRousse City Arctic Ecological Survey Team officially began their return journey.
On the plane, Dr. Lund examined the photographs the three boys had taken during the expedition.
Finally, under Brendan and Tory's hopeful gazes, he announced the winner of the photo contest.
"Congratulations, Hayato." For the first time, Dr. Lund's stern face showed a smile. Handing over a Miracle Seed, he said, "From now on, this belongs to you."
Hayato glanced at the disappointed faces of the two younger boys. He hesitated, about to speak.
But then Dr. Lund, as if performing a magic trick, pulled out two more prizes.
"Of course, you two did wonderfully as well," he said warmly. "These are your rewards."
Brendan's face lit up as he accepted his prize.
Tory's eyes sparkled with joy as he took his own.
The cabin filled with warmth and laughter.
The researchers all smiled at the heartwarming scene.
Standing nearby, Hayato watched Tory.
This time, unlike in the movie, the boy hadn't been traumatized into fearing Pokémon like Lillie.
The butterfly's wings had begun to flap. And perhaps, somewhere in the near future, they would stir up a mighty storm.
From this moment onward—the world was no longer the same.
(End of Chapter)