Ever since figuring out how to use Zekrom's Source Power, Chen Mo's safety in the wilderness had improved dramatically.
Even if he were to run into an apex Pokémon like the Hydreigon from before, he could now confidently pat his chest and declare—
"There's nothing left to be afraid of."
However...
Although Pikachu's strength increased by leaps and bounds after entering Overdrive Mode, there was still an enormous gap between it and the truly legendary Pokémon.
Take the Zapdos that had appeared at the power plant, for example.
If it had been in peak condition and fought Chen Mo's entire team—excluding Marshadow—the most likely outcome would have been that Zapdos suffered some injuries...
...while Chen Mo's side would have sustained catastrophic casualties.
Because of that...
Unless absolutely necessary, Chen Mo really had no desire to seek out Legendary Pokémon on his own.
"You always assume the worst possible outcome."
Marshadow's childish voice echoed in his mind again.
The trees around them had gradually become sparser.
Watching the Clefairy disappear deeper into the mountain range ahead, Chen Mo gently patted Pidgeotto's back, signaling it to begin descending before replying silently.
"Can't help it. Our world is still far too fragile."
"It can't withstand the chaos those legendary beings could bring."
"So, Marshadow... can you tell me what's actually inside those mountains?"
"I'm only a Pokémon."
There was a trace of helplessness in Marshadow's tone.
"People like to call me things like 'the legend among legends' or 'the Mythical Pokémon.'
"But in truth, aside from having somewhat unusual abilities and being a little stronger than average..."
"I'm not all that different from ordinary Pokémon."
"If I could determine everything about something just from a single trace of energy..."
"Only someone like Lord Ho-Oh could accomplish something like that."
"Still... you don't need to worry too much."
"The energy feels very unusual, but it doesn't pose much of a threat to me."
"I just have this strange feeling..."
"Whatever is emitting it..."
"...seems to be longing for something."
"Mm..."
"It feels like..."
"...it's calling upward."
"That unusual energy..."
"It's reaching toward the sky..."
"As though it's trying to summon something."
Marshadow's tone became increasingly certain.
Chen Mo frowned thoughtfully.
Still...
He understood exactly what Marshadow meant.
To put it simply—
"Go ahead."
"I've got your back."
"Thanks for your hard work, Pidgeotto."
After landing, Chen Mo recalled his ever-reliable partner with a Poké Ball before raising his head toward the cave the Clefairy had entered.
Since Marshadow had put it that way...
Chen Mo naturally wasn't going to turn back.
He had to uncover the truth.
The moment they entered the cave, the surroundings rapidly darkened.
The passage was also rather narrow.
Fortunately...
After the experience at Mount Cangqing, Chen Mo had already taught Pikachu Flash, making now the perfect opportunity to use it.
Crackling arcs of electricity burst from Pikachu's cheeks.
Its entire body shone like a miniature sun, brightly illuminating the tunnel ahead.
"Pika pika~"
Since there was only one path forward, Pikachu jumped down from Chen Mo's shoulder and enthusiastically took the lead.
After walking for roughly half an hour...
The tunnel gradually widened.
"The energy is getting stronger."
Marshadow spoke again.
Earlier, it had wondered whether the strange energy belonged to some artifact carrying the aura of a Legendary Pokémon.
Much like the fragment of Zekrom's Source Power hanging from Chen Mo's neck.
But now...
At this distance...
Even Marshadow had become more vigilant.
It could clearly sense a powerful, vibrant life force.
Having spent countless years beside Ho-Oh, Marshadow knew very well—
No artifact could produce this kind of living aura.
Whatever was dwelling inside this cave...
Was unquestionably a Pokémon.
However...
Its condition was clearly abnormal.
After all...
Judging from the desperate calls it had been sending toward the sky earlier...
If it truly possessed sufficient strength...
It would have left this cave long ago.
"Pi~ Pi~ Pi~"
The cheerful cries of the Clefairy drifted over from the far side of the cavern.
Realizing they were close to the destination, Pikachu immediately extinguished the light from Flash before skillfully climbing back onto Chen Mo's shoulder.
Perhaps the Clefairy had arranged it...
Because from this point onward, the tunnel walls were embedded with glowing crystals.
Their faint luminescence provided enough light that Pikachu no longer needed to illuminate the path.
Meanwhile...
Thanks to Marshadow's senses...
Chen Mo finally confirmed something.
The Clefairy...
And whatever unusual Legendary Pokémon lay ahead...
Were living in the same place.
Just as Chen Mo pondered the relationship between them...
A brilliant beam of sunlight spilled through the cave exit ahead.
Crossing into the light...
The view suddenly opened wide.
The first thing that greeted him...
Was row upon row of towering Berry trees.
Neatly planted together...
They formed an enormous, lush orchard.
The livestream instantly exploded.
[Liechi Berries! Dragonfang Berries! Salac Berries! Lansat Berries! Starf Berries... Holy crap! There are so many rare Berries! What kind of paradise is this?!]
[I visited one of the Bureau's ecological parks before. The researchers had cultivated all kinds of Berry trees there, but those were only about half a meter tall. I thought all Berry trees were like that. These are gigantic!]
[Did they grow naturally? Or... did the Clefairy plant them?]
[They don't look wild at all. Everything's planted way too neatly. But saying Clefairy cultivated all this... I honestly can't believe it either.]
Even Chen Mo was stunned.
Instinctively...
Several Legendary Pokémon flashed through his mind.
He had already begun wondering whether the reason so many rare Berries could grow here...
Was because a Legendary Pokémon lived nearby.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart...
Chen Mo continued toward the source of the Clefairy's voices.
It quickly became obvious...
This place was an enormous sinkhole.
Blazing summer sunlight poured through the towering cliffs surrounding it, bathing the vast valley below.
An occasional cool breeze swept across the orchard, rustling the emerald-green leaves with soft whispers.
Walking through it...
Felt almost like stepping into a fairy tale.
Of course...
Not every tree here produced rare Berries.
After observing carefully, Chen Mo found the ratio to be roughly one rare Berry tree for every two ordinary ones like Oran Berries.
An astonishing proportion.
It meant that...
To whoever cultivated this place...
Growing rare Berries was almost no more difficult than growing common ones.
Carrying that sense of amazement with him...
After walking several hundred meters, the trees once again began thinning out.
Through the gaps in the forest...
An enormous structure rose into view.
Gengar adjusted the camera.
The livestream collectively froze.
[Wh-What is that...?]
[Guys... is it just me, or does that thing look... kind of like a rocket?]
[I thought the same thing...]
Looking at the mysterious technological structure ahead...
Chen Mo wasn't actually surprised.
He'd already suspected something like this.
Still...
Seeing it with his own eyes remained deeply shocking.
Glancing at the chat, he calmly confirmed their guesses.
"That's right."
"This is a rocket."
"A rocket the Clefairy built themselves."
"The goal..."
"As I mentioned earlier..."
"...is to ride it into outer space."
"They're trying to find their home."
The livestream instantly descended into chaos.
[Wait, Teacher Mo... did you just say THEY built it?!]
[Since when were Clefairy this technologically advanced?!]
[Even goblin engineering isn't this ridiculous!]
[Be reasonable! They've only been in this world for less than a year! They built something this massive already? I don't believe it!]
[And where did the materials come from? Building a rocket requires all kinds of specialized resources! Don't tell me they built this whole thing using the junk they stole from Greenfield City!]
[No way. The stuff they stole wouldn't even be enough to build a life-sized rocket model.]
Faced with countless doubts...
Chen Mo didn't respond immediately.
From the moment he'd learned the Clefairy weren't interested in food but instead wanted all kinds of random objects...
He had already begun suspecting they were constructing a rocket capable of returning to space.
After all...
A similar story had happened in the original world.
Back then...
To build their rocket, the Clefairy stole belongings from Ash and his companions.
They even stole Jigglypuff's microphone.
Eventually...
Even Pikachu was kidnapped and forced to serve as the rocket's power source.
After numerous mishaps...
The rocket had actually managed to launch.
That's right.
The rocket built by the Clefairy...
Had successfully taken off.
However...
The viewers weren't wrong either.
As miraculous as Clefairy technology might be...
There were limits.
The random scraps stolen from Greenfield City could never possibly be enough to build an entire rocket from scratch.
But...
If all they needed to do...
Was repair an existing spacecraft...
Then perhaps...
The Clefairy truly were capable of accomplishing it.
After all...
If they had come from outer space...
There was no way they had crossed the cosmos with their own bodies like the extraterrestrial virus Deoxys.
They must originally have possessed a spaceship.
Chen Mo's eyesight was good enough to notice...
Numerous obvious repair marks covering the rocket's exterior.
Just as he was about to explain his theory to the audience...
Cheerful cries suddenly rang out from the nearby orchard.
"Pi~ Pi~"
Turning around...
He saw seven or eight Clefairy emerging from among the Berry trees, each carrying a basket filled with freshly harvested fruit.
Their faces were filled with joy.
Without even asking...
Seeing the Clefairy busily moving in and out of the rocket...
Combined with everything he'd witnessed in Greenfield City...
Chen Mo immediately arrived at a conclusion.
The Clefairy...
Were preparing to leave.
The Berries and Evolution Stones they'd gifted to Greenfield City's residents...
And the ancient farewell song they'd sung...
Hadn't simply been an apology.
They had been saying goodbye.
At that very moment...
The lead Clefairy noticed Chen Mo standing beside the orchard—
along with Pikachu perched on his shoulder...
and Gengar carrying the camera.
The cheerful smile instantly froze.
Its basket slipped from its tiny hands.
Thunk!
"PIIIII!!!"
A piercing cry echoed throughout the orchard.
Moments later—
"Pi! Pi! Pi!"
Responses erupted from every direction.
Within seconds...
Two or three dozen Clefairy burst from among the trees.
As they sprinted toward the rocket, they unleashed every move they could, preparing for battle.
Without anyone noticing...
Dark storm clouds had drifted overhead.
The blazing sunlight illuminating the sinkhole disappeared.
The entire valley dimmed.
Before the towering rocket...
Dozens upon dozens of Clefairy stood shoulder to shoulder.
Their expressions were tense.
Their eyes remained fixed upon the human slowly approaching with a Pikachu and a Gengar.
"I wasn't expecting to find this many Clefable."
"...Though, thinking about it, that's only natural."
"There are already over a hundred Clefairy gathered here."
"It'd be stranger if there weren't any evolved forms."
Looking at the taller pink Pokémon standing proudly at the front of the tribe—
their larger wings marking them as Clefable—
Chen Mo's expression remained perfectly calm.
Finally...
When both sides stood roughly thirty meters apart...
The imposing human figure stopped.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
An unbearably heavy atmosphere spread throughout the Clefairy tribe.
Then...
The leading Clefable suddenly noticed something.
The terrifying human...
Wasn't looking at them at all.
Instead...
His gaze shifted toward the right.
There...
Lay an enormous pile of unusual stones gathered by the Clefairy over countless years.
Chen Mo immediately recognized them.
Most were Evolution Stones.
Moon Stones...
Were especially abundant.
However...
His attention lingered there only briefly.
Following Marshadow's guidance...
His gaze swept across the collection...
Before finally settling upon a single crystal.
It was slightly larger than the others.
A deep violet crystal.
The moment Chen Mo saw the familiar-looking stone...
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
The caution he'd maintained ever since hearing there might be a Legendary Pokémon here...
Finally melted away.
"I see..."
"So that's what it is."
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