Chapter 127: The Clefairy Spaceship (Double Chapter)

After hanging up the phone, Poplar decided to take a stroll around the museum first before contacting Slowking again.

Leaving the Pokémon Center, Poplar headed straight for the museum located in the northern part of Pewter City.

After paying the fifty League Poke Dollars admission fee at the front desk, he gained entry to the exhibition.

The museum was quite large. The ground floor primarily displayed reconstructed skeletal fossils of Aerodactyl and Kabutops curated by fossil researchers.

Although they were skeletons, the meticulous restoration made them look indistinguishable from the real creatures.

Their pitch-black eyes and wide, sweeping wings made them appear remarkably lifelike.

However, Poplar was not particularly fascinated by Aerodactyl, having already seen one up close at the Fossil Maniac's place.

After watching for a while, Poplar headed up to the second floor.

Unlike the ground floor, the second-floor exhibits were filled with a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic.

Its theme was "Space." Here, Poplar saw models of space shuttles and books and periodicals detailing the universe.

In the center of the hall sat a stone as massive as a meteorite.

Poplar glanced at it, and information about the object instantly surfaced in his mind.

[Clefairy's Spaceship (Damaged)]

Poplar: "..."

Seriously?

While people in the anime had once theorized that Clefairy originated from outer space and that Moon Stones were the spaceships they traveled in, such an idea sounded rather impractical. Later on, however, there was actually an episode where a family of Clefairy attempted to build a rocket to fly into outer space.

This suggested that they might indeed hail from the distant moon.

Poplar found it quite fascinating.

The Pokémon world possessed a great deal of advanced technology, yet technology concerning outer space exploration rarely seemed to make an appearance.

Could it be because Rayquaza, living within the atmosphere, prevented them from piercing through it?

In fact, Clefairy were not the only Pokémon in the world that originated from outer space.

There were also Solrock and Lunatone, which fell to Earth alongside meteorites, the cosmic virus Deoxys, as well as later arrivals like Beheeyem, Minior, and so on.

As for why Rayquaza would permit these cosmic stowaways to enter the planet...

Poplar thought of a single possibility.

It was simply because their strength was so insignificant that Rayquaza couldn't be bothered to stop them.

After wandering around for a while, Poplar checked the time and, deciding it was nearly time, prepared to leave the museum and return to the Pokémon Center.

Right at that moment, a chorus of "Pippi, Pippi" cries suddenly echoed from outside the window.

Immediately following the sound, the glass shattered, and a group of Clefairy burst in through the windows and the main entrance.

The tourists visiting the museum were startled and immediately scrambled out of the way.

The Clefairy moved swiftly. In the blink of an eye, they arrived before the massive meteorite on the second-floor exhibition platform.

The lead Clefairy waved to the companions behind it, and the flock swarmed forward, surrounding the meteorite.

They carefully inspected and stroked the stone, letting out cries that sounded both bewildered and resolute:

"Pippi?"

"Pippi!"

"Pippi..."

At that moment, the museum staff rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

Seeing this scene, the Clefairy acted as if facing a formidable enemy. They instantly ceased their discussion, shielded the meteorite behind them, and glared vigilantly at the group of security-uniformed staff. "Pippi!"

"It's you little rascals again..." The staff member looked somewhat speechless. He clutched his head and said with a headache, "You definitely can't have this rock!"

"Pippi!" The lead Clefairy was very angry and attempted to argue with the staff member.

Playing the role of a curious bystander, Poplar asked, "What is it saying?"

Gengar looked at the meteorite and whispered, "It says that rock originally belonged to them."

Poplar: "..."

Good grief, that meteorite really turned out to be a spaceship.

No, to be precise, it wasn't an ordinary meteorite, but an ultra-large Moon Stone.

Unlike Fire Stones or Water Stones, Moon Stones originated from the cosmos.

Because they contained massive amounts of cosmic energy, certain researchers believed they were fragments that had fallen from the moon.

That was how the Moon Stone got its name.

"Calling out 'Pippi' won't work either! This is the most important exhibition piece in our museum!"

The staff began shooing away the group of Clefairy.

However, the Clefairy were having none of it. Realizing that communication was failing, they turned and channeled their energy toward the meteorite.

Each Clefairy held its breath, staring with utmost seriousness at the encircled space rock.

The next second, a miraculous wave of energy radiated outward from their bodies.

The Clefairy used Cosmic Power, but absolutely nothing happened.

Seeing this, expressions of disappointment washed over their faces.

The lead Clefairy sighed in resignation, "Pippi..."

Without waiting for the staff to drive them away, they left the museum one after another, hanging their heads in low spirits.

The staff member began to soothe the tourists' nerves, saying, "Don't worry, those little fellows often appear in Pewter City. They live on Mt. Moon, have very kind personalities, and won't attack humans."

Having finished observing the spectacle, Poplar turned and left the museum.

As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted the departing group of Clefairy not far away.

They were rummaging through a trash can. When Poplar walked past them, he noticed several Clefairy holding various items in their hands.

Things like broken plastic toys, unusable microphones, empty beer bottles, and so on.

"So gross!" Seeing this, Gengar's face twisted in disgust.

Poplar: "..."

Some wild Pokémon lived in the wild year-round and paid no attention to such matters.

Axew was the same way.

When Axew first joined the team, it would roll around in dusty mud.

Later, under Poplar's gradual guidance, it realized how dirty that was and never rolled around in the mud again.

However, those Clefairy had looked quite clean just moments ago.

Poplar guessed they probably washed up after returning home.

Upon returning to the Pokémon Center, Poplar promptly placed a call to Slowking.

Soon, the call went through, and Slowking's face appeared on the screen.

It said, "Poplar, I've obtained the coordinate code for Professor Birch's Pokémon PC transfer machine: 7a6b25."

"Got it, I'll remember that." Poplar nodded, repeating 7a6b25 a few times in his mind before speaking to Slowking.

Next, he planned to leave Pewter City and head directly to Mt. Moon. After spending a day mining for stones, he would take transport to Lavender Town.

Poplar pondered for a moment, shared his plan with Slowking, and mentioned that once this task was completed, he would be able to return to the Hoenn region.

Slowking nodded and said, "The Abandoned Power Plant near Lavender Town has been deserted for twenty years, but some of the electromechanical facilities there are still operating automatically."

"An environment like this is a favorite for Electric-type Pokémon. Right now, it's likely occupied by Electric-types, so be careful when you go there."

Hearing this, Poplar froze for a moment. "How do you know all this?"

That was uncanny—it matched the information about the Abandoned Power Plant in his memories down to the very last detail!

Slowking answered earnestly, "I looked up information regarding that Abandoned Power Plant not long ago. This intelligence might be of help to you."

"..."

Poplar felt somewhat conflicted.

In truth, when he passed through earlier, he had merely mentioned the phrase "Abandoned Power Plant" to Slowking without elaborating on the details.

Yet Slowking had managed to unearth so much information based on those five words alone...

To be honest, Poplar still felt a twinge of guilt regarding letting Slowking enter human society, absorb human knowledge, and remain independently behind at the ranch to look after the place.

He easily could have brought Slowking along on his journey...

Slowking observed his expression, seemingly guessing his thoughts, and spoke once more:

"It's fine, Poplar. I quite like my current life. The Slowpoke are having a wonderful time here, and Professor Birch takes very good care of us."

"Thank you," Poplar said sincerely.

Slowking smiled faintly and replied, "We will be right here waiting for your return."

Hanging up, Slowking returned to the sofa and sat down. Several books were resting before it:

"Philosophical Connections Between Human Society and Pokémon"

"The Relationship Between Trainers and Pokémon from a Historical Development Perspective"

"The Existential Meaning of Pokémon to Humans"

Soon, a series of knocks sounded from outside the door.

Slowking put down its book and went to open it.

Professor Birch walked in carrying several Poké Balls. Handing them over to Slowking, he glanced at the books on the table and asked in astonishment,

"You've already finished reading those books I found for you the day before yesterday?"

Slowking nodded.

A sharp gleam flashed in Professor Birch's eyes.

Even though he had already witnessed this Slowking's high intelligence with his own eyes, seeing it again still left Professor Birch marveling in disbelief.

Was this... truly just a Slowking?

He looked toward the stack of books piled in the corner, the contents of which spanned mechanical manufacturing, pharmacology, and even energy cube blending.

Yet all those books had been thoroughly read by this single Slowking in the span of just a few short days...

At that moment, Professor Birch felt like a failing student scoring zero points when standing before Slowking.

Professor Birch felt a melancholic urge to drop to his knees and pound the floor in despair.

Just then, Slowking's voice snapped Professor Birch out of his daze.

A look of puzzlement crossed its face as it gazed at Birch and asked, "Professor, what kind of relationship is the bond between humans and Pokémon?"

...

Mt. Moon.

After placing the Poké Balls for Squirtle and Oddish into the slots of the transfer machine, Poplar connected the power cord to Gengar.

As the power flowed, a flash of light swept across the slots of the transfer machine.

Immediately afterward, all five Poké Balls placed inside were successfully transmitted to the Hoenn region.

Poplar was exceptionally pleased about the addition of five new residents to his ecological ranch.

Oddish earned their name because they actively walked around everywhere while awake.

With Oddish present, his ranch would feel a bit more lively and populated.

As for the two Squirtles, they satisfied Poplar's hidden collector's impulse.

Ah, if he could just add a Zapdos to the mix, that would be even better!

Packing away the transfer machine, Poplar shouldered his backpack and looked up at the towering mountain before him.

In truth, Mt. Moon was a wildly famous scenic spot in the Kanto region.

This place was renowned because wild Clefairy lived here and shooting stars frequently fell from the sky.

Meteorites that plummeted here would transform into Moon Stones, and fossils could be unearthed within the caves of Mt. Moon.

It was said that Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City Gym, would come here to dig for fossils during his spare time.

Mt. Moon connected Cerulean City and Pewter City.

Because the mountain terrain was steep and difficult to traverse, most travelers chose to pass through the structurally complex interior caves instead.

Upon entering the cave, Poplar retrieved Cramorant's Poké Ball and earnestly conveyed his desire for stones to it.

Cramorant let out a dull cry, then flapped its wings and flew deep into the cave.

Witnessing this, Poplar suddenly felt that communication with Cramorant had become somewhat easier.

Was it just his imagination?

Soon, Cramorant flew back with a stone clenched in its beak.

Poplar took a glance, and information regarding the stone instantly materialized in his mind.

[Moon Stone: A miraculous stone that can make certain species of Pokémon evolve. Pitch-black like the night sky.]

A pretty decent haul.

To verify his earlier thought, Poplar stopped Cramorant before it could leave again, looked into its eyes, and asked, "Can you understand what I'm saying now?"

Cramorant looked blank and foolish: "Gulp."

Poplar: "..."

Alright, it seemed it really was just his imagination.

However, Poplar harbored a vague guess as to how Cramorant perceived his moods and thoughts.

That was through the game modification system.

Aside from this possibility, he couldn't think of any other factors.

Cramorant shook off his hand and went back out to work.

Watching its retreating back, Poplar sighed softly and decided to pitch camp right here, preparing to cook a hearty feast from scratch to reward Cramorant.

He released all his Pokémon.

Pulling out two small stools, he let Ralts and Roserade sit on them to play.

Axew inspected the surrounding environment. Suddenly, as if discovering something, its eyes brightened, and it dropped to the ground to start eating dirt.

Seeing this, Gengar was startled: "What are you doing?"

Axew didn't even turn its head as it replied: "Nada." (Teeth grinding.)

Poplar also noticed Axew's actions and used appraisal on that patch of soil. The relevant information immediately appeared in his mind.

[Soil rich in minerals. Certain Pokémon utilize it to replenish minerals in order to maintain tooth strength.]

Poplar: "..."

So why didn't it use the chewing stones he bought?

At that thought, Poplar pulled out a teething stone and quickly spotted the issue.

Those teething stones were designed for Axew's smaller size.

Now that it had evolved into Axew's evolved form, its jaws and teeth had grown significantly larger, rendering this teething stone far too small for it.

Watching Axew munching on dirt, Poplar felt like an unqualified Trainer.

Lately, his attention had been entirely focused on Charmander, causing him to neglect Axew's condition for a moment.

He couldn't play favorites!

Silently reflecting on this within his heart, Poplar walked over to Axew and asked somewhat dejectedly, "Why didn't you tell me when the teething stones stopped working?"