After a lengthy conversation with the Clefable and learning the full story behind how the Clefairy had arrived in this world...
Chen Mo helplessly rubbed his forehead.
This was giving him a headache.
So far, neither he nor the Bureau had made much progress in uncovering why Pokémon had descended into this world or what conditions governed that phenomenon.
Because of that...
There was no way to know whether the Clefairy's home planet had also been transported into this universe.
But even if...
By some miracle...
Their homeworld had crossed over as well...
Chen Mo didn't believe these Clefairy would be lucky a second time.
This journey...
Would most likely end with them stranded forever in the cold, silent darkness of space.
He sighed softly before looking back at the Clefable before him.
"Since searching the universe for your homeland is the shared wish of every Clefairy..."
"I have no right to stop you from fulfilling your mission."
Expressions of guilt immediately appeared on the Clefable's rosy faces.
They could all sense the goodwill this human held toward their race.
But...
For the sake of the countless brethren still suffering on their dying world...
They had no choice.
"However..."
Chen Mo continued.
"I do have one suggestion."
"If you've already decided that this planet will become your species' new home..."
"Then when you search for your homeland, ration your food and energy carefully."
"Know your limits."
"And when your supplies fall below a safe level..."
"Return to Earth to replenish them."
"...Clef?"
The Clefable froze.
Then they all shook their heads vigorously, their long pointed pink ears flapping wildly.
"Clef! Clef, Clef!"
Their answer was obvious.
They refused.
It was precisely because they feared becoming attached to Earth...
Because they feared this beautiful world would weaken their determination...
That they had rushed so desperately toward the stars.
How could they—
"Clefable."
Chen Mo calmly interrupted.
"The reason you're searching for your homeland..."
"Is to bring your people here."
"So that every Clefairy can live happily together."
The Clefable stared blankly.
He continued in an even tone.
"But you also know..."
"This world..."
"Is completely different from the one you came from."
"What if..."
"Your homeworld..."
"And your people..."
Never crossed into this universe at all?"
"What if..."
"You truly are the last remaining Clefairy in this world?"
"If you recklessly fly into space..."
"And all die out there..."
"Then the Clefairy species..."
"Will disappear from this universe forever."
"If your race no longer exists..."
"How can there ever be a revival?"
"...Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
"...Clef..."
Every Clefable's eyes widened.
Their tiny pink wings fluttered anxiously behind them.
Panic spread across every face.
Looks like it's working.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Chen Mo's mouth.
"Hmph."
Marshadow snorted inside his mind.
Then, in its childish voice, it declared,
"Big liar."
"I don't really have a choice."
Chen Mo answered helplessly.
"If I want these stubborn Clefairy to understand how precious life is..."
"This is the only way."
Back in the Pokémon world...
Or rather...
On the original Pokémon planet...
Clefairy still existed.
According to the information gathered by Insight Eye...
Whether Clefairy or Clefable...
On quiet nights...
They would often gaze sorrowfully toward the distant stars.
Because of this...
Scholars of the Pokémon world had concluded that the Clefairy species suffered from severe homesickness.
From that...
It wasn't difficult to infer...
That the Clefairy living on that planet were likely descendants of the legendary pioneers who had boarded spaceships in ancient times to search for a new homeland.
Which meant...
At least some of those pioneers...
Had succeeded.
They really had found a new home.
Only...
Perhaps, just like the Clefairy before him...
Their spacecraft had broken down.
Or some other accident had prevented them from ever returning.
So all they could do...
Was gaze toward the stars and the moon...
Yearning for the home they could never reach.
There was no doubt.
Those descendants...
Had certainly been transported to this world as well during the great migration.
Although the Bureau had yet to discover another Clefairy colony...
Chen Mo was certain...
They existed somewhere.
Of course...
The Clefairy standing before him knew none of this.
To them...
The original pioneers had died long ago.
Naturally...
They had never imagined descendants of those pioneers might still live on this planet.
Chen Mo could only marvel at how perfectly everything lined up.
It was precisely because of this information gap...
That he could deliver the most effective argument possible.
Your purpose is the continuation of your race.
Then the best way to persuade you...
Is through the future of your race itself.
Sometimes...
The world simply needed a kind lie.
Chen Mo replied inwardly to Marshadow.
"Besides..."
"You know this better than anyone."
"I've never lied to you."
"Everything I've ever said to you has been the truth."
"You've always known that."
"So if other Pokémon call me a liar, that's one thing."
"But you..."
"You've eaten so many of my Pokéblocks..."
"And you're still calling me a liar."
"Even I'd feel hurt."
Marshadow snorted again.
"Nice try."
"You never lie to me because I'm always hiding inside your shadow."
"A lie wouldn't fool me anyway."
"And those Pokéblocks..."
"I earned every single one."
Just when Chen Mo thought the Clefable had been persuaded...
The largest Clefable standing in the center suddenly shook its head firmly.
It stepped forward.
Then turned toward the other Clefable.
"Clef! Clef, Clef!"
After hearing its words...
The others gradually calmed down.
The hesitation disappeared from their faces.
Only determination remained.
Before Pikachu even had time to translate...
The lead Clefable turned back around...
And bowed deeply to Chen Mo once again.
This time...
The meaning was unmistakable.
It was apologizing.
The livestream chat immediately exploded.
[What does that mean? Did this Clefable see through Teacher Mo already?]
[No way! Teacher Mo was acting pretty convincingly! If I hadn't just heard his explanation earlier, I would've believed him too!]
[Don't tell me... even if it means risking extinction, they're still going into space? That's... way too stubborn.]
[Exactly! Teacher Mo wasn't trying to stop them! He just wanted them to return to Earth whenever they ran low on supplies!]
[Clefable is a Fairy-type... maybe it sensed he wasn't telling the truth? Wait—Huh?! Why did the stream suddenly go black?! Is my connection dead?]
While viewers were still arguing...
The livestream abruptly cut out.
The screen turned black.
Then a message appeared.
The streamer is currently offline.
One minute ago, they were broadcasting a science education livestream.
"...Damn it!"
"Much smoother than during practice."
"Good job, Gengar."
"I'll make sure you get extra food tonight."
Looking at the flood of confused comments in his now-disconnected livestream...
Chen Mo gave Gengar a thumbs-up.
Science education or not...
Some things simply couldn't be shown.
Even after his identity as the Hero of Ideals had become public...
Chen Mo still carried plenty of secrets that absolutely couldn't be revealed.
So...
Long ago...
He and Gengar had rehearsed for situations exactly like this.
Whenever Chen Mo secretly made their agreed-upon hand signal...
Gengar would immediately cut the livestream.
"Hehehe!"
With filming duties temporarily over...
Gengar happily stuffed the camera into its dimensional pocket.
The Clefable stared in utter astonishment.
Watching them...
Chen Mo suddenly remembered an old Pokémon urban legend from his previous life.
If one ignored the colors...
And focused only on their outlines...
Clefable and Gengar actually had rather similar body shapes.
Back in the earliest Pokédex...
Clefable weighed 40 kilograms.
Gengar weighed 40.5 kilograms.
Only half a kilogram heavier.
Yet...
Before evolving...
Haunter weighed a mere 0.1 kilograms.
Thus...
A famous joke had spread among fans—
The reason Haunter gained so much mass upon evolving...
Was because...
It had eaten a Clefable.
"...Clef..."
For some inexplicable reason...
Every Clefable suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
They instinctively took several cautious steps backward...
Their eyes fixed warily upon the purple ghost standing behind Chen Mo.
"...Gengar?"
Gengar tilted its head in complete confusion.
It had absolutely no idea...
That it had just become the scapegoat for its Trainer's bizarre train of thought.
Listening to Marshadow's amused laughter echoing in his mind...
Chen Mo remained perfectly composed.
He cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
Everyone's attention returned to him.
From Pikachu's earlier translation...
Chen Mo already knew exactly what the Clefable had decided.
Looking seriously at them...
He asked,
"I want to confirm something."
"The spaceship's fuel..."
"It can be supplied by Moon Stones, correct?"
"Clef."
The Clefable nodded without hesitation.
Although they didn't understand why he was asking...
They answered honestly.
That...
Was actually the biggest reason they'd rejected Chen Mo's earlier proposal.
The lead Clefable glanced helplessly toward the carefully preserved pile of Moon Stones in the distance.
There were nearly a hundred of them.
It looked like a great many.
But based on their previous experience with interstellar travel...
It was only enough...
For one long-distance voyage.
Meaning...
If they failed to find their homeland this time...
Every Clefairy aboard...
Would die in space.
Still...
The lead Clefable considered itself fortunate.
After all...
"Without the help of the Great God..."
"We never could have gathered so many Moon Stones."
"We never would've been able to launch our ship at all."
Its eyes were filled with resolve.
After thinking it through...
It realized Chen Mo wasn't entirely wrong.
If they truly were the last Clefairy in existence...
Then preserving their race's future was indeed important.
So...
It repeated its earlier request.
It wanted to leave behind the youngest Clefairy...
To continue their civilization.
The older Clefairy would undertake the journey alone.
"Clef! Clef, Clef!"
"Kind human..."
"If possible..."
"Please take care of them."
"They're not very strong..."
"But they're obedient."
"They'll surely be able to help you."
The lead Clefable lowered itself pleadingly.
Chen Mo shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
"Clefairy are adorable..."
"But there's no way I could take care of so many by myself."
"...Clef..."
Sadness filled the Clefable's face.
It understood.
Just as it began wondering whether it should leave behind some of the older Clefairy as guardians...
Chen Mo smiled.
"I wasn't finished."
"Clefable..."
"I may not be able to raise them."
"But..."
"There's no reason you can't."
"I'll say it again."
"If you run low on resources..."
"Come back to Earth."
"As for Moon Stones..."
"I've got as many as you need."
The lead Clefable looked utterly bewildered.
Then...
It saw Chen Mo extend his right hand.
The next instant...
Countless pale blue stones...
Each radiating the familiar energy of Moon Stones...
Poured endlessly from his palm...
Rolling onto the ground.
Within moments...
An entire hill of Moon Stones had formed.
Every Clefable stood frozen.
Their eyes bulged.
Their mouths slowly fell open.
Then...
A memory surfaced.
The beautiful planet that had suddenly appeared before them.
The countless Evolution Stones that had mysteriously fallen from the sky.
One thought...
Filled every Clefable's mind.
The lead Clefable trembled as it looked at Chen Mo.
Its voice was filled with awe.
"...Clef?"
"G... Great God...?"
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