Axew!!
After hearing Ash's response, the young Axew let out a growl.
"In the depths of this vast sky, there are still hidden Pokémon that humans cannot reach. One day, I will defeat them!" Ash declared, slightly raising his finger and pointing to the sky.
Axew paused after hearing Ash's words, then looked up at the sky, its purple eyes reflecting a sense of longing.
At that moment, a noise interrupted them. Ash lowered his hand and glanced around, noticing that Clefairy, Clefable, and Cleffa had all woken up, as if in unison.
Pikachu, also roused by the commotion, opened its eyes groggily and looked at the Clefairy surrounding them, tilting its head in confusion. It then climbed onto Ash's shoulder, observing the strange sight.
"What's going on? Why is it so noisy at night?"
The noise not only woke Pikachu but also stirred the three people in the tent. Misty crawled to the front of the tent without removing her sleeping bag, unzipped it, and peeked outside.
"What's going on?" Misty asked, puzzled as she saw the Clefairy stirring.
Brock and Seymour also emerged from the tent, surprised by what they saw. Clefairy and Cleffa were gathering around the meteorite under Clefable's watchful gaze, forming a circle around it.
Clefairy formed the outer circle, while Cleffa formed the inner one. They let out synchronized growls, and just then, a cloud drifted over the meteorite pit, revealing the full moon directly above.
At the same time, the massive meteorite at the center began to emit a faint green light. Then, a beam of white light shone down from the sky, bathing the meteorite in a pure, holy glow.
"What... what is this?" Seymour exclaimed, his jaw dropping in astonishment. He quickly rushed out of the tent, followed by Misty and Brock, who hurriedly left their sleeping bags to witness the rare sight.
As the moonlight illuminated the scene, Clefairy and Cleffa held hands and began dancing around the meteorite.
"What are they doing?" Misty wondered aloud, watching Clefairy and Cleffa dance around the meteorite like natives performing a ritual.
"Shhh! Don't disturb them!" Seymour said with uncharacteristic seriousness, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.
Everyone watched quietly as the light from the meteorite enveloped Clefairy and Cleffa. The Pokémon began to glow blue, forming two halos that surrounded the meteorite.
"This light...!" Misty gasped in surprise.
"This is it! This is the legendary evolution dance of Clefairy. I never thought I'd witness it in my lifetime," Seymour said, his fists clenched in excitement, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Evolution?"
As Seymour's words hung in the air, everyone continued to watch. The forms of Clefairy and Cleffa began to change under the light. Clefairy's bodies in the outer circle grew larger, and Cleffa's small forms in the inner circle began to swell, all illuminated by the light of evolution.
Witnessed by several people, the light slowly dissipated. Where Clefairy had originally been, all Clefairy evolved into Clefable, and the Cleffa evolved into Clefairy.
Their movements didn't stop as they continued their Hold Hands dance. After about ten minutes, the light on the Meteorite gradually faded, and the Moonlight shining on the crater also disappeared.
Everyone watched this evolution spectacle in amazement. It's rare to see so many Pokémon evolve at the same time. It was indeed a blessing to witness it.
Ash, however, knew that the Meteorite was actually a Moon Stone, which naturally has the ability to evolve certain Pokémon. Clefairy relies on the Moon Stone to evolve.
Normally, a Moon Stone disappears after use, but this Meteorite remained unchanged and still retained its power.
It seemed that this Meteorite absorbed the energy of Moonlight to recharge itself, then provided that energy to the Clefairy, allowing them to evolve. To activate this function, it likely required the Clefairy's song.
This explained why the Meteorite didn't disappear after a single use like other Moon Stones.
Seeing this, Axew seemed convinced by what Ash had said: there are many Pokémon deep within the starry sky.
After witnessing this, Seymour was so excited that he couldn't sleep. Since Ash, Misty, and Brock planned to leave the next day, they went to bed after processing their thoughts, while the Clefairy rested after completing their evolution ceremony.
"Okay, Officer Jenny and the others are about to arrive, let's go!" Seymour, who hadn't slept all night, was still full of energy. After breakfast, he glanced at Ash and the others.
They packed their things and prepared to leave. Just then, a Clefable approached and stood beside them.
"Clef Clef~"
This Clefable squinted its eyes with a sweet smile on its face and sang to everyone in a gentle voice.
"Are you... the Clefairy from yesterday?" Misty asked, recognizing the Clefable in front of her despite its evolved form.
"Clef~"
Clefable nodded happily and cried out softly, as if saying goodbye.
"We're leaving now. You have to be careful, but you've evolved, so you should be much stronger now," Misty said with some reluctance. After all, they had faced danger together yesterday, but she knew that parting was inevitable.
"Clef~"
Clefable nodded in response, and Ash suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, I found this by chance. I'll give it back to you." Ash took out an emerald-like stone from his pocket. Everyone looked at it—it was the Moon Stone that Clefairy had held yesterday.
Brock, standing nearby, was a bit surprised. He didn't expect that in the midst of everything yesterday, Ash had managed to retrieve it.