Liuli Alley was the busiest commercial district in Greenfield City.
It also happened to be the place the Clefairy "visited" most often.
As soon as word spread that the Clefairy were on their way, the entire district descended into panic. Shopkeepers hurriedly pulled down their shutters, temporarily closing their businesses.
This was a lesson they'd learned over the past several days.
As long as the doors stayed shut, the Clefairy would knock for a while, then quietly leave if no one answered.
"Pi~pi!" "Pi~pi!" "Pi~pi!"
Standing at the entrance of Liuli Alley, Fang Yu listened to the increasingly loud chorus of cries. Taking a deep breath, he calmly pulled out the Poké Ball he always carried.
"Come on out, Lairon."
A burst of white light flashed.
Beside him appeared a sturdy Pokémon with dark gray skin, sky-blue eyes, and a white armor-like shell covering its back.
After Greenfield City reported the Clefairy situation to the Bureau, Fang Yu had been assigned to handle it.
The reason was simple.
His partner, Lairon, possessed the Steel type, giving it a natural advantage against the Fairy-type Clefairy.
At least...
That was true in a one-on-one battle.
But now...
Listening to the synchronized cries echoing through the streets, Fang Yu knew there were a lot of Clefairy entering the city today.
No matter how strong Lairon was...
Two fists couldn't beat four hands.
Every Clefairy only needed to fire off one move, and together they could overwhelm Lairon.
No good.
I need backup.
Fang Yu reached for the special whistle hanging around his neck.
Calling for help, in reality, meant blowing the specially made Bureau whistle to summon the flock of pigeons lazing around the city square, waiting for passing residents to feed them.
With how fast those birds could fly...
They'd definitely arrive before the Clefairy reached Liuli Alley.
Fang Yu nodded to himself.
Just as he was about to blow the whistle—
The sky suddenly darkened.
A powerful gust swept overhead.
Sensing the unusual presence, Lairon immediately looked up, its body tensing in vigilance.
"It's only been a little over a month."
"Lairon..."
"Don't tell me you've already forgotten me after evolving?"
"I remember feeding you iron ore back at Cangqing Mountain."
A gentle voice descended from above.
Lairon tilted its head.
Its blue eyes filled with confusion, as though it couldn't quite recall the days when someone had fed it ore in Cangqing Mountain.
At the same time...
Fang Yu spun around and looked up.
The imposing Pidgeotto descending from the sky...
And the young man riding on its back...
He recognized them instantly.
"Teacher Mo!"
"I heard one of the Aron found at Cangqing Mountain was eventually captured by a Trainer."
"I suppose that must have been you."
The young man smiled.
"It's our first time meeting."
"I'm Chen Mo."
"If possible..."
"Could I trouble you not to blow the Pidove Whistle?"
"Of course!"
Fang Yu answered without hesitation.
Like Yi-ge, who hadn't joined this journey, Fang Yu was frequently dispatched around the country by the Bureau because of his work, which was why he'd missed the Pikachu Cup.
But as a Pokémon Trainer...
Like countless others...
His idol was Chen Mo.
It was Chen Mo's livestreams that had inspired him to approach Pokémon.
Which ultimately allowed him to become Lairon's partner.
Meeting his idol for the first time...
Fang Yu couldn't hide his excitement.
The slight anxiety he'd felt moments ago completely vanished.
After all...
As long as Chen Mo was here...
Even if every Clefairy in existence showed up...
Nothing serious would happen.
However...
What puzzled Fang Yu was that Chen Mo had no intention of approaching the Clefairy directly.
Instead...
Before they arrived...
He led Fang Yu and Lairon into a nearby alley, immediately taking cover.
"Teacher Mo...?"
Fang Yu looked utterly confused.
Crouching behind a small handcart, Chen Mo remained perfectly calm.
"Don't speak yet."
"They're here."
Although thoroughly puzzled...
Fang Yu chose to trust Chen Mo.
He obediently closed his mouth.
Soon...
The line of Clefairy entered Liuli Alley.
"Pi!"
The leading Clefairy—
Slightly larger than the others—
Turned around and raised one tiny hand.
Immediately, the Clefairy following behind—looking remarkably like elementary school children on a field trip following their teacher—came to a halt.
The cheerful chatter ceased as well.
"Pi! Pi!"
The larger Clefairy continued issuing commands.
Following its instructions...
The Clefairy quickly dispersed to both sides of the street.
As the rumbling of wooden wheels rolled across the pavement...
Several Clefairy pushed the two large wooden carts to the very front.
Fang Yu frowned.
He couldn't understand what they were doing.
If the carts hadn't obviously been filled with goods...
He would've thought exactly what the jewelry shop owner had earlier—
That the Clefairy had become so brazen they were bringing carts for wholesale looting.
"How strange..."
"They can't possibly be here to deliver gifts..."
Fang Yu shook his head.
According to the reports he'd read...
Once something ended up in Clefairy territory...
It was never coming back.
Behind those adorable appearances...
These Fairy Pokémon were notorious little hoarders who swallowed everything and returned nothing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of loud knocks snapped Fang Yu back to reality.
Only then did he notice...
The larger Clefairy was standing before one of the shops at the entrance of the alley, pounding energetically on the front door with its tiny hands.
They've gotten this arrogant already?!
Already harboring little goodwill toward these Clefairy after reading the reports...
Fang Yu instinctively rose to stop them.
But before he could fully stand...
A large hand pressed him gently back down.
"Teacher Mo, you—?!"
"Don't rush."
"I'm here."
"Watch a little longer."
The moment Chen Mo finished speaking...
The Clefairy at the door seemed to lose its patience.
It knocked even harder while calling out in its clear, pleasant voice.
"Pi! Pi!"
The noise finally provoked the shop owner inside.
A furious roar burst through the closed door.
"Go away!"
"You little thieves!"
"Stop knocking on my door!"
"Get lost!!"
The shout was deafening.
Then...
As if everyone had been waiting for someone else to speak first...
Residents throughout the shopping district finally exploded.
"Get lost!"
"Greenfield City doesn't welcome thieves like you!"
"Shameless little thieves!"
"The Bureau's been chasing you around town for days!"
"They'll be here soon to deal with you!"
"Get out!"
"This is Greenfield City!"
"This is our city!"
Curses erupted from countless storefronts.
The larger Clefairy's raised hand froze in midair.
The Clefairy gathered around it became visibly flustered.
One after another...
Their faces fell.
Their expressions became unmistakably dejected.
"Pi!"
Just then...
The larger Clefairy suddenly shouted.
While waving its little arms...
It pointed toward the two wooden carts and continued giving instructions.
Soon...
The Clefairy sprang into action once more.
One by one...
They walked to the carts.
Each picked up a Berry.
Then carefully placed them in front of every shop.
"This..."
Fang Yu's eyes widened.
Meanwhile...
Floating high in the air and concealed between two buildings...
Gengar faithfully recorded everything with its camera.
The livestream exploded with discussion.
[Are the Clefairy... trying to make up for all the things they stole?]
[They already stole everything. What's the point of apologizing now? Besides, they took so much. A few Berries can't possibly cover everyone's losses.]
[Admitting mistakes is a good thing. But wrong is still wrong. Teacher Mo, it's your time to step in!]
[Why isn't Teacher Mo doing anything? Is he soft-hearted because they're cute? He even stopped that Bureau guy earlier.]
[LOL. You clearly don't understand Teacher Mo. Sure, he loves Pokémon more than anyone—but saying he'll blindly side with them is ridiculous. Remember those Electric-types that invaded the power plant? They're still working nine-to-five to pay it off.]
[Question first, question later!]
[Whatever Teacher Mo decides, I'll trust him. But one thing—you seriously underestimated those 'few Berries.']
[Huh? Aren't Oran Berries pretty cheap online? They're only a few dozen yuan each.]
[That's because casual fans only know Oran Berries. As an actual Trainer, let me tell you—almost every Berry the Clefairy are handing out is incredibly rare. I recognized at least three species already: Lum Berry, Salac Berry, and Apicot Berry. If you don't know what those are, go search them. Especially the last two. Then you'll understand how insane this is.]
[Holy crap! They're handing out Salac Berries and Apicot Berries?! That's outrageous!]
Watching the Clefairy pass by...
Fang Yu recognized the Berries as well.
Everyone knew...
Berries possessed miraculous properties.
The common Oran Berry could heal injuries.
Medicine made from Oran Berries was beloved by new Trainers.
But beyond Oran Berries...
Some Berries possessed truly astonishing abilities.
For example...
Salac Berry.
It was said to contain the power of the skies.
Capable of increasing a Pokémon's Speed.
The Bureau had already confirmed this through research.
It truly did provide a slight increase in speed.
However...
Even ordinary Berries like Oran required demanding growing conditions.
Rare Berries like Salac were even more extreme.
To this day...
The Bureau had never discovered a way to cultivate Salac Berries on a large scale.
They could only harvest them from naturally occurring trees.
Those trees grew painfully slowly.
Every Salac Berry consumed meant one fewer remaining.
Their market value was astronomical.
"..."
Fang Yu stared at the Berries now sitting outside each storefront.
His eyes filled with envy.
After arriving in Greenfield City...
He'd conducted extensive investigations.
He knew exactly what the Clefairy had stolen.
Honestly...
Only one thought remained in his mind.
If you Clefairy really wanted all that junk...
Come find me!
I don't need three or four.
One Salac Berry is enough!
Lairon had never even tasted such a premium Berry...
Soon...
The two large carts of Berries had been completely emptied.
Just as Fang Yu assumed they were finished...
He watched four Clefairy climb directly into the carts.
Then...
They began pulling strangely colored stones from the very bottom.
One after another...
They distributed them among the other Clefairy.
The apology wasn't over.
Fang Yu was numb.
He recognized them immediately.
Evolution Stones.
Judging from the patterns...
There were Fire Stones.
Water Stones.
Thunder Stones.
Ice Stones.
Leaf Stones.
Everything.
[If I lived in Greenfield City, I'd be thinking: I didn't want to forgive the Clefairy... but they're offering way too much!]
[If they have valuables like this, why steal in the first place? Couldn't they trade Berries and Evolution Stones for money, then buy what they wanted?]
[You're forgetting something. They're Pokémon—not humans.]
[LOL, that's the funniest suggestion I've heard all day. Tell the Clefairy to exchange Berries and Evolution Stones for cash? Even if they know humans value these things, where exactly are they supposed to sell them? Not everyone understands Clefairy language like Teacher Mo does. Besides, wandering around carrying expensive items would only make them more vulnerable.]
[Stop arguing. Why does every stream end in people fighting? Focus on the real issue—what should be done about the Clefairy now?]
[Let's see what Teacher Mo decides...]
Fang Yu also looked toward Chen Mo.
The situation...
Had suddenly become much more complicated.
But Chen Mo said nothing.
He continued watching the Clefairy outside.
After finishing the Berries and Evolution Stones...
The Clefairy gathered together once more.
They formed neat rows.
Holding each other's hands...
They gently swayed from side to side.
The next moment...
A clear, beautiful melody drifted throughout Liuli Alley.
"Pi~ Pipi-pi~ Pipi~ Pipipipipi~"
"..."
The unfamiliar, ancient song...
Carried a faint sadness.
It drifted through the warm summer breeze beneath the clear blue sky.
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