Yesterday, there was too much going on, and Ash had forgotten about it for a while. When the tunnel was about to collapse at the time, he had unintentionally caught a glimpse of the Moon Stone and casually picked it up. But after arriving here, he had completely forgotten about it due to Axew's situation. He only remembered it when he was about to depart and organize his belongings.
Clefable~~~~
Clefable was very happy when it saw the Moon Stone. When it reached out its hand, it didn't take it back, but instead pushed Ash's hand away.
"Hmm? Are you... giving it to me?" Ash asked, seeing this. Clefable nodded with a smile. Although it no longer needed it, there were still many Clefairy in its tribe who could use it. Moon Stones were still very rare items.
"I think Clefable wants to repay you for protecting the meteorite yesterday, so just accept it!" Dr. Lim spoke up at this moment. He very much enjoyed this atmosphere of Pokémon and humans coexisting and could feel Clefable's goodwill.
Ash listened, looked at the Moon Stone in his hand, and without being overly polite, put the Moon Stone away. Then he said gratefully, "Thank you!"
Clefable~~~
Clefable also responded enthusiastically. Then the group turned to leave, and Clefable waved from behind.
"Ash, that kid hasn't left yet!" At this moment, Misty looked behind her and said to Ash. Ash turned his head to look, then turned his head again and noticed that Axew hadn't left either. It was also looking in their direction. The few of them exchanged glances, then all looked at Ash.
"If you want to go, then go! If you want to return to your hometown, then come with us!" Ash looked at Axew, thought for a moment, and then spoke. Ultimately, he decided to let Axew decide for itself. If it wanted to leave, it could do so now. If it wanted to return to its hometown, they were about to meet the police with Dr. Lim. It was originally brought to Kanto by poachers, so the police would be responsible for sending it back to the Unova region.
After speaking, Ash took the lead, and the others followed suit. Axew hesitated for a while, then followed Ash and the others.
They followed Ash and the others back along the same path, tracing the river. They soon arrived back at their original location. Brock used Onix to help everyone climb up the slope, returning to the original tunnel. At this point, the police hadn't arrived yet. Dr. Lim asked Brock for another favor, having Geodude and Onix help patch up the opening leading outside with the rocks that had fallen during Axew's attack earlier.
"Alright! This is perfect!!" Piles of rocks were stacked together. Unless a powerful force destroyed them, this place could not be opened.
"Thank you all!" Dr. Lim expressed his heartfelt gratitude. This time, Ash and the others' arrival not only resolved the crisis in this cave but also acted like his lucky stars, allowing him to witness the extraordinary sight he had longed to see in Mt. Moon. However, he didn't want anyone to disturb the peace of the Clefairy, which was why he had sealed this place. It wasn't that he was selfish for having seen it and not wanting others to. It was because he had seen too many people coveting Moon Stones here over the years.
Not to mention distant examples, even Team Rocket and the two poachers from before were exactly like that, weren't they? If everyone could control their desires and simply pursue their love for research, he would never do something like this.
"You're welcome, it was no trouble at all." With Geodude and Onix, this wasn't a big deal.
Not long after they finished dealing with the cave entrance, they heard a commotion. Urgent footsteps approached. Ash and the others were chatting when they suddenly heard footsteps approaching, and it seemed the other side also heard Ash and the others talking.
"Dr. Lim, is that you?"
"It's me!" Dr. Lim seemed to hear a familiar voice and immediately responded. Soon, several figures appeared before them.
Officer Jenny led a team, accompanied by several police officers. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Dr. Lim and the others. Although he seemed unreliable on a normal basis, he held a significant position in the research community of Pewter City. He had become a doctor at a young age, and his years of research had contributed greatly to Pewter City. So, after receiving the news, she had been very worried. However, when they came over, the tunnel had collapsed due to the battle, so it took them a long time to get there.
"Dr. Lim, are you alright?" Officer Jenny arrived, asking about Dr. Lim's condition with concern.
"Oh! I'm fine, don't worry. Thanks to these kids, we drove away those bad guys. Oh, by the way, what happened to those bad guys?" Dr. Lim had a cheerful personality. Although he had gone through so much, he still looked relaxed. He had already informed them about Team Rocket and the two poachers earlier.
"Yes! Those two poachers were recorded fugitives, and they've been caught. However, the two you mentioned, who were with the talking Meowth, were very cunning. We didn't catch them," Officer Jenny explained the situation.
"Is that so? Never mind. As long as this place is fine." Dr. Lim wasn't too concerned about not catching all of them. He believed they wouldn't dare come back for a while.
"Are these the Trainers who helped you drive away the bad guys? Huh? Aren't you Brock? And you're... Ash?" Officer Jenny then looked at the people behind Dr. Lim. She recognized Brock first, as Brock was their Pewter City Gym Leader, so they had known each other for a long time. However, she was a little surprised that she also recognized Ash.
"Why do you know Ash?" Misty asked curiously. She truly felt a bit surprised.
"Oh! My sister, Officer Jenny from Viridian City, told me about you. I saw your photos. I didn't expect you to drive away bad guys in Viridian City and then help Dr. Lim here. Thank you very much." Clearly, the Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy families share information. Of course, this doesn't mean all Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys worldwide know about them, but those in nearby cities do.
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Misty nodded slightly, as Nurse Joy had seemingly said something similar when they first arrived at the Pewter City Pokémon Center.
"But why is Brock here? Did you also get the news?"
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