"What is this? Let me try it."
Hearing Ash and his friends' discussion, Yu Feng also came over to join the fun, taking a piece of Pokémon food made by Brock from Ash's hand.
"I don't really like the shape; it looks like pet food. The smell, though, is not bad."
Yu Feng examined the Pokémon food made by Brock. He didn't like its appearance, which made him think it looked like dog food.
He sniffed it, and to Yu Feng's surprise, it wasn't bad, though it wasn't to his taste; he preferred sweet things.
"Chew, chew. It tastes okay, but it's not my preference. I'd like it more if it were a bit sweeter."
Yu Feng tasted it; besides being a bit astringent, it was acceptable. He might have liked it more if it were sweeter.
"So, this is food for Pokémon, then."
Brock looked at them, one by one, eating the Pokémon food, feeling a bit helpless. This wasn't made for humans to eat, of course they wouldn't be used to it.
"That's incorrect. If you can't eat it, how can Pokémon eat it?"
Yu Feng took a sip of black tea, disagreeing with Brock's statement. After all, if you're unwilling to eat it, how can you be sure Pokémon will love it?
"What you said is indeed a problem."
Facing what Yu Feng said, Brock thought for a moment. It seemed he had a point; if he couldn't eat it, how could he expect Pokémon to eat it?
"Also, this appearance is really not good. Look at this—this is an Energy Cube, popular in Hoenn and other regions."
Yu Feng picked up the pink Energy Cube his mom prepared and compared it to Brock's dark Pokémon food.
"This... indeed. Not only does it look good, but it's also more delicious. But I'm skeptical about its other properties."
As a Pokémon Breeder, Brock could tell at a glance which was good and which wasn't. If Yu Feng's Energy Cube was like a beautifully crafted work of art, his own was like a clumsy piece of pottery made by a beginner.
As for the texture and taste, Brock also had to admit that the Energy Cube was much better than his own Pokémon food.
But he remained reserved about its effectiveness, having never made such things.
"This is great! Look how pretty my Lao Mei is... Wait, where is she?"
Yu Feng was about to boast that his Lao Mei was prettier and stronger than an average Kirlia, but then he realized his Lao Mei, who had just been by his side, had suddenly gone off to chat with Clefairy.
"Clefairy!"
"Kirlia, Kirlia~"
"Clefairy!"
"Pikachu! Pikachu!"
The three Pokémon were chatting animatedly. Clefairy occasionally pointed frantically at the sky, explaining something to them.
Shinny Kirlia and Pikachu also listened attentively to her words.
"I really didn't realize my Pikachu was so good at making friends."
Ash was happy watching Pikachu chatting happily with them, as making friends was much better than being alone.
"Kirlia! (Big brother, she said to follow her.)"
Shinny Kirlia walked up to Yu Feng, tugged on his clothes, and told him.
"Follow her? Is something wrong?"
Yu Feng raised an eyebrow, as it was rare for a Pokémon to ask humans to follow them.
Shinny Kirlia shook her head, indicating she didn't know either; Clefairy just said to follow her.
"What's wrong, Xiao Feng? What did Clefairy say?"
Ash and his friends were very curious about what Clefairy said, but unfortunately, they couldn't understand what Clefairy was saying. Now that there was someone who could understand, they were naturally very curious.
"Oh, nothing. Clefairy said to follow her."
Seeing Ash and his friends' curious expressions, Yu Feng briefly explained Clefairy's meaning.
Clefairy, seeing that they all understood her meaning, started hopping and running towards her destination again.
Yu Feng and his friends quickly followed Clefairy's steps, heading towards an unknown place.
The sky gradually darkened. Ash and his friends had been following Clefairy for almost an hour.
But Clefairy showed no signs of stopping.
"Pikachu, where exactly are you going?"
Ash followed Pikachu and the others weakly. He was exhausted after running for so long.
Finally, under their gaze, Clefairy stopped in front of a cave.
Clefairy looked back at Ash and his group, specifically giving Yu Feng an emphasized look, seemingly signaling them to follow. Then she led them into the cave.
"Is this the true Moon Stone?"
The Scientist seemed a bit shocked. A giant Moon Stone, illuminated by moonlight, sparkled in the middle of the cave, surrounded by smaller fragments of Moon Stone.
"Look at Clefairy!"
Ash watched Clefairy jump onto a stone platform that looked like an altar, placing the Moon Stone in her hand into the remaining gap.
From that Moon Stone, a faint glow gradually enveloped the entire giant Moon Stone, appearing incredibly dreamy under the moonlight.
Many Clefairy emerged from somewhere, circling the giant Moon Stone and performing a mysterious dance.
"Clefairy!"
Clefairy gesticulated wildly, explaining something to Pikachu and Shinny Kirlia. Pikachu also listened intently to Clefairy's words.
As for why Shinny Kirlia wasn't listening, her big brother wasn't deaf. The previous explanation was because they were far away, but now Ash could hear Clefairy talking, so how could her big brother not hear?
"Pikachu, what is Clefairy saying?"
Ash was curious about what Clefairy was saying, as her gesticulations looked quite interesting.
"Pikachu! Pikapi, Pikapika Pikachu!"
Pikachu was very earnestly explaining to Ash what Clefairy had said.
"You can understand her!"
Watching Ash listen intently, the Scientist looked at Ash with some curiosity. Yu Feng understanding could be explained as Psychic ability directly comprehending the meaning, but Ash didn't look like he had Psychic powers at all.
"Hmm, I guess he's saying, 'Gather many of these stones and dance the Obon dance!'"
Following Pikachu's actions, Ash began to translate Pikachu's meaning. It was all going well until Ash said "Obon dance," and Pikachu immediately collapsed to the ground.
"Pikachu! Pikachu!"
Pikachu then quickly got up, crossed his arms over his chest, indicating that what Ash said was incorrect. Then he ran to the side and picked up Clefairy.
"Hug Clefairy?"
"Goody-goody?"
"Protect?"
The Scientist and the others began to guess Pikachu's meaning. Xiao Xia's mind worked faster, and she was the first to understand Pikachu's meaning.
"Pikachu, Pikachu."
Then Pikachu spread his arms in a triumphant gesture, which made Ash a bit curious.
"Protect Clefairy? Hooray? What does that mean?"
Ash really couldn't combine these words to express any meaning.
Pikachu, annoyed, directly jumped up and pulled out a strand of Ash's hair with his small short hands, waving it in his hand.
Then he looked at Yu Feng with expectant eyes. He really didn't want to communicate with these people who couldn't understand.
"The meaning is simple: this giant Moon Stone is their god, the Clefairy's god."
Seeing Pikachu's expectant eyes, Yu Feng, who was trying hard not to laugh, explained what Pikachu meant.
He received an approving nod from a sign with a circle drawn on it, which Pikachu had picked up from who knows where.