At this moment, it was just 4 PM.
According to the information received from Clefable, their evolution ceremony would only begin at night when the moon rose.
There were still about three hours remaining.
David and his Pokémon waited quietly for the evolution ceremony to arrive.
David also took out a bag of Energy Cubes. Besides the portions for Ralts and Riolu, he distributed the rest to the enthusiastic Clefairy and Clefable.
"Here, try this! This is Pokémon food from the outside world."
Saying this, David handed out the Energy Cubes to them one by one.
"Clefairy~"
"Clef~"
The Clefairy and Clefable, tasting Energy Cubes for the first time, were clearly delighted.
The little Pokémon gathered around David, dancing joyfully.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was around 7 PM.
It was mid-November, and as night fell, a full moon, round as a jade disk, appeared punctually in the sky.
Through the gap at the top of the cave, the bright moonlight entered, finally converging on the giant Moon Stone in the center.
The prepared Clefairy, led by the leading Clefable, began to dance a ritual around their sacred stone.
Speaking of which, it was at this moment that David remembered he hadn't checked the details of these Clefable yet.
So he casually used the system to check the leading Clefable.
[Name: Clefable]
[Type: Fairy]
[Gender: ♀]
[Level: 55 (Professional Stage 2 [Gym Leader])]
[Potential: Purple]
[Ability: Magic Guard]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Pound, Growl, Sing, Minimize, Defense Curl, Metronome, Sweet Kiss, Charm, Moonlight, Meteor Mash, Cosmic Power, Healing Wish, Moonblast, Life Dew, Misty Explosion, Dazzling Gleam, Misty Terrain, Play Rough...]
He didn't know until he checked, and the result made David's hand tremble instantly.
He suddenly realized that the Clefable—which had just taken an Energy Cube from his hand and acted affectionately toward him—was actually a powerful Gym-level Pokémon.
He had even playfully stroked Clefable's curly fur!
Thank goodness! Thank goodness he had encountered a friendly species of Pokémon like Clefable! David felt his back was almost soaked with cold sweat. A Gym-level Pokémon!
If he had encountered one with a bad temper or one that liked to attack humans, they might all have perished here.
No wonder he had been puzzled earlier about why the Ariados colony hadn't continued to penetrate deeper and occupy this place.
After all, from every perspective, this location was significantly better than their nest.
Moreover, their Bug and Poison typing would not be negatively affected by the Fairy-type energy here.
Now, after seeing Clefable's data, he finally understood. The real boss of this cave was right here!
With the leading Clefable's Gym-level strength, those Ariados naturally wouldn't come here to seek trouble.
While David was pondering this, the Clefairy's ritual continued.
Led by several Clefable, the Clefairy began their ritual dance, humming an unknown tune.
David and his Pokémon listened to the ethereal singing of the Clefairy and unconsciously became immersed in it.
Suddenly, an invisible change appeared all around, and his perception through Aura awakened David.
Relying on this Aura perception, he could sense that there seemed to be an indescribable transformation occurring here.
As the ritual progressed, the area seemed to be enveloped by some abnormal magnetic field.
The converging moonlight shone upon the Clefairy, coating their small wings with a layer of silvery-white radiance.
With just a slight flutter of their tiny wings, the Clefairy floated into the air in an almost suspended state, continuing their ritual dance.
Their dancing postures were as lovely as fairies, captivating David and his Pokémon completely.
Just then, in the center of the lake, the giant Moon Stone standing there suddenly emitted an unparalleled pink light.
All the Clefairy showed no reaction, continuing their dance and allowing the pink light to shine upon them.
"Ralts!"
Ralts beside him looked at the figures illuminated by the pink glow with a hint of longing in her eyes.
She could feel the pink glow's attraction to her, but the sensible Ralts still restrained her inner desire and did not move forward, fearing she would disturb the Clefairy's ritual.
"Clef~ Clef!"
At this moment, the leading Clefable turned her head and called out urgently to Ralts.
"Clefable, are you saying you want Ralts to join in as well?"
David pointed to the little one beside him and asked.
Clefable nodded affirmatively, then gestured for Ralts to hurry.
There was no time for hesitation. Since it was clearly beneficial for Ralts, David naturally wouldn't act reserved for the sake of appearances.
"Did you hear that? Go quickly, Ralts! Thank you, Clefable."
He reached out and gently pushed Ralts forward, then thanked Clefable.
No longer having to fight against that innate desire, Ralts used Teleport and appeared directly among the Clefairy group.
The Clefairy welcomed their new companion, incorporating Ralts into the team, and continued their dance with her at the center.
They danced ritualistic steps and sang ancient songs, bathed in the interwoven pink and silvery-white light, collectively praying for the sacred stone's blessing.
Soon, as the ritual reached its final climax, all the Pokémon on the field—including Ralts—simultaneously lit up with dazzling white light.
It was the light of evolution!
As the light faded, all the Clefairy had evolved into Clefable, and in the middle of them, the adorable little Ralts had disappeared.
In her place stood a beautiful, graceful maiden.
Kirlia had arrived!
Ralts, who had already begun to show the demeanor of a future Psychic-type queen—oh wait, she should be called Kirlia now.
At this moment, she had completely lost her dignified appearance, using Teleport to pounce directly into David's arms.
"Kirlia~ (Hehe, David, I evolved! I was the first to evolve!)"
Looking at the affectionate Kirlia in his arms, David could only smile helplessly, stroking her small head and praising her.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Ralts—oh no, I should call you Kirlia now. You're the best, alright?!"
Riolu beside him looked at the evolved Ralts with an envious expression.
"It's okay. You don't have to compare yourself to Ralts. Both you and Zorua only have one chance to evolve, so it's normal for the waiting time to be a bit longer."
David, holding Kirlia, quickly noticed this and comforted him softly.
Kirlia also went forward and communicated her evolution experience with Riolu, diverting his attention. However, it also made Riolu even more excited about how he would look when he evolved.