[Ding! Mission triggered: Identify and punish the culprit behind Mt. Moon's ecological destruction!]
[Mission Reward: Wild Pokémon Affection +50%!
Justice Reputation +1]
Kazuki wasn't yet sure what the "wild Pokémon affection" stat was good for.
A 50% increase probably just meant they wouldn't randomly attack him—if he wanted to catch them, he'd still need to battle.
But anything involving Justice Reputation could help him with courting Officer Jenny, so Kazuki gladly accepted the mission!
After traveling for a while, Kazuki had noticed that he rarely stayed in one city for long. Building a high intimacy level with any female character in that time frame was difficult.
That "Perfect Romance Mission" required him to win over ten women—so Kazuki decided to start with Officer Jenny, since affection levels with one Jenny would be shared across all her counterparts.
With enough Justice Reputation, it'd be: "One city, one conquest," and the quest would be done in no time.
So, under Seymour's lead, Kazuki ventured into the cave.
Along the way, Seymour kept explaining the worsening conditions inside Mt. Moon.
Suddenly, a small Pokémon appeared, bouncing along while clutching a glowing stone.
"What's that?" Misty had never seen this species before and quickly pulled out her Pokédex.
[Clefairy – A very rare Fairy-type Pokémon! Primary habitat: Mt. Moon]
"Whoa! A Clefairy—this is super rare!" Seymour's eyes sparkled with excitement.
While the other two were marveling, Kazuki was already plotting how to capture this super rare Clefairy.
After all, in the original plot, Seymour—who loved protecting nature—would definitely step in and try to stop him.
Just as Kazuki was frowning in thought, the Clefairy bouncing with its Moon Stone suddenly paused. It looked up at him.
That moment, Kazuki's Aura Power activated.
Clefairy hopped over to him with its Moon Stone, blinked up at him sweetly.
Through Aura, Kazuki understood—Clefairy was amazed by the strange power within him!
"Oh wow, Kazuki! That Clefairy seems to have taken a liking to you! Hurry and catch it! This is a super rare Fairy-type Pokémon!"
Misty, captivated by Clefairy's cuteness, could barely tear her eyes away. Though the Clefairy wasn't looking at her, she was content if Kazuki caught it. After all, she'd be with Kazuki all the way to the Indigo Plateau—she'd get to see it anytime.
"Wait! Please let it continue living peacefully here! You understand what that means, don't you?"
Just as expected, before Kazuki could even grab a Poké Ball, Seymour stepped in to object.
Kazuki was just about to come up with an excuse when a huge shadow loomed across the cave ceiling.
"Found you—meow!"
"W-what is that?" Seymour's question was the exact trigger for a familiar phrase.
"Since you're so sincerely asking…"
...
"That's right! We're here to snatch Clefairy and steal the Moon Stone—meow!"
Of course, it had to be Team Rocket. Nothing gives better Justice Reputation rewards than these three.
Startled by their sudden appearance, Clefairy clutched its Moon Stone and fled.
"Butterfree! Pikachu! Take care of them!"
"Misty, go after Clefairy for me—I'll catch up with you soon!"
The mission clearly listed Team Rocket as the culprits. If he dealt with them quickly, he could go right back to catching Clefairy.
"Got it!" Misty nodded obediently and ran off in the direction Clefairy had gone.
"Whoa! This brat sure knows how to raise his Pokémon. That Butterfree is gorgeous!" James was in awe of Kazuki's fully evolved Butterfree.
While James was gushing, he didn't notice that Kazuki's Butterfree had changed slightly—its antennae had grown longer, and red shimmered faintly along the edges of its white wings.
Likely a side effect of the Health Biscuit prolonging its lifespan.
"Meowth! Now's not the time for admiring it! Since it's rare, we'll nab Butterfree and Pikachu!"
Reminded by Meowth, James finally summoned Koffing for battle.
Koff~ing!
Ekans~!
A cloud of smoke burst forth, but Butterfree flapped its wings and blew it right back at them with Gust.
Then Pikachu followed up with a Thunder Shock, triggering a small explosion that sent Team Rocket flying out of the cave.
[Pokémon: Pikachu – Lv15 → Lv16]
[Pokémon: Butterfree – Lv15 → Lv16]
No doubt about it—Team Rocket was an indispensable part of every Trainer's journey.
Free reputation, free EXP—thanks to them, both Butterfree and Pikachu hit level 16.
The mission rewards came through as well.
But Kazuki wasn't too concerned about what the wild affection boost would do just yet. After recalling Butterfree, he bolted off in the direction Clefairy had fled.
"You really are an amazing Trainer!" Seymour marveled before quickly following after Kazuki, eager to visit Clefairy's habitat himself.
Seeing how determined Seymour was, Kazuki didn't argue. After all, the man truly wanted to protect Mt. Moon's ecology.
Worst case—if he tried to stop Kazuki from catching Clefairy again, he'd just have Pikachu zap him unconscious. Simple enough.