Today was quite fruitful, and Old Man Gideon's curry was exceptional. With his eyes closed, Summer reminisced about the day's events when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. Who could it be at this late hour? And why were they touching his face? As Summer opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a pair of black eyes filled with confusion and fear.
"Hatterene? What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"
"Hatte... Hatt!" The Pokémon's voice was urgent.
Hatterene suddenly remembered it could use telepathy to convey the situation to Summer:
"Summer, mushrooms, there are mushrooms everywhere that I can't sense! It's terrifying, boohoo~"
"Mushrooms? Do you mean mushroom Pokémon?" Summer sat up, pondering. "If it's Galar, it should be Morelull and Shiinotic. Hmm, I suppose I should go and check it out with you."
"Alright, I'll lead the way!" Hatterene, feeling like it found a savior, quickly led the way.
Without waking up Thwackey, Summer followed Hatterene to the Dream Forest. Upon entering, he immediately spotted a Shroomish. Due to its innate friendliness, this timid Pokémon didn't run away but curiously watched Summer.
"It doesn't seem dangerous. By the way, Hatterene, when you said you couldn't sense them, did you mean you couldn't feel their emotions?"
Hatterene nodded hastily, confirming Summer's assumption. Yes, it was quite unsettling to sense living Pokémon without emotions.
"It's probably due to their species. Being mushroom Pokémon, they have simpler minds, so their emotions are hard to detect. They should be easier to sense once they evolve."
Hearing Summer's explanation, Hatterene felt somewhat reassured.
"Besides, these Pokémon are perfect for making friends, as they won't trigger your empathy," Summer paused. "By the way, there's one more thing to note, Hatterene?!"
Summer intended to warn Hatterene about the Shroomish's spores, but Hatterene had already rushed forward and extended a paw to greet the Pokémon.
Seeing the tall Hatterene approach, the timid Shroomish looked fearful and released a cloud of spores from its head.
"Watch out, Hatterene!"
However, as soon as the spores touched Hatterene, a peculiar, mirror-like barrier appeared around it, reflecting the spores back.
Hatterene turned back, puzzled, as if asking why Summer was worried.
"Oh, I see. Your ability is Magic Bounce," Summer noted.
Pokémon with the Magic Bounce ability can reflect certain status moves back to the user, making it a very powerful trait.
"Everything's fine now. It seems they're well-suited for you to befriend, as you're immune to their only danger—the spores."
"Oh, it ran away."
Hatterene turned to see that the Shroomish had vanished, showing a disappointed expression.
"There will be other chances. Speaking of which, besides Shroomish, are there any other types of mushroom Pokémon?" Summer asked.
"Mm-hmm, there are! I'll show you!"
At another location, a group of bug Pokémon with mushrooms growing on their backs was busy digging under a tree root.
"Oh, it's Paras," Summer observed.
"Paras? I can sense two faint emotions from them—the mushrooms and the bugs. Which is the true entity?" Hatterene asked.
Hatterene's statement seemed to confirm the Pokédex's claim: the host Parasect is dead, and it's controlled by the mushroom on its back.
"If you want to befriend them, talk to the mushroom on their backs."
"So, the mushroom is the main body?"
Summer nodded, and Hatterene approached the group of Pokémon. After another episode similar to the Shroomish incident, the group of Paras released spores and scattered, leaving Hatterene looking disappointed again.
"Don't be disheartened, Hatterene. Let's check out the other mushroom Pokémon," Summer comforted.
Hatterene nodded, appreciating Summer's kindness. If the others weren't willing, it wouldn't force them. Friendship should be mutual.
The third location had a group of mushroom Pokémon resembling Poké Balls—Foongus. Their evolved form, Amoonguss, is known to be quite paradoxical.
Trainers often say, "Amoonguss is the sneakiest Pokémon when facing you but the most reliable when backing you."
"Hatterene, how do you feel about these mushroom Pokémon?"
Hatterene sensed for a moment and transmitted its thoughts to Summer.
"Dark thoughts?"
Summer paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you still want to make friends?"
Hatterene quickly shook its head, feeling that befriending them would only lead to more sneakiness. Not all friends are worth having, and Hatterene, having made many new friends, understood this better now.
"Got it. Are there any other mushroom Pokémon?"
"There's one more!"
"Alright, let's check it out," Summer said.
Following Hatterene, Summer arrived at the final gathering of mushroom Pokémon, the place where he first met Hatterene. A group of Morelull encircled a Shiinotic, which seemed to be their leader.
Shiinotic, with its large purple mushroom cap, slender white stem, and big black eyes, looked eerie in the dim light.
Spotting Hatterene, Shiinotic made a threatening sound and attempted to release glowing spores, which were reflected back by Hatterene's Magic Bounce.
Clearly, these Pokémon had claimed the Roseli Berry tree as their prize. As Fairy-type Pokémon, they were highly attracted to Roseli Berries, illustrating the harshness of ecological competition.
"Hatterene, in this case…" Summer began, wanting to explain that battling them was fine as it was part of the ecological balance.
Seeing that the spores were ineffective, Shiinotic prepared to use an attack move to drive Hatterene away.
Sensing the hostility and fearing they might attack Summer, Hatterene acted to protect her friend. A burst of intense flames appeared in Hatterene's paw, lighting up the forest like daylight.
In this friendly forest, the restrained witch was ready to unleash her power to protect her friend, showing a terrifying side.
Understanding it couldn't win, Shiinotic quickly submitted, followed by the Morelull, clearing the way to the Roseli Berry tree.
Seeing the threat gone, Hatterene retracted the flames and turned to Summer.
"It's all good now, Summer. That was scary!"
"Thank you, Hatterene. You were protecting me, right?" Summer responded, feeling grateful for Hatterene's intentions.
"Of course, because friends help each other!"
After that night, the mushroom Pokémon in the Dream Forest acknowledged one truth: Hatterene was their unchallengeable leader, and the witch's wrath was truly terrifying.
(End of Chapter)