//------------------------------//
// The Silent Pokemon 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Ponyville. Twilight's Castle. Night.

"Hatterene? Hatterene!" Starlight called out for her partner within the castle. "Come on! Dinner time! Where does she go during these nights?"

"Hatterene's gone again?" Twilight went up to Starlight as her Pokemon were already being fed their favourite foods before they clock out for the night. All except for Absol who will always stay awake.

"Yeah. She only started doing this last month. Heads out late at night and then comes back as if she never left the place." Starlight wondered. "I guess she really likes the moonlight, huh?"

"At least she comes back safely." Twilight sat down as Ninetales rubbed her mane with his nine tails, making her giggle. "But, I do wonder where she goes anyway?"

"Eh. Probably a forest. I mean, that's where I found her." Starlight shrugged as she prepared the food for Hatterene anyway. Even if she wasn't here.

But where was Hatterene exactly at this time?



Out in a marshland. An old abandoned preschool

There exists a marshland with an old preschool that was near the Pikachu Highlands, Frenzy Forest and Deerling Forest. Just north from here. This place was fairly disturbing by appearance. The mushrooms looked like they were withering and slumped over while some of the trees were crooked.

The school itself was ancient with nopony no longer using it. Most likely, this school was either disbanded many years ago or failed. Either way, it wasn't in the best shape. Yet the scaffolding remained.

A pink yet devious mist covered the area. Most likely either Fairy-Type mist. There wasn't much life in this marshland compared to other Pokemon exclusive locations. But there were individuals here.

Ponies had arrived at this marshland, setting hoof in its mysterious and eerie appearance. These ponies were Older Flurry Heart from another universe, Mayor Mare, Sapphire Flash, Premium Polish Sunrise Sprint and Flash Sentry. A bit of an odd combination of ponies but they were here for a reason.

"Alright. Remember. Focus on only finding these items. Ignore everything else." Mayor Mare instructed everyone, showing them a list of items. The items consisted of a Premier Ball, Shell Bell, a saddlebag with floral patterns and a lantern. "And if she shows up, do whatever you can to evade her. We only have a limited time. 30 to be exact. And we'll return them to the box over at Deerling Forest. Understood?"

"Got it. Oooh, this'll be so exciting!" Flurry Heart pranced on the spot. "I mean it's pretty scary but fun either way!"

"Just keep safe princess. Then again, I guess Giratina's safety enough, isn't he?" Flash scratched his mane. They were all here for one reason that they have yet to blurt out.

But what was known was that they needed to find these random items scattered across the marshland and possibly inside the school. More importantly, they were also tasked with avoiding someone unnamed. Whoever she was, she was clearly a threat as they all split up into groups.

Flash, Flurry Heart and Premium stuck together while Sunrise stuck with Mayor Mare and Sapphire. Flash's group went west, Mayor Mare's group went east.

And while they split up in their own two groups, within the shadows, light blue eyes started glowing, eyeing the group down. Afterwards, the light blue eyes faded with the silhouette also vanishing into the dark.

Flash's group entered the preschool, opening the rickety doors that felt like they could come off at any moment. Premium stayed close to Flurry Heart for protection. They were determined to find the first object they could get their hooves on. It couldn't be too difficult. After all, inside this preschool, there were a plethora of objects that have not been used for decades now. So the cleanest object here would be the item they needed.

"There should be at least a saddlebag here. It's a school after all." Flurry Heart commented as the three of them started venturing this schoolhouse.

"Might be too obvious. But we could find something," said Flash. They started with the first room which was a biology classroom.

Flash opened up a cabinet with dust flying out of it. Inside the cabinet was nothing but old knick-knacks that were well past their expiration date. Some were broken in half. But none were any of the items they were searching for. Flurry Heart used her magic to light up the place for a better view.

"Princess. Not so bright. She might see us." Flash whispered the alicorn.

"Oh. Sorry." Flurry Heart whispered back before lowering the intensity of the light. She then playfully pranced up the stairs, entering the first floor already. Up at the first floor and through the door, she came across another classroom. She shined her light into the classroom to see what she could find.

Inside, there was an assortment of chairs and tables that were stacked together in a tower formation of some sort. Multiple of them were all over the place, either stacked or tipped over. Even the chalkboard was slightly tilted. This looked like a good place to start.

Flurry Heart used her magic to move the tables and chairs, making sure not to cause too much noise. Or else she will hear. No other items seemed to be underneath the tables and chairs so far, but she kept moving them. And Flurry Heart was able to multitask.

She also had her magic hold on to the cabinets too while holding the chairs and tables. By opening the cabinet, Flurry Heart only found some books. But some of them were fairly interesting to her eyes. One of which was a storybook. "Oooh."

She brought the book over, having a quick read while moving the chairs and tables. Her magic potential was certainly something special. Ever since she was a baby, she showed great promise as an alicorn.

But as she moved the tables and chairs while looking at the book and searching for an item at the same time, her ears picked up on something. Right behind her, hoofsteps could be heard. Immediately, she had been startled as she dropped the book, tables and chairs. The drop made a louder sound than the hoofstep with constant crashing noises.

"Kyaa!" Flurry Heart squealed, prancing on the spot.

"It's just me princess...!" But it was soon revealed to be Premium Polish who had arrived up here.

"Oh...Okay." She sighed after being startled so easily. "Sorry about that. You don't think she heard that, did she?"

"Uh...?" Premium shrugged. "Even if she did, on the bright side, she's very slow."

"Yeah. That's one bright side. But wait can't she-" Before Flurry Heart could finish her sentence, both she and Premium Polish felt a pulse flow through the room. A pink pulse to be exact. The two of them shuddered as they could feel a chilling aura run through their spine.

After sensing that pulse, they immediately got moving to try and find the objects faster. They worked as a duo, rapidly moving around the classroom. This meant using their magic in unison to clear everything and open everything they can. They moved as fast as they could, but they couldn't find the necessary items. Much to their chagrin.

"Nothing here." Flurry Heart said as she and Premium felt that same pulse. After failing to find an item and feeling a horrible sensation, the two of them collectively left the biology room to head somewhere else in this abandoned school.

Elsewhere in this school, Flash had found himself in the cafeteria. Even way back then, they had these. Although, there was a large difference in today's cafeterias compared to this old and dated cafeteria. A place this messy and jumbled would be the best place to hide something.

Flash used his wings to move away whatever objects he could. He flew over some mouldy bread that was never cleaned up when this school shut down. He looked under the table to see what he could find. He did find some items. But most of them were just utensils. Rusty ones as well.

Flash then searched high and low for any of the required objects, moving as much as he could. Until he came across something up ahead. Just near the bin. "Oh!"

Right there. The Premier Ball could be seen.

"Bingo." Flash Sentry said as he flew over to the specialized Poke Ball. "That's one. Just a-" But the moment he found one of the items, that same pulse that startled Flurry Heart and Premium had passed through the cafeteria, reaching Flash as well. He immediately paused, feeling the uneasy pressure from that pulse.

Everything around him fell silent as he could feel something from behind was watching him. And he was right. Those same light blue eyes were glowing in the shadows as the pegasus slowly turned his head. And once he did, he saw the figure who had found him.

It was Hatterene.

"Hatterene."

"Oh." Flash scrunched his face as he slowly went over to pick the Premier Ball up. "H-Hey there."

"Terene!" Just then, Hatterene's claw started glowing. She went for the attack Psycho Cut. BY glowing her claw a purple colour, the Silent Pokemon swung it, sending multiple cutting waves of Psychic energy forward.

"Yikes!" Flash squealed as he spread his wings out, flying to the side. And at the right time too. The Psycho Cut had sliced the cafeteria tables in half. And in a perfectly symmetrical line too. Flash held the Premier Ball with his wings by curling them.

His main objective now was to reach Deerling Forest with the ball. But Hatterne wouldn't allow that. The Psychic-Fairy-Type then used Psycho Cut on the ceiling, shooting larger blades this time.

Flash's eyes widened as he promptly stopped flying with the Psychic blades almost scraping his face. But that wasn't Hatterene's intent. In truth, she meant to go for only the ceiling. After Psycho Cut struck the ceiling, not only did it destroy parts of it, but large rubble started falling from above.

The rubble flooded the air as some of it landed on Flash. Flash winced, having rubble hit his back and head. His wings lost focus on the Premier Ball, causing it to fall. This was Hatterene's approach. Flash was then dragged to the floor as the Premier Ball rolled on the floor. To make things worse, he was now buried underneath the rubble.

"O-Ow...!"

"Hatte." Hatterene then approached Flash Sentry with her eyes glowing. And for this, she would grab Flash with her menacing claw. But before that, she picked the Premier Ball up with her claw. The Silent Pokemon then tossed the special Poke Ball outside of the cafeteria by sending it outside, right through the massive hole she made in the ceiling. Flash could see that he would become a victim of Hatterene if he didn't act quickly. Not wanting to lose here, he aggressively spread his wings.

After spreading his wings, Flash sent most of the rubble away, freeing himself. Not only that, but the rubble also struck Hatterene, pelting the Psychic-Fairy-Type.

"H-Hatt?!"

"Sorry!" Flash said as he broke free, flying off. He quickly flew out of the cafeteria by using the ceiling Hatterene made. Convenient and perfect for retrieving the Premier Ball she threw outside.

"Tterene!" Hatterene shook her head with some of the rubble falling off her. She then looked up, seeing that her prey had got away. Most likely off to place the Premier Ball in the box.

But Hatterene wasn't done yet. She would get Flash Sentry eventually. While also targeting the rest of the ponies walking this old preschool and the marshland.



Meanwhile with Mayor Mare's group, since they chose the outsides, things would be murky for them. This was where the mist was the most prominent. Within this marshland with pink mist, the Pokemon that existed here were mostly Shiinotic and Morelull. Two of the same species.

"Stoutland." Stoutland was using his amazing sense of smell to try and track down the items that were hidden across the marshland and preschool. But finding an object he hasn't come across yet wouldn't be so easy for his nose. But he was willing to try anyway.

Sunrise decided to be playful by poking one of the Shiinotic. By doing so, he made the Illuminating Pokemon shine, creating a radiant light around him and his group."Can we take one of these Shiinotic? We could use 'em to see in the dark."

"Their light is too potent. Can't risk it at all." Mayor Mare shook her head in response before hopping over a mud pile with some Diglett popping their heads out of it.

They each then climbed up a hill of mushrooms, causing spores to come out. But those spores were surprisingly harmless when stepped on. While walking, they could feel a foreboding and deadly intent nearby. Sapphire heard the sounds of whispers that echoed throughout the night sky, filling the atmosphere.

"Uh...did you hear that?" Sapphire spoke.

"Nope," Sunrise responded while hopping over a cluster of mushrooms. The group were reaching high points of this marshland as the nearby Pokemon scattered. But they didn't scatter because of the approaching ponies. They scattered because something else was nearby and threatening.

That something was Hatterene.

Her light blues eyes flashed in the shadows once more as she locked on to her new prey. The Silent Pokemon used Dazzling Gleam, sending multiple rays of Fairy magic forward. The blades then hit the ground nearby Mayor Mare's group. Forming a large pink explosion.

"What was that?!" Mayor Mare gasped as the area around her gained a pink smoke that blended in with the pink mist. Everyone stayed sharp as Stoutland growled. The Big-Hearted Pokemon started sniffing the area to find out where that attack came from. Sunrise and Sapphire also backed away, feeling nervous. Sunrise was trying to hide his fears by acting brave.

After causing that distraction, the Silent Pokemon then teleported away from the spot she stood at. By teleporting away, she then reappeared. And she made her reappearance behind Sapphire Flash. Not only were her movements silent but the sounds she makes when teleporting are subtle and feint.

After appearing behind the little unicorn without making a sound. Hatterene then used her claws, grabbing Sapphire's mouth immediately and startling her. Before Sapphire could mutter words and cry out for help, the Psychic-Fairy-Type vanished again via teleportation.

"Huh?" Daylight said, turning around as he heard one single mutter. When turning around, he found out that someone was missing from the group. Sapphire Flash. "Sapphire! Where'd you go?!"

"What?!" Mayor Mare turned around after hearing Sunrise's words. "Drat! She pulled a fast one on us...! Let's keep moving! Quick!"

No time to rescue Sapphire Flash now. If they wanted to rescue her, they would have to get the main objectives out of the way first. Hatterene got her and it was unknown where she was taking the little unicorn.

But Sapphire Flash was going to find out soon enough. After teleporting away, Hatterene brought Sapphire Flash to one of the dampest parts of the forest. After doing so, she then stood by a crooked tree that had branches that almost seemed like they were moving and alive.

In truth, Hatterene's magic was manipulating the trees, allowing her to control them and partake in actions. She can even control them without having to be by them at all times. And speaking of the trees, the crooked branches had started moving, immediately grabbing onto Sapphire Flash and Hatterene let go.

"Oh!" Sapphire Flash gasped as she was being restrained by the tree branches. She tried screaming but once again, her mouth was blocked off. This time by a tree branch. "Mmm-mmm!"

Squirming and willing around, trying to use her magic to blast the branches, Sapphire Flash was then sent upwards, pinning towards the top of a tree while the rest of the branches continued to restrain her, adding layers. Now Sapphire Flash was trapped. Unable o free herself.

The branches then covered her eyes, preventing any vision as well. Now she was both silent and unable to see at the moment. With her first victim captured, Hatterene went off to grab some more.



Meanwhile, with Flurry Heart and Sapphire Flash, they had found themselves in the cafeteria, witnessing the destruction that befell it. They were unaware that Flash and Hatterene had been here. But they had already looked through the cafeteria and even with this destruction, the items they were searching for weren't in here. Not anymore at least.

They entered the room next to the cafeteria which was the playground. Usually, this would be where the young foals would come and play for a break. Even back then, they still had these kinds of playgrounds. Same model swings and everything. If someone wanted to, they could restore this school. But it's been left out here for decades that most have probably forgotten about it. But perhaps not the children who used to live here.

Aside from that, Flurry Heart flashed her magic light on this playground, scanning the area. Her light was even capable of revealing hidden details like prints of creatures. She had revealed the paws and hooves plastered on the ground. Most likely from some animal, Pokemon and a pony. Either one would do. Premium tried mimicking Flurry Heart, but her magic wasn't quite there yet.

"Oh. Can you carry me, Flurry?" Premium put her hooves up, wishing to be put at a higher height. Happy to oblige, Flurry Heart allowed Premium Polish to jump on her back. Now on her back, Premium could receive an aerial ride from Flurry Heart.

The young alicorn knew that Premium Polish planned to try and spot objects better from a higher height. And perhaps that massive yet half-broken jungle gym might do. However, before Flurry Heart could take to the skies, as she turned her head away from Premium and facing it forward, her light had revealed something.

Right in front of her face, Hatterene had arrived.

"Aaaaah!" The two ponies cried out, screaming at the top of their lungs with their hearts racing, their fears rising and their pupils shrinking.

"Hatterene!" Hatterene obviously wasn't a fan of loud noises as she raised her claw to try and grab the two ponies. But, with quick instincts, Flurry Heart had used the brightness of her magic to create a temporary flash ."H-Hatt?!"

Just like that, Hatterene was temporarily blinded as Flurry Heart flew past her with Premium Polish on her back. But Hatterene quickly regained her vision as she wasn't going to let another prey get away.

Flurry Heart went straight for the massive jungle gym as the Silent Pokemon teleported herself away from the spot she stood on and into the jungle gym. She appeared inside of the tube, predicting Flurry Heart's movements. After appearing, Hatterene then swung her claw, trying to strike the alicorn and unicorn.

"Oh!" Flurry Heart gasped as she ducked underneath Hatterene's claw. She then flew past the Silent Pokemon, but while Hatterene was a slow Pokemon when trying to get somewhere, she wasn't slow when it came to attacking. She immediately turned around, causing her claw to grab Flurry Heart's back hoof before could escape.

"Hatterene!" After grabbing onto her hoof, she started dragging the young alicorn back while the nearby trees were starting to move, ready to snatch them up. 

Premium Polish then turned around, jumping on Hatterene's claw with her hooves. Her jumping managed to make the Silent Pokemon flinch and pull her claw back. Hatterene snarled as she last focus on Flurry Heart's hoof. That allowed the young alicorn to fly off and escape.

But it wasn't over yet.

The tree branches zoomed towards Flurry and Premium. Immediately after they flew through the tubes of the jungle gym, they were met with an army of them. The first branch had grabbed onto Premium's tail while the second met with Flurry's horn.

"Ow!" Premium winced as her tail was now being grabbed. It didn't hurt as for Flurry Heart but there was still some pain. More branches zoomed in and just like Sapphire Flash, they started grabbing every part of them, rapidly restraining the little ponies.

Flurry Heart mumbled with the branches covering her mouth and holding her wings. She closed her eyes, trying to flail her hooves about. Premium was the first to be snatched away as her grip on Flurry Heart weakened. The branches then pulled the little unicorn far from her friend.

Flurry closed her eyes as she mustered up some strength within her horn. And when she found that strength, she caused a massive magic pulse that blew everything away. The branches had been obliterated by her great magic potential. Even the ones that held Premium.

However, Hatterene wasn't going to let this end. After Premium was freed, she started falling. Flurry flew over to try and save her friend but was quickly met with the appearance of Hatterene. The Silent Pokemon teleported in front of Premium Polish in front of her. Already, her claw was holding her.

"Premium!" Flurry Heart cried out as she lit her horn up with magic. Hatterene's eye flashed, immediately snapped her focus onto the young alicorn while having her claw around Premium.

Once Flurry Heart was close enough, with a devious smile, the Psychic-Fairy-Type had used Hypnosis, sending an instant hypnotic spiral. And poor Flurry Heart had witnessed that spiral. Abruptly, all of her concentration had just faded away. Not only that, but Hatterene had put her to sleep instead of mind-controlling her. The young alicorn's eyes closed as she fell to the ground, sliding on the dirt.

Hatterene kept that terrifying smile as she turned to face Premium with it. Pure fear was met with Premium Polish's eyes as the remaining branches flew over, ready to grab Flurry Heart. As for Hatterene, she vanished into the shadows with the young unicorn crying out, trying to escape.

"Ugh..." But Flurry Heart woke up quicker than expected. But in truth, that was because of Giratina sending a pulse through her. The pulse helped her wake up as she gasped. "Ah!" By getting up, she instinctively blasted everything around her, unknowingly destroying some of the branches that came for her.

She then witnessed the disappearance of both Premium and Hatterene. She had failed to keep her friend close to her as she stomped her hooves on the ground. But it wasn't in vain.

The pulse of magic she did earlier destroyed parts of the jungle gym obviously. Not just the trees. And as a plus, she found two items near the rubble.

The saddlebag and Shell Bell. With a smile gracing her face, she flew over to the two items, successfully finding two of them. But at the cost of a friend. The young alicorn took the saddlebag, opening it and placing the Shell Bell inside.

All she had to do was return to Deerling Forest and place them in the box. And luckily for Flurry Heart, since she was an alicorn and held such amazing potential, her flying speed was exceptional.



Deerling Forest.

Flash had just arrived at the forest, placing the Premier Ball inside the box. He let out a sigh, ready to head back and find the rest. Hopefully, everyone else already has. But as he turned around, he was met with Flurry Heart zooming over with two items in store.

"Princess?"

"Flash! I've got two!" Flurry Heart cried out, revealing the Shell Bell inside of the saddlebag. "But she got Premium..." Her tone then changed to sadness and disappointment.

"We still have 20 minutes left to go. We can go and save her and continue finding the rest. We've already gotten three out of four. One more and we win this."

"Really! Thanks, Flash!" Flurry Heart gave him a powerful bear hug, almost making his eyes pop out of his head. "Let's go-go-go!"

"A-Abnormally strong..." Flash coughed, holding his neck as he flew with the future Princess of Love.



As for Mayor Mare's group, they have yet to find the lantern. Despite it being the brightest object here, it is the one that no one has found first or yet.

All they could see were mushrooms, Shiinotic, Morelull, Diglett, Dugtrio and a few other Pokemon. But no lantern. In a sense of irony, near the lake, a Lanturn had shown up, popping its head out of the lake.

"Lanturn."

"That is just cruel," said Mayor Mare with a slight chuckle. Out of both groups, her group had experienced the least danger. They were more on the searching side than just running from danger.

But that wouldn't be the case for long.

After seeing Flurry Heart escape from her spot, Hatterene went on the move once more. And she had found herself near Mayor Mare and Sunrise's location. Her eyes flashed once more with that same discomforting smile.

This time, instead of using the trees, she would have the mushrooms be of use. By using her Fairy magic, the Silent Pokemon spread tiny pink dust that influenced every mushroom nearby.

Now the mushrooms were alive as they were assigned to deal with Mayor Mare, Sunrise and even Stoutland. Immediately, the Big-Hearted Pokemon could tell that something was wrong here. He stopped his sniffing, snarling at the area around him, prompting Mayor Mare and Sunrise to stop themselves as well.

"What is it, boy? Is it Hatterene again?" She asked her partner.

And before they knew it, the mushrooms had suddenly opened holes in themselves. And out of those holes, fungal vortexes started flying out with that same fungal substance.

"Gross!" Sunrise exclaimed as he hid behind Mayor Mare. Stoutland acted quickly, using Ice Fang to bite down on the fungus. While disgusting, Stoutland was brave enough to suck it up and ignore the fungus as his bite froze them. But he couldn't bite all of them.

So, he then used Thunderbolt, shooting a bolt of lightning at the incoming fungus, electrocuting them as they fell to the ground with smoking substances now.

But there was more to worry about. Some of the mushrooms didn't use that vortex of mushrooms. Instead, some of them sent fungal mould that slithered on the ground. This mould moved relatively quickly under Hatterene's influence. She couldn't have anyone escaping that easily with superior speed.

Mayor Mare gasped as she grabbed Sunrise, raising him from the ground. And at the right time. The mould would've grabbed him. But instead of grabbing the young colt, it went for the Mayor instead. Her hooves were caught by this fungal substance.

She grits her teeth, making a grimacing expression as her hooves were now stuck underneath the mould. And it was about to get worse. The mould was rising, gradually consuming parts of Mayor Mare's body while she held Sunrise Sprint up.

Sunrise used his magic to blast at the mould, trying to destroy it. It somewhat worked. He made holes in them and blew some of them away. Unfortunately, his magic wasn't strong enough. But Stoutland was strong enough.

After seeing his trainer being caught by the mould, the Big-Hearted Pokemon quickly used Thunderbolt in the next direction. Right at the mould. With one blast, the mould had been met with 100,000 volts, blasting it away from Mayor Mare.

But his back wasn't protected. After blasting the mould, Stoutland focused on protecting his trainer and Sunrise. That allowed a mass of fungal mould to appear behind him. The Normal-Type turned around but it was too late to act. The mould had landed on top of him.

"Stoutland!" Mayor Mare cried out as more fungal mould appeared, regenerating from Stoutland's Thunderbolt. The mould then stuck itself on Mayor Mare once more. "C-Curse it all!"

Sunrise panicked as there was nowhere to run. The whole ground was filled with mould. If he even thought of jumping down, he would be caught by the mould as well. Mayor Mare decided to improvise now.

"Sunrise. Can you trust me to throw you?"

"What?" Sunrise raised an eyebrow.

"Can you? It's the only way I can think of saving you right now!"

"Uh...Sure! Yeah!"

"Good! Don't tell your brother!" With one mighty exertion in her muscles, Mayor Mare had tossed Sunrise Sprint with all her might. The young unicorn went flying through the air with his mouth open, screaming. But, she threw him a moderate height, making sure not to fully harm him.

"Woooooaaaaaah!" A necessary save. Because Mayor Mare's whole body was being coated by the mould. Her lower body had already been taken over. And now her upper body and face were next.

The Mayor of Ponyville closed her eyes, seemingly ready to accept her fate. But in truth, she was just going to utter one last command for safety. "Stoutland! Use...!" The mould got close to her mouth as she raised her head to get some extra time. "Use Giga Impact!"

And just like that, Mayor Mare had been consumed by the mould. Afterwards, the fungal mould formed into a ball, trapping her inside of it. The ball of mould then started rolling away as Hatterene's eyes faded away within the shadows, laughing deviously. The ball of mould also vanished into the shadows, most likely where Hatterene was heading.

"S-Stout...!" But within the large mass of mould, a golden glow started pulsating out. And nursing out of the mould, breaking and destroying it into oblivion was Stoutland. He had used Giga Impact to free himself, charging through the mass prison. But, he was too late.

His trainer had been taken, much to his dismay. After breaking the mould and scanning the area, his best friend was nowhere to be found. Seeing this, Stoutland howled into the night sky into defeat. But he couldn't give up now. He had to find Mayor Mare and possibly the final object. The lantern.



"Mmm!" The two little unicorns Sapphire Flash and Premium Polish kept squirming, trying everything they could to break free. But it was no use. Those branches were on tight. It seemed like they would be stuck here for good.

And joining them was Mayor Mare who was trapped within the fungal ball. Hatterene had parked the ball near the tree where Premium and Sapphire were. And to add insult to injury, she made the trees pick up the ball, having the crooked branches hold on tight to her. She was now pinned to the top of a tree while trapped in a ball.

Hatterene cackled as she had successfully captured three victims. But there were still some more that evaded her. The prime examples being Flash Sentry and Flurry Heart.



Speaking of which, the two of them were searching for Premium Polish while Flurry Heart had her light on. She stayed close to Flash for safety. But in reality, Giratina was all she needed. 

If anything, Giratina is more terrifying than all of this.

So far, there was no sign of the pony they searched for. They looked through the entire preschool to find nothing. They then went outside to marshland for any better luck.

They noticed a trail of destruction up ahead. Most likely from Stoutland's Giga Impact and Thunderbolt. They made sure to stay away from that spot since it seemed to be bad news.

They flew up a hill of mushrooms that haven't been touched by Hatterene thankfully. But they weren't even aware of the sentient mushrooms. And speaking of which, not all of them had been obliterated by Giga Impact. Some survived Stoutland's attack, slowly slithering after spotting Flash and Flurry in the distance.

They then reached the other side of the marshland, still finding no sign of Premium. But soon, their ears detected a sound. The sound of someone approaching.

Flurry Heart squealed as she hid behind Flash Sentry. Flash's eyes widened as he was hoping he was ready for Hatterene this time. Thankfully, they didn't have to worry.

It was just Stoutland.

"Stout! Stoutland!"

"Oh...It's just Stoutland." Flurry let out a sigh of relief.

"Stoutland. Where's your group, boy?" Flash went over.

"Stout! Stout-Stoutland!" Stoutland barked, trying to explain that his group had been taken by Hatterene. He did this by mimicking Hatterene's devious smile.

"Hm...Must've been Hatterene." Flash could slightly make it out. "Great. Now we've got more to save."

"Well, let's hurry then! We've got only...how many minutes?" 

"Considering how long it took for us to move from place to place. Deerling Forest to here and the time we took searching the school...I'd say we only have 10 minutes left. Let's hurry!" Flash broke down the time they all had. They definitely had to keep moving.

Stoutland offered them a ride on his back. He could definitely get places on foot. Taking his offer, the two of them hopped on the back of the Big-Hearted Pokemon.

And with great speed, Stoutland boosted across the land, searching for his trainer and friends.



With Sunrise, he was on his lonesome. He ended up in the dampest and murkiest part of the marshland. He was already on the verge of falling asleep. His bedtime was close so it was only natural.

"So tired...Should've done this 2 hours ago or something." He grumbled as his walking speed was slowing down. "Or big bro could've come over and helped..." His eyes started closing as his speech was failing him. He wouldn't have the strength to continue.

Thus, he fell asleep on the spot. And right down a hill too. The young unicorn dozed off, falling flat on his face. And once he fell on his face, he started rolling down the hill while snoring. By rolling down, he had fungus cover him along the way.

Just like Mayor Mare, mould was covering him as well. But not as extreme as the mayor. As he rolled down the hill with great speeds, he eventually came to a halt by crashing into a tall mushroom.

"Ow!" That woke him up for sure. He groaned, wanting to head back to sleep as he looked up at the large mushroom. However, he couldn't sleep now.

Luck was shining on him.

Because once he sat up and removed the mould from him, he ended up sitting something glowing behind an assortment of mushrooms. He used his magic to separate the mushrooms, making them wobble too. And hiding behind them was the final object.

The lantern.

"Haha! Score!" He chuckled with excitement before getting his hooves on the lantern. "Okay. NowI just gotta get this to Deerling Forest. Oh."

The realization kicked in. The distance between him and Deerling Forest was absurd and impossible to reach in time. And with only 7 minutes left to spare. He let out an annoyed sigh. But Sunrise wasn't one to give up. If his brother won't give up when he loses a Pokemon Battle, then why should he.

With perseverance, he would try and make that trip.



"There they are!"

Finally, Flurry Heart had spotted her friends as Stoutland ran atop a large hill. With that hill, they could gain a better view. They were all trapped by those crooked trees and their unsettling branches, trying to break free. But to no avail.

"Stoutland!" Stoutland then ran down the hill, using the speed of Giga Impact for some more momentum. He was aiming to break the trees down with his strength.

Obviously, Hatterene wouldn't let that happen. The Silent Pokemon was expecting someone to come and save these three. And her assumption was correct.

With a sudden flash and that same creepy smile, she appeared up ahead, standing in Stoutland's way. "Hatterene." The Psychic-Fairy-Type was ready to give out another Hypnosis.

"Don't look!" Flurry Heart warned as she closed her eyes along with Stoutland and Flash. They successfully avoided Hypnosis by closing their eyes as Stoutland had tackled Hatterene in the process.

"H-Hatt!" Hatterene cried out as she fell over from Stoutland's tackle. After doing so, they had opened their eyes. The Big-Hearted Pokemon slid on the ground, arriving at the trees.

"Mmm! Mmm-mmm!" Premium cried out.

"Hold on! We'll get you all down from there!" Flurry Heart said, lighting her horn up with magic. But, quickly, she was met by Hatterene interrupting with Dazzling Gleam.

"Princess!" Flash ran in front of Flurry Heart, using himself as a body shield. He had been hit by Dazzling Gleam, taking multiple fairy rays to his front body. "Ow-ow!"

"Oh! Flash!" Flurry Heart gasped, seeing how Flash protected her before he fell to the ground in pain.

"Stoutland!" Stoutland growled, using Giga Impact once more. He launched himself like a rocket, heading for the Silent Pokemon while having an invisible aura around him.

"Tterene!" Hatterene snarled as she used the brightness of Dazzling Gleam, creating a shine that blinded Stoutland.

"S-Stout!" After being blinded, Hatterne used her claw to smash the Big-Hearted Pokemon with Psycho Cut. Stoutland received some damage before falling on his back. "Land!"

But Stoutland made a great distraction. Flurry Heart used her magic to slice the branches off. Giratina used his antimatter from within the Ultra Ball to fend off any incoming branches for extra support.

The three of them had been dropped from the trees with Flurry Heart successfully catching all three of them with her magic. There was still the issue of Mayor Mare. But, one use of her magic and the mould had been dealt with it.

"Ugh..." Mayor Mare groaned, adjusting her glasses. "Disgusting."

"Are you three okay?!" Flurry asked.

"We're fine...bit prickly now," Sapphire mumbled.

"Look!" Premium then put the focus on Hatterene and Stoutland. The Silent Pokemon grabbed Stoutland by the neck, squeezing him for a bit before tossing him aside like a ragdoll.

"S-Stou!"

"Not my Stoutland!" Mayor Mare gasped as Stoutland tumbled on the ground. Hatterene then used Dazzling Gleam again, shooting multiple rainbow rays into the sky. Everyone looked up as the rays started raining down, threatening to bomb them.

"Oh!" With instinct, Flurry cast a dome-shaped barrier. The beams then beat down on the barrier, but they failed to break through it. After Flurry Heart lowered the barrier, they all made the conscious decision to book it. 

Hatterene wouldn't allow that. She then had every branch in the marshland extend and chase after the group, including the mushrooms. Soon, they were all being chased by a mass of fungal mould and hundreds of crooked tree branches under the night sky.

Flurry Heart used her magic to try and blow away all of the mould and branches. Flash quickly sent out his Pidgeot for assistance. He knew he would be of great help.

"Pidgeot!"

"Use Heat Wave!"

"Geot!" The Bird Pokemon exuded heat waves from his wings by flapping them. The heat burnt away at the branches while also cooking the fungal mould as well. Stoutland ripped apart any of the branches with his teeth alone.

A giant eruption of mushrooms appeared in front f them, promptly stopping all of their movements. The erupting mushrooms had struck Pidgeot from below, knocking him back and allowing the branches to grab him. "P-Pidgeot!"

The eruption also caused a slight earthquake, making everyone jump. Flurry Heart and Flash stayed airborne by flapping their wings. But now the branches were closer this time as one of them grabbed Flurry Heart's tail. The branch then pulled her to the ground.

"Woah!" She cried out as she was on the verge of being smashed down. But, with a quick save, Flash Sentry held onto her hooves with his own, preventing the crash. Unfortunately, that allowed the other branches to wrap around him. But he didn't let go.

"I got you, princess!"

"P-PIdgeot!" Pidgeot used Heat Wave again, burning the branches away as he then went to rescue his trainer. The Bird Pokemon used Twister, generating a draconic hurricane by spinning around.

The twister blew away the mushrooms and branches with ease. But Hatterene was unaffected thanks to her being a Fairy-Type. The Silent Pokemon then used Psycho Cut, knocking Pidgeot out of the sky with multiple cutting blades.

The Bird Pokemon fell to the ground as the mould immediately stuck to him. After being freed thanks to Twister, Flurry Heart used her magic to slice away the mould that held her friends down on the ground. Flash Sentry continued to use himself as a shield against Hatterene's incoming attacks.

But this time, Stoutland assisted. He used the aura of Giga Impact, blocking Psycho Cut from hitting Flash as he stood in front of the pegasus. But there were too many branches and mushrooms in this marshland to deal with. From every side, more kept approaching as they blocked the night sky of the moon with only faint moonbeams shining through.

Everyone felt backed into a corner as Hatterene cackled. They couldn't stop all of them forever as the branches and mushrooms were caving them in. Hatterene herself was charging up one major Dazzling Gleam that was sure to deal massive damage.

Flurry Heart lit her horn up, preparing for her biggest magic blast yet. The atmosphere was intensifying with both forms of magic being charged up. It looked like this would be truly destructive until...

The bell from the preschool had rung.

Time was up.

And with that, the branches and mushrooms moved away after hearing the bell. Hatterene lowered her claw along with Flurry Heart's magic. Everything could simmer down. It was over.

"OH! Finally!" Sapphire sighed as she fell on her back. "That was harder than last time!"

"Indeed. Hatterene's certainly gotten better, hasn't she?" Mayor Mare chuckled as Hatterene remained calm this time.

In truth, this wasn't anything made out of ill-intent. What they were doing was some sort of game. Similar to a scavenger hunt but with the added horror aesthetic with Hatterene chasing them down.

"That was fun! Let's do that again sometime!" Flurry Heart giggled, jumping up and down. 

"Maybe when I'm not getting hit next time?" Flash groaned.

They had successfully returned 3 out of 4 items. Meaning that they had won. As long as they had returned the items to the box. They would've only lost if Hatterene removed the items from the box and kept them for herself.

Speaking of which, Sunrise had fallen asleep, trying to get the lantern to the box. He didn't even make it halfway there as he was snoring with his head resting on a mushroom. Stoutland would eventually find him via his great scent.

But they all had a blast. It was a bit disturbing and terrifying but it was fun nonetheless. Saying it was harmless fun would be a stretch, however.



Ponyville. Twilight's Castle. Night.

And of course, Hatterene had returned to the castle, appearing in front of Starlight's eyes.

"There you are!" Starlight ran over, hugging her partner with all of her compassion.

"Hatt?"

"Again. Where do you keep going? I should be worried but you always come back in one piece. Plus the night is sort of your thing, isn't it?"

"Hatterene." Hatterene stuck her tongue out, showing a teasing expression. Starlight squinted her eyes as she still couldn't understand her own partner. But it didn't matter. They loved each other anyway.

"Come on. Your food's ready."

As the journey continues.


Chapter 496 End.