Chapter 68
A Paras that doesn't want to evolve? A tragic truth? I've heard… two voices?! (Seeking follow-up reading)
It wasn't that Ye Yinchuan truly couldn't remember Paras.
In fact, he vividly remembered this Pokémon—the one with two mushrooms on its head resembling a crab.
The issue was that he couldn't match the name to its image.
However, as soon as he saw it clearly, everything clicked into place.
"You should've said Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, then I'd know exactly what you meant."
(Note: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is an anime featuring a female character who wears two dotted bows on her head, visually resembling Paras.)
Ye Yinchuan silently muttered while carefully examining the Pokémon.
Paras had a mostly orange body, somewhat crab-like, but according to official Pokédex descriptions, it resembled a cicada larva.
It had three pairs of legs.
The first two pairs were large, sharp, and spiky—resembling crab claws at first glance.
The back pair was smaller, resembling crab legs, supporting its balance.
Looking closely, Paras's face was actually quite intimidating.
Its mouth, notably, had six sharp teeth divided into two rows, with a round protrusion resembling a nose above them.
Its forehead featured five mysterious bumps.
Honestly, without its pair of large, watery, black eyes, it wouldn't be described as cute.
Of course, what defined Paras were the two mushrooms growing on its back—purple-red caps with pale-yellow spots, clearly appearing poisonous.
According to the Pokédex, these mushrooms were termed "Cordyceps Sinensis."
The Paras Pokédex entry described these mushrooms as "valuable medicinal fungi used as longevity medicine, dried and ground into powder."
But in its evolved form Parasect's Pokédex entry, it simply stated that "spores collected from it, when boiled with water, could become traditional medicine."
Ye Yinchuan remembered these details clearly.
Because when he first learned about Paras, he fantasized that if he transmigrated into the Pokémon world, could he raise Paras to sell these mushrooms for profit?
After all, being described as "valuable longevity medicine," shouldn't they be highly profitable?
However, after quickly researching, Ye Yinchuan realized reality wasn't so simple.
The mushrooms on Paras indeed had medicinal value, but to be valuable, they required sufficient age and size.
Moreover, the mushrooms didn't grow freely; they consumed nutrients directly from Paras itself.
If you removed the mushrooms from Paras, they would grow back, but at a significant cost to Paras' health.
Besides, authentic Cordyceps Sinensis included the insect's body itself to be considered complete.
Artificially raised Paras usually lacked sufficient medicinal value.
Thus, the idea of running a Paras-based Cordyceps production line was unrealistic and naive.
Shaking off these drifting thoughts, Ye Yinchuan refocused on the seemingly harmless Paras.
Its two small mushrooms looked like hair clips, adding a peculiar, girlish charm alongside its large, round eyes.
"So, your Paras refuses to evolve?"
"Y-yes. My Paras is almost level 30, so it should've evolved by now. But no matter how hard I try, it doesn't evolve," the young rich girl holding Paras said helplessly.
[Rich girl, if you'd like, I can be your Paras!]
[Paras is cute enough. Parasect looks lifeless and creepy after evolving.]
[You don't understand. Some people appreciate strength over cuteness!]
"Refuses...to evolve..."
Ye Yinchuan carefully examined the Pokémon's status panel that had popped up:
[Mushroom Pokémon: Paras]
[Level: 31]
[Type: Bug, Grass]
[Gender: Female]
[Species Rating: D (285)]
[Individual Rating: A (189)]
[Ability: Effect Spore]
[Nature: Adamant]
[Moves: Scratch, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Absorb, Fury Cutter, Spore, Slash]
[Status: Ready to Evolve, Enduring]
[Evolution Line: Paras → Parasect]
[Special Traits: None]
"Hmm, there's nothing wrong. It clearly says it's about to evolve. But why is it resisting? Wait—why does its status also list 'enduring'?"
Ye Yinchuan glanced back and forth between the panel and Paras.
He noticed something else strange—the mushrooms on its back were unusually small for its high level of 31.
"Could it be that this Paras… doesn't want to evolve?"
Suddenly, an old memory surfaced vividly in Ye Yinchuan's mind.
He recalled an episode from the Pokémon anime, where a timid Paras couldn't evolve due to its weak nature.
However, fans had widely reinterpreted that episode, proposing a tragic hidden truth behind Paras' evolution:
Before evolution, the insect consciousness dominated Paras, but after evolving into Parasect, it was the mushroom that took control.
They even theorized that the insect consciousness completely disappeared after evolution—essentially dying and leaving behind an empty shell.
The real evolution was of the parasitic mushroom on its back!
Supporting evidence was abundant:
For instance, Parasect's eyes became empty and lifeless, as though it was merely a corpse.
Additionally, Parasect's mushroom grew to be larger than the insect itself.
Its preference for dark, damp environments matched a mushroom, not an insect.
In forests, Parasect sometimes stopped moving entirely when their mushrooms fell off.
All these details combined suggested that Paras resisted evolution because, once evolved, the insect's consciousness died, overtaken entirely by the mushroom.
In the anime, the owner forced Paras to evolve for medicinal purposes despite its resistance, adding to the tragedy.
Was this Paras also desperately resisting evolution, struggling against the parasitic mushroom?
Ye Yinchuan felt a chill down his spine.
To confirm his suspicion, he activated his "Heart Listening" ability:
"Paras, tell me... why don't you want to evolve?"
He wasn't sure Paras would understand, but he believed Pokémon were spiritual enough to respond.
Immediately, two distinct voices resonated clearly in his mind—
"(Ah… my head hurts… my back feels itchy... damn mushrooms, still growing? Sometimes my head feels heavy... Paras... loves sunshine... Paras doesn't want to evolve...)"
(A buzzing, calm voice sounded)—[Paras...let us evolve together... We are one... You are mistaken. We love sweet tree sap... we love darkness and moisture...]
"Holy crap!"
Ye Yinchuan had initially used "Heart Listening" without much expectation, like grasping at straws.
But unexpectedly, he clearly heard two distinct voices:
One from the insect, and the other from the mushroom!
"Good god, I've truly seen it all now…"
Ye Yinchuan struggled to maintain his composure, as this shocking truth was difficult even for him to accept.
Quickly turning off his ability to conserve points, he fell into brief silence under the gazes of countless live viewers.
Taking a deep breath, as if having made an important decision, he spoke solemnly:
"There is only one truth..."
------------------
Support me and the story on Patreon:
Join my patreon for 30+ chapters!!
patreon.com/FictionFan248