Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

The Onix can only see things up close; it doesn't pay much attention to anything further away.

Ash, Misty, and Brock were awakened almost simultaneously.

"What happened?" Xiaoxia quickly got dressed.

far away.

A series of sounds could be faintly heard, including loud crashes, sharp hissing, and a muffled cracking sound.

The silence of the night was broken, and the sound was becoming clearer and closer!

Xiao Gang listened intently, his expression grave: "It's the sound of battle! And it's quite a large-scale one!"

The three of them tidied up the campsite and then quietly crept over.

By the moonlight, they witnessed a chilling scene.

Forest edge.

The two major ethnic groups are engaged in fierce fighting.

On one side were numerous Parasters, their eyes pale, appearing frenzied and extremely aggressive, their huge pincers waving fiercely, constantly emitting a menacing "click-clack" sound.

Their opponents, however, are a group of dark-colored lampshade mushrooms.

These lampshade mushrooms sprayed large swaths of shimmering spore powder from beneath their caps, enveloping the Parasitic colony like a deadly fog.

Each spore release is accompanied by a low, dizzying buzzing sound.

...Using spores on a single *Lamphenicolon* won't make much noise, but there are too many *Lamphenicolon* here.

"It's Paraster and Lampshade Mushroom!" Xiao Gang exclaimed. "But they don't usually clash on such a large scale... This is a territorial dispute!"

The crowd watched the battle with amusement.

how to say?

Territorial disputes between Pokémon are an integral part of the natural ecosystem.

Unless something too serious happens, it's best for humans not to interfere excessively.

The battle was extremely brutal.

The Parasters seemed to be trying their best to break through the spore fog, but some individuals became sluggish and chaotic, and even began to attack their companions indiscriminately.

Meanwhile, the lampshade mushroom continued to advance.

The spore mist they sprayed almost formed a continuous sheet.

Under the cover of night, it glowed with an ominous, eerie blue light, like a ghostly aurora, and wherever it passed, the grass and trees seemed to wither.

It seems that these lampshade mushrooms are stronger than the Parasters.

Chapter 94 Pokémon Born [Sad]

Dark as ink.

The clearing in the woods was fragmented into pieces of light and shadow by the constantly flashing skill lights from the distant battle.

Paraster and the Lampshade Mushroom are locked in fierce combat.

Even more alarming is that a large number of the originally weaker Paras and Sleepy Mushrooms were also caught up in it, rushing out of the depths of the forest in a panic.

This is clearly a territorial dispute between the two ethnic groups.

Perhaps it's because the population has grown too large after reproduction, so they need a larger territory?

...either one side will be defeated and forced to retreat.

...either both sides suffer some casualties, and then the original ecological balance is restored.

This is also why humans should not interfere with it.

There's nothing I can do about it!

As for forcibly taking one side away to relocate... it's hard to say whether they will all die on the way.

These wild Pokémon are generally not as robust or durable as specially bred Pokémon.

And they may not be able to adapt to a new environment.

Even humans sometimes experience problems adapting to different environments, let alone Pokémon.

Paras and Sleepy Mushroom also joined the battle.

These little guys were clearly disturbed by the battle, and in their haste, they also used their weak Grass-type skills.

Several soft, swift blades shot out from in front of a Paras, but lightly grazed the hard cap of a Nightshade Mushroom, leaving not even a white mark.

On the other side, several Sleepy Mushrooms were trying their best to spray out specks of sleep powder.

However, this tiny powder mixed into the overwhelming blue spore mist of the Night-blooming Lampshade Mushroom was like a drop of water flowing into the ocean; it was instantly assimilated and annihilated, with minimal effect.

"They...they are Grass-type too!" Xiaoxia said, her voice tinged with reluctance as she watched the nearly ineffective attack.

"These Grass-type moves are completely ineffective against our own kind! Should we...should we leave this place quickly? It feels too dangerous!"

Although she was reluctant, Xiaoxia didn't intend to interfere too much.

Even if this battle is mediated, more battles will occur later.

Parasitic mushrooms and lampshade mushrooms often cannot coexist in the wild.

"Wait a minute!" Ash's reaction was completely different.

He had somehow pulled out his Pokédex, and the camera was pointed at the chaotic battlefield in the distance.

"This is firsthand footage of large-scale conflicts between wild Pokémon populations."

"Let's write it down first!"

Ash carefully adjusted the camera angle, trying to capture Parasect's unusually pale eyes and the aggressive spore spray of the Lampshade.

He muttered to himself, "Is this kind of conflict... caused by environmental changes? Or is there external interference?"

The most likely explanation is a territorial conflict, but other possibilities exist.

"It'll be good to see it for myself." Xiao Gang stood with his arms crossed, a little behind Xiao Zhi.

Those always-squinting eyes now sharply scanned the battlefield, especially at Paraster, whose movements were stiff and seemed to be controlled by invisible threads.

"This unusual ferocity and territorial expansion is highly unusual. Especially the Paraster... their condition is very strange, unlike natural territorial disputes."

Xiao Gang was able to spot more problems than Xiao Zhi and Xiao Xia.

Of course, it's not so easy to figure out exactly what the problem is.

His gaze followed a Paraster that was behaving particularly wildly, watching it swing its massive pincers haphazardly and even shove its companions aside: "It seems to have lost control..."

"Writing it down might help us find the root of the problem."

Compared to the territorial disputes and external factors that Ash thought of, Brock thought it might also be due to internal factors.

For example...

A powerful individual has appeared in Paraster.

This individual wants to control other individuals and expand its territory.

Considering that no super-powerful individuals have been observed from these Paraster groups.

...Perhaps the source of the problem is no longer movable.

This is also a flaw of Paraster elves.

During the [Paras] phase, the worms below and the mushrooms on the back of the body are barely considered equals.

Although the mushrooms on their backs are still the main source of nutrition, and the insects below are secondary, most of the nutrients are taken away by the mushrooms, but the insects themselves can still retain some self-awareness.

But things are different in the Paraster stage.

The mushroom on the back will completely dominate and grow larger than the insect below.

Xiao Gang pondered the information about the Paraster family.

This is a rather [sad] Pokémon.

The wild Paras's future was practically predetermined from birth.

They can't even do something like not wanting to evolve.

Paras, as an insect, doesn't want to evolve, but Paras, as a mushroom, does.

Paras, as a mushroom, is the main body.

Most of the nutrients consumed by the insect Paras are absorbed by the mushroom.

The day the mushroom absorbs enough nutrients and decides to evolve will be the day the insect dies.

...However, there are exceptions.

Trainers can control the growth of mushrooms by using drugs and other methods to capture Paras.

However, these are only isolated cases.

Humans cannot and will not extensively interfere with the ecosystem of the Pokémon world, and they lack the motivation to do so.

In some scholarly studies, mushrooms are even considered the main body of [Paras Paraster]... Insects are merely an irrelevant extension, like the placenta.

Although Brock's primary profession is Pokémon Trainer, his secondary profession is Pokémon Breeder.

However, he also studied Pokémon-related research in detail.

The erudite and talented Xiao Gang-chan~

"Mmm!" Misdreavus floated above Ash's head, seemingly both afraid of the spreading spore mist and attracted by the unprecedented chaotic scene, emitting an excited low growl of unknown meaning.

Having been well protected by Gastly, Misdreavus has indeed not seen much of the outside world.

Mengmeng: That was so exciting! (●'?`●)?

"Pikachu—" Pikachu stood firmly at Ash's feet, its cheeks flashing with electricity as it vigilantly watched the battlefield, ensuring that the chaotic moves wouldn't affect its trainer.

The azure spore mist, like a living tide, expanded as the Lampshade Night Mushroom swarm advanced, enveloping more Paraster and Paras within it.

The vegetation visibly wilted as the mist swept by, and the battle cries and the buzzing of spores intertwined, creating a bizarre and fierce struggle for survival in this forest clearing.

This war will not end anytime soon.

No one can be sure how long it will last.

Perhaps they've been waging this kind of war all along?

“…I have an interesting idea, come with me.” Xiao Gang decided to go and take a look at the rear of the Paraster tribe.

Maybe you can get the answer.

Although the answer was already in his heart.

But we still need to verify whether it's right or wrong.

"Why are you being so mysterious? Can't you just say what you want to say?" Xiaoxia complained.

"Alright, alright, let's go~" Ash was quite curious about what Brock had discovered.

"You'll see soon enough... It's going to be quite a shocking spectacle, isn't it?" That's what Xiao Gang said, but he was still prepared.

If things go wrong, let Onix lead everyone to escape.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu looked at Misdreavus.

"Mah~ Mah~" The dream demon wasn't scared at all; on the contrary, it was quite eager to watch the excitement.

“…Pikachu…” Pikachu, who felt like the big brother, suddenly had a headache… Taking care of kids… It’s tough.

Chapter 95 The Great Mushroom Paraster

"Put them on." Xiao Gang took out gas masks and handed them to Xiao Zhi and Xiao Xia.

The trio brought a lot of things just in case.

Includes: oxygen cylinders, gas masks, face masks, compasses, offline maps, lighters/matches, multi-tools, first aid kits, flashlights, spare batteries, water bottles with filters, portable ropes, etc.

The three carefully avoided the chaotic battle on the outside.

They ventured deeper into the forest along a hidden path obscured by wildly growing mycelium and twisted tree roots.