"Put these on." Brock took out gas masks and handed them to Ash and Misty.
The trio had brought a lot of things just in case.
Including: oxygen tanks, gas masks, face masks, compasses, offline maps, lighters/matches, multi-tools, first aid kits, flashlights, spare batteries, water bottles with filtration functions, portable ropes... and so on.
The three carefully bypassed the chaotic battle group on the periphery.
They headed towards the depths of the forest along a secret path partially concealed by frantically growing mycelium and twisted tree roots.
This was Parasect territory.
The further in they went, the heavier the scent of damp, rotting soil in the air became, mixed with a strange, sickly sweet smell unique to mushrooms.
The ground beneath their feet gradually became sticky and soft, covered with a thick layer of spectral blue fungal carpet that pulsed slightly as if it were alive.
Countless mycelium threads of varying thickness drilled out from the gaps between the soil and tree roots like living creatures, winding and climbing, flickering with faint phosphorescence in the dim light.
Finally, their footsteps stopped in front of a concealed cave entrance that was almost completely obscured by vines and mycelium.
"It's right here." Brock lowered his voice, his expression incredibly grave.
He signaled Onix to gently push aside the obstacles at the entrance with its tail.
In a certain sense, this kind of thing was actually very dangerous.
If it were just Ash alone, he definitely wouldn't have come to a place like this.
But bringing along Brock and Misty, two former Gym Leaders, made it different.
The two of them carried Gym Leader-level main force Pokémon on them.
The interior of the cave was unusually damp and dark; the stone walls were hung with condensed water droplets and thick fungal membranes.
They struggled forward along the steep downward slope. The only light source was the Will-O-Wisp used by Misdreavus, as well as those ubiquitous mycelium threads emitting a faint gloomy blue light.
It was better not to use high-intensity flashlights if it wasn't necessary.
"Mengmeng is so amazing~~" Ash held Misdreavus in his arms, gently stroking her head.
"Mai~ Mai~" Misdreavus narrowed her eyes happily.
Compared to when she was under the Thousand-Year Gastly, where she had to work seriously like a little adult...
After coming under Ash, she completely had nothing to do and could handle being cute with peace of mind.
Especially since Misdreavus had many moves and could solve various different small problems; it was very convenient.
The cave floor and walls were completely covered by interwoven mycelium and stout tree roots. Stepping on them produced a weird sensation—soft yet tough—as if treading on the vascular network of some gigantic creature.
As they went deeper, the space gradually opened up.
Finally, they arrived at a massive underground cavern.
The scene before them made the three instantly hold their breath, their pupils contracting from shock.
In the center of the cavern.
A mushroom that was difficult to describe in words, gigantic beyond imagination, stood there.
The stalk was as thick as the trunk of an ancient tree, deeply rooted underground, connected to countless tree roots and mycelial networks.
The mushroom cap was as colossal as a natural dome.
The underside of the cap was densely packed with gills emitting a gloomy blue light, flickering on and off like breathing, with fine spore dust constantly rusting down, merging into the thick gloomy blue mist around it.
"Sure enough, I guessed right..." Brock's voice carried a trace of excitement at discovering the truth.
He pointed at that huge mushroom, "A Parasect that has overdeveloped, and even... no longer needs the insect body to provide basic support."
"No, perhaps calling it a 'Parasect' is no longer appropriate. Its main body, this mushroom, has already broken through the limits of its species."
It was just a pity that this state didn't count as an evolution for Parasect.
Otherwise, Brock felt he could go publish a thesis.
"So this kind of Pokémon... can actually be like this?" Misty's eyes were filled with disbelief and horror, her voice trembling slightly.
The scene before her completely overturned her understanding of Parasect.
Thoroughly changing from a bug into a mushroom...
Ash immediately raised the Pokédex in his hand, the lens aimed at the huge mushroom main body, the sound effects turned down to the lowest—
[Parasect, the Mushroom Pokémon. Parasect likes dark and damp places; this is not the preference of the bug, but of the huge mushroom on its back. Since the bug's essence is constantly being sucked away, it is not the bug that is thinking, but the mushroom on its back. The bug underneath is basically dead; the true main body is the mushroom on its back, acting according to the will of the mushroom that grows larger than the bug's body. If the mushroom falls off, it will stop moving. There are individuals in the forest whose mushrooms on their backs have fallen off and remain completely motionless; this sample is sufficient to prove the theory that the big mushroom is the true body. After draining the nutrition from the bug's body, the mushroom on its back will plant spores on the bug's eggs. The big mushroom manipulates the Parasect, attaching to the roots of large trees in groups to absorb nutrients; after the tree withers, they will move together to other trees. They often fight with Shiinotic for territory. It scatters poisonous spores from the mushroom cap; the larger the mushroom on its back grows, the stronger the effect of the scattered mushroom spores.]
(Full text 2431 words, this paragraph 300 words, not reaching the charge for 2500)
The Pokédex's explanation seemed to fit perfectly with this terrifying mushroom before them that existed almost completely independently?
It was no longer satisfied with manipulating a single insect body, but was controlling the entire clan of Parasect through the underground mycelium network. In order to support its own desire for infinite expansion, it launched this cruel territorial war.
The source and command center of the tragic battle on the ground was it.
"Eh?" Misty noticed something wrong. "Look over there."
At the base of this giant mushroom, there was a glass container, inside of which was placed a Parasect insect shell that had long since withered and shriveled.
Having an insect shell was normal.
But why was there a glass container?
This kind of glass container was obviously a human creation.
This [Parasect]... was related to humans?
"This giant Parasect should also be domestic," Brock said. "The evidence is that during the process of us coming here, it didn't attack us."
Brock's actions looked a bit reckless.
But actually, he was prepared at all times.
In case something went wrong, he would let Onix dig a hole and take them to run away.
As long as they hid inside Onix's mouth, Onix's speed of digging and running could be said to be flying fast.
In the Pokémon academic world, the theoretical highest record for Onix's current [Dig] move—the excavation speed underground can reach 80 kilometers per hour. The earth would shake ceaselessly, and roaring sounds could be heard, resonating very far away.
Of course, this one of Brock's wasn't that fast yet.
But it was enough to run away.
"Huh?" Misty was stunned; she knew nothing.
⊙_⊙ Misty: What are you guys doing?
"Hehehe... you don't think that us stepping on the mycelium on the ground, it doesn't know, right?"
Ash shook his head helplessly.
Then he began to explain:
"Misty... the creature known as a mushroom is very special."
"The main structure of a mushroom can be roughly divided into two parts."
"① Mycelium: It is the main body of the mushroom, equivalent to the roots, stems, and leaves of a plant, growing in rotting wood, soil, etc."
"② Fruiting Body: It is the reproductive part of the mushroom, which is the part visible to our naked eyes."
"In the process of us coming here, we inevitably have already touched its mycelium."
Ash looked at the surrounding ground.
In a certain sense, right now could also be considered entering the body of this mushroom.
It was just that the thing known as a mushroom was a bit special; it couldn't move.
The surrounding environment was still mainly soil and rock, only permeated with mycelium.
Body structure determined that it also didn't have moves like Vine Whip.
So Brock said he could easily take everyone to run away.
Even if Ash released Gyarados now, they could run away very easily.
For this kind of Pokémon lacking self-mobility, although it was true that the larger the body, the stronger it was.
But wanting to truly use this [strength]... was also quite difficult.
When a skyscraper stands there, who wouldn't feel it is magnificent?
But only on the day the skyscraper collapses can that magnificent mighty power be realized.
Especially a Pokémon like Parasect that isn't good at fighting.
This thing is especially afraid of fire.
____
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