Misdreavus, "Mengmeng," flew lightly around Ash, making soft sounds while simultaneously transmitting a soothing intent to everyone:
"Mai mai~"
[The Big Mushroom says, the forest is very unsafe at night. It says for us to rest well here, and that it doesn't matter if we wait until tomorrow morning to leave.]
"Mai mai~"
[The Big Mushroom says there are too many Shiinotic right now, and for some reason, they are agitated and roaming everywhere. They emit strange lights to attract travelers and then absorb the life energy of living beings... In order to prevent ecological destruction, their numbers need to be suppressed.]
Hearing Misdreavus's translation, Ash and the other two were a bit speechless.
So, they had gotten it wrong before, huh?
It turned out these Parasect were maintaining the ecological balance around Celadon City.
But thinking about it carefully, since this is the territory surrounding Celadon City... this situation is actually quite normal. After all, one can't expect Trainers to constantly maintain the ecology in the wild, right?
Since that's the case, letting Pokémon maintain the ecology themselves is an excellent choice. They can't manage distant places, but the area around Celadon City is obviously manageable.
With the permission of the cave's owner, or rather the "landlord," the three looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
Brock clapped his hands. "It seems this one is friendlier than we imagined. In that case, we should accept the offer respectfully."
Although they were inside a massive fungal cavern surrounded by pulsating gloomy blue mycelium, compared to the two clans outside still engaged in a fierce armed brawl, this place could indeed be counted as a bizarre "pure land."
At least it wasn't that noisy, right?
However, they still couldn't let their guard down. Friendliness did not mean harmlessness.
They spread their sleeping bags out again on a relatively dry and flat area of the cavern, far away from the giant mushroom... The wind here blew from the outside in.
Then, Onix's massive body coiled up. Like an indestructible rock fortress, it protected the three in the center. Its red eyes vigilantly watched the only entrance in the dim light, faithfully fulfilling its duty as a guard.
Ultimately, they were still guarding against the Big Mushroom.
Even Misty released her Poké Ball. If there was an accident, her Gyarados would burst out at the first moment.
Pikachu and Misdreavus also quieted down, snuggling beside Ash.
Pikachu couldn't offer much assistance at a time like this; he wasn't good at things other than fighting. But Misdreavus could sense emotions, and she knew many moves. She could also sense if Mushroom Spores were drifting in the surrounding air... guarding against poisoning.
The Misdreavus stage is the Screech Pokémon, and its abilities are still relatively scarce. But once it reaches the Mismagius stage, it becomes the Magical Pokémon, capable of even using chants with miraculous effects.
But even if Misdreavus hadn't grown into a Mismagius yet, she could still use some abilities. The abilities of some Pokémon cannot be summarized simply by moves. This is also an aspect that goes beyond conventional battles.
It is said that at the Mismagius stage, a Mismagius can use chants that bring [Happiness]. In short, these are somewhat abstract abilities that cannot be specifically summarized.
Everyone went to sleep one after another.
Inside the cavern, only the breathing-like glimmer of the mycelium and the dull sounds of battle from the distance, mostly insulated by the rock walls, remained.
In this underground space shrouded by the giant mushroom, a strange tranquility carrying the pulse of life enveloped them, causing them to unknowingly sink into sleep.
...How should one put it?
Sleeping inside a cave felt much better than open-air camping. Humans, after all, still prefer a smaller room when sleeping. It seems this is also the reason why some people can't sleep in large rooms.
If a room is too empty, it lacks a sense of security. A small space, however, brings a sense of security and being enveloped.
That's probably how it is.
...
The next morning.
Ash was awakened by a burst of subtle "rustling" sounds and a faint scent mixing soil and fragrance.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up, instantly stunned by the scene before him.
Near the cave entrance, unbeknownst to them, a large number of Paras and Parasect had gathered. They waited there quietly, no longer looking like the manic attackers from last night. Although their eyes still lacked spirited brilliance, they appeared much more docile.
And right in front of their sleeping mats, a small mountain of fruit had been piled up. Various plump and vibrant Berries were heaped together, emitting a tempting sweet fragrance.
Beside that was a pile of mushrooms of various colors and shapes. Some had clearly been carefully harvested from the edges of the mushrooms on Paras' backs. Others looked like complete, small umbrella-like mushrooms, emitting a gentle and sweet scent.
"Th... This is?" Misty also woke up, covering her mouth in surprise upon seeing this scene.
Brock was already squatting in front of the fruit pile, inspecting it carefully. He picked up several different Berries and mushrooms, sniffing them. He even used his fingers to pinch a bit of powder and tasted it with an extremely professional and cautious attitude and movement.
A moment later, Brock stood up.
A smile of relief and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "Don't worry, they are all non-toxic, and the quality is quite good."
He pointed to the pile of Berries. "These should be the best fruits they could find in the forest."
Then, he pointed to the two piles of mushrooms. "This pile was obtained from the bodies of Paras; they have mild medicinal properties and are very good supplements. And this pile..."
...Uh... due to the life form issues of Mushroom Pokémon, from the perspective of these Parasect and Paras, cutting off a part of their body as food isn't really a problem.
But this kind of actively offering oneself to be eaten... one can only say the conceptual difference between humans and Pokémon is quite large.
However, among Plant-type Pokémon, there is also Tropius, which grows bananas on its neck. And there is the food-type Alcremie, who can generate whipped cream from its hands.
The world of Pokémon is just this magical.
Brock picked up a small umbrella mushroom emitting a pastry-like aroma. "This should be a mushroom cap shed from a Morelull. The taste is extremely delicious; it should be fantastic whether roasted or boiled in soup!"
He sighed with emotion. "It seems this is the 'Titan' and its clan expressing apologies for disturbing us last night, and also a gift thanking us for not maliciously destroying anything."
...Though he said that, Brock felt this Big Mushroom was a bit too [Modernized]. Not only did it lack the domineering nature of competition between Pokémon, but it was also slick to an excessive degree.
...This was too savvy in the ways of the world. Where did it learn this? Who on earth taught it?
Seeing the three wake up and accept the gifts, the numerous Parasect emitted a burst of soft "clacking" sounds, then quietly withdrew from the cave like a receding tide, merging into the light of the forest outside as if they had never appeared.
This was their leader's territory, not a place they should stay.
The living space of the Parasect group was inside the nearby rock tunnels, where there were many tree roots. They absorbed nutrients from the large trees, changing areas every day; they couldn't suck a tree dry all at once.
Giant Parasect: One must not drain the pond to catch all the fish~
When Ash, Brock, and Misty first entered, they had walked through a similar tunnel.
Brock skillfully started a fire and skewered some tender Morelull caps to roast.
In no time, a tempting aroma permeated the air, even overpowering the original fungal scent in the cave. The roasted mushroom caps were soft and glutinous in the mouth, carrying a rich fragrance similar to butter and nuts, exceptionally delicious.
"I didn't expect that after it being so scary last night, we could eat such delicious mushrooms in the morning..." Misty ate with satisfaction, sighing with mixed emotions.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu, holding a sweet mushroom, also expressed his agreement.
"Mai mai!" Misdreavus was interested in a Morelull mushroom, pecking at it little by little.
"Since Morelull's mushroom caps are so delicious... then are Shiinotic tasty?" Ash was thinking about this question.
"The mushroom cap on Morelull's head is very delicious, and it regenerates very quickly, probably regenerating in just one night," Brock said. "But Shiinotic generally aren't eaten by anyone... the texture is bad."
"I think the most delicious thing is still a Slowpoke's tail~" Misty said with some nostalgia.
After enjoying this unexpected and special breakfast, the three packed up their gear.
Ash took one last look at that giant mushroom "Titan" which was still faintly pulsating, and whispered, "Thanks for the meal."
"Then do we leave from here now?" Misty looked at the tunnel in front of them. This was the main road next to the exhibition board, not the small path the three of them had entered through.
"Let's just go this way; taking this road should be very safe." Ash petted Pikachu. "Don't you say so? Partner~"
"Pika~~" Pikachu narrowed his eyes and cried out.
"Mai mai~" Misdreavus rubbed her face against Ash's cheek coquettishly.
"Oh~ and you too~" Ash gently stroked Misdreavus's head. "Thanks for your hard work guarding the night, Mengmeng~~"
Ghost-type Pokémon actually didn't have that much of a need for sleep. Moreover, Misdreavus didn't want Ash to have any accidents.
____
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