"It will never again enjoy the warm sunlight," Miles stated plainly, his voice dropping an octave. "The fungus only thrives in dark, damp caves."
He paused, letting the heavy truth sink in.
"It will never again recognize the trainer who once loved it, because it is nothing more than a marionette hijacked by a parasite!"
His words painted a terrifying picture, easily rivaling the plot of a top-tier horror movie.
On the other side of the screen, the four college girls sat dumbfounded. Their faces were deathly pale, and their minds buzzed with shock. They were used to interacting with cute, cuddly Pokémon.
When had they ever heard of such dark, hardcore biology? Parasitic hijacking? Zombification? It was too much to process.
After a brief, stunned silence, the livestream chat exploded.
[Viewer "Late Night Explorer":Mother of God! I've got goosebumps all over! Master Miles just turned a perfectly cute Pokémon into a monster from Resident Evil! This is too freaking terrifying!]
[Viewer "Hardcore Pokémon Simp": Childhood ruined! Completely ruined! I'll never be able to look at a Parasect the same way again! No wonder I always felt an evil vibe from those pupil-less, pure white eyes at the zoo. It's been a damn corpse this whole time!]
[Viewer "Hardcore Biology Master's Student": Wait! What Master Miles is talking about actually happens in nature! Have you guys heard of 'zombie ants' in the rainforest? A fungus parasitizes the ants, forces them to climb up high to die, and then sprouts from their heads to spread spores! It perfectly matches Parasect's lore!]
[Viewer "Slacker Who Gave Up": I just checked some overseas academic forums! There really is obscure literature on this! Holy crap. Some crazy researchers dissected a naturally deceased Parasect. Its internal organs had shriveled up completely, stuffed full of terrifying white mycelium! Its brain was probably hollowed out while it was still alive! I'm linking the image, but don't click if you have a weak stomach! (Attached: A blurry dissection image)]
The moment that image hit the public screen, the livestream's terrifying atmosphere reached its absolute climax.
Miles glanced at the photo. His own stomach churned uncontrollably. It really proved an old saying...modern netizens can absolutely dig up anything. Aside from finding a real-life partner, there wasn't a piece of obscure data or cursed image they couldn't find!
The high-definition laboratory image was pure visual trauma.
Inside the sliced-open, orange insectoid body of the Parasect, there were no normal organs. Instead, it was packed tight with clustered, tangled fungal networks that looked like thick, white spider webs.
The mycelium had crept up the spine, extending all the way into the skull to completely replace the brain.
Combined with Miles's "walking dead" theory, words like zombie, hijacking, and parasite instantly crystallized into a visceral nightmare for every viewer watching.
"Ah... how could this happen..."
Seeing the image, all the color drained from the young girl's face. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Without a trace of disgust, she hugged the Paras tightly to her chest. It was as if she was terrified her beloved baby would be devoured by the two vicious mushrooms on its back if she loosened her grip even slightly.
"Paras... so you've been enduring such terrible torture every single day..."
She choked on a sob.
"You held back your evolution so desperately just so you wouldn't have to leave me. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! I kept forcing you to drink those nutrient fluids... I almost killed you with my own hands!"
The girl's bitter, guilt-ridden crying caused countless emotional viewers in the chat to tear up as well.
[Viewer "Sweet-Tooth Pikachu": Waaaah, look how scared she is. My heart is breaking for her. Paras is so pitiful. To preserve its memories with its master, it actually used its sheer willpower to fight against the fungal consumption. What kind of godly bond is this?!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Damn the Creator! Why design such a cruel evolutionary law? Is the Paras species just born destined to be slaves and fertilizer for those mushrooms? That's so unfair!]
[Viewer "Imaginative Novelist": Crap, my little cousin just bought a Paras as a pet and has been eagerly waiting for it to evolve. Should I tell him this cruel truth now, or just watch helplessly as he raises a walking corpse? Streamer, since you spotted the cause of the illness, is there any way to break this fate?!]
[Viewer "Optimistic Melon Eater": Bros, let's change our perspective. Since the mushroom is in charge after evolution, why don't we just treat Paras like a high-grade, walking potted mushroom from the very beginning? Doesn't that make it easier to swallow?]
[Viewer "Grass-Type Top Boss": Wait! If we follow Master Miles's terrifying theory of parasitic hijacking... then my Bulbasaur with the giant garlic turtle shell on its back, could it also be... I'm terrified just thinking about it, holy crap!]
Seeing the chat suddenly drag the Everyone's 'First Love', Bulbasaur, into the crossfire, Miles laughed. He quickly spoke up to shut down the panic-inducing rumors.
"Stop, stop, stop! Don't overthink this, everyone. It's good to draw inferences, but let's not destroy the wholesome atmosphere of our Pokémon world."
Miles cleared his throat, adopting a professional tone.
"Bulbasaur and Paras are fundamentally different! The bulb on Bulbasaur's back and its main body share a perfect 'mutualistic symbiosis,' not a malignant parasitism."
He elaborated smoothly. "The plant provides Bulbasaur with energy through photosynthesis, while Bulbasaur carries the plant around to find better living environments."
Miles smiled at the camera. "Even when it evolves into Venusaur, its dominant consciousness still entirely belongs to the animal body. You will absolutely never see a nightmare scenario where it gets hijacked by the plant. Raise them with peace of mind!"
Hearing Miles's authoritative guarantee, the Grass-type trainers in the chat finally let out long sighs of relief, wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads.
Miles pulled his attention back to the livestream feed.
Looking at the girl—who was still crying pitifully and holding her Paras tightly—he knew it was the perfect time to drop the core question. It was a philosophical interrogation regarding Pokémon ethics that would strike straight at the soul.
"Don't cry just yet. Before we decide how to save it, I have to ask you a very serious question regarding its fate."
Miles's gaze turned deep and piercing, as if trying to look right through the girl's thoughts.
"Paras is a collective entity made up of both 'bug and mushroom.' In this cruel struggle for survival, the mushroom wants to take over the body to reproduce, while the bug wants to suppress the mushroom to survive. They are both independent lives, merely following nature's instinct to live."
He leaned closer to the camera.
"So, search your heart and tell me...In the days you've spent together, the 'Paras' that you deeply love and poured your heart into... does it refer to the ugly bug underneath, or the valuable mushrooms on its back? Or do you believe it is both?"
When Miles threw out this soul-searching question, the girl was visibly stunned.
It wasn't just her. Her roommates behind her, and the tens of thousands of indignant viewers in the livestream, all experienced a brief mental blue-screen.
[Viewer "Postdoc in Logic": Holy crap! My brain CPU is about to fry! Master Miles's question is too high-level! He's right, the mushroom is a life too, and it's just following its instincts. From nature's perspective, what did it do wrong?]
[Viewer "Philosophy Dept Boss": Is he actually a hidden genius? This seemingly simple question cuts directly to the highest philosophical realms of self-cognition, bioethics, and species equality! Absolutely brilliant!]
[Viewer "Psych Ward Director Wang": Apologies everyone, the front desk nurse left the door open and let this high-IQ philosophy patient out to stream. Sorry for the trouble.]
No matter how the other viewers weighed the dilemma in their hearts, for the young girl on screen, her answer didn't waver for a single second.
She lowered her head. Her red-rimmed eyes met the large, watery black eyes of the Paras, which were currently filled with fear and attachment.
She remembered clearly. Whenever she was sad, it was this bug that gently patted her with its stiff legs. Whenever she was happy, it was these bright black eyes that curved into crescents along with hers.
As for the two so-called valuable mushrooms on its back? Aside from greedily siphoning nutrients, they had never given her a shred of emotional response.
In her heart, there was no need for complex philosophical debate.
"It's the bug!"
The girl suddenly raised her head. An unprecedented determination shone in her eyes. Though her voice was still a bit hoarse, it rang out powerfully.
"The partner I genuinely recognize, the family member I spend my days and nights with, is only this bug! I hate those selfish mushrooms, and I will absolutely not allow them to take my baby's life!"
Without a doubt, the irreplaceable "Paras" in her heart was the little insect.
Seeing her uncompromising gaze, a smile of genuine appreciation finally curled the corners of Miles's mouth.
This was the attitude a true Pokémon trainer should have.
"Very good. Your answer is perfect. Since you've made your choice, I'll be generous and point you toward a clear path."
Miles leaned back in his chair. His tone exuded the absolute confidence of someone holding the world in the palm of his hand.
But then, he shifted gears, laying down a remarkably harsh prerequisite.
"However, before I tell you the method, I must warn you... I cannot guarantee a one-hundred percent success rate. More importantly, you need to be fully mentally prepared."
He let the weight of his words settle.
"Because once it steps onto this path of resistance, your Paras might spend its entire life suppressing the fungus... which means it may never be able to complete a conventional evolution."
Miles stared directly into her eyes for final confirmation.
"It will permanently lose the chance to become a powerful Pokémon. It will forever remain a mediocre, weak little bug. To protect its soul, even if it stays a 'useless cripple' for life—is that a price you can gladly accept?"
The girl didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Holding the trembling Paras tight against her chest like a rare treasure, she nodded heavily.
"I accept it! As long as it's alive, as long as it's still itself, even if it never evolves, I will raise it for the rest of my life!"
Her tears were still welling up, but the unique, fierce resolve of a true Pokémon trainer was fully on display.
"Excellent. You have backbone. Since you've made this do-or-die resolution, I'll show you the way."
Miles smiled, deeply gratified by the sight of the master and pet relying on each other on the screen.
However, right before he officially dispensed his ultimate treatment plan, his vast internal database of Pokémon biology whipped up a frantic storm of inspiration.
His mind raced through the vast ocean of Pokédex lore.
A staggeringly bold hypothesis—one that could overturn the entire academic world of Pokémon—flashed through his thoughts like a bolt of lightning in the dark.
'According to the official Pokédex records known to humanity, the Paras species has never had a second evolutionary branch aside from being completely hijacked into a walking corpse as a Parasect. We've never even found an independent individual that broke free from the parasitism.'
'But... what if we look past the surface? What if we reverse-engineer it entirely based on the origin of species and the anatomical structure?'
Miles's eyes gradually grew deep and feverish as he deduced the final piece of the puzzle.
'From its biological characteristics, Paras's main body is strikingly similar to a cicada nymph in nature. And in the entire Pokémon world, there is only one Pokémon whose morphology matches this perfectly...'
'The fellow subterranean dweller, Nincada!'
'Could it be... in ancient times, the species known as Paras was actually just a Nincada infected by a malignant fungus?!'
The moment the thought emerged, Miles's brain kicked into overdrive. Countless fragmented clues began to snap together like pieces of a puzzle.
'It makes perfect sense!'
'A normal Nincada lives deep underground in complete darkness for years, sometimes even decades. Because it never sees the sun, its body is pale and lacks pigment.'
'The reason Paras is orange-red? It must be because it was unfortunately infected by Cordyceps spores at a very young age! To gather more energy, the fungus secreted toxins that forcefully altered the bug's instincts, compelling it to dig out of the soil prematurely.'
'Exposed to harsh sunlight and deeply stained by fungal pigments, it transformed into its current orange-red appearance!'
'And just look at its limb structure! A Nincada has the rudiments of wings, two sturdy front claws, and two hind legs. But what about Paras? Not only does it lack wings, but it bizarrely sprouted an extra pair of hind legs. It uses four legs just to support its rear half!'
'The reason is simple. The neural center on its back—where the wings were supposed to grow—was completely hijacked and devoured by those two vicious mushrooms!'
'To carry the ever-increasing weight of the parasites, it underwent a painful mutation. It forcefully evolved an extra pair of limbs just to stabilize its center of gravity!'
'Holy crap... I am a once-in-a-generation genius in Pokémon biology!'
The moment this watertight, logically flawless "Mutation Origin Hypothesis" fully materialized in his mind, an overwhelming rush of adrenaline and accomplishment surged through Miles.
He sat before his computer screen, staring blankly into the void. The corners of his mouth crept upward uncontrollably, and he let out a few suppressed, slightly manic chuckles.
He was completely immersed in the ultimate high of cracking the Creator's code.
What he entirely failed to realize, however, was just how unhinged he looked...
To the clueless viewers currently watching his live stream, his fanatical gaze and ear-to-ear grin looked absolutely terrifying.
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
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