Episode 61: The Problem with Paras

Hana and her friends continue on their journey and now arrive in a place called Moss Green Village. It's a quaint, cute place, but it's so small it doesn't even have its own Pokemon gym, not even a Pokemon Center. However, that doesn't mean they don't plan to take a break.

"It's a nice village. Peace and quiet," Diana says.

"That's true, but remember the reason why we're here," Hana says.

"No kidding. Check out our potion and antidote bag," Chase says, showing the empty bad.

Diana gasps, "It's empty!"

"Yeah. I'm out of supplies myself," Hana says, holding her bag.

"Me too. This is a good time to stock up on supplies," Akira says, as Shippo holds the empty baf.

"Pika," (Yep.) Alistair says.

Shippo barks in reply.

"Might as well grab a bite to eat, too," Diana says.

"Yeah. I'm kind of getting hungry," Hana says.

Akira then says, "Before we do anything, we also need to take care of something too."

"What's that?" The group asks.

Hana and the others become shocked to notice Winnie's is not looking so good. Her forehead looks a little warm, her eyes are swelling a bit, and her tongue is sticking out.

"Oh dear, what happened to little Winnie?" Diana asks.

"She doesn't look very good," Chase says.

Winnie then sneezes and begins to shiver a bit.

"Poor baby, she must have a cold or a flu," Hana says.

Alistair says, "Pika Pika Pikachu." (I'll get her blanket.)

Alistair goes in Akira's backpack and pulls out Winnie's blanket. Then passes it to Akira.

Akira takes it, "Thanks Alistair."

Akira then wraps the blanket around Winnie and the poor baby Pokemon continues to sneeze.

"That must be a nasty sickness she got," Chase says.

"Poor little Winnie," Diana says.

Hana looks at the map, "Yeah. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be a Pokemon Center here, but there does seem to be a kind of pharmacy here. We can get some supplies and some medicine."

"Excuse me," A girl's voice says.

The group turns to see a girl wearing a white shirt, red pants, and black shoes, she has green hair in two buns with pink flowers on it, and red color eyes. She is also holding a basket of herbs, flowers, and roots.

"I couldn't help but overhear that one of your Pokemon isn't well," The girl says.

Akira steps forward, "Yes. My little girl, Winnie isn't feeling too well."

The girl walks over and says, "Oh you poor thing. Don't worry, I'll fix some medicine for her."

The girl sits on her knees and places some leaves, and other stuff in a bowl and uses a grounder to crush them. One she finishes making the medicine, the girl places it in a bowl with a tube connected to it.

She then brings it to Winnie, "Here you go little one, drink this."

Winnie does what the girl says and drinks the medicine. When she finishes, Winnie is starting to feel a little better. Hana and her friends are very impressed.

The girl turns to Akira, "You little one will be fine now, just give her one of these pills after each meal." She then hands Akira some pills.

Akira takes it and says, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. By the way, my name is Cassandra," The girl says.

"Hello. My name is Akira, "this is my Pikachu, Alistair. My Zouroa, Shippo. And you already meet Winnie, my little Riolu," Akira says.

Hana then says, "I'm Hana and this is my partner Pikachu."

"I'm Diana," Diana says.

"And I'm Chase," Chase says.

"It's nice to meet you. So what brings you to the village." Cassandra says.

"We're here to buy some antidote and potions. We're fresh out, so we're about to head to a pharmacy that's supposed to be here," Hana says.

"I know where it is. That is where my grandma and I worked," Cassandra says.

Soon enough, Cassandra leads Hana and her friends to a building with a roof. They walk inside and soon see an old woman grinding something with a stone wheel. Next to her is a Persian that is sleeping next to her.

Hana asks, "Excuse me, mam, we'd like to buy some potions and antidotes."

The old woman snickers and holds out a root, "Got some snakeroot that'll cure insomnia and grow hair on your nose and tongue."

Hana and the others grow concern while Cassandra has a stern expression on her face.

"Grow hair on your nose and tongue?!" Diana asks, shocked.

"Uh, does it come in a 'no hair' formula?" Chase asks.

Cassandra sternly says, "Grandma! I've asked you before not to frighten the customers."

"I didn't mean to scare anyone," Cassandra's grandmother says.

"We're here to help trainers with our miracle potion, not scare them away," Cassandra says.

The group sighs in relief.

Cassandra says, "Don't worry, I'll help you get the potions and antidote you need, but you don't mind if I can have a Pokemon battle with you."

"Sure. I'll do it," Hana says.

"That's great! We can battle outback," Cassandra says.

Soon enough, Cassandra and Hana are outside with the others after getting the potions and antidote they need. Hana is battling with Pikachu while Cassandra is using a Paras.

"This Paras will be your opponent," Cassandra says.

Hana brings out her Pokedex and Dexter says, "Paras, the Mushroom Pokemon. Rare mushrooms grow on its back."

Pikachu walks over and says, " Pikachu." (Best of luck)

However, Paras retreats and stands behind Cassandra.

Cassandra kneels to him, "Paras! You can't give up already."

"Seems like your Pokemon doesn't want to battle us," Hana says.

"You're right. I'd love for Paras to evolve into a Parasect very soon, but it's too cowardly to battle," Cassandra says.

"The best way for Pokemon to evolve is by winning battles. The more battles they win, the quicker they evolve," Chase says.

Diana asks, "But what do you want to make Paras evolve so fast for?"

"Because I have to have Parasect's mushroom," Cassandra answers.

" Why do you want Parasect's mushroom?" Everyone asks.

"You see, after Paras evolves, I'll use it's mushroom to make a new potion especially for Pokemon, and I'll use that potion to help Pokemon all over the world," Cassandra explains.

"I see." Hana says.

"Don't worry, we'll give you a hand," Diana says.

"We'll try to go easy on Paras," Hana says.

Then Hana kneels to Pikachu, "Just this once, since it's for a good cause, we're gonna let Paras win, okay?"

"Pika." (Okay.) Pikachu answers with a nod.

Then steps forward to battle.

"Good luck, Paras. All the Pokemon in the world are counting on you," Cassandra says, encouraging Paras.

Paras then scurries over to the battle field.

Hana says, "Okay Cassandra, you and Paras can make the first move."

"Okay. Paras, use Stun Spore," Cassandra says.

Paras then begins to send Stun Spore and Pikachu jumps in the air.

"Okay Pikachu, maybe just a teeny static bolt," Hana says.

Pikachu then sends a tiny static bolt at Paras, but it's enough to knock Paras out. Cassandra gasps

Hana sadly says, "Oh no."

Cassandra kneels to Paras, "How will Paras ever get any experience?"

"This is a tough one," Chase says.

"Especially for a timid Pokemon like Paras," Chase says.

Hana thinks and says, "Hmm, Paras are stronger against water types so I could try Squirtle."

Hana throws her Pokeball, "Squirtle, I choose you!"

Then Squirtle comes out of the Pokeball.

"Hey! That Squirtle is a water type! Maybe you can win, Paras," Cassandra says.

Paras then gets up and

Hana kneels to Squirtle, "Squirtle, use your Water Gun, but just enough to sprinkle the mushrooms a little."

Squirtle agrees and sprays enough water to sprinkle a little, and yet, Paras still ends up getting the KO.

"Paras! Are you hurt?" Cassandra says, helping Paras up.

Hana scratches her head, "We're going to need a new plan."

Hana and the others decide to sit down and try to come up with a new idea.

"This isn't as easy as I thought," Hana says.

"Yeah. Paras seems to be too timid to battle," Diana says.

"And any tiny attack Hana throws makes Para knocked out in seconds," Akira adds.

Chase turns to Cassandra, "So Cassandra, what about this potion? What's it supposed to do?"

"I'm trying to come up with a miracle potion. One that'll not only restore Pokemon's defensive powers, but its attack power, concentration, and its determination, as well. And make it smarter, too. I want all Pokemon to grow and stay healthy, that's why I need Paras to realize how important it is and to believe in itself," Cassandra says.

"Yeah. Maybe instead of just having Paras win easily, maybe we should try to boost his confidence," Hana says.

"I agree. We can help Paras by giving it the confidence to battle," Chase says.

Cassandra says, "I think it's a great idea."

"I say that we should start with some training," Hana says.

Hana calls out Charmeleon, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Winter, Cubone, and Bounsweet.

"Okay guys, we're going to help Para train so it can evolve to Paras," Hana says.

Everyone nods their heads.

"Then let's start helping Paras," Hana says.

She then turns to Cassandra, "Hey Cassandra, what kind of moves can Paras use."

"Paras can use Spore, Stun Spore, Slash, Bug Bite, and Seed Bomb," Cassandra says.

"Well then, it's time we help Paras perfect those moves of his," Hana says.

Diana and the others help set up targets while Hana has Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

"Alright Squirtle, use Water Gun. Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf," Hana says.

Squirtle uses Water Gun while Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf on the targets and gets bullseyes.

"Alright Para now it's your turn, use Seed Bomb," Cassadra says.

Paras then sprays Seed Bomb, but doesn't get very far. Paras deflates in disappointment of itself.

Charmeleon steps forward and says, "Char Char Charmeleon. Charmeleon Char Chameleon," (Try again, Paras. Aim at the target and fire with full force.)

Hana smiles, "Looks like Charmeleon decides to be Paras' main coach."

Paras takes a deep breath and aims at the target. Then fires the seed bomb that is more powerful and hits the target with full force.

Paras becomes surprised, "Par paras?" (I did it?)

Then happily sas, "Paras! Paras!" (I did it! I did it!)

Cassandra happily says, "You did it, Paras!"

Charmeleon tells Paras, "Charmeleon Charmeleon. Char Charmeleon Char Charmeleon." (You did great, Paras. You still have more training to do so let's get started.)

"Paras," (Yes coach.) Paras says.

With that, Hana along with Charmeleon lead the Pokemon to help Cassandra and Para do training. Charmeleon uses his Slash attack while Bulbasaur performs the Razor Leaf attack. Their attacks cut the small branches from the bushes close by. Paras then scurries over and shows gentle slashes. Charmeleon says to try harder and to make sure to use force. Para nods his head and performs Slash perfectly and cuts a few branches from the bush.

After that, Charmeleon instructs Cubone and Bounsweet to use their attacks to help Paras with his dodging. Bounsweet uses Rapid Spin while Cubone uses Bonemerang. Paras tries to run away, but remembers that he needs to be brave. He knows that it's Cassandra's dream and believes in him. Paras begins to dodge left, dodge right, bend down. Then jump in the air. Of course, Cassandra helps instruct Paras.

The next lesson is to see if Paras can withstand the attack and to try to strike the attack on the Pokemon. Winter uses her Powder Snow to create a powerful wind. Paras struggles to hang on as his claws stab to the ground. Cassandra calls Paras to jump, and determines, Paras does. Paras then performs Stun Spore and stuns Winter so she isn't able to move. Seeing how much Paras has improved, Cassandra is proud to see how much Confidence and experience Paras is gaining, Paras is proud of himself and glad to have strong Pokemon helping him.

Now for the final test, it's time for Paras to have a battle against Hana. Hana chooses Charmeleon.

"Alright Paras, are you ready?" Cassandra asks.

"Paras," (Ready.) Paras happily says.

Hana says to her Pokemon, "Alright Charmeleon, time to see how this training goes."

"Char," (Right.) Charmeleon says.

Hana tells Cassandra, "Cassandra, you make the first move."

"Right. Paras go!" Cassandra says.

Paras then scurries over to begin the battle.

"Alright Charmeleon go," Hana says.

Charmeleon runs to the battle too.

Cassandra calls out, "Paras, use Seed Bomb."

Paras performs Seed Bomb to attack Charmeleon.

"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower," Hana says.

Charmeleon then performs Flamethrower that burns the Seed Bomb.

Hana then, "Now, use Slash!"

Charmeleon then begins to use the attack.

Cassandra calls out, "Paras jump and use Stun Spore!"

Para quickly jumps in the air dodging the attack. Then performs Stun Spore on Charmeleon.

"Charmeleon dodge," Hana says, and Charmeleon dodge the attack.

Cassandra then calls out, "Paras, use Bug Bite!"

Paras jumps and lands on Chameleon's head. Then begins to perform Bug Bite on Chameleon's head. Chameleon tries to shake Paras off the head, but Paras is proven to be a tough opponent. Paras flies off and lands on the ground.

As the battle continues Diana and the others watch.

"Paras is doing a great job so far," Chase says.

"Same goes for Charmander. He has got very strong since he evolved," Diana says.

"But Paras will have a hard time battling a fire type of Pokemon like Charmeleon," Akira says.

Soon, Paras and Charmeleon begin to charge towards each other. Paras then lifts his claw, and Charmeleon rams into it on the stomach. Charmeleon then falls over and is knocked out.

Surprised, Paras says, "Paras?" (I did it?)

Suddenly, Paras begins to glow. Cassandra, Hana, and the others know what it means. Paras is evolving. Paras grow large as it begins to glow. When it stops glowing, Paras is now an orange, insectoid Pokémon that has been completely overtaken by the parasitic mushroom on its back. It has a small head with pure white eyes and a segmented body that is mostly hidden by the mushroom. It has three pairs of legs with the foremost pair forming large pincers, and has a large red cap with yellow spots.

"Wow!" Diana says.

"It really evolved!" Chase says.

Hana brings out her Pokedex and Dexter says, "Parasect, the Mushroom Pokemon. It battles using poison spheres that spread from the big mushroom canopy on its back."

"We're all proud of you, Parasect," Hana says.

Cassandra hugs Parasect, "I never doubted you! Great job, Parasect!"

Charmeleon regains consciousness and walks over to Parasect.

Charmeleon reaches his paw out and says, "Charmeleon." (Well done.)

"Parasect," (Thank you.) Parasect says, reaching his pinser out.

Cassandra hugs Parasect and says, "Thanks for helping me, Parasect. I knew I'd be able to count on you. Now it's my turn to help. I'm gonna make my miracle potion and improve all the Pokemon in the world!"

Later on, outside of Cassandra's shop, Hana and her friends are ready to leave for the next city.

"I'm sorry we caused so much trouble for you all," Cassandra says.

"It's no trouble. We're glad to help you," Hana says.

"Let us know when you finish your new potion, Cassandra," Diana says.

"I'll be your first customer," Chase says.

Soon, Hana and her friends depart to another part of their adventure.

Hana waves goodbye, "See ya later!"

"Bye, Cassandra!" Akira says.

"Thanks again! Good luck on your journey, everyone!" Cassandra says, waving goodbye.

"Goodbye! Good luck!" Diana calls out.

"Bye. And thanks for the help," Akira says.

Hana and her friends continue to head off on another adventure awaiting them. Hana looks down to see Chameleon walking beside her and Pikachu. She is happy to see how much he has grown, and wonders when the next time he can battle. As the journey continues.