Pokemon Pokopia players have discovered a truly disturbing conversation that can occur between Bulbasaur and Paras. While it's already a surprisingly dark game for an entry in the cozy life-sim genre, Pokemon Pokopia has some particularly grim elements involving the lessons of some classic animals. But this newly discovered dialogue exchange might be the most disturbing in the entire game.
As a spin-off entry in the series, Pokemon Pokopia breaks new ground for the franchise in many ways. It's not just the first time Pokémon has dipped its toes into the cozy life-sim genre, but it also sits as the highest ranked Pokémon game ever on sites like Metacritic and OpenCritic. What else is there Pokemon Pokopia is probably the darkest game in the franchise, as exemplified by this shocking conversation these two Gen 1 Pokemon can have.
Pokopia Player builds the clock tower from Pokémon Gold and Silver
A Pokemon Pokopia player gets creative and builds his own version of the clock tower from Pokemon Gold and Silver, impressing fans.
Pokemon Pokopia's most disturbing calls come from Bulbasaur and Paras
This conversation, shared by X-user PLDHnet, shows Bulbasaur discussing hunger with Paras. In this conversation, Paras says that they are “absolutely starving”, to which Bulbasaur notes that they just ate. Paras follows up by saying, “I don't know why, but my stomach feels like it's bottomless lately. And now I think I'm getting a little heavy… Especially on my back…” in response. This is likely in reference to the mushrooms on Para's back, which grow into a large mushroom when it evolves into Parasect. Unfortunately, the process by which this happens has dire consequences for Pokemon.
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Another interaction between Bulbasaur and Paras has the two dreaming about their future evolution, with Bulbasaur sharing that the bulb on his back is getting bigger and feels like it's going to bloom. This makes sense, as Bulbasaur's bulb turns into a massive flower when it evolves into Ivysaur and then Venusaur. But Paras responds by sharing his own excitement about growing and evolving, promising to meet Bulbasaur again when they evolve to show off their new forms. However, someone Pokémon fans familiar with the history of Paras and its evolution, Parasect, know that this seemingly joyous dialogue is destined to have a grim outcome.
What makes Para's dialogue so terrifying
The lore surrounding Paras and the process by which it evolves into Parasect shows the terrifying reality of biology within Pokémon world. The mushrooms on Para's back aren't just growing there like Bulbasaur's onion, but are actually slowly taking over Para's brain. Para's and Parasect's mushrooms are based on the real Cordyceps mushroom, famous for being portrayed as the source of the zombie infection in The last of us. The real version of the Cordyceps fungus is a parasite that attaches itself to ants and slowly takes control of their bodies, eventually killing the host ant and releasing its spores from the remaining shell.
IN Pokemon Pokopiathese fungi slowly take over Para's brain, and when they evolve into the Parasect, they are simply a shell controlled by the fungus. Therefore, when Paras grows up and evolves, it will never get to show its new evolution to Bulbasaur, because at that point it will be completely under the control of the mushroom on its back. This also explains the clip of Paras complaining about his increasing hunger and the weight on his back. The fungus essentially soaks up nutrients from the Paras to grow, causing the Pokémon to want more and more food to feed its parasite. For a game depicting a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has disappeared from Pokémon world, it is this seemingly innocent conversation that has the darkest background for players aware of Para's underlying lore.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone/user interacts, buys in the game
