Overview
The Paras and Parasect dialogue in Pokemon Pokopia is one of the most disturbing pieces of environmental storytelling in the game. The dialogue plays out the canonical Cordyceps-fungus horror that has defined the Paras line since 1996 and confirms it is the mushroom, not Paras itself, that walks around once evolution into Parasect is complete.
The Pre-Evolution Dialogue
When Paras and Bulbasaur are placed in the same area, players can overhear a conversation between them. Paras tells Bulbasaur that it is "absolutely starving." Bulbasaur points out that they just ate, to which Paras responds:
"I dunno why, but it feels like my tummy is bottomless lately. And now I think I'm starting to get kinda heavy... Especially up on my back..."
On the surface, this is innocent dialogue: a young Pokemon complaining about hunger and weight gain. To players familiar with Paras lore, the lines describe the parasitic mushroom on Paras's back siphoning nutrients from its host. The mushroom's growth is what causes the weight on Paras's back, and the bottomless hunger comes from the mushroom drawing energy from Paras to fuel its own development.
The Cordyceps Connection
The mushrooms on Paras and Parasect are based on the real-world Cordyceps fungus, a parasitic organism that infects insects and arthropods. Cordyceps takes over the host's nervous system, eventually killing the host while spreading spores. The fungus has been popularized in fiction as the basis for the zombie infection in The Last of Us.
Paras's official Pokedex entries across multiple generations confirm this dynamic explicitly. The mushroom (called tochukaso in Japanese, a real fungus genus that includes Cordyceps) does not grow on Paras the way Bulbasaur's bulb grows on Bulbasaur. Instead, the mushroom is feeding on Paras and slowly consuming it from within.
Pre-Evolution Hopefulness
After the initial conversation, Paras excitedly tells Bulbasaur that it hopes to evolve soon and become "big and strong." This makes the dialogue more tragic. Paras is unaware that evolution into Parasect means the mushroom has fully taken over and the Pokemon (the bug part) is essentially dead. The Pokedex entries describe Parasect as having "hollow" eyes; the bug has been consumed.
Post-Evolution Dialogue
When the same Paras evolves into Parasect, players can interact with it again. The dialogue tone changes drastically. Parasect speaks in a noticeably flat, robotic, almost mechanical voice. The cheerful childlike personality of Paras is gone. The mushroom is now in control, using the Pokemon's body as a vehicle. However, the Parasect dialogue includes a small detail that softens the horror: the mushroom expresses that it still experiences emotions and wants to be more expressive, especially when it is happy.
Why This Matters
Pokopia uses its dialogue system to make veteran fans recontextualize a piece of Pokemon lore that has always been disturbing but rarely directly addressed in-game. Most Pokemon games leave the Cordyceps horror to Pokedex entry text. Pokopia stages it as an actual in-game scene with two interaction states (pre-evolution and post-evolution) that players can witness firsthand. The before-and-after voice change is what crystalizes the horror, because it confirms the takeover is complete and irreversible.
How to Trigger the Dialogue
Befriend both Paras and Bulbasaur in your settlement.
Place their habitats adjacent or close enough that they will socialize.
Wait for the conversation to trigger naturally during normal gameplay; the dialogue plays out when both Pokemon are nearby and not engaged in their specialty tasks.
To trigger the post-evolution Parasect dialogue, evolve Paras through the standard means and re-interact.
Tips
If you want to witness the full pre-evolution dialogue, do not rush Paras's evolution. The conversation only plays when Paras is still Paras.
Use Photo Mode to capture the dialogue text. The before-and-after pair makes for memorable screenshots.
Pokopia includes several other dark lore moments alongside this one. See Lore and Backstory for the broader collection.