Tia tests out Level Balls while trying to escape from the Paras in the Ilex Forest.
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
“AAAGH!!” A panicked scream broke the relative silence of the Ilex Forest. The leaves rustled violently, then parted to reveal Tia’s scrambling form, with an angry Paras hot on her heels.
“Go AWAY!” Tia screeched, “I’m looking for Bulbasaurs, not you!” The Paras refused to stop, instead trying to nip at her feet and trip her up. Nearby, another Paras saw the commotion and joined its comrade in chasing her.
“Oh, no…” Tia wailed, then gave an exasperated sigh. “Oh, fine! You asked for it!” She pulled out a Poke Ball and threw it. “Aoki!”
A shiny, blue-furred Houndour appeared between her and the Paras, growling and eyeing them dangerously.
“Aoki, use Flamethrower!” The attack torched one Paras, but missed the other. Before the other Paras could do anything, Tia threw a Level Ball at it.
She held her breath as the Level Ball wobbled three times, then clicked shut. Then she picked the Level Ball up, scowling at it.
That was another Level Ball wasted on these Paras, when she should have been tracking and catching Bulbasaurs for Professor Oak’s next trainer class. The Azalea Town locals had warned her about the Paras before she left on her research trip, but she didn’t truly realize how relentless they were when threatened. And everything threatened them.
She thought of the rest of the Paras in the forest, her dwindling supply of Level Balls, and the fact that what little sunlight was left shining through the trees was fading. It was time to go.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling, and a multitude of hissing sounds coming from the brush.
“Oh, no… not again!” Tia moaned, preparing to run again.
Aoki, meanwhile, looked as if all his dreams had come true, and prepared to torch the Paras down.
Later, long after the sun had set, Tia trudged out of the forest, sooty and bedraggled, and dragging a bag full of Level Balls. The air, hilariously, smelled of barbecued mushrooms. Aoki trotted next to her, looking very proud of himself.
Tia set up her research station on the outskirts of town, too tired to walk all the way back to Kurt’s house or the Pokemon Center. She selected a Level Ball from the towering pile and plugged it in.
Paras
Level 3
Gender: Male
Capture Rate: 7.9
Tia’s eyebrows shot up at the capture rate value, and she laughed maniacally, not understanding how Pokemon with levels so low could be so deadly.
This is my tribute (?) to the all the homicidal Paras you meet when playing Pokemon Legends: Arceus!