Deep within a void of absolute darkness...
Countless streaks of glowing blue light, varying in thickness, crisscrossed and intersected. They pulsed with a rhythmic shimmer, forming a magnificent, meticulously woven digital grid.
In this realm, a single touch to one of these light-belts would flood the mind with massive amounts of data. Following these narrow pathways led to a series of shimmering virtual rings.
When the blue light-belts merged into these rings, they vanished into the ether.
This was the manifestation of the Information Network.
Historically, Team Rocket once intercepted Poké Balls being transferred through this very space, preventing them from reaching their destination and prompting an investigation by Ash and his friends.
That clash involved a chaotic battle between Porygon Unit Zero and Porygon Unit 1, ending in a frantic escape from the network's built-in "Antivirus" software—a shapeshifting fighter jet that nearly trapped them forever.
But for a Porygon, Cyberspace wasn't a prison. It was a playground—a place to come and go as it pleased.
...
Currently, Kashiwagi's Porygon was cruising through the data streams with a very specific mission:
Find that annoying Rotom from earlier today and give it a digital beatdown.
Pory-gon! (Translation: "Where's that cheap replica!")
Porygon knew that unprovoked attacks weren't exactly "good behavior." A street scrap was different from an official Gym battle, but the flickering flame of irritation in its core just wouldn't go out.
What is wrong with me? it wondered, its blocky head tilting.
Despite the internal conflict, the desire to clobber Rotom remained top priority.
By this time of night, that prankster should have detached from its drone, right?
...Actually, hard to say.
Given Rotom's quirky nature, it might not even be in the network. It could be hiding inside a toaster or a washing machine somewhere in Mauville City.
But Porygon wasn't one to break a promise—even a promise made to itself. It decided to scout Rotom's favorite digital haunts. If it couldn't find it tonight, it would wait until after tomorrow's Gym battle to finish the job.
...
The digital void was massive. After searching for over half an hour without seeing a single ghostly spark, Porygon was starting to lose its patience.
Pory... gon-gon! It agitatedly kicked its blocky legs in mid-air. It felt like it was searching for a Needle-type move in a haystack.
Forget it, Porygon huffed. I need to sleep. As much as it wanted revenge, it knew its priorities. Tomorrow was its first-ever Gym battle. It couldn't afford to waste all its energy on a grudge match.
I have to show my trainer what I can do!
Porygon pumped itself up, spinning around to head home—only to freeze in its tracks.
Standing right behind it was another Porygon.
It was just... there. Silent. Motionless. Porygon hadn't felt a single ripple in the data stream to signal its arrival.
"Pory-g-on!?" (Wait, what!?)
It jumped back, startled. However, the stranger didn't look hostile. It just stared.
Are there other Porygon in the Mauville City network? Porygon wondered. I thought that old man with the receding hairline—the one with the white beard—said the Porygon line was inefficient and switched to Rotom instead?
Trying to be polite, Kashiwagi's Porygon raised a blocky limb in a friendly wave.
"Pory-pory!"
"..."
The stranger remained "dazed," eyes fixed forward, saying absolutely nothing.
The silence was getting awkward.
"Pory...gon?"
"..."
"PORY-GON!"
Losing its temper, Porygon initiated a Tackle, charging straight at the intruder.
Whish—
Porygon flew right through the stranger's body as if it were passing through smoke. Its heart (or the digital equivalent) skipped a beat. It spun around instantly.
It was still there. Staring.
This guy!!
"PORY-GON!"
Porygon's body flashed. Its blue parts surged into a bright, vibrant yellow. Conversion 2! A massive bolt of electricity crackled into existence.
THOOOOM!
The Thunderbolt roared through the space, but once again, the current passed right through the phantom Porygon, striking a nearby blue light-belt instead.
Pop! The light-belt flickered and went dim.
Oops. I just broke someone's internet connection.
...
Porygon's internal fans were practically whirring with anxiety. This phantom Porygon was giving it the digital creeps. It couldn't be touched, couldn't be hit... was it just an image?
But there were no "holograms" in Cyberspace—everything here was data. And this "data" was definitely tracking its every move.
"PORY!"
Porygon shifted colors again. It turned a dark, spectral purple—Ghost-type. It conjured a swirling, malicious Shadow Ball and hurled it at the phantom.
Miss.
Electric didn't work. Ghost didn't work.
What IS this thing?
Porygon eyed the silent stranger warily. It remembered Kashiwagi's lessons: If you can't figure out the opponent's gimmick, don't stay and find out the hard way. Maybe its Trainer would know what to do!
Porygon made a split-second decision to retreat. Its body flickered and vanished in a Teleport.
Seconds later, it reappeared far across the grid. It looked back, panting digitally. The stranger was still in the same spot, miles away, but its gaze was still locked onto Porygon's position.
If that thing follows me home, I'm doomed.
Run, run, run!
....
Porygon raced toward the exit. If it had skin, it would have been covered in goosebumps.
To make sure the creepy stalker wasn't following, it kept glancing back. Once the silhouette was completely out of sight and the exit ring was right in front of it, Porygon finally started to relax.
Wait.
Porygon stopped abruptly.
It realized that if Kashiwagi were in this situation, he would never lead a suspicious entity back to his home. He would use a diversion.
Better safe than sorry.
Adjusting its trajectory, Porygon bypassed its usual exit ring and dived into a completely different one.
It never noticed that as it disappeared, a strange figure emerged from the distant light-belts.
It looked somewhat like a Porygon—red and blue with a rounded, toy-like body—but its shape was twisted, resembling a glitchy hummingbird. Its head was detached from its body, twitching and shuddering unnaturally with every movement.
And on its forehead, a large, glowing "0" stood out, vivid and ominous.
-----
Porygon's vision blurred for a split second before snapping back into focus—directly into the startled faces of a human family.
"Pory-g?"
It glanced around. It was currently sitting inside a television screen in someone's living room. The TV was broadcasting the Pokémon Poké-Slam World Cup, a competitive sport that was all the rage across multiple regions.
It seemed Porygon's sudden digital intrusion had thoroughly ruined the family's game-night vibes.
"Aaaah! Dad! A weird thing just popped out of the screen!"
"Honey, do something!"
"I—I'm trying! Changing the channel isn't working! Slakoth, use your imagination! Do something, please!"
"Slaaa-koh..."
"Dad, Slakoth isn't going to do anything..."
The family was scrambling around in a panic, except for the Slakoth, who looked like it couldn't be bothered to exist, let alone fight. It made a half-hearted attempt to swat at the TV before being pulled back.
Porygon huddled in the corner of the screen. How do I get out of here?
Usually, it relied on dedicated data ports or its Poké Ball to transition between the digital and physical worlds. It wasn't like Rotom, who could zip through power lines and possessed appliances at will.
In a way... did I just lose to Rotom in utility?
No! Focus! I need to get out!
Ignoring the panicked stares, Porygon managed to locate a digital data interface within the TV's hardware. With a surge of effort, it converted its data back into physical matter.
"Pory-gon!"
It gave the bewildered family a quick, apologetic bow before its body flickered and Teleported away.
...
This "exit" wasn't far from its Trainer's location. Porygon figured Kashiwagi's room had to be nearby.
The scenery shifted instantly.
Porygon found itself standing on a busy outdoor street. Under the glow of the streetlamps, traffic buzzed and the city hummed with life.
Even though it was past midnight, plenty of people were still out wandering. Seeing a Porygon materialize out of thin air drew more than a few curious looks.
"Pory-gon..."
It quickly ducked into the shadows, observing its surroundings. It realized the massive Mauville Hills complex was just across the road, and behind it stood a skyscraper apartment building—the place it had just escaped from.
Whew. I Teleported a huge distance in a panic. Glad I didn't end up in the middle of traffic.
Squinting its eyes toward the second floor of Mauville Hills, Porygon focused and used Teleport once more.
...
This time, it appeared in a hallway bathed in warm, yellow light. The familiar sight of the doors made it sigh in relief. This was definitely the place.
It floated down the hall, found the right room, and zipped inside using one last Teleport.
Darkness.
Suddenly, a silver flash cut through the air. A massive, metallic claw swept toward Porygon with blinding speed—only to stop a hair's breadth from its face.
"Ag-gron?" (Ag-gron?)
A familiar, deep rumble echoed in the room.
Porygon, nearly scared out of its digital wits, looked up into a pair of startled yet slightly exasperated sky-blue eyes. It was Aggron.
"Pory... Pory-gon."
It chirped awkwardly, signaling that there had been a minor "incident" and it needed to report to the boss.
....
Two minutes later, Kashiwagi walked out of the bathroom, looking much more awake after splashing some cold water on his face.
"So, what happened?" he asked, looking at Porygon.
Porygon dove into his phone and began rapidly typing out its experience in Cyberspace.
"There's another Porygon in the Mauville network that you can't hit no matter what?"
Kashiwagi raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
The Porygon on the phone screen started spinning in circles like a frantic Chihuahua.
Suddenly, a small window popped up next to the text. Inside was a short video clip—recorded from Porygon's own perspective—showing the encounter with the stranger and its subsequent flight.
Kashiwagi blinked. "Wait... you have a recording function?"
"Pory-gon..."
The Porygon looked at the box beside it in disbelief, clearly unaware of its own abilities.
Perhaps some hidden system had been activated again.
Kashiwagi didn't dwell on it too much. Dr. Akihabara had mentioned stuffing the Porygon line with all sorts of "secret functions" to help it outshine Rotom in the tech market.
During their last chat, the doctor told him to "look forward" to these features unlocking over time.
Look forward to it my foot!
"..."
---
He watched the short clip in silence, then let out a sharp, low hiss.
"Yikes... what on earth is that thing? I've gotta hand it to you, Porygon—staying that calm while facing something so creepy is impressive."
A phantom Porygon...
Could it be a prank by a Rotom?
Unlikely. I've never heard of an 'Electronic Ghost' having projection powers like that.
Besides, why would one go through the trouble?
"By the way," Kashiwagi's tone shifted as the main question finally clicked in his brain.
"What were you doing in Cyberspace in the middle of the night anyway?"
The Porygon inside the phone froze mid-pixel.
A few seconds of heavy silence passed.
Then, it confessed everything.
....
Kashiwagi looked at his Pokémon, utterly speechless. He never imagined that his usually stoic Porygon, upon finding another Pokémon annoying, would sneak out for a digital back-alley brawl.
Why would Porygon even think like this? This isn't like its usual logical self.
At first, Kashiwagi gave it a stern verbal scolding. Then, he beckoned the blocky Pokémon out of the phone and sat down for a real heart-to-heart.
He'd known Porygon wasn't a fan of Rotom, but he hadn't realized the resentment had spiraled this far.
He felt a pang of relief that Porygon hadn't kept him entirely in the dark; if it had caused a massive digital disaster, he might have been the last to know.
As they talked, the root of Porygon's anxiety became clear:
It was terrified of being replaced.
It was a starkly realistic fear. Porygon knew Kashiwagi would catch many Pokémon. Seeing how that Rotom had clung to him all day had triggered a massive sense of crisis.
...
What if the Trainer catches that Rotom?
What if he prefers having Rotom live in his phone instead of me?
What if I can't evolve, and my battle power falls behind?
...
Pokémon, like humans, have a sense of possessiveness. They have a clear understanding of their role and function within the team.
Porygon might have felt its "status" was low, but it took immense pride in the unique tasks only it could perform for Kashiwagi.
Rotom was a direct threat to that identity. Everything Porygon could do, Rotom could do—and there were things Rotom could do that Porygon couldn't.
Already anxious about its delayed evolution, Porygon was lost and panicked. Sensing its Trainer's ambiguous attitude toward the new Pokémon, it had lashed out at Rotom.
...
"I see... the mistake started with me."
Kashiwagi sighed, covering his face with his hand. He looked down at Porygon, who was now avoiding eye contact, its digital eyes flickering with nerves.
Usually, he prided himself on being observant. But he realized he'd spent all his time weighing the "future market value" of Porygon versus Rotom, rather than looking at the Pokémon right in front of him.
Does that stuff matter right now?
Of course.
But looking at your own partner matters more.
Porygon was hurting. Worrying about "the industry" five years from now was a joke if he couldn't even see the distress in his own room.
I really am thick-headed, he cursed himself.
Porygon might be an artificially created lifeform, but it possessed a full spectrum of emotions.
It felt joy, it felt loss, and it desperately wanted to move forward alongside its teammates. As its Trainer, shouldn't he have known that better than anyone?
If it weren't for that eerie phantom Porygon scaring it into talking, Kashiwagi might have stayed lost in his "big picture" plans forever.
With a mindset like that, no wonder I couldn't get Porygon's trust level to six hearts.
I thought Dr. Akihabara's standards were the problem. Turns out, I was the problem.
Kashiwagi dropped to one knee. He reached out and gently pulled Porygon into a hug.
"I'm sorry. I was talking without thinking earlier, acting like this had nothing to do with me."
"Pory...gon?"
Porygon was stunned. It never expected an apology. It felt like it was the one who had messed up by picking a fight and running into trouble.
"I really should apologize," Kashiwagi said earnestly.
"As your Trainer and your partner, I ignored your feelings and just kept giving you tasks to do. I failed you, and for that, I'm truly sorry."
He pulled back slightly to look it in the eye.
"I can't predict the future, but I can promise you this: Porygon, you are an irreplaceable partner in my team. No matter how many new members join the team, nobody will—or ever could—take your place."
"You've worked so hard for me... thank you. I hope you can forgive me. Let's keep working toward the future together, okay?"
He spoke softly, but firmly. There was no shame in bowing his head to his Pokémon.
Pride was worthless compared to making sure Porygon knew how much he needed it.
"My life just wouldn't work without you."
"Pory-gon..."
Looking at Kashiwagi's face, etched with genuine regret, Porygon felt a distance close that it hadn't even realized was there.
Before, its Trainer had felt close yet strangely far away—like he was always a few steps ahead, where Porygon couldn't quite see his eyes. But now, everything was clear.
My Trainer is so kind. And actually... he's pretty cool.
Digital tears welled up in its pixelated eyes, but they quickly crinkled into two happy crescents.
"Pory-gon!"