The two Pokémon stared each other down, eyes locked in a predatory glare.
Both were fighting to catch their breath.
One had just survived a desperate, frantic scramble to dodge a localized lightning storm; the other had been pushed to its absolute limits by a Mega-evolved titan, only to force a massive internal explosion of power.
They were exhausted.
As if by some unspoken agreement, both Wattson and Kashiwagi remained silent for a moment, letting their partners recover.
Of course, the old man couldn't stay quiet for long.
Wattson shifted into his "Serious Gym Leader" persona, looking every bit the veteran.
"Heh heh heh! Kashiwagi! In all my years as a Gym Leader, you're certainly one of the most formidable Trainers I've ever faced!"
"...You flatter me," Kashiwagi replied weakly.
He actually felt like he was going to throw up.
While recalling Mega Aggron into the Poké Ball relieved the direct mental strain, the constant "on-off" switching of that psychic bond was wreaking havoc on his equilibrium.
It felt exactly like "3D motion sickness"—his brain was struggling to keep up with the rapid shifts in sensory input.
Do all Mega-capable Trainers deal with this? Or it's probably just my lack of experience!
Fortunately, he could stomach it. It was still within his limits.
Looking at the situation objectively, Porygon was at a clear disadvantage compared to Manectric.
Porygon was only Level 50, trailing the veteran electric wolf by at least ten to fifteen levels, not to mention the massive gap in Effort Values (EVs).
Years of grueling battle experience couldn't be overcome by a few months of hard work, even with Porygon's digital efficiency.
Kashiwagi's "Cheat" only allowed Porygon to grow slightly faster and learn moves with less effort; it wasn't a magic wand that closed a decade-long gap.
Most of Porygon's strength came from its own relentless training, not just Simulator rewards.
However...
That didn't mean Porygon had zero chance.
Manectric had been battered by Mega Aggron for a significant amount of time. It was visibly flagging compared to the start of the match.
Furthermore, under Trick Room, its greatest asset—its god-tier speed—had been turned into its greatest liability.
Its combat effectiveness was essentially cut in half.
In contrast, Porygon had just successfully evaded a "lethal" blow. It was in peak condition, coiled like a spring, waiting for the perfect moment to delete its opponent's health bar.
"Sharpen!"
"Ice Fang!"
As if an invisible horn had signaled the charge, Kashiwagi and Wattson barked their orders simultaneously.
In an instant...
A blue digital light enveloped Porygon's lower "leg" attachments.
Its angular base shifted and morphed, transforming into two oversized, jagged circular wheels.
If you looked closely, the edges of these wheels were lined with razor-sharp gear teeth, spinning at a terrifying RPM.
At the same time, Manectric lunged, its maw wide open and glowing with a bone-chilling frost. Its face was contorted in a snarl, eyes fixed on its prey.
"MA-NEC!!"
The wolf's feral howl echoed through the hall.
In the blink of an eye, Porygon's geared wheels ignited. It tore across the arena floor, kicking up a plume of dust like a high-speed remote-controlled car, slipping right past Manectric's jaws!
Manectric's lunge hit nothing but air.
"..."
It skidded to a halt, looking back in disbelief as Porygon pulled a perfect high-speed drift, its body swinging around to face the wolf once more.
"What in the world!?"
Wattson's expression mirrored his Pokémon's shock.
But the memory soon clicked—Dr. Akihabara had once mentioned Porygon's signature move, Sharpen... It allowed the Pokémon to restructure its digital geometry.
Back then, Wattson thought the move was just a neat trick that might be useful for his mechanical traps.
He'd eventually dismissed it, figuring he needed a "Network Administrator," not a shape-shifting toy.
He never imagined that one day, he'd be getting a headache from a Porygon's geometry.
"Signal Beam!"
"Dodge it! Psychic!"
Both men threw their arms out in command.
Under Trick Room, Porygon's new geared wheels allowed it to "inherit" Manectric's original lightning speed.
It drifted effortlessly, weaving through the vibrant green beams of Signal Beam while simultaneously launching an assault on the mental plane.
"Pory!"
A pulse of pinkish-purple light rippled outward, traveling through the air as an invisible wave of force.
Slowed by the Trick Room, Manectric couldn't dodge in time. Its body was suddenly hoisted into the air, buffeted by waves of psychic energy!
Vrum! Vrum!
Two consecutive, violent tremors shook the wolf's frame.
"AWOOO!"
Manectric felt as if an invisible giant hand were squeezing it like a stress ball before slamming it ruthlessly into the gym's outer wall.
THUD!
The massive wolf tumbled to the ground.
Unfortunately, because Porygon was still a Ground-type due to Conversion 2, it didn't get a STAB for the Psychic move.
Between that and the Special Defense boost Manectric had gained from Charge, the damage wasn't enough for a knockout.
The yellow-maned wolf gritted its teeth and forced its four paws to lock into the ground, standing back up with a defiant growl.
"Beautifully done, Manectric! Let these young whippersnappers know we aren't that easy to put down!"
Wattson laughed, heartened by his partner's indomitable spirit.
Manectric threw its head back and let out a long, defiant howl, as if trying to bolster its own fading spirit.
"Ma-nec-tric—!!"
This guy is way too tanky! Kashiwagi clicked his tongue in disbelief, feeling a pang of frustration.
That Download boost not hitting Special Attack is really hurting us...
When Porygon first entered the field, its Download ability had triggered.
The ability analyzes the opponent's defenses and boosts the attacking stat that targets the weaker side.
According to Kashiwagi's Pokédex data, Porygon's Attack had been boosted instead of its Special Attack.
A massive waste for a laser-slinging digital bird.
"Pory!"
Watching the wolf refuse to go down, Porygon was getting anxious, its geared wheels spinning so fast they were practically throwing off sparks.
"Don't rush it! If once doesn't work, do it again! Don't underestimate him! Psychic!"
Kashiwagi's shout snapped Porygon back to "reality." The battle-analysis module in its code surged to the forefront, suppressing its emotional sub-routines.
"Pa-pory!"
Porygon's eyes flared with blue light, launching an invisible wave of mental force with surgical precision.
However, halfway across the field, the wave was intercepted by a vibrant green beam of energy firing from Manectric's tail, resulting in a violent mid-air collision.
BOOM!
Smoke billowed between them.
In the anime, move interactions often followed a "clash" logic where types and raw power determined which beam would overpower the other.
Ash had even once used Hawlucha's X-Scissor to physically shatter a Trick Room. But such feats were usually lucky flukes, and Wattson wasn't banking on gimmicks.
"Again!" Kashiwagi roared.
The "Porygon-mobile" zipped through the smoke, appearing right in front of the panting Manectric.
The previous spark of irritation in Porygon's eyes had vanished, replaced by the cold, mechanical stare of a pure Battle Machine.
"Get out of there!"
Under Wattson's alarmed shout, a massive tide of psychic energy erupted from Porygon.
Manectric tried to leap away, but its hind legs buckled and trembled violently.
Even with electricity stimulating its muscles to dull the pain, every living body has a breaking point.
That momentary lapse in speed was all Porygon needed. Its Psychic caught Manectric for a second time.
The wolf was hoisted into the air by the unseen force, becoming a punching bag for a rapid-fire succession of mental shocks!
Vrum! Vrum! Vrum!
THUD!
Finally, Manectric was hurled into the wall. The sound of meat hitting stone was heavy—a dull thud that signaled its stamina had reached the absolute red zone.
And yet.
Its four paws continued to twitch and scrape against the floor as it tried, once more, to stand.
"Ma... nec..."
This guy...
Kashiwagi was genuinely moved by the display.
But he couldn't afford to let Manectric perform a third "miracle" recovery.
"Finish it! Psychic!"
Against a warrior as tenacious as this Manectric, the only true sign of respect was to give it everything you had.
"Pory!"
Fully synchronized with its combat protocols, Porygon closed in.
Its eyes glowed like high-intensity lightbulbs, and a psychic tsunami surged toward the staggering wolf.
Launching three full-power Psychics in a row was starting to drain Porygon's own mental reserves significantly.
Wattson, seeing the impending wave, threw his dignity aside. He clenched his fists and screamed:
"OVERHEAT!!"
Overheat!?
Kashiwagi froze for a split second before his face paled.
"Porygon, hold your ground!!"
In an instant, a brilliant, searing red light enveloped Manectric.
A pillar of flame erupted from beneath it like a volcanic burst, slamming directly into the incoming psychic tide!
"MA-NEC-TRIC—!!"
Rumble—rumble—!
The entire battlefield shook.
The hearts of the three people in the room seemed to vibrate in sync with the roaring energy.
But it wasn't over. A second, even more violent surge of crimson heat erupted from Manectric's core.
The sheer temperature warped the air, physically pushing back the invisible waves of Psychic and racing toward Porygon!
"PA-PORY!!"
Porygon let out a sharp, digital cry, pushing every scrap of its remaining psychic energy into a final outward burst.
Unfortunately, every move has its output limit.
No matter how much Porygon strained, it couldn't overcome the raw, desperate power of that scorching thermal wave.
Its only choice was to detonate its psychic shield directly against the heat!
BOOM—!!!
A world-shaking explosion erupted as a massive plume of fire surged upward!
Kashiwagi raised his arm, using his sleeve to shield his face while his hair whipped wildly in the gale-force winds triggered by the heat.
He hadn't expected Manectric to be hiding a move like that.
Did it learn that from Ash's Torkoal?
The raw power was almost on par with the Overheat used by Flannery's Magcargo—perhaps even a fraction stronger.
It was truly worthy of being Wattson's current ace.
"Porygon!"
He shouted, peering into the dust-shrouded battlefield.
He strained his ears and managed to spot Porygon in a corner of the arena, half its body coated in black soot.
Though it looked a bit miserable, its eyes remained remarkably bright.
Faint pulses of white light began to ripple across its body, causing the soot to flake away and revealing its original magenta and blue color scheme.
Kashiwagi knew Porygon had taken the initiative to use Recover.
As the gym's ventilation fans hummed to life, the smoke cleared rapidly, revealing Manectric collapsed near the wall.
"Manectric is unable to battle! Porygon wins! The Gym Leader has one Pokémon remaining!"
The assistant, Watt, immediately raised the green flag representing the challenger's side.
Wattson looked at his fallen Manectric, then at the steadily recovering Porygon. He scratched his head as he recalled his partner into its Poké Ball.
"Thanks, Manectric. There's not much you can do when you run into a powerhouse like that. You worked hard."
Then, he burst into a loud laugh.
"Hahahaha! It was so close! I really thought that Overheat would take Porygon down with it! Impressive, truly impressive!"
"Mm-hm..."
Kashiwagi nodded in response, turning his attention to Porygon as it rolled its geared feet back to his side.
"Pory!"
It let out a cry that it tried to keep low and composed, but as the combat modules deactivated, its emotional sub-routines resurfaced.
Its eyes were filled with unmistakable excitement.
It had won! It had defeated Manectric! It hadn't let its Trainer down in its very first Gym battle!
"Great job!"
Kashiwagi didn't hold back on the praise. Replaying the battle in his mind, he complimented it again,
"You're really amazing, Porygon!"
"Pa-pory!"
Porygon beamed. Everyone likes to be praised—even a digital Pokémon.
Kashiwagi patted its head, but his mind drifted back to the sudden shift in Porygon's personality during the heat of the fight.
As Dr. Akihabara's first foray into man-made Pokémon, Porygon was equipped with an evolving emotional system.
However, when actual combat began, the dedicated battle modules temporarily suppressed "unnecessary" emotions.
The reason for this traced back to the doctor's roots as a pragmatist.
Having seen too many Pokémon disobey their Trainers, he wanted an entity that could faithfully execute commands without any "interference" or hesitation.
At that time, Dr. Akihabara understood machines, but he likely didn't fully understand Pokémon.
It wasn't until Porygon was actually born that the doctor began to realize the power of emotional connection.
He went on to create Porygon2 to move closer to a "real" Pokémon.
Yet, while he updated the emotional core in subsequent models, he never changed the setting that suppressed emotions during combat—mostly to maintain a distinction between the models.
But Kashiwagi had to admit, this design provided a huge benefit. It drastically shortened the time needed to sync with Porygon.
He never had to worry about it missing an opening due to fear, hesitation, or doubt; it executed every recorded command with absolute precision.
By the time the Pokémon reached the stage where it needed "Heart" and "Spiritual Power," it would likely be ready to evolve into Porygon2 anyway.
It was a multi-purpose win.
In the previous exchange, Porygon had clearly triggered several combat modules.
It wasn't just measuring the optimal attack distance and predicting impact points; more importantly, it had made the best possible split-second judgment when it realized it couldn't tank the hit: it detonated the energy.
By triggering a collision, it prevented Overheat from completely overpowering Psychic, ensuring the brunt of the fire didn't hit it directly.
Thus, while Porygon looked "beat up," it had mostly just taken the splash damage from the shockwave—damage it could easily heal with Recover.
This showed just how much potential Porygon had. In terms of competitive battling, as long as Dr. Akihabara's quality control held up, this species would surely be more popular than the prank-loving Rotom.
As this thought crossed his mind, Kashiwagi looked up just in time to see Wattson pull out his final Ultra Ball.
"Since my strongest partner has been defeated, I'll have to show you my 'hidden' strength! Hahahaha!"
The old man laughed as he threw the ball. "Go! Wash Rotom!"
Flash!
An orange washing machine materialized in the arena, suddenly hovering into the air.
It let out a cackle that made Porygon's entire body tremble with rage.
"Wash-wash!"
RO-TOM!!
"PA-PORY!!"
Porygon glared at the Wash Rotom, its digital heart burning with a fierce, vengeful fire!