To be honest, the moment Kashiwagi saw the man, his first instinct was: Scammer.
It wasn't for lack of reason; this kind of street-side
"Quiz for Rare Pokémon"
trick had been done to death by the Team Rocket trio.
Yet, somehow, there was always a fool willing to take the bait.
But after watching for a few more moments, he realized something was different.
The contestant wasn't answering questions in front of a crowd.
Instead, they were fitted with a device resembling VR goggles and transported into a virtual environment to take the test.
More importantly, there was no entry fee, no requirement to hand over your Pokémon, and the losers showed no signs of being hypnotized or drugged.
They simply stepped away, chatting with their friends and grumbling about how close they had come.
The real clincher for Kashiwagi, however, was the organizer's appearance.
"Dr. Akihabara?"
He checked a photo on his phone, confirming the man's identity—provided it wasn't a very elaborate disguise.
In the anime, Dr. Akihabara was the creator of the Pokémon Transporter System,
filling the role occupied by Bill in the games.
Because of the infamous "Porygon Incident" during the original broadcast, Porygon and Dr. Akihabara had been effectively erased from the anime's main continuity,
becoming a "tear of the era" that never appeared in official episodes again.
But why is a scientist from Kanto here in Hoenn?
Kashiwagi hesitated, then felt a jolt of excitement.
Wait, if he's the one giving away a rare Pokémon... could it be Porygon?
He did a quick search for Porygon on the web.
Results were incredibly scarce, and almost every mention was linked to Dr. Akihabara.
In the anime's lore, he was the literal creator of the species.
Most articles featured him trying to promote Porygon, listing its numerous benefits.
Unfortunately, as a man-made Pokémon, its numbers were limited, and it had never successfully caught on with the public.
Many Trainers interviewed expressed a lack of interest in such a "suspicious" creature.
It wasn't "cute," its move pool was a mystery, and many people were simply uncomfortable with the idea of an artificial life form.
Kashiwagi noted that only high-end collectors seem to care about it.
He felt a bit defensive on the Pokémon's behalf.
Is a blocky duck really that ugly?
Sure, those flat eyes are a bit creepy, but the evolved Porygon2 is adorable!
He searched for Porygon2, but the entries were even fewer.
Akihabara had mentioned it, but since he couldn't even successfully market the base form, the evolution had never seen the light of day.
If this guy is the real deal, the prize is almost certainly a Porygon.
The only problem was that no one seemed to be passing the quiz.
Kashiwagi watched as dozens of people tried and failed.
At first, everyone was enthusiastic, but as the failure rate hit 100%, the crowd grew restless.
Finally, a tough-looking teenager ripped off the VR goggles and spat,
"What kind of trash questions are those!? It's impossible! You're a liar!"
The crowd erupted in jeers.
"He's right! Scammer!"
"Stop wasting our time!"
The group thinned out rapidly, leaving only a few curious onlookers wondering how the "Doctor" would handle the backlash.
Dr. Akihabara reached out as if to explain, but eventually lowered his head with a heavy sigh.
He looked up one more time.
"Is... is anyone else going to participate?"
"I am."
Kashiwagi stepped forward since no one else seemed willing.
Judging by the man's genuine dejection, the odds of him being an imposter were low.
Dr. Akihabara's face lit up.
"Come, come! The questions are actually quite simple!"
"Sure. You're Dr. Akihabara, right?"
Kashiwagi asked in a low voice as he approached.
The doctor jumped.
"You know me?"
"The inventor of the Transporter System? How could I not?"
"But why are you here in Dewford, running a quiz booth?"
Kashiwagi looked him straight in the eye.
Akihabara, clearly not expecting to be recognized, scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ah, well, it's a long story. I'm actually collaborating with the New Team Aqua."
"Collaborating!?"
Kashiwagi was stunned.
"With Team Aqua? On what? A marine debris transport system?"
"It's... complicated! Look, take the quiz first, and we'll talk afterward!"
Akihabara urged frantically.
Kashiwagi shared a look with Chansey, who gave a small nod to reassure him.
With his safety guaranteed, he slipped on the VR goggles.
...
The Virtual Quiz
The world went dark for a split second, then snapped into a brilliant digital landscape.
A blocky, geometric Porygon appeared before him.
It dragged a massive dialogue box into his field of vision.
[Question 1]
As a Trainer, you know every region is home to many Bug-type Pokémon. Look at the silhouette on the screen. What is its evolution? Write your answer on the panel.
A silhouette popped up on the left, moving with surprising fluidity.
Kashiwagi studied it.
The upper half was round, while the lower half looked like a cloth bag with frayed, fuzzy edges.
Easy.
A gift.
He reached out and wrote "Vivillon" in the answer box.
The silhouette was clearly a Spewpa, its evolution could be nothing else.
Ding!
A giant green circle appeared, and the Porygon did a little happy dance.
[Question 2]
Continuing with Bug-types: Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon, uses leaves and trash to make cloaks. It has a diverse evolutionary line. List all the secondary types its evolutions can gain.
Burmy. Evolution depends on gender.
Female Burmy evolve into Wormadam, and their secondary type changes based on their cloak: Plant (Grass), Sandy (Ground), or Trash (Steel).
Male Burmy evolve into Mothim, which gains the Flying type.
Kashiwagi quickly scribbled the four types.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have passed Question 2!]