The first two questions weren't particularly difficult.
Kashiwagi knew the real challenge wouldn't be at the start.
There were bound to be much more devious questions waiting for him later.
Then, the third question appeared.
[Gastrodon are divided into East Sea and West Sea variants with different colors. How many colors do they have in total across both forms? Please answer.]
...Huh?
How many colors?
Why don't you just ask me how many bumps they have on their skin while you're at it?
He stared at the screen, speechless.
As if to taunt him, the Porygon on-screen summoned two monochrome Gastrodon into the air.
The two forms had slight physical differences.
He didn't expect Dr. Akihabara to hit him with a "mental shock" as early as the third question.
But there was no way around it; he had to answer.
In his memory, Gastrodon didn't actually have that many colors.
The East Sea form has a green back, yellow stripes and fins, and a blue belly.
The West Sea form has a brown back, yellow stripes, and a pink belly.
So that makes five...
Wait.
Do the eyes and eye sockets count as colors?
Kashiwagi stared at the Porygon, and the Porygon stared back.
A classic staring contest.
He remembered that regardless of the sea they came from, these things had three "eye-shaped" markings.
The sockets were black, and the pupils were white.
Therefore, it should be seven.
Kashiwagi mulled it over and felt that seven was the most likely answer.
He typed it in with a surge of confidence.
What else could he do?
When faced with such a niche, tricky question, you just have to grit your teeth and go for it.
Fortunately, he got it right.
When the large green circle appeared, Kashiwagi breathed a sigh of relief.
He was truly curious if the prize was a Porygon, so he really wanted to clear this.
...
Fourth question.
Kashiwagi looked at the prompt and felt the urge to rip off the headset.
He finally understood why that young man from earlier had been so furious.
[Far away in the Alola region, there is a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon called Turtonator.]
[Its shell is covered in holes to allow its limbs to move freely, and there is a hole in its chest to dissipate the shock of its own explosions.]
[So, the question is: How many explosive spikes are there in total on a Turtonator's back?]
Kashiwagi: "..."
Is this a question designed for humans?
You spend half the prompt talking about holes, only to ask how many spikes are on its back?
What a cheap trick.
What if there's a biological mutation? What if it lost a spike in battle?
You monster!
He didn't even want to imagine what the fifth question would be like.
He desperately searched his memory.
Eventually, he settled on eight: four large spikes and four small spikes.
Technically, the edges of the shell have points too, but they don't trigger explosions, so they shouldn't count.
He typed in "8."
Beep!
The large green circle was almost blinding.
But as annoying as the questions were, someone out of dozens of people must have reached the fourth one.
So, what kind of hellish fifth question was knocking them all out?
...
The fifth question.
The final one.
[As we all know, human wisdom—much like that of Pokémon—can create miracles.]
[Research shows that many Pokémon originate from human invention. What is the name of the first man-made Pokémon of the modern era?]
Modern era? Magearna?
Just kidding.
It had to be Porygon.
Since Dr. Akihabara wrote the quiz, there was no way it would be Magearna.
He even specifically mentioned the "modern era." Magearna dates back five hundred years.
Seeing this question, Kashiwagi relaxed, but he felt a wave of pity for the people who came before him.
This was sheer "force majeure."
The first man-made Pokémon of the modern era...
Who on earth would know that?
Most Trainers don't even know man-made Pokémon exist, which was evident by how sparse Porygon's Pokédex entry was.
Even when the answer was literally floating right in front of them.
Kashiwagi glanced at the blocky, digital duck that was the Porygon UI and wrote down its name.
Instantly.
Countless fireworks exploded in Kashiwagi's vision.
Even though it was silent without headphones, the Porygon's expression looked incredibly surprised.
And in the real world, Dr. Akihabara was equally ecstatic.
"You answered it? You actually answered it!"
Kashiwagi felt his hands being grabbed.
His body stiffened, and then his blindfold was removed by a Chansey.
He saw Dr. Akihabara, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Is this Doctor always this unstable?
"Ahem... Doctor, I recognized you on sight. Is it really that strange that I could answer the questions?"
"If anything, the fact that so many people failed is just because Porygon isn't famous enough."
"You should promote it more!" Kashiwagi said earnestly.
Hearing this, Dr. Akihabara cried even harder.
"Waaaaah... I've really tried my best to promote it!"
"But I always run into problems, so I can't get Porygon out there."
"It's clearly an epoch-making Pokémon!"
Did the anime production team's ban actually affect the Pokémon world too?
Kashiwagi complained inwardly but offered some comfort.
"Don't be so upset. I believe the world will eventually discover Porygon's brilliance!"
"Exactly! You're absolutely right!"
Dr. Akihabara ignored the weird looks from the bystanders and shook Kashiwagi's hand vigorously.
"As I thought, a Trainer like you is the one worthy of being entrusted with this!"
He wiped his face with a handkerchief and pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Here! Inside is the prize for the quiz! Porygon!"
That was fast!
Kashiwagi hadn't even introduced himself yet, and Dr. Akihabara was already handing it over.
A Trick Room setter!
The Trick Room setter of his dreams was finally here!
Even though it was another Normal-type weak to Fighting...
Porygon2 with an Eviolite is ridiculously tanky—
Wait.
Why is it another Pokémon that needs an Eviolite?
Kashiwagi suddenly felt like his team was becoming an "Eviolite Squad."
If he gathered three more, could he become the Eviolite Elite Four?
His Pokémon might not have anything else, but they'd definitely be wearing Eviolites, or they wouldn't survive a hit.
Thinking about it that way... it was actually kind of cool.
"Thank you."
Kashiwagi took the Poké Ball with both hands.
Dr. Akihabara couldn't wait and raised Kashiwagi's right arm high.
"The first Trainer to obtain this ultra-rare Pokémon has appeared! Who's next?!"
The crowd immediately erupted into whispers.
Some thought the previous failures were just bad luck.
Others thought Kashiwagi was a plant hired by Dr. Akihabara because they looked so friendly.
Finally, the onlookers reached a consensus:
"Let the Pokémon out so we can see it!"
"Yeah, let's see what it is!"
"Show us!"
At Dr. Akihabara's excited nod of approval, Kashiwagi opened the Poké Ball.
Pop!
A flash of white light.
A red-and-blue blocky digital duck appeared on the ground.
Its eyes looked vacant and hollow, not unlike a Psyduck's.
As soon as Porygon appeared, the crowd went wild.
"What is that?"
"Is that a Pokémon? Isn't it just a toy?"
"Look! It moved! It moved!"
"You guys are so ignorant. I know this Pokémon. It's from the Kanto region, right?"
"It's called... Pory-dog! Yeah, that's it, Pory-dog!"
"Hey, the Pokédex has a listing! Listen! This guy is called Porygon!"
"It's actually a real Pokémon in the Dex!"