Retrospectively, based on how the future developed, Kashiwagi knew that Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon, had almost entirely usurped Porygon's place.
Not only did Rotom thrive in the world of networks, wires, and fiber optics, but it had also become an epoch-making intelligent voice guide.
After the fourth generation, Porygon received a bizarre final evolution and then seemingly faded into obscurity.
But Rotom had its justifications.
What are my stats as an electronic ghost compared to yours, Porygon?
Can you dive into appliances, change forms on the fly, and do it all without needing a recharge?
No, you can't. You don't have the talent.
"So, the Doctor has been trying to create an intelligent machine similar to a Drone Rotom?"
Kashiwagi asked, sipping the coffee Shelly had poured for him.
It tasted decent—he wondered if it was instant or freshly brewed.
"Exactly. He's trying to integrate the marine ecological protection system with Porygon. Unfortunately, progress hasn't been smooth, especially the part about adding Porygon as the AI for the devices..."
Shelly shook her head and sighed, suddenly revealing a bit of insider info.
"Not long ago, we finally finished a miniature submarine. The deep-sea data collection was going perfectly, but when we sent a team to recover it, the sub exploded. It caught the recovery personnel in the blast, which is how those two thieves managed to steal their uniforms."
"Ex... Exploded?"
Kashiwagi's lip twitched.
The vibe was suddenly very "Clemont".
He remembered how that great inventor's various gadgets would always look impressive at first, only to blow up the moment Ash finished chanting the trigger phrase: "The power of science is amazing!"
"Yes. We really have to thank you. If Neo Team Aqua's hard-earned positive reputation had been ruined by those two, everything might have been for nothing," Shelly sighed.
Positive reputation... Kashiwagi didn't even know where to start with that one.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Miss Shelly, you mentioned using the mini-sub to collect data from the seabed?"
"Yes, why?"
"Since the sub exploded, what happened to the Porygon inside? Did it return safely with the data?" Kashiwagi blinked curiously.
Seeing this, Shelly assumed he was just worried about the Pokémon.
"Don't worry, it made it back fine. Dr. Akihabara is very thorough with safety measures. To avoid putting too much strain on the Porygon, he set up a separate storage device...
"Unfortunately, the 'black box' containing the data went missing after the explosion. We questioned the thieves, but they claimed they never saw it. Perhaps some wild Pokémon dragged it away. It's just data, though; we can always collect it again later."
"Ah... that's a real shame. The first completed data set is usually so symbolic..." Kashiwagi let out a look of feigned regret.
Holy cow! That black box really belongs to Neo Team Aqua!
The real question was how it ended up in Sableye's hands. That had to be a story full of twists and turns.
Now that he had confirmed the origin of the black box, he began to hesitate about returning it.
In principle, he should return it to its rightful owner. He had no use for the thing, and returning it would net him some major favor with them—maybe even lead to future cooperation with Neo Team Aqua.
But... had Neo Team Aqua really reformed?
Even though he had shared their coffee, toured their facility, and even seen Officer Jenny vouch for them, the damage caused by Team Snagem's three separate resurrections back in the Orre region made him wary of jumping to conclusions.
Moreover, the submarine explosion happened recently—right around the time Tommy had posted that short video of a Lugia sighting on social media.
Collecting seabed data near Dewford Town at a time like this? Kashiwagi couldn't help but connect the dots.
Of course, it was possible he was just being paranoid. But since the possibility existed, he couldn't just ignore it.
After thinking it over, Kashiwagi decided to hand the black box over to the International Police. Let them investigate what kind of data was actually inside.
With no evidence other than his own theories, it wasn't right for him to pry into another organization's secrets personally. Leaving it to "familiar" International Police contacts was the best move. Officer Jenny, unaware of the nuances, would likely just hand it straight back to Shelly.
With his mind made up, Kashiwagi stood to take his leave.
"Thank you so much for looking after me today. It's getting late, so I'll be on my way."
"Mm... it is late. I'll have someone see you out."
Shelly smiled. The former Team Aqua tactical officer showed none of her old edge.
"If you're ever interested in Neo Team Aqua, feel free to contact me. Our doors are always open."
"Thank you."
Kashiwagi smiled back, then added,
"Could I see Dr. Akihabara one more time? I have a few questions about Porygon I'd like to ask him. It won't take much of his time."
He pulled out Porygon's Poké Ball and gave it a little shake. Since the conversation had been so pleasant, Shelly found it hard to refuse.
"If he isn't sleeping... sure."
The two returned to the main hall. Dr. Akihabara was still there, barking orders and directing researchers with gusto.
"Doctor, I have a question about Porygon,"
Kashiwagi whispered, leaning in.
The Doctor's eyes lit up.
"Speak!"
Kashiwagi asked,
"I heard you mention in the media that Porygon needs 'Up-Grade' data to evolve. Where can I obtain this data?"
"Ah~ the Up-Grade! About that... sorry, I left it back in Kanto. I didn't bring it with me," Dr. Akihabara scratched his head sheepishly.
"But no matter. If you want Porygon to evolve, you can contact my assistant in Kanto. Just send Porygon to him using a portable transfer device...
"Do you have a portable transfer device? If not, you can buy one! I invented them two years ago—very convenient!"
"I have one!" Kashiwagi answered quickly.
"Good. However, I personally suggest you bond with Porygon first before evolving it. Otherwise... it might start looking down on you," the Doctor warned.
"...Look down on me? Why?"
"Because Porygon2 is equipped with a much more powerful learning system. It automatically downloads knowledge from the network to improve itself."
He paused a bit, then continued.
"But as you know, the internet is a complicated place. It's easy for the data to... affect its personality," Dr. Akihabara gave a nervous, awkward laugh.
"Once it starts feeling superior to you, getting it to help you in battle might become quite difficult."
"I see."
Kashiwagi understood the gist. Basically, the high-level AI would end up snubbing an "illiterate" Trainer.
The average ten-year-old Trainer with a primary school education certainly couldn't compete with the sheer processing power and knowledge base of a Porygon2.