This entry contains some implied human-Pokemon romance… of the K+ rating variety.
Porygon, Porygon2, and Porygon-Z
Porygon condition check... good.
Situation check... located in the doorway to Trainer's room. Trainer is at computer, examining program files. Porygon currently guarding doorway.
Noise detection triggered... footsteps. Three sources, all climbing stairs. Check identity.
Identity check... Subject 1: annoying little brother. Subject 2: annoying little brother's friend. Subject 3: Mom.
Orders are to forbid access to Trainer's room to annoying little brother. Response 1: Growl.
Humans speaking. Commencing translation.
A.L.B: See Mom? Porygon keeps growling at me whenever I come up here.
Mom: Michael, what's the meaning of this?
Trainer: Todd keeps bugging me when I'm trying to work. I wouldn't have to do this if he'd stop coming into my room without knocking.
Mom: Todd, you should be knocking. But Michael, you don't need to have your Pokemon growl at him every time he walks by. And you should stop working in that dim room. Come out and get some fresh air and sunshine.
Trainer: But Mom, I'm almost done...
Mom: Make Porygon stop.
Trainer: Alright, sheesh. Porygon, you can let Todd in my room, if he knocks. And stop growling as much.
Orders altered. Affirm with short call.
ALB: We wanna see what you're doing.
ALB knocks. Move aside and allow him in.
Mom: I still think you should get a real Pokemon.
Trainer: But Porygon is a real Pokemon.
ALBF: She's artificial intelligence, though.
Mom: And she doesn't act like a real Pokemon should. She just sits there until you tell her to do something. I can't believe people were willing to pay so much for a fancy paperweight.
Trainer: Well this science is still new. This Upgrade will make her better, you'll see.
Mom: We shouldn't be playing God, you know.
Mom leaves the hall and returns downstairs. ALBF kneels down and pokes Porygon. Recommended response: Turn to him and see if he means harm.
Trainer: It's not like that.
ALBF: So this is the Pokemon you stole from the Game Corner?
Trainer: I did not steal her. I liberated her from Team Rocket.
ALBF: Yeah, right.
Trainer: It isn't really stealing if you're taking it from a thief. Besides, she's officially registered under my ID Number, so as far as anyone is concerned, she's mine.
ALBF: So why haven't you given her the Upgrade? Did you get it late?
ALB: No, he signed up for it as soon as it was announced.
Trainer: I'm studying it carefully so that I know how it works. I already know most of Porygon's programming, I just want to see what Porygon2 is capable of.
ALBF: I hear they use Porygon2 in space to repair satellites and explore the moon.
Trainer: That's true, but I'm not sure this Upgrade will be enough.
ALB: You've had it for two months now! Come on, evolve her already!
Trainer: Well it's not going to do any harm, and I have a copy of it made. Porygon, move to my computer.
Move onto computer; affirm with short call.
Interface with infrared connection... done. Transfer data into computer... ... ... ... done.
Silph Inc. Upgrade 2-PYGN-XGSC detected. Checking registration... authenticated. Checking for bugs... none found.
Install Upgrade? Y/N
Y
... ... ... ...
Data downloaded. I am well.
...
I?
I have encountered a small item that is not identified in my database. It is on the kitchen floor. It is a spherical object with a diameter of nearly one centimeter. It is green and partially coated with ice crystals. I poke it with my beak and it rolls. It smells of frozen water and green foodstuff. It must be some sort of food.
"What are you doing, Porygon?" Mom asks. She looks down. "Oh, you have a frozen pea. Play with it if you want. Or can."
A pea that is frozen. It has been three years since my upgrade and I still find new things to notice. I have registered that item and will recognize another frozen pea if it falls on the floor.
I push it around for a bit. That seems to be play for the other Pokemon, although I see no point to it. I eat the pea, and it is good.
The door opens as Michael and Todd come home. The younger boy rushes in. "Mom, I got an A on my history test!"
She claps a few times before hugging him. "Good job. What about math?"
"It's good," he replies.
I bring my wings around and look at them. Could I clap? It seems possible, a simple motion. I bring my wings together. Yes, that seems right.
Michael takes an envelope from the table and opens it. After reading the letter inside, he grins. "Yes, the tech institute accepted me!"
"Ooorriii!" I cheer and clap for him.
He laughs and picks me up to pet my head. "Hey, you learned something. Thanks, Pory."
"Gooo," I say as I put my head against his chest. The petting always feels nice.
"Good going," Mom says. "How are you going to pay for it?"
"I'll manage," Michael replies.
I clap again.
He shakes his head and taps my beak. "No, that's not the right time to clap."
I will have to learn when the appropriate time to clap is.
Michael has been working almost non-stop since he got thrown out of tech school. They did not appreciate his attitude, if I understand correctly. I do not know what this means for us, but he shows no obvious signs of being upset. Unless, this constant work is a sign. He has worked all night on previous projects. However, this has taken him months.
My internal programming recommends that I make sure he does not make himself ill. So once an hour, I prod him to make sure that he is drinking plenty of fluids. When it is time for him to eat, I gently nip his arm. And when it is time for him to sleep, I tug at his clothing.
It works on most occasions, but then he goes right back to his computer and works. Is this normal for humans? It is normal for him.
"Don't worry, girl," he tells me. "I've almost got it."
He's always referred to me as female. It makes no difference to me, other than having to learn to look at people when they say, 'girl' or the like. The last friend who visited suggested that it was because I am taking care of him so much. But that was over a month ago.
"I'll make it so that they can never deny that you're real again," he continues. "You're the only one who stands by me now. You appreciate me and I appreciate you. I'll make sure that everyone can appreciate how wonderful you are."
He is my Trainer and that is why I stand by him. That is how I was programmed. That is how other Pokemon must be programmed as well, for they stand by their Trainers faithfully too. I do not understand what this business about me being false is, but if Michael says he can fix it, then I know that he can.
"Pory!"
I had been napping, but I woke up. I brought my head up and looked at Michael. "Re?"
He clapped his hands and grinned. "I've got it! The Psyche Disc!"
I looked at the orange CD case he had, then smiled and clapped for him.
He came to pick me up, then sit me on his lap in front of his computer. "This will further enhance your emotive and learning capacities, as well as give you an open-ended editing routine that will make you truly like the other Pokemon. You'll still be made of pure information, but with this, no one should be able to distinguish your behaviors from that of others. Then you and your peers can be fully appreciated, as you were meant to be."
I am not sure what this all means, but if he is happy, then that is good.
Michael gazed at the computer screen. "I'll call your new form Porygon-Z, for it is the zenith of created intelligence programs. Whenever you're ready, move into the computer and download the information." He opened the case and slid the CD into the tower.
My systems are all working fine, so I transfer myself into the computer. I can recall how drastic my first evolution was. A Porygon2 does not look much different that a Porygon, but my mind advanced so much. How will this change me?
I cannot answer that now.
I check the download. I trust Michael, but procedures must be followed. It is good and clean. It is official from Silph. I connected myself to it and take in the information.
... ... ... ...
It is done! Hurray!
The spring shower feels utterly divine as I spin and dance in it. The cold water splatters on my brightly colored skin, giving it a sheen that Contest Pokemon would kill for. Such fools! Wasting their time in hour after hour of parlor treatments and dance lessons. They endure blindly hot spotlights while wearing such ridiculous costumes to look their best when all I have to do is dance in the rain. The raindrops are cool and kind, natural and friendly, while those hideous spotlights are hot and bright, unnatural and merciless. No thanks. I'd rather take my chances with the mud puddles.
Michael slips his cellphone down to softly call, "Pory," then taps the bench beside him.
Giggling, I come over and sit by him. "It's such fun," I tell him. "Why don't you dance?"
He turns back to his cellphone, though. "No, we're waiting on the evaluation of Porygon-Z... No, I'm not obsessed with Porygons, Mom. I've worked hard on this, but... I don't have a girlfriend. I don't think I'm ready... it's not like that! Don't you ever listen?" He hung up. "Why do I even try this again?"
"Don't get too upset about her," I say, patting his leg. "She was never on our side."
A man comes out with an umbrella. Another Porygon-Z is beside him. "Michael."
He gets up. "What do you think? Aren't they great?"
The other Porygon-Z looks up at the sky and gawks. "Oh my goodness, the sky is crying! We'd better do something to cheer it up, fast!"
I laugh at him and spin around. "I think they're tears of joy! It makes the flowers happy."
"This is awful! It's the worst possible evolution to the Porygon line I've seen, and we didn't even let the others enter actual testing phase."
"But haven't you seen how strong they are? And how much they act like other Pokemon? It's an insult to call a Porygon-Z an artificial intelligence now."
"That's precisely the problem. We didn't need them to act like other Pokemon."
"That's why people say they aren't real."
"And that's why a lot of our customers like them. You only feed them when you want to and they require almost no care to gain their trust and loyalty. Plus, with their limited numbers, they're a great status symbol for rich people who have little time to give a 'real' Pokemon. But Porygon-Z, I have no idea what he's going to do next. It's difficult to get him to behave even with obedience reinforcements. And he demands far more attention when I have no time for it. I can't afford to keep him now, but I know of no one who can afford to buy him and take care of him."
"Well Porygon to Porygon2 is a large change," Michael points out. "They're often tricky to handle the first few days, but then they settle down. This is the same thing; they've gone through a large change and it will take time for the Trainer and Pokemon to get used to it. But it is worth it."
"Not to someone whose time is at a premium. We will not accept distribution of this dubious disc and if we hear of you doing so, we'll sue for copyright infringement." Then he goes back inside.
"But I was just starting to like this rain," his Porygon-Z comments as he follows his Trainer back inside.
Michael is devastated. He drops down onto the wet bench, looking strangely lost. "It's not right to leave them behind for the sake of your convenience."
I don't like seeing him sad now, as it makes me hurt deep inside too. So I hug him. "They don't appreciate you either. But I do. You let me enjoy dancing in the rain."
He picks me up and holds me close. "I'm sorry, Pory. I tried to convince them."
"It's okay."
I put my head on his chest. We're there like that for a long time, just the two of us. Then he sighs and gets up, still holding onto me.
"So his problem is that those with Porygons don't have time to handle a Porygon-Z, huh? Well what if we got some Porygons into the hands of those with time? We'll have to add some programs to the original form, so that they can handle living in the wild. But it must look accidental... along with any distribution of my Psyche Disc until your peers come into popularity. But it'll be worth it in the end."
"I'll help however I can," I tell him. And that is the truth, because my heart belongs to him.
…
Porygon Leaf Green entry: A Pokemon that consists entirely of programming code. It is capable of moving freely in cyberspace.
Porygon2 Fire Red entry: Further research enhanced its abilities. Sometimes, it may exhibit motions that were not programmed.
Porygon-Z Diamond/Pearl entry: Additional software was installed to make it a better Pokémon. It began acting oddly, however.
I hadn't intended on this turning romance-y, but as Pory's personality developed in the writing, it felt natural. My emphasis has always been more on character development than shipping. I do really love these characters and this is one of my top picks.