In terms of combat capability, it seems slightly lacking, but this isn't entirely Porygon's fault.
Chansey being extremely strong is the main reason.
Secondly, it's about Porygon's battle experience and the issue of syncing with Baimu, the Trainer. It always pauses a bit when receiving Baimu's commands.
As if a computer program needs some time to respond.
However, according to reality and the manual given by Dr. Akihabara, this is to make Porygon seem more biological by establishing a trust system, like intimacy, where Trust Level must be raised to a certain point before it can be perfectly controlled.
Similarly, to evolve Porygon into Porygon II, what's needed is to improve the Trust Level.
Trust Level goes up to ten levels, and the manual says raising it to level six should be enough to prevent Porygon II from rejecting the Trainer after acquiring a vast amount of knowledge, thereby reducing Trust Level.
So how do you check the Trust Level?
It's simple.
First, let Porygon enter any device with a screen.
Baimu chose his old phone and followed the procedure by pressing the phone against Porygon's forehead.
In an instant, Porygon's prismatic eyes emitted a strong incandescent light, then its body began to blur and distort, finally turning into a white light and entering the data cable interface.
Ding~
The phone screen lit up, and Porygon's shape suddenly appeared on it.
"Hiss! It really went in?"
Baimu exchanged a glance with Chansey, who was watching nearby, still finding it somewhat unbelievable, just like when he first saw a Pokémon transfer device.
Although the latter didn't quite understand why the Trainer was so emotional, since he had such an expression, it must be something very impressive, so it graciously followed along in shock.
When Porygon enters the phone, it will generate an interactive system, and even through the screen, Baimu can communicate with Porygon by touching it, which is even a bit more convenient than in the real world.
In the electronic space, when Porygon expresses various emotions, animations will automatically be generated, which doesn't happen in the real world.
Back to the main topic.
Holding down Porygon's body will make a heart appear on its forehead, with one heart symbolizing one level of Trust. Baimu pressed it to find the Trust Level is three stars.
The manual stated it starts with two hearts, so it seems the earlier battle, although not greatly beneficial for Porygon, did raise the Trust Level.
Suddenly.
Baimu was curious whether Porygon had a Trust Level with Pokémon, so he handed the phone to Chansey, asking it to press it.
"lucky?"
"Hold it down and don't let go until a heart pops up... okay, one, two, three... huh? Four? Huh?"
He looked at the Porygon on the phone screen with a puzzled look as it had four red hearts above its head.
Chansey, not quite understanding the situation, uttered, "lucky?"
"..."
Baimu patted its head in reassurance and, after some thought, had to admit that Porygon's intimacy with Chansey was higher than with him, the Trainer.
Just because one move didn't connect, it gained two hearts?
The balance must be off!
"Ahem, can you come out?" Baimu couldn't help but thoughts of dissent, but camaraderie among teammates was a good thing and would help incorporate Porygon into their big family.
So joking aside, there was nothing more to say about this matter.
"Pali!"
Porygon flowed out from the data cable interface, reforming into a physical entity.
A Pokémon weighing forty kilograms could just slip into a phone without increasing the phone's mass at all—this assumption of astounding technology in the Pokémon World holds true.
"Very good."
Baimu petted its sleek surface.
With a Trust Level of six hearts... how long will that take?
However, at present, neither Chansey nor Galarian Corsola showed signs of evolution, so there wasn't too much hurry. Even if Porygon evolved, without sufficiently useful moves, it couldn't be put to effective use.
——
There was another thing regarding Porygon that caught Baimu's attention.
[Angularization].
When Dr. Akihabara endowed Porygon with this move, he also imbued it with the ability to change forms.
Yes.
Porygon can actually alter its appearance. In the animation, it showcased changes into a sharp cone shape, a defensive shield shape, and a hefty hammer shape.
Including its ability to change its own attributes with [Texture] and [Texture 2], it's not so different from Rotom—
Well, not just a little bit different.
But the major significance of [Angularization] isn't to compete with Rotom, at least not for Baimu; to him, Angularization means more like unlocking imagination's potential.
Porygon, which can transform through Angularization, is like a Ditto, and you can never predict its potential.
However, transforming isn't as simple as just saying it; so far, Porygon can only transform into built-in forms from its birth.
Which is the long cone, shield, hammer from the animation Baimu watched, and a platform shape never shown before.
These forms all share a common feature: they are characterized by angularity, with not an ounce of roundness.
To expand on this, Baimu will have to adhere to this rule.
Yet, in the manual, Dr. Akihabara seemed to anticipate someone trying to get Porygon to morph into other forms, saying that to gain more forms, one must have exceptional patience.
Because Porygon's comprehension beyond informatics and battles is very low, low to the point of driving one crazy.
To counteract this "defect," Dr. Akihabara further upgraded Porygon to create Porygon II, a Pokémon equipped with an AI system, capable of learning and growing autonomously, to give it an exceptionally strong learning ability.
Who would have thought that in a way, success came with issues—upgraded power but less favorable personality traits.
"Let's give it a try."
Baimu looked at the Porygon before him, "Use Angularization! Long Cone!"
"Pali!"
Porygon's surface lit up with brilliant white light, its head changing as if evolving.
The light dimmed, and its duck head became long, flat, and sharp, looking awkward to balance.
"Only the head changed, after all."
Baimu circled around it, subconsciously nodding, "Angularization! Shield!"
The white light flashed again.
This time its entire body transformed, from a Building Block Duck to a shield with a beast face and octagonal shape, floating in the air with a seemingly strong defense.
Might be decent once it evolves to Porygon II in a double battle?
"Angularization! Hammer!"
The third transformation.
This time, its lower body was back, the head morphed into a square pink hammer, which looked rather intimidating.
"Angularization! Platform!"
The fourth transformation.
Its lower body vanished again, turning Porygon into a perfect level tile, the kind you could step on.
Baimu was about to try it out when it suddenly reverted to its original state.
"Pal, pali..."
Porygon showed slight fatigue. It didn't need to breathe, so there was no heavy panting.
"Uh, apologies for the trouble, have some juice for a pick-me-up."
Seeing this, Baimu understood that four consecutive transformations were somewhat exhausting, promptly offering juice and Chansey's Healing Fluctuation to restore Porygon.
Theoretically, Porygon doesn't need food, but Dr. Akihabara designed it with an ingestion system.
Reason unknown.