Realized something today in the RTC thread when I made my voting post for Porky about the Absolutely Safe Capsule Spirit that I haven't seen mentioned before and that I feel you guys would find really interesting (and that may, in fact, solve the debate on whether or not it contains Porky)!
So you know how the ASC spirit can only be Summoned and can't be obtained any other way?
Well, every single summonable spirit has unique summoning requirements, and these unique summoning requirements are all very distinct references to aspects of the character being summoned! Here are some examples that show off just how clever some of these references can get:
- Mallow can be summoned using a core from Kracko and Prince Peasley, as Mallow is a prince who is also a cloud.
- Tails can be summoned using a core from Andy (referencing his knack for building machines), Vulpix (as he is a fox with multiple tails), and a Support core (because he's Sonic's best friend who loves to help others).
- Louie (from Pikmin) can be summoned with a core from Snorlax (because of his insatiable appetite and general laziness), the Postman from Zelda (because you can never beat the Postman in a race, and Louie always manages to run away somehow), and a Grab Core (both because he can pluck Pikmin, and because he will grab and steal any food that isn't bolted to the floor).
With that in mind, let's take a look at the ASC's summoning requirements. It needs a Core from a Mr. Saturn Spirit (as they aided in its construction), any 6 support cores (as Support is defense and the ASC is completely impenetrable), and...
That's it!
No references to kids, pigs, kings, empires, old men, greed, or even corruption, all of which would serve as stand-ins for Porky!
Absolutely nothing in its summoning materials that would represent Porky at all!
From this, we can (fairly safely) conclude that the ASC spirit is just that - the spirit of the ASC itself, independent of Porky!