5 Original Pokemon Rumors Unmasked

The Pokémon game franchise's 20th anniversary is in full swing this year, with nostalgic revisits to Red, Blue and Green in the form of merchandise, game ports, and event tie-ins. When the games first debuted in the U.S. in 1998, few were expecting the best-selling phenomenon we have today. The gap between generations was longer, or at least it felt that way as a kid. I was about 11 years old when I got my copy of Pokémon Blue, and outside of referencing a physical strategy guide or calling up the pay-per-minute helpline (my parents banned me after racking up a small debt when I kept getting stuck in the Seafoam Islands) there were few other options. The oracle of gaming knowledge known as the Internet, didn't exist as it did today. Instead, schoolyard rumors passed around by kids promised rare Pokémon, better catching odds, or hidden lore. There was no way to find out the truth outside of doing it yourself. Some proved fruitful, like cloning items with MissingNo while others were convoluted tall tales.

This list of popular rumors persisted through most of the First Generation. Later game releases don't have these kind of urban legends as any fan-posited theory is dismissed or proven true rather quickly thanks to internet.

Mew is Hiding Under a Truck I remember being told this one directly. Once the concept of Mew was known, everyone was trying to unlock the cat-like progenitor of Mewtwo. Allegedly, a truck near the S.S. Anne could be moved with Strength, and Mew would be revealed. This task is easier said then done. To access the truck, the player needs Cut, but to have access to this HM before getting on the S.S. Anne requires trading. That aside, Mew isn't under the truck. The only way to obtain him outside of giveaways is an even more convoluted glitch that involves a Cerulean Gym trainer, flying away at just the right moment to a specific place, and walking in a certain area.

Lavender Town Music Killed Children "Lavender Town Syndrome" is a creepypasta story that began circulating around 2010. It claims that the original score for Lavender Town, an area in the game that includes a graveyard for deceased Pokémon, drove players (in this case, children) in Japan to kill themselves. The story purports that the music was changed for the American release to prevent further death. The reasoning of course, isn't true. The score was changed since some of the high-pitched notes included in the original would be considered irritating.

Pressing Up and B at the Right Moment Improves Pokémon Catching Odds This was a method I wholeheartedly believed in while playing through the first generation. Some players heard that it was down and b instead of up and b, and others still swear that it improves their odds. The rumor was prevalent enough that hackers have combed the code looking for any indication that mashing buttons on the correct frame works but nothing has ever come up.

Pikablu is Pikachu's Evolution After Using a Water Stone Key artwork and materials of new Pokémon started making its way across the pond around the same time as Pokemon: The First Movie. New evolutions and Pokémon were more easily kept under wraps in those days. When images of Marill surfaced, the design made it a dead ringer for a Pikachu evolution. It was quickly dubbed "Pikablu" and gamers speculated that it was from exposing Pikachu to a Water Stone instead of a Thunder Stone. This was laid to rest when the game finally came out.

Turn Dragonite into Yoshi You can actually blame this one on Nintendo itself. In a 1999 issue of Nintendo Power magazine, the company told its readers that there was a secret method to replace Dragonite's sprite with Mario's friend Yoshi, which involved trading between two friends. Kids heard the rumor without knowing that the secret was published in the April issue, as an April Fool's Joke. The context was usually removed when the story was shared, leading to a lot of disappointed Dragonite trainers.