It is time for the results of the Johto Times Favourite Pokémon Poll 2025! From May 22nd to July 31st, 2025, we asked our readers and the wider Pokémon community to vote for their six favourite Pokémon from each generation. The attention this poll received was significant, with 582,516 votes, far exceeding any expectations we originally had for it. You can check out the results of our preliminary vote here.

Once this first stage of voting was over, the top ten highest voted Pokémon from each of the nine polls we ran were taken through to the grand final, which took place between August 14th and September 30th, 2025. This time, we requested that Pokémon fans vote for three of their favourites. We received a total of 24,828 votes (from 8,276 participants) to determine an overall winner.

Please note: unlike the preliminary poll, we decided to acknowledge jointly held positions. For example, 4th and 5th place were a tie, so we gave both Pokémon a 4th place position, which we didn’t do for the preliminary polls. Because there were no ties in the top ten of each poll during these preliminary rounds, it didn’t impact the Grand Final.

I wish to thank all of the communities and individuals who shared our poll once again, most notably Bulbapedia (and Bulbagarden) and PokéCommunity. They were fundamental in helping us reach such a huge number of fans over the past few months, during the preliminary rounds and our grand final. Of course, I also want to extend those thanks to the tens of thousands of you who voted over the past few months and discovered our little project as a result.

While this poll has now ended, I hope that you will continue to follow the work Johto Times is doing to document and preserve the early era of Pokémon, and any future polls we may decide to run in the future.

With that out of the way, here are the results!

Here are the placements of all ninety Pokémon, their rank, and total number of votes

In an effort to give as much detail and clarity as possible, we plan to share the full raw data of our preliminary rounds and our grand final on our forum, exported from Strawpoll. They break down the votes in each poll by country of origin and even the exact time and date of each vote. I am sure a lot of cool facts can be extrapolated from these results, but that is a task too large for Johto Times to handle alone. Please note that the results contain no personally identifiable information. I hope that this poll has been fun and contributed some cool insight into the way that people feel about their favourite Pokémon.

Finally, I have a message to Pokémon fans who may be disappointed that their favourites didn’t place where they wanted them to be: our poll is just one of many that have been conducted over the years, and it won’t be the last. No poll can invalidate the appreciation you have for your favourite Pokémon. I hope that we can all keep that positivity and love moving forward into Pokémon’s 30th anniversary and beyond.

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For those who are unfamiliar, the Pocket Pikachu is a small handheld virtual pet which was originally released in Japan in March 1998. The objective of the game is to build up a friendship with Pikachu by giving him Watts of energy as a gift, which are generated through walking around. Every twenty steps generates a single “Watt”, but these can accumulate quickly or can even be gambled to potentially obtain more. Pikachu will perform a wide variety of activities as you interact with the device, such as riding a bike, watching television, or even taking a bath! As your friendship level grows, Pikachu will behave differently towards you, growing to appreciate you more.

If I am being really honest, I wasn’t getting anywhere near enough exercise in my day to day life prior to starting this challenge. A combination of low mental health and motivation to get outside, on top of some personal circumstances, made it more challenging to attempt something like this. By March, a shift happened which improved my life greatly, and with better weather developing due to the spring, I finally had the motivation to take on the challenge!

It began on April 27th, 2025, with the intention of starting small, taking some daily walks locally. I worked out that I would need to take an average of 6,700 steps per day if I was to accumulate a total of one million steps by September 21st. I knew that a walk from my house to the local field and a stroll around its perimeter a couple of times would get me around 4,000 steps per day, but that one or two days per week I would typically venture out to run errands, which would net me even more.

In my first week, I managed a total of 62,892 steps. It was way above the average amount I needed to stay on track, and I was proud that I went outside every day to get some exercise. At first, Pikachu wasn’t very happy with me, but by the end of the week, he had gotten closer to the screen, hinting that our friendship had improved! I saw a range of animations, including Pikachu brushing his teeth, playing with building blocks, swimming, and reading a book. I was quite impressed by the number of activities from the device, and it made me want to give Pikachu even more Watts and check the Pocket Pikachu often to see if I could spot any new activities.

Week two was another success, I managed to reach my first 100,000 steps, ending the week at 119,750 steps. I saw more of Pikachu’s activities during this time, including him enjoying a lollipop, and I even caught him waving at me! My third week wasn’t as impressive as the previous two, mostly due to feeling unwell and tired. Rather than push myself too hard, I decided to take it easier and walk less often.

By the fourth week I was feeling much better and had reached 220,053 steps. I was starting to feel the pressure of the daily walks and was losing belief in completing my goal. It didn’t help that I saw someone on social media who had achieved one million steps with their Pocket Pikachu Colour in a very short space of time, and it made me feel disheartened knowing it was going to take me much longer to reach my goal than them and probably everyone else. But after reflecting on this, I realised that my journey was different, and that I would achieve my own goal and do it on my own terms. I also accepted that even if I missed my self-imposed deadline of September 21st, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I think this was a big turning point in the challenge, knowing that I could be proud of myself no matter what. By this point I had already stuck to a good routine and was getting significantly more exercise. How can that be a bad thing?

Week five brought poor weather and less enthusiasm to go outside. I was able to go out every single day for a whole month and then stayed indoors the very next day. I caught Pikachu flying a kite, which I thought was rather cute. By the end of the week I had surpassed 250,000 total steps, ending it at 265,359. Week six began with a low mood day, but a long walk helped to improve things. I got some pains in my chest which forced me to cut back on the walks, just as a precaution. It was likely due to the stress that week, so I didn’t push myself unnecessarily. On top of that, I also forgot to take my Pocket Pikachu out with me one day, which was quite annoying. I ended up taking an extra walk that day to make up for the lost steps! It was also the week the Switch 2 launched, where I was indoors playing games. Overall, it was probably my worst week of the whole challenge, ending with 299,120 steps.

By week seven I felt like I had fallen behind and should have been much further along than I was. That being said, I did see some new animated activities from Pikachu, where he was walking on top of a ball, learning about the pyramids at his desk in class, and watching television. I assumed this meant I had reached a higher level of friendship with my little yellow buddy and that I was building up a strong friendship between us, which was reassuring. Week eight was a significant step forward. I met up with my friend who I spoke to the previous week about my Pocket Pikachu challenge, ending that day with over 23,000 steps! We also agreed to meet up the following week for another extended walk. I also caught Pikachu eating an ice cream and flying a kite! I finished the week with over 425,000 steps, and I felt great about it.

Week nine was another success, reaching over 487,000 steps. Pikachu’s activities this week included playing with a yo-yo, and I also spotted him with hearts over his head, signalling that he adores me! After all the Watts I had been giving him each day, that had better be the case! I was a little concerned that a hairline crack had developed on the hinge of the Pocket Pikachu, so I tried to be careful with it as the challenge progressed (more on this later). On the first day of week ten, I surpassed half a million steps. This was a huge achievement and a massive boost to my motivation. Despite avoiding some extremely warm weather and the heavy downpours of rain that followed, I was still able to end the week on 544,015 steps. On the final day I hurt my foot, but thankfully it was nothing serious.

Despite being more hesitant due to the foot injury, and walking less during the week, I had two very good days of activity. The highlight was meeting an online friend I have known for fourteen years. We spent the day roaming a wildlife park, and he was extremely encouraging of my challenge. I was happy to confirm to him that day that I had reached 600,000 steps, and by the end of the week I had hit 614,151. Week twelve was a contrast in terms of activity. Very little happened, but I was able to end the week with a visit to the beach. I still managed to reach over 650,000 steps.

Week thirteen was a tough one, and I was struggling mentally with something personal. Thankfully, a friend helped to make that better, and I kept motivated enough to reach over 700,000 steps. By week fourteen, I was determined to reach 750,000 steps. I’m not sure why this milestone was super important to me, but I think I pushed myself a bit too hard because I felt unwell for a couple of days. Despite this, I was still able to hit my milestone by just six steps, ending the week at 750,006!

Week fifteen was quite chore-heavy, so I wasn’t able to take as many walks on my own as I would have liked. However, I managed to get quite a few steps in by simply running errands, and I finished the week at 786,261. By the end of my sixteenth week, I felt like the end was in sight. Despite some personal difficulties that week, which were mentally draining and made me want to get under my covers and ignore the world, I still managed to reach 880,000 steps, exactly 120,000 away from completing my challenge.

In week eighteen, disaster struck! The hinge of my Pocket Pikachu, which had developed a hairline crack in week nine, had completely snapped! I had hoped that it would be okay, since I was much more careful about how I attached it to my belt, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I spent some time carefully applying duct tape to the hinge to try and keep it secure, which is when I noticed that the second hinge had started to develop a crack too. I knew that if I took this outside with me again there was a very strong chance that I would lose it entirely. I decided that it was no longer safe to carry it on my belt, but started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to complete the challenge at all. I tried to come up with ideas of how to fix it so I could at least reach my million and stay on track.

Someone on Bluesky suggested that I clip my Pocket Pikachu to a piece of cardboard and place it in my pocket so it was standing upright. This way, the device would still count steps, and if it were to fully break, it would be safe in my pocket. I’m happy to say that the idea worked like a charm, and I was able to continue my challenge. That week, I surpassed 900,000 steps! I was going to do this, even if it meant limping across the finish line with Pikachu to do so.

With less than 100,000 steps to go, week nineteen should have been the week where I was feeling my most optimistic and encouraged, but this was not the case. A period of low mental health hit me due to some unfortunate events, and I lost a lot of motivation. I made very little progress, and it didn’t get much better in week twenty, where I spent three of those days doing nothing. Was I about to stumble at the final hurdle? Would I miss my self-imposed deadline, despite all the progress I had made? I knew I had to get myself back on my feet and get out of the door a few more times to reach my goal. After pulling things back a bit, I ended week twenty with over 975,000 steps. With just one more week to go, I knew that it wasn’t too late to turn this around. I was going to achieve my goal, and I was going to push myself to make it happen.

Week twenty-one started off poorly, with another big storm. The weather had been pretty atrocious towards the end of summer. I stayed indoors that first day, but managed to venture out the following day and obtained almost 10,000 steps despite the weather being not much better.

I decided that the following day, September 17th, 2025, would be the day I reached the million. I woke up earlier than usual that day, had breakfast, and went outside to brave the elements, with a determination to reach my goal. I decided I would take a walk up the riverbank, knowing this had been a place where I had made tons of progress in previous weeks. During this extended walk, I reflected upon the past few months and the ups and downs I had faced with this challenge. By lunchtime, the weather had started to pick up, and I decided it was time to head back home. When I reached my house, I was quite surprised to discover I was only fifty steps away from one million! I walked into the kitchen to make myself a drink, and went upstairs knowing that I had done it!

I switched on the Pocket Pikachu and was greeted with a message in Japanese to confirm that I had reached one million steps and that it had taken me 3475 hours to complete this task. There was no sign of Pikachu, and I have been unable to do anything else with it since. It would appear that the device locks you out once you reach this impressive milestone. I was a little disappointed, given how expressive Pikachu had been throughout this adventure. What happened to him? I wonder how many children worked their way to this goal, only to discover that Pikachu had abandoned them right at the end. In any case, it was finally time to rest; I had done what I originally set out to do.

As I reflect on this challenge, a few things come to mind. First of all, for a toy released in 1998, I am in awe of how much personality the Pocket Pikachu has. I actually smiled at some of the wholesome animations. Secondly, I am proud of the fact that I was able to complete the challenge and remain motivated to reach my goal within the timeframe I had set. As a result, I was able to remain active throughout the spring and summer months, and I feel fitter both physically and mentally as a result, despite the highs and lows I faced throughout the challenge. Thirdly, I am appreciative of Johto Times followers on Bluesky for their support and motivation. I know that a handful of them even picked up Pocket Pikachu devices of their own as a result of this challenge, and I hope they have as much fun, and receive similar health benefits, as I did.

I am also pleasantly surprised and grateful that my closest friends and some members of my family took an interest in what I was doing and were incredibly supportive! I appreciated the extended walks with my friend along the riverbank during the early summer, which really helped me make some significant progress towards my goal. I realised that I enjoy exercising with my friend way more than exercising alone.

As mentioned, the Pocket Pikachu took some damage during this challenge, and unfortunately until I can get it to a Pokémon Center in the future, it will have to remain on my shelf. It is a reminder that these toys will not last forever, and I truly believe that work to preserve them should be a priority for anyone with interest in these awesome little devices.

So what next? Due to how successful this challenge was, I am proud to say that I have already started my next! This time around, I will be using my Pocket Pikachu Color I bought myself when I was a teenager back in the early 2000s! My concern this time is that I may break a cherished childhood toy, so I think I shall continue to walk with it attached to some card in my pocket and not attached to my belt. I have also seen some carry cases online which may be an option!

I want to end this feature with the following message. This challenge wasn’t about racing to one million steps, or pretending to be the only person in the world to have ever done it. This was about improving my motivation, my exercise, routine, mental wellbeing, and most importantly: having fun! The Pocket Pikachu exceeded my expectations in all of these areas, and I look forward to reaching my next million steps with its successor!

Additional photographs

Michael:

I remember the first time I played a Pokémon game. I was at my friend’s house in 1998, and he let me play his Game Boy. When I turned it on, he already had a save file, and Red was in his house. I was just walking around when Eric came over and showed me how to go into the grass to encounter Pokémon—and that was it.

Fast-forward to 1999: my parents got me Pokémon Red for my birthday. I was seven years old—and I remember it vividly.

When I first played, I chose Charmander as my starter—simply because my friend, who was also at the party, told me to pick the one on the cartridge because they were the strongest. After about an hour of playing, I went back and started a new game with Squirtle. The rest was history.

I think the hardest Pokémon game I ever played was Pokémon Yellow. Since I was forced with Pikachu, and Brock being the first Gym Leader, I was too young to realize I had to train other Pokémon for the advantage. I’m embarrassed to say how long I was stuck behind Brock’s badge. I came across a Nidoran while wandering around in areas prior to Brock’s gym. I caught them, and began training them up. They learned Double Kick, and once I learned how strong that was against Rock-type Pokemon, it was over for Brock.

I still remember the first time I was traded a Pokémon that was too high-level to obey me—I didn’t have enough Gym Badges yet. I had Pokémon Gold and was struggling, so my best friend at the time gave me an Umbreon, a Steelix, and a Gyarados to help me progress through the game. But most of the time, they ignored my commands. I had no idea why back then.

Michael’s love for Pokémon has continued throughout the years, playing many of the games that followed.

Michael:

I’ve played a good number of Pokémon games over the years. In addition to Pokémon Red, Yellow, and Gold, I played Ruby, Sapphire, LeafGreen, Emerald (my favorite), HeartGold, Diamond, Black, X, Moon, and Let’s Go, Pikachu!

When I replay a majority of these games, I always find myself going back to my same starters. This may be a controversial list, but they’re as follows:

• Red: Squirtle

• Yellow/Let’s Go, Pikachu: Pikachu

• Gold/Heart Gold: Cyndaquil

• Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald: Treecko

• LeafGreen: Bulbasaur

• Diamond: Turtwig

• Black: Snivy

• X: Chespin

• Moon: Rowlet

Clearly, I’m a lover of the Grass type.
And last, my favorite Pokémon, probably, of all time is Steelix.

Fun fact: all of my original Pokémon from the GBA games have been transferred to the DS/3DS games and then into Pokémon Home. So I still have all of my originally found Pokémon from the GBA and DS/3DS generations.

I haven’t really gotten into the newer games on Switch, but I’ll probably give Legends: Z-A a try next.

Michael, that photograph has such huge 90s energy! It was so cool to see it and to read your memories of Pokémon. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. We hope you enjoy Pokémon Legends: Z-A and that Pokémon will continue to hold some positive and happy memories for you in the future!

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On May 22nd, 2025, our poll to discover the fans’ favourite Pokémon began. We asked Johto Times readers and the wider Pokémon community to vote in nine different polls, each representing a single Pokémon generation. Each person could vote for six Pokémon in each poll, and the top ten Pokémon from each region would go through to a Grand Final to determine the overall winner.

We decided to host the poll after the popularity of our Favourite Starter Pokémon poll, which was held towards the end of 2024. However, we could never have imagined just how popular this one would turn out to be, with over half a million votes! On July 31st at 19:00 UTC, voting ended for this preliminary round of the poll. Here are the results of that poll!

We wanted to give as much information about the results as possible, so limiting the results to just the top ten was never an option. Here are the full results of each poll, showing the position of every Pokémon, the number of votes they received, and the percentage total.

Please enjoy this video we put together!

Some interesting facts from these results:

• The Kanto poll was the most popular poll that fans engaged in, with 86,868 votes, cast by 14,478 participants.

• Umbreon received the most votes of any Pokémon in this stage of the poll, with 4,412.

• Silcoon was the least voted Pokémon out of every Pokémon at this stage in the poll, with just 12.

• Paldea received the least attention, receiving only 55,524 votes, made by 9,254 participants.

• Every single Pokémon in our poll received votes, not a single one was overlooked!

Now that we have confirmed the results, our Grand Final can take place! This time around, we are asking for people to vote for their favourite three Pokémon from the 90 finalists. The poll will close on September 30th, with the results being revealed in October.

Vote now

This poll far exceeded my wildest expectations. I want to thank Bulbapedia (and Bulbagarden), PokéCommunity, and the many other Pokémon communities and projects who helped to share the poll with as many Pokémon fans as possible. I also want to thank Duspey on YouTube and TikTok for sharing the poll early on, which resulted in it going viral. Of course, a huge thank you to every Pokémon fan who voted!

It’s important to note that every single Pokémon in our poll received votes, proving that each one of them is someone’s favourite. There are no losers in our polls, and I am happy that fans came together to appreciate and celebrate the love and appreciation we have for this fantastic series.

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James’s acting contribution to Pokémon is significant. In addition to Gary Oak, his notable roles included Todd Snap, and in later seasons he took on the roles of James, Meowth, and Professor Oak.

I reached out to several Pokémon fansites and communities to share their heartfelt tributes to James, including some words from someone who knew him well. Here’s what they had to say.

It's really a great loss for the Pokémon community. He was with the anime from the start to Ash's final journeys and so has been cemented in the Pokémon fan's memories across generations from old to new. He helped bring to life so many icons throughout the years.

I was lucky enough to speak with him on a few occasions and he was always very nice to me and always wanted to learn more about the Pokémon fandom.

His presence will be sorely missed by the community. He was a legend, and as we rewatch through all sagas of the anime, his passion will shine through forever.

Joe Merrick, Serebii

Most of us probably never had the pleasure of meeting James. I certainly didn't. But I'd challenge you to find any Pokémon fan whose connection to that fandom hasn't in some way been influenced by the amazing work James did over his literal decades of association with the original Pokémon anime, [both as] a voice actor and as the series sole script adapter for the English dub for its entire post-4Kids run. It's truly a cruel cosmic joke for such a talented voice actor to have been taken away from us by throat cancer. I'm quite a bit too old for him to have been my James, Meowth or Professor Oak growing up (though he was and remains my Gary and Todd Snap), but as far as I'm concerned, he made those roles his own, and he was the definitive version of each of those characters. Smell ya later, James, you will be sorely missed.

Archaic, Bulbagarden

The PokéCenter Blog team is saddened to hear about the passing of JCC. We didn't get to hear him as much as other fans from around the world, but we recognize and celebrate his contribution to the Pokémon franchise.

Lawliet and Rob from The PokéCenter Blog

I'm not sure what to say. I did not grow up with Pokémon, and I stopped watching the anime early into the Advanced Generation series. I only got back to it and watched the last two seasons earlier this year (2025), and I must admit I did enjoy them. James Carter Cathcart was probably one of the reasons I had fun watching it, since I switched to the English version as soon as I could because I couldn't stand the Latin American dub, especially the voice of James. I understand that he did a great job and brought joy to numerous people.

Lady Vulpix, The PokéMasters

James' voices were iconic in the plural. The unique voices and charm he provided for characters like Gary not only defined them in a way that remains fundamental to how they are imagined, but simply hearing his performances could immediately lighten your mood and bring joy and humour. We'll miss him dearly, but know he'll never truly leave us—his contributions to Pokémon as a whole have woven him into our lives in an enriching, indelible way.

nza, PLDH

Sometimes the best compliment you can give an actor is that they made you want to punch their character in the face! James Carter Cathcart’s irritatingly smug Gary Oak did that with aplomb, and that takes serious skill. That same talent later let him expand into the carefree James, the conniving Meowth, and the authoritative (if also aloof) Professor Oak, showing just how much range he brought to the series. But that voice, that wisdom, is now gone... and the world is worse off for it.

I didn’t grow up with Pokémon (I was already in high school when it first aired), but I know how deeply his performances affected those who did. Cathcart helped elevate the show into something more than a passing fad, leaving a lifelong mark on those who heard him over the last two decades. And it’s even more bittersweet knowing how much the losses of Cathcart, Rachael Lillis, and Maddie Blaustein have impacted Team Rocket in particular. It’s hard to put into words... but simply put, he will be missed.

Nick15, Pokémon Aaah!

James voiced 140+ characters in the Pokémon anime and over 60+ Pokémon species. His impact on the English Pokémon anime is unmatched. He will be missed by the fans! Extend your reach to the stars above, James! Thanks for all the memories from all the roles you voiced!

Sunain, PocketMonsters.net

James Carter Cathcart's passing is a tragic loss for the Pokémon community. His iconic roles in the animated series, including Professor Oak, Gary Oak and Team Rocket's James and Meowth, will be fondly remembered. Personally, I feel he did a wonderful job portraying James' flamboyant personality. I am grateful he brought his talent to the Pokémon franchise and will miss his contributions.

Paul, PokéJungle

I was saddened to hear of James’s passing. While I was not familiar with his later work on the anime (I stopped watching after Master Quest), I will always appreciate his performance as the character Gary Oak. Gary was one of my favourite characters from the anime, and it was always great to see him appear in an episode, which wasn’t as often as I would have liked! I regret I wasn’t able to express my appreciation to him directly, but I do want to say a huge thank you to James for everything he did for Pokémon throughout the years. My thoughts are with his loved ones.

Darren, Johto Times

James Carter Cathcart was bigger than life; he was a big man, a big spirit with a very big heart. Whenever we would see one another, primarily at anime cons, he always greeted me warmly, as if no time had passed. He was generous and demonstrated the best of us; he was “People Forward.” He was devoted to his family and approached everyone as a potential friend. And even though we shared different incarnations of the same character, I never got a sense of competitiveness – we were all just there because of the work – he was one of the easiest people to chat with and to know. I mourn his passing, my heart goes out to his family, and [I] am proud to call him a colleague. Our Pokémon family may have gotten smaller, but James’s big spirit will be with us for all time.

Stuart Zagnit, voice of Professor Oak (1998 to 2008)

For anyone wishing to learn more about James and his contribution to Pokémon, PocketMonsters.net has a great resource of information detailing his roles and work, which you should definitely check out!

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Pokémon Sword was provided to me as a review copy by Nintendo and I felt an immense responsibility to describe my experience as fairly as I could, drawing on my years of exposure to the series and writing something that would help fans make an informed purchase. Unfortunately, reviewing the game impacted my enjoyment, as I had to complete it quickly in order to get my opinion out there while the game was still relevant. As part of my review, I highlighted some of the odd decisions Game Freak had taken, such as locking volume controls behind the easy to miss Hi-tech Earbuds, and the introduction of TR’s (Technical Records) as single use devices, which I thought was a strange decision. I also highlighted the overall poor animations and graphics across the game, and felt that it probably needed more time for polish before it was released.

But I had praise for it too, specific locations of the game did look quite beautiful, Ballonlea and the Gravesite of the Slumbering Weald in particular. Sword took on a very different look and feel to the games I played as a teenager and it was amazing to see how far the series had come since the Game Boy days. I also enjoyed seeing how real-world towns, cities and landscapes across the UK influenced the design of locations in the game, many of which I have visited personally.

I found humour in the slang terms used in the game’s dialogue, and the addition of Pokémon themed on England. These include Stonjourner, which resembles the prehistoric monuments at Stonehenge, Sinistea, which is conveniently based around Britain’s love of tea, and I assume Corviknight was inspired by ravens found at the Tower of London. They were fun and welcomed additions that I enjoyed discovering as I played. Characters such as Opal and Bede provided some comic relief, and I thought Hop was a well-written rival with great characterisation and story, clearly someone who wanted to live up to the same standards as his champion brother, Leon. The character of Ball Guy was my favourite of them all, and I would make a point to visit every Pokémon Gym and locate him and receive one of his Pokéballs and watch him dance.

I have plenty of good memories of Max Raid Battles with some of my online friends, such as Axel, Komodo Zero and Quaddy. We tried our best to obtain as many legendary and shiny Pokémon as we could, and I loved this co-operative gameplay, which added to the longevity of the game. While the downloadable content for the games were underwhelming overall, Pokémon Sword was an above average experience and a step forward from Pokémon Sun. I first beat it on November 24th 2019, with a team that included Appletun (Apple Crumble), Sirfetch’d, Lanturn, Rillaboom (Donkey Konga), Gardevoir and Centiskortch. Appletun and Sirfetch’d in particular have become my two favourite Pokémon from this era.

This generation also marked the time I first tried my hand at competitive Pokémon battling. I appreciated the patience of my friend Axel, who tried hard to teach me the basic mechanics of Sword and Shield. I brought together a team made up of legacy Pokémon from my past, games such as Colosseum, Ruby and FireRed, along with creatures from Pokémon GO and Pokémon Sword, a team that reflected my journey through the series up until that point. It was an interesting experience, but not something I felt overly enthusiastic about.

The game is memorable to me for a deeply personal reason. Prior to the release of Sword and Shield, a close member of my family had a significant medical issue which created a large amount of stress. While we were awaiting the diagnosis, I was doing everything I could to take my mind off the situation, trying to find distractions to get me through this difficult time. I spent this period writing the review, which served as a good distraction.

I tried to find other ways to take my mind off things, and one was finally organising and tidying my living space, something I had been putting off for a while. One afternoon, as I started to clear out the bottom of my wardrobe, I came across a cardboard box and a folder filled with my old Pokémon cards from childhood. I spent a while looking through them, reminded once again how close I had come to completing the Fossil set, and decided that it was finally time to finish it.

As I previously mentioned, I was only ever able to obtain 56 of the 62 cards required to complete the set back in the day. The six remaining cards that had escaped me were the holographic Haunter, Hitmonlee, Magneton, Raichu and Zapdos cards, and a non-holographic rare Hypno. In less than two weeks, I had searched eBay for the best prices I could find, and on October 22nd 2019, I had obtained the final card needed to complete my first ever trading card set. I saw it as a monumental achievement, and I didn’t want to stop there. In the same month, I was able to finally complete both of my Pokémon Tazo collections too. I feel that the last quarter of 2019 was the point where my nostalgia and love for Pokémon began to take off again, likely due to this trip down memory lane. A month later on November 13th 2019, I searched online for local groups that I could possibly attend and try to make some new friends with common interests. I met someone who lived locally called Adam, who was a big Pokémon fan and as enthusiastic about collecting the trading cards as I was, and we quickly became good friends, trading with one another to help get ourselves closer to completing some of our Wizards of the Coast sets.

On January 13th 2020, I had the pleasure of meeting up with an online friend called Antoine, who was visiting from overseas. We spent a really nice afternoon together, and at some point, decided to browse a few shops. We went to my local CeX store, and found a copy of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. When I made a comment that I had never played it before, he was surprised. He urged me to buy the game, explaining how much he personally enjoyed it, but I felt the price was a little too high. He then offered to buy it for me, which is when I knew he was serious about how important this game was to him. After some discussion, we agreed to pay half each, and I walked out with my first ever Mystery Dungeon title.

After playing through Explorers of Sky, I can see exactly why it’s such a beloved title. The story, characters, music and graphics were exceptional. There were moments where I cried, scenes where I shouted at my Nintendo DS, and memories that will stay with me forever. I can’t believe that I missed out on such a special game and series for so long. Explorers of Sky allowed me to see Pokémon in a whole new light, and opened my eyes to new possibilities for what Pokémon games could be beyond the mainline series. I have to thank my friends Antoine and Axel for following my progress through the main story, and helping me respect this masterpiece of a game.

Shortly after completing the main story, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX was announced for Nintendo Switch, a remake of the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. On March 11th 2020, soon after completing Explorers of Sky, I had the pleasure of reviewing the game, now with a broader knowledge of the mechanics and features of the series. I praised Rescue Team DX for its vibrant art and fantastic music, and after doing some research, confirmed that it had been faithful to the original titles. It was a little easy, but still highly enjoyable. I think it’s a game I will revisit in the future and I hope that Nintendo will consider releasing more of them.

By March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, I spent more time at home, protecting myself and those around me from potential exposure. Pokémon was a good distraction through those difficult times. On May 28th I purchased the Snorlax trading card to fully complete the Jungle set, and on September 28th 2020, I continued to grow my Pokémon card collection by taking the opportunity to purchase a substantial number of them from a friend. These included cards from the Base set all the way to the Great Encounters set. Adding these cards to my personal collection vastly increased it, now owning almost triple the number I had as a kid. Many of the cards helped to fill gaps in early sets I had been trying to finish and, thanks to the purchase, I was almost able to complete the Base set minus the Revive trainer card, which I obtained the following year.

On May 8th 2020, after reading about the game on Twitter, I bought Pokémon Puzzle Challenge from the Nintendo 3DS eShop and poured hours into it. I spent two summers in 2021 and 2022 finally reading the first two arcs of the Pokémon Adventures manga, a total of fourteen volumes. I had purchased them years previous, and decided that while I had all the extra time, I would break the seals on them and finally read them all. The story was a great departure from the games, highlighting an alternative story that gave some cool background on some of the characters and locations from Kanto and Johto. I really enjoyed them but felt the finale wasn’t as grand as it probably should have been.

To close out generation VIII, I played three further Pokémon releases: New Pokémon Snap on April 30th 2021, Brilliant Diamond on November 19th 2021, and Legends: Arceus on January 28th 2022. The original Pokémon Snap was a game that I didn’t play a great deal of in the past. I only owned the Wii Virtual Console version, but I remember hearing many fans in the community campaigning for a sequel. When it was finally announced, I was super happy for those who had waited so long for a new game. In my review, I praised the vibrant and beautiful habitats and how the game was a chill and relaxing title to wind down with after a busy day. As someone with a keen interest in photography, I felt New Pokémon Snap could even inspire young people into taking up the hobby themselves. Like the original, it was a little repetitive, but I did praise The Pokémon Company for their willingness to revisit a classic series.

Despite my initial excitement to return to the Sinnoh Region in Brilliant Diamond, fourteen years since I last explored it in Platinum, I was left underwhelmed and disappointed by what I experienced. These remakes were just a bit too faithful to the original games, stripped back with very little of the original content we saw in Platinum, something I thought would have been expected, especially after all previous remakes included content from their third pillar games. BDSP initially launched with glitches, placeholder music, and no finalised title screen, which is simply unacceptable. While I tried to disregard the online backlash the game was receiving and go in with an open mind, I didn’t find the game to be a fulfilling experience. I hope that a future playthrough will help me appreciate the game a little more, along with all its post-release updates.

Legends Arceus on the other hand was a huge surprise, a refreshing and enjoyable game, and something that I felt was a turning point for the franchise. While I was disappointed with the unbalanced battle system and graphics, the improvements over the traditional formula, such as seeing Pokémon roaming free across the Hisui region, being able to swap and select moves without having to use TM’s or a Move Tutor, improvements on selecting items in menus, and a variety of excursions, side quests and challenges to complete, were all massively welcome. Arceus was the breath of fresh air that this tired series needed, and I literally couldn’t put it down! I even completed the Pokédex and was left wanting more by the time it was finally all over. It was a joy to play, and made up for the poor offerings from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. I crossed my fingers that a similar approach would be taken in generation IX.

It was because of Legends Arceus that I decided to make 2022 the start of righting the wrongs I had made with Pokémon throughout the years, determined to repurchase the games I let slip away and revisit titles I hold dear. I repurchased Pokémon Y with the intention of giving the game a second chance, and when I heard my friend was interested in selling off the majority of her Pokémon game collection, I decided to buy them all. Included in this assortment of games were copies of Pokémon White and Pokémon Platinum, two games I highlighted earlier that I had regrets about selling. Another was Pokémon White 2, which made up for missing it the first time around. Ever since the release of Pokémon GO, the price of Pokémon titles had risen drastically, and the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help the situation, with demand rising for these legacy titles. I’m thankful that my friend sold me the games at a fair and reasonable price, otherwise there’s no way I could have ever justified owning them again.

On August 17th 2022, I also managed to complete another trading card set, thanks to my local friend Adam, who obtained a holographic Dark Charizard card from the Team Rocket release. It marked my fourth completed set. If I could travel back in time and tell my younger self that he would one day complete the Base, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket sets, he would never have believed it.

By the end of generation VIII, I was super enthusiastic for Pokémon again. I had been impressed by the direction Game Freak had taken for Legends Arceus, and expressed to my friends that all I wanted from the next big title was an open world Pokémon game in a modern setting, building on Legends Arceus, and refining things further. Little did I know what was coming down the pipeline…

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Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire released on November 14th, 2003 in the UK. Back then it took several months for a title to reach us, compared to other parts of the world, so the wait to play a video game you were interested in could be agonising. Prior to writing this feature I thought I remembered counting down the days until its release, so I was surprised to discover that I actually picked up my copy six days after at my local GameStation store. For the price of £28.99, another new Pokémon title was finally in my possession.

I don’t recall too much about my first experience with the game, other than how I was pretty bad at it. I didn’t have much experience playing Pinball prior to this, and I would struggle to achieve a meaningful score. It was only due to the Pokémon branding that I would even consider playing it at all. In fact, for a couple of years, I didn’t play it much. It mostly lived in a box under the television, and it wasn’t something that particularly interested me anymore. It wasn’t until late 2006 that I had a reason to play more frequently due to a challenge I saw in the Official Nintendo Magazine, which requested readers submit their high scores. There wasn’t a prize, but the recognition and seeing my score in print was a motivator to attempt it.

The game offers two tables to play on: a Ruby table and a Sapphire table. The challenge requested for the score to be obtained on the former, which I consider to be the harder of the two. I couldn’t tell you how many hours I put into the game around that time, but I know it was substantial. I played the game for countless hours and submitted my high score each month to the magazine. Due to the handy save feature, I was able to play a single game of Pinball over a few weeks and amass a score of over 20 billion!

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to place first during the magazine challenge, but my score did get me to second place, which I was quite proud of! I think if I had taken the time to learn all the tricks and had better control over the ball, I could have eventually come out on top. I played the game a little more regularly after that, and I started to appreciate it much more as the years went on.

I want to acknowledge the effort that went into creating Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. The game had custom animations and sprites for all 201 Pokémon featured in the game, and I loved the interactions with the Pokémon characters on each board and bonus stage. While the game did borrow some jingles from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, it had a mostly original soundtrack with some remixes thrown in. I loved listening to the music in the sound test from the options menu, a feature I wish more games offered.

I never made a serious attempt to complete the Pokédex because it wasn’t clear how or where I would obtain specific Pokémon. I would often turn to the internet to find the answer, but for the longest time, much of the information on websites such as Serebii, Bulbapedia, and GameFAQs was inaccurate. Despite this, I made significant progress towards its completion by simply playing the game as much as I could over the years. Some of the rarest captures, like Latios, Latias, and Pichu, were already part of the Pokédex. When I booted up the game in late 2024, I realised I was much closer to completing it than I thought. I set to work obtaining the final few Pokémon I needed, which were mostly evolutions of Pokémon I could easily find.

On January 1st, 2025, I obtained the final Pokémon required to complete the Pokédex: Armaldo! Over twenty-one years since I first started playing, I managed to fully complete this game. When it came to submitting my high score, the table now showed a golden banner, held by Latios and Latias, saying, "Your Pokédex is completed!" and the Pokédex section had a medal with the word "Complete!" across it. I couldn’t remember seeing anyone complete the game before, not even in screenshots or videos online, so it was quite a surprise to see! I was extremely proud of my achievement, but I was curious to know how quickly I could complete it if I attempted it again.

After announcing my achievement on social media, and seeing so much support, I decided to stream the game to Johto Times readers. It was fun to play and chat about Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire with them, and I was surprised to see other fans of the game join the conversation to discuss their fond memories of the game.

About a month later, by sheer coincidence, I saw a video by a YouTuber called gmedley, which discussed the mechanics and mysteries surrounding the game. It went into depth about the code and explained that a community called pret was working hard to decompile the game, a task which began in 2018. The video also touched on the difficulties of finding accurate information online, something I was all too familiar with. In the video, he specifically mentioned that the page on Serebii.net was inaccurate, which gave me an idea.

Thanks to the good relationship Johto Times and Serebii have established, I decided it would be worth reaching out to the pret community too and offer to work as a go-between to help to correct the inaccuracies on Serebii. Joe was very accommodating, and I'm proud to say that the website now displays accurate information. Fans can now enjoy completing their Pokédexes with the right information available on one of the largest Pokémon fansites.

With all the information about the game now correct and accessible, I continued my playthrough, and after a couple of months, I had obtained 199 out of the 201 Pokémon. This time, the two Pokémon remaining were Latias and Pichu, which were much tricker to obtain. Three weeks later, on March 21st, 2025, I was able to catch them in one sitting off stream and completed the Pokédex for a second time! Two months, compared to twenty-one years, is certainly an improvement! On top of that, I was able to obtain a score of 12,654,551,000 over several streams, which is my second highest score ever at the time of writing.

Playing the game again allowed me to learn some techniques to control the ball better, such as using Makuhita on the Ruby table in an attack stance to send the ball up a path to receive coins. If I was able to repeat this with precision over and over again, it meant that I could max out my coins. I also realised that by resting the ball on one of the flippers and then tilting the table, I could move the ball to the other side and hit specific targets. These techniques alone will mean I can accumulate even larger scores in the future, I am certain.

This game has grown to become one of my favourite spin-off titles and gives me a great appreciation for Pinball games in general. I love how each of the Pokémon present on the two different tables have a role to play, whether that is Zigzagoon helping me choose the exact bonus I need from the Slot reel, or how Pelipper and Whiscash can send me off to a special Spheal bonus stage.

Speaking of the bonus stages, I will continue to have many happy memories of bullying the Kecleon found there. I became pretty good at that on stream, and I had fun seeing the reactions from those tuning in. Rest assured, Kecleon will now get a much deserved rest to recover from the constant barrage of Pokéballs hitting him over and over.

I wish I had been better on the Groudon stage. When I was younger, I would always try to destroy the lava plumes on each side of Groudon, so I could get around the back of him and get multiple hits, but on this latest playthrough I couldn’t manage it. That being said, I felt I found a new way to defeat him this time, with a full frontal assault. I will continue to hold a grudge against Rayquaza and how it continued to evade my ball by bobbing up and down, catching me inside its tornadoes, and paralysing me with its thunder attacks.

The developers at Jupiter put a lot of love into Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, and I will always be thankful for their creation. It means a great deal to me, and I hope that through my streams and these words I have expressed that. I also hope that I have convinced some of our readers, who may not have played the game before, to check it out for themselves.

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Between August 14th and September 30th at 20:00 UTC, fans can participate in our Grand Final, to vote for their favourite Pokémon. Finalists were decided through a preliminary poll, which took place between May 17th and July 31st, 2025. The results of that poll, can be found here.

• You may vote for three Pokémon

• One set of votes per person

• Voting ends on September 30th, 2025 at 19:00 UTC

• The winner will be announced in October 2025

• Share this poll with your friends and help us spread the word!

After the success of our Favourite Starter Pokémon Poll 2024, I wanted to conduct a much larger experiment to determine which Pokémon is the fans’ favourite. Between May 17th and July 31st, 2025, Johto Times will run a poll for each Pokémon generation, from Kanto to Paldea, and invite Pokémon fans to cast their vote on their favourites!

• Participants can vote for their six favourite Pokémon in each poll.

• Each poll will run for ten weeks, between May 17th and July 31st, 2025.

• In August 2025 we will reveal the results of each poll, and the top ten Pokémon from each will move through to the grand final, which will take place later that month.

• Please spread the word and tell your friends!

Update: August 14th, 2025: This page has been updated to include information about the Grand Final, and a link to the Johto Times website with results for the preliminary vote have taken place. Please update your bookmarks. We will update this page once more to confirm the results of the Grand Final in October 2025.

Update: August 13th, 2025: This page has been updated to confirm the preliminary results of the poll tomorrow. Please return then for further information.

Update: July 31st: Voting is now closed! Thank you to everyone who cast their votes. Please stay tuned to Johto Times to discover the results of the first part of this poll, ahead of our grand final, which will take place in August.

Update: June 16th (Special thanks): Since the poll began, it has been widely shared on social media, and on various Pokémon fansites. This update recognises and thanks Duspey, PokeCommunity, Bulbagarden, and Bulbapedia for their help and support in helping the poll reach over 200,000 votes (and counting). I am immensely grateful!

Update: May 22nd (Clarification): Pokémon which are tied jointly within the top ten will progress to the grand final. For example, if by the end of the poll, two Pokémon have the same number of votes in tenth position, both of these Pokémon will progress through to the grand final.

Come back to this page later, or subscribe to be one of the first to see the results. You can also get updates on the poll via our Discord server and Bluesky. This page will be updated in the future with the full results of each poll, including the grand final.

Please click each of the images below to vote:

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The main event was the scavenger hunt. Anyone who could find each of the Pokémon and make a note of them in the activity booklet provided would be rewarded with a special certificate for their efforts. There were also ten hidden art pieces with a piece of a code present on each. Discovering the hidden artwork and unscrambling the code allowed participants to redeem a limited edition poster at the GAME store within the Trafford Centre. There was also a range of activities aimed at younger fans, such as meet-and-greets with Pikachu, special art classes designed for children 6–11 years old, and a gigantic screen to watch Pokémon movies and Pokémon anime. On the day of the event launch, there was even a Pokémon Bus, which sadly wasn’t around when I visited.

When I first heard about the event, I really wanted to attend. It was close by and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hadn’t had a chance to meet with my closest friends for a few years. There were points I almost gave up on the idea entirely, due to concerns of catching the virus and passing it on to vulnerable people around me. Even getting on a train again after a few years was quite daunting. In the end, I ultimately decided I was going to go for it, choosing to have a nice time with my two friends. Once I saw their faces I felt reassured that the event was just what I needed.

Because the Trafford Centre is so large, fitting artwork of all the original 151 Pokémon wasn’t as difficult a task as I thought it might have been for them. I had visited the venue previously with friends, but this was quite something! Our first task was to find the Orient Main Stage and collect our activity booklets, which contained a checklist of all 151 showcased Pokémon to mark off as we encountered each of them. Once we obtained our booklets, we started to traverse the building looking for Pokémon.

One of the first things we saw when we entered were these large banners with Squirtle and Eevee on them. Surely those counted, right? Then there was the gigantic banner up high across one of the halls featuring the legendary bird Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, as well as the Mythical Pokémon, Mew! It was impossible to miss the gigantic Charizard artwork that was right above us at the Great Hall, where the main stage was located. There were tons of Pokémon banners and signs in that area, so that checked off a few boxes, too!

While I was in the Great Hall, I distinctly remember hearing a mother talking to her child about how she played Pokémon when she was young, and how Squirtle was her favourite. I loved how this event was an opportunity for parents to bond with their children over a common interest. It was quite touching!

We moved on and found a really cool area with Fossil Pokémon. The activity required you to place your booklet over a textured surface and make a rubbing using a pencil to reveal the Pokémon underneath it. There were supposed to be four panels where you could do this, but three of them were missing, likely stolen. Thankfully the one still remained, and after a quick scribble, it was revealed to be an Aerodactyl, another Pokémon checked off the list.

We also discovered a fountain with artwork both inside and around the outside, featuring Water- and Ice-type Pokémon such as Dewgong, Magikarp, and Poliwrath. The fountain is a permanent fixture in the Trafford Centre, but to see it decorated with pictures of Pokémon this way was a great sight.

As we explored the upper floor, we discovered the hidden artwork that was mentioned on the Pokémon website. Once we started to discover a few letters and numbers, we quickly worked out what the code was, but still made the effort to track down the remaining artwork in order to fill it out fully. Once that was done, it was off to GAME to collect our posters!

I have a rather funny memory of speaking to the guy behind the counter, who looked so sick and tired of giving out posters all day, and admitted as much to us. After obtaining my poster, I decided I was going to buy myself something to mark the day, and I left with a Lugia plush!

One of the final locations we visited was an area with large pillars, decorated with Pokémon banners, showing artwork of certain Pokémon types such as Flying, Fighting, Water, and Fire. By this point I believe we had discovered about 80% of all the Pokémon, but even then we were still missing quite a few…

As we continued to traverse the Trafford Centre, it became harder to find the remaining Pokémon, and we struggled to discover the last of them. I had heard that there had been some Pokémon displays outside the Trafford Centre that had been stolen, but I couldn’t verify it. With this in mind, I knew it would be impossible to check off every Pokémon, so I went to the desk and told them I had found everything we could, hoping they would take pity and give me and my friends the certificates regardless. Thankfully, they did!

At the time of this event, the idea for Johto Times and my passion for documenting and preserving events hadn’t quite materialised yet. Even still, I acknowledged that because this event was only in one location for a specific amount of time, it might be useful to preserve some of the things we saw. Because of this, I did my best to photograph as many areas as I possibly could, and I requested an additional copy of the activity booklet in case I wanted to document it in the future.

After a quick chat with the staff to thank them for a great event, we decided to take a break. All in all I think we spent around two and a half hours searching for Pokémon, so we were overdue for a rest with some food and drinks. After recovering a bit, we finally said goodbye to the Trafford Centre.

While the event was enjoyable to visit and we had fun tracking down all the Pokémon, most of the art on display, which were mostly official renders used across Pokémon products, fell beneath my expectations. As this was a one-off event, I thought the organisers would have gone all out by displaying paintings, statues, and artwork drawn by those who visited the Trafford Centre, or online in some kind of contest. Imagine walking underneath the bones of a gigantic Aerodactyl hanging from the ceiling? Or a life-size figure of a Scyther hiding in some tall grass outside of the venue? I feel like this would have made the whole experience truly memorable.

The collaborations Pokémon did with classic artwork in the style of Edvard Munch in 2018 and Vincent van Gogh in 2023, resulted in some great art and an opportunity to learn about the real-life artists which the pieces were inspired by. Those events brought lots of great merchandise with them, such as prints, plush toys and trading cards. I really wish that they had gone the extra mile and pushed the art side of the event even further. Due to the decline of retail, it would have been great to see some of those empty units used for special exhibitions. Or there could have been a pop-up Pokémon Center store for the duration of the event, where people could purchase unique items, providing it could be done in a safe and controlled way where everyone who attends has a fair chance of obtaining the exclusive merchandise.

While I certainly wasn’t the target audience for Pokémon: Art Through the Ages, it was fantastic to get out and about again after so long, doing normal things like shopping, visiting a fast-food restaurant, and spending quality time with friends. This event marked the beginning of a return to normality for me during a time when things were still far from it. Pokémon was the push that I needed to make it happen, and for that reason alone, it will always be an important event that I am going to look back fondly on over the years to come.

Additional photographs

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I have always been a huge fan of birds, and when I first set eyes on the Alolan grass-type starter Rowlet, my decision to choose it as my first Pokémon was immediately clear. When you select a starter in Sun and Moon, Hala, the Kahuna of Melemele Island, states that a Pokémon and trainer must choose each other before they can truly become partners. The cutscene that followed involved my character and Rowlet staring at each other, waiting in eager anticipation to see if, for the first time in Pokémon, my starter would also deem its new trainer worthy. Shortly after, my character lifts Rowlet gently into the air in a very wholesome scene. This wonderful round borb quickly became my favourite Pokémon, and was further solidified once I saw its fun and silly personality in the anime, especially the scene where it looks like Rowlet is having an existential crisis. I couldn’t bring myself to evolve my starter back then, so he will always remain a Rowlet in Sun.

I also loved the various Alolan forms that were introduced in Sun and Moon, namely Exeggutor and Marowak. I cannot forget the hilarious Alolan Exeggutor memes at the time, with its long neck extending out across multiple Twitter posts, or one image of it going into outer space! I was impressed by the design of Marowak’s regional form and its typing of Fire and Ghost was a neat pairing. I generally thought it looked awesome and it’s likely my favourite of all the Alolan forms.

Upon completing the game, my feelings on Pokémon began to shift positivity a little, feeling more content about the experience, despite years of dissatisfaction. I thought that becoming the first ever Champion of Alola was a great touch. Pokémon Sun was the most enjoyable game for me since HeartGold and SoulSilver, which is quite an achievement for a series that I felt had lost its spark. I completed the game on December 30th with an Alolan Raichu, a Toucannon, a Wishiwashi, a Snorlax, an Alakazam and my unevolved starter: Rowlet. While I have the information on what my team consisted of, I was disappointed to learn that Hall of Fame records didn’t exist any more, and I can’t remember specifically what my team’s levels were.

In late 2017 I commissioned an artist who was producing some artwork reminiscent of the art seen in generation I by Ken Sugimori. I requested four pieces featuring my friends with their favourite Pokémon, including references to some of their hobbies and interests in their design. I decided that I would also request one for myself, which featured my new favourite Pokémon Rowlet, with my character wearing a cape to represent my favourite type of Pokémon and trainer design: dragons! The cape was held together with a pin that had a Screw Attack design etched into it to represent my love of the Metroid franchise. By December 2017 I had received them all, and had them printed and placed in Pewter frames, a reference to the town in Pokémon Red and Blue. Overall I was very happy with how the designs turned out, and based on what my friends told me, they loved them too.

The series finally moved away from the 3DS and on to the Nintendo Switch with the release of Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee. On November 16th 2018, I was transported back to the world of Kanto with a fresh new approach, determined to catch all 151 Pokémon. As an avid fan of Pokémon GO, and a Switch owner, it was a no-brainer. I went all out and purchased the special edition version of Let’s Go Eevee with the Pokéball Plus, a device that could be used as a controller for the game and was compatible with Pokémon GO as a catching device.

While it was great to return to Kanto, I felt that the experience wasn’t as enjoyable as the original games or even as comparable to Pokémon FireRed. However, I did enjoy the catching mechanic, which I had been familiar with in Pokémon GO for a couple of years up until this point, and to see a brighter and more detailed version of Kanto. The soundtrack was particularly enjoyable, especially the Pokémon GO arrangements. It was disappointing to see that the Let’s Go games had limited scope in terms of features, making them a fairly contained experience that I probably won’t revisit.

In my opinion, these remakes of the original games were created with the intention of capitalising on the huge success of Pokémon GO, in an attempt to bring people over to the Switch in time for the next generation of games. I also believe that adding this game to Game Freak’s already tight release schedule, seeking higher revenue, is one reason later generations of Pokémon struggled to live up to the quality of previous titles. Let’s Go Eevee marks the first time I have ever completed a Pokédex in a Pokémon game, catching all 151 Pokémon, or 153 if you count Meltan and Melmetal, which I transferred to the game from Pokémon GO. I completed Let’s Go Eevee for the first time on November 21st 2018. My team consisted of Charizard, Pidgeot, Blastoise, Victreebel, Raichu and Articuno. While it was nice to revisit Kanto once more, I was eagerly anticipating the next generation…

Part 8 (Generation VIII)

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When Pokémon first launched in the UK in 1999, I was about to enter my teens. Like many kids from that era, I was hooked by Pokémania and wanted to get my hands on everything connected to the series. The Trading Card Game (TCG) was something that especially interested me. My friends would give me some of their spare Base and Jungle set cards because I couldn’t convince my parents to buy them for me. By the time the Fossil set was released, I was earning some pocket money each week, so I bought as many booster packs as I could, fully intending to collect all sixty-two cards available in the set. Sadly, I was six cards short of completing Fossil, but nearly twenty years later in 2019, after pulling out my cards from the bottom of the wardrobe and sorting through them, I decided it was time to achieve my long-forgotten goal and purchased the final few cards from eBay. It was certainly a momentous occasion when I placed that final card into the folder and completed my first set of Pokémon cards!

But it didn’t end with the Fossil set. I continued to buy cards through Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, and finally, Neo Destiny in 2002. I can’t recall exactly why I stopped after that set, but I assume it had something to do with the cost of the hobby and my general interest in it declining. I didn’t purchase any brand-new expansions until twenty-one years later, when I decided it would be fun to start collecting again.

In 2023, The Pokémon Company released a trading card set called “Scarlet & Violet—151”, which I had been following since its announcement in Japan earlier that year. At first, I assumed it would be a reprint of the original Base, Jungle, and Fossil sets, with a few extras thrown in. I was surprised to discover that it contained cards with brand-new artwork, which looked beautiful, and made me want to complete the set even more. I was already quite excited by the idea of collecting something focused on the original era of Pokémon, so I took the plunge and committed myself to buying the many products required to give myself the best chance of completing the set.

Scarlet & Violet—151 was released on September 22nd, 2023. One year later, I reflect on what it was like to collect Pokémon cards again.

A potential obstacle to this plan was the COVID-19 pandemic. I had been following the news of product shortages across the globe, due to the increased interest during that period, fully aware that it could impact my ability to obtain product before I even started. A few months previously, I had approached the owner of my local game store, explaining to him that I had an interest in the set, but was concerned about availability. The owner was not able to reserve any cards for me, I was told it would be first come, first served on the day of release, but they assured me that there would be plenty of product available. It was disappointing to hear, but expected. With the exception of one store in Japan I had read about, I saw no evidence of retailers placing limits on products, and didn’t feel I could count on the set being available by the time I travelled there on release day. So, along with my initial plan to support a local, independent specialist store, I also secured pre-orders with Amazon and the Pokémon Center website as a precaution.

On the day of release, I received an Elite Trainer Box, Booster Bundle, and Binder Collection in the mail, which totalled nineteen booster packs! When I was a kid, the most I would ever buy at a time was three booster packs due to my strict spending limits, so before I even opened a packet, there was a brief moment where I started to regret spending so much money. I reassured myself, knowing that I had saved some cash for this, and that I could comfortably afford it, so I went ahead and opened them on a Twitch stream with Johto Times readers.

The excitement of opening several booster packs was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was wonderful to see cards from the 151 set up close and in greater detail, slowly opening them with anticipation to see if I was going to be lucky and pull one of the [rare] chase cards from the set. As I mentioned earlier, I was taken by the beautiful artwork for 151, and seeing it up close for myself did not disappoint. I especially liked the holo energy cards from this set, which reminded me of the "Energize Your Game Cycle" cards that Wizards of the Coast released in Pokémon Leagues in 2002, shortly before they lost the licence.

It wasn’t just the artwork that surprised me - I love the improvements and differences the newer cards have compared to the original Wizards of the Coast-era products I collected growing up. I was particularly fond of the Secret Illustration Rare (SIR) and Full Art cards, with artwork that covers the entire card, rather than being restricted to a small window in its top half. Some of them are very pretty, such as Dragonair, which I am still hunting for at the time of writing. Holographic cards even have a texture, which can be felt when you run your finger across them. I will acknowledge that they are a much higher-quality product by comparison.

I think my favourite card from the set was the Full Art Poliwhirl, who is looking down into a puddle of water, staring at its reflection. It’s so charming, and it was one of the cards I wanted the most. I was over the moon when I managed to pull it out of a booster pack for myself! Sadly, I wasn’t able to share the moment with my audience on Twitch.

It was also fantastic to see Kadabra back in the Pokémon TCG, after twenty years of absence due to a legal dispute! I found it quite ironic that this Pokémon in particular had been away from the TCG almost as long as I had been! Due to the significance of this return, it was important that I was able to pull the card, which I did with ease.

While I didn’t manage to get anything of extreme (monetary) value during my initial purchase of 151, I was very happy with some of the cards I pulled, especially the Caterpie Full Art card, and two Alakazam ex and Venusaur ex Full Arts. However, since I was strict on the amount of money I wanted to put into this collection, I knew that if I wanted to have a better chance at completing the set, I would have to trade cards with others in order to complete it.

I later purchased the Alakazam ex and Zapdos ex collections, the Ultra Premium Collection, and another Booster Bundle. This allowed me to obtain all the promotional cards at the time and add further cards to the collection. In total, I spent around £300 during the first few months on sale.

Prior to the release of 151, I had spoken with several of my close friends who had also taken an interest in collecting the set. For some of them, they hadn’t collected Pokémon cards in a very long time either and appreciated how nostalgic and pretty the art in the set was. We agreed that we would trade our spare cards to help one another complete 151 as fully as possible. Unfortunately, in the end the deal fell through as some of them chose to sell their cards instead.

It wasn’t all disappointment though. On New Year’s Eve, one friend and I met up in a coffee shop to celebrate the end of the year, and he surprised me with several rare cards that I needed, which included the Illustration Rare Alakazam and Omanyte, along with some other less valuable cards and reverse holos. I was able to help him out by giving him some of my cards, too. It definitely helped both of us get closer to completing the set, and I was thankful for his generosity.

Just before this feature was due to be published, I was able to obtain a 151 Booster Bundle in a surprise restock at the Pokémon Center online store. While I didn’t go in expecting any huge surprises, I pulled a Mr. Mime Full Art that I didn’t have, a second Mew ex, and another Secret Illustration Rare Alakazam ex. I also managed to add a couple of reverse holos to the collection! It was probably the most luck I have had with the set. In the future, I plan to trade the Alakazam ex, along with some of the more common cards, with friends so that we can fill some gaps in the collection.

This feature was published on September 26th, 2024, a year after I first started collecting the set. Despite the restock, I have slowed down on collecting this set, picking up the odd card here and there from hobby shops in the local area. As expected, it’s likely I will have to trade and buy single cards if I am to achieve my goal. There are also some huge cards that may require me to dig deep for, especially the Charizard Secret Illustration Rare card.

To summarise my feelings on collecting Pokémon cards again, it was a mixed bag. Once again, I am blown away by how beautiful the artwork on the cards is, and I am quite satisfied with what I managed to pull. My favourite products from the set were the 151 Binder, which will hold the vast majority of the cards from the set, and the Poster Collection, which I felt was great value. However, while I feel I was strict with my purchases, I still found myself spending more than I originally wanted to. The set had terrible drop rates [the chance of getting a decent card], far lower than I expected they would be, and I was disappointed by how few of the Full Art and Secret Illustration Rare cards I was able to obtain on my own by opening packs. I only noticed two small restocks of the set within a year, which definitely didn’t help the situation. The Pokémon Company has already released several new sets since 151, so I think it is unlikely to see much more in the way of English reprints. Seriously, I have no idea how Pokémon TCG collectors and players these days can possibly keep up!

At the time of writing, I have 175 of the 207 cards in my folder, which I am proud of. I am confident that in time, I will eventually obtain every card from the set, just like I have managed to complete some of my childhood sets after almost twenty years.

While I can’t say for certain that I won’t buy any new sets in the future, I don’t believe it’s a sustainable hobby for me. I’m horrified by the amount of cash people are willing to spend on Pokémon cards, seeing just how much money a friend has been prepared to invest to ensure he can complete the sets he wants. It has definitely given me pause, and I would advise anyone who may be struggling financially to avoid developing a fear of missing out. Obtaining these final cards should be a journey, one that takes time and patience.

Scarlet & Violet—151 took me back to a time during childhood that I had forgotten, and thanks to it, I am reminded of the fun I had opening booster packs. Collecting brand-new cards, and sharing that hobby with my friends through trading and gifting again, was a real treat.

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Rachael Lillis was a Los Angeles-based voice actress for various Pokémon media, joining the franchise with Season 1 (Indigo League) of Pokémon the Series's English dub. Rachael was best known in the franchise as the original voice of Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, and many others.

On May 13, 2024, it was revealed by her sister that Rachael was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of the same year, and that it had since spread to her spine. A GoFundMe was started to help her find a caregiver to tend to her needs at her residence, before it was changed to find a cancer-specific medical facility. Many Pokémon voice actors shared the GoFundMe and it hit its original goal within a week. On August 12, 2024, fellow voice actress Veronica Taylor made a post on her social media confirming Rachael's passing two days prior.

Rachael Lillis voiced 90+ characters in the Pokémon anime and over 40+ Pokémon species. Her impact [on the] show cannot be understated. Her voice work inspired newer VAs and made Saturday mornings something special to lots of children. She will be very missed.

Sunain, PocketMonsters

Rachael’s loss is one that will forever be felt in the Pokémon community. She was an integral part of shaping how the series came to be for so many people, especially those who grew up in the late 90s and early 00s, and her voice helped craft some of the most beloved characters in media in general.

I only had the briefest of interactions with her, but she was so nice during it.

She will be missed throughout the community, but her spirit and memory shall always continue on forever.

Joe Merrick, Serebii

Few animated series have had as much of a global cultural impact as Pokémon, defined as much by a sense of fun and humour as well as battles between the titular creatures. Never was this more apparent [than] when Misty, Jessie or Jigglypuff were in full force on the screen, given energy and zest through the immense vocal talents of Rachael Lillis. For those Pokemon fans who grew up accompanying Ash, Misty and Brock on their epic journey, today’s sad news comes as a sharp blow. Rachael’s legacy is a trove of sweet memories of halcyon childhood days. Our hearts go out to Rachael’s family and her costars - especially Veronica and Eric. Rest in peace.

WyndonCalling, Bulbagarden

I met Rachael Lillis at Retro Expo 2022 and got her autograph. She was wonderful and very sweet. I've spent many hours listening to her in the anime and soundtrack albums, and even more time trying to imitate her character voices. I am heartbroken to hear of her passing.

TR Rose, TRsRockin

It's a challenge to talk about someone I've never met before... but even then it feels like actors like Rachael Lillis can still connect with us and become a part of our lives just the same, which I imagine is what drives many actors to put themselves out there in the first place.

To me, Rachael was a classic working actor, focused on her craft and making a living. In fact, those working actors are often what shapes our popular culture to begin with. As it turned out, Rachael was part of that generation of actors that helped elevate anime dubs from a niche "so bad it's good" interest to a far more respected form. I actually first recognized her from The Slayers and The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, which for me was simply the latest in the line of dubbed anime I watched going all the way back to Bubblegum Crisis from the 80s. But many voice actors today likely trace their inspiration from watching Pokémon as kids and now star in more anime released this year than was released in a decade back in the day. Could it have happened without Rachael? Maybe, but she was there, at that right place and right time, to show how "there are no small parts."

Of course I expect the people in our lives to be with [us until] their 90s. Certainly, growing older means seeing those who made up a part of who we are slip away one by one. But to see the Kevin Conroys, Shannen Dohertys and David Bowies to go before their time is especially tough. However, it just makes me appreciate the time we had to see them in their prime, while also reminding us to cherish those who are still with us.

Nick15, Pokémon Aaah!

As the owner and operator of The Pokémon Tower, Rachael's impact on the lives of children (and adults) everywhere was quite apparent.  There is zero doubt that the voice talents of Rachael Lillis helped bring all her characters to life for so many of us.  Over the many years that I have administered over The Pokémon Tower, there was always a constant flow of content created by the authors, artists, and auteurs, especially pertaining to Jessie and Misty.  There was (is!) a great deal of love for Pokémon and their human counterparts and Rachael's talented voice facilitated that love and brought it home for all of us to enjoy.  That enjoyment inspired thousands upon thousands to write stories, draw artwork, and create videos as a testament to the life she brought to her characters.

She will be greatly missed by us and by so many around the world.

The Jolt Master, The Pokémon Tower

Rachael brought amazing performances and bright energy to the show with her voice. Her performances as Misty with her love and hate relationship with Psyduck are some of my most cherished Pokemon memories. I'm still a lifelong Psyduck fan for all these years, thank you Rachael. 

Ray, Pokémon Elite 2000

Most of my exposure to Rachael's work came from watching the Pokemon anime, and I always had the personalities she forged for the characters of Misty and Jessie in mind when writing them in fanfiction. Rachael conveyed the fieriness and softness in both these characters so well, and there was notable passion in all her performances.

My thoughts are with her family and closest friends at this time - it is an especially painful loss for them.

Gemma Bright, Pokémon Rebirth

I was surprised and saddened to learn of the passing of Rachael Lillis, who voiced Jessie, Misty and other voices for the Pokémon anime.  Saddened, of course, because her voice was such a distinctive part of what initially attracted me to the show in the first place.  That she was Misty AND Jessie always caught me by surprise; she certainly wasn't a voice actor who just phoned in a performance that made you say, "Oh that's Rachael Lillis doing her Rachael Lillis voice."  Her Jessie in particular was always a great delight to me; her vocal performance really served the writing well by playing up the wildly different reactions and demeanor that Jessie the character could fly into at a moment's notice during an episode.

The loss fans of Pokémon feel is very real, of course, but nothing compared to what her family and friends must be feeling, and to say my heart goes out to them seems a very empty statement [in light] of their loss.  What else can I offer though, except to say that this wonderful woman brought a lot of joy, laughter and fun to the lives of literally millions upon millions of people for a great many years, and what finer remembrance can anybody have?

Rest in peace.

Dodgemaster Tim, Pokemopolis

I was 13 when the Pokemon craze first hit the US. I quickly fell in love with the franchise, especially the anime. My two favorite characters were (and still are) Misty and Jessie, who both happened to be voiced by Rachael Lillis. When I learned who she was, I spent countless hours scouring the internet reading her interviews, imagining how cool it would have been to get to talk with her. As an actress and Pokemon fan, I always looked up to Rachael. She brought so much life to these characters who had a huge impact on me. Her voice was a gift, one [for] which I’ll always be grateful.

Amanda, Zelda Universe

So sorry to hear of Rachael Lillis’ passing. I never know what to say in these situations, only that she will be missed by those of us to whom the Pokémon anime always meant so much, and in times like these, I am reminded of all the other favorite shows and beloved characters…those who have also passed, whom we as fans only knew from afar, and in watching reruns years…decades later…that part of them will always be here, and how they will always be remembered. In Jessie, Misty, Jigglypuff, Maylene (Veilstone City Gym Leader), and so many others…may she live on and her voice always be heard.

Kimberly (“We All Live in a Pokémon World…”)

We'd never met, but her voice was the stuff of memories that one would never realize had formed. Having grown up in Greece, all characters were naturally dubbed in Greek, apart from the Pokémon. We may keep in our memories Rachael Lillis's stunning Goldeen, the cute and mischievous Jigglypuff, the bold Vulpix, the elusive Venonat. Let our attention be to the joys and struggles alike that make us human. Farewell Rachael.

Arty2, Legendary PKMN

Misty, Jessie and the many Pokémon Rachael Lillis voiced were integral parts of the original Pokémon anime and she did an amazing job bringing them to life. I grew up watching those early seasons in which she was the voice actress and she is ingrained in my childhood through her contributions. She will forever be remembered fondly by myself and the Pokémon fandom at large. Thank you Rachael, you will be very missed.

Paul, PokéJungle

Rachael was responsible for bringing Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, and other characters to life, for Pokémon's English audience. These voices are beloved and recognisable to anyone who grew up with the anime during its first several seasons.

While it is tremendously sad that Rachael is no longer with us, her memory will live on through the many fantastic performances she gave us over the years. My heart goes out to those who were fortunate enough to work alongside her, and to her loved ones.

As someone who grew up watching the show, waking up early and rushing downstairs to the television to watch each episode as it aired each Saturday morning, I have many cherished memories, and I am grateful for everything Rachael gave fans like me, and I regret that I never had the opportunity to express that to her directly. Rest in peace.

Darren, Johto Times

Rachael Lillis's work in Pokémon, and some of her fellow cast, was one of the first times I was aware of an actor performing two or more roles in the same cartoon; I liked Team Rocket so much that I wanted to know everything about them including their actors. Her work inspired me to be more interested in the behind the scenes efforts made to entertain us. Much has been said about Rachael already, but I wanted to thank her for giving me a lifelong interest and appreciation for the work that goes into bringing joy and entertainment to us. 

Jim Roszel, Johto Times contributor and Pokémon Zeo community

I am thankful to everyone who felt able to contribute to this at such short notice. I had fully intended to include more, including those from readers, but as you can see, we were overwhelmed with tributes from many people who wanted to share something. If you would like to share your own tribute, I encourage you to do so in the comments below.

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2013 – 2016

Imagine being thrown into a car against your will and forced to purchase Pokémon Y… Well OK, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but I certainly had no interest in purchasing any more Pokémon games. That didn’t stop my friend David from wanting me to purchase Pokémon Y, the opposite copy of the game he wanted, so he could trade the version exclusive Pokémon and starters with me. After pretty much kidnapping me and bribing me by paying half the cost of the game, I reluctantly picked it up. We pulled up to his local Sainsbury’s supermarket and each got a copy of the games. As an added bonus, we swung by the local GAME store where we were given a Pokéball-shaped 3DS game holder, which was a pre-order bonus for something we never pre-ordered, but luckily the manager happened to be a mutual friend of his.

While I did complete the game and had enjoyed the Mega Evolutions and riding segments, Y was even less enjoyable than any previous games I had played. Some of my complaints were the lacklustre storyline, poor camera controls, and the feeling that the games were rushed and incomplete. After playing through the game again years later, I don’t hold the same strong feelings as I originally did, but can’t shake the belief that something changed with Pokémon from that point onwards. Perhaps in the years to come, my feelings will change again, and I will appreciate generation VI much more.

On November 28th 2014, I traded in my copy of Y for a special edition copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby with a steel tin on its launch day, which is one of the few times that I don’t actually regret trading in a game. Omega Ruby was a faithful yet enjoyable remake of Pokémon Ruby with new stories and lore. I loved the inclusion of Primal Groudon and Kyogre, plus the post-game content, the Delta episode featuring Zinnia and Rayquaza, and the exciting finale involving Deoxys! While I didn’t hold the same excitement for Omega Ruby as I did with the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver, I still enjoyed it. I defeated the Elite Four on January 10th 2015 with a Groudon (Lv. 49), a shiny Metagross (Lv. 56), a Breloom (Lv. 47), a Greninja (Lv. 66), a Blaziken (Lv. 49), and a Swellow (Lv. 46).

One piece of music from the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games that I found inspiring was the Primal Reversion theme, which plays when you engage with the legendary Pokémon Groudon or Kyogre, who return to their ancient forms as part of the story twist for these remakes. The theme combines the original composition with the new arrangement, mixing the old with the new: a primal reversion! I was so fascinated with this concept that it served as the inspiration for a fan-arranged Pokémon album I directed and produced called Harmony of a Champion, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first generation of games. It was a story-driven musical experience, with arrangements that told a story through music. We recreated themes from the original Game Boy soundtrack from scratch, and placed parts of it into the music to invoke a sense of nostalgia at key points.

Collaborating with musicians, artists and engineers to put albums like this together was a keen hobby of mine, and I can state with confidence that the music I heard in generations I and II of Pokémon were instrumental in this pastime. The album began production in January 2015, and eventually launched on December 25th 2017. The project was delayed beyond its original release of 2016, and while the project did coincide with a lot of personal issues I was facing at the time, I am very proud of it. This licensed album raised money for Child’s Play Charity, helping to provide toys and video games to children’s hospitals worldwide. I am thankful to the entire team for helping to make it happen. As much as I would have loved to do a follow-up album for Gold, Silver and Crystal, the stress the album put me under at the time meant this was out of the question.

In July 2016, the passion for Pokémon was thriving around the globe with the release of Pokémon GO for mobile devices. The augmented reality title, developed and published by Niantic, was a fun and refreshing game. Not only has it allowed me to experience Pokémon in a whole new way, but it provided several positive benefits to my life, such as improving my physical activity, socialising with locals, and improving my mental wellbeing. My journey in that game started on July 6th, and since then, whether it was joining in with raids in the local area, discovering and capturing rare Pokémon during community days, or enjoying the game with a friend for a couple of hours for a much-needed break, Pokémon GO has had a significant and positive impact on me.

On July 29th, just a few weeks after the game was released, I was able to meet up with my old school friend Shaun who I had not seen for roughly fifteen years. We planned to catch a few Pokémon together and catch up on life. The day was pretty great, but the best part was trying to locate a Ponyta which I still hadn’t managed to catch. We knew one had spawned locally, thanks to some third party software we were using at the time, but realised we wouldn’t be able to reach it before it despawned. Suddenly my friend Beki, who I was staying with at the time, came flying around the corner in her car screaming for us to get in. We raced up the road, trying desperately to get to the location of Ponyta. This resulted in us zooming past a police car and had me wondering if we were going to get arrested and thrown in a cell as a result of catching Pokémon. Thankfully, with no police in pursuit, we reached the Ponyta with seconds to spare and caught it, giving each other high-fives in celebration. It’s still one of the most surreal and intense moments I have ever had in GO, and one I am happy to have shared with old friends.

Another memory was when I discovered an Omastar in GO, something that wasn’t a very common spawn in my area at the time. I was super excited to catch it. It now resides with my friend Ryan, who is one of the friends I met online thanks to Pokémon GO, and is someone I consider to be a very close friend. On March 24th 2018, I successfully captured my first Mewtwo in an EX Raid battle. I made the journey to the EX Raid Gym especially for the occasion, despite it not being very local. I remember celebrating by getting on to my knees and cheering, with a few other people who were just as ecstatic to have obtained the legendary Pokémon.

Two years later on March 19th 2020, I made my first contribution to GO by submitting my first PokéStop nomination, which was accepted and added to the game. There was a great sense of pride knowing that I was responsible for creating a spot where many other players could benefit from my recommendation, by spinning the PokéStop and collecting items.

Pokémon GO was a great support mentally. When I felt low, I took a nice long walk and opened the game to capture some Pokémon. Before I knew it I was walking to new places I haven’t explored before, distracting myself from my problems, and later returning home feeling refreshed and satisfied. If it wasn’t for this game, I wouldn’t be nearly as active. I even found myself going out in storms, and on one occasion, a blizzard! While the hype around Pokémon GO has died down by comparison, it’s a very important game to me that continues to have a positive impact, which extends beyond a traditional video game.

Part 7 (Generation VII)

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Iwata began his career in the games industry at HAL Laboratories as a part-time programmer, and produced his first commercial game in 1983 – a port of the arcade game Joust. He worked closely with Nintendo and produced several titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System. By 1993, HAL had fallen into debt, and Nintendo’s then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi insisted that Iwata become its president, who helped to stabilise its finances and turn its fortunes around.

In 1999, Pokémon Snap was developed by HAL and released for the Nintendo 64. Originally, the game wasn’t going to feature Pokémon at all, but in an Iwata Asks interview for Kirby’s Epic Yarn (October 2010), it was revealed by Satoru Iwata that Pokémon were the best subjects to be photographed, as players would enjoy taking pictures of them. In the book “Ask Iwata”, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto said that Iwata-san had stressed the importance of what should be photographed. He said, “Miyamoto, I think it’s Pokémon. That’s what the people really want to photograph”. Thanks to Iwata’s advice, Pokémon became the guiding principle for the game.

During the development of Pokémon Gold & Silver, Game Freak were overwhelmed by their workload. Not only were they working on the sequel to the highly successful Red & Green titles, they were preparing to localise the original games for release in the west. In addition to this, they were also working on the Japanese-exclusive Pokémon Stadium. Unfortunately, the code for Pokémon Red & Green was convoluted, and no documentation existed to effectively port the battle system over to Pokémon Stadium. This meant that only the four programmers who worked on the original game could work on it, taking resources away from the sequels.

At the time, Iwata-san was a board member at Creatures Inc. but he ended up being involved in discovering the most appropriate way to localise the games outside of Japan. Iwata obtained the source code for Pokémon Red & Green and studied it. Eventually, Iwata was able to understand the code, re-work it, and decide how the game should be localised, relaying his findings back to Nintendo.

Iwata-san then went on to analyse Pokémon Red & Green’s battle logic, a difficult task since the games had no specification document. Despite this, Iwata was able to port the battle system over to Pokémon Stadium and got it working in just one week, something that surprised Shigeki Morimoto, the programmer who originally created it. Thanks to Iwata’s assistance, both of these significant hurdles had been removed from Game Freak’s to-do list, allowing the team to focus their attention exclusively on Pokémon Gold & Silver.

If all of this wasn’t enough, Iwata created the image compression tools for Pokémon Gold & Silver which were an improvement upon the original algorithm, making it faster for the game to load assets.

One popular story about Iwata is that his compression tools saved space, allowing Game Freak to fit Kanto into the cartridge. However, a Reddit post by user danimalforlife went into a lot of depth about the topic, and debunks this rumour.

Iwata left HAL and joined Nintendo in June 2000 as the head of its corporate planning division. One of his first tasks in the role was the formation of The Pokémon Company. Due to the success and popularity of Pokémon after the release of Gold & Silver, a new organisation was required to licence, produce, publish and market Pokémon, as well as manage the Pokémon Center business. This allowed the company to expand the scope of the brand in Japan and overseas. The Pokémon Company operates to this day, and is led by the three companies which hold the Pokémon copyright – Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc.

Sadly, Iwata-san passed away on July 11th, 2015, due to a tumour in his bile duct which had been discovered a year prior in June 2014. Two weeks before his death, he had been hospitalised, and despite being confined to a bed, he was still working. According to Japanese business website Nikkei, one of the final projects Iwata contributed to was Pokémon GO, where he was closely involved in the development from the planning stage and exchanging views with TPC’s President, Tsunekazu Ishihara.

In October 2015, Satoru Iwata was voted unanimously by judges to receive the Golden Joystick Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. On December 3rd of that year, retired COO of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé paid a heartfelt tribute to him during The Game Awards. In 2016, the DICE Awards also bestowed their Lifetime Achievement prize to the late Satoru Iwata.

The credits of Star Fox Zero for the Wii U share a tribute in memory of Iwata that states: "This game is dedicated to our wingman who fell in battle". Soon after the announcement of his death, tributes from fans were left at the Nintendo World Store in New York City. Many developers and game companies paid tribute to Iwata on social media, highlighting how much he would be missed.

As a Nintendo fan, I was first introduced to Iwata-san through his E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) presentations, most notably at E3 2005 where he revealed Nintendo Wii (codenamed Revolution) to the world for the very first time and announced that it would have a Virtual Console capable of downloading games from older platforms. He was the face of the Nintendo Direct presentations when they began in 2011, and shared many notable video game announcements in a fun and entertaining way, directly to us. Because of all this, I felt a connection to Iwata, the man who was there for over a decade, providing me with great gaming experiences to look forward to.

Unfortunately, I didn’t learn of Iwata’s contribution to Pokémon until after his death, but once I read about the huge accomplishments he made for the series, I appreciated him even more, and for that I’m immensely thankful. From his time at HAL working on Pokémon Snap, right up to Pokémon GO in the days before his passing, Satoru Iwata’s influence on Pokémon was substantial. It’s not very often I cry, but hearing that Iwata had passed away, it brought me to tears. This wonderful man who was responsible for so many cherished memories may no longer be here, but my respect for everything he did will be there forever.

Thank you Iwata-san. Your support for Pokémon will never be forgotten.

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After beating the Elite Fours of Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Crystal multiple times and training up my Pokémon to high enough levels, there wasn’t a great deal to do and I had exhausted my efforts in the lands of Kanto and Johto. Despite my admiration for both of these games, I had grown bored with them and wanted to find new ways to explore them. There was a point in my early days of playing Pokémon where I wanted to use cheat codes to unlock new items, exploit the way the game worked, and most importantly: exploit my opponents.

I believe this first started with my neighbour David who lived two doors away from my house. One afternoon, we were battling one another on our Game Boys outside in the street; I had Pokémon Blue and he had Pokémon Yellow. I recall one of the Pokémon he had was a Mew, which was super powerful with health and stats way higher than a typical Pokémon would have. I had heard about Mew previously, but knew it was unlikely to have been legitimate since it was only available via an event or cheat device. Knowing I didn’t stand a chance, I stopped our battle and decided that I would need a cheat device if I was ever going to come close to beating him.

Some weeks passed, and I went to my local Gamestation store to purchase a cheat device called Xploder Lite, by a company called Blaze. By placing the cheat cartridge into the Game Boy and a game inside the cheat cartridge, you could input codes and make changes to the game, activating them on the fly by using the power switch at the top of the Xploder Lite.

Despite my initial plans for the cheat device, I decided I would explore my copy of Pokémon Blue beyond its conventional boundaries. One of the first things I used it for was to confirm my suspicions of PokéGods, such as the rumours about Bill’s secret garden where powerful Pokégod Pokémon were supposed to be hidden. It was great to confirm my suspicions that the rumour was indeed false. I was also able to confirm that a truck was indeed parked in Vermillion City, and that there was no Mew underneath it.

I explored many places across Pokémon Blue’s map, and was fascinated by how the world fit together I also recall my game crashing and restarting when I went out of bounds. I then took full benefit of the opportunity to give myself as many Rare Candies and Master Balls as I wanted.

Eventually I was using my cheat device to teach my Pokémon moves they wouldn’t normally be able to learn, and adjust their health and stats. By this point, I was using Pokémon Crystal to battle my friend Mason with a Victreebel that had Sky Attack, and my Charizard had so much health that it couldn’t be knocked out. I even used my device to bring Pokémon into the game I didn’t legally find, such as other Kanto Pokémon or additional legendaries. I would share the benefits with Mason, transferring over anything he wanted! I don’t remember trying to generate shiny Pokémon, but I feel like it is something I probably would have done.

While it was fun to see the surprise and horror on my friend’s faces as I destroyed their teams with my army of overpowered and manipulated Pokémon, I realised that using my games to obtain rare and powerful Pokémon and items lessened the overall experience. I acknowledged that I wasn’t having as much fun with Pokémon as when I played the games legitimately, so I retired my use of the device entirely, putting it back into its box and placing it under my bed where it was never used again.

I can understand why people would see the appeal of using a cheat device, and there were many of them around at the time, such as GameShark, Game Genie, and of course, my Xploder Lite. These devices are pretty obsolete nowadays as games have moved to new consoles where they can’t be used, but similar methods to manipulate Pokémon data are still out there. How many of us have obtained a hacked Pokémon (also known as genned Pokémon) via WiFi trades? Pokémon Home – the service that allows you to store and transfer Pokémon between games – implements strict background checks for genned monsters, and The Pokémon Company has been disqualifying more and more professional-level players who use teams with hacked monsters.

Back in the earliest days of Pokémon, trading to obtain every Pokémon was a significant challenge, and impossible if you weren’t able to travel to specific locations at designated times. Some countries, such as Australia, had significantly fewer official events than other places, and many never made it out of Japan. But thanks to online trading and Mystery Gift events, fans like me have an easier time of catching them all. With EXP candies and Bottle Caps, it’s now nearly effortless to train your Pokémon’s stats and level them up – much easier than it ever was during the 2000s.

Apologies to all the friends from back then who fell victim to my overpowered and broken Victreebel. They can rest assured that the cheat cartridge will remain in its box on my shelf until the end of time.

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Two of my favourite Pokémon games are Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Both titles captured my interest significantly longer than most other games in the series, and are what I consider to be the benchmark for other Pokémon entries. Despite these products being released more than two decades apart, I hold each of them in high regard.

Crystal takes me back to a time when Pokémon was everything to me. It built on the original Gold & Silver games with rich features and improvements, and remains familiar and nostalgic, taking me to a happy place. Legends: Arceus brought a fresh new approach and rejuvenated a series that I felt had grown old and tired, bringing the world of Pokémon to life with its large open expanses to explore in ways I could only dream of as a child. With this in mind, I couldn’t help but speculate about ideas that combined the two titles into a Legends-style game set in the Johto region - Pokémon Legends: Celebi. For my game concept, I will be leaning heavily on Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but with a few plot differences and new features.

Legends: Arceus was set in the Hisui region, a land that would one day be known as Sinnoh, with familiar locations, landmarks and references to the modern-day region, and characters that are strongly hinted to be ancestors of notable trainers, Gym Leaders, and popular characters from Diamond & Pearl, games which originally released in 2006. Jubilife Village would eventually become Jubilife City as the world developed and the population increased. It also featured the same protagonist from Diamond & Pearl. All of this really appealed to me, so I will be adopting these ideas for my concept.

Plot and Characters

A short time after being defeated on Mt. Silver, Red would be sent back in time 150 years by Ilex Forest’s protector, Celebi, due to his great strength and courage. He will be expected to fulfil an important purpose: to calm several Pokémon that are wreaking havoc across the land, and to protect Ecruteak Village and the land of Johto from a calamity that threatens to destroy everything. The cause of the unrest would be a group known as the Rocket army, controlled by an ancestor of Team Rocket’s Giovanni, and these rampaging Pokémon would need to be calmed with specially prepared Balms. The goal of the Rocket army is to cause enough of a disturbance to summon the legendary Pokémon Lugia back to the Brass Tower in Ecruteak Village and control its tremendous power for themselves.

In Pokémon Gold & Silver, Cianwood City is home to a pharmacy that has been around for 500 years, and will play a vital role in my Legends: Celebi concept as the source of the Balms used to calm the rampaging Pokémon Red will discover in his quest.

Ecruteak Village would serve as the hub, due to the location having such a significant role in the original games. It would be home to a leader who looks out for Red and the other villagers, an ancestor of Johto’s Gym Leader Morty, similar to how Commander Kamado from Legends: Arceus is an ancestor of Professor Rowan from Sinnoh. I did consider an ancestor of Professor Elm for this role, but I much prefer the idea that Morty’s ancestors protected and guarded the village during their lifetimes. While it is not considered part of the official video game canon, Morty confirmed this in the Johto League Champions episode “A Ghost of a Chance”, which sealed the deal.

The village also has a man who can turn Apricorn fruits into balls to capture Pokémon, with similar catch mechanics as Legends: Arceus. In order to obtain these balls, Red would need to gather materials for him to make them. There would probably be a store that functions similarly, with certain items and clothing available in exchange for resources, which players would need to go out and gather.

The village would be populated by two different tribes called the Gold Clan and the Silver Clan, who came together to seek peace, support and cooperation under the two Legendary Pokémon, Lugia and Ho-Oh. Their ancestors worked together to construct two towers known as the Brass Tower and the Bell Tower 550 years previously (700 years by the time of Pokémon Gold & Silver). Despite their differences, the village leader ensures that there is harmony between the two groups. A variety of tasks and challenges could be given to Red from both groups, which would allow him to gain enough reputation to eventually capture the legendary Pokémon they honour later in the game.

Threats and Locations

The peace would eventually be broken when an enraged Pokémon appears outside the village, and Red intervenes to calm it. This leads to reports from other locations across the Johto region where settlements are threatened. Legends: Arceus introduced five Noble Pokémon, descendants of the Ancient Hero of Legend and blessed by Arceus. Each of these Pokémon caused a great upheaval, and I believe a similar approach could work for my Legends: Celebi game, with inspiration taken from legends mentioned in the original Pokémon Gold & Silver games.

One of these Pokémon could be the Bellsprout which stood over 100 feet tall and became the central pillar of the Sprout Tower in Violet City. This Pokémon would have been sleeping deep within the Ilex Forest, which is in proximity to Violet, until it is awoken by the Rocket army in a violent attack, causing it to awaken and rampage as it heads towards the small town of Violet. As it reaches town, it terrorises the population by destroying buildings, believing that these innocent humans are responsible for awakening it. Eventually, Red will come and save the day, which is when we realise that this is no ordinary Bellsprout, but a unique specimen! Red will engage it in battle, calming it until it comes to rest in place for the remaining years of its life. I love the idea of introducing brand-new Pokémon this way and implying that eyewitness reports wrongly assumed it was a regular Bellsprout.

It was stated in Pokémon Gold & Silver that the Lake of Rage is actually a crater that was made by a rampaging Gyarados long ago. The story was passed down by the Fishing Guru’s great-great-grandpa, so 150 years sounds about the right sort of timeframe for this event to have occurred. The threat at the Lake of Rage that Red faces is another unique specimen! I envision this Pokémon to be a monotype Dragon and an even greater threat than a regular Gyarados.

This ancient Pokémon lives at the bottom of the lake and is awoken by the Rocket army, but this time Red is too late, and the Gyarados destroys the town, once again believing that these innocent humans are to blame for it being awoken. Despite this, Red will succeed in calming the creature, which dives back down into the lake to fall into a long slumber, never to be seen again. In a beta version of Pokémon Gold & Silver, the lake at the site was much smaller, and had a Pokémon Center, Poké Mart, and a Gym, which was the basis of this idea.

Other areas such as Blackthorn and Goldenrod, would make great locations for battles with rampaging Pokémon. The mountainous Blackthorn City, known for its close connection with Dragon-type Pokémon certainly feels like a place that could have existed for hundreds of years. Perhaps an Ice-type Pokémon from the nearby Ice Path would pose a real threat to the area.

According to Pokémon Gold & Silver, a Bell Tower similar to the ones in Ecruteak City used to exist on the site of the Radio Tower in Goldenrod, and that was the place where the Rainbow Wing was originally discovered. Perhaps there could be a flying-type threat inside this old tower causing some problems?

There’s also Azalea Town, due to the story in Gold & Silver that mentions a Slowpoke’s yawn ended a drought 400 years prior. Or maybe the site of the National Park could once have been a vast meadow. Perhaps they contain some special forms of Pokémon that could be introduced? There are so many opportunities to introduce some great Pokémon and forms in the game, and plenty of familiar areas with a great history.

Climactic Sequence

Once all the threats have been taken care of, Red returns to Ecruteak only to find that the Rocket army has unleashed an attack upon the village. A Rocket executive, who could be an ancestor of Eusine, the trainer who seeks Suicune in Pokémon Crystal, will have infiltrated the Brass Tower and taken the Apricorn maker hostage, along with the Silver Wing, in an attempt to summon Lugia. The Rocket army executive will have a team of four Pokémon: Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon and an Eevee.

After the battle, Lugia descends angrily upon the Brass Tower to face the executive and uses its powerful wings to generate an almighty gust to attack him. However, because Lugia’s power is so strong, it summons a storm, creating a bolt of lightning which strikes the tower, engulfing it in flames. The gust of wind it generated with its wings, causes the fire to spread rapidly throughout the tower. Red escapes, rescuing the Apricorn Ball maker in the process. Despite the cowardly executive also being able to get out, he can’t save his Pokémon, leaving them to perish in the fire. Horrified by its actions and tremendous power, Lugia flies away to the Whirl Islands, while Ho-Oh descends from the skies to calm the storm, before flying away once more.

The Executive hands over the Silver Wing to Red, an item used to summon Lugia which the Rocket Army had obtained prior to Red arriving, and he leaves. He suggests that Red can use it to correct his mistakes, and vows to quit the Rocket army and earn Lugia’s forgiveness. With Lugia gone, the village leader gives Red the Rainbow Wing, an item he had possessed from his childhood, in the hope that Red can encourage Ho-Oh back to the Bell Tower and calm the chaos which has occurred. Red climbs the Bell Tower with the Rainbow Wing and summons it.

It challenges Red, and upon its defeat, it acknowledges that he is a trainer of pure heart, grants his wish and resurrects the Pokémon that were trapped inside the Brass Tower, granting them new life as the legendary beasts Entei (Flareon), Raikou (Jolteon) and Suicune (Vaporeon). After the Rocket executive deserted it in the tower, Suicune cannot forgive him or his descendants for his abandonment and cruelty to Pokémon, which is why Eusine will never be able to achieve his dream of encountering it 150 years later.

The reason I included Eevee in the Rocket Executive’s team is because I had the idea of introducing a fourth legendary beast that the Eevee becomes after its resurrection, which will be called Demenshu, a ground-type beast representing the earth element who Red has to tame through battle. With the Rocket army disbanded and defeated, its leader escapes, vowing to find and capture Lugia for himself.

Puzzle Elements

The Ruins of Alph were a really fun side quest in Gold & Silver, featuring puzzles and mysteries to uncover, items to be found, and strange Unown creatures to be captured. According to those games, they were created 1500 years prior, making them the oldest described structures in the region. Pokémon Legends: Arceus gave us the opportunity to capture all twenty-eight Unown characters and gave clues to their whereabouts, which provided a neat little side quest. My idea would be to have ruins across the entirety of the region, not just within the Ruins of Alph themselves.

I would like the games to return to puzzle-solving, just like Generation II with the Ruins of Alph and Generation III with braille puzzles. Each ruin would offer the opportunity to capture a specific Unown form, with clues on how to access them. For example, Unown E’s chamber could be unlocked by using a move that starts with the same letter, such as the move “Earthquake”, or by standing on a mark on the ground that resembles an X somewhere close by in order to open Unown X’s chamber. There’s a lot of creative and fun ways that could be explored to unlock each one!

Once inside a chamber, a further puzzle could be required in order to summon the Unown, similar to the sliding puzzles featured in the Ruins of Alph in Gold & Silver, deciphering clues within the chamber spelled in Unown text, or more elaborate time-based puzzles and challenges similar to the video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Perhaps certain chambers could unlock hidden rooms, with precious items to choose from, giving a further incentive to explore and complete each one! These temples could then crumble into the ground and seal themselves away upon completion, to explain why they don’t exist in the modern-day Johto.

The Sinjoh Ruins could also play a role in the game. They were previously an event-only feature in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, offering an opportunity to capture Dialga, Palkia or Giratina. Maybe the character of Volo from Pokémon Legends: Arceus could show up here, explaining his whereabouts after he disappeared in the game? This could be a cool way to connect Legends: Celebi and Legends: Arceus together.

Postgame Content

In the game’s post-credits scene, Ho-Oh will return to the Tin Tower for a reception with Red, the trainer who showed true bravery in the face of evil. It wishes to challenge him once again, and this time it can be captured. The Whirl Islands also opens up as a location, and there, Red can encounter the Rocket executive and its leader. It is clear that the two have had an altercation with one another, spent from an intense battle. They tell Red that he is the only one who can bring calm to Lugia and recommend that he uses the Silver Wing to fight or capture it. Once Lugia has been encountered, the two Rocket army members disappear, vowing to disband their organisation, echoing how Giovanni dissolved Team Rocket in Gold & Silver.

Red can return to Ecruteak Village and meet with the Apricorn Ball maker. He thanks Red for saving him from the tower blaze and gives him the mysterious GS Ball, named after the Gold and Silver clans who gathered the resources to help create it to show their thanks to Red for everything he has done, and prove that the two clans will continue to work together in harmony. He claims it's strong enough to capture a rare and powerful Pokémon that dwells deep inside Ilex Forest.

After capturing every Pokémon in the game, including all twenty-eight Unown forms, Red can take the GS Ball to Ilex Forest and use it to summon Celebi, who uses its psychic abilities to speak to Red. It confirms that it was responsible for bringing Red to this time period because of his unmatched strength, bravery and kindness to Pokémon. Celebi recognises his achievement in capturing all Pokémon and allows Red to battle it. Once defeated, Celebi agrees to return Red to his own time, which serves as an end point for the game. After the credits we see Red in his home of Pallet Town, holding the GS Ball containing Celebi. It seems that it has decided to stay with Red and can send him back to the past to explore the land further after the game is complete, if the player wishes.

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, I was disappointed that the protagonist didn’t get to return to his or her time period, suggesting that they were trapped in Hisui forever. My ending ensures Red can get home by allowing him to travel between the two time periods.

Closing

There are many ways this story could be told; these are just some of my own ideas that I wanted to share. Ultimately, I believe that a game like this should offer a close connection to the legends mentioned in the Gold & Silver games. Tying the lore and history of Johto together like this could be super special and rewarding for fans of the original games and new fans alike. I truly hope that we will eventually see a game like this in the future!

Special Thanks

During this feature, I reached out to Nob Ogasawara, the man responsible for the original localisation of Gold & Silver and dozens of other Pokémon titles, from the original Red & Blue titles to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. I would like to thank him for suggesting the name of my fourth legendary beast, as one of his recommendations was Demenshu, (meaning ground, master/owner, often territorial). Special thanks also to our reader Glaedrax for suggesting and illustrating the unique Bellsprout and Gyarados forms. Finally, thank you to Jim Roszel for providing us with the logo used for the feature.

Additional artwork

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I’ve long admired The Pokémon Company’s commitment to their players. This dedication shows when they carry forward their Pokémon characters through generations of games and into cloud-based services (for a fee) so they can be stored and moved to modern releases wherever those Pokémon are usable. Until March 2023, anyone with a Nintendo 3DS could download Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter from the eShop and purchase a pass so they could transfer Pokémon to the service. But the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS eShop was closed on March 27th 2023, so anyone who missed out on downloading them prior to the closure no longer has this opportunity.

This isn’t the first time fans have missed out on transferring their Pokémon. I remember being devastated that I couldn’t move Pokémon from my copy of Crystal to Ruby due to incompatibility between the two games, and because Crystal’s battery died a few years after release, it meant my Pokémon were lost to time. Since then, though, I was able to carry over all of my notable Pokémon to the most recent games, especially my beloved Latios from Pokémon Ruby. I was impressed that The Pokémon Company seemed to care about the fans and their Pokémon data, some of which could date back as far as 21 years as of the time of writing (2024).

When Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow and Gold, Silver & Crystal were released on Nintendo 3DS, they were made to work seamlessly compatible with Pokémon Bank, making every generation of Pokémon game at the time compatible with the service. With the closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops, trading Pokémon from 28 mainline games on Game Boy Advance, DS, and 3DS became impossible. This number grows further if you include titles such as Pokémon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness on GameCube, and any additional games that contained bonuses. Perhaps I’m a bit more attached to my Pokémon than most, but it’s devastating to think that a lot of data is now incompatible with newer games moving forward.

Prior to the closure of the eShop services in March 2023, The Pokémon Company said in a statement that Pokémon Bank services will be available at no cost to players and that paid passes will be discontinued, with users still being able to access some of its features, including transferring their Pokémon to Pokémon HOME. They went on to state that there is no end date planned for the no-cost service and that any further changes will be announced in advance. In October 2023, Nintendo announced that online services for their 3DS console would end on April 8th, 2024, but it was confirmed by The Pokémon Company that Bank would still continue to function beyond that date. While this is good news in the short term, it does make me wonder just how long this opportunity will be available for.

I acknowledge that technology will move on, our old games will start to fail, and fewer people will have access to their old data. Keeping a server running for Pokémon Bank is a drain on resources, and will eventually become redundant as more players move their data from the service to HOME, and I expect it will eventually be retired. I further acknowledge that they decided to make the service free for users and gave plenty of notice prior to its closure to give as many people a chance to download it as possible. I wonder if any fan-created solution is currently being worked on in an effort to preserve this connection for future generations?

There is the possibility that in the future, Nintendo will make all of their classic Pokémon games available as part of an online service, including Game Boy Advance, DS, and 3DS mainline games with Pokémon HOME connectivity or whatever future cloud service they choose to create. Until then, we have to accept that the connection to our past has been severed, and that’s a poignant reminder that nothing can last forever.

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Koraidon Statue
Location: Pokémon Center Osaka (February 2023)

The Pokémon Center in Osaka is home to a really awesome Koraidon statue, serving as the mascot for the store. Just like the many other Pokémon Centers across Japan, you can purchase a wide variety of Pokémon-themed goods!

Legendary Bird Trio Statues
Location: Pokémon Center Osaka DX (March 2023)

The legendary bird trio, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, were discovered at another Pokémon Center, the Shinsaibashi branch in Osaka. This store contains a Pokémon Café, where you can purchase some delicious treats in addition to spending a fortune on Pokémon goods. Please take us there!

Various Classic Pokémon items
Location Admski in Namba, Osaka (June 2023)

SteC visited a store called Admski containing a treasure trove of second hand hobbies and media from decades of Japanese interests, from sports gear to gacha prizes, music memorabilia and imports from around the world. SteC compared it to a museum due to how wonderful it was to look around. The Pokémon shelf contained mostly figures, but there were also some items such as a Pokémon Diamond & Pearl writing pad, a Pikachu movie book, an Infernape figure kit, and a Mon Colle electronic game. The window shelving shows a smaller range of older merchandise.

Pokémon Games for Game Boy
Location: Super Potato in Namba, Osaka (June 2023)

Another location SteC went to while in Osaka that day was Super Potato, where he discovered a variety of Pokémon Game Boy games, all of which had their batteries repaired and ready to play. Due to their age, many Pokémon titles will have dead batteries, so battery replacements are commonplace.

Pokémon Wet Wipes
Location: Daiso (March 2023)

One of the more random items SteC shared with me were Pokémon-themed wet wipes from Japan’s pound/dollar store called Daiso. Each type-based pack is suitable for different utilities, such as those found in the kitchen and living room. For 110 yen each, they’re good value! There are a large variety of different Pokémon types featured, such as Normal, Water, Fairy, Ice and Dragon.

Pokémon TCG Promo Cards
Location: Various (Between May 2019 and November 2022)

SteC kindly shared a few of the Pokémon promo cards he has picked up over the past few years, received by purchasing Pokémon related items and games. He wanted me to emphasise strongly that these legally acquired cards are not for sale, nor does he invest in trading cards so he can buy a yacht! His cards include the following:

Arceus V (SWSH204) - Promotion for early purchase of Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Acquired from Joshin electronic store, January 2022 (launch date of Pokémon Legends Arceus)

Pikachu (208/S-P) - Cross promotion with artist Yu Nugaba
Acquired from Pokémon Center, July 2021 (obtained by spending over 1500 yen instore)

Piplup (232/S-P) - Promotion for the Project Piplup event
Acquired from Pokémon Center, September 2021 (free with any purchase)

Pikachu (001/SV-P) - Promotion for early purchase of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet
Acquired from EDION, November 2022 (launch date of Scarlet & Violet)

Graniph Mischievous Pichu (214/S-P) - Cross promotion with Graniph clothing brand
Acquired from Pokémon Center, May 2022 (limited stock)

Shibuya Pikachu (002/S-P) - Promotion for Pokémon Center Shibuya Store
Acquired from UNKNOWN, May 2019 (SteC doesn’t recall where this was obtained exactly)

Lugia Statue
Location: Pokémon Center Kyoto store (December 2023)

SteC was able to visit the Kyoto store once again in December 2023 and took a photograph of the amazing Lugia statue situated there. I love how detailed it looks, and personally I'd love this in my home, but sadly it’s just a bit too big…

Toedscool Socks and Girafarig / Farigiraf Keychains
Location: Pokémon Center Kyoto store (December 2023)

Finally, while visiting the Kyoto store in December 2023, SteC was able to purchase a couple of great items: a pair of Toedscool socks, and a pair of keychains featuring Girafarig and Farigiraf! My favourite of the two items has to be the Toedschool socks; they are so perfect!

Once again, a huge thank you to SteC for sharing some photographs from his Pokémon adventures around Japan. I wonder what he will find next time?

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2007 – 2013

I purchased my copies of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl on April 26th 2007. It was a few days after the official American launch but still three months before they arrived in the UK, as I was fortunate enough to find American-imported copies from a local independent games store. Shortly after, I sold Pearl to someone I knew, deciding against owning both versions.

While Diamond was an enjoyable game, I had no internet at my new home and wasn’t able to make the most of its online connectivity at the time. I no longer lived in my hometown and, as I previously mentioned, most people I knew had abandoned the series so I couldn’t enjoy the game with anyone else that way either. When I eventually got an internet connection at home and played with friends online, the inability to experience the online multiplayer had already impacted on my opinion towards the game and contributed to my decreasing interest in the series.

According to my copy of Pokémon Diamond’s Hall of Fame, I beat the Elite Four for the first time on May 6th 2007. My team consisted of a Dialga (Lv. 49), an Empoleon (Lv. 46), a Mismagius (Lv. 54), an Infernape (Lv. 54), a Roselia (Lv. 41) and a Staraptor (Lv. 49). I know that I picked a Chimchar as my starter, so I can only assume the Empoleon was originally traded over from Pokémon Pearl before I sold it.

On May 22nd 2009, my order of Pokémon Platinum arrived from Amazon. This was the first time I had ordered a Pokémon game from the internet rather than going to a brick-and-mortar store in person to collect it. I felt a similar way about Platinum as I did about Emerald when that was released: with my interest continuing to decline, and regret for buying a game for the sake of it. To be honest, I believed my time with the mainline games was probably up, and that I’d only be looking back to the past games for entertainment, but something incredible was about to happen that changed this!

On Sunday, May 10th 2009, a Japanese Pokémon television show called Pokémon Sunday, revealed Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS. Rumours had been circulating a week prior that remakes of the second generation games were going to be revealed, and my excitement was building tremendously. Suddenly, after years of decline, my love for the series was reignited! I stayed up incredibly late to watch a broadcast of the stream as it went live in Japan, crossing my fingers that the rumours were true. I literally cried when I saw them formally unveiled, and I got my first glimpse of the new titles with a few seconds of footage that followed the announcement. I had been waiting for these remakes ever since FireRed, wishing that I could see my favourite generation brought up to date on modern hardware and now it was finally happening.

I was encouraged to try the fifth generation of Pokémon when I read that the Black and White games were effectively a reboot of the series. I liked the idea of the game containing a substantial amount of new Pokémon, seasonal changes, and new battle mechanics: Triple Battles and Rotation Battles. Graphically, the game was a step up from generation IV, and I was impressed with the three-dimensional towns and environments. I purchased the game on March 4th 2011, and swiftly completed it in just nine days, ending my adventure on March 13th. Overall I enjoyed the game, especially the twists in the story and the memorable characters.

The moments that stood out most to me, like most people I would imagine, are those towards the end of the game. The destruction of the Elite Four, which was something truly shocking and unprecedented in a Pokémon game for me, and the confrontation between the six sages with the Unova gym leaders coming in to save the day was truly epic. The most shocking scene for me, however, was the revelation of the true horror of Ghetsis and how N, his adoptive son, was manipulated for his own selfish reasons. The way Ghetsis spoke to N in those final scenes, calling him warped and defective: a freak without a human heart, was deplorable. When he was beaten, it was satisfying to expose him as the warped and defective one.

But at the time I didn’t appreciate the game enough, and despite the excellent storytelling I felt that it didn’t innovate as much as I had believed it would. It still focused on the tired formula I had grown bored with. Shortly after I beat the game it went on to my shelf never to be played again. Unfortunately, I am unable to share my final team as I no longer have my original game. All I remember is that I had a Serperior, and a Krookodile which were both very likely part of the team I used to defeat the Elite Four.

A year later on March 14th 2012, believing I would never return to the games, I traded in Pokémon White and Pokémon Platinum, complete with their boxes and manuals. In return I received fifteen pounds for White, and ten pounds for Platinum. This was a fair price at the time, but over the years the value of those two games soared, making re-purchasing them unfeasible. Even shortly after selling them I regretted what I had done, and even more so in the years to come when I would hear friends talk so fondly about Platinum and the improvements it had over Diamond and Pearl, and how Black and White had such a fantastic story. As I listened to these stories, I deeply regretted that I couldn’t go back to my original copies to give them a second chance.

Based on these conversations with friends, I realised just how much I had missed out on. Generation V was possibly one of the last great generations of Pokémon, and due to the increase in prices over time I felt like I’d missed my opportunity to experience it properly. Thankfully, my mistakes were corrected years later…

Part 6 (Generation VI)

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The term ‘PokéGod’ was coined in the late 90s and early 2000s to describe fake Pokémon which were born from rumours or created deliberately in order to mislead others. Many of these PokéGods had no basis and were purely fictitious, and some were based on real Pokémon that hadn’t been officially announced or shown in media, adding some authenticity to the hoax. There was even an example of a PokéGod that was mentioned by official sources! 

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when PokéGods started to appear online, but the vast majority of them appeared between the North American releases of Pokémon Red & Blue and Pokémon Gold & Silver. Talk circulated across school playgrounds and the internet of brand new Pokémon that existed outside the first generation of monsters, which caused Pokémon fan websites and message boards to spread these rumours even further.

Social media as we know it today didn’t exist; it was easy for information on PokéGods to spread and harder to fact-check it. Due to Pokémon fan websites and forums closing down throughout the years, we may never know the true source of the PokéGods, as that information appears to be lost to time.

One of the most famous PokéGod rumours, and potentially the very first to appear online, was that Mew could be found under the truck in Vermillion City when playing a first generation game. Mew, of course, is a legitimate Pokémon, but it was never intended to be obtainable in any Generation I title, available only via an official distribution event. Despite this, some people believed that this was a legitimate way to obtain the 151st Pokémon, most likely due to it being known to exist as a real Pokémon thanks to official distributions and its appearance in the first Pokémon movie. The fact that the truck was actually possible to reach legitimately using the Surf ability to cross the water from the pier certainly helped this rumour gain popularity. Despite the truck sprite being there, fans would never be able to obtain the mythical Pokémon this way.

Many years later, in 2002, a legitimate method of obtaining Mew was discovered by following very specific instructions in order to trick the game into encountering a Mew. Details on the Mew glitch can be found here.

Misleading instructions for obtaining PokéGods were almost always a long, convoluted and near-impossible challenge. Usually it involved obtaining hard-to-get Pokémon and placing them in your party in a certain order, beating the Elite Four, and speaking to specific characters multiple times, or when using elemental stones. Many of these methods insisted on using a cheat device such as a GameShark or encountering MissingNo.. Anyone foolish enough to believe them would waste many hours of their time trying to obtain something that never existed.

Before their official announcement, some Generation II Pokémon made their debut in media such as the anime, movies, and magazines. For a time, rumours circulated about the origin of these creatures, and unofficial names were given. Pikablu, which eventually got announced as Marill, was said to be a Water-type evolution of Raichu. Bruno was an unofficial name given to Snubbull, and the PokéGods Lunareon and Solareon were eventually realised as Espeon and Umbreon respectively.

Speaking of Raichu, if you visit the Cinnabar Island lab in Red and Blue and trade one with a specific trainer for an Electrode, there is translation oversight that states once the trade is complete, he will say, "The RAICHU you traded to me went and evolved!". Obviously there is no official evolution of Raichu, and this was a mistake. This may have been the source of some rumours for a Raichu evolution. Interestingly, many years later it was confirmed that a third evolution of Pikachu was supposed to exist called Gorochu which was scrapped from the original games.

Speculation of other Pokémon began as far back as the first episode of the anime series, where a majestic rainbow-coloured Pokémon flew in the sky above Ash Ketchum as he started his journey. At the time, no one knew who or what this mysterious bird was, and it was the source of many hoaxes. When Generation II was around the corner, the name Houou appeared online which was revealed to be the legendary rainbow Pokémon Ho-Oh.

While some PokéGods had a logical basis due to official appearances, some were works of fiction. The three starter evolutions were said to have evolutions called Charcolt (Charizard), Rainer (Blastoise), and Sapusaur (Venusaur). Outside of the starters, Nidogod was speculated to be an evolution of Nidoking, and speculations ran wild with Raichu evolutions. Pikabud was suggested to be a Grass-type Raichu evolution, likely born from the Pikablu/Marill rumours of a similar nature, and Pikaflare and Flarechu were both speculated Fire-type Raichu evolutions. One of the most well known fake PokéGods was Mewthree, which was an evolved form of Mewtwo, likely born from armoured Mewtwo in the anime and first Pokémon movie.

There were even PokéGods that had zero connection to any previously released Pokémon. Millenium, Anthrax, Doomsday and many other fictitious Pokémon were nothing but inventions fuelled by Pokémon fans who demanded more from the monsters they were already familiar with. A fan community called Pokémon Factory used to share Pokédex entries featuring fan-created sprites, rendering them even more believable.

While a significant number of PokéGods were nothing more than hearsay, one in particular was highlighted by official sources. On April 1st, 1999, Nintendo Power announced that the 160th Pokémon was Luigi, an official Nintendo character! The article, which was published on the official Nintendo website at the time, stated that Luigi was a Plumber type, with attacks that included Wrench, Mustache Slap, and Family Reunion. In order to obtain Luigi, it was stated that you had to have a Lickitung in your party that must have been caught inside an Ultra Ball. With Lickitung in your party, it was claimed you would need to stand in the same spot as Snorlax was resting on the bridge outside of Vermillion City and then turn your Game Boy upside down and use a Rare Candy to level it up. The article even suggested shaking your Game Boy if it didn’t work!

Of course, Luigi was nothing more than an April Fools' joke, but it was interesting to know that Nintendo Power contributed to the PokéGod rumours. In the years that followed, the 160th Pokémon was officially revealed as Feraligatr, Lickitung got an official evolution (Lickilicky), and more interestingly, a Pokémon that could evolve when a device was held upside down was released (Inkay into Malamar).

Another PokéGod that appeared in printed media was in issue 58 (April 1999) of Expert Gamer. A reader credited as J. Ester submitted a method of obtaining Yoshi, a PokéGod that could evolve from Dragonite by beating the game and obtaining all 150 Pokémon. A copy of Red and Blue was required to trade Dratini back and forth and evolve it into Dragonite. Then, the player would need to head to the Unknown Dungeon and stand where Mewtwo originally was. Finally, the player would need to use a Fire Stone on the Dragonite and it would evolve into Yoshi.

Given the popularity of magazines at the time, these PokéGods would likely have reached a significant number of people. I have to wonder how many people took it seriously and attempted these convoluted methods to try and obtain them…

The Mist Stone was an invented item, said to evolve any Pokémon, including PokéGods. One rumour I remember reading was that it could be found in the Seafoam Islands once you had collected every single item there. I wonder how many people were tempted by such a powerful item?

A prime location where PokéGods were meant to exist was behind Bill’s house on Route 25, where rumours said he had a secret garden. This rumour may have tempted others due to a tiny strip of land that can be seen behind his house and only accessed via unconventional methods, but it lacks any Pokémon whatsoever. Some reported that every single PokéGod could be found there. There was also talk that all three Kanto starters could be found in Bill’s secret garden and in an area that was known as Pallet Fields, which is the grassy area to the east of Pallet Town. Both of these rumours likely predated the release of Pokémon Yellow, where all three starters could be obtained easily.

Some time after the release of Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, and before the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, PokéGods were becoming a thing of the past. This is likely due to the source of many rumours being focused on unrevealed Generation II Pokémon; once those were released, people moved on. It could also be due to the growing popularity of social media and the internet in general, where it became easier to disprove hoaxes.

PokéGods highlighted the creativity, excitement and enthusiasm of Pokémon fans around the world. While it was surely disappointing for anyone who attempted to obtain them, these weird and wonderful creations continue to be a memory that I associate strongly with the early days of Pokémon, and they represent a unique time that I hope will continue to be remembered.

Special thanks to Steven Applebaum for clarifying some of these PokéGod rumours with me. I reached out to Steven after I saw how deeply he had researched PokéGods throughout the years, and he was the perfect person to assist me in this task.

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