The Legacy of Pokémon - Part 2 (Generation 1)
A record of the personal journey of a Pokémon fan, from the very beginning
Generation 1
2001
It wouldn’t be until two years later, after the second generation of Pokémon video games released in the UK, when I finally got my hands upon my first ever mainline Pokémon game. On Friday, August 17th 2001, I went with my mum to my local Gamestation store to purchase a pre-owned copy of Pokémon Blue and a purple Game Boy Color. Due to us having very little money, I acknowledge and respect that my mum probably didn’t have very much to spend on herself that week, and I’m immensely grateful that she chose to spend it on me just so she could make me happy.
Playing Pokémon Blue after waiting so long to get a copy of my own was a satisfying experience. I loved playing it at every opportunity, whether that was in my room, on the sofa, outside with friends, or even inside my tent out in my back garden. I spent hours upon hours exploring the game! I even remember how my mum would try and take the Game Boy away to stop me from playing it so much and I would always discover where it was hidden. On one occasion, I found it in the top of her wardrobe and snuck into her room to retrieve it. I returned it back there once I was finished, all without her finding out. To my knowledge, she still doesn’t know to this day. Sorry mum!
Another fond memory of Blue was my very first Pokémon battle over Game Link Cable with a neighbour from down the street called David. He used a Mew with exceptionally high HP, which he almost certainly obtained via a cheat cartridge. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t beat him. I eventually went out and bought one for myself: an Xploder Cheat Cartridge by a company called Blaze.
As I tried to keep up-to-date online with the latest Pokémon news, my search brought me to internet forums, where I remember reading up on rumoured secret Pokémon supposedly found in Red & Blue known as ‘Pokégods’. These invented creatures were always made out to be super powerful and required buying a cheat cartridge or utilise convoluted methods to obtain them. These websites created fake screenshots in an attempt to legitimise their claims, and were usually only available once you had completed the game and the Pokédex.
Some of the popular ones I recall reading about at the time were Pikablu (a water type evolution of Raichu, which was eventually confirmed as Marill), Pikabud (a grass type evolution of Raichu), Dimonix (an evolution of Onix), Beepin (an evolution of Beedrill), Doomsay (a Pokémon that was likely based on Houndoom) and Mewthree (an evolution of Mewtwo). Pokégods even extended into the anime! Venustoise, a gag Pokémon from the episode ‘The Ghost of Maiden's Peak’, where a Gastly intimidated Ash’s Squirtle and Bulbasaur by summoning their evolved forms: Blastoise and Venusaur, and then combined them together to make Venustoise!. Many of these made-up Pokémon were supposedly found in Bill’s Secret Garden, a place tucked away behind his home on Route 25. While there was a gap behind the house that looked like it could contain a garden of sorts, it was ultimately untrue.
One of the most famous rumours of all time was that a Mew could be discovered under the truck in Vermillion City next to the S.S Anne, something I absolutely believed and tested for myself. I used my cheat cartridge to teach a Pokémon the move Surf so I could access the specified area, and Strength so I could move the truck. As you may have guessed, it didn’t work. I have always found the Pokégods charming and creative, and they felt like a part of that generation for me. They’re something you would never see today in the age of social media, with many sources of information to debunk them.
I don’t have too many memories about my first play through of Blue. I do recall that my starter Pokémon was Charmander and I used my Master Ball to catch Moltres on Victory Road. I also made use of a popular glitch and caught a Missingno (Or ‘M) at some point. Unfortunately that corrupted my save file, messed up the Hall of Fame data, and caused the game to respond strangely.
Notably, Pokemon Blue was the start of my interest in video game music and included some of my favourite themes, such as Lavender Town, Viridian Forest, and the Road to Cerulean City: Leaving Mt. Moon. Those tracks have resonated with me for a long time. I have a lot of appreciation for Junichi Masuda’s compositions, and they were an inspiration for me in the years that followed…