Summary
The late ‘90s and early 2000s were pretty much the best time to be aPokemonfan. The games didn’tcost hundreds of dollars to buy second-hand, the cards were popular on the playground (even when they got banned), and everyone you knew loved Pokemon too.
If you grew up during this era of Pokemon, let’s take a walk down memory lane and remember what we all used to do or went through during this time. It’s time for some top-notch nostalgia as we look back. How many of these things did you and your friends used to do?
9Not Knowing How To Play The TCG
Who Cares About Energy Cards? Not Me
Okay, I’m sure there are some of you out there whodidknow all about the TCG’s rules and how to actually play with the cards, but I can assure you most of the people on my playground didn’t. I definitely didn’t. I don’t think I even remember seeing anyone play a real game with their cards.
Instead of battling with my cards, I collected the ones with the cutest artwork. Eevee was my favourite Pokemon at the time, so I collectedallthe Eevee cards, even duplicates. I didn’t have a care in the world for how to actually play, so as long as someone traded me an Eevee card, it was a good day.
8Only Leveling Up Your Starter
If It Works For Ash…
Back in the early days of the Pokemon games, you had to equip the EXP Share to an individual Pokemon instead of it being applied to your entire party. Or, god forbid, manually put a Pokemon you wanted to level up as the first member of your party, and then switch them out for a Pokemon who could actually fight.
That’s all too much work for a young Pokemon trainer, so many of us just end up soloing the game with an over-leveled starter. Let’s not forget the poor neglected Pokemon used as fodder to revive the starter Pokemon when it fainted in the tougher battles. We will always remember your sacrifices.
7Wasting Your First Ever Master Ball
Oops…
The Master Ball is the most powerful Poke Ball in the Pokemon universe. You only ever get one per game, so you better use it wisely, i.e.on a Legendary Pokemonor something. I know thatnow…but as a kid playing my first ever Pokemon game? Yeah, I made some dumb mistakes, as I’m sure others did too.
After getting my hands on the Master Ball in Pokemon Diamond, I promptly went and caught… an Abomasnow. I know, you’re all laughing. I thought it really wastheabominable snowman! I thought there wouldn’t be anymore in the game! The only thing there wouldn’t be more of was my Master Ball…
6Getting The Opposite Game To Your Sibling
And Swapping Because You Were Given The Wrong One
If you grew up with a sibling who also liked Pokemon, you pretty much hit the jackpot. You could each ask for the opposite version of the game to each other and then trade for the version exclusives. After you finished playing, you could even swap to try out the other version of the game. Win-win.
Maybe this was just my family, but I always found that we ended up with the opposite version of what we asked for and needed to swap them over. C’mon Mum, you know I wanted Diamond, not Pearl!
5Being Betrayed By The Haunter Trade In Diamond & Pearl
This Was Just Cruel
If you didn’t have any siblings or friends who played Pokemon, it used to be very difficult to get Pokemon like Gengar and Machamp, as you needed to trade a Haunter or Machoke to get them to evolve. Generation 4 played a very cruel prank on children who wanted a Gengar, but had no one to trade with.
An NPC called Mindy would offer to trade you a Haunter in Diamond & Pearl, making you think you’ll get a Gengar in the end. Game Freak must have been feeling devilish when designing this NPC, because her Haunter holds an Everstone - an item that stops Pokemon from evolving. Everyone who got burned by this trick still remembers and hates Mindy to this day.
4Thinking Ash Was Silly For Not Evolving Pikachu Into Raichu
Just Use The Thunder Stone Already!
One of the Pokemon anime’s most famous episodes is where Ash and Pikachu face Lt. Surge and his Raichu in battle. Pikachu isn’t strong enough to beat Raichu the first time they battle, and Ash and Pikachu spend the episode contemplating whether to evolve Pikachu using a Thunder Stone.
As a kid, the answer seemed obvious: why wouldn’t you just evolve Pikachu?! Ash and Pikachu’s indecision was infuriating, and even more so the decision to keep Pikachu as Pikachu.
3Naming Your Rival After Your Sibling
It Just Enhanced The Experience
In the older Pokemon games, not only can you name the character you play as, butthe character who is your rival throughout the game, too. If you had a sibling, chances are, you named the rival after them.
This really amped up the competitiveness, especially if you had a strong imagination. In the newer Pokemon games, the name of your rival is already set, so sadly today’s kids won’t get this experience.
2Cheesing The Elite Four By Using The Legendaries
It’s Not Cheating If They’re In The Game
The Elite Four and the Champion are supposed to be the toughest challenges in the Pokemon games. But what if you just blasted through the battles with a Legendary Pokemon? That’s what many of us did, and we felt no remorse for it. Sorry Cynthia, your Garchomp stands no chance against Dialga, the literal god of time.
As an adult, I don’t include the Legendaries in my team when facing the Elite Four (just to give them a bit of a chance to fight back), but I had absolutely no qualms about doing so as a kid.
1Believing The Playground Rumors
Mew Has To Be Under The Truck…
Playground rumours spread like wildfire in the ‘90s and 2000s. Someone’s cousin heard this, someone else’s older brother heard that. Everyone wanted to hear what the latest rumour was and to try it out for themselves if they could.
One of the most notorious of these playground rumours was being able to catch Mew in the original Red & Blue. Supposedly, Mew was hiding under a truck in Vermilion City… but said truck was inaccessible without glitching the game somehow.
