The Pokemon franchise has inspired countless rumors and myths over the years. Gen I had some of the most noteworthy examples of this, with infamous rumors surrounding Mew’s whereabouts and “Lavender Town Syndrome” standing as the more notable in the franchise. These two might be among the most well-known, but they’re far from the only rumors tied to the series.
Almost every generation of Pokemon has some rumors attached to it. Whether this was due to misunderstandings, disingenuous information, or normal internet hearsay, fans of the franchise have been duped a fair bit over the years. These popular myths might be interesting to think about, but they’re nowhere near true.
10 Swimming Goggles
Pokemon Black & White added a ton of interesting new features and elements to the series, and are generally regarded as some of the stronger games in the franchise. Something that the games didn’t add to the series was the rumored Swimming Goggles item.
This rumor seems to have sprouted from online forums, though its exact origin is still unclear. After the games’ release, rumors of the item began to spread. This mystery item was supposed to put any non-Water-type Pokemon holding it to sleep and increase the speed and special attack of any Water-type holding it. Dataminers have looked through the games but have yet to find any mention of these anywhere.
9 Magikarp’s Deadly Splash Attack
Magikarp is infamous for being one of the more underwhelming Pokemon you can pick up. Training it is worth the effort, as a trainer’s patience will eventually be rewarded with a Gyrados. But Magikarp isn’t anything special on its own.
One of the only moves Magikarp can learn is Splash, a non-damaging move that has no effect whatsoever. Long seen as a useless move, one rumor claimed that it had an incredibly minimal chance of delivering an OHKO. This of course was never the case. Like many early Pokemon rumors, this one seems like a schoolyard rumor that picked up steam the more it was spread.
8 You Can Find A Togepi In Red & Blue
Togepi was made its first in-game appearance in Gen II, as one of the new Baby Pokemon introduced in Gold & Silver. Fans of the series weren’t entirely unfamiliar with it, however, as it initially debuted in the anime before the release of Gen II.
Its early inclusion in the anime led many fans to speculate on its availability in the Gen I games. One such rumor claimed that players could find an egg in Mt. Moon using the itemfinder. Walking x-number of steps would then allow the egg to hatch into a Togepi. In reality, fans would need to wait until stepping into Johto before gaining access to Togepi in the games.
7 Magikarp Learns Surf At Lvl. 100
Magikarp seems to have been a popular topic for myths and rumors in the early years of the franchise. Training Magikarp has always been a chore, and it’s one that most trainers will only put up with due to the eventual return of netting a Gyrados. But there were apparently some fans who seemed to believe that Magikarp had some hidden potential.
One early rumor stated that if trainers managed to grind their Magikarp to level 100, it would learn Surf. Magikarp only learns Splash and Tackle through leveling up, so the HM would have been a welcome addition to its move pool. This would have been an interesting easter egg if it was true, but the whole thing was just hearsay at the end of the day.
6 The Lumiose City Ghost Girl
This encounter in Pokemon X & Y left many fans scratching their heads. If the player goes to the second floor of Lumiose City’s Fighting Dojo, a brief cut scene featuring a Hex Maniac will trigger. The lights briefly flash and all music cuts out as the girl seemingly glides by the player. The girl will say, “No, you're not the one” before disappearing off-screen.
This encounter left fans eager for answers, with various theories as to the greater meaning behind it sprouting online. While much has been said about it, this just seems to have been an easter egg put in by the developers.
5 What’s Inside Pallet Fields & Bill’s Secret Garden?
There are certain areas in Pokemon Red, Blue & Yellow that are inaccessible to the player. Some of these areas became topics of conversation due to the various rumors surrounding them. Both Pallet Fields and Bill’s Secret Garden were once thought to be much more significant than they ended up being.
Found to the east of Pallet Town, Pallet Fields was rumored to have various rare encounters that players could engage in should they find a way around the barrier. The same was said about the garden behind Bill’s home. Rumor had it that players could find the three Kanto starters, various legendaries, and other hard-to-catch Pokemon in the tall grass. Dedicated fans managed to find ways into these areas years later, where they discovered no Pokemon whatsoever.
4 Button Mashing
One of the oldest and most prevalent Pokemon myths has to do with the effectiveness of mashing the A and B buttons when trying to catch a Pokemon. Everyone has their own variation of this, either mashing both or one in particular. But regardless of how one goes about it, the end result will always stay the same.
This rumor became prevalent during the first generation games and has evolved over time. Button mashing might not be as effective as the rumors claimed it to be, but many players still find some comfort in it despite its ineffectiveness.
3 Dragonite Can Evolve Into Yoshi
Some of the most notable Pokemon myths started on the playground, but there have been a few that sprouted from some convincing April Fool’s pranks. Expert Gamer magazine published an article in their April 1999 edition that supposedly gave players a surefire method of getting a Dragonite to evolve into a Yoshi.
The article claimed that players had to first beat the game with all 150 Pokemon. Two players – one with Blue and the other with Red – would trade, with the Blue version player trading for the Red version player’s Dratini. Once evolved into Dragonite, they would trade again. From there, the Red version player would head down to Cerulean cave and surf close to where Mewtwo is found. They would then use a Fire stone on Dragonite, which would cause the screen to glitch and net them a Yoshi.
2 Mew Plus Mewtwo Makes Mewthree
Legendary Pokemon typically don’t get evolved forms. This was the case for most legendaries up until Sun & Moon. Back in Gen I, some fans were under the impression that Mewtwo could evolve if certain conditions were met. The process involved having a level 100 Mewtwo and Mew in the player’s party, using them to defeat the Elite Four, and taking a rest at the player’s home. Trainers would supposedly find the rumored legendary once they awoke.
Mewthree itself might not be an official Pokemon, but it maintains some prevalence within the community. It’s been featured in various ROM hacks and has been mentioned in certain Pokemon media, though usually just as a joke.
1 Stowing Away On A Mossdeep Rocket
When the Gen III games came around, certain players were under the impression that there was something special about Hoenn’s Mossdeep Space Center. It quickly became the subject of rumors, with one in particular standing the test of time.
The rumor varies but claimed that when the number of successful rocket launches reached a certain peak– either 50, 99, or 100 – players would be able to catch a ride to space. There, they would encounter both Jirachi and Deoxys. This wasn’t possible in the Gen III games but was potentially referenced in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. The remakes allowed players to ride Rayquaza into space where they would encounter and potentially catch Deoxys. The event was also referenced in the Pokemon Generations miniseries.