Did You Fall For These Pokemon Urban Legends?

The world of Pokémon is filled with mystery, adventure, and a whole lot of wild rumors. From the early days of Pokémon Red and Blue to the latest updates in Pokémon GO, fans have passed down urban legends like precious family heirlooms. And let’s be real, who among us didn’t get completely caught up in at least one of these myths? In honor of April Fool’s Day, we’re diving into some of the most famous Pokémon urban legends that turned out to be completely false.

1) Mew Under the Truck

Every Pokémon fan from the ‘90s remembers this one. The myth claimed that Mew was hiding under the truck near the S.S. Anne in Vermilion City. All you had to do was use Strength to move the truck, and boom! Mew was yours! What made this rumor feel so believable was the fact that Strength wasn’t normally available at that point in the game, meaning players had to find a way to bypass the usual progression to keep their access to the S.S. Anne area. The truck was also an odd, seemingly purposeless object in the game world, making it a prime candidate for a hidden Pokémon Easter egg. Hours of childhood wasted, only to find out this was completely false. (Unless you were the kid who swore your uncle at Nintendo said otherwise.)

2. Holding Down Buttons Increases Catch Rates

Ah yes, the A + B button catch trick. It's been a staple for any Pokémon fan catching Legendaries in the core games. Some even added “hold down +” for extra luck. And if a Legendary Pokémon popped out? It just meant you didn’t press the right way or accidentally let go of the buttons to early. Unfortunately, it’s all just a Pokemon placebo effect. The real Pokemon catch rates are determined by the game’s code, not how hard you press the buttons. (We still do it anyway, though.)

3. Pikablu - The Fake Pikachu Clone

Before Pokémon Gold and Silver, a rumor spread about a secret Pikachu evolution or variation named Pikablu. The anime episode featuring a mysterious Surfing Pikachu in the anime episode titled “The Pi-Kahuna” only heightened the rumor’s validity. Not to mention the "rumored" Pikachu's Beach minigame in Pokemon Yellow, rumored, due to the fact of the only legitimate way of obtaining Surfing Pikachu was through either event distributions that you had to physically attend or Pokemon Stadium. Encountering Pikachu on a surfboard in Pokemon Snap and the appearance of Marill in the Pokemon anime only fueled the fire. Surely these were all signs that Pikablu was real! Right?

Nope! Many of us spent way too much time trying to unlock Pikablu in Pokemon Red and Blue, only to later realize that Pikablu was never real.

4. Lavender Town Syndrome

This urban legend took a dark turn, well, at least it did in Gen 2 when the Dark-type made its debut and the Pokemon Tower was replaced by a Radio Tower. However, it was said that the original Lavender Town music in Pokémon Red and Blue caused severe headaches and, in extreme cases, even led to tragic consequences. The eerie, high-pitched theme definitely freaked us all out, but thankfully, this turned out to be just another Pokémon creepypasta with no truth behind it.

5. Pokémon GO’s Ditto Conspiracy

When Pokémon GO launched, Ditto was nowhere to be found. Some fans were convinced that pressing certain buttons on the main screen in a specific sequence would unlock Ditto, inspired by how Ditto was discovered in Pokémon Snap using Pester Balls.

Spoiler alert—this didn’t work. Ditto was eventually introduced in a normal, non-conspiracy-theory way. Although it does still elude many Pokemon GO players to this day....

6. “Don’t Press OK” Pokemon GO Exploit

During the launch of Legendary Raids in Pokémon GO, players would yell, “Don’t press OK!” Why? The belief was that waiting before clicking “OK” on the capture screen would somehow increase everyone’s chances of catching the legendary Pokémon. It made for a fun superstition, but in reality, timing your button press had no effect on your Pokemon GO catch rates.

7. The Legendary PokéGods

Back in the day, rumors swirled about hidden PokéGods in the original Pokémon games. What were the Pokegods? It depends on who you asked. The consistent themed was that the Pokegods were stronger than Mewtwo, impossible to defeat, and only accessible through bizarre in-game tasks such as defeating the Elite Four 100 times in a row without healing. (Back in Pokemon Red & Blue, your Pokemon were instantly healed after defeating the game.)

Fake screenshots and elaborate hoaxes made the Pokemon Community go wild, but in the end, PokéGods were nothing more than a nostalgic piece of Pokémon rumor history.

8. Pokémon TCG’s “Bent Packs” Contain Rare Cards

When Pokemon TCG Pocket debut, rumors circulated on ways to improve your chances of getting rare Pokemon cards. If you ever picked up a Pokémon Trading Card Game booster pack with a slightly bent or wrinkled edge, you might’ve heard whispers that it meant a rare Pokemon card was inside. This transitioned easily into the Pokemon TCG Pocket where the same line of thinking filled social media. Some YouTubers even tested the theory. The reality? No magical pull rates here. 

9. Ash’s Coma Theory

This one hits deep. A fan theory suggests that Ash Ketchum has been in a coma throughout the entire Pokémon series, which explains why he never ages. While this would make for an incredibly tragic plot twist, it’s just a fan-made story with no basis in reality. But admit it, part of you still wonders if there’s some truth to it.

10. Encountering Jirachi at the Mossdeep Space Center

Many people believed that in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, if the rocket count at the Mossdeep Space Center rocket count reached 100, they could hop on a spaceship and catch Jirachi on the moon. A convincing Pokemon hoax YouTube video only made the theory more believable. We all wanted to believe it, but in reality, no such space journey existed in Pokemon.

These myths had us searching, button-mashing, and dreaming for years. But that’s part of what makes the Pokémon franchise so magical, the sense of wonder, discovery, and adventure, even if some of it was just wishful thinking.

What Pokémon rumors do you remember? Share your favorite urban legends with us on our socials and join the conversation! And if you loved this nostalgic trip down memory lane, hit that share button and spread the fun!