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jigglypurin · 2 years

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Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition

This one's a little longer, and even more rambly. Buckle in.

I made the very first friend I ever had in elementary school by turning to a random boy on the bus home and asking, "Hey, do you like Pokemon?"

Naturally, he said yes. His name was Tom. He ended up moving away a year later, but before he did, we had the best time two kindergarten-thru-1st Graders could. And Pokemon was a big part of it.

I don't think it needs any sort of introduction, but for consistency's sake: Pokemon Yellow is a 1998 monster collecting RPG for the Gameboy. Unlike Lego Racers, I don't remember actually getting the cartridge for Pokemon Yellow. I imagine it must've been a present along with my Gameboy color (purple translucent color) since I don't remember playing any monochrome Pokemon at all. Prior to that, I had a black Gameboy Pocket which I played my Tetris, Mickey's Dangerous Chase and Quest for Camelot on.

Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition has its biggest draw for a kid living through the height of Pokemania right on the tin: Pikachu followed you around. I watched the Pokemon cartoon (It was just "the Pokemon cartoon" at the time. I was 5. I didn't know what an anime was.) whenever I managed to catch it on TV. I actually remember somewhat the night my parents rented Pokemon: The First Movie. Spoiler for a 23 year old movie: I literally, no exaggeration SCREAM cried when Ash died at the end. Like my mom had to come in and pause the movie and calm me down. Obviously, he ends up being fine and I settled but. Goddamn. That shit hurts when you're 5 y'know? Anyways.

As any fan of The Pokemon Cartoon would agree, Pikachu was the best. And so having a game where *you* start with an expressive, out-of-ball Pikachu just felt natural. I remember being stuck for a pretty long time at the true stumper of a puzzle that was "Old Man Lying Down in Viridian City". Again, I was 5. I had no clue. Eventually, I figured it out and I progressed into Viridian Forest. Having no idea whatsoever re: type relations, I remember catching a Pidgeotto in the forest, and grinding levels on it for *hours* upon *hours* until Gust was able to beat Brock, since Pikachu obviously couldn't affect ground-types (very disappointing to my Pokemon Cartoon watching self). That Pidgeotto would eventually evolve and become my very first ever level 100 Pokemon, but that's later.

Mt Moon was scary, but it had Clefairy and Team Rocket, so. Not all bad. I picked the Omanyte fossil. I always tried my hardest to get around fighting other trainers. I'm not really sure why. I think the sudden music change and forced interaction scared me? Especially if it was an offscreen trainer that it forces you to walk into the sight of. Cerulean City was cool. Getting the nugget from the bridge, Bill, getting Charmander *and* eventually Bulbasaur (which clearly meant Yellow was the superior version) - The part I remember getting stuck on was the progression past the burglarized house. For some reason, the Gigantic Hole on the back wall never registered as something I could walk through.

The Gameboy was a cool little system. Just the fact that so long as I had light and a pair of AA batteries, I could interface with this whole other world of tiny characters I would cry real tears over from time to time. I definitely remember the struggle of being in the backseat of the car late at night, waiting to get enough streetlight glow to do anything. Cheap plastic Gameboy accessories filled one of my messy room's drawers. I remember spending a lot of time on my bed because my floor was sometimes so covered in toys, clothes, discarded schoolwork, etc, that I couldn't comfortably walk across it without some gymnastics. It was bad. My undiagnosed ADHD ass could not bring myself to keep it clean.

Anyways.

The nice lady who just hands you a Squirtle upon entering Vermilion city put a big smile on my face. I also remember walking around and speaking over and over to the man and his Machop who were in the process of constructing some building and hoping it would sprout someday. Diglett Cave leading back to Pewter blew my mind. At the point I was able to get there, I had spent so much time wandering and talking to NPCs, that I had agonized over not ever being able to return to Pewter since Cerulean has a one-way roadblock to Mt Moon. I could actually go home.

Which I did sometimes. There was a certain comfort the tiny 3-building town of Pallet gave me: Its almost lullaby-esque song, my mom always being home for me, Prof Oak always open to talk, it just always felt like getting tucked into bed when I would return to Pallet.

After finding Flash and making my way back to Cerulean to get to Rock Tunnel... I reached Lavender Town.

I know it's a meme nowadays, but forreal, as a kid who was scared of everything, Lavender Town *scared* me. The creepy minor-key piano solo opening, the droning sound that reminded me of mourning trainers, and just the introduction of the concept that my Pokemon could die. I would turn the volume down whenever I'd enter the town. I didn't like it.

Celadon was a different story, and it quickly became my favorite town. A massive store that sold evolution stones, a free Eevee (I think my first Eeveelution was Jolteon...), and the motherfuckin Rocket Game Corner baybeeeee. As a kid, slot machines were one of those forbidden wants. When I wasn't given a few bucks to go to the arcade, I would sit and watch my mom spin reels. But the flashing lights and occasional giddy parents made me want to play one so bad. So Pokemon gambling (and a Windows slots collection we had) was my only way to experience it. Thankfully, I have only gambled IRL maybe three times in my life. I have not yet won once. I don't plan on it.

Tom once told me (untruthfully of course, but we were children) that upon bringing an underleveled Pidgey to an Elite Four battle, it outright *died* after being KO'd. I believed him.

But the Rocket Corner though! The kickin' music and the Pokemon prizes (which was fucked up in hindsight bc trafficking, but I justified it to myself thinking I was freeing them) kept me coming back. I remember asking my gambling mom help me to win coins since she was obviously the bestest ever at slots.

It would take me a good while, but I would eventually stumble past the first Rocket dungeon to get the Silph Scope and beat Pokemon Tower (legit the Marowak boss terrified me). Passing the Snorlax and getting Fly? Mindblowing. Revolutionary. Now my Pidgeot (still way overleveled, my Pikachu was pretty neglected) could take me ANYWHERE. Hell yes.

I spent a LOT of time in the safari zone. I don't think I even entered knowing there was a necessary key item in it. I just loved the episode of The Pokemon Cartoon where they show the Safari Zone and wanted to find all the cool rare Pokemon I would probably never use (except Kangaskhan, Kangaskhan kicked ass. And Dratini.). I'm pretty positive the Silph Tower must've taken me absolutely forever to beat the first time. That place is a goddamn labyrinth, even today. I got the Master Ball. I think I ended up using it on Zapdos, since I distinctly remember the struggle of *missing* throws against Moltres, and the epic final confrontation with Mewtwo. I never saw Articuno as a kid. I took Hitmonchan because punchy boxing glove guy was cooler to me than no-mouth kicky guy.

Cinnabar Mansion was a common grind spot for me. My dad told me that Growlithe was his favorite Pokemon, which in hindsight is probably because Officer Jenny would often have one in The Pokemon Cartoon, and my father was/is A Cop. That said, I like Growlithe. I caught a lot of them for fun and made them Arcanines. I did the same for Jigglypuff, who my mom claimed was her favorite. Nowadays, she's my favorite too.

I don't remember much about my first encounter with Giovanni. Just the surprise that "Oh, the Viridian leader is back? OH IT'S THE ROCKET GUY?"

I think I actually remember when I beat Yellow, given that it wasn't a dream (a common doubt I have). I was in the back of a nice black car, not one of my parent's, though I can't remember if it was maybe a rental and they were driving it, or we were being driven somewhere? I think we were out of state. Anyways. My frighteningly overleveled Pidgeot made short work of the Elite Four (except Lance. Three Dragonite? Overpowered asshole.) I had finished Pokemon Yellow. I would make my way over to Cerulean to battle Mewtwo and... that was it.

I would spend months after just walking around the region, agonizing over the Pokemon not available to me in Yellow (Meowth, Ekans, Lickitung, Weedle, other Pikachus, others I can't remember right now), battling every single trainer in the region and exhausting everything.

I remember doing my only ever link battle with Tom. My level 100 Pidgeot beat him pretty handily. I had also traded my follower Pikachu for one of his Pikachu. Which... ruined the ability for any Pikachu to follow you after that.

After some time of the postgame ennui, after Tom had moved, after I had started to grow bored of opening Pokemon Yellow... I made a decision. A very hard one. One that I cried over. But it was what I had to do.

I had to start a new game.

I had to say goodbye to Pidgeot. To the Pokemon Tom had given me. To all the hours spent gambling, wandering, Safari Zoning, grinding the Elite Four for money... so that I could experience the game I had fallen so in love with again.

As someone with a lot of object empathy and who places a lot of stock in physical reminders, maybe I shouldn't have. I would love to still have the things Tom gave me. I would love to still have that Pidgeot. But at the same time, I'm glad that I did. I got to get through the game again with all the play experience and lessons learned from my first go around. I got to see my companion Pikachu again. I was a little braver when Lavender Town reared it's head. I lost memories, but I made new ones, built new teams, and had new experiences, even in the exact same game. I learned that letting go doesn't always mean letting go forever.

I still have the cartridge, Sharpie'd initials and all. I don't have the Gameboy, but I do have my sister's, who got it at the same time I did mine, though I've replaced the shell.

This cartridge has been with me through everything. I hope I never lose it.

Pokemon Yellow, much like Lego Racers, is a game absolutely synonymous with my childhood. It represents not only the first friend I ever made, and the first long game I ever beat, but the idea that every ending will find a new beginning, and that letting go of memories is not antithetical to holding on to them.

#Pokemon #Pikachu #Retro #Ages 4-6 #Pokemon Yellow #Gameboy #Gameboy Color

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