10 Ridiculous Rumours You Believed About Pokémon Games
3. Pokémon Black Version
Unlike many of the rumours listed here, this one came to prominence thanks to the internet rather than school playgrounds. One of the most popular video game creepypastas ever involved the story of Pokémon Black Version, which is supposedly a rare, bootleg version of the original games. The story goes that a collector of bootleg Pokémon cartridges found Pokémon Black Version at a flea market. Initially, the game appeared almost identical to Pokémon Red Version until it came to choosing a starter Pokémon. Along with the usual Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, there was the option to select a Pokémon named simply GHOST. GHOST made use of the same sprite as the Pokémon from Lavender tower and featured only one ability, named Curse. The ability would kill any defending Pokémon. Not cause them to faint, but literally kill permanently. Creepily, it was also able to kill Pokémon trainers themselves, leaving a little tombstone in their place. After defeating the Elite Four, the game would then cut to years in the future, in which your character was now an old man roaming a desolate Kanto region, before getting forced to fight GHOST and being cursed yourself. Such was the popularity of this urban legend, that there have been many enquiries made online of how to get a copy. Fake ROMs and cartridges have been posted on sites like eBay, but there has never been any proof that the original Pokémon Black Version ever existed.
