So, you’ve played through all of the original pokemon games huh? You beat the Elite Four, trounced your rival, and even ventured into that mysterious cave and took on Mewtwo. You’ve raised a party of Level 100s, have every pokemon in the game, hell, you even did the Mew glitch as well didn’t ya? You’ve got em all, probably caught a MissingNo or two just to tempt fate and came out on top, without even your Hall of Fame scratched.
But there is something you’ve probably not seen. We all have our theories what lies in that tall grass beyond the impassible walls to the west of Pallet Town. Sure, you can glitch over it with a game shark and wander the vast expanse of the field for fun, but game sharks have a nasty habit of messing things up, in this case, using one deletes the final secret held within the Pokemon Red version. If you want to see the secret the game shark shields you from, it is not hard.
Upon your complete conquest of the Elite Four and completing your Pokedex, return to Pallet Town, go into your room, and play the SNES within. The usual message will not appear. Instead, your character will have an exclamation point appear over their head, a message telling you that a question which has been nagging you all this time suddenly came to the forefront of your mind, but give no further instruction. Leave your home and talk to the people of Pallet Town, they will talk as if you have asked them a question, seeing as you never see your own dialogue.
“Oh? The house in the field?”
They will all mention they’ve heard rumors, but none seem to know anything. After asking everyone in town, you will notice a black sprite that appears to be a Ghastly waiting at the corner of the wall to the field. When you approach, it will innocently float over the wall and off screen, but as it does, you will notice the section of the wall has disappear. Finally! Time for the secret to be discovered!
Its not a long walk, just walk to the west for a little while, then north until you find it, the mysterious house in the field! Time to explore!
As you enter the house, the screen will remain black for quite some time, but keep waiting. Soon, you will hear a small thud sound, and you will be in a rather large home. Immediately, there will be a text box with just “G”.
You are then free to roam the house as you please. There are four rooms on the first floor, plenty of stuff to look at, a large basement and four more rooms on the top floor. The bedroom on the right has the most to look at, gameboys sit on the table, inspecting one of the two TVs will yield a message exclaiming the owner of the house really loves videogames it seems.
While you’re exploring though, you’ve no doubt seen the text boxes return, each time only one letter at a time. This is your timer. You have until the final box to finish your exploration and leave the house without incident. If you do so, the Ghastly will escort your character back into Pallet Town and seal the field forever.
If however your curiosity is morbid enough for you to stay, you’ll noticed that, of coarse, the text boxes are spelling a message, which goes as follows.
G
I
V
E
M
E
B
A
C
K
M
Y
M
I
K
I
!
After the exclamation point, an event will occur no matter where in the house you are. Another trainer sprite will slowly fade into the house with you, from whatever exit is closest and walk right up to you.
“My Miki….I want her back. Give her back!”
Then a battle will begin, though the transition will cut to black for a few extra seconds, like when you face a MissingNo, a small sound can be heard though, as if the game is trying to hold something back, but eventually the battle will begin.
“Pokemon Trainer S!3v3n wants to battle!”
Before you will be a sprite of a furious, yet sorrowful, trainer, boy crouching with long wavy hair draped over half his face, a single poke ball in hand, along with only one in his queue. When he sends it out though, be prepared for an odd sight…
Before you, you will see a Charizard. While Charizards are relatively normal, this one is anything but. Its pose is as of it is in pain, wrapped around its neck is a cable of some sort, a look of anguish and suffering on its face. It has no name, in fact, its sprite is very lightly colored, as if not there at all. Your trainer will send out whoever is in your team first as usual.
You cannot run from this fight, trying to will result in the message: “The doors are locked!” instead of the usual “Can’t Escape!” message. But the Charizard is a mere Level 1, you can handle it right?
No, no you can’t. You can’t even land a single blow. No matter what pokemon you use or what attack you choose, you will get the same message. The game will say your pokemon has begun to sob at the sight. At which point, the enemy Charizard will use a move that doesn’t exist in the game: Strangle.
The usual animation for the Constrict move will show, but instead of the rather silly noise, you will hear a blood-curdling SNAP! Then, you’re pokemon faints, when you go to change for the next one, the “strangled” pokemon is gone from your roster…
The instant your next comes out, you will see “ ’s attack continues!” The same animation, the same snap, and your pokemon will faint. This will continue until your entire roster is gone, at which point, you’ll see your trainer take the place of where your pokemon should be.
“ ’s attack continues!”
The screen will cut to black with that same snap…
No, you will not be found dead the next morning in your bed, no you have not been cursed in your real life, such thoughts are rather silly. Just start your game right back up.
You will begin not at your last save, but at a tombstone in Pokemon Tower, one of many, indistinguishable from the rest. If you press A on it, you will see a text box as follows:
“[Charizard Sprite]
Here lies Miki, her flame went out long ago when the cords of friendship wrapped her neck.
Original Trainer: Steven
Please don’t leave me…”
After this, you are free to continue playing Pokemon Red as you see fit. You can’t return to the abandoned home to the west of Pallet Town, but otherwise, your game will run as normal…except for one thing.
Never trade any pokemon from the this cartridge to another ever again, that is, if you care for them. If you do this, both games will freeze as your pokemon moves across the pipes of the trade system, that same sickening snap heard moments before. When you turn your game back on, the pokemon will be gone from your party. They won’t be in your friend’s game either.
And one more tombstone will appear in Pokemon Tower.
Art by Draikinator
