Highlights
- Player misunderstood core catching mechanic for 14 years, thinking failed captures meant Pokemon was caught by NPC.
- Other Pokemon fans found confusion amusing, puzzled by how player never figured it out from defeats or Legendary encounters.
- Speculation on how many potentially missed catches player had; hope there were no rare or shiny Pokemon avoided.
A Pokemon player has admitted to misunderstanding how catching Pokemon works for 14 years. The Pokemon player got an early start, playing Pokemon since the age of six, but a misconception they had while young altered their view of the series’ core functionality for all that time.
Catching Pokemon is a necessary part of playing the main entries to the Pokemon franchise. In order to expand one’s team, catching wild Pokemon is necessary, and the games go out of their way to teach the player how to go about this early on. In fact, the original Pokemon game’s tutorial for catching Pokemon was one of the main ways players accessed glitches like Missingno, although that wasn’t the developer’s intent. However, for at least one player, the tutorials seem to have glazed over an element that they misunderstood.
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On the Pokemon subreddit, user Diligent-Oil-6405 shared an embarrassing admittance. They say that they started the series with Pokemon Yellow at the age of six, and it changed the way they perceived the franchise from that point until they turned 20. Diligent-Oil-6405 says that initially, when they threw a Poke Ball and it failed to be captured, the “It appeared to be caught!” text that would pop up on an unsuccessful capture attempt made them think that it had been caught by an NPC trainer and was no longer catchable. Diligent-Oil-6405 says that after coming to that conclusion, from that point forward, whenever they saw that text they would simply run away or defeat the Pokemon, assuming that it could no longer be added to their collection.
The Pokemon Trainer is Confused!
Other Pokemon fans were quick to share their amusement at Diligent-Oil-6405’s plight. Several were puzzled as to how they ever came to this conclusion, as the ability to defeat the Pokemon after the failed capture should have been a clue. Others noted that they were surprised they didn’t figure it out after failing to catch a Legendary. The OP says that despite everything, it was just something they assumed as a child that seemingly stuck until they talked to another player about it and realized their mistake.
One can only speculate as to how many Pokemon this player encountered and failed to catch because they’d give up after one attempt. With any luck, there weren’t any shiny Pokemon or other exceedingly rare potential captures on that list. Others likely won’t make this mistake anytime soon, but considering the graphical overhaul the games have gone through since Pokemon Yellow, it may be easier to understand that the Pokemon is still available to be caught than it used to be.
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Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
- Created by
- Satoshi Tajiri