The Pokémon franchise is one of the most popular and successful franchise in the world and it has grown considerably since the first games, Red, Blue and Yellow, came out back in 1996 (yup, 22 years ago. Feeling old yet?). It sure came a long way since the first generation of Pokémon. I remember a time when I knew the names of all the Pokémon and could recite them in order. The franchise has grown so much that, somehow, there are now over 800 of them and a whole generation of fans that will remain faithful to the games until the very end.

We spent countless hours trying to catch 'em all when the games first came out and many more hours replaying the games as adults, so, naturally, we tend to consider ourselves experts when it comes to the first Pokémon games. But are we really? We think we've tried it all, but cloning our Pokémon and catching Mew are in fact the easiest, most known tricks and secrets. There are many, many more secrets that fans keep finding and, thankfully, sharing with the rest of the world. I bet you don't know half of them and if you do, I suppose you really are a Pokémon Master.

Now put on that Official League cap of yours because I'm taking you to a trip down memory lane that will have you take out that Game Boy Color of yours and play the original Pokémon game late into the night, just like you did when you were a kid.

25 You Can Catch Mew

For a long time, the existence of Mew in the games was only a rumor but thankfully, players ended up not only learning that Mew was indeed part of the game, but that there was way to catch it.

Nintendo used to give an official version of Mew as contest prizes back in the day, but there is an illegitimate way to get it. First of all, you'll need an Abra to make this trick work. Once you have an Abra in your party, battle your way through Nugget Bridge and head west towards the Cerulean Cave. Press start right when Jr Trainer sees you and Teleport to the Pokémon Center. Go back up Nugget Bridge and head east this time to battle the fourth trainer. Once you finish the battle, Teleport back to the Pokémon Center and go back up Nugget Bridge once more. As you cross it, the game should pause itself. Unpause it and you'll find yourself battling a level 7 Mew!

24 Fight Professor Oak

Nice, old Professor Oak sure doesn't look like the battle type, but as an Pokémon Expert, it would make sense for him to be a good at battling.

It seems that the real Pokémon Master is in fact Professor Oak.

It's a long process to get the chance to battle Professor Oak, but it's worth the time, I promise you! In order to do that, you need to use either one of the two glitches called " Ditto Glitch" and "Old Man Glitch". Once you've used those, make your way to Lavender Town. The real fun starts when you try to leave the city. This is going to be your most important battle yet as Professor Oak only has Pokémon at level 50 or 60. Good luck beating that!

23 Clone Pokémon

This one is well known, but in case you missed the train completely, let me explain how you can clone your Pokémon. Yes, just like Mewtwo, except you don't necessarily get a cool Pokémon, but rather an army of Rattata. It sounds cool, but beware as you may end up losing your whole game.

The process is very simple. All you have to do is start a trade with a link cable. Send up the Pokémon you want to trade and turn off you GB before the other player sends theirs. Because the Link Cable cannot send and receive data at the same, the Pokémon should end in both player's party when you turn the GB on again. However, because this method requires you to turn off the console before it has a chance to save the game, it is possible to lose your game altogether. The question is is it a risk you are willing to take?

22 Different Versions of Cerulean Cave

There are some secrets that are simply fun to know, but don't change the games in any way. The different layouts of the Cerulean Cave is one of them. Maybe it was just me, but I have always hated going into caves in the Pokémon games, so I always ended up having my little brother pass then for me. Later on, I just searched for a map online, but it seems I was lucky to find the right map at all.

Strangely, the layout of Mewtwo's home not only changes from a generation to another, but also from one game to another.

Indeed, the cave we had to explore in the European and US version of Pokémon Red and Blue is different from the one present in the Japanese version. There are some similarities though, as the first floor for example remains mostly unaffected by the changes in all the different version.

21 Fishing In Arena Statue

It is actually possible to fish in the large statues at the entrance of the gyms in Pokémon Red and Blue. The good thing about this little trick is that it enables players to battle water Pokémon early in the game, as well as allowing you to level up a bit more before facing the Gym Leader.

It doesn't make sense why anyone would even try to fish in those statues, but it's a good thing someone did, right? The bug was fixed in Pokémon Yellow, so it is safe to assume the devs didn't plan this out from the beginning. The trick is limited though, as it won't work in either Saffron City or Cinnabar Island because the statues there are smaller.

20 Catch MissingNo.

Catching extra Pokémon beyond the original 150 was all the rage back in the days. There were countless rumors about rare and hidden Pokemon that were a pain to find, let alone catch.

This pixelated Pokémon is the result of the 190 Pokémon planned to appear in the original games being reduced. Because of that, a glitch appeared that allows the player to encounter a Pokemon called "MissingNo.", for "Missing Number". Although it isn't particularly hard to encounter this glitch, it can be dangerous for your game. Catching MissingNo. and saving the game will compromise your file and can result in you losing your game. Regardless or that, it's pretty cool to know that the unused Pokémon weren't simply forgotten.

19 Tricking Marowak With A Poké Doll

One of the trickiest part of the original games was trying to get past that invisible Pokémon in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. In order to do that, the player had to battle their way in Team Rocket's Underground Base and find the Silph Scope. Then they were able to finally see the invisible Pokémon, that happens to be a Marowak, and finish climbing Pokémon Tower.

However, it was discovered later on that there is another way to get past that Marowak, and it is most unusual. It seems that using a Poké Doll from the Celadon Department Store can actually let you get past Marowak unharmed and access the last room in the tower. The doll will work the same way on the ghost as it does on wild Pokémon.

This trick can come in handy if you want to avoid the whole Team Rocket mission, as it is a bit annoying to go through. This wasn't done on purpose, however, and the problem was resolved in Pokémon Yellow. Too bad.

18 The Secret Of The Celadon Hotel

This secret isn't of much use, but it's funny to note how some people can accidentally find little coding mistakes. In the southeastern part of Celadon City is a big luxurious hotel that seen to serve no purpose, since there are no vacancies there. What you can find there, however, is a hidden PC, much like the ones in Pokémon Centers.

The glitch only appears in Red and Blue, so it's safe to assume it was a mistake and not an intentional Easter Egg. It's definitely not a big loss, but it's always fun to find hidden things in the games. I wonder how many of those hidden gems we still have to discover.

17 Unlock A Mini-Game

The biggest selling point of Pokémon Stadium, on Nintendo 64, was the possibility to link your Red/Blue/Yellow version to it and get additional Pokémon that usually can't be found in the GB version of the games.

You can actually unlock minigames thanks to Pokémon Stadium. 

If you battle each trainer and win the Tournament with your Pikachu in Pokémon Stadium, it will allow Pikachu to learn surf. It's already pretty cool to have an electric rodent learn how to surf, but you can take this trick even further. If you go talk to the Surfin' Dude in the Summer Beach House on Route 19 with your Surfing Pikachu in your party, you should be able to unlock a minigame in which Pikachu turns itself into a professional Surfer.This trick is exclusive to Pokémon Yellow though, but it makes having that Oikachu follow you around worth it.

16 Lucky Game Corner Machine

It's easy to get bored of the battle-travel-battle routine when playing Pokémon. Players need a little something different once in a while to spice up the game and that's exactly what Celadon City is for. The minigames in the casino are fun and hey allow you to get exclusive Pokémon like Porygon. Sounds fun right?

Well, it is, until you realize how long it will take you to collect enough coins to actually exchange them for Porygon and then you start to lose hope. Fear not, as gamers have found a way to boost your chances of winning at the Slot Machines.

The Machines reset everytime you use a new one and one of them is a lucky one. It will give you two wins within the first four tries, which will help you accumulate coins faster. Simply keep trying the machines until you encounter the lucky one and don't let it go until you can get that Porygon!

15 Walking On Cycling Road?

I think getting the bike is one of the most annoying things to do in the whole game. It's easy to miss and if you do, it makes it impossible for you to set foot on Cycling Road. Which is a loss because it's a great way to level up your team and catch cool Pokémon.

What if you didn't have to follow the rules and still get access to the Cycling Road... on foot?

It takes some time to get this trick working, but it's fun to try it. When your reach the guard at the entrance of Cycling Road, repeatedly press "B" while talking to him; I like to think it's equivalent to poking him a million times and he lets you go because you're too annoying. Anyway, you should be able to enter Cycling Road when he's done talking. The game will automatically give you access to a bike once you enter. It Saves you the trouble of getting yourself a bike!

14 The Secret Psyduck 

If you're like me and never gave Pokémon Stadium a proper chance, you've also missed out on lots of cool additional features. Similar to the the Surfing Pikachu I mentioned earlier, it is possible to receive a special Amnesia Psyduck that you can later transfer into your Pokémon Red or Blue version.

This "Amnesia" Psyduck didn't exist in the original games but it was possible to have access to it thanks to Pokémon Stadium. If the player managed to get all 151 Pokémon and become a Pokémon Master, you would then enter the the Hall of Fame and be rewarded with a special Psyduck. And we all know that Psyduck is worth all the trouble in the world.

13 Trapping Yourself At The Beginning Of The Game

There are a number of things you can do at the very beginning of the game, even before you successfully deliver the Parcel. In fact, there's a fun, but useless trick that you can do to cancel the delivery and get your Pokédex anyway.

If you remember well, an Old Man prevents you from taking Route 2 and leaving Viridian City until you deliver the parcel that Oak gave you and come back with a Pokédex. But since you already have your first Pokemon at the time, you can still battle wild Pokemon in the tall grass and level your starter up. If you level it up to the point of evolution, Oak will assume you have delivered the parcel and you will be given a Pokédex to celebrate your first Pokémon's evolution. However, in doing so, you will then be unable to deliver said Parcel and the Old Man will never let you leave Viridian City, so you will be trapped forever in the two most useless towns in the game with only Pidgey and Rattata to fight. Somehow, I kinda still want to try this one...

12 Change Up Your Name, Change Up Your Look

The one also has something to do with Pokémon Stadium. This trick is a little different though as it is Pokémon Red and Blue that have an influence on Pokémon Stadium rather than the other way around.

We have all underestimated the importance of giving our Pokémon nicknames.

Don't deny it, you too have used insults to rename your Pokémon. We all have. The funny thing with Pokémon Stadium is that the name of your Pokémon actually influences their look. The colour of your Pokemon are influenced by the name you gave them and whether or not you used uppercase or lowercase. Thanks to that, the player could have funny looking Pokémon. It didn't change anything in terms of stats, but it was a nice addition to the game.

11 Battle Misty Before Brock

Here's another fun little trick that makes replaying the games for the 10th time a little different. Brock doesn't necessarily have to be the first Gym Leader you battle in your adventure. This trick doesn't change much for the game in general, as you will still have to battle Brock eventually, but it's a nice way to spice up your game.

Depending on which starter you choose, you will probably have some difficulties winning your battle against Brock without having to level your team up like crazy against wild Pokémon. What you can do, however, is trick the game a little and go straight to Cerulean City and fight Misty. Just go up to the boy blocking the road in the top corner of Pewter City, save your game and restart it. When you come back to the game, the boy should be gone and you can safely make your way to the next Gym.

The nice thing about this trick is that you get to come back to Pewter City with more firepower to defeat Brock.

10 Getting Additional Pokémon

I've said it before and I will say it again, why, why didn't play Pokémon Stadium, more? New techniques are cool, but exclusive Pokémon are better. Because the Pokémon games are made in a way that prevents you from capturing all 150 of them in your own version, it leaves you very few options to catch 'em all. You can trade or you can get Pokémon Stadium to trade with yourself.

If you had a Nintendo 64 and were a fan of Pokémon back in the day, you definitely played Pokémon Stadium, but to use it to its fullest, you had to arm yourself with patience and determination because you weren't gonna get those additional Pokémon that easily. If you won all your battles in the Gym League Castle, you would be rewarded with Pokémon you couldn't get in the games, like Eevee, Hitmonlee/Hitmonchan, Omanyte, and Kabuto. Because you had to pick one of the two in the game, you had to find other ways to the second option and the fastst way was to win them in battles in Pokémon Stadium.

9 Cut’s Hidden Power

You know what I can't stand in the original Pokémon games? The fact that once your Pokémon learns an HM, they are stuck with it forever. I get it, they're all fairly useful at some point in the game, but who wants to be stuck with a Pokémon who learned Flash? Let's be honest, most of the HM are useless once you pass that specific point in the story when they're needed. Or at that's what we thought! "Cut" is actually this exception.

You would think that Cut is one of the least important techniques since you don't really need to use it past Vermilion City, but it has a hidden purpose. You can use it to cut down tall grass. Although leveling up your Pokémon is great, it can quickly become tiring to be cut short in your progress by wild Pokémon. Thanks to Cut's hidden power, you can avoid that.

8 Obtaining A Diploma For Catching ‘Em All

It's cool to catch all 151 Pokémon and brag about it to your friends, but we all know that written proof is always better. In Pokémon Red and Blue, the game allows you to print yourself a diploma proving that you indeed were able to catch 'em all.

It's a small reward for all your hard work, but it's a nice gesture. Unfortunately, you needed to have both a Game Boy Printer and a Game Boy Camera in order to be able to print yourself a diploma (or have that one friend who has every accessory that go with a console). So despite the intention behind this diploma idea being great, its sadly still a way for Nintendo to get people to buy more of their products.

7 The Legendary “Glitch City”

We've encountered many glitches so far, some small and innocent, some just plain funny but none compare to the gigantic "Glitch City". Yup, you read that right, a whole city that's completely glitched. you can't do much there because of how fragmented the place is, but is super cool to see.

In order to enter "Glitch City", you'll need to trick the 500-steps count in the Safari Zone.

When you enter the park, go back straight to the exit and answer "no" when the attendant asks you if you want to leave. Save and reset your game. When you come back into the game and try to exit the Safari Zone, the attendant will ask you if you want to "join the safari." Once again, answer "no." Funny enough, you will still be able to exit the park and resume your adventure while still being under the influence of the park's rules. When your 500 steps counter is up, you will be taken back to the Safari Zone and enter "Glitch City". The only way for you to exit this place however is to use Fly or Teleport, so plan your trip carefully if you don't want to remain stuck there forever.

6 Getting All 3 Starters

The concept of having two versions of the same game coming out at the same is brilliant in terms of marketing, It's also frustrating to know that not all the Pokémon are present in your game. Of course, you always had the option to find someone to trade with, but who would ever choose to trade their starter? No one. Once again this is how Pokémon Stadium saved the day.

Whenever a player completes the Gym Leader Castle trial (be prepared, it is a long one), they are rewarded with Pokémon, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander that you can transfer into you your Red or Blue game. allowing the player to have all three starters. And then you can really pretend you're Ash from the anime.