Under a Truck

What's under a truck? If you're familiar with the main series Pokémon games and the lore associated with them, you might think it's Mew. In the original first-generation games, near the pier of the S.S. Anne in Vermilion City, there is a truck. It was often suggested that somehow the truck could be moved and somehow the reward for doing so was enticing enough: either Mew or something leading up to it. It seems good enough for anyone playing the games to believe it, even me.

Alas, this lore remains a lore, and this is disproved: the truck doesn't move, nor can Mew be gained from it in any way. In spite of that, Mew was programmed into the games as a last-minute secret addition. It was only a matter of time before someone encountered Mew through certain glitches still present in the game... and someone did. After that, it was all downhill from there, and the result was not only this particular lore regarding the games, but actual promotions that actually rewarded Mew.

Admittedly, there's a romantic quality about this lore. A secret addition coupled with an equally secretive supposed way of things makes for an enthralling story, perhaps even more if it was actually true. In the process, so many people subscribe to the lore and become attached to it; it still has a place in their hearts, given the occasional reference to it. That's what led me to make this post as well. As for romance itself, this is February, so it's perhaps something to be discussed separately.

Back to the lore itself, today that lore has different manifestations. In the remade games, the lore is integrated, though not actually realized, but players are still rewarded for it. Some have tried to turn lore into reality through certain efforts, even illusory ones. Meanwhile, thanks to the Special Research feature in Pokémon Go, the lore is highlighted in some references regarding the first set involving Mew. I'd say those represent continued attraction and its associated romance, even though the lore itself is fully untrue.

It's funny how something so untrue has persisted to today. But apparently the attraction is "mythical", just as Mythical as Mew is.

So what's under a truck? I suppose you'd find romance, even if you don't find Mew.

One year ago: Formality of Ownership
Two years ago: The Sweetest Days - Ash and Pikachu