September 1998. A gray brick of a handheld, a copy of Red or Blue, and a link cable changed childhood forever. Satoshi Tajiri's bug-collecting hobby became a phenomenon: 151 Pokémon, two versions, and a playground economy built on trades. Picking your starter — Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle — was the first hard decision of your life.
The games were gloriously broken in the best way: the MissingNo. glitch on Cinnabar Island's coast, Mew rumored to hide under a truck by the S.S. Anne, and gym leaders who felt like final exams. Everyone knew someone whose cousin's friend had totally caught all 151. This is where Holo Lane's whole world started — the cards, the show, the craze. It began here, in four shades of green.
Red & Blue — the pair that started everythingFour shades of green — Kanto on the original Game Boy
