Episode Details

People think Pokémon is just a game—but this legend says it started as something darker.

In the summer of 1967, in Saffron City, New Jersey, a quiet boy named Eli Oakson began a neighborhood “battle” game behind an abandoned toy factory. It started with chalk circles, nicknames, scoreboards, and made-up “types.” But as the boys grew older, the rules changed. Cages appeared. Money changed hands. The game hardened into an underground ring.

By 1975, the toy factory had become a welded scrap-metal arena. Adults packed Friday night fights. Locals reported missing livestock and gunshots after midnight. On December 3rd, 1975, a high-stakes match spiraled into chaos—animals broke free, spectators were hurt, and the crowd stampeded out.

When police raided the factory minutes later, it was empty… except for Eli. He sat alone in the chalk ring, writing in his notebook. The page read: “New Division: Human versus human.”