Game Freak and Nintendo revealed a brand new Pikachu-centered game coming to the 3DS. Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo stars Pikachu and Tim as they travel around town solving mysteries and possibly crimes committed in the Pokémon universe. It's an interesting concept for a Pokémon game and one we hope makes its way to North America. We aren't currently sure what kinds of cases will pop up in Detective Pikachu, but there are many mysteries that go unsolved in the Pokémon world. We've compiled a list of big and small cases from the entire Pokémon franchise that Detective Pikachu can start working on. Perhaps it'll get a few of you ready to do some sleuthing.

diglett

Diglett

Exactly, the name says it all. Diglett is a Groud-type Pokémon who's been the source of so many questions since its debut in Pokémon Red and Blue. You already know what we're going to bring up, so let's get right to it. What the heck does the rest of Diglett and for that matter, Dugtrio, look like? Detective Pikachu might have a hard time digging up any clues to this mystery but it has potential. There has been no official explanation as to what the Pokémon looks like below ground. All anyone has ever seen of Diglett is its head, nose and eyes. So, what could Detective Pikachu figure out? Well, for one, he can learn Dig and start burrowing underground to get a good look. Maybe we'll find out how much of a fraud Diglett really is. Perhaps, it's been faking its appearance this whole time. Detective Pikachu could end up having his hands full with other high priority cases, sadly, leaving this to go unsolved and forever remain a mystery.

ghost girl

Ghost Girl

There have been several sightings of Ghost Girls throughout the video game series with the earliest reference coming in Pokémon Red and Blue in Lavender Town. A female citizen mentions seeing a 'white hand' on the player's shoulder which is actually visible in the Pokémon Origins anime. Next, several NPC sprites appear inside the Old Chateau in Diamond and Pearl. The apparition of a girl appears on Marvelous Bridge in Pokémon Black and White, she can then be found inside the Strange House in the game's sequel with much more backstory. In Pokémon XY, the ghost is actually interacting with the player, saying weird things like, "you are not the one," during every encounter. Finally, in Pokémon ORAS, the image of a woman appears behind Elite Four member Phoebe, a Ghost-type trainer. Now, that's a lot to take in but it seems like this little girl has been following the trainer throughout each generation and has become a woman even in the afterlife. Could one person have traveled from Kanto to Kalos along with fans who've been playing since the beginning? Did she believe in the paranormal at an early age and then end up haunting trainers throughout the series? In XY the trainer is not the "one" but once they've reached the Elite Four it means they might indeed be the person she's been searching for. It seems like Detective Pikachu will have to file through tons of cold cases and explore various regions to find the answer to question. It's a long-running mystery and while there's been some progress on figuring out the origins of Ghost Girl, Detective Pikachu could wrap it up for us.

gs ball

GS Ball

The Pokémon anime is different from the games; many things happen in episodes and movies that never appear nor are referenced to in the main series of video games. So, one of the oddest story arcs of the anime was the introduction and delivery of the GS Ball. Professor Oak asked Ash, Misty and Brock to retrieve a mysterious Poké Ball from his colleague, Professor Ivy, and then deliver it to Kurt, a Poké Ball expert, in Johto. While we know now this storyline served as a plot device to introduce viewers to the new Gen II, there's still a bit of a mystery to it. It was introduced in an episode in 1999 with its final reference occurring in 2001. It took nearly a year and a half for the story to resolve and it lacked any significance. The idea was to have Celebi appear in an episode, but the idea of the legendary Pokémon appearing was moved to a full-length movie. The GS Ball was included in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal allowing players to encounter a Celebi, but was scrapped for the North American release. So, what should Detective Pikachu do? He should find out some answers that the fans deserve! No, it's not that big of a deal, but it's wild how nobody talks about it. Detective Pikachu could take a trip to Johto, breaking into Kurt's house and confiscate the GS Ball before turning it over to Officer Jenny. He'll also have to pay Professor Ivy a visit and solve the mystery of Brock's broken heart and why he doesn't want to talk about his time with her. We won't find anymore answers in the anime, but taking on the case in Detective Pikachu could help tie up some loose ends.

TM

Technical Machines

Pokémon can learn a bevvy of attacks ranging from Bug-type to Dragon-type and so many more. They're vital to battles and it's really not Pokémon without them. The way they learn to use moves is by reach certain levels and sometimes they're just born that way. But trainers are also able to teach Pokémon new attacks via technical machines or more commonly called TMs. They come in handy, especially when you're looking to balance a Pokémon's moveset but how do they even work? Detective Pikachu can help solve this mystery. He's a Pokémon, so he'll know how to use attacks right? Plus, his ability to interact and speak with humans will come in handy. He can relay information on how he learns new techniques. The Pokémon manga illustrates a capsule being broken above the Pokémon's head with the skill trickling over them, instantly giving them the ability to use whichever attack. In the games however, the TMs are shaped like discs, so how does that work? Detective Pikachu needs to obtain a TM, take it to a PC and analyze its data. Perhaps that's how it's really done in the games, some sort of downloading within a piece of hardware like the PokéDex or possibly the Poké Balls since they're round just like the TMs in the game. As the expert detective he is, Pikachu can hack into the system, download its contents to a flashdrive before TM64 causes an Explosion.

animals

Real Animals

As previously mentioned, the anime, games, manga, cards and other things can sometimes have no relation to each other. There's something they've all had in common, though: the inclusion of real life animals. You can find birds, fish, bugs and sometimes mammals in the backgrounds, even blatantly featured in images and videos. They appeared in greater numbers during the earlier seasons of the anime; one time Gastly created an illusion of a mongoose so realistic to chase off Ekans. They've been showing up less and less and are being replaced by actual Pokémon in some instances, especially the anime. Cooked lobster and cow costumes appeared on the show, but now they would replace that with Corphish and Miltank. In Pokémon XY, however, fish is served in restaurants while butterflies (not Butterfree) can be seen in backgrounds of battles. How do real animals and Pokémon exist in the same world? Detective Pikachu is going to have to comb through thousands of scientific research papers and books to put together some logical proof of two different evolution paths. We know man-made Pokémon exist and that's a mystery on its own, but probably has less to figure out than real animals vs. Pokémon. It's something that's not brought up or addressed anywhere in the official series of games or anime, it just sort of happens.

There are so many strange occurrences in the Pokémon world. If you can think of anything that's been bothering you about any part of the series, let us know in the comment section below. There's probably enough mysteries out there to write an entire book, so we know you've probably got a Cubone to pick with the series.