Today’s story, from UPI: Long-lost Pokémon game may have resurfaced on eBay (by Ben Hooper, UPI, July 31, 2026).
🟢 Beginner
Reading
Some Pokémon fans found an old video game. It might be a copy of a very rare game.
The game is called Pokémon Fishing Contest DS. It came out in Japan in 2005. It was only for a few months.
The old game had a strange rule. If you turned off your game system, the game deleted itself! Nobody has a working copy today.
Now, someone is selling a special game cartridge online. It costs about $9,000!
The seller says the cartridge works. But nobody knows for sure if it is really the lost game.
Some fans are excited. Other fans are not sure. The auction ends soon.
Vocabulary
- video game — an electronic game played on a screen
- rare — not common or easy to find
- cartridge — a small case holding a game, inserted into a game system
- download — to get a file or program from the internet
- delete — to remove or erase something
- seller — a person who sells something
- auction — a public sale where people offer higher and higher prices
- sure — certain, without doubt
Comprehension Check
Discussion
- Have you ever looked for something rare or hard to find? What was it?
- Why do you think people pay so much money for old video games?
- What is something from your childhood you wish you still had?
🟡 Intermediate
Reading
A rare Pokémon game may have resurfaced after 20 years, appearing for sale on eBay as a mysterious Nintendo DS test cartridge.
The game, called Pokémon Fishing Contest DS, was only available as a download at Japanese Pokémon Center stores between May and August 2005. Unusually, the game would delete itself from the system whenever it was powered off, meaning no playable copies are known to exist today.
A German seller listed the cartridge on eBay with a starting price of $9,145.66. According to the listing, the cartridge boots up to a Japanese-language screen related to tracking high scores, and it has been tested only in a basic way.
Fans online are divided on what the cartridge actually is. Some believe the photos match the lost game. Others caution that it might only be leftover code used to track scores, not the game itself.
As of Friday afternoon, the listing had not received any bids. The auction is set to end on Sunday.
Vocabulary
- resurfaced — appeared again after being hidden or lost
- mysterious — difficult to understand or explain
- unusually — in a way that is not typical
- powered off — turned off
- starting price — the lowest price at which bidding begins
- boots up — starts running when turned on
- divided — having different or opposing opinions
- caution — to warn someone to be careful
Comprehension Check
Discussion
- Why do you think collectors are willing to pay very high prices for rare, unplayable game items?
- The article shows fans disagreeing based on limited evidence in photos. How do people usually decide what to believe when the full truth isn’t known?
- What other forms of media (movies, music, games) have “lost” versions that fans still search for?
🔴 Advanced
Reading
A long-lost Pokémon title, absent from circulation for two decades, may have quietly resurfaced in the form of a mysterious Nintendo DS test cartridge listed for sale on eBay.
The game in question, Pokémon Fishing Contest DS, had an unusually restrictive distribution history. Offered only as a download-only title at Japanese Pokémon Center stores for a brief window between May and August 2005, it was designed to erase itself from the system the moment it was powered off, a built-in safeguard that has left no known playable copies in existence.
A German seller listed the cartridge with a starting bid of $9,145.66, describing it as a physical development or test unit acquired as part of a private lot, with no further provenance documentation available. The listing notes that the cartridge, when tested on a retail Nintendo DS, boots to a Japanese-language screen suggesting a high-score ranking communication program, though compatibility with later handhelds remains unconfirmed.
Enthusiasts online remain split on the cartridge’s authenticity. Some point to the Japanese text visible in the listing photos as evidence it may be the genuine lost game. Others urge caution, suggesting it could just as easily be server-side code used to track scores rather than the playable title itself.
As of Friday afternoon, the auction had drawn no bids, with bidding set to close on Sunday.
Vocabulary
- circulation — the state of being available and in use among the public
- distribution — the way something is made available or supplied
- restrictive — limiting in scope or availability
- safeguard — a measure designed to protect against something
- provenance — a documented history of an item’s origin and ownership
- authenticity — the quality of being genuine or real
- enthusiasts — people with a strong interest in a subject
- server-side — relating to processes that run on a remote server rather than a user’s device
Comprehension Check
Discussion
- The listing offers no verified provenance, only a description from the seller. How much should buyers rely on seller claims alone in high-stakes collectible purchases like this one?
- Consider the tension between “authenticity” and “functionality” in this story. Does an item need to be provably genuine to hold value among collectors, or is uncertainty itself part of the appeal?
- This story involves a self-deleting game designed to prevent copies from surviving. What does this reveal about how companies sometimes intentionally create scarcity, and how does that scarcity affect long-term collector interest?
📣 Share This Lesson
A video game that erases itself, missing for 20 years, might just be for sale. 🎮🔍 Read today’s story and test your English. #ESL #EnglishLearning #immersionesl
Source: “Long-lost Pokémon game may have resurfaced on eBay” by Ben Hooper, UPI (July 31, 2026).