Since its inception, the Pokémon franchise has been wildly popular with children. The friendly world of bright colors and fascinating monsters captured the imagination in a way few other video games have ever been able to replicate. However, this cutesy world hides some truly terrifying secrets.
The Pokédex holds information on all species of Pokémon currently discovered, detailing facts about their diets, habitats and temperament. Some of these entries are downright horrifying and beg some serious questions about the true nature of the world of Pokémon.
Kadabra
Kadabra is strange looking enough at first glance, but the Psi Pokémon appears largely normal for the world it inhabits. This all changes after reading its FireRed Pokédex entry: "It happened one morning -- a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra." This brings up some serious questions. Are all Kadabra actually children? How does an Abra evolve then? Or are they also actually children?
What makes this entry even creepier is how matter-of-factly this information is presented. Pokémon Sun's Dex entry for Kadabra would try to rephrase this to sound more like a theory than a fact, but regardless, the idea of such a thing occurring (and being mentioned in a scientific encyclopedia) is disturbing on its own.
Lampent
Lampent is a rather cute-looking Ghost-type, but this facade conceals a deeply malicious creature. According to its Black 2 and White 2 Dex entry, Lampent is an ominous creature that spends its time near hospitals waiting for people to die so that it may absorb their souls to fuel its "baleful fire." Lampent is powered by the souls of the dead it intercepts on the way to the afterlife, robbing them of their rest.
Really, children should not be allowed anywhere near Lampent, let alone to take one with them as a partner on their Pokémon journey. The idea of trainers having to make stops to intensive-care units to recharge their Lampent is a truly unsettling image. Combine this with its Shield entry, which claims it will trail after people in cities if their death is near, and it's clear why Lampent are viewed as haunting emissaries of imminent death -- even if its target has no idea anything is wrong.
Banette
Banette's Emerald Dex entry states that it was an abandoned plush doll who now wanders in search of the child who threw it away. A charitable interpretation of this information would be that Banette simply wishes to be reunited with its lost loved one, but the truth is quite a bit darker. Ultra Sun clarifies that its never-ending search is specifically so it can exact its revenge.
This ghostly doll becomes more unsettling when combined with other Dex entries. Some mention the horrific cursed energy that would be released into the world if its zipper mouth were ever to be opened, and Omega Ruby claims that it sticks pins into its own body to generate dark energy for curses. All of this makes Banette sound more like a demon than a Pokémon.
Yamask
Yamask's original Pokédex entries from Black and White detail that it rose from the graves of humans, and that the mask they carry is the face they had in life. Even more harrowingly, Yamask retains memories of its former life, and can sometimes be seen staring at its mask and crying. Shield's entry adds the detail that this Pokémon is in constant search of somebody, anybody, that recognizes its face.
This harkens back to one of the many questions raised by Kadabra's entry: Do humans become Pokémon? The concept of a person being metamorphosed after death into an entirely inhuman form -- all while retaining their past memories -- is utterly tragic. Frankly, it seems entirely unethical to ever even think of capturing a wild Yamask.
Drifloon
Dirfloon's Pearl Dex entry states that this creature "tugs on the hands of children to steal them away." Later entries confirm that these attempts at abduction have more than likely been successful. Y's Pokédex plainly states that children have been known to vanish when holding onto Drifloon, and the reality behind these abductions becomes clearer with later entries. Ultra Sun reveals that its body is filled with souls, and it expands each time it steals a child away.
Drifloon abducts small children, absorbs their souls and assimilates them into its mass of tortured spirits. Moon's entry states that if a Drifloon bursts, its soul spills out with a loud scream -- likely those of its victims. It's possible those pained screams are constantly radiating around the inside of Drifloon, only audible once their captor finally expires. This makes Drifloon an utterly terror-inducing concept for a Pokémon.