>>44859801Considering how "5% encounter rate" is what made Pikachu so popular, I wonder if other low encounter rates are done as an attempt to capture lighting in a bottle. Pikachu's rarity led to it becoming so popular that it was chosen as the star of the anime and eventually became the mascot of the entire franchise. That could have convinced Game Freak that low encounter rates would make certain Pokemon more sought out and thus more popular among fans.
