A Real, Live Pikachu

Going back to the "I used to watch/play/be entertained by" theme - Pokemon used to be a favorite pastime of my college friends and I.  We would spend hours carefully raising our Pokemon, duking it out with each other, and yes - we even went to the mall to get that elusive Mew character.  While I still have my plush Pikachu (he's been adopted by James), I no longer follow nor play the game (you guys can stop laughing at me now!)  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this article on another blogger's site though:

On a Yahoo! Japan auction site a few years ago, somebody sold 20 real live Pikachus for $925 million.

Translation from the Japanese site:

"We capture each one after your order, so we guarantee its health! These are Pikachus plucked straight from the natural Pikachu forest, so they're of much higher quality than ones you'd get from a breeder or in other regions. Great for those who are lacking in good conversations with family, who want solace if living alone, who need a new hobby, who love cute and trendy things, or who are looking for a present for a girlfriend or a child. Limited edition! Limited to only 20! First come first serve! We'll include a 60-minute video on how to raise a Pikachu if you buy 3 months worth of Pokemon food."

Link (In Japanese)