Summary:

- The article discusses a previously unknown Pokemon pitch that was proposed for the Western market, which would have turned the franchise into a gritty baseball game.
- The pitch, revealed by former Game Freak developer Junichi Masuda, involved a darker, more mature take on Pokemon, with the creatures being used as players in a baseball game.
- This pitch was ultimately rejected, and the Pokemon franchise continued to follow its more lighthearted, family-friendly path that has made it a global phenomenon.