It’s nearly impossible for hobbyists and collectors to get any new Pokémon cards these days. Rare cards? Unless you’ve got thousands of dollars to spend, forget it. Rather than giving up on chase cards entirely, clever Pokémon TCG fans are filling the void with other similar cards that won’t break the bank. But as more people seek out consolation cards, the market surrounding some singles has started to go haywire in a deeply silly way.
The set every trainer is salivating over at the moment is Ascended Heroes, a collection known for its unusually fantastic full-art cards. Ascended Heroes isn’t the newest set — that would be Perfect Order — but when sealed boxes go for nearly $200 on the resale market, it’s often the first thing to get cleaned out during any given restock.
Pull rates for Ascended Heroes are decent, but the set is also the largest English TCG release ever. Even if you’re lucky enough to score a box, Ascended Heroes’ rare cards are unusually difficult to find. The specific card that everyone is after is Pikachu ex #276, which fans lovingly refer to as Treekachu. Treekachu has become such a hot commodity, the cheapest you’ll find it right now is just over $1,000. PSA 10, the most high-end version of the collectible, commands an astounding $4,225, according to price trackers.
Everyone wants Treekachu, but no one can get Treekachu. For most people, the next best thing is a Crown Zenith Pikachu that exudes a similar verdant vibe as its more expensive cousin. The card, which belongs to a set that’s no longer in print, quadrupled in price in 2025 due to the general Pokémon card shortage. The demand only grew in 2026, allowing the so-called Leaf Pikachu to double its already heightened price.
In a roundabout way, Leaf Pikachu’s ascension makes sense. But now, people have become so desperate for proximity to Treekachu that they’re purchasing an entirely unrelated card, of a different Pokémon. That card would be Bulbasaur #37, a promo released in March 2026 meant to celebrate Pokémon’s beloved starters. Admittedly, the set has been in demand since its inception. But earlier this week, someone noticed that this specific Bulbasaur card had a funny little detail in the background. If you zoom in and squint, it turns out that Bulbasaur #37 features a silhouette of Pikachu hanging out in a forest. In other words, a secret Treekachu.
Though it’s easy to miss, it’s a pretty cool detail, right? Now that this has become public information, however, the cost of this Bulbasaur card has begun to soar. The price charts show a nearly vertical spike right around the time that the secret Pikachu discovery was made. The card went from a hundred or so sales a day on TCG Player to 700 or so daily buyers. A card that used to fetch approximately $20 is now going for somewhere in the $60 range. It’s likely that the demand will continue growing as more people learn about the Pikachu Easter egg.
In the grand scheme of things, Bulbasaur #37 remains a relatively affordable card in a hobby overflowing with collectibles that cost the equivalent of an average American’s yearly salary. But the reason behind this specific Bulbasaur phenomenon is hilarious. People want that other Pikachu card so badly, they’re willing to get a card with a barely visible suggestion of the same idea.
The kicker? The secret Pikachu is probably a reference to Viridian Forest, a location in the original Red and Blue games, and not Treekachu.
GameStop’s $68,000 Charizard Pokémon card has already become a bleak saga
A rare chase card has apparently been repeatedly sold back to GameStop
About the Author
