Pokemon Poke Ball 2" 3-Ring Binder
A Poké Ball (Japanese: モンスターボール Monster Ball ) is a type of item (/wiki/Item) that is critical to a Trainer (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Trainer) 's quest, used for catching (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) and storing Pokémon (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_(species)) . Both a general term used to describe the various kinds as well as a specific term to refer to the most basic among these variations, Poké Balls are ubiquitous in the modern Pokémon world. Up to six Pokémon can be carried with a Trainer (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Trainer) in Poké Balls, while more Poké Balls can be held in the Bag (/wiki/Bag) for later use. These six Pokémon in the Poké Balls can be attached to the user's belt for carrying them around. Some Pokémon do not like to be carried around in Poké Balls, such as Ash's Pikachu (/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu) . Stylized Poké Balls are used in many places to symbolize Pokémon in general: the logos of the Battle Frontiers (/wiki/Battle_Frontier) , the Pokémon Contests (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Contest) , the Pokéathlon (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9athlon) , and the Pokémon Musical (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Musical) all feature a Poké Ball in their design, while several Poké Balls can be seen in every Pokémon Center (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Center) . The headgear of the protagonists of Kanto (/wiki/Kanto) , Hoenn (/wiki/Hoenn) , Sinnoh (/wiki/Sinnoh) , and Unova (/wiki/Unova) -based games feature Poké Ball designs, as do the Bags (/wiki/Bag) of the protagonists of Johto (/wiki/Johto) -based games. Ethan (/wiki/Ethan_(game)) 's headgear is also similar to the top half of an Ultra Ball, and Lucas (/wiki/Lucas_(game)) 's Bag prominently features a Poké Ball. The strength of a Poké Ball is determined by how much it raises a wild Pokémon (/wiki/Wild_Pok%C3%A9mon) 's catch rate (/wiki/Catch_rate) , and may in fact vary depending on the conditions of the battle. Poké Balls limit the power of Pokémon contained inside, taming them, though they do not cause the Pokémon inside to always obey the Trainer. The invention of Poké Balls occurred in the Johto (/wiki/Johto) region, where Apricorns (/wiki/Apricorn) grow; these fruit were cut apart and carved out, then fitted with a special device, and used to catch wild Pokémon. Some Trainers still use Poké Balls made from Apricorns, while Kurt (/wiki/Kurt) , a resident of Azalea Town (/wiki/Azalea_Town) , still constructs them. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Legends:_Arceus) shows that the first settlers of the Sinnoh (/wiki/Sinnoh) region, back when it was known as the Hisui (/wiki/Hisui) region, used pre-modern Poké Balls made of Tumblestone (/wiki/Tumblestone) and Apricorns, with Professor Laventon (/wiki/Professor_Laventon) claiming they were a more recent invention. According to Professor Elm (/wiki/Professor_Elm) , before the invention of the Poké Ball, people would walk with their Pokémon (/wiki/Walking_Pok%C3%A9mon) . In the games, in the Memory Link (/wiki/Memory_Link) event A New Light (/wiki/Memory_Link#A_New_Light) , Drayden (/wiki/Drayden) claims that Poké Balls did not exist during his childhood. Modern Poké Balls are not normally made from Apricorns, with the exception of specialist Poké Balls such as the Moon Ball (/wiki/Moon_Ball) . Modern Poké Balls are manufactured by Silph Co. (/wiki/Silph_Co.) , the Devon Corporation (/wiki/Devon_Corporation) , and the Kalos Poké Ball Factory (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9_Ball_Factory) . Though the technology behind a Poké Ball remains unknown and has evolved through the centuries to accommodate the diverse requirements of their creators, the basic mechanics are simple enough to understand and tend to remain constant: in a Pokémon battle (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_battle) , once an opposing wild Pokémon has been weakened, the Pokémon Trainer can throw a Poké Ball at it. When a Poké Ball hits the Pokémon, as long as it is not deflected, the Poké Ball will open, cause the Pokémon to shrink, store it inside, and close. A Pokémon in this state is given a chance to struggle to attempt to break free from the ball and escape, being instantly growing back in size. Should a Pokémon escape a Poké Ball, the device is destroyed in the games (unlike in the animated series). A Pokémon who does not escape the Ball will be caught (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) . Pokémon Legends: Arceus (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Legends:_Arceus) elaborates a bit on how the Pokémon are contained in a Poké Ball, with Professor Laventon (/wiki/Professor_Laventon) explaining that Pokémon have the ability to reduce their size to miniscule, and Poké Balls take advantage of this to contain them. Poké Balls are specifically constructed for Pokémon capture, transport, and training. As well as being physically difficult to escape from (as they seal tightly shut as soon as a Pokémon is taken into them) the environment of a Poké Ball is designed to be attractive to Pokémon also; according to Lucian of the Sinnoh (/wiki/Sinnoh) Elite Four (/wiki/Elite_Four) , weakened Pokémon instinctively curl up tight in an attempt to heal themselves, an action that the environment of the Poké Ball encourages. Furthermore, while it is not known how caught Pokémon perceives their time inside their Ball, the device is said to replicate a "Pokémon-friendly" environment that is "designed for comfort". All of these factors strongly discourage Pokémon from escaping their Balls. In the manga, Bugsy refers to his "capture net" as being the net that is supposedly inside a Poké Ball, but visible and already deployed. According to Kurt, this invisible net captures and physically stores a Pokémon. When a Trainer Dynamaxes (/wiki/Dynamax) or Gigantamaxes (/wiki/Gigantamax) a Pokémon, the Poké Ball expands to the size of an association football ) . In some games, a Ball Capsule (/wiki/Ball_Capsule) can be used in combination with Stickers (/wiki/Sticker) to create special effects when the Pokémon is sent out. In some scenarios, a Poké Ball can miss the wild Pokémon completely (in contrast to breaking if the Poké Ball does not successfully capture the Pokémon): In other scenarios, it is simply not possible to use Poké Balls in the first place: In the Pokémon games so far, there have been 34 (38 if the Hisuian Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Heavy Ball are considered distinct from their modern-day counterparts) different varieties of Poké Balls, all differing from each other in some way, whether it be an increased ability to catch a Pokémon from the wild or an effect which occurs only after the Pokémon has been caught. From Generation III onward, each variety of Poké Ball has a unique animation when it sends out a Pokémon (and also when it catches one prior to Generation VI), and the type of Poké Ball used to catch the Pokémon is preserved on its summary (/wiki/Summary) screen. Prior to Generation VI, all hatched Pokémon are in a standard Poké Ball. In Generation VI (/wiki/Generation_VI) , a bred (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_breeding) Pokémon will be in the same Poké Ball as its mother, unless its mother was in a Cherish Ball or Master Ball, in which case the Pokémon will be in a standard Poké Ball; Pokémon bred from a male or gender-unknown Pokémon and Ditto (/wiki/Ditto_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) will hatch in a standard Poké Ball. Since Generation VII (/wiki/Generation_VII) , Pokémon bred from a male and a Ditto inherit the father's ball as well, and if two Pokémon of the same species in different balls are bred, the resulting offspring will be in either the mother's or father's ball. This also applies if the parents are different regional forms (/wiki/Regional_form) . Much like the Cherish Ball or Master Ball, the Strange Ball introduced in Generation VIII (/wiki/Generation_VIII) cannot be inherited and resulting offspring will be in standard Poké Balls. Regardless of the type of Poké Ball, Fling (/wiki/Fling_(move)) will fail if the user is holding one. Starting in Generation III (/wiki/Generation_III) , each type of Poké Ball has an index number (/wiki/Index_number) associated with it that is stored in the data structure (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_data_substructures_(Generation_III)#Origins) of the Pokémon when caught (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) or otherwise obtained with a given type of ball. Generation I (/wiki/Generation_I) and II (/wiki/Generation_II) did not store this data, resulting in any Pokémon transferred (/wiki/Transfer) from Virtual Console (/wiki/Virtual_Console) via Poké Transporter (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9_Transporter) being placed into standard Poké Balls. Pokémon caught in Park Balls (/wiki/Park_Ball) within Pal Park (/wiki/Pal_Park) will retain their original Poké Ball and index number from Generation III. Pokémon from HeartGold and SoulSilver (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_HeartGold_and_SoulSilver_Versions) caught in a Johto-exclusive Poké Ball (such as a Poké Ball made by Kurt (/wiki/Kurt) or a Sport Ball) will be displayed in a standard Poké Ball while visiting Pokémon Diamond, Pearl (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Diamond_and_Pearl_Versions) , and Platinum (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Platinum_Version) . Pokémon originating from Pokémon Legends: Arceus (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Legends:_Arceus) which are then transferred into another game (vice versa for those caught outside Legends: Arceus and then transferred in) will be displayed in Strange Balls (/wiki/Strange_Ball) while visiting a game where the Pokémon's ball is not programmed into the game, but will still retain its original index number. Pokémon originating from Legends: Arceus visiting Pokémon Sword and Shield (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Sword_and_Shield) will temporarily have their ball converted into a standard Poké Ball, with their original ball data being stored in Pokémon HOME (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_HOME) 's server. Every Poké Ball (except the Beast Ball and Master Ball) has a 0.1× catch rate modifier when attempting to catch an Ultra Beast (/wiki/Ultra_Beast) . "Ah! This is the custom POKé BALL I ordered! Thank you!" The GS Ball (/wiki/GS_Ball) Concept art of a giant Poké Ball for Dynamax by Ken Sugimori (/wiki/Ken_Sugimori) [1] (#cite_note-1) In the games, certain Poké Balls appear off-color due to palette limitations. They are most likely intended to be standard Poké Balls rather than variations. A black Poké Ball at the start of a trade in Pokémon Red and Blue (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue_Versions) Red (/wiki/Red_(game)) with a purple Poké Ball in the intro (/wiki/Game_intro) from Pokémon Red and Blue Blue (/wiki/Blue_(game)) with a purple Poké Ball in Pokémon Red and Blue Blue with a black Poké Ball as his Champion (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Champion) sprite in Pokémon Red and Blue Juggler (/wiki/Juggler_(Trainer_class)) with black Poké Balls in Pokémon Red and Blue Psychic (/wiki/Psychic_(Trainer_class)) with black Poké Balls in Pokémon Red and Blue Ethan (/wiki/Ethan_(game)) with a brown Poké Ball in Generation II (/wiki/Generation_II) Kris (/wiki/Kris_(game)) with a blue Poké Ball in Generation II Professor Oak (/wiki/Professor_Oak) with an olive green Poké Ball in Generation II Fisherman (/wiki/Fisher_(Trainer_class)) with a blue Poké Ball in Generation II Juggler with blue Poké Balls in Generation II Psychic with blue Poké Balls in Generation II Glacia (/wiki/Glacia) with a yellow Poké Ball in Generation III (/wiki/Generation_III) Items contained in Poké Balls have been present from the very first games, with many items that are found on the field being found in Poké Balls in conspicuous locations. These items are sometimes important, and usually will be among the required items for pickup along the way. Sometimes, even Poké Ball variants can be found in item balls, though it may be that the item ball itself is supposed to represent the item that is found (whenever or not it's a Poké Ball). Many other items, however, are hidden, and are not in item balls, instead being directly on the field, and can be found more easily using an Itemfinder or Dowsing Machine (/wiki/Dowsing_Machine) . Voltorb (/wiki/Voltorb_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) , Electrode (/wiki/Electrode_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) , Foongus (/wiki/Foongus_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) , Amoonguss (/wiki/Amoonguss_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) , and Galarian (/wiki/Galarian_form) Stunfisk (/wiki/Stunfisk_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) appear as item balls in the overworld, but attack when interacted with (or if at close range for Galarian Stunfisk), except the Foongus in Accumula Town (/wiki/Accumula_Town) . In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:_Let%27s_Go,_Pikachu!_and_Let%27s_Go,_Eevee!) , fake item balls appear upside down. Poké Balls are often featured in the icons for Pokémon games, which are used on the home screens for the Nintendo DS (/wiki/Nintendo_DS) , 3DS (/wiki/Nintendo_3DS) , and Switch (/wiki/Nintendo_Switch) . In Pokémon Colosseum (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Colosseum) and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_XD:_Gale_of_Darkness) , a Snag Ball (/wiki/Snag_Ball) is not a single, separate type of Poké Ball, but rather any type of existing Poké Ball that has been "unlocked" by the Snag Machine, allowing it to snag (/wiki/Snagging) an already- caught Pokémon (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) during a battle (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_battle) . While it is able to be used on any Pokémon, Rui (/wiki/Rui) will only allow Wes (/wiki/Wes) to use it on Shadow Pokémon (/wiki/Shadow_Pok%C3%A9mon) , while Michael (/wiki/Michael) 's Aura Reader will render the Snag Machine inoperable when a Pokémon other than a Shadow Pokémon is targeted. It is possible to snag a Shadow Pokémon (/wiki/Shadow_Pok%C3%A9mon) even if there are two on the opposing side of the field, unlike catching Pokémon in the core series games. Players do not battle wild Pokémon in Pokémon GO (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_GO) , and using Poké Balls is a matter of the player's aim. To throw one, the player must press their finger on the Poké Ball, move it, and release it. The Ball and Pokémon exist in a 3D environment, so the player may miss the Pokémon by throwing the Ball the wrong distance or too far to the side. Additionally, the wild Pokémon may attempt to dodge or attack every few seconds. When a Pokémon is attacking, any Poké Balls that hit it will be deflected. When a Pokémon dodges, it will move around but can still be hit by a thrown Ball. On the aiming screen, a colored circle displays over the Pokémon, gradually shrinks to nothing, then resets to its widest before continuing to shrink again. If the player's throw lands inside this circle, they will get a "Nice!", "Great!", or "Excellent!" catch chance bonus depending on how small the circle was. The player can also improve their catch chance by throwing a curveball. If the player spins the Ball while holding it, it will temporarily retain the spin and curve left or right when thrown. Three types of Poké Balls were available in Pokémon GO upon release: regular Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. These remain the only types of Poké Balls that are generally available. They can be repeatably obtained by: The player also receives Poké Balls upon leveling up (/wiki/Trainer_level) . Regular Poké Balls may be purchased in the Shop at the following rates: All three types of balls have also been available in limited-time Box deals. Premier Balls debuted in Pokémon GO on June 20, 2017, [ citation needed ] a few days after its first anniversary with the introduction of Raid Battles (/wiki/Raid_Battle_(GO)) . They can only be used for catching Raid Bosses and Shadow Pokémon (/wiki/Shadow_Pok%C3%A9mon_(GO)) , and other types of Poké Balls cannot be used on them. If the player runs out, the Raid Boss or Shadow Pokémon will flee. The number of Premier Balls are awarded to the player after a Raid Battle or Team GO Rocket (/wiki/Team_GO_Rocket) battle is based on how well they battled. Unused Premier Balls are not retained and do not roll over to future challenges. Like in the main series, Premier Balls are just as effective as regular Poké Balls. Beast Balls debuted in Pokémon GO on July 1, 2022 at Pokémon GO Fest 2022 Berlin. [ citation needed ] They can only be used for catching Ultra Beasts (/wiki/Ultra_Beast) , and other types of Poké Balls cannot be used on them. Currently, an unlimited number of Beast Balls are provided to the player during an Ultra Beast encounter. Master Balls have existed in Pokémon GO's coding since release, but they didn't debut until May 22, 2023, as a reward from the Let's GO! Special Research (/wiki/Special_Research) . Future opportunities to get Master Balls are planned. [2] (#cite_note-2) GO Safari Balls will debut in Pokémon GO on November 16, 2024 at Pokémon GO Wild Area. The GO Safari Ball will be made available in Pokémon GO during the GO Wild Area event (/wiki/List_of_events_in_Pok%C3%A9mon_GO) . They have a higher catch rate. When this event is active, players will receive GO Safari Balls from Timed Research and can use them in wild encounters. [3] (#cite_note-3) All unused GO Safari Balls expire and disappear from the player's Bag (/wiki/Bag) at the end of each day of the event. [4] (#cite_note-4) [5] (#cite_note-5) Pokémon caught in GO Safari Balls are unable to be sent to Pokémon HOME via the GO Transporter (/wiki/GO_Transporter) . In Pokémon Snap (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Snap) , the Pester Balls (/wiki/Pester_Ball) appear similar to Poké Balls at a glance. However, they are not used to catch Pokémon, and instead will release a Pokémon repellent on contact. In Pokémon UNITE (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_UNITE) , Trainers use regular Poké Balls to send out their own Pokémon, after they have been knocked out (/wiki/Fainting) in battle. (At the start of a Unite Battle, all Pokémon are present on the field.) During the game's tutorial, a Pikachu (/wiki/Pikachu_(UNITE)) from the Aeos Research Institute (/wiki/Aeos_Research_Institute) is sent out from a Poké Ball twice. This happens before Tutorial (Basics 1) and Tutorial (Basics 2). A unique variety of Poké Ball, the Unite Ball , is used as part of Unite Battles. (They are also known as Aeos Balls ) Unite Balls are orange, purple, and yellow in colour, with a yellow stripe around in the middle and a white button. The pattern gives the Unite Ball a "U" design. Each Trainer has a Unite Ball, and uses it to catch (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) the wild Pokémon (/wiki/Wild_Pok%C3%A9mon) their Pokémon knocks out (/wiki/Fainting) in Unite Battles. After doing so, the Unite Ball stores the Aeos energy (/wiki/Aeos_energy) the Pokémon held. The stored energy is used by Pokémon to score at goal zones (/w/index.php?title=Goal_zones&action=edit&redlink=1) . At the start of an Unite Battle, the player's Unite Ball only holds a maximum of 30 Aeos energy. After their Pokémon reaches Level (/wiki/Level) 9, the capacity increases to 40. At level 12, the capacity is boosted again to 50. Trainers only have one Unite Ball canonically, and the interface only depicts a single Unite Ball. Regardless, Trainers throw a Unite Ball for every wild Pokémon defeated even if more than one is defeated at the same time. In Mer Stadium's Catch 'Em (/wiki/Mer_Stadium) battles, certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them. When these Pokémon are defeated and captured, the player can send them out from their Unite Ball to temporarily take the place of their selected Pokémon. This function replaces the Trainer's Battle Items (/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_UNITE#Battle_Items) . Additionally, after enough time has passed, the Battle Item will return to normal and that Pokémon will not be able to be switched into battle. If the captured Pokémon is sent out, a timer is set. When that timer elapses or the Pokémon faints, the Trainer's original Pokémon is sent back into battle from its Poké Ball. Defeating a Wild Pokémon while currently using a Caught Pokémon (/wiki/Caught_Pok%C3%A9mon) does not allow the player to switch to the defeated Wild Pokémon. In Panic Parade (/w/index.php?title=Shivre_City_(Panic_Parade)&action=edit&redlink=1) , certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them and a Aeos Ball icon over their heads.