Apricorn
Apricorns (Japanese: ぼんぐりのみ Bonguri Fruit) are special fruit that grow on trees in the Johto region. They may be encountered only in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, and act in a similar manner to Berries.
The difference between Apricorns and Berries is the purpose of the fruit. Both items can be picked and stored in the player's bag—and Apricorns may simply be specialized Berries—but Berries will always have an effect on a Pokémon. Apricorns will not heal or help a Pokémon; instead, they can be given to Kurt, a Ballsmith in Azalea Town, who will make them into special Poké Balls.
These special Balls are unavailable from any other source, which makes them unique, rare, and valuable. They were, however, common back in olden time, before the mass production of standard Poké Balls. To emphasize the value of the Balls, Kurt can only make one per day, and the harvesting of Apricorns is also limited: picking one before it is ripe or picking too many at a time can damage the entire tree.
List of Apricorns
| Apricorn | Poké Ball | Locations | Pokéthlon | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
White Apricorn (しろぼんぐり White Bonguri) |
|
Fast Ball (スピードボール Speed Ball) |
Pewter City Azalea Town* Route 38 |
None |
|
Red Apricorn (あかぼんぐり Red Bonguri) |
|
Level Ball (レベルボール Level Ball) |
Fuchsia City Route 37* Route 44 |
Power |
|
Blue Apricorn (あおぼんぐり Blue Bonguri) |
|
Lure Ball (ルアーボール Lure Ball) |
Pewter City Route 26 Route 36 Route 37* |
Technique |
|
Black Apricorn (くろぼんぐり Black Bonguri) |
|
Heavy Ball (ヘビーボール Heavy Ball) |
Route 1 Route 31 Route 33 Route 37* Route 43 |
None |
|
Pink Apricorn (ももぼんぐり Pink Bonguri) |
|
Love Ball (ラブラブボール Love Love Ball) |
Route 2 Route 30 Route 33 Route 42* |
Speed |
|
Green Apricorn (みどぼんぐり Green Bonguri) |
|
Friend Ball (フレンドボール Friend Ball) |
Route 11 Route 29 Route 30 Route 35 Route 39 Route 42* Route 45 Route 46 |
Jump |
|
Yellow Apricorn (きぼんぐり Yellow Bonguri) |
|
Moon Ball (ムーンボール Moon Ball) |
Route 8 Violet City Route 42* Route 46 |
Stamina |
| *Indicates area where Apricorn is found in Generation II. | |||||
Changes between generations
In the two generations where Apricorns have appeared, there has been little change to their use. The only changes made are in regards to Apricorn availability. As of Crystal, Kurt can make multiple Balls of the same type in a day. However, as only one tree of each variety is found across Johto, a large number of a particular Apricorn can be difficult to accumulate.
When Apricorns returned in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, they are kept in a special key item, the Apricorn Case. This Case acts very similarly to the Berry Pouch of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. More Apricorn trees were included in Generation IV; the trees that contained Generation II-exclusive Berries were converted into Apricorn trees.
In Generation IV, Apricorns and Apricorn Balls cannot be held by a Pokémon. This prevents trading to Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, where the coding for the items is not supported. An Apricorn Ball will, in these games, show up as a normal Poké Ball.
Apricorn Drinks were also included in HeartGold and SoulSilver as a new way to use Apricorns.
Apricorn Drinks
Apricorn Drinks are a new feature in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver when by using the Apricorn Shaker, players can make Apricorns into a drink that is used to raise a Pokémon's Pokéthlon stats. This drink is used as a counterpart to the Pokéblocks and Poffin of Hoenn and Sinnoh.
In the anime
Apricorns appeared in Goin' Apricorn. Kurt helped Ash, Misty, and Brock find and harvest several Apricorns. He then fashioned them into Poké Balls which were used in Going Apricorn and The Totodile Duel.
Trivia
- A woman in the Azalea Town Pokémon Center mentions that before Poké Balls became standardized, everyone used hollowed-out Apricorns to capture Pokémon. This is likely how Kurt mastered the trade.
- Apricorns have sprites for the Apricorn Case as well as in-bag sprites, indicating that the Apricorn Case may have been a later addition to the game. The in-bag sprites are used in the final game as sprites on the point-exchange menu in the Pokéthlon Dome.
- Green Apricorns are by far the most common type, while White Apricorns are the rarest, appearing in eight and three places, respectively.
- Black Apricorns in the anime were portrayed as brown.
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This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items. |
