Poké Ball

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File:Pokeball.jpg

A Poké Ball

File:Open PokeBall.gif

Interior of a Poké Ball from the anime.

A Poké Ball (Japanese: モンスターボール Monster Ball) is critical in any trainer's quest. It is used for capturing and storing wild Pokémon; a trainer may carry as many Poké Balls and ball variants as they desire. However, a trainer may only carry up to 6 Pokémon at a time. Therefore, if a trainer owns more than 6 Pokémon, they may be stored in a Pokémon storage system, and withdrawn or deposited at any Pokémon Center. There are 4 different basic levels of Poké Ball, and over a dozen variations on the Poké Ball design throughout the games.

A Poké Ball's strength is determined by how much it raises a wild Pokémon's catch rate. Many Poké Ball's strengths change based on certain conditions.

Basic Types of Poké Ball

		Catch rate
File:01 PokeBall.gif	Poké Ball	1×
File:GreatBall.jpg	Great Ball	1.5×
	Safari Ball	1.5×
	Ultra Ball	2×
	Master Ball	-1
1: Master Balls always catch the wild Pokémon.

Pokémon Gold/Pokémon Silver Poké Balls

File:Custom Balls.jpg

Three of Kurt's Custom Poké Balls

	Made from	Catch rate
Park Ball		1.5×
Level Ball	Red Apricorn	If your Pokémon's level is: Higher than the wild Pokémon's, 2×; Double or higher than the wild Pokémon's, 4×; Four times or higher, 8×.
Lure Ball	Blu Apricorn	If wild Pokémon was hooked on a rod, 3×.
Moon Ball	Ylw Apricorn	If wild Pokémon evolves with a Moon Stone, 4×.
Friend Ball2	Grn Apricorn	1×
Fast Ball	Wht Apricorn	If wild Pokémon is one that flees from battles3, 4×.
Heavy Ball	Blk Apricorn	If the wild Pokémon is: Between 100kg and 200kg, normal; Between 200kg and 300kg, +20; More than 300kg, +30; Under 100kg, -20.
Love Ball	Pnk Apricorn	If your Pokémon and the wild Pokémon are opposite genders, 8×
2: The wild Pokémon has a happiness value of 200 after being caught with a Friend Ball. 3: Fast Ball has an effect with Magnemite, Grimer, Tangela, Mr. Mime, Eevee, Porygon, Dratini and Dragonair, although not all these Pokémon can be found in the wild.

Pokémon Ruby/Pokémon Sapphire Poké Balls

		Catch rate
File:LuxuryBall.gif	Luxury Ball	1×
File:PremierBall.gif	Premier Ball	1×
File:NetBall.gif	Net Ball	If wild Pokémon is a Bug-type or Water-type, 3×.
File:DiveBall.gif	Dive Ball	If battling underwater, 3.5×.
File:NestBall.gif	Nest Ball	If the wild Pokémon is: Between level 1 and level 19, 3×; Between level 20 and level 29, 2×; Above level 30, 1×.
File:RepeatBall.gif	Repeat Ball	If one of the wild Pokémon's species has been caught before, 3×.
File:TimerBall.gif	Timer Ball	If the number of turns that have passed is: Between 1 and 9, 1×; Between 10 and 19, 2×; Between 20 and 29, 3×; More than 30, 4×.

Other Poké Balls

These Poké Balls are too unusual to fit in with other groups of Poké Balls, and some are so unusual that it is questionable if they even qualify as Poké Balls. Most of these have separate articles, which describe their unique properties in greater detail.

In the Games

Pester Balls

Seen in Pokémon Snap, this unusual Poké Ball cannot catch Pokémon. Instead, it releases an irritating gas.

GS Ball

Seen in Pokémon Crystal, this Poké Ball cannot catch Pokémon. Instead, it is a special item that can be used to make Celebi appear in the Ilex Forest.

Snag Balls

Though not a Poké Ball in its own right, this is seen in Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. It is a ball that has been modified using the Snag Machine. It is capable of snagging a captured Pokémon during a Pokémon battle as if it were wild.

In the Anime

Pre-Poké Ball Objects

There are multiple artifacts and antiques which have similar properties to modern Poké Balls but are not technically the same thing - some, in fact, are not even balls. These range from unusual artifacts found in the ancient city of Pokémopolis which contain Giant Pokémon inside (seen in EP072) to antique Poké Balls which look similar to their modern-day equivalents but have an altered design and are made from a more fragile material (seen in EP232). Given that these were made before the development of the technology used in modern Poké Balls, the workings behind these objects are a mystery.

Mewtwo Balls

Official name unknown. Marked by an eerie eye incorporated into their design, these Poké Balls were created and used by Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. They can be moved around easily with Mewtwo's Psychic powers, and they can capture any Pokémon, including those which are already inside other Poké Balls. Mewtwo used these to gather Pokémon to be cloned.

GS Ball

This was in the possession of Professor Ivy, who gave it to Ash, who in turn gave it to Kurt to study. Despite this, its purpose is completely unknown, since it was never mentioned again after being given to Kurt, and has most likely been forgotten. There is a large amount of fan speculation as to what purpose it holds.

Dark Balls

Used by Vicious in Pokémon 4Ever. Presumably technology of Team Rocket, these Poké Balls will take over the mind of any Pokémon caught by them, making them turn into mindless servants of whoever caught them. These were used to capture multiple Pokémon, including Celebi.

References

• Fritz, Chris. Pokémon Forever GBC Poké Ball information.
• Fritz, Chris. Pokémon Forever GBA Poké Ball information.