Need your opinion...

I'm working on a Pokemon fan-fiction and it is going to be based in a completely new region, with new Pokeballs and stuff...

I've got many ideas for different Pokeballs and I need your opinions on them!

Trap ball - Basically it is a Pokeball that you plant/rig in an area that Pokemon can be found. You leave it, then when you return after however many days, you find a Pokemon in it. The longer you wait, the better the chance of it being a shiny/rare Pokemon.

Dual ball - A type of Pokeball that would carry a second Pokemon in it, when you throw it, the ball randomly chooses which of the two Pokemon to send out. This would give you the opportunity to have up to 12 Pokemon with you. It would also add depth to a Pokemon battle, having to come up with strategies for more than one situation.

Mystery ball - A Pokeball that has a random catch rate. One could have the catch rate of a regular Pokeball, the next could have the catch rate of an Ultra ball, you never know until it is thrown. When you throw it, the sound it makes tells you which catch rate it'll be using.

"X" ball - The villains of this region developed this ball. It has the ability to catch trainer's Pokemon. If this were a video game, the main character would gain access to it right before battling the leader of the group, who would have, essentially, legendaries, that you would have to decide which of the Pokemon you wish to capture. It has 100% catch rate. There is only one (like the Master ball).

Moving this to the Writer's Lounge, as it's not an actual story.

rob234111 said:

Trap ball - Basically it is a Pokeball that you plant/rig in an area that Pokemon can be found. You leave it, then when you return after however many days, you find a Pokemon in it. The longer you wait, the better the chance of it being a shiny/rare Pokemon.

Click to expand...

The last sentence is what I'm iffy about. As this is a fic rather than a game which doesn't necessarily have the greatest steps in logic, then people might wonder why is it that the trap ball gives you a better chance at getting a wild Pokemon just for leaving it there longer. After all, once something gets in there, shouldn't it stay there? What exactly about the length of time waited corresponds to rare Pokemon being caught as opposed to more common ones?

Dual ball - A type of Pokeball that would carry a second Pokemon in it, when you throw it, the ball randomly chooses which of the two Pokemon to send out. This would give you the opportunity to have up to 12 Pokemon with you. It would also add depth to a Pokemon battle, having to come up with strategies for more than one situation.

Click to expand...

It's...kinda interesting, although you'd have to consider firstly why this ball is made, why the limit of 6 Pokemon is suddenly doubled (because that's the limit rather than the number of Pokeballs you carry) and I do wonder if that runs the risk of arguably being risky considering it's storing two different Pokemon in it. Might be a fun concept to play around with, but it could use considerations.

"X" ball - The villains of this region developed this ball. It has the ability to catch trainer's Pokemon. If this were a video game, the main character would gain access to it right before battling the leader of the group, who would have, essentially, legendaries, that you would have to decide which of the Pokemon you wish to capture. It has 100% catch rate. There is only one (like the Master ball).

Click to expand...

Sounds like a Snag ball (ala Colosseum and XD), only just a one-off Master ball... but if the villains have it then a) why did they only make one, b) why didn't they use it already, and c) how did the character gain it? (More questions to consider for your story's plot, but hey!)

One of the biggest concerns about implementing new Poke Balls is the point of it. There are plenty of Poke Balls as it is, and focusing too much on Poke Balls will slow down your plot and you'll spend a lot of time explaining their functions rather than using them. Also, unless these Poke Balls are prominent and as common as a regular old Poke Ball, they won't be of much use. That's just what I think of when you speak of actually making new types of Poke Balls.

Anyway, the Trap ball seems to have a lot of issues in terms of logic. It's basically a snare, except it doesn't mortally wound a Pokemon in the process. I'd imagine a Pokemon would be able to break it, since that's what all Poke Balls are like with the exception of the Master Ball. So it wouldn't guarantee a catch. I had to bring that point up because you almost make it seem like a Pokemon will definitely pop up. Also, if I saw a Trap ball on the ground, I'd steal it. Blah, blah, blah, "But that's not moral!" Seriously, even if a Pokemon wasn't in it, I'd steal it. I would probably use it or sell it. If there's a Pokemon caught, all the better. Some food for thought.

The Dual ball is weird. It's kind of luck, in a way, though I probably wouldn't risk it. And holding two Pokemon in one is hard to bring up, because you'd have to catch two Pokemon with one ball. In that case, you catch one Pokemon, you're fine, right? Then you have to catch another Pokemon. Who's to say that the other Pokemon won't be released in the process, or sent out while the Pokemon in question is caught? This is all getting confusing.

The Mystery ball seems absolutely pointless. I'm totally getting this from the anime, but most characters use standard Poke Balls and have done quite well. There are a few exceptions here and there, but an actual catch rate doesn't seem too involved, minus the Master Ball. Again, what's the point when you can use ole reliable? Most fics end up catching things with a regular Poke Ball because they either beat the Pokemon up senseless so it can't break the ball, or they somehow befriend it and it willingly goes in.

The "X" ball is probably the only ball I actually support because it's somewhat useful to the plot. Steal a Pokemon? Good idea! However, I'm wondering why they haven't made more, as bobandbill already said. The Master Ball was apparently a prototype, so I guess that goes without saying, but this ball was made by villains. So villains would make more, right? You can't rule the world with one Pokemon. You need a team. And if the villains are smart enough to make such a ball, then they'd know they need more of them.

Again, explaining how most of these balls work and why they were made in the first place are probably the biggest concerns, not their functions.