How does a Poké Ball work? (Theory discussion)

[Nick]

How does a Poké Ball physically contain a Pokémon? What happens inside the Poké Ball when the Pokémon is captured? How exactly does a Poké Ball actually capture the Pokémon in the first place? Additionally, why are some Pokémon uncomfortable living in a Poké Ball while others (such as the overwhelming majority used by trainers) don't seem to mind?

 

[moon]

Allow me to post a huge picture within a spoiler.

Spoiler:

Now that that's been shown, I can say I don't agree with it. I've always believed in the "data theory". As pokémon are supernatural beings (in our eyes, at least) with powers, they could be turned into energy and stored in special spheres. In there, maybe they are living their dream like something from the "ideal environment" theory though.

In the anime, it sure looks like they are turned into energy whenever they get inside or come out from a pokéball. But I remember that in at least one episode, we saw Psyduck inside the pokéball, just standing around leaning his head. Might have been figuratively though?

 

[Nihilego]

Waallllll....

Spoiler:

an official Pokémon sleeping bag. So that's any sort of theory involving any TARDIS-essque mechanism debunked! That said, of the three theories posted just back there, given that the physical size theory is more or less impossible to follow whilst keeping the Pokémon well... alive, I'd say that the data theory makes the most sense. However! I have another theory - now with maths!

Length Contraction is a law stating that, as an object's velocity approaches the speed of light, its length will begin to decrease. I'm not gonna get ultra nerdy and do the maths behind how a Snorlax might fit into a Pokéball (although I might do - anything to help put off revision! :D) but the tl;dr of it is that, was a Pokémon to be stored while moving a high velocity, its size would approach 0 as that velocity increases and as such a Pokémon can be moved at such a velocity that it would occupy the volume of a Pokéball perfectly. This is consistent with the fact that Pokémon are released from a Pokéball in the form of light; a Pokémon stored in a ball as light would retain its original form despite having a size equal to or approaching 0, and then would return to its original form when released! Or something.

disclaimer: YES I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT REAL. I'm just procrastinating here, haha.

 

[lmcde22]

Here we go. Heres a link to a good explanation

http://www.geekosystem.com/pokeball-explanation/

 

[Gengar's Shadow]

There was a pretty recent episode where it showed Iris's Dragonite just sitting in the poke ball. It was pretty small in there and it looks like they just sit and wait to come out...

 

[Sheep]

It's actually kind of hard for me to really come to a conclusion on this, haha. I think they're probably shrunken in size and sit around in the Pokeball waiting to be released, though the data theory makes sense to me as well. I'll just keep being on the fence until we get an official answer (if we ever do). ;(

 

[antemortem]

A slightly less educated guess of mine was that the Pokemon had their molecules digitally reassorted into particles much like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's use of the Particle Theory when the red light used to recall the Pokemon comes into contact with them. Those particles are then sped up to the speed of light (again, uneducated and completely obnoxious!) and stored in constant movement within the ball. That's why Pokemon like Misty's Psyduck can come out at will; their particles are moving so restlessly and quickly that sometimes they overwhelm (real world equivalent to overheating a piece of technology) the Poke Ball and break free.

Additionally, I find this preferable over resizing the Pokemon into the cramped compartment, so I don't think it's inhumane at all.

/brick'd

 

[Zeffy]

Of all ideas posted in this thread, I'm inclined to Razor Leaf's. Anything that involves conversion of matter to energy then back to matter is practically impossible, simply because converting energy to matter is practically impossible (not right now, at least, however I don't think the science in the Pokémon world is that advanced to make it possible).

 

[antemortem]

Of all ideas posted in this thread, I'm inclined to Razor Leaf's. Anything that involves conversion of matter to energy then back to matter is practically impossible, simply because converting energy to matter is practically impossible (not right now, at least, however I don't think the science in the Pokémon world is that advanced to make it possible).

I feel like in a world that is as creatively and technologically enhanced as Pokemon already is, conversion of matter to energy is not all that impossible. Just the concept of putting a large form inside of a small sphere is enough to make you think, 'wow, they must be pretty advanced.'

 

[Zeffy]

I feel like in a world that is as creatively and technologically enhanced as Pokemon already is, conversion of matter to energy is not all that impossible. Just the concept of putting a large form inside of a small sphere is enough to make you think, 'wow, they must be pretty advanced.'

True but if they did convert Pokémon into energy and vice-versa, then one poke ball contains enough energy to power a city as big as Chicago. Unless they have invented a self-sustaining energy source that produces a lot of energy in such a short amount of time (and even if they did, why waste it on poke balls?), I don't think they'd use that technology for a poke ball.

 

[moon]

why waste it on poke balls?), I don't think they'd use that technology for a poke ball.

Because there is obviously a huge need for neat and convenient and not hugely expensive ways to contain and control pokémon. Apricorn balls might take too much time to make and be too expensive, hence why the more efficient and cost-effective artificial pokéballs were invented. Perhaps!

 

[milkymew]

i actually kinda like the enviroment theory just because a pikachu sitting in a forest waiting to battle inside a pokeball is adorable

 

[antemortem]

Because there is obviously a huge need for neat and convenient and not hugely expensive ways to contain and control pokémon. Apricorn balls might take too much time to make and be too expensive, hence why the more efficient and cost-effective artificial pokéballs were invented. Perhaps!

This! This! Apricorn-wordthatembodieswhatisdonetoonetomakeapokeball was the old way of producing enough energy to convert Pokemon into something that could be more easily stored in the Poke Ball, but it was too expensive, since it's such a time-consuming process, so when technology was invented that streamlined and cheapened the process, it was used to do such. Cities have their own ways of providing energy, such as the self-sustaining solar panels of Sunyshore.

 

[Zeffy]

Fair point, both of you. I still don't believe advanced technology like that should cost as low as 200 Poké dollars but ehh, agree to disagree :p

 

[moon]

I did kind of like the take on the whole thing that the Pokémon Special manga did. Basically they show the "red" top side of the pokéball as transparent when there is a pokémon inside, so that the pokémon can see everything that is going on outside, because basically it's just compressed and smallified (that's not a word, is it lol) for the sake of convenience.

Spoiler:

 

[EQUALSGAMER]

WAY back in like the fourth grade my teacher had books we coud read (naturally) but a couple were Pokemon manga, I remeber that in it pokeballs were shown to shrink after putting the Pokemon back inside it and that the red part was transparent and you could look through the red part and see a tiny version of the Pokemon. I distinctly remeber a picture of a "tiny" pokeball holding a Gengar. The data theory seems the most likely and I hope my info will help.

Drats someone beat me to it... mine was from gen 3 though.