There is a question that often lingers after a Pokémon In the minds of fans, since the series began more than 25 years ago: What does the inside of a Poké Ball look like? Pokémon Horizons offered an answer to that question, and it turns out, it’s not half as bad.
Pokémon spend a lot of time inside their Poké Balls, and fan conceptions of these Pokémon will vary widely. Many people assume that the Pokémon is just in a state of stagnation, converted into energy or data, and is unaware of the passage of time while in the ball. Some say it’s pretty there, with everything a creature could need. Others argue that being in a Poké Ball must be quite unpleasant – why is Ash’s Pikachu so averse to it? In very early artworks, the Pokémon is literally shown to just shrink and fit inside the ball, suggesting that the inside of the ball is just that: empty inner space is seen when it opens. Now, the newly rebooted Pokémon Horizons has rolled out the concept of a Poké Ball interior through a segment in the fifth episode.
Poké Balls can bring a luxurious experience to Pokémon
In this episode, a streamer called Nidothing releases a video of the Poké Balls that Roy watches on the show. Their Nidothing and Quaxly showcase several different types of Poké Balls, but when it comes to Luxury Balls, it really offers a look at the interior. Inside is Quaxly relaxing on a couch, sipping drinks in a stemmed mug with a disco ball overhead and what appears to be a full bar in the back. The moment was chosen by Joe Merrick, founder of the popular Pokémon fan site Serebii.
The Luxury Ball is the most expensive (mass-produced) Poké Ball in the game; they have a catch rate on par with regular Poké Balls, but Pokémon caught by these balls automatically become friendlier, which is implied due to better conditions. While the segment in the episode is merely Nidothing’s visualization of that concept, it’s the closest the series has ever come to actually giving an idea of what the interior of the Poké Ball is like. Many Poke Ball fan works in the past have implemented similar concepts – even Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken once had a piece of Pikachu partying inside its Poke Ball, complete tuned with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling like a Quaxly ball.
Although the final Pokémon anime has provided some answers as to what a Poké Ball is, the debate is sure to be fierce. Due to the video nature of this scene, it probably shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but fans are free to imagine their own scenes. Pokémon chill like this in their Poké Balls.
Source: @JoeMerrick/Twitter
