"What is this ball? It gives off a similar feeling to a spatial pouch..." Princess Rosaria observed the spherical device with intrigue, maintaining a cautious distance, unwilling to approach too closely in case it proved dangerous.
The Poké Ball was about the size of a baseball. The top is a vibrant red, contrasting with the clean white lower half. A black horizontal band encircles the center of the ball, with a circular white button in the middle. This button is where trainers typically press to open or activate the ball. The overall design is simple, iconic, and instantly recognizable to any Pokémon fans, embodying a perfect balance between functionality and style for capturing Pokémon.
Lena, who had only just managed to reboot her brain from the initial shock, now found herself staring at the Poké Ball resting on the table. Though she was aware of Arthur's inventions—the Pokémon and the Poké Balls—she had no idea how he had created them.
In fact, Lena was regarded as a genius of magic—though only among the fellow villagers. However, she knew well that the true title of genius should belong to her younger brother, Arthur.
At first, when he insisted that she keep the existence of the Poké Balls a secret, Lena had reluctantly complied. But as time passed, and she grew older, she came to understand her brother's request. Revealing a spatial magic artifact capable of containing a living being would bring nothing but trouble.
That was also the source of Arthur's headache when he first attempted to craft a prototype Poké Ball. Creating a compressed space wasn't exactly difficult—he had encountered plenty of spatial pouches being sold by merchant caravans passing through Rastor Village. The issue, however, was their expense. He had burned through much of his savings trying to crack the magic circles that imbued these spatial pouches.
Arthur also purchased a magic circle book specifically about Space Magic, but even that couldn't compare to the hands-on experience of reverse-engineering the concept.
After much trial and error, he succeeded in crafting his own spatial pouch. From there, he shaped it into the form of the iconic Poké Ball. While craftsmanship had never been his strength, Arthur's skill in magic engineering and his understanding of magic circles allowed him to create a nearly flawless prototype.
However, the next challenge arose: spatial pouches, and other forms of portable spatial storage, were never intended to house living beings.
Creating a space that a living creature could enter was possible—a tent, like the one they were currently using, was a perfect example. But that was the limit. There had been no breakthrough in creating a smaller, portable version that could hold life. While the tent was portable, it could only be used after it had been properly set up. Unlike the spatial pouch, which could be carried around without disrupting the magic within, the tent required preparation before the space could be accessed.
So, how did he manage to create an actual Poké Ball?
Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but it happened by accident.
It was directly linked to how he had first managed to create a 'living' Pokémon.
In fact, the very first prototype Poké Ball was already capable of allowing his Pokémon to enter it. However, Arthur didn't realize this at first, and instead, he wasted an immense amount of time researching how to make a living being enter his Poké Ball, which caused him considerable frustration, not to mention a significant financial loss.
Once that hurdle was crossed, the only remaining task was to create a Poké Ball that could exclusively capture Pokémon and then ensure that each Poké Ball became uniquely linked to the Pokémon it contained.
This, surprisingly, wasn't difficult.
Arthur combined magic circles with a touch of programming to create a secure system using a mix of English and a bit of Japanese for the codes, ensuring that no one in this world could crack it.
However, even after incorporating two foreign languages into the magic programming and password, he still felt it wasn't secure enough. So, he decided to make his magical coding as 'complex' as possible—so intricate that any Earthly programmer would weep in awe at the 'brilliance' of his design!
Cough... The reason for using such 'complex' coding was definitely not an excuse for his lack of programming skills! Not at all!
Anyways, he had intentionally inserted a fair amount of incomprehensible and fake code into the magic circles engraved on the Poké Ball to mislead anyone trying to break the encryption. This, of course, did lead to a bit of wasted resources and caused minor lag when attempting to capture a reluctant Pokémon... But Arthur didn't see this as a problem. After all, it would just make the Pokémon-catching process even more 'RNG-based'—an unintended bug turned into a feature!
And that's how he managed to create a functional prototype of Poké Ball.
As for how it accidentally became capable of containing a living Pokémon, well, that's a tale tied to his process of Pokémon creation—a story for another time.
Arthur smiled, nodding as he spoke, "Yes, it functions similarly to a spatial pouch. However, instead of storing items, it is specifically designed to store Pokémon. This one belongs to Ponyta… Oh, and Pokémon is the name of Ponyta's species."
The Princess's eyes widened, and her two royal bodyguards looked on with equal disbelief. With a hint of skepticism, she asked, "This small ball can really store Ponyta?"
For years, researchers had tried—unsuccessfully—to create a small, portable device capable of storing living creatures for easier transport. No one had ever succeeded, not even the dragon race.
The significance of this small red-and-white ball for the world of Ocasia was immeasurable, far more valuable than merely owning a mysterious fire horse like Ponyta.
And yet, here was the boy younger than her, claiming to have created such a legendary artifact...
Recognizing her doubts, Arthur casually spread his hand in a gesture of invitation. "As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Please, try using it on Ponyta."
Lena, who had been silently and nervously watching, gathered her courage and spoke in a soft, somewhat hesitant voice, eager to back up Arthur's words. "Y-yes, Arthur's Poké Ball creation is truly incredible!"
Princess Rosaria turned to look at Ponyta, who was now staring at the Poké Ball but showing no reaction, continuing to leisurely munch on her apples. The princess then glanced at her fierce bodyguard, her spokesperson, calling out softly, "Wentia."
Wentia, Princess Rosaria's personal bodyguard, bore a long scar that ran across half of her face. Her slightly tanned skin was marked with numerous battle scars, evidence of a life spent on the battlefield—a true veteran. With short black hair and a tomboyish appearance, her fierce presence made anyone who looked at her feel as though they were being stared down by a vicious wolf.
"Yes, Princess." Wentia bowed slightly before approaching the table and picking up the Poké Ball.
As she studied it, her pupils transformed into intricate magic circles, and she began chanting, "Danger Detection."
Arthur took a brief glance at Wentia's eyes, his curiosity piqued. Judging by the name, it was likely a spell to detect any potential threats. After all, they couldn't let the Princess casually handle a strange object without first ensuring it posed no danger.
A few moments later, Wentia nodded and gently placed the Poké Ball back on the tea table. "There's no danger."
Princess Rosaria's eyes brightened with excitement as she hastily snatched up the Poké Ball and turned her attention to Arthur's Ponyta—now hers. She rose from her seat, thrusting the Poké Ball toward the Pokémon and stomping her left foot on her chair as she declared dramatically, "Embrace your destiny, Ponyta! Enter the Poké Ball and let your fiery spirit connect with mine!"
...Nothing happened.
Before an awkward silence could settle over the tent, Arthur cleared his throat and, somewhat embarrassed, added, "I apologize for the lack of explanation earlier... You activate the Poké Ball by pressing the circular white button in the center."
Princess Rosaria blushed slightly, trying to hide her own embarrassment as she cleared her throat.
She fumbled a bit as she turned the Poké Ball around and pressed the white button. "Like this?"
Suddenly, a burst of white light enveloped Ponyta, and she disappeared, vanishing into the Poké Ball in Princess Rosaria's hand.
At that moment, the red upper half of the Poké Ball became slightly transparent, revealing a miniature Ponyta inside, motionless. The Poké Ball trembled faintly, as though trying to convey to its new trainer that her Pokémon was truly inside.
Lena marveled at the sight, impressed as always when she saw Arthur's Pokémon getting called into the Poké Balls. Meanwhile, Princess Rosaria, Wentia, and Reden, the other royal bodyguard, stared in stunned silence at the Poké Ball in the princess's hand.
"It really works? Ponyta, how are you feeling?" Princess Rosaria asked, her voice filled with a mix of wonder and concern as she gently stroked the Poké Ball, inquiring about the well-being of her new Pokémon.
Inside the Poké Ball, the miniature Ponyta remained still. But the ball trembled slightly in response to her question before falling silent once more.
"What an invention, it's unbelievable..." Reden, who had remained silent until now, murmured softly as she adjusted her round glasses. In stark contrast to Wentia's fierce, battle-hardened appearance, Reden looked like a sheltered, pale woman who had never seen combat, despite wearing a suit of knight armor. Her long, wavy pink hair framed a face with wide, bright pink eyes, full of innocence. But despite her appearance, she was clearly no pushover—after all, she was a personal bodyguard to the princess.
If Arthur had to choose between Wentia and Reden, he'd admit he was more intimidated by Reden, her deceptive appearance making her harder to read.
Princess Rosaria, eager to understand how Arthur had managed to create such an advanced magical artifact, longed to ask him. But she knew doing so would risk undermining the basic trust they had just recently built, so she restrained her curiosity.
Instead, she commented thoughtfully, "With this, I could take Ponyta anywhere with me..." She smiled softly at Arthur, adding, "Such an invention would surely earn you the title of Court Researcher. You and your family could leave behind your ordinary life." Her gaze then seemed to carry a silent message: But you didn't want that, did you?
Arthur nodded, replying, "For now, I prefer my current, ordinary life. It's safer for me, my family, and my Pokémon."
Intrigued, the princess asked, "You mentioned before that Ponyta's species is called Pokémon, right? Could it be that the others you possess are just as extraordinary as Ponyta?"
Here it comes, the moment I've been waiting for! Arthur thought excitedly, though he kept a calm smile on his face as he pulled two more Poké Balls from his small waist bag. He hadn't crafted a belt for holding them yet, though it would be simple enough to do. His primary focus had been on the Pokémon and the Poké Balls themselves, leaving him little time to design a suitable belt.
In truth, there were still many uncertainties surrounding his Pokémon, especially concerning their evolution.
As a result, much to Lena's disappointment, he only had three Pokémon, including Ponyta. Despite having designed at least half of the first-generation Pokémon, he wasn't ready to create the fourth one to gift to his sister just yet—he needed to confirm that non-Bug-type Pokémon could evolve as intended first.
He could have gifted her any Bug-type Pokémon, but unfortunately, Lena wasn't fond of insects. She would flee the moment she encountered any inside their farm.
As for why he chose Ponyta, a Fire-type, as one of his initial experimental Pokémon? It was actually part of his early plan for his backer. No matter who it turned out to be, any influential person would be charmed by the idea of a fire horse, likely eager to have it as a mount. Of course, if Ponyta didn't want to leave his side, he'd never part with her.
Fortunately, his luck had worked out well, meeting Princess Rosaria before any other potential backers.
In the slightly transparent upper halves of the Poké Balls in his hand, a strange purple butterfly with white wings and a yellow wasp with stingers on each arm were visible. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone in the tent—except for Lena, who had to force herself to look at them.
"Come out! Butterfree! Beedrill!"