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Do I need 100 Poké Balls to capture 100 Pokémon? Or, one Poké Ball would be enough? Or, maybe 10 Poké Balls if 10 Pokémon per Poké Ball is the limit? What exactly is the limit?

Googling failed for me. I am trying to recall hard but I can't remember Ash having multiple Poké Balls, but maybe the TV show didn't find such details necessary to show (not to mention you may need to carry a truck of Poké Balls wherever you go). Also, Ash used to cry out names ("Charizard!") which can be indicator that he is calling a particular Pokémon to come out of a Poké Ball containing multiple Pokémon, but it can be just another rule of cool. There's another problem: If a Poké Ball contains more than one Pokémon of the same species, there would be conflict when you call a name.

Rodrigo Salgado Atala
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user931
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4 Answers4

33

Although the answer is typically "one pokémon per pokeball" (Ash keeps a selection of balls about his person for precisely this purpose and occasionally agonised over which ones to take with him) there are some instances where multiple Pokémon can be kept in a single ball. In this case they're treated as a single entity.

Kangashkhan
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Exeggcute
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Slowbro
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Magneton
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Valorum
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  • Another example could be Dugtrio, or less clearly Magneton. – wyvern Apr 24 '17 at 09:13
  • Would Cubone count? ;) – Lan Apr 24 '17 at 10:56
  • and Weezing? :P – Strider Apr 24 '17 at 11:04
  • @Lan - It's not two Pokemon – Valorum Apr 24 '17 at 11:19
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    @Strider - They're joined together like siamese twins – Valorum Apr 24 '17 at 11:20
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    @Sumelic - I discounted Dugtrio because you can't see if they're joined underground – Valorum Apr 24 '17 at 11:21
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    Wonder how it works for non-living objects (Probable answer: no one thought about it) because while some pokemon have specific items (eg. a leek or bone club and mask), you also see pokemon with accessories. And given that a pokeball can store pokemon as big as a whale, could you stick a pokemon holding a trailer in a pokeball? Convenient! Why then were they always roughing it in the cartoon...?And what's stopping a machamp from having some battle-axes?! – Brent Hackers Apr 24 '17 at 12:09
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    If a Pokemon can carry a leek or a bone club into a Pokeball why can't a Pokemon take a Pokeball into a Pokeball? – bbeckford Apr 24 '17 at 13:51
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    In the examples given, it's technically less that they're multiple Pokémon counted as a single entity, and more that they're multiple entities counted as a single Pokémon. – Justin Time - Reinstate Monica Apr 24 '17 at 16:48
  • This answer is wrong, this pokemons are a single pokemon ... You count this for the number of components of the pokemon, but you can not separate these pokemons,so you can only have one pokemon for pokeball. If not what happens with: Wishiwashi – Gawey Apr 24 '17 at 17:25
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    @Gawey - Except that you can separate them; http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/PK03 – Valorum Apr 24 '17 at 17:43
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    @Valorum You can't separate dugtrio or magnezone, maybe the only exception here is Kangashkhan not the others. – Gawey Apr 24 '17 at 17:55
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – Null Apr 24 '17 at 17:55
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    @Valorum: Kangaskhan are explicitly called out to say that the baby Kangaskhan have the ability to be somewhat autonomous. However, applying that same logic to Slowbro and Magnamite is patently untrue. Additionally, I'd argue that's still untrue for Kangaskhan as well from a practical perspective. For example, the baby plays an important role for Mega Evolution, but it is still considered part of the mother for all practical purposes. – Ellesedil Apr 24 '17 at 23:41
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    I feel like a little explanation with each pokemon would be useful to explain why you might count it as >1, eg, some people wont know that slowbro is a 'slowpoke' and a 'cloister'. – Gnemlock Jul 22 '20 at 22:57
5

It's one Pokémon per Poké Ball. Ash had multiple Poké Balls. Poké Balls can shrink for easier storage and be put on a belt. Up to six can be stored on a belt and the others are carried in backpacks, sacks etc.

Source

user931
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jo1storm
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3

In the Pokemon anime, episode 185 "The Light Fantastic", Misty attempts to catch a Remoraid in a lake full of Remoraid. The Remoraid defend themselves by grouping together in a tight bunch of 7 Remoraid; because they are in contact, the Pokeball tries to capture all 7 of them at once and fails. It is stated that a Pokeball cannot "catch a whole group".

seven remoraid

Misty: This is the chance of a lifetime for a water Pokemon trainer. I have to catch one of these things! Go! Pokeball!

Misty: What happened? Did I do something wrong?

Brock: So that's how they keep from getting captured. A Pokeball can't catch a whole group.

Ash: That's pretty smart.

Mr Gan Gogh: Ze legend about Remoraid must be true! Zey are difficult to capture because zey all vork togezer to protect one anozer!

transcription by me.

Stef
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I think 1 Pokémon can be stored in each pokéball usually in games, but when I saw Pokemon Black and White, which aired on Cartoon Network, Iris tells Ash that if you catch more Pokémon the pokéball will shrink its size. But in Pokémon Season 1 Ash carries 6 pokéballs and his other Pokémon are transferred to Professor Oak, like Muk and Kingler.

Edlothiad
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Aryan Varade
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