Capture Styler And Capture Disc
The Capture Styler is an interesting little device, a handheld remote control for the Capture Disc, which is shaped like a child's toy top. Capture Stylers are used by the radical Pokémon Ranger organization of Fiore, Almia, and Oblivia. They shun the use of Poké Balls, considering it akin to enslavement; instead, they control the Disc, causing it to spin rapidly around a Pokémon, leaving behind short-lived rings of energy.
The rings bombard the target with a certain kind of energy that induces feelings of friendship. This convinces the Pokémon that the Ranger is worthy of trust, and convinces it to lend some of its power to the Styler (if the Pokémon is agitated, however, it may attack the rings before becoming friendly, which can cause damaging feedback to the Styler or Disc). Afterwards, it departs. The Ranger can then use the power stored in the Styler for all sorts of effects, both in and out of battle. The faction of the group that operates in Oblivia has an experimental version of the Styler which actually persuades the Pokémon to journey alongside the human briefly.
The Disc and its rings are transmitters; the friendly feelings actually come from the Ranger's own mind (I've heard rumors of one that does not need these positive feelings, but I've been unable to confirm them). The device is useless unless its operator really is well-intentioned. In other words, don't expect to see Team Rocket using these anytime soon. I may disagree with their philosophy about Poké Balls, but I can tell you that as long as they keep using these machines, you can trust the Rangers.
For Further Reading: To The Rescue by Professor Chip Endale
Storage System
This ingenious system makes life much easier for traveling Trainers. An item (often a Poké Ball) is taken to a properly outfitted PC and placed into a special chamber connected to the computer. The item is dematerialized, and the molecular structure is analyzed, down to the last subatomic particle, and then recorded in a massive databank. When the trainer wants to retrieve the item, he or she simply goes to a terminal and requests it, which is reconstructed in the chamber. The reconstruction is so perfect that a Poké Ball's computer memory will still remember and find the Pokémon connected to it.
Trainers can carry portable "de/re chambers" (as they're called) which are mostly normal, but locked to work one way on Poké Balls, dematerializing and recording without reconstructing. The system has countless levels of security to prevent unauthorized access, and won't work on living matter (rumors persist that one member of the system's development team tried to use a de/re chamber on himself and became temporarily merged with a Pokémon; I've been unable to confirm this).
This system is the result of collaboration between Silph Co. and a research team led by reclusive genius Masaki "Bill" Sonezaki. Without it, roaming Trainers would either have to haul a huge collection of Poké Balls at all times, or would have to return to a secure location almost everyday. The Pokémon Leagues' "six Pokémon at a time" rule would be practically impossible to enforce.
For Further Reading: Technology Is Incredible! by Professor Kanata Slowflake
