"Alright, everyone's healed up and we're ready to go." Ash said, double checking his bag. "Hey Cassie?"
"You know I can't have taken anything from there, right?" Cassie asked.
"No, I just, didn't Professor Oak say the Pokeball guy was here in Azalea Town?" Ash realized, looking at Mewtwo's Pokeball.
"Yeah he said his name was Kurt I believe." Cassie reminded.
"Kurt, maybe the Nurse Joy on duty knows where he lives." Ash said, lifting his bag and heading to the counter.
"Oh Ash, did you forget something?" The Nurse Joy asked.
"Sort of, Professor Oak said a Pokeball expert by the name of Kurt lives here in town, would you happen to know where he lives by chance?" Ash asked.
"Oh, Old Man Kurt, he lives in the house just at the edge of the Ilex Forest to the west of town." Nurse Joy said.
"Ilex Forest, sounds good, I'll head that way." Ash said, as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder.
A short while later
"You know when Professor Oak said this guy was a Pokeball maker, I expected something… more advanced I guess." Cassie said, seeing the log cabin with a smoke stack.
"Looks might be deceiving when it comes to this." Ash said, walking up to the door and knocking. "Hello, is anyone home?"
"Look if you want me to make Pokeballs I'm not handing them out for free, get the materials and pay like everyone else." An old man said from behind the door.
"No, I mean I'm not here for that, my name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Professor Oak said you could help with a stuck Pokeball." Ash said.
"A stuck Pokeball, Alright let me see it." The man said, opening the door. He was a bit shorter than Ash with long gray hair and wearing a green kimono.
"Right, here you are." Ash said, holding out Mewtwo's Pokeball.
"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any problems with it on the surface. Come inside, I'll see what I can do." Kurt said letting Ash in. "So what kind of Pokémon is in here?"
"I, it's a bit difficult to explain and I can't really tell anyone." Ash admitted.
"Alright, then what was the last thing that happened to the Pokemon before it got stuck?" Kurt asked.
"That, is even harder to explain, and I doubt you'd believe me." Ash sighed, knowing that none of this was helpful information.
"Well what can you tell me about it?" Kurt asked.
"That I promised to take care of him and make sure no one would hurt him." Ash said.
"Must be a mighty powerful Pokemon then." Kurt said, taking a small tool to the Pokeball.
"Woah Ash, look at all of these!" Cassie exclaimed.
"Are these Pokeballs?" Ash asked.
"They are, good eye. The one in front of you is a Heavy Ball, made from a Black Apricorn, good for catching heavier Pokémon. And the one next to it is a Lure Ball, made from a Blue Apricorn, really good for water types, especially fish like ones." Kurt said switching to a different tool.
"I'm guessing this green Pokeball is made from a Green Apricorn?" Ash asked.
"It is, that's a Friend Ball, it makes any Pokemon caught inside of it very friendly." Kurt said. "And that pink one is a Love Ball, made from a Pink Apricorn, it's supposed to work best on Pokemon of the opposite gender of you."
"It doesn't?" Ash asked.
"A lot of the more marketable Pokeballs have a system and environment set in a certain way, but they don't all have a way to check these things." Kurt said. "Every now and then I still get someone looking to get one made though."
"What about these ones?" Ash asked, seeing the remaining three as Kurt walked over.
"Level Balls, made from Red Apricorns, they work well against weaker Pokemon. Then there are Fast Balls, made from White Apricorns, they have a better throw speed, good for capturing fast Pokémon. And Moon Balls, made from Yellow Apricorns, good for Pokémon that evolve with a Moon Stone." Kurt said.
"Another that you don't think works correctly." Ash said.
"You're a smart kid." Kurt said. "Unfortunately I don't have what's needed to fix this Pokeball."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"I mean, that this Pokeball outside of not opening is in perfect condition. Whatever is stopping it from working is beyond me." Kurt sighed. "If you can find something that is similar to whatever force sealed it in the first place, it might be able to unseal it."
"Thank you anyways Mr Kurt." Ash said, carefully putting Mewtwo's Pokeball back. "And it was really cool learning about these different Pokeballs as well."
"Take care of yourself in the forest, it's easy to get lost." Kurt warned.
"I will, thanks again!" Ash said as he ran off.