Greetings, everyone! Ta-Ni Kitsune here, and welcome to a new project I've been working on. As a ninetales hybrid, with the ability to shift between forms, I discovered I possess a unique perspective on various aspects of both the human and Pokemon worlds. As such, I feel compelled to share this perspective with you, so with the help of Professor Kukui and other contacts in the Pokemon world, I've developed a few papers on the subject.

As a disclaimer, all of the facts I deliver here are my own observations and research; none of it is confirmed by Gamefreak or Nintendo.

One of the most influential inventions created in the Pokémon world is that of the Pokéball. This little wonder allows almost anyone to 'own' a Pokémon, whether the 'mon wants to be or not. With a lot of fine-tuning, companies have managed to create so many types of balls, which work better in different situations; however, their overall purpose remains the same.

Now, as a Pokémon hybrid, I have had quite a few encounters with these things. And while I cannot deny my personal dislike of Pokéballs, I cannot deny their usefulness. However, I began to speculate about just how these things work; in particular, how they work at the moment of capture. As the two cases I have been captured were by my own hand/paw, I wanted to test how other people use Pokéballs and why certain balls work the way they do. In doing so, I inadvertently earned myself a title among Pokémon and trainers alike: the Pokémon Escape Artist.

First of all, how do Pokéballs catch Pokémon? Well, from the point of view of a human trainer, you have to weaken the target, inflict a status condition if you can, then start chucking balls until one of them shakes three times (once if you're lucky) and clicks shut. However, the process is quite different from the Pokémon's point of view. Let's go step by step, and see why each is important.

Why are trainers instructed to weaken their target first? If that was the case, wouldn't knocking it out work the best? Not exactly. For some reason, if a Pokémon is knocked out, the ball cannot entrap them; most likely because they are no longer conscious for the ball to bond with. Also, that would be cheating. Instead, trainers want the target to be as weak as possible without knocking it out, so it's less likely to struggle and escape. The same goes for status conditions: anything that hinders a Pokémon's physical or mental capabilities will also keep it from breaking out of the ball.

Next comes the shaking. However, does anyone know why the ball shakes? I mean, the prevailing theory about how Pokéballs work is the Pokémon is converted into energy so it can be contained in such a small space. If that were the case, then there should be no mass left to move the ball from the inside. Unless…another force is at work. I did a little bit of experimenting, meaning I traveled back to the Pokémon world and attempted to be caught in various scenarios. I also talked to some other Pokémon about their experiences, and I've come to a conclusion: during the process of being caught, all Pokémon possess a unique power they use to fight back, which I call Will.

Will, which is short for willpower, is a physical manifestation of a Pokémon's desire to escape, and it only works in this situation; at no other time can we tap into its power. I believe it has something to do with being without a physical form while trapped in the Pokéball that draws the power out of us; it is hard to discern. What I can tell you is that a Pokémon's Will is affected by the same factors mentioned before: being low on health or inflicted with a status negatively impacts how much Will a Pokémon can draw upon. It is also possible to drain a Pokémon's Will through sheer attrition; the longer a battle drags out, the more likely a Pokémon will be unable to harness enough Will to escape. There are a few exceptions to this, however; a few Pokémon seem to possess immense amounts of Will regardless of their physical status. I speak, of course, of the Legendaries, which is why they are notorious to catch; always taunting trainers by shaking a couple of times before breaking out, then not shaking at all for a few times. It's hard to be sure, as they cannot be found easily to ask, but that's my theory.

Lastly, there is that 'click' sound signaling a capture. I assume most trainers believe that it's the ball itself making that noise, but that's not exactly the case. Rather, it's a mechanism inside the ball clicking shut that they hear; a 'lock' if you will. It is these 'locks' that we Pokémon struggle against with our Will in attempting to escape, and how many there are depends on what type of ball is used and the Pokémon being captured. For clarity's sake, I will only reference the common four Pokéball types here in my examples, but all the specialty balls will be noted further on. The standard red-and-white Pokéball only has one 'lock', which is why they tend to be easy to break out of. Great balls possess two 'locks', while Ultra balls have three. Lastly, Master balls have four 'locks'; this is why they are notorious for being guaranteed to catch any Pokémon. And yet…I did it; it was tough and a close call, but yes, I succeeded in breaking out of a Master ball. Could I do it again? Maybe; depends on the situation, but I'm fairly confident I can, which is why I've gained the title of Escape Artist.

Let's go back a little bit, and talk about the experience of being caught. Now, I cannot tell you what a Pokéball is like after they are caught, so sadly I cannot add any insight into that debate. However, during the moment of capture, it's a very scary experience. If I could sum it up in a single word, it would be Dark. Imagine a vast, dark void in all directions. There's a sensation of floating, despite not having a body. Complete sensory deprivation: no sight, sound, hearing, touch, nothing. No wonder so many Pokémon panics at first, which is why the ball shakes so violently the first time. And, I will admit, I did as well my first time. However, my dual nature saved me back then; Niles stepped in and gave me a piece of advice that saved my life ever since: Calm down. Panic is the enemy of thought, and the bane of an escape artist, but what those two words did for me back then cannot be truly described.

Once I took a deep breath and calmed down, something…odd…happened. I cannot tell if it's something that only I can do, as no one else I asked seems aware of it, but suddenly, I could 'see'. Not in the truest sense, but the void around me was no longer vast and dark; instead, I could sense the limits of the ball around me…and also the 'locks'. If I recall that first time, it was a Great ball used on me, so spinning around me were two 'locks', threatening to close down and seal my fate. One of them appeared 'damaged', probably due to my outburst earlier. Instinctively, I attacked it again with my Will (though I didn't know it at the time), and it 'broke' and disappeared. That was my second shake if I could guess. However, before I could do the same to the last one, Niles stepped in again and stopped me. He told me to focus, not lash out, and I paused again. At that moment, he used his own Will in a much more concentrated attack on the last 'lock', shattering it immediately. And with a lurch, I rematerialized outside, the ball broke at my feet. I had the wherewithal to make a run for it before the trainer could attempt it again, but that first time taught me a lot about the inner workings of a Pokéball.

On subsequent attempts, I kept those two tips in mind: Calm down and focus your attacks. And time and again, I easily broke out. I slowly began to learn the system of using Will, though I hadn't come up with the term yet, and the tricks each Pokéball type used against the captured. Whether it was a Quick ball on the first turn or a Dusk ball at night, none of them could hold me. I even fell victim to the "Critical Capture", where the ball whistles in flight and distracts the Pokémon, giving them less of a chance to break free. I now call it a "Critical Throw", since I still broke free; in my research, I found other examples of Pokémon doing the same, so I'm not the only one.

Then came the Master Ball attempt. I cannot fathom why someone would waste a Master Ball on me; either I was building up a reputation, or the trainer really wanted to use it. As the ball closed on me and I stared at the truth of four 'locks' spinning around me, knowing I only had three attempts to break them, I could feel despair creeping in on me. That's when Niles gave me one final piece of advice: timing. I used the first two attempts to break two 'locks', then waited until the other two lined up together before drawing on both our Will for the last attempt. And it almost failed; the final 'lock' was damaged, but intact. Just before it could click shut, I let out one final 'desperation' attack…and it snapped, releasing me. I can only imagine the shock on that trainer's face when I reappeared, the Master Ball broken at my feet.

From that moment on, it became child's play; I was a force no one could contain. No trainer attempted a Master Ball again, to which I am thankful. But any other chance they had was for naught; I had beaten the best Pokéball ever made, and with that knowledge and my three steps, none of the others stood a chance. I admit I got cocky; there were times I would drag out a capture and taunt the trainer into thinking they succeeded, only to shatter it and their hopes on the last try (which is why I believe Legendaries may do the same thing…). That is, until another close call with an unusual type almost got me. I think it was called a Beast Ball? Anyway, I underestimated how difficult it was, and almost paid the price. After that, I became more careful about my taunting, never putting myself in danger ever again.

Now, you may ask, how does my experience help you in your own escapes? After all, I do have the advantage of two sources of Will to draw upon, as well as my own human intellect. That's what this part will detail: what can the regular Pokémon do to avoid capture. I will warn you: these tips are not foolproof. A lot of my skill comes from the aforementioned advantages, which normal Pokémon don't have, so some of these tips will not work for them. But if even one more Pokémon can use this to escape an unwanted capture, then I'm satisfied.

1. Will can be wielded in different ways, depending on how much you concentrate. There are generally three 'ranges' that I've found: Area of Effect (AoE), Wide, and Narrow. AoE tends to encompass a very large area, ranging from a hemisphere to the whole ball, but is usually the weakest in strength. The only exception would be the final 'desperation' attack, which some can use just before the ball clicks shut, and is much more powerful. It is, however, unreliable, so don't place much hope on it occurring. Wide attacks have a medium-strength, but only cover an approximate area of the 'wall' equal to maybe an eighth to a quarter of the sphere. This can be useful for testing how strong a 'lock' is, as it's less likely to miss and has a chance of succeeding. Narrow attacks are by far the strongest, but they also have the risk of missing as their range is quite limited. You are almost guaranteed to break any 'lock' you hit…provided you hit it. Only attempt this if you're sure you will hit it or you're confident you have another chance in case you miss.

2. As mentioned before, how much health you have, as well as if you've been inflicted with a status ailment, affects how much Will you use or how effectively. Being low on health drains your overall Will, weakening the strength of your attacks regardless of how you attack. Being "in the red" can make a Narrow attack as weak as an AoE at full health. If things get dicey, it might be safer to run from the battle instead of risking capture because your Will was too low. Statuses, however, affect your ability to concentrate or aim. Being put to sleep or confused make it difficult to manage Narrow attacks, and can even impede Wide attacks, and being paralyzed could throw off your aim. Burn and poison doesn't seem to affect your use of Will, and I cannot verify being frozen as I avoid that status like the plague! Also, statuses that involve the opponent, like infatuate and bind, will not work while inside the ball, though they return if you escape.

3. Different balls have varying ranges on the number or strength of their 'locks'. I already covered the four standard types above, but I'll list them as well below:

· Beast Ball: one lock; medium to low strength.

· Cherish Ball: one lock; low strength.

· Dive Ball: one or two locks, depending on species; low to medium strength, depending on species.

· Dream Ball: three locks when asleep, one lock otherwise; high strength.

· Dusk Ball: three locks at night or in caves, one lock otherwise; medium strength.

· Fast Ball: three locks on Pokémon attempting to flee, one lock otherwise; medium to low strength.

· Friend Ball: one lock; low strength.

· Great Ball: two locks; medium strength.

· Heal Ball: one lock; low strength.

· Heavy Ball: one to three locks, based on weight; medium strength.

· Level Ball: one to three locks, based on level difference; low to high strength, based on level difference.

· Love Ball: three locks if gender compliments, one lock otherwise; high strength if gender compliments, low strength otherwise.

· Lure Ball: one or two locks, depending on species; low to medium strength, depending on species.

· Luxury Ball: one lock; low strength.

· Master Ball: four locks; high strength.

· Moon Ball: one or three locks, depending on species; medium strength.

· Nest Ball: one to two locks, based on level; low to medium strength based on level.

· Net Ball: one or two locks, depending on species; low to medium strength, depending on species.

· Pokéball: one lock; low strength.

· Premier Ball: one lock; low strength.

· Quick Ball: three locks on the first turn, one lock otherwise; high strength on the first turn, low strength otherwise.

· Repeat Ball: two locks if caught before, one otherwise; medium strength.

· Timer Ball: one to three locks depending on turns passed; low to high strength depending on turns passed.

· Ultra Ball: three locks; medium strength.

These figures do not take into account a Pokémon's "Capture Rate", which is the human's definition of how much Will a Pokémon has at full strength, so results may vary. Also, some data was hearsay from other sources, as I cannot test them all on myself, so attempt at your own risk.

4. During my research and information gathering, I was intrigued by how differently other Pokémon perceive the interior of the balls. Like I said before, it's so dark that most Pokémon cannot even tell what's around. But there are ways to 'see' well enough to fight back. Some can perceive their surroundings through aura or psychic energy since normal senses do not work. Others can use their own Will to sense their targets; this usually applies to Pokémon with immense reserves of Will, like legendaries. And no two perceptions are alike; some have claimed to 'see' enemies to fight, while others merely 'see' targets. Even if you cannot properly 'see', it is still possible to break out; depending on the type of ball, you don't have to be accurate to strike the 'locks' hard enough to break them.

In conclusion, I hope this guide can help a least a few Pokémon stay free when they want to. By no means do I want to deprive those who want trainers from getting them, but for those who try and take Pokémon by force, this might thwart a few of them.

And for those in the Pokéball development business? Don't take everything I've found about this for granted. Just because I've managed to thwart the system, that doesn't mean you can change the formula! We rely on the random chance the balls afford us to stay in the wild. To improve what you have already will only lead to dissent and revolt, and I do not want to be a part of that!

Thank you for your time.

And thee you have it. Let me know if I missed anything in the reviews, and look forward to the next one. Take care, and may your Ember never fade!