"Thanks!" Ash said, inspecting his share of the Pokéballs they'd just been given. "These look amazing!"

"I'm glad you think so," Kurt replied, with a smile. "You can find modern Pokéballs just about anywhere, but I deal in unusual choices. Bespokéballs, if you will."

Brock laughed, but Ash just looked confused.

"...right?" he said. "So, uh… what do these do? What are they called?"

"That grey one with the blue dots on it is a Heavy Ball," Kurt explained. "It works especially well on heavy Pokémon, like the name says."

"Like… an Onix, right?" Ash asked. "Or something like that? That's kind of cool."

"Pika ka-chuu," Pikachu volunteered.

"Yeah, it does seem like a shame I didn't have one of these when I got Snorlax!" Ash agreed. "What about this orange and yellow one?"

"That's a Fast Ball," Kurt told him. "It's especially good at catching-"

"-fast Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"...actually, it's especially good at catching Pokémon that can run away," Kurt said. "Or, at least… Magnemite, Tangela and Grimer are the ones I know it works on. It's a bit hard to test on the others, they run away first."

He shrugged. "But they still look good, right?"

"Yeah!" Ash agreed.

"So this is mostly just marketing?" Misty said.

"It's not just that, it's part of a tradition," Kurt objected. "And when a Pokémon is caught in one of my special Pokéballs, it knows you put some thought into it. That Pikachu of yours… actually, bad example."

"Pika," Pikachu said, nodding.

"Pikachu doesn't like his Pokéball," Ash admitted. "But maybe you would like one of the other designs, right?"

Pikachu zapped him.

"I guess not," Ash decided, as Togepi giggled, then shook his head. "Then, uh… what about this one, with the blue and red?"

"A Lure Ball!" Kurt said. "Now that's the kind of Pokéball that a fisher should treasure. It works especially well on Pokémon that have been fished up, or come out of the water recently!"

"Good, I've got one," Misty declared. "Actually, Ash, can I have your one as well?"

"I catch Water-types sometimes, Misty!" Ash objected. "I got Lapras and Krabby and Squirtle!"

"But did you get any of them fishing?" Misty replied.

Ash groaned. "That's just because I didn't have a Pokéball to help me out, of course!"

"What about the last one?" Brock said, because he could see an argument coming.

"Yeah, that one looks really cool!" Ash agreed. "Wait, hang on… so it's got a moon on it… does it work really well at night?"

"Or with Pokémon who evolve by Moon Stone?" Brock asked. "Since it has got a moon on it."

"...no," Kurt replied. "It was designed to work on Pokémon who evolve by Moon Stone, but there's something wrong with it. So it's still called a Moon Ball, but that's just because it has a moon on it. It doesn't do anything special."

"Oh," Ash said, slightly disappointed, then shrugged. "I guess it's the coolest looking one, though… and we did get these as gifts. Thanks!"

"You've been looking at that for the last few minutes, Ash," Misty pointed out, as they entered Ilex Forest.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about what kind of Pokémon I might use a cool Pokéball on," Ash replied, still looking at the Moon Ball. "I could use it on any Pokémon, it's just a tricky choice."

"Pika kachuu, Pikapi?" Pikachu said.

"Maybe a Pokémon that you catch at night, like you suggested," Brock pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, that would work!" Ash agreed. "I-"

There was a blur of blue through the trees, and a moment later a mysterious blue-white Pokémon was standing shockingly close to them.

Ash reacted automatically, throwing the Pokéball he was carrying, and – without any fuss – it sucked the blue-white Pokémon into it.

Then went ding.

"...uh," Misty began.

"Isn't that that Pokémon we saw when we entered Johto?" Brock asked.

"I got a good look that time!" Misty said. "Ash, that's Suicune! That's a Legendary Pokémon!"

She blinked a few times. "A Water-type Legendary Pokémon."

Ash picked up the Moon Ball. "Uh… why did that work?"

Then he opened the Pokéball to let Suicune out, who seemed as surprised as he was.

"...uh," Ash began. "Sorry? Or did you mean to actually battle me or something?"

Suicune shrugged, apparently not sure what to answer.

"...Professor Oak is going to want to hear about this," Brock pointed out.

AN:

So the Gen 2 Moon Ball would only work on units that evolved with Burn Heal..