Poké Ball Purgatory: A Dark Theory

Before we go, I want to talk about something that has haunted me since 1998.

It keeps me up at night. We’ve all seen it. A ten-year-old kid points a red and

white sphere at a literal dragon, a beam of red light shoots out, and zoop—the dragon

is gone. The ball wiggles three times, click, and that’s it.

A creature the size of a city bus is suddenly pocket-sized. But here is the question nobody

is asking: What is happening inside the ball? (Pause for effect) When Charizard gets

recalled, where does he go? Nintendo would have us believe it’s some sort of idyllic

stasis. Like, maybe inside the ball, Squirtle is just