Fast Ball
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TheFast Ball (Japanese:スピードボールSpeed Ball), also referred to as theSpeed Ball[1], is a type ofPoké Ball introduced inGeneration II. It can be used to catch awild Pokémon, being more likely to succeed against Pokémon that arefast or quick toflee.
It is one ofKurt's signatureApricorn Poké Balls, and is made fromWhite Apricorns.
In the core series games
Price
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Effect
 | This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: If the wild Pokémon used Transform, does the Fast Ball check for the original species or the transformed species? |
Manual activation
When used from theBag in awild encounter, it attempts to catch the wild Pokémon. It has an increased catch rate modifier against certain species of Pokémon.
The Fast Ball cannot be used in situations in which Poké Balls cannot be used, such as in wild battles with two or more opponents currently present or against atrial Pokémon. If used in a Trainer battle, the opposing Trainer will bat the ball away, wasting the player's turn (as well as the ball prior to Generation IV).
Generation II
If the wild Pokémon isMagnemite,Grimer, orTangela, the Fast Ball has a 4×catch rate modifier; otherwise, it has a 1× modifier.
While it is intended to be more effective againstall Pokémon that can flee, due toa glitch, it is only effective against the first three Pokémon in the list of Pokémon that have a 10% chance of fleeing (these three being Magnemite, Grimer, and Tangela). The code was intended to instead check the three tables of Pokémon that have a chance of fleeing (Pokémon that have a 10% chance to flee, Pokémon that have a 50% chance to flee, and Pokémon that always flee).
Generation IV onward
If the wild Pokémon has abaseSpeed stat of 100 ormore, the Fast Ball has a 4×catch rate modifier; otherwise, it has a 1× modifier.
If used on anUltra Beast, the catch rate modifier is instead always set to 410/4096× (~0.1×).
Held item
Fling fails if the user is holding a Fast Ball.
InPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver only, Fast Balls cannot be held. This is to prevent them being held by a Pokémontraded toPokémon Diamond, Pearl, andPlatinum, where the item does not exist.
Description
InGeneration II games, the Japanese item description mentions 「にげあしの はやい ポケモン」 (Pokémon that are quick to run away), but in the localization this was adapted as "fast Pokémon" instead.
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Acquisition
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Distribution
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Gallery
Artwork
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| Artwork from Gold and Silver | Artwork by Ken Sugimori | Artwork from Global Link | Artwork from Legends: Z-A |
Sprites
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| In-battle sprite in Generation II | Summary sprite from Generations IV andV | In-battle sprite in Generation IV | In-battle sprite in Generation V |
Models
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| In-battle model from X, Y,Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire,Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon | Model from Generation VIII |
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver
InGoing Apricorn!,Ash,Brock, andMisty each received a Fast Ball fromKurt. While Brock used his Fast Ball tocatch aPineco later in the same episode, Ash and Misty's Fast Balls have not been seen or mentioned since, although Ash's Fast Ball makes a cameo appearance in the fifth Japanese opening theme,Ready Go!, and thedub opening theme forPokémon: Master Quest,Believe in Me.
InTrouble's Brewing,Tamao was revealed to keep herUmbreon in a Fast Ball.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Gold, Silver & Crystal arc
InTeddiursa's Picnic, a Fast Ball appeared in a fantasy duringMaizie's explanation aboutApricorn Poké Balls.
InSlugging It Out with Slugma, a Fast Ball was seen amongstCrystal's set of Apricorn Poké Balls.
InSurrounded by Staryu, Crystal used Fast Balls to catch a group ofStaryu.
InOff Course with Corsola, some of the Pokémon that Crystal had caught forProfessor Oak were seen in Fast Balls.
InAbsolutely Azumarill, several Fast Balls were seen in a basket full of Apricorn Poké Balls thatMirei delivered to Crystal.
Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys
InThe Great Search! Let's Rescue The Slowpoke!,Gold used Fast Balls given to him byKurt to help him save a group ofSlowpoke from drowning in the floodingSlowpoke Well.
In the TCG
- Main article:Fast Ball (Skyridge 124)
TheFast Ball allows the player to go through their deck, turning over cards one at a time until they find the firstEvolution card, and then taking that into their hand, shuffling afterward. It debuted inSkyridge.
Trivia
- In official artwork and in-battle fromGeneration V onward, the Fast Ball is shown to be red. However, its Bag sprite andPokémon Global Link artwork are orange, and it appears orange in-battle inPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- The Fast Ball includes a stylized S in its design. This is a reference to its Japanese name, Speed Ball.
- InGeneration II, despite the Fast Ball's intended effect to be more effective against Pokémon that canrun away from battle, its English item description in Generation II instead implies that it is more effective against fast Pokémon in that generation. Conversely, fromGeneration V onward, its description implies it is more effective against Pokémon that can run away, when in fact it is more effective against fast Pokémon in those generations. As a consequence,Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the only games in which the Fast Ball’s English description actually matches its effect.
- InPokémon Gold and Silver: Complete Pokédex (page 21), this item is incorrectly described as follows:"Use a Fast Ball when you're trying to catch a Pokémon that runs away quickly, such asRaikou orSkarmory."
- InGeneration II games, the 4× catch rate modifier does not actually apply to Raikou or Skarmory as explained above, and wild Skarmory do not flee from battles nonetheless (unlike Raikou). However, this catch rate modifier does apply to Raikou fromGeneration IV onwards.
References
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 速度球Chūkdouh Kàuh |
| Mandarin | 速度球Sùdù Qiú | |
| French | Speed Ball | |
| German | Turboball Schneller Ball(TCG,Skyridge) | |
| Italian | Rapid Ball Palla Rapida(TCG,Skyridge) | |
| Korean | 스피드볼Speed Ball | |
| Polish | Szybki Ball | |
| Portuguese | Brazil | Bola Rápida* Poké Bola Veloz* |
| Portugal | Bola Veloz | |
| Spanish | Latin America | Rapibola* Pokébola (Bola) Rápida* |
| Spain | Rapid Ball | |
| Turkish | Hız Topu | |
| Vietnamese | Bóng Speed | |
Related articles
 | This item article is part ofProject ItemDex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on allitems. |
