<p>I don't think it works like that at all. The best thing I can think of is consecutively spamming pokeballs at a pokemon as soon as they break out, so they have to struggle to break free from each one, losing considerable amounts of strength, and eventually getting caught.</p>

<p>The whole catching and holding pokemon deal is probably based on electronic concepts like data storage (transferring pokemon to Bill's <em>PC</em> supports that idea). So catching a pokemon could be analogous to throwing memory cards at them (or usb flash drives or SD cards). Can't really put a memory card inside another memory card (unless it's a drive image file like iso/img, but that sounds overcomplicated for the pokemon universe).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T06:55:36.850Z
It might not be too overcomplicated, considering we're talking about putting PokeBalls in PokeBalls, which, in my opinion, is a complicated question
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T06:58:45.953Z
Well, I've never heard this idea before, so I suppose it is overcomplicated. Haven't watched digimon, but maybe they have some interesting twists on holding the "mons".
Hakase
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T07:01:49.867Z
Perhaps we could dub this process PokeCeption, or Metaballs?
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T07:11:55.500Z
Inception (as defined in the movie) is the process of planting an idea deeply in one's subconsciousness, making the target think they thought of it themselves. So you could call it "a ball within a ball".
Hakase
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T09:04:09.103Z
Well the textbook definition of [inception](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/inception) is a start or beginning, but I was more referencing off [common 'ception jokes](http://m.quickmeme.com/img/94/94696cd54dd59363102d2daff8144f630fbfb6dcb265a70f67e7b94aecb43663.jpg) with PokeCeption
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T09:16:35.407Z
I got that, and what I meant was [this.](http://i.imgur.com/LEk4ieU.png)
Hakase
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T09:17:46.537Z
Well done, I'm impressed you found a meme that _mirrors our coversation almost exactly_
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T09:27:26.640Z
What if I told you my replies were based on this much older meme ;)
Hakase
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T15:03:38.693Z
@Hakase Digimon aren't captured like Pokemon in the show; they live in a parallel world
Izkata
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T06:52:16.813Z
2016-08-15T06:52:16.813Z
Hakase
<p>You can make a Pokemon hold a Pokeball in the games - which then goes inside its Pokeball! But cannot hold a Pokemon at the same time; that would be like trying to compress an already compressed file.</p>

<p>Obviously there are differences in the universes between games and anime, but this also appears to correlate to the other answers.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-16T12:42:25.840Z
*"that would be like trying to compress an already compressed file."* I feel like thats how MissingoNo happens
DasBeasto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T16:19:33.020Z
2016-08-15T16:19:33.020Z
Thomas
<p>I believe Pokéballs are a technology which only works with Pokémon (except for the Mewtwo balls), alone the prefix of the ball "Poké" tells a lot.</p>

<p>You don't seem to be able to catch humans with Pokéballs, that automatically excludes all living entities which are not Pokémon. If you miss and hit a tree with the ball, the tree won't get caught either. Therefore I think Pokéballs are only capable of catching Pokémon and no other matter in the universe.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T16:58:57.050Z
See the first answer of the linked question, or see my comment to my original question
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T17:36:22.077Z
"You don't seem to be able to catch humans with Pokéballs, that automatically excludes all living entities which are not Pokémon." => Well, actually it automatically excludes only the humans you tried to catch. At most we can make some reasonable assumptions and extend it to theorize that it automatically excludes *all* humans. But that alone isn't enough to automatically exclude everything that isn't a Pokémon.
Jason C
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T16:57:37.280Z
2016-08-15T16:57:37.280Z
Marv
<p>While it's not an ordinary Pokéball, the <a href="http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Mewtwo_Ball" rel="noreferrer">Mewtwo ball</a> is capable of capturing another Pokéball inside it.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/HM4X7.gif" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>This is demonstrated in the <a href="http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/MS001:_Pok%C3%A9mon_The_First_Movie_-_Mewtwo_Strikes_Back" rel="noreferrer">first Pokemon movie</a> and quoted in the synopsis section of the movie's wiki page. A gif of the event is below too:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Ash tries returning Bulbasaur and Squirtle (who have been fighting the balls bravely), but it's no use. Two of Mewtwo's Poké Balls fly over and capture Bulbasaur and Squirtle's Poké Balls."</p>
</blockquote>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/uebhx.gif" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>Granted, this is a special kind of ball developed by Mewtwo, so I can't say for sure in this answer whether a standard Pokéball would behave similarly.</p>

<p>Additionally, the catch rate for the Mewtwo ball is listed as 100% on the wiki page. Therefore it's impossible to say whether it would increase the catch chance of a wild pokémon through stacking, as it's a guaranteed capture with just one.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T19:08:30.200Z
Great, you mentioned the perfect example for the question( which i was presuming to be a 'confusion')
ABcDexter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-16T01:45:06.157Z
I love it when I read a question and think "this cannot possibly have any meaningful answer" and then I scroll down to find the meaningful answer
Nacht
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-16T14:16:18.190Z
Thanks to @Ikaros for his [help](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/31722901#31722901) in sourcing a gif solution!
Matt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T08:22:06.863Z
2016-08-16T14:15:36.360Z
2016-08-16T14:15:36.360Z
Matt
<p>Consider the following scenario: A trainer is trying to catch a rare or strong Pokemon, and figures that catching it in a PokeBall will have a low likelihood of actually catching and containing it. </p>

<p>What would happen if, after the trainer threw the first PokeBall and before the wild Pokemon breaks free, the trainer hit the occupied PokeBall with a second PokeBall? Would the both the original PokeBall and the wild Pokemon be "caught" by the second PokeBall? Would the wild Pokemon just be transferred from the first PokeBall to the second PokeBall? Would this double the likelihood that the Pokemon will be caught, due to the fact that it has to break out of two balls instead of one? </p>

<p>If the PokeBalls can be "layered," and the probability that you catch a Pokemon increases with how many PokeBalls you can layer on it, could you not just keep layering PokeBalls until you reach the strength of a Great or Ultra Ball?</p>

<p>We already know that inanimate objects and things other than Pokemon can be "caught" by PokeBalls, as evidenced by <a href="https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/2881/26439">this question</a>. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T12:53:35.350Z
"We already know that inanimate objects and things other than Pokemon can be "caught" by PokeBalls" .... well the link you provide for this states it is not known, but evidence is it isn't possible. So a follow up question presuming something wrong, appears flawed to me...
Zaibis
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T13:16:21.503Z
And then you have the issue of having to yell "I choose you Pikachu" 16 times as nested Pokeballs continue to anticlimactically roll out of your thrown Pokeball while your rival Gary laughs at you unremorsefully.
DasBeasto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T14:42:59.270Z
@Zaibis From the first answer of the linked question: "It can happen, that there are different things than a Pokémon in it, like when Ash found a riceball in his Pokéball." I know that isn't totally conclusive, but it does provide evidence of the phenomenon occurring, which is enough basis to ask follow up questions
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T16:14:49.287Z
Whoa, maybe this question is more appropriate for the Philosophy site.
Jason C
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T17:36:34.210Z
If you can catch the PokeBall while it is attempting capture, what's to stop other trainers from stealing your captures?  It's still technically a wild Pokemon until the stars shoot out.
David Starkey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T19:38:14.660Z
Yo dawg, I herd you like pokeballz...
Cave Johnson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-15T22:41:54.857Z
@ArtGT Source? Any other thoughts? You need to back up your argument with something...
wcarhart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-17T04:24:14.777Z
@ThePickleTickler Also some support as to the possibility that a PokeBall could catch another PokeBall is that in the games you often will find items (ex. potions, full heals, evolution stones, etc.) laying on the ground in what appear to be basic PokeBalls.
Cyberson
<pokemon>
What would happen if you caught a PokeBall with another PokeBall?
# What would happen if you caught a PokeBall with another PokeBall?
Posted by: username_0 on 2016-08-15
Consider the following scenario: A trainer is trying to catch a rare or strong Pokemon, and figures that catching it in a PokeBall will have a low likelihood of actually catching and containing it.

What would happen if, after the trainer threw the first PokeBall and before the wild Pokemon breaks free, the trainer hit the occupied PokeBall with a second PokeBall? Would the both the original PokeBall and the wild Pokemon be "caught" by the second PokeBall? Would the wild Pokemon just be transferred from the first PokeBall to the second PokeBall? Would this double the likelihood that the Pokemon will be caught, due to the fact that it has to break out of two balls instead of one?

If the PokeBalls can be "layered," and the probability that you catch a Pokemon increases with how many PokeBalls you can layer on it, could you not just keep layering PokeBalls until you reach the strength of a Great or Ultra Ball?

We already know that inanimate objects and things other than Pokemon can be "caught" by PokeBalls, as evidenced by [this question](https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/2881/26439).
**Tags:** pokemon
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "We already know that inanimate objects and things other than Pokemon can be "caught" by PokeBalls" .... well the link you provide for this states it is not known, but evidence is it isn't possible. So a follow up question presuming something wrong, appears flawed to me...  
> **username_2**: And then you have the issue of having to yell "I choose you Pikachu" 16 times as nested Pokeballs continue to anticlimactically roll out of your thrown Pokeball while your rival Gary laughs at you unremorsefully.  
> **username_0**: @Zaibis From the first answer of the linked question: "It can happen, that there are different things than a Pokémon in it, like when Ash found a riceball in his Pokéball." I know that isn't totally conclusive, but it does provide evidence of the phenomenon occurring, which is enough basis to ask follow up questions  
> **username_3**: Whoa, maybe this question is more appropriate for the Philosophy site.  
> **username_4**: If you can catch the PokeBall while it is attempting capture, what's to stop other trainers from stealing your captures?  It's still technically a wild Pokemon until the stars shoot out.  
> **username_5**: Yo dawg, I herd you like pokeballz...  
> **username_0**: @ArtGT Source? Any other thoughts? You need to back up your argument with something...  
> **username_6**: @ThePickleTickler Also some support as to the possibility that a PokeBall could catch another PokeBall is that in the games you often will find items (ex. potions, full heals, evolution stones, etc.) laying on the ground in what appear to be basic PokeBalls.  
---
## 4 answers
### Answer by username_11 on 2016-08-15. Score: 27 | Accepted answer
While it's not an ordinary Pokéball, the [Mewtwo ball](http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Mewtwo_Ball) is capable of capturing another Pokéball inside it.

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/HM4X7.gif)

This is demonstrated in the [first Pokemon movie](http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/MS001:_Pok%C3%A9mon_The_First_Movie_-_Mewtwo_Strikes_Back) and quoted in the synopsis section of the movie's wiki page. A gif of the event is below too:

> "Ash tries returning Bulbasaur and Squirtle (who have been fighting the balls bravely), but it's no use. Two of Mewtwo's Poké Balls fly over and capture Bulbasaur and Squirtle's Poké Balls."

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/uebhx.gif)

Granted, this is a special kind of ball developed by Mewtwo, so I can't say for sure in this answer whether a standard Pokéball would behave similarly.

Additionally, the catch rate for the Mewtwo ball is listed as 100% on the wiki page. Therefore it's impossible to say whether it would increase the catch chance of a wild pokémon through stacking, as it's a guaranteed capture with just one.
> **Comments:**
> **username_12** (2016-08-15): Great, you mentioned the perfect example for the question( which i was presuming to be a 'confusion')  
> **username_13** (2016-08-16): I love it when I read a question and think "this cannot possibly have any meaningful answer" and then I scroll down to find the meaningful answer  
> **username_11** (2016-08-16): Thanks to @Ikaros for his [help](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/31722901#31722901) in sourcing a gif solution!  
---
### Answer by username_9 on 2016-08-15. Score: 7
You can make a Pokemon hold a Pokeball in the games - which then goes inside its Pokeball! But cannot hold a Pokemon at the same time; that would be like trying to compress an already compressed file.

Obviously there are differences in the universes between games and anime, but this also appears to correlate to the other answers.
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2016-08-16): *"that would be like trying to compress an already compressed file."* I feel like thats how MissingoNo happens  
---
### Answer by username_7 on 2016-08-15. Score: 6
I don't think it works like that at all. The best thing I can think of is consecutively spamming pokeballs at a pokemon as soon as they break out, so they have to struggle to break free from each one, losing considerable amounts of strength, and eventually getting caught.

The whole catching and holding pokemon deal is probably based on electronic concepts like data storage (transferring pokemon to Bill's *PC* supports that idea). So catching a pokemon could be analogous to throwing memory cards at them (or usb flash drives or SD cards). Can't really put a memory card inside another memory card (unless it's a drive image file like iso/img, but that sounds overcomplicated for the pokemon universe).
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2016-08-15): It might not be too overcomplicated, considering we're talking about putting PokeBalls in PokeBalls, which, in my opinion, is a complicated question  
> **username_7** (2016-08-15): Well, I've never heard this idea before, so I suppose it is overcomplicated. Haven't watched digimon, but maybe they have some interesting twists on holding the "mons".  
> **username_0** (2016-08-15): Perhaps we could dub this process PokeCeption, or Metaballs?  
> **username_7** (2016-08-15): Inception (as defined in the movie) is the process of planting an idea deeply in one's subconsciousness, making the target think they thought of it themselves. So you could call it "a ball within a ball".  
> **username_0** (2016-08-15): Well the textbook definition of [inception](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/inception) is a start or beginning, but I was more referencing off [common 'ception jokes](http://m.quickmeme.com/img/94/94696cd54dd59363102d2daff8144f630fbfb6dcb265a70f67e7b94aecb43663.jpg) with PokeCeption  
> **username_7** (2016-08-15): I got that, and what I meant was [this.](http://i.imgur.com/LEk4ieU.png)  
> **username_0** (2016-08-15): Well done, I'm impressed you found a meme that _mirrors our coversation almost exactly_  
> **username_7** (2016-08-15): What if I told you my replies were based on this much older meme ;)  
> **username_8** (2016-08-15): @Hakase Digimon aren't captured like Pokemon in the show; they live in a parallel world  
---
### Answer by username_10 on 2016-08-15. Score: -1
I believe Pokéballs are a technology which only works with Pokémon (except for the Mewtwo balls), alone the prefix of the ball "Poké" tells a lot.

You don't seem to be able to catch humans with Pokéballs, that automatically excludes all living entities which are not Pokémon. If you miss and hit a tree with the ball, the tree won't get caught either. Therefore I think Pokéballs are only capable of catching Pokémon and no other matter in the universe.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2016-08-15): See the first answer of the linked question, or see my comment to my original question  
> **username_3** (2016-08-15): "You don't seem to be able to catch humans with Pokéballs, that automatically excludes all living entities which are not Pokémon." => Well, actually it automatically excludes only the humans you tried to catch. At most we can make some reasonable assumptions and extend it to theorize that it automatically excludes *all* humans. But that alone isn't enough to automatically exclude everything that isn't a Pokémon.  
---
