In order to capture a wild Pokémon, you must have a ball capable of capturing the Pokémon. The ball must be empty; you cannot use one of the balls that hold your adopted Pokemon. There are different types of PokéBalls, with different capture capabilities.

To use a PokeBall in battle, state that you are throwing it. This consumes the turn on which you use it; you cannot attack on that turn. If the ball does not grab the Pokemon, it returns to your hand. If you try to catch a wild Pokemon and fail, the Pokemon will escape.

When you try to catch a Pokémon, the GM will do one or more success rolls. More sophisticated balls offer more success rolls. At least one success roll must exceed the remaining HP. The dice roll depends on the condition of the Pokémon:

• Normal or Flinched: 1d5.
• Asleep: 2d5.
• Confused: 1d10.
• Paralyzed: 3d5.
• Frozen: 4d5.
• Poisoned or Burned: Add 3 points to the strength of the dice roll without Poisoned or Burned.
• Under an effect that prevents the Pokémon from attacking: GM uses discretion based on whether the effect would also affect the Pokéball.

Stealing a Pokémon

You may not "claim" a losing Pokémon in a battle with another trainer. Nor may you and an opposing trainer enter into wagers that put Pokémon at stake. (Your Pokémon will lose 40 happiness points if you attempt to do this.) However, if you wish to roleplay as a dark trainer (perhaps a member of Team Rocket), you can attempt to steal another trainer's Pokémon in a battle.

A steal works just like an ordinary capture, with the following stipulations:

• On the turn in which you attempt the steal, you must post your intentions before your opponent posts his intentions, including attack commands.
• You must roleplay the steal attempt. You must give all information needed to make your steal valid: the ball you are using, which Pokemon you are attempting to steal, any additional information needed to complete the steal, and a reasonable story and command post.

Once you have announced your intentions, the staffer rolls the success roll(s). If the capture succeeds, the staffer will update the Pokémon's topic to indicate that you have captured it in a battle, and indicate you as its temporary owner. The Pokémon will receive extra XP while in your care, just as if its owner had traded it voluntarily. If the steal attempt fails, the Pokémon escapes back to the safety of its owner. (See the Pokéball catalog for more information.)

Either way, the stolen Pokémon leaves the battle and you immediately forfeit the battle. If the steal results in the end of the battle, the battle counts as a win for the opposing trainer and as a forfeit for you.