In the second season of the anime series Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, a mysterious item, the GS Ball, appears in an episode titled Pokéball Peril, which is featured in a plot thread about Johto. Found by Professor Ivy of the Orange Island archipelago, the GS Ball is an extremely rare and mysterious artifact whose origin and properties are initially unknown.
Ash Ketchum is tasked with delivering it to Professor Oak in Pallet Town, one of his many assignments while traveling in the Johto region. However, when Ash finally gets it, he discovers that he can’t open it or find out what exactly is inside. For most of the Johto series, the GS Ball accompanies Ash as a mysterious item, sparking the curiosity of fans.
Features of GS Balla
- Appearance: It is a unique and unmistakable item, characterized by a golden top on which characters have been engraved, resembling the letters GS.
- Transfer: Ash and friends set out on a mission to transport the mysterious Poke Ball because it can’t be transferred with machines like other Pokemon balls.
- Closure: It can’t be opened in any way, during a normal throw it doesn’t open. Professor Ivy and assistants tried to use various methods, such as a saw, crowbar, drill or laser. Not even a trace was left on the surface of the Ball.
The history of GS Ball in the Pokemon anime
After picking up an object named GS Ball, Ash and friends embark on a return trip to deliver the unusual artifact to Professor Oak. When the professor, despite his advanced machinery and extensive knowledge, fails to identify the object he comes up with a new idea. He sends the heroes to a person who is a true expert when it comes to Poke Balls.
Ash sets out to find Kurt from Azalea Town. Before they find him GB Ball appears several times in the episodes of the series. He even gets picked up by Quagsire once. After reaching Kurt and handing over the package, the heroes wait for feedback. Ultimately, Kurt has no new news. However, he asks for the opportunity to further study this extremely mysterious object. In the series, this thread is terminated at this point and does not appear again on the TV screen.
GS Ball in Pokemon Crystal
In the Pokémon Crystal game, the GS Ball is a mysterious item that is associated with the legendary Pokémon Celebi. However, in the Pokémon Crystal game, this item is not available to players in a way that would allow it to be simply acquired and used in the game’s storyline (this theme remained in the Japanese release of the game, however). Originally, the GS Ball was supposed to be a plot element, and the player was supposed to deliver it to Kurt in Azalea Town in Johto. In return, he was to be given the opportunity to catch Celebi, a Psychic/Grass-type Pokémon that is a legend associated with time travel.
Unfortunately, although the GS Ball was introduced in the game, there was never an official method to get it. The game’s developers did not provide any special mission or event to activate this plot element. For this reason, it remained an inactive and unused element of the game. Because of this situation, it was one of the few unsolved puzzles associated with the games. Later games in the series no longer referred to it or explained its role, leaving it as a curiosity for fans and a source of speculation in the Pokémon community.
Celebi, GS Ball and Pokemon 3 Spell Unown
In 2008, fans got an answer about GS Ball’s destiny. In an interview, Masamitsu Hidaka revealed that Celebi was to play an important role in the second season of the Johto Journeys animated series. The plot was eventually abandoned, as Celebi was to be one of the key characters in the upcoming film Pokemon 3: Spell Unown.
GS Ball History Summary
The Poke Ball with the letters GS is one of those threads of the series that stirred the imagination of fans. Its mystery was not explained for many years. Ultimately, it is a forgotten object that was supposed to be used to catch time-traveling Pokémon – Celebi. In the series, it was only passed from hand to hand, without any new information. It’s a shame that the authors didn’t end this thread in a better way than by leaving it so that fans forget about it completely.
