Before Poké Balls became standard(ly mass-produced), they were first created out of natural materials. And the primary material of their constituency is the Apricorn, a spherical fruit that is not too dissimilar to their more diverse cousins, Berries; both of them grow on trees and are collected from them likewise. Once collected, they are crafted and/or constructed accordingly to create certain specific kinds of Poké Balls. I find this a fascinating part of their lore and mechanism, which is why I've taken a post to discuss about them.
In the place they appeared first, the region of Johto, they are present all around the region on specific trees and come in certain colors, the latter being the determinant of the type of ball they beget. This implies the presence of certain characteristics that are imbued by the colors of each Apricorn to the ball types. Moreover, these fruits are implied to be no ordinary fruits; specifically, their outer shell-like aspect must have a hard and sustaining quality for them to not require (relatively) much in the way of effort to turn them into Poké Balls of various kinds, as with their "modern" mass-produced counterparts.
Meanwhile, their persistence across regions and times speaks of and affirms their fundamental relation to Poké Balls. Whether in Galar as determinants of specific balls, or in Hisui as a part of a construction system for them, Apricorns in these ways still underlie the overall typing and skeletal basis of Poké Balls, even indirectly. Although in the end only the type of the Poké Ball remain relevant, at least a shade of their influence remains as the way they originally introduced Poké Balls other than the normally obtained ones.
Returning to their biological aspect, they are still a fruit and could be expected to be edible - if not by humans, by Pokémon - and in fact, they are, which is a bit of a digression from their Poké Ball relations. In the remade second-generation games, they can be blended to create a drink to enhance Pokémon. It is also possible for Pokémon to consume Apricorns after they have spoiled, in a process that remarkably parallels the "bletting" process that real-life quince (and similar) fruits go through. Though not related to their main framing as a basis for Poké Balls, this is still nice to know and bring up in discussion.
Like any Trainer starting out on their Pokémon journeys, the journey of the conception of the Poké Ball has to start from somewhere, in particular the material that allows them to be begotten. The various kinds of Apricorns provide such a starting place with their properties that allow them to make up different types of Poké Balls, or in a way at least their traditional prototypes before their modern counterparts. It's just another aspect that shows the depth of their lore and mechanism, which I appreciate.
One year ago: Cheer Moments for Pokémon Games
Two years ago: Going for an Arena Brawl
Three years ago: Singing My Hearts Out: After One Year
Four years ago: Cosplay: Project "Untitled"
Five years ago: The Joys and Sorrows of Raid Marathons
Six years ago: Late-Night Lure Party
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