APokémonspends most of its time in aPoké Ball, but does it physically age during its time there, or is its physical condition frozen until it's called on in combat? It would have been easy for thePokémonfranchise to never directly address the subject of death, but Game Freak decided to jump in the deep end, starting with Lavender Town inPokémon Red & Blue.
Lavender Town is the placewherePokémon are buried, and places like thePokémon Tower are filled with people in mourning for their lost companions. ThePokédex refers toPokémon hunting each other for food, as well as humans eatingPokémon, with Farfetch'd and Sharpedo being two notablePokémon breeds that have ended up in stew pots.
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ThePokémonanime has shownPokémon of different ages, with Tracey capturing a noticeably older Scyther during the Orange Islands seasons. TheSun & Moonseasons also have a storyline involving a Stoutland that passes away due to old age. ThePokémonvideo games don't have a mechanic for age, save for a loose interpretation of breeding Pokémonand baby forms. This raises the question of whether thePoké Ball slows down the aging process forPokémon when they enter them, as this could act as an in-game explanation forPokémon not aging.
Poké Balls Are Like Hotel Rooms For Pokémon
There is actually a canon answer to what's inside aPoké Ball. LongtimePokémoncomposer & director Junichi Masuda toldKotakuthat the inside of aPoké Ball is the equivalent of a fancy suite in a high-end hotel. This suggests thePokémon are relaxing inside theirPoké Ball and still aware of their surroundings while they wait to be called on again. The mechanics of this location aren't explained, as the inside of aPoké Ball looks empty, but ifPoké Balls can be digitized and entered into a PC, then what's to say that the same process cannot happen on a smaller scale for thePokémon themselves?
There's also the question of poison damage to consider. When aPokémon is poisoned in battle, they continue to take damage until healed with an item or taken to aPokémon Center. The damage occurs every time the player takes a step. Pokémon's breeding mechanic is also tied to steps, suggesting that this represents a passage of time. If thePokémon's physical state was suspended inside of thePoké Ball, then they shouldn't take more damage once the battle ends. It's safe to say thatPokémoncontinue to age in theirPoké Ball, even though this doesn't have a mechanical effect in-game.
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Source: Kotaku
