Pokémon Go player loses their Master Ball in the cutest way possible

The incredibly rare Master Ball in Pokémon Go is no joke. A mindful trainer would only want to use its unrivaled strength against Legendary creatures that are hard to get hold of. But what if a loved one unintentionally throws the one precious Master Ball you had stored up in your satchel at a Geodude?

Well, if you’re wondering why I’m teasing such a nightmare of a situation, one player named Jad3nNotSmith faced this exact pain thanks to their six-year-old, Pokémon loving niece, and shared the incident with the PoGo community on Reddit. While most would expect them to throw a fit, they were an absolute sweetheart—painful but adorable.

The player offered their niece the phone to play Pokémon Go, when she encountered a Team Rocket Grunt. The player pushed her to try the challenge and save the Pokémon, and while she managed to beat the grunt easily, she was struggling to catch the Geodude. Naturally, she was frustrated.

“After many failed throws and escapes, my niece proclaimed, ‘That’s it, I’m using the mega ball!’” the player shared in a Reddit post on Aug. 31. “I thought she meant the great ball or the ultra ball.”

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When their niece showed them the screen, to the player’s horror, the Geodude was being sucked into a “purple Poké Ball with a big M in front,” indicating that it was a Master Ball she had used. “Naturally, I went through all 5 stages of grief in the 2 seconds it took for the animation to resolve,” the player said. 

Although they were aching inside, the player revealed they weren’t mad at their niece. “I’m just glad she has fun with me,” they said, leaving the Pokémon Go community with the cutest example.

One player aptly replied, “The PAINNNN, You’re a good uncle,” and others couldn’t agree enough. Other players reminded that there’s a chance to earn the game’s second Master Ball, thanks to the new Pokémon Go season “Adventures Abound” that dropped on Sept. 1. 

For those unaware, the Master Ball wasn’t part of Pokémon Go until May 2023. Season 10, “Rising Heroes,” offered the Let’s Go free Special Research, allowing players who completed the research to earn their first and only Master Ball in the game. 

The newest season brings another Master Ball for players to earn by completing a set of Timed Investigation research. Then again, it’s worth noting that the tasks aren’t easy this time, including having to catch 1,000 Pokémon, complete 60 raids, and more.

Related: Niantic already has its eyes focused on 2026, Pokémon Go’s 10th anniversary

Sadly, the player who lost their Master Ball aren’t going to find it easy to undo their niece’s innocent mistake.