Here's How To Keep Your Pokemon From Running Away

It's the moment you've been waiting for. You finally spot a wild Kadabra, and it's time to register the rare new find into your Pokédex. You get ready to throw your Poké Ball, you throw it — but suddenly the wild Kadabra escapes. Your Poké Ball burst open after only shaking once or twice, and as a result, the Kadabra quickly fled the scene. And now you must, sadly, wait until you come across a wild Kadabra once again. But, what can you do to make sure this kind of tragic Pokémon trainer experience doesn't happen to you again? Luckily, there's a number of different ways you can assure that you catch them all. Here's how you can stop Pokémon from running away.

For one, the key to catching any Pokémon is dependent on knowing how to handle the number of CP (combat points) that the Pokémon possesses. The CP of the Pokémon helps determine which tools you should use when going for the catch. For example, if you're catching a Pokémon with less than 100 CP, then perhaps a regular Poké Ball will get the job done. However, if you're looking to catch a more powerful Pokémon — or you're noticing that a regular Poké Ball just isn't working on it's own — the other items in backpack might be of use. Yep, those items you're gathering at Pokéstops aren't completely useless.

Your first vital tool to catching them all is the Razz Berrys. As it says in the description for the item, you can, "feed this to a Pokémon, and it will be easier to catch on your next throw." So, before throwing out your first Poké Ball, perhaps throwing your Pokémon a Razz Berry will weaken the Pokémon just enough for you to catch it. I've also noticed that it's especially helpful to throw out a Razz Berry if the Pokémon is angrily jumping towards you — Or if it's even gone so far as to knock your Poké Ball away!

However, the stronger the Pokémon you're trying to catch is, the more help you may need. And, if a Razz Berry followed by a regular Poké Ball isn't enough, it might be time to throw out a Great Ball instead. Great Balls — which are more suited for catching stronger Pokémon — is what Niantic describes as, "a good, high-performance Poké Ball that provides a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball." And, if you haven't seen any Great Balls yet, keep in mind that Great Balls are only available to Pokémon trainers that have reached Level 12. A Great Ball will give you a 50 percent higher chance to catch the designated Pokémon and may be the only option when trying to catch a Pokémon with 200 CP or higher.

Meanwhile, if the combination of both a Razz Berry and a Great Ball still doesn't work, then it may be time to solely focus on gaining more XP (experience points). Why? Because the higher your level as a Pokémon trainer, the more tools you can receive. And one of the most important tools for you to have in your items has to be the Ultra Ball. Yellow and black Ultra Balls can be obtained starting at Level 20, and increase your chances of catching a rare or powerful Pokémon even more.

So stop by every Pokéstop you find and fill your bag with Razz Berrys, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. There's no way you're letting your next rare Pokémon find get away. You have what it takes to be the very best.

Images: The Pokémon Company International; Giphy (2)