Developer Builds Bot to Grind 8,191 Pokémon Resets, Leaving the Catch to the Human

A developer has launched a project called LastBall, a machine designed to automate the repetitive soft-reset process of hunting shiny Pokémon in classic Game Boy Advance titles. The project targets hardcore fans who insist on using real cartridges and consoles, where the odds of encountering a shiny Pokémon stand at 1 in 8,192. The machine handles all resets and route navigation autonomously, but halts and alerts the user via phone notification the moment a shiny is detected, leaving the actual catch entirely to the human. To preserve legitimacy, the system only simulates physical button presses and reads the screen visually, never accessing or modifying game memory. Development began with a software emulator rig and has already completed core loop and reliability features, with a transition to real hardware planned as a later phase.