Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Ball Guy is being extra friendly today

Some would have you believe that Ball Guy from Pokémon Sword and Shield is not your friend. But today, we’ve got one more piece of evidence that the mascot man is simply misunderstood, and is in fact Good.

Over in the official Japanese Pokémon Twitter account, Game Freak announced a Ball Guy “rally” that, once completed, will result in prizes for Sword and Shield players.

The rally isn’t technically active in the West, but notably, the official Pokémon account here has also transformed into a Ball Guy account. Note that Pokémon’s Twitter bio also calls Ball Guy a “good friend.”

Polygon via Twitter

So, it’s possible that a rally is incoming for western players as well. However, you don’t have to wait for the event to unfold, as the Japanese prizes can be redeemed by everyone via Mystery Gift codes that you can use in the main Pokémon Sword and Shield menu. These specialized Poké Balls will help you capture different monsters depending on the situation — the heavy ball, for instance, is more effective for bigger monsters.

Polygon tested these codes out and they are indeed active, meaning that once again, our pal Ball Guy has come through with the goods.

Don’t let the propaganda fool you. Ball Guy is a friend.