The Ranger Base

I’m Ranger Rai, A Pokémon Ranger who is very passionate about his work, Pokémon, real animals and conservation, and educating on all of it!

In character: I’m an experienced ranger from the Sinnoh Region, I love to explain how Pokémon act in their natural environments and I love guiding trainers on their journeys.

Out of Character: I’m a huge Pokémon fan, with a lot of experience working with animals in my youth, and a passion for learning about animals. I am also a video editor, and I work a lot in multimedia, which results in my YouTube channel “The Ranger Base”)

Come and join our Discord Community to chat one on one!

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Rule of Engagement

Hey I've always wanted to ask...where do Starter pokemon like piplup and chimchar and turtwig come from? Just I hear stories of professors giving out extremely pokemon but...if they truly are that rare, doesnt that mean there are few of the species so people should be trying to help their population instead of giving them out to people to go on journeys with?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, just I have autism and stuff and been hyperfixating on that thought for a long time! One of my friends theorized that maybe they might be rare in many other places but very common in stuff like biomes or really good at hiding but I thought I should ask an expert...

Not at all, its a very good question to ask.

So the debate on "are starter pokemon ethical" has been around for a while.

In fact @prof-peach brings up a pretty good point about it and has her own method that we here at the ranger base have actually adopted because it does a lot more good.

So "Starter" pokemon is an old and outdated phrase and for good reason:

A starter sounds like its just the first pokemon to start and will eventually be discarded.

Many of these breeds of pokemon were discovered to have a pretty good rate of growth and has begun being bred more in captivity to allow them to thrive.

Basically their numbers were a bit low for the time, but they just weren't the most adaptive for the wild, or might have been over consumers.

Take charizard for example:

A fire lizard with a tail flame that is also its life source. As a charmander they are incredibly vulnerable, but they also have a pretty predatory demeanor meaning they need to hunt.

What happens when a hunter overtakes an area? Less food and less babies survive.

Naturally there was a time these pokemon were on a path to potential endangered status, and similar can be said for a good few of the starter lines.

Now a days, thanks to conservation and to some extent the Pokemon Trainer, the lines are thriving and can be found more often in the wild.

However now they are still being bred for young trainers, however this really shouldnt be the case anymore.

These pokemon do have a higher rate of growth, meaning that young trainers can be given a pokemon that will give them a competitive edge in leagues, but not every kid is fortunate enough to live near a professor and enroll in a program that guarantees them a powerful first partner.

Thats where places like Dotaku and The Ranger Base comes in. We rescue and rehabilitate pokemon to be released back into the wild, but some find being with trainers is better for them.

Because of this, we have initiated a program to help adopt pokemon to trainers who have passed a background and compatibility test with the pokemon they are interested in.

This way pokemon who might have a rough history or might be heavily sought after, are getting put with trainers who will really care for them.

Instead of starters these are "Forever Partner" pokemon.

We have had some great successes with this program so far and have managed to get similar programs established in some other regions as well.

Starter pokemon are becoming accessories rather than partners, and we want to change that and really bring pokemon and people together!

Ah this is the nature of pokemon with immense power.

Mythical pokemon get that name due to their scarcity and powers that arent always able to be confirmed due to things like time.

Jirachi is known to grant wishes, last time it was seen, it was known to teleport items, however it was heavily studied last time.

Aparently it can create things with the true eye on its stomach, and thats where its true power lies.

Creating things is an incredibly powerful but demanding ability, especially for something so small.

It is also said that they might wake up for small periods of time, but they are also pretty aware when sleeping.

I wonder if they dream about the people they met while awake?

Maybe thats the beauty in Jirachi, that you might be able to make such a strong and lasting bond for such a short period of time, even though you might not be able to see each other again.

If you think of Jirachi as a small device recharger and its trying to power a whole house, you arent going to get much power, but if it does last for a moment or two, you might be impressed.

They have a whole lot of power but need so much time to restore it, that they just need a good long rest.

It would be nice to not need to sleep for so long, but I havent met one or explained it to them that they shouldnt need to, but who knows. Maybe one day someone will be able to tell them.

like ways to prepare them and ways to help them stay healthy?

Very good question!

Something I wish was told to me before I tried just jumping into mega evolving with my pokemon, is the strain and pressure it puts on yourself and your pokemon's mind and body.

Its really rough the first few times when you're figuring it out, like if you were being thrown around on a roller coaster in your brain while standing still.

Once your mind gets used to it and you and your partner link up, then theres the physical strain.

While you arent sharing pain, your pokemon is drawing on your energy to help keep their power going to stay mega evolved, and the more they push the power, the more they draw on you.

If you arent prepared, then its like taking a super important test or running a marathon on an empty stomach. So you might feel like throwing up.

The best way to prepare your pokemon is to be prepared yourself.

Do some physical and mental training with your pokemon for a few days before you even consider trying it.

Go for a nice jog and maybe some strengeth training combined with some games to get you both in sync.

The better prepared you are, the better prepared they will be.

So there is some truth and some misconception here:

Mega evolution CAN be dangerous to a pokemon if:

1.) They dont have a strong bond to a trainer when attempting it.

2.) If they are subjected to involuntary mega evolution like the rouge mega evolution situation in Kalos

Or

3.) If they are being pushed past acceptable levels of stress for that pokemon.

Ultimately if the pokemon and trainer have a strong bond then the dangerous aspects of Mega Evolution are pretty inconsequential because the burdens are being shared by both parties and its all about their bond.

Just watch out for overuse.

I actually just answered something similar not too long ago right here;

However ill gladly expand on it.

Personally I think there is something to do with a pokemon and its potential to evolce again.

Raichu always seemed like it had never reached its full evolutionary peak, after all there are several Pikachu that can rival Raichu in power.

Charizard is similar as for a majority of the time we have been observing them, they have been Fire and Flying but never a full dragon.

Charizard X feels like their natural growth into that dragon typing while Charizard Y feels like where Charizard would go if it evolved once more.

While i dont believe this means pokemon will suddenly start turning into their mega forms automatically, I think some just have multiple forms because they have unrealized potential.

Its pretty hard to say right now, but thats my theory anyway.

Thats a good question!

Well I'm not a scientist to give a definite answer, a lot of the training we got explained that some pokemon have so much potential or variety in their skills.

Take Raichu for example.

While their stats are mostly the same, one is slightly faster and better at special attacks while another is a little bulkier and better at physical attacks.

Perhaps this was due to Raichu having the potential growth into either area and as a result the Mega Stones that grew accommodated for either of these.

Lets look at a more solid example like My big buddy Sylvester, an Aggron with only one evolution.

There isnt much flexibility in their stat types as they are naturally large and bulky.

Because of this, we only see one type of Mega Aggron, unless somehow they started to prioritize their attack abilities over defensive.

Over all it seems like natural combat abilities and variety in stats are what decides on different mega forms.

What do you all think?

Recently we have been needing to brush up more about mega pokemon due to the influx of trainers using them.

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Feel free to comment on all of them or just one of them, but all four of them are very close with eachother! As far as my own observations, this is what I've seen of their personalities beyond their natures:

Zoroark has learned many of his more rambunctious habits as a Zorua from my Typhlosion when he was still somewhat newly-evolved from being a Quilava. As a result, rather than mimicking me, Jinx [Zoroark] actually frequently enjoys mimicking Agni [Typhlosion] instead! This actually provides for some really amazing synergy and unprecidented fighting tactics, as both of them know many similar moves that both their species can easily learn, and it genuinely makes them *very* hard to tell apart during switch-ups in a battle! Cyndaquil is a naturally timid Pokemon, and so some of those cautious instincts never left my Typhlosion as he grew into his evolutions and adulthood, but he's still quite active with those he's most comfortable around.

Sceptile is one of my oldest Pokemon apart from Typhlosion, as he's from my first journey through Hoenn, but I find he tends to behave a bit more maturely compared to the others. Perhaps its his reptilian stoicism, but Remmy [Sceptile] still seems to hide his smaller emotions even at the age of 21. He likes tending to my house plants and a few garden plants when they're having a particularly rough day with Avalugg and Typhlosion causing temperature fluxes indoors, something he'd started doing as a Grovyle when he took up trimming some of the potted plants that were growing a little haphazardly. He's actually learned to use Typhlosion's heat shimmers and Avalugg's chilly mist to his advantage when he needs a bit of extra warmth and humidity in the dryer seasons!

Avalugg is a new addition to my team, so much of his personality is still new to me, but he really seems to like being cuddled and coddled (something I'd often let him do when he was just a little Bergmite) and it's something that doesn't always translate well for his large size, haha! But, we've made a fun time of piling some weighted plushies and blankets onto his back to help him cope with his instinctive need to carry Bergmite or small Pokemon on his back. I'll admit, his back makes for a rather pleasant place to nap on in hotter seasons when enough pillows and blankets are on top of his icy back!

Footnotes:

• I always make sure pile a massive amount of fabric and pillows as a personal barrier against his body's ice before lying down, otherwise that frigid exterior could cause major skin problems for me and my other Pokemon which aren't Ice-type! We have a ton of varying precautionary measure in my house for each and all of these different types of Pokemon running around!

• Some of the moves I've seen Jinx and Agni both use and even teach eachother include Shadow Claw, Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Dig, Aerial Ace, U-Turn, Fury Swipes, and Focus Blast!

Wow! This is a very impressive explanation of your pokemon.

Clearly you have a very rich history with them all!

A lot of their natures and personalities can feed off one another, its pretty common.

Of course they will often look to their trainer for support and guidance as well.

Amazingly enough you havent had many pokemon with seriously contrasting personalities to your own, especially your Typhlosion.

Its very impressive to see a trainer and their pokemon in such good synergy and connections.

I'm not too sure if theres much I can comment on as it seems you really understand your pokemon and they really care about you as well.

Keep up the good work, and make sure any new pokemon you add to your party are welcomed in and given time and space to find their comfort in the group.