Pop quiz: You encounter a ranger literally anywhere. What friend pokemon are they likely to have captured, besides their primary partner?

The answer is often Magnemite or Magneton!

The reason for this, most of the time, is very simple: these pokemon are among the group that can assist in recharging a styler. While a capture styler isn't everything, and a good ranger should be able to do without it, it sure helps a lot. Which means a magnemite friend is the key to capturing any other pokemon, or doing a lot of ranger work. And with the spread of urban environments and electrical grids, they can be found practically anywhere. (Pokemon like the Pikachu line also have this function, but are apparently more rare in the wild depending on region).

So most rangers have familiarity with magnemite as a friend pokemon, but I want to give it a little more attention as a dedicated partner pokemon, not just a floating emergency battery. Attacks by wild magnemite/ton can cause a lot of trouble for power plants and electronics, but with training, the same skills can be put to use. As a ranger's partner, magnemite can:

-Use magnetic abilities to find/attract metal objects -Manage electrical surges -Disable devices -Detect electrical currents and anomalies -Magneton in particular can send radio waves for long-distance signalling.

I firmly believe any pokemon can be a good partner for a ranger. Even the "scary" or "strange" pokemon can be the right fit for the right ranger and the right situation. But I wanted to do a series of posts on pokemon that are particularly common, or have reputations as helpful for rangers in particular.

First up: Doduo/Dodrio!

Or as they know them in Almia, "ranger bikes". The practice is slightly less common in Fiore, which is small, with population centers densely packed. Only a few rangers keep doduo or dodrio- though there's a reason Joel was the record-holder in the Kisara plains challenge for years. In Almia, rangers keep an unofficial stable of doduo around bases, and are constantly using them to run around the whole region. There are many good reasons for that!

Sharp-eyed watchers The long necks and tall bodies of doduo are adapted to looking out over high grasses in plains. And they have excellent vision. A doduo can spot a target- whether a pokemon, human, or other concern- from a very far distance. And with multiple heads, they can cover a 360 degree view, and take turns sleeping, making Doduo very hard to sneak up on or catch off-guard.

Tireless speedsters There is no denying that Doduo are fast. Again, their long legs are so well-built for speed, that they regularly set records in any kind of time-based challenge. They can run up to 60 miles per hour. In rescue missions, every second counts. And it makes many of them great at escaping an unwanted battle. Dodrio are slightly slower than doduo, but have a complicated circulatory and respiratory system (simplified: multiple sets of hearts and lungs) which lets them keep going much longer without needing to rest. This line is excellent for rangers who want to get to the source of trouble- or get out of danger- quickly.

An-all terrain vehicle with multiple brains I once had someone ask me why rangers (especially in Almia) ride on Duduo all the time instead of using normal bicycles. The reasons are similar to why you can't use scissors to open their own packaging. You know those cool cycling roads, or walking routes? The ones where you don't encounter any wild pokemon unless you go off-road into wild grass? Rangers maintain those. Which means we have to be there when there isn't a usable road. Bikes are an excellent way to travel on a paved or otherwise relatively clear path. Rangers, on the other hand, often have to traverse the kind of untamed terrain that even acrobatic bikes would have some trouble with, or to be able to switch terrains. A doduo, with its long legs and sharp claws, can run across an open field at top speed, pick its way through dense jungle underbrush that would take a machete to hack through, and keep its footing on a steep rocky mountain. And it's even capable of flight! Doduo are smart enough to resist following orders into terrain they can't traverse safely (which is few and far between), or to take their partners home if their rider is unconscious or incapacitated. If I get poisoned in the wild, a doduo can bring me to the nearest base- a bike cannot.

if they can't survive somewhere it's a sign that kinda place is next to impossible to find wildlife. ya know, places like Orre.

Today's spotlight: Starly/Staravia/Staraptor

Staraptor are almost the mascot or iconic pokemon on any aerial rangers. They have powerful wings capable of long-distance flights. And their strong musculature means they can carry a rider, as well as an additional pokemon, or other burden, as needed. If you want an air-lift, Staraptor is your best bet. Much as doduo are used in Almia like ranger bikes, there's a staraptor at every ranger base to act as, basically, a ranger helicopter.

And it's not just their flight capabilities. Staraptor are bold, brave pokemon who wont shy away from a battle with a pokemon bigger than them. This makes them dependable even in tough fights. And they'll stubbornly fight on even when ill or injured. Which, while not ideal in proper pokemon care, can be the difference between life-and-death in an emergency situation.

But, let's not neglect the rest of this evolutionary line! Even before they evolve, Starly make excellent partners for rangers. One of the rangers who was primarily responsible for the defeat of team Dim Sun in Almia had a Starly for a partner.

Floatzel are absolute darlings to a lot of rangers, especially those who specialize in water rescue and drowning risk. This is for a very simple reason: Rescue is a natural behavior for Floatzel!

I am not kidding! In general, it is easier to train pokemon to do things that already fit their typical strengths and behaviors. You can teach a skitty to pounce or bite on command more easily than you can teach it to dive into water.

And wild Floatzel in particular have been documented many times, in many locations, helping drowning victims. The theories on this are multiple. One older theory was that they mistook flailing humans for prey. But I don't think this is very likely. Floatzel are very efficient predators in their river and sea biomes. But the observed 'rescue' behavior doesn't match their typical actions when hunting.

I think the more likely theory is that this is a slightly misplaced pack behavior. Buizel are social pokemon. And it is broadly easier to domesticate or bond with pokemon that live in groups, as humans can tap into some of their cooperative structures. It's possible Floatzel are mistaking drowning humans for Buizel having trouble with their flotation sacs. Or that they recognize humans as a different species, but have a symbiotic relationship- they often hang around fishing villages, though it's a coin-toss whether they'll snatch fish for themselves, or help fishermen with their catch.

This does NOT mean you should rely on Floatzel to rescue you if you can't swim, or are swimming in dangerous waters! These are still wild pokemon we're talking about! The Floatzel could not see you, or ignore you, or attack you, or any number of other things. Plenty of pokemon fly naturally but you wouldn't jump off a cliff trusting that a random wild pokemon would happen to catch you.

(Send me a pokemon you don't like and I'll tell you something cool about it)

Jynx!

You're not alone in this sentiment. While several pokemon have body shapes similar to humans, I think Jynx's facial features are just that mix of similar-and-different to make it unsettling to some folks.

But did you know Jynx have their own language? It's not fully deciphered by humans yet, but their vocalizations are more complex than we typically think of for pokemon cries. And their voices are beautiful! If you don't like the looks of Jynx, you might like their sound.

Link to an audio recording of a jynx song