Pokemon - Realistic Party Theory
This is a thought exercise I've seen online for a while now. Essentially, if Pokemon existed in the real world (not you existing in the Pokemon world), what Pokemon would you have?
Assumptions
In order to scope this exercise in something that can be answered in a single article, we need to state some assumptions first:
1. Pokemon existing in the current real world does not greatly change national borders, economy, culture, politics, religion,
etc. This is highly unrealistic of a question about realistic Pokemon parties, but fully exploring this question would take a long time
and would likely be impossible to answer as everything about our world would be different.
2. Laws regarding ownership of Pokemon, what moves and abilities they may have, etc. are not considered. Similar to the above
assumption, considering this would be a separate thought exercise that likely deserves its own article.
3. Pokemon would be found in similar biomes and locations to where they are found in-game or as described in their Pokedex
entries. The Pokemon games that have been created so far are mostly based on real world locations, but with only a few locations covered
so far we need to extrapolate for the rest of the world. This means that while additional regional forms would realistically be possible,
they cannot be included in this article as they have not been created for the games. However, regional forms that make sense for other
regions will be considered to be in those as well.
4. Methods to capture wild Pokemon exist. This may be in conflict with Assumption 1, but I believe it's necessary to consider
separately if we want to have a more varied pool of Pokemon for the question. Domesticated Pokemon would likely exist as well for common
and easily tamed Pokemon, so this would mainly apply to Pokemon that would be hard to domesticate and turn into a breeding business.
Considerations
With the assumptions explained, next is to look at the original question. It is slightly different than "what Pokemon do you want on
a fun or competitive Pokemon team?" and "what Pokemon would you have if you lived in the Pokemon world?" Instead, it asks what you would
realistically have in this world. In order to answer this question, a few other questions must be considered first:
1. What is your goal for having Pokemon?
Do you want to keep Pokemon as pets? Will the Pokemon help you in your job, hobbies, or household chores? While everyone may fantasize
about being a powerful Pokemon trainer, in reality most people would more likely just have some as pets or to help with specific tasks. This
is probably why we even see most people in the Pokemon world with house pets like Meowth or helpers like construction Pokemon, ranch Pokemon,
or others depending on the trainer's job (or in some cases, they might just be company Pokemon instead of the trainer's). Most people even in
their world are not traveling trainers, but normal people living their normal lives. So all that said, what would you realistically be and
what would you realistically keep Pokemon for? Now if you already travel as a lifestyle it may make sense to have a more normal Pokemon party,
but I'm confident many people reading this article do no fall into this category so it's still an important question to consider.
2. How well does a Pokemon fulfill important roles?
"Important roles" in this case are the roles that you want filled based on your answer to question 1 above. For example, house pets may
need to be comforting, playful, calm, or non-violent as their purpose may include decreasing the owner's stress, providing companionship, or
helping with depression. This is a very different role than say a Pokemon helping construct a new building, where you would want it to be
strong, intelligent, dexterous, and obedient. So when you look at a list of Pokemon you may want to have, would they make sense for why you
want a Pokemon in the first place? Also remember to consider the abilities, moves, and lore of each Pokemon when deciding what roles they can
fill.
3. How likely are you to find and catch a Pokemon?
This question is one I often see ignored or at least not considered often. Basically, even if a Garchomp is extremely useful for a lot of
roles (as I'll describe in my examples below), it's still a pseudo-legendary and not found in many biomes in the world. If you don't live near
a desert, are you really going to find a Gible? And even if you do find and catch one, will you be able to level it to 48 in a realistic amount
of time in order to evolve it? This means that the most likely Pokemon you will have are ones that are either commonly found in a variety of
areas (such as many birds or bugs) or are able to be found in the areas you live or have lived in. For example, I've spent a lot of my live in
the Southwest US states, so I would have a chance to find desert Pokemon, but even then I would more likely find something like a Trapinch than
a Gible. This also means that Pokemon that are legendaries, mythics, Ultra Beasts, etc. are likely not going to be in a realistic Pokemon team
due to their rarity alone.
4. How likely would you be able to care for the Pokemon?
This question revolves around the less fun aspect of owning pets. How many Pokemon could you afford to have? Would you be able to care and
feed for more than 1 or 2? Are the Pokemon you're considering sedentary or do they need a lot of exercise? What are the temperaments of the
Pokemon (are they super aggressive/predatory or calm)? How big is your home/land and would it be large enough to properly care for the Pokemon
in question? All of these are realistic questions to ask, because if you already have difficulties paying the bills then maybe a team of six
Pokemon would just be too costly for you. Now, if you can also explain how owning more Pokemon would make you more money then this may be easier
to answer, but if you're not an entrepreneur already then will you really be one in this scenario?
5. Do I like the Pokemon I've considered above?
This is the last question, but arguably the most important. If a Pokemon perfectly fits all the questions above but you don't like the
Pokemon, you probably wouldn't have one. For example, as someone who enjoys traveling, Blissey makes a lot of sense for me to
have (as I'll describe in the example below), but I really don't like Blissey as a Pokemon, so I would avoid having one if at all possible.
Pidgeys are incredibly common and would likely make good bird pets, but I have no desire to own a Pidgey so I wouldn't have one. So of all the
Pokemon you've considered in the above questions, which ones would you actually enjoy having around all the time?
Example Party
After reviewing the above questions, you can start to consider the Pokemon you would actually have. My guess is that most people would have
Pokemon as pets or workers. Not everyone though, as in the example I will provide below will be based on my joy of traveling and exploring.
1. What is your goal for having Pokemon?
I would want Pokemon that would help me in exploring both civilized and natural places. Natural places will likely be the focus, since
civilized places will have basic necessities already covered as long as I can afford them. So the focus of the
questions below will be on what I would need to stay in the wilderness for probably just a short period of time.
2. How well does a Pokemon fulfill important roles?
Before I can answer this question, I need to determine what roles I would need for the goal above. Here is what I came up with from my
knowledge of camping and prepping in general:
- a. Methods of Travel. Anything that would help me traverse different environments would be incredibly helpful. Pokemon that can fly, surf, rock climb, run, teleport, etc. fall into this role.
- b. Methods of Survival. When you are out in the wilderness, things like warmth, shelter, food/water, and first aid are extremely important. Pokemon that can help with these tasks fall into this role.
- c. Methods of Safety. Even hiking a trail just outside a large city or town can be dangerous depending on where you live. Pokemon that are strong, intimidating, or can warn of/chase away/deal with potential dangers (other creatures, natural disasters, etc.) fall into this role.
- d. Methods of Utility. Anything that can make tasks easier or less for me to worry about while traveling. Pokemon with useful moves or skills like flash, telekinesis, pickup, and charging electronic devices fall into this role, as well as humanoid Pokemon that can help with tasks a quadruped could not.
3. How likely are you to find and catch a Pokemon?
This is where I'm glad I've moved around the world for most of my life, as it would allow me the opportunity to catch a larger variety of Pokemon than anyone who's only lived in one location their entire life. I've lived in/on forests, swamps, open plains, mountains, beaches, deserts, and in both small suburbs and large cities. I've lived in places where the hottest days of summer were around 118°F/48°C and places where the coldest snowy winters were around 14°F/-10°C. While I've not lived in super cold places, I have at least traveled to mountain tops including both Pikes Peak in the US and Mt. Fuji in Japan. This means that I've had the opportunity in my life to find pokemon in most biomes aside from major tundra and rainforests.
4. How likely would you be able to care for the Pokemon?
Answering this question is a lot harder. I have a pretty good job, so I could afford to have multiple Pokemon, but I often live in apartments when I'm not traveling. Finding pet-friendly apartments is not usually difficult though, so I think this question will come down to the diets of the Pokemon and how much attention each would individually need.
5. Do I like the Pokemon I've considered above?
This one will be easy to answer for each Pokemon, but will cause some issues. As I mentioned above, Blissey would make an amazing Pokemon for a traveler, but since I don't like the Pokemon I won't be adding it to my party. That said, if this wasn't just a thought exercise and Pokemon really became real, I might end up with one anyway, but that's a problem for future "Pokemon are actually now real" me.
Now that we've reviewed the considerations, let's start with two Pokemon that did not make the team.
Garchomp
Looking at Garchomp's available moves and its Pokedex entries, it would make an amazing Pokemon for someone who likes to travel. It can learn Surf, Strength, Dig, Rock Climb, and Rock Smash. It's Pokedex entries talk about it being able to fly and it is shown to be able to in the anime. It is a very fast running Pokemon as well. These together mean Garchomp covers almost every primary mode of transportation we could want (aside from Teleport). Dig also helps create shelter when away from civilization. That said, Garchomp is also a large predator (making its diet hard to manage), would take a long time to level up to evolve into this final form, and is a pseudo-legendary making it extremely rare and not likely to be in my party.
Blissey
This is an obvious pick for many reasons. Chansey is relatively common in urban environments, is a friendly Pokemon, and evolves when leveling with high friendship, all of which make acquiring a Blissey not hard. Blissey can have the Natural Cure or Healer ability and learns Soft-Boiled, Heal Bell, Heal Pulse, Strength, Rock Smash, and Flash, making it a strong contender for healing and utility roles. Soft-Boiled alone would help solve food problems when away from populated areas and acts as a walking first-aid station at the same time. All of that said, I just don't like Blissey as a Pokemon, nor its possible substitutes (like Miltank). I'm also concerned about how Soft-Boiled would work in a realistic setting. Blissey would need nutrition to create the eggs to feed to others, so I'm not convinced it would actually be solving the food problem. Because of this, despite being an excellent traveling companion even without Soft-Boiled, it will not earn a spot in my party either.
Now I'll explain what Pokemon would most likely earn a spot on my team.
Starmie
Starmie has a lot of benefits as a traveling companion Pokemon. It can learn the typical water transport moves like Surf, Dive, Waterfall, and Whirlpool, can create water with its variety of water moves, and can help charge my electronics with its electric moves. Starmie also learns a lot of strong utility options such as Teleport, Telekinesis, Camouflage, Thunder Wave, Gravity, Agility, and Flash. It is also shows to float above the ground as well, making it both a solid option for water and ground transportation. Its Natural Cure ability helps keep it healthy longer in case it gains a detrimental condition. It's also one of my favorite water-type Pokemon, so I would love to have one on my team.
The main problem with Starmie is its diet, which consists of plankton it absorbs while swimming in the ocean. How would I feed it while traveling? Much of my travels are away from the ocean, so I'm not entirely sure I would be able to feed a Starmie without additional information on what else it can eat. If we assume it can eat other types of food, then Starmie would be my first choice for the team.
Flygon
I've always loved the ground/dragon type combination, so Flygon was an obvious choice to consider. I've lived in the desert for a decent portion of my life so finding out is not unplausible. It can learn useful moves like Fly, Agility, and Tailwind, making it a fast flying transport option. It can also learn Strength, Rock Smash, and Dig, giving it utility during my travels. It appears to be a carnivore from its Pokedex entries, so finding food for it should not be a problem in most environments.
However, it is a dragon which are said to be rare in general. It also evolves into Flygon at a relatively high level, so I'm not convinced that even at my current age I would have one by now. That said, I feel confident that I could find a Trapinch at least and knowing what it would evolve into I would make it a goal to gain Flygon as quickly as I could.
Arcanine
This is a more reasonable example of a Pokemon that would be fairly likely to obtain and a very strong companion for my travels. As a canine Pokemon, Arcanine would make a loyal friend. It would likely eat similar food to other real canines, making it easy to feed. It can help with both warmth and cooking food with its fire abilities, which is very helpful when away from town. It is often seen with people riding it, is said to be a very fast runner, and learns Extremespeed and Agility to make it run even quicker. Rock Climb allows it to scale up and down vertical surfaces, making it even more useful as a transport Pokemon. It can help protect me with Roar, chasing away dangerous creatures. It also has a lot of utility with Strength, Dig, and Rock Smash. Lastly, for some reason it can also learn Teleport in Generation 1 games and the Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee spin-offs, rounding off its transport abilities.
Because of its extremely useful skills for transportation (riding, rock climb, teleport), survival (warmth, cooking, dig), defense (roar), and utility (strength, rock smash), as well as its canine nature, Arcanine makes arguably the best companion Pokemon for anyone who loves to explore, camp, hike, or otherwise travel outside cities and towns.
Alolan Ninetales
I originally wanted a regular Ninetales on my team, but I quickly realized it was completely outclassed by Arcanine. However, while fire is a very useful type for survival and exploration, so is ice. Alolan Ninetales is able to keep me cold in hotter environments, its ice abilities can help preserve food, and it can use Chilling Water or I can melt the ice it creates for a steady supply of water to drink. It is able to fend off dangerous creatures with Roar, Hypnosis, and Confuse Ray. Alolan Ninetales also has good utility with Dig and Heal Bell, allowing me to dig for makeshift shelter if needed while also having a status healer since I don't want to keep Blissey. It likely has a diet similar to arctic foxes, making it fairly easy to keep fed. Ninetales in general is also one of my favorite Pokemon (fire or ice variant, doesn't matter), so I would love to have one on my team.
The biggest problem I would have is catching one since I haven't spent much time in places where they would be located. However, I have climbed mountains before as mentioned above (Pike's Peak and Mt. Fuji), so I believe if Pokemon existed I would know and plan to catch an ice-type Vulpix to evolve into this type of Ninetales.
Luxray
My final choice would be Luxray. Shinx seems to be a relatively common encounter in field locations, so I don't believe it would be difficult to find. The main benefit to having an electric type would help keep my electronic devices charged. Luxray has plenty of other uses though, primarily as a defender and for utility. For defense, it has Intimidate and can use Roar, Thunder Wave, and Confuse Ray. For utility, it has Strength, Flash, and according to the Pokedex entries it can see through objects. Luxray is a feline Pokemon, making its diet fairly easy to afford.
Overall, while Luxray does not cover as many important roles as the other options above it, being an electric type that is easy to care for makes it a solid addition to the party.
Conclusion
After reviewing these options, I believe Arcanine, Alolan Ninetales, and Luxray would be the most likely Pokemon I would have. They are all fairly
easy to obtain and have caring methods that are not all that different from real dogs, foxes, and cats. They also cover extremely useful roles for
travelers/preppers while also being easy to take into urban areas. Starmie and Flygon, on the other hand, are left in the "gain if possible" category.
I would like to have them on my team as well, but Starmie's diet concerns and Flygon's difficulty to raise and evolve leaves whether I would ever get
them in question. However, if I can solve those two issues, I would like to add them to my party as well.
Echo's Realistic Pokemon Team:
- 1. Arcanine
- 2. Alolan Ninetales
- 3. Luxray
- 4. Starmie (maybe)
- 5. Flygon (maybe)
What kind of Pokemon do you think you would have in your Realistic Pokemon Party? Would you just have one or two as pets? Some to help with work or hobbies? Or for another reason entirely? Please let me know!