#may update this with more later but
General Information & Roles
Pokemon rangers are allies of Aspects and sometimes function as bodyguards as well. As rangers tend to be the ones to work closely alongside legendary Pokemon more often than not, they were the ones to have known about Aspects before anyone else after the knowledge was lost to the general public. Not every ranger knows of their existence, but several high-ranking rangers from each of the three ranger-led regions were vetted and deemed trustworthy enough to keep track of all known Aspects currently running around the world. The information is passed down from those in the know to those they have taken under their wings after being heavily vetted and gaining the approval of at least three Legendaries.
(Some current holders of this knowledge include: Lunick and Solana of Fiore. Kellyn, Kate, and Keith of Almia. Ben and Summer of Oblivia.)
Rangers are the ones to step in on the behalf of Aspects when the situation concerns the legendary side of things, as their operations are more covert than the interference of a Pokemon League. They also mediate any large, formal meetings between Aspects due to the chance that tensions could spark from clashing values and instincts. For this reason, Rangers themselves cannot be Aspects, and may be asked to retire if they take on a legendary as an Aspect. It’s crucial for rangers that involve themselves in the business of Legendaries to remain as neutral as possible.
(However, one exception to this rule is Subway Boss Emmet, Aspect of Reshiram, who somehow obtained an honorary ranger license to mess with the ones that attempted to convince him to have rangers assigned to his family just in case.)
Pokemon Rangers are usually called in when legendary, mythical, rare, or ‘extinct’ Pokemon are involved, or there’s an ecological crisis. They also tend to be called in for cases where wild Pokemon are overly agitated and battling them off most likely wouldn’t solve the problem. To sum it up: the Leagues handle the people and urban areas of a region, and the Rangers hand the Pokemon and nature. There are, of course, times where these two things overlap since people and Pokemon live together and share close bonds, and during those times the Leagues and Rangers work together to deal with the issue. More minor issues tend to be handled by the region’s police, sometimes with consultation from a League member or Ranger.
In the unlikely event a meeting between a large amount of Aspects- and/or, potentially, Aspect-less Legendaries- happens, it’s been agreed that the best place to host it would be one of the Ranger Regions. Some of the more formal meetings between them that have happened in the past were also held in one of these three regions, as it’s considered neutral territory and thus makes it less likely for tensions to arise over perceived slights in someone’s own place of power. However, if it’s too inconvenient to get to one of the ranger-led regions, the next best place would be one of their headquarters or a pre-selected area that’s as close to neutral as possible.
Some rangers are able to summon Legendaries to assist them, such as Ben and Summer. This isn’t a common thing and first became possible due to ‘illegally’ modified stylers, however a select few were allowed to be able to do this in the case of emergencies requiring a Legendary’s aid. They try not too use it too often, though; especially since they never know what the Legendary or Aspect may be doing.
There are pockets of Rangers and at least one Ranger Headquarters in nearly every region, however the main operation is located at the three Unions in Oblivia, Almia, and Fiore.
Ranger Regions: Almia, Fiore, & Oblivia
Unlike a majority of the Pokemon world, these three regions are led by Pokemon Rangers instead of a Pokemon League. The Head Ranger of that region’s branch essentially functions like a Champion, and they have a few select Top Rangers to help them keep things in order. Top Rangers and their Head are very heavily vetted to make sure that they have the best interest of the regions- as well as their Pokemon- in mind. This is especially true after one of the teachers at Almia’s school was revealed to be a high-ranking member of Team Dim Sun who tried to recruit students to their agenda.
Most Pokemon Rangers are trained in the ‘Ranger Regions’, with the vast majority starting their careers in Almia due to the school there. After graduation, they may move on to Fiore or Oblivia for more training and experience, with some moving on to the League-led regions instead.
The culture in these three regions is very different from the others. Only trainers visiting or moving from other regions have Pokemon in pokeballs, and catching any Pokemon from these three regions is extremely illegal unless given very special permission. The details of ranger culture varies from region to region, but they’re very similar overall.
Pokemon tend to roam at their partners’ sides, and wild Pokemon are usually left alone unless they’re causing an issue or are in danger.
Pokemon battles aren’t really a thing either, though there are a few battle-proofed areas scattered around for visiting trainers who want to keep their teams up to snuff and retired trainers who moved there who want to keep their teams happy. However, there are capture challenges and competitions for rangers both for fun and training. All the Pokemon that appear in them have agreed to do so.
