Ecologically Associated Pokémon

[bugfacts]

One of my favorite things in the series is when they decide to make Pokémon species linked through some kind of ecological relationship!

This can manifest as some sort of “rivalry”, like with Zangoose and Seviper or Alolan Ratata/Raticate and the Yungoos/Gumshoos line.

Or!

Sometimes this manifests as a one-sided predator-prey relationship, as in the case of Heatmor and Durant, Mareanie and Corsola, or Tinkaton and Corviknight (though idk if Tinkaton actually even eats them, haha.)

But!

Sometimes, rarely, there’s also slightly more nuanced symbiotic relationships, as in the case of Mantine and Remoraid or Slowbro and Shellder!

Do you have any favorite examples of these? Are there any existing Pokémon that you wish they would arrange into one of these ecological relationships? Do you have ideas for new Pokémon that would exist in this sort of way to each other, or to older ones?

It’s one of my favorite aspects of the setting, it always makes it feel more alive, and I especially love when it sneaks into the mechanics (like with catching Mareanie in Alola!)

 

[Mothmallow]

I've been playing through Ultra Moon and, afaik, the only way to encounter sableye is through sos calls from carbink. The sableye will attack the carbink before targeting the player's pokemon, impying some predatory or at least adversarial connection there. (Also makes chaining them really annoying, I'm several broken sos chains deep into hunting shiny sableye)

 

[beasttrash]

Slowpoke and Shellder my beloveds ;u;

I always wonder if they were introduced in a later gen that they would go all in on the Shellder evolution. (Re: that you need to have one in your party in order to evolve Slowpoke into Slowbro/Slowking.) I never think its too late to switch it up and make it happen. (Although for Slowking I imagine that the person who you're trading with should have the Shellder in their party.)

Taruos and Miltank is interesting, being retroactive gendered counterparts of one another. I wonder if Miltank might get a regional a few gens down the line ala Paldean Taruos.

 

[bugfacts]

I've been playing through Ultra Moon and, afaik, the only way to encounter sableye is through sos calls from carbink. The sableye will attack the carbink before targeting the player's pokemon, impying some predatory or at least adversarial connection there. (Also makes chaining them really annoying, I'm several broken sos chains deep into hunting shiny sableye)

I FORGOT THEY DID THAT!! Hell yeah!! That’s the kind of thing I love to see!! Even if it’s mechanically annoying, haha. I really adore when they do these sorts of cross-generational ecology things! Great example!

Slowpoke and Shellder my beloveds ;u;

I always wonder if they were introduced in a later gen that they would go all in on the Shellder evolution. (Re: that you need to have one in your party in order to evolve Slowpoke into Slowbro/Slowking.) I never think its too late to switch it up and make it happen. (Although for Slowking I imagine that the person who you're trading with should have the Shellder in their party.)

Taruos and Miltank is interesting, being retroactive gendered counterparts of one another. I wonder if Miltank might get a regional a few gens down the line ala Paldean Taruos.

I would honestly LOVE if they made you do the evolution like that. I’m kind of shocked they haven’t! I’m always a weird evolution method defender, though… I’ve also always wanted to see a new variant of the Slowpoke line that fished up and got bit by “the wrong thing”. I think that would be a lot of fun.

Also fingers crossed for a Miltank revisit, she’s been around so long with nothing!!

 

[ninazrdl]

I would like relationships like the morays and groupers in real life. Nobody is giving away any benefit, they both work for themselves, yet they are hunting mates and they both benefit from their relationship.
My favourite relationship in existing pokemons is Spoink and Clamperl. It seems that Spoinks totally rely on Clamperls for their livelihood, but it's unclear what can they provide to the Clamperls. Since every Clamperl can only produce one pearl in its lifetime, I assume every Spoink have a Clamperl as their BFF.
Oh yes, and Flygons and Krookodiles! They were enemies in their childhood time, but eventually they team up. That is the most complicated interspecies relationship in Pokemon so far.