Partner Pokémon (Mystery Dungeon)

The Partner Pokémon (Japanese: パートナーのポケモン or パートナーポケモン Partner Pokémon) is a major character in every Mystery Dungeon game. They are a Pokémon, chosen by the player after their Pokémon is determined, to accompany them in their adventure, and have a major role to play in each game's plot. The player's partner is chosen after the player Pokémon is determined. The partner Pokémon cannot be of the same or type as the player.

Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team
At the beginning of the game, the player is presented with a quiz that decides which Pokémon he or she will play as, and then the partner is chosen (see below). The player and partner are the only playable Pokémon until the first mission is completed and a Friend Area is purchased. After the player has completed the main story, what Pokémon may be used as the main character is now an option, and the partner is not required for subsequent missions. If the partner Pokémon was knocked out during missions prior to finishing the main storyline, it counts as a failure of the mission.

Initially, the partner helps the player settle into a Team Base. Then, when their Rescue Team status is confirmed, the player and partner undertake a series of missions. During this time, they find out about Friend Areas from, and also meet other rescue teams. After rescuing at Mt. Thunder,, the leader of a famous rescue team who does not know how the player came to become a Pokémon, instructs the player and partner to see  at the Hill of the Ancients. Xatu only knows of a link between the rise in the number of natural calamities in the world, and the player's transformation into a Pokémon. The player and partner see the next day, and are told about the Ninetales legend. The day after, gathers the residents of the Pokémon Square, claiming that the player is the cursed human from Ninetales' legend and is the cause of the calamities in the world, therefore should be eliminated. The player is attacked, but the partner brings the player to safety. It then berates the player for not responding in that situation. After being warned by Alakazam that rescue teams will be out in force to apprehend the player and its accomplices, the player and partner become fugitives. They defeat and  in order to pass through Mt. Blaze and Frosty Forest respectively. The partner then hears about what told the player. They travel up Mt. Freeze but are caught by Alakazam's team. At that moment, Ninetales appears and stops them from fighting. Ninetales reveals that the player isn't the cursed human from its legend, and the cursed human isn't responsible for the natural calamities. The partner hears this revelation with relief, but is then curious to know who the player really is.

The player and partner are welcomed on their return to Pokémon Square, and the residents chase Gengar out after finding out that it lied to them. While Alakazam's team attempt to quell, the player's Team Base undergoes a transformation with the help of three that the player and partner defeated at Uproar Forest. After it becomes clear that Alakazam's team are struggling to quell Groudon, a makeshift rescue team is sent to Magma Cavern to rescue them, but they are defeated, leaving the player and partner with no choice but to defeat Groudon and rescue Alakazam's team. After that, Xatu tells the residents of Pokémon Square about the ultimate calamity: a meteor about to strike the planet. Xatu knows that only, who lives atop the Sky Tower, will be able to avert the meteor strike. Xatu, Alakazam and another Pokémon create a Teleport Gem to allow the player and partner access to the Sky Tower. The player and partner defeat Rayquaza and convince it to launch a at the meteor. The player and partner are caught up but are saved and taken to the Hill of the Ancients. Just as the Pokémon that have gathered are about to celebrate, the player reveals that it must now return to its own world as a human being, and starts to disappear into a ball of light. The Pokémon, especially the partner, are left shocked and saddened by this. However, the player decides to return to the Pokémon world, reappearing in front of the partner and others at the Team Base.

In the post-game story, the player and partner discover that Snubbull underwent evolution, and became. When the player goes to see the Friend Areas after this, the partner proposes the idea of designating any one of their rescue team recruits as team leader. From then on, the partner is not required to be in the team for any missions, though may still appear beside the player for dialogue purposes.

Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
The game starts with a quiz to decide what Pokémon the player starts as, and then the player chooses a partner. The partner has to tag along and the player will automatically lose should the partner Pokémon be knocked out until the main story is completed. However, the player and partner will still walk around in Treasure Town.

In the storyline, the partner initially comes across as timid and lacking in confidence. It fails to join Wigglytuff Guild by itself due to this, even though it thought that carrying a piece of personal treasure, which the partner calls the Relic Fragment, would help. The partner goes to the beach to raise its spirits, then discovers the player on the beach. After helping the player up and finding out that it was a human, the partner is attacked and has its Relic Fragment stolen by a and, who flee into the Beach Cave. The player and partner corner the thieves and defeat them in battle to retrieve the Relic Fragment, after which the partner admits it couldn't have done without the player. The player agrees to form a team with the partner, and later they manage to gain access to Wigglytuff Guild. After convincing that they wish to join as apprentices, they meet Guildmaster  who signs them up. Chatot then shows them where they will sleep every night. The next day, they are woken up by fellow apprentice. Chatot then gives the player and partner their first assignment. After completing the assignment, the partner is shocked that only 10% of the monetary reward is given to the player's team.

The next day, Chatot tells fellow apprentice to show the player and partner around Treasure Town. After the tour ends with the player buying some items at the Kecleon Shop, a and  then go shopping at the same place. After giving back an Apple that Azurill dropped, the player starts to see a vision. The player and partner then see a talk to the same Marill and Azurill. When Drowzee leaves, he accidentally nudges the player, causing it to start seeing another vision. The player tries to explain it to the partner, who thinks the player is just dreaming. But upon returning to the guild, the Outlaw Notice Board updates, with Drowzee added to the list of suspects. Knowing that Azurill might be in trouble, as the player foresaw, the player and partner go up to Mt. Bristle to defeat and arrest Drowzee. At night, the partner talks about the Time Gears and how nobody would dare to steal one, although the next cutscene shows a Pokémon clearly doing so.

The next day, Chatot asks the player and partner to investigate a secret waterfall. Using the player's visions, they discover that Wigglytuff might have already visited this waterfall, and Wigglytuff confirms thus when the player and partner return. The following day, Chatot tells the guild that a Time Gear has been stolen. It then tells the player and partner about an upcoming expedition. Their participation in the expedition would depend on their performance in their next mission, which was to bring some Perfect Apples from Apple Woods for Wigglytuff. When they get there, they are ambushed by 's Koffing and. They steal the Perfect Apples, leaving the player and partner to report to the guild as having failed their mission, with punishment in the form of not having the day's dinner. The next morning, fellow guild apprentices, Sunflora and Diglett show their kind gestures by giving the player and partner portions of the dinner that they set aside.

In the following days, the partner openly expresses its worries following the failed mission. However, Wigglytuff announces that everyone in the guild is taking part in the expedition, much to Chatot's shock. The player and partner are paired with Bidoof to get to where the guild would be setting up camp; with its newfound determination, the partner acts as a leader for the makeshift team. Using the player's visions, the partner inserts a stone that it found near the Foggy Forest, into a Groudon statue in order to lift the fog and gain access to the Steam Cave. At the top, they battle Groudon, but it turns out to be an illusion created by, the guardian of Fogbound Lake and its Time Gear. The partner asks Uxie about whether it knows about the player's past as a human, and whether it may have caused the player's amnesia. Uxie replies that it can only erase memories of Fogbound Lake. Uxie also trusts the guild enough to allow them to keep their experiences of Fogbound Lake, but after the guild returns to base, the same thief from before, who knows nothing about the guild, arrives to defeat Uxie and steal the Time Gear.

The day after the player and partner return to base, they encounter a self-proclaimed legendary explorer named. After Team Skull tries to ambush the player and partner once again by luring them to the Amp Plains, Dusknoir arrives to drive them away. The next day, after Dusknoir recognises the player's visions as the Dimensional Scream, the guild receives an alert about the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake having been stolen, as well as the identity of the thief, now known to be. The guild therefore begins an investigation to uncover the locations of the remaining Time Gears before Grovyle can steal them. The player and partner investigate the Northern Desert, eventually finding out that something lies inside the quicksand at the end of the desert. They reach the lake underneath Quicksand Cave; after defeating the lake's guardian, Mesprit, Grovyle arrives to steal the lake's Time Gear, causing the player and partner to flee.

They return to the guild, where Dusknoir postulates that if the player touches the crystal that Bidoof found at Crystal Cave, it may reveal whether there's a lake underneath it. The player sees a vision of Grovyle having defeated another Pokémon there, so the player and partner go to Crystal Cave to investigate. They reach the lake underneath Crystal Crossing and sees the lake's guardian, Azelf, being threatened by Grovyle as the player foresaw. They unsuccessfully attempt to defeat Grovyle in battle. Dusknoir then arrives, causing Grovyle to flee before other guild members arrive at the scene to tend to the stricken player and partner.

Knowing that Azelf secured its Time Gear, Dusknoir knows Grovyle cannot achieve his goal. He tells the guild and residents of Treasure Town that if Grovyle succeeds, he will cause the planet's paralysis, where the flow of time completely stops. He also reveals that he and Grovyle came from the future. Having agreed with Treasure Town's sheriff,, Dusknoir would capture Grovyle himself, then call the guild and Treasure Town's residents for one final farewell before taking Grovyle back to the future. The capture succeeds, and during the farewell, Dusknoir calls the player and partner forward after Grovyle is sent into the dimensional hole towards the future. Without warning, he grabs the player and partner and takes them into the dimensional hole as well.

The player and partner find themselves in a prison. They are then taken away to a stockade, where they would be executed by six. To their shock, they find Grovyle tied to the stockade as well. Grovyle convinces the player and partner to follow his plan to escape from the stockade. The trio flee, and when the partner sees the outside world, it is shocked to see that it is just as Dusknoir described if all the Time Gears had been stolen. Grovyle, still unable to gain the trust of the player and partner, decides to continue by himself. Then, the player and partner decide to catch up to him. They rescue Grovyle from a at Sealed Ruin. Grovyle decides to tell the player and partner his reason for stealing the Time Gears in the past. Although the partner still isn't fully trusting Grovyle, it decides to go with Grovyle and his next mission: to seek, who would lead them to the Passage of Time in order to return to the past. Though they make it to the Passage of Time, Dusknoir and his six Sableye corner the trio and Celebi, and call forth their own master, Primal Dialga, to eliminate them once and for all. Here, Grovyle reveals that he did not return to the past alone. Dusknoir tells Grovyle to reveal the name of his companion. Grovyle is then shocked to find out that his companion, the player, is beside him having turned into a Pokémon. The partner is equally shocked to find out that Dusknoir misled everyone while he was in the past. Just as Grovyle seems to have lost all hope, the partner asks Celebi whether she can transport them nearer to the Passage of Time. Celebi complies, and the trio manage to enter the portal back to the past, with Celebi evading capture in the future.

The trio wake up at the beach back in the player's present time. Grovyle decides to collect the Time Gears again, starting with the one in Treeshroud Forest. After accomplishing this, the partner has Grovyle and the player hide in its old home, Sharpedo Bluff, while it collects information about what has happened since the player and partner were away. Grovyle tells the player and partner about the Hidden Land, which is where Temporal Tower is. The player and partner agree to find out how to get there, while Grovyle collects the other Time Gears.

The player and partner are welcomed back to the Wigglytuff Guild, where everyone believes the player and partner's account of the future. The player and partner are also told that the town elder,, may also know about the Hidden Land. After an initial meeting failed to elicit a meaningful answer, Torkoal visits the guild himself the next day to elaborate on his answer. At that point, the player decides that the partner should show Torkoal the Relic Fragment. Torkoal confirms that the partner's treasure is what's needed. Wigglytuff and Chatot see the Relic Fragment's pattern and agree that they have seen it before. Thus, the guild prepares for an expedition into the Brine Cave.

The player and partner reach the bottom of Brine Cave, and rescue Chatot from a and two. They then see Wigglytuff and Grovyle further ahead, and find out that Wigglytuff had visited Brine Cave the night before. Using the partner's Relic Fragment, is summoned. It takes the player, partner and Grovyle to the Hidden Land after an overnight. When the trio arrive at the old ruins on top of the Hidden Land, they see the Rainbow Stoneship which would take them up to the Temporal Tower. At that point, Dusknoir and his six Sableye apprehend them. The trio defeat the Sableye, forcing them to flee, but Dusknoir refuses to back down. It is only defeated when the trio counter a launched from its mouth. While Dusknoir is down, Grovyle tells the partner to activate the Rainbow Stoneship using its Relic Fragment. When it informs that the Stoneship is ready, Grovyle announces that he is taking Dusknoir back to the future. After leaving the Time Gears behind, he pushes Dusknoir through the dimensional hole with himself, and the hole disappears.

The partner gathers the Time Gears and goes with the player up the Temporal Tower. At the pinnacle, they encounter a Dialga that is not fully Primal, and defeat it. With the tower's collapse advancing, the partner then hurriedly puts the Time Gears in place. The player and partner are knocked unconscious subsequently, but wake up to a Dialga whose senses were restored. It shows the player and partner areas where time flow has returned to normal, and tells them to return home.

On the way back to the Rainbow Stoneship, the player starts to disappear. It tells the shocked partner that it is destined to disappear, because it came from the future which has now changed. As the partner's shock turns into grief and sorrow, the player expresses one last wish for its partner before disappearing completely. Months later, the partner goes out for a stroll at the beach and sees the bubbles blow over the sea. The partner remembers the last time it saw this: when it met the player. As the memories come flooding back, Bidoof goes to check on the partner. The partner finishes recalling its memories by crying on Bidoof. At the Temporal Tower, Dialga decides to grant the partner's wish, and revives the player behind the partner at the beach.

In the post-game story, the player and partner take the graduation mission: they would bring back some treasure from the Mystifying Forest, but are warned about the "grand master of all things bad" lurking there. A, who sees the player and partner before going to the forest too, does not recall encountering such a threat. They meet Teddiursa again at the clearing, where it still does not see such a threat. However, the player and partner fall into a pit covered by leaves, and eventually find out that "the grand master of all things bad" is just Wigglytuff and his apprentices. After defeating their guild colleagues, the player and partner catch up with Teddiursa again. It shows them the Luminous Spring, which now allows Pokémon to evolve. Teddiursa successfully undergoes its evolution into. However, when the partner tries to go for its evolution at the spring, it finds that it cannot, because it is causing a distortion in the fabric of space. The partner also finds out that the player cannot evolve for the same reason.

After graduating, the player and partner sleep and save their progress at the Sharpedo Bluff. They are now able to choose the team leader before going off to explore a dungeon. After going on a few explorations, the player will have dreams where a tells it that it should not exist. The player and partner are then alerted to an incident where Azurill won't wake up. Chatot suggests that Drowzee should be asked to look into this. The partner recalls who Drowzee is, and officer reveals that Drowzee is now on Mt. Travail. The player and partner go there to see Drowzee and lead him to Azurill. Drowzee tells the player and partner to get ready for an exploration of Azurill's dream. After wandering around in the dream, Cresselia then appears to both the player and partner, confirming that Azurill is in a nightmare, and the existence of them both will cause everyone in the world to be trapped in nightmares. But when Drowzee's voice is heard, Cresselia flees. Drowzee takes the player and partner out of Azurill's nightmare. After being told about Cresselia, Chatot recalls what it knows about the Pokémon, which seems contrary to how Cresselia appeared to the player and partner. The partner stops short of revealing any cure for the nightmares, telling the player later on that it was silly to take Cresselia's word for granted. After the player suggests that the circumstances are different: that the player disappeared first time around because it knew it would secure the world's future, and this time around it would not be certain that them disappearing would make things better, the partner feels a little bit better. The partner suggests to see Lapras to ask what it knows about the fabric of space. They go to sleep after hearing about and the Spacial Rift, but are woken up by Palkia itself, who takes them to the Spacial Rift, determined to eliminate them. After being chased to a dead end, the player and partner defeat Palkia in battle, causing it to be immobilized. A voice tells the player and partner that Palkia is trapped in a nightmare, and offers them a look into it. Inside the nightmare, Cresselia appears once more, confirming once again that the world will be saved if the player and partner are eliminated. Palkia questions this; it reveals that Cresselia appeared in its dreams with its claims about the player and partner, but they don't seem to have any intention of causing trouble. Just as Cresselia is about to finish them off, a second Cresselia appears, exposing the first Cresselia to be and pulling Palkia out of its nightmare, along with the player and partner.

At Treasure Town, the real Cresselia appears to Chatot and the guild members, having rescued Azurill from its nightmare. Cresselia reminds the player and partner of where they met her impostor: in dreams. Cresselia knows that Darkrai isn't acting like normal when he told the player and partner to meet at the Dark Crater. She knows that the player and partner have beaten him before: when they foiled the destruction of time at Temporal Tower. Finally, she tells the player and partner that even though they cause a distortion of space, it is too small and cannot expand on its own. But it was blamed on the player and partner in order to eliminate them. Thus, knowing what Darkrai is about, the guild members volunteer to go to the Dark Crater, but Cresselia tells them to be content with just the player, partner and herself going there.

At the deepest part of the Dark Crater, Darkrai tells the truth to the player and partner. He did seek to destroy time by destroying the Temporal Tower. But when he heard of the player and Grovyle's arrival from the future, he attacked them just as they were time travelling. His attack was intended for Grovyle, but the player shielded Grovyle, hence causing the memory loss and transformation into a Pokémon. He then decides, instead of trying to eliminate the player and partner, he would convince them to join him. The partner appears to be convinced by this, and goes to Darkrai's side. But the player sees through this, knowing it's an illusion, and attacks Darkrai. After Darkrai is defeated in battle, he hatches an escape plan. He summons a dimensional hole that would allow him to plunge the world into darkness in another time. However, Palkia arrives to stop Darkrai once and for all, by firing an attack on Darkrai just as he begins to time-travel. After being assured by Cresselia that it means Darkrai would not return to his wicked ways, the player and partner return to Treasure Town triumphantly. The consequent cutscene is narrated in the partner's voice, where it mentions that it still cannot evolve. This remains the case until Marine Resort is unlocked and Palkia joins the exploration team.

As in Explorers of Time and Darkness, the game starts with a quiz to decide what Pokémon the player starts as, and then the player chooses a partner. The partner has to tag along and the player will automatically lose should the partner Pokémon be knocked out until the main story is completed. However, the player and partner will still walk around in Treasure Town.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare)
The partner is chosen by a selection screen.

Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
The player can choose between the Unova starters,, and.

Super Mystery Dungeon
Every core series as of Generation VI, as well as  and, can be chosen as the player or partner. They can either be selected by quiz or selected by the player.

In the main series

 * See also: Team Go-Getters and Team Poképals

In the anime special Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!, and  both act as anime counterparts to the partner from Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, meeting an odd  who claims to have once been a human boy. The two of them welcome him into their Rescue Team, Team Go-Getters.

In the two anime specials Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness, the role of partner is fulfilled by a, who finds the courage to join the Wigglytuff Guild after befriending a.

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Animated Shorts
In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Animated Shorts, the partner Pokémon is a female. Together with her friend, an, the two work together to build her paradise.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team, Ginji's partner is a. He is a cowardly Pokémon that slowly grows more assertive while adventuring with Ginji.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Exploration Team
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Exploration Team, Honō's partner is a. Similar to Mudkip, Totodile gains confidence in itself as he journeys with his friend.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness
In, 's partner is a.