Rand: a whole archipelago in the hands of one Ranger

Oblivia had a reputation as a region where nothing ever happens. So the Ranger Union kept a staff of exactly one man there: Rand, Ranger Leader, who lives with his wife and daughter in a house that doubles as a base. The day the Pokémon Pinchers show up, that one-man staff becomes a problem — and the character spends the game making up for it by handing the player what he can no longer do himself.

Contents

• One Ranger for an entire archipelago
• A Ranger Base with a lab in the annex and a library upstairs
• The Wireless Tower, or how to cut a Ranger off from his Union
• A leader who delegates more than he fights
• The father brought down
• The final investigation, the living room rug and the aftermath
• Rand at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

One Ranger for an entire archipelago

Rand holds the title of Ranger Leader and the job of watching over Oblivia. He is the Ranger Union's only representative there, and the reason fits in one line: the archipelago was considered quiet, so it didn't warrant any more staff.

His position makes him the one who gives the player orders. He's the one who decides which missions matter and hands them out, something the way he introduces himself sums up better than his official title: Area Ranger in charge of the Oblivia region.

His portrait comes down to two traits that don't always go together. An upright, fair man who can really move people, and a temper that hits the roof the moment his family is involved — his daughter calls him a hothead, which he denies by shouting.

A Ranger Base with a lab in the annex and a library upstairs

On the east side of Renbow Island stands a large building that looks nothing like an administrative office. Rand's house serves as the Ranger Base, and it wears the colors to prove it: the blue, red, white and yellow of the uniform.

The interior tells the story of the family's three professions. An extension serves as a laboratory for Nema, his scientist daughter, while the upper floor holds the personal library of his wife Leanne, an archaeologist, along with her many research books.

One absence jumps out at anyone who played the two previous games: there isn't a single technician here. Their work is handled by automated terminals, the rechargers. Outside stand a save machine, a recharger, a Staraptor and a landing strip.

The Wireless Tower, or how to cut a Ranger off from his Union

The Pokémon Pinchers take over the Wireless Tower, just a short walk from the house. Rand finds himself with no way to reach the Union for several days, and it's that deadlock, not any regulation, that leads him to ask the player to team up with him and take the place back.

He briefs the player before going in, and the briefing is precise: electrical leaks everywhere — a regular visitor has already been electrocuted sneaking inside — walkways electrified at intervals, fierce winds and platforms with no railings. He recommends capturing Ground-type Poké Assists, because the Raikou rampaging inside is Electric-type.

The operation ends with an antenna destroyed right in front of Blue Eyes and a Raikou that needs calming before anything else. Rand then lets out a "mission accomplished" he hadn't said in years — much like the handwritten report he writes afterward for lack of a network, and has delivered by Murph.

⚡ Raikou and the birds of Oblivia have their own section: see the Legendary Pokémon.

A leader who delegates more than he fights

The rest of the game mostly shows him allocating resources. On his own authority, he unlocks features that would normally be up to Professor Hastings, on the grounds that the situation can no longer wait for approval.

The division of labor follows the same logic: the Rangers infiltrate the enemy base, while he and Murph patrol to protect the archipelago's Pokémon. The Articuno case therefore falls to his two subordinates, whom he warns about the snowstorms that sweep Mt. Sorbet all year round.

His reaction to setbacks says a lot about his philosophy. When an enemy boss escapes because the Rangers chose to save lives, he explicitly refuses to hold it against them: coming to the rescue is one of the job's first responsibilities, and the rest can wait.

The father brought down

The turning point comes while the Rangers are away. The Pokémon Pinchers land in force, catch him from behind, and he loses consciousness as he watches Leanne and Nema being taken away; he thinks he made out a red uniform and a blue one among those giving the orders, but he can't say for sure.

Injured, he wants to set off and find them himself, and he has to be ordered to stand down. He says he's ashamed he couldn't protect the two women in his life, to which Murph responds with a number: seven opponents at once — one more person probably wouldn't have changed a thing.

What gets the search moving doesn't come from him or from the Rangers, either. Nema had slipped a tracker onto herself, and the signal leads to the center of Sophian Island, near a large waterfall. Rand recognizes the place from the description — Silver Falls — and gives directions: the river north of the Aqua Resort, then up to its source.

The final investigation, the living room rug and the aftermath

Once his family is back, he becomes the hub where all the information comes together again. Purple Eyes was looking for the location of Zapdos to awaken the three legendary birds and bring down the barrier of a fortress described in the murals as a machine of ruin and destruction.

The final revelation shifts the blame: behind Purple Eyes stood Ed "The Thinker," who knew about the Golden Armor and the Sky Fortress and had engineered the whole plan. Leanne blames herself for having indirectly served that plan; Rand turns the argument around, telling her that her knowledge is Oblivia's best chance.

Yet the scene that sums him up best is a domestic one. The clue to Articuno's location had been lying in the rug in his own living room, an old pattern typical of Sophian Island that he had bought himself at the Aqua Resort and completely forgotten about. He holds the pieces without seeing them; it's his wife, his daughter and two visiting Rangers who put them together.

Finally, the return to normal doesn't owe him anything either: Nema salvages the wreckage of the enemy Z.Z. Flyers to build a satellite dish, communications with the Union are restored, and the report he sends nearly knocks Professor Hastings off his feet. His reward is an archaeology conference, where he and Leanne present their work aboard the Union ship.

One quest remains open after the credits. A fourth Oblivia song, which people stopped singing a century ago because it frightened children, resurfaces: its lyrics serve as a warning to anyone who might want to follow in the Hero's footsteps. Rand draws the opposite conclusion and awards the title to the player, who has already made the journey.

Rand at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Rand in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs?
  The Ranger Leader in charge of the Oblivia region, and the Ranger Union's only representative there. He assigns the player the most important missions, and his house on Renbow Island serves as the Ranger Base.
• Why is Rand the only Ranger stationed in Oblivia?
  Because the archipelago had a reputation as a quiet region. The Union saw no reason to assign several agents there, which becomes a handicap as soon as the Pokémon Pinchers arrive.
• Who are Leanne and Nema?
  His wife and daughter. Leanne is an archaeologist, and her library takes up the upper floor of the house; Nema is a scientist who works in an extension fitted out as a lab, where among other things she upgrades the Capture Styler.
• What happens when the Pokémon Pinchers take over the Wireless Tower?
  Rand is cut off from the Union for several days. He asks the player to team up with him to retake the tower, but the antenna is destroyed and he then has to deliver his reports by hand.
• Does Rand take part in the fighting?
  He goes with the player to retake the Wireless Tower and to inspect the warehouse at Hinder Cape. The rest of the time, he patrols to protect the archipelago's Pokémon and leaves the dangerous missions to the Rangers.

In short

Rand isn't an exceptional Ranger — he's a lone Ranger. His office is his living room, his technicians are automated terminals, and his network hangs on a single antenna that the Pokémon Pinchers bring down in one afternoon. The game gives him no heroic feat and no decisive battle: it gives him a watchword, a map of Oblivia he knows better than anyone, and a family whose kidnapping teaches him the limits of his own post. He ends up a conference speaker, not a hero — and he hands the title to someone else.