Familiar

In Final Fantasy VIII, "Familiar" is a support ability that doesn't require equipping to be effective. Once learned, certain shops will start offering rare goods, such as rare magazines at the Esthar Book Store. This ability only affects "specialty" shops, not general stores. The Guardian Force Tonberry learns "Familiar" for 150 AP, allowing it to learn "Call Shop" next. Tonberry joins the party after defeating the Tonberry King. With "Familiar," players can buy rare items such as Giant's Rings, Power Wrists, Force Armlets, and Hypno Crowns, which can be refined into Gaea's Ring, Hyper Wrist, Magic Armlet, and Royal Crown using GFAbl Med-RF and into stat boosting items with Forbid Med-RF. Moreover, premium healing items like X-Potions and Mega Phoenixes (which can be refined into Phoenix Pinions) and Elixirs for PuPu's sidequest can be purchased at Johnny's shop in Esthar. Thanks to "Familiar", players can easily obtain junction ability scrolls, which are helpful for final battles where the player cannot directly choose their team and get Combat Kings and other magazines earlier. Overall, Familiar is a valuable ability worth learning early.