Humans have often studied the Floatzel in order to understand what propels them, for their limbs are legs, not fins, yet they are as quick in water as any other pokemon. Although their speed makes hunting them extraordinarily difficult, many domestic Floatzel have been given to research laboratories after death, for they are a popular pokemon which inspire curiosity and have long been used as lifeguards. Yet it was not until Floatzel began to be used in undersea exploration (for their sac can deflate, letting them sink, and reinflate to surface and rescue the drowning) that science began to understand their speed.
It was noticed that Floatzel moved much slower beneath the sea than they did on its surface, slower than the water pressure alone would account for, and therefore that their flotation sac was more than a simple device to allow these pokemon to float. In truth, the mysterious, large scarf-like sac wrapped around the back of every Floatzel not only gives these pokemon buoyancy, but also provides them with a fuel that propels them through the water with breakneck speed.
The discovery of Floatzel fuel inspired the development of rocketry, although synthesizing it from natural elements proved far more difficult than doing so with wild Floatzel, and the composition had to be tweaked to move rockets through air instead of water. Yet the principles are more or less the same, and one can find a remarkable resemblance in body shape between the Floatzel who speed through the water and the rockets which send humans and pokemon into space. Pokemon trainers have also experimented with using this fuel to speed up other pokemon. They have thus far succeeded only at a heavy price, for the pokemon who carry these fuel scarves find themselves unable to switch between techniques.