A good alternative companion to the normal Olan/Rage/Birdie/Jack/Percy is Geese.

If your roulette goes ESPECIALLY wrong and you don't want to load or give up the run, Geese is an easy pickup from the inn in A2 and doesn't take up too much time as you are walking by anyway. All of the extra time taken is from staying 3 extra times (or 4 if you weren't planning on staying at all).

He can work in a pinch and quickly gets Poison Peck, which can be useful for a lot of the heavier fights later on. His biggest drawback is lack of utility and high reliance on MP.