Dragonair

Between Dratini and Dragonite there is a four-metre snake that weighs 16.5 kilos. That figure is worth looking at twice: four metres long and the weight of a medium-sized dog, with an elongated, almost hollow body, no legs, no visible wings and nothing holding it to the ground.

What defines it are the three crystal orbs — one beneath its head, two in its tail — through which it releases the energy it stores inside. Everything said about it comes from there. That it changes the weather in the area where it releases that charge. That it is surrounded by an aura that is difficult to describe. That agricultural villages have worshipped it since ancient times precisely because of this, and that offerings can still be found on the shores of the lakes where it lives.

That last entry is unusual for the Pokédex. Most describe habits, diets or territories; this one describes a cult. Dragonair does not appear as wildlife but as something people leave things for on the shore so that it will rain.

Its official category is Dragon Pokémon, plain and simple, and it is a pure Dragon type, without the Flying half it will gain when it evolves. It lives along the banks, between freshwater and land.

420 base stat points are few for what it looks like. The spread: 61 HP, 84 Attack, 65 Defense, 70 in both Special Attack and Special Defense, and 70 Speed. Attack is the only stat that stands out, and 84 is not a figure that breaks anything.

Its regular ability, Shed Skin, cures status conditions when it sheds its skin — useful passively, impossible to plan around. Its Hidden Ability, Marvel Scale, is the interesting one: it raises Defense while it has a status condition. Poisoning or burning it on purpose turns those 65 Defense points into a decent figure, although poison and burn keep eating into its 61 HP.

As a pure Dragon type, it resists Fire, Water, Grass and Electric, and struggles against Ice, Dragon and Fairy. The problem is not defending itself, but attacking: Dragon-type moves are only super effective against other dragons and do absolutely nothing against a Fairy. That leaves Dragon Rush, which it learns at level 39, and Outrage, at 67, staring at the problem.

Dragon Dance is in its TM list, and the obvious plan is to raise Attack and Speed and go out with Aqua Tail (level 33) or Draco Meteor. The plan is obvious, and it is also the same one Dragonite uses with 600 points and Multiscale. There is no compelling reason to take the middle stage into a serious battle.

Where it does work is in a normal playthrough, from level 30 onwards, when there are still twenty-five levels to go before evolving and Dragon Tail or Slam are enough to get through routes.

It belongs to the Water 1 and Dragon Egg Groups, the combination that lets it breed both with sea serpents and with the rest of the dragons. The gender ratio is straightforward: 50% female, so there is no need to fight the odds to get the one you want.

The 40 incubation cycles are the real toll. They amount to about 10 455 steps, among the longest stretches there are, and on top of that it grows at a slow rate, so after breaking the egg you still have to raise it to level 30 on the most expensive experience curve. In the Scarlet and Violet data, the species has no Egg Move listed, so breeding provides no attacks it cannot get by level-up or TM.

It evolves from Dratini at level 30 and continues on to Dragonite at 55, with no items, no friendship and no time-of-day conditions. Its catch rate is 45, the figure for difficult Pokémon: in the wild, it is best to lower its HP and put it to sleep before wasting Balls.

Its habitat is the banks, and wild specimens can be robbed of a Dragon Scale and Dragon Fang. Defeating it yields 2 Attack EVs, and its starting friendship is 35, a low figure.