Hydrapple

It looks like a candy apple with a dragon’s head, but it isn’t a single creature: several snakes that share one body live inside that shell. The one poking out from the center leads the group, while the others handle movement and attacks. Their temperaments don’t mesh well and their cooperation is inconsistent; when they manage to act at the same time, they unleash far more power than usual.

The shell maintains its connection to Applin, which lived inside an apple before evolving. The result is bulkier and heavier than its earlier forms, with a red syrup structure and green bodies that resemble worms and dragons. The central horn still carries an apple, a visible trace of its origin.

Within its evolutionary line, it occupies the final branch that evolves from Dipplin. It shares the Grass and Dragon types with its relatives, but its design abandons the compact silhouette of an inhabited fruit and transforms it into a collective creature that is difficult to coordinate even with itself.

Hydrapple doesn’t stand out for its Speed: its 44 Speed forces it to accept that it will almost always act second. It fits best on teams that want to endure, come in repeatedly, and punish switches. It has 106 HP and 110 Defense, while its 120 Special Attack gives it the power it lacks on the physical side. Its Attack and Special Defense are both 80, so it shouldn’t be exposed to powerful special moves without support.

Regenerator is the ability that best defines its use: it restores a small amount of HP when it switches out. This makes every retreat part of the plan and offsets the damage it accumulates when switching into attacks it resists. Supersweet Syrup lowers the opposing Pokémon’s evasiveness by one stage the first time it enters battle, but its effect is less consistent. Sticky Hold protects it from having its item stolen.

Grass and Dragon let it pressure Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type Pokémon with moves such as Energy Ball, Syrup Bomb, and Dragon Pulse. Recover extends its time on the field, while Fickle Beam can hit extremely hard when its snakes coordinate. Defensively, it resists Water, Grass, and Electric with ease, although it has several significant weaknesses: Ice deals four times as much damage, while Flying, Poison, Bug, Dragon, and Fairy deal twice as much.

In singles, it has a place as a sturdy special attacker, but it isn’t an automatic choice. Fast opponents, Ice attacks, and Fairy-type Pokémon limit its turns. Regenerator and Recover let it make better use of switching, especially against teams that rely on Water-, Ground-, or Electric-type attacks.

Hydrapple belongs to the Grass and Dragon Egg Groups. Its gender ratio is 50% male and 50% female, so it can breed with compatible Pokémon from those groups. Incubation requires 20 cycles, equivalent to approximately 5355 steps using the usual conversion.

Its notable Egg Moves include Defense Curl, Yawn, and Sucker Punch. The first improves its ability to withstand physical hits; Yawn forces decisions and can create openings for switches, while Sucker Punch adds a useful physical option against offensive opponents, although it requires the target to be preparing to attack.

To obtain it, you must evolve Dipplin when it levels up while knowing Dragon Cheer. Dipplin is obtained from Applin by using a Syrupy Apple; a Tart Apple leads to Flapple, while a Sweet Apple leads to [Appletun]. Hydrapple doesn’t appear as a regular wild encounter, and its catch rate is 10, a low figure that makes it difficult to catch directly when the game allows you to find it.