[Pokémon] Dragon Ascent: A Dragon Lover's Club

[DragonKing48]

I have over a dozen shiny dragons by now we could maybe use for a picture or two...got shiny Fraxure, shiny Tyrunt, and pulled off the "DNS Gen 5 Exploit" for the 3 Shiny Sinnoh legends also.

 

[DragonKing48]

I also...*might * be devising a great plan that will leave the Fairy Club with no other option but to recognize who is King and the one true ruler...

 

[DragonKing48]

As promised, I take a break from the never-ending quest to come forth with tales of expedition, adventure, mystery and intrigue, all while doing every thing the One True King could possibly obtain..

Iset out over a fortnight ago I've barely seen the castle or kingdom much in days. I've seen the faces of many, all the while accompanied by my current 6 warriors:

Mega Sceptile, one of the top fighters when it comes to speed...he's almost unstable at times. He hits so powerfully and quickly it's like a samurai.

Latias and Latios. I've always been exceptionally fond of this pair, the docile blue brother who extended an invitation to join us long ago in Hoenn, and with great honor and gratitude I accepted. I then began to seek out the friendly red sister, Latias, who I found that a woman was offering for a spare dragon I had. I quickly accepted the proposal and together the two of them have been by my side ever since, firing off powerful attacks at high speed.

Haxorus is someone who I recently called upon, who I've known for years. The old guard, if you will. I met him in Kalos close to 5 years ago, and his ability for endless destruction is unstoppable. I knew such a savage destroyer was needed to do what I set out to do.

Hydreigon, similar to Haxorus raw brute force of his own, he seeks only to wreck everyone deemed an enemy and will not stop until the job is done. How can you not have a menacing three headed tyrant with you on the journey?

Finally, I brought along a personal favorite-a rare golden cloud Dragon, Altaria. Encountered by pure chance, I immediately captured the bird-like beast and brought it along. Possessing hard hitting capabilities, with the durability to withstand several tough blows, a good defender is also a great attacker...

 

[DragonKing48]

At about the beginning of the expedition, I encountered a merchant offering 1 of 2 small green Bagon. All the generous barterer was asking in return was a somewhat rare Friend Ball. I looked around and was able to produce one quickly, and chose the one more suited for Special Attack. I handed him an extra Dragon Breath Treecko and the quest continued.

 

[Fairy]

As part of my pride as a true Fae, and in due part to the fact that the one true Dragon King has bestowed upon me a shiny Shiinotic, I hereby pledge my allegiance to the Dragon type. While I may be a member of this club already by name, I shall now honor the Dragon type in spirit as well. This Fairy bows before you.

 

[DragonKing48]

The Glory of The King even makes enemies friends.

 

[DragonKing48]

Sam! Sam! See your great mighty King when you can! Just got extra shiny Dratini for you!

 

[DragonKing48]

We've arrived in Galar...

 

[Nah]

What do you plan to use in your party? Besides the Horsea and the Goomy

 

[DragonKing48]

Right now I also have Druddigon, 2 Dreepy, and Applin. 1 Dreepy is actually drifting in the background if you closely lol.

 

[DragonKing48]

I was charging my phone when this happened, and I shouldn't have unplugged it, but this was too interesting too miss when it happened lol. At least their Shinies are essentially one color so that takes away from a lot of the problem lmao.

 

[DragonKing48]

*Holy ominous chanting can be heard...*

I've done it! The King has completed the Shiny Dragon collection!

 

[VisionofMilotic]

Hi guys,

I've been pretty regular posting a Dragon Pokemon of the month, but a little irregular with other types questions of the month. I'd like to get back into that.

I have a question for my dragon tamers.

What are some of your favorite fictional reptiles?

I stress the word reptile because I have asked about favorite dragons or favorite series featuring them before. Some of mine are Eragon, Dragonheart and of course pokemon with it's many dragon types-- Dragonite being my all time favorite.

I'd like to include any fictional reptile this time from tv shows, video games, movies, novels, legends etc like characters who are snakes, dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles etc?

Some that I enjoy would be Rex the anxiety-stricken plastic Tyrannosaurus from Toy Story, along with the hapless Alligator bandits from The Dance of the Hours part in Disney's Fantasia.



Speaking of Disney, Louis the trumpet-playing gator is another fun one.

From mythology I have always been drawn to the Egyptian Crocodile-headed God of the Nile, the mercreature-like Naga from Hindu myth, and the legendary White Snake from Chinese legend who loved a mortal. There's a good movie adaptation of White Snake, Green Snake starring Jet Li, called The Sorcerer and the White Snake.



I am going to count Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter also as a pseudo-snake. First, this evil wizard is a parselmouth. For all you muggles (non-magical folk) out there this means he can speak the language of snakes. Communicating with snakes is a very rare ability that even most witches and wizards are not blessed with. It has to be inherited.

Spoiler:

He is descended from Salazar Slytherin himself, a powerful dark wizard from the middle ages who was one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and a parselmouth himself. As Slytherin's heir Voldemort inherited his Chamber of Secrets, containing a basilisk that only the heir can control.

Voldemort's familiar and pet is a 12 foot long venomous snake or in the movies a Python. I do not acknowledge any Fantastical Beasts canon, only Harry Potter. He likes to use Nagini to entrap others as well as kill people on his behalf. He also drinks Nagini's milk to sustain himself when his body is weak.

Spoiler:

Nagini is also Voldemort's horcrux containing part of his soul. You can't kill Voldemort without first killing her.

Over the years Voldemort slowly transformed from an extremely handsome young man to a monstrous figure with snake-like physical attributes. He lost his nose and developed slits in its place. He went bald. In the book his skin turned green, and his eyes are red. So I'm counting the Dark Lord as a humanoid snake :P



So are there any fictional reptiles that you are fond of?

 

[VisionofMilotic]

Well, dragon tamers, the time has come to spotlight a dragon Pokemon. This month featured a plot twist! I wanted you folks to find a good dragon for us to pay homage to that we haven't highlighted yet, and happily you obliged! I got over a half dozen private message just this weekend, suggesting amazing dragon pokemon after dragon pokemon. I promised I would pick the first one I received, and this month that dragon is the great... Flygon, Also known as "The Mystical Pokemon."



This exotic ground/dragon was recommended by Hyzenthlay at precisely July 26th, 2020 at 9:50 AM. Thank you for your contribution to Dragon Ascent this month. You made a great choice, and I'm happy to close out the month of July flying on this Pokemon's back.

How would you rate Mr. Flygon on a scale of 1-10? 1 being a disaster, worst of the worst, 10 being phenomenal, the pokemon to end all Pokémon.

I would rate Flygon a respectable 7.5 or 8. I think it's an interesting Pokemon, it's not my all-time favorite dragon--an honor that goes to Dragonite. However, I do like Flygon. I think it has a striking design, and it's pre-evolution Vibrava is also very beautiful. The region of Hoenn is such a wondrous place where Pokemon are often more complex than they appear at first glance. Just as a frail Feebas evolves into the bewitching Milotic, I think Vibrava and Flygon are exciting transformations from the innocuous Trapinch scattered everywhere throughout the desert.

The back story for this pokemon is pretty cool. According to it's Pokédex entry for Pokemon Sapphire, "FLYGON whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the "singing" is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this POKéMON is said to be the desert spirit. Being known as the elemental spirit of the desert is quite the moniker!

This pokemon also has the distinction of being the first ground/dragon type Pokemon. While other stronger Pokemon have since come along, before there was Garchomp or Zygarde, there was Flygon. And this Pokemon has some tricks of the trade up it's sleeve that allow it to carve out a place for itself if you are creative. It can scout by U-turning in and out. And while he doesn't have the raw power of Garchomp as a physical attacker, he can set up with dragon dance. He can heal himself with roost, and has a useful ability with levitate to soar over the entry hazards with full immunity to any ground move like earthquake. He has a lot of coverage moves like the elemental punches. I've been hit by some of that diverse move pool before, and remember getting crushed by a nasty stone edge from an enemy Flygon after it's teammate Ninjask had batonpassed it's sword dance and speed boost. So I don't underestimate it.

Sword and Shield players, have you ever gone on a Flygon raid or dynamaxed your Flygon?



According to Ken Sugimori Flygon was slated to receive a mega evolution, but was dropped when the team failed to find the right design.

In your opinion should Flygon have received a mega in gen 6 like it was supposed to?

**If yes, what would you change about this Pokemon upon mega evolving? I.e which stats would increase? Would it get a new ability or typing? How would mega flygon look differently from a regular Flygon?

While I feel curious about what a Mega Flygon could have been, at the same time I think Flygon's design is so good that it is hard to improve upon. I understand the artist's not wanting to mess with this design if they did not immediately have the inspiration.

I also think Flygon as a Pokemon has been given enough tools to make use of that it's not in bad shape. It's stats are moderate across the board with 100 base attack and speed being it's highest, and every other stat being a balanced 80, but I favor giving priority on the mega evolution waiting list to fully evolved pokemon with base stat totals of less than 500. In Altaria's case it was do or die. But in the case of Flygon I don't think it needs to be completely overhauled to be good, and you could make more subtle modifications.

A lot of Pokemon in gen 7 received stat buffs of an extra 10, 15 or 25 points here or there without actually going mega like exeggcutor. I think adding just another 10 points to it's physical attack would dramatically strengthen this Pokemon. Alternatively leave it's attack the same and instead increase it's special attack 20 points to make it a mixed attacker. Flygon learns a lot of interesting moves like Draco Meteor, giga drain or heat wave that could really make it an really unpredictable Pokemon.



Jirachi Wishmaker! Have you ever watched the 6th Pokemon movie. How did you like it, and how about Flygon's role? Forina valley there's a noble Flygon there trying to protect Jirachi and the other Pokemon living there, who serves as an ally to Ash.



Jirachi Wishmaker is one of my favorite Pokemon movies. It's in my top 5 with Celebi 4ever, Spell of the Unown and the Rise of Darkrai. I love the theme of the Pokemon carnival and think the Great Butler the magician and his lover Diane were really cool characters of the day. I loved experiencing the gorgeous wilderness of Forina valley and all the mysterious Pokemon that lived there like Absol, Tropius and of course Flygon. You care about Flygon as he undertakes a suspenseful escape from Groudon with Ash, Max and Jirachi. Butler takes it to the next level with a dragon of his own, and we get an epic race against time with Salemence and Flygon vs a dark magic Groudon. For me these are some of the most memorable scenes in the history of Pokemon anime.



Bonus: Post flygon fan art if you like this mon to celebrate Flygon day!





I hope I was able to begin a worthwhile discussion about this pokemon. Would you guys like the chance to pick Dragon of the Month again in future? If so then I would be down for sending you guys messages in your inbox on random months for Dragon of the Month selection. I like the idea of it being a surprise opportunity to seize just when you least expect it :)

 

[DragonKing48]

Flygon is cool. While yes, he's no doubt not the best for his role, he DOES do things Garchomp can't, like more balanced attack with Special as well, and in Gen 8 he has a very deep mixed movepool. He's not in the Big 10 of Hydreigon, Haxorus, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Dragapult, Kommo-O and others quite, but he is no doubt above others like Noivern and non-Mega Altaria.

Easily one of the most balanced all the way across even not being Pseudo Legendary, but...he could have used Mega just for the step up.

On the other hand, as Sam has highlighted many good qualities...Gf has often done Flygon arguably wrong many times in the eyes of loving fans:

No HA. At all. Not to mention only one ability in general and that goes for Vibrava as well...which takes me to the next.

They lose 20 or more Attack points upon evolution from Trapinch...one of , if not THE most drastic downgrades statistically.

Shiny is one of the classics "he just got highlights.", with some colors of Shiny Trapinch and Vibrava here and there around the eyes and wings.

As for the Mega, I've had one thought out for a while...basically just really step up his "Bug Dragon/Dragon-Fly" Design.

More ferocious. Amp up the composite eyes. Tweak the horns. More wings that are clear now. Insectoid claws. In short, mix a lot of things similar to Mega-Pinsir and Mega- Heracross and Yanmega.

They will never look down upon him again.

Flamethrower and Fire Punch are the answer to his Double Ice weakness, which besides that, he doesn't have many at all, and most can be easily dealt with.

It may be a trade off for Levitate, but I'd at least add in Sand Stream as HA.

 

[Hyzenthlay]

Oh, this is a lovely contribution to my favourite dragon-type! :) And I can't thank you enough for my shiny Trapinch! <3

How would you rate Mr. Flygon on a scale of 1-10

10/10 from me! I have a lot of bias for Flygon and use him often as a character in my Pokémon Mystery Dungeon fan fictions! I love his looks, the sleekness of his design, the dragonfly theme, the colours... I think he's an excellent dragon-type all round! He has few weaknesses and an ability that renders him immune to two different types, along with a nice, diverse movepool and good stats! I do think he deserves a buff though, which brings me to the next topic question.

In your opinion should Flygon have received a mega in gen 6 like it was supposed to?

I would really have liked to see a Mega for Flygon—while he holds his own, he's still left in the wake of stronger competitors. You make a good point though, Sam! Maybe all Flygon needs is a decent boost to his stats, rather than a Mega. After all, his design is perfect as it is. Though if I were to have any input on a Mega, I'd make Flygon more thorny/spiky-looking, perhaps with an extra pair of wings, enhance the compound eyes, that sort of thing! This might sound tacky, but maybe embellish it with some jewels? I would just like them to bring out the "Desert Spirit" theme!

And here is some of my favourite Flygon fan art! <3

Spoiler:

 

[VisionofMilotic]

I was inspired to ask this question of Dragon Ascent members after watching this upload by Truegreen7. He's a poketuber that I watch from time to time, I like his fan art. In this video he takes a look at all 18 types of Pokemon, and picks the region that in his opinion has the best Pokemon of each type. I.e Where you can find the best assortment of water types, best electric types etc?



My question to you all is when it comes to dragon types, which region in your opinion has the best dragon type Pokemon?

While Dragonite is my #1 favorite dragon Pokemon, since Kanto only has one line of dragon pokemon I'd have to say Hoenn has the best dragon pokemon overall because there are so many, and every one of them is solid. We've celebrated quite a few of them here. I think having Pokemon as powerful as Pokemon Rayquaza and Salamence in one region says a lot.

That's my opinion, but now I'd love to hear from you guys because I bet some of us have different opinions on this. So, which region has the best dragons to you?

Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola or Galar?

 

[Nah]

For me it'd probably be Unova since it has it's legendary dragons+Haxorus and Hydreigon. Hoenn and Sinnoh are pretty good too.

 

[DragonKing48]

Kanto...not much representation.

Johto...same, but added Kingdra who is great in many ways.

Hoenn...yeah might have given the most powerful of all if you count Mega Rayquaza, and Mega Sceptile is another from Hoenn one way or another. One of my top 3 if not my overall favorite. Latias and Latios came from here, sooo versatile.

Sinnoh...3 Legendaries and others also so this one was impactful...

Unova...probably takes it for me...as someone stated...when you have power the likes of Hydreigon and Haxorus...that whole line is devastating honestly, Druddigon as well, who is also another "top 3 if not 1 overall" of mine, this guy is capable of Super Effective moves against every E4 and Champion in every game he's featured in, including Fire and Thunder Punch, plus Rough Skin and Sheer Force are crucial, as well as the 3 Legendaries, plus I believe they introduced the most ever which gives them many points.

Kalos...definitely some more fantastic additions, including Dragalge who just is a nightmare support against Fairies and even more destructive with his bulk when paired with monster Special Attack and HA Adaptability, as well as Goodra, and Sliggoo is probably legitimately my favorite middle stage Dragon. Tyrantrum is the original Dracovish with Strong Jaw that crushes anything weak to his bites, and Noivern is ridiculously fast and hard hitting with Special Attack...it also brought Zygarde, who wouldn't gain much prominence until...

Alola. We got 2 more Zygarde forms, but I'm taking off because THERE'S STILL NO REAL explanation or game history nor moments with Zygarde besides *Cells and caves man* . Kommo-O was the answer to 10, 000 Normal types everywhere in all games, great access to Punch moves with added coverage, is also the ONLY Dragon besides Dragonite that can use Ice Punch btw...

But for some reason his Fighting moves are slightly limited when compared to others, which I don't like. The rest are...interesting. Drampa and Turtonator's names I have beat down into the dirt since using them, heck before that with Drampa...but Sword and Shield has given me new love and I take back everything I ever said. They ANNIHILATE in Trick Room, Drampa with ridiculous Special Attack and move coverage, and Turtonator is just ruthless with speciality Niche weight and Defense based moves, that I like to call Fat Boy moves, that not many can withstand if they're already weak to them.

Guzzlord ..is probably like Turtonator...not overly phenomenal in any stats, and certainly the lowest Ultra Beast, but I'm pretty sure he's tearing everything up in Trick Room with Heavy Slam and Gyro Ball...Alolan Exeggutor is another I was skeptical about with a Jaundiced gaze...until I tried him...really hard hitting with bulk, and also can go the other way with Support with access to , Block, Trick Room, Sunny Day, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Reflect, Light Screen, Ingrain, Leech Seed, and Substitute and more. There's not much that guy can't provide. He can even use Teleport if you go through LGPE.

USUM brought Naganadel...the opposite UB. As opposed to Guzzlord, this guy is full of Special Attack and Speed, and Beast Boost is probably gonna just jump his Speed even moreso with every ass kicked. Another terror support against Fairies absolutely. I caught going and almost forgot to mention this guy.

Galar...is another great list of entries...Dracovish is ridiculous with Strong Jaw and Fishious Rend, Dracozolt is a welcome new Electric type, who has a nice array of coverage provided, such as Aerial Ace and High Horsepower. Flapple and Appletun...are wonderful and very fun, and Flapple hits hard with great Speed...but they're very very limited move wise. Appletun has Thick Fat which helps the double Ice weakness, and Gluttony, Health restoring Berry, Aerial Ace on Flapple is a great combination, but their move pools are very small.

Not a lot of Grass Moves even.

Dragapult though...another big favorite. That guy just might have the biggest and most widespread moveset of any Dragon ever. I once had one with Grass, Psychic, Water, and Ghost moves. How rare is that in one place?

Stuff like, U-Turn, Baton Pass, Phantom Force, Fly, Thunder Wave, and Will-O-Wisp...and he's probably gonna outspend everyone...one of the most dangerous ever because you never know what he's bringing.

Duraludon is a beast that also adds more much needed variety with Steel, and he is another great support, since he is NOT Weak to Fairy, Ice, and Dragon, and also strong against them, with only 2 weaknesses.

So this a tough close call with many contenders and so many strong points working for them, such as Goodra's line being possibly the greatest abilities in my opinion, but as far as up and down and top to bottom, I'd say Unova wins it with all things taken into account when added with things that detract from other regions.

 

[Fairy]

I'm gonna go with Unova. I feel like they had the most iconic collection of Dragons, even if it's not the most plentiful.