Dratini, Dragonair, & Dragonite
Dratini (#147)
Draconis ophisinfantis
General Information: Dratini the Dragon Pokémon, this Pokémon is extremely rare to find in the wild because they and all of its evolutions prefer to exist in isolated pockets of the world where humans and predators cannot reach them. They regularly shed their skin as part of the growing process, which also functions to keep them clean of parasites.
Fully-grown Dratini average at 5’11 feet long and weigh about 30 pounds (13.6 kg), but they are typically born being no bigger than the length of a human palm.
Habitat: Dratinis live with Dragonairs in highly social colonies that nest in pristine deep, hidden, or underwater caves. nests are overwhelmingly found in the forests of South and Central America, secreted away from the world, and many are hidden behind waterfalls or at the bottoms of certain lakes.
Life Cycles: Dratinis are born as single or twin eggs every 2-3 years to what were likely Dragonair parents. They are raised largely in darkness and safety from the world, tucked away in safety with but the glow of Dragonair pearls to light the nests. It takes many months for a Dratini to work up the strength and courage to venture into the dark and see the light of the world outside, and often it’s with the guidance of a Dragonair.
Dratinis are considered a larval-stage Pokémon and cannot reproduce, not even in captivity. They seldom evolve before the age of at least 7-years-old.
Behavior: Dratini are the babies of the colony, who are expected to play together and learn the rules of the world. They are curious but shy creatures by instinct, who want to explore but know that straying too far from the family is dangerous.
Diet: Dratini eat the microflora and microfauna of their aquatic habitats and the detritus that falls from above.
Conservation: Endangered. Status assumed by the International Pokémon Conservation Society due to a combination of known habitat destruction, human freshwater pollution, and the perceived decrease in wild Dragonite sightings. In truth, no official entity knows for sure how the wild Dratini/Dragonair/Dragonite populations are doing, but not through lack of trying.
Relationship with Humans: Dratinis are highly-prized targets of poachers since time immemorial. In the Old World, Dratinis were basically only ever seen in captivity from monarchies who had a female Dragonite captured and somehow convinced her to breed, but their nests were seldom ever discovered—and when they were, they didn’t remain discovered for very long. In contrast, in the New World where Dratinis can most easily be found, the Indigenous Peoples of South and Central America had varying relationships with these rare creatures. Many revered Dratinis and Dragonairs as the guardians of deep lakes and waterfalls, others saw them as the vessel of the gods, and others still saw them as legendary beasts to hunt. Dratinis are the subjects of many stories, folktales, and legends in the New World, often as the infant dragonling that forces the hero to grapple with his malevolent actions or the companion that grows up to become the Dragonair/Dragonite that assists the hero of old in his journey. By and large, Dratinis are seldom seen in the stories of the Old World since they were overwhelmingly unknown.
Classification: Dratini’s scientific name “Draconis ophisinfantis” was given to it my Linnaeus, who was able to learn of its existence through reports by the Spanish Conquistadores in South and Central America. This was around when the existence of Dratini (and Dragonair) as natives to the New World was first speculated upon and has proven to be true in the centuries to follow.
Dragonair (#148)
Draconis ophis
General Information: Dragonair, the evolved form of Dratini, this rare and legendary Pokémon is seldom seen by humans. It is capable of flight despite its lack of flying-type. Dragonairs are known to emit calming auras and can manipulate the local weather to their advantage. Their powerful dragon energy stores up in the “pearls” or “crystals” on their neck and tail, which it draws upon to dish out powerful attacks such as Hyper Beam and Draco Meteor. When this crystalized energy is discharged, it inadvertently distorts the weather around Dragonair.
Dragonairs average at 13’1 feet [4 M] long and weigh about around 250 pounds [113.4 kg].
Special Mechanic: Because Dragonairs can canonically fly, despite the lack of flying-type and the ability Levitate, they have been given a special mechanic shared with few others. In combat or other such situations, when Dragonair goes from being terrestrial to aerial, this eats up 1 whole turn with no other actions allowable by the Pokémon. This is because Dragonairs must choose to be in flight and must actively use this power. By the same token, if the Dragonair is at or below ¼ of its health, it loses the strength to fly and returns to the ground, which also eats up 1 whole turn with no other actions allowable. Alternatively: if your Dragonair crash-lands to the ground very suddenly for whatever reason, you will lose 1/8 of your total HP but in exchange you keep your turn.
Habitat: Dragonairs are found in the same places as Dratinis.
Life Cycles: Dragonairs are the parents of the colony, the ones who tend to the Dratinis and lay most of the eggs. Dragonairs are protective and nurturing of each other and of the babies, who took on a communal-raising mentality to rearing babies. When it’s time to find a mate, Dragonairs will go out into their lake or the surrounding forest to find a mate that entices them with strength and beauty and generosity. While Dragonairs often mate with other Dragonairs in their colony or with migrating Dragonites, they do seek cross-species mates on occasion, which keeps genetic diversity flowing between and within the isolated colonies. But these mates are not for-life, they are temporary, fleeting. It is rare for any two Dratinis, barring the odd twins, to have the exact same two parents.
Behavior: Dragonairs are powerful, protective, nurturing, and highly intelligent. As the guardians of the colony, it is up to the Dragonairs to ensure the safety and survival of their kin and their home.
Diet: Dragonairs eat fish and sometimes fruit.
Conservation: Endangered, see Dratini for more details.
Relationship with Humans: Dragonairs are the stuff of legends, the guardians and curators of pristine lakes and seas. Cultures who revered them often left gifts and offerings as a show of gratitude to the Dragonairs of a lake. Ancient artwork depicts Dragonairs in many stories and visuals, and the Spanish Conquistadores were enamored with them. However, the Conquistadores attention is a bad thing, and many Dragonairs were poached--either taken captive or hunted. Because of this, the Dragonairs developed a culture of fear toward humans that persists into the modern day—some of them were alive during the reign of the Conquistadores! Trust is hard-won and easily broken, but once you have a Dragonair’s loyalty, it is a friend for life.
Classification: Draconis ophis means “dragon serpent.”
Evolution: Dragonairs evolve from Dratini starting at level 30.
Dragonite (#149)
Draconis draconis
General Information: Dragonite the Dragon Pokémon, this Pokémon dragon and flying type is a rare nearly-mythological figure found in ancient legends. It is the final evolution of Dratini. These Pokémon are kind-hearted souls who aid the lost and weary, but are also quick to flee should their curiosity or kindness get themselves ambushed or trapped. Sailors of old tell tales of Dragonites who aided those caught in violent storms or marooned on distant islands. Tall-tales and folklore speak of Dragonites being able to circle the globe in 16 hours—hard to say one way or another if this is true, but some individuals are fast, and thus there may be some merit to these legends. Dragonite is capable of manipulating the local weather.
Dragonite averages at 7’3 feet (2.2 M) tall and weighs about 463 pounds (210 kg), or 639.3 pounds (290 pounds) when it mega evolves into Mega Dragonite. The power of mega evolution enhances what makes a Pokémon itself, and in this case ramps up a Dragonites innate kindness so much that it becomes ruthless in battle as an act of mercy to get the battle over with quickly.
Habitat: Dragonite leave their colonies in South and Central America to fly across the globe in true untrammeled freedom. They may meet up with other Dragonites on secret islands in the middle of the ocean (any ocean) and do Dragonite things, and on occasion may return to their homes to lay eggs from their mates abroad, but will promptly leave once more to let the Dragonairs do the rearing.
Life Cycles: By the time a Dragonair evolves into a Dragonite, it is likely to be at least a couple decades old, if not many more decades to even centuries old. Dratinis and Dragonairs purposely live in low-stress environments and do not age or gain experience particularly quickly, but in exchange they become wise to the world around them and have the wisdom of ages past.
A Dragonite has no known life expectancy. This is not to say that they don’t have one, but rather we as humans have been unable to study them properly. The oldest known Dragonite is approximately 1000 years old.
Dragonites may not do the parenting of Dratinis, but they definitely still produce eggs and will return to their homes now and again to leave their eggs behind in safety with the Dragonairs. They will mate with other Dragonites (or others) from all over the world, and this exchange of genes is vital to the continued genetic health of their colonies.
Behavior: They are not neglectful parents, instead the social contract of the colonies is that the Dragonairs do the parenting and those who make it to evolution get to stop being parents and see the world as Dragonites. This is why there is such a disparity between the Old World and New World’s understanding of Dragonites and their ecology.
Diet: Dragonites eat any combination of fruits, fish, and shellfish.
Conservation: Endangered, see Dratini for more details.
Relationship with Humans: As mentioned in the Dragonair entry, there are Dragonites who were young when the Spanish Conquistadores came and hunted many of their brethren. While many understand that not all humans are bad and we cannot be held responsible for the actions of the past, there is a significant portion of the population who have been thoroughly traumatized by these hunts that they avoid humans entirely if it can be helped. These same Dragonites, as Dragonairs, reared the most recent generations of Dratinis, who have been taught to fear and be wary of the humans. This has also caused a rift to form between them and the Indigenous Peoples who did tend to and love their Dratini/Dragonair/Dragonite neighbors, a matter that is occasionally brought up in discussions of modern impacts of colonialism and environmentalism.
In some good news, much like how there are rangers and anti-poachers in the African countries who take it upon themselves to protect their local mega fauna, there is a strong movement amongst the South and Central American Pokémon Rangers to protect and keep secret the remaining colonies of Dratini/Dragonair and hopefully improve their/our collective relationship with the Dragonites.
Classification: Linnaeus considered Dragonites to be the quintessential dragon, the perfect specimen of what it means to be a dragon-type Pokémon, and thus named it “Draconis draconis.”
Evolution: Dragonite evolves from Dragonair at level 55
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