what non-water type dragon types are good in water? i.e is haxorus a good swimmer?

Unfortunately, no, but there are certainly others!

The easiest way to explain is that if it doesn’t live in the water, then chances are, it’s not a particularly good swimmer. Thus, the tyrunt line, vibrava and flygon, the axew line, and druddigon are perhaps the worst swimmers, although with enough patience, the axew line and druddigon can learn. Also, despite living in cave or mountain systems with sources of water nearby, the same can be said for the jangmo-o line, the deino line, turtonator, and the gible line. (Of these, only the gible line and deino’s evolutions can’t be taught to swim—the latter only because zweilous’s heads get in the way, and hydreigon prefers to fly, regardless of what you have to say.) Altaria also struggles, more because its wings can’t retain moisture that well. Lastly, Alolan exeggutor, despite thriving in its island environment, lacks the limb mobility to swim. It can float, however, and is known to wash up on the shores of the other Alolan islands from time to time.

By contrast, the best swimmers are obviously kingdra and dragalge, as both of these live exclusively in the water. The dratini line is also marine in nature, and dragonite is perhaps one of the best swimmers that actually has limbs. Drampa can also be found enjoying a swim through Alolan rivers on particularly sunny days, and the goomy line, being an amphibious pokémon that needs water to live, will often be found doing the same in Kalosean swamps. Finally, shockingly, both bagon and noibat are excellent swimmers, likely due to necessity. Both tend to nest in cave systems (or cliff systems, in bagon’s case) with water sources, and both have a tendency to drop out of the air without warning. Noibat retains this ability to swim even after it figures out how to fly as a noivern, but bagon, perhaps due to a combination of an extended pupal state combined with a generally less graceful adult stage, loses that ability upon evolution and must be retaught. (Note: It’s not possible to teach a shelgon due to its weight and lack of mobility, but with enough patience, you may be able to teach a salamence.)

This all, of course, excludes legendary pokémon (whose swimming habits we generally know very little about) and mega evolutions (which don’t entirely count anyway).

Hi! First off, I have good news! My Sunlight nested pretty heavily a few days ago and this morning I found her and an egg! I’m so exited and happy for her! Now, for my question, is it possible for a pokemon to be half shiny? I was lucky to catch a cute lil axew some years ago and back then nothing was off, but he evolved to a haxorous not too long ago and his colours are a fade from a normal one to a shiny one. Like a gradient almost. I’ve never hear of it before. Have you?

First and foremost, regarding Sunlight, congratulations! It’s great to hear that she’s doing so well. May the hatchling be happy and healthy!

As for your question, it’s actually entirely possible. Although shininess and standard coloration are both defined as specific palettes according to breeders, the possible colors a pokémon can be is actually more of a spectrum. Pokémon can possess pretty much any combination of colors: limbs or appendages that are actually of the shiny variant, pelts that are shades lighter or darker than they should be, and even scales that display a cross of both. It’s just rarer for it to happen as such, but for a pokémon to be born like that? It’s certainly possible.

However, for evolutions, you’ll need to be a bit more careful, especially if the preevolution was not colored that way. In some cases, yes, the process of evolution could trigger a unique sequence of genes that results in odd coloration compared to the preevolved form, but in some cases, this could be an indication that there’s an underlying health issue. It wouldn’t hurt to take your haxorus out for a thorough check-up, just to be on the safe side.

Can you give advice on taking care of a Axew and eventually Haxorus? I’m especially worried about the tusks, so any info on dealing with those is appreciated!

Although this entry covers both the jangmo-o and axew lines equally, it may still be of some use to you, anonymous: http://bills-pokedex.tumblr.com/post/155566649591/what-are-the-proper-ways-to-care-for-a-jangmo-o-i

As for the tusks, they’re actually much easier to take care of than one would think. While it’s true that it’s possible for fraxure tusks to break off and that these tusks will not grow back, the tusks are actually highly resilient, and it takes a considerable amount of force for a fraxure to lose one. Axew and haxorus, by contrast, have to worry less about losing tusks. This is because axew tusks fall out and grow back quite frequently, and haxorus tusks can’t be broken off at all. So once you receive your axew, don’t be surprised if you find tusks lying about your home now and then. Simply dispose of the tusks and give your axew wet food until a new tusk grows in, and provide your axew with something to chew on to help strengthen its jaws and teeth. As for fraxure, be sure it has a rock or wooden post that will allow it to sharpen its tusks whenever it wishes, and as for haxorus, all it will need is occasional polishing. (Its lower forms will need routine tooth brushing, but that’s something you should be doing with all of your toothed pokémon anyway.)

Best of luck, anonymous!

What are the proper ways to care for a jangmo o? I want him to one day be a kommo o and so help with this line would be much appreciated!

I’ll answer both of these at once, as taking care of both lines is actually astoundingly similar.

In many ways, taking care of jangmo-o or axew is a lot like taking care of any other reptilian pokémon. For one, temperature is important, especially in the case of the tropical jangmo-o (although axew also shy away from cold as well). Thus, always be sure your jangmo-o has a flat rock for sunning during the day and hiding beneath at night. For axew, be sure you have a shelter with nesting materials (such as straw) for nights and a clear space for sunbathing during the day. In colder weather, move both pokémon indoors and provide them with enough space to roam about and a sunlamp. As both are mountainous and cave-dwelling pokémon, they don’t need much more than that to sleep on, so beds aren’t necessary.

Also, be sure they both have clean water dishes, and change this every day. Likewise, line their enclosures with poké litter or straw and change this often. Both axew and jangmo-o, being reptiles, are at a high risk for carrying nasty bugs such as E-coli and salmonella, so changing their enclosure linings frequently minimizes the risk of allowing diseases to spread to you or your other pokémon. Grooming consisting of giving them warm baths every so often further minimizes this risk and, in the case of jangmo-o, helps polish pokémon scales.

As with most dragons, jangmo-o and axew are also primarily carnivorous, but their diets can be supplemented with leafy greens and berries as well. Cleaning their enclosures also removes stray food and prevents rot (especially if you choose to supplement their diets), but when your jangmo-o or axew lives outdoors, you can easily sweep these to an inaccessible corner for easy composting.

When it comes to toys, while they do enjoy chew toys and bones, many axew and jangmo-o do just as well without them. You may even find that your dragons will prefer exploring their environments or sunning to occupying themselves with objects. In a way, this means they’re a little bit more of a challenge than most pokémon to satisfy in terms of enrichment, but that’s where the battling part of their lives come in.

You see, in both cases—but especially jangmo-o’s—it’s necessary to train and battle with them, even if you don’t claim to be a trainer. Even setting up a training dummy would be sufficient, but ideally, you should set up sparring matches between your dragons and other pokémon, as well as create specialized training exercises to develop specific attacks or skills. Either way, it’s important to keep in mind that unlike many other pokémon, battling is mandatory for them, else they won’t be able to develop the skills they need to survive later in life. For example, although haxorus are gentle pokémon, fraxure most certainly are not, and the fact that they aren’t is both the contributing factor to why their tusks are so long and sharp as well as their main method of keeping them pared down to a reasonable length. Hence, training axew from an early age and instilling a strict regimen of fighting and battling allows it to build up the strength, skills, and endurance needed for proper battling as a fraxure.

In a similar manner, jangmo-o comes from a line that eventually gains the fighting element in its more advanced stages. Additionally, just like fraxure, both hakamo-o and kommo-o are well known for their battling prowess and their predilection to battle each other on sight. Thus, a battle regimen is in a way especially important to jangmo-o, as battling is essentially a part of its nature.

Here’s where the two species diverge, however. While axew and haxorus may be able to get along with their own kind, fraxure actually cannot, as the fraxure stage represents a departure from one’s birth nest to lay down the groundwork for their territory and breeding nest. Fraxure see one another as competition for the same territory, so keeping multiple fraxure of the same gender may get complicated. By contrast, jangmo-o are a more tribalistic species in that they form groups that are highly dependent on one another. Raising multiple jangmo-o is thus sometimes preferred, as members of the jangmo-o line feel most comfortable battling one another. On the other hand, members of the jangmo-o also get particularly enthusiastic about battling one another, so a match between two or more jangmo-o may be just as destructive and violent as a match between two or more fraxure.

In other words, always hold your dragons’ battles outdoors.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Thank you for your advice! One brave little wild Taillow from the park came up to my Haxorus and started playing with her and sometimes picked berries for them to share. We have revisited the park many times and the same taillow keeps coming back to her. Is it a good idea to catch this Taillow if they are getting along so well? And Could this show other trainrs that my Haxorus is gentle and kind?

It’s certainly uplifting to hear that your haxorus has made a friend!

To answer your questions in reverse, it’s very likely that this will show other trainers that your haxorus is kind. It’s difficult to argue against that idea when you have a large, intimidating pokémon treat a small, fragile-looking bird with respect and gentleness. Of course, it’s worth it to note that humans are unfortunately complex, anonymous, and sometimes, even when presented with overwhelming evidence of a certain point, human beings have a habit of refusing to believe the obvious. (Politics is a great example of this.) Nonetheless, while it may not convince all humans, I have no doubt that it will convince some of them, and once you can convince some humans that your haxorus means no harm, you can build up your haxorus’s connections from there.

As for whether or not you should catch that taillow, that may be up to the taillow itself. If it wishes to spend more time with your haxorus, it would be worth offering it a home. If, however, it prefers to live in the park, allow it to continue living in the park, but keep an eye on it. If another trainer catches that taillow, make an effort to befriend that trainer so that your haxorus and that taillow can continue being connected to one another. Alternatively, continue interacting with that taillow but make it clear that it will always have the option of coming to live with you if it so chooses.

Good luck, anonymous, and good luck to your haxorus too!

My quesiton is about the way people see my Haxorus. She is a sweet girl, shy, but she loves attentions from people but many see her as scary because of her size and looks and she is upset because no one likes to go near her when we are at the park. How can I show people she is not to be afraid of and how can she make friends with other trainer pokemon?

It pains me to say this, anonymous, but from personal experience, it is very, very difficult to change people’s minds once one gains a certain reputation. If someone is adamant about their perceptions of others, it usually takes a significant amount of effort to make them think otherwise. This goes especially with pokémon. Most people are terrified of gyarados, even though trained gyarados are docile—sometimes even friendlier and more loyal than trained arcanine. Likewise, haxorus is a species known for its gentleness, yet people are terrified of it because it’s a fierce-looking dragon, even though Unova alone hosts at least one far more violent species.

The best that you can do is show others that your haxorus means no harm. Let her spend time with you outside her poké ball in public areas, such as that park. Keep her calm when others approach, and if someone acts aggressively towards her (either aggressively affectionate or simply aggressive), help her to remain stable through the encounter. Yes, you may be tempted to tell the human off for being too aggressive, but this may escalate the situation. If possible, try to explain why she needs space—because she is, after all, a pokémon—but be as polite and clear as possible when you do so.

When pokémon approach, have them make the first move. Train your haxorus to react more than initiate, but train her to assume relaxed stances when she wishes to interact with others. (For a haxorus, this means relaxed limbs, head bowed, and jaw loose but not open. The less tense your haxorus looks, the less she appears to be preparing for an attack.) Oversee the interaction, but allow your haxorus to show how gentle she actually is. If trainers see their pokémon interacting with yours without incident, they’ll be a little more open to her presence.

But most importantly, as her trainer, it’s important for you to initiate conversations with others. Have your haxorus present and by your side, and if your haxorus seems interested in another pokémon, approach the trainer yourself and explain to them that your haxorus is gentle and would like to interact with their team. Good trainers will either understand that a fierce-looking pokémon isn’t necessarily a violent one, or they’ll be more receptive to learning about this distinction. Trainers who aren’t entirely worth your time will be less likely to listen to you.

Either way, always reassure your haxorus that if you do encounter a not-so-open-minded trainer, it’s the trainer who’s in the wrong, not her. With some effort on her part to show her gentle side and some effort on yours to help her build connections with your community, there will eventually be pokémon who will accept her for who she is, and the opinions of those who refuse to see her for her gentle nature won’t be important. But the point is, never let those negative opinions hinder you from reaching out to the people who are more willing to accept you.

do you have any information on the Haxorus family?

Ah, the axew line. Such an interesting topic!

Axew
The Tusk Pokémon
Type: Dragon
Official Registration #: 610
Entry: A rare, cave-dwelling dragon pokémon. The axew line is most famous for its sharp, prominent tusks, which begin to grow shortly after hatching. At this stage of its life, axew can lose their tusks as a result of intense battling, but they can quickly grow back over time. Additionally, axew frequently use their tusks to crush berries or, more commonly, to mark their territory against tree trunks. For the latter reason, trainers should take caution, as some axew have difficulty distinguishing between tree trunks and their trainers’ legs, and some of these axew have particularly brittle teeth.

Fraxure
The Axe Jaw Pokémon
Type: Dragon
Official Registration #: 611
Entry: The evolved form of axew, by battle experience. Upon evolution, fraxure lose the ability to regrow their tusks, but in return, their tusks grow harder and sharper, to the point where they can shatter rocks. This may perhaps be of no comfort to trainers who were under the impression that evolution will spare their legs from axew marking. Doubly so for those who raise entire teams of axew, as fraxure are notorious for extremely violent and bloody territory battles, even between other fraxure.

Haxorus
The Axe Jaw Pokémon
Type: Dragon
Official Registration #: 612
Entry: The evolved form of fraxure, by battle experience. Paradoxically, while their previous form was violently territorial, haxorus are known for being kind and gentle creatures (when not protecting their territories from active invaders). However, every part of a haxorus body is as hard as steel and as sharp as a well-maintained battle axe, so trainers of the axew line should be warned that evolution of their fraxure may not bring that much comfort—especially if their haxorus is particularly affectionate.