The Indigo Disc DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduces a few new monsters to battle, one of which is—as many had speculated—a Dipplin evolution known as Hydrapple. This indicates the existence of a third form for one of Applin’s diverging evolutionary lines. However, if you’ve owned a Dippllin since the DLC for The Teal Mask, you may be wondering why, in the interim between the two expansions, it hasn’t changed into this new form. This is due to the fact that Scarlet and Violet had not yet been updated with Hydrapple’s evolutionary process. This is how you can create your sweet apple dragon’s ultimate form.
How does Hydrapple develop from Dipplin?
You must teach Dipplin the move Dragon Cheer if you want to obtain a Hydrapple of your own. Its inability to acquire this dragon-type attack organically is one of the reasons it was unable to evolve prior to The Indigo Disc. Fortunately, just by playing the DLC naturally, you’ll obtain TM226 which teaches this move to a compatible Pokémon.
You will receive this as a present from Drayton, one of The Indigo Disk’s Elite Four, once you defeat him in combat. He has a dragon-type team, so you should be able to quickly dispatch him if you have Pokémon that are skilled in using ice, dragon, or fairy attacks. Once you’ve advanced the plot to the point where you can confront the Elite Four, you can locate him in the northwest section of the terarium at Blueberry Academy. Before you confront him, though, you’ll have to overcome an obstacle, much like the other Elite Four members. Drayton challenges you to use the Pokémon you’ve captured in The Indigo Disc to defeat three trainers. Therefore, don’t enter these bouts with your best team that you’ve had the entire game.
After obtaining TM226; teach and level up your Dipplin Dragon Cheer. After then, you can include a Hydrapple on your team.
What distinguishes Hydrapple from the other completed variants of Applin?
Given that Hydrapple is a third evolutionary stage and Appletun and Flapple only go through one evolutionary stage before reaching their final form, it makes likely that Hydrapple has a relatively higher base stat distribution than the other two. It is fairly large with reasonable HP and boasts excellent special attack and defence characteristics. Even still, it is extremely slow—though not nearly as slow as Appletun. The biggest benefit is that Hydrapple keeps Dipplin’s Supersweet Syrup ability, which reduces an opponent’s ability to evade attacks when it engages in combat. Additionally, it features a distinctive move known as Fickle Beam which has a chance to inflict higher damage if all of Hydrapple’s heads pitch in for the attack.
