Current Events > What the hell was the point of Dragon's Den in Pokemon Silver?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's such a random throwaway dungeon that I didn't understand as a kid and I still don't get as an adult playing it on virtual console.

It's played up in the story to be really important and mysterious. The music is menacing. It seems like something important is gonna happen there, but then you just walk in and it's over in like three minutes. There's almost no items to get, and the only Pokemon worth catching is Dratini.

What was the point? You think it was gonna be a bigger deal early in development and then they scrapped it?
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I think of it as atmospheric. It's a bit of a training ground for dragon users. Your rival trains there after you defeat him in Mt Moon. Crystal added a shrine where you could get a Dratini if you answered the old man's questions right, and Heart Gold/Soul Silver allowed you to do a dual battle against Lance and Clair with your rival.

for the dragon gym leader to have a place to run away and throw a tantrum
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They just wanted to make Clair a bitch, so they gave you some other BS to do to get the badge you already earned.
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Clair was hot in HGSS. Woodbury
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ForestLogic posted...

Dratini

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Extremespeed Dratini is worth it, but otherwise it really is just a big waste of dev for the sake of plot.
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Darklit_Minuet posted...

Heart Gold/Soul Silver allowed you to do a dual battle against Lance and Clair with your rival.

really, that's kinda neat. But why did your rival tag team with you? He was an asshole in that game.
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lilORANG posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Heart Gold/Soul Silver allowed you to do a dual battle against Lance and Clair with your rival.

really, that's kinda neat. But why did your rival tag team with you? He was an asshole in that game.

He started to come around near the end. When you fought him the final time at Mt Moon, he isn't bitchy towards you, and his Golbat has evolved to a Crobat which requires friendship evolution, a subtle way of saying he's being better to his Pokemon

Darklit_Minuet posted...

lilORANG posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Heart Gold/Soul Silver allowed you to do a dual battle against Lance and Clair with your rival.

really, that's kinda neat. But why did your rival tag team with you? He was an asshole in that game.

He started to come around near the end. When you fought him the final time at Mt Moon, he isn't bitchy towards you, and his Golbat has evolved to a Crobat which requires friendship evolution, a subtle way of saying he's being better to his Pokemon

d'awww
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Yeah, the rival in the remakes becomes a good guy.

Secret timewarp event also gives him good backstory.

It's actually pretty weird how little anyone knows about him in the originals. He shows up, you make up his name, he just stays bitter and angry for the rest of the game.
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It's where rich people go to hear the ideas of people who have business propositions for them.

It's the obscure fighting game only 50 people in the world still play. Occasionally some wanderer ventures in, and only his bones are expelled out.
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Guide posted...

Extremespeed Dratini is worth it, but otherwise it really is just a big waste of dev for the sake of plot.

That's just it though, it barely even factors into the plot... Like, they had to give Claire an excuse to be huffy, fine. But they designed a fairly large dungeon with its own unique music, that's almost completely empty and devoid of anything to do. It only advances the plot insofar as it's just a really quick roadbump in between beating Claire and actually getting the badge. They could've done that by having you go to the Ice Path or Dark Cave or something.

It's just really bizarre. I remember being a kid and thinking "Oh snap, I bet this is where you get a legendary Pokemon!" and then nothing.
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BLAKUboy posted...

They just wanted to make Clair a bitch, so they gave you some other BS to do to get the badge you already earned.

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What was the point of the Celebi shrine
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Blue_Inigo posted...

BLAKUboy posted...

They just wanted to make Clair a bitch, so they gave you some other BS to do to get the badge you already earned.

That's what I figure, but it's sooooooo small and quick, that it doesn't make sense designing an entire large area around it. Like, she tells you you have to go take the "dragon user's challenge" or something. But instead of it actually being some cool sidequest, it consists of surfing for 10 seconds, using whirlpool, and then surfing for like another 20 seconds. I'd totally see the point of it if there was something like, a few rooms involved with some Strength puzzles and the like. Maybe toss in a few trainers, maybe a battle against an uncatchable Dragonite or something. Now that would've been cool.
That's why like I said in OP, it feels like there was gonna be something bigger there that the devs decided to scrap.
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3khc posted...

What was the point of the Celebi shrine

IIRC you get Celebi from it, if you have the (unreleased) GS Ball, in Crystal.
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lilORANG posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Heart Gold/Soul Silver allowed you to do a dual battle against Lance and Clair with your rival.

really, that's kinda neat. But why did your rival tag team with you? He was an asshole in that game.

He does get less douchey over time. Plus Lance originally suggested different teams but your rival was adamant about getting to battle Lance and he and Clair pissed each other off too much so he defaulted to teaming up with you.
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