How To Get TM24 DragonBreath in Pokémon Crystal

TM24 DragonBreath
#	Location	Repeatable?
1	Blackthorn City. Rewarded by Gym Leader Clair after defeating her in battle and completing the Dragon’s Den trial.	No

TM24 DragonBreath is given to you by Gym Leader Clair as a reward for conquering the Blackthorn Gym. But she refuses to accept your victory or give you the TM until you overcome a trial at the Dragon’s Den.

You’ll find the Dragon’s Den by surfing on the water behind Blackthorn Gym. You’ll need to use Whirlpool to reach the shrine where the trials take place.

Once you’ve answered the Master’s questions at the Dragon Shrine, Claire will finally accept defeat and reward you with the Rising Badge and the DragonBreath TM.

Part 1: Defeating Clair

Step 1: Find Blackthorn Gym in the northern part of Blackthorn City.

Starting at the PokéMart, go north and climb the ledges.

Heading toward Blackthorn Gym from the PokéMart.

You’ll find the Gym further up to the northeast.

Approaching Blackthorn Gym.

Step 2: Go up to the stairs to the left to reach the second floor (2F).

Blackthorn Gym, entrance area. Path to 2F.

Step 3: Have a Pokémon use Strength to push the boulders on 2F into pits that lead to the floor below (1F). There are three pits in total, but only two are needed to reach Claire.

Blackthorn Gym 2F.

Trainers in this Gym favor Dragon and Water-types, so make sure you bring some Ice-type moves to make the fight easier.

Otherwise, just make sure your Pokémon can hold their own against Pokémon in the Lv.34-Lv.37 range.

Step 4: Return to 1F through the stairs near the center of the room and walk northward over the boulders to reach Clair.

Approaching Gym Leader Clair after dropping the boulders from 2F.

Step 5: Defeat Gym Leader Clair.

Gym Leader Clair’s Team

SCROLL

Clair

Pokémon	Dragonair (Lv.37)	Dragonair (Lv.37)	Dragonair (Lv.37)	Kingdra (Lv.40)
Type	Dragon	Dragon	Dragon	Water/Dragon
Held Item	None	None	None	None
Moves	Surf Slam Thunder Wave Dragon Breath	Thunderbolt Slam Thunder Wave Dragon Breath	Ice Beam Slam Thunder Wave Dragon Breath	Surf Dragon Breath Smoke Screen Hyper Beam

Dragon-type Pokémon are only weak to Dragon and Ice-type moves. Dragon-type moves are scarce before this point, so you’ll have to rely on Ice-type.

Tip: Remember the Ice Path you crossed to get to Blackthorn City? You’ll find Ice-type Pokémon there like Swinub and Jynx. Teach them TM16 Icy Wind and you’re good to go.

Normally, you’d get the badge and the TM after defeating any Gym Leader. But Clair wants you to pass a test at the Dragon’s Den first.

Part 2: The Dragon’s Den Trial

Step 1: Go to the Dragon’s Den by surfing across the water behind the Gym.

Route to the Dragon’s Den behind the Blackthorn Gym.

Step 2: Traverse the Dragon’s Den by going into the water at the westernmost point of the coast and working your way south.

Just walk all the way to the western wall after walking in.

Traversing the Dragon’s Den (north).

Use Surf and go straight down until a whirlpool blocks your path.

Then use the Whirlpool HM to remove it and cross over.

Traversing the Dragon’s Den (west).

Follow the water and you’ll soon reach dry land.

The Dragon Shrine is a couple steps to the right from there.

Approaching the Dragon Shrine in the Dragon’s Den (south).

Step 3: Talk to the Master inside the Dragon’s Den and answer his questions correctly. We’ve listed all the correct answers in the table below.

Talking to the Master at the Dragon’s Shrine.

Question	Correct Answer
What are Pokémon to you?	Pal
What helps you to win battles?	Raising
What kind of Trainer do you wish to battle?	Anybody
What is most important for raising Pokémon?	Love
Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. Which is more important?	Both

Step 4: Exit the Dragon Shrine and you’ll receive TM24 DragonBreath from Clair.

Receiving TM24 from Clair.

Bonus Step: Enter the shrine again and talk to the Master one more time to receive a Dratini with the move Extreme Speed, which it can’t learn otherwise.

You’ll only get the Dratini with Extreme Speed if you answered the questions exactly as indicated in the table above.

TM24 DragonBreath Details + Uses

DragonBreath Move Details
Type	Dragon
Category	Special
Power	60
Effect	30% chance of inflicting Paralysis.
Accuracy	100%
PP	20

DragonBreath is one of the best Dragon-type moves in Pokémon Crystal. And any Dragon-type Pokémon would do well to learn it.

For the Dratini-Dragonair-Dragonite line, it’ll be the hardest-hitting Dragon-type move they have access to until they learn Outrage at Level 50.

Tip: Make sure to keep DragonBreath in your arsenal when taking on Champion Lance at the Indigo Plateau. Dragon Breath is ideal to take care of Lance’s Dragonites.

DragonBreath can be great on non-Dragon-type Pokémon, but it’ll always hit harder when used by a Dragon-type. Here’s a list of every Dragon-type in Pokémon Crystal that you might consider teaching this TM to:

Pokémon	Type	Location
Dratini	Dragon	Evolve Onix by trading while holding Metal Coat.
Dragonair	Dragon	Fish at Route 45 or the Dragon’s Den with the Super Rod
Dragonite	Dragon/Flying	Evolve Dragonair.
Kingdra	Water/Dragon	Trade Seadra while holding a Dragon Scale.

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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