An often overlooked aspect of Pokemon games is that players have the Pokedex at their disposal to learn more about the creatures they catch and train or even discover the habitats of those they only encountered in their adventures. The Pokedex is not an essential tool in terms of gameplay, and it is frequently used as a narrative means to make a given region's Pokemon Professor entrust players with their starter Pokemon and then go on a journey to research data on all critters that live in the area. This is precisely the reason why a Pokedex can include all sorts of information on a plethora of different Pokemon species, which can be vital in understanding Pokemon behavior and evolution.
On that note, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire did something quite interesting and unique with one of the Pokemon in the region of Hoenn and its evolution line's Pokedex entries. This Pokemon is Salamence, a formidable creature in the games that works wonders as an attacker, but also a fascinating one when it comes to the lore surrounding it and what it took for its previous evolutions to change so drastically. In fact, the first Pokemon in Salamence's evolution line is Bagon, a creature with no wings that most of all desires for its body to change and develop the ability to fly and freely roam the skies. The process behind Bagon's evolution into Shelgon and later into Salamence is further detailed by its Pokedex entries, and they make for the perfect trans allegory when it comes to human beings.
Why Salamence is the Ultimate Trans Allegory in Pokemon Games
The original entries from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for Bagon stated that the creature desperately wanted to soar in the sky and dive into the clouds, but the Pokemon can't do that even though it tries all the time. Through Pokedex entries from later Pokemon Generations, it becomes clear that Bagon suffers immensely from having a body that's limited and not capable of making it fly, so it smashes its head into rocks - something that Generation 7's Pokedex ascribes to Bagon's stress. Bagon also seemingly can't handle the sight of bird Pokemon flying because they have something it doesn't, and it is believed that its destructive behavior is actually a way for it to stimulate its own cells to make it evolve.
Transgender people often feel the same way because of gender dysphoria, which in the case of Bagon, it's likely a different kind of body dysphoria that's not connected to its gender, but rather to its physical characteristics. This is reinforced by its evolution's Pokedex entries, as Shelgon appears to create a sort of cocoon around itself - hiding it away from others and itself - while the Pokemon's cells change to create a new body. More often than not, transgender people experience dysphoria in a way that makes them want to hide their bodies because they are not something they chose, and they are not fitting their gender identity.
This can take the form of very large clothes, feeling unease in social situations where trans people have to be more physical in a way, like dancing, or maybe even feeling uncomfortable in public restrooms or at the beach. In a similar way, Shelgon, as a Pokemon who experiences body dysphoria, wants to hide away so that it's not seen by other creatures - not until it finally becomes Salamence, and it learns to fly with its glorious wings. Similarly, transgender individuals often feel something that's called gender euphoria (which is the opposite of dysphoria) when they do come out of their shells and their bodies change, thanks to medical procedures.
All of Salamence Pokedex entries across the Pokemon series state that it was its long-held dream of flying that eventually restructured its body to grow beautiful wings to do so, and it joyously soars in the sky whenever it can. For transgender people, their metaphorical wings are not willed into existence by mutating their own cells, but this does remain an impeccable comparison to what human evolution means: being able to express themselves in a way that makes them happy, and more aligned with their gender identity. Trans individuals also often share that same level of deep emotional pain as Bagon did before evolving, and while that is gender dysphoria at its worst, they find peace in twirling in a sky that's no longer the limit, but the background to new adventures.