Throughout the Pokémon series, nearly every facet of society sees trained Pokémon living alongside people, and Herdier, the loyal dog Pokémon, is theorized to be among the first Pokémon ever trained. Whether as battle partners, workers, or simply pets, Pokémon of all varieties coexist alongside their trainers. Information from recent games seems to strongly suggest that Herdier could have been the first to have ever been trained by humans.
Herdier is just one of many Pokémon whose link with humans spans generations. The character AZ from Pokémon X and Y had befriended a Floette 3,000 years prior, and the recently-revealed Pokémon Wydeer from Pokemon Legends: Arceus helped people of the Hisui Region in the distant past. Still, Herdier potentially being the first of these trained Pokémon would be a unique accolade given how commonplace the practice has become.
The claim that Herdier was the first Pokémon to be trained is substantiated by recent Pokédex entries. In Pokémon Ultra Moon, Herdier's entry states that depictions of the Pokémon can be found on the walls of very old caves. Pokémon Sword's description addresses the theory directly, speculating that Herdier could be the first trained Pokémon due to how intelligent and friendly it is. Unlike some Pokédex entries that give Pokémon confusing lore, this theory is fairly reasonable and makes sense in the context of the games. In Pokémon Black and White, the games from which Herdier originally appeared, Herdier can be found in relative abundance around towns. It stands to reason that a commonly-found Pokémon that lives near human settlements would be among the first to be trained.
Additionally, the fact that Herdier is a Pokémon in the middle of its evolutionary line lends credence to this theory. Lillipup, the Pokémon from which Herdier evolves, is described in various Pokédex entries as being cautious and willing to run from dangerous encounters, and Stoutland, Herdier's evolved form, is reportedly very proud. Prior to widespread domestication, these traits might have made training at either of these stages too difficult. Instead, it would make sense that a Pokémon in the middle of its evolutionary development, such as Herdier, would be the most receptive to being trained by people, as its new trust would become part of its growth.
In the end, there is no definitive proof that marks Herdier as the official first trained Pokémon. Still, theories such as this one help to expand the world of Pokémon by shedding light on the origins of human-Pokémon relations, a concept on which the entire series is based. Perhaps future installments will provide an official answer, though for now, Herdier seems like a plausible option.
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September 06, 2021 at 12:27AM
