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In far off places, knights would "give their sword" to whoever it is that they swear fealty to. Give them your weapon, see if they give it back... or kill you with it.
The world over, Dragons are known for their might. "Only a Dragon can truly harm another Dragon, unless one is either brave or foolish enough to bring Ice," is a common sentiment. Here, though, we're well aware that even the tiniest of the Fae can bring a prideful Dragon low if they're careless - sometimes even when they aren't.
There's a saying that goes like this: "Royals or the person most dear to your heart, be they Dragon for their love of precious things or Fae for their mercurial temperament, give them a Dragon as sign of devotion. See if they give it back, or destroy it for your impudence."
Folks started using Applin for this purpose because, plainly... they're simply the easiest to catch out of all the Dragons. Nothing more to it.
The tradition of giving an Applin to the one you wish to spend the rest of your life with... well, that actually comes from an old tale.
Once upon a time, there was once this pair of friends, one sickly and one healthy. When the healthy one was taken away to fight in a war, he left his sickly friend an Applin, saying he dearly wished he could stay, but in lieu of that he promised to do his very best to make it back to his precious friend.
Years passed, the sickly one overcame his frail disposition with the help of his gifted Applin, which had grown into an Appletun, and became all the stronger for it. Then came word that the war was over and the soldiers would be allowed to go home soon, and the once-sickly one's friend was amongst their number.
Upon hearing the news, the boy vanished into the woods for a day, accompanied by his trusty Appletun. When the soldiers came home, it was revealed that the Applin-gifter had gained great honor amongst the ranks, but rejected it all for the chance to see his dear friend again. Said friend then gifted him an Applin of his own, saying "from now on, wherever you go, I want to go too. I don't want to be apart ever again."
And so the story goes that they were never separated again, Flapple and Appletun by their side always.
The tale became known far and wide, and was quite popular besides, and so it was that those seeking to gift a Dragon to royalty had to try a bit harder, lest... unfortunate implications be made.
And so it was that Applin became known as a Pokémon for soulmates, platonic or otherwise.