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To understand how the people of Kitakami view Applins, you must first understand two things:
- Apples are Kitakami's pride and joy, their main export, as well as the main ingredient to many of the local specialty recipes
- Applins live in apples, and also use them to evolve
Therefore, not only are Applins common, they're also considered something like pests. They're collectively viewed somewhat akin to how most Bug-types are seen elsewhere, and, well... there's a reason why some people in other parts of the world spray their gardens down with Repels.
It's easy to assume, then, that receiving an Applin as a gift might be seen as an insult of some sort in Kitakami, but it isn't so. Quite the opposite.
You see, despite the people of Kitakami wanting the Applins out of their orchards, they're still there. They're quite weak to Ice, but so are the apple trees they live by. Same goes for the Bugs that they're likened to, as well as Poison and Flying. The people of Kitakami do not wish to deal with any more Dragons, and Fairies, well... their reputation for fickleness is well-earned.
Applins are tenacity. They are "in spite of".
To give someone an Applin is to say that you think they can thrive in spite of any handicap. Or, perhaps, that you think that they can turn a weakness into a strength.
One man's trash is another one's Treasure, after all.