It has long been said in Alola that only a Kahuna can train a Comfey, and most people believe this phrase to derive from an edict, after each of the Alolan islands was unified, forbidding anyone from owning a Comfey without the permission of their island's Kahuna. This edict was no myth, and for over a century, only the Kahunas' leading followers would be given permission. The flower garlands which Comfey collect are not only beautiful, but were for centuries a clear, visual sign of power and prestige; wearing a single Comfey around the arm marked you as a powerful vassal, while wearing multiple Comfey, or a Comfey as a necklace, was only allowed for the Kahuna himself. Some Comfey trainers were regional chiefs, allowed to maintain their prized pokemon from back before the Kahuna absorbed their realms, while others members of the Kahuna's own entourage who were given the Kahuna's extra Comfey as gifts to cement their loyalty.
Yet the saying is older, and some of its earlier attestations reverse the order of the phrase; "only a Comfey trainer can become a Kahuna." And this is not without cause. In a more warlike age, the healing power of a Comfey (or, to be fair, a Chansey or Audino, but these were far less commonly captured) was a source of military might, for armies of pokemon forced to wait for a natural recovery rarely lasted long on the battlefield. Anyone who could capture a Comfey thereby proved themselves someone worth following – someone mercenary trainers could attach themselves to, confident they could heal their pokemon.
In this peaceful age, Comfey may be captured by every interested trainer, and hang around Alola's many ports – both air and sea – to join newly arrived travelers: their violent history has been all but forgotten.