Gallade are often called the warrior pokemon, and not only because they have swords for arms and a head resembling soldiers' helmets of old; back when men fought with sword, shield, and only a few species of domesticated pokemon, Gallade were prized as mercenaries. While most trained pokemon would seek to disrupt the battle to their side's advantage through use of the elements, Gallade fought side by side with the humans who made up the bulk of ancient armies – but their speed and psychic powers made them far more effective.
These pokemon had not yet been truly domesticated, for this was long before the invention of the pokeball, but wild Gallade sought out battles for pride and glory, and countless wars from Greece to Ransei saw Gallade participate on both sides. When a conflict ended, Gallade rarely stayed by the victor's side to rule, but took their payment – typically in rare candies and vitamins – and left to find their next conflict, each seeking only to become acknowledged as the strongest warrior in the land.
History records the abundant presence of both Gallade and Dawn Stones throughout all of Ralts and Kirlia's natural habitat, and nowhere moreso than Hoenn. But Gallade in these lands have driven themselves to extinction, the Dawn Stones they used to evolve extinguished through overuse or destroyed in warfare. Only in Sinnoh, sparsely populated for most of its history and relatively peaceful once unified, do these stones – and the Gallade they create – still exist in numbers.