Years before Niantic had Pokemon fans walking all over the world to catch Pokemon in Pokemon GO, Game Freak and Nintendo tried to get fans of the franchise out and about through the Pokewalker peripheral. For those who may be unfamiliar with the device, the Pokewalker was a pedometer that came packaged with copies of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Nintendo DS remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver. Players can transfer Pokemon from their HeartGold and SoulSilver games to the Pokewalker, earn XP by walking around, and then transfer the Pokemon back to the games they came from.
The Pokewalker wasn't compatible for Pokemon games that released after HeartGold and SoulSilver, and so the device was largely forgotten. Reddit user patriotman115 recently found their old Pokewalker and after putting new batteries into the device, they discovered a Houndoom was still in there. Patriotman115 says that they tried to transfer the Houndoom back to Pokemon HeartGold, but it won't work since the save file it originated from is gone.
"The trainer he loves and all his Pokemon fans are erased from existence," Patriotman115 explained. The Reddit user added that they'd like to transfer a different Pokemon to the Pokewalker, but doing so would effectively kill the Houndoom, erasing it from existence just like the save file from which it came. Patriotman115 ended the post by asking if they should move forward with erasing the Houndoom from the Pokewalker, or if they should let the Houndoom stay inside the Pokewalker "as a memory to his lost universe."
Most of the responses urge patriotman115 to keep Houndoom in the Pokewalker, while others try to offer possible solutions for the conundrum. One possible fix would be for patriotman115 to buy a new Pokewalker, but it should be noted that Pokewalkers are rather expensive nowadays. On Ebay and similar sites, one could expect to spend $60 or more to get a Pokewalker. For reference, a Pokemon HeartGold or SoulSilver cartridge can be purchased for about half that price. Those looking for a complete-in-box copy with Pokewalker included for either game can expect to spend hundreds of dollars, however. It seems patriotman115 has a rather heartbreaking decision to make, as to properly utilize the Pokewalker again they'll have to get rid of the Houndoom.
The Pokewalker was an interesting experiment and in some ways could be seen as a precursor of sorts to Pokemon GO. It's unlikely that a similar device would be produced, as Pokemon GO essentially serves the same purpose, encouraging users to get up and walk for gameplay benefits. Because of this, it seems like releasing a similar peripheral for, say, the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, could be a waste of resources.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are available for the Nintendo DS.