4th Gen Recommend an HM slave?

[VisionofMilotic]

I am playing Pokemon Pearl, and I am now able to use the Rock Smash HM after beating Roark. I was just about to smash up some annoying rocks that were in my path, but realized I don't have a Pokémon to teach the move to just yet. Currently my team is Abra, Turtwig, Starly and Shinx. Turtwig is the only Pokemon I have that can actually learn this HM, but I'd rather not have this on my starter Pokemon. Would anyone care to offer me a recommendation of an early route Pokemon that can help me out here, and preferably learn some other HM moves down the road? Much obliged.

 

[Nah]

Bidoof

It's basically the HM god of the Sinnoh games. Learns every HM except Fly and Defog, and is one of the first Pokémon you can get.

 

[Megan]

I do have to wonder if GF noticed themselves what HM mess gen 4 was and that Bidoof ended up being the best HM user just to fix things.

It is the best options, but also keep in mind that there are 8 HMs in total. So if you want to carry all of them around you need to give some of them to your other party members. The Water Type HMs of course are pretty good as moves so they can be taught to active party members. Defog you don't necessarily need iirc. If you have some evasion ignoring moves like Aerial Ace and Swift then you can use them instead. Or just attack until a move hits, of course. ^^"

 

[Corveone]

No matter what you do, you'll need at least two HM slaves, because not even the God Bibarel can learn them all (and even if it could, you can only have 4 moves anyway)

For accessibility, Bibarel+Pelipper is probably the best HM duo. Give Bibarel Cut, Strength, Rock Smash and Waterfall, and give Pelipper Surf, Fly and Defog, then in the late game replace Bibarel's Cut with Rock Climb. Technically Bibarel+Vibrava or Bibarel+Dragonite would be the perfect HM duo (and fun fact, Dragonite is actually a better HM slave than Bibarel), but those two can't be obtained normally in D/P/Pt without trading so Wingull is way more accessible.

I do have to wonder if GF noticed themselves what HM mess gen 4 was and that Bidoof ended up being the best HM user just to fix things.

Well, Gen 2 and Gen 3 were an HM mess as well, including the need of three HMs to travel through water. So they took their sweet time to realize how annoying that thing was.