>>48433533>competingCooperating. One couldn't complete their collection without the other. Any "competition" over which version was better was all on arbitrary lines and at the end of the day it was still Pokemon and we could just try with each other to get whichever version exclusives were missing.
Honestly, the most divisive thing this franchise had pre-dexit was new Pokemon designs. There was always a "shock" effect for old fans seeing new designs, even I experienced it for a while, but it always settled in and the old Pokemon you loved were always there to make the adjustment smoother. Now that's all out of the window, every creature choice old and new will forever have the idea that it took someone else's place attached to it. It actively fuels hate as species representation becomes a competition of who is and isn't allowed to be in the latest games. Rosterfaggotry is cancer and this series really didn't need it.