>>22544074What about characters that can appear at any given moment? Gary Oak has appeared in every generation of the anime if you count DA! ending. Plus, he was the only rival remembered by Ash in the last episode of BW though it'd be fine if I were wrong.
Either way, he's mentioned in game, and the anime staff hasn't forgotten him. They could easily integrate Gary Oak through a flashback of the Kanto summer camp or by having him research mega evolution.
