>>50681122I feel like Lillie needs a strong, platonic friendship, especially after the events of SM, so I can't ship her with Selene in good faith. I know GF teased a crush with her on Elio but I liked the anime interpretation's of it as fleeting emotions of admiration that don't mature into a full-on crush. Alola is a very relaxing region thematically, and love is too adult of an emotion for gen 7's cast to experience. Galar, on the other hand, gives off the coming of age vibe better than Alola. Trials always felt like a fun tourist attraction/small tradition to signal independence, but Galar's story combined with the dlc makes it a proper coming of age ritual. The journey feels more wild and adventurous, and I can easily imagine the challengers maturing. Sure Lusamine's psychosis was a reality check for Elio/Selene but overall the journey was nothing more than a stroll for them. Lillie matured, but our protags didn't, and at the end of the day they're all (even Lillie) just kids enjoying their childhood, on the verge of being teens. Victor, Gloria, Hop, etc. meanwhile have fully transitioned into teenagerhood, and with that has come young love. I guess it's a matter of worldbuilding and headcanon combined, but that's how I see it. You can even see the difference in independence in how the Galar protags buy their own train tickets but Alola's need to ride with Kukui's boat. Thematically, it shows that the Alola kids are still reliant on an adult. It's small stuff like that.
