>>46764057>then things like the Machamp and Sharpedo pokerides being obtained come to mindYes, exactly. In which case they are the exception and not the norm-- even then, they're still extremely lackluster as you're just handed them arbitrarily when the game decides it's time for you to get them.
This isn't the case in LGPE, which doesn't even have HMs. You have to make the conscious decision to board the S.S. Anne and talk to the captain and get Fly/Surf at the locations they are at. Even strength, which essentially is a freebie from Team Rocket due to the lack of a Safari Zone, still lets the player have agency in getting it since they have to take the teeth to the warden themselves.
Agency isn't a buzzword, it's an important game mechanic that without it turns Pokemon from an adventure RPG into a visual novel.
