>>53802765By middle Hoenn I think is really when she comes into her own and they can start doing stuff with her. She's actually learned how to battle, so they don't need to have her look like a dolt with every encounter, but she's also still a novice, so she can be the one Brock and Max explain things to. Her rivalry with Drew is fleshed out over time, but she still have her relationships with all of the CotD Contest people she faces along the way. I've been really, really impressed with how they've made her into a proper deuteragonist. I just wish she had gotten to interact more with Misty. C'est la vie.
Also, I'll just add on to the appreciation train before the bump limit gets hit. Your Johto recaps were often the best posts on here during the first few weeks of Horizons when the shitflinging got really cancerous.