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one thing i never see brought up is that all the breeding and chaining and whatnot is used as a buffer by people to prevent themselves from engaging with real competition. competitive pokemon is a strategic, knowledge based skill that you will be bad at for years even with tons of practice. breeding and everything is a soft way to feel like you're working towards this competitive sphere without ever really needing to engage with it directly. this is perfect for a lot of the older pokemon fanbase (socially awkward, autistic, etc.)
i used to be this way as well. now ive been in the top 50 in ou ladder for the last 3 gens. it gets better.