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>BW
I know this is going to be a weird complain, but I've always hated how your rivals take a developmental dive after Dragon Spiral Tower partly because of how rushed pokemon games always are towards the end of the campaign.
Imo Cheren and Bianca had some well-thoughtout personal conflicts going on that made them (at least for me) surprisingly interesting compared to your average rival, only for it to get completely dropped mid-campaign.
Bianca's arc is obviously exploring on how not everyone (naturally) is going to be good at battling with pokemon and there's nothing wrong with that: there are many things to like pokemon beyond battles and you can find your own alternative path to pursue. Meanwhile Cheren's is about how even when you're good, there can always be someone even better than you, and trying to brute force your way with pure talent without understanding your shortcomings will lead you nowhere (something that Alder himself tries to make him understand).
Only that... their arcs have no proper payoff. After Dragonspiral they meet you again at route 10 to... wish you good luck? Cheren feels like he has completely given up his characteristic determination once it's revealed you're one of the two "chosen heros". And then at the League he decides to stay behind to babysit Alder.
I know Cheren still challenges you one last time at the end of Victory Road, but both their arcs still feel unfinished. I'm not sure what I'd change exactly, but the game needed a bit more content in general after the Dragonspiral events for an improved pacing. Going straight into the last gym and onto the League right after the big legendary plot reveal feels incredibly rushed.
Ironically it's always felt like your rivals' arcs were properly finished off-screen during the two canonical years between BW and BW2, with Cheren becoming a gym leader and Bianca the professor's helper, which made a lot of sense for them.
