>>21127619>>21135932>>21136867The reason for the sparse Johto pokemon was that the designers wanted them to feel special. Most exist in out of the way places as sort of a reward for exploring. As
>>21127956 hinted, the designers themselves viewed GSC first and foremost as a sequel to RBY, which is why they lean so heavily on gen 1 mons etc.
Basically gen 2 misread player expectation of what a "sequel" would mean for Pokemon, at least when it comes to new Pokemon additions.
