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Too many of them, and none of them ever have anything interesting to say but they won't shut up. You can condense them to two characters and they become a lot more interesting. Check it out:
Shauna: main Rival, chooses the starter that is strong against yours. She is peppy and likes to help people, and believes she can do anything together with her Pokemon! If you want to make it dramatic, she can have a mini-crisis when she realizes she isn't strong enough to stop Team Flare on her own, but with the power of ~friendship~ you manage to pull through. You can battle her at the Battle Resort once a week after the game ends.
Tierno: chooses the starter weak to yours. He starts out a bit shy, very concerned with how he comes off to others, and isn't sure if he is up for the task of completing the Pokedex. But around gym 2, when he sees how Pokemon seem to dance on the battlefield he becomes inspired and vows to persevere despite any setbacks. Throughout the game he comes out of his shell and loses a bit of weight. You can find him in a cafe in the Battle Resort at the end of the game, giving you hints where Pokemon you haven't caught are located. If you have a complete Pokedex, you can battle him (strongest trainer in the game?).
Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than what we got, and I literally just made it up.
I don't mind that they're easy- Pokemon is made with kids in mind- but being boring is atrocious. In a game where your character is silent, your rivals are in many ways the protagonist, and they need to be interesting for the game to work. Gen IV and Gen V did a decent job, that is all I am asking for.
