>>33426396The Sun/Moon anime went back to being more character based, possibly moreso than the series had be previously. Not to mention the battles are far more interesting to watch in modern Pokemon episodes as early as Sinnoh or so. Seeing how the point of their cameo may or may not be rematches since neither of them finished a proper Gym Battle with him.
So really, it seems the only thing you're getting hung up about is aesthetics and trying to spin it empirically.
