>>35084550Because Pokemon is still, at its core, a JRPG, and that means that there should be some degree of enemy and "equipment" progression: weak foes and catchable 'mons at the start, with more powerful opponents and allies as the game goes on. Obviously recent titles have thrown most of that grind right into the shitheap, but at the start of Gen IV the games were very much being made with that in mind. The last three generations have made strides towards bringing the shitmons of yesteryear back into the fold of viability, be it through different/Hidden Abilities, Mega evolutions, or plain old stat buffs, but there are many like Kricketune that are still left behind. Personally, I could sort of envision a number of systems by which all 'mons, even NFEs, could theoretically become some level of usable while still keeping the JRPG progression system more-or-less intact, but I kinda doubt Game Freak will ever implement any of them.
