I caved in and bought legpiss used for $20 and honestly it's been really fun so far. It's been super comfy shiny hunting and exploring the region. The megas are cool as fuck and having follower pokemon is based. Maybe it's because I never played frlg and barely remember anything from rb so I'm not as sick of kanto, but besides the catching mechanic I think the game is really enjoyable casual Pokemon game. Why did everyone hate it again?