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Hex Maniac was helped by the fact that none of the non-generic female characters in XY were really popular. Nobody cared about the gym leaders or Team Flare, Diantha is only remembered because she was the champion and one of the least popular still. Drasna was a bit popular but not much. Serena was popular as a playable character, but not as a rival. Shauna didn't catch on.
Now compare to SWSH; not only are the generic trainers really boring, but all the non-generic ones are massively popular: Nessa, Bea, Melony, Marnie. Even Sonia and she's not even a trainer you can fight. There's no point wasting art on the boring generic trainers.
