>>42444265you don't need 6 pokemon on you at all times, 1 or 2 should be hm slaves or be forced to use inferior moves, sacrificing some of their fighting potential to unlock hidden paths, items or to move forward with the story
also, some of these, like surf, were some of the best moves in the game, anyhow, it makes sense that when going swimming across the land, you would keep at least one water pokemon on you, just in case
In my latest playthru of crystal, for example, I got beedrill as my cut mon early on, but I ended up using him, never replacing cut, thru out the entire game, simply because he was surprisingly good(and bug type attacks were very rare in those early gens). Moments like these let you bond with pokemon you wouldn't give a second glance at in the newer games
