>>47060846There's different things that appeal to different people. The single broadest appeal of competitive is the chess-like mindset of thinking several moves ahead of your opponent and getting in their head. Singles v. doubles alone provides a whole bunch of distinctions. Some people enjoy finding the most optimal way to play the game in a way not unlike speedrunning but more directly competitive. Others enjoy breaking those conventions by bringing their bros or running teams like fake stall to get the jump on people to used to the standard. Others like getting as gimmicky as possible and seeing how far it takes them, not really caring too much about win or lose. There's lots of playstyles and you don't have to conform to convention like everyone makes it out to be.
Related, but some pokemon only really get to shine in competitive. A good example is pokemon that are hard to get and use in-game due to either where they're located, evolution mechanics, etc. Another good example is defensive pokemon generally, since using a pokemon with good defenses and bad offenses in-game typically results in multiple trips to the pokemon center to replenish PP. Most people wouldn't really find this or the grind needed to hit harder a fulfilling single-player experience. There's also a sizable chunk of legendary/mythical pokemon that mow over in-game, but don't necessarily dominate competitive.
