>>49966726This is a case where difficulty is relative. Up until this point in the game, the fastest, most effective way to solve fights is to just have four attacks and no-brain mash A through the swarms of encounters. Even in gyms.
Suddenly and with no warning, that just doesn't work. If part of a game suddenly requires you play with more skill and thought than any previous portion, that is the definition of a difficulty spike.
Whitney is difficult BECAUSE you lose if you're bad at the game. with the rest of pokemon, you win if you're bad at the game. therefor, she's one of the most difficult fights. Easy with foreknowledge or a general habit of planning, but difficult if you treat her like the rest of the game encourages you to treat it, like a pile of fodder meant to be slowly and thoughtlessly chewed through.
