He was touch confusing on the first play and increasingly funny after that. You aren't so much a rival or even thorn in his side (aside from the Radio Tower basement fight) as his unlucky sounding board as he narrates his character arc to you. By the end of the game I wasn't sure what you were supposed to be to him.
>>52760704We know from his reaction to Lance thrashing him that he's most motivated to change when he see's someone getting better results by doing the Pokemon thing differently, and then ostensibly learns the moral lessons later. You could make him more frequently involved in trying to bust Team Rocket, only for the player character to succeed for their supposed virtues like perceptiveness or befriending the locals. You will already show him up at every turn by virtue of the game design, might be a little more interesting if starts to notice a pattern.
