>>55207277I feel like the biggest difference between Lillie and Arven is the fact that the latter is largely independent from you.
Lillie is a totally helpless child. She can't do anything alone, not even walk places. She has to fully rely on you so it can easily feel like a chore to hold her hand - sadly not even in a literal sense.
Arven does need your help for something he wants to achieve, but other than that he is independent, especially in the context in the story considering he's been taking care of himself for many years. He gets places by himself, he adds useful mons to his team, he contributes to Titan battles (even if it's not much), and he repays the favour by upgrading your Raidon.
Another difference is that you actually interact with Arven which makes him feel more like a person that builds a personal connection to you. In Gen 7, the protagonist is completely silent (iirc) and just smiles like a retard no matter what happens or what people say to them. It's less believable that Lillie actually grows attached to you when all you do is smile and nod. That's why Arven feels like an actual person while Lillie feels like a plot device that barely exists outside of that context.
