>Gary: Asshole who tries to one-up you at every turn, but ultimately loses because (You) are better
>Silver: Asshole thief that slowly learns to enjoy being a trainer. Still hates you.
>Brendan/May: Not an asshole, but wants friendly competition. The start of the downfall of rivals.
>Wally: Officially a rival. Officially a little bitch.
>Barry: Competitive, but not serious at all
>Cheren/Bianca/N: No longer rivals. Just friends of different flavors. N is kind of a rival when he's an antagonist.
>Hugh: An improvement, but still a bitch.
>Calem/Serena: A return to form while keeping the friendly personality. They hate to lose, but eventually admit defeat.
>XY trio: Not rivals.
>Hau: Technically a rival, but too friendly about it.
>Gladion: Recurring opponent, not a rival.
>Trace: Gary if he was a bitch.
>Hop: Not a rival.
>Bede: Kind of a rival, but very much a pussy.
>Marnie: Not a rival. Also ugly.
>Klara/Avery: Annoyances, not rivals.
>Nemona: More of a tutor that just really wants to fight constantly.
>Arven: Not a rival.
>Kieran: Tries to return to the old formula, but is ultimately a cuck. Literally.
Rivals stopped being rivals after gen 3, except with Calem and Serena. The idea of a rival is to be an opponent you want to overcome. Gary, Silver, Brendan, May, Calem, and Serena are the only ones who managed to invoke that feeling. You can be friends with your rival, but your rival has to actually be a challenger rather than your bootlicker.
