The point of Pokémon was supposed to be a single player RPG that you do socially but there is not much room for socialization outside of tryhard competitive and trading. The IV system actively discourages casual multiplayer by making it lobsided with invisible numbers. I remember watching the Power of Us and seeing the Pokémon catching race and getting annoyed it wasn't something added to the games years ago. The best way to enjoy Pokémon casually with friends is random battle on a competitive simulator and the best official way after all these years is rental battles in Stadium 2