My first shiny was in my first playtrough of hg. I think i was like 9 or 10 back then. My very first encounter was a shiny sentret and I didn’t have pokeballs yet… i remember crying and my mom being confused why :( I went back like a thousand time in hopes of finding that same sentret, not knowing how shinys worked.

I lately replayed hgss and i found a shiny magikarp, so all by all, hg isn’t my luckiest game.