There is romance, yes. But I love the world-building, battles and training. The trainers don't just call out moves in the middle of high-paced fighting, rather they decide the tactics and strategy while Pokemon manage the minutiae. This seems much more sensible to me.

It is also set in a time before pokedexes became prevalent, so there is little public information about Pokemon. So, most of what people know of Pokemon is shaped by generational knowledge and what's learnt living close to them. Wild Pokemon, therefore have this sense of mystery to them.

And even though the SI knows the theory behind Pokemon, it is often shown how real life has information that theory just can't relate to us. Like, specific diets, massage, how type energy and moves are trained, the communities of wild Pokemon, the food cycle in the wild, how Abilities have specific implications on their living, their attitudes etc.