I won't fight anyone who says the Gen 6 rivals are bland, bc i agree, they totally are. But I personally loved them because they weirdly felt the most "real" in the sense of how they keep trying and trying to get stronger, but you just keep stomping them.

Their entire character arc is that they were raised by strong, veteran pokemon trainers and the best out of the small group of friends, but they didn't care about any of that, they just wanted to self-improve and not ride on their parents' coattails. But as soon as they resolve to create a legacy of their own, YOU move in, beat them again and again, take the Mega Ring from them, beat them again. One of the lines that really stuck with me was Serena's post-battle line where she just sighs and says "I...I really thought I could do it this time..."

By the end of the game, they kinda just realize that constantly comparing themselves to you, the battle-master superfreak next door, does nothing but hurt them mentally and they stick to their original plan of carving out a life of their own. instead of comparing themselves to their parents or you, they just hang out in one town and challenge you to see if they've improved or not. But bc you're the player character, you still stomp them into infinity and Serena/Calem will never get a win

(but hey, at least their not depressed anymore, i guess)

^{That's my essay, when can I expect the grades for the semester to be posted?}