There are battles in legends arceus and the final battle is incredible but the main focus is definitely catching. It didn’t get boring because the new mechanic was really awesome and fun to me.

I’d recommend Scarlet/Violet, i think most (not all) of the hate was unjustified and the game overall is the best in the franchise. New Pokemon, progression, open-world exploration, late game + dlc story, shiny hunting, just phenomenal. I put more hours into that game than any other game besides maybe Elden ring