"Silver is the best rival in the core series games IMO"

It’s kinda hard for me to put Silver anywhere outside of first place if I were to rank all the rivals we’ve had in the core series of games.What makes him particularly interesting to me is he seems to have the more developed backstory (and storyline progression), being the son of Giovanni and having a strong dislike for Team Rocket, and you get an idea as to why he despises Team Rocket in the Celebi event.One thing that sets Silver apart for me is the way he acts when you progress the storyline, he goes from stealing Pokémon (the starter from Elm, the Sneasel in Cianwood), to reconsidering his approach to battling and his bonds with his Pokémon, especially after his defeat by you in the Goldenrod underground.The fifth battle with Silver is where you begin to see the shift in Silver, this is the first time where Silver isn’t battling out of malice towards you, but rather him wanting to prove that he’s just as strong with his newfound approach to battling.I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that he’s had a Golbat for two battles now, and upon defeating him, he even acknowledges that he still has a lot more room for improvement.The amazing part though is the surprise twist in the Dragon’s Den, he teams up with you for a double battle, and his new and improved bond with his team is apparent when he sends out Crobat.Silver has really turned over a new leaf as the storyline progresses, and the dialogue of his when you rematch him is that he’s still working to become the very best, even with the storyline’s ending.The progression of him being a thief, who only cares about strong Pokémon and even receiving hints that he drags his Pokémon through the mud, to him reflecting on his horrible ways to becoming a partner with his team is what makes him my favorite rival. via /r/pokemon https://ift.tt/3HPbIh4