May is such a terrible rival. I love Emerald so much (favorite game in the series) but I also like the rival angle in the games a lot, and RSE really falls flattest there. DPP got better about it, but it wasn't until BW that I feel like it reached RBY/GSC levels again. D:
Oh well! Rest of the game is ace.
I'd probably rank rivals 2>1>3&5 since I never played 4th Gen. I'm not a fan of the later gens since your rival isn't exactly supposed to be your friend. First two gens are miles above the rest for having them as true rivals.
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My sig needs changing. I'll get a better one later.