2. Anime-style Events
Another feature that the games could look to replicate from the anime series are the feats of person to person companionship, as well as person to Pokemon partnerships. In the series' Ash travels with a number of friends and even makes more friends along the way by helping them out of tough situations. Events like this do take place in the games at the moment, but they are rare and mostly unvaried. In most cases they simply involve accompanying someone through a cave or forest and battling alongside them while they preserve the health and status of your party. Events like these could be more varied in future games and could bring some more of the friendly charm from the anime into play. The chance to help out other trainers along your journey that may be able to return the favour and help you out (like when your taking down Team Whatever at the end?!?) later on in the game. The chance to make friends along the way and have both your Pokemon make friends too could also be a way of increasing the possibilities of the happiness gauge that all Pokemon have as well. Taking opportunities to go back and visit these friends from time to time could give the happiness of your Pokemon a real boost of happiness and could be a great way of cutting down the time and effort that goes into strengthening the creatures that evolve through friendship.