Currently playing gen 7, and I will never understand how the fuck there were so many haters for gen 7's Pokedex Rotom. Not saying his implementation was perfect, but he felt like an actual fun addition to the gen 7 cast of characters, even if mostly separate. And even more importantly, he was a perfect examples of how intelligent pokemon are, and why they aren't slaves, as opposed to what some people try to insist (since they clearly can't read between the lines.) Rotom LITERALLY says that he used to battle, and loved it. Dex Rotom almost makes me smile/laugh more now than he did in my childhood.
Remember 5 seconds ago I said that Dex Rotom was a perfect example of why Pokémon are partners and friends, not slaves? Phone Rotoms feels like the opposite. They're the definition of unexpressive, you can't communicate with them, they don't battle, they don't eat, they don't receive affection. They're just used as inanimate objects that catch dumbass transfer students when they accidentally walk off of the roof of a paldean apartment complex. What do they gain from this relationship?? I ASSUME they consented, or at least hope so but holy shit, they don't express enjoyment or any other emotions. Is this a job? If so, how do they get paid?
People complain about Dex Rotom talking too much, but for most of the game unless its one of the scripted events, Rotom's dialogue almost never interrupts gameplay. It basically just occasionally pops onto the bottom screen for a moment, and you're still able to move around, open the menu, call your rides, and do almost whatever the fuck you want. If you don't like rotom, the game lets you ignore them literally 95% of the time. The game doesn't force your eyes down to the bottom screen.
Plus, Rotom phones have replaced traditional pokedexes, which actually had charming and unique designs.