1. Ice types are obtained so late in the game. I recently decided to play platinum, and wanted to get a snover for my team since I had taken a liking to it because of its unique typing and ability. So where do you get it? After the 6th gym. Not wanting to wait that long, I used a randomizer to switch turtwig with it and had a good time playing with it so early. Also, Spheal in emerald. A unique ice/water type with good bulk that is only available right before the 7th gym. Needless to say, I swapped it with Mudkip and again, had a good time. But seriously, make ice-type pokemon available earlier. Even a trade would be nice.
2. Hidden Abilities being, y'know, hidden. Want to use a skill link cloyster or(Apparently skill link is cloyster's secondary ability, not its hidden one.) a technician breloom on your team? Too bad! You'll have to use some pretty convoluted methods, depending on what game you play.
3. Trade evolutions. Seriously, this mechanic is so outdated and the reason I play emulators and ROM hacks so much.
1. Well the Wild Area provides a chance to catch Early Ice-types under the right conditions (snowy weather or through dens). Also special mention goes to BW for having Cold Storage between the 4th & 5th Gym (aka just in time for the Ground-type Gym Leader) and Gen VII having Ice-types in Tapu Village since it was at the base of Mount Lanakila. Though, if anything, they do still emphasize the problem of Ice-types as their natural environment has to be cold and GF likes to place these locations late game.
Maybe artificial places like Cold Storage would be the way to go. I like seeing Pokemon and people interaction and people using Ice-types as maintenance for cold locations is a neat concept. Maybe have an ice rink where wild Ice-types keep the ice smooth but also are a bit of a pest or a server room where Ice-types keep the room cold. Otherwise only normal place I can see putting them is caves which they've made unnatural icy.
2. Eh, this more sounds like a "planned, repeated" playthrough problem more than an initial playthrough. A casual, no-plans playthrough I don't see this being a big deal mainly cause you're just dealing with what's given to you. Maybe you'll know of a certain Pokemon in the area you want and so grind for it, but otherwise the HA not being available isn't a big deal.
Now, for a planned, repeated playthrough, well honestly for that you should just either have the Pokemon you want ready in another game (or coordinate with someone to give them to you when you're ready). Either have them from the start (so that you can properly level them up) or, after catching the same member of their species in the wild, swap them out so it's sorta like you caught them.
Though if there was one way I would make Hidden Abilities a bit more widely available, maybe have you able to Breed for a Hidden Ability without the mother having its Hidden Ability, like you breed the mother with a father that just so happens to have the Ability which is the HA of the mother's species.
3. I can agree with this. Wouldn't mind having NPCs around the time all your Pokemon would be reaching their final stages start appearing who would offer to do a back-and-forth trade to evolve trade evolution Pokemon. Probably would have one for each trade evolution in the game and can only be done once (though maybe made more available somehow in the post game), but would at least give players a chance to evolve these Pokemon if they're unable to trade for whatever reason.
4. Every pseudo-legendary being Dragon-type. The only exceptions are Tyranitar and Metagross, but since Tyranitar looks like a dragon-type and learns Dragon Dance, Metagross is practically the only exception. We need more non-dragon type pseudo-legendaries. Volcarona could have been one, since it actively screams pseudo-legendary with its majestic, flaming wings and having a signature move in Fiery Dance, but we got Hydreigon instead.
5. Boss battle hax.
"Now, we need to make this boss battle challenging, but not have any actual strategy. Got any ideas?"
"How about Double Team/Attract/An OHKO move?"
"Perfect!"
Everyone likes boss battles to be challenging, but in the sense that the enemy uses actual strategy, not stupid hax. For example, Flannery having her Torkoal hold a white herb to use with Overheat, or Tate&Liza's Xatu setting up Sunny day to power up Solrock's flamethrower and have it use Solarbeam in one turn is good, challenging strategy. However, having Flannery's Torkoal use attract and Juan's Kingdra, Wallace's Ludicolo and countless others use Double Team is simply not fun, and is just unfair hax. I'd like to see some real strategy in boss battles, like a flame orb Conkeldurr or a toxic orb Gliscor.
6. The route 1 normal type being 'bad'. The early-game bug types have largely escaped this curse, (just look at leavanny, scolipede, vikavolt, and orbeetle!) but the route 1 normal types still suck. Raticate, Furret, Linoone, Bibarel, Patrat, Diggersby, Gumshoos, Greedent... you'll be hard-pressed to find them on anyone's hall of fame. True, gen 5 has Stoutland, the actually good Normal-type, Linonne and Bibarel have some utility as a pickup abuser and an HM slave, and Diggersby has huge power as a hidden ability, but we're not talking about Stoutland, pickup is nice but a gimmick at most, HM slaves exist just to use HMs, and you're not going to find a HA bunnelby on route 1. For once, I'd like to catch a route 1 normal type, deelop an affection to it, and take it to the elite 4.
4. I know, right? Like, sure, for the European regions a dragon does make sense... but so do fairies. I'm kind of pseudo-Legendary dragon fatigue here. I'd like to see some more designs like Metagross, not really based on a legendary creature but this strange concept. Though, as I said, a fairy would be fine too (my personal vote would be ones based on Oberon & Titania, which the Galar ones should have been!). Or focus on Types that don't really get that many strong representation like Bug & Grass (before you start showing me examples I'm generalizing; I know each Type has their good Pokemon but I think we can agree there are certain Types who get left on the wayside). Just something, anything different than another dragon.
I'm actually wondering if maybe this isn't a mandated thing by the Pokemon Company. If there's one thing a merchandise pushing company loves is a proven pattern and if there's one thing it hates is experimentation with a tried-and-true formula. Though I can also easily see it just GF making a dragon Pokemon, not knowing where to place it, so defaults it being the pseudo legendary.
5. Pokemon Boss battles I feel are sometimes in a bit of a bind where they sometimes want to/have planned a strategy for the bosses to use but the player's Pokemon is just too fast/strong that they have no time to setup. It's why Battle Facilities and the Totem Battles are looked upon with interest as those battles allow for elements to happen outside of the normal battle mechanics. I think it wouldn't be too farfetched if a boss like a League Trainer (Gym Leader/Elite Four) or a villain team admin/boss did something outside of the normal battle parameters which gives them the advantage and allows for them to get a strategy going the player has to adept quickly to. Also having at least the notable trainers having all their Pokemon hold an item (even if its something as simple as a Berry) would also go a long way to make the NPC at least look like they're trying.
6. The "Gen Rodent" is indeed the last "in every gen" Pokemon which has yet to escape the role GF has put them in of early game fodder. Maybe just not making them Normal-type by default would be a good start, like Bidoof could have just started as a Water-type and Bunnelby as a Ground-type instead of awkwardly stapling those Types as a secondary Type onto their evolutions (and of course better stats and Abilities). Also making them a more interesting animal or adding on an additional concept. Heck, maybe it's just time to retire the concept altogether (which is seemingly what they may be doing with the Gen Bug and Gen Bird), just reuse the ones we already got and if they just so happen to make another Bug/Bird/Rodent allow them to be better and more intricate than their previous brethren.
So there's this orange island episode where the gang is sealed in the sewers and Nurse Joy & her Chansey are in front of the block and I was just so sure that Chansey was going to pull a swerve and use Seismic Toss to get rid of it
I don't even remember WHY, specifically (i mean if anything strength would make more sense), just that i was so 100% sure of it and was so disappointed when it didnt happen.
[years pass]
So there's this battle frontier episode where Ash battles a Nurse Joy & her chansey who love to fight and I think gets owned and everything and its great. But I was so sure that Chansey was going to use Seismic Toss because hey that's like competitive chansey's signature offensive move and I was so disappointed when it didnt happen.
It's just a delightful move and seeing pokemon that wouldn't normally expect to use it fills me with theoretical glee.
Honestly they might as well had Brock's Happiny/Chansey learn it, the little gal already exhibited super strength: