I really like it. My ideal scenario for Gary would have been similar to what they did with Iris where they aligned him with his game counterpart and made him the Kanto Champion.
Eh I don't know about that. Lots of trainers have other hobbies while being amazing battlers. Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha are just a few who basically have jobs in addition to being champion. Also, we know that even after the OS when Ash went through Hoenn and beat the Battle Frontier, Gary was as good as Ash as he beat him. I don't think it'd be a stretch at all if he was still a great battler.
Gary literally said he was done with trainer battles, was going to focus on becoming a researcher and that the Silver Conference was his last championship.
In my eyes this isn't really debatable. It would be an enormous retcon to suddenly have him be the Kanto Champion all things considered.
A great battler? Yes, sure. Worked towards becoming the regional champion while expressing he wouldn't compete in championships? No.
Gary could have still been around as a researcher or something ( possibly even studying to succeed his grandfather as the next Regional professor).
However, I just think that Horace and those other kids would have been great day and they make foils for go without them having to rely on a pre-established character.
I just find that idea more interesting personally
I don't see the problem at all when just about more then half of Ash's opponents are pre-established characters we were expecting to see even before the Master8 were confirmed. We all expected Cynthia and I think most of us expected at least Steven as well to be brought back into the series to be in a competition based on battling. Why would it be that offputting to see them do the same with Gary?!?
Let me put it this way:
1. Bringing back established battle-proven characters from previous series (Cynthia, Steven, Diantha, Alain, Lance, heck.. Iris.) for a battle related goal? Good.
2. Bringing back an established research-proven character from previous series for a research related goal? BAD.
That's the double standard. If you're this upset about them using Gary, then the same should apply for Cynthia, Alain, etc.
Cutting the BS: This thread lives because people are 'upset' that the writers have given Goh a rival that has a history with Ash. And Goh isn't worthy enough to have anything (previously!) associated with Ash's development because Goh 'sucks'. It's a hate-thread in disguise.
Heck, it's not even a rivalry. Gary is in first place while Goh is in 7th. They're working on the same project - but that's it. It's Gary/Harrison or Morrison/Tyson all over again. Gary/Morrison were the true rival and Harrison/Tyson a strong trainer Ash just happened to meet shortly before the Silver Conference that were not really rivals to Ash at all.