What I mean is that she wasn't helpless, like even when it was just her and Bonnie, she still held her own in battle.
If anything, the Oranguru episode proved that if it was just Mallow alone, she would be screwed. Sophocles too as he needed the help of Ash and Pikachu to even attack TR.
Not really, she was getting her *** kicked by TR like any other case they started upping their game, only when Bonnie stepped in did it become the usual curb stomp. Same for Team Flare. Actually I don't remember Serena ever winning a battle where the opponent could land a single hit without interruption. She was a TOTAL glass cannon.
Mallow held up against TR first time around, though again, TR weren't really putting up a fight (and of course, DEM evolution super boost was in action). Next time they were ready and she needed someone else to practically hold them down for her.
This is always a worrying sign, since plot driven victories generally take over whenever the writers have something they don't have a passion for/don't know how to develop properly (eg. TR battles, Serena's showcases, a good few of May's contests, ANY underdeveloped companion). Pokemon probably does these more often than Looney Tunes, the key difference is that while the latter does them exagerratively for comical purposes (eg. the villain sawing off a branch the hero is sitting on, and THE REST OF THE TREE FALLING) Pokemon's cases are mostly just writers laziness that they still try to play seriously and like the hero is the skilful underdog. Bewear being the obvious exception, though even then is blatantly convenient at times.
Sophociles isn't so bad, since we've seen times he's achieved things through his own wits or improvising against a bit of challenge, ie. character driven victories. Sure he needed help with TR, but he did so using Togedemaru's abilities with Pikachu's electric while the latter was out. Same for how he won the Charjabug race. He can be CLEVER with how he uses his Pokemon to accomplish things, something Serena and Mallow almost never have been, either sadly being in the background or winning blandly because the story said so, thus never really being allowed to develop skills and wits.
EDIT: This comment got an infraction for bringing up a character off topic.
