The obsession with shiny Pokémon has got to stop.

During wild encounters Pokémon trainers have a small chance of encountering a Pokémon that looks different from other Pokémon. It has a different colour scheme to various degrees of difference, and a small 'sparkle' effect appears when a so-called 'shiny' Pokémon enters the battle. Finding these Pokémon has become easier and easier over the years, to the point where many (veteran) players find themselves complaining that having a shiny Pokémon isn't as much of an achievement as it used to be. What they don't realize is that this is a good thing rather than a travesty. The focus on shiny Pokémon is absolutely silly; many of the shiny Pokémon don't look very good, the effect makes very little sense, trainers are pressured to keep shiny Pokémon even when they have detrimental IVs, Natures or Abilities and the fact that they're encountered mostly randomly make them more of a drain of your time rather than a mark of achievement (unless you count sheer bull-headed perseverance as a worthwhile achievement I suppose). 

The interest in shiny Pokémon flows from the same interest people have in the different patterns on Vivillon, the colours on Florges, and the different forms some Pokémon can have in general: trainers form attachments to their Pokémon, and any way they can find to differentiate their Pokémon from the legions of others helps make the bond feel unique and particular to that trainer and their Pokémon. Most Pokémon don't have alternate (purely aesthetic) forms, most Pokémon aren't dimorphic, so getting a shiny Pokémon is pretty much the only way for trainers to get a Pokémon that is 'special' in a way that can be recognized by other players. But I can guarantee you that if more ways to do this became available shininess would become less and less important. Which would be a good thing because, as we discussed, the focus on shininess is absolutely ridiculous.

Note the spiky left ear.

There are a bunch of easy ways to make this change; first off I want to note that I think 'shininess' should be conferred by in-game groomers that simply make your Pokémon nice and sparkly and clean, similar to how a manicure would work; this process doesn't alter the colour palette of the Pokémon. The obvious complimentary change would be to start putting out different colour palettes and slight variations for all Pokémon; some are darker than others, create variations in their colorings and patterns, perhaps switch up how often certain movements pop up in the animations (maybe in relation to their Nature even); there is plenty of room to grow. And make the variations look good; don't just paint the entire Pokémon fluorescent pink for example. But you don't have to stop there; how about bringing back Seals for PokéBalls--heck--allow players to switch what PokéBall their Pokémon is in. 

Let's give trainers a proper way to bond with their Pokémon. And get rid of Hulk-Champ.

Strong to the finish.