This episode was me taking a stab at doing some social commentary. Every day I go to school, I see all the kids around me stuck in the world of their smartphones, oblivious to everything around them. It bothers me. The part with the Battle Simulator was a separate piece of social commentary, this one aimed at sports-themed video games. I always found it so silly that people would play a football video game when they can go outside and play football for real. I play video games in order to do fantastical things that can’t be done in normal life, not mundane things such as sports.
On a different topic, the Pokéssistant is the signature piece of technology of the Tenno Region, similar to the Pokégear, Pokénav, Pokétch, X-Transceiver, and Holo-Caster. It is given to your character in Luna/Terra/Sol when you first arrive in Kanaveral City. It serves a large amount of functions. For further information, check out its new section on New Mechanics page.