Lance being the choice for 'authority figure Cynthia can talk back to" worked rather well honestly. May not fit his other portrayals perfectl;y but it fits with his position in the world.
I have been DESPERATELY trying to figure out how Red can prevent the escape andkeep messing up somehow. It's always Shawn and Muk (no, I will not dignify it with the name). Similarly, I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to beat Betsy yourself. Does the TM choice matter at all?
On the subject of Red doing other stuff, I actually was almost epextcing Lugia to show up, considering what the dex says about it and storms and Red coming in to help with that.
Also, while I still have yet to get her to appear, I appreciate the Dawn references I've seen others mention (and Cynthia's own lines that reference A New Dawn's Ending). I adore that VN so much (not the least reason of which being my love for Dawn) so the easter eggs are very welcome.