Main issue is we can never argue what's "better" 99% of the time, especially while in the heat of the conversation. And in this case Palword isn't necessarily "better" unless you utterly hate the core loop of Pokemon as a turned based monster raising battler.

Which apparently many people do. But we're now arguing against game genres, not competitors. Comparing Pokemon to Palworld makes about as much sense as comparing Skyrim to Breath of the Wild. They are superfically open world adventure games with a large area to explore and basic combat, but the lore, battle loop, aesthetic, narrative feel, and a dozen other factors make them night and day. You will very likely not like BOTW at all if you go in expecting Skyrim and vice versa.