Charizard isn't that tough and one attack level is a dramatic boost for Charizard's much needed attack power... and even after one swords dance, it really can't knock out too many in relative comparison to the other swords dancer.
As for netbattle, I'll ask a question in return:
"How is one 'less real' than another, when they're both exactly functioned in the same way, with the exception that you don't see your opponent face to face and that a player can't wimp out by disconnecting on the gameboy?"
Theorycrafting will be talking about things on paper. But when you're playing it out on netbattle, that is totally different... Netbattle's damage formula calculations, the way how attacks are suppose to function, and absolutely all aspects of it follow the calculations of the "real game." The only possible reason is that how IVs can be manipulated to be maxed out or to be for a certain stats so HP can be used, where on the gameboy you cannot. However, how much skill is it when one Pokemon lost to another, only because of the difference in IVs and that one Pokemon's stats are just too great compare to another...? In a game where every point of stats matter, a difference up to 30 points in each stats is dramatic and game-deciding...
If the "but you didn't raise the Pokemon!" part is the question, then exactly how different is choosing EVs than training EVs? It's not a difficult task at all. You just wait for RCs, and then pick off certain Pokemon for certain EV. If you want exact EV calculation instead of just 252 in 2 stats, then use a pen and a paper to help. Not difficult to do at all... if you have the time to do so.
Netbattle's "lazy way out" is in fact the reason why so many different Pokemon strategies are found today. Remember how curselax is once upon a time (even within RS world) the Pokemon of the day. Now, Snorlax usually go sublax instead of curselax. How did this change happen? Well, looking at the amount of time it takes to raise a Pokemon, it'll take a LOT longer to try out new strategy, not to mention that a new strategy can possibly fail, putting all of your efforts in vain.
Not everyone has a 2 gameboy advance and the time to do a billion of restarts just to get the TMs as well. And the most frustrating part is possibly how not everyone can afford to buy all 7 games of the Advanced Generation (R, S, E, FR, LG, Col, Box)... on the other hand, one netbattle for free does it all.