>>106509771
>any tips for a decent linux that boots fast on pendrive

What really matters there is to get a super kickass USB 10Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2 for the computer and drive's interface. The old slow USB interfaces are a colossal bottle neck!! If you have really good USB interfaces, it is almost like booting off a SSD.
And the pendirve needs to be able to supply data at those fast speeds so buy the good stuff.