Help Create the Most Epic Pokemon Tale Ever Told

[Legacy]

So, I really want to create a new story.

I want this fic to be EPIC. Something that people all over the fandom and beyond can read and love. Something that even non-Pokemon fans might even enjoy. Something that if they made it into a movie would be a box-office sensation. Something that I can someday let my kids read years after the Pokemon franchise is died-out and forgotten and have them fall in love with.

This is a pretty lofty goal indeed, and I am not foolish enough to think I could come anywhere close to this by myself. I was hoping we could use this thread to have a discussion about what we all think a huge, epic, Pokemon story needs to have in terms of plot, characters, themes, etc.

Imagine for a moment (and put aside your skepticism) that Warner Bros, Disney, or one of the other big mega-movie companies was going to try to capitalize on the Pokemon franchise's decade-long popularity by remaking and releasing a 'more-adult' Pokemon movie to the general public.

Imagine a PG-13-rated tale aimed at 13-30 year olds who were either Pokemon fanatics during the golden years of the franchise or are still fans today. A tale that causes those older fans from the past to revert back to their love of Pokemon and remember exactly why they fell in love with the series in the late 90's/early 2000's. I want this story to have enough traditional flavor so that people who have loved the franchise will be drawn to it based on their memory of the series back in the day, but then obviously I don't want it to be too cliche.

I want this story to be read and talked about and followed by people all over the Pokemon fandom! I realize that I'm probably not a talented enough or skilled enough writer to do this, but it is a goal at least.

I need your help coming up with ideas and opinions as to what needs to be included in such a story, and also what needs to be avoided.

Here are the results of my brainstorming so far:

- A three-novel story that has three separate stories that can be enjoyed individually, but also that combine to a much bigger story (ala Harry Potter)

- Original characters between the ages of 13-19... perhaps they age over the course of the three novels.

- Perhaps Novel #1 would be more of a journey fic, since I want to start off in somewhat of a cliche way of the star of the fic preparing to set off on his Pokemon trainers' journey. And Novel #2 and #3 would obviously begin to veer from that path.

- Romance. I don't want the romance to be the main theme of the fic, but I definitely think adding a bit of love adds to the overall appeal of the story.

- Rivalry. True to the original games and all the subsequent games/anime, there should be some sort of rival as the character sets off on his/her journey... perhaps as the storyline progresses, said rival will evolve from simply a friendly rival to more of a evil character.

I have other ideas, but am interested to see what you guys think. What things definitely need to be a part of this story? What things should I surely avoid as I try to start this project?

Again, I know this is a lofty and perhaps not an attainable goal to strive for, but it's something I would like to try. So if you are overly pessimistic or simply think it's pointless or stupid, please don't waste your time posting just to voice your opinions about why you think this is a dumb idea (I anticipate that there will be at least one person who would like to do this). I would like it if this thread could be used for discussion among those who would like to see this project forward and those who at least think I should give this a try.

 

[Sarcastically Insane]

If you want to catch the attention of the Golden Age people, I think Mew and Mewtwo should play a big part. Back in the day, they were the Pokemon to have, along with the Birds and starters.

 

[Gama]

This sounds like a fantastic idea and getting everyone involved is great. My biggest piece of advice though, Legacy, is to not lose sight of the fact that this is your project. Super projects like this need someone to collate everything and turn into a single coherent thing so don't feel bad if you need to say no to some people's ideas or if you feel like things need to be edited to fit in.

I know you wouldn't in a million years, but also, don't forget to give people credit for their input at every opportunity to! =P

I once had an idea for quite a good rival character that I never used for anything so you'd be free to use for this and kind of ties in with your idea of becoming evil. Basically, he starts of as a friendly rival, like you said. Perhaps if the main character is travelling with a few friends, he is invited to too but chooses not to.

Basically, this rival character is obsessed with ideas of grandeur, specifically, solo grandeur. His initial aim is to collect Badges but then he researches Champions and realises that the frequency with which they are displaced means that they don't actually get all that much time in the lime light. Instead he changes his mind to try and become a Gym Leader as this is a more permanent position but finds problems with this as well. Eventually he ends up joining some sort of villainous team like Team Rocket and, thanks to his prowess at training Pokemon, soars to the rank of Executive, perhaps eventually becoming 2i/c which would tie in with him becoming the main villain for part of the plot.

Also, it might be cool if you did a sort of LOTR thing so that the gang who the main character travels with changes as each of the side characters achieve their personal goals. For instance, if you think about it from a Kanto perspective, it might go something like this:

Main character goes to each Gym in order.
Side character 1 (SC1) travels with him from Pallet Town all the way to Lavender Town.
Meet SC2 in Cerulean City, who accompanies the MC to Saffron City.
Meet SC3 in Celadon City (after SC1 leaves but before SC2 leaves), who travels to Saffron too.
Re-meet SC1 after leaving Saffron.

That kind of thing, so that the side characters have short term goals while the main character's goals are more long term orientated (if it starts off as a journey fic)

 

[Legacy]

If you want to catch the attention of the Golden Age people, I think Mew and Mewtwo should play a big part. Back in the day, they were the Pokemon to have, along with the Birds and starters.

Good point. Although, I don't really want to go the same route as the R/B/Y games or the First Movie with Mewtwo's back story. Perhaps, I could figure something out.

This sounds like a fantastic idea and getting everyone involved is great. My biggest piece of advice though, Legacy, is to not lose sight of the fact that this is your project. Super projects like this need someone to collate everything and turn into a single coherent thing so don't feel bad if you need to say no to some people's ideas or if you feel like things need to be edited to fit in.

I know you wouldn't in a million years, but also, don't forget to give people credit for their input at every opportunity to! =P

I once had an idea for quite a good rival character that I never used for anything so you'd be free to use for this and kind of ties in with your idea of becoming evil. Basically, he starts of as a friendly rival, like you said. Perhaps if the main character is travelling with a few friends, he is invited to too but chooses not to.

Basically, this rival character is obsessed with ideas of grandeur, specifically, solo grandeur. His initial aim is to collect Badges but then he researches Champions and realises that the frequency with which they are displaced means that they don't actually get all that much time in the lime light. Instead he changes his mind to try and become a Gym Leader as this is a more permanent position but finds problems with this as well. Eventually he ends up joining some sort of villainous team like Team Rocket and, thanks to his prowess at training Pokemon, soars to the rank of Executive, perhaps eventually becoming 2i/c which would tie in with him becoming the main villain for part of the plot.

Also, it might be cool if you did a sort of LOTR thing so that the gang who the main character travels with changes as each of the side characters achieve their personal goals. For instance, if you think about it from a Kanto perspective, it might go something like this:

Main character goes to each Gym in order.
Side character 1 (SC1) travels with him from Pallet Town all the way to Lavender Town.
Meet SC2 in Cerulean City, who accompanies the MC to Saffron City.
Meet SC3 in Celadon City (after SC1 leaves but before SC2 leaves), who travels to Saffron too.
Re-meet SC1 after leaving Saffron.

That kind of thing, so that the side characters have short term goals while the main character's goals are more long term orientated (if it starts off as a journey fic)

Thanks GM! I think having the rival be sort of a polar opposite of the main character could be a good idea. Perhaps even having the rival evolve into the main villain by the end of the 3rd novel could be a possibility.

 

[Joshawott]

So you want it to be your Legacy? *shot*

I'd say, the best way to attract any older reader, is to have a heavily emotional, psychological or philosophical focus. How about, instead of a main character turning evil, it becomes a case of "Where do you draw the line between good and evil?". Maybe, said rival eventually has to save the main character from going too far down the evil path? This could create the romantic subplot you wanted. Perhaps the main character is female, and the rival is male, and always been in love with the MC, however, the only way he had to express that was being a typical jerky rival. However, when she becomes lost in the grey area of good and evil, he realises the girl he loved is going away, and he has to save her? That may sound corny as hell, but if executed well, it could be fantastic.

You could also think about involving the trainers a bit more in battles; think Pokémon Adventures; perhaps even a bit more than that.

Journey-fics can also be pretty long winded, and somewhat boring. I'd say, to have the story aim on taking down an evil, but if you want gyms, make that how. Similar to how in Black and White, you collect the gym badges so you can go to the Pokémon League and stop N.

I'd say that, in order to attract the Golden Age fans; only use the first generation of Pokémon. I'd say focusing on a legendary, will seem very "Pokémon"; but I'd stay away from Mewtwo, as everyone will just remember it for movie 1. Try writing a brand new history about Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres perhaps? You said you were thinking about a series of three right? Novel #1 could involve Articuno, #2 involve Zapdos and #3 involve Moltres and the final stand. However, stay away from Lugia - that's Movie 2 territory xD.

There can also be no great story of conflict without death. Imagine how more dramatic the Yellow arc of Adventures would have been if Blaine and Mewtwo had died fighting? Or if Koga had given his life to give Blue an opening to take down Agatha?

And most importantly: Make it unpredictable.

 

[Legacy]

So you want it to be your Legacy? *shot*

I'd say, the best way to attract any older reader, is to have a heavily emotional, psychological or philosophical focus. How about, instead of a main character turning evil, it becomes a case of "Where do you draw the line between good and evil?". Maybe, said rival eventually has to save the main character from going too far down the evil path? This could create the romantic subplot you wanted. Perhaps the main character is female, and the rival is male, and always been in love with the MC, however, the only way he had to express that was being a typical jerky rival. However, when she becomes lost in the grey area of good and evil, he realises the girl he loved is going away, and he has to save her? That may sound corny as hell, but if executed well, it could be fantastic.

You could also think about involving the trainers a bit more in battles; think Pokémon Adventures; perhaps even a bit more than that.

Journey-fics can also be pretty long winded, and somewhat boring. I'd say, to have the story aim on taking down an evil, but if you want gyms, make that how. Similar to how in Black and White, you collect the gym badges so you can go to the Pokémon League and stop N.

I'd say that, in order to attract the Golden Age fans; only use the first generation of Pokémon. I'd say focusing on a legendary, will seem very "Pokémon"; but I'd stay away from Mewtwo, as everyone will just remember it for movie 1. Try writing a brand new history about Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres perhaps? You said you were thinking about a series of three right? Novel #1 could involve Articuno, #2 involve Zapdos and #3 involve Moltres and the final stand. However, stay away from Lugia - that's Movie 2 territory xD.

There can also be no great story of conflict without death. Imagine how more dramatic the Yellow arc of Adventures would have been if Blaine and Mewtwo had died fighting? Or if Koga had given his life to give Blue an opening to take down Agatha?

And most importantly: Make it unpredictable.

Wow. Great thoughts, thanks! I agree, having the main character/rival have more interesting personalities than simply "The star is good, the rival is evil" is a great way to go.

I like your idea about having the trainers be part of the battle too!

 

[Necrozma]

Maybe have the main character forced to do the gyms in order to accomplish something. For example, like Ryu just mentioned N, the main character doesn't want to be the best, he doesn't want to become the champion, but he has to gather the badges in order to save the world from something evil or to save someone. Just please no "I wanna be the very best" motive for his journey. Though, many may disagree with me here. Or do the classic theme, but let him gradually realize that the specific goal isn't for him (like battles or coordinating), and he travels the world hoping to find his true destiny.

Something complex would be nice as well. Don't let the plot reveal itself at the very beginning, you could make the story as crazier as it can get, only in order to make the readers later think; "Ooooh, so that's why...." Later everything makes sense.

Also, the approach on the Pokemon world. I really like how Adventures went and made the E4 bad as well as Lance, and how trainers can see their Pokemon through balls or how badges actually enhance the power of a Pokemon. Take your own approach, make it as creative or at least a bit similar to the Adventures.

One more thing, I know "Team _____" seems necessary in every fanfiction, but why not let nature be the cause of the problem, instead of human wanting to rule the world.

These are some of my suggestions, I hope you consider them.

 

[Gama]

In a similar vein to what Tsu was saying...

You could have some sort of villainous organisation who DONT need to call themselves Team something but will probably follow the same basic function. They seem like the main villains but as the story progresses, it turns out that they're essentially good guys and the real villains are a higher force or something like that and perhaps have something to do with some of the Gym Leaders.

 

[Thundagere]

In a similar vein to what Tsu was saying...

You could have some sort of villainous organisation who DONT need to call themselves Team something but will probably follow the same basic function. They seem like the main villains but as the story progresses, it turns out that they're essentially good guys and the real villains are a higher force or something like that and perhaps have something to do with some of the Gym Leaders.

I haven't actually posted my own fanfic here, so take this with a grain of salt...
So, the thing about a higher force is what I want to point out. I'm assuming you're probably going to make OCs for the team, right? My point is, for a higher power, in all the games that concerns legendary pokemon. The thing is, when you do OCs it might be harder to work that in. For TPI, you could do it since you still had the old Team Rocket bases. This might be somewhat harder, so what you'd need is a very unique thought. Something dramatic, but it has to fit. Hmm... I don't want to be cliche'd and say World Domination...OK, the closest I can come to expressing my point is The Secrets of Fortree City, by Kyuuketsuki. See, if you read it,

Spoiler

you'll know the gym leaders are collaborating in an evil plot.

. That's like Gama said, something that's a higher force but not on the legendary level. Of course, I've probably confused some people by now, so...yeah.

 

[Gama]

Yeah, I don't like Legendaries being the higher force. I like the idea of Gym Leaders/Elite Four being the higher force but maybe not all of them? It feels more realistic that it might be a plot being headed by two to four GLs/Elites like in the Red arc of Pokemon Special.

 

[Legacy]

Freaking excellent stuff guys! Thanks so much for the discussion, this is precisely what I was hoping for!

I'm taking notes, and as GM mentioned before, I will definitely be giving credit in my fic to those whose ideas I implement!

Question: With my goal of writing a Pokemon story that could reach to those who haven't been in the fandom for a years or even people who aren't familiar with Pokemon at all... how much introduction would you guys implement at the beginning in terms of "What Pokemon are," "The World of Pokemon," etc.

I was thinking about doing the prologue as the "World of Pokemon" type thing that the movies do, which would give non-Pokemon fans an idea of the concept of capturing monsters with special abilities inside a device called a Pokeball, etc.

What do you guys think about that? And also, keep coming with the brainstorming!! What does an epic Pokemon tale need and what doesn't it need?

 

[Necrozma]

Question: With my goal of writing a Pokemon story that could reach to those who haven't been in the fandom for a years or even people who aren't familiar with Pokemon at all... how much introduction would you guys implement at the beginning in terms of "What Pokemon are," "The World of Pokemon," etc.

I was thinking about doing the prologue as the "World of Pokemon" type thing that the movies do, which would give non-Pokemon fans an idea of the concept of capturing monsters with special abilities inside a device called a Pokeball, etc.

What do you guys think about that? And also, keep coming with the brainstorming!! What does an epic Pokemon tale need and what doesn't it need?

This may be the pessimist in me talking, though I don't think you should hope on attracting too much non-Pokemon people. Seeing how the majority of people will most likely already be in the fandom, the whole "World of Pokemon" would be a bit unnecessary as they know about Pokemon pretty much. Though, going in depths about how do Pokemon get sucked into those balls and how did the world of Pokemon come to be might be interesting.

About the story itself, what about a female lead for the protagonist?

 

[Legacy]

This may be the pessimist in me talking, though I don't think you should hope on attracting too much non-Pokemon people. Seeing how the majority of people will most likely already be in the fandom, the whole "World of Pokemon" would be a bit unnecessary as they know about Pokemon pretty much. Though, going in depths about how do Pokemon get sucked into those balls and how did the world of Pokemon come to be might be interesting.

About the story itself, what about a female lead for the protagonist?

Yeah good point. I mean, I wouldn't be really focusing on attracting a bunch of non-Pokemon readers, but ala the Harry Potter movies and pretty much any movie remake of any book, I want to make it possible for people who don't have much knowledge about the concept to be able to enjoy it as much as the people who are lifelong fans.

It's sort of a pointless goal in a way because it's not like my story is going to get published anywhere besides here or made into a movie, obviously, but yeah... for myself, I just kind of what to do it that way.

 

[Zekurom]

@OP: So, kind of like Pedestal, by Digital Skitty?

Except that it's decidedly not epic in certain parts.

 

[Lugion]

First of all, Legacy, we need to create this world. We need to decide what canon, if any, we're going to follow, what region, etc. If we're going to go the "original generation" route, I have some ideas for a story that I was going to write before I got the idea for Stainless Steel, which could fit.

But I do think making sure everything is easily understandable is of the utmost importance.

 

[Yumega]

Simple,

Team Plasma. Now I'm not talking about the strangly dressed morrons that appear in Pokémon Black and white but rather what they stand for. How about a group of violent people who want to do everything in their power to stop Pokémon violence and pokémon abuse. They could be against battles, contests, captures and just about everything to do with pokémon.

You can make them as dark as you like.... killing some of the more harsher trainers or inflicting pain on gym leaders for example.

How about they become more involved in the plot in the 2nd and 3rd novels?

 

[Zekurom]

That ain't so simple. Pokémon Special did that, and Legacy is probably looking to one-up them.

 

[LightningTopaz]

One of my ancient attempts at a journey fic had the badges power some other relic (in my fic's case, a coin), so you could do that and have it be a race between the hero(es) and Team Whoever

 

[AceTrainer14]

I think that a really good way to make it a motion picture sort of story would be to mega-size some of the plotlines and small characters that appeared in the original games and make them twice as big.

For exmaple, you could make it that Giovanni succesfully managed to take over Kanto, and has kidnapped several characters in order to make some large deadly weapon, and its the main characters job to somehow save the day from whatever they are planning to use the weapon for.

 

[Joshawott]

One thing I was advised when I presented my original work to people, was keep exposition to the dialogue; that way, the story can go on without a block of text explaining every detail.

Now, Adventures did the Gym Leaders = Bad bit

Spoiler

Lt.Surge, Sabrina, Koga and Blaine [for a while]

and the bad Elite 4.

I say, that you should create an original villain; although, they can have some connection to a canon character. For example, a former assistant of Professor Oak; who through Oak's research, learns of Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. As the bird trio never got any proper "legend" , maybe it would be cool to make one up? Maybe the villains could be an organisation, who like villains of the past, want to harness the power of the legendary Pokémon? As to why they would, is a completely different matter...do you have any ideas?

EDIT: Or, to go on a point mentioned by AceTrainer14; what if this story is set after Giovanni has taken over Kanto? What is the region like under his rule? Maybe Pokémon trainers are now an underground activity, as due to Team Rocket, Pokémon are scarce, and they have outlawed the public owning them; obviously, they want to stay in power. Then, the main characters are part of a group aiming to bring down Team Rocket and reclaim Kanto (which could include a rather scruffy Oak).