Revamping an Old Fic

[TPrower]

Hi, folks. I’ve been having a pretty bad case of writer’s block, though it’s for revitalizing an old fic of mine rather than writing a new one, though one of the questions I have could perhaps lend itself to helping make future stories.

Long ago, I wrote the Jim Saga, an adaptation of Black and White. I’m a bit embarrassed by how amateurish it is, and want to try and rewrite it and fix some of the mistakes with it, but I’m already bogged down by problems I hadn’t even considered the first time, and hope I can get some feedback on.

For starters, I upped the main characters’ ages so that they’re 15-16 rather than 10-11. The thing is, how do you realistically justify a new Trainer starting out only now, at least 5 years after the typical age to become a Trainer, without even having their first Pokémon yet, let alone having his best friends stick with him for that long as well? I don’t want to just go the Tim Goodman route in Detective Pikachu, either, and have the cause lie in an absent parent.

Sorry to lay that on you, and I may have more questions, but I figured that was a good enough place to start.

 

[Greninjaman]

You could have the a person apply to the Trainer School at ten. After say, 8 years, they get their Trainer's license, provided they passed/didn't drop-out.

Sorry if this is not what you are looking for.

 

[Phosphene]

For starters, I upped the main characters’ ages so that they’re 15-16 rather than 10-11. The thing is, how do you realistically justify a new Trainer starting out only now, at least 5 years after the typical age to become a Trainer, without even having their first Pokémon yet, let alone having his best friends stick with him for that long as well?

Perhaps their parents wanted them to remain in school a bit longer, or needed them to help around the house, maybe working odd jobs for money or taking care of siblings?

 

[Greninjaman]

That could also work.

 

[Daren]

It could be as simple as them not wanting to go on a journey until that age, or not finding any Pokémon to bond with as a starter until then. Not everyone is going to get one from a professor after all--99% of the NPC trainers do not have one of the starter trio, and especially early game many just have early route Pokémon.

 

[TPrower]

Thanks a bunch for your feedback, everyone. I really appreciate it, and it’s already gotten the gears turning in the direction I think I wanna go in.

Another thing I’ve wondered is, depending on the region, how do you gauge how long it takes to get from one town to the next, since it takes literal minutes, even seconds, in the games?

 

[Beth Pavell]

I don't think it has to be a clever reason - my characters are 21 and 22, both having been to university already. I think that if anything it's more realistic that different people get their licence at different times, rather than everyone jumping out of bed on their tenth birthday determined to be trainer.

Regarding the second question, I'd come up with a working idea of how big your region is. I treated Johto in The Long Walk as roughly the size of Great Britain. Assume an average pace of about ten miles a day (For various reasons I won't go into now) and you can work it out from there

 

[Greninjaman]

I agree with Beth. There are people in real life who start college later/earlier than others.

 

[TPrower]

Here's what I have so far as a start:

As Jim is the stand-in for Hilbert from Black and White, he lives in Nuvema Town with Cheren and Bianca as his best friends. His dad's off traveling in other regions, but writes occasionally. His mother is in delicate health, so Jim has elected to stay at home to be there for her until his dad comes back, even though she doesn't want to deprive him of the chance to go on his own adventure, since she knows it's what he wants most.

And then there's Bianca and her overprotective father, keeping her from venturing out of town point-blank, so Jim doesn't want her to feel left out.

Even before all of this, the three friends had made a promise to set out together no matter what, which Cheren abides by more out of duty towards his companions, rather than because he's held back by any obligations.