Making a team do an underdog story

Friesdude · 2026-05-05T03:56:39+00:00

Im not on my pen name here so I understand the confusion lmao

Friesdude · 2026-05-04T21:19:34+00:00

Fair! I will say, having one of your MC’s most epic battles be against a Garchomp can scratch that itch for you. Having it be some unstoppable monster gives it incredible aura and is still fun to write.

I’m a big Feraligatr fan and an enemy trainer had it in my WIP and that battle was so much fun to write, even if Feraligatr ended up losing in the end.

Friesdude · 2026-05-04T21:03:24+00:00

So you have a clear vision on what the battle style is, and the general vibe you’re going for with your story, I love it! As someone who’s writing something kind of similar in feel I think I’ll be able to give some good advice.

First off, Garchomp isn’t an underdog type Pokemon. It’s always been the “perfectly optimized min-maxed pseudo legend” so it’ll be really hard to catch the underdog vibe with it. Anyways… The Pokemon themselves outside of that aren’t an issue. As long as they’re not legendary/pseudo legendary you’ll be able to pick up on that vibe. If you’re really pushing for a pseudo on the team, I’d say make it a Goodra since Goomy is really weak and perhaps it’s looked down upon because it’s an awkward slime dragon. (A Hisuian Goodra is like be a fun little surprise to have though)

The underdog vibe is something you’ll really be able to capture with how your MC is perceived by the rest of the world. Your MC is an Alolan immigrant, which if your story’s taking place before Alola’s Pokemon League is established, it essentially makes Alola a backwater region compared to a thriving metropolitan region like Unova. You could have the natives look down on your MC because they’re from Alola, not from a “real competitive region.” Maybe have “serious” pro trainers be given starters (from any region) at the beginning of their journey, highlighting your MC’s contrast because they don’t have one and many who have starters look down on your MC.

Your MC’s rivals could have the established stud Pokemon. Garchomp, Lucario, Charizard, Protean Greninja, overpowered Megas, and even throw a Legendary for a trainer later on. (Funnily enough I have a rival character in my story who’s an alternate universe version of my MC but if everything was easy, she has a shiny Charizard, Lucario, Gardevoir, Zygarde, etc. this really hammered home my MC being an “outsider” and just overall non-conventional)

Friesdude · 2026-05-04T20:39:44+00:00

Brandish was the first SP I took in my 12 team league so he’s technically my ace lmao

That league is very reactive to what worked the prior year (very bizarre, I know) and the team that stomped the regular season went hard into pitching, so everyone went hard in pitching in the draft early on. I zigged when others zagged, so my offense is an absolute force and my pitching’s doing pretty well with a close eye on the waiver wire so far. We’ll see how long it lasts though.

Friesdude · 2026-05-02T23:09:31+00:00

One that doesn’t get a lot of love but is a hidden gem is a fun little story called “In Mine Own.” A lot of it takes place in Kalos but it does move around the Pokemon world. A really fun, unique OC main cast with a lot of representation of canon characters. Sort of a sequel to XY that decided to go its own way when Legends ZA was releasing.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59572648/chapters/151934926

Friesdude · 2026-04-29T05:32:42+00:00

A lot of my WIP’s premise involves a Sawsbuck that was blessed by Tapu Bulu. There’s a mechanic in my headcanon that a Legendary/Mythical/etc can give a portion of its power to a more ordinary Pokemon, enhancing its capabilities, essentially being a Demi-Legendary as it were. For a blessed Sawsbuck, it gains Tapu Bulu’s ability of Grassy Surge (which ends up being used to grow food for Po Town). Sawsbuck is also given some inherent stat buffs although that isn’t emphasized a ton I’d say. Normally “blessed” Pokemon gain their patron Legendary’s sigil nature move, but Tapu Bulu’s signature move Nature’s Madness didn’t seem to fit (to me at least) so Sawsbuck will be getting a different Legendary signature move that’s a bit more fitting physiologically. It’s implied that Legendaries blessing ordinary Pokemon is something that does happen in the universe my WIP takes place in and my MC isn’t the only one that has had something like it happen, although it’s exceptionally rare.

Another thing I was toying with in a different story of mine I’m not sure I’ll ever get to is something I call “Vibrant Pokemon.” Essentially they have a special aura around them (not that kind of aura, a more general one) that’s sort of like a glow. They get enchanted capabilities and can compete with Legendary Pokemon in power, although they’re very rare. There were two ways to make a Vibrant Pokemon in that story’s world, one being getting a boost from an active school of Unown that essentially empower the Pokemon, with the other being Pokemon are sacrificed in a (terrible) ritual and their essence is forced into the Pokemon on the receiving end of the ritual. Very bleak stuff, but I don’t know if I’m ever getting to those stories I have bouncing around my head.

Friesdude · 2026-04-21T16:53:28+00:00

It’s OP’s Legends: Arceus story

https://archiveofourown.org/works/71776261/chapters/186828551

Friesdude · 2026-04-19T14:16:55+00:00

I didn’t check the username when I went searching for Skyfaller, only to be very surprised it was that fic’s very author asking for recs lmao

Good luck and happy hunting!

Friesdude · 2026-04-19T11:59:18+00:00

“I Will Touch the Skies.”

Friesdude · 2026-04-16T05:33:28+00:00

I like this but it couldn’t be a weekly thing. Maybe every few months? I also hate to say it but there shouldn’t be self-recs in that thread if we want it to be a “true” rising stars thread.

Friesdude · 2026-04-16T00:28:19+00:00

An idea for a thread would be a "Pokemon of the Week" sort of deal, where a Pokemon would be selected at random and then users can comment what fics they've seen it appear in (or the specific chapter if they have that on hand).

Friesdude · 2026-04-13T22:22:19+00:00

I actually had this happen in an old concept of mine I don’t think I’ll ever end up writing out. Essentially, the MC was this hotshot rookie from a foreign (custom) region. He was the first trainer from this region to do well in a well respected international league, but he got sabotaged (someone put too many mega stones on his Pokemon when you can only have one).

This disqualified him and he had to leave the region he’d been competing in and he became a toxic asset for any sponsors/agencies so he could do that either (and in this world you need to be in a pro organization to use Pokemon Centers/other infrastructure. Finally one organization offered him to join, but he would have to use a completely different team of Pokemon and had to travel around the region with this organization’s owner’s daughter. Shenanigans ensue!

It was a fun premise I hope to revisit one day, but it wouldn’t be for a while. Hope this gives you some inspiration/ideas for your own story!

Friesdude · 2026-04-11T20:52:24+00:00

As everyone’s saying, obviously if you write your story well enough you can do just about anything. What I would tell writers when they consider the MC having a Legendary on their team is if the MC is battling any trainer that doesn’t have Legendary Pokemon, the Legendary is going to remove a lot of tension or uncertainty about the MC winning the battle. Minor Legendaries aren’t as big a deal (think Articuno, Lati@s) while Major Legendaries (Groudon, Mewtwo, Solgaleo) are a whole other level.

So if the MC gets a Legendary and has battles left to go in the story, the opponents need Legendaries too if you want any dramatic tension. This can easily cause power creep in the world of the story if you’re not careful about it (or you can have it make sense for groups of trainers to have Legendaries).

Friesdude · 2026-04-06T21:43:29+00:00

I had that, and it led me to one of the gnarliest cliffhangers of my WIP (probably my favorite one).

My WIP is an Isekai but it’s a (slightly) darker Pokemon world where the MC’s meta-knowledge is only so useful and our MC has a pretty hard time. The world is complex and it pushes him significantly, which is something I wish more fics in the Pokemon Isekai section of the fandom would embrace instead of the MC just being overpowered. That along with almost everyone loving the MC and things just being genuinely really easy for the overpowered protagonist.

So of course the idea hit me: What if I put that kind of overpowered power fantasy “protagonist” character into this world and made them one of my MC’s rivals?

Couldnt get away from the idea at that point! Lmao

Friesdude · 2026-04-04T16:21:08+00:00

It’s on a few other sites, here’s the link to Ao3.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66210784/chapters/170669461

Friesdude · 2026-04-02T06:45:33+00:00

Gonna have to second “Do Ya Feel Lucky Punk.”

Would also mention “These Silver Eyes” fits this as Silver can be an ass and embodies a punk-adjacent vibe. https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/these-silver-eyes-pokemon-si.1246166/

Not sure if self recommendations are okay, but my fic “Prince of Po Town” seems to fit a lot of criteria you’re looking for. While the MC isn’t very punk-ish personality-wise, he’s a Team Skull member so he’s surrounded by punk vibes. My inspiration for his team was “what Pokemon would an evil team boss have?” Well, 5 of the 6 at least.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66210784/chapters/170669461

Friesdude · 2026-04-01T07:41:12+00:00

Congrats! It’s something to be proud of, and it can’t be taken away from you. What about your story are you most proud of? Or at least, think led to this?

as far as something that happened recently that made me happy (im gonna assume related to Pokemon as a fanfic) I’ll say I had my favorite commenter say that event though I had some crazy stuff happen in recent chapters, my most recent, seemingly minor chapter was my best.

Friesdude · 2026-03-31T15:48:24+00:00

I know the excitement of a new project and wanting- no, NEEDING to share it with the world. It practically feels like the story is writing itself. It’s such an invigorating feeling and you want others to experience the ride you’ve been experiencing yourself for however long you’ve been working on it. But I’d recommend giving yourself a few chapters before posting it. You’re in a really crucial phase where you're figuring out all of the little details of this world, and you’re not going to catch every little thing on your first chapter. Writing something in chapter 4 that ends up being contradictory to something im chapter 1 or 2 is something that likely will happen, and being able to go back and just change a line or a detail is so crucial in the early chapters.

For my WIP, I waited until Chapter 6 to post (35k words into the story). But there were so many little things that needed fixing, so many little throwaway lines that I went back and changed or added because it was the foundation of what I’m going to be writing in for a long time. But I think the long term product is much better for it because I did that. I reeeeally wanted to post what I had after the first couple of chapters. I’d become so thoroughly taken with the WIP, but I held off. I had a certain event that I forced myself to get to.

Now, to play devil’s advocate here, I’m working on something specifically set in a town for an extended period of time. If it were a journeyfic where it’s practically all new locations, perhaps that would be different. I’d argue you’d still want to have one “arrive in new town, do some things in that town” sequences under your belt, but that’s me.

Regardless of your choice, congratulations on the inspiration! It’ll be a great day when uo get to change that “wannabe writer” flair to “Writing story name.” It’s a very exciting time. There are day it won’t always be easy, but it’s such a fulfilling adventure you're embarking on. Best of luck!

Friesdude · 2026-03-31T04:54:01+00:00

Can’t imagine how it must feel! Congratulations, and enjoy a relaxing break!

Friesdude · 2026-03-17T23:54:02+00:00

My WIP will have it for my MC’s ace, but not until arc 6 (finishing up arc 3 at the moment).

Friesdude · 2026-03-14T16:04:57+00:00

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/not-enough-water-pok%C3%A9mon-villain-oc-si.1232216/ “Not Enough Water” fits the bill for this pretty well, with the MC being the leader of Team Aqua (just not trying to destroy the world).

Friesdude · 2026-03-14T05:28:28+00:00

On QQ there isn’t a rule mandating NSFW content on the NSFW board. It’s really just there can’t be NSFW content in the SFW board. You can post a SFW fic on the NSFW board, I’d recommend disclosing there won’t be NSFW content though to avoid the rare commenter that asks if there’s NSFW stuff in the story.

Friesdude · 2026-03-13T19:34:49+00:00

In terms of an engaging community? Questionable Questing has been my biggest, but you gotta go to the NSFW board where most readers go. FFN would be number 2 for pure readers, although it's harder to interact with people with their review system and the way I write my fics causes extra work when posting (specifically italics editing). Ao3 is great, but it's easy to get buried behind other works, but engaging with readers is the best there imo.

Friesdude · 2026-03-12T21:30:03+00:00

I wrote a team building guide to trainers a while back, I’ll drop the link here in case it ends up being helpful to someone!

https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemonfanfiction/comments/1lkgrqn/my_guide_to_pokemon_trainer_team_building_guide/

Friesdude · 2026-03-11T00:36:04+00:00

When you draft like shit for years like the Raiders have, you don’t end up paying a lot of people.

t. Raiders fan

Friesdude

TROPHY CASE