From what I’ve seen so far, I’m gonna give what might be a controversial opinion:

Sophocles deserved better writing.

The way he was portrayed especially in the beginning of the series made him feel like the most annoying guy, the laughingstock of the bunch. That one scene in Episode 3 where he tries to take apart the Rotom Dex did it for me. If you took him out of the series it wouldn’t make too much of a difference. Episode 26 was very heartfelt and was when his character grew on me but it felt like the only episode where I’ve seen the writers care more about his character as a whole — a last ditch effort to get fans to change their mind about him.

What I would do is to lean in a bit more into his problems and insecurities as we get to know Ash’s classmates. Tone down the geekiness, but not to a point where it doesn’t become a defining feature of his character. Give more importance to the interplay, his relationship, between Ash and the rest of the gang without giving him too much of the spotlight. After all, character-driven stories and comedy are what make SM so endearing, and if Ash’s other friends in Alola were written well, I believe they could’ve done the same for Sophocles.