The plot I'm brainstorming is that it takes place in a completely different region (hopefully without a shitty name) from the others. In this place, you'd be enrolled in a school so to speak that teaches you the ins and outs of battling and "advanced" pokemon concepts. How to become a breeder, researcher, competitive battler, police force, and so on that will work alongside Pokemon.
As such, you'd have been given a pokemon to start with that you've had with you since you enrolled in the school about a year ago (it would be a two year "trade" school). You're coming up on graduation from it when you get word you've been drafted by the regional police force to form a counter task force against a group of "terrorists" (for lack of a better word) that are causing mayhem all throughout the region.
So your graduation comes a bit early and you are allowed to set out into the world to try and make a difference. From there you have complete freedom to either go and actively pursue the enemy faction or do basically whatever you want. Gyms aren't established in this region, so there's no official Pokemon League for you to challenge for.
That said, there will be NPCs you meet with very strong pokemon that are friends and foes along the way.
You'd be funded by the task force even if you don't go along with them (as a means of plot convention) so you'd have your storage space and a good smattering of pokéballs and cash for potions and healing items (if people want to really manage an inventory).
The main plot will likely focus around Mewtwo in some way or form for this first "act" (unsure if there would be any acts to follow if it is finished, but Mewtwo is fascinating in and of itself).
It would take place in a world where none of the pokemon games are canon (since their canon is muddled and all over the place) so it would be a totally clean slate with which to work.
All 649 pokemon would be considered canon in as far as being known about, but much less is known about the Legendary Pokemon. They are, in fact, just that - legends.
I would devise a basic map like you'd see in the games and populate each route with a smattering of different pokemon you could wander out and attempt to catch. Battles would function a lot less turn based and more like actual roleplays so you can set up combos and so on and use the environment to your advantage if possible.
In response to questions:
Evolution with stones/trading would likely not exist. They'd be either level/plot based. Hidden friendship values can be easily coerced by player characters so it renders that pretty moot. I'd want people to actually enjoy themselves instead of thinking of this as an RPG where they need to level up and whatnot. If Lex wanted to start with a Snorlax he'd be more than able to, I'd feel. If he didn't mind starting with a Munchlax, then I'd rather that happen. Evolving is more fun, I feel.
and no, you don't really have to start with a pokemon if you don't want to. I'd really want this to be about having fun and exploring the world and having a unique adventure even though the starting point is contrived for plot convenience.
and yes, doubles of pokemon is allowed. More than one person can have a Charmander/Bulbasaur/what have you aside from if it's a Legendary Pokemon, which I doubt anyone will actually get.
Edited by Valor, 12 June 2012 - 04:39 PM.