Yeah, good stories are definitely what people want in a fangame if the formula isn’t shook up. I’d hazard a guess that a sizeable chunk of pokemon fangame players want more serious stories than the official games are willing to tell anymore.

That’s also why I think so many people were/are interested in Pokemon Reborn and Rejuvenation: stakes immediately set high through the bombing of a train you are on and everyone but you on a ocean liner getting kidnapped by the regions evil team, respective to the very beginning of their games. You know what type of story you are in for.