Review Detail of 45unifol21 in Pokemon: Master of tactics

Mixed feelings. That's how I'd describe reading this fic... The beginning is rough. Poor grammar/dialogue, cringey character development, and overall average story structure. I dropped it several times in the first few chapters. I came back to it later on due to some readers' saying that it got better, which it did (in some ways). At first, the MC is insufferable, well, depending on your taste he remains that way for the entire story. He is a mix between ruthless, pragmatic, greedy, vain, prideful, arrogant, and cruel. He disdains the naive, admires the strong, and is so lost in his own ego that he is a ignorant hypocrite. He has almost no empathy for humans and a limited but higher amount for Pokemon (though he often exploits them knowingly if it'll advantage him). He does not actively enact sadistic behavior patterns for pleasure but is not above hurting or causing the death of others if it will benefit him. This is true even when he does not need to hurt them to achieve his goal but will do so if it makes it easier for him. This never really changes. What does change (slightly) is his ability to form somewhat genuine friendships and emotional bonds with humans. Granted he still sees everyone except for those closest to him as tools to exploit when needed. He is phenomenally privileged (due to his meta-knowledge and cheat-like system) but spends many chapters moralizing/grandstanding other characters or in internal monologues that are meant to display his superior mentality. It is gross and pure delusion. What is enjoyable is the limited character growth and the development of his Pokemon both in their personalities, bonds, and strength. The Rookie Tournament arc is solid and there are plenty of enjoyable moments to be had. Worldbuilding is above average in some ways and below it in others. Overall I'd give it a 2.5 / 5, but for a Pokemon fic on this site a 3/5. There are parts to enjoy but also lots of cringe, hypocrisy, excess violence, cruelty, and gross themes and behaviors that are repulsive and tiresome to read through.