Did anyone else feel Maria was under-utilized?

[VictoryHoshi]

Come to think of it... yes.  I always found it a little odd that a former Champion would be the first Gym Leader instead of closer to the last -- if she was good enough to be the Champion, then shouldn't she be ranked a little higher?

In all honestly, it seems like all of the first three Gym Leaders -- Maria, Davern, and Cali -- could have had good potential for broader plot involvement or backstories.  Maria at least had some backstory; Davern and Cali both could have been pretty much any other Gym Leader from any other region.

By the time you start getting into the Nuclear Threat story, you all but forget about them (or at least, I did).  But then from Gym 4 on, all the Leaders have some sort of "extra" involvement in the game:

Sheldon...

Spoiler

... hated Vinoville until the meltdown at Zeta devestated the town, leading him to a change of heart and volunteering to help protect Legen from the rampaging Nuclear Pokemon on Route 11.

Tiko...

Spoiler

... got trapped in the Anthell and had to be rescued.

Rosalind...

Spoiler

... didn't have "plot" involvement, but had a the intrigue of being the "unknown" Gym Leader, and her backstory of how she managed to change the old theater traditions.

Vaeryn...

Spoiler

... okay, didn't have much of a backstory, but his Gym was unique enough -- plus his plot involvement of being the one to grant Mega Evolution is pretty crucial to the battle dynamics going forward.

And Hinata and Kaito...

Spoiler

... also had a unique Gym (rather like Vaeryn); they are the human embodiment of Aotius and Mutios, plus they volunteered to go to Omicron to defend it from CURIE.

Perhaps there would be room to involve Maria, Davern, and Cali more plot-wise into future updates.  Cali, for instance, might make a good fit to show up somewhere somehow in Angelure Town, since she favors Water-types and beach-themed Pokemon.  Maybe even link her in to the three ocean legendaries somehow?

Well technically if we go by Pokemon Origins she not really the first gym leader but just the first gym leader you face. I felt Maria was underutilized but Davern and Cali had nothing going for them at all. I honestly forgot Davern until I fought him in the championship match. Cali would be nice for Angelure town as it could be her hometown but since it was Hinata and Katio that sent you the letter to check it out I feel like they will get more fleshed out. It would be nice if Cali was connected to the legendaries and maybe Maria could have been the agent friend of Cameron which is the real reason why she stepped down. I have no clue on how to make Davern more important besides redoing parts of the story to include him with Acton or Lanthan since he is an ore miner I believe. Maybe if they add Heatran into the game he could lead you to it?

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Well i force to agree. Since she "was" the Champion before us she would be a greater chalenge, to be at least the last gym, or at least before the end. She offers a greater challenge in the championist when you have the chance to face her. And believe me, her team its quite something, including her Mega. And yeah, i agree with Eeevee, it would be cool to see Cali in Angelure Town.

Yeah that true Cali could possibly fit into Angelure town since it might be tropical. Maybe she could give you a surfboard item in Angelure town as a replacement for surf since she is a surfer makes more sense than the item builder giving it to you. Also as Eeevee stated maybe lead to the legends?