I'm kind of curious, what genre do you write?
Comedy? Romance? Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Adventure? Journey? Horror?
My main are Comedy, Romance, and Fantasy. I don't plan on ever doing a true journey fic, because there is more to me than a same story about a Trainer who accomplishes anyway.
But Garrett(main character in Tear of Life) isn't a journey trainer. He isn't there for the simple task of being the best Trainer ever. He fights for something much more meaningful than that (sure he doesn't see it himself for awhile, but that doesn't mean it's not there. Trust the author, they know things :P)