I am going to share some of my AUs and headcanons because why not.
HBC, or Honoured Battler's Collective, is a group that Siebold started in desperation after a slew of bad press not only damaged his reputation but also endangered his business.
The nail on the coffin is when he failed a national cooking competition with a novice mistake. After damage to his ego and pride, his subsequent behavior is broadcast to the entire region by none other than Malva. It made him impossible to work with. His restaurant shut down and had to find solutions, quick. He calls in a bunch of favors from old colleagues (gym leaders, elite four) to form a collective in hopes of launching a media campaign collaboration to get his public image back in order.
In the meantime, the only place who will take him for work in is an old sandwich shop he used to work for before his overseas studies as a budding chef. There, he learns how to work with a team again and how to lean on others. Alongside his new companions, he re-learns what friendship actually means.
THIS IS LITERALLY ALL IT IS. LIKE BACK IN 2014, I started it as a joke with an old friend because I was so obsessed with The Food Network and shows like Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. I wanted to make an AU where Siebold basically gets humbled and learns to appreciate what his friends find beautiful too. I was still very surprised at how much Siebold yells at you when you disagree with him. He's still his cheeky self at the end but harbors more compassion for others.
In lieu of Legends ZA, I just wanted to put it in writing somewhere. Whether or not Siebold is in it and if he's still successful, whether there's anything like a trainer or battle collective in the new games, it's really all up to whatever happens on release day. At the end of the day, it's still an AU in an undisclosed time so I'll still find a way to fit it into my personal timeline because it's an AU I really like. I was able to explore his relationships with many different trainers, even from other regions who I think become some of his closest friends. I have a fanart or two out there so it's been a thing I've been open to sharing.
Thanks for reading if you did 🐥