Headcanon that the reason Leon is referred to as the "unbeatable champion of Galar" is because even if he did lose know one would know or remember because he lived his life in video game mechanics!
HERE ME OUT PLS! also it's only a headcanon lol....anyway let's get to the point before I don't make sense anymore 😅!
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- when Leon starts his Pokemon journey he slowly starts to realize that he is different than the other Pokemon trainers. It freaks him out a little bit because (1) he's only ten, and (2) literally this happens to no one else!
- finding randomly placed pokeballs, evolution stones, and heal potions in the middle of the forest,wild area, and everywhere he goes? He's still pretty thankful that he has them when in a battle, but creeped out. Know one else seems to notice these strange instances going on. When Leon tries to talk to anyone else about this ( be it Raihan, Sonia, or any adult/trainer/etc.) His mouth suddenly freezes up and he can't speak. His mouth feels like it's suffocating him and his eyes water and all he feels is pain. Until after a moment feeling like he only have 2 other options to say something else he finally gets a word out to finish the conversation but not the words he wants. ( Because of that I think that Leon is selectively mute unless someone speaks to him first because of the traumatic instances where he couldn't speak what he wanted to, afraid that he would say the wrong thing.)
- another instance that kind of traumatized him as a 10 yr old ( which the video game mechanics kicked in only when he started his journey, but neither him or anyone else knows that.) Is when he was fighting in the wild area, and after his last Pokemon faints he blacks out, only to wake up in nurse joys pokecenter. After a few more instances like that and not knowing anything of how he got there or what happened after he blacks out another handful of times he ends up going weeks, and sometimes up to a month instances where he doesn't sleep. Afraid that once he closes his eyes he will wake up somewhere else he doesn't know, alone. ( Hence why he can be horrible at directions. )
- as he goes so much time without sleep he quicky realizes that there's no after effects on him. He's not feeling drowsy or hungry or anything that he should be feeling after going a month without sleep. It scares him even more and he even stops eating because of it, finding it useless. ( He misses his mom, his baby brother, he doesn't know why or how this is happening but he can't tell anyone! ) There is no backlash by not eating, and he only feeds his Pokemon from then one.
- one of the most prominent things that Leon noticed right from the start is that when he loses no one remembers him or his loss. It's heartbreaking, it tears at him. Why does no one remember him? Everyone remembers the losers, don't they? Why is that they act like they never met him before and why can't he do anything about it? Sometimes he just wants to crawl out of his own skin.
- he realizes that he is only remembered if he wins the battle, and that motivates him to win even more because even though it's happened before he can't stand the thought of people forgetting him again. ( He can't help but think that with every loss his family and friends might forget him too. They don't travel together for the battling of the champion cup, but when he does he his two best friends, Raihan and Sonia he clings to them so much. Even if he can't say what he wants. )
- so as he wins more battles, and gets more badges, and eventually wins the champion cup he finally thinks it's over. As much as he loves battling and pokemon, he knows deep down that by the next year someone is gonna beat him and maybe he'll be free from this other power controlling him. ( Maybe he can eat, sleep, and just speak how he wants to again! )
- the next year Rahain is the only one person that has gotten close enough to beat him, he's the one person that gives him a real challenge anymore, and most importantly battling Rahain makes actually Pokemon battling in general, fun for him. Leon loves him so much. God he loves him. He loves his so much that he wants him to win. ( Leon just turned 11 a couple months ago, and Rahain is 14 now. ) Leon can't help but think that Rahain, more happy, emotional,and older would be a better fit as champion anyway.
- But he wins. A year later he wins again. And again, and again, and again. He can't stop winning and as he gets older he can't help but feel like a puppet. Other than being chairmen roses puppet that is. He is just so, so tired. He can't seem to get hurt either. He tries hurting himself but nothing happens. He is untouchable in both psysical feeling and battles. He just wants to stop. Raihan, Nessa, Milo, and the other gym leaders, along with his family are starting to get worried about him. He stops talking to them all together and instead finds company in the chairmen. ( If he doesn't know what higher power is fucking with him, then at least put another higher power to give him directions. At least he knows where the fucking source of that is. )
- so he withdraws, but keeps the happy facade around everyone because he can't be to he wants to be. Eventually after year ten of being the unbeatable champion of Galar, the chairmen decides to give other people the fighting chance. he says that Leon can indorse however many people he likes for. The champion cup this year.
- he meets Leon's best friend Gloria. After he gives them their starter Pokemon and after he sees his brother lose in his battle against Gloria, he notices something about her. Something that just pulls him to her. It's her very first Pokemon battle and she's won. She doesn't speak much but what she does say sounds scripted to him. ( He distantly wonders if she is like him. )
- so he watches her as she wins. Again and again. He remembers her losses tho. He's the only one but he remembers every time she lost a battle. Only to win the next time. He feels some sort of kinship to her. He knows she going to make it to the champion cup and hopes that she beats him. For his own sanity he needs to lose. Winning can't be an option for him. He so, so tired.
- and then she wins. She beats him. As the rest of the audience is silent and the wind slows down everything seems to have come to a standstill. He tilts his hat and grits his teeth for a moment. ( Is is finally over? Can I be free? ) But that doesn't matter right now. He so happy. He got what he wanted. He throws his hat up in the air and smiles brightly, a real smile in what seeme like forever. He runs over to Gloria and picks her up spinning her around. Their both laughing and smiling and he's crying happy tears at her victory and his loss. He doesn't care about the tabloids commenting on his tears or anything other than her. She is like the little sister he's never had and he so grateful that he got to meet her. As she is on his shoulder, waving at the people sitting in the arena he finally has some peace. ( Is it finally over? )
- he gets his answer in the empty locker room. The battle is over. Gloria is celebrating with Hop. ( He will definitely be happy to spend more time with his friends and family ) he gets his old poketknife he found on the road when he was ten and slices the palm of his hand.....
He bleeds.
"Leon?"
It Rahain.
Can he tell him? Everything? Why he's so messed up?
He looks back to se Rahain with shock all over his face. He must've come in to try and talk to him about the battle. ( They made a promise that Rahain would be the one to beat him.)
Leon smiles lightly befoe putting the knife back down.
He slowly walks up to Raihan...
He does something that also wasn't allowed before.
He hugs him. Tight. And cries.
{ P.s - cue explanation, confessions, and emotional sex featuring bottom Leon ; ) }
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Whew! That was fun to write. I really hoped you liked this headcanon/mini fic! It's been something I've been thinking about ever since I've become obsessed with Leon.
I do not have the time to right a full fledged fanfic of this but if anyone wants to take this as inspiration and write a fic based on this please do! ( Also credit me for the idea lol and let me know cause I wanna read it! ) We already have alot of talented writers from this fandom that have posted on AO3 and I would love to see someone write about this and use their own creativeness with it! : )