#Legendverse

[a-tale-of-legends]

What was the young adults (Nessa, Raihan, Sonia, Leon, etc.) gym challenge like in Legendsverse when they were younger?

And any foreshadowing or hints to Eternatus?

I'm stilllllll figuring that out, especially bc it's been a while since I exactly expressed my ideas of what they were like back then. I'm gonna focus on Leon, Sonia, Raihan and Nessa. Maaaaaybe Piers. We'll see. This will be long so buckle up!

Leon and Sonia are gonna get grouped together for now bc man. The parallels. I haven't fully decided who endorsed them. I wasn't sure if I wanted Leon to be endorsed by Rose and Sonia by someone else, or if Rose endorsed Sonia ( like in the manga) and Mustard endorsed Leon ( old friend of Gerardo, mayhaps?). The point being that these two went on their gym challenge together.

Sonia was the better trainer.

....At first. Sonia was someone who Leon could not beat when they were younger, and in the earlier part of their journey she really was the better trainer, and favorite of the media. Of course, among the favorites, there were plenty of people who called her a nepo baby and thought she was ruining the sport. Leon wasn't that shabby of a battler. But in terms of skill,back then, he wasn't as good as Sonia. But what he did have was passion and determination. Leon knew from the jump what his goals are. He wants to become champion and he wants Galar to become stronger for it. So even if he wasn't as skilled as Sonia ( yet) he was going to claw his way to that top just everyone. And people noticed that. That fiery passion, that light that he had. It was a much more gradual buildup compared to the success of Sonia who was kinda hit with everything from the jump ( can't imagine that really helped with her enjoyment of the gym challenge),and once Leon started going he could not be stopped. And when you just keep going, someone has to get left behind right?

Personality wise, again something I haven't fully thought of. I used to like the idea that Leon was shy, but I think it fits him more that he was always this full of energy and ....I dunno expressive? But also hard to read. Someone who's determined, who's passionate, who has a good laugh, but you always don't know what he's thinking. That. Sonia....I feel she used to be rather confident in herself. Dare I say, she might have been a smart alek back then,willing to "um actually" someone ( Raihan. It was Raihan). But she was still Sonia. She was still awkward, and kinda uncertain of herself at times. She has a tendency to get in her head that just keeps her stuck - oh hey Hop, what are you doing here? ( This kid and his many parallels).

Where Leon gradually became a force that could not stop, Sonia....well. The gym challenge was wearing her down. Like I said, she has a tendency to get stuck in her head. She would make battle plans, said plans fell apart, and she was left floundering her way through a battle. Everyone's eyes were on her and....and all her friends were so bright. Leon was so bright. They all were bright. They all knew what they wanted....did she know what she wanted? When was the last time she enjoyed a pokemon battle? ......

I'm of the mind that Sonia dropped out of the league around the 7th gym, so at Melony's gym. She had won, said gym, but at that point she could have sent herself that she wasn't having fun and just felt. Lost. Her friends were also so far ahead too so. No way she can make a comeback now, huh? I think this is when her and Leon's friendship breaks bc just like Hop and Naomi, it's been them. Sonia and Leon, against the world. I can't imagine what it's like watching your best friend give up ( even if in the long run, it was literally the best option for her mentally), having that friend just. Close herself in. And there's already a big gap between Sonia and Leon by this point, so when Leon turns around to check on her, not only is she far away, but she's most likely walking in the opposite direction. Or at the very least, too far away for him to reach. It's been awkward after that. But this is about the gym challenge so. Story for another time.

Raihan....oh Raihan. It's been years and I still haven't figured out a solid backstory for him. It's driving me insane. So for simplicity sake, I'm gonna say he was endorsed by the old gym leader of Hammerlocke gym. What's their relationship exactly? No clue, and we're not gonna talk about it right now. Kid Raihan....well tbh, I've always seen him as a little chill, but have a very mean mischievous streak. A pure agent of chaos that one. He was a bit more.... rambunctious (?) back then. Kiiiinda wore his heart on his sleeve more and reacted as such- but overall, really chill. Sometimes had to be the voice of reason for Sonia and Leon ( which is incredibly funny since he is most likely the one that put bad ideas in their head/ goad them into trouble. The duality of this kid). Sonia and him would get on each other's nerves and bicker a lot bc their both smart ass kids, and depending on the subject one is more chill than the other. But it gradually just became custom for them and a form of affection! They both ended up becoming the others impulse control. Raihan and Leon.....Leon kept beating him. And despite how chill he is, Raihan has pride, so each loss just makes him more frustrated. Fortunately, Leon being Leon smoothed things over - he honestly couldn't bring himself to be so mad. Plus, their rivalry was fun! They kept each other on their toes, each move being done with great intensity and vigor. Raihan had a goal to one up Leon one day and Leon would embrace it fully. ( Leon being Champion kinda. Sullied that notion. It still exists, but with lots of outside factors going into it, specifically that their rivalry is now treated as something for others to consume and watch, not just two friends who wanted to see each other grow stronger and try and best each other). In the end Raihan was the one that faced off Leon for the champion title....and lost. And honestly, I think. He reacted pretty badly. I can't blame him, he's a kid, his loss was in public for everyone to see, and he worked so hard- I do not blame him for reacting badly. But man did it make things tense between him and Leon. Even when things settled down, and the initial issue was gone, that tenseness never fully went away, but that's getting way ahead of the gym challenge. Overall, Raihan was that chill but very mischievous friend that loved to bicker with Sonia about history and battle Leon to be the best.

Nessa....I don't have much for her outside of this very specific thing: she was competitive as fuck and a bit of a hot head. I see her carrying herself with so much dignity that the other three could not help but move aside when she was walked by. Leon and Raihan found her intimidating/scary. Sonia found her criminally pretty. I actually think it was Sonia that had Nessa integrated into their little group. Not that Leon and Raihan didn't interact with her, but Sonia was the one that couldn't help but want to get to know her. I mean, she was so confident! How on earth can she be able to walk by like she owned the place. She had to figure it out. ( Raihan: Or you just folded at the first pretty face you saw. Leon: Pfft- Sonia: SHUT UP!!!). They actually became fast friends! Nessa was friendly, if not a bit more stern about the gym challenge ( "quite fooling around and take this seriously!" <- something I can see her saying). Leon and her actually ended up getting along REALLY well! I think it's the market kids bonding over their families respective trade - humble beginnings I suppose. Raihan pissed her off a lot though. One minute they could be having a normal friendly conversation and the next, Raihan is laughing his ass off while Nessa is shaking him by his shirt. And yeah! I'm not sure when she got eliminated - yes eliminated, Nessa is not someone to quit imo. Maybe during the champion cup, maybe somewhere else. But I think she had a really good run! I can actually see her being the one to encourage Sonia to quit her gym challenge, since she saw how unhappy it was making her. I think the promise that they'll still be friends and Nessa cares more about Sonia's happiness kinda just cemented the feelings Sonia had, both platonically and romantically. Nessa is a good good friend to Sonia,even past the gym challenge and years to come.

Yeaaaaah, I'm not doing Piers I don't have much for him. I do think it was Raihan that befriended him first! I feel like he was very much that friend of a friend that didn't reallllly hang out with the others as often but would still get dragged into their shenanigans and was genuinely part of the group. He was the closest to Raihan, but still gave every one cute lil nicknames :3

And finally: Eternatus is weird timeline wise. I don't think Rose got it around the time Leon became champion. I feel that happens some years into Leon's career? Maybe in his teens. So during the gym challenge, Eternatus was still very much a fossil.....but here's an idea. Leon gets lost. Like he usually does. But it's worse here, because he's lost within the deeper levels of the Galar mines. Charmeleon is with him, so he can see, and he's fairly confident in his ability to handle the wild pokemon....but it still sucks. ( It's moments like these that makes him wish that the Galar Rangers are still a thing. Wish that his dad was there to guide him). So he's still wandering around, trying to get himself out of this strange situation....and then he sees it. On the wall,a giant fossil. Or at least, a piece of a fossil? He can't really say but it's there. Right before him. Has anyone ever seen it before? He is rather deep into the mine- he's pretty sure he's not supposed to even be there. Sonia would love to get a look at it.....he can't seem to turn his eyes away. There's something about the fossil. Something.... daunting. Something heavy. It makes his stomach sink, and he feels himself shutter a little but he can't look away. It wouldn't be until Charmeleon takes a hold of Leon's hand , looking at it's trainer with concern. Leon smiles, even if it's clearly nervous, thanks Charmeleon and turns away from the fossil. He eventually does get out of the caves, gets scolded by Sonia and Raihan and goes among his merry way. He forgets about the fossil by then. Though maybe it's still there, at the back of his mind. Maybe that's why, when he sees it again, it feels so familiar.

Just a lil plot bunny for ya :)

[a-tale-of-legends]

The SV friend group, timeskip/future versions. Might come back to these later, but overall I think these are decent :)

[a-tale-of-legends]

Whether or not Leon in Legendsverse during his gym challenge could sense Eternatus from a distance is up to debate. But after finding its bones. Let's assume some time passes like five years or more? Because it'll take time to excavate the bones, make plans, set things up, and transport them.

What if teenage Leon steps into Hammerlocke Castle one day, after Macro Cosmos has finished building the power producer, and a massive chill goes down his spine? He has no idea what that was or why it felt familiar. He reasons a ghost pokemon must've pranked him.

That's how I've been seeing it, yeah. I still need to figure out when exactly Eternatus is taken, and when it was first initially revived. Because in my head, Eternatus' revival would have caused a power outage alone, since it would honestly take a lot to revive the old dragon. Maybe they got it when Leon was midway in his champion career. Let's say 15. While there is certainly technology that can revive fossils of any kind, Eternatus was proving to be more tedious. Maybe they were failed attempts, and they would never really push it bc they didn't want to gain attention. Ooooo maybe they even hire the likes of Cara-Liss....though that work relationship would be short ( as in they would let her go when the revival was a success). Anyway, when they do revive Eternatus ( this could be a year after they successfully were able to bring it to the energy plant), it had caused momentary power outage across Galar. Whoops! Thankfully they have backups, so it only lasted a few minutes but. Whoops! Didn't expect that to happen! Why does Eternatus still look dead. Problems upon problems.....

.....this what if is entirely not the point of this ask LMAO. Sorry about that. Ahem. ANYWAY.

Yeah, I've had a similar idea! A teen Leon just a big chill down his spine when visiting Raihan for a match ( and official match. Casual battles between them don't really. Happen that often anymore). He doesn't know why this is happening, he assumes that maybe one of his ghosts is pranking him????? But they're in their ball...maybe Hammerlocke Stadium is absurdly cold today. That was to be it.

The alternative route is Leon.... actually being shown Eternatus. Maybe when it's revived and not looking dead( well. Not looking completely stiff). The feeling he felt when he was on his gym challenge and stumbled upon that Eternatus fossil on the wall came back and it's worse because it was actually looking at him. Weakly, of course but it was looking at him. It was terrifying. And yet....stuck in a giant ball. Weak. In his fear he also felt. Something. He couldn't tell what, back then. But as Rose started to give him more, albeit still vague, information about his plans, what Leon himself had a role to play throughout the years that something became....Sadness? To be trapped and used....it feels a bit familiar. Just a bit.

Of course, all of that has a big ol WIP stamp on it. Given there's another factor at play, the "Royal" Twins, the partnership they have with Rose as well as the backstabbing each side is willing to do. Maybe Rose showing Leon is Rose gaining his ace in the hole. Or maybe Leon never saw Eternatus during his teens, and was just made aware of it that year. A lot to consider!

[a-tale-of-legends]

What is Hop's emotional journey regarding Naomi like? He does trust her and believes she can do more than she thinks, but it also gets tangled with his desire to make a name for himself. The 'story' he wants to get told about him a the next champion. So he props her up as his strongest rival for his own sake. How does he react when she grows more independent, more self-assured, but also irritated, then calls him out? When does he become aware of what he was doing?

Not to mention how his self-confidence gets shaken across the weeks, contrasted to her rising own self-confidence and independency. It's just compelling.

Hehe, i'm glad you find them interesting!

Hop is soooo interesting cause in canon he already goes through A Lot. He has an ego about being able to beat Leon and make his legend come true, but also has an inferiority complex in that he doesn't truly think anyone can beat Lee because it's Lee! Including himself, not really. Very similar to Naomi once being okay being in Hop's shadow, Hop was okay with being in Leon's shadow while also wanting to be him. Simultaneous superiority-inferiority complex, if that makes sense. All of it revolving around Leon. But that image gets challenged so much. Bede says that he's squandering Leon's name, and that's what makes Hop spiral. He cares about his brother's image so much that the thought of him ruining it deeply upsets him! So now he's questioning if he's really even good enough, trying to get stronger to prove that he's strong and to prove that he isn't hindering Leon ( do you ever think how Leon says Hop apologized to him after being defeated by Bede? It's always been about Leon to the poor kid)

And now we get to Naomi, who's not only growing more confident, but is constantly winning. Winning against him. Every passing moment the story he had in his head is crumbling to dust. He doesn't resent her for it. He can't. He sees her growing out of her shell more and more and he's so proud. But he's losing. If he can't score a win against his rival, what good is he to Lee? To himself? I think Naomi getting irritated and calling him out is what crashes things into perspective. Because just like how Hop loves Leon, Hop loves Naomi. And to realize that he has been treating his best friend in the whole entire world the way he has guts him. Possibly harder than what Bede says to him. Naomi has made what could have been a very very lonely childhood a lot less lonely. Believed in him when others didn't. And what did he have to show for it? " You'll be my sidekick, my number two!" What a joke....

It's so. Complicated. How Hop feels. He feels like everything he ever dreamed of, ever worked for is slipping right through his hands, that he isn't good enough, and maybe it was never meant to be, and yet. Naomi is out there being the brightest she's ever been and he can't hate. Not a bone in his body could ever resent her. So it just falls back into himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he,for a moment, thought she hated him( she doesn't lol, she's just frustrated and honestly needed space). There's also the aspect of Hop realizing that. Um. Maybe putting your older brother's image above your own self is not healthy. At all. And maaaaaybe recognize the other people in your life has been doing that to you as well? This isn't something he fully gets by the end of swsh- I think it's a slow realization that takes some years to really settle in and something he ( and his family) has to grapple with. Swsh is more of a. Kinda realizing the door is there. Fully realizing it, opening it and going through it is something gradual,a bit slower.

Also just. I cannot stress enough that Hop adores Naomi and still loves that she's growing more into herself. Like despite how he treated her, it's important to note that he still believed in her! He believed that she could take on the gym challenge!!! Outside of "his legend", Hop honestly just wanted Naomi to be there with him for the gym challenge. He respects her enough to see her own greatness, just at the time, it was greatness that was going to make him greater.

Fortunately, they do talk things through and make up, their bond growing even stronger than before. I think they missed each other, tbh. It's always been Hop and Naomi, and them not being attached to the hip is. Odd. Maybe a minor co-dependent thing that they work through, especially with Naomi in general being more independent than she was before.

In the end, Hop's vision goes from " my story, my legend" to "our story, our legend". Him and Naomi. Together. Just like it always has been. Nothing of Hop shining greater than Naomi. Naomi never wanted to shine greater than Hop. They can shine together.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Projecting onto Aaron a tiny bit: I feel like his family isn't exactly....thrilled, that he's a bug type specialist. When he was still just a kid, they were kinda like " oh, okay, he's a kid and he likes bugs, he'll grow out of it" but. He never did. The bug type is often seen as the worst type, often just associated with young boys, but nothing beyond that. It's kinda expected for them to "grow out of it", or face being a laughing stalk among others. So when Aaron continued to show a passion for bug types and battling, his family grew concerned. His parents especially, I feel, where always wondering when Aaron would grow out of it and become "a real adult".

I think this kinda adds to Aaron's quotes about being an adult/ maybe acting a bit older than he actually is bc he probably has felt that he needs to prove that he's mature, prove that his interests are worth something. He becomes a gym leader, an elite four member and the only bug type elite four member currently, and yet it still doesn't seem to "prove" anything.

I don't think Aaron's relationship with his family is totally bad, but there have been a handful of heated conversations that have happened over the years.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Before going to bed last night I had this daydream of The Originals ( Leon and his friends) all going to a haunted...house? It was Raihan's idea. ( This was them when they were younger btw)

Now. Scary stories are one thing. Leon, Sonia and kinda Nessa can handle those. But an actually haunted area? Um! Not so much. Of course, they all started out pretty confident they could handle it. Sonia in particular was more keen on seeing if there was any historical value to the place. Leon was looking forward to the challenge and Nessa wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off Raihan's face. Piers was the only one who very much did not want to go into the stupid haunted house ( if you can even call it that). He lives in Spikemuth, so the idea of going into a rundown area in of itself isn't creepy. Hell, he primarily lives with "creepy" pokemon. But it's the fact that the thing is allegedly haunted, which means actually getting in trouble with ghosts....nuh uh. No way. He could have just waited outside but 1) he wasn't sure that was better and 2) someone has to protect his friends from their foolhardiness. Also he's the only one with dark types so the hypothetical ghosts can't do much to him.

Things start out fine. Sonia is holding onto Leon's hoodie so he doesn't get lost in the dark spooky house, while also examining the old art pieces of the house....or at least what's left of it. Nessa and Raihan have their back and forth, Nessa insisting that she's not scared of some stupid house, Raihan acutely pointing out how she's shaking a little. Nessa resists the urge to punch him. Piers is the only one that's quiet, taking in everything, being on his guard. Things seem fine. Too fine.

Spoiler alert, there's actual ghosts here and they found their new victims <3. I don't exactly have an exact idea of how things go but I was imagining everyone doing a lot of screaming and a lot of running. Was thinking of that pokemon generations episode with Cheryl tbh. I specifically thought of this.

Raihan, running for his life: What happened to not being scared of all those ghost stories huh?!

Sonia: Stories! Ghost stories! These are the real dea-a-a-a-l!

( I actually imagined them falling down into a black abyss after that. Yeah this house is fucked up).

But outside of that there's a lot of fun shenanigans that could happen here. Well. Fun for me not fun for everyone else. The end result is all the same, they run the fuck out of that house screaming. Scary stories are on hold for a while.

Raihan: ( panting, catching his breath) So (heaves) that means (heaves) my stories finally got you guys, right?

Leon:

Sonia:

Nessa:

Piers: ( walks up to Raihan and smacks him across the back of his head)

Raihan: Ow!

Nessa: Thank you, Piers.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Some Wayne Lore: I don't remember if I had him dung born and raised in Plasma, or at the very least, was in the team with his mom and maybe dad at a very young age. But regards, his love for comic books came from an older plasma grunt ( I imagine her in her late teens specifically) who would sneak in some comics for him( I don't think Plasma was keen on outside influence). Said plasma grunt actually ended up figuring out that Team Plasma wasn't all that it said it was ( she doesn't have everything, of course, but she knows it's Bad and she needs to get Out), and she tries to convince a young Wayne to run away with her. Wayne, who's still young and firmly believes Team Plasma as family and wouldn't be as evil as his friend says, gently refuses. And so she leaves. It would be the last time Wayne ever saw her....ever. She died while attempting to escape. Team Plasma can't risk getting exposed now can they?

Anyway, I said all of that to show this:

Not the perfectly accurate Team Plasma grunt suit but it's the best I can do lol. Originally, I saw her having naturally purple hair until I thought " hey wouldn't it be fucked up if she always wanted to dye her hair purple but never could and now never will". So. Yeah :) This is what she would look like if life was kinder to her:

Wayne misses her a lot.

(Picrew)

[a-tale-of-legends]

Okay, NOT the big ask I'm going to send you that's later, this is just a quickie.

But you talking about Rai's dad getting into trouble with the royal family for snopping around.. and combining that with the headcanon that postwick bros dad could've been the/a royal scientist... and Lee's dad was the one that got got...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk man :]]]]

HGBFVFBGBJB There COULD be a connection! I've been debating about the royal family line for Hop and Lee's family a lot recently ( like whether or not I want to keep it in or remove it), but it could be such good drama. Raihan's dad was lucky and he was the one that was snooping around. Leon's dad was honestly just doing a job, minding his own damn business....and yet he still got got. It's unfair, really.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Your original post was about Naomi and Hop a lot. But a person she'd become frustrated by for underestimating and coddling her is Alexis. Her life situation also would break in half the core of his selfdestructive self-deceit and running away:

She sure never met any evil team or did any big risky thing as a younger kid. But she was lonely and never dared anything. Many people protected her. They didn't mean it to, and Naomi would've had trouble going against her anxiety, but their actions backfired and left her with her own scars. Lack of confidence and of independence, horrible anxiety, and feeling miserable.

Does that ring a bell for Alexis?

And her being "safe" didn't stop the losses of Soul or Gerardo. Even more Soul, who didn't have a dangerous job, but who by chance got sick and died because of it.

A childhood of complete safety is a lie. It doesn't exist. And being herded away from any hardship stunts a child's growth.

YEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!!!

That's the theme with Alexis bay-beeeee,him and stunted growth. Being stuck or stagnant if you will.

Alexis isn't a nuzlocke protag anymore bc I didn't wanna go anymore nuzlockes, so in the place of pokemon death I simply played up the anxiety and paranoia that Alexis would feel as he goes on his journey. The fear of Team Plasma getting him or his family. The fear of what would happen if he doesn't comply with their plans ( of being the hero and facing N). Of course: he's a protagonist. He still can't just leave things the way they are. The exact fear of his loved ones getting hurt is what drives him but god, it sucks. To be 14 and to feel that much fear. And then he loses his arm and then he runs away bc Unova is overwhelming, and then when he comes back, those fears are still there, but it manifests in " I need to do everything in my power to keep them safe and happy and have a good future". For Elliot and the Unova gang it's "moving on" -> not talking about what has happened to him, shutting down when there is an attempt to, all under the saying " it's in the past now" ( spoiler alert: He is very much stuck on the past lol, but he doesn't want to admit it)

And got Naomi, like you said, he sees a child around the age he was when going on a journey and sees how shy and anxious she is and it's almost like he's being taken back to his days on his own pokemon journey and that fear? It just. Slowly creeps back in. Oof I'm. I'm kinda realizing how much Alexis is probably projecting here. Naomi needs someone to guide her away from the danger and the risks, like how Alexis wished someone did that for him. And it could be a sweet notion if he'd just allowed her to actually. Be! Just. It must be tough to realize that it's less about her ( I mean it is very much about her) and more about him and his own insecurities. For both of them honestly. Yikes my dude. I don't even think he fully registers it until Naomi or Elliot or both snaps at him for it. Naomi needs to grow. She is growing. She appreciates the concern, and if given the context, she would fully get why. But that still doesn't mean she's just going to just. Take people smothering her anymore. She's gonna grow!!! And she already went through shit before hand - with her dad and Gerardo - So to pretend that she's this. I dunno, perfect doll that has never experienced anything wder and should be protected is simply incorrect.

Also just. He's so worried about risk and hardships, and yet Elliot has honestly been suffering for some time because of Alexis' avoidance. And I feel like Alexis would just. Use this against himself, convincing himself that it's all a better reason for her to simply leave him, and not take it as a sign to do better. To maybe not make your sister feel like shit when she just wants to talk to you about what happened. The cycle of self-loathing and pity bay-beeeee!

This was a much longer way of saying what you said though. Galar is a much needed wake up call though. Alexis really does love his family. So once it really settles in how badly he fucked up it honestly breaks him. And it's honestly all up to him on how he makes things better that doesn't fall into " they're better off without me"/avoidance bc that shit hasn't been helpful for years.

[a-tale-of-legends]

I'm no where close to finishing my run of Hoenn, as not only do I have to do an Amber run, but I also am gonna try and write out my ideas for stuff that happens post game and post post game, as they get older. But I've been debating on if I should play the sinnoh game(s) or the johto ones after. The Johto ones will take. Much longer, since not only am I juggling three protagonists, but I'm also kinda rewriting the main story of that a bit. I won't say Sinnoh would be less time, as not only are the games slow, but i feel like my characterization of my ocs is lacking. Plus, I also feel like I might rewrite somethings, but that's part of the course in this au lol.And not to mention PLA but I won't be touching that for a while, I think. Within my timeline, hgss/crystal and dppt take place around the same time, dppt happening honestly near middle of the hgss plot. So I'm gonna focus on one region or the other.

Also uh. Full transparency I'll probably will be playing roms of these guys lol. I might do renegade platinum for the sinnoh stuff but only cause I am not familiar with other platinum hacks. Maybe I'll look up non difficulty hacks for Platinum, same for HGSS. If not then I'll just try and play the base games.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Funny - as in strange - how the Originals kept getting wrapped up in ghosts and ghost stories.

Leon's the most recent and drastic example. (And might even have been a ghost?)

( snorts) Yeah. Piers would suggest their cursed lmao.

Leon is still very much human at the end of the day, but between his connection to Eternatus ( ghost possessing it's body) and his own ghost types, he's almost an Allister situation ( Allister in pokemas was said to have been in an accident that almost led to this death, but pokemon led him back to the living). Leon could have died that day - thankfully he didn't but you can't tell me that whole thing wasn't weird as fuck. Being connected to a legendary possessing itself, I mean.

Anyway now that they're older, the amount of times they've encountered ghost and ghost stories can be put onto the Remixes ( Naomi and co) now, lmao.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Okay but seriously Jin started out as this wise, calm and collected figure of my protag ocs and it's so fun to see how they grew from that. Like old Jin wouldn't be doing silly poses in my head with the Two audio blasting in my head lol. The new Jin is wise in how they've grown and had more experience, but also! They're still petty! They still have that temper, it's just better managed! They're Down Bad for their partners! They're allowed to be more expressive than the old "ah yes the calm collected smile that a wise mentor would have". They're. GOOFY. And I love them for it!!!! Oc progression raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Since I feel a bit more content with Aiko, my discontent has moved onto Beryl. As always,I go to picrew and try to think up ideas and vibes.

Crystal/HGSS Beryl. Kinda giving off a cool vibe? Originally the same expression as Beryl below but I thought it would be better if they had different expressions overall. Maybe I should have swapped them tho 🤔. Kinda imagining this Beryl to be self sufficient researcher turned babysitter but can't even be mad about it. Still, I want some edge to them, I just dunno what. I think the motivation to complete the Pokedex is still here though.

Adult Beryl. It's not clearly shown here but they have a bigger build than how she looked as a kid. I think it would be cool if instead of changing their originally body type fully, they simply gained weight over the years.Again trying to amp up the "cool" factor. I don't think I like the professor jacket. At best I can see her holding it over their shoulders, kinda like how Lenora does it ( Lenora - Beryl familial relations confirmed?!/j). But overall,I don't see them really wearing it like how Kavi does. Anyway, still going with the cool vibe. As of right now, they still have the pokemon rescue and rehabilitation thing going on as an adult, but I also think they study/ research shiny pokemon and pokemon genetics ( so. I guess biology lol). I feel like when you have so much shiny luck, you would want to at least understand the damn phenomenon 😆. Probably bleeds into their rescue and rehabilitation work ( shiny hunters and poachers). And yeah, that's all I have for now. Vibes and vague ideas based on their old concept. Still working things out though.

Also!!! The hair color is still turquoise but not this shade. Something darker, but not dull.

( Beryl uses they/she btw!)

Picrew

[a-tale-of-legends]

An interesting point of character conflict for Dante could be the Darkest Day, Hop, Rose, and Leon, once he learns some of the information? Because of the parallels to his own life.

It's not quite the same but his parents are to him a bit what Leon used to be to Hop. An older, successful and renowned relative they were / are looking up to, and in which shadow they stand.

Rose is a clear parallel to Lysandre, although Rose's intentions were much better than Lysandre's and he never wanted to kill somebody. He didn't embroil, as far as we know, anybody in a cult.

Leon was under suspicion immediately upon the Darkest Day, made worse by Rose. He still became the Galar's League Chairman, but he's also working very hard to atone for his, but especially Rose and Oleana's mistakes and be transparent.

Still, he wasn't punished like Dante was. It could appear like a slap to the wrist because of Leon's frame and money. He has now even more influence as the chairman.

Leon was Champion for years, undefeated. He's physically attractive. Dante struggled against Jude during their journeys, and was always aware of his appearance.

But then, Leon almost died to the Legendary he was set up to capture and still feels like he has to excel, if only to serve and help others. He's still under suspicion, like Dante is. He's working too much.

Rose used him, and potentially groomed him for his plan at least since he was a teenager.

Rose didn't send him on missions to fetch things like Lysandre did with Dante. (That'd be Bede, with maybe Oleana also giving input to Bede doing things.) But Rose did treat him like an errand boy, and planned likely to keep him under his control for several more years because of Eternatus. He tried to use him as his fall guy.

Dante only worked for Lysandre for a few months. He can't, doesn't want imagine what it'd have been like for years, always in the spotlight.

Ouggggghhhhhhh, I'm always so happy to see connections between characters and my ocs that I haven't fully thought about.

All of this is so interesting to consider. I would also like to add, something you kinda already pointed out: Leon is really really really famous. The regions Sweetheart, even. That wouldn't even exactly erase him from any suspicion ( I would argue in some aspects to some people, it would make people more suspicious), but it would help him publicly in terms of not being punished for Rose and Oleana actions. Also it was very much public knowledge that Leon ended up going to the hospital after the darkest day and was there for some time ( a week I think). All of these factors - plus the ones that you pointed out - definitely helped him not end up in a similar position as Dante.

Cause Dante's parents, while wealthy and powerful as trainers, aren't the level of famous as Leon is. That isn't to say no one knows who they are or if Dante is related to them, but compared to Leon? No where near that level of fame. Dante himself, while pretty and skilled in his own right, is still a kid who went to school and is currently helping Sycamore bc of school ( Sycamore was offering a program that Dante and the friend group joined). He's not a star- he wants to be but he's not there yet. It's easier to put blame on his actions as an accomplice than it would be for Leon,as sad as it is. Fortunately Looker is there, so Dante isn't going to fucking jail ( oh and the threat of Dante getting punished badly for something he didn't know would end in the way that it did would make Jude angry. The International Police do not want Jude angry.) Also for Dante he ...kinda feels some sort of punishment is deserved. The guilt on his actions weigh on him heavily, so even when he's given the option to battle....he doesn't. He doesn't think he's worthy of being Jude's rival or battling, because he helped in something terrible. Mind you, Dante lives and breathes battling. Not battling Jude is clearly not doing it for him but he always insists that he's fine and that he likes the work that he's doing with Emma ( which he does, he does like working with Emma but it's very clear that it's not the thing he wants to be doing 24/7). In a way it's self punishment. Barring yourself of something you want because you think it's deserved.

ANYWAY GOING BACK TO YOUR ASK: If/When Dante gets the greater context of what happened to Leon, how similar it was to his experience and just feels...conflicted. There's obvious pity and understanding. The horror of really thinking of what it could have been for years being set up for something as big as the darkest day vs his measly few months at the least. <- there's probably some self deprecation there, about how Dante shouldn't feel so worked up bc he didn't have Lysandre trick and use him for years like Leon was. But underneath all that I think there's just bitterness. Honestly I can see talking to Leon would make Dante realize how bitter he was from the whole experience. By this point he's battling again, being Jude's rival and occasionally helping out Emma. He's doing better than he was before, no longer latching onto the idea that his punishment deserved ( like yeah there needs to be something done, but at the same time he's a kid who genuinely didn't realize what was happening before it was too late). He thinks back to how scared he was with the International Police contacting him, Looker then being assigned to look after him for a bit, how much his self esteem was shot by the whole ordeal,and how he had to slowly pick up its pieces to put it together again. And it makes him bitter, because he shouldn't have had to. Bitter at Leon, just a bit, that he didn't have to go through something like that. Because of course the darling champion doesn't. Though to keep himself from spiraling, he reminds himself that Leon also went through a lot, having someone he trusted shoot them in the back. To experience a world wind of events that also had him fear. That Leon, too, feels guilty,even if he shouldn't have. So I think Dante is bitter and allows himself to be bitter, but doesn't let that bitterness spiral like it had before. He allows it to exist while understanding that there's more to the story. That Leon deserves compassion as he deserves compassion.

Wooh, that was long, but so fun. I genuinely adore comparisons between ocs and canon characters, so this was a treat for me :) One that I didn't even think about until you pointed it out! I hope you enjoy the answer!

[a-tale-of-legends]

Watch me make this poll and pick a surname that isn't in the options 💀

ANYWAY, here's a poll, pick which one sounds better.

[a-tale-of-legends]

The sillies