Chapter Text
If Leon could go back in time and change one thing in his life, he would not have joined the Gym Challenge at the age of ten. He would have listened to his instincts and thanked the Chairman for his generosity, but insist he wasn’t ready yet and he should wait a few years. Galar was different from Kanto, it wasn’t expected for someone to take on the gym gauntlet so young. Gym Challengers came in all different ages, from fourteen to eighty-four.
It wasn’t as if Leon expected to become the Champion at the end of his Gym Challenge; in fact, he’d fully anticipated losing to Sonia or Raihan in the finals. Granted, neither of them had beaten him before, but that just seemed to push both of them to train harder, and they’d both grown exponentially in the few months before the finals.
Leon had beaten them, though, and then gone on to defeat the Champion and claim the title as his own. There had been a big celebration, and Chairman Rose had dragged Leon around to introduce him to all sorts of people, showing him off and taking credit for “discovering Galar’s next great Champion.”
Reflecting back on it, Leon should have listened to his heart. He became Galar’s youngest ever Champion, and his life had been non-stop ever since. But instead, Leon had been in the public eye since he was ten years old, and if he stopped to think about it, he was sure it’d had some negative effect on his development. He couldn’t linger on that, though, he had to keep moving and keep going and keep winning his battles. At the very least, he’d managed to convince Hop to wait a few years before joining the Gym Challenge, and kept him from jumping in head-first the second he turned ten.
Things had been fine at first, but Leon had also been too young to really understand a lot of what the Chairman was asking him. He had to smile and wave for the camera, attend interviews and galas, and keep up his training. He went through trainings and rehearsals for what the Gym Challenge season would look like as the Champion, and while it was tiring, Leon was still enjoying himself.
Things began to shift as he got older, slowly at first. The Chairman was stricter and put more emphasis on Leon’s physical appearance than he had before. His “public image” was vital to his continued success, and Rose put limits on what he could wear, what he could eat, and which public appearances he accepted.
It hadn’t gotten truly out of hand until Leon turned eighteen.
“Leon, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Is there something I can help with, Chairman?” Leon sat down opposite the Chairman’s large, wooden desk. Rose was smiling, but it was that tense, forced smile that meant something was wrong.
“You’ve been our Champion for several years now–”
“Eight years, sir,” Leon supplied with a smile.
“Yes, eight years,” Rose leaned forward in his seat and placed his hand on a folded newspaper that lay on the top of his desk. “During those eight years, I have been generous and very, very gracious with you.”
Leon suppressed the argument that threatened to voice itself, simply nodding in agreement instead.
“However, we need to have a serious discussion,” Rose pushed the newspaper forward. “Look at this.”
Leon took the newspaper, unfolding it to read the front page. It was the latest issue of The Solrock , a national paper whose printing house was based in Wyndon.
Galar Champion Leon spotted with Hammerlocke Gym Leader Raihan for the fourth time this week! Could this be proof that their relationship is more than a friendly rivalry?
Scanning through the article, Leon saw that it was speculating on the nature of his relationship with Raihan. Leon had no idea that he and the dragon trainer had even been followed by the paparazzi during these outings, feeling nauseous as he realised how many of their dates had been spied on.
“Care to explain yourself?”
Leon looked up, surprised to see that the Chairman’s expression had become rather stormy and cold. “I…I’m not sure I understand, sir,” Leon replied. “It’s a bit annoying that we’ve been followed so much. I didn’t even see the paparazzi around during any of these.”
“You are always being watched, Leon. You exist in the public eye, so any time you go outside, you should act as if you’re being filmed. Always.”
“Sir–”
“What is the nature of your relationship with Raihan?”
Leon felt his cheeks heat up as he looked back down at the newspaper that now lay in his lap. “We haven’t really put a name to it yet,” he said. “But what the article mentions were dates.”
“That needs to stop immediately.”
Frowning, Leon looked back up at the Chairman. “Pardon?”
“You are public property, Leon. You are the Champion of Galar, and everything you do needs to reflect that,” the Chairman stood from his seat, making his way around his desk. “You will no longer see Raihan outside of official events. In order to rectify this misstep, you will make public appearances with Nessa, Milo, and other gym leaders, just to highlight that you are not singling out Raihan.”
“I-I’m sorry?”
“Many of your fans follow you because you are young and attractive,” Rose continued, walking behind Leon’s chair. “They enjoy fantasising about the possibility of being with you. Therefore, you must keep your love life open and non-specific.”
Leon found himself unable to speak, his heart hammering against his ribcage. This wasn’t the first time Rose had talked about him “belonging to the public” or having a “public image,” but he’d never referred to Leon as property before.
“I had a difficult enough time covering up the leak about you being, ah…,” Rose lay his hands on the back of Leon’s chair. “Transgender. We don’t want another scandal like that on our hands, do we?”
Leon still didn’t respond, tension in his shoulders as he kept his spine straight and his gaze locked ahead of him. There was something in Rose’s tone that was making Leon’s skin crawl, something dark hidden just below the surface.
“Sir, with all due respect,” Leon found his voice. “I think most of my fans wouldn’t be bothered if I was to start a relationship with–”
“You are not paid to think , Leon. You are paid to act .”
Silence fell over the room again. Rose tightened his grip on the back of Leon’s chair and turned him around, using the height difference to his advantage. “You enjoy being able to provide for your family, don’t you?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Then you will do as I say,” Rose said, looming over him. “You don’t know how to advertise yourself or make yourself marketable, but I do . You are a product to be sold, and if you continue to do as I say, the sponsors will continue to come in, the events will become more frequent, and you will get paid so you can support your parents and brother.”
The Chairman leaned in closer, his voice low and threatening. “You will no longer talk to or see Raihan in private. You are not to become involved with him. If I find out that you’ve ignored my orders, well…having Raihan removed as gym leader isn’t the worst thing I can do to him.”
Leon had sunk further down in his seat, trying to put distance between himself and the Chairman. He had never seen Rose act like this, or talk to him like this, and Leon couldn’t deny that he was terrified. Threatening him was one thing, but he knew Rose had the power to destroy Raihan’s career and the life Leon had managed to provide for his family.
“Do you understand me, Leon?”
He swallowed dryly, his tongue feeling stuck and heavy in his mouth as he struggled to respond.
“Y-yes, sir.”
—
It was only a few weeks until Leon’s nineteenth birthday, and he had another exhibition match to prepare for, to get Galar excited for that season’s Gym Challenge; it was the Spring Season, and his match was going to be against Raihan. It always was, he was the only one who could hold his own against Leon’s team and result in an engaging battle for viewers.
Leon always had conflicted feelings before a match with Raihan. On the one hand, he was excited for the battle, for the challenge, and for the adrenaline that came with it all. He was also glad to see the Dragon trainer, to talk to him, even if it was just their public personas playing into their rivalry.
But on the other hand, when Leon had done as Rose told him and broken things off with Raihan, he hadn’t done it very tactfully. He’d just simply…stopped talking to Raihan altogether. He ignored the texts and the phone calls, and when Raihan came to confront him about it, the only thing that Leon could stammer out was:
“It’s not good for my public image to be in an official relationship. We can’t see each other anymore, outside of official events.”
He’d left the room before Raihan could even begin to argue with him, and he’d continued to ignore the texts and calls. He’d even ignored Sonia’s concerned messages, and went as far as to block Raihan’s number.
Leon had unblocked the number several months later, but he never got another message from Raihan. Since then, there was always that underlying anxiety and guilt whenever he saw the gym leader, but Leon had gotten very good at acting.
Pacing back-and-forth in the locker room under the Motostoke stadium, Leon tried to ignore the sound of the crowds cheering. There were other exhibition matches going on to get the spectators riled up before Leon took the stage, but the cheering wasn’t motivating him like it usually did.
“Leon, there you are,” Rose appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a wide smile on his face as he made it way over to the Champion. “There’s been a scheduling change, last minute I’m afraid.”
Leon turned to face him, tilting his head in question. “What kind of change?”
“You’ll be facing off against Kabu in tonight’s match,” Rose explained. “He’s been ever so gracious and is preparing his best team as we speak.”
“Kabu?” Leon frowned. “Why the change? Where’s Raihan?”
“The reason for the change is not your concern,” Rose continued, picking imaginary dust off his suit sleeve. “Try to draw out the match, but remember to still win.”
The Chairman began to walk back up the stairs, but Leon found himself talking before he could help himself. “Why aren’t I facing Raihan tonight? Did something happen to him? I’ve done everything you’ve asked, I haven’t spoken to him in months, I don’t understand why–”
Something hit Leon’s face, stinging sharply against his cheek as he stumbled back a few steps. There it was, the sharp sting as Rose’s palm connected with his cheek; it wasn’t the first time he’d been slapped by the Chairman. That cold, calculating look was back in the Chairman’s eyes.
“You do not get to argue this, Leon,” Rose said, his tone harsh. “Your job is to do as I say, smile, and look good for the camera. Understand?”
Leon was stunned into silence, but Rose deemed that enough of an answer. The Chairman disappeared back up the steps, leaving Leon alone again in the locker room.
He wasn’t alone for long, though, as he heard the door to the locker room open and close. Leon snapped out of his daze when a hand came up to rest on his shoulder, startling him.
“Woah, woah,” Raihan stepped back, his hands raised in mock-surrender. “Just me.”
“Raihan,” Leon breathed, finally snapping out of his daze. Shit–this wasn’t good. “What’re you doing here?”
“Heard I got booted out of the match,” Raihan slipped his hands into his pockets. “Any clue why?”
“You got booted from the match, so you shouldn’t be here ,” Leon looked around, ensuring there was no-one else in the room. He glanced over his shoulder back at the steps, as if Rose was about to materialise suddenly. “If Rose finds we’re talking–”
“Why would that matter?” Raihan interrupted. “Can’t I just come by to chat with my rival?”
Leon pressed his lips together, his jaw tense as he let out a breath through his nose. “Is there something I can help you with, Raihan?”
The easy-going expression on Raihan’s face was replaced with a small frown as he regarded Leon. “I just wanted to talk. Without the cameras in our faces,” Raihan pressed, closing the distance between them. “And without Rose hovering over your shoulder the whole time.”
Leon shot a glance back to the steps again, knowing that said Chairman could walk in at any moment. He was chewing at his bottom lip, his arms folded over his chest as he tapped his fingers against his arm.
“Dandelion, look at me.”
Dammit .
Leon looked up at him, desperately trying to steel himself, but Raihan knew he couldn’t help but melt at the pet name.
Raihan sighed, his hand moving to gently brush some of Leon’s hair behind his ear. “Look, truth is, I’m worried about you.”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Leon replied firmly. “I’m fine.”
“Are you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, I dunno,” Raihan shrugged. “Except for that whole ignoring me thing. Hop says you haven’t been home in ages, you’re never seen outside of official events, and your private Pokegram account’s been dead for months . It’s like you just don’t exist outside of being the Champion.”
He doesn’t. He isn’t allowed to, Leon is the Galar Champion and that was his entire identity. He couldn’t post anything on Pokegram with Rose or Oleana approving it, he didn’t go out if he could help it because he was sick of the paparazzi, and he hadn’t gone home because he didn’t know that life anymore. He didn’t know who he was outside of the Champion. He just had to listen to Rose, look pretty, and win battles.
“ And you’re using concealer.”
“Excuse me?” Leon blinked, not expecting that addition.
“You think I wouldn’t notice?” Raihan leaned down to be closer, their faces mere inches apart. “You have a scar on your right cheekbone from when you got cornered by that Onix in the Wild Area during our Gym Challenge.”
Leon raised his hand to cover his right cheek before he even processed he was moving.
“You also have freckles,” Raihan continued. “ But , I can’t see them anymore. Ergo, concealer.”
“I’m allowed to wear make-up if I want to,” Leon said defensively.
“What’re you trying to hide, Leon?”
“You need to leave .”
“What’s the worst that could happen if Rose knows I’m here?” Raihan was getting annoyed, irritation evident in his voice.
“ Leave . Before I call security.” Leon turned on his heel and made his way up the steps to the arena, taking two steps at a time.
It always stung deep anytime Leon had to act so cold toward Raihan; more painful than any of the bruises left by the Chairman. Leon knew his heart still belonged to the dragon trainer, even though he’d never get to be with him. It was to protect Raihan, though.
He took a deep breath as he waited for the announcer to introduce him. Plastering a grin on his face, Leon stepped out to greet the crowd.