#but being drayton i think hed refuse the help saying theres really nothing wrong

[cheemken]

Oh man thank you for the Drayton angst HHH my heart goes out for him. Like from what I've seen, a lot of people just take his slacker / laziness at face value but from the bits of dialogue, you have room to imagine there's more to this kid.

Hassel advising him to avoid desperately trying to live up to the expectations of others. Drayton being strong enough that Geeta, the Champion of another region was considering in scouting him. He wouldn't have become the BB League Champion without a lot of effort put into it, not in a battle oriented academy. If he was a slacker from the beginning, realistically he wouldn't have made his way to the ranks until he beat the reigning Champion.

There's just a lot of inconsistencies with how Drayton presents himself vs how others view him. Various NPCs expressed their distaste of Drayton but most of them are consistent in saying that his one seemingly good trait is that he's a strong Trainer. It's hard to picture a talented kid like him repeating three years without some kind of cause.

My personal headcanon is that Drayton has that kind of negative perception from the students because of how he acted. One of the strongest Trainers in the academy, coming from a respected family and yet repeated multiple years? Not putting in effort? It feels like a slap to the face of those who worked hard to get where they are. Why is this guy still here if he's not going to try?

Perhaps it's the realization that he can never measure up to his talented family. Drayden being a respected Gym Leader, Iris being the actual Champion of the region--how can he compete? What can he say to those that often compare him with them? Especially during his teenage years, it's not difficult to picture that at some point, he simply gave up. Didn't bother trying for something that might just be a waste of effort in the end.

I have other thoughts I'll share in a different ask as this one has gotten rambly as it is haha

Oughghfhfhfhf your honour this is so fucking real hcnxbxn

Cause being from a family like that and being constantly compared to them would fuck up a mfer man I can vouch for that, and it's just chdmdb it's the fact y'know that there really is that awkward air in his conversations w Hassle and Geeta, like talking abt his family is a sore spot for him but he just hides it well enough that people would just think oh bc he's lazy he doesn't want the responsibilities his family has going on too, especially w how well known his family was in Unova and possibly to Dragon Specialists from other regions, given how Drayden even knows Hassle

It didn't help his sis is the Champion too, it's worse when they compare him to her

And it all leads down to the thought y'know, that he really made an effort when he was younger, but still couldn't live up to the standards of his family, that being a trainer and a strong battler is all he is, and w how Dragon Masters are, I know it takes more than strength to truly be one; especially w how the Blackthorn elder treated Clair too, I imagine it's a similar situation w Drayton. He's a strong trainer, Champion level, but he's just lacking something; that something is now a thing he'd rather not try to find out, cause in his mind even if he did, it'll never be enough, he'd still fall short, so why bother anymore right? His family can have all the titles and recognition that they want, he'd just be there vibing w his friends, least they don't compare him to his family much