Pokémon Sword & Shield’s Backstory Is Dark (In The League Cards)

The League Cards in Pokémon Sword & Shield and its expansions feature some dark backstories for its main characters, especially considering the family-friendly nature of the series. The early days of the Pokémon franchise had its dark moments, such as Lavender Town and the death of Cubone’s mother, but the series is mostly as clean-cut as possible, as it’s intended for children. The League Cards, however, push the envelope, with surprising tales that might take many Pokémon fans by surprise.

There have been occasions where Pokémon have died, but the series keeps these moments as rare as possible, and never treats them lightly. There are a handful of references to darker content in the Japanese releases (such as humans and Pokémon marrying each other in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl), but these are almost always changed during the localization process. The Pokémon series still has the occasional insensitive moment, but these are more due to cultural misunderstandings than any malicious intent on the part of the developers.

It’s rare for the Pokémon games to directly address dark themes in the main story, but the supplemental material is another matter. The Pokédex is filled with references to humans eating Pokémon, Pokémon killing humans, and Pokémon hunting each other. The various Pokémon manga series have also featured darker content, such as Pokémon being killed in battle. The League Cards that are earned in Pokémon Sword & Shield have their fair share of grim stories to tell, as they contain the unspoken backstories of some of the main characters in the Galar region, and it might be for the best that none of them made it into the game. The League Cards can be seen on Serebii.

Bede Grew Up In An Orphanage (Though His Parents Are Alive)

Bede starts out as a a bit of a jerk, but he’s still better than some other Sword & Shield team members. It turns out that Bede actually has a sad backstory, as his League Card reveals that he spent time in an orphanage as a child, even though his parents were still alive. The card states that this is because his family ran into trouble, but it’s hard to imagine what kind, considering the Pokémon world has a utopian society. Did his family run into financial trouble? Did his parents become too ill to take care of him? The card is vague on the details. It wasn’t until Chairman Rose visited the orphanage and gave Bede a Pokémon that he decided to become a trainer. This explains Bede’s devotion to Chairman Rose in the game, as well as his attempts to impress him, which results in him being disqualified from the League.

Mustard’s Partner Pokémon Died & He Was Offered A Rigged Match

Mustard can be found running a dojo on the Isle of Armor. He was once the Champion of the Galar region, but currently spends his time training with younger students and playing video games. According to the League Cards, Mustard started to lose when his partner Pokémon died. He was still a popular trainer, however, and the chairman at the time offered to let him win in a rigged match. Mustard refused, and officially retired from Pokémon battling. The idea of their being match-fixing in the Pokémon world is a grim one indeed, and it raises questions about the win-loss record of every Champion in the series. All the franchise needs now is a Rare Candy doping scandal to bring it in line with most real-life sports.

Avery Is A Disappointment To His Family & Had His Gym Trainer License Revoked

Humans with psychic abilities have been present in the Pokémon world since the beginning, with many fans remembering the terrifying Pokémon period featuring Sabrina. Avery’s League Card confirms that he belongs to a family of psychics and that members of his bloodline are Gym Leaders. It seems Avery isn’t enough of an X-Men character for his family, as he only manifests the ability to use telekinesis, and cannot teleport or use telepathy. This led to Avery being labelled as a disappointment by his family, which is a little harsh, considering the circumstances. Avery’s troubles didn’t end there, as he had his Gym Trainer license revoked. It seems that he used to levitate the people who defeated him in battle. This is why Avery ends up on the Isle of Armor, though Honey and Mustard’s influence helps change him for the better. It might seem strange that Avery belongs to a Psychic-type Gym family, considering there isn’t a Psychic-type Gym in the Galar region. This is explained in the lore, however, as the Galar region has a rotating Gym system, with different ones being used during each Pokémon League challenge.

Peony Became A Delinquent Due To Living In His Brother’s Shadow

The player encounters Peony in the Crown Tundra expansion for Pokémon Sword & Shield. Peony is one of the nicest characters the player can meet, but his sad story shows Peony wasn’t always the cool dad of the series. According to the League Cards, Peony is the younger brother of Chairman Rose. It was due to growing up in his brother’s shadow that Peony became a delinquent and ran away from home. Peony later proved his worth by becoming a Gym Leader, and later, the Champion. Once Rose became the chairman, Peony stepped down without explanation, though the complications alluded to certainly offer plenty of room to theorize – especially given the difficult family relationship.

In the end, all of these characters did go on to find happiness and peace in their lives. Bede became the Fairy-type Gym Leader of the Galar region and achieved popularity when he interrupted the Pokémon League, for another battle with the protagonist; Mustard went on to fall in love and start a family on the Isle of Armor; Avery’s time on the Isle of Armor helped him become a better person, as does his rivalry with the protagonist; and Peony went on to become a family man, and even returned to battling in the Galarian Star Tournament. It’s just surprising that they went through so much to get there, considering how light-hearted the Pokémon series usually is. There is a dark side to some of these otherwise-lighthearted stories and characters that might surprise even long-time fans, which makes a leisurely perusal of the League Cards a tempting prospect – if a potentially bit daunting.

Source: Serebii

About The Author

Scott Baird
(2515 Articles Published)

Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz.
A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early ‘90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.

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