The Dam Snack Bar

i think about how after leon kinda drifted away and she got closer to nessa, it still probably hurt to be in the proximity of someone so confident and successful

watching nessa navigate her own fame, all nuance included, sonia still had to deal with the pain of everyone around her knowing who they are and pursuing their passions. the universe made it a bit cruel. of course she supports her best friend, and nessa never obviously made her feel any less than (and was her biggest supporter when she dropped out of the gym challenge), but it was hard not to feel left behind or lost. not even getting into the pressure of living up to her family name. or the rift between her and leon

(side note: i hc nessa's modeling gigs came after her gym challenge, like she got scouted. and thought pursing it would keep her in the spotlight as she worked her way up to the hulbury gym leadership. also she and sonia are both into big designers n all that. pros and cons. i can probably write a whole paragraph on nessa's ethos as a model and how it's synonymous with her battle style)

but nessa working within the same league as leon is ultimately different for sonia; i don't think nessa expected anything from sonia other than to be herself. that's why it was easy to support sonia's decision to quit the challenge

whereas leon (who's always pushing himself to be someone more. his own way of compensation), projected that same wish for "greatness" onto sonia, the person he used to watch the clouds and dream big with! so watching her doubt herself devastated him into thinking that she thought she wasn't enough or something. he couldn’t take that either because, of course, he sees her as someone worthy

it's the same way he thinks he and raihan are "equals" on the battle pitch. despite their match history being 10-0 😭

Listen I know the gimmick of getting isekai'd into the past also includes amnesia. But I just think it would be incredibly funny if a British boy and Spanish girl got sent into past France and immediately decided to use the opportunity for clout