Lionel

He appears to be a tall man. He is dark-skinned, and has fairly long lilac hair. He has honey-colored eyes and also wears a black cap with a yellow zigzag, as well as a goatee. He wears two white wristbands with the official colors of the video game and a beige t-shirt that has a blue sword and a pink shield in reference to the video games, topped by a cape of light and dark red diamonds. He wears white pants with white tights and black and white shoes, with yellow X-shaped laces.

Lionel is a very self-confident person, even to the point that he can sometimes come across as self-centered. During his championship battle against the player, he is still very focused on himself and his winning streak, not even considering the possibility of losing. He also only has pictures of himself in his house, and oddly enough, none of his brother Paul. However, he is actually a very friendly, kind, and compassionate person, as shown when he protects Paul and the protagonist with his Charizard from an attack by Eternatus.

Lionel originally began his journey as a trainer at the age of 10 with his partner Charizard when he entered the Gym Challenge after being backed by Rose, who saw talent in him. He proceeded to win his first Gym Challenge and became the Galar League Champion, never losing a single battle. Since then, he and his partner have remained undefeated in every league and exhibition they participated in. He has been called "the unbeatable champion" and "the best trainer in all of Galar", being regarded as a hero by many trainers in Galar. However, he is also known for his poor sense of direction. His catchphrase is "Let's have some champion time!". According to Mustard, Lionel was once his top student at the Master Dojo, but was never able to finish his training there, as he never made it to the Two Fist Towers due to his terrible sense of direction.

Lionel first appears in the game's presentation cinematic, where Rose introduces him as the undefeated champion of Galar at the Spire City Stadium. He exchanges greetings with his opponent Roy, who challenges him with his Duraludon, before Gigantamaxing his Charizard. Their subsequent battle is not shown on-screen, but it is known that Lionel defeated Roy to retain his title. Lionel later travels by train to his home in Par Town, where he entertains a crowd outside the station with his Charizard until Paul and the player encounter him. Together, the trio return to Paul and Lionel's house in Par Town. Once there, Lionel reveals the gifts he brought for Paul and the player: the starter Pokémon Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble and allows the player and Paul to choose which of the three Pokémon they want, while he keeps the remaining Pokémon. Leon then watches the battle between the player and Paul before joining a barbecue he and his mother host at their house.

Lionel would then motivate his brother and the player to begin their journey and participate in the Gym Challenge. During the player's travels, Lionel argues with Chairman Rose about his plan to secure an energy source for Galar that can prevent an energy crisis projected 1,000 years in the future. When Paul and the player head to Rose Tower to look for Lionel for not showing up for dinner, they overhear an argument between him and Rose, with Lionel arguing that Rose's plan can wait until after the Championship and Rose insisting on taking action immediately. She then apologizes for delaying them, but after Lionel leaves, Rose begins to execute her plan. Eventually the player manages to advance through the Tournament of Champions and makes it to the finals, where they would face Lionel for the championship. However, at that moment, Rose releases Eternatus, which had been being powered up with Wishing Stars collected by Berto, intending to provide Galar with a near-infinite supply of energy, but creating a second Darkest Day in the process.

Eternatus proves impossible to control, and Rose is forced to interrupt the Championship match between the player and Lionel to call for his help in catching Eternatus. Paul and the player follow Lionel to the Power Plant to confront Rose and then help him capture Eternatus. However, even though Lionel had exhausted the Pokémon, he was unable to catch it, but Eternatus is eventually stopped by the combined forces of the player, Paul, Zacian, and Zamazenta before being captured by the player.

After the incidents, the player finally faces Lionel for the championship and after a tough fight manages to defeat him, being crowned the new champion. After the events of the main story, Lionel obtained ownership of the Rose Tower and transformed it into the Battle Tower. The reason for this was to fulfill a lifelong dream he had when he was still the Champion, to create a place where Galarian trainers could become the strongest in the world. Another reason behind the Battle Tower was so that he could never get lost inside it. Some say that Lionel has become more lively than when he was Champion and is currently having a hard time looking for a new catchphrase to use.