Only coins that offer a massive advantage over the other market participants should be able to take value from a market leader, because that functionality is really adding a true addition to the marketplace. Obviously Bytecoin fills this role, however due to the 80% premine it was automatically unsuitable to be the market leader for a CryptoNote coin, Monero was born to be the restart of the unfair premine.
Even if Monero is, as you say, supposed to 'take on' Bytecoin, who's to say that there can't be a coin made to overtake both of them, theoretically speaking? Cryptonote's genius is as an enabler - to introduce an environment where users are in no doubt that any innovation is possible, if they have the skill to implement it.
This is the crux of my argument; if there are thousands of CryptoNote clones all fighting each other for market share, with no clear leader, where does the investor park his energies and capital?
I would say that this is the essence of CryptoNote's philosophy: to create a level playing field where any coin is given the potential to become a leader - an environment where anyone will be able to compete for the lead position.