Right? [ he flashes him a lopsided grin. ] I chilled out as I got older, but it took a while.
[ after this year's finals, people were beginning to wonder the same thing about Postwick. rural towns sure seem to be the breeding ground for talent nowadays... but that's a topic for another time. he has to pause for a coughing fit of his own, covering it with his hand. when it subsides, there's a few flecks of dandelion petals between his fingers. ]
Nope. And while I was struggling to get to Wyndon, he was already fielding sponsors for when he'd take to the pitch for the Champion Cup. Honestly, it pissed me off... here I was working to my dream, and people were acting like he already had it. It just motivated me to prove them wrong.
[ which didn't happen, of course - not in the way he wanted, anyway. his match against Leon in the finals was close, and is regarded as one of the most captivating and exciting in the Galar League's recent history. but Raihan hadn't won, and that was all he cared about in that moment. ]
'Course he didn't. [ his smile remains, but it's clearly tinged with melancholy. ] Leon wears his heart on his sleeve. He'll tell you exactly how it is, whether you want to hear it or not... and he never said what I wanted him to.
["you're my greatest rival" was a sign of respect and friendship, sure, but it never went beyond that point. even now, it was the highest form of praise that Leon would offer him. he knows it's genuine and not just a platitude, but it would always fall short of what he was longing for. ]
Didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't battling him for the Champion prestige anymore. All I wanted was his attention.
[ he'd risen through the ranks at Hammerlocke Stadium and come into his own as its Gym Leader in time, but there was no denying to himself that the reason he had taken that step in the first place was because it was the closest he could be to Leon. ]
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[ after this year's finals, people were beginning to wonder the same thing about Postwick. rural towns sure seem to be the breeding ground for talent nowadays... but that's a topic for another time. he has to pause for a coughing fit of his own, covering it with his hand. when it subsides, there's a few flecks of dandelion petals between his fingers. ]
Nope. And while I was struggling to get to Wyndon, he was already fielding sponsors for when he'd take to the pitch for the Champion Cup. Honestly, it pissed me off... here I was working to my dream, and people were acting like he already had it. It just motivated me to prove them wrong.
[ which didn't happen, of course - not in the way he wanted, anyway. his match against Leon in the finals was close, and is regarded as one of the most captivating and exciting in the Galar League's recent history. but Raihan hadn't won, and that was all he cared about in that moment. ]
'Course he didn't. [ his smile remains, but it's clearly tinged with melancholy. ] Leon wears his heart on his sleeve. He'll tell you exactly how it is, whether you want to hear it or not... and he never said what I wanted him to.
["you're my greatest rival" was a sign of respect and friendship, sure, but it never went beyond that point. even now, it was the highest form of praise that Leon would offer him. he knows it's genuine and not just a platitude, but it would always fall short of what he was longing for. ]
Didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't battling him for the Champion prestige anymore. All I wanted was his attention.
[ he'd risen through the ranks at Hammerlocke Stadium and come into his own as its Gym Leader in time, but there was no denying to himself that the reason he had taken that step in the first place was because it was the closest he could be to Leon. ]