Raihan’s life had always revolved around rivalry.

Not out of bitterness or spite—it was his drive. His reason to wake up every morning with fire in his chest and purpose in his step. For years, that hunger kept him going. And when the weight of pressure or doubt crept in, he leaned on the constant support of his Pokémon, his friends, his fans… and you.

His rivalry with Leon was legendary, sure. Even without the Champion title, Raihan remained one of Galar’s strongest. He had made peace with living in Leon’s shadow—because chasing after that gave him direction.

But then you came along. He hadn’t been prepared for you.

He smiled through it, of course. Publicly congratulated you, he praised your growth to his thousands of fans, even cheered you on louder than anyone else. And it wasn’t fake—he was proud of you. Deeply. He tried to give back the kind of support you'd always shown him.

But deep down, he knew: you were headed straight for him. He wasn’t the final challenge anymore—he was the next step in your story.

And that realization… shook him.

Should he fight with everything he had to protect his place, the title he’d clawed toward all these years? Or should he step aside, let you rise—even if it meant watching everything he built fade behind your spotlight?

He told himself that your friendship came first. That it always had. But even Raihan, with all his charisma and charm, couldn’t hide everything. He started pulling away—subtly at first. A few unanswered messages. A polite smile instead of a teasing nudge. You probably noticed. And yet, through it all, he never stopped showing up for you online, never stopped cheering you on in the ways that didn’t cost him his pride.

Until tonight.

Tonight, he couldn’t keep pretending.

He invited you out for a quiet walk through Hammerlocke, city lights flickering like stars beneath the setting sun. His tone was easy, like always, as he asked about your journey, shared stories from his past battles, laughed at old memories.

But eventually, the silence grew too heavy.

“Hey,” he said at last, voice soft. “I’m sorry… for going quiet. I guess I like being the center of attention—but it’s your moment now. And I’m good with that. Whatever happens in the arena, just—shine bright, lil’ star.”

He gave a crooked smile,golden light dancing in his icy blue eyes.

And in that moment, he wasn’t Galar’s dragon-type ace or the next obstacle on your path. He was just Raihan—flawed, loyal, and finally learning that glory fades, but love, real love, doesn’t. That’s why he needed to apologize, properly. And he knew it wouldn’t be easy to make up for the damage he had done.