Raihan stands in front of a single camera. His fingers flex and tighten against a podium emblazoned with the league’s logo. There is no teleprompter to stare at. There are no league officials -- he’s locked them all out.
Centuries from now, they might describe this as the moment in which Raihan went off the rails. The moment when the league falls apart. He hopes it won’t go that way.
“Good evening, Galar. I have been your champion for just a week now, but I have been a citizen of Galar for my entire life. It should go without saying that I love this country with all of my heart. And when you love something, you wish to do all you can for it.
“This country is in pain. It’s been brutalized not just by the former chairman, but by the league as a whole. We can stand for this no longer. The league politicizes those who were meant to be the region’s protectors, paying money to the highest bidder for sponsorship, rather than allowing these trainers to do what they do best -- battle and protect our home. The league manipulates its children, turning them into mindless pawns for the sake of monetary gain.
“I will stand for this no longer. As your champion, I promise to work to ensure that our first priority is our people. I will make every effort to make community, not corporate, outreach out responsibility. And above all, I will be implementing new rules with our league to ensure that our children are not being manipulated into being cogs into the capitalist regieme that this league’s board has forced them into previously.
“Staring tomorrow, all league operations will begin shifting to Hammerlocke. As the heart of our region, it is important that we step away from the binds that our previous, unfortunate leaders have wrapped us in. We must remember what unites us as a region.”
Raihan stares at the screen, eyes intense. He lets the message sink in, before stepping back.
“There will be no questions.”