The battle Hop deserved.
The chapter title and the song that they're singing came from the 4kids dub of Yu-Gi-Oh.
Victor went back to the waiting room where a Pokémon nurse could heal his team. Clobbopus was the first to be healed, and he made his way to the punching bag to train himself, evolution on his mind. Victor looked at the TV that was currently displaying Hop's battle with a girl with the number '321' on the back of her uniform. Victor grunted at the copycat, but he wasn't entirely sure who to root for. On the one hand, Hop was his friend, and he wanted him to succeed, but if he lost, he could avenge his friend instead of fighting him, and that would be so much easier.
"Excuse me," the nurse said as she stepped out from the medical area. "Excadrill does have a few cuts, but it's nothing serious. I'm trying to rub disinfectant on them, but it stings, and she got a bit jumpy. I think it would be best for you to be here to keep her calm."
Victor stayed by his Pokémon as the nurse finished bandaging her. She reassured him that she was still fine to battle, and victor took her to the other room while the nurse finished her work. After Hop's battle, they would take an hour-long intermission so both trainers could prepare. He wasn't too concerned about time.
Then the TV announcer broke through his inner calm. "We have a winner!"
"What?!" Victor shouted in shock. Sure enough, it was Hop basking in the limelight. Victor was still trying to wrap his head around this. The whole match couldn't have been over already. He was only gone for a few minutes.
"This trainer has proven that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree here, folks," the announcer continued, "winning the match in what must be a Championship Cup record!"
"A Championship Cup Record?" Victor shouted in a mixture of amazement, second-hand pride, and a pinch or two of fear.
"Yes, A new Championship Cup Record!" the announcer confirmed, as if he could hear what Victor was saying. "I hope the medical staff is prepared because, after this next match, they're gonna be busy!"
Victor gulped.
The nurse sighed. "Dramatic, much?"
Chairman Rose then took the screen to address the audience/viewers. "We'll reconvene in an hour. In the meantime, get your snacks and empty your bladders. We'll be displaying highlights from the Championship so far, make some predictions for the battle to come, and give the eliminated trainers the honorable sendoff that they deserve."
Marnie couldn't complain. They were showcasing her greatest moments and even made her defeat look awesome. But she wasn't sure what it meant to find out that her brother already had a seat for her. Team Yell was still in the halls mourning the loss of their own champion, but Marnie made her way to her seat alongside her family and Gloria.
Gloria adjusted her glasses as she made sure that she was properly reading the shirt Marnie's mother was wearing. Sure enough, it still read "My son's insane, and I'm losing hope for the girl".
"Is that shirt really how you show your support?" Gloria asked as she tilted her head.
The woman chuckled. "They made me this for Mother's Day."
"I bought the shirt," Piers confirmed.
"I put the letters on it," Marnie chimed in.
Gloria, deciding it would be better to drop the whole conversation, took her seat back in her original spot. It wasn't long, however, when she felt a familiar presence next to her. "Mind if I sit here?" Leon asked after he had already taken a seat beside her.
The young girl looked confused as she examined Leon's smiling face. "Shouldn't you be watching the match from a VIP section or something?"
"Me? In a VIP area?" Leon scoffed. "Not during a battle on my court. Let Rose and Oleana sit in their box seats, but I like to be down to Earth."
Gloria gave him a look that matched her Pokémon partner's whenever she lost her glasses. "You got lost, didn't you?"
"I'm afraid to move." He looked up at the timer displayed on the screen that set his brother's match with his best friend to begin in less than three minutes. "So who are you rooting for?"
"Victor," Marnie said immediately. "I would rather lose to the best if I had to choose."
Gloria, on the other hand, couldn't come up with an answer. "I traveled with Victor, and I know he deserves this, but Hop came this far on his own, without a partner to trade with to pass the Gym Challenge. And we're all friends, so I shouldn't have to choose."
"Then this suspense must be torture for them," Leon stated once she was done.
"How did it come to this after all they've been through?" She asked. "They're best friends on opposite sides. Since the start, they fought with honor, had each other's backs, and battled with pride."
"They're closer than brothers, and now they have to fight each other," Marnie added.
"Mind repeating that?" Hop's actual brother asked.
Victor was really glad he gave Clobbopus the chance to train. It gave him the last push he needed to evolve into Grapploct, and Victor had a feeling that he needed it to face the speed record holder this time. The last time he faced Hop, he wasn't quite sure of himself. With his newfound confidence, there's no telling what he was capable of now.
Hop took deep breaths to try to calm himself down. Beating Leon was his childhood dream, but it was also Victor's. Despite all the challenges, the gym leaders, and even his loss to Bede, Victor was the only thing he saw as an obstacle that could take that dream away. He was never able to beat him before, so what if he couldn't do it now? He shook his head as he pushed those thoughts out of his mind. They would only serve to dissolve his confidence, and Victor would never get the battle he deserved that way.
They were both called to the battlefield and approached the center. As they came to face each other, they both had the same idea.
"No matter what," Victor started singing. "Let the game begin."
"No matter what," Hop joined in. "May the best man win."
"No matter what, we're in this together."
"No matter what, we'll be friends forever!"
"No matter what," They finished singing together. It was all the introduction they needed. They knew their feelings were shared. Hop sent out his Dubwool, so Victor countered with Grapploct.
Hop smirked. "I knew you would go for a super effective hit," he muttered before ordering a Cotton Guard.
Victor ordered a Submission, but the Cotton Guard reduced the damage significantly. And to everyone's surprise, Grapploct got his fist stuck in the gigantic pile of fluff. Hop took advantage of this and ordered a Zen Headbutt while his opponent's guard was down, taking it out immediately.
It took a moment for Victor to snap out of his shock at the anime-level garbage, but he eventually chopped that down to karma and sent out Corviknight. Dubwool managed to get a Body Slam in, and Corviknight responded with Drill Peck. Another similar exchange was enough to take Dubwool out completely.
Hop sent out Pincurchin, which led with a Thunderbolt that took out Victor's reliable bird. Victor sent out Excadrill to wipe out Pincurchin with a single Earthquake. Hop sent out Snorlax which opened with a High Horsepower attack. Excadrill fought back with Iron Head, but couldn't make it past Snorlax's Hammer Arm.
Victor Sent out Drednaw to use Crunch against its large foe. It turned out not to be enough as the Snorlax had enough energy in him to smash the Rock-type's shell with a Hamer Arm. Once Drednaw was down, he called out Fraxure to take its place. Snorlax was able to Body Slam the dragon, but it didn't do much damage and was taken out by Dragon Claw.
Hop's own Corviknight used Drill Peck immediately. Fraxure tried retaliating with Dragon Claw, but to Victor's annoyance, it missed. Another Drill Peck hit Fraxure. The dragon used Crunch which did hit the Corviknight, but Fraxure didn't stay standing after the Steel Wing.
In hindsight, he should have sent Dash out as soon as Hop sent out Corviknight, but he was saving him for a familiar face. Dash began using Pyro Ball, but the bird managed to dodge the attack and deliver a drill peck. Dash recovered and used and fired another Pyro Ball that did manage to hit and take down the bird.
"Here it is," Hop called as he held his last Pokeball. It soon began to be cloaked in Dynamax energy, and the ball enlarged. "Winner take all!"
And with that, he threw it and released a Dynamaxed Rillaboom.
Victor called Dash back to his Pokeball, and it too began to grow. "Just the way I like it!" He called back and released his own Dynamaxed Cinderace.
Hop once again took the initiative to attack the weakened fire type. "Use Max Quake!" he cried, causing the large ape to bang so loudly on the drums that the earth beneath its feet began to shake. The whole stadium felt the effects of the move, but none more than Dash as the target of the brute force attack. He fell to his hands and knees to Hop's quiet delight.
"Dash!" Victor called out to his first partner. The rabbit looked down at his trainer and found a warm feeling that allowed him to get back up to finish the battle.
Hop gulped and looked back to Jojo. There was no way that an attack large enough to be delivered by the Cinderace would never miss a target that big. Looking back down, he sighed in defeat. "So this is it?"
Victor stared across the field to meet Hop's gaze. "I'm sorry, mate, but the one who faces Leon should be the one who's most prepared for the battle."
"Then do it!" Hop shouted as he took a fierce stance. "What are you waiting for? I know you would want me to do the same!"
Victor nodded and turned back to his starter. "Dash, use Max Flare!"
And so he did, sending the ape to the ground in a single hit.
Hop called his companion back to his ball to rest. He met Victor at the middle of the field and shook his hand. "Good game," he said simply as he fought back the tears in his eyes. Then he turned to leave before they could escape.
"We have a winner!" the announcer called to the audience. "Victor Bradley is the Semi-Finals-" He didn't even get to finish the sentence before Victor ran after Hop. Gloria and Marnie hopped the fence and followed close behind. And Leon disappeared.
Hop was in his waiting room, still fighting his tears as his friends stormed in. Victor approached first and was about to say something before Hop interrupted him.
"Save it. I know what you're going to say. 'You did your best.' 'We both knew this could have happened.' 'At least you got this far.' 'Be proud that you battled with honor through and through.' 'You gave me a run for my money.' 'You still went out in a blaze of glory.' 'I know it's hard, but you'll feel better one day.' Does that sum it up?"
Victor coughed. "Those are all the major points."
"And I was just going to tell you to buck up," Gloria said as she scratched the back of her head.
Hop turned away. "My dream is dashed. What more is there?"
"It was my dream too," Marnie said. "You're not the only one that had Victor destroy their hopes!"
"Hey!" Victor protested only to be ignored.
"But I learned something," she continued. "Give it your best, but sometimes your best isn't enough. When that happens, you need to evaluate what you're best at."
"And what was that for you?" Hop asked, causing her to flinch.
"I...I don't know yet, but I'll find it."
Victor sat down next to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Well, maybe I'll get all the way to Leon, and he'll just wipe the floor with me."
Hop smiled and turned to face his friend and journey-long rival. "Thanks, but if you lose to Leon, I'll kill you."
"I'm gonna hold you to that," Rotom chimed in. Gloria took the phone to a neighboring bench and sat on it.
Everyone took a moment to laugh at the sight before Victor got up. "So you're going to be alright?"
Hop nodded in response. "Just leave me alone for a bit."
The rest of the group honored his request, and Victor and Gloria promised to meet him outside. Hop's solitude didn't last long as he was overcast by the large shadow of a man. Turning around, he saw the face of his older brother. Upon seeing him, he stifled another sob as he spoke. "Are you trying to find the restroom?"
"I came to find you," He corrected before cracking an awkward smile. "Even a broken clock can be right twice a day."
At this, Hop got up, went over to his big brother, and hugged him. Leon hugged him back and let him cry into his cape. "I did my best," he choked out. "Why isn't it good enough?"
Gloria made her way back to her seat in the stadium where, sure enough, she had left her glasses. She picked them up from between where she and Leon sat. Relieved that they didn't break, she cleaned the lenses with her sleeve and turned to make her way back to the lobby. But it was only a few steps down the path when she caught sight of a wave of red energy passing over the sky, followed by a loud boom. The few other people present noticed as well and stared off into the sky in confusion.
Just then, the giant monitors flashed on to show Chairman Rose, who was trying to keep himself calm. "Hello, everyone," he greeted anyone who would possibly see the message. "This is Chairman Rose. You might have seen a strange red thing in the sky and have a few questions, but I can assure you that everything is fine." He then turned his attention to someone off to his side. "We need to have that thing under control! There's no more room for 'almost' anymore!"
"Sir," a woman (probably Oleana) said from off to the side. "You're still on."
Rose looked into the camera in surprise, then quickly composed himself. "Once again, Chairman Rose, everything's fine."
As the chairman turned off his camera, Gloria eyed the screen suspiciously. Something told her that everything was not fine.
Victor: Dash (Cinderace) Corviknight, Drednaw, Excadrill, Fraxure, Grapploct
Gloria: Ace (Inteleon) Dishwasher (Obstagoon) Rogue (Thievul) Hattie (Hatterene) Harry (Grimmsnarl) Stabitha (Pawniard)