We're sorry. We just love Bede.
As they left Motostoke, Hop suddenly stopped. "Victor! We shouldn't just go!"
"The other challengers are already gone," Victor pointed out, but Hop just laughed.
"We'll need to stay ahead of the rest," he reminded him. "We should have a battle! Right here!"
Victor looked back at Gloria. Gloria shrugged it off.
"I can battle wild Pokémon while you competitors do your thing," she promised. "Won't take long. Then I'll make us all a pot of dirt curry."
She headed off into the grass to train as her friends began their battle, looking out at the sea of other Zigzagon. There were likely other Pokémon hiding, but she could recognize the black and white stripes moving through the green, too fast and not at all in a straight line. Selecting a ball at random, she released the Pokémon inside, and was rewarded with her Nickit appearing in front of her.
"Be a good girl, now, Rogue," she said, and Rogue swished her tail in response. "Then we'll eat plenty of dirt curry."
Rogue leaned back on her back legs just long enough to cheer, before she turned on a wild Zigzagoon.
Victor had originally decided against using Dash in the battle, believing Rookidee strong enough to type-advantage his way past Jojo. But once Hop brought out his own Rookidee, he decided to just have a bird fight instead.
"You may have defeated Wooloo with Chewtle," Hop announced, "and you might defeat Jojo through type advantage. But now we're on equal ground!"
"In your dreams," Victor taunted, and nodded at his Rookidee. "Ready?"
Rookidee chirped in agreement.
When Victor had won (though not without taking quite a bit of damage) they found Gloria, who was petting a Thievul.
"What took you so long?" she asked, before gesturing at the new Pokémon. "I've had an evolution by now!"
"So have I," Victor declared, before releasing Dash, who had become a Raboot after defeating Jojo once again. "You're not special, Gloria."
Gloria crossed her arms in mock anger. "See if you get any dirt curry."
"Sorry." Victor eyed the large pot, the pot that Gloria had to use Pokeball technology to carry thanks to the size. "Is it done, then?"
"Not even close," Gloria chirped, dropping the angry act. "Too busy training. Go and play with your Pokémon, I'll get it started."
Curry gone (and pot cleaned up by Ace's Water Gun) the three said goodbye, Hop rushing ahead to get to the first town while Victor and Gloria stopped to train. Ace evolved during this training, proof that he was right behind Dash in strength after all.
The path to Turffield was long, and they took time to wander around the mine. Victor caught a Drilbur on this trip, a female who had tried to run away until he'd bribed her with berries. Ace stayed out of his ball, and though he had difficulty walking on his back legs for very long, he could climb on Gloria's back and steer her around Ratatouille-style when she lost sight of Victor in the dim lighting.
They found the exit to the cave, but it was guarded by a vaguely familiar face. Victor recognized the boy as the one who had taunted him backstage, fluffy blond curls that made him look a bit like a human Wooloo.
He spotted them, too. "Coming this way? I'd advise against it. Any trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating from me and my Pokémon."
"I'm looking for a beating," Victor agreed. "Beating that smug look off your face."
"Funny." The boy's smug smile only increased. "Are you aware that the chairman is more important than the Champion? That makes me more important than you."
"And you are...?" Gloria asked.
He was too far away and the lighting was too dim for her to see the look on his face, but she did see him raise a hand and brush his fingers through his hair. She also noticed a shine - a watch, maybe?
"My name is Bede. You should learn it - it'll be all over the papers soon enough." She stepped forward for a better look, and he looked at her, too. "You weren't even endorsed at all. What are you even doing with a Wishing Star?"
"It fell for me."
Gloria's answer was short, and Bede almost snorted.
"I'll deal with you later, then. I have to crush my rival, first."
Without waiting for Victor to accept his challenge, he sent out his first Pokémon, a Solosis. Victor responded with Rookidee, wishing that all of his Pokémon had evolved.
Bede hadn't lied - he was good.
Rookidee had taken out Solosis, but had fallen to Gothita. Chewtle had taken out Gothita, but had fallen to Hatenna.
Gloria had squealed when she'd gotten close enough to make out Hatenna, and Bede's smug smile turned proud for a moment. Then Dash had won the match, and the smile disappeared completely.
"This is fine," Bede said through his teeth. "I wasn't trying all that hard."
Of course not. Victor was going to gloat, as he was sure Bede would have if he'd won the match, but Bede spoke again before he could.
"You're not as weak as I thought, but I'll be sure to defeat you next time. I've already gathered all the Wishing Stars here, so there's no more need for me to stay."
He turned to leave. Gloria wasn't going to let him get away.
"You're not that great!" Gloria called, and Bede stopped. "I'll bet money I can beat your whole team with just one Pokémon!"
Bede turned to give her a second look. Average height, average scowl, a Drizzile clinging to her back with three limbs and steering her by the hair with the fourth. She was entirely unimpressive despite the Dynamax band on her wrist. "Bold of you to assume I have money," he told her, and turned and walked out of the mine.
Victor: Dash (Raboot) Rookidee, Chewtle, Drilbur
Gloria: Ace (Drizzile) Dishwasher (Galarian Zigzagoon) Rogue (Thievul)