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Chapter Text

Disqualified.

The word swam in Bede's head as he spent his first night in Ballonlea. Here he was, an elite challenger, disqualified by the very man who endorsed him. All over some dusty mural. And the best part? There was new information about the ancient sword and shield behind it! He'd helped, if anything. It was ridiculous. 

But now the crazy old bat Opal wanted to train him in the ways of Fairy types. Because that's what he needed. He needed someone to snatch him out of Hammerlocke and whisk him off to some crazy town in the Glimwood Tangle, and teach him how to train Fairy Types. Of course. 

He was half ready to storm off to Wyndon and practically beg the Chairman to let him back into the Gym Challenge, but... something kept him here. Maybe it was his Pokemon, maybe it was some ridiculous made up fairy magic that physically kept him barriered in this town, but... he stayed. And today, he was supposed to get a uniform for his training. He guessed it would be like what the Gym Trainers wore, but he had no idea what they looked like, for.. obvious reasons. So he was absolutely clueless as to what he was going to be wearing for the next few weeks. 

Until it arrived. 

He picked through the box, pulling out the white undershirt, and gloves, hardly noting the color until he got to what he supposed was the jersey. And it was horrible. Pastel pink and blue, with the ridiculous symbol of the Ballonlea gym on the front. And it only got worse. When pulled it out, it wasn't a shirt. No, no, no. It was a dress. He stormed out to find Opal, and when he did, he held up the dress in anger, "What is this?! It's ridiculous! You can't be so crazy as to put me, an elite trainer, in a pink and blue dress! Who do you think I am?! Did you just forget to do your wash?"

Opal simply let him rant, before speaking calmly, "Put on the dress."

"What."

"Put it on, Bede."

He could see he was getting nowhere with the old gym leader, so he did as he was told after taking off his jacket, face bright red once he saw how long it was. Opal approached, took one corner of the dress, and tied a knot using both corners. It was a shirt now, somewhat. "There. Not so hard, now, right? Now, go get changed. We have much work to do." 

As she walked off, Bede stared at his new shirt. What had she- why had she- he had yelled at her and she hadn't retaliated with anything other then calm level-headed logic. It was such a simple solution. And he hated it. But, he supposed he didn't have anything else to wear. So, he turned and stalked off to his room to change, cringing at the pink and blue colors. He looked ridiculous. He had to retie the dress, and he fixed the collar quickly, before heading back out, feeling like a human candy cane. 

Opal was waiting for him, her Alcremie by her side. She smiled, "See? You look lovely. More pink was just what you needed." 

Bede's face turned red as he responded through gritted teeth, "Mhm. Yes ma'am." 

"Don't call me that. Miss Opal works fine. Or simply Opal. And, Bede." the boy looked at his new involuntary teacher, "Don't tighten your jaw like that. You'll give yourself a headache."  

The boy's expression turned to one of confusion as the leader simply smiled and headed out to the pitch of the stadium, instructing him to follow. His Hatterene escaped her Poke Ball, giving her trainer a smile as she realized his confusion. And with a large clawed appendage, she pushed him forward, the boy snapping, "Alright, alright! I'm going!"

Bede wasn't sure why he was still in Ballonlea. But he had a funny feeling he was about to find out.

Chapter Text

If Bede never had to be asked another question about fairy types, he’d be a very happy person. 

Opal loved her quizzes, and giving them to Bede gave her some sort of delight, he found. With every question in between rounds of battle, his Pokémon’s stats rose and fell, as if by magic. 

It was strange, and he had no idea how she did it. A click of her fingers and the stats changed. Was she more wizardly then he believed? Was there some truth to it? All these questions, and yet he didn't seem to be finding out any time soon. The questions kept coming, up until they Gigantamaxed their partners, Hatterene and Alcremie growing to enormous sizes, their forms changing to assist them in battle. A final question, and then Alcremie let loose with a G-Max Overgrowth, to which Bede retaliated with his own attack: G-Max Smite. It should have been the end, he thought. That move devastated whenever he used it on the battlefield. But that wasn't the case.

Opal was just full of surprises, wasn't she?

G-Max Finale restored her Alcremie's health, and Bede was left to remake all the progress that he had just made. And his new teacher was smiling. Anger bubbled in his chest, the familiar feeling of wanting to throw punches at whatever was angering him. His time at the Orphanage came to mind. While he'd be steaming in his anger, Hatterene had taken control of the battle, G-Max Smite ripping across the field again. 

His previous thoughts shaken out of his head, he focused again on battle, only to hear a loud boom. His precious Hatterene... taken down. He quickly returned her to her Great Ball, and stood silently on the pitch, humiliated that he let himself get distracted, and let himself lose in such a fashion. He moved up to the center of the pitch, Opal following suit. She nodded, and tried to lay a hand on her new pupil's shoulder, but he promptly shrugged it off and stalked off the field, still embarrassed by his defeat. He was an elite- stop. He told himself, just stop. You're not. You didn't even finish the gym challenge.

That's just how elite you are.

He sighed as he entered his room, noting the gold watch on his nightstand. The one the Chairman had given him. It didn't fit, and slid down his arm every time he wore it, but for some reason, he kept it. He held up the device, and watched it for a moment. The soft ticking filled his ears, almost worse then the silence that he faced. With every tick of every second, a new memory flashed in his head.

Tick. The orphanage. The kid who's nose he broke with a book. Tick.

Rose's great arrival at the orphanage. His first Pokemon. Hatenna. Tick.

His rivals. Hop, Marnie, and the one who beat the champion. His breath grew hard. Tick.

Tick, tick, tick, smash.

The rage bubbled back up, boiling hot in his chest and mouth, as he dropped the watch and brought his foot down on the face. The glass scattered across the floor, and the ticking stopped, the hands broken under Bede's sneaker. Violet eyes wide, he stared down at the watch for a moment. He'd broken it. Panic set in, and he got down and tried to pick up the shards, the skin on his hands tearing on the sharp edges. He dumped the broken watch in his trash can and headed out of his room, unable to stay in there without panicking more. 

He could feel his soul leave his body when he saw Opal waiting backstage for him. She looked up at him, smiled, and spoke softly, "I won't ask how, but may I see your hands?" Bede looked at them. He hadn't even realized they'd started to bleed. Nodding slowly, he sat down on a storage crate and bowed his head. Opal had brought rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, and bandages, and when he asked how she knew, she simply responded, "The fae told me something was wrong." and he asked no further questions. The alcohol stung as it cleaned his cuts, but ceased once the elder gym leader began to bandage his hands. 

He looked down at them, and flexed his fingers once Opal asked if he could move them okay. She laid a hand on his shoulder, successful this time, and simply waited. Bede stared at his hands, thinking hard.

Why had she done this for him?

Surely, he had to pay her back now. 

He spoke softly, "I'd like to battle again. As thanks for this."

"No." Opal responded, "Not as thanks for this. This was nothing, child. There is no need to thank me." she got up, "But I accept your challenge. Meet me on the pitch when you're ready."

Bede stared after her, his violet eyes growing misty. She- no.

This wasn't right.

If she wasn't going to accept his offer of battle as a thank you, he would have to do it another way. 

He would just have to find the right way. 

Chapter Text

Bede had come from nowhere.

Not nowhere, as in, he appeared out of thin air. Rather, his town was so small, that it could basically be considered nowhere. A small, nameless place, with all the basics of a town, and nothing more. Ever since arriving at Ballonlea, he'd thought about his former place of residence. Home? No. Not home. 

So, for the first time in a decade, he ventured back, bringing his fairies with him. He'd changed out of his training uniform, into a pink ( he'd cringed ) hoodie, a white shirt, and dark pants and shoes. He hadn't even looked at his old coat since he'd taken it off last. It was odd. His stuff securely in a bag his old rival, Hop, had gotten for him ( why, he didn't know ), he set off, leaving a note for Opal so she knew where he had run off to. 

The cold morning air burned his lungs, but it felt good compared to the stuffy air of the Ballonlea gym and theater. The Glimwood Tangle hardly bothered him anymore, and he navigated it with ease, before traveling through Stow on Side, and into Hammerlocke, before exiting out into the Wild Area. 

He investigated, looking for the old path back into the village he came from, before finding it in a far corner and following with some form of caution. He pulled his Hatterene's Pokeball out of his bag, if only to make sure he would be ready to fight if push came to shove. And he knew it would. 

The one thing that might have given him away as the fairy gym leader protege was his glove, the one that all the trainers, and now himself, had to wear. He kept it on, for some strange reason. Finally, houses came into view, and some small streets, along with a clear view of a small town, hidden from the rest of Galar. Bede's insides twisted, but he continued on, towards a place he'd known for six years. The orphanage. 

It wasn't a place of happy memories, and yet his feet moved themselves in the exact direction he didn't want to go in. Soon, people began to stare, and whispers grew to full conversation, and then they began to approach him, calling out, 

"It's Gym Leader Bede!"

"He's from here! We're finally represented!"

"A true rags to riches story! He was adopted by the Chairman, wasn't he?"

He hated it. The people, the words, the everything. How they swarmed him and begged him to tell them his secrets; his rise to success, unlike so many of them. The orphanage was so close now. His stomach was committing treason on itself. He felt sick-

Crack.

He felt himself fall on the stone steps, and quickly flipped himself so as to see who knocked him over. He knew this boy. 

Tick. The kid who's nose he'd broken with a book. Tick. 

His heart pounded. He shouldn't be afraid, he told himself. Bede clutched Hatterene's Pokeball tight, remembering his partner was there for him. The bigger boy in front of him smirked, "Welcome back! We missed you."

"And that's how you show it?" Bede shot back.

"Yeah!" the other boy lifted him up, so that now Bede was once again standing on his feet, "Don't you remember? All the fun we had here as kids?" he stared at the fairy-type trainer for a moment, before noting his pink glove and hoodie and spitting on the ground between them, "Pink, huh?" A punch to the gut was served to Bede, who promptly opened up Hatterene's ball so that she could help protect him. He couldn't fight this alone. The leader grinned, "What kind of man wears pink?" 

The Fairy stretched in the sun, before looking down at the boy who held her trainer. Her eyes flashed, and her long tendrils wrapped around the bully, surprising him into letting go of her trainer. Bede scrambled back and watched as his Hatterene stared down the now terrified boy. Other kids that Bede once knew gathered around to see what was happening, some gasping in fright and others yelling in anger at the boy and his fairy. Insults were hurled at him, and he soon found himself backed against one of the walls of the Orphanage. 

The bullies scattered at the sight of Hatterene, still shouting insults at her trainer, which enraged her more. She used her tendril to fling the leader away a good distance, which finally led to the group abandoning their twisted cause. The fae made her way back to her injured trainer, using the tendril she'd just used to cause harm to help, allowing Bede to get up. He turned around and stared back at the orphanage, before turning to the confused townsfolk, now staring at him in mild fear.

Good. was his first thought.

His voice came out choked, "Don't any of you associate with me." a few deep breaths, "I am Bede, heir to Ballonlea Gym, and I will never say that I saw home in this place." A few in the crowd looked down, their feet suddenly very interesting. The boy straightened himself out, took another breath, and made his way down the steps, the crowd parting like the Red Sea as he approached. He knew he shouldn't have come back here. But he did anyway. 

Was it the ego boost that made him feel somewhat better about coming here?

Maybe.

Or maybe it was the fact that he'd never be going back. 

Chapter Text

Bede hadn't heard much from Rose since his whole... display. 

It was almost concerning, but Bede was too focused on his training with Opal to worry about it. Until she got a call on her Rotom phone. He heard the voice, and promptly ran to his room. The watch still sat in his trash can, and he couldn't look at it. It made him more anxious. What would Rose say to him, if they talked? Would he be disappointed? Would he hate him?

What would Bede say? 

Would he yell? Get angry that Rose had pulled him into a plan to execute an ancient Armageddon? Would he forgive him, because he was his father when he had none, and technically didn't hurt anybody? 

Wasn't he in prison?

Opal opened his door gently, entered his room, and held out the phone. It was exactly the person he'd thought it was. He steeled himself ( funny, since Steel types were the ones favored by Rose ), and held the phone up to his ear, "...hello."

"Bede." the voice was soft, caring. Apologetic, if Bede tried hard enough, "How are you? You've been training with Opal?"

"Yes, I have. What do you want?" the last bit came out perhaps a bit harsher then intended, so he quickly added, "Sorry. I just... I didn't expect to hear from you again." 

A soft chuckle, and Rose spoke gently again, "It's quite alright. As for me.. I'm off to Sinnoh. Oleana, as much as I hate it, bailed me out with my own money. I wasn't in there long. I am, though, prohibited from heading Macro Cosmos for a few months, so I'll be off in Sinnoh, learning a thing or two from a man named Cyrus. You are to continue your training in Fairy Types. Become Opal's successor. I'll see you again when I return."

"No. You can't just-" his voice broke up, "You can't just leave like this!" 

"I have to Bede. It's the only way I can live a free man. I'll be back, I promise." 

Bede stared at the floor with empty eyes as Rose spoke, before letting out a heavy sigh, "O-Okay." he felt childish, but kept talking, "I understand. I think." 

"It's alright if you don't yet." the chairman reassured him, "You don't need all the answers yet. I have my Rotom Phone on me; that's how I called you. Feel free to text me or call me, or show me a new fancy way to talk with you that I haven't figured out yet. And send me pictures, okay? Of you and your new friends. The champion and your other two rivals."

"I don't exactly call them friends." Bede shot out jokingly.

Rose lightly chuckled, "Go have fun, Bede. And.. um." a pause, a shift, "Ms. Opal told me about your watch. She found it while you were out. ...um. I don't blame you. I would be mad too." he stopped again, awkward, "If you'd like, I can get you a new watch, one that actually fits, but... I just want you to know that.. I'm not mad at you for that. You were justified in breaking it. So don't feel bad about it, okay?" 

He wasn't mad. He understood. Rose was always good at that, Bede remembered, sympathizing with others. It's part of the reason Galar loved him. His overwhelming kindness. So Bede let out a sigh, "Thank you... dad."

Rose was quiet for a moment, before sniffling quietly, and Bede presumed, wiping his eyes. He'd always adored it when Bede called him dad, and he imagined now was no exception. "Of course. Have a good night now. I'll call you when I get to Sinnoh."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"You're not gonna forget because you saw something new and shiny?"

A laugh, happy and boisterous. That was Rose's laugh. Not the pathetic, quiet chuckle he had heard earlier, "No, I won't, you sassy boy. Now, off to bed with you."

Bede rolled his eyes, and laughed for the first time in months, before the two quietly exchanged goodnights, and Bede went and returned Opal's phone to its owner. He pulled out his own phone and began to text the group chat Hop had created for himself, Bede, Marnie, and that Champion girl. Whatever her name was. 

[ bede ]: just got a call from the chairman.

[ bede ]: he's headed to sinnoh.

Someone else started typing. 

[ Hop! ]: Jeez. He got out of jail? I mean...

[ Hop! ]: Good for him, I guess.

[ Hop! ]: You aren't texting novels. Something's up with you. 

He smiled at the texts, before Marnie began to type. 

[ Marnie ]: Piers is at a concert rn, so I could come to Ballonlea, and we could all hang?

[ Hop! ]: Yeah! We could have a sleepover! :D

Bede thought for a moment. A sleepover. He'd never gone to one as a kid, considering he didn't have a lot of friends whose houses he could have slept over at, but the idea intrigued him, as he began to type out a new message to his friends. 

[ bede ]: as long as you bring ice cream, it's fair game. 

And so the four of them went back and forth, the Champion jumping in after a match, and informing them of such. She promised to bring food, and now all Bede had to do was wait. 

It only took about fifteen minutes before the sleepover began. Out on the pitch of Ballonlea Stadium, the four rivals sat with a tub of ice cream in the middle of them, a movie Hop eagerly brought with him playing on the big stadium screen. It was nice, Bede would admit, to have these people here after what had happened. He had treated them so awfully, and yet.. they were here. Hop took another spoonful of ice cream, before pointing at Bede with his spoon, "Y'know? I keep wondering. What would have happened had you not gotten cut from the challenge?"

"I would've beat you all." Bede responded with a bit of snark. 

"No, c'mon! I'm serious, mate!" Hop gestured wildly, "I mean, you wouldn't be training under Opal, that's for sure."

Marnie finished her spoonful, before tilting her head thoughtfully, "Not necessarily. He could have started training later. There's no way to really say if Opal wouldn't have picked him if he had finished the Gym Challenge." she took another spoon of ice cream, before speaking again, "I know one thing: you would've given my brother a heck of a battle." The four laughed at the concept, before Marnie kept going, "He was kind of disappointed actually. He really wanted to prove that he could beat a trainer with fairy types."

"Well then," Bede eyed the tub of ice cream, "I guess I'll have to make a trip to Spikemuth at some point then, won't I?" 

"Maybe I can set up a tournament, and you two would accidentally get paired up to fight." the Champion smiled, shoving a spoonful into her mouth. 

"Oh yeah, you can do that now, can't you?" Bede stared up at the sky for a moment, before remembering what Rose wanted him to do, "Hey. Weird question. Can we all take a picture together? Like.. a.." he sighed, "A selfie?"

Hop practically jumped off the ground, "Heck yeah, mate! Where's your phone?" when Bede pulled it out, the Rotom Phone positioned itself for the picture, Hop happily demanding, "Everyone in the frame!" Once they were all in, and smiling brightly, the phone snapped the picture, and Bede promptly sent it off to Rose, with the caption:

[ bede ]: I'm with my friends :)

Chapter Text

Today was the day.

Bede's official rematch with Opal. 

All the other matches they'd had were unofficial. Off the record. But this one would be televised, a crowd would be roaring around them. There would be no room for error here. It was all or nothing in front of the cameras. 

He sat just outside the tunnel that led to the pitch, texting the Elite Trainer Group Chat ( Hop had named it that ), trying to calm his nerves.

[ bede ]: I'm about to face Opal. Feeling pretty nervous, not gonna lie. All the cameras are on me. I know I always said I'm an 'elite trainer' but like... what if I'm not? What if I lose to her right now??

When nobody responded after a minute or two, he clicked off the phone and stuck it in his pocket, before leaning back and sighing. Hatterene appeared next to her trainer, sensing his distress and feeling something like concern for him. Placing her tendril on his head, she gave a soft cry, one meant to soothe. Bede smiled at the fae, nodding. "Thank you." He stood up, before peeking around the entrance to the pitch. It was so bright, so different from the dark of the backstage. He could hear the cries of the crowd, eagerly anticipating his arrival. His phone buzzed in his pocket. The Champion. 

[ Champ ]: You'll do great. Look at the crowd when you go out. :)

He pondered the meaning of that for a moment, before shrugging and sticking the device back in his pocket. A few deep breaths to untie the knot in his stomach, and he began to walk out onto the field, and when he stepped out, and the light stopped being so blinding, his eyes widened and he gasped. 

Pink.

Pink.

Pink.

The whole stadium was clothed in pink, to the furthest corners. He wondered if they knew he'd been mocked for wearing the color. He wondered if they knew how much their choice of color made his heart swell. He continued further onto the field, the crowd's cheers filling his ears and giving him the confidence he thought he'd lost. When he got to the center, he glanced over at the crowd again and firmly believed for a moment that he was going to faint. His three rivals were front and center. And all three of them were wearing pink. Marnie, Hop, and the Champion. He hadn't expected them here. But here they were. 

They were here to support him. 

It made his eyes misty. Not that he would ever tell them that. 

Opal stood across from him, smiling warmly. How had he ever thought it was smug? That it was trying to mock him? He nodded, and the two moved further back onto the pitch. Another deep breath and Bede quickly tossed out Mawile, the little Steel and Fairy-Type growling in delight. Opal's Wheezing was released, and the battle began. Attacks were exchanged, and the crowd roared as Bede began to take victory, knocking out her Mawile and Togekiss. Alcremie came out and so did Hatterene. Bede called his partner back, and Dynamax energy swirled around him. 

It felt powerful, a rushing, buzzing feeling. 

Hatterene's Pokeball was tossed back, and the Raging Goddess emerged on the field with a cry that shook the whole of Ballonlea Stadium. Alcremie grew giant, ready to take on her giant opposer. 

But Bede was ready, and for the first time in a long time, he had confidence. "G-Max Smite!" Hatterene did as her trainer told, bolts of lightning striking her opponent near endlessly, Alcremie truly feeling the rage of the Goddess. 

Opal simply smiled and ordered a Max Starfall, to which Bede responded with "Max Mindstorm!". The psychic terrain was throwing Opal off, he could feel it. Or maybe she was just making him feel that way. He wasn't sure. But he kept up the pace, returning Opal's attacks with equal or greater force. He was going to win this no matter what it took, or what it cost him. The Raging Goddess above him let another Smite rip across the battlefield, and a loud boom sounded from the other side.

He'd won. 

Alcremie was returned, and Hatterene shrunk once more. Bede raced to her, and wrapped his arms around the fae. He buried his face in the soft hair that covered his friend, and tried to steady his breath, listening to the cheers of the crowd, of his friends. He quietly returned Hatterene to her ball, and turned back to Opal. His eyes were visibly misty by now, and he knew she and everyone here could see it. And for some reason, he didn't care. 

He smiled, and nodded, before they shook hands at the center of the pitch, Bede hugging Opal tight. They parted, and took the opposite exits out, and Bede found something waiting for him. A note, folded neatly. A box held it in place. The young Gym Leader unfolded the paper after moving the box, and read it slowly. It was from Rose. A gift before he left for Sinnoh. He wished Bede luck, and promised once more to call once he was safe. 

Bede took a deep breath. He hadn't expected this, and he certainly hadn't expected anything to be from Rose. The box was carefully lifted and opened, and a new watch sat inside. It didn't look quite as expensive as the one he'd destroyed, but it was a nice watch. A leather band went around his wrist, and the rose gold face sat nicely on top, not sliding around his arms. A small detail he noted was the symbol of the fairy type gym, detailed on the inside of the face under the hands. He smiled, and wiggled his arm. The watch didn't move. It was perfect. 

He strode out of the stadium, and out into Ballonlea, after changing into his pink hoodie once again, feeling more confident in himself then he had in a while. 

As he walked, a thought crossed his mind:

Maybe it's the pink.