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The air underneath Hammerlocke stadium is heavy. Bright lights tint the walls with an ominious, orange glow. Shattered pieces of Eternatus's egg lie strewn across the Energy Plant, and in the center of it all, Chairman Rose- the man who saved him- now stands towering over him, his Dynamax Copperajah's silhouette engulfing all that Bede can see.
"Hatterene-" he tries to cough out, but before he can, Copperajah's trunk slams into the ground. Hatterene's shrill cry fills the air as the impact knocks Bede off his feet, tosses him into a wall.
He groans. His limbs feel heavy. His body hurts. A few ribs might have cracked from the impact. His head is fogged, and the only thing that forces him to open his eyes is the sound of approaching footsteps, methodically clicking on the metal floor.
"Bede, you silly boy." Rose's disappointed voice cuts through the ringing in his ears. "I thought you understood. Why are you standing in the way of Galar's future?"
Bede growls, forces himself to sit up. The pain bites at him, but it's not something he's unfamiliar with. Compared to the weight in his heart when Rose first cast him aside, this is nothing. Not when Galar is at stake.
Hatterene cries weakly from where she's lying on the ground, and anger burns through his pain as he fixes his eyes on the man he once so admired.
"As Opal's successor, as the Ballonlea Gym Leader-" He grits his teeth. "I'm not letting you go ahead with this."
Rose's green eyes harden. "With what Pokemon, boy?" He raises his hand, and the giant Copperajah turns its attention to him. "Without me, you were nothing. Would you like a reminder?"
A chill runs down Bede's spine. Despite his defiance, a trickle of fear slides down the back of his mind, and when he looks up at Copperajah's dismissive stare, he knows he's out of cards to play.
He meets Hatterene's eyes. Hears the desperate pain in his partner's voice as she reaches out. The trunk comes swinging down-
"Corviknight! Steel Wing!"
A raucous cry interrupts the sound of upturning earth. The air echoes with the clang of metal against metal. Looking up, a Corviknight is shielding him, placing itself between him and Copperajah.
Bede has scarcely a moment to register what's going on when someone's hands are on him, and his first instinct is to push the other person away, but the grip is surprisingly gentle, if tight. He registers the shock on Rose's face, across the platform, and when he looks to his saviors, Bede's surprised to see Gloria and Hop. The former is watching Rose with the closest thing to anger he's seen from her, while Hop is the one who's cradling him against his chest.
"Get off," he manages to say. "Eternatus- it's awake, and it's up above the stadium. I tried to stop it, when I saw Rose's broadcast. Leon's there, but-"
The two challengers exchange a glance. Without so much as another word, Gloria turns back and takes off running. Despite himself, relief blossoms in his chest. If anyone can stop Eternatus, can help Leon in his stead- at least it'd be Gloria.
His breathing is hard. If not for Hop's support, Bede's not sure he'd be able to sit upright for much longer. He wants to pass out from the pain, but he won't. Not in front of Hop.
"Are you okay, mate?" Hop's voice is gruff in his ear. Bede's tried to avoid looking at the other boy, but instead of the glee or indifference he'd expected, there's a flicker of something in golden eyes that catches his attention. Worry, concern. "You look like you got trampled by a Copperajah."
"Not far from the truth," he grits out. With a shaking hand, he takes out Hatterene's pokeball and recalls her. Rose is still there, watching them with a cool, dangerous look in his eye.
The Chairman folds his arms. "Let him go, Challenger Hop. Leon's upstairs, and I'm sure by this time he's already tamed Eternatus. You don't need to concern yourself with any of this."
There's a threat in Rose's voice. A cold sensation of danger, sliding down Bede's throat, just like all the lies he'd swallowed from the man. Bede shudders, realizing Hop and his Corviknight are the only thing stopping Rose from attacking him again, realizing that Hop would want to chase after his brother more than anything-
"Hop-" Bede doesn't plead, or beg, but something wells up inside him and Bede realizes he's afraid.
Hop hesitates. Scrutinizes Bede's face once more. Finally, he turns to Rose and yells,"Are you mad?" His grip on Bede's shoulder tightens, and he's braced against Hop's chest, protectively. "You trying to kill him?"
Rose glowers, and when Hop glances at Bede again, his eyes harden.
"I'm never going to let him hurt you again." Hop declares it viciously, full of fire and pain. Bede is stunned at the words, spoken to him. For him. Bede- the boy that had only ever hurt Hop, looked down on him, told him he was nothing.
And despite it all, Hop is tender and gentle as he lies him down against the wall. He ruffles his hair, flashes him a confident smile that's only betrayed by the fear in his eyes.
"Why?" Bede manages to ask. Why the help? The care? The look in his eyes when he sees Bede, not as an enemy?
Hop looks at him as if he's daft. "You're hurt, trying to stop the Darkest Day," he answers. "Hold on a tick, Bede. I'll finish this, then we'll get you to a hospital, okay?"
Bede can scarcely make a sound before Hop's gone, standing up and stretching his limbs as Corviknight takes to the air in front of him.
Across the room, any semblance of cordiality has disappeared from Rose's face. "Copperajah," the Chairman commands, and the Pokemon trumpets its displeasure at the turn of events.
It's a vicious battle. Corviknight's wings slice and stop Copperajah's attacks, and the two Pokemon exchange blows while Bede can only watch. And standing between him and the battle, back protectively facing him, Hop never falters.
His head hurts, and it's hard to keep track of what's going on. But Hop's still standing, and eventually, an earth-shattering cry echoes through the energy plant as Copperajah takes a final blow and collapses onto the ground. The relief is almost enough to make Bede pass out, and his vision darkens momentarily before it fixes onto Hop's face once more.
"Hang in there, mate," Hop is saying. His brow is creased in a worried frown, and his hands are on Bede's shoulders.
"Chairman-" Bede begins, but Hop shakes his head and glances behind him. Lying slumped against his fallen Copperajah, Chairman Rose no longer cuts the intimidating, awesome figure that Bede remembers. Someone- Hop, most likely- has tied him up with rope. And instead of the man who had everything, Rose lies broken, defeated.
Bede's not sure what to feel about that.
"I've called the cops," Hop explains. Gently, he cups Bede's chin as he scrutinizes his injuries. "Now we gotta get you out of here."
Bede doesn't protest when Hop moves to pick him up. He doesn't have the strength any longer, not when he can't even stand. Instead, he's almost grateful. Hop's arms loop around him carefully, and if only for a moment, the steady warmth of his presence is enough to set Bede at ease.
But then a tremor shakes the entire energy plant. Hop buckles, but shields Bede against the wall, arms bracing him tight. Bede squeezes his eyes, buries his head against Hop's jacket. At first, he wonders if the entire building is about to collapse, wonders if this is how he's going to die. Then a vicious roar echoes through the building, just as the shaking stops.
Hop's gaze snaps up to the ceiling. Bede doesn't need his Psychic Pokemon to guess what's going on through the other boy's head.
"Go."
Golden eyes glance at him, wide and uncertain. "Bede, you're injured-"
He manages a scowl. Grabs the other boy by the collar and glares at him the best that he can. "If you don't go, we're all going to die."
Hop's lip trembles, but the uncertainty drains out of his eyes. He nods. "I'll come back for you," he says. "I promise."
He sets Bede down once more. He falters for a moment, brushing a strand of Bede's hair away from his face. Then, without a backward glance, he stands and dashes down the corridor Gloria took, towards a battle that holds the fate of the entire region in the balance.
Bede can only watch. With an exhausted sigh, he leans against the wall, staring down the dark corridor that Hop's disappeared into.
Bede knows firsthand how dangerous Eternatus is. It would be reckless to expect Hop to survive, to expect any of them to survive.
But it's okay, he tells himself as settles in to wait. Somehow, when he said it, Bede knows Hop will keep his word.