![]() ![]() They're the Gym Trainers of the Dark-type Gym in Spikemuth, a small and shabby-looking town which has fallen into relative obscurity largely due to its lack of a Power Spot for Dynamaxing, whose Gym Leader himself has entered something of a depression due to blaming himself for the situation. Team Yell's situation, while not to the same degree as Team Skull's, ultimately turns out to be quite sad and understandable.I'm really glad you were the one here with me. The way he forces himself to stop shaking and the defeated smile he gives before just thanking them for being the one who made it that far with him hurts to watch. The fact Hop is still so supportive and a good sport towards the player character, even with how visible it is it pains him to lose. ![]() The Slumbering Weald part isn't made much better due to him immediately losing again to Sordward/Shielbert. You can tell he's absolutely trying his hardest not to break down at the prospect of not being the one to face off against Leon and become the champion, and the fact this comes after he's managed to overcome the worst of his self-doubt and learned to stick with his original partners just makes it even more heartbreaking. Speaking of beating Hop, his defeat animation in the Champion's Cup semifinals (and in the Slumbering Weald before Sordward and Shielbert arrive) is devastating, showing him instinctively grimace as the camera pans behind him to hide his face while he briefly shakes and has to force himself out of it before accepting his loss.It isn't new for rivals in Pokémon games to take losing badly, but no other rival goes quite as far in hammering in just how badly their constant and inevitable defeats at your hand are affecting their self-esteem. Basically any time you face off against and defeat Hop is this.Even before he starts actively doubting himself more, it's clear Hop's connection to the "undefeated Champion" comes with its fair share of burdens. ![]() The whole thing gives a serious impression of one of two things, or possibly both: Parental Favoritism, whether it's unintentional or not, or a potential Inferiority Superiority Complex. Even before his battle with Bede, if you look inside Hop's house, it's filled with Leon's trophies and accomplishments, to the point where even in the living room there's a photo of Leon framed next to his jersey over the fireplace rather than anything of Hop.For a brief period of time, he decided that wasn't a promise he could keep. What's even more sad about switching out his original partner? He wanted for both of them to go to the Pokémon League together.You know the loss to Bede hit him hard when he even traded out his original partner. In regards to Hop's switching out his team members, the most notable thing when you battle him for a fifth time is the complete absence of Wooloo - Hop's first Pokémon he's had long before the start of the game and been using alongside his starter since the first battle against him - something practically unheard of among the rivals in Pokémon games - the Pokémon he leads with in every fight, and the Pokémon mentioned even in his League Card.He'll tell you Hop took one glance at him, and apologized ("I'm so sorry, Lee!") before running off. You can talk to Leon about this in Hammerlocke.After this, Hop spends the next several battles putting himself down and swapping out his entire team save for his starter, and it takes until after the player obtains the sixth badge before Hop's finally able to regain his spirit and start using his older Pokémon again. ![]() When you meet Hop again, it turns out that Bede thoroughly defeated him, insulting him both before and after for dragging his older brother's name through the mud with his lack of skill and even questioning if he has anything to show of his own with how much he talks about Leon and the protagonist's skill over his own.
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