Bede is one of the player's rivals. He is a prideful young man who had been personally sponsored by Chairman Rose, who took in Bede when he was a young orphan. While he is competing in the Gym Challenge with the aim of becoming Champion, he has been gathering Wishing Stars in large quantities to help the Chairman realize his ambition. However, in his zealous pursuit of Wishing Stars, Bede brings harm to a historic landmark in Stow-on-Side, and he is disowned by Rose and disqualified from the Gym Challenge.
After the player returns from Ballonlea to Hammerlocke with the Fairy Badge, Opal notices the sulking Bede and is struck with inspiration, asking him to become her successor. Bede reluctantly agrees, believing he will become stronger in the process. Bede eventually returns as a Gym Leader, interrupting the finals of the Champion Cup and demanding to battle the player, staking his career on his victory. After losing, Bede, who had begun to regret accepting Opal's offer, reveals he was planning on using the result of the battle as an excuse to get away from his mentor. However, after hearing the crowd cheer him on despite his loss, he feels obligated to continue training, figuring he will be able to completely take over for Opal soon.
After the player becomes Champion, the player, Hop, and former Gym Leader Piers head to Ballonlea Stadium while trying to stop Sordward and Shielbert, but in the lobby, Bede confidently declares that he has taken care of the Dynamax Pokémon running rampant in his Stadium already. The player's group attempts to leave but Bede refuses to let them go until he has a battle with the new Champion. After some assurance from Opal, the group decides to indudge Bede. During the battle, Bede acknowledges the player's strength, and after being defeated, accepts them as Champion. A more humble Trainer now, Bede swears he'll overcome his weakness and, in his words, "reach the pinnacle of what Fairy types can do."
Bede is the only Pokémon Trainer to change his type specialization during the course of a game, going from Psychic type to Fairy type.
He is the second Trainer known to have changed his type specialization overall, following Jasmine, who used to train Rock types before becoming the Steel-type expert she currently is.