Hop deserved to be the Champion. He was too full of himself at first, but once he got a reality check and realized that he wasn't owed anything, he put honest effort into being a good trainer. He even changes up his team composition to try out different strategies, which most other rivals in the series have never done. He works hard enough to make it to the semifinals with just three other people, only to lose it to some doofus who probably didn't have the same passion for becoming the champion that Hop did. He deserved better.