Hello, everyone, and welcome back! This is the one and only SuperHeroTimeFan coming back to you in 2022, now with a new chapter for one of my best, most recent stories, This Is The Pokémon Way! I am very glad with how popular this has gotten over time, and am very happy with the support that you all have shown as well. It all means so much. Speaking of so much, a lot has happened since I last updated, such as the Arceus Special of Pokémon Journeys and The Book of Boba Fett showing as well. Both have been excellent, and both have also given me a lot of new ideas. You shall see a few of them in this new chapter. Also, thanks to GhostSlinger15 for his help and to all of you for your continued reviews and likes. Now, with that out of the way, here is my new chapter! Please feel free to review, rate, and as always, please be sure to enjoy!
Chapter 6: The Coordinator
Now with a new destination set on the way to Snowbelle City, known as Ember City, Din Djarin takes Ash Ketchum and his companions, Pokémon included, to travel there, in order to try and find the other Mandalorians mentioned by Greef Karga. On the way, they decide to stop in the forest near another town, where Din is told he will be given more details about the job he is given.
Outside of the camp set by the Razor Crest, Ash activated his lightsaber, with Pikachu looking on in excitement. Placing it to his face, he swung it across a few times, letting his instincts guide him as the blade let out whirring whistles. Though he was still new to using the weapon, he could always have felt something guiding him, from the two figures he saw the moment he fought Gallade with it to hearing Ezra Bridger's voice in helping to create a better weapon.
Ash let his thoughts continue to flow through as he spun around, at the same time blasting carefully at the trees. As soon as he stopped, he appeared in front of a large stone, where he activated the blade again as he held his stance, the blade almost an inch away from cutting the rock in half.
"How was that, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu said happily.
"That was great, Ash!" Serena called out.
Ash smiled and turned around, seeing the rest of his friends having watched him. He nodded before seeing Gallade in front of Din, his eyes closed and seeming to be waiting for a command.
"What you got going on, Mando?" Ash asked.
"Seeing what your type of training is like." Din replied before eyeing Gallade.
Gallade caught the glance and nodded. Soon, Din started to perform sign language, getting Gallade to run forward and twirl into the air. Everyone watched before he backflipped almost rhythmically, seeming to sound like he was counting his steps as he did. Soon, he landed and sent forth several slashes, all of which connected before he used Teleport.
"Oh wow!" May exclaimed as she finished putting on her new bandana. To match with it, her clothes were now changed from orange to red.
"Yeah, it's something alright," Bonnie agreed, using a phone to record. As she did, she turned to Cynthia, wearing new clothes. "Thanks for letting me use this, Cynthia."
"Any time, Bonnie," Cynthia said. Like May, her clothing now shown to be grey instead of blue, with red outlines, almost resembling her Garchomp. "I'm interested to catalogue this myself."
Gallade reappeared in front of his slashes, where he spun around and kicked them to the ground. He reappeared before Din pulled his fist back, getting him to catch them before sending them into the air. As they exploded into connecting fireworks, he backflipped once again into the air before placing his foot up in front of his chest and then twirling down low, landing on his feet and one hand touching the ground. When he finished, the symbol of the Jedi Order was formed from the Solar Blade attack.
"Amazing!" Serena cheered as everyone got up and applauded.
"Yeah, it really is!" Ash remarked before looking to Din. "You're really something else with Gallade for someone who just got into Pokémon Battles." He complimented.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
"It's nothing much," Din replied as Clemont and Dawn emerged walked out of the Razor Crest, having seen the training. "Just trying to do how you all do it."
"Pancham-Pan!" Pancham exclaimed, getting up. Everyone looked to him as he started to do some stretches. Soon, he began to twirl forward before attempting to do the backflips that Gallade once did. However, due to the complexity of it, he ended up tripping and falling into Piplup, getting everyone, save for Din, to laugh.
"Not quite there, Pancham," Serena said with a chuckle as Grogu ate one of her Poképuffs. "You'll get it with some training."
"Cham, Pancham." Pancham muttered, getting up before apologizing to Piplup.
"Piplup, Pip-Pip!" Piplup replied, trying not to be too upset.
"No need to worry about it, Piplup. Accidents happen," Dawn said as Piplup waddled over to her and Clemont. "But I agree. That was amazing!"
"It is the way, after all." Brock agreed.
"Anyway, with Dawn's help, I finished checking over some of the Razor Crest," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses. "I think that, with your permission, I can whip up something to help us get around more conventionally, and to save on fuel until you can get more."
Din nodded as Gallade walked over. "But…?" he trailed off, sensing something was missing.
"Well, given how advanced this is, I might need some parts," Clemont said before walking over to his backpack, where Chespin and Bunnelby were watching over a half-completed invention that resembled a Magnemite. "Good thing this is almost done. I call it the Fly Long Over Any Terrain device."
"Yay, a floaty," Bonnie said deadpan while Ash, Iris and May looked on with amazement. "That's an original name."
"Bonnie, be nice to your brother!" Dawn scolded.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Bonnie replied.
"De-Nene." Dedenne added on with the same deadpan expression.
"I think it's nice to have an inventor in the family," Brock said. "Gotta see if any of my siblings has the same ingenuity."
"How does it work?" Din asked.
"Just putting the finishing touches, and the Razor Crest can fly with us with minimum fuel as we walk," Clemont replied. "Put that there, and…" he started before steam started to hiss. "Oh no! Dank Farrik!" he exclaimed.
Ash and Serena screamed while Bonnie hid Grogu in Iris's hair. Iris looked in confusion before a light came from the FLOAT device.
Soon, a large explosion went off. When it cleared, everyone had puffy hair and had their faces covered partially in soot. Din, on the other hand, had shielded himself with his cape while Grogu walked harmlessly out of Iris's already-puffy hair, taking with him some berries that a dazed Axew tried to go after, only to crash to the ground.
"There we go again." Ash said.
"Not so much a float than a ton of smoke." Bonnie remarked.
"That was… unexpected." Cynthia said, trying to clear off the soot from her face.
"I take it this happens a lot?" Dawn asked as Piplup prepared to use Bubble Beam on her hair.
"You don't want to know." Serena replied as May fell back while Brock stumbled around.
"I really thought my luck changed." Clemont lamented as Iris tried to fix her own hair.
"You ever consider making armaments?" Din asked as even his Gallade tried to get rid of the soot covering him.
"Pip… Lup!" Piplup called out, blasting at Dawn's hair until it was shining.
Din and Ash turned to Dawn, whose hair was now shining and looking much like it was before now.
"Thanks, Piplup!" Dawn said gratefully.
"Piplup…" Piplup said proudly, beaming with pride.
"So… what do you need?" Din asked as Grogu walked over to him.
"Well, I made a list," Clemont said, getting up. "Everything I need is there."
"Good thing there's a supply store in town," Dawn added on. "We can be in and out in a jiff."
"I'll come too," Din said, picking up Grogu and placing him inside of his bag. "I got word recently that the Nurse Joy here has more information about my job."
"Go for it," Ash said. "We get that being a Bounty Hunter is important for you."
Din nodded as he, Dawn and Clemont set off, Piplup waddling behind them.
Before making it out of sight, Din turned back to everyone.
"Keep training, and if you spot any Imperials, let me know immediately." Din ordered.
Everyone nodded before Din, Clemont and Dawn now made their way to town.
"Wait," Clemont said, feeling his pockets. "I forgot to pick up Chespin!"
"Was he recalled?" Dawn asked as Grogu turned around, seeing Iris talking with May, with a Pokéball laying on the ground behind them.
"Yeah, but I think I left his Pokéball behind." Clemont said before Grogu held his hand out.
"At least it wasn't worse…" Iris said to May before seeing what was going on. She noticed the Pokéball shaking behind her and gulped, walking slowly behind May.
"What is it?" May asked.
"I suddenly have a bad feeling about…"
Before Iris could finish, the Pokéball flew off the ground, going to the side, causing Iris to sigh in relief. However, it hit a rock and ricocheted towards her head, sending her to the ground before it flew to Clemont's hand.
"Thank you, Grogu." Clemont said with a smile as he put his Pokéball away. With that, the trio set off again.
"Glad… I could help." Iris said, twitching and nearly with swirls in her eyes.
In town, Din, Dawn and Clemont arrived at the supply store. However, instead of the entrance being clear, a long line of people were waiting.
"This wasn't here before." Clemont said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well, no use in dwelling over it," Dawn said as the three started walking to the back of the line, passing by a billboard with some fliers on it. "Might as well get a spot and wait for…"
Before Dawn could finish, a flier caught her attention. She gasped and grabbed it as Piplup jumped up to try and get a view for himself.
"What is it?" Din asked.
"There's a Contest Hall near here, and a string of them lead up to an exclusive Kalos Festival! In Ember City!" Dawn awed. "They're open now!"
"If you want to go, I can always get the parts myself," Clemont said. "Ash did say how much into Contests you and May are."
"Well, only if it's okay with Mando." Dawn said, looking to Din hopefully.
Din looked to Dawn and sighed. "Fine," he said. "Then I need to find Nurse Joy for my job."
"No need to worry!" Dawn said, grabbing Din's arm to try to lead him to the Contest Hall, only to stop upon not feeling him budging. She turned and chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry," she apologized. "I always do this with Ash or Brock."
"It's fine," Din said before releasing himself and walking with Dawn. "Let's go."
"I'll let you know when I'm done!" Clemont called out.
Soon, Din and Dawn arrived at the Contest Hall, where several people were lined up, either entering for registration or heading to the back rooms.
"A lot of people here." Din noted.
"Well, there's a lot of professions for people aside from Gym Battling. There's Contests, and from what I heard from Serena, Showcases too," Dawn said. She looked to the side to see a Pokémon Center. "You know, I won't be entering. I haven't gotten properly prepared yet, so… why don't we get you your job?" she suggested.
"You're okay with this?" Din asked.
"As you say, 'This is the way'." Dawn said with a smile, pointing up.
"Pip-Piplup!" Piplup agreed.
Arriving at the Pokémon Center, a woman, not in nurse attire, was watching over everything. Upon seeing Din and Dawn enter, she straightened herself up.
"Is Nurse Joy here?" Din asked. "I have a meeting with her."
"Oh, you must be her guest," the woman assumed. "I'm sorry, I'm just a stand-in. Nurse Joy is at the Contest Hall as one of the judges. She won't be available until the Contest is done."
Dawn sighed as she turned to Din. "Well, guess we'd better head over." She said before the two walked out again.
"I don't know much about Contests." Din said, looking to the different Coordinators getting ready.
"Well, Pokémon Contests are different from battles," Dawn started to explain. "While battles focus on strength and cunning, Contests focus on how well a Pokémon performs, based on style, elegance and execution, as well as the bond between Coordinator and Pokémon. Everyone has a different style," she said. "And there are two stages in every Contest; the Appeals Stage and the Battle Stage. You need to win the appeal of the judges and the audience in order to get to the Battle Stage, where you have to defeat everyone with style to be declared the winner. Then, you get a ribbon as your prize."
"That's it?" Din asked.
"Wow. That's not what I expected," Dawn said, the two now inside of the back rooms. "Not much interest from a warrior, I take it?"
"Nope," Din said before taking his bag off and handing it to Dawn. "Look after the kid while I try to find Nurse Joy. Maybe I can catch her before this starts."
"Tough luck," Dawn said. "Looks like everyone is already lining up."
"Then I'll just wait," Din said. "And don't let anyone see him." He ordered before walking off.
"What a guy," Dawn said before seeing a girl with short red hair and a white stylized suit making her way to the floor. "No way!" she exclaimed softly before another girl with peach hair in drill shapes going down on both sides walked behind her, wearing a black dress. "Oh, Dank Farrik." She swore afterwards.
In the main room of the Contest Hall, a woman with a white blouse, grey vest, a sports visor over her head, orange hair and lipstick walked up to the camera.
"Bonjour, one and all across Kalos, and welcome to the first ever string of Kalos Contests!" the woman announced. "I am your host, Jillian, and we take part in the Zyutu Town Contest. We have contestants from all over the Region, ready to take part so that they can participate in the Grand Kalos Festival, held in Ember City. The crowd is sure pumped today!"
With that, everyone clapped and cheered.
"This Contest alternates between the use of single Pokémon and multiple Pokémon. So be prepared, because for this Contest and future ones, anything will go," Jillian went on as Din watched from the tunnel leading to the main floor. And now, it's time to hear a few words from our panel of judges! Mr. Contesta, the head of our Contest Committee!"
"Thanks! A real pleasure! I trust you're as excited to see these Kalos Performances as I am!" Mr. Contesta announced.
"Next is the head of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Suziko!" Jillian announced.
"Remarkable! Truly remarkable Kalos is!" Mr. Suziko said.
"And finally, we have our local Nurse Joy!"
"Thank you all, I hope to see how well you use each of your Pokémon with the care you treat them with." Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Now, let the contest begin!" Jillian announced as one by one, the Coordinators went up.
Din, though slightly not interested much in Contests, watched at how everyone utilized their Pokémon.
"Not bad…" Din noted.
"Next up, known for winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival, Zoey!" Jillian announced, causing everyone to cheer for her.
Soon, it was the redhead girl's turn, letting out a cat Pokémon. Curious, Din held up his Pokédex and scanned it.
"Glameow, the feline Pokémon. Glameow shows its anger when it flashes it claws, but is mostly affectionate when it purrs softly."
"Okay, Glameow! Jump!" Zoey called out.
"Meow…!" Glameow called out, using its bouncy tail to jump into the air.
"Now use Hidden Power, and follow through by absorbing it with Shadow Claw!" Zoey commanded.
Din watched as Glameow let out her Hidden Power, which as instructed, was absorbed into a Shadow Claw. Afterwards, she let it out, creating a sparkling show in the air.
"Impressive…" Din admitted.
"Now, hit it with Thunderbolt!" Zoey commanded.
Glameow yelled and let out a Thunderbolt on the colored lights. They soon let out a spectrum of lights all over the field, causing everyone to awe at the sight before breaking out into applause.
"What a brilliant display of moves! I never have seen a Glameow in a while do something like that." Mr. Contesta said.
"Remarkable, truly remarkable!" Mr. Suziko added on.
"For the winner of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, I expected nothing less." Nurse Joy said.
"Now, for our last contestant, Ursula!" Jillian called out as Ursula stepped up, letting out her Pokémon, which looked to be a weaker version of Garchomp.
Once more, Din raised his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon foreign to him.
"Gabite, the Cave Pokémon. Gabite goes wild for precious jewels, first digging them up and then stashing them in its nest."
"Nothing to treasure with a look like that." Din noted, seeing a smug look on Gabite's face.
"Gabite, start off with Sandstorm!" Ursula called out.
Summoning sand around it, Gabite let out the Sandstorm, spiraling around.
"Now, turn it to glass with Dragon Rage!" Ursula ordered, her hands cross and performing devil fingers at the same time.
Gabite roared and flew forward, letting out Dragon Rage to turn the san to glass.
"Now, wrap it up with Dragon Claw!" Ursula ordered, smug as her partner.
Gabite's claws lit up as she slashed at the glass. Soon, it was reshaped into a glass sculpture of Ursula herself, with the same stance and expression that Ursula had herself.
"What a performance!" Jillian exclaimed as everyone cheered.
"Quite an artistic touch." Mr. Contesta admitted.
"Quite remarkable, if I do say so myself." Mr. Suziko said.
"Agreed. I do enjoy art." Nurse Joy said.
"And there you have it," Jillian said. "We'll be right back to show who will move onto the final rounds! Stay tuned, everyone!"
As soon as everyone went back to the dressing rooms, Din walked out to Nurse Joy, who was conversing with Mr. Contesta and Mr. Suziko. Upon noticing Din, she walked up.
"Oh, hello," Jillian said as Din walked over. "Wait… you're Mando!"
"Yep," Din said. "I need to speak with the nurse."
"I'm sorry, but they're in the middle of—"
"It's okay. I've been expecting him," Nurse Joy reassured. She pulled Din aside. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I had every intention of being there for our meeting, but the Contest had to come first."
"It's okay," Din reassured. "I understand."
"Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer," Nurse Joy said, taking out a holo-projector. "Don't be surprised, I grew up on Lothal. I left after the Imperial Occupation ended, and moved here," she explained upon seeing what she assumed to be a shocked expression on Din's face, despite his helmet. "You'll find more than a few from the Outer Rim on Earth."
"What have we got?" Din asked as Nurse Joy activated the hologram.
"Well, between Zyutu Town and the next town over, trainers have been brought in, injured like their Pokémon," Nurse Joy said. "A few of them have seen the assailants, and I think you and I know who they are." She said, bringing up holograms of hooded figures.
"Night Wind Assassins." Din said.
"As far as I know, a few were hired by the Empire to hunt down Rebels, while a majority of them aren't allowed outside of Hutt Space," Nurse Joy went on. "The trainers have all said the same thing, that they were attacked at this area of the forest," she said, pointing to a blinking area of the forest on the map. "Any guesses as to what they're doing there?"
"Stopping anyone from entering, orders of a Hunter or a Poacher," Din suggested. "That's all I can make from my time here so far, unless there are war caches that could be pillaged."
"No, this is neutral space," Lothal Nurse Joy said. "But I can assume that some sort of poacher or hunter is there. The question is who."
Back in the dressing rooms, Zoey arrived. She looked around before seeing Dawn. Upon seeing her, a slight blush appeared on her face as she approached.
"Zoey, hi!" Dawn greeted. "I was wondering when I'd see you again!" she said, hugging her old rival.
"Great to see you too, Dawn," Zoey said. "I saw you in the Johto Contest. You did great."
"Well, I'm still trying to get there," Dawn said. "You and Glameow did great out there!"
"Um, thanks," Zoey said, still blushing and trying to hide it or make it go away. "We've been practicing a lot, thanks to our last bout with you."
"Oh, thanks," Dawn said, also trying to hide a blush on her face. "There will never be anyone like you."
"So, Dee-Dee, we meet again," Ursula said, walking over. Dawn and Zoey let go of each other to face her. "I'm surprise you didn't participate."
"We just got here a few days ago, and I've been busy, Ursula," Dawn spat. "I only came to watch."
"Me win, of course?" Ursula smugly assumed.
"Lay off her, Ursula," Zoey said. "You're not worth her time."
"Big talk from the Grand Festival Winner," Ursula mocked. "You were just lucky there."
"Like you were to even get in here?" Zoey snippily asked back.
"Oh, please, Zoey," Ursula said with a chuckle. "No one needs your opinion about this."
"You've got a problem if you're always picking on Dawn," Zoey said. "Someone who was good enough to give me a challenge—"
"I could have done that!" Ursula snapped, getting in Zoey's face.
"Care to prove it?" Zoey challenged, getting in Ursula's face in response.
"I think my Sinnoh and Unova ribbons speak for themselves." Ursula quipped.
"What about Johto and Hoenn?" Zoey asked.
"As if those have meaning!" Ursula gawked.
"Same could be said for Unova!" Zoey snapped.
Dawn chuckled nervously as Piplup looked on with a deadpan expression.
"Guess they're going at it like me and Ash," Dawn mused. As she sweat-dropped, Grogu started to get up. She looked to the bag on the chair and gasped softly before slightly moving in front of him. "No need to worry… I hope."
Grogu watched before seeing a plate near Zoey's belongings, full of Poképuffs. Smacking his lips, he started to get hungry.
Back at the camp, Bonnie was sitting at a laptop, with Cynthia and Serena next to her as the others continued to train as Din told them to.
"Thanks again for letting me record Mando training with your phone, Cynthia." Bonnie said as Cynthia plugged the phone in.
"Don't mention it," Cynthia said with a smile. "I want some of that recording too, you know," she said before plugging in a small device. "And if your brother asks where you got this, it was from me."
"You know how to do this, right, Bonnie?" Serena asked, guiding Bonnie in moving the recording to the smaller device.
"I think so," Bonnie said, putting her finger on the mouse pad. "Just move this here, right?" she asked, dragging the video over.
"Good, good," Serena said. "I guess being around Clemont helps, huh?"
"That, and I'm better at him with using this than he is at inventing," Bonnie said. She dragged the video before a window popped up. "Rename?"
"I had to clean it so you could use it," Cynthia said. "Just enter the name you want."
"Nene ne." Dedenne said, peeking at the screen.
"Well, let's try…" Bonnie said before she typed in Bonnie E. Dedenne. "And… there!" she said before pressing a button.
Serena looked to the smaller device, but it did not turn on.
"What happened?" Serena asked.
"Wait…" Cynthia said before seeing a pop-up window appear. "Uh-oh."
"Why?" Bonnie asked. "What's wrong?"
"I think you sent it to someone." Serena said, seeing the background was now on Cynthia's email page.
"Uh-oh," Bonnie said. "Who got it?"
"Let me borrow this," Cynthia said, picking up her laptop. She pressed a few buttons before coming across her contacts. "Last one I contacted was…"
Back at the Contest Hall, Nurse Joy walked back to Mr. Contesta and Mr. Suziko, Din following.
"I'll have to cut this short," Nurse Joy said. "The Contest is about to resume, and I still need to decide which of the eight Coordinators will qualify for the last round."
"I understand," Din said as behind him, Jillian's phone rang. "But what should I—?"
"Look at this!" Jillian exclaimed, getting Din's attention before she walked over to show the judges. "I don't know why Cynthia sent this to me, but Mando has some skill!"
"What?" Din asked, peeking over. Narrowing his eyes, he could see it was the recording that Bonnie took of him with Gallade.
"Now that is a remarkable feat." Mr. Suziko said in amazement.
"Quite a show you have with your Gallade." Mr. Contesta agreed.
"Dank Farrik," Din said before he walked away, picking up his comlink. "Cynthia, come in!"
"Oh no…" Cynthia said at the camp as Ash and Brock came over. "It was sent to Jillian of the Pokémon Contests of Kalos."
"There are Contests here?" Ash asked.
Before Serena could ask her own question, everyone heard a beeping. Cynthia walked over to her bag and picked up a comlink of her own.
"Well, Mando gave these to us for emergency. I wonder what it is," Cynthia wondered before picking it up. "Mando?"
"Care to tell me why I'm seeing my practice with Gallade on Jillian Meridian's phone?" Din asked.
"Wait…" Cynthia said. "How do you know her?"
"I'm at the Contest Hall. Dawn wanted to check it out, and I needed to meet with Nurse Joy about my job," Din said as Nurse Joy walked over to him. "What happened?!"
"It was a mistake, I swear," Cynthia said as Din walked with Nurse Joy back to the table. "Serena and I were helping Bonnie transfer the video to a Poképod. She must have pressed the send button by accident, I'm sorry."
Din sighed. "I'm not mad," he said calmly. "Just be careful. And I'll talk to you three later." He said before hanging up.
Cynthia sighed as she put away the comlink.
"Well… what did he say?" May asked as she and Iris walked over.
"Dank… Farrik." Cynthia swore.
"Pika…" Pikachu said, rubbing his head.
"That bad?" Ash asked.
"Oh boy." Bonnie said as Squishy just seemed to sigh and shake his head.
"What happened?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Technical accident," Din replied. "Pay no mind to that."
"How can I?" Nurse Joy asked, smiling at the footage. "You might come from a line of warriors, but I can see a good Coordinator when I see one."
"It's not my profession," Din stated. "I'm a Bounty Hunter."
"Bounty Hunter or not, you still need to keep yourself busy, and given that I have a Contest to judge and am the only one with the information about your job, you don't really have much of a choice," Nurse Joy pointed out. "Please, I'm not trying to force you into this, but at least give this a chance. You'll need to do something to keep yourself busy until you can get the full details about the job."
Din sighed and started to think for a moment. After a while, he turned back to Nurse Joy.
"Just this once." Din said.
"Then it looks like you'll be in," Jillian said. "You really are spectacular with Gallade."
"We'll see how this goes." Din said before walking to the dressing room.
"You know what your problem is?!" Zoey yelled at Ursula, their argument still going on as Dawn and Piplup watched awkwardly.
"And she used to call me noisy." Dawn remarked.
"Piplup…" Piplup agreed.
"I already know!" Ursula snapped back.
Both Zoey and Ursula growled at each other in their faces, sparks seeming to fly from their gazes, Ursula standing with her arms crossed while Zoey was on her tiptoes. They continued growling angrily before hearing a munching sound. Keeping their stances, they slowly turned to Dawn, who was trying to cover something from their sight before turning back.
"Uh, wow, Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed, chuckling nervously. "You sure are hungry!"
"Lup?" Piplup asked, looking up with nothing in his hands.
The two now had their eyebrows raised before Zoey saw that her plate was leaving a trail. Both curious, they looked to Dawn. She sighed in defeat before Grogu walked out from under her, looking up briefly before revealing he had taken Zoey's Poképuffs.
"Oh! Hey!" Dawn exclaimed, blushing as she closed her legs. "Careful where you look!"
"Ah!" Ursula yelled, jumping back while Zoey seemed to have hearts in her eyes.
"Aw, look at you!" Zoey exclaimed, getting down to rub her hand on Grogu's head. "If I didn't have Glameow, I'd say you were the cutest thing I had ever set my eyes upon!" she cooed, losing all malice she had from her argument.
"Now I know what she means when she calls me noisy." Dawn mused.
Grogu only looked up as he continued to eat on Zoey's Poképuffs.
"Uh…" Ursula said nervously, taking out her Pokédex. "Who's that Pokémon?" she asked, trying to scan Grogu.
"No Pokémon Detected. Please Try Again."
"Um… about that…" Dawn said, playing with her hair. "Grogu here isn't a Pokémon."
"What?" Zoey asked, standing back up and holding Grogu in her arms before Glameow came over. Seeing she was curious about him, she set him down.
Piplup waddled over and smiled at Grogu, who offered him a Poképuff. Glameow seemed to chuckle at this before he walked towards her tail. Seeing what he wanted, she started to wave it around before carrying him on top of herself to a bench, where Piplup followed playfully.
"What's that all about, Dee-Dee?" Ursula asked, now seeming to be more irked.
"It's complicated. He's a baby, and, well…" Dawn said as Zoey and Ursula looked at Grogu once again. "Okay, so I guess it's not all complicated. It's as simple as that."
"He has ears that look like the wings of a Togekiss." Zoey pointed out.
"And he's green…" Ursula said, not taking her eyes off Grogu as he played with Glameow's tail again.
"Not to mention he's wearing a tiny bathrobe." Zoey added on.
"And he's green…" Ursula repeated, this time now uncertain yet with a hint of deviousness in her voice.
"Look, I know it's complicated, but there's a good reason for this," Dawn said. "But I have to trust you not to tell anyone about this."
Zoey nodded. "You can count on me." She said.
Ursula nodded, still distracted as she looked to Grogu. A thought came to her, and a devious smile came across her face.
Suddenly, the screen turned ob, getting everyone to look up, Glameow still keeping Grogu busy with her tail.
"And the eight qualifying Coordinators have been chosen, with a surprise entry!" Jillian announced.
"A surprise?" Dawn asked.
"Who is it?" Zoey wondered.
At that moment, five Coordinators plus Zoey and Ursula appeared. The eighth slot widened to show Din's training with Gallade, causing the other Coordinators to awe at the sight in amazement.
"Mando?" Dawn asked.
"That's the same guy who fought Cynthia!" Zoey exclaimed. She looked to the video and grinned, seeing Dawn in the background. "You never told me you knew Mando, Dawn," she said. "Or that he's a great Coordinator."
"Um, it's a surprise, one of many," Dawn said, chuckling nervously. She turned to Zoey as Ursula seemed to get interested in the video. "The truth has to do with him, and some bad people who want Grogu. No one can know about him."
"There's a lot that I still don't get, but I trust you," Zoey said. "Whatever is happening, you can count on me."
"Yeah, he's good," Ursula admitted, seeing all the moves Gallade was pulling off. "If he made it with moves like that, this is sure to be interesting."
Din walked into the dressing room, trying to find Dawn. However, he found the bag that Grogu was, only to find him missing. Immediately, he walked to the back room, his fist clenched.
"DAWN!"
"I'm here! I'm here!" Dawn yelled as several Coordinators jumped at the sudden yell. She took out her spear blaster, letting it unfold to the shock of Zoey and Ursula. Panicking, she put away her weapon and took out one of her Pokéball instead before putting it away again, just as Din entered.
"Where is he?!" Din demanded before spotting Dawn.
"Meow?" Glameow asked, looking to Din as Piplup hid behind her.
"Um, Mando… hi!" Dawn said nervously. She chuckled, clearly shaken at how sudden the outburst from Din was. "There's… no need to worry. I have everything under con…" she started out before seeing that he was now eyeing Zoey and Ursula, who eyed each other nervously. "Dank Farrik." She swore.
"What?" Zoey asked, confused.
"Do they know?" Din asked.
"They only saw Grogu. Nothing other than that." Dawn reassured.
"You know, you've got a lot of nerve, keeping a baby in a bag," Zoey spoke up, causing Dawn to wince nervously. "What kind of a parent does that? You're glad I have a soft spot for babies, both human and Pokémon."
"Zoey, stop!" Dawn whispered.
Din looked to Zoey for a moment, who was still keeping her berating face. After a while he loosened himself up.
"You're right."
"I am?" Zoey asked, surprised.
"She is?" Ursula asked, also surprised.
"Thank you." Din said, walking to Grogu as he was now playing with Glameow again with Piplup.
"You don't need to worry about your Grogu," Zoey said. "Glameow has been getting along with him well."
"More thanks," Din said. He turned back to the three Coordinators. "Can I trust you to keep him a secret?"
Zoey nodded. "Any friend of Dawn's is a friend of mine," she said. "Whatever's going on, I'll help."
"Yes, me too," Ursula said before walking to the dressing room. "I'm just going to powder my nose. See you on the floor, Mando." She said before closing the door behind her.
Dawn narrowed her eyes before turning back to Din. "So, you're in the Contest now?" she asked, getting his attention. "That's great!"
"Bonnie sent the video by accident to Jillian," Din said. "I don't intend on seeing this the whole way through."
"So… what do you plan to do?" Dawn asked as Zoey looked from Grogu back to Din.
"I'll try to get out of it," Din said. "Gonna let someone beat me."
"Hold up!" Zoey called out. "You're saying you're just gonna bail like that? I don't know much about your deal, Mando, but those who enter in these kinds of events don't just call it quits. They give it their all."
"Zoey…" Dawn said through gritted teeth. "Watch your language~"
"Let her speak." Din said.
"You might be wearing a mask, but I know what kind of face you have when you look at Grogu," Zoey went on. "You're a parent to him. And you want to keep him safe. But battling against the Champion from my Region and a member of Kalos's Elite Four won't be enough. Coordinators perform with good reasons, but each of them all have extra bonds with their Pokémon, increased by how they bond with their trainers," she explained. "A battle can get the blood flowing, but Contests can show you have the heart and will it takes to make a bond stronger. And while Grogu isn't a Pokémon, I can tell that your bond with him is very strong indeed."
Din nodded before looking to Dawn, who seemed to blush at the speech Zoey was giving. All he could give was a quiet chuckle before turning back to Zoey.
"Being in a Contest might not have been what you originally wanted, but it's where you are now," Zoey continued. "Give it your all, and you can find what it takes to form an even stronger bond not with just your Pokémon, but with your kid too."
Din remained silent still, with Dawn taking a gulp as she waited for what would happen next. Zoey remained calm, waiting for an answer.
"Alright," Din said at last. "You make a good point."
"And look at it this way," Zoey said. "If you don't like it, you don't have to do it again. This is how it works."
"This is the way." Din said.
"Precisely," Zoey said before the saying hit her. "Wait… what?" she asked before Din walked to Dawn.
"Think you can stay back here with Grogu?" Din asked.
"You can count on me." Dawn said with a smile.
Din nodded before walking to Grogu, kneeling down at his level as he was preparing to eat Glameow's tail in his hand.
"I won't be long. I'm just gonna try this out, and we can go meet up with the others," Din said. "Stay out of trouble… and put that down." He said after seeing what Grogu was about to do.
"What? Hey!" Zoey exclaimed, pulling Glameow away. "Does he eat everything he sees?"
"From what I'm told, he likes seafood." Dawn mused.
"Dawn is gonna look after you. Don't give her any trouble." Din said.
Grogu cooed softly before Piplup waddled over to him, offering a Poffin. He smiled and took it before reaching out to Dawn, pulling the Pokéball that she put away before into his hands.
"Um… I'm gonna ask about that later." Zoey said.
"Best get ready," Dawn said to Din. "Getting past the Appeals Round was easy since the recording spoke for your actions. Battle rounds are up next."
"Wish me luck." Din said, walking out as Zoey followed after him.
Ursula came out and followed, but not before getting another look at Grogu. Getting more ideas in her head, she walked off to the Battle Rounds.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Jillian announced as the seven Coordinators, plus Din, made it onto the main floor. "As you saw, the masked man, Mando, had made a surprise entry into the qualifying eight to make it into the last stage of this Contest! We all know his strength from his battle with Cynthia and from his duel with Wikstrom, but now, we shall see firsthand what kinds of skills he brings as a Coordinator!" she announced, causing everyone to cheer. "Now, let us begin!"
Soon, the battles started. Zoey found herself using her Glameow to face off against another Coordinator using a Gardevoir. She managed to put a literal spin into each of her moves, allowing for Glameow to get more points as Gardevoir seemed to struggle.
Ursula was once again using Gabite, this time against a Coordinator using a Lopunny. Though the opposing Coordinator was putting up a good fight, Ursula stayed confident, her arms crossed and a smug look on her face.
"Dragon Claw!" Ursula ordered, making devil horns with her fingers.
Gabite complied and dashed quickly at Lopunny, swinging with Dragon Claw. Lopunny tried to jump to the side, but was swiftly kicked away. This caused the trainer of Lopunny to lose points, just as the timer for their battle ran out.
With Din, he was using Gallade to face off against a Coordinator using a Scyther.
"Now, Psycho Cut!" the Scyther trainer called out.
Scyther ran and slashed at Gallade, but Din performed several sign language motions. Gallade stepped forward and disappeared, starting Scyther, before reappearing behind it and attacking with several Solar Blades.
"Seems like Mando uses sign language for his Pokémon," Mr. Contesta said. "Fortunately, I have quite a talent for understanding it. Whatever anyone has trouble understanding from his commands, I'll be able to translate."
"Remarkable, truly remarkable!" Mr. Suziko said, impressed.
"It is quite a sight to behold," Nurse Joy agreed. "But this is Mando we are talking about, and I know from his kind that he is a force to be reckoned with." She said as she felt something wrapped in cloth underneath her chair.
In the back room, Ursula arrived first. She looked around before seeing Dawn was looking at the results. Many of the trainers were already defeated, Din taking out his with ease.
"Good," Ursula said before seeing Grogu sleeping in his bag. She looked around again, and upon finding no one noticing her, picked up the bag. "They're right about one thing, kid, and that is you're extremely cute," she said almost sinisterly. "Imagine the future you could have… as my ticket to winning every Contest with just your charm."
Soon, Zoey and Din arrived back. Dawn ran over to them with her hands clasped.
"You two were amazing!" Dawn exclaimed. "Mando, I never knew your sign language techniques would help a lot with Gallade!"
"It's not that big a deal." Din said.
"You were great too, Zoey!" Dawn complimented, making Zoey blush slightly. "I can tell once I get back into Contests that you'll be quite a rival to deal with."
"Rival?" Din asked.
"You see, some people have the same goals as others, and both, or more, make it their goal to come out on top, especially when they all compete as it all boils down," Dawn explained. "Ash has a lot of rivals he made in his travels, from Gary in Kanto and Johto, Paul in Sinnoh and a guy named Trip in Unova. For me, my best rival is Zoey right here."
"I sure hope that's a compliment," Zoey teased. "I wouldn't want you to flatter me too much."
"Oh, stop." Dawn said playfully, the two of them now sharing blushes on their faces.
"Hmm… they're good," Din said to himself before looking around. All he saw was Piplup on the bench where he left Grogu. "Where's the kid?" he asked, now concerned.
"Huh?" Dawn asked, looking around, to which Zoey did the same. "Grogu! Where are you?"
"You lost a kid?" Zoey asked.
"He got tired after playing with Piplup," Dawn said. "I put him back in the bag to sleep, and then went to see how you all did once the Battle Rounds completed."
"So where…?" Din started.
"Hey! Ursula!" a Coordinator called out, getting the three to see her with Grogu's bag. "You know you can't take belongings onto the floor!"
"She's got the kid!" Din growled, running after her as she made her way out.
"Wait, Mando!" Dawn called out before the next matchup was shown.
"He's up next!" Zoey called out, seeing the screen. Upon seeing who he was up against, her eyes widened. "Dank Farrik!" she cursed. "It's Ursula!"
"What?!" Dawn exclaimed, looking back before Zoey caught up with her.
"And what does 'Dank Farrik' even mean anyway?" Zoey asked.
"If I knew, I would've told you!"
Ursula panted as she ran to the floor. Din chased after her, taking out his blaster and sending a stun shot at her feet. She yelped and fell back, to which Din rammed into her by flying his jetpack.
Dawn and Zoey came out, the two seeing Grogu's bag being thrown from the surprise blast. Quickly, Zoey caught the bag before Dawn caught Grogu in her arms.
"Next up, we have—"
Before Jillian could reveal the matchup, Din and Ursula came flying out from the tunnel. Everyone gasped before the two made a three-point landing on the arena, now facing to each other.
"What a spectacular entrance by our next two contestants, Mando and Ursula!" Jillian commended, getting cheers of everyone who was silently stunned by what had happened. "Remember, five minutes is set for the battle, so do your best!"
"Don't think I'm going easy on you." Ursula said, reaching both hands behind her back.
Din did the same, and the two stared each other down. Everyone, including Dawn, Zoey, Jillian and the judges, all felt the tension rising. After a while, the two let out three Pokéballs each.
For Ursula, she had released her Gabite. In addition, she was aided by her dual Electric-Type Pokémon, Plusle and Minun.
"Not them!" Dawn exclaimed.
For Din, he had let out his Gallade, and he was backed by Honedge and Rhyhorn.
"A floating sword and an oversized rhino? You must be joking!" Ursula scoffed.
Din said nothing and calmed himself, staring Ursula down.
Ursula grinned and matched his gaze. "I'll make this quick." She said overconfidently, crossing her arms.
"Battle begin!"
"Use Charge Beam!" Ursula commanded Plusle and Minun.
Plusle and Minun both let out their Charge Beam attack towards Gallade, Rhyhorn and Honedge.
Din remained where he was and performed several sign language motions. Gallade caught it without turning before using Teleport while touching Rhyhorn and grabbing Honedge. Before the Charge Beam could hit them, they vanished.
"What?" Ursula asked, her smug demeanor seeming to almost disappear.
"A fantastic use of Teleport!" Mr. Contesta exclaimed before Gallade appeared in front of Gabite, Honedge over Plusle and Rhyhorn looming over Minun. "And it seems this Triple Battle is getting more interesting by the minute!"
Din performed more sign language, which all of his Pokémon caught. Gallade twirled and gracefully kicked Gabite away, with Rhyhorn sending an Electro Ball at Minun while Brick Break was used to knock Plusle back.
"And from what I see, it looks like each Pokémon was coordinated to perform their own special attacks!" Jillian exclaimed as Ursula's points decreased. "For a starter to Coordinating, Mando sure knows his stuff."
"Come on! It shouldn't be this hard, he's a rookie!" Ursula complained quietly before spreading her arms out. "Dragon Claw!"
Gabite complied and used Dragon Claw on Gallade. However, he fended off against each strike easily, despite being pushed back.
Din performed another motion at Honedge, ordering a Swords Dance. Honedge followed and spun at Plusle, who used Spark in defense to send him flying.
Gallade grinned upon seeing this before kicking off of Gabite. In the air, he caught Honedge and landed, performing a downwards slash on Gabite before placing Honedge in a reverse-grip.
Rhyhorn, meanwhile, was pushing Minun back, not giving it a chance to reunite with Plusle. Din motioned at it with a charging motion, and soon, it used Mega Horn, knocking Minun into Plusle, both of whom then slammed into Gabite.
"No way!" Zoey exclaimed.
Seeing this, Din made several quick motions. Ursula looked on in confusion while the audience gasped, knowing what was about to happen from the fight with Wikstrom.
"That's the…" Nurse Joy started out.
"Speed Strike!" Dawn exclaimed.
Gallade got into a running position, still holding Honedge, before charging, turning into a blur. Everyone watched as he used his own blade and Honedge to slash through Ursula's three Pokémon, all crying out in pain as several areas of their bodies were hit. Soon, Gallade reappeared and ran at Rhyhorn, who sent him and Honedge into the air.
"Oh no!" Ursula exclaimed.
With Gallade and Honedge now separated, the two resumed Speed Strike, continuously slashing at Gabite, Plusle and Minun. This went on until their speed wore off, all three of Din's Pokémon facing away as all of Ursula's Pokémon fell, costing all of her points.
"Gabite, Plusle and Minun are unable to battle!" Jillian exclaimed as the timer stopped. "Mando wins, and with only half the time remaining!"
Ursula gasped as she saw the timer. Indeed, out of the five minutes, the timer now read 2:30.
Ursula recalled her Pokémon and clenched her fist. "He's new to this! How could…? Maybe he…" she mumbled, trying to think of an excuse for her loss, like she did with Dawn. Nothing of the sort even came, and she tightened her fist even more.
Taking a deep breath, Ursula approached Din, who walked towards her. Meeting midway, the two shook hands, though Ursula could feel an icy glare coming from the Mandalorian. Without a word, she walked past him.
"Come back here." Din said, turning around, only for Zoey to approach.
"And now, our finalist to face Mando, Zoey!" Jillian called out, causing cheers to erupt once again.
Din calmed himself and recalled Honedge and Rhyhorn. With Gallade still out, he walked back to his place.
"Gallade! Ready? Go!" Zoey called out, releasing her own Gallade.
Both Din and Zoey's Gallade stared each other down.
"Seems like a double Gallade battle!" Jillian exclaimed. "Hang onto your seats, folks!"
Din's Gallade gave Zoey's a salute, placing its bladed arm across its face. Zoey watched with astonishment before her Gallade returned the gesture. The two then swung their arms down and made sure to get a good distance away, now ready for their fight.
"Begin!"
"Gallade, start off with Vacuum Wave!" Zoey commanded, just as Din performed sign language motions to his Gallade.
Zoey's Gallade performed Vacuum Wave, sending a tornado at Din's Gallade. However, from him, several clones ran out right as the Vacuum Wave hit. When it cleared, a fake Gallade was thrown into the air, but spun and created a green orb that almost resembled the symbol of the Jedi Order.
"What a show! No wonder Mando treasures his Gallade so much!" Jillian commended.
"A Double Team?" Zoey asked as the clones started to surround her Gallade. "Attack them all with Swords Dance!"
"Gah-Lade!" Zoey's Gallade called out, his arms glowing. He ran and attacked several of the clones, who fought back. As he locked with one of the Gallade clones, he saw another circling around him.
Zoey's Gallade quickly threw the clone away and advanced at the other, locking blades with him. However, as soon as he executed Swords Dance on it, it faded away.
"Now!" Din called out.
Zoey and her Gallade both gasped as the real Gallade, the one that was thrown off, leapt in and attacked with Cut.
"Psycho Cut, quickly!" Zoey called out.
Zoey's Gallade's arms lit up before he and Din's Gallade clashed. Everyone watched as the two clashed back and forth, with eventually Din's getting pushed back.
Din and his Gallade shared glances before the latter sent a small nod. He soon broke off, causing Zoey's Gallade to strike at him, just as Din performed the same motion for the Speed Strike.
"That move…!" Zoey exclaimed in surprise.
However, as her Gallade struck, Din's did not dash through. Instead, it let the speed go to his right arm, quickly parrying away all of the attacks before grabbing Zoey's Gallade and tossing him over his back. As soon as this was done, he backflipped into the air before placing his foot up in front of his chest, where Zoey's Gallade landed, before twirling down low, sending him into the air with another Solar Blade as he landed on his feet with one hand touching the ground. When he finished, Zoey's Gallade burst into an explosion of light, creating the symbol of the Jedi Order, almost exactly like from the training exercise Din had him go through before.
Zoey's Gallade soon fell, his eyes swirling.
"Gallade!" Zoey called out.
"And Zoey's Gallade is unable to continue!" Jillian announced as the timer stopped right at 2:20. "Once again, the winner is Mando and his own Gallade, earning a victory of the Zyutu Town Contest!"
Everyone cheered for Din and Gallade, the latter seeming to smile at the cheers. Din remained stoic, with Dawn smiling as she held Grogu in her arms with Piplup on her shoulder.
Zoey smiled at the success and walked up to her Gallade. "You did a great job, Gallade," she commended. "Take a rest for now. You've earned it," she said, recalling him into his Pokéball. Afterwards, she walked up to Din. "I used to bash trainers for battling and doing Contests," she started out. "Since then, I've learned to respect both. You are a prime example of the perfect combination of both. Thank you for this experience." She said, holding her hand out.
"This is the way." Din said, shaking Zoey's hand as more people cheered.
After Zoey left the floor to join up with Dawn, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Suziko, Nurse Joy and Jillian approached Din as he stood with Gallade.
"To welcome your first victory, I present to you the Zyutu Ribbon," Mr. Contesta said, presenting to Din a ribbon that had a golden claw resembling that of a dragon. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Din said, accepting the ribbon before Gallade smiled. Din nodded and recalled him before Nurse Joy walked over.
"I have something for you too," Nurse Joy said, handing Din the wrapped item she had. "I'll share more about it with you backstage."
Soon, backstage, Zoey walked up to Dawn, with Grogu's bag in her hand.
"I did some work, and if Mando plans to keep Grogu in a bag when he travels, I thought to sew in a pillow for comfort," Zoey said as Dawn inspected the bag. "I hope you like it. Haven't sewn in a while."
"Zoey, I think it's perfect," Dawn said before placing Grogu in. "What do you think, Grogu?" she asked.
Grogu felt the pillow and rested his head against it.
"I think he likes it," Dawn said. "Serena would be amazed."
"Who's that?" Zoey asked.
"A new friend. I'll explain later," Dawn said before the two saw Din being approached by Nurse Joy. "I wonder what she gave him."
Din unwrapped the item, revealing it to be a lightsaber hilt almost similar to the one that Ash found. The only difference was that the emitter was separated from the hilt, though both looked to be still intact.
"Why do you have a Jedi's lightsaber?" Din asked.
"I was still young before I left Lothal," Nurse Joy explained. "After the Imperial Station was destroyed, some of its wreckage fell to the grass. There, I found this, and was told by a girl in Mandalorian armor to hold onto it, and give it to someone special."
"When did you meet this girl?" Din asked, interested.
"Around the Battle of Yavin," Nurse Joy explained. "I don't remember her name, only that she was one of the rebels who helped liberate Lothal. She said that it was best for this to be passed on to preserve the Jedi Legacy. I know that Mandalorians and Jedi are enemies, but I heard about you with Ahsoka Tano on Corvus, and I saw your child too. Consider it doubled as some down-payment until you get the full details of the job from Officer Jenny in the next town."
Din nodded as he put the emitter back onto the lightsaber hilt. He twisted it, and soon, both were attached. Briefly, he activated the weapon, letting a blue blade shine before he turned it off. Putting it back into the cloth, he put it away.
"So, a lightsaber, huh?" Dawn asked as Din walked over. "Looks like some of these Contests have their perks."
"Where's Ursula?" Din asked.
"I saw her by the back exit," Dawn said as she, Zoey and Piplup walked with Din until Ursula came into view, resting against the wall grumpily. "So… are you gonna keep doing Contests?"
"Hold onto this." Din said, handing both the lightsaber and the ribbon to Dawn.
Dawn held onto both items before seeing Din walk towards Ursula.
"He couldn't have beat me…" Ursula mulled.
"You're lucky I didn't call you out on what you did," Din said as he walked over. "Now… explain."
"What?" Ursula asked angrily.
"What did you want with my kid?" Din asked as Dawn and Zoey came closer to see what was happening.
"Your kid's cute," Ursula said, placing her arms behind her head. "With that kind of charm, he could win anyone over. If he traveled with me, I could win any Contest easily. Better than being bagged, I suppose."
"So you wanted to use him for your own gain?"
"When you put it like that, it sounds evil, but I'm not evil," Ursula said with a smug grin. "I'm born to win."
"Would you try it again?" Din asked.
"I might." Ursula admitted.
"Don't you regret it?" Din pressed further.
"Not unless I got him in the end." Ursula admitted once again.
Everyone stood silent before Din walked closer.
"Good," Din said before punching Ursula to the ground. "I don't either."
"Mando?" Dawn asked in surprise.
Ursula groaned and felt her lip. She looked up and panted nervously. "What… what was that?"
"You tried to take my kid," Din said, grabbing Ursula by the hair and tossing her to the side. "Since you haven't learned… I'll show you what happens myself." He said, walking towards her again and grabbing her by the head.
"No, wait!" Ursula cried. "You're crazy! Officer Jenny will arrest you for this!"
"I've told the nurse," Din said, shocking Ursula as Nurse Joy led everyone else away. "Who then told the officer. You will learn the consequences."
"No! Stop! Please!" Ursula pleaded as Dawn and Zoey watched with horror, just as Clemont came by with two bags in his hands. "Have mercy! I'm sorry! Please, stop!"
"What's going on?" Clemont asked.
"Ursula just made the biggest mistake… trying to take Grogu from Mando!" Dawn exclaimed before she, Zoey and Clemont all ran after Din, still dragging Ursula by the hair.
Back at the camp, everyone was wrapping up their training, Bonnie now watching the video she took on her mini device. As she was putting it away, they heard some distant squealing.
"What was that?" May asked.
"Come in! Come in!" Dawn's voice called from the comlink.
Brock walked over and picked up the call. "Dawn, what is it?" he asked.
"Mando's coming, and he's not happy!" Dawn exclaimed, surprising everyone. "Don't get in his way!"
Serena and May both gasped upon seeing Din arrive, grabbing a struggling and squealing Ursula. Everyone moved out of the way before he threw her inside of the cargo bay of the Razor Crest, just as Dawn, Clemont and Zoey caught up with them.
"Give me that!" Din roared, taking Ursula's Pokéball holding Gabite.
"What are you doing?!" Ursula exclaimed as Din tossed the Pokéball into another compartment of the ship.
Gabite soon came out, but before she could act, Din pushed her into the compartment, closed it, and pressed a button on the door panel.
Everyone gasped as steam started to come out from the door. Ursula only watched in horror as Gabite started to scream, slowly getting softer until it stopped. Din opened it, and she recoiled in shock to see Gabite now frozen in Carbonite.
"What did you do?" Ursula asked as the others gaped in equal horror.
"You take my kid… I take something from your pet," Din said, grabbing Ursula by the neck and pinning her to the wall. "She's not dead, but she will be blind unless you swear to leave my kid alone."
"Blind?" Ursula gulped.
"For only a few minutes, it will be temporary. For longer, it will stay for twice as long," Din said, causing Ursula to shake as she looked at her frozen Pokémon. "Now swear you'll never touch my kid again, or Gabite loses her eyesight!" he yelled.
"I swear!" Ursula pleaded before getting on her knees. "Save her, please! I swear to never go after Grogu again, just please don't do this to her!"
Din scowled before pressing a few buttons on Gabite's slate. Soon, with a puff of smoke, she was released, and dropped to the ground. She looked around, trying to make sense of what had happened, before stumbling around.
Without a word, Din tossed the Pokéball back to Ursula. She juggled it nervously before recalling Gabite.
"Out!" Din yelled.
Ursula yelped and staggered towards the exit. Only focusing on the condition of Gabite, she ran out of the forest.
Din panted before seeing Grogu waking up from the bag. Slowly, he made his way over.
"You okay, kid?" Din asked, only for Dawn to hand the bag to Ash and storm over to him.
"That's far enough!" Dawn yelled, getting Din to stop. "What was all that?!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, I don't like Ursula either, and with every right, but I don't drag her away to make her Pokémon suffer!"
"Dawn's right," Cynthia said, walking towards Din as well. "We don't brutally punish anyone for their wrongdoings. And you made a promise too!"
"I said I wouldn't kill as much," Din corrected. "That doesn't mean I don't have other methods," he added on. "And as far as Ursula goes, I'll deal with anyone who tries to lay a hand on Grogu. Team Rocket, the Empire, or anyone else… they'll have to deal with me."
"Please…" Zoey said, walking forward while holding Grogu, having taken him out of the bag. "I know she did something cruel, but look at Grogu," she said, cradling him slowly back and forth. "He's safe now, isn't he?"
Din looked to Grogu before looking back to Zoey. "Thank you again," he said before looking to everyone again. "Know that if anyone tries to go after Grogu again, I will take extreme measures… and not even you can stop me."
Everyone looked to Din solemnly, seeing he was serious about this.
"Okay," Cynthia said, narrowing her eyes. "As you wish."
Later, Din was talking with Nurse Joy, all while Blissey was helping tend to his Pokémon, as well as Zoey's own Pokémon, the latter talking with Dawn outside.
"As far as I know, the Order of the Night Wind could be working for anyone here, but since I'm not with the police force, I don't know any potential suspects." Nurse Joy said.
"Is there anything else?" Din asked.
"Just that all of these attacks happened in the forest between the two towns," Nurse Joy said. "I'm sorry, but as I said, Officer Jenny has the rest of the information. I only know these few details."
"Bliss, Blissey." Blissey said, walking out with the Pokéballs of Din and Zoey.
"So he's a Bounty Hunter, and Grogu is being targeted?" Zoey asked upon Ash, Dawn and Serena telling her what has been going on so far.
"As far as we can tell, Team Rocket and the Empire are the only ones who want Grogu," Ash said. "Team Rocket made one attempt so far, but we haven't come across this Empire yet."
"Well, if they're willing to take blood from him, I'm sure they're far worse than even Team Galactic, or even Paul," Zoey said before looking to Dawn. "And you can bet that I want in on whatever we dish out on them."
"Wait, Zoey…" Dawn said, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"I've been traveling alone for a while, Dawn," Zoey said. "And each time after Sinnoh, it was boring. Being on a much adventurous journey is just a bonus, but I want to come along, for the thrills, the Contests, and to help you out with Grogu," she said with a smile. "You'll need all the help you can get, after all."
"Well, this is the way." Serena said with a chuckle.
"You bet… as soon as I figure out what that means." Zoey said before the four laughed.
Din soon came out, and handed Zoey the Pokéballs that held Glameow and Gallade.
"Mando, guess what?" Serena asked as everyone made their way back to the camp. "Zoey wants to come with us!"
"Can she? Please?" Dawn asked.
Din looked to Zoey, seeing a confident look on her face.
"I don't see why not," Din said, getting Dawn to cheer. He walked closer to Zoey as soon as she was celebrating with Ash and Serena. "Good luck." He said as the two looked at Dawn.
Zoey raised an eyebrow before her eyes widened in realization. Immediately, she covered her face, causing Pikachu to look at her in confusion.
"Pika?"
Soon, they reached the camp, where Clemont was finishing with installing the new parts.
"Progress?" Din asked.
"Just about finished," Clemont said before going to a smaller invention, which resembled a smaller version of the Razor Crest. "Just gonna use the spare parts to test out on this model."
"Then we can walk and fly too?" Ash asked, stars in his eyes.
"Yeah, we should be able t…" Clemont started out before sparks came from the smaller model. "Not again!"
Everyone but Din and Grogu screamed before a large explosion went off, and like before, everyone's hair puffed up with soot covering their faces. Only Din and Grogu were unaffected.
"Quite the friends you made." Zoey said, her hair puffed up. Her shades fell off, revealing only a small bit of her hair unaffected.
"No need to worry…!" Dawn sighed just as Clemont collapsed.
"Why? Why?"
Author's Notes: I hope you all liked my first ever Chapter of 2022. I do apologize for my delay, but I was suffering through blocks and work. This was actually planned to be for later, but I was so into the new Sinnoh content that I had to get this out. I hope you like the work I put into it. I'll try to have a new chapter out as soon as I can. Please review, rate, and as always, if you can, Private Message me for anything on the story. After all, I do like to hear what you say, just as long as it's positive. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have a great week, everyone! See you soon!