Hello again, everyone, and welcome back for the first chapter for this story of 2024. It is I, the one and only SuperHeroTimeFan on FanFiction, coming to you with a brand-new Chapter for my Pokémon and The Mandalorian crossover, "This Is The Pokémon Way"! I am so sorry for the long absence, but a lot has been getting in the way. There has been issues at work, family time, including the passing of my aunt from the end of April, and I was getting invested on another story I was working on. Rest assured, I will be trying to find a balance between everything, but know that nothing is completely certain. Still, I thank you all for continuing to support me, including Cloud4012, GhostSlinger15 and Kival737101. It all really means a lot to still know that despite the lack of updates and hard times that I have had, I still have people like you to support me. And now, we have the brand-new Chapter. Please review, rate, and as always, please be sure to enjoy!
Chapter 11: The Façade
Early in the morning, near the Razor Crest, Ash was resting in his tent, his lightsaber placed next to him and Pikachu. Both trainer and Pokémon slept soundly before the rays of the sun made their way inside. Slowly, both of them opened their eyes and got up, just as Clemont and Brock were as well.
"Morning, all," Brock said as he got up first. He looked around and noticed the silence. "Strange," he said. "I thought to be hearing at least something from the Razor Crest around this time by now."
"Well, yesterday, Mando said he got a job, and that it wouldn't take as long," Clemont said. "Maybe he's resting too?"
"Pika…" Pikachu said, rubbing his head as Ash got up.
"Let's see if he's back yet." Ash said, walking out.
Soon, everyone was up, and were all gathered together. Once everyone was dressed, they walked to the Razor Crest, but found that Din was nowhere to be seen, even when they inspected the cockpit.
"Where could he be?" Dawn asked as she and Zoey watched over Grogu. "The jobs on Earth shouldn't be too hard for a Mandalorian."
"I don't like this," Cynthia said, narrowing her eyes at the empty seat. "Let's talk with Officer Jenny. Maybe she knows what has been going on."
After having a brief meal, everyone made their way into the town. Upon reaching the police station, they saw two Officer Jennies entering. Before Cynthia could approach them, Brock ran up.
"Officer Jenny!" Brock exclaimed happily, getting the attention of both officers. "You two are always on alert for trouble. Allow me to put your minds at ease as I…"
"Croagunk!"
Brock screamed as Croagunk Poison-Jabbed him in the side, causing him to fall over while Zoey dragged him away.
"Save the love letter for after we get Mando back!" Zoey scolded. "I can see what Ash and Dawn have to put up with when they travel with you now," she muttered as everyone chuckled awkwardly. "I swear to Arceus, you truly are…"
Soon, Brock had recovered, and everyone gathered around the two officers.
"Sorry to say, but the Mandalorian hasn't replied back to any of us yet," the first Officer Jenny said. "Neither the puck or the fob has given off any message to us about his status."
"Have you tried to contact Greef Karga?" May asked.
"His droid on Navarro told us that he is busy overseeing the city's reconstruction," the second Officer Jenny said. "And that he's not to be bothered until that oversight is completed."
"What was the job you gave to Mando?" Serena asked. "Yesterday, you requested him to come, and when he came back to us, he told us he wouldn't take too long."
"I wish we could tell you, I really do," the first Officer Jenny said. "But we are acting in accordance with the Guild Code. We gave the job specifications to the Mandalorian only, and are not to disclose this specific job to anyone outside of the Guild, Bounty Hunter or not. If we break it, we risk violation with all known Bounty Hunters, and the New Republic on the matter as well."
"So you're still playing the neutral card even after finding those weapons at the Pokémon Center?" Iris asked.
"For all we know on those stashes, they could have been jettisoned cargo from previous flights over the planet, and not an act of neutral violation," the first Officer Jenny snapped back. "We still need to look over every crate, and until we are finished, we remain neutral."
"Unless you know of another Bounty Hunter within the Guild, our hands are tied," the second Officer Jenny said. "I'm sorry, but that's the best that we can do in this situation with the job the Mandalorian has been given."
"Bray…" Braixen hissed, getting Serena to place a comforting hand on her Pokémon's shoulder.
"It's okay, Braixen," Serena reassured. "He's handled tougher before. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Axew…" Axew said as he popped out of Iris's hair to show his own concern as well.
Everyone gathered back at the Razor Crest, getting their weapons ready for training. While Ash was inspecting his lightsaber, he looked to the two others that were discovered from when they went up against the MagnaGuards the previous day.
"They didn't have the crystals that power them like yours does," Serena recalled as she walked over, inspecting the circular lightsaber and pressing the activation switch. "How will we be able to use these?"
"Well, with all we've been finding, I'm sure something will turn up," Ash said. "Who knows? We could end up collecting any crystal we find for these."
Brock came down from the Razor Crest, getting Ash and Serena to turn to him.
"I managed to get a brief hold of Greef Karga," Brock said. "Both Officer Jennies were right, he confirmed that he can't give us the specifics of the job as well. And there aren't any Bounty Hunters in the area who can go and even see if Mando is doing okay."
"Was there anything he could say?" Bonnie asked.
"Well, he said it was about stolen Pokéballs, and that Mando's last known location was Anistar City," Brock replied. "Other than that, everything else is confidential."
"So are we just supposed to sit by and hope he comes back in one piece?" Bonnie asked worryingly.
"We can't just do that," May said. "There's gotta be something we can do to get find Mando ourselves."
"I wish we could," Zoey said. "But none of us are Bounty Hunters."
"If we were, we could get the job ourselves," Cynthia said, giving May an idea. "I can't go because it would jeopardize my status as the Champion of Sinnoh."
"We can't either," Ash said before looking to Brock. "Remember that time we and Misty had in Dark City?"
"Oh yeah," Brock said. "That was a difficult time to get through. I don't want to go through that again."
"Hmm, I wonder…" May said to herself, looking into her backpack. She took it with her inside of the Razor Crest before closing off the door, confusing everyone.
Inside, May looked to one of her Contest dresses, an Arabian dress with a matching veil and cap. Dismissing the dress itself, she took out a mirror and place the cap and the veil in front of her face to see how she was looking.
"Not quite yet…" May said before taking out some black spray paint. Setting the two pieces of clothing down, she started to spray them, eyes narrowed as she focused on Din.
A while later, May came back out and approached Serena, Dawn, Iris and Zoey as they were training Braixen, Togekiss, Emolga and Leafeon against Grogu, who was using the Force to redirect all of their attacks, either in random directions or back at whoever was attacking him.
"Serena, can I ask you for something?" May whispered to Serena.
"What is it?" Serena asked as Braixen tried to use a Fire Blast, only for the flames to be parted by Grogu before knocking her back.
Ash and Bonnie were talking with each other over the former's lightsaber before noticing May and Serena talking from a distance. After a while, Serena walked to her backpack and pulled out another bag, handing it to May. May smiled and shook her hand before walking back into the Razor Crest, once again leaving them confused as to what was going on.
A while later, while Ash was practicing his lightsaber techniques from the holocron supplied to him by Rig Nema, the bay doors of the Razor Crest opened up once again. Pikachu ran over and turned off the holocron recording before everyone turned to see what was happening.
Emerging from the cargo hold was someone in a mask, wearing a black cap and veil to cover their face. They also had a black top on, with a bladed rifle on their back. Dividing the waist from the legs was a black skirt, black shoes over the feet, and an extra pistol in a holster at the side.
"May?" Brock asked as Croagunk turned after being sent back from a Force Push from Grogu. "Is… is that you?"
Removing the face mask, the new figure was indeed revealed to be May.
"What's with the getup?" Zoey asked.
"Is this why you needed my old clothes?" Serena asked.
"Someone needs to go find Mando, and if it takes a Bounty Hunter to find out more about what's going on, I've decided to take the risk and do it," May explained. "Out of everyone here who's got their reputation to look after, I'm mostly known through the Hoenn and Kanto regions. I'm still on my way to becoming well-known as the Princess of Hoenn, and I haven't been in any Contests for a while. I can sneak around to Anistar City and find out what Mando was up to, then use that information to find him."
"You have a cover name?" Iris asked.
"Working on that," May said before putting her mask back on, now starting to use a voice filter to further disguise herself. "But I spotted a monorail heading to Anistar City on our way back from the station. I hitch a ride there, and I can find out what happened to Mando."
"It's a good plan, I'll admit," Cynthia said, cupping her chin as behind her, Grogu started to raise his arm up. "But you'll be recognizable with your current Pokémon."
"Well, how about you borrow some of ours?" Ash suggested. "If you use one Pokémon from us each, no one would be able to tell who you are."
"That's a good idea," Iris said. "I suggest May borrows—"
Before Iris could go on, a Pokéball from her side flew up and hit her in the jaw, knocking her aside before it flew at May, hitting Iris once again, this time bumping along her back before knocking her on the back of her head, causing her to land on her face as her Dragonite was released.
"Dragonite. Use Dragonite." Iris said in a muffled voice as she tried to get up, only to lay down as soon as two more Pokéballs flew and hit her, knocking her back down.
Everyone watched the other two Pokéballs fly by, one from Zoey and the other from Clemont, as they released Gastrodon and Chespin respectively.
"Interesting," Cynthia said. "I would offer my own Gastrodon as well."
"With all due respect, Cynthia," Zoey spoke up. "You're the Champion of Sinnoh, as you stated, and everyone knows your Pokémon by the techniques you teach them. If anyone were to recognize a Gastrodon that knows Outrage like your Glaceon does, they'll trace it back to you, and might think he was stolen from you, or that you leant it. May using mine is the safest bet."
Cynthia nodded. "Thank you, Zoey," she said. "That makes perfect sense."
"And Chespin will work great with you, May," Clemont said as Chespin turned to him. "Make sure you follow what May tells you."
"Chespin, Che!" Chespin replied.
"You too, Gastrodon." Zoey instructed her selected Pokémon, who bellowed his name in response as well.
"Talonflame, I choose you!" Ash called out, releasing his Talonflame.
"Come on out, Buneary!" Dawn called, letting her Buneary out of her own Pokéball.
"I choose you, Sudowoodo!" Brock called out, tossing a Pokéball of his own.
"You too, Pancham!" Serena called, letting out her Pancham as well.
May watched as Talonflame, Buneary, Sudowoodo and Pancham all stood before her with Chespin and Gastrodon. All of them let out their names as Chespin and Gastrodon explained to them in their own language what was going on.
"Thank you, all of you." May said, taking off her mask to show the smile on her face.
"Take good care of him." Ash said, handing over his Pokéball.
"I know I can trust you, May." Serena said as she and Clemont handed over their Pokéballs too.
"You got my approval." Iris muffled, still on the ground, but giving a thumbs-up to show her approval for May using her Dragonite.
Soon, May was given all of the Pokéballs of the Pokémon chosen for her temporary team. She looked to her own Pokéballs and handed them over to Dawn.
"Please look after my own team while I'm gone." May said.
"No need to worry!" Dawn replied.
"The monorail passes by in the next five minutes," Cynthia said, checking her watch. "Better catch it before you miss it."
May nodded before recalling all of her chosen Pokémon, save for Dragonite. "Think you can give me a lift?" she asked.
Dragonite roared and let May hop onto her back before flying up.
"I'll be back as soon as I can!" May called out before Dragonite flew her away.
"This is the way." Ash replied as he and everyone else waved back, while May activated her face mask once again.
As this was going on, in a dark room, the Eighth Brother walked in. As he did, he saw several holograms of other Imperials, one being Moff Gideon.
"With our inside operative, the Rebel Fleet will not be an issue we will have to deal with in our operations," Moff Gideon said to the Imperials as they listened in. "She will be able to persuade them that the ships of an era long gone are no longer needed. Decommissioned, I can guarantee. And while not dismantled, they will still be unable to call on them if anything goes awry."
"Any word on our lost member?" another Imperial, Captain Pellaeon, asked. "Her sudden deliverance to New Republic custody will prove difficult, even for your agent to gaslight the officials into releasing. Need I remind you that her knowledge not only improved Grand Admiral Thrawn's role as the heir to the Empire with the TIE Defender project, but also can allow for our military to flourish once more?" he brought up. "I will not have this incursion hinder our plans—"
"Many apologies for interrupting, Sirs and Madams," the Eighth Brother said, getting everyone to turn to him. "But I have news concerning the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, and the asset that he carries with him."
"I have already sent to you the reinforcements needed to eliminate the supposed Jedi traveling with him currently, Grand Inquisitor," an Imperial with a commandant badge said. "Are they not enough?"
"They are, Commandant Hux," the Eighth Brother confirmed. "However, I must inform you that if all goes well with the plan I have in motion, not only will I be able to save the forces you have given, and are already sending more of, but also to test the strength of the Mandalorian's allies."
"What good can this prove?" a female Imperial asked. "I am in agreement with Captain Pellaeon, the retrieval of the Magistrate must be a top priority compared to a loose Mandalorian looking after a Jedi spawn."
"I know of two former Jedi located on Khofar who can assist you with the problem," the Eighth Brother offered. "All I ask for in return is for this agent of Moff Gideon to redirect all attention away from the E-97 System so that my testing of the young Jedi can go uninterrupted."
"Redirection from one system alone will be sure to draw attention," another Imperial pointed out. "Can your inside agent handle this, Moff Gideon?"
"She has handled every task I have assigned to her thus far," Moff Gideon said. "Very well, Inquisitor. Your request is granted. I expect results by the end of the day."
Back with May, she had continued to fly on Dragonite, following the monorail car that was making its way to Anistar City. Landing nearby, she patted Iris's Dragonite on the head, getting some soft growling.
"Good work," May said before looking out to the buildings nearby. Continuing to look around, she saw something on the ground. Picking it up, it was revealed to be a piece of the Mandalorian's cape. She inspected it closely before she held it out to Dragonite. "Can you find the scent of where this came from?" she asked.
Dragonite nodded and took a sniff of the piece of the cape. He growled deeply and looked to an alley, where there was a sign that had Aurebesh writing on it hidden by the light. He pointed to it, getting may to press her mask to see the writing.
"Good work. Return." May said, recalling Dragonite into his Pokéball. Making her way over, May found a door leading to a descending staircase. She held her side where her temporary blaster was located before making her way down.
Hidden from the public eye was an underground bar, where several aliens from the Outer Rim were drinking, sharing tales, or just enjoying their time they had there. Among the many people there included, however, a young adult male with blonde hair that had a red streak on it, wearing a top with two different shades of red and baggy pants. Across from him was a woman with dark skin and wearing a lab coat.
"You're certain that your people can provide me with the alloys that I require?" the woman asked. "You have a history of being meddled with, Red Eyes."
"Dr. Laurent, we have managed to evade the Pokémon Rangers for ages now, and moving away from capturing Pokémon, we have made a new living expanding our business to the Galaxy and beyond," Red Eyes said. "You have nothing to worry about, you and Mr. Clifford."
At that moment, May walked in. A few people stopped to look at her, but due to her age, they only noticed her for a short moment before they went back to what they were doing as she went to the counter, where a video from Ryme City was playing on several screens, and two dual blasters with two triggers on each of them were mounted on the wall behind the bartender.
"Long travel?" the bartender asked, handing over a cup of iced water.
"I'm not here for a drink… yet," May said. She looked around, seeing the different alien species crowded around before turning back, unaware of Red Eyes and Dr. Laurent near her. "There's someone I'm looking for. Someone in armor, wearing a cape. A Bounty Hunter, if you will."
At the mention of this, Red Eyes turned to May, narrowing his eyes at her with suspicion.
"A lot of people come and go, kid," the bartender said. "That goes for Bounty Hunters too. You with the Guild?"
"You can say that," May said, trying her best to hide her voice. "Maybe you know the man I'm looking for by his real title… a Mandalorian."
The music in the bar started to slow down as everyone turned their attention to May. She glanced around and readied both her blaster and her Bo-Rifle in case a fight broke out.
The bartender looked at May strangely. "What business could you possibly have with a Mandalorian, little girl?" he asked.
Mentally, May did her best to try and think of something from her time with Din. Only with memories of a few mentioned planets and people, she came up with an answer.
"I had a sister on Ord Mantell… an adopted Halaisi," May said. "He murdered her on Corvus. Now, I'm here trying to get revenge on him. If you think I'm bluffing about this…" she said, revealing the empty lightsaber hilt that was recovered from the day the MagnaGuards attacked. "Ask the Jedi who tried taking me in. You'll find him six feet under."
The bartender glared at May before letting out a chuckle. "First kill at what? Ten?" he asked with an impressed tone. "Not bad, girl. But not even I'm willing to get into trouble with the law for underage bounty hunting. So if you want the job that the Mandalorian took, come back in a few more years."
"I want that job… now." May said sternly.
"Is there a problem here?" Dr. Laurent asked, walking over.
"Nothing, Ann," the bartender spat. "Go back to what you were doing. The lassie here was about to leave."
"No… I'm not." May said as someone grabbed her to take her out, only for her to grab the knife on the counter and slash his wrist with it. Kicking him into a nearby table, he fell over, getting some of the other patrons to rush in while the rest took cover, one even pulling down his drink, his money and his entire tray of food with him as he hid under a table.
May ducked from an incoming patron's fist and stabbed his knee with the knife, getting him to yell in pain before she slammed his head onto a table. As another tried to shoot at her, she flipped the table on its side, blocking the blasts, before shooting him in the chest. Kicking the table forward, she took out a quarter of the attacking patrons before one of them tried to slam a Vibro-Blade onto her. She turned around and took out her Bo-Rifle, blocking it, before releasing Pancham, who head-butted him immediately, before recalling him and shocking the armed patron in the eye.
Turning around, May was suddenly thrown behind the counter, where the bartender grabbed a cup of whiskey for himself as the two mounted blasters fell. Quickly, May picked them up and fired onto the patron who tossed her, right before firing at the rest of the incoming patrons. Mowing them down quickly, she leapt onto the counter and kicked the last one down, unaware that Dr. Laurent was getting away.
"So… where were we?" May asked, getting back down and facing the bartender, who gulped as she aimed her new blasters at him.
"Here, take the fob!" the bartender said quickly, handing her a tracking fob, which she inspected closely. "It will lead you right to where the Mandalorian was headed, I swear!"
May pocketed the tracking fob away before placing a few credits on the counter. "For your troubles." She said, walking by a downed patron. Kneeling down, she took his credits and his blaster holster before making her way out, putting her new blasters away in them.
Red Eyes watched what had happened from the safety behind one table and clenched his fist. He picked up a comlink and growled. "You're about to have company," he said. "Don't worry about extra payment. I'll get in touch with him about this hiccup soon." He said before walking out as well.
Later, May was riding on top of a train, making its way to Coumarine City. Knelt down next to her were Serena's Pancham, Clemont's Chespin and Dawn's Buneary, all while she was scanning around and using the tracking fob to find Din.
"Come on, Mando, where are you?" May asked, looking around. "Cynthia said that your Beskar sticks out. Just gotta find that signature, and I'll find you."
"Cham, Pancham." Pancham said.
"Don't worry, we'll find him," May said before the train started to slow down. Looking ahead, an idea came to her. "But if the tracking fob took me here, then maybe I can get a better lead on where Mando is." She said before jumping off, with the borrowed Pokémon following after her.
Once May had landed, she caught Chespin, Buneary and Pancham in her arms before setting them down, patting them softly. Activating her face mask again, she walked towards the city, making her way straight to the first police station she could find.
At the Coumarine City Police Station, a Nurse Joy was talking with an Officer Jenny by the main desk, with other Jennies tending to other cases around them.
"What do you mean, the envoy was unable to make it?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Exactly that," Officer Jenny replied. "He was headed to Kanto to investigate the activity of a new suspected criminal ring, but a day later, all contact from him was lost," she said. "I'm sorry, but you should tell the Rising Volt Tacklers that this will be a problem if we send another one and they go missing too."
"They won't be happy," Nurse Joy said. "But they should know the risk of what we're facing," she conceded. "Anything on the inspector from Coruscant?" she asked.
"They're sending a veteran from the war to see to it that we remain neutral, with one Imperial joining her," Officer Jenny replied as the door started to open. "Fortunately, we are in good standing with…" she started before seeing who came in. "And what do we have here?" she asked.
Nurse Joy turned around, seeing May walk in. Her Pokémon next to her tried to look tough and professional as they strolled alongside her before she came to the desk.
"I'm looking for further information on a job," May said, masking her voice once again, as she placed the tracking fob down. "This led me here, but it doesn't tell me where the individual I'm looking for is located."
"Are you in the Guild?" Officer Jenny asked.
"This is my first job," May said. "And I'm looking for someone important."
Officer Jenny narrowed her eyes at May, trying to get a good look at her. Seeing a bit of her eyes through the veil, a small smile came before she got up.
"Of course," Officer Jenny finally said. "Right this way," she gestured before turning to Nurse Joy. "I'm sorry, but this will have to wait. I should only be a few minutes."
"Not a problem." Nurse Joy said with a nod before Officer Jenny took May away, with her Pokémon following after her.
Once the five were alone, Officer Jenny led them into a conference room. Closing the door behind her, she turned back around.
"You don't have to hide that disguise, May," Officer Jenny said, surprising May and her borrowed Pokémon. "It's me. I'm the same Officer Jenny who you helped take in the Pokémon Poacher, Rico. I'm from Hoenn, it's okay."
May sighed with relief and took off her mask. "How'd you see through this disguise?" she asked.
"I've seen your eyes a few times, especially when I would talk with Norman and Caroline. It's hard not to miss them," Officer Jenny from Hoenn said. "I'm surprised you're with the Mandalorian, given what he has gone through."
"We're helping him, and when he didn't return home from his job yesterday, we got worried," May said as she and Officer Jenny took a seat. "Greef Karga and the Officer Jenny from where we're set up wouldn't give us the full details of the job, so I volunteered to go undercover to find him. Can you help us?"
"Of course," Officer Jenny said before pressing a button on the table. Soon, holograms of several people with dark-green clothes and light-green caps came up. "Are you familiar with the Pokémon Rangers?" she asked.
"We met one, Solana, back during the Battle Frontier in Kanto," May confirmed. "And Ash told me that they met two more in the Sinnoh Region. Why? Do these guys have anything to do with them?"
"They're called the Pokémon Pinchers, known enemies to the Rangers," Officer Jenny said. "We were able to capture two thirds of their leadership, though their remaining one, known only as Red Eyes, escaped, and led the remaining Pinchers as mercenaries for hire. Recently, we encountered a transmission between them and an unknown client, but from the way he spoke of Beskar and Mandalorians, we knew he wasn't from Earth," she explained. "Yesterday, five Pokémon Centers reported that the Pokéballs in their care were stolen, but nothing else. When we learned of the connection and the unknown client, we hired the Mandalorian to track the Pinchers down."
"But aren't Pokémon Pinchers reliant on using other Pokémon only?" May asked.
"Bun…" Buneary said with worry in her voice.
"That's why we thought it would be an easy job for the Mandalorian, but when he didn't come back, we started to worry," Officer Jenny went on. "His last Morse Code transmission, due to radio silence to keep us from getting exposed, was that they had acquired some strange alloys and were using a steel mill to test on the Pokéballs, but after that, we lost all contact with him. We haven't found anyone else in the Guild to go after this case ever since, but if you can help, you and he can recover the Pokéballs and take the Pinchers in once and for all."
May nodded. "Thank you," she said, putting her mask back on. "How do I get to the steel mill?"
"The road to the east will take you straight there," Officer Jenny said. "But if the Pokémon Pinchers have actually gotten dangerous to subdue the Mandalorian, you had better be careful."
"This is the way." May replied before walking out as her Pokémon followed after her.
A short while later, a bus stopped in front of the steel mill of Coumarine City. May stepped out and tipped the driver before making her way forward. She took a close look around and noticed the entrance.
"Too risky to go right through, and the vents are sealed off," May said to herself before spotting a window that had blaster holes made through it. "Mando didn't go down without a fight… that's where I go too." She said before taking out her temporary blaster. Switching the setting, she shot out a grappling cable and zip-lined herself up to the ledge, where she crouched down and crawled through.
Inside, the Pokémon Pinchers were pulling out a batch of Pokéballs from a furnace. One of them inspected a Pokéball and grinned.
"Duranium, diamonds and electrum. Just a few of the many alloys we've acquired from the deposits we've unearthed, and we've already created stronger Pokéballs," the female Pokémon Pincher said as May spied on them, aiming out her Bo-Rifle to scope them out. "Dr. Laurent will pay us greatly for this."
"I got word from Red Eyes," another Pokémon Pincher said as May looked around until she caught the Beskar signature before making her way towards the source. "A young Bounty Hunter looking for the Mandalorian just took the job he had, and is on her way. Already made a mess of the bar in Anistar City too."
"Dank Farrik, that complicates things," the lead Pincher cursed. She turned to the others. "Get that Bunta into the acid and start mixing it," she ordered. "If he won't give us his Beskar willingly, this will surely strip him of it, whether he likes it or not."
"What about the Bounty Hunter, Ma'am?"
"She won't be a problem once my weapon is ready," the lead Pincher said, looking to a handle from the furnace. "Arm yourselves, Pokémon Pinchers. If this young Bounty Hunter wants a fight with us, we'll give her one that will make her beg for mercy when we're done with her."
May rolled through the passage she went through and hid as two Pokémon Pinchers on patrol passed by. Quietly, she took out her temporary sidearm and stunned them both before making her way closer to the source. When she arrived, she found Din, chained to a pillar and with his weapons and Pokéballs strung up to a table nearby.
"Mando!" May whispered, only to see that Din was not moving. She snuck up closely to him and lifted his head.
Din let out a small grunt as he turned to see who called out to him. "What do you want?" he asked.
"It's me, May," May said, slowly lifting her mask. "We were worried when you didn't return, so I came to try and save you."
"May, listen to me, these Pokémon Pinchers are no longer after Pokémon. They're mercenaries working for someone from the Outer Rim," Din said. "They're after rare and strong alloys, and want my Beskar. They jumped me when I underestimated them, you need to get my Pokémon free, and get extra help!"
"Why do they want your Beskar?" May asked.
"Isn't that a good question?"
May gasped before concealing her face again. Turning slowly around, she saw the Pokémon Pinchers standing there, all armed and with Pokémon by their side, while the main leader was wielding a sword with a sizzling blade, an evil glint in her eye.
"Got a name?" May asked.
"Call me Mallory, Bounty Hunter," the lead Pincher, Mallory, said. "Whatever Pokémon you have up your sleeve won't save you. After getting zapped by that Pichu months ago, I've learned to come better prepared," she bragged before showing off her sword. "This sword combined lava from Mustafar with the intense energy that a Kyber Crystal would give to a lightsaber. Can't cut through Beskar, but it can cut through you if you don't step away."
"What's your business with the Pokéballs?" May asked, reaching behind her to slowly grab Din's arm.
"Since you won't be getting out of this alive, I see no reason not to tell you," Mallory said. "We were hired to create stronger Pokéballs, ones that can outshine even the Master Ball. To do this, we took different alloys from across the galaxy and coated the Pokéballs with them. They still have yet to become truly indestructible, but our client will still pay us greatly for the progress we've made. And these will be going to the highest bidders alone too."
"You'd sell other Pokémon in their balls just for money? And for what, making the Pokéballs stronger?" May questioned.
"We're not completely heartless, as these didn't have the Pokémon inside of them," the second-in-command of the Pokémon Pinchers said. "But what our client does with the new Pokéballs is their doing. As long as we get paid, that's all that matters."
"Well, if you're so fond of power and money, how about a deal?" May asked.
"And what could you offer, girl?" Mallory asked.
"Teams Aqua and Magma fell, but their fleets remain hidden and intact," May said. "You can have them. Strip them down, conquer the seas or the land, for all I care. Just let us leave, and surrender the Pokéballs. After all, it only matters that you get paid a good price, right?"
One of the Pokémon Pinchers turned to Mallory. "Ma'am, those fleets are made from some of the best materials gathered by Archie and Maxie," they said. "We strip them down, and we can remake the fleets in our own image."
"Hmm, fair point," Mallory said before turning back. "Tell us the location of both fleets, and we just might consider."
"Let me break out the Mandalorian first." May countered.
"The Pinchers first, always," Mallory said, aiming her sword out. "Don't make me ask a second time."
"Wasn't planning to." May said, pressing a button on Din's gauntlet before stepping aside.
At that moment, the Whistling Birds were sent out, firing everywhere. Several Pokémon Pinchers got hit while others took cover, with Mallory cutting a few of the Whistling Birds apart before seeing May cutting Din free from the rest of his bonds, tossing him his pulse rifle and sidearm before tossing three Pokéballs forward.
"Come on out, Gastrodon, and use Blizzard! Sudowoodo, use Hammer Arm! Talonflame, use Flame Charge!" May called out.
Gastrodon, Sudowoodo and Talonflame were soon released, and unleashed their designated attacks. The Blizzard froze several Pokémon Pinchers in their tracks while others were knocked out by the Hammer Arm. A majority of the rest were then sent running from the Flame Charge before Din fired on some of them, maiming them and causing them to fall.
"Look out!" Din called out, seeing Mallory run forward. He held up his arm, using the Beskar on his gauntlet to block the blade before using his pulse rifle to slam her back.
"Let's play, girlie." Mallory said, spinning the sword around before charging at May again.
May backed away and fired at Mallory with her sidearm, only for it to get slashed into two before shooting at her with her new blasters. Mallory backed away and deflected the shots as Din helped to keep the pressure on.
"Blasters from the late Aurra Sing? I'm impressed." Din admitted before flying at Mallory, disarming her of her Pokéballs as she tried to release a Pokémon.
May put away her blasters and grabbed a branding iron from nearby. As she ran back into the fight, Mallory slashed at her, but clashed with the iron instead. May held her ground and pushed back, striking at her blade as both weapons created sparks with each clash. The two of them locked with each other, trying to gain momentum over one another, all while Din, Talonflame, Gastrodon and Sudowoodo continued to subdue the rest of the Pokémon Pinchers.
"You've nearly cost us our payday, but I'm sure whoever your parents are will gladly pay for you once we take you!" Mallory remarked, pushing May further towards the furnace.
"Yeah, here's the thing when it comes to my family," May said, sidestepping and letting Mallory lose her balance before catching her. "Mess with one of us… and you'll get scarred by the rest of us for life." She remarked before tossing her to the side, disarming her of her sword before leveling the branding iron at her face.
"Well, do it," Mallory said weakly as May held the sword in her other hand. "Prove that you're a Bounty Hunter."
"I'm not cruel," May spat, tossing the branding iron away before sending a stun blast at Mallory, knocking her out. "I'm a princess."
Later on, Rig Nema arrived with the Hoenn Officer Jenny, taking all the Pokémon Pinchers away. A Nurse Joy was there as well, inspecting the stolen Pokéballs and making sure there were indeed no Pokémon inside of them, while Din and May were speaking with the two officials.
"Thank you for recovering these," Rig Nema said as Officer Jenny was handed every Pokéball. "They shall all be returned to their rightful owners."
"What about their condition?" Din asked.
"There's not much we can do about those that have been coated," Officer Jenny said. "The owners will just have to leave them as they are."
"What if more were made like that?" May suggested. "Mallory had a point. Stronger Pokéballs, ones that would not break from normal means. They would help Pokémon trainers all over, and they could be sold at a reasonable price for all to afford… under the oversight of the right authorities."
"That could work," Rig Nema conceded. "Very well. We shall have the steel mill looked over for the resources stolen, and we shall apply these to the Pokéballs here first, and then new ones for distribution to the other Regions."
"And now, for your pay." Officer Jenny said, handing two briefcases over.
"I didn't ask for double." Din said, looking to the cases.
"May technically took the job, even if she was looking for you," Rig Nema pointed out. "One case of five thousand credits is for you, and the other goes to her."
"Um, thank you?" May replied with uncertainty.
"I say you take it," Din said. "You earned it."
May smiled before both she and Din took their respective cases. Both nodded to Rig Nema and Officer Jenny before going their separate ways, just as the Razor Crest arrived with Ash and the others walking underneath it.
"You gonna keep at this?" Din asked.
"For now, my days as a Bounty Hunter are done," May said, all unaware that Red Eyes was watching with the Eighth Brother beside him. "It's back to Contests for me."
"Was this what you wanted?" Red Eyes asked.
"Precisely," the Eighth Brother replied. "Now, I am ready for my trap," he said to himself before handing over a case to Red Eyes. "Your payment, as promised."
Red Eyes nodded. "Until we meet again." He bid before walking off.
"Lyste, inform Moff Gideon of the coordinates I have for Master Skoll and his apprentice," the Eighth Brother ordered over his Comms. "My plan is now ready."
Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all like my return to this story. I was having trouble before, and it didn't have anything to do with the divisiveness of Star Wars people claim there is. It was because life had been getting busy. Still, I was able to return with this, and it took a long effort. Please thank GhostSlinger15 for his help on this chapter. I'll try to have another one out later. Please review, rate, and as always, if you can, Private Message me for anything on the story. After all, I'm always keen to hear from you, so long as what you have to say is positive. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off and wishing you all a happy Fourth of July! See you all soon!
