Other dub names: Pluto's Hero (4Kids and Studio 100)
Dokko hears on the radio that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. He is dissatisfied with this decision, and if this will go on, there will be nothing left of the solar system. Dokko decides to go on a hunger strike until Pluto gets its status of a planet back. In the morning, Dokko stands in front of a glass cube, with his friends holding a rally in defense of Pluto. Dokko asks Carlin if he has sent letters to the Astronomical Union and the press. Carlin answers in the affirmative, and Dokko enters the cube.
The sun starts baking strongly through the cube. Dokko suffers from the heat and starts feeling hungry. Krash and Chiko pass by and ask if he wants to eat. Dokko denies it, and they leave, dropping an apple nearby, further increasing the pangs of hunger. Carlin goes fishing and picks up the apple. Dokko asks him if there are any answers from AU, but Carlin says no. At night, Dokko is woken up by Olga, Rosa, and Barry. They decided to secretly bring him food. He refuses, because his mission is very important, and they leave. All the next day, he lies in apathy. In the evening, Carlin climbs to the cube and tries to persuade his friend to return, but he refuses again.
At night, one of the stars begins to approach Dokko. It turns out to be an alien ship, piloted by a group of aliens. They call themselves the people of Pluto and report that they give Dokko the title "Hero of Pluto." A small order flies into the cube and attaches itself to Dokko's back. The Plutonians ask him to go with them because, at sunrise, Pluto's fleet will destroy the hostile planet Earth. Dokko begs them to reverse the decision; the whole planet should not suffer because of a bunch of astronomers. Plutonians say that they honor the opinions of their heroes and will think about it. The Plutonians board the ship and fly away, and Dokko faints. In the morning, Carlin and Barry pull the desiccated Dokko out of the cube. Feeling his back, Carlin stumbles upon the order and, mistaking it for a thorn of burdock, throws it into the sand.
Tropes:
- Hunger Causes Lethargy: After several days of hunger strike, Dokko has difficulty moving without someone's help.
- Glassy Prison: To protest Pluto's demotion, Dokko voluntarily encases himself in a glass cube.
- Named After Their Planet: The plutonians call themselves the people of Pluto.
- Pluto Is Expendable: Dokko is declaring a hunger strike in protest against Pluto's demotion. This draws the Plutonians' attention, who plan to take him with them before they destroy Earth, but he manages to talk them out of it...for a while, at least.
- Sdrawkcab Speech: The plutonians' speech is this.
- Shout-Out: While on hunger strike, Dokko is seen reading a book by Giordano Bruno
. - Stay with the Aliens: The Plutonians wanted to invoke this, taking Dokko with them before destroying the Earth. However, Dokko asks them to give the planet another chance, and stays on Earth.
