Inside the monumental structure, built at the dawn of the space colonization era, which became home to millions of sentient beings, training takes place day after day… Sentient beings who possess the talent for an incredible ability called the Force… It is multifaceted, incredible, boundless…
In one of the many rooms, the youngling clan was training… The vast practical training hall was essentially given to a clan of thirty sentient beings. Although the lesson was for the youngest group of the Hawk-bat clan. More precisely, for mine…
"Drallig versus Flyingstar," whispers could be heard from my group. "Brute force versus the Force…"
Yes… Alas, but I was always positioned as Drallig's enemy, if only because this dark-haired boy was born with a rather powerful physique and always used it almost intuitively. I, on the other hand, was naturally lanky, despite having somewhat developed muscles… But at the same time, I possess the greatest Force potential in the last twenty years. The speed of mastering Force techniques, meditation, the execution of techniques themselves – all this caused dislike from Drallig.
And even though he didn't try to provoke me, probably remembering that I, who literally shone in everything related to mastering the Force, could easily crush him with just telekinesis, without much effort, he still tried. And I don't need such rivalry for free. I just want to survive the upcoming meat grinders, so I'm grabbing everything I can. Force techniques, physical education, fencing… I will gather everything I can master so that I am feared to be touched during the Clone Wars… And after the Clone Wars – who knows. But most likely, I'll just escape to some outskirts, find a planet like Scarif – a tropical paradise, and live there in peace and quiet.
So… No time for reflection… Shii-Cho. A training duel that everyone in our clan was waiting for…
"Don't get too cocky, Flyingstar," Drallig gritted out, "I'll beat you so badly you'll be in the medbay for two, no, three weeks."
"Hold your speeders," I tried to reason with him. "We're in a training duel. There's no point in going all out like this."
I don't want to seriously clash with the future master of combat. And yet, everything started so well, until Leyla, watching our pre-fight bickering with anticipation, calmly winding her golden hair around her finger, said that training duels awaited us, the purpose of which was to show how well we knew Shii-Cho, how we had learned Shii-Cho, which was given to almost everyone.
We studied this form for three months. And the droids that shot training lasers almost tortured us… Well, some were shot, and some, thanks to the hellish training before that, started deflecting almost everything, to the envy of all their classmates, and even older younglings seemed to want to kill me. Just for my talent… And now everyone was wondering… What would win? The Force and my techniques, which, by the way, are limited only to foresight and enhancement, or Drallig's brute strength, who even broke the nose of Gol, a Wookiee, for a moment, or something like that. It doesn't matter…
The training duel itself among younglings is simple. We fight, for now, using only the Shii-Cho form, because we haven't started mastering other forms yet. Gradually, we speed up our movements and attacks, although this rule will probably not apply, and Drallig and I will immediately start at high speed. After all, Drallig wants to beat me too much to hold back and gradually increase the tempo. A six-year-old youngling is burning with bloodlust. How did I figure this out? Well, since I decided to train empathy on my Wookiee clanmate, I've made some progress in it, and by concentrating, I can tell who thinks what about me right now. The duel between younglings, that is, between the two of us, will continue until one of us admits defeat by shouting "Sola." The main goal is to disarm or inflict sufficiently unpleasant damage. But Drallig, I can say with certainty, will do the latter…
"Fight," the teacher-tormentor exclaimed, looking at us with anticipation.
Drallig swiftly and without preamble ran the five meters separating us and brought his ice-white light blade over my head. Yes, he attacks not as the philosophy of the duel requires. The philosophy of the Shii-Cho form and the dueling of younglings in this form requires disarming the opponent, but not striking like this. However, this is Drallig. A barbarian, as Fimor called him. The world transformed…
It is possible to use Force techniques that affect perception and enhance physical abilities during such a battle. Although it's better not to use enhancement yet, after all, who said I can't react to Drallig's current speed? He won't use enhancement for the whole duel, all because he doesn't know how to use it. More precisely, it doesn't come to him yet. To enhance the Force, you need not only a body that can withstand it. You need to discipline your mind enough… Enhancement is like breathing that spreads throughout the body… You need to use it adequately, which the barbarian has problems with.
But foresight is another matter. Since I understood the main principle of separating the present from the future, I have used foresight without remorse for everything I wanted, becoming a kind of Star Wars-style Katakuri for my classmates (Author's note – for those who don't know, one of the strongest characters from the anime and manga One Piece, one of Katakuri's abilities is to see into the future for five seconds, which makes him as sharp as a scythe to the balls and as tough as a hammer blow). And now, I saw where Drallig's blow was aimed a couple of seconds before the swing, and simply moved aside, to my left, immediately turning and aiming a blow at his right hand, which he was holding the saber with. The blow is called "shiim" and is designed to burn the hand, forcing the opponent to drop their weapon. But… This is a barbarian.
Drallig's reflexes, or rather, animal instincts, were at their peak, literally. He couldn't block the blow, and he understood that if he blocked the blow by simply deflecting the saber, I would immediately attack another part of his body, after all, we are equal in terms of physical speed without enhancement, and he was standing sideways and couldn't move. As a result, Drallig jumped aside, breaking the distance… I didn't pursue him. Not likely, I don't like taking risks. Instead, I returned to the Shii-Cho ready stance. Two-handed grip, the saber is approximately aimed at the opponent's head.
"You're annoying. Aren't you going to attack? Then I," why is he talking during the fight? Am I in an anime or Star Wars? Although they also talk during fights here. But we are younglings, what kind of talk? "Will you be silent? I'll wipe that arrogant smirk off your face."
I wasn't smiling, actually. Drallig attacked me again, this time aiming the blow according to all the rules, at the hands. I ducked, letting the blade pass over me, and again attacked his wrist with a shiim thrust. But Drallig, being a barbarian, managed to block and… He pressed down on the saber, the training blade hit my cheek, starting to burn it… It hurts! I jumped back… It hurts so much! I don't like pain! I need to master Soresu as soon as possible, but first, I need to finish the duel. I didn't drop my weapon, so I haven't lost yet. Maybe I should give up? No, I haven't fully tested my foresight and enhancement yet… How unpleasant this is. I don't want to be hurt anymore. By anyone… I released the Force I was holding back, throughout my body. Enhancement, foresight… I'll show you now.
Drallig recoiled slightly… So he did master something from altus-sopor after all. But it's too late… No matter how much he fears me, I'll still show him. I don't want to endure pain, I am responsible for my wound. And Drallig… Who will definitely get it now. I instantly closed the couple of meters separating us, without even slowing down, to Drallig's surprised gaze, I attacked his torso from the left. But he managed to block the blow… My blade bounced off his… No, that's not all. The next blow landed on his shoulder. Yielding to inertia, I accelerated myself and struck Drallig's shoulder. The saber burned through the youngling's temple robes… Now Drallig exclaimed, retreating. But I continued to pursue him, to Cin's surprised gaze, he clearly thought I was fighting defensively. Now he's attacking with a thrust to the chest…
My body moved on its own. I went down, again letting the blow pass over me. Drallig doesn't have time to react. A trip, and he fell to the floor. A light touch of my hand to my clanmate's wrist, and he dropped his saber… I stood up, breathing heavily. In my right hand, I held the lightsaber, aimed at the chest of the fallen Drallig, and with my left, I touched the burn on my right cheek…
"Hutt," Drallig exclaimed. "Sola!"
I deactivated the lightsaber, twirled it in my hand, and attached it to my belt.
"Light won," Leyla said. "Although your duel deviates from the usual canons of the Order."
"And why, teacher?" Fimor's voice was heard.
"Because the Shii-Cho duel is a duel of fencing skill," said one of the older younglings of the Twi'lek race, Jin, I think. "You should fight using only lightsabers and Force techniques that affect the body. Hand-to-hand combat is not encouraged."
"You are right," Leyla concluded, "but, as sad as it may be, outside the Temple, you will find this postulate useful: your entire body is a weapon for defense. It is foolish to refuse anything, so I would call it a draw, because Light clearly violated the duel's rule, despite winning. Kicking and punching are not encouraged, although not forbidden. But from the perspective of a real fight, Light lost."
"Lost?" Vers asked. "But teacher! He defeated Cin."
Cin also looked bewildered, as, frankly, did I. One of the older younglings, the Tolothian Loris, was helping me, applying a bacta ointment to my minor wound.
"It's simple," the teacher explained, "before that, Cin attacked Light in the face. Such a blow with a combat lightsaber is fatal. Surviving such an attack has about five, six percent chance out of ninety-five, ninety-four, that you will either lose an eye or die with a severed head. Light," she addressed me, "you are too inattentive to details. I agree that your mastery of enhancement and foresight is incredible, but you relax too much. At first, you underestimated Cin entirely and only started using enhancement after he wounded you. This underestimation of an opponent can play a cruel trick on you."
"In a no-holds-barred fight, he wouldn't have gotten close to me, teacher," I said, pouting.
"Perhaps," Leyla nodded, "but remember – you can't rely on just one trick. Telekinesis isn't everything. Besides, if I were you, I'd pay attention to dodges. Let me tell you, your ideal form is Ataru. Even though physically you're as developed as Cin now, in the future you'll only be able to match him through augmentation. At the same time, you catch blows on your saber, dodging less often than blocking. And yes, you'll be able to do the same in the future, but with augmentation. However, it will drain your stamina, so why catch strong blows unnecessarily using augmentation if you can dodge using Ataru?" the teacher asked. "Think about it."
What's there to think about, Soresu is still better than Ataru. Because Ataru doesn't focus on defense at all. All of Ataru's defense is evasion. But Soresu... Defense in the form of a lightsaber that can deflect a blaster bolt... Excuse me, teacher, but I have the knowledge of canon on my side, which I know better than you. Ataru lost, and not just once. Both Qui-Gon and Yoda used this form against their opponents. And if Yoda was battered after fighting Sidious, then Qui-Gon lost his life entirely. Although, there it's more the will of the Force than his incompetence.
"As for Cin, it's simple," Leyla looked at the boy after I bowed my head in silence, lost in thought. "You're too impulsive. You have a lot to learn from Light. I remember you telling everyone you wanted to become a Great Jedi, a Defender of the Oppressed. But if you continue to attack so recklessly and without a plan, you'll need defending yourself. If Light had been more confident and hadn't underestimated you, he would have defeated you in a couple of moves without breaking the rules or exposing himself to your saber. You're both to blame, but don't despair. That's what training is for – you must find your flaws and try to correct them. Did everyone understand? Light? Cin?"
"Yes, teacher," I said calmly, "I will try," although some of your conclusions don't suit me.
"Me too," Cin Drallig exclaimed with exaggerated loudness. "You'll see, Flyingstar, I'll beat you next time! Fair and square."
"Hmm," I grunted. "You can't even see your own future, Drallig," it sounded a bit arrogant. "You won't even get five swings in next time."
Yes, I don't particularly want to participate in battles. But I don't want to lose either! I was given a chance at a new life. It doesn't matter now why I was reborn after death. The fact is – I can live a new life, become someone else, not that Leonid Ivanov, so I must try, and now as Light Flyingstar. If I lose to Drallig, a youngling at the moment, a peer, then what right do I have to talk about my survival? I must not be afraid of battles. Yes, one must be careful, but not run away from everyone...
"Good," Leyla concluded. "But remember – don't be angry with each other. You are family now, and anger is a direct path to the dark side. Now, next – Fimor versus Gol."
"Are you kidding me?" Fimor asked. "Gol is a Wookiee! Why can't he be paired against Cin or Light? They at least have a chance against him."
"Fimor," Leyla said reproachfully, "a Jedi does not fear difficulties. Obstacles on the path become the path. What kind of Jedi will you be if you simply run away? To avoid battle – yes. But not to run away from it when you need to fight. Besides – you are family, and Gol hardly wants to cripple you, and Light and Cin have already fought today."
"Uav," Gol nodded. "Vua, uav, var!"
Judging by the emotions invested, Gol clearly doesn't intend to try too hard. It's no wonder they nicknamed Drallig "the barbarian," not the Wookiee. According to Rela, the Twi'lek, Gol is even cute, soft, and fluffy. I never understood those girls.
"Go on, go," I gently pushed Fimor into the circle. "The main thing is not to be afraid."
"And why shouldn't I be afraid," Fimor gritted out. "I have neither incredible physical strength nor foresight that helps see all attacks and devise countermeasures. Eh, fine... Someone has to fight him."
Why did he say that in a voice like he was going to fight an entire army? Gol has incredible physical strength, he's a Wookiee. But at the same time, he's a bit clumsy and not very fast. The same tactic I used against Cin Drallig will definitely work against him...
"Sola!" Fimor exclaimed when he tried to block a blow that Gol landed on him. With this word "sola," Fimor admitted defeat.
"UAAA!" Gol exclaimed triumphantly, raising both hands.
"How was that so fast?" Drallig asked. "You're too useless," he addressed Fimor.
"I apologize," Fimor grumbled, rubbing the burnt spot. "But they put a huge, strong, and hairy Wookiee against me! Do you really think I could have defeated this monster."
"Uav... Vua," Gol hugged Fimor until his ribs cracked.
"Ouch... Oh, I get it. You're not a monster, let go already," Fimor protested. "Hairy monster," his whisper was heard. "Well, never mind, next time I'll definitely beat him."
"You will conquer," I corrected him. "And I'd like to see that. Nothing motivates like defeat."
"Defeat is what awaits you, Flyingstar," Drallig informed me. "You are weak, and your talent won't help you. When we start studying forms, other than Shii-Cho, I will master Shien and beat you up!"
"Cin," I corrected him, "but Shien is a variation of the form for deflecting blaster fire. For duels, the Juyo variation is used."
"That's what I said, smartass!" Cin gritted out.
The girls in our clan fought rather poorly. Rela, Vers, and Maru didn't particularly shine in swordsmanship; it's already clear they'll choose any path but this one. For example, Rela, the Twi'lek, was good at healing. Vers got into droid construction; I remember her being much better at it than many, and Maru leans more towards hand-to-hand combat.
"Well," Leyla announced, summing up. "This is how your lightsaber training will be until I deem that you have mastered Shii-Cho."
"And how will you deem it?" I asked Leyla. My hands itch to learn Soresu.
"Interested?" the teacher asked. "It's simple – I'll pit you against anyone I deem necessary. It could be a senior youngling or someone from your age group. Only those who show me an acceptable level of mastery of Shii-Cho will be able to go to Knight Roan's class and begin learning other forms."
"I could do it right now..." Cin began, but was stopped by Leyla's "dagger-like gaze."
"No, you're not ready, but don't worry. Sooner or later, all of you will go to Knight Roan's classes. Now, please, Drem and Czork," she called over two tall guys, who looked about twelve years old, "use only Shii-Cho and augmentation techniques. Show the children what it means to 'pass the test'."
The two guys were human. And they put on a real dance, mesmerizing us with their swordsmanship. Drem was tall and wiry, a muscular guy, while Czork, on the contrary, moved like a snake, agile and fast, but they both used only Shii-Cho, attacking with varying force and speed.
"Only by showing something like this will you be admitted to Knight Roan's classes. Lightsaber training is not differentiated by age," she said. "So it doesn't matter when you pass the test, it doesn't matter who they put you to spar with. And now – continue training. Everyone..."
And we continued, crawling back to our rooms barely alive. But what can you do, if I don't do anything now and skip training, I'll just get killed somewhere. I'm not just training. I have to train to exhaustion, learning new abilities, otherwise it's the end for me.
"Drallig," I called my clanmate.
"Well, what do you want, Flyingstar?" he asked, looking at me arrogantly.
"Sparring?"
"Let's do it," he nodded. "I'll beat you anyway, now or later."
We had training spars until evening, using only our Shii-Cho abilities and, naturally, under the supervision of senior younglings, who also weren't slacking off, watching our pairs, while training themselves in whatever they pleased. Someone was clearly training their sensory perception, observing us through meditation, someone was digging through datapad, only glancing at the "younger comrades" out of the corner of their eye. And someone was already locked in their own spar, clearly using something else, but not Shii-Cho.
"Just remember," the teacher reminded. "You are forbidden from sparring without restrictions for now. Especially remember this, Light. With your strength, you could easily cripple your family."
"Ha!" Drallig grunted. "I'll beat him in the future without restrictions too."
"Dream on, it's not forbidden," I grunted, preparing for battle.