SW System 3: The Initiate Tournament (Patreon)

Another year passed for Iggios, and things seemed to be changing. His two years of intensive training under Master Drallig had paid off massively. The combination of his past life’s knowledge of historical swordsmanship and the guidance of one of the greatest duelists of this time made his hybrid form quite formidable.

However, his physical limitations created a bottleneck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overpower physically superior opponents. Adults were faster, stronger, and the Force flowed more effectively through their fully developed bodies, and while he could outmaneuver teenagers, at some poit, the power gap was simply too much.

Iggios also discovered that his attunement to the Force had evidently increased. While he wasn't an outlier or a monster like Master Yoda or Anakin, he was definitely stronger than average now. His best guess was that the Trait he had acquired on Ilum enhanced his overall connection to the Force, though he had no idea how that was possible.

Unfortunately, his rapid progress wasn't well received by his peers. Most of the other younglings were not thrilled to spar against him and deemed it a waste of time. Only Ahsoka continued to challenge him, determined to prove him wrong about the reverse grip; a source of internal pain for Iggios. He would have preferred if she fought like a more conventional duelists instead of handicapping herself.

Recognizing that the other younglings posed little to no challenge, Master Drallig put Iggios forward for the Initiate Trials, giving him a chance to impress a knight or a master and potentially become a padawan sooner than usual.

From what Iggios could tell, younglings were typically selected as padawans around the ages of fifteen or sixteen. At just twelve years old, he stood out significantly among the older participants.

Iggios watched as the other younglings were paired up, eventually facing off against his own opponent.

There were thirty-two participants in total, and all of them, apart from Iggios, had entered willingly. Nevertheless, he was glad to get this over with. He didn't rush out of the temple, but if Master Drallig believed he was ready to be a proper padawan, he wanted to see if he would be chosen.

Getting picked as a Padawan at twelve might also impress the System, though Iggios doubted awakening such potent power would be as easy as beating up a few cocky teenagers. Becoming a padawan would also allow him greater access to the Jedi archives, which were crucial for his future progress.

—

The first round consisted of a series of one-on-one duels, with the top eight advancing to the free-for-all finale. Iggios didn't think this was the best way to organize the trials, but it was what it was.

Above the arena, Masters and Knights were gathering. Master Yoda was there, along with several other council members. Iggios spotted Depa Billaba, Coleman Trebor, and Shaak Ti at first glance, though there may have been more council members present.

He wasn't sure if they were there to observe or to select padawans, but he knew that many of the Jedi present already had padawans of their own. This event was quite popular; even existing padawans came to watch the younglings spar with training sabers.

Iggios sighed, ensuring that his lightsaber was set to training mode as his older initiate opponent approached him, signaling the start of their duel.

The opponent was a Rodian, easily recognizable by his large green head, massive pupilless eyes, and two saucer-like antennae atop his head. The Rodian clearly wasn't impressed to be fighting someone younger, and his taller stature gave him an advantage. In a typical fight, that size difference would matter significantly.

However, the Jedi were basically space wizards, and Iggios had some tricks up his sleeve. Although using the Force externally was prohibited in the dueling part of the tournament, there were many ways to use it internally.

Ignoring the arrogant expression on his opponent's face, Iggios took his stance. He shifted his weight to his back foot and presented his right side to the opponent, making himself a smaller target.

His lightsaber was held in his left hand, with the arm extended high to protect his head and upper body. The blade was angled downward and across his torso, guarding most of his body above the thighs.

This stance was derived from sabre and dussack fencing techniques from his past life, which were quite unusual in this galaxy but still somewhat similar to certain guards used in Makashi.

Iggios's opponent entered a standard Soresu stance, which might have seemed threatening if Iggios were dueling Obi-Wan himself, but unfortunately for the Rodian initiate, he was no Kenobi.

As soon as the duel began, Iggios lunged forward, enhancing his speed with a subtle application of the Force. He quickly closed the distance, aiming directly at his opponent's center mass.

The taller initiate stepped back, clearly surprised by Iggios's speed. Although he attempted to deflect the lightsaber, he only managed to redirect the hit into his shoulder. The first hit was called; Iggios needed only two more to pass on to the next round.

The rest of the duel proved to be more challenging for Iggios, but as the fight progressed, the typical weakness of the Soresu style became apparent. Soresu relies on the opponent making a mistake, which is a risky strategy in sword fighting, regardless of technological advancements.

The attacker can make a mistake and pull back, while the defender cannot afford to make a mistake; otherwise, they risk losing their life.

—

The first match concluded rather quickly, and Iggios's second match went by in a very similar manner to his first. This time, he faced an opponent using a rather unrefined Form Six; it felt like fighting someone who practiced every swing under the stars but didn't dedicate time to mastering anything.

Iggios noted that the primary downside of this form was the user. The Jedi employed it merely to train enough to defend themselves, not enough to actually engage in a duel. Perhaps Iggios was being a bit harsh on the form itself, but unless he witnessed someone using it effectively, he would prefer to remake it in his own way.

Unsurprisingly, that fight ended even faster than the first, and he didn't even break a sweat.

Following that anticlimactic round, it was time for a free-for-all match among the remaining eight competitors. Iggios was eager for this, as he would get to use the Force in any way he desired; well, unless he resorted to blasting Force Lightning or something equally extreme.

Incorporating Force powers into his fighting style was something Iggios wanted to improve, primarily because it was rarely done for reasons unknown to him. Perhaps it was challenging to draw on the Force internally to enhance one's reflexes and speed while also Force Pushing something? The knights he observed practicing seemed to have no trouble with it, so maybe it was just a classic case of a skill issue.

Regardless of the ultimate reason, Iggios had found some success in doing so, and he believed the chaotic environment of the battle would provide an ideal opportunity to test it.

As the match started, the small arena descended into chaos almost immediately. However, Iggios could only focus on the fact that two of the initiates nearest to him decided to target him first. Perhaps they viewed him as a threat or thought he would be an easier target than the other competitors.

The reason mattered little to Iggios.

He adopted a stance to ensure he wouldn't be outflanked as he moved in close to one of his opponents. His plan was simple: he needed to keep both opponents in front of him and prevent them from attacking from multiple angles. This required constant movement and proper footwork. Fighting multiple opponents is always about maneuvering them so they get in each other's way, effectively making it feel like a one-on-one fight.

Iggios maneuvered to avoid being flanked by sliding underneath one of his opponents, who managed to block Iggios's swing as he did so. He quickly got back on his feet and lunged at his opponents, aiming to take one down as swiftly as possible.

His lunge was deflected, but the human initiate was forced back, or he would have been struck by a false-edge cut that Iggios's attack had turned into in an instant. The other initiate, a Corellian, advanced in his ally's place, forcing Iggios to defend against a powerful Form Five strike.

Instead of executing a static block, Iggios redirected the opponent's momentum by swatting the lightsaber away and transitioning into an attack that, fortunately for the Corellian, was blocked by her ally.

These two worked quite well together; it was likely they were part of the same training group.

Iggios quickly disengaged, deciding to leverage the range advantage of his one-handed fencing style over their two-handed approach. He enhanced himself with the Force, getting a premonition a moment before another attack began.

Precognition like that was invaluable in a fight, but even if only he could anticipate attacks, it would still leave him at a disadvantage against multiple opponents, though the gap would close significantly.

The two initiates charged at him, with one attempting to keep Iggios occupied while the other tried to encircle him. This was a smart approach and generally a good plan. However, Iggios knew this was their best shot.

He pushed the human back before momentarily focusing on the flanking Corellian. Iggios flexed his hand, gripping the charging initiate with the Force. With a throwing motion, he flung the Corellian across the arena, just an instant before he had to defend himself again.

Now, with some space created, Iggios believed that in a one-on-one fight, there was no initiate capable of reliably defeating him.

It took a few exchanges to understand the mastery his human opponent had over his chosen lightsaber form. While the initiate held a solid grasp of Form Five, it was apparent that lightsaber combat would not be this initiate's main focus, as he wasn't utilizing the Djem So variant. Iggios suspected that he was quite proficient at blaster deflection, though. An essential skill that would undoubtedly save this initiate's life many times in the upcoming war.

Throughout the fight, Iggios maintained the advantage, continually pressing forward until his opponent could no longer defend himself effectively. Forcing him to dodge instead of parry and counterattack disrupted the rhythm characteristic of Form Five, especially for someone who wasn't yet a knight, and Iggios capitalized on this fact.

During a clash, Iggios closed the distance, a stark contrast to his previous tactics. He used his free hand to grip the older boy's wrist, twisting it quickly while simultaneously kneeing him in the stomach.

His opponent’s stunned surprise may have only lasted a second, but that brief moment was more than enough to end a fight. The older boy's lightsaber fell to the ground, allowing Iggios to land the decisive hit needed to defeat his first opponent before the older boy could mount any further defense.

The Corellian was on her feet by the time her friend was eliminated, rushing back in with the hope that the slightly winded Iggios would be easier to deal with. The first clash was brutal. Unlike her human friend, this Corellian girl was employing the more lightsaber-combat-oriented Djem So variant of Form Five, and the power behind her strikes was quite impressive.

Iggios stepped back, focusing on staying out of reach as much as possible and quickly deflecting when necessary.

After fighting for so long in one day, he was starting to feel a little tired. It wasn’t too severe just yet, but if he could already feel the drain, he would definitely need some endurance training. Weren't the Jedi supposed to be able to fight for hours?

He decided to trap his opponent this time to preserve his stamina. Blocking the powerful strikes of Djem So could get taxing if done for too long, and Iggios wasn’t sure how well the other five initiates were faring in terms of exhaustion.

The duel continued with Iggios on the defensive, enduring more exchanges, but this time he focused on defending himself. A powerful swing of a blue lightsaber was directed at Iggios' ribs, but he subtly raised his hand, palm facing the incoming weapon.

The Force hummed to life around him, and the strike came to a halt just a few centimeters before hitting his palm. Force Stasis was proving useful once more, especially as his opponent didn’t expect it.

However, merely catching the attack wasn’t enough in a fight. At the same time that the attack halted, Iggios' own silver-bladed lightsaber connected with the Corellian girl, knocking her out of the tournament the moment she tried to Force Push him away.

The hit landed, but Iggios was sent flying, barely managing to land on the arena floor instead of being eliminated by a ringout. He looked behind himself, slowly getting up and nursing the sore spot on his backside before turning his attention to the three remaining initiates locked in a three-way duel. It seemed that two had already been eliminated in that skirmish, leaving Iggios with the choice to wait until there was only one opponent left to fight or to show off a little.

He wasn't even sure if there were proper names for many of the Force abilities he had managed to recreate from memory; most of them were borrowed from video games and TV shows he hadn’t played or watched in about a decade, if his memories of his old life were to be believed.

The naming didn’t matter anyway; what counted was their effectiveness.

—

Iggios waited for a break in the ongoing free-for-all, biding his time for the right moment. He jumped high the instant the fight paused, aiming to land in the middle of the circling initiates.

He landed with a thunderous boom, an almost invisible shockwave emanating from the point of impact his right hand made with the ground. The shockwave threw the unprepared initiates back, and two of them landed outside the designated fighting arena, resulting in their disqualification.

The final initiate standing between Iggios and victory was a green Twi'lek girl, clearly exhausted from the long free-for-all she had participated in. She groaned in discomfort as she got up and assumed a Soresu stance.

Funnily enough, Iggios had seen her favor Form Four: Ataru when she fought earlier; it seemed she wasn’t confident she could last much longer with that acrobatic form. At least someone here had a backup plan in case their preferred form wasn't effective.

Unfortunately for the Twi'lek girl, Soresu performed poorly against Makashi, one of the forms Iggios frequently used in his own hybrid style.

Iggios decided to end things quickly; there was no honor or enjoyment in prolonging a fight that was virtually over. He lunged forward, aiming for a stab, but the attack was deflected as his opponent spun to the side, ensuring that the edge of the arena wasn’t right behind her.

The fight continued as she surrendered more and more ground. The attacks Iggios launched at her were fast and difficult to deflect, forcing her to backpedal further across the arena.

As Iggios noted the increasing gaps in her utilization of Soresu, her defense became increasingly desperate. Cornered near the edge of the arena, she suddenly sprung her trap.

A solid Force Pull grabbed Iggios momentarily off his feet. He quickly regained his balance by covering himself with the Force, effectively creating a barrier to prevent weaker Force attacks from affecting him.

However, even that brief flight and stumble as he landed was enough of a distraction. The girl attacked, switching back to Ataru as she leaped over him, swinging at his head during the jump.

Iggios ducked down; he couldn't even get into a proper stance in time, much less deflect the incoming attack. However, he managed to use a Force Push to send her away as she landed, creating some much-needed space for himself.

He looked behind him and realized he was only about half a meter from the edge of the arena now. He almost got Anakin'd due to being just as cocky as the supposed chosen one on Mustafar. Or Maul on Naboo.

Shaking his head, Iggios decided not to underestimate his opponent again. This time, he approached in a more measured way instead of rushing in, which suited his fighting style much better than blind attacks.

After exchanging a few quick strikes, Iggios managed to land a hit on her unguarded hand, mostly due to her not having any hand-guarding elements for her lightsaber, just like basically every Jedi.

A hit is a hit, and much to his own surprise; and definitely to the surprise of many spectators, Iggios won the tournament.

—

Master Yoda watched the entire event with great interest, noticing a much younger youngling present than usual. While talking to Master Drallig, he felt validated in his assessment from two years ago: young Iggios Stritt was indeed powerful.

As the duels proceeded, Yoda turned to his fellow council member, the very one he had assigned as a master for the youngling two years prior. "The youngling you shall take as your padawan, that is." he said, pointing to Iggios. The much taller Jedi Master next to him hummed in contemplation. "Tempering, his talent and aggression need," added the ancient Grandmaster.

"I can see that, Master Yoda. I will make sure to take him on immediately," responded the tall Jedi. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Iggios effortlessly command the Force in the free-for-all.

"And he must learn not to underestimate his opponents as well. He still has much to learn, Master Yoda." The tall council member said, making Yoda nod in agreement, slowly walking to officiate the final ceremony.

"Full confidence in you, I have, Master Trebor," he said with a toothy grin before turning back to his colleague.

Coleman Trebor nodded, feeling unsure if he was the best fit for the role. He was a peacemaker who rarely used his lightsaber, not someone who could teach this young man about intricasies of lightsaber combat.

"If only Master Jinn were still with us..." he sighed heavily, understanding that his late peer would likely be a better fit than he felt he could ever be.