Episode 16 - The First Step
"Anyway, we should be at Alderaan about oh-two-hundred hours." as Han said this while checked on the reading by the nearby computer, right next to the seat where Ben is sitting on, while observing Luke in his lightsaber practice.
Meanwhile, Chewie and the two droids are sit around the table playing the 3D holographic monster game. Chewbacca seems to be very pleased with himself as he rests his lanky fur-covered arms over his head. R2-D2 takes the move, causing the one of the holographic creatures to walk to a new square. A sudden frown from Chewbacca's face and he begins yelling gibberish at the small astromech droid.
*One arguement later*
C3PO suggested to R2-D2 that he should let Chewbacca win for his satisfaction and avoid getting shouted from the Wookie again.
Back to Luke, Madoka and Sayaka during their Jedi Training session, Ben studies his movements from the corner while Han also watches with a bit smugness. Luke's position looks rather slightly stiff, so Ben pointed out and said, "Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."
"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked as he kept his gaze upon the small drone with the saber's beautiful blade resonating against the range from the drone.
"Partially." Ben replied, "And it also obeys your commands."
Madoka was surprised to wear that, only then she tries to replicate Luke's fighting stance but of her own with her signature wooden and wrapped thorns on the top of her staff, with a small pink rose on top of it.
About an eye level, at ten feet in front of Luke, the small "seeker" drone; a chrome baseball-like and sized robot covered with antennae, hovers slowly in a wide arc. The ball floats to one side of the youth then the other. It makes a lightning-swift lunge and stops within a few feet off Luke's face, and slight farther away from Madoka's range. Luke doesn't move and the ball backs off. The drone moves behind Luke then makes another lunge. Madoka's sharp eye and participation makes her want to point her staff's tip at the drone as she anticipates it's next move.
This time, the drone emits a red laser beam as it attacks, and lands on Luke's leg causing him to tumble over as Luke took the hit and backed away a little bit, and places his hand over the leg that the drone shot him with. Unfornately, Madoka wasn't able to block the laser beam as it was too fast for her to react as she made a swing inbetween Luke and the drone.
Han lets loose with a chuckle and said, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
Luke deactivated his saber as he heard Han's mock at him, "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Madoka hears this as well as she felt crossed from what Han said, "Do you really have to say that, mister?"
Han smuggly explains to the two as he said, "Kids, I've flown from one side of the galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."
Luke and Madoka looked at Han with an unamused stern look as Ben smiles quietly.
"It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." -Han
"I suggest you two should try again, Madoka and Luke." Ben said as he stands up from his seat, gets a large helmet similar to that of an X-Wing Pilot's helmet but with a blast shield on it instead of the transparent visor. Then he approaches Luke and places the helmet on him. "This time, let go of your conscious self, and act on instinct."
Madoka saw Luke with the helmet on as if he were blindfolded, then she remembered a similar technique like this when she's on the beach with Sayaka, Kyouko, Mami and Homura while they are playing party games; in which it was hitting a watermelon that Kyubey is holding, and the player must be blindfolded to hit the watermelon after being spun three times.
Flashback
It was a sunny and hot day when the Holy Quintet was playing party games at the beach, and wearing their perspective bikinis and swimwear. (Author: I'm not gonna bother describing this lol, but to be clear; Sayaka = Blue, Kyouko = Red, Madoka = Pink, Mami = Yellow, and Homura = Purple and Black)
Mami volunteered to play the game as she's the first to be blindfolded, holding the handle of the baseball bat tightly and Madoka and others cheered her on before Mami proceeds to hit the watermelon in which Kyubey is holding the melon.
About 3 meters away from Mami to the melon, she said, "All right..!" and approached to the watermelon, landing the first hit on it, but missed as Kyubey messed her concentration by moving it to the side a bit.
Second attempt, she tried to land a hit, but she missed.
Third attempt, failed again.
Mami had enough, frustrated in anger as she transformed into her iconic western magical girl form; a beret on top of her head along with her large golden flower shaped Soul Gem accessory that looks like a hair clip next to her left hair drills, she has yellow skirt with brown tips, and her top is a long-sleeved white shirt with puffy shoulder sleeves. In-between her skirt and her top, a brown corset-like clothing garment that fits her curvy hips. And her legs with grey and white striped leggings and black and yellow knee-high boots.
She jumped into the air, and shouted, "Tiro Finale!", summoned what appears to be a larger sized mix of her signature musket rifle but the handle resembles a revolver. Still blindfolded, she winked under it as she fired the weapon at the watermelon, Kyubey was stunned by the explosion and fainted.
The game ends when Mami transformed back to her normal form, the watermelon is sliced in halves, and the Holy Quintet took a slice by each and one of them, ate the watermelon slices. They had a blast playing other party games after this one.
Flashback ends
After remembering the beach party game, Madoka attempts to do the same thing here; but this time, she closed her eyes and stands in a fighting position.
Ben turned his gaze at Madoka too, as he turned to Luke again, then Madoka. Ben studied carefully at both of her movements as the drone focuses it's range to Luke first, with the saber activated with the blue blade. Luke swings the lightsaber around blindly missing the seeker, which fires off another laser shot which hits Luke square on the seat of his pants. He lets out a painful yell, "OW!" and attempts to hit the seeker.
"Stretch out with your feelings." Ben suggested, as Luke let out a long sigh and tries again.
Luke stands on one place, and the same as Madoka. Sayaka joined in as well in her spot with her eyes closed. The drone makes a dive at Luke, and incredibly, manages to deflect the bolts. The drone ceases fire as it lunges next to Madoka.
"See? You can do it." Ben said that to Luke as he's impressed. Now it's Madoka's turn.
Madoka closed her eyes, and let out a big sigh and tried to read the drone's position as she pointed the staff's tip at the drone. Ben studied her movements as the drone shoots at Madoka three times as she managed to deflect them faster in time for her to react. Surpringly, no hits landed on Madoka.
The drone ceased fire and lunged at Sayaka. Now it's Sayaka's turn.
Sayaka held onto her single cutlass sword's handle and she pointed the razor-sharp tip at the drone blindly since she also closed her eyes just like Madoka. Before she can respond, she thought to herself after seeing Madoka closed her eyes and made her remember the watermelon game from the beach they played before at the beach in Mitakihara.
"That's a good technique you got there, Madoka." she thought to herself as she attempts to read the position of the drone, ten feet away from her.
The drone shoots three times and Sayaka swiftly dodges and manages to deflect two, but also resulting in slicing the drone in half and it explodes.
Ben was surprised to see Sayaka's speed and attacks after that, and now he is proud to see his three apprentices before him passed the first test of the training session.
Author's Note: Ah yes, time for Madoka and Sayaka's time to shine with their iconic weapons in action; during their Jedi Training. Now they're ready to take the next step into a larger work in the next chapter. Also, the beach scene in the flashback is a reference from the Japanese Madoka Magica Pachinko (Arcade Slot Machine). I thought that would be a nice easter egg for all of you to recognize (if you haven't already). Anyways, that's all and 'till next chapter!