Story continues.
...
Shazamazon Jungle, 5:30 PM.
Day 233.
Year 3237.
The skirmish in the jungle has been going on for ten minutes, and so far, no one is close to winning. In the fight between Hershey and Drago, the Feline was constantly going after hitting him in the ribs with combinations of kicks and punches while also using her slick movements to avoid the Wolf's punches, as his claws were made of metal. The white Wolf made an attempt to claw Hershey in the face, but the Feline moved out of the way before delivering a kick into his hind knee. The kick made Drago grunt out in pain. Before the Wolf could recover, Hershey punched him repeatedly in the jaw. Getting angry by the punches, Drago suddenly shot out with his arm and grabbed her by the throat, but Hershey kicked the Wolf's arm and broke free from his hold before she charged him.
Lobo, while punching a legionnaire in the jaw, saw this and turned to Sean, who was still deflecting blaster shots into the ground.
"Sean!" Lobo called as he pointed to Hershey, who was still fighting Drago. "I need you to go help her fend off Drago!"
The Jedi used his upper buddy to dodge some shots before reverting to use his lightsaber. He then eyed Lobo and asked: "Are you sure you can handle all of these legionnaires by yourselves?"
"Don't worry, just go!" Lobo yelled as he threw off a legionnaire who jumped onto him.
Sean nodded and made his way to the Feline in distress, but there was just one problem, there were three legionnaires blocking his way.
"Look, I really wanted to get to know you, but the lady over there is the reason why I am here." Sean began while pointing the tip of his lightsaber at the legionnaires. "So if you would be so nice and move-"
Sean was interrupted as the legionnaires began shooting. The exchange was short as the Jedi redirected them back at the black-hooded soldiers. One by one, The legionnaires collapsed onto the ground after getting hit by their own shots. Wasting no time, Sean quickly passed the downed legionnaires and made an attempt to help the Feline.
RARRGHH!
Sean quickly turned to the direction of the roar, only to find himself getting tackled into the ground by no less than Grandmaster Razorklaw. The impact made Sean drop his lightsaber, which was picked up by a legionnaire who stood nearby. The Jedi kicked the exiled Felidae off of him and leaped up on his feet.
"You know, it is not nice to jump on people like that!" Sean remarked with a cheeky tone.
"You humiliated me yesterday, Overlander!" Razorklaw snarled as he prepared to attack. "And for that, I'm going to tear you to shreds!"
Sean got into his fighting stance and muttered: "Go for it."
Razorklaw didn't need to hear that a second time. He rushed at the Jedi and threw a punch at him, only for Sean to lean backwards before jabbing the Grandmaster several times in the face. Trying to put a stop to the jabs, Razorklaw threw a right hook at Sean. The Jedi ducked and used his footwork to quickly move out of the way while repeatedly jabbing him in the face before delivering a right hook to Razorklaw's jaw. The Grandmaster recovered from the hook and engaged Sean with multiple punches at the Jedi's face, but the Jedi evaded all the punches by either ducking or moving away.
Razorklaw doesn't know what's happening right now, he's being stunned by Sean's fighting style. He was slowly reaching boiling point, but there was only one good thing about this: Sean had dropped his weapon, without which, the Jedi would be less of a threat. Out of reflex... Or pure luck, Razorklaw had managed to grab one of Sean's hands with his metallic claw. The Jedi tried to pry free, but the Grandmaster grip was too strong.
"You're trapped, Overlander." Razorklaw growled as he prepared to claw Sean with his free hand. "Say goodbye, hairless."
After Razorklaw said that, the Jedi realized that he still had one free hand. A plan formed in his head.
"Goodbye, Grandmaster." Sean smirked as he shot out his free hand and used the Force to push Razorklaw away from him, which forced the Grandmaster to let go of Sean's hand.
Razorklaw flew right into a tree and banged his back into the hard wooden surface, knocking him out cold.
"One down, one to go." Sean said to himself while observing the unconscious Grandmaster.
"FREEZE OVERLANDER!"
The Jedi turned, and saw two legionnaires point their weapons at him. One of them had Sean's lightsaber attached to his belt.
"Oh, thanks for keeping my lightsaber safe." Sean started. "I would like it back, if you don't mind, as I'm on a tight schedule."
The legionnaire with the lightsaber snorted. "Yeah, right, like we would give back your weapon!" He then tightened his grip on his blaster. "Now, on your knees."
"Alright." Sean conceded as he slowly got onto his knees.
Heyshey, on the other hand, was still fighting Drago, when she saw what Sean was doing. The Jedi looked back at her and winked.
"What is he doing?" Hershey said to herself in confusion.
With the Feline distracted, Drago didn't hesitate to deliver a hook into Hershey's jaw, sending her tumbling towards the ground.
"Never take your eyes off your target, toots!" Drago gloated as he picked up the dazed Feline.
The two legionnaires, with their weapons still aimed at Sean, slowly approached him. Sean anticipated this; He bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes. He felt the power of the Force flow through him. With a flick of his right hand, Sean used the Force to ignite his lightsaber, which was still attached to the legionnaire's belt.
"AH, WHAT THE HELL?!" The legionnaire screamed in panic as he frantically jumped around to avoid the green blade. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
The other legionnaire tried to help his companion, but in doing so, Sean quickly rolled over to the distressed legionnaire and snatched his lightsaber from him. Before both legionnaires could register what had happened, the Jedi had ignited his weapon and cut their blasters to pieces, right before he kicked them in the back of their heads, knocking them both out.
With that out of the way, Sean turned his attention to Drago, who was currently manhandling Hershey.
The White Wolf threw the Feline into a tree, and she landed on the jungle ground, leaving her dazed. Before Hershey could recover, Drago had already picked her up by the collar of her vest. The Grandmaster snarled as he glared at her.
"This time, nothing will distract us!" Drago growled as he prepared to strike her with his metallic claw.
Hershey watched, as Drago drew back his arm. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for impact, but what happened next, she couldn't predict. The Feline heard a whoosh and clash sound, before she felt herself falling towards the ground. Hershey opened her eyes, and to her horror, in front of her was Drago's severed legionized arm, with fresh burn marks formed where his arm was cut. Looking up, she saw Sean standing next to her, pointing his lightsaber at Drago, who was clutching the stump where his arm used to be.
"Surrender, Drago." The Jedi commanded in a low tone as he got closer to the Grandmaster.
Drago spotted four legionnaires approaching Hershey and Sean from behind. He gave the Jedi an evil grin and said: "It's not over yet, Overlander... KILL THEM!"
The legionnaires started shooting. Sean whipped around and blocked all incoming shots with his lightsaber. As the Jedi was busy dealing with the legionnaires, Hershey saw that Drago attempted to sneak away, but with her quickness, the Feline tackled the Wolf and twisted his only arm behind his back into an arm lock. Sean saw what had happened and knew he needed to end this quickly. He turned off his lightsaber and Force-jumped up to the treetops. All four legionnaires frantically pointed their weapons upwards as they looked for where Sean had disappeared to.
"How does he do that?" The first legionnaire asked.
"I don't know, but that's not what scares me." The second legionnaire replied.
The first legionnaire looked puzzled at his colleague. "Then, what are you worried about?" He asked again.
"Maybe this will give you a clue!" Sean's voice said from above.
As quickly as he disappeared, Sean leaped from the treetops behind the legionnaires. Before the legionnaires could react, the Jedi kicked the first legionnaire in the jaw, gave the second one an uppercut and punched the third legionnaire square in the face. The fourth legionnaire made a break for Sean, but the Jedi Force-pushed him, which sent him flying.
After a while, Razorklaw recovered from his tree collision, but as he was about to get up and go after Sean, he failed to see the legionnaire flying towards him. The legionnaire collided with the Grandmaster and they both collapsed onto the ground.
After dealing with the four legionnaires, Sean picked up a blaster from one of the unconscious legionnaires before walking up to Hershey. He stopped in his tracks when he heard Lobo call his name.
"Sean! We're gonna' need your help over here!"
"Think you got this guy?" Sean asked as he tossed the blaster to the Feline.
"I think I'll manage." Hershey replied as she caught the blaster in her hand. She loaded it and placed it on Drago's back.
"By the way, my name is Sean Dontor." The Jedi told the Feline.
"I know." She smiled. "And for future reference, I am Hershey, Hershey St. John."
"St. John." Sean pondered, and then it clicked. She shared the same last name as Naugus' right-hand man, Geoffrey. Are they related somehow? It was possible... And Sean knew that he would get answers in due time, but until then, he would have to be patient and let all this play out by itself. "That's a nice name." He then replied.
"Hurry, Sean!" Lobo called out again. "We can't keep this up for long!"
Sean shrugged and pushed his thoughts aside. He ignited his lightsaber and hurried to the three Wolves' aid. Once the legionnaires saw him approach them, they redirected their blaster shots towards him. Sean began to deflect the blaster shots back at the black-hooded soldiers.
"Good, you're here!"
Still deflecting shots, Sean turned and saw Lobo approach him.
"I thought you three had everything under control." Sean joked.
Lobo ignored Sean's remark, while punching a legionnaire in the jaw. "We need your help if we are to make a quick exit." He replied as he kicked another legionnaire in the guts. "Did you help her fend off Drago?"
Sean used the Force to push an approaching legionnaire away from him. "Oh, Hershey got Drago under control, and I also took care of Razorklaw on my way there."
Lobo used his club to knock out a legionnaire. "Well, it looks like we got everything wrapped up here then." He then looked towards Diablo and Reynard, then at Sean. "Let's get this over with, everyone!"
Diablo, Reynard and Sean all nodded in agreement and resumed to fight off the horde of legionnaires. And with Sean's help, the number of attacking legionnaires were greatly reduced. However, this didn't go unnoticed, as Razorklaw had just recovered from flying the tree. He deduced that if they didn't retreat now, they wouldn't be left with enough legionnaires to even fight back against their enemies. He turned his head towards the right and saw their target, Hershey, holding Drago at gunpoint.
As much as he despises him, Razorklaw needed Drago alive, or he would lose control of the Wolf legionnaires. All he needed was a way to get Hershey away from the white Wolf- No, he decided to do what he does best: Pounce her and tear her to shreds before she has any time to react.
While beating the legionnaires with his club, Lobo saw Razorklaw getting ready to attack Hershey. The Feline had her back turned against him, so she was unaware of what was about to happen. In the span of a heartbeat, Razorklaw got on all fours and charged at her like a predator would ambush it's prey.
Without hesitation and without second thoughts, Lobo sprinted to Hershey's aid, readying the club in his hand.
"HERSHEY! BEHIND YOU!"
Startled by Lobo's yell, Hershey turned around and almost dropped the blaster in her hand when she saw Razorklaw charge her at full speed. Before he could get to her though, Lobo stepped in and smacked the Grandmaster in the jaw with his club. Razorklaw fell to the ground while clutching his jaw in pain. The exiled Felidae tried to get up, but discovered that both Reynard and Diabo had their spears pointed at him.
With Razorklaw down, Lobo turned his attention to Drago. He knelt down to Grandmaster so they were face to face.
"Order your troops to retreat, Drago." Lobo ordered calmly. "And we'll let you and Razorklaw go."
Hershey looked surprised at Lobo's request, but decided to remain silent.
"We're not going anywhere without her." Drago snarled while glaring at Hershey.
Lobo looked back at his group who had the remaining legionnaires beat. He turned his attention back to Drago.
"You and Razorklaw are in no position to make demands, Drago." Lobo said. "Either retreat, or you'll face the Grand Chief's justice for your crimes."
Drago knew he didn't have a choice. Either he would be taken prisoner by the Wolf Pack, while Razorklaw would most likely be turned over to the Felidae Kingdom. Or he would be allowed to retreat with his remaining legionnaires, but without what they came for.
"So, what's it going to be, Drago?" Lobo asked, clearly expecting an answer.
"Fine!" Drago snarled in disgust. "The deal is agreed upon."
Wolf Pack Nation. Grand Chief's residence, 6:45 PM.
"...And after that, Drago and Razorklaw ordered the Dark Egg Legion to retreat, and Hershey here decided to go with us."
Lobo was explaining the search and rescue mission to his family. They, along with Sean and Hershey, were enjoying a delicious dinner made by Canus.
"Anything else I need to know about what happened?" Lupe questioned.
Hershey put down her knife and fork. "You are probably wondering what I am doing so far away from home." She replied.
"You're not from the region?" Sean asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Hershey shook her head. "No, I usually reside in New Mobotropolis, but that was before I ventured here." She explained.
"New Mobotropolis?" Sean asked in surprise.
"Something wrong with that?" Hershey asked with skepticism.
"Not at all." Sean replied calmly. "I have a few friends there."
"Yeah, Sonic, Tails and Amy if I'm not mistaken."
Sean sipped some water when she said that. He swallowed the water and turned his head towards Hershey.
"How do you know that?" He asked.
"I watched the four of you infiltrate the base yesterday when rescuing Leeta and Lyco, and later, you and Sonic fought Metal Sonic near the Shazamazon Falls." The Cat explained. "And by the way, you never thanked me for helping you."
Sean looked puzzled at Hershey's statement. "W-What do you mean?" He asked again.
"Well, you didn't actually think that the headshot came out of nowhere, did you?" Hershey smirked.
"Headshot?" Sean questioned. He started to put the puzzle pieces together, then finally, it hit him. "That was you?"
Hershey nodded.
First, Sean was surprised, but then smirked impressed at her. "Well, I guess a thank you is in order." The Jedi said. "But I cannot speak on behalf of the others who fought him as well."
Hershey only nodded in response and resumed eating. after three minutes of eating, the Feline broke the silence.
"I got a question for you, Sean." Hershey began.
Sean faced Hershey and replied: "Okay?"
Hershey leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. She rested her chin on her hands as she looked at Sean with curiosity and spoke: "You're not from Mobius, are you?"
Sean was impressed by Hershey's insight. It is no wonder she was able to stay undercover for so long and escape the base and level half of it to the ground on her way out. This particular Cat was a gifted and resourceful field agent. Whoever mentored her must be an excellent field agent himself.
"What makes you think that?" Sean asked with calm in his tone.
"No Human or Overlander on Mobius possesses the powers or agility like you." Hershey explained.
"Maybe there are other people on this planet who has the same powers as me that you are unaware of." Sean said.
"Probably other Mobians who we already know of." Hershey shrugged. "But I have never seen a single one of your kind pull off what you did in the past two days."
There was a minutes pause as Hershey took her time to find the right words for Sean.
"Just, what are you?" Hershey asked the Jedi. "Are you some kind of warrior from outer space?"
Sean took a few seconds to compose himself before he replied: "Yes, you can say that I am, but allow me to elaborate, I am a Jedi knight, a warrior trained as a peace keeper and to protect the universe." He then said: "But enough about me, tell us why you are so far from home?"
"I think we all would want to hear that." Lupe said. "But perhaps we should resume this tomorrow, it's getting late and some of us has had a long day."
"Especially you, Hershey." Lobo smiled. "You look like someone who could use a good night's rest."
And speaking of tomorrow." Sean began as he turned to face his Padawan. "Marcos, there is an issue that you and I need to address."
"What is it." Marcos asked with curiosity.
"It's about your Jedi training." Sean explained as he took a sip of his water and placed the cup back on the table. "In tomorrow's lesson, I have decided that you should learn the basics on how to wield a lightsaber."
Marcos' face lit up, as if he got what he wanted for his birthday. He could barely contain his excitement as he quickly stood up on his chair and wagged his tail. Lupe, on the other hand, grew a shocked expression on her face and nearly chocked on her drink.
"really?!" Marcos asked with excitement. Sean smiled and gave a nod in response.
"What?!" Lupe asked, completely flabbergasted. "Y-You can't be serious?!"
Sean gave the Grand Chief a confused look, while everyone else eyed them both with nervous looks, uncertain of how this would end.
But who knows, maybe things would look better tomorrow when everyone has had a good night's sleep.
Author's note: Oh, Sean, what did you just do. After his discussions with Lupe earlier that day, he is still willing to test her limits? How will Marcos fare in his first lightsaber training? And what will Sean make of the Caves of Fate when he eventually decides to go there? Find out all of this in the future and I'll se you in chapter 21.