Chapter Four: Ready for the future

REVIEW RESPONSES:

LEGOBRICK13: Yeah, the hypocrisy of the Jedi is pretty blatant. There are only a few Jedi I can really appreciate, including Shaak Ti and Plo Koon. Of course, most Jedi aren't necessarily bad people, they just can't see how their beliefs limit them, which is why I love Qui-Gon so much.

The reaction of the Earth served as a microcosm of how the Republic at large felt about All Might's announcement. While Katsuki didn't know the full extent of the response, what he had heard from his parents was enough to get a pretty good picture of what the people were thinking.

At first, there was simply just confusion. An army spanning the entire Republic hadn't been a thing for thousands of years, and so it had been met with a general uneasiness. Katsuki had noticed his teachers talking in hushed whispers about the likelihood of war coming to the galaxy. The Earth had only been in the Republic for a few hundred years, the idea of a war on that scale was unheard of and, to most people, terrifying.

The idea that All Might, the one who brought peace to an otherwise chaotic world of crime, was in support of a bill that would surely bring about such a war without question was odd, to say the least. He was usually one for the protection of peace, and the well-being of others, so supporting plans for a war was out of character, that much was clear to Katsuki, who idolized the man as much as that weak Deku did. Unlike Deku, Katsuki could actually one day surpass him thanks to his powerful Quirk.

In Katsuki's mind, anything that All Might believed was the way it should be. He had his reasons for choosing to support the bill, and far be it from him to question the greatest hero to ever breathe. He wasn't going to just follow him blindly like an idiot, but he was still going to become a hero, even if it meant he would end up fighting in a war. If the bill were passed, that is.

Katsuki hadn't really been paying attention to the class he was in, his mind more worried about the state of the world. It was for that reason that his name cut through the air like a knife through butter. Katsuki looked back to the front of the room and saw his angry teacher, a man with hair that looked a lot like someone he remembered being called the 'King of Rock and Roll' from a time before Quirks.

"Katsuki! I know we give you some freedom, but do not let freedom allow yourself to get distracted in my class!" scolded the mean faced man. His teeth were exposed by his scowl, showing how sharp they were, a result of his Quirk. "If you really want to be a hero, you've gotta pass your classes first!"

Katsuki winced, knowing his grades had been slipping as of late. It had been a couple of weeks since Deku had disappeared with the Jedi, and ever since that day Katsuki had always had a reason to be distracted. Between Deku's disappearance and All Might's announcement to the galaxy, Katsuki had a reason to be.

Still, Katsuki had a fire in his heart, one pushing him to be a hero as great, if not greater, than All Might, so he put his head down and returned to the class he was in.

Izuku had grown accustomed to life at the Temple. He had a couple of lessons everyday, be it based on the foundations of lightsaber combat or the basics of how to feel the Force and use it in minor ways. For instance, in the lesson he was just walking out of, he had been taught how to lift objects with the Force. While he hadn't been able to figure it out, he had made it budge just a little. He had been told to not try when he did it, but it just didn't mesh well with him.

Ahsoka stood next to him, the others heading in a different direction, specifically towards the dorm room. "Look, you'll be fine. I didn't get it on my first try," Ahsoka reassured as they continued down the hall, passing by a robed Jedi Knight, who paid them no mind, thankfully.

'Yeah but it didn't you very long," Izuku retorted gloomily. If he was remembering correctly, Ahsoka lifted a boulder into the air on her fourth or fifth try. Izuku had tried over a dozen different times and had failed each and every time.

Ahsoka sighed. "Look, just because you didn't do that good at lifting something doesn't make you any worse than us, okay?" she said, turning him with her hands to where they stared into each other's eyes. Izuku, a little uncomfortable, nodded, though it didn't seem to fool Ahsoka. "I don't need to be a mind reader to tell that you don't think you're as good as us. I don't know who put that in your head, but they're wrong."

Izuku thought of Katsuki back home, who would definitely disagree with her on that point.

"You mastered what Master Drallig taught you like that!" Ahsoka exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Even Vesuvus didn't get it as fast as you did! Who cares about some dumb rock?" Izuku looked away, knowing that he was the one who cared. "Truth be told, I think he's actually a little jealous of you," Ahsoka shared, leaving Izuku dumbfounded.

"What would he be jealous of?" Izuku asked. A pair of Jedi, a Master and a Padawan, walked by, the Padawan casting a glance at them. The Padawan seemed a little out of place, though Izuku couldn't quite place as to why that might be. It was just a gut feeling that he had, and with Force sensitives, gut feelings seemed to be more likely than one may think.

Ahsoka laughed, making Izuku feel stupid. "Are you kidding me? The way he stared at you when you were dueling Marra..." she trailed off, not elaborating further, which didn't help to cheer Izuku up. Noticing that, Ahsoka continued. "Besides, it's not like you were the only one who didn't get a good handle on lifting things with the Force!"

Izuku knew what she was referring to. Alzarad hadn't lifted much of anything, only getting a few pebbles off of the ground. Not that size mattered, as Master Yoda had said in his usual cryptic manner. Izuku was starting to figure out how his speech patterns worked, but it still caught him off guard sometimes.

"I guess, but I still need to work on it," Izuku relented, if only to see a change to the subject. His stomach growled moments later, which gave Ahsoka an idea.

A smile formed on her face. "No wonder you're in such a bad mood, you were trying to use the Force on an empty stomach!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, does that actually matter?" Izuku wondered aloud as Ahsoka grabbed him by his arm and ran with him down the hall, heading towards the Temple's cafeteria.

Well, to call it a cafeteria would put the wrong image in your head. Unlike the rather stale environment his school's cafeteria had been, the Temple's mess hall was like the Temple itself, a shining example of how the Light caused things to thrive.

Fauna growed to miraculous sizes inside of large pots that were positioned throughout the room, one at each side of the couple dozen tables that were set up in the expansive chamber. However, the manner in which you obtained the food was similar to how it worked at home, and soon Ahsoka and Izuku were sat at a table, which resembled a picnic table more than a dinner table.

Izuku bit into the sandwich, which had the meat of a creature from Ryloth in it, as well as a few slices of lettuce and a tomato. Something about the way the cooks here made the food caused the food to have an almost heavenly taste.

He took a seat near the door they had entered from, Ahsoka taking the seat directly across from him. Seeing the pleased look on his face, Ahsoka smiled. "See, I knew you'd feel better after you got some food!"

At that moment, Vesuvus and Marra came into the mess hall, Alzarad not far behind, looking as if he had just taken a shower. "Looks like the party's arrived," Ahsoka remarked as they came to their table, trays of food in hand.

"I figured we'd find you guys here," Vesuvus said, giving Izuku an odd look as he sat down next to Ahsoka. "I'm sure Izuku feels pretty hungry after that performance he put on in there," he joked, though no one laughed at it, which made Izuku feel a little better.

"Look, I'm sure you guys both feel bad, but don't," Marra reassured, taking a bite out of her sandwich, which had far more vegetables and no meat. "I mean, it's one day, you've got years to get it!" she pointed out, which did help to ease Izuku's worries. The stress left his face, and he took another chunk out of his sandwich, the time passing with jokes and laughter.

The day had been extremely long, dealing with the unexpected wrench that had been thrown in Sheev's plans. That blasted hero, All Might, had essentially rallied his peers from Earth to the Republic's cause. While yes, this would mean that the war was drawing nearer, potentially faster than Sheev thought would've been possible, but he had thought that the superpowered people of Earth would remain neutral in the war.

Dooku, for his part, had an idea of what to do about it. In his time as a Jedi, he heard rumors of an old Jedi, one from the Jedi's prime years a few hundred years ago. This Jedi had a brother, a villain on Earth by the name of All for One. Supposedly, he could steal the powers of his people and use them as his own, the kind of ability that could be used to disrupt the Earth's safety rather well, which could keep them out of the war.

If the Earth were to join the war, it would make things far more difficult to plan for. Earthlings were wild cards by nature, capable of manipulating the elements around them and summoning strength surpassing even the best of the wookie warriors. The best of the Earthlings had the power to change the weather with sheer strength, or create a raging inferno as hot as a star.

If Sheev were to keep this from happening, he would need to meet with this All for One figure. It was for that reason why he was flying across the galaxy, Dooku, or Tyrannus, as his Sith name would have him be known as. His ship was dark and sleek, drawing no attention. If the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic were caught visiting Earth with a rogue Jedi his entire plan would come crumbling down around him yet Dooku needed to accompany him to affirm that joining his side would grant powers unbelievable to the average person.

So, as a droid pulled them out of hyperspace in front of Earth, it's blue atmosphere gleaming in the light of the nearby star, Sheev knew that they would need to track down this All for One man before it was too late.