Hold thy Judgment

"You aren't as surprised as I thought you'd be, Leon."

Under the black suit of armor was Princess Katrina Shoud, the crowd soon began chanting princess, showing who's side they were on.

Up above, Serena only shook her head at Atticus. "I can't believe you two actually did this, all the suspense, and what was the end goal?"

"The end goal? To stop Leon and the Apostles. Maeva wouldn't have been my first choice as a Guardian but she would've been a better option than the Earth human." He explained before letting out a deep sigh. "But. Her honor lost it for her. So this is the last resort."

"You know why I didn't stop this, right? Leon will beat her. Just watch."

Varius was losing his mind in the audience finding out who Justice was, with the Komodron Elder trying to keep him calm.

Courtney, Maeva, and Robin shook their heads with the same thought. "Definitely rigged."

Leon only stood there with a smile on his face. "Am I surprised? Yes. Am I in dumbfounded shock? No. This is exactly something you would do. You're such a control freak that you would want to take me out personally. But, I have grown. I took the hardest road you took the easiest. You started every round weak, I finished it strong. I'm not losing to the likes of a high class spoiled brat."

The announcer gave it one more try. "Ladies and gentlemen!!! Our Finals matchup is now Princess Katrina Shoud versus Leon Atkins!!!! Competitors are you readyyyyy?!"

"Yes."

"Let's geeet iiiiiiiit!"

"Do you really have to do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"LET OUR NEW GUARDIAN BE DECIDED!!!" START THE MATCH!!!!"

"ORIOON SUPERRNOVAAAA!!!" Leon had drawn Silva already and went on the hard offensive. The shimmering blue arrow grew out into a compact blue sun that exploded on Katrina at fairly close range.

Smoke and dust covered the point of the impact, but as it cleared, she'd been unscathed. With a cracked barrier surrounding her.

Katrina panted a bit. "You realize I know every move before you make it right?"

"Yeah. But that doesn't mean you could stop it like you just barely did. And you can make barriers? Good to know." Leon stated as he calmly stood where he started still.

Katrina walked towards Leon as her blade unsheathed itself using her telekinesis, it floated in front of her until it launched at Leon. He dodged it easily, but it came back around and caught his right shoulder, cutting him open.

"That's annoying." He said as he switched to the element of lightning. In an instant, he is right on top of Katrina before she could react with his Blitz Movement. He uses it repeatedly to strike her. A strong forearm strike to the head, a kick in the back of her left knee, then finishing with a strong stomp in the middle of her back to make her taste the dirt.

In a flash, he got ten feet of distance from her. She slowly got back to her feet while her weapon still floated in the air.

"What happened to your barrier, Katrina?"

Katrina dusted her hair off with frustration. "You know how many hours it takes to get my hair looking this pristine?! Now it's full of DIRT!"

"That's what you're….you know what here."

Leon aided her by blasting her head with water from his blade. "All clean!"

Katrina got even more aggravated after her hair was drenched, while Leon just stood there grinning at her. She got her blade back in her hand, letting out a demonic screech, as she used her telekinesis to throw him straight up in the air.

"Oh look. I can see Courtney, Maeva, Robin, Varius, Charlotte...and now they're smaller. Huh…smaller?!"

Leon finally recognized the peril he was in, being roughly fifty feet in the air. "The coliseum is shaped like an ice cream cone...hopefully the barrier is too." He blasted himself over the audience and saw the water run off the barrier at an angle. He quickly let himself drop and slid down, until he landed back on solid ground again.

He took a deep breath and let out a panicked yell that he'd held in. Katrina was standing there laughing at him, only getting under his skin more.

"That could've actually killed me!" Leon exclaimed.

"No. I wouldn't actually kill you. But breaking your body...another story." She responded, failing to hide the pure joy in her voice.

Leon did something peculiar. He sheathed Silva and drew the broadsword instead, walking to Katrina as he smiled. "You may know what I think, but you can't beat me in close combat."

"Playing to my pride are we? Hmph, you'll be much easier than Courtney was." Katrina said a bit snottily.

"Really? Cause I bested her didn't you know? I got one over on her after months of trying."

"What?!" Katrina's face said it all, she didn't know what Leon meant, and all he kept in his mind was that truth. His truth, and she was terrified. "You couldn't have! I don't believe you! Now fight!"

She handled her longsword and swung at Leon viciously. He blocked with pure strength, pushing Katrina backwards in their deadlock. Leon moved with a sudden burst in his legs and knocked her backwards on her rear.

"Jeeez, you have the balance of every girl in a slasher movie." Leon teased.

Learning what she had from Earth's culture, Katrina knew what he meant. "Don't compare me to that….you...you….!"

Leon cut her off. "Say it, Katrina!"

"Commoner!!!!" She got filled with rage and slashed at him wildly, he recognized her moves almost vividly.

"You strike like your mother does."

"And?!"

"I know her moves well!"

Leon blocked each strike flawlessly, before finding the opening he needed and slashed up at an angle while she had the blade in one hand, making her arm and blade go upwards. Before moving back a half step and with a half moon rotation, crushed her chest plate with his blade, denting it badly and even cracking it.

She staggered backwards back on the dirt again, trying to catch her breath after the wind was knocked out of her.

"You're not Salandra, you're not Raize, you're not Perceval, you're not Oni, and you sure as hell are not Maeva. You've had it easy, just like everything else in your life, today is the day you learn that people like me won't hand you a damned thing, you have to EARN it." Leon said, sounding a bit preachy but did it to get the point across as he pointed his blade at her.

"You act like you've lived in a dump. When in reality, you yourself have had finer things than half your planet gets! Where do you get off preaching to me?!" Katrina yelled at him as she peeled off her chestplate, wearing silver colored chainmail underneath.

"I've dealt with politics, forced to be polite no matter what their minds really say, live on like my brother isn't out there somewhere! I….even worried for your life too, you ungrateful peasant!"

She got back to her feet, looking into Leon's eyes with a fire lit in her own. "I'll admit this much. You came a long way, you've done more than most any Earth human could have. But you aren't special."

She attacked him again with more precision, and just as he thought he'd had her blocked, she dug her gauntlet-covered hand into the wound she'd created earlier and opened it more, making him grit his teeth writhing in pain, dropping his blade.

She used her telekinesis to sheathe her sword. Then used it to enhance her own body strength, digging into the wound more as she gripped his throat, she ran hard and smashed him into the wall, choking him as he bled over her hand as well as his own arm.

"I won't lose to someone who is quick to judge just because of my status! Maybe..I just want to be able to move about without celebrity status! Ever think of that Leon?!" She yelled at him more as he choked and squirmed.

"Anyone who wants that is insane."

"You wanted it!"

Leon grabbed her arm with his free hand, in response she lifted him up the wall, giving him opportunity. He bent his legs as she did, letting him push off the wall with his feet, and grabbed the now released arm that choked him and pulled it behind her. If she didn't free him, her arm was going to impact and shatter at the shoulder.

She freed his arm and pried herself free of his grip with her power, making him land flat on his back, while she did also. Leon hopped to his feet and grabbed his broadsword, sheathing it at his hip.

"All I wanted was to change the way my mom and I were viewed. You don't need to tell me I was misguided. I know I was. But to say I hate you for your class is misguided. I really care for my friend Syrus, I do. He's the only true friend I had on Earth and my dumbass screwed that up. What I liked about him most? He never treated me like I was less. Since I came here...Humans, Wolves, Komodrons, Vampires, and hell even Dragons...you said are less than." Leon explained as Katrina got to her feet, looking at him as she quietly seethed.

"Besides humans, these are beings that I thought lived in fantasy. I've yet to meet the Wolves, but I'd like to. The others? They are so overwhelming to see for the first time, because they exist! These powerful beings that have hopes, goals, dreams, just like us EXIST! And you treat them like we on Earth treat those who are different in beliefs, skin, and origin! Don't lump me in with you, I'm not that!"

Leon took a deep breath from all his talking, he wasn't sure where all that came from himself, he just blurted it out. Amongst the loud audience, only Katrina, Serena, Courtney and Charlotte heard him. Courtney nearly cried, and Charlotte had to hide herself, as she didn't want anyone to see her feelings come out. Serena smiled but felt sad that not everyone heard him.

Katrina was incensed, she threw him into the left part of the wall with her powers, then forced him into the opposite wall, then the wall straight across from her before pulling him back in front of her.

"Good for you Leon. You should live with them, since you find them so breathtaking. Hell! Go marry one of their women since you're so in love with them! Guardians protect humans, not them! You'll be a liability. I knew it, my father knew it!"

She slammed him into the ground, repeatedly. Her power felt like a car crash pressuring Leon's body down and down and down until the hole was at six feet. He barely held his consciousness. Katrina looked down and saw he was still awake enough to hear.

"I tried. I tried seeing from yours and my mother's perspective. But I couldn't. I simply couldn't bring myself to do it. I thank you though. You really battered Oni with the viciousness of a demon. But, that's all you've been good for."

Leon couldn't really speak with his external voice, but he spoke with his internal voice. "Come off of it. You have no identity of your own, you don't have a voice of your own. You are your father's echo. Nothing more."

Katrina only grew more livid, but she wanted to really dig at him instead. "Leon..Morello At-..no wait, wait! That's not your legal last name...it's Leon Morello ROBINSON. My mother has been very nice to you about it, and you've told others as well, I'll speak the truth that you always want people to say."

Leon immediately heard echoes in his head.

"The school may say Atkins for your sake, but Robinson is all you'll ever be."

"Hey Robinson! You gonna beat your family too?!"

"You want a drink? It'll help you end it faster."

"Robinson! Robinson! Robinson!"

He got lost in his past as he felt the pain of his body, but when he shook it off, the adrenaline kicked in. "You...you're traversing where no one should, and you'll pay for it…!"