Young Justice: Warrior

2: Battle With A Beast

The teen chuckles, stepping out of the way of the boy's wild swing. The teen sticks out his leg in front of the boy, tripping him before the teen catches him by the tail. To Miss Martian's surprise, the boy seems to lose all energy when this occurs. "79 rounds and you still haven't learned to keep your tail wrapped." He drops the boy, letting him fall on his face. "Come on, I think I have just enough time to prove your 80 round theory wrong." The boy gets to his feet angrily, positioning himself in a fighting stance. "Keep laughing. I'll make you eat those words."

Just as the fight is about to start again, a large man with barely a tuft of hair on his head, yellow and black armour and a large, muscular body walks through the door. When M'gann lays eyes on the man, the scenery melts away, replaced with one of regal appearance. Looking around, a group of armoured men and women stand in a large, rectangular room. The balding giant stands at the head of the group, kneeling at the feet of a large throne. The room itself is regal, filled with intricate tapestry among other art. The most striking of which is along both walls. On the left, images portray a lone figure standing before an army. In the next image, the figure is seen looking towards what appears to be a moon. In the next, the humanoid figure has been replaced with that of a giant ape, though unlike the apes from earth, it has the tail reminiscent of the species present in the room. The next image is one of destruction. The ape, golden fur covering its body, looms over a burning planet.

M'gann shifts her gaze over to the right, taking in the artistry on the opposing side. This time, six figures stood before an army. They gather around a single warrior and the clouds part. The army is decimated and the figure stands tall amongst its comrades. M'gann already liked this row of images much better than the previous. It reminds her of a team, working together, just as she hopes her team would become some day. A team. A family. The next image, however, disheartens her. The warrior loses their fervour, fading back to their previous state and from the ashes of the battlefield comes a group of survivors. Each with a tail extending from their backsides, they proceed to slaughter the team.

As M'gann is contemplating the horrid art, she notices a figure standing in he shadows, watching the precession. The boy from earlier who now appears to be 11 years old, has a pained expression. Wondering what could have caused it, M'gann returns her focus back to the balding man. "Your Highness, the boy is not suited for battle. His soft-heartedness is nothing but a hindrance on the battlefield." The female figure seated atop the throne sighs. A long mane of black hair, white and red armour with a black spandex-like suit beneath, a regal, red cape lined with gold hangs from his armour. The man strokes his beard before staring down at his subjects. "If that is the case, I have no use for a warrior who cannot fight. Remove the boy's tail and transfer him to meat processing with Cara.

The hidden boy seems shocked by the lackadaisical command from the ruler, likely known as the King. Just as the boy is about to leave, someone speaks up from the doorway. "With all due respect, my King, placing that boy away from the fight would be a mistake." The men and women inside all turn their heads to face the intruder. As it turns out, the intruder is none other than the teen the boy had been sparring with. Alongside him, is a woman with mid-length black hair, blue and white armour and a brown tail wrapped around her waist. "How dare you intrude upon the King's throne room! Men, take him out!" "Delay that." The King speaks in a commanding tone, disregarding the balding man's words. The group obeys the king, quickly standing down.

The King's gaze falls upon the teen who spoke. "Mayze. You believe you have something to add?" "I do, my king." The teen bows, placing his right hand over his heart. "Then rise and approach the throne." The teen does as he is asked, walking at a respectful pace and stopping just in front of the balding man. "Speak." "Yes. As you know, I have been in charge of training the boy for two years now." The King nods. "In that time, I have witnessed the boy grow in many ways, not the least of which is his prowess in battle." The balding man scoffs, clearly unconvinced. "You have proof otherwise, Aikon?" The balding man, Aikon, stands beside the teen, bumping into him with his shoulder. "I do, your Majesty. The techniques the boy learned while under this one's tutelage is nothing when compared to his performance in the field."