Leonardo had assumed the lotus position. He had felt himself getting cocky after his easy victory over Jake, and wanted to bring himself back to a centered state. When he felt himself back where he wanted to be, he relaxed and slowly opened his eyes. Standing on the other end of the competition area were two guys, both wearing the grey uniforms he had admired earlier. They were sort of facing his direction, but Leonardo was unsure whether they were looking at him or not. He got to his feet and walked over to them.

"Hi," he said. "I'm number 83. Is one of you number 11?"

The two guys looked at each other, then back at him. "Me," said the taller one.

"I guess you're my next opponent." Leonardo held out his hand. "I'm Leonardo Hamato."

The guy made no attempt to grasp his hand. "So?"

Leonardo shrugged, but kept his hand out. "Just introducing myself. Being polite."

His opponent looked at his friend, then back at Leonardo. "Yeah, OK, Leonardo. Why don't you go back and do your sleeping exercise or whatever it was you were doing? I'll be by soon to kick your freakygreen ass."

Leonardo brought his hand down and didn't move for a second. Then he bowed slightly and headed back to Master Splinter.

"These guys...aren't so nice," he told him.

"Ah - so the battle begins early with these two," said Master Splinter.

"Battle...what do you mean?"

"They were no doubt rude. Did they also predict a victory?"

Leonardo rubbed his shoulder. "Well, sort of."

Splinter smiled. "You see? They have already begun the battle, psychologically. They wish you to worry, and they hope that will cause you to falter in your training."

Looking a bit alarmed, Leonardo said, "Will it?"

"The chances are less, now that you know that is what they are attempting to do. You still have a bit of time. Perhaps you should meditate a little more. I will rouse you when it is about time."

Leonardo glanced back at them. "Hm."

Splinter looked concerned. "What is it, my son?" Suddenly his brow cleared. "I see. They commented upon your earlier meditation, did they not?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Smiling again, Splinter said, "I have learned much about human behavior in my years, my son - and more importantly, I've learned your behavior. Leonardo, do not let anything these two say dissuade you from doing anything you wish. They are your opponents, for one round, and win or lose, you will not see them again afterward. If you feel you can benefit from meditation, by all means, do so."

Leonardo shook his head. "You're right. What do I care what they think? And shame on me for acting so... human-like." Splinter smiled in spite of himself. "Thanks, sensei." He walked back over to where he sat before and resumed the lotus position. He glanced over at where the two stood chatting. Their eyes met, and Leonardo smiled at them before closing his eyes.

A few minutes later, he felt Splinter's hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, and looked up into Splinter's face. He smiled, and suddenly felt very much at peace. No matter what was going on, just being with Splinter seemed to make everything all right. He got to his feet, loosened his ankles a bit, and prepared for the bout.

Once in position, he bowed to his opponent ("whatever his name is", Leonardo thought), then to the judge. He noticed the insincerity in Eleven's bow, but didn't have much time to think about it, because the second the bout began, he was being rushed. Eleven tried a right sideswipe, which Leonardo quickly blocked, then immediately followed with a kick to his left. Again, Leonardo blocked the move, but that move was immediately followed by yet another maneuver he had to avoid. This guy may be cocky, but he knows his stuff, Leonardo thought. After the fifth blocked maneuver, Eleven hesitated - possibly no one had ever blocked all five of those moves in a row before. Whatever his reasons, Leonardo took the opportunity, and delivered a blow to his chest. He waited until he heard the judge award the point, but he had to pick it out from the sudden light round of applause. It wasn't until Leonardo walked back to his position that he realized that the crowd had been cheering...apparently for him. Maybe the rest of the crowd knew what a jerk this guy was. Leonardo shook his head, bent forwards and touched the floor a few times. He had to clear his head again.

Coming back up, he took a breath and faced his opponent. He saw Eleven's composure already slipping - his jaw was set, but his eyes were wide. He was somewhere between mad and scared. Excellent, thought Leonardo. He bowed to Eleven, then to the judge, then leapt across the mat towards his opponent. Eleven hardly had time to bring his arms in front before Leonardo had unleashed a fury of blows. Eleven managed to block them, but it allowed Leonardo the time to leap up and deliver a side kick to his chest. As Leonardo landed, he watched Eleven go down on his butt, and he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction.

"Sensei! Over here!" Jake waved wildly, and Master Yenchiki and Laurie, now back in street clothes, came over.

"Laurie, you did great!" said Jake enthusiastically.

Michelangelo nodded. "You were fabuloso!"

Laurie stared uncertainly at Michelangelo. "Um, thanks."

Jake handled the introductions. "This is Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Casey. Guys, Master Yenchiki and Laurie." Casey just waved, but the turtles stood up and bowed, as Master Splinter had taught them to do. Laurie and Jake both looked a bit surprised by this, but Master Yenchiki simply bowed back and smiled. Jake picked up the conversational thread. "Quarterfinals - that's as far as I got last year."

"Yeah, I was actually pretty stoked, but then, who do I end up against? Richard Roberts."

"Well, you did your best."

"But I still got whipped 2-0."

Master Yenchiki put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't concern yourself, Laurie. You have made amazing progress in the last year." He turned to look back up at Jake. "Did you learn anything from that opponent of yours?"

Jake grinned. "Yeah, and I'm still learning. He's still out there."

"Indeed?"

Pointing towards the center of the gym, he said, "That's him. The other...um..."

"Turtle," finished Raphael. "Say it, Jake - 'turtle'."

Jake smiled. "Um, turtle."

"See?" Raphael grinned. "It's not so hard."

Master Yenchiki looked out at Leonardo, who was doing tai chi exercises in an effort to calm himself down. "He certainly appears to have a mastery of himself."

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it," said Donatello.

"Wow," said Jake, scanning the gym, "remember that last competition, when the semis were all Bushidos?"

"Yeah," said Laurie.

"Well, they've only got five this time around."

"Really?"

"Yeah, look - Richard, Felipe, John, Sam and Greg."

Laurie looked out over the gym. "Who are the other three?"

"Leonardo - that's the, uh, turtle - John Thomasson, and some new guy. William something-or-other."

"Cool. I don't remember John ever making it this far," said Laurie, staring across the gym at him.

"I don't think he has. And check it out - none of the Bushidos are facing each other this round, so we could end up with just one of them in the finals."

Laurie made a rude sound with her lips. "Yeah, dream on."

"Is it all right if we watch from over there?" asked Leonardo, indicating where his next match would be.

"If you wish," Splinter said, half-bowing.

"I'm...not crazy about waiting."

Splinter smiled. "I would imagine not." They began heading over. "Your match is second of the four, so you at least will not have to wait too long."

"True." They arrived at the designated area, and Leonardo was mildly surprised to see his next opponent already there. He wasn't surprised, however, to see him decked out in a Bushido uniform.

Felipe and a friend had been watching Richard and Greg line up for their rather unimportant match - everyone knew that Greg would be no match for Richard, even had Greg wanted to put up a fight. As Leonardo and Splinter approached, Felipe turned around, and his eyes went wide.

"You!" he yelled.

Leonardo gaped. "Me what?"

"Oh, nothing - forget it." He turned back around slowly, but continued glancing over his shoulder at Leonardo.

What was that all about, he thought, as Richard and Greg began their match. And why is it bothering me? People act like that around me all the time. No, wait, they act shocked to see a mutant, but this guy wasn't shocked to see a mutant. He was shocked to see me. He's seen me before, and wasn't expecting to see me here. Where could I have met this guy before? It's not like I get out a lot, or know that many humans. The only time any of us run into any humans is at the library, or the store. Of course, back when we went on patrol, we'd...

That's it!

"Sensei!" said Leonard excitedly, but keeping his voice down. "I know that guy."

"Your next opponent?"

"Yeah! About a year ago, when we busted up the Foot gathering in that warehouse? He was one of the leaders!"

Splinter looked intrigued, if not convinced. "You believe so?"

"I'm pretty sure. And that's why he reacted that way - he's seen me before."

"That does make sense. Excellent reasoning, Leonardo. Do you fear facing him again?"

"Not at al. I beat him before, right?"

"With your katana, and the element of surprise." Splinter held up a warning finger. "Do not allow yourself to become overconfident, my son."

"Right." Leonardo smiled quickly, then sat down on the mat, pulled his legs up into lotus position, and cleared his mind. Splinter glanced down at him, smiling, then absently looked back at the match in progress. Richard was already up one to nothing, and Greg looked resigned to losing. It didn't even look like they were casually sparring. Splinter shook his head. Why the facade? Why did Richard not simply state the match be over?

After a few more unexciting maneuvers, the match was indeed over. Splinter put his hand to Leonardo's shoulder until he opened his eyes, then helped him to his feet. "Good luck, my son."

"Thanks, sensei." Leonardo walked over to Felipe and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" Felipe sounded shocked and suspicious.

"Um..." Leonardo suddenly wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to say anything. Finally, he decided he might as well. "It's good to see you...here, Felipe." He held out his hand. "Good luck."

Uncertainly, Felipe shook his hand. "Um, thanks."

Leonardo decided to leave it at that. He smiled a bit, then headed back to his corner.

The match with Felipe went surprisingly fast, even for Leonardo. Somehow, he was expecting more of a fight from him. But perhaps that brawl in the warehouse had spooked Felipe more than Leonardo had thought. Less than a minute later, he was shaking Felipe's hand once more. Felipe managed a small smile - at least it appeared he didn't hold a grudge.

"Best of luck against Richard - you're gonna need it," he murmured.

Leonardo smiled. "Thanks." He walked back to Splinter

"Another opponent defeated, my son. Well done."

"Thanks. I guess this next one's the big one, though."

"I believe there is one more level before the final bout," said Splinter uncertainly.

"No, I mean my next opponent. Some guy named Richard Roberts. He's supposed to be the one to beat."

"Excellent."

Leonardo looked confused. "Why is that excellent?"

"Consider. Even if you are defeated by him, that is not unexpected. There is certainly no shame in being defeated by he who is considered to be the best."

"Hm, I guess not." Leonardo frowned. "You think this is where it all ends for me, then?"

Splinter smiled slightly. "I cannot judge, my son, as I have not observed Richard in any of his bouts. At least, not one in which his opponent put up any sort of resistance. But do not concern yourself with such thoughts. What was your purpose in participating here?"

"To spar with someone new." Leonardo smiled. "And I've done that. Five times already." Leonardo bowed slightly to Splinter. "Thanks for reminding me. I'm not here to win." His smile got wider. "Not that I'd mind."

"No, I imagine not." Splinter scanned the gym. "Is your next bout in the same place?"

"I think so. That's Robert over there. Hm."

"What is it, my son?"

"Should I even bother introducing myself to him?"

Splinter frowned slightly. "Why should he be any different from your other opponents?"

Leonardo considered. "Why indeed?" He walked over to where Richard stood idly chatting with a group of other Bushido students. Leonardo summoned a smile and said, "Richard?"

Richard was taller than pretty much every other sixteen-year-old, which meant he towered over Leonardo. He looked down his nose at him and snarled, "OK, freak, lemme set you straight on a few things here. A couple of the guys say you got some moves, but that doesn't matter. This is as far as you go. This match, you're going down, and going down hard."

"I don't..."

Richard pointed at Leonardo. "Shut up, freak, I ain't done. You look like you're fresh from the sideshow, which is probably why you don't have proper respect for the Bushido dojo, and for me. So let me clue you in a bit. This here is the seventh karate tournament in New York this year, and I won the first six. And my streak ain't ending because some animal escaped from the zoo and learned to throw a few kicks. You got it?"

Leonardo straightened himself, smiled a bit, and bowed formally from his waist. He then turned on his heel and walked back to Splinter just as an older man in a black Bushido uniform came up.

"Richard, what is going on?"

"Nothing, master. Don't worry about it."

"You know how I dislike you riling your opponents..."

Smiling, Richard said, "Master, relax, OK? It's nothing."

The man shook his head and walked back to the sideline. He had stopped warning Richard about his attitude. And unless the Head Master decided to raise the issue, there was really nothing he could do.

Leonardo bowed to Richard (which, as he guessed, was hardly returned), then to the judge, and then adopted his defensive stance. He was not surprised to see Richard instantly leap across the mat to attack. Leonardo blocked a blow to his chest, and then one to his legs. He then felt a blow to his side, and immediately felt himself sprawled out on the mat. Ouch, he thought, I didn't even see that coming. Quickly, he figured out how he had been misled - of course! Why didn't he see that coming? Still, it was an excellent move by Richard.

Leonard got to his feet and smiled. "Great move, Richard," he said.

Richard wasn't really expecting the compliment, but he took it in stride. "Pay close attention, freak, 'cause I got three more to show ya."

They headed back to their positions, and Leonardo looked over at Splinter. Splinter held up his clenched fists, then slowly opened them. Leonardo understood - relax, don't stay tense. He nodded and turned to face Richard. Once more they bowed to each other, and Leonardo was heartened by the fact that Richard's bow was a bit more polite this time. As he bowed to the judge, he thought, Splinter's right - the more polite you are, the more polite others are. The thought was brief, because Richard was already attacking. This time Leonardo went straight into defense mode, and blocked a succession of four different blows, delivered nonstop. Leonardo felt a slight sense of finality while the fourth blow was being delivered - like that was the last of the lot - so as soon as he had blocked it, he gave his own shot to the chest. It connected, and Richard's jaw dropped. As the judge awarded the point to Leonardo, Richard grimaced and stomped back to his position. Leonardo let out his breath. Wow, Richard was already letting his composure slip - he had expected more from a six-time champion. He stole a glance at Splinter, who held his hands up, palms down and slowly spread them apart. Leonardo knew what that meant - stay the course. He nodded slightly and got back into position.

After the bows were exchanged, again Leonardo let Richard attack him. Another flurry of blows came down, and once more Leonardo blocked them in turn. Leonardo ducked down and bent his knees to block the fifth one, and again sensing that the attack was over, he leapt up and delivered a sidekick to Richard's chest. The kick was powerful enough to knock Richard down, and Leonardo stood impassively as Richard leapt back onto his feet. For a second, Leonardo wondered if Richard was going to charge him, but Richard snorted and went back to his corner.

It didn't surprise Leonardo at all that Richard had given up all sign of politeness in his bows by this point. It did surprise him somewhat that he didn't change his tactics any - once more, Richard sprung out of his corner and began showering him with blows. As Leonardo crouched slightly to deflect the second blow, he recognized the pattern - this was the same group he delivered at the outset. Leonardo had no trouble avoiding the shot to his side this time, and immediately found an opening to the opposite side at the same time. He connected, and Richard was stunned - not only was he successfully attacked again, but this time his opponent didn't even bother waiting for him to finish his maneuvers. For a few seconds, they stood staring at each other, and Leonardo wondered if he had ever seen so much hate on a face before. Not since Shredder, he decided. Finally, Richard growled in frustration and headed back.

Leonardo took a bit of time getting back to his spot as he considered his next move. He was up a full point, which gave him some wiggle room. He decided to attack Richard directly this time - a bit risky, but he figured if it didn't work, he would still be on top. When he bowed to Richard, he began a very quiet noise deep in his throat, which got slightly louder as he bowed to the judge. Upon turning to his opponent, he suddenly sprang forward, as his guttural howl got increasingly loud. He noticed Richard's panicked look, and more or less switched to autopilot. As he yelled from the base of his spine, he faked a move towards Richard's legs, which Richard instinctively made a move to block. Instead Leonardo leapt into the air and struck Richard square below the neck with his right foot, sending him flying backwards a few feet. As Leonardo landed on his knee, he suddenly heard a roar. Looking around, he saw his brothers, Casey...the whole audience was cheering! Suddenly he understood. No one liked the same guy winning all the time, especially when he was such a jerk. Apparently, a lot of people were hoping he'd take a fall, and Leonardo has just taken him out in grand style. He allowed himself a satisfied smile - it did feel good taking him out.

Leonardo waited for Richard to get up, which he finally did. He didn't appear hurt, but Leonardo now saw even more hatred on Richard's face. They exchanged bows, then bowed to the judge, and Leonardo stepped forward to shake his hand. Richard was having none of it, however, and immediately stormed off, leaving Leonardo staring after him.

"Do not concern yourself with his behavior," said the man in the black Bushido uniform. "He has been setting himself up for a fall for some time now."

Leonardo turned to face him. "Are you his sensei?" he asked.

"I am one of the teachers at the Bushido Academy. Master Hideyo is my name."

Leonardo bowed formally to him. "I am Leonardo Hamato. It is a great honor to meet you, Master Hideyo."

Master Hideyo returned the bow. "It is I who am honored, Leonardo. To be honest, we had let Richard grow far too confident in his own abilities. We believed that sooner or later, he would discover he was not as invincible as he had believed, and I thank you for giving that lesson."

Splinter came up beside Leonardo, and Leonardo introduced him. "Master Hideyo, my sensei, Master Hamato."

They exchanged bows, and Splinter said, "Perhaps I did not hear correctly. Were you thanking my student for teaching your student a lesson?"

Master Hideyo smiled. "Indeed. I had been hoping Richard would receive a lesson in humility."

Splinter leaned slightly on his walking stick. Leonardo was all too familiar with that stance - Splinter was angry, although no anger came through in his voice. "Am I to understand that you waited for a student to teach your student this lesson?"

Master Hideyo looked rather embarrassed. "Well, I'm afraid that that is true, after a fashion."

"Should it not have been you, or one of the other teachers, who should have done this?"

"You are correct, Master Hamato, and it was my fervent wish that we would do so. However, Master Ikani, the head of the Red Dragon Academy, did not believe it wise."

"And why is that?"

"He felt that by dealing him a humiliating blow, it would damage his self-esteem. He might then stop winning competitions, and that this would reflect poorly upon the school." Master Hideyo looked sad. "Master Ikani felt that Richard's victories reflected the glory of the school, and thus gave our school more prestige."

Splinter looked around the gym. "There seemed to be a fair number of students here with your uniform on. Do you have difficulty finding students for your school?"

"Oh, no," said Master Hideyo proudly. "In fact, we can afford to be somewhat selective in who we take."

"I see." Master Splinter frowned. "In order to advertise for your school - advertising that appears to be unnecessary - you refused a student an important lesson. You no doubt are aware that he is suffering much turmoil right now."

Master Hideyo was shocked that someone would speak to him in such a way, but at the same time the words reflected what he had told himself many times. "Oh. You...you're probably right."

"Should you not go talk to him?"

"Of course. My apologies. If you'll excuse me?" Master Hideyo bowed quickly to each of them, and then hurried away.

Leonardo looked shocked. "Now you're giving the other masters lessons."

Master Splinter sighed and started to lead his pupil to the sidelines. "You are right. Perhaps I am stepping on toes by doing so. But that child has been scarred heavily by what has happened. This is something he will never forget, or perhaps even recover from."

Leonardo looked down. "Then...I shouldn't have fought him like that?"

"No, my son, do not blame yourself. You simply defeated him - that was what you were supposed to do. It was his school, his teachers, who put him in the precarious position where a single loss, any loss, would topple his fragile life, like a house of cards. Had you not defeated him today, someone else, perhaps today, perhaps some other day, would have done so." Splinter regarded Leonardo for a minute. "How would you have felt had you lost your first match?"

"My first one? Well, I would've felt pretty bad if he beat me with some easy maneuvers..."

"True, but if you were well-matched?"

"And he just beat me? Not happy, but...otherwise fine, I guess."

"Yes. Richard, on the other hand, was in a position where he could not lose. To anyone, at any time. Any loss would have proven exceptionally harmful to his ego. Richard is obviously an excellent karate student. With decent instruction, he would not only be an excellent fighter, but an excellent human being as well."

"You seem pretty worried about him, sensei."

Splinter shook his head. "Great oaks from little acorns grow, my son. It is from such beginnings that people like Orugu Saki are made. And when they can be prevented, it is all the more heartbreaking."

"Hm. Now I feel bad about feeling so good about beating him."

"You did very well against a formidable opponent, Leonardo. You have every right to feel proud about your performance. Do not let it distract you from your next opponent."

"Wow." Leonardo's eyes got wide. "I was so focused on Richard that I forgot what happened afterwards. Who am I fighting?"

Splinter indicated the match currently underway. "Presumably the winner of this match."

Leonardo watched, wide-eyed. A smallish guy with long blonde hair had just scored with a flying kick, putting him up one to nothing. To Leonardo's surprise, he wasn't wearing a Bushido uniform, but rather a grey uniform with a black geometric insignia. He was making short work of Sam, a Bushido student who had the misfortune to get to the finals along with Richard. Now with Richard out, the hopes of the entire Bushido Academy rested on his shoulders. Sam had only been in a few competitions, and had finished in the middle of the pack every time. These things conspired to hamstring Sam just when he needed all his facilities about him. Leonardo watched as the shorter student earned another quick half-point. Heck, it wasn't whether this guy could find an opening - it was which opening he chose to take.

Leonardo walked to the other end of the gym, and glanced up at the large elimination chart on the wall, and allowed himself a small proud smile as he saw his name snake along the lower right of the chart all the way to the final round. Then he looked to see who his opponent would be. William Rubinson, from the Kihon Karate Academy. Leonardo smiled, thinking of various ways he could block William's attacks.