Reasons

Even Ves hadn't understood why Horatio favored him over Oleg. His design looked decent, but paled in comparison to Oleg's hasty creation. The younger mech designer managed to create a miracle in only half the time.

"I know you're confused. You shouldn't be." Horatio said and swept his arm towards the mech cadets who stood silently at attention all this time. "First, let's hear our test pilots out. What are your thoughts on the mech designed by Oleg?"

The pilots gave out a smattering of opinions.

"It's powerful. I can feel the difference in performance. Most of the training mechs don't feel as powerful as this frame."

"Slow but protective. I feel I can take on the entire galaxy with the amount of armor it carries."

"It corresponds to what a knight should be. I don't mind the lack of speed since it's supposed to be a defensive mech anyway."

"I can do anything with this machine! In the right hands, I can overpower anyone who dares to get close."