Disclaimer: This is where the dogs interacting with humans and doing human things will come into play. I know I showed it in the last scene of the previous chapter, but I just wanted to warn everyone beforehand so it didn't come off as too jarring. So if you see any moments like that, please keep this in mind.

Don't worry. These will also be used to advance the plot in some areas.


The Ginga Legend: Weed's Story

Futago Pass arc Episode two: The Gang of Blue


The bright blue sky was shown once again, this time with smoke coming from a mountain. Then, Weed's front paws were shown running on the ground. It was then shown that he was running forward with GB and Smith on the journey to Ohu.

After the death of his mother, Weed, the son of the legendary Gin, had gained two new friends: GB, and Smith. The three now venture to Futago Pass together in search of Weed's father.

The three dogs were then shown walking up a mountain trail as Weed began to ask about Gin. "Uncle Smith. What was my father like?"

"Well... he was an amazing dog." Smith continued the explanation as Weed and GB drank from a lake nearby. "And everyone who knew him thought the same."

Weed laughed a bit as he stopped drinking before clarifying what he meant. "The way mother talked about him made that clear. I meant what he was like to talk to and how he worked with others."

Smith smiled as he looked back on those days, knowing all too well that he couldn't be perfect in his prediction. "I haven't seen him in years sadly, but I remember he was a very kind dog who rarely lost his cool in a fight." Smith then chuckled a bit as he thought back to how Gin was outside of battle. "After the battle with Akakabuto however, he also showed that he could be kind of silly."

GB stopped drinking for a moment and gave a moment of self awareness as he spoke up about that. "I know what THAT'S like!" GB continued drinking with Weed and Smith laughing at his sudden interjection.

Weed, GB, and Smith were then shown walking to still be walking on the trail as Weed asked another question. "Uncle Smith, why did that monster attack Ohu?"

Smith looked back on that fateful day ten years ago, having to admit that he didn't know what to say about it. "That... I don't know."

Weed then showed optimism towards how things would turn out once they found Gin. "My father will definitely beat him, right?" Smith smiled as he looked at Weed, who continued to express his optimism. "Especially once we arrive to help!"

The two dogs then heard GB moan, and the two looked back as GB began to whine about how hungry he was. "You guys... I'm hungry. Shouldn't we eat?"

Smith sighed in annoyance, showing that he was still getting used to GB, especially with the Setter's struggle to become a better dog. "Really, GB. Toughen up."

Weed noticed a sign after Smith said that, feeling that they should move farther before stopping. "Well, my mom said humans hunt here. Maybe we should move farther."

"We don't have too long before we reach the closest town." Smith pointed out, unwilling to stop moving. "We can get something to eat there."

GB however, found himself unable to move any farther without food. "But I'm so hungry! I can't wait any longer!"

Smith heard some water coming from nearby, and instantly knew what it was. He smiled as he brought it to the attention of Weed and GB. "Well... there is a river nearby."


The river Smith mentioned was shown with a fish hopping out just in time for Weed to catch it.

The Gang of Blue

Once Weed caught it, Smith expressed how impressed he was with how efficiently Weed handled that. "Ah, not bad, Weed. Much better than me at your age." Weed smiled in response and set his fish down as Smith pointed something else out. "As expected from the leader's son."

"My dad was good at fishing too?" Weed asked, still interested in learning more about his father.

"Yes. He would often catch fish to feed all of his friends. Just like you are now." Smith then had his attention brought to another canine on their team. "GB on the other hand..."

GB was shown to be struggling as Weed and Smith looked over to him, as he was putting his head into the water to try and catch a fish. "Argh! This is so hard!" GB then coughed a bit before making another attempt.

Shortly after that, the three dogs were eating with GB taking notice to the fact that Weed hadn't touched his food. He became worried and hoped he wouldn't mind him asking. "What's wrong Weed?" Weed was looking directly at his fish, looking too sad to eat. "Maybe I shouldn't have rushed us. Are you saving your food for later then?"

"It's not that." Weed answered, admitting that he was still thinking about his mother. "I can't eat this, knowing that my mother is..."

GB couldn't help worrying about Weed, knowing that this had to be hard for him. "Oh no."

"Don't blame him GB." Smith reminded GB, who looked to Smith to see what he would do. "Even as the leader's son, Weed is still a child who misses his mother." Smith then reminded Weed of what they were doing out here in the first place. "Listen Weed." Weed looked at Smith as he continued. "The journey to Ohu will become tougher day by day. We need to keep our strength up. Even with how much canines have evolved since then, getting to paradise will be an even bigger struggle if we don't eat."

Weed realized that Smith was right and nodded before eating his fish. GB, being impressed by how well Smith handled that, complimented his method once he saw how fast Weed was eating. "Nice work."

"Thank you. Thankfully, Weed is easy to analyze." Smith responded humbly, and then he looked up to the sky while thinking about his close friend. "Gin. Please. Wait for us."


It was sunset in the first town Weed, GB, and Smith had arrived in with the three dogs purchasing some chips at a local convenience store. GB handed the bag to Weed, who was struggling to open it by himself. "Here. Let me help you with that."

GB grabbed one end of the bag with Weed holding onto the other, being careful as to not rip the bag open. While they did this, they heard a human shouting nearby. "Hey, you! Give that back!"

And a Kishu, slightly younger than the one seen last time, was shown escaping someone on a skateboard on his hind legs while laughing. He even flipped off the human behind him as he did. "Catch ya later, fucker!"

Just then, he crashed into GB with his skateboard going over him as well. This led to Weed and GB dropping the chip bag right in between them. Good thing it hadn't been opened yet. The Kishu landed right on his head, causing the three canines to worry if he were hurt. The board landed right next to him, and as the Kishu rubbed his head, a worried GB asked about his condition. "That must've hurt, kid. Are you okay?"

The Kishu gave a thumbs up with a smile and rushed off without a word. It was then that Weed noticed that the Kishu had taken a ham, which had thankfully avoided getting scaved. "GB, Smith, I think the human is after that good looking... whatever that was." Yeah, Weed still needed to learn about the real world

"That explains why he left so quickly." Smith chimed in, and then he noticed the bald human butcher, who stopped right beside them and snapped his fingers in frustration. "Apologies for your situation, my friend."

"I can bounce back no problem." The butcher admitted, despite being frustrated with his failure to catch the Kishu. "I just can't believe a puppy like that was able to get away!"

Weed then showed the human kindness by making an offer to help the butcher. "Maybe I could get it back from you." The offer surprised GB, who was conflicted on whether or not they should do this. "He's a puppy too, right? He may be willing to listen to a fellow kid."

"Weed, this isn't our business." GB reminded Weed, knowing that they had a mission to do before addressing the human. "No offense."

Weed then told GB that he still wanted to help for more reasons than one. "You showed ME kindness with that pigeon. Maybe this could be the same as that."

Weed then ran off with GB being stunned as he did. Smith then advised him to go after Weed. "GB. Go after him." GB looked at Smith, who let him know that he'd be helping too. "I'll ask around and see if the dogs in this town know about that Kishu. If there are any dogs here anyway." He then touched upon GB's thoughts on Weed. "I know you want to protect him."

GB was surprised by Smith's words, but nodded anyway and ran off, knowing that he couldn't win an argument with Smith. The butcher than directed him to a house he could try. "The nearest dog is at the red house just a block down."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry again about the ham." Smith replied, and then he rushed off to speak with the first dog he could.


A scary part of the woods was shown with the Kishu skating for a bit before jumping off his board and kicking the heel up to grab it with his free paw. After he did that, he called out to the dog who was possibly his leader. "Hey; Blue! I got your meat! You can let our friend go now!"

"Kotetsu!" The Kishu looked up and saw the one who stabbed the pigeon from before. She looked serious about what she had to say, and slid down the tree she was on. She stabbed it with a knife right as she reached the bottom and then walked over to Kotetsu with caution. "Did anyone spot you?"

Kotetsu gained a look of realization upon the vague mention of the condition his friend just made. "The butcher did, yeah. And three dogs. I tripped over one on my board."

The slightly older Kishu sighed as she reminded Kotetsu that he had to be careful. "We were supposed to be stealthy Kotetsu. We don't need to be getting anyone else involved in our crap. It's our responsibility to save Mel."

Kotetsu got a good look at the pigeon and brought up how much easier his friend had it. "You had it way easier than I did Koyuki. You weren't at risk of any humans or canines seeing you when looking for that pigeon."

"That's not the point." Koyuki reminded Kotetsu, hoping that he was taking this as seriously as she was. "If Blue spots anyone finding out about this, he might-"

"You're late!" Koyuki and Kotetsu flinched upon hearing that voice and saw a Beauceron Mix reveal himself as he looked down at them from a high up rock. He was standing on two legs as well, showing that he had the same skill the Kishus did. "And what's this about one of you being sloppy!? Do you WANT people to find our hideout!?"

Kotetsu started to spit back at the Mix, showing that he wasn't ready to be yelled at like that. "The ones I met wouldn't be finding this place any easier than you shouting at the top of your lungs like that!" Blue snapped his fingers, which led to two other dogs holding Kotetsu and Koyuki to keep them from moving. An English Pointer Mix kept Kotetsu in check, and a a Mastiff Mix held Koyuki, who was about to reach for her dagger. Despite the Mix looking annoyed from Kotetsu's backtalk, Kotetsu still made his demand. "Just give us Mel back, Blue! We did what you asked!"

Blue looked back to one of his main henchmen, who was shown to be walking up to him while dragging a scared looking Golden Retriever. "You seem to have forgotten one part of our deal." Koyuki and Kotetsu flinched upon hearing that, and Weed was shown to be arriving just as he heard what Blue had to say. He hid behind a tree as he did just to make sure he didn't get spotted. "I said you were late! And because of that, your friend here is gonna have some broken bones when you get him back!"

Weed was shocked by what he'd just heard with Blue stepping on Mel's chest and grabbing one of his arms, making him cry out in pain. This caused Koyuki to call him out, as he was clearly violating their deal. "Hey; what gives!? You said you'd give him back if we got you and your brothers enough food!"

"Did you really think I'd settle for anything less than what I wanted!?" Blue asked, and as Mel continued to cry out in pain, the Mix squeezed a little tighter, almost enough to break a bone. "Time for a little handicap! Unless you all do my work forever, that is!"

"No! No, please!" Mel begged fearfully as he started pulling on his ears, being horrified by what was happening to him. "I don't want any of us to die!"

"Hey!" Weed called out, which made Mel stop pulling on his ears as he heard, and all of the other dogs looked to see him looking determined and courageous. Kotetsu instantly recognized him as one of the dogs he passed by earlier, and Weed made his decree to state what he planned on doing. "Leave him alone!"


Meanwhile, Smith had been talking about Kotetsu with the dog he met, being stunned by what he learned about him. "WHAT!?" The dog a Labrador Retriever mix, who looked like he'd been through a lot before being taken in. "That puppy was working for someone who forces kids his age to steal food for him!?"

"He sure is. He's been doing it for years." The canine informed Smith, who then gave him some more information on what happened. "I spoke with the pup you mentioned. He didn't say much, but apparently, he got caught trying to steal from Blue and his brothers in a desperate attempt to eat."

Smith was surprised by this, despite realizing that this made sense soon after. "He certainly gives off that kind of vibe."

"He and his sister were working to get some food to save the one they're traveling with." The dog explained, and the context disgusted Smith. "He stopped explaining there, and out of concern for him and his allies, I told him where that butcher shop was. As wrong as that was, I knew Blue would've killed their friend if they failed."

Smith didn't look down on the house dog however. He knew that you couldn't be morally correct all the time. "Sometimes, it takes doing something morally bad, to do something morally good. I know you would've done more to help if you could."

The dog wasn't glad to see Smith understanding his perspective, and made a request as he thanked him. "Thank you. Smith, was it?" Smith nodded his head yes as the request was made. "I know you're most likely planning to go off to help those puppies. Tell them Hook informed you that they aren't bad pups."

Smith decided to honor this request, since Hook was showing himself to be a good canine. "As you wish. Thanks for the help, Hook." Smith rushed off to catch up with Weed and the others. He knew he had to hurry, or else an innocent puppy, or more, could die tonight.


Everyone was currently focusing on Weed, who Blue was already annoyed by the presence of. "And who the hell are you supposed to be!?"

"My name's Weed! Do you guys have no shame for what you're doing!?" Weed shouted back, being enraged by what he learned about Blue and his friends. "I overheard you threatening to kill that puppy you're hurting right now! And forcing kids to steal for you like that!? How can you be so cruel!?"

Blue couldn't help laughing a bit before letting go of Mel and setting his sights on Weed. "What a big mouth you have. You're just a brat like Kotetsu."

"Stop it!"

Blue stopped in his tracks to find GB running towards the group. It made him more annoyed as he asked who he was. "And, you are supposed to be...?"

"GB!" GB announced as he set Weed's chip bag down beside a nearby tree, and then he stood next to Weed in an honest attempt to help him. "I'm a soldier of Ohu!"

As one of the other dogs tried to argue about this, Kotetsu took the opportunity to bite the paw of the dog who was detaining him. This caused him to scream in pain, which was followed up by Kotetsu jumping up and headbutting the dog. Koyuki instantly saw an opportunity and stomped on the foot of the dog who was holding her. He screamed in pain, which alerted everyone before Koyuki grabbed her dagger and held the dog by his neck before shouting at Blue. "You'd better give him back Blue! If Mel dies, then so does he!"

Blue laughed some more before pointing out why he wasn't buying GB's lie. "You're the worst liar I've ever met! Ohu was destroyed years ago!"

GB wasn't buying it, knowing that Gin would never let Ohu fall. "What!? YOU'RE the liar! How would you even know something like that!?"

"Don't listen to him; he's full of shit!" Kotetsu called out, only for the dog he headbutted to grab him again with Koyuki keeping a close eye on the one she was holding.

Blue laughed as he called down to the dogs to taunt them. "Who's talking shit!? You don't look anything like an Ohu soldier!"

"Maybe not! But I'm not lying when I say Ohu stands!" GB declared, despite his fear over the situation being obvious. "Look at the kid beside me! He's the son of Gin! The leader of Ohu!"

Weed stepped forward as GB made his point with Blue speaking up about the situation. "So Gin's kid made it then." Blue scoffed, picking Mel up and calling down to the others. "Even so, this is MY territory! Gin has no authority!"

Kotetsu scratched the eye of the dog who grabbed him as soon as he saw Blue jump down. As Blue charged at the canines, Kotetsu rushed in to fight back, much to Koyuki's fear. "Authority my fist!"

"Kotetsu, no!" Koyuki was suddenly kneed in the stomach and sent back, holding onto her dagger tightly as to not lose it. Kotetsu attempted to punch Blue, only for him to dodge and kick Kotetsu in the face, causing him to roll back. "Kotetsu!"

The Mastiff Mix charged at Kotetsu, only for Weed to tackle him and bring him to the ground. He then looked to Kotetsu in an attempt to see if she was okay. "You guys okay?"

Kotetsu smiled gratefully as he saw Weed's heroic kindness, and he stood up to show that he was ready to keep fighting. "You bet I am! Thanks for the save!"

Blue glared at Koyuki, getting ready to take her down himself. "Koyuki! Do you really think this is gonna get you Mel back?" Blue jumped up to Mel from a tree he ran up to, leaving Koyuki and Kotetsu horrified by what could happen. "Think again!"

Blue picked up Mel, and with his friends standing in fear, Weed stepped forward and started his offer. "Fight me instead!" Everyone looked at Weed in shock, and Weed kept talking to prove that he was serious. "I'm not just gonna stand here and let you kill an innocent puppy! If you wanna kill him, then you'll have to kill me first!"

Koyuki spoke up in response to this, knowing that Weed was making a grave mistake. "Are you insane!? He'll kick your ass in ten seconds!"

"Maybe so." Weed looked back at Koyuki, and the look he had on his face showed him that he was as brave as she was. "But I'm not just gonna let your friend die."

Koyuki couldn't lie. She was amazed by what she saw. Weed didn't even know her, Kotetsu, or Mel, and he was willing to risk his life for one of them. Mel was sick of lying around and doing nothing, so he got up and bit Blue's leg as hard as he could, making him cry in pain. Koyuki called out to him once she noticed what was happening. "Mel!"

Mel snapped at Blue before making another attempt at biting him. "You lying snake! We're all leaving here alive, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"We'll see about that!" Blue kicked Mel off the rock after he said that, causing him to start falling. This alerted everyone before Weed rushed in an attempt to save him. He ran as fast as he could, barely making it in time.

Weed was barely able to keep standing, since Mel was only a year younger than him. He then looked at him to see how he felt. "Are you okay, Mel? Can you walk?"

Koyuki and Kotetsu were amazed by what they saw in Weed. They didn't think any other kid was as brave as them. And here he was running on the battlefield, attempting to help fight back to keep them safe. Mel expressed his gratitude just as Blue jumped down from his rock. "I hope so." Despite Mel feeling bad for not doing anything, and also not looking at Weed as he spoke, Weed knew his gratitude was genuine. "Thank you so much."

Blue was about to charge at Weed, only for Koyuki's dagger to stop him right there and make him stumble a bit. "Hey, Blue!" Koyuki was shown to have a look of fierce determination, refusing to let Blue hurt anyone on the battlefield. "Consider this my attempt to tag in for Weed's offer!"

Blue scoffed, but accepted anyway, feeling that a battle against Koyuki would be much better than one against Weed. "Fine with me!"

Koyuki and Blue charged at each other with Koyuki attempting to dodge and run for her dagger, only for Blue to grab her chest and knee her in the stomach again. This time, he took the opportunity to pin her to the ground, only for Weed's voice to be heard from nearby. "Blue!" Weed managed to hit Blue with a bit to the neck, which did manage to make him feel pain, but mainly just made him angrier.

Koyuki took the chance to kick Blue back, causing Weed to let go. Koyuki rolled out of the way to let Weed land safely. "Thanks, Weed."

Blue quickly regained his balance however, and he grabbed Koyuki's dagger while charging at Weed and Koyuki. "Don't thank me yet!" Weed and Koyuki attempted to attack Blue again after Koyuki got up, only for Blue to kick Koyuki to the side and pin Weed to the ground.

Blue held the dagger up to Weed's neck, causing GB to panic as he finally got involved in the battle. "Weed!"

Just then, the dog Kotetsu was fighting appeared next to GB and pinned him to the ground with his foot. "Where do you think you're going!?"

Kotetsu jumped onto the dog's back and started biting his neck, giving GB enough time to call out to Weed. "Weed! Once you're free, use your attack on them!"

Weed managed to grab the wooden dagger with his mouth and throw it to the side before telling GB that wasn't an option. "Great idea GB! I just wish I knew how to activate it!" Blue then grabbed Weed's tail and threw him towards a rock just as GB rushed in to help him. He was able to recover and jumped off the same way he did the tree from before when Smith's voice was heard.

"STOP!"

Everyone looked to see Smith standing before them, leaving Blue to get annoyed at how many newcomers there were. "Another one!?"

"About time old man!" Smith called out, glad to see that Smith had finally arrived. "What took you so long!?"

Smith jumped down, and before he could answer GB, Blue attempted to attack him, only for Smith to pin him down and bite his neck. "And who's this one supposed to be!?"

"My name is Smith. A commanding officer of Ohu." Smith informed Blue after pinning him down with his front paws. "So you'd best listen and let those kids you have go." Smith threw Blue to the side, staring him down to keep him from leaving out of his view. "You'll answer to me if you don't."

Blue growled before getting up, knowing that he'd struggle even harder with it being five against three. "Whatever! I have better things to do anyway! Take the damn brats!"

Kotetsu kicked his dog aside with the brothers of Blue taking off with him as GB speaking up as he walked over to him. "You alright kid?" Kotetsu nodded his head yes in response, and as he took his skateboard out, GB joked about their meeting. "You never did apologize for tripping over me with that skateboard."

"Talk to my sister." Kotetsu advised GB, and then he rushed off in a hurry. "I'm not letting that bastard escape!"

As Kotetsu ran off, Koyuki sighed in annoyance towards his reckless move before agreeing with it. "As dumb as it is to go in alone, he's right. Blue could do this to another group of puppies if we keep him alive."

"Then let's make absolute sure he doesn't do this again!" Weed declared, and everyone set out with Smith picking up Mel to protect him. He sensed that he would need it before they got into battle.


Weed and the others were chasing after Blue with Weed asking Kotetsu something about what he said earlier. "Hey; Kotetsu! I couldn't help hearing you call out Blue for lying earlier, if what you said means what I think it means." Kotetsu listened as Weed then asked his question. "Does that mean you know someone who's currently in Ohu?"

"That's right!" Kotetsu confirmed, happily speaking up about it to fill Weed and his friends in. "Our dad was one of the soldiers in Gin's army who died after that giant monster came to our village. Now our mom's doing some-"

"Kotetsu! Not too much info!" Koyuki reminded Kotetsu, not wanting to dispel too much so soon. "We just met them."

"They've proven themselves trustworthy." Kotetsu argued, not feeling that Weed, GB, and Smith would betray them.

Just then, Smith spotted the Mastiff mix and the English Pointer mix up ahead and gestured the others to them. "Over there! Blue's brothers!"

The brothers noticed Weed and the others just as Kotetsu and Koyuki pinned them down after going back into two leg mode. The Mastiff called out to Blue up ahead in an attempt to get some backup. "Blue! Please! Help us!"

Weed looked to Kotetsu and Koyuki after Blue continued to run off, letting them know what they had to do. "Take care of these two!"

Weed rushed off with the others looking down at the Mastiff mix and the English Pointer mix, the latter of whom spoke up again. "No! Please! Let us go! We're sorry!"

"You expect us to believe that!?" Koyuki asked as she slapped the English Pointer mix across the face as hard as she could. "You had no problem helping Blue capture Mel and make us do your (Slaps again) dirty work!"

"You don't understand! We were taking orders!" The Mastiff explained, praying that he and his brother would be let go. "We were only obeying the orders Blue made us follow."

Smith spoke up for the two dogs, feeling that their words should be taken into account. He still left it up to Kotetsu and Koyuki, despite is suggestion. "It's your call, but perhaps showing the kindness will help them turn over a new leaf. And if it doesn't, we can always deal with them later."

Kotetsu didn't really feel like messing with these guys any further, deciding to let his guy go after his cry. "Then they might as well prove it by getting lost and not letting us catch them doing anything bad again."

Mel took notice to how Smith and GB were being as GB signaled them to get lost after Koyuki let her hostage go. "You heard him. Get lost!"

As the two dogs ran off, Kotetsu and Koyuki noticed the same mercy Mel took sight upon and smiled as Koyuki spoke up. "For their sake, let's hope those pricks DO turn their lives around."


Weed's paw was shown slamming against a fence as he angrily called out to Blue, who's already jumped over to the other side. "Get back here, Blue! Fight me fair and square!"

Blue laughed a bit before taunting Weed, feeling that he had the upper hand no matter what. "Scream at me all you want. It won't help you get over that fence."

The others arrived just in time with Koyuki pulling out her dagger as she got ready to fight. "Move over Weed! I'm gonna make him pay for what he did to the three of us!"

Before Koyuki jumped onto the fence, Blue said something that made her stop. "So you wanna get beaten down again?" Koyuki stopped, as much as she hated admitting that Blue was right. She was a weakling compared to him, and he made it quick to taunt them after she stopped. "Ha! You should all see how stupid you look right now! I'd love to stay and watch, but I've got better things to do." Blue then looked at the group as he mentioned something shocking. "I got a message from Nero of the Northern Alps yesterday."

"Nero!?" GB asked in shock, having should've known that his former leader would be on the tails of him and anyone else he was with.

"Hey. Setter. GB, right? Nero told me to let you know that life's been a lot more pleasant without you around." GB growled in response, knowing what that was a retort towards, and Blue then announced his leave. "Anyway, Nero hates being kept waiting. See you losers around."

Just then, the sound of a truck horn was heard, and Blue was so caught up in his laughter that he didn't notice until Weed shouted to him. "Blue; watch out!" When Blue noticed the truck, it hit him when it was too little too late, just as Weed up and grabbed the top of the fence, surprising everyone.

When the truck driver stopped, he looked out the window and was annoyed to find that he hit a dog. "Just as stray dog."

As he ran off, Blue's moan made it clear that he was still alive, leaving Koyuki glad they could keep interrogating him. "Well, at least we can get him to talk now."

Just then, another truck was heard, shocking everyone as Weed then rushed in to save Blue. "Wait! Stop!"

Koyuki was quick to call out to him, being furious that he'd risk his life for a monster like Blue. "Weed! Turn back you fucking idiot! That psychopath doesn't deserve this level of kindness!"

"As evil as he is," Weed began as he looked back, looking back at Blue to let them know what he thought about all of this. "I won't let him die like this!" Blue couldn't believe what he was seeing. A puppy rushing to save his life. The very kind he usually made do his bidding. Blue grabbed Weed just in time and threw him out of the way, getting hit by the second car and being brought to the brink of death.

Weed landed on his feet as Mel spoke in shock regarding what Blue did for him. "Wait. Blue saved him!?"

Weed rushed over to Blue after making sure no other cars were coming, wanting to know why Blue saved his life. "Blue? Blue! Why did you save me?"

Blue smiled in response, showing a sign of respect for Weed as he explained why. "No one has... ever shown me this level of... kindness before. Heh. If only, I met someone like you, earlier."

Blue then gave one final gasp before his death, leaving Weed devastated by what he saw. Blue wasn't just some one note monster; he was a broken soul who never got to experience kindness in the same way Weed and the others have. GB had to comment on this, seeing this as extraordinary on his part. "That kid... really helped someone like Blue."

Smith spoke up next, catching the attention of Kotetsu, Koyuki, and Mel as he did. "Just like his father. A strong sense of justice." Koyuki started to get angry, failing to see how this made any sense. "Now that's the making of a good leader."

Koyuki held her anger back, biting her tongue enough to avoid saying anything too cruel. "Don't get ahead of yourself old timer."

Before turning back to the others, Weed made a vow to Blue, just like the promise he made to his mother. "I promise Blue. I'll find more canines like you." The night sky was shown as Weed's promise was made clear under a full moon.


The next day, Weed and the others were in town as Kotetsu was explaining the situation to the butcher. "So, yeah. Long story short, my friend got kidnapped, and I had to act fast or else he'd die."

The butcher did understand Kotetsu's dilemma there, despite still wishing he could be compensated for the ham he lost. "Being paid back for that ham would be nice..." Kotetsu started to get worried as the butcher then debunked the idea that came into his mind. "But you said you were on your way to Futago Pass, right?"

"All of us are actually." Weed spoke up proudly, walking up to Kotetsu with a determined look on his face. "Believe it or not, I'm the son of Gin himself. My friend GB and Smith were coming with me to Futago Pass before running into these three."

"I thought so." The butcher responded, speaking up about how important this was as he rubbed Kotetsu's head. "Well that's way more important than one ham. Just make sure you pay for your food the next time you come over, and there won't be any hard feelings with me."

"You got it." Kotetsu assured the butcher, glad that he wouldn't have to steal anything from innocent humans before.

As Weed and the others bid the butcher goodbye, GB walked up to Weed with the same bag of chips he bought for him the other day. "You never did get to enjoy this snack yesterday."

Weed smiled with appreciation, finding GB's focus on this mundane snack food to be quite heartwarming. "Thanks GB."


Weed was putting his chip bag away in a trash can outside of town with the other five dogs being shown nearby as he went over to them while praising the snack. "The bag said those were barbecue, right? They tasted really good."

"You should try the sea salt kind." Kotetsu responded, offering Weed some of the ones he bought before they left town. "They have a nice kick to them." Weed accepted the offer and tasted a sea salt chip, smiling while liking the salty taste as it soothed in his mouth.

Koyuki then got down to business, deciding to make her offer to Smith then and there. "Tell me, Smith. Are you the leader of this group?"

Smith wasn't quite sure how to answer that, since his travels with Weed and GB were never focused around group titles. "I suppose I'm the closest to a leader so far. However, being the sun of Gin, Weed could also fit for that role."

"Yeah, great; let's avoid making this into a ten minute evaluation. Okay?" Koyuki snarked, wanting to get to the point with Smith respecting that and letting Koyuki speak up. "I noticed the three of you didn't use the tactics we used in battle."

Weed became intrigued by that and walked over to Koyuki with Kotetsu joining him after rolling up his chip bag. "You mean fighting on two legs like you did?"

"You got it." Koyuki confirmed, deciding to make her offer then and there in the hopes that they'd accept. "You three seem like you could benefit from using that tactic, among some of the other things we can teach you as time goes on. And we're all heading to the same place, so it makes sense to travel in a bigger group." Koyuki was making some valid points, and she seemed to be persuading Weed with what she was saying. "If we teach you what we know, we'll all have the strongest fighting chance in Futago Pass by the time we get there."

Weed instantly knew that this would be useful and spoke up about it to the surprise of GB and Smith. "Maybe we can offer you something too."

Koyuki liked the sound of that, since it made the offer more fair. She thought about what Weed, GB, and Smith could do for her and came up with one after only a few seconds. "I want a good word put in for the three of us by the time we reach Futago Pass."

"Deal!" Weed announced, and Koyuki then held out her paw to confirm that the deal was true. Weed wasn't sure what to do at first. "Um..."

Koyuki then pointed to Weed's paw, and she put her paw against her own, which led to Weed being able to put his paw over to Koyuki's so she could grasp it an shake it gently. Kotetsu, being psyched that they had a new deal, "Alright!" looked to Mel after pumping his fist. "Ya hear that, Mel? Our trio just went up to six!"

Mel had his attention caught by something else, but still expressed immense excitement over that context. "Really!? That's great!" Mel was looking at a nearby bluebird bringing some food to her children. When Weed noticed this and went over to him, Mel started talking about it while focusing on the bluebird. "It's pretty gross, but seeing how different animals feed their kids is definitely an eye opener."

Weed observed along with Mel, and he was surprised to see how the bluebird was doing this. "I see what you mean. (Looks at Mel) Even beautiful animals have weird facts about them."

Mel laughed a bit before admitting that what Weed just said regarding the bluebird was true. "Yeah."

Koyuki didn't want to interrupt the fun times, but she knew they had to get on with the road. "Come on slowpokes! Ohu isn't gonna save itself!"

Weed and Mel headed over to Koyuki as Mel announced that they were heading back on over. "Coming, Koyuki!"

Weed and Koyuki started talking with Weed wanting to express how impressed he was by Koyuki back there. "You and Kotetsu were really impressive last night, Koyuki." Koyuki looked to Weed, who she knew the compliment from was genuine. "I've never seen anyone fight like that before."

Koyuki smiled in response to the compliment, but was quick to let Weed know that it was only beginner stuff. "Thanks, Weed, but any dog can pull that off with enough practice." Weed listened closely as Koyuki assured him that they would be making great progress for that. "You'll see for yourself when we have our first training session."

Weed looked onward with an optimistic look on his face, knowing that whatever came their way, he and his friends would do it together. "Sounds like a plan to me." Kotetsu and Mel also took a liking to the optimism Weed was showing with Koyuki seeing proof that she was the son of Gin in full circle. "It shouldn't be that hard to pull off either, if you guys make it look so easy."

GB laughed a bit before informing Weed that he wouldn't likely get it right on the first try, catching his attention. "Just don't get ahead of yourself, Weed. Not everything can be done right on the first try."

Weed didn't mind that. He was ready to try as many times as needed. "Oh, well, I guess that won't be so bad. After all, no one said this journey would be easy."

"That's right." Koyuki responded, leaving Weed and the others to be shown heading on the trail to Futago Pass, now as a group of six for the big journey ahead. Not only did Weed have three new friends,, but he, GB, and Smith all learned of a new technique they could acquire to improve their battle skill for the times ahead

To be continued...