Disclaimer: To answer the question from the guest review, the memory of Teru's father was foggy to me, so I just wrote what I felt would be best. Also fair note, this isn't a 100% adaptation of the anime. It's its own version with its own twists.

The Ginga Legend: Weed's Story

Leader Weed arc Episode six: Zokaken!

The night after Weed and Kyoshiro's armies defended Shiga Prefecture, Weed and his friends were sleeping in Kyoshiro's house, as the rest of their armies slept elsewhere in town. However, GB found himself unable to sleep, and Rocket noticed this when he awoke and saw him walking out of the room. He walked after him, making sure not to wake up the others, and closed the door behind him. GB noticed Rocket and swiftly turned around, making sure not to be too loud. "Oh. Rocket. Sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Yes, but it's no big deal." Rocket assured GB, walking up to him as he asked about him being up. "Are you still worried about Weed learning that Zokaken technique?"

GB knew he couldn't hide that from anyone, even if they didn't know him like Rocket did. His concern for Weed was always as easy to read as an open book. "I am." GB sighed, wishing he could stop worrying so much. "I just can't stop thinking about how painful learning it could be. I know I can't stop Weed, but still."

"Weed's tough. You saw how he handled Kyoshiro today." Rocket reminded GB, confident that Weed could handle this technique. "I haven't known him as long as you or Jerome have, but based on what you've all told me, he's accomplished some amazing feats. And I'm not just talking about that time he hit me square in the jaw."

GB laughed silently as he remembered that, but then he remembered he was talking to Rocket. He quickly corrected himself while doing his best to avoid getting loud enough to wake anyone up. "Sorry; that's not what I meant. I just think it's funny how you went from trying to kidnap him to..." GB remembered another moment with Rocket as he said that. One that related much more to who Rocket was now. "saving both of us."

Rocket placed a paw on GB's shoulder, and his smile showed he was more than happy to have made that decision. "Don't worry. I know you're not the mocking type."

GB and Rocket realized how close they were after Rocket said that. They were both incredibly happy, but they didn't know if they could go through with it. GB took Rocket's paw impulsively, surprising Rocket, but that didn't stop GB from speaking up again. "I'm... very glad you joined us."

Rocket placed his paw on GB's, loving the feeling that was coming from this moment. "I'm glad I did as well."

As GB and Rocket continued smiling at each other, GB ended up yawning before realizing that it was still nighttime. "We should probably head back to bed."

"That's a good idea." Rocket responded, and so he and GB headed back to the adults' bedroom. Before they went in however, Rocket stopped GB and smiled to him again. "GB?" GB looked at Rocket, and what Rocket had to say was very elevating. "Weed is lucky to have you."

GB smiled back with gratitude, glad that Rocket believed so. "Thank you Rocket." And with that, the two entered the room with the rest of their conversation happening as they opened the door. "Hopefully I won't keep you up."

"I can handle it. Especially now that we're dealing with Gin's too." Rocket assured GB while subtly joking at Gin's nighttime habits. The two of them went back to sleep after that, glad that they were able to have this moment together.

The next morning, Weed was meeting Jerome outside of Kyoshiro's house right after breakfast for some Zokaken training under GB's supervision.

After catching a glimpse of his full power, Jerome decided to start teaching Weed a special transformation with tough consequences for the user. The Zokaken.

Jerome felt that the best way to start was to give Weed a visual demonstration of how this technique worked. "Pay close attention, Weed." Weed nodded in response, and Jerome started charging his Canine Spirit to an intense extent. Weed could sense the extra strain on Jerome's body during these three seconds. At the end of it, Jerome gained a red Spirit aura, and his skin gained a dash of red as well.

Zokaken

"This, is the Zokaken."

Weed took mental notes of this technique, knowing he'd have to if he wanted to get it right. "So the Zokaken is a technique that gives you a power boost, but it puts strain on your body during use."

Jerome nodded in response, and GB stepped in after hearing that. "Hold on! Lingering pain!?" Weed and Jerome looked at GB, the latter of whom saw GB looking right at him as he objected to Weed learning this technique. "Weed's only ten years old, Jerome! His body can't handle something like that!"

"That's what we're testing it now to determine." Jerome responded in annoyance as he ended the transformation, despite understanding where GB was coming from. The drawbacks from this skill were obvious.

Weed started charging his Canine Spirit, doing his best to match what Jerome did to attain the form. GB and Jerome watched as Weed started putting some strain on his body. Using the visual notes he got from Jerome using this transformation, he found it much easier than most would to get started on learning it. He even managed to get a bit of red Spirit aura on his front paws. Weed continued embracing the strain on his body, and GB was left concerned for Weed's well being. Jerome however, was impressed by how well Weed was getting the technique down.

Weed managed to get the strain up to around the upper half of his body after about thirty seconds of straining. However, the moment he reached for the bottom half, the strain became too much and he fell to his knees. He panted in response to the strain, and GB rushed over to him to check on him. "Weed!" GB placed his paw on Weed's shoulder, only for Weed to yelp in response. This made him back up with GB fearing what could happen to Weed with this technique. "This is too much, Jerome! That could've killed him!"

Jerome saw where GB's concern was coming from, but he made sure to assure him that this couldn't kill Weed. "Actually, GB, the research I did on this transformation before showed that no one who attempted it, was ever killed by it."

"Well that's a relief, but I'm still not comfortable with Weed learning this technique." GB looked at Weed with clear worry for his well being in his eyes. "This could still do horrible damage to him. Damage I don't want to see him go through."

Weed looked at GB as he responded to his concerns as empathetically as he could. "But, GB, we're in an army. That's something we all risked by doing this." GB wasn't sure how to respond to that point, but still found the idea of Weed going through lingering pain scary. Kyoshiro saw them from the window, and he could see the determination Weed was showing. It seemed a little stronger to him than what Combat specialists would usually show.

Gin spoke up from above to offer some assistance. "Weed just needs to toughen himself up some more. The more durable he is, the better he'll get." Weed, Gin, and Jerome looked to find Gin sitting on top of Kyoshiro's roof. He pointed to himself with his thumb and gave an excited smile. "How about we have a little sparring match, Weed? That should help us both." Weed loved the idea of sparring with Gin. He looked to GB with excitement, and his smile showed that he was happy for Weed to experience this. At least Gin knew how to go easy on him.

Weed and Gin were now having a sparing match in the arena as they discussed how life was going in the army. "So. You seem to be good friends with some of your soldiers already." Weed liked that Gin was taking an interest in his personal life. And Gin was more than happy to show it. "Any in particular you feel closest to yet?"

"Definitely GB and Koyuki." Weed answered, showing both his strong bond with GB, and his feelings for Koyuki. "But my other friends are really cool too. Kotetsu's a lot of fun to be around, Mel's love for animals is really something, and Rocket has really proven his come around from where he was before."

Kyoshiro was revealed to be watching on the bleachers near the arena as Gin brought up something else about Rocket. "The moments GB have with him are proof of that."

Weed laughed a bit, and then he admitted that GB and Rocket looked cute together. "Yeah. I'm really happy for both of them." Weed then had to vent about something else, and this had to do with earlier that day. "I wish GB would stop worrying so much about me." Gin blocked another punch from Weed as he let him talk. "I know he means well, but he's seen what I can do. I wish he'd at least consider that before getting so protective over me."

"Speed Specialists are known to be protective, Weed." Gin reminded Weed, knowing he would be able to see GB's perspective as well. "In GB's instance, protecting you is the biggest example of that."

Weed saw what Gin was saying, despite still wishing GB would consider his power with stuff like the Zokaken. "Maybe if I manage to master the Zokaken, it'll show GB that I can handle the side effects stuff like that will give me."

Gin liked Weed's attitude regarding proving himself worthy. In addition to that, he thought of something else he could do regarding this. "Ya know, Weed, I know a special Spirit technique that could help you master the Zokaken faster."

Weed got excited to learn something about Canine Spirit from Gin. "You do!? That'd be amazing! Please, dad; show me what it is!"

"Of course." Gin assured Weed, and then his right paw was shown scratching his butt as he got ready. "Just close your eyes, and open them when I tell you to." Weed closed his eyes as instructed, and Kyoshiro snickered from where he sat, seeing where Gin was going with this. Gin smirked before turning around and pointing his butt out and right into Weed's face. Weed still had his eyes closed, which was perfect for what Gin was about to do. "Okay, Weed. You can open your eyes now." Weed did as instructed, only to immediately be hit with...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT

...a loud and bassy fifteen second fart with a yellow cloud of rotten eggs that erupted from his father's vibrating butt. Kyoshiro started laughing as Gin proudly wafted the fart away, leading to Weed looking over at him after coughing and gagging upon erupting from the fart gas. "Oh man! Who knew letting another army stay here would be this hilarious!?"

Weed wasn't bothered by Kyoshiro's laughter, or Gin's fart prank, as he was used to being hit with the latter. Gin then got serious, walking up to Weed and putting a paw on his shoulder with some genuine advice. "In all seriousness, you could always learn from me, Tanto, or Jerome about Canine Spirit." Weed started to take that idea into consideration before Gin asked him another crucial question. "Have you learned which Spirit specialties you and your friends would struggle with the most yet?"

Weed gained a look of realization before realizing that wasn't the case. "No, not yet." Gin saw this as an opportunity then and there to help Weed and his friends learn more about their Spirits.

After Weed's sparring session with Gin, he was sitting in Kyoshiro's living room with Koyuki, Kotetsu, and Mel, and Gin, Tanto, and Jerome stood in front of them with a chart. Jerome stood front and center, getting started on explaining what the chart was about. "You four have had plenty of time to get used to your Canine Spirit Specialties. It shows you've been training valiantly." Weed and Koyuki smiled to each other before looking back at Jerome, just as Kotetsu and Mel fist bumped. "Now, it's time to teach you what Specialties you'd have the hardest time learning."

Gin powered his Canine Spirit energy and slammed it onto the chart, which caused it to start glowing and show images of different Canines performing different Specialties. Jerome started explaining what this was when Weed, Koyuki, Kotetsu, and Mel all looked in awe. "What you see before you is use of the Conjuring Specialty. Weed. Koyuki. Since you two specialize in Combat, this would be the most challenging one for you to learn."

Weed and Koyuki took note of that with Weed asking about the Specialty in question. "Why is that? What dad did just now looked pretty easy."

"That's because I had a lot of time to practice my Conjuring Spirit." Gin explained, and he gave an in depth description to help Weed understand better. "Combat specialists don't usually have bad intentions, or any temptations to deceive or torture anyone. As such, they have the weakest connection to conjuring out of all the specialists, and rely on their combative talents to defeat their opponents. That said, they can still learn conjuring if they have a mischievous side, which helps with making illusions and artificial versions of helpful accessories."

Weed memorized that in his head before Koyuki asked about Gin's wording. "You said you had a lot of time to practice. Does that mean you're a Combat Specialist too?"

"That's right." Gin confirmed, and then he mentioned something else while adding a bit of humor into it while spawning a ball to toss into the air. "Also, your kids won't always guarantee having the same Specialty as you. So if you have kids, they might be the Specialist you contrast."

Weed couldn't help being fascinated by that with Tanto bringing up Mel's weakest Specialty. "You're a Flying Specialist; right, Mel? That means you'd be the weakest in Rhythm."

Mel got a good look at the Rhythm image and started looking right at it as he asked why that was. "But why? I don't think I'd have any problems with dancing."

Tanto snorted before beginning her explanation. "It's not about dancing skill, Mel." Mel found himself fascinated by the image, smiling widely as it spun around him. "Flying specialists usually don't focus too hard on perfection, and are the most likely to settle for the humble things in life. While not all Rhythm specialists are perfectionists, the lack of desire for perfection can greatly affect a Flying specialists attention to detail. Their curious minds can also wander a lot too."

Mel giggled a bit as he pointed out something he struggled with sometimes too. "So then, people who're Flying Specialists like me would need to be reminded about certain steps, regardless of how smart they are. They focus so little on what's perfect that they aren't used to doing it when they have to."

"Bingo!" Tanto praised, and then he looked to Kotetsu as he stated his Specialty weakness. "Speaking of which, Rhythm Specialists are the hardest with Healing, sport. You'll be struggling with injuries a lot."

"Good to know." Kotetsu responded, and then he smirked when he guessed why that was. "Let me guess. Healing Specialists can't move around like I do."

Tanto chuckled a bit as he admitted to there not being much explanation to this one. "Actually, since Rhythm hasn't been known about for as long as the others... we aren't actually sure."

"Tch. Well that reason sucks ass." Kotetsu complained, despite being more tempted to learn how to heal. "I can still learn how to heal, right?"

"You can. You just need more time than the other Specialists to do it." Jerome explained, and then he assigned his students with a task regarding Canine Spirit. "I want you four to try and work on your Canine Spirit with the Specialties you're the least equipped for. At the end of the day, you'll let us know about your progress."

Weed, Koyuki, and Kotetsu nodded in response, and Mel found himself completely focused on the Flying image. "Gin, can you make the flying image into a bird please?"

"Sorry kid. Doesn't work like that."

"Awwwww."

Weed was sitting at Kyoshiro's arena, wondering how he would be able to master all Canine Spirit specialties in time for the battle against Hougen. He was trying to think of what he could try to conjure, and was struggling to come up with anything. He thought of doing a ball like Gin, but he started to wonder if that would work. He wondered if that would come off as him copying Gin. Kyoshiro was watching from the top seat, and he spoke up to get Weed's attention. "Specialty weakness trouble?"

Weed saw Kyoshiro walking down to him and answered his question honestly. "Yeah. Turns out, just thinking of what I wanna conjure up is tough. Even something simple like a ball or a stick sounds hard."

"That's one of the hardest parts of Spirit training. Even if you know what you want, you're gonna struggle if you're the wrong type of Specialist." Kyoshiro replied, getting Weed's struggle with mastering this Specialty. He also wanted to help, since he sensed some doubt in Weed. "But it can also be tempting to get better at it. I know yours is an assignment, but I think that's what you want to do. I saw you trying to learn the Zokaken, and you must feel that practicing your Conjuring ability will help you learn it."

Weed smiled to show that Kyoshiro was right about that. He then wondered what Kyoshiro's weakest Specialty was. "What Specialty do you struggle with the most?"

"Nature." Kyoshiro answered, and Weed showed intrigue as he explained why. "Nature Specialists have to be calm and rational enough to think situations through and assure the best outcome for everyone possible. I think you've noticed that I'm not always those two things." Weed nodded his head yes with a laugh to confirm that. They can still learn how to be in touch with nature though. They just have to learn when not to be an impulsive ass, and what helps protect nature more than hurt it."

Weed kept that in mind as he started wondering if Kyoshiro had any tips on Canine Spirit. "You have a lot of Specialists in your army, and I'm willing to be some of them are Nature Specialists." Kyoshiro paid attention as Weed asked him something. "How do you guys work around your weaknesses when you have to?"

Kyoshiro smiled confidently when he told Weed his method. "We just work with the Specialists in our weakest categories to help us learn more efficiently."

"That makes perfect sense." Weed responded, and then he asked Kyoshiro something about his training in Zokaken. "Do you think training in the Conjuring Specialty can help me learn Zokaken more efficiently too?"

"It could. The technique is all about toughening yourself up, so that means improving your Spirit powers in any Specialty would make it easier to control." Weed nodded to confirm that, and Kyoshiro had some advice for him regarding his Spirit training. Practicing it with someone else who's training in this Specialty could help there if that's the case. Koyuki's training in Conjuring too, right? Training with her could help you."

Weed liked what Kyoshiro was saying and decided to take up his suggestion. "That'd be great. Thanks, Kyoshiro!" Kyoshiro gave a thumbs up to Weed before he headed off, being glad that he could give him some advice. Seeing his determination made him think about helping his army save Ohu.

Meanwhile, Koyuki was practicing Canine Spirit in her own way, which seemed to involve large boulders she found around the area. It was unclear what this had to do with Conjuring, but she seemed eager to give a demonstration. Before she could get started however, she was delightfully surprised to hear Weed's voice. "Hey! Koyuki!"

Koyuki looked to see Weed running up to her with a hopeful smile. She gave her full attention to him once he came over. "Hey there Weed! How's your Conjuring training going?"

"Not so well. Just thinking about what I want to conjure up is hard." Weed admitted, and then he addressed why he was there. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind training together. It might be better for both of us to have a partner."

Koyuki was more than down for that. Training in Canine Spirit with Weed? There was no way she could pass this up! "Hell no I don't mind! I already have enough boulders for both of us!"

Weed allowed Koyuki to guide her over to the boulders, and when he arrived at his, he started wondering why she was using them. This seemed more like something you would use to improve your Combat Spirit, which Koyuki almost had mastered. "How are boulders going to help with Conjuring training, Koyuki?"

"You're kidding me, right? You just told me you're having a hard time thinking up what to make." Koyuki reminded Weed, who started to pick up on what she was trying to do. "If we have a visual representation of what we want, we should be able to think up what we want to conjure up more. Obviously we can't make boulders that are as big as a two story house like these ones yet, but we can at least make small rocks more easily with them in sight."

Weed liked the sound of that, and he started charging his Canine Spirit to get on with the show. "Then let's get to conjuring!" Koyuki liked Weed's eagerness, and she started charging her Spirit energy as well. The two of them held their right paws out, showing that they had the same idea on what to do. A silhouette of a pebble appeared in both of their paws, making them amazed by what they saw. They were actually imagining a pebble appearing in their paws. It wasn't complete yet however. Now, they had to make sure they could physically touch the pebble.

Weed and Koyuki focused both of their power on the pebble, gaining a physical form. They were able to get started, but Koyuki couldn't get far beyond that, only reaching about twenty percent of forming the pebble, despite her straining. Her Spirit power in Conjuring just wasn't strong enough, and she lost her grip on the pebble image. When she looked to Weed, he was straining as well, and had managed to reach a third of the physical form of the pebble.

Weed gave out then and there, leaving Koyuki impressed as the two of them made sure their breath was caught, which it was. "You definitely have me beat there, Weed."

"Yeah, but neither of us could even get halfway." Weed pointed out, walking up to Koyuki as he expressed how hard this was. The way he spoke made it clear he enjoyed it. "Guess I'm finally gonna be challenged with my Canine Spirit."

"Especially when we show Jerome what we've learned.' Koyuki added, knowing they couldn't bring the boulders with them. "It might be harder without these nearby."

Weed started to think about how they could remedy that. He got an idea, and he pointed to Koyuki's dagger to suggest it. "What if you tried your dagger?"

Koyuki looked at her dagger and took it out, wondering why Weed would want her to conjure up an existing object? "But my dagger's already here. Wouldn't this be more useful in battle?"

"And training now would make that even easier to do later on." Weed pointed out, and then he addressed how Koyuki has always had her dagger with her. "You've been with your dagger for almost a year now. You'd have a way easier time trying to conjure up something you're familiar with." Koyuki liked that idea with Weed giving another bit of insight to what he thought. "My dad was obviously familiar enough with balls to conjure up the one he did earlier. Maybe part of the reason I struggled is because I haven't seen a lot of them before."

Koyuki started to think about how Weed never got to live like a real kid. At least she and Kotetsu had a normal life before Kaibutsu attacked their village. She took Weed's paws and showed sympathy when she made him an offer regarding his lack of a real childhood. "I know it's not your mom's fault, but you deserve to know what playing with real toys is like." Weed showed surprise before Koyuki finished her offer, which he smiled at after she did. "Let's give you a chance to do that when we can."

Koyuki released Weed's paws and started trying to conjure up a copy of her dagger. She was able to do so more easily than with the pebble. Weed seemed to be right about it being easier for her when using familiarity. She was also straining a little less, showing that she didn't have as much trouble this time. It helped that this time, her Conjuring object was in her other paw. She was able to reach just above fifty percent this time, and even reached a solid fifty five percent. However, she couldn't use any more Spirit energy than what that could make.

Koyuki put her dagger away with Weed putting a paw on her shoulder to compliment her status. "That was great! If you keep this up, you'll be able to conjure up a second dagger no problem!"

Koyuki smiled and looked into Weed's eyes before showing gratitude for his praise. "I-it was nothing. Your advice helped me think of it at all." Weed and Koyuki then realized where they were looking, quickly looking away slowly before looking back at each other. Koyuki then brought up her offer again. "I meant it, Weed. Any toy you think you'll like, let's get it for you."

Weed had to admit; that did sound appealing. "That ball dad conjured up looked like fun." Weed and Koyuki smiled at each other some more before deciding to head back together. Weed started thinking of ways they could improve their Conjuring spirit. "Dad and Tanto have to have mastered all the Specialties by now. Maybe they can help."

"That's what I was thinking!" Koyuki responded, showing that she and Weed were on the same page about this.

Sometime later, Weed was walking with Jerome to the Shiga Prefecture arena, hoping to get some private attempts at Zokaken there. However, the two of them were met with Kyoshiro, who they noticed by the entrance right before he addressed them. "Let me guess. Private Zokaken training?"

Weed chuckled a bit, knowing something like this would be obvious to Kyoshiro. "You guessed it." Weed and Jerome went over to the entrance with Weed making a request to Kyoshiro. "Could you please not tell GB? If he finds out before I master it, he's gonna get worried, and he'll tell me to stop, and I already feel bad about doing this behind his back as is."

"Yeah, that's probably the protective side of his Specialty talking." Kyoshiro replied, knowing that Weed wouldn't want to provoke that side of GB. "Your secrets safe with me until he finds out from another source."

"Great. Thanks, Kyoshiro." Weed responded gratefully, glad that he was able to get his word on this.

Jerome hatched an idea, opening up the entrance as he suggested it to Weed. "Kyoshiro might be able to use Zokaken efficiently as well, Weed. We could let him train with us."

Weed wondered if Kyoshiro would want that, bringing it up to Jerome directly when looking at the Kishu. "Well, that's up to Kyoshiro."

Kyoshiro walked in through the entrance to show that he was all up for learning the Zokaken. "Sure. Why not? And in exchange, you can let me suggest your next location to travel to."

"Deal!" Weed accepted, seeing this as a win-win situation. He and Jerome walked over to the middle of the arena with Kyoshiro after that.

Weed, Kyoshiro, and Jerome all stood in the middle of the arena with Jerome getting started with a reminder of what Zokaken did to the body. "As you both know, the Zokaken puts a lot of strain on the user. Weed, I know you witnessed this first paw earlier today."

Weed nodded to show that he knew what Jerome was talking about. He didn't have to, but he felt it would be fitting. "Yes."

Jerome looked to Kyoshiro with a question in mind for him. "Kyoshiro. Have you ever tried to attain this form before?"

"Nope, can't say I have." Kyoshiro admitted, not having seen it until recently. "You guys were the first I've ever seen it in person from."

Jerome looked to Weed with a question for him. "Weed. I know you only started practicing in your Conjurer Spirit today, but do you think what you did with that can help improve your chances at learning the Zokaken now?"

Weed thought about that for a moment before answering. He wanted to make sure his response wasn't too confident, or too conflicted. "I think it's possible. You said Zokaken was all about toughening myself up. So improving my Canine Spirit in any way should be the perfect way to help with that."

Kyoshiro crossed his arms and smirked as he brought up that familiar sounding line. "You took that from our chat earlier, didn't you."

"Yep. It made the most sense to use after all." Weed answered before laughing a bit at Kyoshiro pointing that out.

Jerome saw that Weed and Kyoshiro both felt good about handling the Zokaken. With that, he started powering his Canine Spirit up and activated it in the same three second time as before. "I should remind you that it will take you longer to pull this off than me, since I've had years of practice. But once you achieve the form, you should be able to improve your timing day by day." Jerome then went out of the Zokaken form to conserve his energy. "Focus all of your Canine Spirit into attaining the form yourselves. And bare the strain from the form in mind.

Weed and Kyoshiro nodded to each other before they began charging their Canine Spirit the same way Jerome did. Weed was able to do a little better this time, despite still struggling a little when he went past the halfway mark on his body. Now when he covered the bottom half, he managed to reach ten percent of his upper half as well. He even managed to touch the bottom of his elbows when doing so (And yes, the dogs in this world have elbows; don't think about it too hard.).

Kyoshiro was a little better himself, which was expected since he beat Weed in their battle the other day. That, and he had more experience in Canine Spirit. Despite it being his first time, he was able to reach up to two thirds of his body, almost reaching his paws on the first go. However, both of them were unsuccessful in attaining the transformation and gave out once they reached their limit. They both breathed heavily while trying to maintain their balance when standing. Weed gave a smile, showing that, while small, he was proud of his progress.

Jerome was as well, seeing that Weed being the fast learner that he was continued to show. He was also glad to see that Kyoshiro shared this trait. He saw both of them learning the Zokaken very soon. "You both did great! Believe it or not, making this much progress at your age is quite the accomplishment."

Weed and Kyoshiro finished recovering with Weed wondering if there was a way to unlock Zokaken faster. "I still have to unlock it fast enough to stand up against Hougen's army. Either that or hope Super Canine comes to me quickly." Weed started thinking of ways to improve his Canine Spirit as Kyoshiro hatched an idea. "Jerome, do you think sparring with you in Zokaken form could give me a better understanding of it?"

"It might. But it might be too early to risk that." Jerome informed Weed, knowing that fighting him in Zokaken could be more painful than it's worth.

"Before we decide on that, I know of a place that could make that happen!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, and he gestured Weed and Jerome to follow him as he ran off. "Get your best soldiers to join me in my living room!"

As Kyoshiro ran off, Weed assured Jerome that he'd learn the Zokaken in time. "Don't worry Jerome. I'll do everything I can to master Zokaken for if I have to fight Hougen one on one!" Weed ran off to meet with everyone for what Kyoshiro had in mind as Jerome started worrying about that possibility. He hoped Weed wouldn't have to go up against someone of Hougen's power, or his danger level.

Kyoshiro was telling Weed and the others about a place in Japan he'd heard of from one of his main soldiers. "They're called the Ninja Dogs of Koga. They're well known for helping all kinds of Canines make quick and worthwhile progress from training." Gin instantly recognized one of the Kogas, and he nodded to Tanto, who nodded back to show that she did too. Weed seemed to like this idea as Kyoshiro explained more. "You'll have to have enough power in Canine Spirit to convince them, but that shouldn't be a problem for you and me, Weed."

"Hey, I'm really strong in Canine Spirit too!" Kotetsu chimed in, getting a good look at the leader of the Koga clan. "If you're saying these dudes want the best, then they'll get one of the best with me."

Kyohsiro grinned slyly as he took a chance to challenge Kotetsu's words. "Okay then, Kotetsu, tell me. How much progress have you made in learning every specialty, besides the one you're set to be good at already?"

Kotetsu flinched before giving a nervous grin and admitting that he's only gotten Rhythm down so far with his other specialties shown on the side. "I'm still learning the rest."

"Then you've got a lot of work to do. You'll need at least three mastered to guarantee success." Kyoshiro informed the Kishu, who was bummed out by that knowledge.

Weed gave Kotetsu some encouragement to show that he was making progress too. "You're doing pretty good at your Combat Specialty. Your efforts in the battle yesterday really showed how you used your Specialty to adapt to combat."

Kotetsu smiled proudly with a thumbs up for Weed before Gin chimed in with some context about the Koga he and Tanto recognized. "That one in the middle. He looks like the one Tanto and I trained alongside John and Akame."

Tanto elaborated once she saw Weed and the others showing interest. "His name is Tesshin. He's close to Gin's age, and we taught him everything we knew."

Weed was fascinated by this, as was Kyoshiro, who allowed Weed to ask about this. "You really trained someone who became part of a ninja clan!?"

"Of course he did, Weed! This is Gin, the strongest dog who fights for Ohu!" Kyoshiro reminded Weed, knowing that this was far from what Gin could do.

Gin smiled when he pointed out what exactly Tesshin learned from all of them. "We taught him my combat skills, John's speed, Akame's ability to use nature for assistance, and Tanto helped him with learning how to fly."

"He was especially efficient when training with Akame." Tanto pointed out, looking back on how fast he mastered his Nature skill. "He even started talking to mice in his first month."

"So Tesshin's a Nature Specialist like Rocket?" Weed asked out of intrigue, and Tanto nodded her head yes. That gave Weed an idea, and he looked to Rocket to see if he could help him execute it. "Hey Rocket! Would you mind teaching me a few things in Nature spirit on the way there?"

Rocket was more than happy to do so, smiling to GB, who smiled back before Rocket gave his answer. "I'd be honored."

Weed was happy to hear that, and Kyoshiro got Weed's attention to ask about his wording of that question. "So does that mean you're heading to the Koga village?"

"You bet we are!" Weed exclaimed, and then he got around to thanking Kyoshiro for all of his help. "Thanks for all your help, Kyoshiro. I wish I knew how to repay you."

"Oh, I think I know of a way." Kyoshiro replied, and Weed listened closely as he made his request. "Let me and my army come with you. We have the same amount of followers, so we'll double in size. We might even get enough to overpower Hougen if things backfire."

Weed appreciated the offer, but he wanted to make sure Kyoshiro was really okay with coming. "You really want to come? Who will look after your village?" Weed started to worry about leaving Kyoshiro's village unattended. "Some of my soldiers could stay behind if you wanted.

"We can rebuild the place if it gets burnt down." Kyoshiro answered, showing that he really did want to come with Weed and the others. "Besides, you came here wanting my help, so don't get cold feet on me now." Weed found himself smiling as Kyoshiro described him and his army. "We may have different ideas on dealing with bad Canines, but I've seen you and your army in action. You're skilled, tenacious, and you don't let anyone destroy life and get away with it." Kyoshiro's smile showed how happy he was to do this. "That's an army I want to work with."

Weed looked to GB, who nodded with approval. He then looked to Gin and Tanto, who did the same. And with that in mind, Weed held out his paw to declare the deal struck. "In that case, welcome to the Ohu army! Assuming you're okay with me staying the main leader."

"Hey. You're Gin's son, aren't you?" Kyoshiro reminded Weed, and then he took his paw and shook it, declaring his time with Weed's army to officially be a real thing. And now they had a set location: The village of the Koga Clan.

The next morning, Weed was getting in one final private moment of Zokaken training before he and the army headed out. His attempt wasn't any better than the last however, as he could still only reach sixty percent. After giving out, he fell to his knees and started breathing heavily. He tried to think of a way to improve his attempt at using it. "What could I be doing wrong?"

"Looked on point to me from what you told us." Weed looked to see Koyuki walking over to him with a mirk on her face. "More secret training, huh?" Weed and Jerome looked to see Koyuki walking over to them and handing Weed a piece of bacon. "Don't worry, Weed. I won't tell GB. I just wanna know what you feel when training for the Zokaken."

Weed would've done that regardless. He was always happy to share what he learned about Canine Spirit. "It's about as hard to maintain as Jerome said it was. And it doesn't get much easier as I increase the amount of my body that gets covered." Weed then started to express concern over how stressed he was being the leader of the Ohu army. "It's kind of... ironic, if that's the word I'm looking for. I don't like how easily I'm learning Canine Spirit specialties... but I feel like I have to learn this fast to protect everyone."

Koyuki saw how much pressure Weed was putting on himself and put her paws on his shoulders to help him calm down. "Don't push yourself so hard, Weed. I know it's do or die sometimes, like with Kaibutsu, but you have to look after yourself too."

"Yeah, I guess." Weed sighed before asking Koyuki something when taking one of her paws. "Koyuki?" Koyuki listened closely as he asked his question. He seemed to show a sign of doubt that he rarely, if ever, showed in front of anyone before. "Do you think I'm doing a good job leading everyone?"

Koyuki smiled, and her answer made Weed smile too. "For someone who became a leader via majority rule, I'd say so." Inside, GB was listening to the conversation from the living room window while finishing his breakfast with Rocket. This included the knowledge that Weed was practicing the Zokaken behind his back. He wasn't upset about him ignoring his desires to forget about it. He knew Weed was going to do that anyway. He just wished he didn't feel the need to hide it from him. He also wished he felt he could talk to him about this newly learned stress.

Did GB's overprotectiveness make him feel like he couldn't?

To be continued.