Disclaimer: To the one who keeps posting reviews about the characters having 'mental illnesses', please stop. I understand being curious, but you don't have to ask if someone has a mental illness or not in every review. These are about the characters and the plot of the story. So I'd appreciate it if that was what your reviews centered around. Thank you.

The Ginga Legend: Weed's Story

Leader Weed arc Episode five: A Glimpse of Power

Weed and Kyoshiro were entering the Shiga Prefecture battle stadium alongside everyone else to do so.

In Shiga Prefecture, Weed and Kyoshiro were getting ready to have a battle, as Kyoshiro wanted to test Weed's skill. And they were both in for a big surprise.

The arena wasn't all that advanced, but it was fairly large, and worked great for battles.

A Glimpse of Power

Once Weed and Kyoshiro entered, Weed took the time to compliment how old fashioned everything looked. "This place looks a lot simpler than all the other towns I've seen. I think that gives it a unique kind of charm."

Kyoshiro smiled in response before pointing out another reason the town was like this. "And it keeps people from expecting us here." Weed looked at Kyoshiro as he brought up the flawed logic there. "Although, I guess it wasn't too effective since you and your friends found out I was here."

Weed pointed to his army as he explained to Kyoshiro how they found him. "Actually, we came here based on a rumor our friend Rocket heard."

Kyoshiro looked back to the Borzoi Weed mentioned, and he sat down next to GB, who smiled widely upon noticing. "You mean the Borzoi that GB guy clearly has a thing for?"

"That's him!" Weed exclaimed, and then he and Kyoshiro walked over to the middle of the arena. They stood across from each other with Kyoshiro getting ready by cracking his knuckles. Weed wasn't sure how to prepare, as this was his first battle to happen with time to prepare. He decided to just dust himself off while asking about how this would go. "So how is this battle going to be compared to the battles I've been in before?"

"Well for starters, we won't be fighting to the death." Kyoshiro informed Weed, who was relieved to hear that as Kyoshiro brought up another part. "The battle will keep going until one of us quits, or can't fight anymore." Kyoshiro's excited smile made it clear he was ready for this. "At least if no one decides to interrupt."

Weed felt those circumstances would be easy to follow. At least he knew for sure he didn't have to kill Kyoshiro. "Well that's good."

Kyoshiro saw that Weed was relieved at the thought of no killing, which was good for him, but he hoped that wouldn't be for everyone he met. He decided to focus on the battle as a Border Collie from his army came in with Mel pointing it out when he noticed. "Wow! They even have American dogs in their army!"

Kyoshiro noticed Mel's keen knowledge as Weed brought up where that came from. "Weed loves all kinds of animals from dogs to rats. He studied a lot about them before he started traveling with Koyuki and Kotetsu."

Kyoshiro nodded to show that he understood that, and GB called out to Weed to pump him up. "You got this, Weed! Drive Kyoshiro into the dirt!"

One of Kyoshiro's army didn't like that however and called over to GB himself. "It's gonna be Kyoshiro driving HIM into the dirt!"

"You won't be saying that once you see what Weed can do!" GB shouted, and Weed laughed a bit before seeing Koyuki waving to him from the crowd as Kotetsu and Mel cheered for him. He smiled and waved to them, especially glad to see Koyuki in the crowd. Jerome nodded to him with respect, and Gin mouthed 'Good Luck' to him as Tanto gave him a thumbs up.

The Border Collie raised his paw to begin announcing that the fight was about to start. "Alright everyone! This is our first match involving someone outside of Shiga Prefecture! So let's make it a memorable fight for all ages! For the host..." The Border Collie lowered his arm to Kyoshiro, who was excited to battle. "Kyoshiro! Leader of the Shiga Prefecture army! And for our guest..." The Border Collie then moved his arm over to Weed, who was getting himself ready. "Weed! Leader of an army of his very own!"

The Border Collie then raised his paw up again to start the battle. "Let the battle..." He lowered it as he gave Weed and Kyoshiro the go ahead. "BEGIN!"

As soon as Weed and Kyoshiro started, Weed got a Ki orb ready, only to be amazed by Kyoshiro zipping from his end to behind Weed. Weed reacted as quickly as he could, using his left arm to block Kyoshiro's kick, causing him to skid back. Weed regained his balance, and Kyoshiro dashed at him, striking him in the stomach too quickly for Weed to react. Weed's friends were amazed by Kyoshiro's speed, and Kyoshiro continued to hit Weed, striking him four times with the last one being in the face. His fifth strike was a strong kick, sending Weed to the right.

Kyoshiro dashed to where he felt Weed would fly to, but Weed stopped himself with flight to slow down a little. This gave him enough time to spawn a Canine Spirit orb and throw it at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro deflected the orb and dashed at Weed, who was more prepared as soon as he stood on his hind paws. Kyoshiro aimed a fast punch at him, but Weed dodge rolled out of the way just in time. He then used his own Canine Spirit to move quickly towards Kyoshiro.

Weed attempted to punch Kyoshiro, only for him to have his fist caught by the Kishu. Weed took this as a chance to low sweep Kyoshiro, seeing an opportunity as soon as his fist was caught. This surprised Kyoshiro, who aimed a kick at Weed while holding onto his paw. Weed blocked it, only to be met with a Spirit blast to the stomach. This sent him backward, but he managed to move himself off of the Ki blast. He skidded on the ground a bit, and he stumbled before Kyoshiro dashed at him. He readied himself and clenched his fist as tightly as he could.

Kyoshiro aimed a punch at Weed, only for Kyoshiro to end up surprised when Weed collided with a Spirit powered punch. Kyoshiro then took the chance to punch Weed in the stomach, and as much as this hurt, Weed grabbed Kyoshiro's arm with a plan. Weed took Kyoshiro's arm and threw him over his shoulder, successfully slamming him onto the ground with all of his might. The sight of this amazed Kyoshiro's army, showing that this was a rare occurrence indeed.

Weed attempted to hit Kyoshiro with a Spirit blast, only for Kyoshiro to low sweep him with a quick spin, and then kick him super hard across the arena. Weed stumbled for a bit, but he managed to regain his balance, skidding about two feet after getting back up. After he did, Kyoshiro stood up with a light laugh before commenting on the move Weed pulled there. "Impressive move there, Weed. The only one to slam me on the ground like that before was my father." He then stared right at Weed when finishing his statement. "This is the second time anyone's done that."

Weed was glad to have impressed Kyoshiro, who then asked him a question about his Canine Spirit. "By the way, how many specialties have you practiced in?"

Weed was surprised by that question, but he took a bit to remember every specialty he had skills in so far. "Three. And my Spirit Specialty is Combat. GB and my dad told me I'm really close to mastering Speed, and I can fly at a decent speed too, thanks to Mel and our other Flying Specialists."

Kyohsiro took note of that, becoming curious about who Weed's father. "So that other blue Akita in your army is your dad?"

"Yep. The famous leader of Ohu himself, Gin!" Weed answered, surprising Weed with his answer. He'd heard of Gin before, but he didn't think he was still around. At least not after hearing he got captured by Hougen. It didn't help that he didn't know what he looked like. "Now it's MY turn to ask a question. How many specialties have YOU learned?"

Kyoshiro got back into the spirit of battle, happily answering Weed's question while doing so. "Five." That stunned Weed, and Kyoshiro then told him his skill in the specialties he had experience in. "Speed, Combat, Flying, Nature, and Rhythm. That last one is my weakest, since I'm not much of a dancer and see no real use for it."

"Fair warning Kyoshiro; I'M a Rhythm specialist!" Kotetsu called from the ground, but his smile showed he didn't take offense to that.

"Good for you kid!" Kyoshiro called back, and then he stated his skills in the other four specialties. "My Nature skill isn't much stronger than it. Not sure why, since I practice in it more often. But for the other three? Heh. I've already mastered them with relentless training. Wanna guess which one I'm a specialist in?"

Weed was caught off guard by the question, but took a bit of time to think of an answer. Flying was out of the question since Kyoshiro never used it in the battle, so it was down to Combat and Speed. Judging by his skill in combat, he could've easily picked that one. But that felt like too obvious of an answer. That only left one option, and it was in relation to Kyoshiro's speedy moving style. "Speed! As skilled as you are, almost all of your moves involved using Canine Spirit to move quickly! Not to mention you're really impatient, but also really protective, like GB."

"Yep! You got it!" Kyoshiro answered, and he decided to showcase more of the 'impatient' part with his own skill. "Now let's stop talking so I can see what else you can do!"

Meanwhile, Lector and Thunder were sneaking around Shiga Prefecture with Teru's father guiding them through. Lector was looking out for anyone standing guard, and he noticed that the town was completely empty. Since he didn't have to keep his voice down, he looked back at Teru's father for some confirmation on something. "You said Kyoshiro kicked you out of this place?"

"That's right." Teru's father answered, clearly trying to play the victim card in this situation. "It's not MY fault my kid stole my food. I should be allowed to do what I want to him."

Thunder whispered something to Lector about the way Teru's father worded that. "At least Hougen knows he's a monster." Lector laughed a bit in response with Thunder looking on ahead after hearing fighting in the distance. He leaned against a house just to be safe, and what he saw was Weed and Kyoshiro's fight. Once he noticed that everyone in Weed and Kyoshiro's armies were there, he went back over to Lector to report. "Bad news, Lector. Everyone in Kyoshiro's army is in the same place. Taking this guy's brat might be hard."

"Hard or not, Thunder, we can't leave without at least trying to kill them all." Lector reminded Thunder, and then he spawned a Canine Spirit orb to call the other Canines they brought with them. "Listen up, everyone. All of our targets are in the same location. Specifically, the arena on the far right of the village. We're gonna need to create a massive smoke field to get the Mix, so we'll need the best work we can get from our Conjurer specialists."

Lector crushed the Spirit orb after the Canines he was speaking to saluted to him with Thunder bringing up another point. "Gin's with them too. Knowing his skill level, he should be the hardest to take out."

"Then let's bring him back instead. If we knock him out, we can try again with forcing info on that Super Canine thing out of him." Lector responded, and then he looked to the Mix to remind him of his part of the mission. "Don't forget. As soon as the spoke comes up, you rush in and grab Teru. Mess this up and you're dead." The mix nodded his head yes fearfully, and the three Canines headed off to pull off their plan.

Weed and Kyoshiro's fight was still ongoing, and Weed was now using his Canine Spirit in all four of his paws; his hind paws for moving swiftly, and his front paws for blocking Kyoshiro's attacks. Kyoshiro was impressed, as Weed seemed to be telling the truth about being close to mastering the Speed Specialty. Weed even managed to land a swift palm strike on his chest after another blocking his twentieth swift speed punch. He then kicked the stunned Kishu back before dashing at him for another strike. But Kyoshiro smirked, showing that he was ready.

Kyoshiro landed a strong punch right on Weed's gut, speaking into his ear as he praised him again. "You weren't kidding, Weed. I was using eighty percent of my max speed with those punches." He then sent Weed into the air, and while he was able to recover from the uppercut by starting to fly, Kyoshiro dashed up to give him some more swift blows. Weed managed to block the first, but Kyoshiro planned ahead for that. Weed barely managed to duck underneath his spin kick.

Kyoshiro elbowed Weed in the gut, stunning him again with GB showing immense concern while squeezing Rocket's paw. It did hurt Rocket a little, which GB noticed when he heard Rocket wince. "Oh. Sorry." Rocket smiled to GB, showing that he was understanding about his mood. Kyoshiro smacked Weed's face again, and then continued to strike him with several punches and kicks, and the last three being the hardest. The first of the final three hits was in the chest, and then a backward punch to the face, which sent Weed back for the final strike.

Weed ended up being sent straight towards the ground with a powerful kick from Kyoshiro. Weed slammed into the arena floor, and Kyoshiro descended with Weed getting up slowly. It was obvious that he was starting to get extremely tired from the battle. Kyoshiro a little less so, but he was quite excited to be fighting such a strong opponent. "I guess I can't say I'm surprised by your power, Weed. Any child in Gin's bloodline is bound to be a fast learner. That alone gives you a lot of potential."

"Thanks. But sometimes, I wonder if it's a little too easy." Weed admitted, knowing that mastering the other Specialties was supposed to be harder than it looked. "Even though I don't like fighting, I don't want my mastering of all of these skills to be handed to me."

Kyoshiro snickered a bit, finding Weed's logic rather amusing. "Weed, I think you're the first one I've ever heard complain about learning Canine Spirit Specialties being easy."

Kyoshiro signaled one of his soldiers to come onto the field, walking over to Weed with a green Spirit power coming from his palms as Weed mentioned something else. "I just think it's a little unfair to everyone else. I even made up my own attack on the spot, and it's only gotten stronger since I kept practicing with it."

"That's called hard work, Weed. Being born is handed to you. Power isn't." Kyoshiro reminded Weed, just as GB rushed over to see if he was okay, unable to take it anymore.

GB got a good look at Weed's wounds and found that they were all healing up quite quickly. Weed also noticed GB's worried look and assured him that he was okay. "I'm okay, GB. Kyoshiro's Healing Specialists are as strong as ours."

GB sighed of relief, only for Gin to sense something from the crowd. It was several harsh looking sources from both sides, and he quickly called to the four Canines in the arena. "Guys; get out of there! You're about to be ambushed!" Weed, GB, Kyoshiro, and the Canine healing Weed were confused about that, and they suddenly found three smoke bombs landing in the arena.

After the smoke bombs went off, everyone ended up blinded as Weed and Kyoshiro were suddenly kicked to the side. Sensing that Weed was in trouble, GB instantly dashed towards the source who kicked Weed back without thinking. He pinned him right to the ground, sounding aggressive as he demanded an answer. He made it clear he wasn't playing around with these ambushers. "Speak up, now! What are you after!?"

The Canine GB pinned down was quick to try and fight back, but his attempt to punch GB was meant with him catching his fist and crushing it. After that, Weed and Kyoshiro looked through the smoke as Weed called out to his friends. "KOYUKI! KOTETSU! EVERYONE!"

Once the smoke started to clear, Weed was surprised to find a bunch of fighting going on in the area Teru was gone too, and Kyoshiro knew exactly what it was when he sensed track marks by Teru's seat. He went over and sniffed them, and once he got the familiar scent, he was furious. "Fucking bastard."

Kyoshiro dashed off, alerting Weed when he noticed. "Wait; Kyoshiro!" As Kyoshiro ran off, Weed saw Koyuki fighting off against one of the soldiers herself and quickly figured out what was going on. "These have to be Hougen's men." And with that, Weed rushed in to give a helping paw with the battle.

Teru's father was running off with Teru in his arms trying to escape while shouting, refusing to return to living with his abusive father. "Let me go! Please!" Teru's father ignored his son's cries of fear, which turned out to be a big mistake, as Kyoshiro was hot on his trail. He jumped at a high speed onto a tree he was nearing and headbutted him while grabbing Teru. He then jumped off of the tree he ran towards and set Teru down gently. He was more than happy to see him. "Kyoshiro!"

Kyoshiro gestured Teru to stay put, which he did as Kyoshiro dashed over to Teru's father, who was checking his head for blood. "YOU BASTARD!" Kyoshiro stomped on Teru's father's chest swiftly and brutally, causing him to caught blood before Kyoshiro then grabbed him by his head fur. He was as angry as could get about Teru's father bringing back, and he completely lost it on him. His next brutal punch in the gut proved just that. "I told you not to go anywhere near Teru! Not withing one kilometer! That obviously included trying to dognap him!"

Kyoshiro continued to brutally beat Teru's father, which scared Teru. Thankfully, Jerome arrived just in time to cover Teru's ears and turn him around so he wouldn't have to see or hear the fight. Kyoshiro's shouting was still quite loud however, and he made his anger very clear. "I guess your desire to be stupid outweighed your desire to live! You really wanna die that badly!?" Despite Teru's father shaking his head no fearfully, Kyoshiro wasn't having it. He was going to make absolute certain this never happened again. "WELL ALLOW ME TO FULFILL THAT WISH!"

Kyoshiro extended his claws and stuck them into Teru's father's neck, causing him to start losing his breath. Once Kyoshiro looked into his eyes, he said something to Teru's father right before killing him. "May your reincarnation be a real parent." Kyoshiro then launched a massive Canine Spirit beam into the air, one that even caught the attention of Weed and the others. Weed nodded to Koyuki, who he was fighting alongside, and they both kicked a soldier back and sent him to the ground after seeing the beam.

Kyoshiro threw the now headless Canine to the ground, spitting on him before Jerome picked Teru up to guide him to safety. "Catch your breath, Kyoshiro." Kyoshiro did as advised, already having calmed down a little after Teru's father was killed. He took a few seconds, but he calmed himself well enough to focus again. Jerome smiled when he saw this, seeing that Kyoshiro did have some control over his anger. Even if he still lost himself when angry enough. "Is there a fortified enough place to keep him safe? Somewhere your Healing Specialists might be."

"My house, closest to the arena. You can't miss it." Kyoshiro directed Jerome, who headed off to get Teru to safety as quickly as possible. And with that, Kyoshiro rushed off as fast as he could to help Weed and the others.

Back on the battlefield, Koyuki uppercutted a soldier into the air with all her might, and Weed was shown to be flying as he kicked him towards the ground. This caused him to slam to the ground, and after Weed landed next to Koyuki, two other Canines charged at them, and they dodged their strikes with ease. Weed kicked the one on his side into the other, allowing Koyuki to use a Canine Spirit powered punch to send them dragging across the floor. Koyuki expressed how impressed they both were with how they were doing. "These guys are a lot weaker than I thought."

"Don't get cocky! They could be Hougen's weaker soldiers!" Gin called down from above, punching one Canine in the gut before kicking him to the side. "Don't forget; I was held captive by these guys at one point!"

Weed and Koyuki nodded to each other after that, and the two noticed Kotetsu using his Rhythm specialty to stylishly dodge another Canine's strikes. "Weak is right!" Kotetsu grabbed the Canine's fist before jumping up and landing a powerful spin kick on his face. He then moved down to the hind legs of the Canine and tripped him. This led to Kotetsu kicking the Canine across the battlefield and over to Tanto, who ground pounded the Canine into the ground after knocking out one she was facing herself.

Weed and Koyuki admired Kotetsu's skill, seeing that his adjustment to his Specialty has been a strong one. Kyoshiro arrived then and there, pinning another Canine to the ground with a swift tackle and pin. After punching him he called over to Weed and Koyuki with a tip for the battle. "Stop gawking over your friend and fight!" Kyoshiro punched the Canine again, this one being much stronger than the first.

After nodding to each other, they got back into the battle and dashed towards a group of Canines who were surrounding Mel. He managed to blind one by launching a Spirit blast at his face, leading to Koyuki taking the time to use the same Spirit punch on him. This sent him into the ground, and Weed kicked one of the Canines to the side, saving Mel completely, much to his gratitude. "Thanks, you guys! I wish I could do more in combat."

"We'll get there with training, Mel." Koyuki assured Mel as she and Weed continued fighting, knowing that all he needed was time. "If you're up for it, we'll get onto that right after this battle.

Weed smashed two Canines heads together before launching a Spirit blast at one who was about to sneak up on Koyuki. "Not gonna happen!" Koyuki took the chance to elbow the Canine in the stomach, kicking him towards Weed, who kicked him up into the air after that. Weed then launched another Spirit blast at the Canine, who got sent into the air long enough for Mel to dash up and ground pound him into the floor. Weed was quick to praise him once he descended to the ground. "Nice one, Mel! Even I didn't see that coming!"

Mel laughed a bit before Lector came up from behind him and smacked Mel to the side. "ENOUGH!"

Mel ended up being sent flying into a tree, and after he crashed into it, Koyuki called out to him in horror. "MEL!" However, Thunder ended up stopping her by holding her by headlock, but not before she took her dagger and stabbed him in the arm with it. After making him let go, he glared at Weed and Koyuki, the former of whom blocked Lector's punch just in time. However, he was then sent back by a powerful kick, making him tumble on the ground for a bit.

GB was on the other side of the battlefield, but he instantly sensed that Weed was in danger from that strike. His eyes darted to where Weed was, and he saw the Dobermen brothers surrounding Weed, Koyuki, and Mel. It almost distracted GB from the battle, but when a Canine ended up aiming a powerful punch at him, he managed to grab his paw. He crushed the paw after glaring at the Canine, causing him to cry out in pain. GB then slammed the Canine into the ground, and the outcome was brutal. He then threw him to the side to keep him out of his way.

GB dashed to where Weed and Lector were, and as Lector stomped on Weed's gut and made him wince, GB surprised all five Canines in that part of the battlefield by tackling Lector at max speed. He sent Lector back a bit, but not before Lector grabbed him and elbowed him in the stomach. As much as it hurt GB, he refused to let Lector hurt Weed. He landed a brutal elbow on him, which almost made him let go. Lector started digging his claws into GB's thighs, making GB wince and unable to move quickly, which made Weed call out in fear. "GB!"

Weed wasn't sure who to help between GB and Koyuki, and Koyuki assured him that she was okay. "Go help GB, Weed! I'm fine for now!" Koyuki's dagger was deflected out of her paw after she said that, but she still managed to dodge Thunder's Spirit sword and uppercut him in the jaw. She then dashed for her dagger, and Weed looked at GB again. He was clearly struggling harder, and he wasn't about to let him die at the hands of Thunder.

Weed dashed towards Lector just as GB landed a Spirit powered punch on his gut, stunning him long enough to let Weed hit him with a Spirit beam after jumping up. After Lector was sent back by the beam, Weed descended to GB and checked on his wounds. "GB!"

GB was clearly hurt from the attack, but he wasn't about to give up on Weed just yet. "I'll be fine, Weed. We've all endured worse." Lector managed to recover from the beam rather quickly, leading to GB getting ready to keep fighting. He got his Canine Spirit ready before looking to Weed with doting eyes. "And I'm not going to stop protecting you now."

Lector started charging his Canine Spirit, setting his sights directly on GB. Weed started charging his Canine Spirit as well, but not before Lector smiled, having earned a bit of respect for GB. "You impress me, Setter. Very few understand the desire to protect someone you love."

Weed started cupping his paws together as GB made a response to Lector's comment. "To be honest, I only discovered that feeling a few months ago."

"Is that so?" Lector asked, and after GB nodded, Lector launched his Spirit beam at him. "Then be glad you get to die with that knowledge! Brotherhood Beam!" Weed then surprised both GB and Lector however, by pushing GB out of the way and launching his beam at Lector. It was bigger and stronger now, and it even managed to stop Lector's beam with his current level of power. This gave Rocket the chance to check up on GB, bringing him over to the medics who were on stand by.

Kyoshiro caught sight of this after knocking down another Canine, finding himself impressed with Weed's power. He didn't see the start of the beam, but he still smiled, being glad to see the move itself in action. The strength Weed possessed surprised Lector, and the sight of what he saw made him smile. "So the feeling's mutual."

Lector put more power into his beam, and it overpowered Weed's, causing him to be sent back after struggling for a bit. Weed ended up dragging across the field, and everyone on the battle field, especially GB, Gin, Kotetsu, and Koyuki, were scared for Weed's safety once they noticed. Gin wanted to help, but he was now protecting some injured soldiers, and he couldn't leave them hanging. Everyone else was busy with their own parts in the battle as well. And with Jerome guarding Teru at Kyoshiro's house, it seemed as if no one was left to save Weed.

Lector walked over to Weed slowly, praising his tenacity when he began to stand up. "Not bad, kid. The Brotherhood Beam is mine and Thunder's strongest attack." Weed started charging his Canine Spirit, despite how hurt he was, and Lector got ready to finish him off. "I wonder. How would you have taken it if we combined it for maximum power?" Lector stopped giving it thought soon after, instead getting ready to blast Weed again. "Oh well. You and your friends won't be alive long enough to find out."

That comment angered Weed, which Lector noticed and laughed a bit once he saw it. "Looks like I struck a nerve! This could be more cathartic than I thought!"

Once Lector raised his paw at Weed, who clenched his fists with rising anger, a familiar Kishu grabbed his arm and lowered it. This surprised Lector, who looked to find Kyoshiro right next to him. "Think again, asshole." Lector growled at Kyoshiro, who started charging his own Canine Spirit beam to send him back with. "You encouraged Teru's father to break the rule I set for him. Breaking the rule was on him, but you still need to pay the price for your involvement." During this, Gin sensed a rising Spirit aura coming from Weed. One with a different color than his usual Spirit.

"Ha! You think I'm scared of you!?" Lector glared right at Kyoshiro as he declared his addition to his list of deaths. They were so focused on each other, that they failed to notice Weed's anger at the thought of his friends, and other innocent canines being killed rising. "I'm not gonna let some punk teenager push me around! Not like that Mixed Breed pussy!"

That is... until Weed shouted towards them, sounding much more angry and violent than he ever would normally. "HEY!" Kyoshiro and Lector looked at Weed, and Kyoshiro could feel the anger inside of him rising. His Canine Spirit was also rising, and his power was much greater than he could've expected. "You've got some nerve! Threatening my friends like that!" Weed glared directly at Lector, demanding to know who he was. "What's your name!?"

Lector started getting scared, but did his best to hold his ground as he answered his question. "L-L-Lector! And my b-brother's name is T-T-Thunder!"

Weed looked towards Thunder, who had Koyuki pinned to the ground before Koyuki kicked him off after slashing his face. She gazed at Weed, as did GB, Gin, Kotetsu, and everyone else in the area. Even Jerome, who was currently guarding Teru at Kyoshrio's house, sensed this power. It alerted him, and he started thinking about a previously mentioned legend. 'That power. Could it be?'

Weed had his sights set on Lector, who saw his eyes change from blue to orange. "Lector and Thunder. Well Lector." Weed's power reached as high as it could in that moment. Lector started charging up his Canine Spirit, and Kyoshiro's instincts led him to getting out of the way. "YOU'RE ABOUT TO LEARN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU THREATEN MY FRIENDS!" Weed dashed at Lector at top speed, punching him smack in the face and sending him rolling backward. Once he regained his balance, he launched a Canine Spirit beam at Weed, who easily deflected it.

This level of power brought further fear to Lector, who Weed dashed at and kicked in the stomach. When he flew back, he dashed behind him and uppercutted him into the sky. He then dashed upward and kicked Lector towards the ground. Lector dragged on the ground, trying to get back up quickly so he could face Weed. Thunder soon joined him while commenting on how intense the battle was. "I thought I told you on the way here not to have all the fun!"

"I wouldn't exactly call this fun!" Lector responded, and Weed then dashed in front of them, signaling them both to attempt to punch him. He dodged Thunder's punch and grabbed Lector's fist, kicking him back after he did. Thunder took the chance to aim a swift punch at him, which he took, but didn't move an inch. Thunder thought this was a good sign, but Weed looking at him unharmed showed otherwise. Thunder was horrified, even before Weed punched him in the gut. Thunder ended up coughing blood, much to the shock of everyone else.

Weed punched Thunder in the face after that, and then he barraged him with several punches and kicks. The last three hit hard in the gut, face, and chest. Weed then kicked Thunder back, sending him towards Lector. Lector knew there was no chance at winning this fight, and he made that clear to Thunder as Weed was staring him down. "I don't know how that kid got so much stronger, and I don't care!" Lector then spoke to everyone he was working with in the army. "Everyone! Retreat!"

Lector and Thunder, along with their troops, did as advised, and Weed called over to them as his friends and Kyoshiro rushed over to him. "Don't make me have to kill you!"

Weed started to calm down after that, and as he did, his eyes started to turn back from orange to blue, and he found himself unsure of what he just felt there. GB placed a paw on his shoulder to help him recover if needed, and Koyuki took his paw, surprising him when he noticed. Koyuki started blushing when she saw that, saying the first thing that popped into her head. "I just... thought it might help."

Weed smiled as well while blushing a bit, being happy to confirm that Koyuki's move was a good one. "It did. Thanks." Weed then started wondering what that new power was about. Gin, who was gazing at Weed in that moment, had a feeling he knew what it would lead to. "What happened to me just now? I felt like a completely different Canine. Almost all of my sanity burst out of me as soon as my eyes turned red."

Gin walked up to Weed and knelt down to him, revealing something to him that he knew was integral to his knowledge. "When I was captured by Hougen... he asked me about a creature called a 'Super Canine'." Weed and the others were intrigued by this. Too bad Gin couldn't fuel their interests. "I didn't know what he was talking about. But I think you showed a possible glimpse of it, Weed." Weed was surprised by this, and Gin acknowledged what he said about his eye color. "You said your eyes turned red. Perhaps Super Canine is some kind of transformation."

"It is." Jerome chimed in from behind, leading to Gin looking back at him as everyone else looked at him. "I read about it during the early days of when I saw Kaibutsu."

"Kaibutsu?" Gin asked with surprise, being confused as to why Jerome would have positive history with Kaibutsu. "You were friends with the beast that destroyed Futago Pass?"

"Our meetings happened a few years before that event. During my teen years actually." Jerome explained, and then he looked at Weed as he insisted on sharing his knowledge with him. "Weed. I think it's time I share that knowledge with you all." Weed was still stunned by what he was learning, but he still nodded with a determined look on his face. If he needed to learn about this new transformation, then so be it.

At Kyoshiro's place, which was pretty big, Weed and the others were inside as Kotetsu was jumping on Kyoshiro's bed, much to his annoyance. "What do you think this is, a fucking trampoline!?"

"No, but it feels great to see a real bed again!" Kotetsu responded excitedly, making Kyoshiro groan at his behavior.

In the main room, Weed was learning about Super Canine from Jerome, who explained it with the help of a book he found in the Shiga Prefecture library. Gin and Tanto were there as well, since they were also mentors in their own ways. GB was also there, just in case this ended up being a lot for Weed to take in. "In short, Super Canine is a transformation that, when you first use it in a completed state, will make you fifty times stronger you are when fighting in your base form."

That amazed Weed, unable to comprehend how he could ever become that strong. "I can become that strong with a change of my eye color!?"

"And a change of fur, along with a massive Canine spirit boost." Jerome added, elaborating on what exactly a Canine Spirit transformation looked like. "The legend of the Super Canine goes back to before AD and BC were even comprehended by the world." Jerome turned to a page that showed one Canine changing from purple to yellow. "And in all that time, there's only been one consistent detail in the transformation: All who transform into a Super Canine, face a temporary fur change to the opposite color. Even the change of eye color can be different from the fur."

Jerome explained this in further detail once Weed got a good look at the transformation. "The opposite color to purple is yellow. So that's what this Canine's fur color changes to upon using Super Canine." Jerome then pointed towards his and Weed's eyes, which were both blue, even if different shades of blue. "And if one of us were to unlock Super Canine, our fur would change to orange, like your eyes did for you."

Weed did have a question in mind for Gin, since he felt he should know something about this by now. "How come you didn't know about this, dad?"

"I was never much of a bookworm." Gin admitted, laughing a bit as he thought about how easy this would've been to learn about. "I guess Hougen isn't either. He wouldn't have had to interrogate me if he could just get a library card."

Weed started thinking deeply about this transformation. The fact that he could increase his power fifty fold was incredible to him, even though he didn't like fighting. Jerome gave him a proposal that could help him learn how to enhance his power more quickly. "It might take you a while to fully acquire the Super Canine transformation, but the fact that you're capable of it means you're also capable of another technique I can teach you alongside your Specialty training. One that can enhance your strength up to twenty fold if you can use it right."

Gin and Tanto saw what Jerome was saying with the latter getting excited over the sound of this. "Oh hell yeah! That'd be totally badass!"

Gin was a little less excited, but he did seem to believe that Weed was capable of handling it. "I suppose Weed could handle the... bodily recoil."

"Bodily recoil!?" GB exclaimed, slamming his paws on the table as soon as he heard that and surprising the other four Canines. "Is this a technique that will hurt Weed!?"

"Well... yes." Jerome admitted, and as GB looked like he was about to reject the idea, Jerome assured him that Weed could handle it. "But Weed has gained an incredible amount of Spirit control since I started teaching you all. I think he can learn to use it properly without much trouble."

GB wasn't on board with this, refusing to let Weed learn anything that would guarantee him getting hurt. "No way! It's not gonna happen, Jerome! If it's gonna hurt Weed, then I won't allow it!"

"But shouldn't it be up to me?" Weed asked GB genuinely, making him look at him with immense concern after he did.

Jerome expected that, hoping he could convince GB otherwise. "GB, we have a huge battle in the future. We'll need every advantage we should get."

GB was still hesitant, and Gin offered a compromise to help him be more at ease with it. "At least let us demonstrate it to him, GB." GB looked at Gin, who was worried about Weed's safety as well, but still wanted him to at least see the technique. "Weed should know what he's getting into before he decides."

GB felt that was fair, looking to Weed for his response. After Weed gave him a reassuring nod, he complied with this compromise. After setting his own boundary of course. "Fine. But if Weed can't handle it yet, then we delay that part of his training."

"Of course. There's no rush until much later." Jerome assured GB, looking at Weed to see if he was really feeling up to this. "Now Weed. Are you 100% certain you want to go through with learning this technique?"

"I'm sure." Weed answered, knowing that he'd need all the techniques he could learn for this battle, and not just wait for the Super Canine transformation to fully form inside of him.

Jerome smiled in response, seeing that Weed's determined and noble spirit wasn't dwindling anytime soon. He could see him mastering this technique in no time. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing Weed and his army have faced so far is. And this was something Weed wanted to learn, and something he wanted to teach him. "Then starting tomorrow, I'm going to start teaching you the technique known as... the Zokaken!"

To be continued