The Ginga Legend: Weed's Story

Leader Weed arc Episode nine: Contrasting Ideals

Weed and everyone else were getting ready to head out and continue their journey, since Weed's learning of the Battouga was complete. Weed was still at the hut Tesshin assigned him as he powered out of a 95% powered Zokaken. He only had a few more attempts to go at this rate. Kyoshiro walked up to him, and Weed sensed his presence, so he spoke first. "I thought about what you said."

"And?" Kyoshiro asked, and then Weed looked to Jerome, who stayed around with Weed's permission.

Weed turned around, hoping that Kyoshiro would understand his perspective. "I still want to at least give other Canines a chance to turn their lives around."

Kyoshiro stepped forward with some more knowledge Weed seemed to need. "Just remember that some might take it for granted, Weed."

"I know that. I just can't bring myself to kill someone without giving them a chance at being better." Weed explained, and Jerome listened to what Weed had to say, becoming worried that this might lead him to trouble. "Hougen kills soldiers the moment they fail him, right? I don't want to be like that. The idea of taking away another being's right to better themself just feels wrong."

Kyoshiro sighed, but didn't argue past this, knowing that Weed's ideals were going to be hard for him alone to switch. And that wasn't even what he wanted; he just wanted to help Weed realize when to bend them. "I guess that's fair. Just remember that if someone attacks us, and you let them go..." Kyoshiro held his paw out and blasted a Spirit blast at a nearby tree, which surprised Weed and Jerome due to how sudden it was. Kyoshiro finished what he had to say. "that's what will happen if they attack us again."

Weed understood where Kyoshiro was coming from, but also thought a compromise was in order. Thankfully, what Kyoshiro just demonstrated helped him figure one out. "I guess that's also fair." That included clarifying one more thing he wanted out of it. "Also, I think we should tell them directly why we're letting them go. Some Canines won't get the message just by being spared."

"Fine. But I'll say something if they've proven themselves to be a potential threat." Kyoshiro warned Weed, heading off to help the others get ready. "I'm gonna go see how the younger kids are doing."

Weed looked to Jerome after watching Kyoshiro walk off, hoping he understood where he was coming from. "You get it. Right, Jerome?"

"I do. And Kyoshiro does as well." Jerome assured Weed, knowing that this was just his protective side kicking in. A result of him being a Speed Specialist. He started thinking about Weed's ideals as he looked at his determined expression. 'Of course... his specialty isn't the only one capable of being protective of you.'

Some of the army were relaxing, or playing, by the hot springs as Weed observed them after heading over to their location.

Weed had successfully learned the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, and his and Kyoshiro's armies were now getting ready to continue their journey. However, there were still some concerns that needed to be addressed.

Weed showed optimism regarding their chances at winning, feeling that he, and everyone else, would be ready by the time the battle came.

Contrasting Ideals

GB and Rocket were playing with some of the children before noticing Weed, heading on over to him after assuring the children he'd be right back. "Weed!" Weed smiled when GB came over to him with a question on his mind. "I've been meaning to ask you. What should we do about the younger pups we've gathered?"

Jerome added to that as he walked over to Weed and GB. "That's right. We have a lot of puppies here who aren't even seven years old."

"I talked about it with Kyoshiro last night after I got back to the hut." Weed revealed, already knowing what his answer was. "It'd be wrong to snatch their futures away from them. I think we should leave them here until we stop Hougen. We can start training them after we stop Hougen."

Weed saw Kyoshiro talking to the puppies, and the Setter puppy questioned why this was happening. "We're saying behind? Why?!"

Teru stepped in front of him and started begging to come along. "No, Kyoshiro! We wanna come too!"

"Keep quiet. I won't let you complain." Kyoshiro informed the puppies, but they weren't letting up. That started to set him off. "I said no! It wouldn't be worth a damn if you came along anyway! You're all untrained!"

The puppies were upset about this as GB gave his thoughts on Kyoshiro's words. "That's cold. But fair."

Teru ran past Kyoshiro, much to his surprise as Rocket chuckled at the sight of this. "I've always wanted to be a father. Maybe not the kind Kyoshiro would be though." In that instant, GB added 'Puppies' to his 'Perfect life with Rocket' list."

Teru ran up to Weed and started begging him to come along. "Please, leader! Let me come with you!"

"Just Weed is fine."

"Hey; that's enough!"

Kyoshiro started holding Teru down as he continued begging Weed to let him come. "Please, don't leave me here! Without fail, my death will become a heroic one!" This caught them off guard, and Kyoshiro stood next to Weed as Teru suggested something. "Just ask Gin and Tanto when they get back from patrol! They'll know if I can help!" Teru spoke again as the other puppies ran over to them. "We won't get in anyone's way! We'll help as much as we can and die useful deaths!"

The talk about death made Weed uncomfortable, but he suppressed that to explain why Teru and the others were staying behind. "Thank you, Teru. You all have good hearts. But you misunderstand this." The puppies became confused and let Weed explain further. "To die isn't something remarkable. To live is much more remarkable than dying." The others listened closely as well as Weed continued. "I've seen heroic deaths on my journey. But the desire to be a soldier should be to fight, not to die. Living is much harder. It takes courage to live."

Weed had a valiant look on his face as he spoke more. "You still have a lot of time before you're ready for the battlefield. And if something happens to us, the Ninja Dogs will train you once your ready. And then it will be your turn." The puppies looked at Weed in awe as he finished his statement. "Life is something worth valuing through and through. It should never be taken for granted. So until we stop those scoundrels, I won't allow you to die. Do you understand?"

The puppies all understood, assuring Weed that they understood, and that they would obey him and Kyoshiro. "Yes!"

After that, Weed and the others were bidding farewell to Tesshin and the Koga elder, the latter of whom was ready to take guardianship of the puppies. "You have nothing to worry about, Weed. I'll watch over the puppies here at the springs."

"Thank you so much, elder." Weed said, and then he looked to Tesshin to see what he wanted to do. "So Tesshin. Have you decided on whether or not you'll be coming with us?"

Tesshin smiled, being happy to give Weed his answer. "As a matter of fact, I have." Just then, several ninja dogs jumped down behind Tesshin and the puppies, which caught the puppies attention. After they did, Tesshin happily stated what he thought of Weed upon getting to know him. "You're just like Gin when he was a puppy, Weed. Not just in your appearance, but in your feelings too."

Gin rubbed Weed's head proudly as Tesshin continued. "Just like Gin, what you do, and what you risk, is for every Canine in Ohu. And because of that, there's only one answer I can give to either one of you. Justice will prevail. And so, I'll stand by your side."

Weed smiled in appreciation as Gin expressed the joy he and Tanto had in working alongside Tesshin. "It's an honor to have you aboard, Tesshin. Here's hoping you're ready for someone as strong as Hougen."

"I'm confident I am. Especially with all of you by my side." Tesshin assured Gin, cementing his loyalty with the Ohu army. "From now on, the ninja dogs, which consist of more than twenty of us, will team up with the Ohu army!"

Kagetora, Ken, and Jerome were impressed by this because of how their numbers increased because of it. "That means there's more than a hundred of us now!"

"Thank you, Tesshin." Weed said, being grateful for all of the support Tesshin gave him both during their time here, and for the mission.

"No need to thank me, Weed." Tesshin replied humbly, being honored to serve the Ohu army once again. "Now, let's go!"

Gin looked to Weed with confidence, knowing he could make the right call on this. "Before we do, I think we'll need to know where we're headed."

Weed nodded in response, already having the right idea on what he wanted to do. "From this point onward, the Ohu army will invade Hougen's base!" And with that, Weed started howling confidently, inspiring the rest of his army to howl with him as they all looked up towards the sky. Despite their limited numbers, they were confident that the training they put in would make them strong enough to take down Hougen.

Three days ago, Hougen was enjoying himself in Futago Pass, humming to himself as he used Akame as a throne. He was also using his Canine Spirit to slap Alan's across the face with a Spirit powered paw. "Quit slapping yourself. Quit slapping yourself. Quit slapping yourself!" Hougen started laughing before reminding Akame know how this would stop. "Remember. All you have to do is tell me where your friends are, and I'll stop." Akame simply growled, showing that he wasn't about to betray his friends. Hougen was okay with this. "More throne time it is then."

Before Akame could shout back with refusal, one of Hougen's soldiers was heard from right outside the entrance. "I told you already! Hougen isn't to be disturbed!"

"Don't make us hurt you!" Another soldier shouted, only for the sound of two Canines getting knocked out to be heard next. Hougen used his Canine Spirit and sensed a power around the same level as Lector and Thunder. In fact, it was greater.

After Hougen sensed this large power, a Wolfhound entered his throne room. And surely enough, it was the same Canine he sensed that power from. "I'm looking for either Hougen, or Genba. I don't care who I talk to."

Hougen was intrigued and sent a Spirit rope towards the Wolfhound, tying him up and bringing him over with a single tug. He looked right into his eyes as he gave his usual vicious stare. "You've got a lot of guts attacking my men and coming in here of your own volition." He then spawned a Canine Spirit sword from his other paw, getting off of Akame and holding it up to the Wolfhound's chest, allowing Akame to sneak off. "I hope you have something good to offer me so I don't kill you for it."

"Would two hundred soldiers help?" the Wolfhound asked, catching Hougen's attention as the Wolfhound pointed behind himself to point out his strongest soldiers standing beside him. "The five Canines you see there are just the strongest of what I have to offer. And I know your brother's protecting your main base at the moment. So I thought I'd offer some assistance."

Hougen found himself impressed, deciding to interrogate the Wolfhound further so he knew what to expect from him. "What Specialty do you hold in you?"

"I'm a Conjuring specialist." The Wolfhound answered, satisfying Hougen quite a bit. "You're one as well I presume? Our combined brains could make us close to unstoppable."

"Close to unstoppable?" Hougen asked, grinning devilishly as he corrected the Wolfhound. "More like impossible for anyone to stop! Those try-hard sage bitches won't stand a chance!" Akame was shown sending a bird for Weed's army again, just as Hougen recruited the Wolfhound. "And I don't need to fight you to know just how strong you are. Even if just barely, you surpass Lector and Thunder!" Akame snuck back over to where Hougen and the Wolfhound were with the Wolfhound noticing him, but not saying anything. "What's your name anyway?"

"Kamakiri." The Wolfhound answered, and Hougen kept that in mind so he knew what to refer to him as.

Hougen held out his paw, and once Kamakiri accepted, Hougen allowed him into the army. "Welcome, Kamakiri. I know we just met, but you've already proven yourself more than worthy of being among my top soldiers." Akame glared at Kamakiri, sensing that they were around the same in power. Akame could only hope that Weed and Gin were stronger than that now. If they weren't, then they had no chance at beating Hougen.

In the present, Weed and the others were now nearing the location Hougen was said to be in, now that they felt they had enough soldiers to defeat him. Weed's face showed pure determination, both in a desire to save John, and to save all of Ohu by stopping Hougen.

As Hougen and Kamakiri made their deal, the Ohu army was drawing closer to Hougen's base in the Southern Alps.

Lector and Thunder rose up from some bushes, revealing themselves to be watching the army close by.

But two familiar faces were secretly watching them close by. The two assassins who attacked Shiga Prefecture: Lector and Thunder!

"Should we wait for Genba to get back?" Thunder asked, wanting to make sure he knew when to attack.

"No way! At this point, waiting on him or Hougen is suicide." Lector responded, having his own plans for how to weaken the army. "We're already on thin ice as it is. We should at least get Weed." Thunder nodded his head yes with Lector adding something else to his answer. "Let's hope he doesn't have another insane burst in power." Lector and Thunder then went off, ready to execute their plan of capturing Weed.

Once Weed and the others arrived at Hougen's base, they noticed that very few dogs were actually guarding it. Tesshin found this suspicious, as he could've sworn there were more guarding the place. "This is strange. Hougen had more than a hundred followers closely guarding the base when I was here last."

Jerome had his own idea on why the guard count was much lower. "It could be a trap."

Gin then directed the army to where John was being held. "John and I were being held captive in that shed over there." The army looked at the shed as Gin pointed out a possible outcome to this situation. "But there's a chance Hougen might've moved him." Gin knew that him getting captured was a risk, at least if Hougen was hiding there. "I'd love to scout ahead myself, but if I get captured again by Hougen, he'll kill me no question."

"Not an issue, Gin." Tesshin assured Gin, deciding to scout ahead himself, knowing that someone familiar with the area should do so. "I'll go check it out."

"Wait, Tesshin." Weed said, making Tesshin look at him as Weed declared what he was going to do. "I'm going too."

GB started to fear the worst when it came to Weed, reminding him of what to do in case Hougen was there. "In case Hougen is out there, run as fast as you can."

Jerome found that advice to be sound, backing GB up as he looked at Weed. "A Conjuring specialist should have a hard time keeping up with high speeds. Just don't be surprised if he's mastered Speed too."

"Got it. Thanks, you two." Weed responded, and then he headed off with Tesshin, smiling to GB and Gin, and then Koyuki, Kotetsu, and Mel, he headed off.

GB saw Gin's remorseful look and assured him that he made a smart call. "You've seen Hougen's power first hand. You would know if he's too strong for you."

"I know." Gin answered, being upset for another reason. "But that's no excuse to endanger my son." Gin started using his Canine Spirit and started scanning the area with some kind of air drone. Just in case anyone too strong for Weed and Tesshin came around, he would be ready to jump in.

Weed and Tesshin got a good look at the shed, being surprised to find that no guards were around it. However, Weed wasn't about to let this surprise stop him from saving his father's friend. 'John. John is in there.' Weed then flashed back to the deaths of Sakura, Smith, and then thought about how beat up his father must have been during his first time meeting Hougen. Overcome with emotion, Weed impulsively jumped out of the snow and made his way for the shed. "No more!"

Tesshin chased after Weed as soon as he started running. "Weed, wait!"

Weed went into the shed and looked around once he entered through the hole. He hoped John was there, but was unable to find anything due to how dark it was. He made sure to stay quiet just in case. "John? Are you there?" Two sets of eyes were in the shadows of the shed with one of them revealing himself to be Lector as he attempted to bite Weed.

"Weed!" Tesshin pushed Weed out of the way, and he rolled a bit with Tesshin being thrown right next to him.

Weed got up quickly, showing concern for Tesshin as soon as he did. "Tesshin!" He then recognized Lector and Thunder once he looked right at them. "Lector!? Thunder!?"

Lector licked his lips, being excited for what he was about to do to Weed. "It's too bad, Weed."

"John isn't here!" Thunder informed Weed, surprising the Akita to hear this information.

The dogs by the hideout started to notice, and GB nodded to Rocket, who knew what he was going to do. As soon as the guards at the hideout started waking up, GB and Rocket dashed in, surprising the rest of the army. GB knocked out one of the guards by kicking him into a tree, and Rocket knocked out another one by trapping him in the snow. They stood in front of the remaining guards, confident they could take them all on. Gin and Tanto sensed their power and felt the same way, nodding to each other to show that they were confident in their friends' chances.

Lector attempted to bite at Weed again, but he jumped out of the way before Thunder jumped at him as well. Weed dodged again, showing that even in this cramped space, he was able to stay agile. Thunder crashed into some nearby wood after Weed dodged him. Thunder refused to let Weed go so easily, declaring him to be his next target. "You won't get away from us so easily, Weed! And you can't rely on a sudden burst of power this time!"

Weed was ready to show Lector and Thunder how much stronger he was this time. Behind Thunder, Tesshin kicked up some wood and sent it towards him, striking his backside and sending him forward. Weed instantly reacted and kicked Thunder into the wall as soon as he reached him. Lector attempted to dash at Weed and punch him, only for him to dodge just in time. Just as he landed, Thunder charged at him and tried to grab him. But Weed dodged his bite and punched him back at full force. However, Lector used this to ram him into the wall.

Lector had Weed pinned against the wall by his chest, preparing to bite his neck while declaring his vengeance for the last time they met. "You'll be taking a lot more than this, to pay me back for that humiliating loss!" Weed punched Lector in the face before he could bite at his neck, giving Tesshin enough time to tackle him out of the way. Once Thunder charged at Weed again, Weed jumped onto the wall and jumped off of it, landing a jump kick right on his face.

Weed ran towards the wall and wall jumped up to a shelf to catch his breath. Lector set his sights on him to keep him from escaping. "There's no use in trying to escape! Get down here!" Weed noticed a knife that was different from the dagger Koyuki used. He waited for Lector to jump up at him and grabbed the knife before jumping at him. He slashed at Lector with it, but instead of killing Lector, Weed cut off his fangs. Lector crashed into a wall but regained his balance, leaving Weed to toss the knife to the ground once he landed as well.

Just then, Weed heard Koyuki's voice. "Tesshin! Keep him busy!" He looked in surprise to find Koyuki rushing towards Thunder, who Tesshin pinned to the wall upon Koyuki's request. Koyuki took her dagger out and slashed at Thunder as hard as she could, slashing off his fangs to prevent him from killing anyone. This shocked him as much as Lector's fang removal did to him. Koyuki then walked up to Weed and praised him for his strategy. "I saw the whole thing from outside, Weed. Good call cutting off his fangs."

"Hehe. Thanks." Weed replied while putting his paws behind his back. "It just made sense. Mel said Dobermen have sharp fangs, right? So if you cut them off, they become weaker."

"That's right." Lector charged at Weed and Koyuki out of anger, only for both of them to land a duo kick on him and send him through the wall. After they did, Koyuki took a chance and kissed Weed's left cheek, making him blush as he showed surprise in regards to that action. "Let's get em, tiger." Weed and Koyuki rushed outside with Tesshin throwing Thunder out of the shed as well. That was when Weed saw what went down outside. GB took out the last remaining guard by pinning to the wall with his butt and knocking him out with a nasty...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT
UUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRP

...ten second fart, unleashing a yellow cloud of rotten eggs from his vibrating butt that was so powerful, he sent the guard through every floor in the house. He also let out a five second burp in the middle of it, surprising himself. After that, he placed a paw on his chin and grinned while wafting his fart away with the other. He couldn't help snickering at the scenario as Rocket walked up to him and joked about how powerful his farts were after remembering when he did it to Jet. "Remind me how a Speed Specialist managed to turn gas passing into a weapon."

GB blushed a bit while admitting that it didn't have anything to do with Canine Spirit. "I've kind of always been able to do that."

GB chuckled a bit as Thunder started begging for forgiveness after seeing they were surrounded. "Please forgive us! Hougen forced us to do all of this!"

Kagetora showed surprise by this as he questioned what he just heard. "The leader!?"

Tesshin shook his head in response as Weed then requested to know where John was. "Where's John?"

Gin stepped forward as well to hear about this, and Lector and Thunder looked at each other before the former answered. "They went to Ohu. They took John with them."

Weed was stunned by this, and Gin was as well, distraught that he still hadn't saved his friend yet. "Fuck. I was too late."

Lector and Thunder were about to turn back, only for GB to pin the former down and hold his paw up to his neck. He started charging his Canine Spirit, warning Lector about what he could do to him. "Give us one good reason to believe you before I show you the penalty for trying to kill Weed."

Weed was surprised to see GB this close to killing someone as Lector begged him to let him go. "Please spare our lives."

"Not good enough!" Kyoshiro shouted, showing that he wasn't playing around either. "Scum like you are better off dead, for the sake of the world!"

GB looked right into Lector's eyes after picking him up, showing no hesitation in taking him out to protect Weed. "I'll tell you again. Give me one good reason to believe you after you tried to kill someone as important to me as Weed."

"Because me killing Weed would be like you killing me for Thunder?" Lector suggested, and then GB looked over at Thunder to think about that.

GB was hesitant, as he knew there was a risk of them going after Weed again. However, Weed's voice helped him a lot with his decision. "Stop, GB!" GB looked over to Weed, who made his decision very clear. "That's enough. Just let them go."

Kyoshiro was heavily against this, even looking right at GB as he let go of Lector. "Don't listen to him, GB! This is their second time attacking us!" He then looked at Weed as he continued objecting to his decision. "Don't be stupid, Weed! They could come after us again!"

"I cut off their fangs. They'll be easier to handle next time." Weed explained, and then he walked up to Lector and Thunder with a request for them. "In return for this, you must promise to leave Hougen's clan, and never kill innocent Canines again!"

Lector and Thunder were completely outclassed and outnumbered now. All Lector could do was oblige for them. "Of course!"

"Anything you say." Thunder added, assuring Weed that they would stop their life of crime.

Weed signaled them to leave, and Rocket walked up to him once Lector and Thunder walked off. He wasn't going to object like Kyoshiro did, but he knew not every soldier would turn around as easily as him. "Weed, are you sure about this? Lector and Thunder are much more violent than I was."

"That may be true." Weed admitted, despite still having his own reasons. "But we should at least be open to showing mercy."

However, Kyoshiro wasn't having it, and prepared to charge at Lector and Thunder to kill them himself. "What bullshit!" However, once he did, Jerome knocked him down and he dragged in the snow for a bit. This pissed Kyoshiro off even more, causing him to show at Jerome. "What are you doing!?"

Jerome was quick to remind Kyoshiro of who was on top here. "Weed is the leader of Ohu's army, Kyoshiro. You may be the leader of your troops, but Weed and Gin succeed us all." He then spawned a Spirit orb and aimed it at Kyoshiro. "If you disobey him, then I'm happy to be your opponent."

Kyoshiro got up and swatted Jerome's paw away as he shouted again. "I don't get it, Jerome! You used to be an assassin! You know all about killing your target!"

Before Jerome could speak again, Weed stopped their fighting by speaking to both of them. "Guys, please! This is no time for fighting each other!" Jerome and Kyoshiro looked at Weed, who reminded them of their current task. "We don't have any more business here. We should head to Ohu and find where Hougen went with John."

GB did want to check on one more thing before they left. "Did either of them hurt you too badly?"

"No, I'm okay, GB." Weed assured GB, and then he started running off, confident everyone else would follow him. "Move out!" As everyone left, Kyoshiro scoffed at Jerome, unable to believe he wanted to spare Lector and Thunder as much as Weed did.

Jerome looked off in the direction of Lector and Thunder after that. It was clear that he had his own goal in mind for dealing with them. "Weed. Your spirit is too pure."

Three days ago in Futago Pass, another Great Dane was entering the battlefield with one hundred soldiers of his own. Hougen came out of his throne room and walked over to him, and he even smiled as he walked up to him. He shook paws with the other Great Dane once they reached each other's level. "Genba! I was waiting for you to come back!"

"All in due time, brother." Genba assured Hougen, licking his lips in excitement to take down anyone who got in his way. "I figured our base would be well protected enough. And John was here anyway, so I decided to speed up our reunion."

"Hey. Any time you could make it helps out." Hougen responded, and then he turned around to introduce Genba to his latest recruit. "By the way, I found someone new we could send after the Ohu army." Kamakiri came out of the throne room with Hougen proudly introducing him. "Genba, this is Kamakiri. Kamakiri, this is Genba. Get along or I'll kick both of your asses."

Kamakiri nodded before joking about Hougen and Genba's tendencies with women. "Just don't multiply anytime soon." Kamakiri headed off with Hougen and Genba smiling to each other. The two of them made it clear that they were ready to carry out the plans they made.

In the present, Lector and Thunder were still running as far away from Weed and his army as possible. Lector and Thunder stopped to catch their breath with Thunder commenting on how quiet it was. "Okay. Feels quiet enough." He then started devising a new plan with Lector. "Shall we?"

"Yes. I won't keep quiet after someone's made a fool of me twice." Lector stated, but what they heard next was shocking.

"Just as I thought." Lector and Thunder looked up in fear to find Jerome standing before them. He got ready to take them down as he charged up his Canine Spirit. "A killer is a killer after all. And to think Weed actually had faith in you."

Lector and Thunder laughed at how hypocritical Jerome could sound with that, which Lector called out himself. "Don't make me laugh! You're an assassin yourself, aren't you?"

Jerome sent his Canine Spirit into his fist as he got ready to strike the two Dobermen. "That is true. However, my intentions are different from yours." Jerome dashed at the brothers, who tried to split up, only for Jerome to send one of them into a tree with a powerful Spirit punch. After doing so, he stomped on Lector's chest and got ready to finish him off once and for all.

Nearby, Weed and the others were recovering from the battle, and GB tried to explain to Weed what he saw from him. "Weed. About my actions towards Lector. I know he was an enemy, but... I didn't want that anger I showed to scare you. Or to make you think I was going rouge."

Weed looked at GB, having no problems with GB about today's incident. "I'm used to you wanting to protect me." GB listened closely as Weed then thanked him for listening to his command. "I'm glad you spared Lector. Maybe now that he and Thunder were shown kindness, they'll look for a new way to live." Kyoshiro was still against this decision, but before he could speak up, Weed heard a shout of agony and alerted everyone to it. "Did everyone hear that?"

Gin heard it as well, letting everyone who didn't hear it know. "Someone screamed not to far from here. It sounds familiar."

Rocket nodded to show that he heard it as well. "I heard it too."

Weed then realized that Jerome wasn't with them, much to his confusion. "Where's Jerome?"

The other Canines realized he was gone as well with Tesshin questioning why. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him."

Tanto started to sense his energy, along with two others, on the other side of the mountain. "That's his Spirit alright. And Lector and Thunder's too." Tanto then thought of something and looked to Weed and Gin to see what they thought. "You don't think they?"

Weed instantly realized what was happening and dashed off with GB immediately going after him. "Weed, wait!" The others went too with Kyoshiro being the first to go after Weed and GB.

Weed and GB arrived to where Jerome, Lector, and Thunder were, and both of them noticed Lector dead beside the tree with a wound in his neck. This shocked both of them, and then they were alerted to the sound of Thunder begging for help. "Please help me!" Weed and GB rushed over instantly after looking in that direction. There, Jerome was standing over Thunder, who begged for his life. "Please forgive me! I'll never go after Weed again!"

Jerome wasn't buying it, having seen all he needed to when it came to Lector and Thunder. "There's no point in arguing."

Once Jerome held Thunder's neck with his paw, Weed spoke up to try and stop him. "What are you doing, Jerome!?" Jerome looked up to see Weed and GB standing before him. "Let him go now! You already killed his brother! I think that's enough to make him get it!"

"They were planning to take you out again." Jerome informed Weed, believing that taking them out was the best option. "Killing them is the only option."

Kyoshiro had soon arrived, intentionally going slower than Weed and GB to see what was going on from nearby. Weed's objection to Jerome's actions were clear. "I already told you; I cut their fangs! Just let them go!" However, as soon as Weed rushed in to help, Jerome blasted through Thunder's neck, killing him in an instant. Weed stopped in shock and looked in horror at what he just witnessed. Thunder's scream in horror before he died completely fueled him with even more shock. There was also a hint of anger in his voice. "How dare you."

Jerome threw Thunder to the ground, showing no remorse for killing him, but a little for upsetting Weed. "Forgive me, Weed. This is for our goal."

Weed clenched his fists as he corrected what Jerome just told him. "If you wanted to make sure they got the point, you could've just demonstrated your own power and reminded them of the circumstances." Weed glared at Jerome with intense anger, and the soldiers of the army were all sensing his power rising in fury. "You didn't have to kill them to keep them away! It wasn't the only method you could've taken!"

GB attempted to help Weed calm down, putting a paw on his shoulder and trying to give him advice. "Weed, just take some-"

Without thinking, Weed punched GB into the snow with the back of his paw, making him tumble with Rocket jumping down to check for injuries. "GB!"

As Rocket tended to GB, Weed shouted at Jerome again with his eyes changing from blue to orange again. "You didn't even care that they were dead! I thought you were better than that!"

"I understand your anger, Weed. I acted out of necessity. But that's no excuse to disobey your orders." Jerome admitted, being fully ready to accept any punishment given to him. "Punish me however you see fit."

Weed looked directly at Jerome as he made one final demand before charging at him. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME." No one else could react in time as Weed dashed at Jerome and pinned him to the ground with pure force. The way he spoke to him showed feelings of anger, betrayal, confusion, and sadness all mixed into one. "You heard them begging for mercy and didn't even hesitate! You killed them, knowing you could've gotten your point across without doing so! Did you just revert back to your ways of being an assassin again!? They were begging for their lives!"

Weed picked Jerome up and kicked him into a tree, sending him smashing through it and rolling in the snow. Kotetsu was the first to speak up, sliding down to Weed in an attempt to calm him down. "Weed, snap out of it! You don't wanna do this!"

Kyoshiro jumped down and reminded Weed of why Jerome killed Lector and Thunder. "He did it for you!"

Weed was still standing right there, staring at Jerome as more confusion entered his mind. "For me?" GB saw that what Kotetsu and Kyoshiro said got to Weed and started bringing him back to being the real him. "He took begging lives... for me!?"

GB started walking over to Weed, pleading with him to avoid hurting Jerome any longer. "Weed." Weed heard Jerome's voice and looked over to him, and once he did, GB started his plea. "I know you're angry. And I know why you're angry." Weed seemed to be more aware this time, showing that his Pseudo Super Canine form had less control over him than before. "But you and I both know that letting this power lead to you killing Jerome is wrong."

Weed was starting to tear up, realizing what he could've done after feeling his aura entirely. He clenched his fists after looking at his paws and revealed what he actually wanted to do. "I didn't actually want to kill him. I just... reacted."

GB got closer to Weed, and Gin jumped down to observe from nearby. He saw that somehow, GB knew exactly what to do. "I know this filled you with a lot of mixed emotions, Weed. And you shouldn't feel any shame in having them." GB moved closer and placed a paw on Weed's shoulder again, showing that he was there for him. "But if you let them control you, you'll end up doing something you may regret for the rest of your life." GB finished what he had to say with sound advice. "Calm down the best you can, and then make what you feel is the right call."

Weed was surprised by how much GB's words were working. He didn't think anything could break him out of this state so easily. But here he was. Being talked down to, out of a form that he previously had no control over. Perhaps this was a sign that he was getting closer to unlocking the Super Canine transformation. However, his mixed emotions were still there. And even after his eyes changed back, his intentions on what to do with Jerome were still present. "Listen to me, Jerome."

Jerome listened closely, knowing that this time, he had to listen to Weed's orders. "All Canines are given one life. Period. And how they choose to use that is up to them." Weed started trembling, showing that he still cared about Jerome, but that he felt this was something he had to do. "Maybe they did want to try and kill me again. The fact that we cut their fangs off won't erase that on it's own." He even started tearing up, showing Jerome how much this hurt him. "But if you can't see how important life is, and think it's okay to kill those begging for their lives..."

What Weed said next shocked everyone, as it was made clear what he was about to do. "then you have no place in the Ohu army!" Weed made his command right then and there. "Get out Jerome! Get out of here, now!" Weed and Jerome were both distraught by this outcome. But as much as Weed's heart wanted him to retract this decision, his mind told him that it was the right call. He was fully convinced that Jerome didn't see the value in life. Still. A part of Weed started to question his decision. That only added to his incredibly mixed emotions.

Jerome didn't try to argue with Weed. As much as this hurt him, he knew why Weed was doing this. "As you wish, Weed."

Jerome started to leave with all of the soldiers joining them as Kyoshiro tried to convince Jerome to stay. "Jerome, wait! You know Weed's call is stupid! Don't take it seriously!"

Despite not feeling comfortable in telling Weed how to lead his army, Gin knelt down to Weed, unsure if his decision was really the right one to make. "Weed, are you sure about this? Jerome may have made a rouge decision, but he's done so much to help us."

"I'll always appreciate what Jerome did." Weed said, trying to hold back his tears and stay strong for everyone. But as he watched Jerome leave in sorrow, that proved to be even harder for him to do. "But I can't keep someone around... if they think killing someone in their positions helps me." GB saw just how out of hand Weed's emotions were getting and silently offered him some comfort. Weed accepted, crying softly and sniffling as tears streamed down his face. The mixture of emotions he got from seeing Jerome kill begging Canines were all too real.

Gin watched GB comfort Weed and started to feel an emotional punch in the gut from it. He wished he knew how to be a father to Weed like GB did. This led to him looking at Jerome again. As soon as he started running, Gin got the sense that he approached Weed's decision in the wrong way. This could've very well been a bad call, and Gin should've told Weed how he felt more clearly. Not as the leader of Ohu, although that certainly would've helped. But as his father. Someone trying to guide him in this world.

The thing was... with the exception of Canine Spirit... Gin just didn't know what to do.

And what happened next, was Weed crying as GB hugged him, and Jerome running off in anguish. Along with that, was a furious Kyoshiro, who glared at Weed without any sympathy for his decision. "WEEEEEED!" Weed looked right at Kyoshiro with tears still streaming down his eyes. He could see all too well that Kyoshiro was beyond pissed about his latest call.

To be continued.