Disclaimer: Sorry I was a day late. Forgot to upload lol.

So I know I still have two chapters left after this one to match the episode count of the anime before I move onto Orion. I'll do everything I can to make sure it's filled up meaningfully. I don't have all the ideas set in stone yet, but I'll make it work to the best of my ability. Anyway, without further ado, let us commence!

The Ginga Legend: Weed's Story

Super Canine arc Episode seven: Canine Spirit's True Meaning

Continuing from where the previous chapter left off, Weed and GB were staring in horror at an injured Hougen who, despite his injuries, still held a powerful Canine Spirit aura. They wouldn't have believed it if they weren't right there to see it. But somehow, Hougen had survived the Battouga, even with Weed hitting him with Zokaken X3. He was even able to laugh as he continued showing his Spirit energy. GB was horrified to say the least, but did his best to keep Weed out of Hougen's reach. "This can't be real! Not even Akakabuto survived that attack!"

The prediction Akame made earlier proved to be true in that very moment. It started raining along with the snow, and thunder clapped as well, perfectly matching the brutality of the battle before everyone. Mel was scared by the loud booming of the thunder, so Koyuki and Kotetsu, as always, were right there to comfort him. And alongside everyone else, they watched as Hougen proved that he was still very much alive.

GB looked right at Gin, knowing he would have the best explanation for this. "This doesn't make any sense, Gin! That's the same attack you used to kill Akakabuto! With the state Weed was in when he used it, the attack should've killed Hougen too!"

"I thought so too, GB! But Canine Spirit has evolved tremendously since then!" Gin responded, deducing that the only reason Hougen survived is because of how he was able to use Canine Spirit now. "He must have transferred his Spirit energy to his head at the last moment, and used that to weaken the blow!"

"If it's any consolation, you almost made it pointless. Hougen started to get up as he begun speaking about how he managed to survive. "Still. I'm sure you'll have found that I'm much stronger than Akakabuto, GB."

"I already knew that. But that never scared me for a second." Weed stated before he started healing himself, only for Hougen to kick GB to the side and make Weed fall to the ground. Weed shouted in pain, due to still being injured from how much strain the Zokaken put him through. Still, he wasn't going to call the fight over just yet. "You bastard! I'm not done yet!" Gin attempted to rush in as soon as he saw this, as did Koyuki. But Hougen snapped his fingers, spawning a barrier around him and Weed.

The barrier almost caught GB as well, but he barely managed to dash into the barrier and avoid being caught by the wall. Hougen looked down at Weed, who'd barely managed to heal off any of his wounds, let alone the strain from the Zokaken. He had to admit that he was quite entertained by this battle. "I must say, Weed. What you did tonight was more than impressive." Weed tried to get up to keep fighting, but Hougen kicked him into the barrier wall. GB looked at Weed in shock from the other side. "Not even Gin managed to push me this far."

Hougen walked towards Weed and GB, the former of whom continued trying to get up despite his wounds. "I still have plenty more pushing to do!" Weed's declaration ended with him almost falling again. He stayed on his knees and front paws as Hougen continued to walk towards him. "No matter how many times you knock me down, I won't let you win!" Weed glared at Hougen as he made his declaration. "That's a promise I'm making to everyone in Ohu!"

Hougen then used his Spirit rope to pull Weed over to him, and he pulled Weed right up to his eyes as he spoke to him. Weed refused to show fear, despite how scared he was. "Then I'm afraid it's a promise you'll have to break." Some of the soldiers were still coming down to join the rest of the army, who were watching helplessly as some tried to break the barrier. Even with Gin's full power strikes, the barrier wasn't going to break. "And all they can do is watch as they realize it."

Hougen started charging up a Spirit beam and aimed it at Weed's chest. "Consider this your final lesson, Weed." Hougen looked directly into Weed's eyes as he taunted his promise. "No one should make promises they can't keep." As Hougen continued to charge his beam, Weed started charging his Spirit energy as well. Or at least he tried to. It was much slower thanks to the strain on his body. He could barely move without using his Healing Spirit. Hougen was more than confident in his victory. "Say goodbye, Weed!" But right after he said that...

SMASH!

Hougen was suddenly struck on the right side of his head with a kick from GB! This caught everyone off guard; especially Hougen, who never expected such power from GB. Weed, Rocket, Gin, and everyone else were unable to deny that GB had made a lot of progress. But they didn't think he could do that! In fact, GB's kick was strong enough to make Hougen release Weed and fly towards the barrier. He managed to regain his balance, but he still ended up touching the barrier wall with his back. He even lost control of his Spirit for a bit and stopped charging.

Weed, who'd fallen to the ground again as a result of GB saving him, started to sit up slowly as he looked at GB. He couldn't help seeing how proud he was after seeing GB go from using Sasuke as bait, to kicking Hougen into his own barrier wall. "GB."

"Tend to your wounds, Weed." GB advised Weed, who was stunned as he realized what GB was trying to say. "You can't fight Hougen in your condition, especially not in Zokaken. I'll take it from here."

Weed showed concern for GB, knowing that one kick wouldn't change the course of his chances. "But GB, Hougen's strength is unreal! That kick was amazing, but there's no way you can win on your own!"

GB's smile showed that he was already aware of that. He knelt down to Weed with Hougen expressing anger over having to wait. "Come on, GB! I want to kill Weed without anyone getting in my way!"

"Then wait your fucking turn." GB demanded as he looked at Hougen, who launched a Spirit blast at him out of anger. He ducked underneath it and placed a gentle paw on Weed's head. He rubbed it softly as GB told him how he was ready for whatever happened. "With your Spirit, I know you'll be ready to fight again in no time." Weed and GB looked into each others eyes with GB's desire to protect Weed being clear. "I'll keep him away from you until you're fully healed." Weed watched in awe as GB stood up and took a few steps closer to Hougen.

Once GB started staring Hougen down, he started charging up his Canine Spirit while making it clear that he wasn't going to back down. "If you want to get to Weed, you'll have to come through me first." Hougen had to admit that he was impressed by what he saw. GB was much more confident than he was when they first met. "I've made a lot of bad choices in the past, Hougen. And my worst one... was not running with Petal and Clover when I had the chance."

GB's rage started to intensify, but he managed to keep it in control. "I've been a coward ever since then. I even used the only member of Nero's unit that I cared about. To this day, I'm still disgusted with myself whenever I think about that moment." GB looked down at Weed, who was slowly, but surely, managing to heal himself thanks to GB's help. "The dog standing before you, is the same one who showed me who I can be." GB's smile to Weed showed how much he cared about him. "He helped me become the real me. A Canine with a life worth living."

GB looked back at Hougen, becoming far more direct towards Hougen after doing so and clenching his fist. "To be honest, I don't even like fighting that much! And I know Weed doesn't either!" He couldn't help chuckling at that ironic fact. "But I suppose doing things we don't like to defend Ohu is something we have in common." Hougen scoffed when GB called him out on who he was. "And I'm glad Weed awakened that side of me. Because I'm through letting a heartless bastard like you call the shots!"

Hougen started making the declaration of who he became at the top of his lungs, expressing his adamance at its peak. "THE COWARD YOU MET BEFORE IS LONG GONE! BEFORE YOU IS A SOLDIER OF THE OHU ARMY! ONE WHO WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE HE DID BEFORE! I WILL PROTECT WEED AT ALL COSTS!" GB reached the height of his Canine Spirit as he and Hougen were ready to finally start fighting. And the final part of his battle speech was the most bold of all. "I AM WEED'S GODFATHER! MY NAME IS GB! GB THE ENGLISH SETTER!"

Every other member of the army was touched by GB's speech; especially Rocket, who's smile was noticeable from even the farthest Canine away from him. Hougen himself was a little impressed by it too. But not by much. His smirk showed that he was still a great deal above GB. "I must say, GB. You know how to talk a big game." Hougen started using his own Canine Spirit energy as he stared GB down. "Now let's see you back it up with the strength to win this fight!"

GB and Hougen dashed at each other with Hougen pushing GB back, and he skidded on the ground before being pushed back slowly on his hind paws. "I never said I plan to beat you, Hougen!" GB punched Hougen in the gut, showing even more surprising force in how he almost stunned Hougen. "But there's no way in hell I'm letting you kill Weed!" Weed continued to heal himself as GB mentioned how important he was to him. "He's like the son I never had! Ever since the beginning, he's believed in me! Even when I did something one of your men would do!"

Hougen smacked GB to the side, and the Setter regained his balance before Hougen dashed at him again. "How cute." GB dodged Hougen's ground pound and aimed a punch at his face, only for Hougen to kick him to the side. GB jumped off of the barrier wall and dashed at Hougen, who dodged his kick and almost elbowed him in the gut before he vanished and appeared behind him. It was then that Hougen elbowed him from behind, stunning him in that moment. "But a good heart can only get you so far."

Hougen landed a spinning roundhouse kick on GB, causing him to drag on the ground before getting back up. Hougen launched a Spirit beam at him, and he dodged it before dashing at Hougen. He landed a swift punch on Hougen's gut, but Hougen then grabbed his paw and used it to throw GB over him. GB landed on the barrier and started going at max speed around the wall of the barrier. Hougen quickly figured out what GB was trying to do, and the small tornado in the arena made that more clear. GB then noticed the tornado pulling Weed in.

GB jumped off as soon as he saw that and dashed at Hougen, and since he got pulled in a bit too, GB had a better lock on for him. "Setter Tornado Smash!" He went in with a spinning dive attack, which Hougen caught, and GB ended up being strong enough to push him into the barrier. However, GB wasn't able to land a direct hit. No matter how hard he pushed, his tornado spin didn't have enough wind to make his attack succeed. 'Damn it! If it didn't endanger Weed, the tornado could've been double its size!"

How GB's new attack worked was that he would run around in a big circle as fast as he could, on the ground, or on a circular building, and create a tornado in the area. This wouldn't cause destruction in the area, as it would prioritize the pull of a tornado over the danger of being caught in one. It would pull GB's opponent in slowly, and he would use this to keep them from escaping before aiming a spinning tornado dash attack at them. However, it had one drawback. It would pull in his allies too. So GB had to make sure he didn't go overboard when in team battles.

And this drawback ended up being an advantage to Hougen, because while he did struggle against GB's attack, he managed to grab his head hard enough to stop his spinning. Weed started to get scared when he saw first hand how close GB was to having his head crushed. Luckily, or unluckily, Hougen loved playing with his opponents. Instead of crushing GB's head fatally, he aimed a downward punch on GB, slamming him into the ground at a powerful force.

GB crashed into the ground from Hougen's punch before the Great Dane then kicked him towards the dome wall. This caused him to roll past Weed and close to the dome wall, but he still began to stand up, doing so even faster when he saw Weed continuing to heal himself. When Hougen dashed at GB, the English Setter aimed a roundhouse kick at him, which Hougen dodged. GB then aimed a downward kick at Hougen, and he dodged that one too. That was when Hougen aimed an uppercut at Hougen, which was dodged before he aimed another punch.

GB blocked Hougen's punch, and after he aimed a low sweep at Hougen, the Great Dane jumped and aimed a Spirit blast at him. GB dodged this and dashed so quickly that he managed to pin Hougen against his own battle dome. It was then that he started punching Hougen in the face, landing swift but powerful blows on him. Everyone could see it. GB's speed, and his Spirit in general, had increased tremendously since the start of his travels with Weed.

GB aimed one final punch at Hougen, only for Hougen to grab it, which led to GB trying to headbutt him. However, Hougen landed an uppercut on him just before he could land it. This caused their eyes to meet with Hougen giving a vicious stare to GB. He then landed his own headbutt on his chest, causing GB to lose his breath for a moment. GB got sent back, which released Hougen and allowed him to start attacking GB. He started punching him in the gut, sending him forward with each one. He then punched him towards the ground again, causing him to drag on it.

Weed only wished he could heal himself faster so he could help sooner. But his battle with Hougen was so draining that he could barely heal at a decent speed at all. He saw GB trying to get back up, despite him starting to bleed from his head from that last blow. Out of fear, and care for GB's safety, Weed called to him. "GB!" GB looked at Weed, who ignored Hougen walking past him to make his plea to GB. "Please, GB! You'll die if you keep fighting!"

GB saw Weed start to cry as Hougen stopped and looked down at him. He was clearly annoyed that Weed's intervention had stalled the fight. "You're bleeding now, GB. At any rate, Hougen will hurt you enough to end your life. After everything we went through... I can't bare to watch that." Weed's tears started flowing down his eyes as he spilled his guts to GB. "I don't want to lose you, GB. I don't want to lose you!"

GB, as touched as he was by this, and as much as he hated to see Weed cry, and as much as he didn't want to ignore Weed's concerns... he had that same feeling about him. And he showcased this by dashing at Hougen as soon as he aimed a Spirit blast at Weed. He sent him back with a powerful punch, causing him to skid on the ground as GB spoke to Weed. "I'm sorry, Weed. I can't obey that request." Before Hougen charged back at GB, GB started crying as he smiled to Weed. "Because what you just said... exactly why I'm fighting to protect you."

Weed, now feeling good enough to sit up, watched as GB did his best to stop Hougen's charge. It was then that GB started expressing again how much Weed meant to him. "I meant every word of what I said before. You're my first and biggest reason for who I am now." Weed started healing a little faster now that he was sitting up, allowing GB to continue as he fought Hougen. "You're the first Canine to make me feel like I can protect someone after I lost Petal and Clover."

GB and Hougen continued to trade blows with GB also evading the ones that he could. Despite GB still clearly losing, he was putting up as much of a fight as he could to keep Hougen at bay. "From the very start of our journey, you helped me finally start to feel good about myself. Like I could do good in the world." GB started flashing back to when Weed unlocked the Zokaken transformation against Hougen. "And the lengths you went to when you protected me... it made me feel like I was worth something. You helped me start to feel whole again, Weed."

The next flashback showed GB and Rocket bonding as GB expressed his feelings about losing Petal and Clover. "Of course, Rocket played a part in that too. Feeling loved by another was something I never thought would happen to me." When the flashback ended, Rocket was smiling, despite fearing for GB's life. He could see just how good of heart GB really was. "And if I didn't meet you, I never would've experienced that. You inspired me to go out into the world with you."

GB dodged another one of Hougen's strikes and hit him with a max power punch, sending him towards the base wall. "I'm not giving up on you, Weed! Not now, not ever!" Hougen dashed at GB and pinned him to the ground, and GB used all of his force to keep Hougen from smashing his head into the ground. GB continued to speak as he struggled. "I'll persevere through every trial! I'll never stop improving myself! I'll work as hard as I have to for your safety, and all of Ohu's!" What GB said next after looking at Weed finished his second big speech.

"Because thanks to you, Weed... I'm finally improving my spirit!"

It was at that moment, when GB said the word 'Spirit', that something rang true to Weed. He gained a look of realization as he started thinking about what that meant. 'Improving my spirit. That means working hard to be your best.' Weed started to feel even better, showing that he could heal himself faster. He started to do so as he thought some more about GB's words. 'No one's at their best as soon as they start something. They have to work for it!' It was then that Weed started flashing back to several moments that happened on his journey.

The first flashback Weed had was when he launched his first Spirit blast at that rock and had solid results. Weed was amazed as well as he pointed it out. "I did it!" Weed then started to think about how weak his blast was compared to Jerome's and got concerned. "But it was nowhere near as strong as Jerome's."

"You'll get there, Weed." Jerome assured Weed, who looked up at him as he reminded him of an important part of Canine Spirit. "Just remember. There are three key elements to using Canine Spirit. Control, power, and of course, spirit."

The second flashback was when Gin explained how Conjuring was the hardest Specialty for Combat Specialists to learn. "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."

The third flashback was when Tesshin was checking up on him during his concerns with learning the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga. "What's wrong, Weed?"

"Practicing on a piece of motionless bark. It's much simpler than every other attack I learned." Weed explained, looking to Tesshin to get his perspective. "Can I really defeat opponents like this?"

Tesshin's chosen words were to remind Weed that this was only a step in the learning process. "No sweat. You just need to learn the basics right now. After that, you improve when you're fighting." With that reminder, Weed thought heavily about when he could use the Battouga at will. If he wanted to stop Hougen, he would have to hope his training could help him learn it as efficiently as his other techniques.

The fourth flashback was when he acquired the Zokaken. It was his own Spirit, and his hard work towards improving his Canine Spirit power, that led to him acquiring it to protect GB. "At first, I thought it helped improve my mastery of Canine Spirit Specialties too. But it looks like it boosts my current power in every Specialty I've used instead."

Kamakiri started to fear he was now fighting a losing battle. Once Weed clenched his fist, he started trying to convince him to stand down. "Think carefully about this, Weed! You don't even like fighting! There's no reason to use your new power just to get back at Hougen!"

"And I have plenty of reason to use it to stop his reign of terror." Weed responded, and then he shot Kamakiri's words from when he rejected GB's plea right back at him. "I don't give a shit about vengeance."

The final flashback was after Weed calmed down from his latest Super Canine flash. His unbreakable determination was on full display here, showing the height of his Spirit.

After a few seconds, Weed addressed what GB was trying to tell him. "Petal and Clover. Are their deaths why you're so protective of me?"

"Yes." GB answered, knowing that Weed was ready to hear the full truth. "You reminded me so much of them. And whenever I saw you at risk of being in danger... I started thinking about what happened to them."

Weed turned around and walked up to GB, placing a paw on his shoulder while assuring him that he would survive the battle. "I appreciate that GB. I appreciate everything you've done for me. But I'm not Petal and Clover." GB wasn't sure what to make of that at first. But Weed's determined expression showed him exactly what Weed meant. "Because Hougen isn't going to finish me as easily as they were." The look in Weed's eye told GB all he needed to know. And what Weed said next made it even more clear. "This war won't be where I die."

When the flashbacks ended, Weed thought to himself as he realized what truly made Canine Spirit what it was. 'Hard work. Perseverance. Belief in yourself.' GB was continuing to fend off against Hougen, even if just barely, with how GB was being kicked around by him during the battle. 'That's what Canine Spirit is all about. That's what helps it become as powerful as it can be. It was never just my natural talent.' Weed, now being healed enough to start standing, did so slowly and healed himself at max speed. 'It was because I pushed myself to be my best!'

And after having observed the battle with GB and Hougen's battle, Weed could see how GB was able to hold his own against an opponent like Hougen. 'GB's Spirit. It's risen so much since we met.' Weed smiled, continuing to heal himself as quickly as he could to continue the battle. 'I'm proud of you, GB. I'll tell you in person after we stop Hougen."

GB was kicked into the dome wall with Hougen pinning him there by his neck for everyone on the outside to watch in horror. Rocket especially was horrified to see GB taking such a brutal beating. Yet somehow, GB was still hanging on. Hougen could see why and started charging a Spirit beam to pierce through GB's body with. "There's one thing you left out from your list of changes, GB." Hougen looked into GB's eyes as he held his paw up to his chest. "You became foolish enough to challenge me."

In that moment, GB punched Hougen in an attempt to get him off of him. However, this failed to do its job, and instead, Hougen continued charging up his Spirit beam. That was when GB, and everyone else facing Weed, saw what the blue furred Akita puppy did next. He went as fast as he could towards Hougen and aimed for the arm charging his Spirit beam. He sent it upward with a front flip kick as soon as Hougen was ready to fire. This caused Hougen to launch it upward, causing it to deflect off of the dome roof, missing the three Canines inside.

Without warning, Weed followed this up by kicking Hougen to the middle of the arena. It was then Hougen sensed that he was charging a Spirit beam this whole time. Once Hougen landed in the middle, Weed dashed up to him and landed a strong downward punch on his gut. After that, he aimed his Spirit beam to the roof of the dome and fired, causing it to collide with the center. Hougen questioned this at first, but then he sensed something in Weed.

Weed had much more power than before, possibly even surpassing what he was using in Zokaken times three. A decent amount of his aura was orange, and the look on his face was ripe with fury. Hougen had a good idea of what this was, but he hoped it wasn't coming true now. It proved to be even more so when he looked back up at the dome roof's center. It was cracking, and Weed's Spirit beam wasn't letting up. With one final dose of power, Weed finished off the dome roof. The beam broke through the roof and made the dome begin to shatter.

The dome Hougen conjured up fell to pieces, exposing him, Weed, and GB to everyone else in the area. Hougen was in shock. He made that barrier strong enough to make even himself struggle to take it down at full power. And Weed harnessed enough Spirit energy to destroy it himself.

Once it shattered completely, GB rejoined the others, knowing he wouldn't be able to continue the fight. Rocket embraced him, sharing a brief kiss with him as Reika begun healing him.

Weed and Hougen's battle was continuing, and Weed stood up, allowing Hougen to get up and move backward. The power Weed was showing here was unreal. It was as if he was embracing the anger he held towards Hougen, and allowed his emotions to combine with his Canine Spirit. Before, Weed wasn't in control of when this power took over. But this time, it was clear that after realizing the true meaning of Canine Spirit, he knew exactly what he had to do in order to officially become a Super Canine: He had to push himself to harness his fury.

Hougen, who couldn't understand what was going on, started charging a Spirit beam to fire. "You think you're so tough! You think you can overthrow me just because you're getting stronger!? Do you think I'm just going to back down!?" Weed didn't answer. Instead, he continued to power up, readying himself for what was going to come. As soon as the ground started shaking, Hougen dashed at Weed with a ferocious cry. "YOU'LL NEVER MAKE ME BACK DOWN!"

Hougen launched the beam past Weed, which he noticed instantly, dashing back at max speed as he did. The beam was headed right for Koyuki, and Weed grabbed her and jumped out of the way as soon as he arrived. He barely managed to save her from the beam, which went into the mountain behind the Ohu army. Hougen was disappointed by this outcome. "Damn. I was hoping you'd be losing your mind so badly that you'd jump in front of the beam for her." His sadistic grin sealed it. "It would've been great to kill you AND your lover in one day."

Weed let go of Koyuki and started walking forward, setting his sights on Hougen with Koyuki thanking him for the save. "Thank you, Weed."

Weed nodded to Koyuki, showing that he wasn't losing himself the same way he did before. He showcased this further with the ground shaking again as Weed stood still and continued charging his Spirit energy. Hougen tried to think of a new way to kill Weed, who started expressing what he thought about Hougen. "The real scum of the earth. That's what you are, Hougen." Weed continued charging his Spirit energy as he called Hougen out for his actions. "Not even in cruelty. Only a coward would use someone close to me as bait to weaken my defenses!"

Weed glared at Hougen as he continued. "And that's on top of everything else you've done!" The wind was swirling around Weed as well, and so were some of the small rocks and falling snow in the area. Hougen was so frightened by what he was feeling that he couldn't even think to charge up more Spirit beams. He simply backed away as Weed's power continued to increase. "I think it's time I start using my anger." Weed gave a smile as he asked Hougen about his thoughts rhetorically. "Don't you agree?"

Weed's fur coat started to flash orange, giving Hougen the final sign he needed to what was happening. "No! Damn it, this can't be!"

"Get ready... to face..." Weed began, and then he looked up to the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs. "MY FURYYYYY!" Weed's cry echoed throughout the sky as his fur, and the color of his eyes, completely changed to orange. The transformation stunned everyone with the force almost sending them back, and leaving Hougen in complete and utter horror. His power up even blew back several trees because of the force. It was then that Weed glared at Hougen, his formerly bleeding head in perfect sight as he showed his fury. Weed did it. He finally unlocked the legendary transformation.

Weed became a Super Canine.

Hougen's fear was beyond comprehension upon seeing Weed become a Super Canine right before his eyes. He was so horrified by the results that he almost wet himself. Right at the start of sensing Weed's power, Hougen could see even further that it was true. Weed's Spirit had increased fifty fold! At first, Hougen was praying he was trapped in a nightmare. And when he realized it wasn't, his fear caused him to act impulsively. "No! It's not true!" Hougen dashed at Weed, preparing a punch to strike him with all of his might. "I'M ENDING THIS FUCKING ILLUSION!"

Hougen did manage to make Weed's face move to the right with his punch. And that was when Hougen thought he still had this in the bag. However, his fear rose once again when Weed looked at him, and then he turned his head back to face him directly. Hougen jumped back and started launching a barrage of Spirit blasts at Weed. He simply took them all as he kept moving forward. He could barely feel these blasts, and only a few of them caused his face to move.

Hougen launched a Spirit beam at Weed after his blasts failed, and he simply swatted it into the air and continued walking towards Hougen. As much as Hougen wanted to run, he just couldn't bring himself to back down. So he launched another Spirit beam. And another. And another. And all three of them were deflected without much effort from Weed. He dashed up to Hougen after that, striking him with a fraction of his might. Hougen was barely a tenth of his power now. So he wanted to wait before going all out, just to make Hougen feel the pain he's caused to Ohu.

The punch managed to send Hougen back, and he rolled in the snowy ground before dragging for a bit, and then getting back up. Hougen could only shiver in fear before charging up his Spirit energy. He just refused to believe that a puppy was overpowering him to this degree. Even with his knowledge on the Super Canine, he couldn't bring himself to believe what was right in front of him. So he dashed at Weed again and aimed another punch... causing his fist to get caught by Weed's palm.

Weed refused to let go of Hougen's fist and instead allowed Hougen to kick him in the face to make him let go. Weed could tell that Hougen was giving it his all. But the fact that he was able to take it so well spoke for itself. Weed then started twisting Hougen's paw, making him cry out in pain as Weed looked directly at him with ferocious and battle ready eyes. Everyone in the crowd could see Weed's power, and Koyuki had to hear the truth for herself. She looked at Jerome and hoped he could explain it. "Jerome! This power Weed's showing! Is it...?"

"Yes." Jerome confirmed, and while he still had faith in Weed before, this increased said faith ten fold. Weed had unlocked the transformation he'd been yearning to earn for quite some time now. Alongside Zokaken that is. "Weed has become a Super Canine."

Weed was checking out his power as he held Hougen by his paw, keeping it twisted at just enough to keep himself from breaking Hougen's wrist. "Orange fur coat? Yep. Orange Spirit aura? That checks out. Insane increase in Spirit energy? It's all there." Weed started to think of one more thing he needed. "Now I just need a name for my technique."

"Have fun finding one in the pits of HELL!" Hougen shouted, continuing delude himself with the idea that Weed was still weaker than him. He aimed another punch at Weed, who dodged it before twisting Hougen's wrist by just an inch.

As Hougen looked in fear, Weed once again, called him out on all he's done. This time, in a much more aggressive tone. "Your mere presence on Ohu is a disgrace, Hougen. The pain you've caused to the Canines of the Tohoku region is pain that most wouldn't even thing of!" Weed held Hougen there as his anger intensified when he called out Hougen's worst crimes. "You raped Reika, you killed John, you tortured my father, you killed thousands upon thousands of innocent Canines... and you even killed two of the most important puppies to my Godfather, GB!"

Weed twisted Hougen's wrist a little more, causing him to cry out in pain as one of his bones cracked. Weed wasn't done yet, having just a bit more to say to Hougen. "The fact that you've gone on with your evil ways this long is fucking disgusting!" Weed had to contain himself from crushing Hougen's paw, as he wanted him to experience as much pain in every part of his body as possible. "It's my honor to be the chosen one... out of all the Canines in the world who could've become strong enough to stop you."

Weed kicked Hougen back so far that he crashed into a dozen trees, and he only managed to stop himself by tapping into his flying Spirit and landing safely on the thirteenth. Now that Hougen was incapable of deluding himself any further, he called to Weed as he teleported over to him. "WHY!? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?" Weed allowed Hougen to finish despite charging up his Spirit energy. "IF I'M GOING TO LOSE TO YOU, THEN I AT LEAST WANT TO KNOW WHY!" The fear in Hougen's eyes said it all. "WHY ARE YOU CAPABLE OF SUCH POWER!?"

Weed was more than happy to answer that, deciding to get it out of the way before continuing with the battle. "You really wanna know?" Hougen nodded his head yes with Weed smiling in response. His choice of words showed that he was confident he would win. "Then consider this your dying wish."

Weed began, giving Hougen his dying wish in the form of a speech he hoped he would remember for all time. Because it came from the Canine who stopped him. "I am the Canine who was brought into this world by Gin, the savior of Ohu from the previous war in these very mountains. I was entrusted by everyone in the Ohu army to be the next savior of this land." Hougen simply watched in fear as Weed continued, being unable to think of anything to stop Weed now. "I trained with all my might to protect this land, and every living thin that resides in it."

Weed clenched his fists as he continued. "I'm the light that shines in your world of darkness. Wherever you, or your army plan to cause terror, I'll be there to stop them." Weed continued to stare Hougen down, refusing to let him make any moves in the battle before he was one. "And even if I'm not there in person, someone from my army will be there to end the ones who continue your reign of terror! I stand to fight, and help everyone I can walk down a good path, and learn to appreciate life!"

Weed continued to charge his Spirit energy, leaving Hougen to stand there before him, unable to fathom what he was seeing. As much as he tried to deny it, what he saw before him was true. Weed had become a Super Canine, and was mustering all of his power to stop Hougen. Hougen realized he only had two options. Let Weed kill him, or fight to the death no matter what. It was then that Weed's Spirit energy erupted, showing his power at the highest level he could muster before finishing his speech. "My name is Weed! And I am a Super Canine!"

Hougen was barely able to keep his stance on the ground he stood on due to the power Weed showcased in that moment. He was in utter shock and fear over the legend being proven to be true right before his eyes. "You mean... it wasn't just a legend?" Hougen's mind flashed before his eyes, just like it did when he tried to call this a horrible dream. Now that he thought about it, no nightmare felt this real. "The Super Canine was real this entire time!?"

"That's right." Weed confirmed, and his next words confirmed to Hougen that this was going to be his final battle. "And my first act as a Super Canine, is making sure your final moments in this world, are suffering at the paws of the son of Gin. Regardless of whether or not it's finished with the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga." The final phase of Weed and Hougen's battle was about to begin. And Hougen could see as clear as day that he was at a severe disadvantage. And from this moment on, it was guaranteed that Weed would save Ohu for everyone.

To be continued.