Disclaimer: Nothing like a good breather chapter before a big battle. That'll be what I try to dedicate the last five chapters to by the way. Let's hope this is a good way to build up to it!

Also, I don't own any Ginga characters, aside from the OCs I add in.

The Ginga Legend: Orion's Story

Puppy Army arc Episode eight: A Good Start

Weed, Koyuki, and several of their friends were outside the main gate to Akita Prefecture, waiting for Orion, Sirius, and all those with them to arrive. They were coming by to visit their friends and family before they set off to find Hanajiro's Puppy Army village. Weed and Kyouki smiled to each other lovingly, being more than glad to get to see their kids before their big fight. GB and Rocket held paws while waiting for Martha. And Jerome embraced his wife, a silver furred German Shepherd named Lydia, as they waited for Andy to come home.

Orion and the others were making their way back to the village, and Martha raced past all of them when she saw her fathers. "Dads! Dads!" Martha was laughing gleefully as she raced over to her fathers. "We're so close to stopping Hanajiro! Just one awesome plan and we're home-" Just then, Martha ended up tripping over a loose branch from a tree, causing her to start rolling. "Whoa!" She ended up rolling over to everyone, skidding on the ground and stopping in front of them before smiling. "I'm good!"

Martha stood up to greet her fathers, who helped her up as she expressed how happy she was to be so close to finishing the mission. "I can't say why because Orion wants to keep it to our group for your protection, but we have a way to find Hanajiro's home! Now we just have to raid it and kick his ass! I'm so excited I could explode!"

GB started hugging his sister lovingly as the others continued making their way to the front gate. "Oh my little Mar Mar is growing up so fast!" GB ended up getting so sentimental that he hugged Martha a little too tight, causing...

PFFFFFFFFFFT

...Martha to expel a ripe five second fart, letting out a green cloud of burnt bacon that made Martha and GB flinch. Martha simply laughed it off, going back to hugging her father as she did. "Don't worry dad. I'll come back with more life than the air we breathe!" Rocket joined in the hug as GB started crying tears of joy over how far his daughter's come in such a short amount of time. Rocket embraced them both as he hugged them, being more than happy for Martha as well.

Orion and Sirius laughed at the sight, leaving them both to mention the similarities in sync while hugging Weed and Koyuki. "Yep. That's GB's kid all right."

Orion and Sirius flinched before looking at each other in surprise. In that moment, Weed and Koyuki finished the hug with Weed assuring the others that their visit wouldn't be anything short of a delight. "We've got a special party planned for you all before you head off. We found it appropriate to give you one last moment of comfort before heading onto the battlefield again."

Koyuki rubbed Orion's head affectionately, making him smile as she addressed his habits. "Of course, if you want to spend it training, Orion, we understand. Especially now with the threat you have to face."

"Thanks, mom, but actually, the party sounds great." That surprised Sirius, who looked at Orion with a stunned expression. Orion then explained why as he looked at Sirius. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll obviously get to training as soon as the party's over. But I still think the party could be fun." Sirius smiled, glad that Orion was starting to come around to spending time with those he loved more often. Orion then got to the intense part for just a bit. "Actually, dad... one of the reasons I'm going is because, I wanna talk to you about something."

Weed took note of that and made sure to assure Orion he'd be ready for it. "Okay then. I'll be all ears when you're ready." Orion smiled, glad that he was finally taking the chance to talk to Weed about this.

Andy was hugging his parents as well, and Andy was expressing how much better he was feeling after the advice Izou gave him. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get good at it, but I'm gonna do my best to work on that composure stuff when I'm at the Puppy Army village."

"That's my boy for ya. Not letting being scared stop him." Jerome said proudly, seeing that while Andy was a very timid kid, he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying. He then looked at Izou, appreciating what he was doing for his son. "Thank you, Izou. I knew on sight that you'd be a good choice for our boy's mentor."

"I'm sure anyone could've told him what I told him." Izou admitted, laughing a bit while scratching the back of his head.

Lydia then gave Andy some advice herself to help him stay in check. "Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew out there. Ohu Soldiers may have going into battle as their job, but you have to rely on your team as much as yourself."

"I know, mom. I will. Thanks." Andy replied with a smile, being ready to see how close he'd be after the Puppy Army Village battle. He also had to find a good moment to discuss the plan with his team during the party.

The party being held at the Ohu Army base for Orion and Sirius' teams was going quite well. Everyone was finding their own way to keep themselves occupied. Orion, Andy, and Martha were seeing how much soda they could all drink in one go. Sirius, Jen, and Senshi were playing some kind of card game to win each others' money. GB and Rocket were flirting while watching Jerome and Izou spar in the training area. Weed and Koyuki were testing their love on the love testing machine. After putting their paws down, they kissed when they reached the top.

Orion ended up winning the soda drinking game, chugging down twelve cans before the other two did. This led to him letting out a hearty...

UUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRP

...making the three laugh with Orion also hi pawing Andy and Martha. The other patrons noticed with Jen rolling her eyes before continuing the game. Now that Orion was done, he saw Weed and Koyuki finishing their thing and decided to go in for the kill. "Well, I said I wanted to talk to dad during the party. Now's as good a time as any."

Andy and Martha saw Orion walk off after hearing him say that, and Andy wished him luck as he did. "Good luck." Orion smiled back at Andy gratefully as he continued walking over to his parents.

Weed and Koyuki were sharing a kiss as Orion chimed in to get Weed's attention. "Hey dad?" Weed and Koyuki looked at Orion, who asked for his father's attention in his own way. "When you and mom are done with your make out session, I think now's a good time to talk."

"Of course." Weed responded, looking at Koyuki as she let her know when he'd be back. "I'll join you again when I'm done."

"I'll be by the beer pong table." Koyuki told Weed before kissing his cheek. She then headed off with Weed and Orion heading over to a corner where they could talk in private.

When Weed and Orion made sure they were alone, Weed began the conversation as Orion leaned on the wall. "I think I have a good idea what this is about. Sirius and I talked about it earlier this week."

"Yeah, I figured." Orion replied, knowing how often Weed and Sirius spend time together. "In that case, I'm just gonna cut to the point." And with that, Orion looked directly at his father as he asked his question. "Do you love Sirius more than me?"

Weed knelt down to his son and placed a paw on his shoulder, going down to his level to show that he was being sincere. "Not in the slightest. I love both of you, and your brother and sister, with all my heart. Nothing will change that."

Orion saw that Weed was being serious about this. It made him regret the way he was acting even more. "I should've expected that. You never come off as the type who's play favorites." Orion then opened up a little more about how he was feeling, after a bit of struggle. What convinced him to open up was remembering what Andy said about him making room for other things. That included having the courage to speak up about what you were feeling. "It's just that... you're always spending more time with him than me. It makes me hesitant to speak up."

Weed started to feel bad himself, not wanting Orion to be hurt by how close he was with Sirius. "I do spend more time with him. I should've noticed how it made you feel." Weed kept eye contact with Orion as he explained why he spent so much time with Sirius. "As you know, Sirius is set to be the next heir to being the Ohu Army's leader. I have to make sure he's ready for that."

"That's another thing. Sirius isn't the only one you should be expecting that from!" Orion exclaimed, startling Weed a bit with how quickly Orion started to tense up. Orion didn't lose his cool, but he did delve deeper into his bottled up emotions. Orion's stopping in between his words showed how hard this was hard for him. "I'm always, busting my ass to... prove myself. It's, not fair that, Sirius is the only one, I see around here, who has expectations that high."

Weed allowed Orion to continue, knowing this was hard for him to open up about, and wanting him to say as much as he wanted. "I'll admit; I'm starting to think he works harder than I thought. And it's, easy to think that, he's the best pick to be our leader. And... maybe... maybe he IS worthy. But I want to prove I'm worthy too." Orion crossed his arms as he expressed his desires "I want to be... the strongest Canine in the world. And becoming our next leader, is what I want to do alongside that. But I've always felt like... only Andy thinks I can."

Orion wasn't done yet, and Weed could tell, hence why he let him continue. "I get that Sirius was born first. And that normally, the first heir, is the one who takes over as leader." Orion struggled again before telling his father what he thought the deciding factor should be. "But I... I think the leader should be, the strongest in both strength and leadership." Orion finished what he had to say by showing his determination. "Maybe Sirius beats me in both now. But I can grow, and I can learn. I'll catch up to him."

Weed already knew how dedicated Orion was to protecting the village. As different as he was from Weed and Sirius, the one thing he could guarantee he had in common with them, was his devotion to Akita Prefecture. And with that, Weed brought Orion in for a hug, which surprised him at first. Not because Weed never hugged him, he just didn't think his words would lead to that. What Weed said next helped explain why. And it also told Orion how much Weed supported him. "Then I look forward to seeing which one of you pulls it off."

Orion smiled and wrapped his arms around his father, showing that despite how he's acted, he loved his father dearly. He couldn't believe how hard it was to see how much Weed supported him prior. Of course, now it was a lot easier, since Weed knew he wanted to be expected for greatness due to how hard he worked. But he felt it should've still been obvious to him. After all, feeling like someone loves someone else more, doesn't always mean they don't love you at all.

Orion then gave a confident grin as he pulled his father away, showing that he was more than ready to prove that he was willing to earn those expectations too. "And if anyone in Akita Prefecture DOES doubt I can pull it off, just watch me kick ass in the next Spirit Tournament. I'm gonna win the whole damn thing!" Weed laughed a bit at Orion's confident declaration. He was always ready to give it his all, as well as prove that his arrogance was well earned. And Weed could also tell just by looking at Orion, that he'd started learning to appreciate his life.

During Weed and Orion's conversation, Andy took a moment to chat with Sirius after he lost the card game and went over to the basketball and hoop to shoot some hoops. "So. Sirius. How do you feel about our chances at stopping Hanajiro tomorrow?"

Sirius shot his first basket, getting a three pointer and letting the ball bounce over to him as he answered Andy's question. "We should be okay as long as Izou's there." Sirius picked up the ball and shot another basket, getting another three pointer as he explained something else. "Still. Unless I can get my Zokaken up to times two, I won't stand a chance against Hanajiro."

"Orion told me about that. He was surprised you got an ability that even prodigies struggle with." Sirius gave a brief but noticeable smile as he picked the ball back up. It would seem that Orion was starting to see more about him than he did before. Andy then started thinking about why Hanajiro gave Orion the location of the Puppy Army Village. "Hanajiro has to have known that Orion using that information was a risk against him. Why did he just give him the location after he made it clear he wouldn't change his mind?"

Sirius gave that moment a bit of thought as he shot his next basket and got it into the hoop. "Maybe he thought Orion was lying?"

Andy laughed a bit as he pointed out one thing Izou didn't know about Orion. "Then he has a lot to learn about Orion." Sirius nodded in agreement before picking the ball back up to shoot another basket. Andy decided that now was a good time to see how hard Sirius pushed himself to be stronger. He had to put in some effort if he was able to attain the Zokaken. "I've been wondering, Sirius. Orion always talks about how you grow as fast as you do because your a prodigy. But that's not always the case, is it?"

Sirius let the ball roll over to him, stopping it with his hind paw when he did. He chuckled a bit before complimenting Orion. "Well... I don't push myself as hard as Orion does." Sirius looked at Andy after the latter showed intrigue to what he was saying. "Orion's not wrong. It's a lot easier for me to improve my Canine Spirit day by day. But stuff like Zokaken are still gonna be a challenge for me." Sirius stepped off of the ball as he explained how long it took him. "It took me about a month or two to actually get it down. Still a lot faster than Orion, but..."

"You still struggled with it." Andy finished, leading to a nod from Sirius before Andy continued the conversation. "I knew there had to be a sense of trying in what you learned. There couldn't have been with how you fight Orion. Your Homing Battouga doesn't get used on fights you know you can win."

"Hehe. You got me there." Sirius confirmed. He then started to give Andy some encouragement after saying that. "Who knows? You have what it takes to reach that height." Andy looked at Sirius with surprise, and that led to Sirius reminding him of what Canine Spirit was all about. "Even though prodigies for it can exist, Canine Spirit is all about hard work and perseverance. And I can tell those qualities have been rubbing off on you for a while now."

Andy started rubbing his arm nervously as he admitted to how far away he was compared to Orion and Sirius. "I guess they have. I still have a lot more work to do than you guys do."

"Who knows? Maybe you'll get closer during the mission." Sirius suggested confidently, making Andy smile as Sirius picked up the basketball to shoot another basket. This mission was in fact bringing Andy closer to the level he wanted to reach. Despite his struggles, he still went out onto the battlefield, fulfilled his task despite his fear, and saved Martha's life when she almost got sneak attacked with a Spirit blade. Izou already told him that it was about what he did in response to his emotions. So Sirius had to be right about what he said just now.

Later on in the party, Orion and Sirius went over to the buffet at the same time, leading to the two glancing at each other when realizing it. Orion grabbed a portion of pork chops and some mashed potatoes to go along with it. Sirius grabbed some Mac N Cheese as he brought up the mission. "Tomorrow's gonna be pretty big. You sure you'll be ready for it?"

Orion gave Sirius a confident nod in response to that. This made Sirius glad, knowing that Orion would never give anything less than everything he could. Orion then took the chance to address how he was wrong about Sirius not needing to try. "So you pushed yourself hard enough to use the Zokaken."

Sirius saw what Orion was trying to do, showing that as he made his reply. "I sure did." He continued his reply as he smiled, seeing that Orion noticed how he didn't have everything handed to him after all. "I can see why dad struggled with it."

"It's not easy to unlock. I know that first hand." Orion admitted, having been practicing with the Zokaken for much longer than Sirius has. He still hadn't quite reached the first level yet. "For the record, I knew you trained period. I just didn't think you ever struggled with it."

"I know." Sirius responded, showing that he gave Orion's words to him a lot of thought in several areas. "Not every prodigy has it as hard as dad."

"Definitely not." Orion replied, and then he glared at Sirius as his competitive side kicked in. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still gonna kick your ass one day. I'll surpass you and prove my skill." Sirius laughed a bit, seeing that Orion's competitive side would never go away. At least not that easily. Still. At least Orion could see that Sirius didn't have EVERYTHING handed to him. He then found it hard to stop thinking about what Sirius said, when he tried to convince him not to go with Hanajiro, showing concern towards it. "Did you really think I hated you?"

Sirius set his plate down before responding, having to admit that some of Orion's days made it seem like that. "The idea crossed my mind a couple times before." Orion's remorse started to weigh him down even further. Sirius noticed this and quickly spoke up again. "I can see now that you never did."

Orion tried to contain himself as he explained to Sirius why he felt that way. "Never. I may be a shit lord sometimes, but I never hated you." Orion then got to talking about what he saw in Sirius when he noticed the Zokaken. "I saw a different side to you when I saw you use the Zokaken. I'll leave it at that."

"Works for me." Sirius responded, accepting that Orion didn't want to go too in depth with what he meant. Sirius knew there was more to it though, so he continued the conversation by bringing it up. "Ya know, Orion, having expectations from others isn't always a good thing."

That caught Orion off guard until he remembered how Hanajiro tried to bring him along yesterday. He shook his head before making his reply. "What the hell are you talking about? What could be bad about people thinking you're capable of something great?"

As much as Sirius loved Orion, he didn't feel they were close enough to where he could talk about the specific thing he was referring to. But he didn't want him to be without guidance, so he explained what he meant vaguely, but well enough to help him understand. "Expectations can lead to pressure. Not everyone can handle it. And even those who can have a hard time with it for one reason or another."

Orion didn't really understand what Sirius meant. Sirius expected that to be the case. But Orion did show he was paying attention with his next words. "Well, some people turn out to be really great at what they're doing." Orion gave his final words as he grabbed a cheeseburger from the buffet. "Maybe it's all a result of their talent or skill."

Sirius grabbed some tuna salad himself while showing that he saw some truth in Orion's words there. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Orion, having warmed up to working with Sirius on this mission, seemed to be finding a sense of closure in this conversation with him. After seeing him unlock the Zokaken, his talk with Weed, and now the talk they were having, it helped him feel more calm around him. Obviously, that wouldn't be enough to overcome five years of jealousy. But Sirius could see that he and Orion were starting to become more civil.

Sirius turned to Orion, looking directly at him to show he was serious about what he said next. "Listen, Orion. I know our relationship has been strained these last five years." Orion looked at Sirius, wondering what he was getting at with this. "But we both have the desire to take Hanajiro down. So let's put our differences aside for now, and work as well as we can together to make it happen."

Orion saw Sirius hold his paw out to seal the deal. Orion was a little hesitant at first for obvious reasons. But he agreed to the paw shake and took Sirius' paw to make it happen. Sirius wasn't upset when Orion pulled away after the paw shake. He knew mending their fractured bond would take time. And Orion accepting the paw shake was a good start. It at least told Sirius that it was possible. As for Orion, while he did pull away, he was more okay with it than he expected. He was still jealous of Sirius for being so much better than him with much less work.

But at least now he knew that didn't mean he wasn't trying.

Weed was spending some time with the adults; more specifically, Koyuki, GB, Rocket, Jerome, Lydia, Kotetsu, Kyoshiro, Izou, and Gin. Gin was currently chugging down a bunch of booze with GB, Lydia, Kotetsu, Kyoshiro, Izou cheering him on. "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Gin finished his thirteenth bottle then and there, setting it down as the three aforementioned Canines cheered for him.

Gin started laughing while sitting up the best he could, speaking in a somewhat slurred speech as he did. "Okay, okay, okay. Something epic is about to come out of my mouth." Gin put his paws on the table as everyone waited for what he had to say. When he said it, it was very clear he was getting a little tipsy. "When it comes to chores... Jasmine, is a bitch!"

Kyoshiro snorted after hearing that with Kotetsu showing offense as he pointed out who that was. "Hey; that's my wife you're talking about!"

"She's great everywhere else, Kotetsu. That's why I specified the chores." Gin assured Kotetsu, putting a paw on his shoulder as Weed went over to him to help him out. "She does a good job with Spiral. You be sure to thank her for teaching him discipline while you're at work."

Kotetsu laughed a bit as Weed helped Gin get up so he could stand and walk straight. "But the army IS my work. I'm still waiting for my next mission."

"I'll find you something as soon as we stop Hanajiro." Weed assured Kotetsu, fist bumping him as he checked to see if Gin could stand. "Come on, dad. I'll help you walk home."

"Ah, you don't have to worry, Weed. I can still walk." Gin replied, and then he walked back over to his chair to keep sitting down. "See? I can sit down just fine."

GB started picking up Gin's beer bottles, which Weed noticed before insisting he keep having fun. "Oh GB, you don't have to do that."

Gin noticed that GB's butt was pointed right in Rocket's direction as GB responded. "I know. I just felt like making more room on the table." When GB's stomach growled, he sheepishly admitted to something else. "Also, I have to-" Gin then punched GB's gut, making him wince before hitting Rocket, Kotetsu, and Izou with...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT

...a loud and bassy twenty second fart, unleashing a big cloud of rotten eggs from his vibrating butt. Thankfully, Weed dashed over to the window and opened it up just in time. The fart cloud started leaving the window with GB blushing a crimson red as he turned around and profusely apologized to the coughing and gagging canines he farted on. Especially Rocket. "Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" He then looked back at Gin, who was laughing at the prank he just pulled, along with Kyoshiro. "Damn it, Gin! We agreed not to pull this shit during the party!"

Gin stopped laughing as he started to remember that deal. "We did? Wow, I must've drank more than I thought."

"Clearly, you have. It's a miracle you haven't passed out yet." GB snarked, and then he turned to Rocket when he was finished and started to tense up. "Okay, not to worry; I'll go get some stuff to wash the scent off with! And some towels if you need to shake!"

GB rushed off after that, and Kotetsu snickered as he thought about what just happened. Rocket couldn't help smiling as he thought about the Canine he had for a husband. "He's such a goofball."

Izou had his own two cents on this, smirking to Rocket as he commented on his tastes. The smirk vanished and turned into a regular smile when he complimented GB. "Quarantine risk aside... he's very sweet too." Rocket nodded in agreement, feeling he couldn't have a better love interest if he tried. Jerome and Lydia were sitting there in annoyance over what just transpired with Koyuki taking another drink to get through it. They were just lucky Gin didn't try to turn this into another farting contest between him, GB, and Weed.

Later on, when the party was almost over, Martha was swimming in the ball pit that the army owned. Orion and Andy walked over to her as she did this with Orion pointing out how she was just enjoying the party and everything it had to offer. "Something tells me you'll hit the karaoke mic if we stay up long enough."

"Oh, I'm going to stay up long enough." Martha said without doubt, hoping she would get a chance to sing something good. She then sat down with Orion and Andy as she brought up something that came into her head. "Hey, so this idea just came to my head like, right now. What if I used wind to block any strikes that came at me?" Martha started sharing more of this idea after kicking up one of the balls in the ball pit. "That way, my arms won't get hurt when I block!"

"It's pretty sound." Andy chimed in, giving Martha a tip on how she can utilize the idea effectively. "If you harnessed the wind into your paws before the enemy's strike, you could use the force from them to send the enemy's paw back, which could lead to a counterattack."

Martha gave that strategy some thought with Orion adding a more violent method that Martha could use. "Or even better. You could add as much Spirit into the wind you put into your paws, and start crushing the enemy's paw until you break it." Martha seemed a little less fond of that idea. She didn't share Orion's brutal side, that's for sure. Orion noticed this and continued the conversation in his own way. "Well, even if you don't do that, you bet your ass I'll use it when I get Nature Spirit down."

Andy had some thoughts about what Orion would turn his Nature Spirit into. He couldn't help joking about it as he nudged Orion. "Just make sure you only set the OPPONENT on fire, okay?" Andy and Martha laughed a bit with Orion playfully pushing Andy into the ball pit after the joke was made. After Andy fell in, he laughed some more before pulling Orion in to join him. This made them both laugh with Martha, who was glad to see that her new teammates were having so much fun at the party.

Orion and Andy laughed some more, looking at each other as they laid in the ball pit. They didn't say anything, but their smiled told them they were having a great time. Andy was happy for Orion. This was the first party he came to of his own volition outside of his birthday parties. And Orion was happy as well. He didn't think he'd like parties like this as much as training. But here he was. The two continued smiling at each other, letting the moment sink in. They always loved each other's company. And they did even more so after a recent blossom began.

However, Orion's alarm went off, and when he looked at his phone, he instantly realized what it was. To Andy and Martha's surprise, Orion seemed a little disappointed by it with what he said next. "Guess I gotta start training again." Obviously, since Orion loved training, he smiled as he headed out of the ball pit. But Andy and Martha detected a hint of disappointment in his voice as he left. "I had a great time, guys. But I gotta make sure I'm ready for tomorrow's mission."

Orion helped Andy out, and the two smiled as they touched paws. When Orion started to blush, Andy did too, leading to Orion pulling away with Andy looking away while smiling. Martha picked up on this, but stayed out of it for now, smiling as she walked up to Orion and patted his back. "We'll see you later, Orion."

"Not that there was ever any doubt." Andy added, and then he realized he sounded a little like Orion there. Specifically, how confident he was with his choice of words. Orion laughed a bit when he picked up on this, and headed off to let the other partygoers know about his plans. Andy and Martha smiled at each other after Martha placed a paw on Andy's shoulder. That was when Andy laughed at the fact that he sounded like Orion. Martha knew what caused the laugh and giggled when she did. It was clear that Orion really did rub off on Andy.

Later that night, Orion was in his backyard, making even more progress with his Zokaken transformation. He was able to cover up to at least halfway through his ears, which confirmed that he was now at ninety five percent. He pushed himself as hard as he could, refusing to stop until he unlocked the transformation. However, he ended up pushing himself a little too hard, causing him to fall to the ground and lie down on his back. He took a moment to catch his breath before he saw someone standing over him. This was revealed to be Koyuki.

Koyuki was smiling down at her son as she brought up how close she was. "You're almost there, son! I'm so proud of you!"

Orion sat up, smiling at the sound of his mother's proudness. "Thanks, mom. I still wish I could attain the form though." Orion stood up as well as he could with Koyuki making sure he didn't fall down again. Once he had himself standing up, he wiped his forehead while continuing to catch his breath. "Whoever thought, something like this, would take so much, energy, out of me?"

"Don't worry. The other levels are easier to unlock once you get the first one." Koyuki assured Orion, who wasn't sure how to feel about that. He loved a challenge, even though he hated losing. Koyuki then expressed her worry for her sons safety, expressing it to Orion as she crossed her arms. "Sirius told me about how strong Hanajiro is. It's scary to think you guys will be raiding his village tomorrow."

Orion finished catching his breath as he addressed the fear factor of being in the army. "That's army work for ya. Never a mission where you're at least a little off your guard."

Koyuki laughed a bit at her son's truthful statement. It was clear he understood the dangers of being in the Ohu Army. "You're not wrong. And I won't stop you. If you're going to be an effective soldier, you can't have worried parents holding you back."

"You never held me back." Orion assured his mother, and then he said something that wasn't very ideal. "Even though you're kind of a bitch sometimes."

"Watch it, mister!" Koyuki warned Orion sternly, and they started heading inside after that, since it was close to bedtime. Koyuki went back to letting Orion know how happy she was for him. "I can't say I expected something this grand to be your first mission. But the way you're handling it is incredible. I mean that."

Orion smiled just before his mother hugged him, glad that he was making a good impression on the Ohu Army so far. "I've been doing my best, mom. Nothing short of everything I can put into the army!" Orion started heading upstairs after his mom let go, wishing her goodnight as he did. "Whelp, I need a good night's sleep before tomorrow. Goodnight, mom; love you!"

"Love you too, sweetie!" Koyuki said back, watching Orion go upstairs with an excited look on his face. She knew he was taking his mission seriously, but she also knew he was excited to pull off said mission and take Hanajiro down. She couldn't help but be happy for him. It was always great to do something you loved. When she sat down on the couch, she looked at her chef's uniform and thought about that aspect of her life even more. It clearly meant a lot to her that her children were happy.

Orion, Andy, and Sirius were now fast asleep in Orion and Sirius' bedroom. Orion's butt was raised into the air, Andy was using Orion's sleeping bag, and Sirius was tucked tightly into his blanket while sleeping on his side. It was pretty common for Andy to sleep over at Orion's place. Despite him being the least social of the family for a long time, he and Andy had a surprisingly close bond, which has been shown before. Although, there was one downside to sleeping in the same room as Orion and Sirius. This was shown as Orion's butt was shown when releasing...

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT

...a loud and bassy ten second fart, letting a yellow cloud of rotten eggs leave his vibrating butt. Andy was used to this, but he knew it would've gotten worse if he didn't do something. So he got up and started walking over to the window. However, this led to him being right behind Sirius when he went to open it. And just before Andy opened it, Sirius unintentionally joined in on the fun, letting out a yellow eggy cloud from his vibrating butt that made his blanket flag while biting his lip...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

...Andy coughed and gagged after being hit by the fart and opened up the window, peeking his head out of it while wafting the fart away to get some fresh air. His sigh after he got the rest of the fart cloud out showed that he was used to it. He then started fanning out Orion's fart cloud, only for him to unleash another nasty butt blast that outdid his last one by five seconds...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT

...Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep if he focused on all the farting, Andy went over to his sleeping bag and pulled up an air freshener. He then ducked into his sleeping bag with the air freshener inside, zipping his sleeping bag up just enough to where it was barely open. That way, he could still breathe, but his strawberry air freshener would over power the farts. This was done at just the right time too, as Sirius' next fart continued the eggy fart trend that both Akitas started...

BLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP

...Andy rolled his eyes before going back to sleep, knowing he would need it for the big mission tomorrow. As stated before, he was used to this happening whenever he slept over. So it was a good thing tonight was one of those nights he remembered to bring an air freshener. The last thing he needed was to be kept up by the farts of his best friend and his best friend's brother.

The next day, Orion and Sirius' teams were getting ready to head out with Weed and Koyuki hugging their sons before they headed off. Once pulled away, Weed gave them some last minute advice before the mission. "We love you both. And remember. Teamwork is a big part of successful missions. Work as a team, and you'll have the greatest chance to stop Hanajiro."

Orion and Sirius looked at each other, and while they were still concerned about how well their teamwork would be during this, they still nodded with confidence as Sirius assured their dad they'd keep that in mind. "Not a problem, dad."

Jerome was rubbing Andy's head while telling his son what to do if he started to get scared. "And if you start getting scared out there, just remember that everyone else is scared too. It's not just you feeling the intensity of battle."

"Got it. Thanks, dad." Andy replied, being more than grateful for the advice. "And I'll do my best to compose myself in the battle when it happens." Jerome and Lydia smiled proudly at their son, being more than happy to see him doing his best to grow.

GB was struggling to let go of Martha, who had no complaints, even when Rocket removed GB's paws tenderly to let Martha head out. Martha gave GB a kiss on the cheek with a daughter's love while smiling. "Better?"

GB smiled widely when looking at Martha to answer. "So much better." Rocket took a turn to hug Martha as well, knowing she'd need as much love as she could get for this mission. She gave him the same kiss as well, wanting to show that she loved both of her fathers equally. Even if she had a lot more fun with GB.

Weed and Sirius' groups then headed off after Jen hugged Kagetora, and Senshi hugged Ken. The two headed off after telling their dads they loved them with Izou calling to all of the parents who saw their kids off. "Nothing's getting held back today, everyone! This mission will be a success!"

After hearing that, Orion looked at Andy, who smiled nervously before seeing how confident Orion was. He could see that Orion truly believed they would succeed in this mission. Andy gained a more confident smile after hearing that, nodding to Orion after the Akita nodded to him. Orion looked on in anticipation, barely able to contain how badly he wanted to take Hanajiro down once and for all. All he had to beforehand was talk about the strategy he would be doing with the rest of his unit. Then, it was all a forward process to ending the Puppy Army.

To be continued

Rock music played as Orion talked about what was going to happen in the next part as moments from the next episode were shown. "Everything's going according to plan! That piece of shit really thinks I'm interested in helping his cruel army expand. Wait. What's all of this? The way they're training; and their thought process. Is this...? No, don't give it too much thought, Orion. Just wait until your team can sneak in, and kill Hanajiro so this army can't hurt puppies anymore!"

The words of the next chapter were shown with Orion on the right charging up his Spirit energy, and Andy trying to get his act together in an intense situation. "Next time, Infiltration Of The Puppy Army Village!" Orion was talking to a soldier in the Puppy Army, and he was starting to get unsettled at how similar their thought processes were. "Fuck. If I didn't hang out with Andy, I'd be a carbon copy of these soldiers."