Disclaimer: We're finally gonna get to see the Puppy Army Village! I can't wait! There's gonna be a lot of revelations in this part, so I'm gonna make sure they all count. I hope you've been paying attention since the start, because that'll be the best way to understand everything that's going on. And I'm not just talking about the Puppy Army.

Also, I don't own any Ginga characters, outside of any OCs I add in.

The Ginga Legend: Orion's Story

Puppy Army arc Episode nine: Infiltration Of The Puppy Army Village

After the party at Akita Prefecture, Orion was going over the plan with everyone else at Zach's office in Shepherd Prefecture. They didn't have an exact location for Akita Prefecture, but Orion knew the information Hanajiro gave him would be enough to go off of. He explained this to Zack during the meeting, and Zack was trying to get a good understanding of it. "So Hanajiro wants you to join his army, and he gave you the location of his village in case you decided you wanted to?"

"That's the long and short of it." Orion confirmed with a nod, making it clear that he wasn't joining Hanajiro. "As if I'd ever join that asshole. I'll be going into his village, but it won't be to help him, or his army." Zack kept this in mind as Orion got to explaining the plan. "I'm gonna head off to the location he gave me, and Izou and the others will be keeping an eye on me. And after Hanajrio accepts me into Puppy Army Village, I'll be looking for a good spot for them to sneak in, or raid the place. And hopefully, Izou will be able to detain the fucker."

Zack felt that the plan was sound enough at least, even if he wasn't very fond of the method. It was a lot to risk for a puppy, but what choice did they have? "It looks like that'll be our best option. If we all follow you to the location, Hanajiro will try to find a way to escape and relocate."

Izou stood up with some words to share with Zack before they left. "If anything happens to Orion, or anyone else, I'll take full responsibility. After all, half the puppies joining us are my proteges."

"Thank you, Izou. I was going to have you lead this operation anyway." Zack responded, knowing that Izou would be able to handle it.

Andy walked up to Orion, putting his paw on his shoulder, which caused him to blush a bit upon touching him. Orion touched Andy's paw upon feeling it, and Andy gave him some words of concern. "You sure you can handle this, Orion? I know we don't have anything else to work off of, but if the Puppy Army Village is what Hanajiro said it is..."

Orion noticed Andy's concern and gave a confident smile when he addressed it. "I'll be okay. No way I'm gonna let myself have a breakdown when we're so close."

Andy smiled, continuing to show admiration for Orion's confidence. Sirius gave some words himself to Orion, knowing of another possible outcome. "I know this goes without saying, but make sure you're on your guard around Hanajiro at all times. I get the feeling he's not very trustworthy, even inside the village."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be sensing for some kind of Spirit trap for every drink he gives me." Orion assured Sirius.

Izou stood up along with the others, knowing that it was now or never for the mission to happen. "This won't be a short mission, I'm sure. If you want to back down, now's the time." Orion and the others stood firm, despite some noticeable fear from Andy. He continued to hold his paw on Orion's shoulder, which helped him feel the confidence he needed to stay in the mission. With that, Izou smiled, being as ready as everyone else to fulfill the mission. "Alright then. Let the mission commence!"

Orion was making his way to the location of the Puppy Army Village, walking through a part of the woods to do so. He was surprised when he caught sight of the village, finding that it was quite a small one, hidden in the trees. But Orion knew that wouldn't be enough to keep the Ohu Army out. Hanajiro's Spirit was powerful compared to his, as much as he hated to admit that. 'Great Spirit suppression, AND a good place of secrecy for his village. No wonder that bastard managed to hide under the radar.'

Orion stood in front of the gate to the Puppy Army Village, pounding on it and catching the attention of a guard. The guard was an adult Tosa Inu, and he called out Orion for his banging. "Quit the racket, will ya!? I'm tryin' to nap over here!"

"You can nap after you let me in, dickass! I'm here to see Hanajiro!" The Tosa Inu peeked through the view slider on the door, seeing Orion and having his attention caught as he explained who he was. "There's no way he didn't mention me at least once! My name is Orion!"

The Tosa Inu opened up the gate for Orion, hoping he would forgive his rudeness. "I'm so sorry, Orion! Hanajiro told me to open it for you if you decided to join the army."

"Just stay awake during the job and you'll live to sleep tonight." Orion advised the Tosa Inu, looking around to see if Hanajiro was around. Remembering that he didn't have any idea where to go, he turned back to the Tosa Inu for directions. "Hey; how do I find Hana-"

"About time you came!" Orion looked back upon recognizing Hanajiro's voice. Hanajiro expressed delight in seeing Orion at the village. "Guess my offer was too tempting for you after all."

"Yeah, let's go with that." Orion replied, trying his best to not punch Hanajiro in the face due to how much he hated pretending to want to be there. "So where can I get some food around here?"

Hanajiro signaled Orion to follow him, which he did. On the way to the food court, Hanajiro started telling Orion about the village, as Orion tried his best to pretend to care. "I'm sure you already know by now that the Puppy Army Village hasn't been around for long. I actually founded it, and the village, less than a year ago to help puppies learn how to defend themselves."

"There are a lot of places that can do that." Orion pointed out, looking to the right as he tried to get any useful info. "What makes your village stand out?"

Orion noticed something as Hanajiro answered his question. "Simple. Here it's all about duty!" Orion caught what Hanajiro said there while catching sight of the village battle arena. It was then when Hanajiro started to fade out. "When I was younger, I was-" Two Labrador puppies, one golden and one black, were going at it with the golden one pinning the black one to the ground. He landed several punches on the Black Labrador before he kicked the Golden Labrador off. Orion couldn't help noticing the other puppies. Most of them were stoic, but a couple of them were cheering.

One in particular said something that set Orion off. "Kick his ass, Boris! Prove that nothing matters to you but serving this army!" After hearing that, he remembered how Hanajiro compared him to his army when it came to servitude. He started to think about how true that was. He put so much time into surpassing Sirius, becoming the Ohu Army leader, and becoming the strongest Canine in the world... that Andy was his only true friend. What that puppy said reminded him of his mindset.

It made him start to question how little he valued life.

Hanajiro noticed that Orion was distracted by the arena, which made him glad for one particular reason. "You interested in showing off your skills at the arena?"

"Huh?" Orion looked at Hanajiro, who gestured him to the arena. Realizing that Hanajiro figured out what caught his attention, he decided to play along with it. At least this way, he could see how strong the army was. And he always loved a good battle. "Yeah. I'm down."

"Perfect! I'll set up a match for you." Hanajiro said, walking over to the arena with Orion watching him in his unusually cheery demeanor. He was clearly trying to make Orion comfortable with living in the village. He then noticed him hitting the one who lost, the Black Labrador, before scolding him for being too weak. Orion almost lost his cool, but he reminded himself of the mission before walking over to the arena to fight. When he got there, Hanajiro signaled someone to come over to him. "About time. I already found a worthy opponent for you."

Orion looked at his opponent, who was a female White Shepherd. Orion sensed the same stoic nature from her that he did from everyone else, but he noticed a little something else in her eyes. She seemed to have some kind of spark inside of her, different than what you would expect from battle. It wasn't the dutiful kind either. She seemed more fierce, more battle ready than the rest. Orion wondered if this was from before she joined the Puppy Army.

Inside the arena, Orion and the White Shepherd stood across from each other as Hanajiro announced the fight. "Gather round, everyone! The next match is about to begin! This one will be between our latest member, Orion, and longstanding member, Volt!"

Orion couldn't figure out why, but he saw the most of himself in Volt than he did the others. The way Volt spoke to him might've added to that. "You done staring at me like a lovesick simp?"

Orion, of course, took a chance to fire back. "It's sad if you think anyone would stare at you because of that."

Orion and Volt stared each other down with Hanajiro raising his paw to begin the fight. "Let the battle begin!"

Volt spawned some electricity form her paw and sent three finger bolts at Orion. The first was right in front of him, and he dodged it quickly. The second fired right to where he stepped, as did the third one when he dodged again. For the third one, he blocked it, getting a small shock on his wrist as a result. When Volt spawned more electricity, Orion decided to speed things up. He instantly dashed to the side before vanishing out of the way of Volt's lightning blast. When he appeared behind Volt, he dodged the roundhouse kick and grabbed her lightning punch.

After grabbing her punch, Orion threw Volt to the side and dashed past her, kneeing her in the back before pounding her to the ground. Volt regained her balance before dashing at Orion while leaving a lightning trail on the ground. Orion started coliding punches and kicks with Jolt, who was using lightning in her punches and kicks to stun him. It was a small amount however, and Orion was confident he could handle it. The two then landed one punch on each other at the same time.

Orion's punch was on Jolt's face, and Jolt's punch was on his stomach. The electricity started to paralyze Orion, but he demonstrated how tough he was by getting the strength needed to blast Jolt with a small Spirit beam. After Volt was sent back, she started speeding things up too. She and Orion dashed at each other, landing several speedy blows on each other with Orion picking up on her fighting style. The lightning, the speed of her strikes, the way she moved, it all screamed Speedster. "Let me guess. You're a Speed Specialist too?"

"Jackpot." Volt confirmed, and then she grabbed Orion's paw and kicked his shin, sending him to his knee as she charged up her free paw. When Orion saw this, he started spawning something in his own paw as well. Volt made sure to let Orion know she wouldn't be holding back with this blow. "You'd better hope you can handle the voltage." Orion smirked as he and Volt aimed their paws at each other, and as soon as Volt grabbed Orion, he launched a Spirit blast at her face.

This stunned both of them, but Volt recovered first. Orion, recovering a split second after Volt, dashed forward after dodging her Spirit blast and punched her right in the gut. This punch sent her back and caused her to roll on the ground for a bit before rebounding. Orion then appeared behind Volt and smacked her to the ground from behind. After she dragged a bit, she got back up, only for Hanajiro to speak up again. "That's a wrap!" Orion and Volt glared at Hanajiro, who then explained why he called off the match. "Don't be like that. It's lunchtime."

Orion and Volt ceased their glares after that, and Orion started drooling as he thought about food. "Thank fuck. I'm starving as shit over here."

Volt was a little grossed out by Orion's drooling, but still responded to what he actually said, sounding quite snarky when doing so. "You look like you would EAT shit right about now." Orion flipped Volt off, and she simply walked to the mess hall with him. Volt knew Orion was new here, but he still seemed to have more... personality than everyone else.

After that, everyone was having lunch, and Orion took the chance to get the type of sandwich that looked the best. For him, that would be ham and cheese, which looked rather bland to him. He figured he was probably used to eating foods with more variety to them. Either way, he now had to look around for a place to sit. For some reason, he felt weird about sitting by himself. Despite his attitude, he wasn't really the loner type. So when he saw Volt sitting by herself, he walked over to her table. She noticed him before he asked to join her. "Mind if I sit here?"

"If that's what you want." Volt answered, allowing Orion to sit across from her as she got to eating her PB&J.

Orion got to complaining about the lack of variety in food once he sat down. "Only sandwiches, huh? Better than nothing, but I could go for something waaay more bitchin' right about now. Like a cheeseburger." Volt shrugged, showing that she was fine with what she had to eat. After that, Orion got to talking about what it was like in the Puppy Army Village. After he looked around, he noticed that even while eating, everyone was always on guard, or stoic. "What's up with everyone? They look like they're about to get beaten down by a Super Canine army."

"That's how we're trained to think here." Volt explained while looking around to make sure no one was listening. And the way she spoke after revealing that told Orion a lot about how long she'd been here for. "I haven't been here for long, but I knew right away that life here, isn't like how it is in the outside world."

After learning that Volt had only arrived here recently, Orion decided to ask more about how this place operated. "What about Hanajiro? He was super nice to me when I arrived, but when that Black Labrador lost his battle, he became the aggressive, cruel bastard I met a couple days ago."

Volt set her sandwich down after taking her latest bite, answering Orion's question as she expressed a more somber tone. "He did that with me too." Orion became stunned during Volt's talk about how Hanajiro operated. "He always acts friendly with those he considers worthy to his army at first. He wants us to get comfortable here. But after we start to settle in, he starts making it clear that the only thing we should be thinking about, is contributing to the army, and being the best we can be. No time for friends, games, or even relax, outside of eating."

That hit Orion like a knife. Those were his two biggest desires back in Akita Prefecture. And with the exception of Andy, he rarely, if ever, made the time for anything like that. Of course, there was nothing wrong with being dedicated to your desires. But the more Orion thought about it, the more he felt he might've been robbing himself of stuff he could love just as much by how he acted towards everything else before yesterday's party. "I know what it's like to strive for those two things. But that sounds fucking depressing."

"I agree. But there's not much choice in the matter." Volt continued to explain, seeing that Orion was in shock at how harsh the environment was. She then got to asking why Orion was here, since she could tell he didn't like it. "This information wouldn't have come easily. I only told you because I felt like you could still be saved." Orion dashed over to Volt and leaned in, having already picked up on what she was saying. After he whispered everything to her, she showed surprise at first, but then was conflicted, before getting serious. "You need some help?"

"Maybe. I'll fill you in later." Orion answered, walking back over to his seat and sitting down as he continued the conversation. "Thanks for taking the time to talk. Volt, was it?" Volt nodded her head yes in response. She also noticed how Orion started to feel bad for the puppies here. He could tell that with how Hanajiro ran things, they all became stoic soldiers, if not constantly on guard. Some of them also looked lonely. For some reason, that last one scared him the most. He shook it off as he made a suggestion. "You wanna do it while training together?"

"Sure. That'll work. But we'll have to do it in private, as if it wasn't obvious." Volt informed Orion, who nodded in response, showing that he already understood. Volt noticed how Orion was deep in thought about something. Out of curiosity, she took a chance in asking. "What's on your mind?"

Orion got back to eating his sandwich, making his response vague, but honest. "I'm just... starting to see what my friends back home were trying to tell me." Volt left it at that and continued eating, knowing she and Orion needed to keep their strength up. As Orion ate, he started thinking about what Hanajiro said. 'Just looking at them told me what Volt confirmed. They really are being forced into servitude. Was I... was I really doing that to myself?' Orion shook off his inner thoughts for now, knowing he had to keep his focus on the mission.

Orion was making his way sparring with Volt near the village wall, and as he did, a thought was racing around his mind. With how similar the soldiers here were to him, he couldn't help but wonder if things could've been different. Was there a possibility he would've joined the army for real? And if so, how likely would that chance have been? This caused Orion to stumble a little in the focusing department. After Volt landed a punch on him that he failed to block, he was stunned for a bit before Volt called him out. "Keep your head in the game!"

Orion shook his head, and once he recovered, he assured Volt he'd get back into it. "I had something big on my mind. I'll be more focused now."

Volt wasn't quite sure about that, giving Orion a chance to at least mention what was on his mind. "If you've got something to say, then spit it out. Last I checked, people could talk about their problems with those they got along with."

"Well, yeah, but..." Volt noticed through Orion's body language that he wasn't used to opening up. He'd only just started doing it with Weed, and he was still rocky with Sirius. Still, Orion managed to tell Volt what was on his mind. At least, in his own way. "Why do you think Hanajiro picked us?" Volt seemed confused, so Orion elaborated. "He could've gone after my brother. He's way stronger than I am, and his growth is fast as shit. But he went after me." While Orion didn't say it outright, Volt got some of what he was thinking about. "It doesn't make sense."

Volt crossed her arms as she informed Orion about something she overheard Hanajiro mention. "Yeah, I caught him being asked about that by one of his guards. Apparently, he only takes in puppies who aren't carried by how pure they are, have to really push themselves with Canine Spirit."

Orion felt that added up easily enough. No army should have lazy soldiers. The 'how pure they are' part confused him, but was still able to make sense of what Hanajiro meant by it. "That makes sense. You gotta have soldiers with a strong work ethic; either through studying, or with using the world to learn."

Volt nodded in agreement before explaining more about what she heard. "There's more. He mentioned something he thinks he can exploit will make persuading some puppies easier than others."

Orion had a brief glimpse back to when he was offered to join Hanajiro's army in front of Shepherd Prefecture. He was much more persuasive then, and seemed to be tapping into Orion's selfish side. That gave Orion an idea of what Volt meant, but he still wanted to know for sure. "You mind telling me what that is?"

"About as much as you minded sparring with me." Volt answered, showing that she was willing to share it. She walked up to Orion and leaned in close, not quite whispering, but still speaking quietly to avoid detection. "Apparently, he looks for puppies who have clear selfishness. It makes it easier for him to persuade them into joining his army, since he does a lot of bad things, and needs to know they'll do it too."

That made Orion's eyes widen, even causing him to think back to when he graduated from Spirit School. The look on his face when he discovered he can't attain the Super Canine transformation, along with how he took it, both said something about him. The three requirements for Canine Spirit were clear. Incredible mastery of Canine Spirit, a desire to never give up, and... a pure heart. How did Orion not think about this until now? Could this be why he- "Orion!"

Orion snapped out of his trance from hearing Volt's voice, and she pointed over to a wall behind him. "That's the wall I was thinking your friends could sneak in through. I can snatch something from Hanajiro's office to help with that, but I need you at full focus to pull it off."

Orion looked back at the wall, and then back at Volt, giving her a determined nod to show that he'd be ready. "Okay. I'll be there. You bet your ass on it."

"Good." And after that, Orion and Volt got back to sparring. This time, Orion was much more focused. But the idea of him not being pure of heart gave him a weird new feeling. One he couldn't stand for the life of him. The last thing he needed now was new feelings that would bring him down. He had a mission to pull off, and he wasn't about to waste it on that.

Later that night, Orion was up and awake for his mission, getting up from where he was sleeping to go to where Volt wanted to meet him. It was a little harder for him to get around the other soldiers than he liked. But at least he was able to get through them at all. And without alerting them too. He wished he could've flown over them, but any use of Spirit energy would've caused them to sprout up. He looked back at them, showing that he was still thinking of them with his thoughts. 'Don't worry. Hanajiro won't fuck with you any more after this.'

Orion headed off, walking over to the wall he and Volt agreed to meet by as he thought about what Volt told him. 'Canines with clear selfishness. Well, I can't deny I've ever been like that. But the thing she said after. How would Hanajiro KNOW we'd be willing to do these things?' Orion then got to thinking about something else that was plaguing his mind at that time. 'And what does 'carried by how pure they are' mean? What the hell does that have to do with anything?'

Orion then started piecing everything together once he reached the wall. As soon as he started thinking about Sirius, everything started to come together. 'Wait just a god damned second.' Orion started thinking over the three things in his mind that he felt would tell him what he needed to know. 'Carried by how pure they are. Like, purity of their heart? And willingness to do bad things. Like how Hanajiro almost got me to join his army two days ago.' The last thing was what led to Orion coming to a heavy realization. 'And he didn't go after Sirius because-"

Orion's expression changed to one of disbelief, uncertainty, and absolute realization. Everything became so clear to him now. 'The Zokaken. That showed Sirius is hard working. And that he never gives up.' Orion clenched his fists as he thought more about this. 'And he's always been amazing at Spirit!' But what he remembered last hit him the most of all. 'Not only that, but he's... pure of heart.' But it wasn't just the Super Canine transformation that did this. Something else crossed his mind in that instance.

The 'carried by how pure they are' bit reminded Orion of one of the many lessons he attended.

Three years ago, in GB's class on the first day of Spirit School, Orion was listening to GB, who was giving a lecture on how Speed Spirit could be used. "And that's how testing your hind legs, or all four of your legs, can enhance your ability to use Speed Spirit!" GB ended up dropping his chalk on the ground, laughing a bit as he bent over to pick it up. "Whoops!" GB unknowingly pointed his butt into the air; thankfully not in the direction of the students. However, as it was shown, he unintentionally released...

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT

...a loud and bassy ten second fart, making his butt vibrate as he let out a yellow cloud of rotten eggs. Some of the students laughed as GB sped over to the classroom, giving a sheepish grin as he apologized for his frequent flatulence. He wasn't the gassiest dog in Akita Prefecture for nothing. "Terribly sorry about that! I'll do my best to keep that to a very low minimum."

A few seconds of laughter later, Orion decided to get to learning something else about Canine Spirit that he felt GB would know about. "Excuse yourself, GB!"

The students laughed at Orion's joke with GB chuckling before addressing Orion, due to him raising his paw. "Yes, very funny, Orion. What is your question?"

Orion wasn't sure how this would go, but he asked anyway. "Well... you know my older brother Sirius, right?"

"Ah, yes, I remember him." GB answered happily, seeing quite a big future for the blue furred Akita. "He's still the top of his class to this day! I can't wait to see what he can-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Orion interrupted, getting to the why about Sirius' abilities. "So, Sirius has always been super good at mastering his Canine Spirit. Like, I've been shit compared to him, no matter how hard I push myself." GB allowed Orion to finish, wondering what he was trying to say. "I guess what I'm asking is... WHY Sirius is such a fast developer. I know he's a prodigy, but I want to know WHY he's a prodigy."

GB laughed a bit, but not directly at Orion. He had some experience he felt would be worthy of giving a theory to this discussion. "Well, Orion, you've heard stories about your father, haven't you?"

"Yeah, all the time." Orion confirmed, and his smile showed that he still admired what his father did.

"Well, your father was pure of heart, which helped him learn Spirit energy much faster than everyone else. Having a pure heart allows for the easiest and most efficient time when tapping into one's Spirit energy. It helps Spirit develop the fastest, and it helps you learn the fastst as well." GB explained, and then he shared his theory with Orion on why Sirius was a Spirit prodigy. "Maybe Sirius is pure of heart too! Of course, I'm sure you have a good heart as well, so that might not be the case. But with how similar he is to your father, it wouldn't surprise me."

Orion knew better than to lash out at GB for that. After all, he knew he as risking a hard answer. And he knew GB wasn't trying to condescend to him in any way. Still, he sat down, somewhat disappointed with the answer. "I sure hope that's not the case. There's no way I'm letting him become a Super Canine without me."

Andy put a paw on Orion's shoulder, having the utmost faith in him. "You'll be a Super Canine too, Orion! I just know it!"

Orion was more than happy to hear that, smiling as he looked at Andy. "Ya really think so?" Orion's arrogance then took over as he started thinking of himself as a more than capable puppy to unlock Super Canine. "What am I saying? Of course I will be! I just have to prove to everyone that I can!" As optimistic as Orion was back then however, he realized in the present that this wasn't the case. And it wasn't because of his mastery of Canine Spirit, or his refusal to give up. He was incredible in both of those categories. It was because, while he wasn't evil...

Orion wasn't pure.

When the flashback ended, Orion's blood was boiling with rage, sadness, envy, and what he now realized was... doubt. He actually started doubting whether or not he could become the strongest Canine in the world. He couldn't become a Super Canine, or develop his Canine Spirit as fast as Sirius could. All because he wasn't pure of heart. That part hurt the worst of all. The very fact that he wasn't pure meant that he could be corrupted. That's why Hanajiro was able to get into his head. And why Sirius had stayed so far ahead of him for so long.

It's why he'd been taking life for granted.

Orion could hardly contain himself, as his emotions were starting to overwhelm him as this information ate at him relentlessly. "All this time, it was because... I'm not pure of heart." Orion almost shed a tear over what he'd learned, only to raise his fists and pound on the ground after dropping to his knees, with his voice echoing with all of his rage shown within it. "FUUUUUCK!" Orion started breathing after that, still being plagued with doubt over whether or not he'd achieve his goals.

Just then, Volt put a paw on Orion's shoulder, having ran over to stop him from lashing out further due to being nearby. "Hey! Cut it out! You're lucky Hanajiro sleeps with ear muffs on."

Orion calmed down the best he could, standing up as he addressed his actions. "I just... had one hell of a revelation. I don't wanna talk about it."

"Just try not to blow it off near our enemies." Volt advised, observing the hole Orion made as he knelt down and put a tracking device in for his allies. "At least the hole you made will work well as a cover up. Assuming no one comes to check on it tomorrow."

Volt hid the device the best she could with Orion explaining more about the plan. "My team will be coming once they learn about the signal. I just have to text one of them about it, and they'll come in tomorrow."

Orion got to texting Andy about the signal, which led to Volt making a request to Orion. "I hope you plan on letting me join in on this battle. This past month has been the worst living experience of my life."

"After our match today, you'd damn well better be there." Orion responded, and then he allowed Volt to head off to bed, which she did as Orion took a moment to further contemplate what he just remembered. Orion finally knew why Sirius was always so far ahead of him. This whole time, it was because he had a pure heart. Something Orion didn't have. 'Five years of not being good enough to surpass Sirius...' Orion looked at his paw before placing it on his heart, feeling the beat as he finished his current thought. 'All because my heart isn't pure?'

Orion's newly discovered doubt was starting to cripple him, but in an attempt to keep himself focused on the mission, he reminded himself of something else he recently learned. 'No. It's not just that. Sirius at least tries when it comes to getting stronger. How else could he have learned the Zokaken?' Orion wasn't sure if he could become the strongest Canine in the world now. But he wasn't about to let that get in the way of the mission. 'I'll figure it out. After the mission.'

As he turned around and made his way back to where he was sleeping, his determination and doubt started to clash. He didn't think those two feelings could co-exist, but... here he was. Spiraling with both of them after being forced to confront the fact that he had a dark side to him. 'At least... at least I hope I will.' Orion could feel his Spirit inside of him, urging him not to give up. But he couldn't ignore his negative feelings. If he didn't have a pure heart... how could he surpass Sirius? How could he succeed in becoming the strongest Canine in the world?

He just wasn't sure.

Andy and the rest of Orion's team were making their way to the Puppy Army village thanks to Orion's tracking device. Izou was watching the tracking device while leading the others there as they all suppressed their Spirit energy. On the way over there, Andy was visibly worrying about Orion, prompting Martha to put a paw on his shoulder with a smile when she noticed. "I'm sure Orion's doing okay, Andy. After all, he made it pretty clear he's not joining Hanajiro."

"I know. I'm just worried Hanajiro might've already figured it out." Andy admitted, looking at Martha as he expressed fear over losing Orion. "If he already knows Orion hasn't changed his mind, he could be dead." Andy started rubbing his arm as he tried to contain his fear. "It's scary enough going to the Puppy Army Village. But if Orion's dead, then..."

"Orion just put the tracking device into place last night." Martha reminded Andy, knowing Orion wouldn't be the time to get defeated that quickly. "Even if Hanajiro found it first, there's no way he'd be able to kill Orion by now. He's way too fast for him."

"Yeah, when he's trying to escape." Andy pointed out, knowing Orion wasn't the type to run from a battle. "If he decided to stay and fight, that could be the end of him."

Andy and the others caught sight of the Puppy Army Village after that mention. Before they continued on to the tracking device, Martha gave some more words for Andy. "I haven't been hanging out with Orion for very long. But he doesn't strike me as the type to let his Spirit give out."

Andy laughed a bit, seeing that Martha was right about that. "You're not wrong. Let's just hope it's enough to deal with Hanajiro."

Andy and the others made their way to the exact wall the tracking device was near as Izou directed them. "Past the left wall, through the forest."

Andy did his best to compose himself before the mission, remembering the advice Jerome and Izou gave him so he'd be at his best. 'Keep myself composed, it's okay to be scared, and make brave choices. You can do this, Andy. Just remember all of that, and you'll be okay.'

Orion and Volt were up bright and early with Orion getting some training in near the wall with his usual ten thousand punches routine. He was slightly slower than usual today. "Nine thousand nine hundred eighty four! Nine thousand nine hundred eighty eight! Nine thousand nine hundred ninety two!" Orion usually went by five punches per-call out. This time, it was only four. He was still relatively fast, but it was also two thousand punches slower than normal.

Volt didn't know this of course, which led to her praising Orion once he reached ten thousand punches. "Impressive!"

"I'm usually faster." Orion replied, surprising Volt as Orion then got to reminding Volt about the mission. "Remember, Volt. We're leaving the battle against Hanajiro to Izou. We'll only be fighting in place of Izou if Hanajiro manages to overpower him.

"At least someone will be taking him down." Volt said happily, showing that she didn't care WHO took down Hanajiro so long as someone did. She also made sure to remind Orion of how fierce this battle was going to be. "Just remember, Orion. This battle isn't just against Hanajiro. It's against his entire army of puppies. And they aren't exactly looking to show mercy."

Orion looked over to where the rest of the Puppy Soldiers were training. As bad as he felt for them, he was ready to go all out if need be. "I knew going in it wouldn't be an easy fight." And despite how he was feeling right now, he wasn't about to back out of the mission just yet. Or ever. "I'm hoping at least some of them will be able to fight past what Hanajiro did to them. But if they can't, I know what I have to do."

Orion was both disgusted by potentially having to kill their fellow children. After he shuddered at the thought of this, Volt expressed her cold side by reminding him of what war was all about. "This is army life, Orion. Don't think this was my only exposure to it."

"And YOU don't forget that this is my first official mission." Orion reminded Volt, which also reminded her that he wasn't used to killing yet. He was always excited to battle, but he wasn't excited to kill. Orion got a text from Andy, letting Volt know when he saw it. "I just got a text back. They're right outside."

Orion shot a text back as Volt started electrifying her paws to get ready for battle. "Then let's take down this prison once and for all."

Outside the village, Izou looked back at the rest of the soldiers, knowing they wouldn't be able to make this into a stealth mission. "Get ready, everyone. Hanajiro's going to sense our Spirit energy as soon as I kick this wall down. We all have to be prepared for this battle." Andy and the others stood firm, as did Orion and Volt from the other side. And in that moment, Izou kicked the wall open with just enough might to break it down. As the rubble cleared, Orion and Volt ready for battle as Izou gave the command. "Everyone! Give it your all!"

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. "There's no turning back now! The battle against Hanajiro in the Puppy Army Village! I just hope I can keep up with everyone. Wait. What am I saying? Of course I can! I'm already stronger than most of them! But if Sirius and Izou get taken out, it'll all be up to me. No! Stop it, Orion! Tell your doubts to fuck off and keep fighting!"

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, The Puppy Army Village Battle Begins!" Orion was fighting in the battle, but struggled to focus due to his emotions getting in the way. "So what if Sirius has a pure heart and I don't!? I should still be able to fight!"