Disclaimer: Sorry I'm a couple days late. Been distracted lately.

The graduation is upon us! I did my best to make this feel unique from other graduations in anime. Let me know how I did.

Also, I don't own any Ginga characters outside of any OCs I may add in; I just made these adaptations.

The Ginga Legend: Orion's Story

Puppy Army arc Episode two: Test To Become A Soldier Trainee

The next day, Orion was rushing over to Andy's place, which was in the village near a Chinese food restaurant. And yes, I know it's Japan, but I really love Chinese food. As always, his fur was dirty from training. When Orion got to Andy's, he knocked on the door until he heard the knob turn. When he did, he saw Jerome there getting ready for work. "Morning, Jerome! Is Andy here?"

"Waiting for you as always." Jerome informed Orion, who then dashed into the house to find him.

Orion dashed up to Andy's room just as Andy opened the door, and Andy couldn't help smiling when he saw him. "Orion! Hey."

Orion and Andy started heading downstairs to head to school together. "I wanted to check up on you after what happened yesterday, so I came early." Orion looked at Andy for confirmation once they got downstairs. "Are you okay?"

Jerome heard the conversation, and the part where Andy expressed his thoughts on the situation prompted him to walk over to them. "It was pretty scary. The thought of being forced into working for another army as a soldier. And from one that I've read such horrible things about."

Orion took Andy's paws before Jerome could step in, letting him know that he would never let that happen. "That's not gonna happen, Andy. Not to you, or me, or anyone else here." Orion looked Andy right in the eyes with confidence that he could take down the Puppy Warrior Village. "Those bastards are gonna get beaten all the way to last decade if they try."

Andy smiled at how Orion was helping him feel better, despite still being scared. "In that case, let's hope the actual soldiers aren't as strong as those scouts."

"We'll be prepared if they are." Jerome assured Andy, placing a paw on his shoulder to give him reassurance. "Akita Prefecture may be designed to help stray or rogue dogs find a home of salvation. But above all else, we protect the Canines in our village with every ounce of strength we have."

Andy nodded upon being reminded of that. "Thanks, you two. That really helps." Orion and Jerome were glad to hear that with Andy then addressing something else. "Oh, right! Orion, you selected your Support Teacher for the final exam, right? I managed to get Reika to support me."

"Yep. And just like they wanted, we've got the same Specialty!" Orion responded, and then he headed off with Andy and Jerome while preparing to give them a call. "No one better for the job." Just as Orion chose to call the number, it was revealed that the teacher he selected was none other than GB!

The next day, the backyard of a house in Akita Prefecture was shown as a butterfly flew around it. A graceful creature, and the symbolism of transformation, rebirth, and hope. It flew above the backyard elegantly before flying over to an open bedroom window. There, it rested and looked over the beautiful sight. There was nothing like the outdoors to show the beauty of nature. However, unbeknownst to the butterfly, it was in for a rude awakening. A familiar English Setter's butt was shown being pointed out, and right at the butterfly, and after a grunt was heard...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP

...a loud and bassy ten second fart left the Setter's vibrating butt and flagging tail, and the butterfly died instantly as a yellow cloud of rotten eggs hit it and made its way outside. That was when the Setter was revealed to be GB, who let out a relieved sigh in response to the fart being released. He made sure it was all out before walking over to Rocket. Both of them being forty five and forty eight respectively, they were both loving the married life. "A fresh room for the best Nature Specialist in the world!"

Rocket smiled with a humble laugh, always flattered by the compliments GB would give him. Just then, GB's phone started to ring with Rocket smiling as he stayed with him. "Let me know if it's a private call."

"Of course." GB assured Rocket, answering the call when he saw that it was Orion. "Ah, Orion! How's my God Grandson doing?"

"Still holding an unbreakable Spirit, GB!" Orion assured GB, and then he got to the chase. "Just called to remind you that you're my Support Teacher for the final. I know the Support Teachers don't do anything during the actual test, but you still have to show up."

GB looked to Rocket with a concerned look with Rocket rubbing his shoulder to help ease his mind. GB then gave Orion the honest answer of where he was. "Sorry, Orion. I forgot until you called."

"Then get to the damn school to watch me beat ass!" Orion demanded, prompting GB to get up, which startled Andy and Jerome.

"Okay, okay; I'm coming." GB assured Orion, covering the phone as he joked about Orion's temper to Rocket. "I love the kid, but I'm also surprised he hasn't destroyed our house yet." Rocket laughed a bit, knowing that Orion was quite the foul mouthed and hot headed puppy.

Rocket made an offer to GB as he started to leave the room. "You want me to see if Martha needs help again?"

"That'd be great, thank you." GB said lovingly, sharing a kiss with Rocket as they went to get ready.

Orion and Andy were lining up with the rest of their class, finding time to make conversation as Andy followed up on Orion getting GB as his support teacher. "GB's gonna be so proud when he sees that you mastered your Speed Spirit. As soon as you start going all out, he'll see how you realized its true depths."

"Everyone in the crowd is gonna see that, Andy. I'm not holding back for when I show off my Specialty, or when we start our matches with the other students." Orion said confidently, proudly announcing how well he'd do. "Just you guys watch! I'm gonna pass with flying colors!" While some were impressed with how confident Orion was, some found his blind assumption to be arrogant, even with his skill. Spiral looked at him with composure, despite being annoyed by his arrogance.

At that moment, Gin jumped down from the sunroof of the school and frontflipped until he landed right in front of the students with a microphone in his paw. Upon standing up, he proudly welcomed all of the students in Orion's year. "Greetings, fellow Spirit holders! You all know me as the Ohu army's previous leader, Gin. And today, I will be here to witness all of your skills, to see who has what it takes to be an Ohu Army soldier!" The crowd started cheering as Gin clarified one more thing. "Keep in mind that if you fail, you can always try again next year."

With that out of the way, Gin got down to business with the final test for the students. "Your tests will begin shortly. I'm sure you all have your Support Teachers selected." Orion looked at the crowd and saw GB looking excitedly to watch him perform. He smiled when he saw this, looking back at Gin as he continued. "Your final test will consist of three categories. However, the last one is for what could happen AFTER you past. For the two that will determine IF you'll pass, you have Specialty testing, and one individual match."

Orion offered Andy a fist bump with confidence that they'd pass. After Andy accepted, Gin explained what the last one was. "The last one will determine whether or not you can become a Super Canine. It's a rare ability. Weed and I happen to be the only two who've achieved it. And I'll just say this. Weed could beat his old man in a fight any day of the week!" Gin laughed at his comment with Weed shown to be sitting with his family chuckling at the comment. "Before we start, I'm sure you're all curious as to where you stand amongst the class after three years."

Gin pressed a button on a switch he pulled out to reveal a board that would show the ranking list of the thirty students for Orion's year. Once it was revealed, the students looked in awe at where they placed. Many of them gave their responses as Orion looked at his rank with intensity.

"Yes! I'm in the top ten!"

"Aw man. I'm in the bottom five."

"Fifteen? Well at least I made the top half."

Andy noticed Orion's mood when he looked at his ranking. While it was amazing, the fact that he was bested still unsettled him. He hated the idea of being bested by anyone. It was then revealed that he was under a Doberman named Gina, and Spiral. "I'm only third? How did those two beat me!?"

"Well, Spiral and Gina are both Combat Specialists, and that's the Specialty that relates the most to protection." Andy said, knowing how important combat knowledge was for a battle against enemy Canines. "Still, third place is awesome, Orion! I'm more amazed that I made the top half."

"Well, yeah; you're awesome. Of course you'd have a good chance to pass." Orion told Andy, and then he stepped up with a request in mind for Gin. "Hey; Gramps! One more thing before we start!" Gin looked at Orion, who got everyone's attention before pointing at Spiral. "I want Spiral to be my opponent when I fight."

Spiral was surprised at first, but then he looked up and remembered how he topped the class, and was a higher rank than Orion. Knowing he wouldn't let this go, Spiral decided to indulge Orion's request. "It doesn't make any difference to me, madcap. At least I know you won't risk losing by breaking the rules."

"I'd be more concerned about me breaking your bones!" Orion shot back, even though he actually wouldn't do that. One of the rules prohibited it.

Andy then chimed in after he, and most of the students, got worried after that. "Um, Orion, maybe don't say things that unintentionally... threaten your opponent?"

Orion didn't need a lot of thought to see what Andy was getting at. "Alright. I'll stick to trash talking him directly, and I won't put him in the hospital."

Gin looked at Orion closely just to make sure of that. Once he knew he had approval from both students, and confirmation that Orion wouldn't go to far, he continued. "I'll see to it that you get your match, Orion." Orion nodded with excitement as Gin then started the first lesson. "Now then. To start, you'll all show me how skilled you are in your current Specialties. Don't worry if you haven't mastered yours yet. Not everyone masters them during their years in school." Orion clenched his fists, knowing for sure that he'd be able to impress in his Specialty.

And with that, Orion and his classmates were doing what needed to be done for their Specialties, like Spiral in Combat training. He was taking out several training bots, frontflip kicking the last one into the air and blasting him with just enough force to knock him out, but not kill him. The next one teleported behind him, only for him to elbow him as soon as he did, sending him down. A fast robot then dashed at Spiral with his swift sword swings with Spiral managing to dodge and block them all. He then took the sword and butted the robot's head with it.

The last robot fell to the ground, and dozens more were shown on the ground as Gin complimented Spiral's skill. "That's my nephew for ya! Could've had more Spirit usage though."

"A skillful defeat is something you earn." Spiral stated, showing that he saw no reason to show his full power against weak opponents. His Support Teacher, Kagetora, took notes at how Spiral chose when to go all out.

As for Andy, he was doing a great job in the Healing category, and his Support Teacher was Reika. A recently injured Black Labrador was having his wounds treated by Andy, who explained why the army decided to wait. "Sorry this had to come as a part of my test. We're all trying to conserve our Spirit as much as we can in case of a major attack."

"I don't mind. Anything to help the young ones." The Black Labrador admitted, and he could see that Andy, while not as fast as one who mastered his ability, was doing a great job at getting him healed up.

The Black Labrador was happy by the time he was fully healed, and Reika was very proud of him. "Well done, Andy! Even though you still have a bit of work to master it, you've clearly been putting a lot of time into your Specialty."

"Hehe. Thanks, Reika." Andy said gratefully before explaining why he hadn't mastered it yet. "Orion and I mostly focus on Combat Specialty."

"I see. I'm sure you'll do great in your assigned battle then." Reika assured Andy, who started to worry about that battle. He wanted to believe he could do it, but he also worried he'd freeze up against his opponent.

As for Orion, he was getting ready to do the Speed test, a race around the town. Two other Canines, a male Irish Wolfhound and a female Belgian Malinois, eyed him as he cracked his fingers and the former spoke up. "Be careful against Spiral, Orion. You saw how strong he was during our sparring matches."

"And don't turn into a little bitch if you lose to him." The Malinois requested, knowing Orion had a habit of letting his temper control him. "We don't need to see another one of your post-loss moods."

"Like I care." Orion walked up to the starting like with the Irish Wolfhound and the Belgian Malinois to get started.

GB was starting the timer with Orion smiling confidently at his chances at winning. GB then explained what the race would be about. "Orion, Jet, Hayano, I want you all to do twenty laps around the wall of Akita Prefecture as fast as you can. Get ready to run as soon as I hit the switch." Orion looked at Jet and Hayano with a confident grin, with Jet looking disinterested in the race, and Hayano looking annoyed by Orion's cockiness. "Three, two, one..." As soon as GB pressed the stopwatch button, it was go time. "Go!"

Orion, Jet, and Hayano took off at max speed with Orion outspeeding both of them with ease. He amazed GB with how fast he was, outpacing both of his opponents in how fast he chained laps around the village. He stopped for a brief bit after lap nineteen, which surprised him, and when Jet and Hayano arrived, they failed to see Orion there. GB noticed something that passed them however. Hayano looked at Jet with an idea in mind. "Do you think we won?"

"Don't bet on it." Orion said, and Jet and Hayano were surprised to see him with a grilled cheese sandwich in his paws. He gave a smug grin as he looked back at Jet and Hayano. "Next time, I'll race on a full stomach so I can beat you faster."

Jet rolled his eyes with Hayano showing clear frustration and annoyance towards Orion's attitude. GB stepped in nervously as he complimented their form. "All three of you did great! I think you'll all have a strong chance at graduating."

GB wrote down his extra status for Orion, who dashed up to him and leaned his head on his shoulder while flying. GB looked at Orion, who got a good look at the last thing he wrote. "How does getting food during the race classify as impatience?"

"Lunch is right after the first test." GB explained, and then he added in something else with a chuckle. "I suppose your appetite would be a fun little tidbit too." Orion snickered a bit at that mention. It was true that he ate quite a bit.

Orion was prepping for his battle against Spiral with some swift wind punches nearby where his family was sitting. A question entered Bella's mind, so she addressed it to Sirius. "Why does the school dedicate an entire year to your Spirit Specialty?"

"They want to make sure you have a good handling of it before you delve into the other Specialties." Sirius explained, glad Bella was taking an interest in Canine Spirit. "It would get kind of messy if you delved into the other strategies right away. Dad got lucky when he practiced Speed and Flying at the same time, but not everyone can do it so well."

"Ohhhh." Bella looked forward for a moment, and then she smiled while expressing her excitement for when she started Spirit school. "Bella wants to be a Conjurer!" Sirius rubbed Bella's head with a light hearted laugh in response to that.

After Orion and Spiral were shown on the battle board, Andy handed Orion some water, which he chugged down. "Good luck, Orion!"

"Thanks, Andy. Now get ready to watch an ass kicking." Orion said proudly while smiling gratefully to Andy. Orion then looked up at Sirius when walking to the arena. The cocky smile told Sirius that once he beat Spiral, he would be next. Once Orion stepped up to the arena, he started his pre-battle exchange with Spiral. "You ready for me to make your name literal?"

"Just focus on the match, madcap." Spiral suggested, ready to show why he was the top in his class. Mostly to shut Orion up. "We all know staying quiet wasn't your biggest struggle."

"It's better than being a fucking emo kid!" Orion snapped back, and that was when Gin raised his paw.

"Let the battle begin!"

Orion and Spiral dashed at each other, colliding a strong punch that had great force from both sides. Orion had to admit that Spiral was strong. And that only pumped him up more! He aimed a second punch at Spiral, who blocked it and aimed a spin kick at Orion. Orion ducked under the spin kick and landed a low sweep on Spiral. Spiral used this to backflip away before Orion could kick him back. After that, Orion dashed at Spiral, colliding several punches and kicks with him. After deflecting three punches and one kick, Spiral landed a back-paw punch on Orion.

Orion spun a bit, but bounced back quickly, managing to block Spiral's dash kick. Orion attempted to grab Spiral's leg and aim for a counter throw; however, Spiral planned for this and landed a spin kick on Orion. Orion got sent back by the kick, skidding on the ground before getting ready to kick things up a notch. He went even faster than he did before, punching Spiral in the face and sending him flying across the arena. Spiral regained his balance by using his paw to flip and regain formation.

Orion and Spiral dashed at each other again with Orion going behind Spiral and aiming a knee attack. Spiral planned for this as soon as Orion went behind him, colliding a knee with him just in time. After this, Orion jumped up and aimed a swift frontflip jump kick on Spiral, who grabbed his foot and slammed him into the ground. After this, he kicked him across the arena. Orion skidded for a bit, but he managed to regain his balance quickly enough to avoid falling off the arena. He jumped forward a bit just in case before planning out his next move.

Orion observed Spiral closely, knowing he had to avoid making any mistakes with his next move. 'I can't lie. This battle's pumping me up.' Orion started jumping up and down, using one foot each to do so as he observed Spiral. 'But I didn't call this battle to lose!' Orion then dashed at Spiral again and aimed a spin kick, which was dodged by Spiral. Orion then aimed a downward kick, which Spiral rolled out of the way from. After this, Spiral dashed at Orion, who blocked his punch, despite being sent back a bit by it.

After Orion landed, he and Spiral decided to enhance the stakes of their fight, powering up their Spirit energy to do so. Orion launched three Spirit blasts at Spiral, two of which were dodged, and one that was deflected. Spiral moved towards Orion during all of these moves, allowing him to aim a spin kick at him. Orion blocked this and grabbed Spiral's leg, lunging forward and landing a strong punch on him. Spiral bounced back quickly and dashed at Orion, who blocked his punch, only to get kicked in the leg. That was when Spiral got ready to finish the fight.

Spiral aimed several punches and kicks at Orion; who was able to block and deflect most of them, but some of them still managed to hit him. The last kick in particular hit Orion right in the jaw, causing him to fly back before he used his paw to regain his balance. As he stared Spiral down again, he dashed at him at max speed. He landed a three strike combo on him, elbowing him in the gut, kicking him on the side, and then punching him in the face. The punch sent him back a considerable amount.

Orion and Spiral both took a bit to catch their breath before they continued. Once they did, they both decided it was time to show off their Spirit abilities. And Orion was excited to show his off. "You may not have seen this, Spiral, but I developed my own new technique to prep for the finals. Get ready for my Ground Battouga!" Orion went into some kind of ball formation and instantly started revving up. Spiral noticed how it was similar to the formation of the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga. After about three seconds of revving up, Orion dashed at Spiral, who grabbed his attack.

Another thing he noticed was one he didn't say out loud to avoid making Orion go crazy. 'Impressive. It's a lot like Sirius' Homing Battouga if it could be done on the ground! Looks like the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga has evolved in TWO ways now.' Orion continued to push Spiral back, stunning him at how strong he was. Spiral knew he wouldn't be able to overpower this. So he looked back at the arena as soon as his feet were behind it and ducked after moving his paws back.

Orion was caught off guard by this move, but he still managed to get back into formation, turning around and launching a Spirit web at Spiral. He launched another one at the arena just in case Spiral grabbed his, which he did, and Orion tugged on the one that grabbed the arena floor to zip past Spiral. He flew over his spin kick as he did this. After Orion skidded on the ground and regained his balance, Spiral snapped his fingers and started forming water Spirit in his paws. "That was pretty good, Orion. Here's MY ability. I call it, Wet Paws Enhancement."

Sirius was clearly impressed with Orion and Spiral's moves, hence why he thought about how well they were executed. 'A charging ground dash Battouga, and a technique enhancing combat with water.' Sirius' proud smile showed how happy he was for both of them. 'It's no wonder they both ranked so high!' Weed had a proud smile as well, one that showed he was glad Orion put so much work into his power. Even if he didn't put a lot of energy into... other stuff.

Spiral launched a Spirit blast at Orion that was water enhanced, which Orion dashed away from just in time. The impact on the arena demonstrated exactly what the name implied: Spirit power enhanced with water. Orion started powering up as soon as he realized this, blocking a water enhanced punch from Spiral before grabbing his arm to avoid being sent back. "A combination of Combat and Nature, huh? Must be convenient to pull that off without any water around." Orion started to get even more pumped. He loved fighting for many reasons, including the rush.

Spiral landed a spin kick on Orion, causing him to stumble back before regaining his balance. Spiral then explained how he was able to pull off such a feat. "Actually, I tapped into my Spirit and started using the water in our bodies. I even found a way to have it come back to me as soon as I use it." Spiral and Orion then dashed at each other with both of them landing strong punches on each other. Orion, who was more stunned than Spiral, ended up being the victim of an uppercut. Spiral then jumped up and ground pounded him into the arena floor.

Orion crashed into the floor, rolling out of the way in time to avoid Spiral's falling stomp. They were sticking to ground battle for this one, so that's why Spiral didn't use flight to dive down. Orion dashed at Spiral and landed several super fast punches and kicks on him. After the thirtieth strike, Spiral put his paw up and spawned some kind water hold that trapped Orion's hind paw. Orion was stunned by this, and Spiral then let it sit there before dashing in front of Orion.

Orion aimed a Spirit beam at Spiral, who dodged it and punched him in the gut, stunning him as soon as he did. Spiral then took his arm and threw him onto his back before kicking him across the arena, removing the holding water, but still doing strong damage to Orion. Orion and Spiral both took a good amount of damage, and Orion getting up slower than before showed that he wasn't giving up yet. He dashed at Spiral, launching a Spirit beam for him to dodge. After he did, Orion formed into his Battouga ball and attempted to hit Spiral's hind legs.

Spiral jumped up and dodged this, causing Orion to exit his ball form and skid after realizing he missed. Orion jumped up at Spiral, and the two of them blocked and deflected several punches and kicks before landing. Spiral then swatted Orion's paw away for the last punch he threw, punching him int he gut and then kicking him in the leg. After Orion got ground pounded into the arena floor, Spiral then stomped on his head to keep him down, worrying Orion's parents and siblings.

Andy was especially worried, because he knew how devastated Orion would be if he lost. Hew knew Orion could take a hellish beating, but taking a loss was another story. Orion launched a Spirit blast at Spiral's other paw, hitting it, only for Spiral to use the fall to land a falling elbow on Orion's back. Orion grabbed his chest and slammed Spiral into the ground before launching a Spirit beam that left him lying there due to the sheer force of it all. After that, Orion and Spiral instantly started getting back up as Orion declared his victory. "This last blow is mine!"

Orion and Spiral took a few seconds each to get back up, and Orion aimed another punch at Spiral. Spiral dodged it and grabbed Orion's fist, showing that despite both Canines being beaten down, Spiral still had more energy. Orion was about to aim a Spirit blast at Spiral, only for Spiral to kick him in the gut to stun him. He then backflip kicked him into the air before jumping up, following it up with a ground pound. With that, Orion ended up landing outside the arena, declaring Spiral the winner.

Orion was about to get up to continue fighting, only to see that he fell outside of the arena. This pissed him off, especially when Gin announced Spiral the winner. "After an intense fight between cousins, Orion is out of the ring! Spiral is the winner!"

Orion punched the ground as Andy started running over to him, being pissed off that he lost to Spiral. "No, fuck that! I'm not done yet!"

Spiral walked up to Orion, advising him to take his loss humbly. "Don't start whining now, Orion. It's only an exam match."

"An exam match that I wanna win; let's go again!" Orion demanded, wanting to prove he could beat Spiral.

"Orion, please; you're both exhausted after the fight!" Andy exclaimed, helping Orion up as he advised a better approach. "At least wait until you're both rested. If you wanna fight again afterwards, you can."

Orion looked at Spiral, who, despite being impressed by his skill, didn't see any reason to continue. "The match is over, madcap. Listen to your friend."

Orion scoffed before making his reply. "Just you wait, Spiral. This won't be the last time we fight." Luckily for Orion, Spiral wasn't planning on that either. He walked off with Andy, who tried to comfort him after his match with Spiral.

Andy gave Orion some encouraging words as they allowed the next two contestants to fight. "It was a great match, Orion. You held your own and almost won against the top student in our class. That's worth a lot!"

"I wanted to prove why I should be our class' top student, Andy." Orion reminded Andy, unable to appreciate the accomplishment he made. "Instead, I ended up helping Spiral prove why HE got that rank instead." Andy wished Orion could be proud of himself. He pulled off a great feat just now. But he never was one for appreciating the smaller things in life, and that included his accomplishments. Despite Orion knowing to use stronger foes as a motivator, it still messed him up whenever he lost a battle. Andy wished he could recognize how well he did.

Next up, Orion was taking the last phase of his exam: The part that told whether or not he could become a Super Canine. Weed, who took over for this segment, explained the criteria to the students who took this part of the exam. "There are three crucial qualities to becoming a Super Canine! Incredible mastery of Canine Spirit, a desire to never give up, and a pure heart!"

Orion looked around at the other students who were taking this test: Spiral, Andy, a Golden Retriever named Melody, Gina, and a Dalmatian named Martha. GB called down to Martha with Rocket smiling next to him. "Good luck, Martha! Your daddies love you!"

Martha gave a cheerful laugh and a peace sign to GB as Weed spoke again. "Thank you, GB!" Gin then got back to explaining the process of becoming a Super Canine from his experience. "Now just remember. Even if you're capable of becoming a Super Canine, that doesn't mean you'll do it with simple training. Unlocking it requires an emotional core that awakens your hidden Spirit." Orion looked up at the light that would reveal which candidates could become Super Canine. He was still hurt about his loss against Spiral, but he wasn't about to give up because of it.

Weed then got ready to activate the Spirit energy after he finished what he had to say. "And even if you can't become a Super Canine, you're still capable of improving your Spirit day by day, and becoming one of the strongest Canine's in all of Japan, if not the world." After Weed finished his words, he launched a Spirit beam up at the light on the ceiling. This light would move to the Canines who fit all three criteria for being a Super Canine. "And now for the big reveal!"

Out of all six students, only three orbs came from the light. Orion stepped forward to receive his first, firmly believing he qualified. "I might as well come to mine." When Orion held his paw out however, the orbs passed him, much to his confusion. "Huh?"

Orion looked to find that the Spirit orbs didn't choose him. Instead, they went over to three other candidates who signed up. The first one was Martha, who was overjoyed at the thought of being a Super Canine. "Holy crap; this can't be real! I didn't think it would pick me! I just did this phase for fun!"

"Not sure what's fun about a phase that risks saying you can't get a bitchin' transformation." Gina snarked, and then she saw Melody receiving hers, and she was stunned to find it in her paws. "Looks like our year's resident animal lover got chosen. Just try not to let any Super Canine bugs crawl into my pillow."

"You and I both know I'd never used this form outside of battle!" Melody stated annoyedly, before then giving a sly grin to her response. "Besides. If I WERE to use a Super Canine animal on you, it'd be a skunk." Gina flinched at that statement and growled with Melody looking at her orb in awe.

The last one flew over to Andy, who was amazed to find it in his paws. He wasn't sure how to react to it. "Wow. Um... this is a lot."

Orion was still confused as to why he didn't get one. Weed, who knew he would be crushed by this, walked over to him with concern. Orion addressed this to Weed in an attempt to rationalize what happened. "Dad, don't be insulted, but I think your power's busted."

Weed placed a paw on Orion's shoulder, who slowly started to realize what this meant. "Orion. I'm... I'm sorry." Orion started to look sadder as he realized what this meant. Weed hesitated to finish the news at first, but he knew Orion already figured it out. "I designed this power to choose those who fit all three criteria. And... well..."

Orion clenched his paws, attempting to bottle up his sadness and anger as Andy walked up to him. Andy put a paw on his shoulder, despite Andy knowing as well as Weed how crushed he was. He tried to show he was genuinely proud of Andy, but he could tell he was crushed. "Congrats, Andy. This is... amazing. All your hard work really paid off."

Andy knew Orion needed the comfort, so he attempted to address how he was feeling. However, he wasn't very good when it came to bad news, whether one was receiving it, or if he was comforting someone after they received it. "Orion, are... I know this meant... a lot, to you. And, if you need to..."

Just then, Sirius, with permission from Gin, headed over to Orion to give him some encouraging words. However, as Orion sensed Sirius' Spirit energy, he felt his emotions start to rise. "You were amazing, Orion." Sirius encouraged Orion to show that he wanted him to keep rising. "Super Canine or not, you deserve to feel proud."

Orion turned to Sirius, his burning desire to surpass him made clear as he responded to him. "That's easy for YOU to say. You CAN become a Super Canine." Orion walked over to Andy, showing that he wouldn't give up, even with how much this news crushed him. "So what if you were given your power again? Canine Spirit isn't defined by that transformation! I can still surpass you!" Sirius saw how intense Orion was getting, especially once he started charging his Spirit without thinking. "I WILL surpass you!" Orion then gave his cry of determination. "I AM YOUR RIVAL!"

Orion's last words echoed throughout the room, leaving everyone in awe at Orion's fierceness. As familiar as they were with it, it was clear that what he just said to Sirius was on a personal level. Sirius was sad that Orion couldn't be proud of himself. He then put on a serious face, wanting to encourage Orion to keep doing his best. Even if he didn't agree with the layers of his motivation. "Then get ready, Orion. I'll be making it harder every day."

Orion clenched his fists, trying to contain himself, despite taking one final shot before walking off. "Not like you'll have to try that hard." As Orion walked off, Sirius sighed out of due to how tired he was of that being thrown at him. Orion always felt that because Sirius was a prodigy, he didn't have to try to get his results. It was quite ironic considering the qualifications for Super Canine. But regardless, Sirius hopes that one day, his and Orion's rivalry would be friendly, and not one of jealousy.

Orion and the rest of his classmates were now getting the news of whether or not they passed. He was still upset about his inability to become a Super Canine, but Orion was still fired up when he looked at his Pre-Soldier license. "Fucking yes! I'm one step closer to becoming the Ohu Army's future leader!" Andy, who also passed, smiled as Orion wrapped his arm around him. "Our next step is gonna be making sure our first mission is finding the Puppy Army village. Those bastards won't know what hit em!"

The two students who failed, twin Japanese Chins, were disappointed as the boy expressed how they hoped to pass. "It's just a shame we didn't get OUR licenses."

Andy walked up to the Chins with Orion while giving them some helpful advice for their next attempt. "Clarissa and Constantin, right? I didn't see you two in class much. You'd have a better chance at passing next time if you stopped skipping."

"Orion skipped some of HIS classes too, and he passed!" Clarissa pointed out, and that's when Orion showed them his license. "You don't have to be a dick about it!"

"Oh no, I'm not doing it to brag." Orion said, pointing to something on the license that showed how many classes he missed. "I only skipped three of them, and that was to improve on my Spirit training. I think that's about how many classes you two showed up to." The twins looked at each other before Orion added in something that WAS boasting. "Then again, I had to prove to everyone that I'm a big deal sooooo..."

The Chins gave deadpan expressions to Orion, and Andy interjected to stop a potential fight. "Oookay; we'll be going to see who our post school mentor could be. Good luck next year!" Orion and Andy walked off with Andy advising Orion not to brag to the other students. "I know you have a high opinion of yourself, Orion, but you shouldn't say stuff you know would piss off the other students."

"I guess not. But it's their own fault for not having any work ethic." Orion responded, and when he and Andy got to the graduate mentors table, he reminded Andy of something about himself. "You know what I hate the most, Andy. Lazy assholes who give up, and immoral scum who get off on hurting innocent people." Orion then changed the subject, wanting to know who his team's mentor could be. "Anyway, we should start thinking about who our most ideal mentor will be. I know I'll be the leader of our team anyway, but a mentor preview would still help."

Andy got looking with Orion, expressing a desire for his own mentor. "I hope our mentor helps me hold my own against scary opponents." He smiled when looking at Orion, since he made him feel this way. "Someone to help me remember I can be strong."

Orion smirked as he saw the reference Andy did there. "That sounds vaguely familiar." Andy laughed a bit while scratching the back of his head, and then he saw that Orion made a request on the partner request form.

Andy signed it as well, and it was then revealed to be a teammate request form. Orion signed Andy's name in his slot, and Andy signed for Orion. "No way they can put us on different teams now!"

Gin's paws were shown being placed on the table, catching Orion and Andy's attention. Gin smiled as he saw another reminder of how close Orion and Andy were. "You two had better promise you'll kick ass on your missions."

"Oh, I'll do more than promise, gramps." Orion assured Gin, holding his paw up to fist bump Andy, who accepted without hesitation. "I'll make it happen for all of us every time I get a mission!" Orion wasn't going to let his bottled up emotions stop him. He was going to continue working his hardest to surpass Sirius, and prove himself worthy of becoming the leader of the Ohu 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. "I'm officially a Soldier Trainee! Now I just have to meet our mentor and we're off to find Hanajiro! Okay, this dude, needs some serious help with time management. He's already ten minutes late! Oh, so THAT'S where he was? Sages gotta sage I guess. At least his 'side trip' bullshit can take a backseat during our battle."

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, Izou; Mentor of Team Orion!" Orion was tapping his foot impatiently with Andy helping him stay calm, and Martha playing video games while floating next to where they stood. "We'll have to tell Martha about our plan as soon as we finish our assignment.