Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a normal day in Adventure Bay.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the people of Adventure Bay were going about their lives with a new sense of ease, all thanks to their town’s new rescue team, the PAW Patrol. Their presence brought a reassuring sense of security to the town, making everyone feel safe and protected. The people could rest easy knowing the PAW Patrol was looking out for them.

Everyone in Adventure Bay knew about the local child genius named Ryder. Graduating from school long before his peers and becoming completely independent by the age of ten, they all knew he would go on to do amazing things. His collection of hand-made gadgets and inventions was proof of that.

Many residents were surprised to find out Ryder wasn’t seeking higher education at some prestigious university in a far-off big city, but anyone who knew Ryder personally knew he wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. Ryder’s parents never let his genius intellect get to his head, raising him to be compassionate and understanding, to see the value in the simpler things in life and the importance of helping others. Ryder himself would never brag about his technical prowess, rarely ever bringing it up in conversation without being asked about it. He’d much rather talk about his other passion.

Pups. Ryder’s love for them knew no bounds. Big, small, short-haired, fluffy, it didn’t matter; Ryder loved them all. His childhood bedroom had been filled with as many pup plushies as his parents would allow, and his free time was primarily spent volunteering at the local animal shelter or the pet salon owned by the parents of his friend Katie.

So, it came as no surprise to anyone when Ryder returned from a vacation in Adventure City with a small German Shepherd pup in his arms.

It was only a matter of time before that boy got a pup of his own.

What people didn’t expect was for him to get even more pups, though the surprise was short-lived. He was obsessed with pups, after all. And he was a genius, so he could certainly handle the responsibility. Still, having six pups was a bit much, right?

Well, they weren’t just his pups. Ryder had been the one to create the PAW Patrol, and those six pups were his team, working together to help citizens in need and keep Adventure Bay safe. The team consisted of Chase; the German Shepherd Police Pup, Marshall; the Dalmatian Fire Pup, Skye; the Cockapoo Aviator Pup, Rocky; the Mixed-Breed Eco Pup, Rubble; the English Bulldog Construction Pup, and Zuma; the Chocolate Labrador Water Rescue Pup. Each of them was trained directly under Ryder’s guidance and equipped with tools and vehicles built by Ryder specifically for them and their jobs. With Ryder as their leader, the PAW Patrol had quickly made a name for themselves as Adventure Bay’s local heroes.

Today, the young pups had decided to play hide and seek outside the Lookout tower they called home, and Rocky was currently it.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Rocky shouted as he finished counting. Rocky looked around, scanning the yard for any clues as to where his teammates were hiding. He checked inside a hollow log and found Zuma.

“Found you!” Rocky declared with a giggle.

“Dang it, I didn’t think you’d find me so soon. I’ll have to come up with a better hiding spot.” Zuma reluctantly exited his hiding place and waited for the next round as Rocky continued seeking.

Rocky found Chase hiding behind his pup-house, Skye inside of a tree, and Rubble underneath a pile of leaves, but he couldn’t find Marshall anywhere.

“Marshall! Where are you?” Rocky called. His ears perked up when he heard rustling from inside a large bush, and he looked inside to find the Dalmatian in question tangled up in its branches, clearly stuck.

“Hehe, guess you found me.” Marshall said with a chuckle, “Uhm, a little help?”

Rocky giggled as he reached in to pull Marshall out, but despite pulling as hard as he could, he couldn’t get Marshall free.

“Wow, you’re really stuck in there,” Rocky said

“Maybe Ryder can help,” Chase suggested, “I’ll go get him.”

Chase turns and runs to the Lookout while the others stay with Marshall. He finds Ryder at the top of the Lookout, fiddling with the new computer system he had just finished installing.

“Ryder,” Chase called, “we need your help.”

Ryder immediately looked up from what he was doing, giving Chase his full attention with a slightly concerned expression.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“Well, we were playing hide and seek, and Marshall hid inside a bush, but now he’s stuck, and we can’t get him out.”

Ryder smiled and visibly relaxed. “Don’t worry, Chase,” he replied, “we’ll get him out.”

Chase led Ryder back outside to the bush where Marshall was. Rocky was still trying to pull him out, this time with Rubble’s help, but with no success.

“Don’t worry, I got it, pups,” Ryder said. The other pups took a step back as Ryder kneeled in front of the bush, reaching in and carefully untangling the branches that kept Marshall trapped. Finally, he was able to free Marshall enough to lift him out of the bush. He was a complete mess, with leaves clinging to him and a few loose twigs caught in his fur, but he was out of the bush, and that’s all Ryder cared about.

“There you go, Marshall,” Ryder said as he placed the pup back on the ground.

“Thanks, Ryder,” Marshall replied with a sheepish grin as he attempted to shake off the leaves and twigs that were stuck to him.

He was definitely going to need a bath after this.

“No problem, just remember to be more careful next time, okay?” Ryder scratched Marshall’s head reassuringly before turning back to the Lookout.

“We’re so lucky to have Ryder as an owner,” Zuma said as he watched Ryder leave. The other pups nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” Skye agreed, “he takes such good care of us.”

“And he made us the PAW Patrol,” Marshall added, “thanks to him, we can help a lot of people.”

“And don’t forget,” Rubble chimed in, “he feeds us the best pup treats.”

Chase nodded along with everyone else. “Yeah, Dad is the best. He-”

The conversation ground to a halt as the pups processed what Chase said, his face frozen in shock at his own words.

“Did… You just call Ryder dad?” Rocky asked in surprise.

Chase’s face turned red from embarrassment. “It was an accident! It just came out, okay! I don’t know why I said that!”

The pups continued to talk, but Skye wasn’t paying attention. She looked down at her paws in deep thought as she tried to remember what her childhood was like before Ryder had found her. They certainly weren’t pleasant memories, but what shocked her the most was that no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t remember her parents. She knows she must’ve had parents at some point, but she had no memories of them at all.

“Pups, do any of you remember your parents?” she asked.

The group went silent as they all thought back to their pasts, combing through their own memories.

Marshall was the first to speak up. “Not really.” He said with a glum expression.

“Me neither,” Zuma added.

“I think something happened to my parents.” Rubble admitted, “But I can’t really remember that far back.”

“Yeah.” Rocky agreed, “It feels like I’ve always been alone. What about you, Chase?”

Chase turned away with a cold expression but shook his head. He clearly didn’t want to think about his past.

“What do you think it’s like?” Rubble asked, “Ya know, having parents?”

“I bet it’s great,” Skye replied with a sad smile, “You always have someone you can count on, someone who will look after you and keep you safe.”

“And who will teach you everything you need to know,” Rocky added.

“And love you no matter what,” Marshall said, “that’s the most important part.”

Chase lifted his head and hummed in thought. A small smile appeared on his face. “Someone like… Ryder.”

The other pups turned to Chase, whose expression was oddly happy, considering he had been sulking a moment before.

“Think about it. Ryder was the one who took us all in when we were on our own. He gave us a home and takes care of us every day. He taught us everything we know and trained us to be rescue pups. None of us would be the pups we are today if it weren’t for him.” Chase blushed nervously. “Ryder… really is like our dad.”

The pups thought for a moment but nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Marshall said, “Ryder does act like our dad. He’s always so patient with me when I’m clumsy.”

“Or when I don’t want to take a bath,” Rocky giggled, though he shuddered at the thought of bathtime.

Skye smiled. “Yeah, he’s a great dad!”

Rubble thought for a moment. “So, if Ryder’s our dad, does that mean we’re all siblings?”

Zuma’s tail wagged in excitement. “Dude, I’ve always wanted siblings! And it’d be awesome to have you guys as my brothers and sister!”

“And Chase would be a great big brother!” Marshall added, “Wait, is Chase the oldest? I mean, I always assumed he was older, but I never asked.”

As the pups continued talking about who was younger and who was older, they failed to notice the boy in question standing within earshot of their conversation, completely stunned by what he had overheard.

Ryder hadn’t meant to eavesdrop! He had intended to just watch the pups play in case anything else happened, but when he noticed their faces turn gloomy, he went over to ask what was wrong. The conversation had shifted before Ryder had a chance to speak up, and from there, he had been too shocked to say anything. He was silently grateful the pups hadn’t noticed him as he slowly walked back to the Lookout. He didn’t know what he would’ve said to them if they did. He needed a minute to process things.

The pups saw him as a dad.

It made perfect sense, but also none at all. I mean, sure, he found the pups as strays and chose to take them in, loving them, taking care of them, and eventually making them part of his team, but he was ten. Kid genius or not, he was still a child himself. He can't be a dad! Especially not to six pups!

As Ryder looked out the glass doors, he saw the pups still talking. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could tell they were having fun, laughing and teasing each other. Ryder let out a chuckle as Rocky gave Rubble a playful noogie on his head; they must’ve realized he was the youngest. They really did act like siblings.

Ryder thought back to what he’d overheard from the pups, and they were right. When he found each of them, they were all alone, and it looked like they’d been alone for some time. He was the closest thing any of them had to a parent, and he certainly loved them as much as a parent would.

But… Would he be able to handle that responsibility? Leading a rescue team is one thing, but being a parent… He just wasn’t sure he could give the pups the lives they deserved, and they deserved so much. They deserved to have a loving family with parents to care for them, siblings to play with, and a home to grow up in. Would the Lookout be enough? Would he be enough?

Ryder looked back outside to see the pups slowly making their way back to the Lookout, still talking amongst themselves. They looked nervous but also excited, like they had a big request but were hopeful Ryder would agree to it, which was exactly what was going on; Ryder didn’t need to hear them to know what they were talking about. He knew what they wanted, what they were going to ask of him, but he wasn’t sure if he had an answer.

But as he saw their faces, so full of joy and hope and love, his heart completely melted. The memories of when he had found them were burned into his mind. Each of them had been so scared and hurt, alone and abandoned to fend for themselves. It made his heart ache. How anyone could do such horrible things to such amazing pups, he would never understand. But here, they were happy, they were cared for, they were loved, and they loved him in return, loved him enough to call him their dad. How could he tell them no after all that? How could he break their hearts and deny them the only family they’ve ever known?

He couldn’t. And he wouldn’t. He may be young, but the pups were his responsibility. It was his job to make sure the pups were taken care of and given everything they needed to thrive, and they needed him. They needed him to be more than just their owner or leader. They needed a family, a dad. And he’d do it; even if he doubted himself, he’d do it for them. And he’d do everything he could to give his pups the best lives possible.

As the pups entered the Lookout, they were greeted by Ryder's smiling face, which hid the anxious feelings that were building up inside him.

“Hey, pups, did you have fun?” he asked, feigning ignorance. They didn’t need to know he overheard them. It would just make things awkward.

“Yeah, we did,” Chase replied with a nervous smile of his own. “There’s actually something we wanted to talk to you about.”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Well…” Chase shifted his weight anxiously, trying to find the right words.

“Will you be our dad?”

Chase’s eyes darted to Rubble at his sudden interjection, completely mortified.

“Rubble! You can’t just say that right out the gate!”

“Well, what else were we supposed to say?”

Ryder stifled a giggle as Chase sighed in exasperation. Ryder didn’t say anything; he simply waited for Chase to continue.

“It’s just that, well, you’re the one who’s been taking care of us all this time. None of us had parents before we met you, but you took us in and made us feel safe and loved, like we belonged. And you made us the PAW Patrol. You gave us the chance to be something greater, to help others like you helped us. You gave us a home, a purpose. I know it may sound weird, but you really are like a dad to us, and we just wanted to know if you felt the same.”

Ryder’s heart swelled at Chase’s heartfelt confession. He knew it must’ve taken a lot of courage to say that. Chase was never the type of pup who liked being emotionally vulnerable, and it showed just how much trust Chase put in him. He looked over at his other pups, all of them anxiously awaiting his response.

Ryder took a deep breath to calm his nerves. No turning back now.

Ryder kneeled to give Chase a loving scratch on the head, smiling fondly at the rest of his pups. His kids. “I would be honored to be your dad.”

Chapter Text

“Thank you so much, Mayor Goodway,” Ryder said as he and his pups exited town hall, carrying some papers with him, “you have no idea how much this means to us.”

“Of course, Ryder. You and your pups have done so much for this town. The least I could do was return the favor.”

It had been an exciting day for Ryder and his pups, one that they’d been waiting for. Ever since they declared themselves a family, Ryder had been working to get the pups legally adopted as his children. Now, normally, a ten-year-old wouldn’t be able to adopt kids, but Ryder was far from a normal ten-year-old, and it helped that the mayor owed him a favor after being saved by the PAW Patrol when she got stuck on the roof of town hall. It took some time, but Ryder was finally able to work out all the legal stuff. He and the pups had just finished signing the final papers. It was now official; the pups were his kids, and the pups couldn’t be happier.

“We should celebrate!” Marshall exclaimed, his tail wagging so fast it looked like it might fall off.

“Yeah, let’s go to Mr. Porter’s café.” Rubble suggested. Zuma giggled and rolled his eyes.

“Bro, is food the only thing you ever think about?”

“Hey! We were stuck in town hall for over an hour! I’m hungry!”

“We ate before we left. You can’t be that hungry.”

“Tell that to my stomach.”

Ryder couldn’t help but laugh at their lighthearted bickering. Since they became siblings, the pups had taken to teasing each other any chance they got, like siblings often do. It was all in good fun, and it warmed Ryder’s heart to see just how close the pups had become. They’d taken to their newfound family dynamic like a fish to water, especially Chase, who took great pride in being the eldest, keeping his younger siblings out of trouble on the rare occasions Ryder wasn’t watching them. Even now, he was giving his younger brothers an amused look, looking up at Ryder as if to ask, ‘Are you gonna stop them or what?’

“Alright, pups. We’ll head back to the Lookout so I can drop off these papers, and then we’ll head to Mr. Porter’s. Think you can hold out until then, Rubble?”

Rubble gave a long, exaggerated sigh. “I guess I’ll live.”

The group laughed at Rubble’s dramatics as they hopped onto their vehicles. It didn’t take long for them to reach the Lookout, and Zuma took the opportunity to rope Chase, Skye, and Marshall into a game of tug toy while Rubble decided to take a nap, and Rocky went to organize his recyclables. As Ryder was putting the papers away, he stopped to look at six in particular—the pups’ birth certificates.

Part of the adoption process involved giving the pups full legal names. It was fun to help the pups come up with middle names for themselves, and when the topic of last names came up, the pups all insisted on taking Ryder’s last name. It was a heartwarming gesture that served to solidify the family they had become, and Ryder smiled as he read through the pups’ full names.

Chase Valery Zackary

Skye Zephyrine Zackary

Marshall Aelius Zackary

Rocky Keene Zackary

Zuma Caspian Zackary

Rubble Bernardo Zackary

The sound of his pup-pad ringing pulled Ryder from his thoughts. He pulled it out and smiled at the familiar number.

“Hi, Mom, it’s been a while. How’ve you been?”

“Don’t ‘how’ve you been’ me. Why am I just now hearing that your father and I are grandparents?” Ryder cringed at his mom’s tone. She sounded pretty upset. ‘I guess news travels fast in small towns.’ he thought to himself.

“Well, the adoption was only just finalized. We had our hands full with all the legal stuff, and I wanted to wait until everything was official.”

“That’s not an excuse! I want to meet my grandchildren; I have gifts for them.”

“I thought you just found out.”

“Yes, and I’m currently at the pet store. What are the pups’ favorite treats?” Ryder could hear a treat bag being shaken on the other end.

“Mom,” Ryder sighed, “please don’t spoil them.”

“I’m their grandmother. It’s my job to spoil them, and you can’t keep me from my grandchildren. I know where you live. I still can’t believe you kept this a secret from me.”

“It’s not a secret,” Ryder laughed, “we’ve just been busy. I haven’t had the time to tell everyone. Tell you what, the pups and I are going to Mr. Porter’s to celebrate the adoption. Why don’t you and Dad join us? I know the pups would love to meet you.”

“Hmm, let me ask your father.”

The line went silent, and Ryder took the opportunity to finish putting away the papers.

“We’ll meet you there in ten.” His mother said abruptly, hanging up before Ryder had the chance to respond. Ryder sighed and shook his head. He should've expected that reaction.

“Dad! Are you ready to go?” Rubble called. He must’ve finished his nap. “I’m starving!”

Ryder laughed and made his way back outside, where the pups were waiting for him. Zuma, Skye, Marshall, and Chase were still playing tug toy, while Rocky and Rubble were chewing on chew toys.

“Hey, pups, I have a surprise for you!” Ryder called. The pups all stopped what they were doing. Zuma, Skye, and Chase let go of the tug toy, causing Marshall to fly backward and land on his back.

“Woah!” Marshall exclaimed as he fell. Chase winced as he watched his brother fall victim to his usual clumsiness, though it wasn’t entirely his fault this time.

“Sorry, Marshall!”

“It’s okay! I’m good! What is it you said about a surprise, Dad?”

“My parents decided to meet us at Mr. Porter’s, so you pups are going to meet your grandparents.”

The pups’ eyes lit up with excitement.

“We have grandparents?” Rocky exclaimed.

“Oh, I bet they’re the best grandparents ever!” Skye said, yipping in delight and doing a backflip. “Just like Ryder is the best dad ever.”

Ryder couldn’t help but blush at Skye’s compliment. “Come on, pups, let’s not keep them waiting.”

The pups couldn’t contain their excitement when they arrived at Mr. Porter’s, barely able to stay in their seats with their tails wagging furiously. They bombarded Ryder with questions.

“When will they get here? What do they look like?” Chase asked, looking around the café to try and spot Ryder’s parents.

Ryder checked the time on his pup-pad, “They should be here any minute now. Trust me, you’ll know them when you see them.”

“What are they like? What do they do?” Zuma asked.

“Well, my mom teaches engineering at the local college; she worked in a few different fields of engineering before settling down as a professor. She’s what got me interested in engineering in the first place.”

Rocky’s eyes lit up, “That’s so cool! I wonder if I can show her some of the stuff I built.”

“I’m sure she’d love to see it,” Ryder replied, “She’s super nice but also tough when she needs to be, and she’s very protective. Dad always said she was like a mama bear: don’t get between her and her family. Which is why I know she’s gonna love you guys.”

“I hope she brings snacks,” Rubble said, “I heard grandmothers make the best snacks.”

“Okay, Rubble,” Skye sighed with a laugh. “We get it. You’re hungry.” Skye turned to Ryder. “Tell us about Grandpa, Dad.”

“My dad is a park ranger at the Adventure Bay Nature Preserve; he makes sure all the plants and animals are okay and keeps people safe on the trails. He’s a great guy, very down-to-earth, and he loves animals and the outdoors. When I was little, he used to take me on hiking trips where he’d teach me survival skills. We had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot of valuable skills on how to deal with emergency situations.”

“Is that what inspired you to create the PAW Patrol?” Marshall asked, starry-eyed. Ryder nodded.

“Yep. My Dad used to tell me stories about how he saved people from wild animals and forest fires, and I wanted to help people too. I can’t wait to tell him about our latest rescues; he’s gonna be so proud of you pups.”

Just then, a blue minivan parked next to the café, and two adults stepped out—a woman with short brunette hair and a man with warm brown eyes. Ryder smiled.

“And there they are,” Ryder said. The pups turned excitedly to the people in question: Their grandparents, whose faces lit up once they saw Ryder and the pups.

“There’s my precious grandbabies!” Ryder’s mom exclaimed.

The pups jumped out of their seats and rushed to greet them, “Grandma! Grandpa!” they called. The grandparents bent down and wrapped the pups in a big hug, receiving loving licks from the pups.

Ryder got up from his seat, “I’m glad you were able to make it on such short notice. It’s been way too long since we spent time as a family.”

“Of course we made it,” Ryder’s dad replied, “we weren’t going to miss meeting our new grandkids.”

“And we brought gifts!~" Ryder’s mom chimed in with a sing-song voice, pulling out six color-coded gift bags from her purse and giving them to the pups, “go on, open them!”

The pups eagerly opened the bags to reveal a small bag of pup treats and a special toy for each of them. Chase got a blue chew toy shaped like a star, Skye got a pink bird stuffed animal, Marshall got a red ball with a white stripe, Rocky got a green marble maze game, Zuma got an orange rope toy, and Rubble got a yellow bone toy that could be filled with treats.

“This is the best toy ever!” Rubble shouted, already trying to fill his toy with treats. Marshall also immediately started playing with his new toy, chasing his ball across the café.

“Be careful, Marshall,” Ryder called, but Marshall ended up tripping over his own paws and crashing into Mr. Porter’s legs.

“Are you alright, Marshall?” Mr. Porter asked.

Marshall shook himself off and nodded, “Yeah, I’m good. Sorry about that.”

Mr. Porter pet Marshall’s head gently, “It’s okay,” he reassured. His smile widened when he noticed Ryder’s parents, “Oh! Mr. and Mrs. Zackary, so nice to see you again. You’re normally so busy.”

“We’ll never be too busy for our sweet grandchildren.” Ryder’s mom cooed, hugging Rocky tightly.

Rocky laughed as he was smushed by his grandmother, “Grandma, do you want to hear about the latest gadget I built? I’ve been building a ton of cool stuff, just like you and Dad!”

Ryder’s mom was ecstatic, “Of course! I want to hear all about it. Tell me everything, every little detail down to the smallest bolt. To think, we have three generations of inventors in the family! I couldn’t be more proud!”

“We’ve all done a bunch of cool things,” Chase said, cuddling up with his grandfather, “the PAW Patrol has really taken off. We’ve helped a lot of people all around Adventure Bay.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Ryder’s dad replied, “you pups are all everyone is talking about these days. I heard you even rescued the mayor. You kids are quite the rescue team.”

Chase couldn’t help but beam with pride, holding his head high as his grandfather continued to pet him, “It’s all thanks to Dad. He’s the best leader a team could ask for.”

Ryder smiled and looked at the ground bashfully as he scratched the back of his neck, not knowing what to say. Ryder’s dad came up to him and gave him a hefty pat on the back, “Don’t be so modest, my boy. These kids love you, I mean, just look at them.” Ryder watched as the pups continued to play with their toys and their grandmother, who was still doting on them, “Look how happy they are to be a part of our family.”

Ryder nodded, “Yeah, I love them too. I’m just… worried, is all. That I won’t be a good dad for them.”

Ryder’s dad simply laughed and ruffled his hair, “I don’t think you need to worry about that. You’re the most extraordinary kid I know, and you’ve already done so much. You’ll be alright.”

As Ryder continued to watch his pups play, he couldn’t help but smile, his worries subsiding for the day.

Chapter Text

“Morning, Dad!” Chase greeted Ryder, waiting for him at the bottom of the elevator like he did every morning, with a chipper tone most people wouldn’t have this early in the morning.

“Good morning, Chase.” Ryder replied, matching his attitude, “Are the others still waking up?”

“Yeah, I think Rubble is still sleeping, though. I swear, he could sleep through anything. Waking him up is almost impossible.”

Marshall stumbled groggily into the Lookout, still yawning and rubbing his eyes with his fur a total mess. He clearly had just gotten up. “How do you both manage to get up so early? You look like you’ve been up for hours.”

Ryder laughed, “Chase and I woke up at the same time as all of you; we just prefer to get up and get going. Jumpstart the day, you know?”

Marshall looked up at Ryder as if he was speaking a whole different language, “Not really. I don’t know how you guys do it.”

“It’s all about getting into a routine,” Chase replied as the other pups slowly began filing into the Lookout, all except for Rubble. “I better make sure Rubble doesn’t oversleep,” Chase said, exiting the Lookout as Ryder went to make breakfast.

It didn’t take long for Ryder to get breakfast ready. It also didn’t take long for Rubble to show up, practically drooling once he caught the smell of food. But Chase never reappeared.

“Hey, where’s Chase?” Marshall asked as Ryder filled their food bowls.

“Hmm, I’m not sure,” Ryder replied, looking around the room for any sign of his eldest pup, “I’ll go look for him.”

Ryder checked the lower floor of the Lookout before making his way outside, finally finding Chase sniffing the ground around his pup-house frantically.

“Hey Chase, what are you doing?”

Chase jumped at the sound of Ryder’s voice, “Oh! Hey, Dad, I’m just, uh, looking for something.”

Ryder raised an eyebrow at Chase’s odd behavior. He seemed really anxious about something.

“I could help you look.”

“No! I-I mean, it’s fine, it’s no big deal.”

Ryder kneeled down to be closer to Chase’s eye level, “It’s obviously a big deal if it’s got you worked up like this. Now, what’s going on? You know you can tell me anything.”

Chase looked down at his paws in embarrassment, “Well… It’s just that…” Chase sighed, trying to get the words out, “I lost my favorite toy. I think a raccoon got into my pup-house and took it.”

Ryder nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find it. Officer Bear, right?”

Chase’s face was flush with embarrassment, but he nodded. Ryder gave him an encouraging smile and a head scratch.

“Come on, let’s find that missing officer.”

Chase perked up, and he and Ryder searched the yard for Officer Bear. As Ryder was searching around a tree, he noticed Chase crouched down behind a bush, watching something. Following his gaze, Ryder spotted the elusive raccoon, who dropped a chew toy into its burrow, which was filled with other lost toys—including Officer Bear.

“I was wondering where those toys were.” Ryder whispered, crouching down next to Chase, “So, do you have a plan?”

“Yep. The raccoon is always standing guard and chases off anything that gets too close. The only time it ever leaves is to get a new toy, so if you can lure it away with a toy, I can sneak in and get the toys back.”

“Got it. Ryder and Chase are on the case.”

Chase giggled at the use of his own catchphrase as Ryder went to grab a toy.

“Hey! Mister raccoon, look what I got!”

Ryder held up an old squeaky toy, immediately getting the raccoon’s attention.

“Wanna play fetch?” Ryder asked playfully, “Come and get it.”

The raccoon began chasing Ryder across the yard, with Ryder laughing as he kept the toy out of reach; it was almost like a game. From the corner of his eye, he could see Chase sneaking up to the burrow and grabbing the toys. It took a few trips, but Chase soon managed to retrieve all the stolen toys. Once Ryder managed to outrun the raccoon, he met up with Chase back at the Lookout.

“Nice work, Chase.” Ryder said, scratching behind Chase’s ear, “You’re quite the sneaky little pup, aren’t you?”

“Hehe, I guess all those spy movies are starting to rub off on me. I mean, can you blame me? All those cool stealth missions and high-tech gadgets, getting through traps and sneaking past guards, working in the shadows and foiling evil plans without anyone ever knowing you were there. Spies are just the coolest.”

Ryder nodded, smiling at Chase’s enthusiasm, “You know, I think you would make a great super spy.”

“Really?” Chase asked, his tail wagging in excitement, “You really think I could be a spy pup?”

“Of course! You’re already a great police pup, and your tracking skills are amazing. You’re practically a little scout pup already.”

Chase blushed bashfully but smiled with pride, “Yeah, I guess so. With some more training, maybe I can be a spy pup one day.”

“And you’ll be the best spy pup there is. Now, we had better head back inside. The other pups are waiting for us. Come on, Scout.”

Chase followed Ryder inside the Lookout with a warm smile. Scout. He could get used to that.

“Woah!”

Marshall tripped over a stray branch, tumbling across the yard and crashing into the other pups.

“Sorry, guys. Are you all okay?”

“Yeah,” the pups replied, shaking themselves off and getting to their paws. Zuma went and grabbed the ball they were playing with, which had rolled a few feet away.

“You pups up for another round of soccer?” Zuma asked. Marshall looked down awkwardly.

“I think I’ll sit this one out. I… need to go clean my pup-house.”

The pups looked at him in confusion but nodded and went off to play without him as Marshall sulked back to his pup-house. He didn’t really need to clean it; he just needed an excuse not to play so his siblings wouldn’t worry about him, which they tended to do whenever he wasn’t his normal chipper self.

He hated being clumsy. He was always tripping over things and falling over, sometimes onto the other pups. He knew the others didn't mind, or if they did, they hid it well for his sake, and they never seemed to actively avoid him, but at times like these, he couldn’t help but feel like he was just ruining their fun.

And what’s worse, he was beginning to worry that his clumsiness could lead to someone getting hurt; his elevator wipeouts almost always ended in him crashing into his siblings. How many more times could they handle getting caught up in his accidents before they got tired of him? I mean, sure, they were family, but everyone has their limits. What if he falls on someone in just the wrong way to cause a serious injury, or his clumsiness jeopardizes a mission? He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to forgive himself if either of those things happened.

Marshall flopped down in his pup-house and sighed. He just wanted to curl up in his pup-house and never come out. Maybe then he wouldn’t ruin everything with his four left paws.

“Hey Marshall, you feeling alright?”

Marshall jumped at the sound of Ryder’s voice, lifting his head and accidentally hitting it on the roof of his pup-house.

“Ow.” Marshall groaned, rubbing his head.

“Are you okay, Marshall?” Ryder asked, wincing at his pup’s injury.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” Marshall replied, waving his paw dismissively, “I just got tired of playing, is all; you don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m your dad. It’s my job to worry about you.”

Marshall chuckled. Ryder had such a big heart. He never seemed bothered or annoyed by Marshall’s clumsiness; his patience and kindness seemed almost infinite.

Marshall hoped it wasn’t just an act to spare his feelings. The last thing he wanted was to upset Ryder.

“Thanks, Dad, but I’m fine, really.”

Ryder didn’t seem convinced.

“Are you sure? You seem upset. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but I’m always willing to listen if you need it.”

Marshall thought for a moment; maybe talking about it wouldn’t be so bad.

“It just feels like I get in the way sometimes.”

Ryder’s face fell, “Why would you think that?” he asked.

“Because I always mess things up with my clumsiness. I keep tripping over things, knocking stuff over, and crashing into the other pups. I can’t seem to do anything right.”

Ryder’s frown deepened, “Well, that’s just not true. For one thing, you’re a great fire pup.”

“When I’m not falling off my ladder.” Marshall retorted.

“And yet, you always manage to save the day regardless.”

Ryder sat down and wrapped an arm around his pup.

“Listen, I know being clumsy can be frustrating, but you aren’t defined by your shortcomings. You’re a kind, loyal, and dependable pup who, no matter how many times you trip and fall, always gets back up and keeps going. You face every challenge that comes your way with an infectious smile and endless optimism. You’re a ray of pure sunshine that I can always count on, so don’t let a few mishaps dim your light.”

Ryder ruffled the fur on Marshall’s head, causing him to laugh.

“Dad, Stop!”

“Not until I get my happy little Sunshine back.”

“Hahaha! It’s back, It’s back!”

Ryder relented once Marshall’s eyes began to water. Marshall took a moment for his laughter to die down.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime. Now, why don’t you go back to playing with your siblings? It’d be a lot more fun than sulking in your pup-house.”

Marshall looked over to the other pups, who were still playing soccer.

“Yeah, I think I will.”

Ryder walked with Marshall out to where the pups were playing. “Hey guys,” Marshall called, “could I join the next game?”

“Of course!” Chase replied excitedly, “You can join right now; we’re glad you’re back.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Rubble replied, “it’s not fair having an odd number of players. We tried taking turns being the referee, but it’s just more fun when we all play together.”

Marshall smiled. Even with his clumsiness, his siblings still wanted to play with him.

“Come on, pups, let’s play!” Zuma said, wagging his tail, “The game’s still going, and I’m winning!”

“Hey! We’re playing in teams, remember?” Rocky huffed. Meanwhile, Ryder’s face lit up as if getting a great idea. Chase’s eyes widened in horror.

“Oh no...”

“Hi winning, I’m Dad.”

Marshall burst out laughing as Chase groaned.

“No, no, no!” Chase cried, “I should’ve known this would happen! What have we done?! We’ve given him too much power!”

“Hahaha! Dad made his first dad joke!” Marshall exclaimed, falling over from laughter.

Skye sighed, “It was only a matter of time.”

“Great work, pups!” Ryder said as they were wrapping up a rescue in the woods. A few campers had gotten separated from their group and lost in the woods, so the PAW Patrol was called to find them. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find the missing campers, and the team was just about ready to head back to the Lookout.

Skye smiled as she breathed in the fresh air, “The forest is beautiful this time of year.” She said, “Hey, Dad, do you mind if I take a walk through the woods? It’s such a great day for it.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, sis?” Chase asked, “We literally just finished a rescue where people got lost in the woods.”

Skye laughed and rolled her eyes, “Come on, Chase, I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine.”

“I just think someone should go with you, is all.”

“Chase does have a point.” Ryder said, “Being in the woods on your own can be dangerous. How about I come with you?”

“Sure! I’d love some daddy-daughter time!”

Ryder smiled and turned to Chase, “Skye and I will be back at the Lookout in a little while. While I’m gone, you’re in charge, so keep your brothers out of trouble.”

“Yes, sir.” Chase replied before hopping into his cruiser and leading the other pups out of the forest.

Ryder and Skye made their way along an old hiking trail, taking in the peaceful sights and sounds of nature.

“This was a great idea, Skye,” Ryder said, “it really is a great day for a walk.”

“Yeah, I just wish Chase wasn’t such a worrywart. He doesn’t need to baby me. I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own.”

“And he knows that. He’s not saying you aren’t capable. It’s just that he’s your older brother, and older siblings tend to worry about their younger siblings. He would’ve said the same thing if it was any of the other pups.”

“I know, it’s just that… I may not look like it, but I am the second-oldest pup, but people treat me like I’m a baby just because I’m small. It gets annoying after a while.”

Ryder nodded, “I know exactly how that feels.”

Skye looked up at Ryder in confusion, “You do?”

“Yeah, it’s hard sometimes to get people to take you seriously when you’re only ten years old, no matter how big a genius you are.”

Skye seemed almost stunned by this new information. “Really? I thought everyone in Adventure Bay liked you.”

“They do, but there’s a big difference between liking someone and realizing they’re responsible enough to live on their own even though they aren’t even a teenager yet.”

Ryder bent down to scratch the fur on top of Skye’s head, “I had a lot to prove back then, and there were people who said I couldn’t do it, but that just made it all the more satisfying when I proved them wrong. So, don’t let other people get you down and make you think you can’t do something; they should know better than to underestimate my daughter.”

Ryder gave Skye a boop on her nose, making her laugh. “Thanks, Dad.”

Their talk was interrupted by a particularly loud bird call that stood out from the other sounds of the forest.

“What was that?” Skye asked, looking in the direction the sound came from.

“It sounded like an animal in trouble,” Ryder replied, “Let’s check it out.”

Ryder and Skye stepped off the path to follow the sound, with Ryder occasionally looking back to memorize the route they took to ensure they could find their way back. Soon enough, they found a bird trapped inside a burrow by a fallen log. Its wings were a muted gray, but its body was a striking pink color.

“Uh oh,” Skye said, rushing to the stuck bird, “Don’t worry, birdie; we’ll get you out.”

Ryder inspected the log to try and find the best way to move it, “Skye, go to the other end and try to roll the log away. I’ll push from this end.”

Skye did as Ryder instructed, and the two of them managed to roll the log away from the burrow, allowing the bird to escape. The bird chirped happily as it flew into the air, circling the clearing before landing on a nearby branch.

“I’ve never seen a bird like that before,” Skye commented, admiring the brightly colored bird.

“Me neither,” Ryder replied, “With its colors, it kind of reminds me of you.”

Skye gave the bird a closer look before nodding in agreement, “Yeah, it looks kind of like my pup-pack.”

Ryder pulled out his pup-pad, “Let’s see what type of bird this is.” Ryder quickly took a picture and searched the image online, “It’s called a Galah, also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo.”

“Hey, that almost sounds like Cockapoo,” Skye commented, giggling at yet another similarity she had with the bird.

Ryder smiled at his pup before continuing to read about the bird, “It says they’re native to Australia but also kept as pets. This guy probably belongs to someone.”

Ryder carefully reached out to the bird, who happily landed on his hand. Clearly, the bird was used to human company.

“Then their owner is probably missing them,” Skye said, “we better find them.”

“You’re right, Skye. hopefully, this bird’s owner isn’t too far away.”

As if on cue, a voice called out from another part of the forest, “Calliope! Calliope, where are you?” The bird perked up at the sound, turning towards where the voice was coming from.

“It looks like we might not have to look very far,” Ryder chuckled, turning to the bird supposedly named Calliope, “Is that your owner calling you?” Calliope flapped her wings and squawked happily as if to answer.

“We better get her back to her owner,” Skye replied, already starting to make her way towards the source of the voice, with Ryder trailing behind her with Calliope still resting on his hand.

It didn’t take long to find Calliope’s owner, following the sound of their voice until they came to another part of the hiking trail. “Calliope!” the owner cried in relief once they spotted Ryder, “Thank you so much for finding her. An animal spooked her while we were hiking; I was worried I’d never find her.”

“No problem,” Ryder replied, “whenever your Cockatoo is on the loose, just yelp for help.”

The owner took Calliope and waved goodbye as they continued down the trail. Skye looked up and noticed the sun was lower in the sky than it was before, it must be late afternoon by now.

“We better start heading back. I don’t want the other pups to start worrying about us.”

Ryder checked the time on his pup-pad and nodded, “Yeah, it’ll be time for dinner soon, and you know how Rubble can get when dinner is late. Come on, Cockatoo, let’s head home.”

Skye giggled at the nickname as she followed Ryder back through the forest; it was certainly a fitting name.

“Why won’t it work?” Rocky sighed as he fiddled with his latest invention. He was trying to build an RC car from scratch, something he had never done before, but he just couldn’t get the car to turn on. He knew it should be able to work; he had double-checked every part of the car, so it must be a problem with the remote, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

As he continued to work, the garage door opened, and Ryder came in carrying a small bag of pup treats.

“Hey, Rocky, I brought you a snack. I know how you get when you’re focused on a project, and I don’t want you forgetting to eat again.”

Rocky chuckled, “Don’t pretend I’m the only one. Remember that time you got so wrapped up in upgrading your ATV that you stayed up until two in the morning? I get it from you, Dad.”

Ryder sighed and rolled his eyes, “You pups are never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Considering we all had to hear a lecture from Marshall about the importance of getting good, consistent sleep? Probably not.”

“Come on, Rocky,” Ryder argued, “Marshall had just started his EMT training; you can’t blame him for having health issues on his mind.”

Rocky simply shook his head and returned his attention to the remote, pressing the on button and moving the joystick. The toy car didn’t move or react at all to the input. Rocky groaned in exasperation.

“This is ridiculous. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

Ryder glanced between the remote and the car, “Maybe I can help,” he offered.

Rocky smiled and handed Ryder the remote, “If anyone can figure it out, it’s you.”

Ryder popped open the back of the remote to reveal its inner workings, with Rocky peeking over his shoulder.

“I already double-checked the car and the remote’s battery and input wiring,”

“What about the circuit board?” Ryder asked, “It could be a problem with the encoder or RF transmitter.”

“No, but I know they’re both in working condition, so they should be working just fine.” Rocky furrowed his brow at the stubborn toy car that refused to move.

Ryder examined the RF transmitter, “Did you check what frequency the transmitter was using? The receiver and the transmitter need to be at the same frequency to work.”

Rocky raised an eyebrow in confusion, “No, I didn’t know there were different radio frequencies.”

“Yeah, all wireless devices have a different radio frequency. Matching the device’s radio frequency keeps the remote from sending the input to the wrong device.”

Rocky nodded in understanding, “So, it makes sure the remote controls the car instead of, say, the TV.”

“Exactly,” Ryder replied.

Ryder showed Rocky how to check the radio frequency of the car’s RF receiver and adjust the transmitter accordingly, explaining each step in detail with Rocky following his instructions. Once that was done, Rocky put the plastic casing back and turned on the remote. This time, when he moved the joystick, the toy car reacted accordingly.

“Yes!” Rocky exclaimed, jumping up in excitement as his tail wagged happily, “It works! It works! I did it!”

Ryder couldn’t help but smile at Rocky’s enthusiasm. “I’m proud of you, Rocky,” he said, petting Rocky’s head lovingly.

Rocky blushed but leaned into Ryder’s touch, “I couldn’t have done it without you, Dad. Heh, I guess I still have a lot to learn.”

“You’ll get there,” Ryder assured, “No one becomes a genius overnight.”

Rocky laughed, “No one except you.”

Ryder paused and looked at Rocky in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Rocky rubbed his front leg nervously, “Well… Grandma and Grandpa have been telling me about all the cool things you’ve built over the years, stuff you made even before the PAW Patrol. Honestly, it sounds like you were born a genius. I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch up.”

“That’s not true at all.” Ryder argued, “It took years for me to learn all the things I know now, and even then, I still don’t know everything. I’m not superhuman. Heck, you probably know more now than I did at your age. You even know some things that I don’t know.”

Rocky scoffed, “I doubt that. You taught me literally everything I know.”

“Not everything,” Ryder corrected, “you’ve come up with plenty of fix-it tricks all on your own. Remember when you repaired your own pup-pack using just the parts from an old claw machine? I never would’ve thought of that.” Ryder grabbed Rocky’s face and lightly smushed his cheeks, “You are an incredibly smart pup, maybe even smarter than me. You’re like a little pup Einstein.”

Rocky laughed, “I don’t think I’m that smart, but thanks, Dad.”

Ryder rolled his eyes dramatically, “Whatever you say, Einstein.”

“Hey, speaking of smarts,” Rocky said, “there’s a question that’s been on my mind for a while now. Do you mind?”

“Not at all, what is it?”

“Where do babies come from?” Rocky asked innocently.

Ryder froze. His face went blank.

“Uh, Dad?”

“Storks.” Ryder answered quickly, “Babies are delivered by storks.”

Rocky cocked his head to the side quizzically, “Really?”

“Yep. That is where babies come from.”

“Well, okay then.” Rocky shrugged and went back to his toy car as Ryder stepped out of the room.

Once he was out of earshot, Ryder frantically pulled out his pup-pad and dialed a number.

“Mom, I need help. Rocky just asked where babies come from. I told him they came from Storks, but I don’t think he bought it. What do I do?! He’s too smart for his own good!”

“Pups!” Ryder called, “Are you ready to go?”

The pups were all busy putting their beach supplies into their vehicles for a day at the beach. Rocky was currently dragging a comically large beach bag towards his truck.

“Almost, Dad!” Rocky replied through clenched teeth, “Just need to load one last thing.”

Ryder laughed and went over to help Rocky with his bag. “Are you sure you’re going to need all that?” Ryder asked, “What’s even in there?”

“Towels.” Rocky replied.

Zuma laughed, “Dude, who needs that many towels for one day at the beach?”

“Well, excuse me for not wanting to get wet.” Rocky replied sarcastically.

“But that’s the whole point of going to the beach.”

“Come on, Zuma,” Ryder interjected, “Rocky doesn’t have to go in the water if he doesn’t want to; there are plenty of other fun things to do at the beach. Now, if you two are all packed, we can go ahead and get going. We’ve got a fun day ahead of us.”

Once they arrived at the beach, the pups immediately ran off to do their own activities. Zuma went straight for the water, obviously, Skye, Marshall, and Chase brought out the beach ball to play with, and Rocky and Rubble teamed up to build a sandcastle, which was shaping up to be pretty extravagant.

“Heads up, Marshall!” Chase called before bouncing the ball toward him. The ball flew right over the Dalmatian's head.

“I got it! I got it!” Marshall called as he ran ahead of the bouncing ball… right toward where Rubble and Rocky were building their sandcastle.

Rubble was the first to notice Marshall running toward them, “Marshall! Look out!” Fortunately, Marshall realized he was on a crash course and skidded to a stop right before colliding with their project.

“Phew, that was close.” Rocky sighed.

Bonk. “Ow!” Then the beach ball hit Rocky on the head.

“Sorry, Rocky!” Chase called.

“It’s okay.” Rocky replied as he rubbed his head.

Ryder looked up from the book he was reading, making sure Rocky was okay, and then realized someone, or some pup, was missing.

“Where’s Zuma?”

The other pups looked around them, taking notice of their missing brother.

“He was here a minute ago,” Skye commented, looking out toward the water, “you don’t think he got swept out to sea, do you?”

Rubble shook his head, “Zuma? No way. If anyone can handle a current, it’s him.”

Ryder pulled out his pup-pad, breathing a sigh of relief when the tracker on Zuma’s pup-tag showed he was further down the beach. “Don’t worry, pups. Zuma just wandered off to the other side of the beach. You pups stay here while I go get him. Chase is in charge.”

The beach was filled with people and families enjoying the sunny day, kids playing in the sand and water, and adults relaxing on beach chairs underneath the shade of umbrellas. Ryder weaved his way through the beachgoers as he continued to track Zuma on his pup-pad; he was getting closer to him. Thankfully, Zuma hadn’t moved since he started tracking him. As Ryder got closer to Zuma’s location, he realized he was heading in the direction of a large sea cave at the edge of the beach. Ryder bit his lip as he double-checked the tracker.

Yep, Zuma was in the cave. Great. “Please don’t tell me Zuma got lost in there.” Ryder muttered to himself, wondering why Zuma was there in the first place; he knew better than to wander into caves by himself.

“Zuma!” Ryder called once he reached the cave’s entrance, “Are you in here?”

“Hey Dad!” Ryder jumped as Zuma abruptly popped his head out from the water that partially filled the cave, holding a teal seashell in his paws, “Look at this cool shell I found!”

“That is a nice shell, Zuma, but what are you doing in a sea cave on the other side of the beach? We were starting to get worried, and it’s not safe to be in a cave on your own if we don’t know where you are.”

Zuma seemed surprised, “Oh, I didn’t realize I swam so far. I guess I got too caught up in looking for shells. Sorry, Dad, I didn’t mean to worry everyone.”

Ryder reached down to scratch behind Zuma’s ear, “It’s okay, Zuma, just be a little more aware of your surroundings in the future.”

“I will. Hey, since you’re here, I found something really cool inside this cave. Do you want to see it?”

“Sure, lead the way.”

Zuma, still swimming in the water, led Ryder deeper into the cave. As they got further from the cave’s entrance, it got darker, but Zuma simply clicked on a waterproof flashlight; he probably brought it to help look for seashells deeper underwater. “Here it is!” Zuma exclaimed, pointing the flashlight’s beam into the water.

The light revealed a school of fish just beneath the water’s surface that were unlike any other Ryder had seen, with white, almost translucent scales and no eyes. “Woah.” Ryder said, bending down to get a closer look.

“I know, right?” Zuma exclaimed, “They’re cavefish, fish that have adapted to live underground. Aren’t they cool? They evolved to not have eyes, no point in having eyes if it’s too dark to see anyway, so they use their sense of smell and feeling vibrations to know what’s around them.”

“That is cool. I didn’t know there were sea creatures like this.”

“Yeah, there’s a bunch of cool sea creatures out there. Like, there’s an underwater slug called a Sea Bunny. It’s super cute and looks kind of like a bunny, hence the name, but it’s actually toxic. And you’ve heard of catfish, right? Well, there’s also a group of fish called Pupfish; they’re some of the rarest fish out there. They don’t look anything like pups, though.”

Ryder couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping, “Are you sure you’re not a Pupfish? You spend so much time in the water I wouldn’t be surprised if you were part fish.”

Zuma laughed, “Not that I know of, but it wouldn’t surprise me either.”

After the laughter died down, Ryder got up and gestured towards the cave’s entrance, “Come on, Pupfish, we better get back to the others before they get worried.”

“Alright,” Zuma replied as he began to swim towards the entrance. Clearly, he didn’t plan on getting out of the water anytime soon, “I can show the others all the cool shells I found. If I can get Rocky close enough to look at them that is.”

“You can always just get out of the water.”

“Hmm…. Nope, I prefer to stay in the water. I’m a Pupfish, remember?”

Neither one of them could contain their laughter.

“Hey, does anyone know where Rubble is?” Rocky asked as he entered the Lookout where the rest of his siblings were relaxing, minus the Bulldog in question. “He said he’d help me clean my truck.”

Zuma looked up from his marine mammal book, “Mayor Goodway asked for his help to fix the statue at town hall; it broke during the storm last night.”

“He’s still gone?” Chase interjected, “He left over an hour ago. I didn’t think it would take that long.”

“Do you think he needs help?” Skye asked.

Marshall shook his head, “I’m sure he would’ve called for backup if he did. Don’t worry; Rubble knows what he’s doing.”

Since Rubble wasn’t there, Rocky decided to sort through his recyclables to pass the time. As he was separating the different types of plastic, he heard the familiar sound of Rubble’s rig coming up the driveway; Rubble was back.

“Hey, Rubble! Glad you’re back! Now we can-…”

Rocky’s words fizzled out as he saw Rubble’s face; his eyes were puffy, with his gaze fixed on the ground, and his nose scrunched up in anger, though he looked like he was about to cry.

“Rubble? Are you okay?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” His words came out cold and stern, likely harsher than they were intended, but Rubble pushed past Rocky and into the Lookout before Rocky could say anything else.

The other pups were quick to notice Rubble’s change in attitude. “You alright, little bro?” Zuma asked, “Did something happen? Is that why you were gone so long?”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Rubble repeated, louder than the first time, before sulking to the kitchen, leaving his siblings dumbfounded.

“Okay, something is definitely wrong.” Skye finally said in order to break the uncomfortable silence, “What do we do?”

“I’ll go get Dad.” Chase replied, “If anyone can figure out what’s wrong and help Rubble, it’s him.”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find Ryder, who was working on his ATV just outside the garage.

“Hey, Dad, we’ve got a bit of a problem.”

And just like that, the maintenance Ryder was doing on his ATV was quickly forgotten.

“What’s wrong? Did someone get hurt?”

“Honestly, we’re not sure. Rubble came back from town hall in a sour mood, and he doesn’t want to tell us what happened; we’re all worried about him, but we don’t want to push his buttons. I figured you’d be the best person to talk to him.”

Ryder quickly put his tools away and gave Chase a reassuring head scratch, “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him. Do you know where he is now?”

“Last I saw him, he was heading towards the kitchen.”

“Of course he was, classic Rubble.”

It came as no surprise to Ryder when he found Rubble curled up in the pantry, digging into a bag of unsalted peanuts. The pups were right; Rubble was definitely upset about something. Aside from the scowl and puffy eyes, Rubble rarely ate slowly, and he was certainly taking his time with those peanuts. That, and he was cracking the peanut shells open with such force you’d think they insulted his family.

Whatever it was that was bothering him, it must be serious.

“Hey Rubble, how are you doing?”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Rubble shouted, already fed up with them asking how he was, though his anger was quickly dialed back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, I just…”

“I know. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to; I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help you feel better.”

Rubble thought for a moment, “Well, I guess there’s a new episode of Apollo the Super Pup that’s about to air.”

So, Ryder scooped up Rubble and plopped him down in front of the TV with his bag of peanuts and a bowl of freshly popped popcorn for an impromptu Apollo the Super Pup marathon. Good thing Ryder recorded all the other Apollo the Super Pup episodes; Rubble could binge-watch the show for as long as he needed to.

“It’s time for another exciting adventure of… Apollo the Super Pup! Can Apollo save the day his own super way?”

Once Ryder sat down, Rubble crawled into his lap and got comfy, with Ryder giving him soothing pets along his back.

The episode started with a bunch of pups playing in a park, laughing and having fun, until one pup accidentally threw their ball into the face of a much larger Bulldog. The pups all gasped in horror once they noticed the new character.

“It’s Billy the Bulldog!” one pup shouted, “He’s a big, scary bully! Run!”

The park erupted into chaos as all the pups started running away, screaming for help. Oddly enough, Billy himself seemed rather confused, even slightly hurt. ‘He certainly doesn’t seem like a bad pup.’ Ryder thought to himself, though a quiet whimper pulled his attention away from the TV.

It was Rubble, who was holding back tears while trying to make himself as small as possible; it looked like he wanted to hide. Ryder wondered if the episode was reminding Rubble of whatever had upset him.

If that was the case, then Ryder was starting to get an idea of what might’ve happened.

“Ya know, Billy doesn’t seem like a bad pup to me.” Ryder commented, “He’s not doing anything bad. It seems like everyone is freaking out over nothing.”

Rubble quietly nodded, giving him a hum of acknowledgment as he remained focused on the TV, where the titular superhero Apollo the Super Pup had just arrived.

“Apollo! You have to help us!” a pup said, “That pup is a bully!” Apollo turned his attention to Billy, who was just standing at the entrance to the park, not doing much of anything. “He isn’t bullying anyone,” Apollo stated, rather confused, “what makes you think he’s a bully?” “Well, just look at him!” another pup replied, “He’s a big, scary Bulldog!”

Rubble completely deflated at those words, and Ryder’s suspicions were confirmed.

“So, they just assumed he was a bully just because he was a Bulldog?” Ryder asked, unimpressed, “That is incredibly rude. You can’t assume things about people or pups just based on how they look, especially when it comes to things they can’t control. I’ll bet Billy is one of the nicest pups you’ll ever meet.”

Rubble perked up but still looked uncertain, “Do you think Billy looks scary?” he asked.

“Not at all. Billy is just a regular Bulldog, like you. How could that be scary?”

Rubble shifted in his seat, “Some kids at town hall thought I looked scary. They saw me with my rig and got scared.”

“Well, construction rigs can be a little intimidating, but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad pup.” Ryder reached over and grabbed a peanut from the bag, “You’re like a peanut, tough on the outside, but once you crack open that shell, you find a real treat.”

Rubble smiled and cuddled a little closer, “Thanks, Dad.”

“Of course, Peanut.”

The two returned to watching the show, where Apollo had now gathered all the pups in the park, including Billy, “You can’t judge someone based on how they look.” Apollo said, “Billy might look scary, but he’s actually a nice pup, and he can’t help the way he looks. You shouldn’t assume things about people before you get to know them; that’s just not fair.”

The other pups nodded in agreement and offered to let Billy play with them as Apollo flew off.

“Once again, Apollo saves the day his own super way!”

Chapter Text

It was a busy day for the PAW Patrol. With the annual Mayor Meet-Up being in Adventure Bay this year, there was a lot that needed to be done: Rubble and Rocky were constructing the stage that would be used for speeches and presentations, Chase and Marshall were setting up tables and chairs for the seating area, and Skye and Zuma were getting the games and contests ready, with Ryder overseeing everything alongside Mayor Goodway.

“Oh, I am so excited for this year’s Mayor Meet-Up!” Mayor Goodway exclaimed as she watched the pups work, “It’s always been fun to meet with all the other mayors, especially when the contests start. I can’t wait for the Flower Show; my tulip is sure to be a prize winner!”

“We’ll be rooting for you.” Ryder replied, “Rubble, Rocky, how’s the stage looking?”

“Almost done.” Rubble answered, using his crane to hold up a banner as Rocky screwed it into place.

Honk! Honk!

An obnoxiously loud car horn made everyone jump, and an old, run-down purple car pulled into the field where they were setting up. Once the car was parked, a roughly middle-aged man with a bushy mustache stepped out, wearing a purple suit and matching top hat. Mayor Goodway scowled, “Great, he’s already here.”

“You know him?” Ryder asked.

Mayor Goodway nodded, “Yes, that’s Mayor Humdinger, the mayor of Foggy Bottom. He’s won every contest at every Mayor Meet-Up for the past four years, and he never stops bragging about it. But this year, I’m going to win that Flower Show!”

“Don’t count on it, Mayor Goodway.” Mayor Humdinger said, stroking his mustache smugly, “You know Foggy Bottom has the best flowers. And the best mayor.”

Mayor Goodway huffed, crossing her arms, “We’ll see about that.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter who wins,” Ryder interjected, “the contests are just for fun, after all.” Ryder extended his hand to Mayor Humdinger, “I’m Ryder, by the way; pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah, so you’re the leader of this PAW Patrol I’ve been hearing about.” Mayor Humdinger replied smugly, “Mayor Goodway has brought you up on occasion. Though, her stories tend to be a bit… exaggerated.”

A strained laugh came from Mayor Goodway, “I can assure you, Mayor Humdinger, I have told nothing but the honest truth about Ryder and his pups.”

Mayor Humdinger had to hold back a laugh of his own, “Well, forgive me if I find it a little hard to believe that a ten-year-old boy and his pack of puppies have been acting as your town’s sole emergency service team.”

“For the record,” Mayor Goodway stated sharply, “the PAW Patrol isn’t Adventure Bay’s only emergency service. We have a police force and fire department, just like every other town. The PAW Patrol just helps out, and they are quite good at what they do.”

Ryder looked between the two mayors awkwardly as they continued to stare each other down. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“The stage is done, Dad.” Rocky called, making his way to where they were standing. Ryder was silently grateful for his interjection and the conversational escape route it provided.

“Thanks, Rocky.” Ryder replied, turning away from the rival mayors a bit too hastily to look over at the completed stage, “The stage looks great.”

Mayor Humdinger looked over at Rocky with confusion, “Did that pup just call you Dad?” he asked Ryder.

“Yes, I did.” Rocky replied, deciding to answer for himself, “Is there a problem?”

The mayor let out a mocking chuckle, giving Ryder a side-eye, “I think your pup is a little confused.”

Rocky frowned, annoyed and slightly offended, “What, do you want to see the adoption papers or something?” he asked sarcastically.

“Rocky, don’t be rude.” Ryder chastised.

“He started it.” Rocky muttered under his breath.

“But yes, Rocky is my son, one of six actually.” Ryder explained. Mayor Humdinger’s eyes went wide in shock.

“…Wait, what?”

“Rocky’s my son.” Ryder repeated, “Adopted, obviously, but he’s still mine. All the PAW Patrol pups are my kids.”

Mayor Humdinger blinked a few times before responding, “This is some kind of joke, right? You’re ten, and they’re pups.”

Rocky growled, ‘Just who does this guy think he is?’ he thought to himself.

Ryder was unfazed, “I’ll admit, it is unusual; I certainly didn’t expect to become a father of six pups when I first started the PAW Patrol, but I was already living on my own and taking care of them by myself, so adopting them as my kids didn’t really change things all that much. I mean, who can say no to that face?” Ryder bent down to give Rocky a loving scratch under his chin. Rocky smiled at the affectionate gesture.

But Mayor Humdinger didn’t seem to share the same sentiment, “I prefer cats.” He replied, unimpressed, “They’re quieter and make less of a mess.”

Rocky would’ve given another angry retort if Ryder hadn’t quietly stopped him; he was forced to settle for glaring daggers at the mayor, who was quickly exhausting his patience.

Ryder simply shrugged, “To each their own.”

Mayor Humdinger gave a judgmental huff but wisely chose not to make any further comments, “Well then, I’d best be off to prepare for when I win the Mayor Meet-Up again. Gotta look my best for the other mayors.”

“Of course,” Mayor Goodway abruptly cut in, wearing a strained smile, “especially since the Mayor Meet-Up is tomorrow, so you really don’t need to trouble yourself here. And, just so you know, I don’t think a friendly meeting of mayors is something you can ‘win’. Like Ryder said, it’s all just for fun.”

“Ha, that’s what all the losers say.” Mayor Humdinger laughed as he walked back to his car, straightening his jacket before driving off and leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. Rocky scrunched his nose in disgust as the smell of the exhaust hit him.

“For someone whose car looks like it hasn’t seen a mechanic in years, he sure does love to think he’s better than everyone else. Seriously, it’s a miracle that thing is still running; just based on the sound, I can make out at least five different problems, six counting the excess exhaust fumes.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Mayor Goodway sighed, “He’s always been full of himself. I try to be civil, but I just can’t stand him sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryder assured, “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before; you’d be surprised how rude people can be when you’re just trying to help, especially the entitled Karens who just love to tell you how you’re doing everything wrong and that they’re gonna sue. You gotta have thick skin in more ways than one when you’re in the rescue business.”

“Why was he even here?” Rocky asked, “Did he not know the Meet-Up was tomorrow?”

Mayor Goodway groaned, “No, he knew. The other mayors warned me about this. He always comes to the hosting city a day before everyone else, but no one knows why.”

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all.” Rocky replied sarcastically. “Do you think he might be up to something?”

“I’m not sure,” Mayor Goodway put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, “I mean, he is incredibly rude, but there’s no real evidence to suggest he’s doing anything wrong.”

“Well, I don’t trust him.” Rocky grumbled, “I mean, what are the odds of him winning every contest four years in a row? My sense of smell may not be as good as Chase’s, but I smell foul play.”

Ryder looked down the road where Humdinger had driven off, “I’ll admit, that is odd, but like Mayor Goodway said, there’s no real evidence for it, and we shouldn’t assume things without proper evidence to back it up. Mayor Humdinger may be an… odd character, but that doesn’t mean he’s a cheater.”

Rocky wasn’t convinced but chose to let it go for now. Ryder had a point; it was circumstantial evidence at best and personal bias at worst, and he had only just met Mayor Humdinger, so he didn’t know him all that well. Still, that didn’t mean he would let his guard down around the mayor. He was far too suspicious to be trusted. He decided he’d tell Chase about Mayor Humdinger when he got the chance, just to be safe. He would know more about dealing with suspected crime than anyone.

In the meantime, Rocky needed to try to convince Ryder that their trip to the groomers later today didn’t need to include baths.

“… And that’s pretty much what happened.”

Rocky sighed in annoyance as he finished recounting his meeting with Mayor Humdinger to the rest of the pups, resting his head on the rim of the water-filled tub he was in. Since he had failed to convince Ryder that he didn’t need a bath, finally relenting when Ryder pointed out that he was covered in sawdust, he decided to distract himself from the unpleasant experience by telling the other pups what had happened.

“Yeesh, I didn’t think a mayor could be such a jerk.” Rubble said, relaxing in his own bath that was filled with bubbles.

“Yeah, this Mayor Humdinger guy does not sound like a nice person.” Katie, their groomer, replied as she brushed Zuma’s fur. She had always been the pups’ favorite groomer and one of Ryder’s closest friends. Aside from Ryder, she was the only person who could get Rocky into a bath.

“How did he even get elected mayor?” Skye asked from underneath one of the hairdryers, “I can’t imagine why anyone would vote for someone like that.”

Chase, who was waiting his turn to be brushed, gave a half-hearted shrug, “I have no idea, but Rocky is right. Mayor Humdinger is definitely a suspicious character. In police terms, this is what’s called Reasonable Suspicion: when there’s no definitive evidence of a crime, but it’s suspicious enough that someone would suspect a crime. We should definitely keep an eye on Mayor Humdinger.”

“Agreed.” Marshall nodded from inside the third bathtub before looking down at the now dirty water, “Hey Katie, I think I’m clean now.” Marshall tried to hop out of the tub on his own, but he ended up slipping on the rim and falling face-first onto the floor. “I’m good.” He called, earning a laugh from the others.

It didn’t take long for Katie to finish cleaning and brushing the pups, who continued to talk amongst themselves about nothing in particular. Rubble was the last pup out of the bath and had just finished getting dried off by the time Ryder came to pick them up.

“Hi, Katie,” Ryder greeted, “the pups look great. Rocky didn’t give you too much trouble, did he?”

Katie laughed, “No, he was pretty well-behaved this time around; he only tried to escape once.”

The two shared a laugh as Rocky rolled his eyes, “Hey, you can’t blame a pup for trying.”

“Well, now that you pups are clean, we can-” Ryder was interrupted by the ringing of his pup-pad. It was Mayor Goodway calling.

“Ryder!” She cried once Ryder picked up, “My prize-winning tulip is gone!”

“What? What happened?”

“I went to check on the tulip I grew for the Flower Show at the Mayor Meet-Up tomorrow, and it’s not there! I don’t know what could’ve happened to it, but you have to help me find it! I am not letting Mayor Humdinger win that Flower Show for the fifth time in a row!”

“Don’t worry, Mayor,” Ryder assured, “no tulip is too missing, no pup is too small!”

After a brief return to the Lookout to get their rescue gear, which involved Marshall tripping over a hairbrush and calling the wipeout that followed a ‘hairy situation’, the team raced over to town hall where Mayor Goodway was waiting for them.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Ryder.” Mayor Goodway sighed in relief.

“No problem, Mayor.” Ryder replied, “Where was the last place you saw your tulip?”

“I kept it in the lobby of town hall. The last time I saw it was this morning as I was leaving to check on the Mayor Meet-Up preparations.”

Chase inspected the doors of town hall for signs of a break-in while Skye checked the roof. The other pups searched the perimeter of the building.

“Mayor Goodway, was this window always open?” Rocky called, looking up at an open window on the side of the building and gaining everyone’s attention.

“No, I don’t believe it was.” Mayor Goodway replied.

Chase sniffed the area around the window, “Yep, this was definitely the thief’s point of entry. I can’t recognize the scent, though.”

“Think you can track it, Chase?” Ryder asked.

“That’s what I’m trained for.” Chase already had his nose to the ground, following the scent trail to the street before the strong smell of car exhaust made him recoil in disgust.

“Ugh, whoever took the tulip needs to have their car looked at. Looks like they drove off towards the field.”

“That’s where the Mayor Meet-Up is being held!” Mayor Goodway cried, “Do you think the thief may be trying to sabotage it?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Ryder said, getting back on his ATV, “Come on, pups, we’ve got a thief to catch.”

As they made their way to the field, Rocky couldn’t help but think about what Chase said about the thief's car. He had caught a whiff of the smell too, and he was certain that it was the same smell as Mayor Humdinger’s car. There’s no way he wasn’t the one responsible for this. So, it came as no surprise to him when they pulled up to the venue and saw a familiar purple car.

“That’s Mayor Humdinger’s car.” Ryder commented. Chase hopped off his cruiser to inspect the vehicle.

“The scent on the car matches what I found at town hall.” Chase concluded, “Looks like Mayor Humdinger is our prime suspect.”

Rocky had to stop himself from giggling when he realized no one, not even Ryder, seemed surprised by the revelation. ‘Called it.’

“Alright, pups,” Ryder called, “let’s spread out and look for clues. If his car is still here, Mayor Humdinger can’t be far.”

The pups did as instructed, going off in different directions, aside from Chase, who continued to inspect the car. Rocky decided to check the stage since he’d be able to tell if it had been tampered with. Fortunately, nothing was out of place, but Marshall soon called everyone over from one of the game stations.

“I don’t think this is how Zuma and Skye set this up.” Marshall remarked. It was a ring-tossing game. The contestants would try to toss a ring from a line on the ground onto a wooden pole. A large magnet had been placed behind the pole, hidden beneath the grass.

Chase gave the magnet a quick sniff, “Yep, Mayor Humdinger placed this.” Chase confirmed, “I found some metal rings in his car that look exactly like the ones for this game. No doubt he planned on using them and this magnet to cheat.”

“Then we better find him before he sabotages the rest of the games.” Ryder added.

Chase sniffed the ground again, “The scent is still pretty strong. He must be nearby. Follow me.”

Chase led the team across the field, following the scent trail into the nearby forest. “It can’t be much farther now,” he said as he looked around, “I wonder what he’s doing in the forest?”

“HELP!” the screeching voice of Mayor Humdinger rang through the forest, scaring away the nearby wildlife.

“Mayor Humdinger’s in trouble!” Ryder exclaimed, “Come on, pups, we gotta hurry!” The team raced through the forest in the direction of his voice until they came to a cliff where Mayor Humdinger was dangling from an exposed tree root. Further down the cliff, a large red and orange tulip sat on a narrow ledge, surrounded by dirt and broken pottery that used to be its flowerpot.

“SOMEBODY HELP ME!” Mayor Humdinger cried.

“Don’t worry, Mayor Humdinger!” Ryder called, “We’ll get you out! Skye, run back and get your copter; hurry, we don’t have much time.”

Skye nodded before she rushed back the way they came. Mayor Humdinger, however, gave a huff of displeasure. “I don’t see how a child and his pack of puppies can be of much help in this situation! How about you and your ‘children’ just call the fire department and wait for the real rescuers to show up!”

The pups stared down at the dangling mayor with a mix of shock and offense. Ryder just sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Well, that was incredibly rude.” Chase said, not really sure how else to react.

Crack.

The root Mayor Humdinger was clinging to began to break, threatening to snap off. The mayor gave another yelp of fear.

“Sorry, Mayor Humdinger,” Ryder called, “but it doesn’t look like we have the time for that.”

Fortunately, the sound of whirling helicopter blades signaled Skye had arrived. Ryder used his pup-pad to call Skye on her pup-tag.

“Great timing Skye. Now, lower your harness down to Mayor Humdinger, but be careful not to get too close. The wind from your copter could knock him down.”

“Got it. Ruff! Harness.” Skye lowered the harness as far down as it would go before carefully maneuvering her copter over the cliff until the harness was within Mayor Humdinger’s reach.

“I don’t know about this.” Mayor Humdinger complained, “Are you sure you know how to fly that thing?”

Crack! Crack!

The root was close to breaking at this point, and Mayor Humdinger’s grip was beginning to slip; they were running out of time.

“Well, your only other option is falling down a steep cliff,” Skye argued, “and it’s a long way down.”

Mayor Humdinger took a quick glimpse down at the terrifying drop beneath him before frantically grabbing the harness. Once the mayor was strapped in, Skye was able to fly him to safety just in the nick of time. Mayor Humdinger breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the root break off just moments after letting go of it. ‘That was too close.’

Once Mayor Humdinger was back on solid ground, he managed to compose himself, straightening his jacket and puffing out his chest. “Um, thank you, PAW Patrol, for your assistance. Now, I have important business to attend to before the Mayor Meet-Up tomorrow, so I must be going…”

Mayor Humdinger attempted to walk away before Chase blocked his path. “Excuse me, Mayor Humdinger, but care to explain how you ended up dangling from a cliff near the location of tomorrow’s Mayor Meet-Up alongside Mayor Goodway’s tulip, which, may I add, was recently reported missing?”

Mayor Humdinger froze, “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about… I had no idea the tulip Mayor Goodway was planning to enter in the flower show was stolen.”

“That’s funny,” Chase replied, unamused, “I don’t believe I mentioned the tulip being stolen or that it was going to be in the flower show.”

Mayor Humdinger gave a nervous laugh, “....Lucky guess?”

‘You're not fooling anyone, Humdinger.’ Chase thought, looking around at the equally unconvinced faces of his family. “Okay, let me put it a different way. Rocky?” Rocky brought out his claw arm and presented the magnet he had been holding onto.

“We found this magnet hidden at the ring-tossing game with your scent all over it. The same scent that we found at town hall where the tulip went missing, which we tracked to the field, where we found a car that Rocky and Ryder confirmed was yours. Investigating your vehicle revealed a lot of suspicious items, including metal rings that looked exactly like the ones used in the aforementioned ring-tossing game. Now combining all that with the fact that we found you in close proximity to the missing tulip, I think you’ll agree that all the evidence points to one simple conclusion. That being that you stole Mayor Goodway’s tulip, planned to sabotage the other games and contests to ensure you would win them, and tried to dispose of the tulip by throwing it off a cliff, which I’m assuming resulted in you falling down the cliff yourself.”

Mayor Humdinger was left speechless, and Ryder couldn’t help but smile with pride. ‘That’s my boy.’

“Alright, fine!” Mayor Humdinger huffed, “You’re right! I did it! I tried to cheat so I could win the Mayor Meet-Up.”

“And I’m guessing you’ve cheated at other Mayor Meet-Ups in the past?” Rocky asked. The mayor grumbled, crossing his arms.

“….Maybe….”

Ryder sighed, “Alright, all that’s left is to get the tulip back. Skye, lower Rubble down to the tulip so he can get it with his shovel. Rocky, do you have anything in your truck we can use as a flowerpot?”

“I’ve got just the thing.” Rocky replied, heading off to get his truck. By the time he came back, Rubble had gotten the tulip off the ledge. Luckily, the tulip was unharmed, and Rocky placed it in an old vase.

“Great work today, pups.” Ryder said, “I’m sure Mayor Goodway will be relieved that her flower is safe.” Ryder turned to Mayor Humdinger, arms crossed, “And I’m sure she’d also love to hear about who was trying to sabotage the Mayor Meet-Up.”

So, Ryder and the pups, along with Mayor Humdinger, headed back to town hall, where Mayor Goodway was waiting.

“Ryder! You found my tulip! Thank you! Where did you-” her voice trailed off when she noticed Mayor Humdinger was with them, “Oh, hello, Mayor Humdinger. I don’t suppose you know what might’ve happened to my tulip?”

Mayor Humdinger was stubbornly silent, crossing his arms and looking away. Fortunately, Ryder was more than happy to explain what had happened.

Needless to say, Mayor Goodway wasn’t too happy about it. “Mayor Humdinger. As this year’s host of the Mayor Meet-Up, I hereby ban you from tomorrow’s activities.”

“What!?”

“AND, you’ll be responsible for cleaning up afterward.”

Mayor Humdinger groaned in protest, glaring at Ryder and the pups, before storming off to his car with a huff and driving off.

“Thanks again, Ryder. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you and your pups.”

“No problem, Mayor. Whenever your tulip’s gone missing, just yelp for help.”

Chase watched as Mayor Humdinger’s car disappeared down the road, “I’ve got a feeling that’s not the last we’ll see of him.”

“Don’t worry,” Ryder reassured, “I’m sure we can handle whatever Mayor Humdinger throws our way.”

Suddenly, Ryder’s pup-pad rang, and a familiar voice was on the other end.

“Uh, hello, Ryder. I, um, think my car has broken down. Could you… offer some assistance?”

“Don’t worry, Mayor Humdinger, we’ll be right there.”

“I knew that car was on the verge of a breakdown!” Rocky exclaimed, “Ugh, that thing’s gonna be a nightmare to fix.”

Chapter Text

Thunder roared outside the Lookout windows as Ryder and the pups watched another episode of Apollo the Super Pup. A storm had begun to roll while they were having dinner, disrupting their plans for evening playtime, so the family settled for a TV marathon of their favorite show. A bolt of lightning lit up the room, making Rubble jump with fright and hide beneath a bean bag.

“It’s okay, Peanut.” Ryder assured softly, “It’s just a little thunderstorm.”

Rubble peeked his head out of his hiding place, trembling. “I know, it’s just so loud…” Another flash of lightning sent him scurrying back under the bean bag with a whimper.

“Just tell me when it’s over.”

“That might be awhile.” Skye said, “The weather report says it’ll be storming pretty much all night.”

“You mean I’m gonna have to SLEEP through this!? How is anyone supposed to get any sleep with all that thunder and lightning?”

Ryder reached under the bean bag to give Rubble a comforting head scratch. “Don’t worry Rubble, I’m sure the storm will let up soon.”

“And even if it doesn’t…” Zuma added, “I bet your snoring will drown it out.” The pups laughed, but Rubble gave a growl of annoyance.

“I don’t snore that loudly.”

“Dude, you’re my brother, and I love you, but you sound like a broken lawn mower when you sleep.”

Rubble grumbled, “Well, at least I don’t smell like seafood all the time. Do you know how annoying it is to get a nose full of fish every time I walk past you?”

“Hey, what are siblings for if not to annoy each other.”

Chase raised an eyebrow, “So that’s why you keep moving my detective novels to different shelves of the bookshelf and placed the water bowl in front of the door that one time.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m still mad about that,” Rocky added, rubbing his paw at the memory of being the unfortunate victim of that particular prank, “and I will get you back for it.”

“Looking forward to it, bro.”

It was hard to tell when the sun had set, but Ryder kept an eye on the clock to make sure the pups went to bed on time. The pups got themselves comfy on their preferred pup-beds while Ryder turned off the lights.

“Goodnight, pups.” Ryder called as he stepped into the elevator.

“Goodnight, Dad.” The pups replied.

The thunder and lightning continued well into the night, with light flashing from outside at random intervals, making it difficult to sleep. Rubble tossed and turned as he tried to fall asleep, but each roar of thunder or flash of lightning startled him awake again.

“I can’t get to sleep.” He groaned, curling up into a ball of whimpering softly. Marshall lifted his head from his pup-bed to look at him.

“Have you tried counting sheep?” he suggested.

“I’ve counted sheep, pup treats, and even construction rigs, but this stupid storm is keeping me awake.” Another bright flash made him jump with fright, and he covered his ears to try and block out the thunder that followed. Rubble groaned in frustration, “Stupid storm, stupid thunder, stupid lightning.”

The next lightning strike made a clap of thunder so loud that Rubble screamed in fright, waking the other pups.

“What is it? What happened?” Chase asked, now fully awake and alert.

Rubble sighed, “Sorry guys, I just got startled. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay, Rubble.” Skye reassured, “I’m guessing it’s the storm?”

“Yeah. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get to sleep! I don’t know what to do.”

Zuma thought for a moment and looked over at the elevator. “Maybe you could sleep with Dad. Being with him might help you relax enough to finally get some rest.”

“Aren’t we a little old to be sleeping with our parents?” Chase argued, but Rubble just shrugged.

“At this point, I’m willing to try anything. Besides, I doubt Dad would mind.”

So, Rubble stepped into the elevator and rode it up to Ryder’s room, right below the top floor, gently knocking on the door before opening it. “Dad?” he called, stirring Ryder from his sleep.

“What is it, Peanut?” Ryder asked with a yawn.

“Umm…” Rubble was starting to feel a little self-conscious now that he was here, remembering Chase’s words. “I know it’s late, and I’m sorry for waking you, but the storm is making it really hard for me to sleep. So, I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight.”

Ryder gave him a warm smile, “Of course you can.”

Rubble smiled in relief before another sudden flash of lightning sent him scurrying under Ryder’s bed.

Ryder knelt down on the floor and got Rubble out of his hiding spot. “It’s okay, Peanut. I gotcha.” He reassured as he held Rubble and tucked him into bed with him. Rubble immediately began snuggling into Ryder’s side, his dad’s arm wrapped around him. When the next bolt of lightning struck, he whimpered and shook with fright, but Ryder’s gentle pets and soothing voice helped him to relax, and it wasn’t long before Ryder heard the familiar sound of Rubble’s snoring.

The rest of the pups had attempted to get back to sleep but were finding it difficult. The storm was becoming more intense; the lightning was getting brighter and the thunder was getting louder. But while the rest of the pups were able to at least get themselves to relax, Zuma was restless.

‘I wonder how Rubble’s doing.’ He thought to himself, ‘He hasn’t come back down, so Dad must’ve let him sleep with him. Man, the more I think about it, the more I realize how amazing it must be to sleep with Dad, all snuggled up next to him or maybe on his lap, I bet Rubble’s having the time of his life up there. You know what…’ Zuma got up from his pup-bed and quietly walked to the elevator, ‘I’m gonna join them.’

Zuma tapped his paws in excitement as he rode the elevator up to Ryder’s room. He didn’t even bother knocking, instead just popping his head through the door to see Rubble snuggled up in Ryder’s bed as Ryder lifted his head to greet his new visitor.

“You know it’s rude to enter someone else’s room without knocking first.” Ryder commented with a chuckle.

“Well, I figured since you already had a visitor, you wouldn’t mind another one. Besides, just because Rubble’s the youngest doesn’t mean he gets to hog all the attention.” Zuma hopped up onto Ryder’s bed and immediately made himself comfy next to Rubble, resting his chin on Ryder’s chest. “Gosh, Rubble, your snoring sounds like a busted engine.” He joked, despite Rubble obviously being asleep, “You better not be keeping Dad awake with all that noise.”

Ryder chuckled, “He’s fine, Zuma, I don’t mind it. Just like I don’t mind your fish smell.”

“Hey, I don’t smell that bad.”

“Isn’t that what Rubble said about his snoring?”

“Well, at least I’m willing to take baths regularly. If you want to talk about being smelly, talk to Rocky. He’s the one who smells like motor oil and garbage.”

“Zuma, that’s not a nice thing to say about your brother.”

“It’s true.”

There was a quiet knock at the door. “Come in.” Ryder called, and the door opened, revealing Rocky on the other side.

“There you are, Zuma.” Rocky said, “We were wondering where you wandered off to.”

“Yeah, I decided to join Rubble and sleep with Dad for the night. Who needs a pup-bed when you’ve got a cozy Dad to snuggle with?” Zuma snuggled into Ryder’s side, with Ryder giving him a loving smile.

“That does look pretty comfy…” Rocky admitted as he reached for his pup-tag, “Hey guys, I found Zuma. He’s up here with Dad and Rubble. He decided to sleep with Dad, too.”

“Thanks, Rocky.” Chase replied on the other end. Quiet giggles could also be heard in the background, likely from Skye and Marshall.

As Rocky turned to leave, Ryder noticed an almost sad look in Rocky’s eyes. “You know, you can stay if you want.”

Rocky’s smile lit up his face, “Sure! As long as Zuma doesn’t mind. I think I overheard something about me smelling like garbage.”

“You dig around in the trash all the time and hate taking baths.” Zuma argued, “What do you expect?”

“Oh sure, as if you smell like a bunch of roses.”

“That’s enough, you two.” Ryder interjected, “You’re going to wake Rubble.”

“I doubt that.” Zuma deadpanned, “I’m pretty sure he could sleep through a natural disaster if no one was there to wake him.”

“Well, you can’t stay if you’re just gonna keep picking on each other.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Rocky said as he jumped onto the bed and settled into a spot on Ryder’s other side, his front paws resting on Ryder’s legs, “Goodnight, Zuma. Goodnight, Rubble. Goodnight, Dad.”

Zuma gave a snort of amusement before letting out a yawn, “Goodnight, bro.”

“Goodnight, pups.”

“Rocky hasn’t come back down yet. I wonder what’s keeping him?”

“He probably decided to stay and sleep with Dad, too.” Skye laughed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if offering to check upstairs in the first place was just an excuse.”

Chase just rolled his eyes, “Yeesh, one little thunderstorm, and suddenly everyone’s running to Dad. We’ve rescued kittens from cliffsides and skiers from snowdrifts, but I guess rain and lightning are where they draw the line.”

“Oh, come on, Chase.” Skye argued, “You, of all pups, have no room to judge here. You can be pretty clingy with Dad yourself. Remember when he set off the fire alarm last week while using the welder? You spent the rest of the day in the garage with him.”

“I just wanted to make sure nothing else happened!”

“Last I checked, fire safety was Marshall’s job.”

Chase didn’t respond, instead just staring her down, unable to come up with a good excuse for his behavior. Skye laughed.

“You’re such a daddy’s boy, Chase.”

Chase’s cheeks went red. He curled up into as tiny a ball as he could make himself, burying his face in his paws as he let out a whine of embarrassment.

“Come on, Chase, there’s no need to be embarrassed.” Marshall comforted, “We all love Dad. That’s why he’s our dad in the first place.”

Chase let out another whine and reached for a nearby pillow, pulling it over his head. Marshall sighed and gave Skye a look, “See what you’ve done, sis?”

“Hey, I said nothing but the honest truth. It’s not my fault if Chase is in denial.”

“Are you gonna help me or not?”

“Well, if Chase is ashamed of loving our father, then that’s his business.”

Chase immediately shot up from his curled-up position. “I am not ashamed of loving Dad!” he shouted.

“Ah, so you admit you’re a daddy’s boy.”

“I’m not admitting anything! Don’t put words in my mouth!”

“Come on, you guys, it is way too late to be fighting like this. Can we please just go to bed?” Marshall pleaded, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Skye gave a mischievous smirk, “You know what? I think I’m gonna join the others and sleep with Dad. I bet it’s super comfy. All snuggled up in Dad’s arms or on his lap, cuddling underneath those warm blankets and falling asleep to the sound of Dad’s voice.”

Chase rolled his eyes as Skye skipped into the elevator, but there was still a pink tint to his cheeks. “You can be a real menace, you know that?”

“Like Zuma said, what are siblings for if not to annoy each other.” She giggled before the elevator doors closed and she was sent up to the higher floors.

“Don’t mind her.” Marshall said, “She’s just trying to push your buttons.”

“I know. But still, daddy’s boy? I just like spending time with Dad, that’s all. Do you think I’m a daddy’s boy?”

“…… No.”

“You hesitated.”

“Okay, look, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little extra attention. You’re just a little more affectionate than the rest of us.”

Chase grumbled, “I don’t need any extra attention.”

“I didn’t say that. I said you wanted extra attention.”

“But that’s not fair to you guys. We should all get equal amounts of attention from Dad. And besides, I’m not a little pup anymore. I shouldn’t be clinging to my dad every chance I get.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say you’re clingy, but we can all tell how much Dad’s approval and praise mean to you.”

Chase gave a dry laugh, “Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, it kinda is. But hey, what kid doesn’t want their parent’s approval? I can’t speak for the others, but for me, Dad telling me how proud he is of me or how great I did during a rescue is always the highlight of my day.”

“Mine too. The way he looks at us whenever we finish a mission, you can just see the pride shining in his eyes. I’d do pretty much anything if it meant he would look at me like that again.”

“You know, you’re not really helping with those daddy’s boy allegations.”

That earned Marshall a playful shove from Chase. “Hey! I thought you were on my side!”

“I’m just saying I’m starting to see where she was coming from.”

“Whatever.” Chase scoffed, “You were right earlier. It’s way too late for this. Let’s just get some sleep.”

Marshall nodded but looked back at the elevator, thinking for a moment.

“Chase, be honest with me. Do you want to go sleep with Dad?”

Chase froze. He stared at Marshall like a deer in headlights.

“Well… it’s not like I can just leave you down here all alone.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“….. Okay, fine, I do… But there’s no way I can do it with everyone there; it’d be too embarrassing. And Skye would never let me live it down. I can already hear her saying, ‘I knew it. You are a daddy’s boy.’ and then Zuma would get started and…”

“Come on, Chase, they’re your siblings, not bullies. They wouldn’t do that to you.”

“She was literally down here two minutes ago doing exactly that.” Chase deadpanned, “The whole reason she’s up there in the first place is to toy with me.”

“I think she was more trying to encourage you. In her own way.”

Chase looked at the elevator, then back to Marshall. “You sure they won’t laugh?”

“They’re up there doing the exact same thing. They have no room to judge.”

“I guess you have a point. But it still wouldn’t feel right to leave you down here by yourself.”

“Then I’ll go with you. We can all sleep together and make a nice cuddle pile. Or maybe a dogpile would be more accurate.”

That made Chase laugh, and he considered Marshall’s proposal. As embarrassing as it was, the idea of sleeping with Ryder was very tempting, and Marshall was right; why would the other pups tease him for doing something they themselves were doing? Plus, the large lobby of the Lookout was beginning to feel kinda empty with just the two of them.

“Alright, I’ll go. But only if you come with me. And if anyone starts teasing me, I’m gone.”

“That’s fair. But I know they won’t. They’re all probably asleep by now anyway.”

So, the two pups rode the elevator to Ryder’s room. And when they arrived, Ryder wasn’t surprised to see them.

“I was wondering when you two would show up.” He said as he stroked Skye’s fur, who was lying on his lap, still very much awake. She gave Chase a smug grin that told him she knew he would be coming sooner or later as she hopped out of Ryder’s lap and curled up on one of the pillows.

“I kept your favorite seat warm for you.” She said.

Marshall gave Chase a reassuring smile as he hopped onto the bed and found a spot next to Rocky. But Chase still hesitated, looking at the other sleeping pups and imagining what they would say if they were awake.

“You’re welcome to join us.” Ryder offered.

“Are you sure? It looks like the bed is already pretty full.”

“There’s always room for one more. Besides, it wouldn’t feel complete without you.”

Ryder smiled and reached out to his oldest pup, scratching him behind his ear in what he knew was his favorite spot, and Chase completely melted into his touch. He finally jumped onto the bed and snuggled into Ryder’s lap, laying his head on Ryder’s chest next to Zuma’s to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Ryder adjusted himself slightly to get comfortable, one arm wrapping around Chase and the other holding Rubble. He smiled as he looked around his now pup-filled bed, the pups all cuddled up around him. ‘We should do this more often.’

“Goodnight, pups.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper, and the pups mumbled their own tired goodnights as they drifted off to sleep.

Ryder’s alarm blared loudly throughout the room, earning tired groans from everyone.

“Five more minutes…” Rocky protested.

“The sun’s not even up yet.” Rubble complained, his eye mask blocking out the morning rays that were streaming through the window.

Ryder cracked open one of his eyes to glance at his bedside clock. It was 8 AM, the time he would usually wake up… But he really didn’t want to. That was one of the best nights of sleep he ever had.

He looked at the pups and saw that none of them had made any effort to get out of bed. Even Chase was reluctant to move. So, he reached over and hit the snooze button on his alarm, finally silencing the irritating noise before settling back into bed and pulling his pups closer.

Yeah, five more minutes sounded good.

Chapter Text

“Go, Marshall!”

“You got this big bro!”

“You can do it!”

Marshall panted loudly as he made his way through the course, crawling through a tunnel and jumping over hurdles. He tripped over the last hurdle but recovered quickly. “I’m good!” he called to his siblings, who were cheering him on as Ryder timed him.

“You’re doing great, Marshall!” Ryder cheered.

Marshall’s heart swelled with pride as he made his way to the hose hooked up to his firetruck. One of his paws got tangled in the hose, but once he freed himself, he aimed for a small bucket placed in front of a cardboard cutout of a fire a few feet away from him. After filling the bucket with water, he dropped the hose and ran to a tree on the other side of the yard, where a ladder had been propped up and a stuffed teddy bear was placed on one of the branches. He climbed the ladder as fast as he could and grabbed the bear from the branch, but his paw slipped as he climbed down the ladder, and he stumbled down the rest of the way. Despite this, he was able to keep hold of the teddy bear and sprinted to the line that marked the end of the course.

Ryder and the rest of the pups erupted into cheers as Marshall crossed the finish line. “What’s… What’s my time?” Marshall asked as he tried to catch his breath.

“Two minutes and ten seconds! That’s your best run yet!” Ryder replied.

“You’re totally gonna win World’s Fastest Fire Pup!” Zuma exclaimed.

“I hope so. I’ve wanted to be the World’s Fastest Fire Pup ever since I became one. I still can’t believe it’s finally happening. Tomorrow, I’m gonna race the World’s Fastest Fire Pup, and if I win, then the title will go to me!”

“Who’s the current World’s Fastest Fire Pup again?” Rubble asked, “I keep forgetting their name.”

“His name is Flint.” Marshall answered, “He’s the top fire pup in one of the biggest fire departments in the country, and he’s held the title for years now. He’s probably the best fire pup in the world.”

“I’m gonna have to disagree with that.” Ryder chuckled, “I know who the best fire pup in the world is, and he’s not named Flint.”

Marshall’s cheeks turned pink, and he laughed bashfully, “Of course you’d say that. You’re my dad.”

“That doesn’t make it any less true.”

As the group continued to talk, a teenage Dalmatian pup with large spots and completely black ears made his way towards the Lookout. He was halfway up the hill when Marshall spotted him.

“No way. That’s him!”

Everyone looked in the direction Marshall was pointing and finally noticed the pup. “That’s Flint?” Chase asked.

“Yeah! That’s Flint! The World’s Fastest Fire Pup!”

“For now, at least.” Skye added.

As Flint reached the top of the hill, Marshall rushed to greet him. “Hi, Flint. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m-”

“Marshall. The PAW Patrol’s fire pup. I know who you are.”

Marshall's eyes went wide, “Y-you do?”

“Yeah, I do research in advance about all the pups who compete for World’s Fastest Fire Pup. Though, I can’t say it’ll be much of a competition.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Flint laughed, “You don’t really expect to win, do you? I’ve seen your track record. You’re the clumsiest pup I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how you even became a fire pup in the first place. You can barely climb a ladder without tripping over your own paws.”

Marshall shrunk in on himself, not knowing what to say, as tears began to form in his eyes.

“You’ll never be the World’s Fastest Fire Pup. You’ll probably trip over a hurdle or get tangled up in the hose and won’t even complete the course.”

“Excuse me.” Ryder’s stern voice caught the pups’ attention as he approached them, with the other pups close behind, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and I don’t appreciate you talking to my son that way.”

“Oh, you must be Ryder, the guy who decided to make his pups his kids. I don’t understand why you’d want to adopt a klutz like him. Talk about the family disappointment.”

Ryder clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. “Don’t you dare call my son a disappointment.”

“No one gets to talk about our brother like that!” Rocky shouted.

“Yeah, clumsy or not, Marshall’s the best fire pup there is!” Zuma added, “And tomorrow, he’s gonna beat you and show everyone just how great he is!”

“Sure, he will.” Flint replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I think it’s time for you to leave.” Ryder stated coldly.

“Yeah, don’t you have a race to prepare for?” Chase scoffed, “Also, this is private property, and I don’t remember anyone inviting you here, so technically, you’re trespassing.”

Flint just rolled his eyes as he turned back the way he came, giving one last look at Marshall. “If I were you, I wouldn’t bother showing up tomorrow. Spare yourself the embarrassment.”

Ryder and the pups glared at Flint as he left, some of the pups growling under their breath.

“Who does he think he is?” Skye huffed, “Forget the World’s Fastest Fire Pup, he’s the world’s meanest fire pup.”

“No kidding.” Rubble agreed, “I can’t believe he said all that about Marshall.”

“He’s just jealous because he knows he’ll never be as good of a fire pup as Marshall is.” Zuma insisted.

A quiet sniffle made everyone pause. It was Marshall, standing off to the side as he tried to wipe the tears from his face.

“Hey, Sunshine,” Ryder said as he kneeled next to his pup, “don’t let Flint get to you. He doesn’t even know you. You’re an amazing fire pup. We’ve all seen it. He has no idea what you’re capable of.”

“Yeah, he was just being a jerk!” Rocky added, “And he’s gonna eat his words when you win that race and become the World’s Fastest Fire Pup!”

“Yeah…” Marshall nodded halfheartedly, “I’m gonna go get some water.”

Marshall sulked back to the Lookout as the others looked on in worry.

“Do you think Marshall’s gonna be okay?” Rubble asked.

“I don’t know.” Chase admitted, “He’s always been a little self-conscious, especially when it comes to his clumsiness.”

“Then we need to help him get his confidence back!” Skye declared.

“But how are we gonna do that?” Zuma wondered.

“I don’t know about you, but my first thought is making Flint pay.” Rocky huffed, “No one bullies our brother and gets away with it.”

“Hold on there, Einstein.” Ryder stopped him, “Right now, Marshall needs us. We’ll worry about Flint later.”

“Besides,” Skye added with a smirk, “what better way to get back at him than him getting completely crushed in a race by the pup he tried to bully? But that’ll only happen if Marshall has the confidence to compete.”

“I like the way you think, sis. So, does anyone have ideas?”

“I’ve got one,” Chase said with his paw raised, “but Dad’s not gonna like it.”

“I do not like this.”

Ryder bit his lip nervously as Rocky sat on a tree branch that was definitely too high for his liking.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Don’t worry, Dad.” Chase assured, wearing his pup-pack, “If anything goes wrong, I’ll catch him with my net. Everyone ready?”

The other pups, including Rocky, nodded enthusiastically, while Ryder’s nod was much more nervous.

“Alright, everyone, get into position. Let’s give our brother a confidence boost.”

Chase hid in a bush underneath the tree while the others hid behind the Lookout. Once everyone was ready, Rocky called Marshall on his pup-tag.

“Marshall! Help! I’m stuck in a tree in the yard!” he shouted franticly.

“A tree? How did you get stuck in a tree?” Marshall asked.

“Long story, just help me!”

“Uh, okay, I’ll get Skye.”

“There’s no time! The others are out in town, and you're the only one nearby!”

“Really? Are you sure? No one ever said anything about going into town today.”

“Yes, I’m sure! Now hurry up! I don’t know how much longer I can hold on!”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

Rocky quickly swung his back legs off the branch, leaving him dangling as his front paws clung to the tree, a sight that made Ryder bite his nails in worry.

“I’m here, Rocky!” Marshall called as he parked his firetruck next to the tree, “Ruff! Ladder.” Marshall jumped onto the ladder the moment it was in position, climbing up slowly in an attempt to avoid his usual clumsiness. Once he reached the top, he grabbed Rocky by his scruff and pulled him safely onto the ladder, and Ryder breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Marshall. I knew I could count on you.” Rocky said. Marshall smiled bashfully.

“Well, I’m glad you did because I sure didn’t.”

“What Flint said really got to you, didn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. He’s one of the best fire pups out there. He knows his stuff. If he says I don’t have a chance at winning, then it’s probably true.”

“You can’t possibly believe that. Flint may know a lot about firefighting, but he doesn’t know anything about you. You’re the best fire pup I’ve ever seen.”

“No offense, but I’m the only fire pup you’ve ever seen.”

“I saw Flint, didn’t I? And he certainly didn’t seem all that great. I’d take you over him any day. In fact, if he was the one who tried to rescue me, I’d rather stay in the tree.”

Marshall burst out laughing, which caused the ladder to shake and for him to lose his balance, sending him tumbling down the ladder and into the firetruck’s driver seat.

“You okay, Marshall?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” He sighed, “But how am I supposed to win World’s Fastest Fire Pup if I’m so clumsy?”

“That didn’t stop you on the training course.”

“I know. I’m just afraid of making a big fool of myself.”

“That’d never happen.” Chase reassured, finally stepping out of his hiding place.

Marshall jumped in surprise, “Chase? What are you doing here? Rocky said you and the others were in town.”

“Yeah, I lied.” Rocky admitted, “Chase was there the whole time in case I fell out of the tree. It was the only way Dad would agree to all this.”

“What do you mean ‘all this’? What’s going on here?”

“We kinda staged this whole thing.” Chase explained, “I figured doing a rescue would help you get your confidence back.”

“So, you got yourself stuck in a tree just to cheer me up?”

“You’re my brother; of course I’d strand myself in a tree for you.” Rocky laughed, “Plus, we all want to see you kick Flint’s butt tomorrow. And we were afraid you’d be too self-conscience to compete.”

Marshall smiled but kicked the ground with his paw nervously, “Do you really think I can win?”

“We know you can.” Chase said as he wrapped his arm around him, “And frankly, I can’t wait to see the look on that arrogant pup’s face when you beat him and become World’s Fastest Fire Pup. Flint’s gonna be eating his words.”

“But… What if I don’t win?”

“It’s not just about winning, Sunshine.” Ryder and the others had stopped hiding at this point. “It’s about standing up for yourself and not letting some mean pup tell you what you can and can’t do. I know that’s easier said than done, but you’ve been training so hard for this chance. Don’t let him take it from you. Whether you win or lose, you deserve to be in that race tomorrow.”

His words gave Marshall the confidence to stand a little taller. He straightened his back and looked up at Ryder with newfound determination. “Then I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

The whole town was gathered at the field to watch the World’s Fastest Fire Pup race. Marshall was doing his warm-ups with Chase’s help, while Skye and Zuma had decided to become Marshall’s personal cheer squad.

“M-A-R-S-H-A double L! What does that spell? Marshall!”

“You don’t have to do that, guys.” Marshall laughed.

“Yeah, but we want to!” Zuma countered as Skye hopped on his back.

“Two! Four! Six! Eight! Marshall’s gonna win this race! He’s strong and quick and fired up, yeah, he’s the greatest fire pup!”

The small crowd that had gathered to watch the cheering gave a round of applause as they finished their impromptu routine.

“You feel ready, Marshall?” Chase asked, handing him his water bottle.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Ryder came up, along with the rest of the pups, and gave him some encouraging head scratches. “Remember, it’s not about winning; it’s about doing your best. Just do that, and I’ll be proud of you regardless.”

“I will, Dad.”

“Well, look who decided to stumble their way here after all?”

The pups turned to face Flint as he walked up to them with a confident stride and smug expression, with everyone aside from Marshall giving him an angry glare. Marshall swallowed a lump in his throat.

“And here I thought you would’ve been smart enough to just admit defeat. But I guess you’re clumsy and dumb.”

Ryder had to grab Rocky to keep him from lunging at the pup.

“Oh, you did not just go there!” Skye shouted, baring her teeth.

“Don’t get your tail in a twist, pipsqueak. I just don’t see the point in showing up to a race he’s not gonna win.”

“Excuse me?!”

Zuma took a cautious step back as Skye’s face went red with rage. He knew as well as anyone that mocking Skye for her size was a big no-no.

“Who are you calling a pipsqueak? I bet you wouldn’t be saying that if you saw me flying towards you with my jetpack at fifty miles an hour! Cause let me tell you, just because something is small doesn’t mean it can’t do a lot of damage, like how your tiny brain can still come up with mean things to say to Marshall.”

“Skye, that was rude.” Ryder reprimanded.

Flint scoffed and shoved Skye to the side, walking right up to Marshall. “You’ve been awfully quiet, haven’t you klutzy? What’s the matter? Are you scared or something?”

Marshall fought hard to keep a straight face, “I have a name, you know, and we don’t need to resort to name-calling. We’ll settle this in the race.”

Flint laughed, “That’s fine by me. I’ll send you home crying to your dad before long.”

Zuma growled as Flint walked off, “Well, at least his dad bothered to show up!” he called.

“Zuma!” Ryder scolded.

“Am I wrong? I don’t see any other Dalmatians here.”

“First of all, as an adopted pup, you should know his parents may not be Dalmatians. Second, that was still a mean thing to say regardless. You shouldn’t stoop to his level. That goes for you too, Skye.”

“He started it!”

Zuma huffed in annoyance but didn’t argue, “Don’t let him get to you, bro. You’re gonna do great out there. And we’ll be cheering you on all the while.”

“And remember,” Ryder added, “It doesn’t matter what Flint thinks. You don’t have to prove anything to him. Just focus on doing your best, and don’t let Flint’s words discourage you.”

“I won’t.” Marshall said, taking a deep breath. “Do my best and forget the rest.”

“It’s time for the World’s Fastest Fire Pup race!” the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers, “Fire pups to the starting line.”

Marshall gathered his courage and made his way to the start of the course, with his family cheering him on. Flint sauntered over with a confident strut, waving to the crowd and the cameraman as he passed them. He gave Marshall a side-eye as they stood side by side, but Marshall did his best to ignore him.

“Hello everyone!” The announcer greeted the crowd joyfully, “And welcome to the official World’s Fastest Fire Pup race. We’ve got two very special fire pups competing today for the prestigious title. First up is the current champion. The top fire pup in Toronto’s fire department. He has held the title for many years now, longer than any other fire pup on record, and has completed this course more times than I can count. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the one and only Flint!”

The crowd roared with applause, and Flint basked in the attention.

“And the pup competing to take Flint’s title is one that needs no introduction. He’s a pup we citizens of Adventure Bay already know and love, the fire pup of the PAW Patrol who has won our hearts with his endless optimism and tireless determination. Yes, it’s Adventure Bay’s very own Marshall!”

The crowd seemed to cheer louder for Marshall, with Flint rolling his eyes. But Marshall swore he could hear his family cheering the loudest.

“Alright, now let’s look at the course. The pups will race through the official fire pup rescue course, which includes an obstacle course, putting out a fake fire, and rescuing a fake animal. The first one to make it through the course to the finish line will be the official World’s Fastest Fire Pup! Will Flint keep his title, or is his winning streak about to come to an end? It’s time to find out! Fire pups, take your places.”

Marshall and Flint took their places at the starting line. Flint looked over at Marshall with a cocky smile. “Get ready to lose, clumsy.”

But Marshall kept his eyes on the course ahead of him, putting all his focus into the race. ‘Do my best and forget the rest.’ He repeated the mantra to himself.

“On your mark… Get set… Go!”

The pups took off at the sound of the air horn, the wind rushing past their faces as they ran through the course. Flint moved through the obstacles seamlessly, but Marshall was right on his tail. They crawled through the tunnel and jumped over the hurdles, but a small rock on the ground made Marshall trip and fall.

Flint cackled as he glanced behind him at the fallen pup, “Don’t bother getting up. You won’t get far with four left paws.”

Marshall grumbled as he got to his paws. He could hear his family cheering him on from the crowd.

“Come on, dude! Keep going!”

“You can do this!”

“Don’t give up, Marshall!”

So, he continued to race through the course, making his way to the hoses set up a few feet away from two buckets. Flint was already there, spraying water into his bucket, but when he saw Marshall pick up his own hose, he lost focus, and the nozzle slipped from his mouth.

By the time he had picked up his hose again and filled his bucket, Marshall had caught up, and the two were neck and neck as they ran to the ladders set up against two fake building facades.

Flint jumped onto the ladder and quickly climbed to the top, grabbing the stuffed animal from the roof. Marshall was right beside him on his own ladder, so Flint decided to jump off his ladder. But the force from the jump caused his ladder to wobble and eventually fall over… onto the bleachers where the crowd was sitting.

“Everyone, get back!” Ryder shouted as the ladder fell. The crowd managed to get out of the way before the ladder hit them, but when the bleacher crumpled under the sudden weight, a piece of the metal structure pierced one of the speakers. Sparks flew from the damaged equipment, causing the dry grass to ignite into a fire. It was small, but it was already beginning to spread, threatening to get out of control.

“Oh no!” Marshall cried, sliding down his ladder and dropping the stuffed animal he was carrying. “Don’t worry, I’m coming!” Marshall ran to grab one of the hoses and turned it to its highest blast mode, sending the stream of water across the field and onto the fire. Within a few moments, the fire was out.

“Is everyone alright?” Marshall called, running up to the crowd, “Was anyone hurt? Do we need to call an ambulance?”

“Everyone’s okay, Marshall.” Ryder replied as he and the others joined Marshall after doing a quick scan of the crowd.

“We’re more than okay,” Zuma added, “you totally saved the day, bro!”

Marshall smiled bashfully, “Just doing my job.”

Ryder smirked, “Well, that rescue was fire.”

Marshall and Zuma laughed, but Chase groaned. “Really, Dad? That was even worse than the last one.”

“Hah! Take that, you clumsy excuse for a fire pup!”

On the other side of the field, Flint stood at the finish line, howling in joy with his paw raised in the air in victory. He looked around in confusion when he realized no one was cheering.

“Are you kidding me?!” Skye shouted. Rocky began to walk towards Flint to give him a piece of his mind, but Marshall stopped him.

“I’ll handle this.”

His face was unusually serious as he made his way to the other fire pup, who gave him that smug grin he’d begun to expect from him.

“I knew you wouldn’t win.” Flint laughed, “I mean, I’ve won against some talented fire pups over the years, pups with actual skill. What made you think a clumsy pup like you ever stood a chance?”

“Is that really all you care about? Winning these races and being the World’s Fastest Fire Pup?” Marshall asked harshly, “In case you didn’t notice, your ladder nearly crushed a crowd of people and started a fire! Someone could’ve gotten hurt! I may be clumsy, but jumping from a ladder was just plain reckless!”

“Relax, I was gonna take care of it as soon as I finished the race.”

“So, you're saying some contest was more important than your duty as a fire pup?!” Marshall shouted, “You, of all pups, should know how fast a fire can spread. If I wasn’t there, that fire could’ve gotten completely out of control! If you really think a title is worth putting people’s lives at risk, then you don’t deserve to be a fire pup!”

Flint was left speechless. He stood in shock as the smaller pup continued to stare him down, seemingly waiting for some kind of response.

“I think it’s time for you to leave.” Marshall stated coldly, “Take the title for all I care. Just leave.”

Flint practically ran off the field, and Marshall gave a sigh of relief. He didn’t notice the crowd of people surrounding him until they started clapping.

“Well, folks. That was certainly an eventful race.” The announcer said to the camera, “In all my years of reporting the World’s Fastest Fire Pup races, I have never seen anything quite like this. But one question still remains: who is the official World’s Fastest Fire Pup? And honestly? I have no idea. Nothing like this has ever happened. The organizers of the World’s Fastest Fire Pup races will need to discuss what to do. But one thing is certain. Marshall is truly an amazing fire pup!”

The crowd cheered, and Ryder and the rest of the pups pulled Marshall into a group hug.

“I am so proud of you.” Ryder said.

“Like I said, I was just doing my job.”

“I wasn’t talking about the fire. I’m proud of you for standing up to Flint. You’re the best fire pup there is.”

“Better than Flint, that’s for sure.” Rubble added with a laugh.

Marshall smiled and held his head high, feeling a new sense of pride and confidence in himself.

“Once again, Apollo saves the day his own super way!”

The pups smiled and cheered as they watched their favorite show. Apollo had just saved a group of people from a burning building

“Apollo the Super Pup is the greatest superhero in the world!” Rubble exclaimed, “The way he immediately went to help those people and put out the fire, it was just like when Marshall put out that fire at the World’s Fastest Fire Pup contest.”

“It really wasn’t that big a deal Rubble.” Marshall insisted, but Rubble just rolled his eyes.

“If it wasn’t a big deal, how come everyone is still talking about it over a week later?”

“Because you and the others keep bringing it up. Dad still hasn’t stopped bragging about it.”

“To be fair, Dad brags about all of us.” Rocky added.

“Hey, pups! I’ve got something to show you!”

The pups jumped up at Ryder’s voice and sprinted to the door, but Marshall tripped over a toy firetruck and barreled into the other pups, sending them all tumbling into a pile at Ryder’s feet.

“Guess I got a little too fired up.” Marshall joked, and everyone laughed as they picked themselves up. They noticed Ryder was holding something behind his back.

“What do you want to show us?” Chase asked.

“Well, something very special just came in the mail today. It’s for Marshall.”

“For me? What is it?” Marshall asked.

“I think I know.” Skye chuckled, and the other pups smiled and giggled amongst themselves.

Ryder smiled before finally revealing what it was, and Marshall’s eyes went wide.

“Is that… The World’s Fastest Fire Pup trophy?”

“Yep! They decided you were the winner! You’re officially the World’s Fastest Fire Pup!”

“I knew it!” Zuma cheered, “I knew you were gonna win!”

“Never doubted it for a second.” Chase added.

Marshall continued to stare at the trophy in awe. He couldn’t believe it. He had won.

“But… I never even crossed the finish line.”

“Yeah, because you were busy saving everyone.” Rocky countered, “If Flint’s ladder hadn’t fallen, you would have totally won. And I still think he did it on purpose.”

“Come on, Rocky. He may have been a jerk, but no fire pup would intentionally put people in danger.”

“Enough about him.” Rubble interjected, “We’ve got an award to celebrate! Come on, guys, let’s go do something fun!”

The pups cheered in agreement, and Marshall was practically dragged outside to play. Ryder smiled as he took the trophy and placed it on a shelf, taking a moment to admire it. ‘You’ve more than earned this, Sunshine.’

“Come on, Dad!” Rubble called from outside, and Ryder took one last look at the trophy before joining the pups.

Chapter Text

“Hey pups, have you seen Chase?” Ryder asked.

“No, not since lunch.” Rubble replied, looking up from the game of Pup Pup Boogie he was playing with Skye.

“Last time I saw him he was headed outside.” Rocky piped up, who was waiting with the other three pups for his turn to play. Ryder made a mental note to get more Pup Pup Boogie dance pads.

When he stepped out into the yard, Ryder found it to be unusually quiet. Normally, there was some kind of noise or commotion even when it was just one of the pups playing outside. Howling laughter, toys strewn about, or at least the sound of paws running through the grass. But the only things Ryder heard were birds and the wind.

It made Ryder feel uneasy. Why did he feel like he was being watched?

“Chase? Where are you?” he called as he began to search the yard. There was no response.

“Chase! Scout!” he tried again. Where was he? It wasn’t like him to just run off without telling him.

“Scout, if you can hear me, I need to know where you are! You’re starting to make me worried!”

Ryder was just about to pull out his pup-pad to use the pup-tag tracker when-

“Boo!” A blur of brown and tan fur jumped out from a nearby bush, making Ryder yelp in surprise as it tackled him to the ground.

“Chase!” Ryder exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief, “You scared me!”

“Was it because I jumped out at you, or were you just worried that you didn’t know where I was?”

“Both! Next time you decide to play a game of hide-and-seek, please tell me first.”

“It wasn’t a game of hide-and-seek. I was practicing my stealth. The best spy pups always know how to get around unseen.”

“Ah, I see. Just promise you’ll tell me when you’re doing your spy pup training.”

“But wouldn’t that defeat the whole purpose of it? Spy pups are supposed to be sneaky, always turning up in unexpected places to catch evildoers off guard. No one knows where or when they’ll strike.”

“Except for their bosses who give them their missions in the first place, which would be me.” Ryder countered with an eyeroll, “I don’t want to have a heart attack every time you decide to work on your stealth.”

“You’re ten,” Chase laughed, “I don’t think you need to worry about having heart problems.”

“I’m also raising six kids, and that’s a stressful enough job without my eldest trying to ambush me.”

“Alright, alright, you win.” Chase relented, though he still had a cheeky smile on his face, “No more sneak attacks on you.”

“And none on your siblings either. You know how easily Rubble can be startled.”

Chase’s face fell into a pout, “Well, how else am I supposed to practice my super spy skills?”

Ryder thought for a moment. “Tell you what? I have a surprise I’ve been wanting to show you in the garage. Why don’t you go and see if you can find it? A lot of spy missions are about finding things.”

Chase immediately perked up, and his tail began to wag. “A surprise? What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. Besides, super spies are all about investigating and uncovering secrets.”

“You got that right! Chase is on the case!” Chase sprinted to the garage and immediately began looking around for anything that looked interesting, which was admittedly most things in the garage. Ryder and Rocky were almost always working on something cool. But he could at least rule out everything that was obviously built by Rocky.

“Let’s see. If Dad’s been keeping it a surprise, then it’s probably hidden. The question is, where?” he sniffed the air to look for any helpful scents. Ryder’s scent was the most obvious; it was practically everywhere, and Rocky’s scent was pretty prevalent, too. He could also smell motor oil, gasoline, rubber, and-

“Eww! What is that smell?” Chase plugged his nose as he backed away from a container filled with some kind of liquid.

“Oh, that’s just some old transmission fluid that I forgot to throw out. Sorry about that.” Ryder grabbed the container and took it out of the garage as Chase continued his search, rubbing his nose to try and get the scent out of his nostrils.

“Yeesh, how old was that stuff?” Once he finally got the scent out of his nose, he continued to sniff around, poking through a few piles of stuff and peeking behind some of the larger machines. After a few more minutes of searching, a particular scent caught his attention. “Is that… Fabric? Why would there be fabric in here?” Chase followed the scent to the back of the garage, where a big sheet was covering something vaguely shaped like a pup.

Chase’s tail began to wag in excitement. ‘This must be it!’ he grabbed the sheet and quickly pulled it away to reveal a pup mannequin wearing a uniform that was similar to his own.

Chase circled the mannequin a few times to get a better look at it. It was mostly the same shade of blue, aside from some green trim. The pup-pack was also slightly different; he could tell just by looking at it that it probably had different tools in it. And instead of his normal police hat, it had a helmet with a green visor. The most noticeable difference was the inclusion of blue and black boots; he didn’t have any kind of shoes in his uniform. “This is so cool!” He exclaimed in awe.

“I knew you’d like it.” Ryder came up from behind Chase and gave him a loving head scratch. “Say hello to your new Super Spy gear!”

Chase’s eyes went wide, “Spy gear? Do you really think I’m ready?”

“Of course you are! You’ve been training for over a month now, and your tracking skills are better than ever. You’re absolutely ready to be a super spy.”

The smile on Chase’s face was bright enough to light up the room. He jumped up and howled in excitement, “Yes! Yes! I’m gonna be a spy pup! Can I try it on?”

“Of course.” Ryder helped Chase get suited up in his new gear and brought him to a mirror. “Well, what do you think?”

Chase could hardly contain his excitement. It took all his willpower not to squeal like a schoolgirl meeting her favorite boy band, because that was exactly how he felt. Actually, it was more like he was joining his favorite boy band.

“This is awesome! I’m a freaking super spy! What kind of cool gadgets does this new pup-pack have? Please tell me I get a grappling hook or something. Do I get a new vehicle too? When do I get my first spy mission?”

Before Ryder could begin answering Chase’s questions, his pup-pad rang.

“Ryder! It’s an emergency! I need the PAW Patrol at the museum right away!”

“What’s wrong, Mayor Goodway?”

“The Golden Bone of Arizona Goodway has gone missing! It’s supposed to be on display in the museum, but now it’s gone!”

“Oh no, any idea what might’ve happened to it?”

“No! It’s like it just disappeared! It could’ve been stolen, or misplaced, or anything!”

“Don’t worry, we’re on the case. And I’ve got the perfect pup for the job.” From the corner of his eye, he could see Chase’s face light up, “No bone is too lost, no pup is too small! PAW Patrol, to the Lookout!”

Chase raced out of the garage and to the Lookout elevator, where most of the other pups were already waiting.

“Woah. Talk about an upgrade.” Zuma commented, admiring Chase’s gear. “You look awesome, bro.” Chase smiled with pride.

“Wait for me!” Marshall called as he rushed to the elevator, before tripping on one of Chase’s spy action figures and tumbling into the others. “Sorry, I didn’t ‘spy’ that toy there.” He joked, “Hey, cool outfit, Chase. You look like a super spy.” Chase couldn’t help but laugh.

After the mission debriefing, which included Chase getting to show off his spy gear, the team sped off to the museum. Chase was giddy with excitement as he glanced over the new features of his vehicle's Spy Mode. How Ryder managed to upgrade his cruiser without him knowing was still a mystery to him. ‘Dad’s just full of surprises.’ He laughed to himself.

They met up with Mayor Goodway at the museum’s entrance, who showed them where the bone was normally kept. “It should be right here next to the picture of my grandmother, Arizona Goodway.” She gestured to the empty pedestal that sat next to the portrait. “The last time I saw it was yesterday when I helped to close the museum for the night.”

“It’s past noon now.” Chase commented, “That’s a pretty big window of time for the bone to go missing. Has anyone visited the museum today, Mayor Goodway?”

“Well, of course, the museum has had plenty of visitors, but this room was closed off for the day for maintenance.”

“What kind of maintenance?” Ryder asked.

“Just the usual cleaning and safety checks.”

“Okay, Chase, look for clues here. The rest of you pups can search the rest of the museum, just to be thorough. Mayor Goodway, could you call the maintenance crew and ask them if they saw anything unusual?”

“Sure thing, Ryder.”

As the team split off, Ryder stayed with Chase, who was eagerly trying to figure out his new pup-pack. “Alright, Chase, time to test out your heat vision visor.”

“Heat vision? Cool! Ruff! Visor.”

It took Chase a second to adjust to his now green-tinted vision, but it wasn’t long before he was gleefully scouring the room for clues.

“This is so cool!” he giggled to himself. He could see the footprints left behind by the maintenance crew, including one set that went right up to the golden bone’s pedestal. “Looks like someone from the maintenance crew took it. We’ve got a thief on our hands!”

“Great work, Chase, but let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. The maintenance crew is also responsible for cleaning the artifacts, so it could’ve just been misplaced after it was cleaned.”

“If you say so.” Chase followed the footprints to a door on the other side of the room, with a sign that read ‘staff-only’. Opening the door revealed it to be a supply closet, where a bunch of cleaning supplies were being stored. “Maybe this is where the thief hid their stolen treasure.” Chase searched the closet thoroughly, but didn’t find the gold bone.

“Find anything, Chase?” Ryder asked.

“No, not yet.”

“Ryder! I’ve got news!” Mayor Goodway called, rushing into the room, “One of the maintenance workers said they remember taking the bone to polish it, but forgot to put it back. They said they left it in the supply closet.”

“I’ve already checked the supply closet, but it’s not there.”

“They also said they’re missing a member of the crew and that the last time they saw him was while they were doing the maintenance here.”

“I bet he’s the one who took the golden bone!” Chase declared, “We’ve gotta find him.” He put his nose to the ground and sniffed, quickly picking up the scent of the last person who was there. “Follow me.”

Chase followed the scent through the museum, which led him to another staff-only room with a flight of stairs leading to some kind of basement. “What’s down there, Mayor Goodway?”

“That’s the museum’s storage facility. The museum has a lot of artifacts that aren’t on display and so are kept down there.”

“I bet there’s plenty of artifacts to steal down there.” Chase descended the staircase with Ryder and Mayor Goodway close behind. Once he got to the basement, his eyes went wide. The storage facility was huge, with shelves of artifacts towering above them. “I think we’re gonna need some back-up.”

Ryder called down the rest of the pups, and they all spread out to search the storage facility, with Ryder and Chase pairing up.

“So, what else can this super spy gear do?” Chase asked as he poked around a shelf of old pottery.

“Well, that pup-pack has your usual megaphone, light, and launcher, but it also has a zipline.”

“A zipline? Oh, that is gonna be so much fun to use!”

“Your boots also have a wall walker mode that’ll let you climb on walls and even the ceiling.”

“That’s awesome! I can’t wait to try that out!”

“Just remember to be careful, okay? I don’t want you falling off a wall or anything.”

“I’m a super spy, I’m always careful.” Chase replied confidently, before walking right into a big stone statue. “Oof.” He giggled nervously as he rubbed his head, “I… Meant to do that.”

Ryder chuckled at his pup’s poor attempt at covering up his mishap, then froze as he heard the sound of a crate falling over.

“What was that?” Chase asked, his ears perked up in attention. Ryder pulled out his pup-pad and called the rest of the team.

“Pups, did any of you knock something over? Chase and I heard something fall.” The pups all responded with some version of ‘no’, indicating they weren’t responsible.

“Time to investigate.” Chase declared, already heading towards the source of the sound. The two made their way deeper into the storage area, with Chase on high alert, searching for whatever or whoever made the noise. They came to an aisle of shelves where a box of historic clothing had been tipped over. A quick sniff told Chase the perpetrator was still close by.

“Whoever did this hasn’t gone far, let’s split up and see if we can surround them.”

Ryder nodded and turned the corner to the next row of shelves while Chase went the opposite direction, his nose to the ground and eyes scanning the area. Peeking through a gap between shelves, he spotted a man that he didn’t recognize who seemed to be looking for something. A glint of something shiny from one of the man’s pockets caught Chase’s attention.

“The golden bone!” Chase gasped as he realized what the object was. He quietly watched the man as he considered the best way to confront him. The man was tall with long legs, so he could probably outrun him if he made a break for it. He considered calling the others for backup, but the noise of a group call would alert the man that they were onto him; he was lucky the man hadn’t heard him already and didn’t want to risk it. Chase needed a way to catch him off guard and get the upper hand on his own. He looked down at his paws in thought, then smiled as his boots gave him the perfect idea.

“Ruff, wall walkers.” Little suction cups popped out of his boots, and Chase had to suppress a giddy giggle as he carefully climbed up the side of the shelf. ‘This is just like a scene in a spy movie!’ he thought to himself.

Once Chase had scaled the shelf, he moved quickly and quietly across the top of the shelves until he was directly above the man, still unaware of the pup’s presence. Chase smirked. He had him right where he wanted him.

“Stop in the name of the law!” Chase jumped from the shelf and landed right in front of the man. The sudden, unexpected appearance of a puppy jumping down from the sky startled the man and caused him to stumble backwards into a shelf of books. Chase winced as a bunch of books tumbled off the shelf. He hoped they were museum records and not hundred-year-old artifacts; old books were fragile from what he remembered.

“Alright, sir, care to explain where you got that gold bone from? Because I don’t think that belongs to you.”

The man stumbled as he struggled to pick himself up, still shaken from the puppy jumpscare and looking at the pup with a mix of confusion and anxiousness, “Y-you mean the Golden Bone of Arizona Goodway? Uh, yeah, I was just, um, going to clean it! Yeah, I’m part of the maintenance crew, and I came down here looking for cleaning supplies. You know, to clean it.”

Chase fought hard not to roll his eyes at the man’s poor attempt at lying. He wondered if the man would actually think he had tricked him if he tried playing dumb, but decided to assume the man was self-aware enough to realize how bad of a liar he was and spare his own dignity.

“Please, that story has more holes in it than swiss cheese. Either tell me the truth, or I’m gonna have to start making assumptions, and sneaking around the museum’s storage facility with a missing artifact isn’t exactly a good look.”

The man froze, looking around the room as if searching for an escape route, but he had been backed into a corner.

“Look bud, just hand over the bone and- Oof!” Chase was thrown back as the man kicked him before sprinting down the hall. Chase quickly picked himself up, but the man was already nearing the end of the hall. He needed to think fast.

“Ruff! Zipline!” A cord was launched from his pup-pack, attaching itself to the man’s back with a little suction cup. The man kept running though, causing Chase to get dragged along with him.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Chase was swung around wildly as the man turned a corner, barely avoiding hitting another shelf. He frantically reached for his pup-tag and made a group call.

“Guys! I found the bone, and the thief who took it! He’s on the run! I’m on his tail but could really use some help here!”

“Don’t worry, Chase.” Rocky’s voice piped up, “I’ve got an idea.”

“You stupid mutts can’t stop me!” The man yelled, turning another corner and flinging Chase into a pile of empty cardboard boxes.

“I think this qualifies as animal cruelty at this point.” Chase huffed, shaking off the packing peanuts.

The man reached behind his back to try to get the cord off of him as he continued to run, failing to notice Rocky up ahead stringing a rope across the hallway a few inches above the ground. Chase smirked and released his zipline cord, slowly skidding to a stop, but the man had no time to react before he tripped on Rocky’s rope trap.

“Nice job, Rocky.” Chase said, grabbing the golden bone from the man’s pocket.

“Thanks. You okay? Looked like this guy threw you around a bit.”

“I’m fine, nothing Super Spy Chase can’t handle.”

Rocky rolled his eyes, “Are you going to refer to yourself in the third person every time you put that gear on? Because that’s gonna get annoying real quick.”

“Oh, come on, it’s cool.”

“Chase! Rocky!” Ryder, along with Mayor Goodway and the rest of the pups, came from around the corner, “Are you two okay?”

“Yep, we’re fine.” Chase assured, “Here’s the golden bone back, Mayor Goodway.”

Mayor Goodway breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank you, Chase. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Just doing my job, Mayor Goodway.”

The man huffed as he got to his feet, “Taken down by a stupid pack of pups…”

“Who are you calling stupid?” Ryder asked with a dark glare. Chase smirked.

“You know, he also kicked me when he first made a break for it. It kinda hurt.”

“He did what now?” Ryder’s face flashed with rage, staring into the man’s soul in a way that made the man question his life choices, “Okay, you and I are gonna need to have a little chat…”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Einstein, could you pass me the wrench once you're done with it?”

“Sure thing, Dad, I’m almost finished tightening the joint bolts. Also, since you’re working on the power core, can you double-check the wiring? I’ve gotten literal wires crossed more times than I’d care to admit.”

“Yeah, me too, especially these really tiny ones. They get tangled so easily. I almost wish we’d made him bigger so we didn’t have to use such tiny parts.”

“You know if we did that, we’d never get him finished. Plus, do you really want a giant metal pup running around?”

“Well, you know how I am with pups.”

Rocky laughed as he tightened the last bolt, handing the wrench to Ryder before stepping back to admire his handiwork. The robotic dog they had been building together for weeks was finally nearing completion.

It had started as simply a funny idea Rocky suggested when they were watching Jimmy Neutron together; Ryder made a comment on how cool it would be to have a robot pup, and it quickly evolved into a brainstorming session between the two that ended with them practically itching to bring their shared vision to life. It was by far Rocky’s favorite project to date, simply because he had done it with his dad. Fixing and inventing were always better when he did it with Ryder. It was a hobby the two of them shared, and he cherished the time they spent together in the garage, whether it was working together or on their own personal projects.

That’s probably the reason the robotic pup got done so quickly. Rocky had been dragging Ryder to the garage to work on it every chance they got so they could spend time doing their favorite activity together.

Now, their labor of father-son love was just about finished. Today was the day they were going to test it, and if the tests went well, the robot dog would be officially completed! He couldn’t wait to show his siblings.

“Looks like he’s ready for testing!” Ryder declared, putting away his tools and giving the robot a quick inspection.

“Almost…” Rocky countered, “There’s still one thing missing.”

“Really? What?” Ryder looked over their creation again, going through a mental checklist trying to find whatever it was Rocky was referring to.

“We need to give him a name!”

Ryder laughed, “I guess you're right.” He thought for a moment, “How about Robo-Dog?”

Rocky gave him an unimpressed look, “Robo-Dog? Really? That’s the best you can come up with? Jimmy Neutron named his robot dog after a physicist, but we’re just gonna call ours Robo-Dog?”

“What? It’s simple and it sounds cool! Plus, Goddard sounds weird.”

“Robert Hutchings Goddard created the first liquid-fueled rocket! I will not have my own father slander his name!” Rocky exclaimed, though there was no malice in his voice.

“I’m not saying he wasn’t a great inventor.” Ryder threw up his hands in defense, “I just think Robo-Dog sounds better.”

Rocky rolled his eyes, “Okay, his name can be Robo-Dog… But only if I get to be the one giving him commands during the tests.”

“Deal.”

The two took Robo-Dog outside into the yard and began setting up the various tests. Once everything was ready, Robo-Dog was activated.

“Okay, Robo-Dog, ready for your test run?” Rocky asked, Robo-Dod barked in response.

Ryder pulled up a checklist on his pup-pad, “Voice acknowledgment and response is working. Now, give him a command.”

“Alright. Robo-Dog, walk towards Dad.”

But Robo-Dog didn’t move. Instead, he looked at Rocky and tilted his head in confusion.

“Hmm, looks like he doesn’t understand the command. I wonder why?” Ryder pondered, “Oh, try using my name instead of Dad.”

“Robo-Dog, walk towards Ryder.” It felt weird for Rocky to say his dad’s name, but Robo-Dog barked and started moving.

“Looks like he can take commands just fine.” Ryder concluded, “We’ll just need to update his recognition software so he understands that when you pups say ‘Dad’, you’re referring to me.”

“That’s gonna be tricky. We’ll need to make sure he knows ‘Dad’ only refers to you when me or the other pups say it. Otherwise, he might get confused again when we bring him around other people.”

“We’ll work on that later. For now, let’s continue. We’ll test his flying and strength next.”

Rocky nodded and pointed at a box with some weights in it. “Robo-Dog, pick up that box and lift it into the air.”

Robo-Dog barked and grabbed the box with his mouth. The small rockets in his feet activated, and he rose above the ground with the box in tow. He continued to fly upward until he was a few feet above the ground, showing no signs of struggle.

“Nice job, Robo-Dog.” Rocky called, “Now, fly around the Lookout, and then bring the box to me.” Robo-Dog did as he was told, doing a few laps around the Lookout before landing next to Rocky.

“Flying coordination and weightlifting capacity are looking good. Now for his speed.”

Rocky smiled, “This one’s gonna be great. Robo-Dog, fly to the end of the yard and back as fast as you can.”

With a robotic bark, Robo-Dog’s rockets activated once again, and he took off fast enough to create a gust of wind that nearly knocked Ryder off his feet. He was across the yard and back within a few short seconds.

“Woah. Speed is… Fast. Very fast.”

“And that’s why I insisted on the rockets.”

“Okay, I’ll admit it, you were right. That was pretty cool.”

“Everything’s cooler when you strap rockets to it.”

Ryder looked over the checklist, “Alright, looks like we’re done. Robo-Dog is working just fine.”

“Yes!” Rocky jumped with excitement, “I can’t wait to show the others. I just know they’re gonna love him!” he grabbed Robo-Dog by one of his paws and began practically dragging him towards the Lookout, with Ryder trailing behind them.

However, Rocky failed to notice the hole Rubble had dug in the yard earlier, and while Rocky had stepped over the hole, Robo-Dog wasn’t so lucky. His leg got caught in the hole, and with the force of Rocky still pulling him along, he lurched forward and fell right onto the visor that made up the upper half of his face, causing it to crack.

“Oh no! Robo-Dog, are you okay?” Rocky winced at the sight of Robo-Dog’s damaged face as Ryder helped the robot back onto his paws. Robo-Dog began to twitch and spark, experiencing what Rocky could only assume was some kind of glitch or malfunction caused by the fall.

“That doesn’t look good…” Ryder took a weary step back, motioning for Rocky to do the same, before Robo-Dog suddenly shot into the air, the force knocking both him and Rocky back. He hovered in the air for a moment before blasting off towards town.

“…That’s definitely not good…”

“The fall must’ve damaged his CPU or RAM!” Rocky cried, “We gotta go after him! There’s no telling what he’ll do!”

The two rushed to their vehicles and sped off after Robo-Dog. Fortunately, the pup-tag Ryder had given the robot was still functional, so they were able to track him to the town hall, where he was chasing Mayor Goodway.

“Ryder! Rocky! Help!” she cried.

“Don’t worry, Mayor Goodway!” Ryder called, cringing at the fact that it was his own creation that was causing the problem. “We have to get Robo-Dog away from Mayor Goodway. Any ideas, Rocky?”

“Well, it’s hard to tell how much of Robo-Dog’s programming is still intact, but the first Law of Robotics is still at the core of his AI. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”

“You mean, intentionally put ourselves or someone else in danger in the hopes that Robo-Dog will be distracted saving whoever’s in danger?”

“Okay, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. But maybe no one has to actually be in danger, we might be able to trick Robo-Dog into thinking there’s danger when there isn’t any.”

“Hmm, you may be on to something there… I got it! Rocky, do you still have that old projector the movie theatre gave you when they upgraded their equipment?”

“You know I do! Why trash it when you can stash it?”

Rocky rummaged through the back of his truck until he found the projector, then helped Ryder hook it up to his pup-pad and pointed the projector towards the wall of town hall. After a quick image search, Ryder turned on the projector, and an image of a fire was projected onto the town hall. Robo-Dog noticed the projected fire out of the corner of his vision, and he immediately stopped his pursuit of Mayor Goodway to grab a hose and start spraying the projected fire with water. With the robot no longer pursuing her, Mayor Goodway rushed to Ryder and Rocky.

“You two came just in time.” She sighed as she tried to catch her breath, “That robot flew in out of nowhere. I don’t know where it came from or who it belongs to.”

“Yeah, it’s mine, I built it.” Ryder admitted, his voice laced with guilt, but Rocky raised an eyebrow.

“You built it? Last I checked, this was a father-son project.”

“I was trying to take the blame off of you.” Ryder countered, “But don’t worry, Mayor Goodway, we’ll take care of this.”

At this point, Robo-Dog seemed to become frustrated that the ‘fire’ wasn’t going out, and so began to fly closer to it, eventually colliding with the wall. The crack on his visor grew, and he began to glitch out again.

“Uh oh…” Rocky muttered as Robo-Dog flew off again, this time towards Katie’s Pet Parlor.

“Don’t lose sight of him!” Ryder called, revving the engine of his ATV and racing off after the robot with Rocky close behind. The two followed Robo-Dog to the parlor, where he flew through the doors and into the building. “Oh no, Katie!” Ryder practically jumped off his ATV and sprinted inside, where Robo-Dog was struggling to pull a towel from Katie’s grasp.

“Oh, hey, Ryder.” Katie greeted nonchalantly, “I’m guessing this robo pup is one of your inventions.”

“How’d you know?”

“Ryder, it’s a robotic dog; this has you written all over it. I’m guessing six pups just wasn’t enough?”

“Actually, we worked together to build him.” Rocky corrected, having followed Ryder into the parlor. “Sorry about this, Katie. He fell and now he’s malfunctioning.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Still not as bad as the prototype pup-pack incident.”

Rocky tilted his head in confusion, “What prototype pup-pack incident?”

Katie laughed, “Oh my gosh, Ryder never told you?”

“No, I didn’t!” Ryder interjected, “And I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

“Well, now I’ve gotta know.” Rocky insisted.

“You see, when your dad first started the PAW Patrol, he asked me to help him test the prototypes for your pup-packs. Turns out he made the jets on Skye’s pup-pack a little too powerful, and I ended up stranded on top of a three-story building. On the other side of town.”

Rocky couldn’t stop his laughter, covering his mouth with his paw, while Ryder’s cheeks turned pink from embarrassment. “Am I ever gonna live that down?”

“I got a bird’s eye view of the whole town as I clung to a tiny pink jetpack for dear life. So, no. Now, can you please tell your robot to let go of my towel? I’ve got an appointment scheduled for a snooty poodle that’ll only let me dry her with this specific towel.”

“Don’t worry, Katie,” Rocky assured, “we’ll get Robo-Dog out of your hair. Robo-Dog, let go of that towel and come here.”

The robot did, in fact, let go of the towel, but instead of going to his creators, he flew above their heads and out the door.

“There he goes again.” Ryder sighed, “We’ve got to put a stop to this before someone gets hurt!”

“We can shut him off with the power switch on his back; the question is, how do we get to it?”

“We’ll need some way to hold Robo-Dog in place so we can turn him off. Maybe a magnet could work. Do you have any magnets in your truck?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if they’ll be strong enough to catch Robo-Dog.”

Ryder thought for a moment, “Maybe we could build a stronger one. It shouldn’t be that hard, we’ll just need a strong battery, a long copper wire, and something ferromagnetic like a tool made of nickel or-”

“An iron rod? I’ve got one in my truck, along with a car battery and at least ten feet of copper wire.”

“Haha, I knew you would. Now let’s go build us an electromagnet and catch a runaway robot, see you later, Katie.”

The girl in question sighed and rolled her eyes as the two left her shop. She had no idea what an electromagnet was or how they would go about making one with iron, a battery, and wire, but she’d gotten used to not understanding Ryder’s inventing process. “Like father, like son.”

“Okay, that should be enough coils to get a pretty strong magnetic field. Now we just need to attach the ends of the wire to the battery. What’s Robo-Dog’s location?”

Ryder checked the tracker on Robo-Dog’s pup-tag, “He’s headed this way. If we hurry, we can stop him right here and won’t have to chase him down again.”

“Great! Just tell me when to fire.” Rocky placed the rod that had been wrapped in the copper wire on top of a telescope stand before hooking up both ends of the wire to the car battery.

In the distance, they could see something shiny flying towards them.

“Here he comes, Rocky, get ready.”

As Robo-Dog approached, Rocky’s paw hovered over the battery’s power switch, ready to activate it on Ryder’s command as Ryder held the rod in position, being careful not to touch the wire and aiming it at Robo-Dog as he flew closer and closer. And once he was close enough…

“Now!”

Rocky turned on the battery, and immediately, the pup-tag on his collar stuck to the end of the iron rod and Ryder’s pup-pad flew out of his hands, sticking to the rod as well. The fact that they hadn’t accounted for their metal items being attracted to the magnet earned a chuckle from the two of them.

Once the impromptu magnet was activated, Robo-Dog began to swerve off course. He tried to fight the pull of the magnet, but eventually, the metallic pup was yanked from the sky and slammed into the magnet with enough force to knock it off the stand. The robot flailed wildly, glitching and shooting sparks, before Ryder managed to reach the off switch on his back and finally shut him down.

“Phew, finally.” Ryder breathed a sigh of relief, “Good work, Rocky. Now let’s get Robo-Dog home so we can fix him.”

“Sure, but uhh, I kinda need some help first.” Rocky tried to pull himself away from the still-active magnet, but his pup-tag held firm, and he couldn’t reach the battery to turn it off. Ryder did his best to keep himself from laughing, but a few giggles slipped through.

“Don’t worry, Einstein, I got you.”

Once Ryder and Rocky returned to the Lookout, they immediately went to work on the repairs. Turns out the damage to Robo-Dog’s hardware was worse than they realized, so even by the time the sun began to set, they still weren’t done.

“Looks like we’ll have to put this project to bed for now.” Ryder said as he looked at the clock, “It’s time for me to make dinner, and after that it’s bedtime. We can finish this up tomorrow.”

Rocky looked up from the circuit board he was working on, “Can I stay just a little longer? I’m almost done with this.”

“Sorry, buddy, as your dad, I can’t just let you skip dinner.”

“But I swear I’m almost finished fixing the microprocessors. This’ll only take a few more minutes.”

“Yes, but then you're gonna get in the zone and start fixing something else without thinking, and before you know it, you’re going to miss dinner altogether.”

“Pleeese, Dad.” Rocky’s eyes went wide as he brought out the sad puppy dog eyes, “I know that if I work just a little bit longer, I can fix Robo-Dog.”

Poor Ryder was powerless against the adorable gaze of his son. “Okay, alright. You can keep working, I’ll just bring you your dinner. Curse those precious puppy dog eyes.”

Rocky gave a mischievous smile as he returned to his work.

When Ryder finally managed to get his pups to bed, he wasn't at all surprised to find that Rocky wasn't amongst them. 'I knew it.' He silently chastised himself, 'I knew he'd get caught up in his work again. I knew this would happen, and yet I let him do it anyway. Those stinking puppy dog eyes! I just can't say no to them when they do that.'

He opened the garage doors, a lecture already prepared for his pup about overworking himself, but it fizzled out in his throat when he saw the gray pup lying on the floor next to the robot, fast asleep. Ryder let out a sigh; of course, Rocky had worked himself to exhaustion and fallen asleep in the garage. He didn't have the heart to be mad at him, though. Not only was he absolutely adorable curled up like that, but Ryder himself was guilty of doing the same thing in the past, falling asleep at his work desk as he drew up blueprints or tinkered with one thing or another. But his son's cuteness wouldn't save him from getting a lecture in the morning.

As Ryder gently picked up his young pup, careful not to wake him, he got a good look at Robo-Dog, and he realized something. Robo-Dog was fixed. All the damage that had still been present when Ryder came down to bring Rocky his dinner had been repaired, as if he had never been broken in the first place. He couldn’t deny the pride that was bubbling up at the sight of his son’s handiwork.

“Goodnight, my little genius.” He whispered lovingly as he laid Rocky down in his pup-house, giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead. He couldn’t wait to show Robo-Dog to the other pups in the morning, and he had a feeling Rocky would be just as excited.