Chapter 6: Phase Three

Ryder led his pups towards the jungle. Right behind him was Marshall, followed by Skye, Rocky, Everest, Zuma, and Rubble. As they tore down the dirt road, they screeched to a halt upon seeing a familiar sight.

"Ryder," Zuma said, "is that..."

"The PAW Patroller?" Everest finished.

"It sure looks like it," said Marshall.

"I bet it is," said Rubble.

"How is it out here?" asked Rocky. "I thought you only were able to activate it Ryder."

"Hmm..." Ryder said before pulling out his pup pad. He scrolled until he reached the blue icon. Pressing it, he waited for his call to be answered.

"Hello? Chase here."

"Chase, where are you?"

"On my way to the jungle."

"I know that but where?"

"In the PAW Patroller with Katie, Alex, Mr. Porter, Francois, Captain Turbot, Jake, Farmer Yumi, and Farmer Al. Why?"

"Okay, that explains a lot. Thanks Chase." Ryder hung up before Chase could answer. He turned to the rest of his pups. "Chase is in the PAW Patroller with all of our friends. I almost forgot. Since he's second in command, he has the authority to activate both the PAW Patroller and the Air Patroller."

"Hey, maybe we can meet up with him. We can even park our vehicles inside," suggested Rubble.

"Great idea Rubble!" said Rocky.

"Alright pups, let's go!" said Ryder. The pups cheered and shouted out their catchphrases.

"I'm fired up!"

"Let's take to the sky!"

"Green means go!"

"Ice or snow, I'm ready to go!"

"Let's dive in!"

"Let's dig it!"

"Haha," Ryder giggled. "PAW Patrol is on a roll!" He then called Chase. "Chase, can you open the back door to the PAW Patroller? The pups and I are behind you and it'd be easier if they just park their vehicles inside."

"Yes sir, Ryder sir," said Chase. "Chase is on the case!"

Moments later, the back door opened, allowing all the pups and Ryder to park their vehicles inside. The pups turned their vehicles back into their dog houses. Then they all ran over to Chase.

"Feeling any better, Chase?" asked Rocky.

"A little, but the pain is still too much."

"I'm going to go up front and talk to the mayor. You pups can do whatever," said Ryder as he went up front with the other humans.

"How about a Pup Pup Boogie Tournament?" suggested Marshall. "My tailspin has gotten better."

"Good idea, Marshall," said Everest, making the dalmatian blush. "Since Chase can't play we can have an even number of competitors."

"First round should be opposite colors," suggested Rocky. "Marshall with me, Zuma with Everest, and Skye with Rubble."

"No fair," said Everest and Rubble at the same time, knowing their opponents' dance moves were far more superior than theirs.

"How about we just have someone pick teams?" said Zuma. "Chase, care to do the honors?"

"Sure," said the German shepherd. "Skye and Zuma, Rubble and Rocky, and Marshall and Everest." Everyone seemed satisfied with Chase's decisions so they started up the game and selected "Tournament Mode."

First up was Skye and Zuma. It was basically a repeat of what happened in "Pups and the Lighthouse Boogie;" Skye kept up with Zuma until the big spin came and she spun out of control and crashed into the beanbag Chase was lying on. "Sorry Chase," she giggled.

"It's okay, though I think you got out just so you could be with me," he teased.

"That and Zuma is far better than me at Pup Pup Boogie."

Next up was Rocky and Rubble. Since the song was fast-paced, the bulldog persevered and came out victorious. Finally it was Marshall and Everest. Soon the tailspin came up. Much to everyone's surprise, Marshall succeeded and surpassed Everest. The rest of the pups applauded. Marshall blushed and took a bow.

"I say Marshall gets the second round bye since he nailed that tailspin," said Zuma.

"Yeah, let's go Zuma. Game on," said Rubble. The game started, and both pups were doing really well. That is until the split came. "No, not again," moaned Rubble. He nailed the split, but as usual, could not get back up. Zuma then faced Marshall in the final round. Everyone expected the chocolate lab to destroy the dalmatian. And everyone's expectations were met. Marshall didn't seem upset however.

"At least I made it to the championship round," he remarked. Everyone shared a laugh then went off to do their own thing. Chase and Skye decided to watch a movie. Rubble went to take a nap, as did Zuma. Marshall and Everest went off to a different room, most likely to play a board game. And Rocky decided to read a book.

"Which movie should we watch?" asked Chase.

"How about...Marley and Me?" suggested Skye.

"No way! Don't you know how sad that movie is?" asked Chase.

"Beauty and the Beast? The new one with Emma Watson?"

"Sure, I haven't seen it before so it should be a nice treat."

Skye plopped the disc in the DVD player and pressed play. Then she snuggled into Chase's side as the movie began.

"Still no word on Mayor Humdinger, huh Mayor?"

"I'm sorry Ryder but I've called him a billion times and he hasn't picked up."

"Maybe he's in trouble. Maybe it has something to do with the terrorist attack."

"I don't know. It is a possibility but he is smart enough to evacuate at least himself."

"I feel like we should turn back and investigate."

"If you insist, I won't stop you. But I want you to stay safe."

"Don't worry Mayor. We'll find Mayor Humdinger. No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

In a dark room somewhere, four men intercepted Ryder's call with Mayor Goodway. They all smiled and laughed evilly.

"Don't worry Mayor. We'll find Mayor Humdinger. No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

"That's what he thinks," said Spike.

"He has no idea what's coming," said Toby.

"Such a brave young lad," said Henry, sighing. "Too bad he won't be able to live to tell of his attempted heroism. Oh, and phase three should be a go right about now."

Meanwhile in the jungle...

"We're almost there guys," said Ryder. "We'll drop you guys off and turn around to investigate Mayor Humdinger's sudden disappearance."

In the room next door, Lumiere was singing the musical number "Be Our Guest." Having already seen the 1991 animated version, they knew most of the words. It didn't take long for Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble to join in watching the movie. Marshall and Everest finished their game of Scrabble and joined the other five pups. Little did they know of the danger not far behind them.

Most people associate Henry Debinger as a criminal with three henchmen. Although this much is true, no one knows of his army of 1,000 men, ranging from skilled motorists to precise sharpshooters to tank drivers to cooks, unless you were unfortunate enough to be killed by one. Debinger had 25 of his motorcyclists ride with 25 gunmen and grenade launchers. They had their eyes on one target: the PAW Patroller. The lead bike motioned for the rest to take action. A grenade was tossed into an open window, then the bikes backed off.

Chase jumped to attention. His nose was sending alarm signals to his brain. He sniffed towards the back room but paled upon recognizing the scent from police training.

"What is it Chase?" asked Skye, who paused the movie.

"Grenade," whispered Chase. He then ran towards the front with the pups following him. "Ryder! Ryder! GRENADE!" Just then there was a loud explosion from the back of the PAW Patroller. The explosion occurred in the vehicle room, so all the pups' rigs, including Ryder's ATV were destroyed. The force of the explosions caused Robodog to panic. He slid off the road and the PAW Patroller rolled onto its side. The last thing Chase saw before blacking out were thirty or so men infiltrating the PAW Patroller. He held onto Skye tightly before finally blacking out.