The show! Will! Go! On!
Keldeo reared up on his hind legs, his expression serious and his Secret Sword raised and glowing brightly.
Keldeo the Critic
Season 4 Episode 13: Zuma's Fear by HavocHound
Keldeo jumped up as he regained consciousness. He looked around at his surroundings with wide eyes, then nodded resolutely, still retaining his Resolute Form.
"Alright. . . let's do this!"
It had been two days since Marshall was taken.
"The pup has to be dead," whispered a police dog who was talking to one of his comrades. "Damian Stone has never left a single victim of his live longer than a day."
"Don't say that. Especially when one of his friends are nearby," whispered another, pointing out to Zuma in the distance.
"I'll I'm saying is that given the history of Stone, we're wasting our time trying to find him," whispered the first police dog.
"You're just a pessimist you know that?"
Zuma pretended that he didn't hear them-
"Wait, they're close enough for Zuma to hear?" Keldeo asked, "Well in that case, that dog isn't just a pessimist. He's a sadist! Things are bad enough without you making public victim number one over there feel even more guilty! It's so bad, Zuma nearly jumps off a cliff!"
Why not me? Why can't it just be me and be over with? whispered Zuma, who felt nothing but despair deep in his heart. First my family... now my friends... all because of me? Why didn't I just die in that shack like the rest of them. None of this would be happening if I was just dead...
It was bad enough Alex had been hurt and forever traumatized from the incident. Now Marshall, one of the kindest and good hearted pups he knew, was either dead or wishing he was. Zuma peered over the edge of the cliff, where the rocks and water lay. For a single moment, he slowly raised his shaking paw off the edge.
"Hand over your badge, you jerk, you're suspended," Keldeo said sourly as he extended his right forehoof.
Then Keldeo blinked and said, "And wait a minute, why are they letting Zuma wander near a cliff? Are they seriously not worried that he might commit suicide after all the trauma and guilt he's been through, and still going through?"
"Zach Ryder! The smartest moron in Adventure Bay!"
"Zuma?"
Gasping, he retreated his paw and turned around to see Rocky looking at him. "Hey, Wocky. Um, what is it?"
"I just wanted you know that Chase is back and Ryder's asking us to all meet. He says it's important," said the mixed breed.
"So the pups all gather back at the Lookout where the village idiot reveals his newest bad idea."
Ryder sighed and shook his head. "Chase, you're not going back out there... in fact... none of you are..." The pups raised their heads in confusion. "I'm sending you all to temporary families for your own safety."
"WHAT?!" shouted the pups in shock as they began to shout in protest.
"Ryder! You can't do this! We're a team! We're a family!" shouted Rubble.
"Are... are you getting rid of us?" whimpered a scared Rocky.
Shaking his head, Ryder replied, "I'm not getting rid of you... I'm keeping you all safe until Damian Stone is captured."
Keldeo facehoofed and said, "Once again everybody!"
"Zach Ryder! The smartest moron in Adventure Bay!"
Keldeo put his hoof down and said, "Isn't splitting up what gets people killed in horror movies? I mean, okay, I guess being sent away from Adventure Bay would be a good way to protect them, but why split them up? Won't that destroy them mentally and emotionally? And wouldn't being together be safer? That way they could defend each other as well as give each other some much needed moral support. And who are you even sending them to? Complete strangers? Yeah, that'll be great! I'm sure Zuma won't want to kill himself then!"
Portal 2 Announcer: "Sarcasm Self-Test Complete."
"Here's an idea, Ryder," Keldeo said with false kindness and a false smile, "Why don't you and your pups all go together? Maybe visit Canada or Hawaii? That way Stone can't get at you, and you can leave Detective Shaw to find Marshall and do all the dirty work because you clearly have no idea what you're doing, you idiot!" Keldeo shouted in rage, quickly dropping his smile.
"Well, it turns out none of this matters, because just then, Stone decides to implement the next stage of his evil plan."
None of the pups knew what to say. Silence decorated the Lookout... until a beeping noise came from Ryder's puppad.
Answering it, he saw that it was a unknown number and his eyes widened. "Guys..."
Shaw looked at it and cursed, radioing down he started to order the team to trace the call on the puppad.
"Thank you, Detective Shaw!" Keldeo praised.
Ryder looked at his pups who were looking at the puppad with fear in their eyes. They all knew, deep down, who it was that was contacting them.
"... do it... just get it over with..." whispered Zuma, biting his lip.
Ryder took a deep breath and pressed the button. Instead of a call, it was a text: Go To Channel 4.
Ryder raised an eyebrow, but activated the TV and changed the channel to Channel 4 which was usually reserved for "Good Day Adventure Bay". Their was only static on the TV until it started to form a picture which made the group gasp upon whom they saw.
Damian Stone was flipping his knife around as he leaned on a wooden table, a smirk on his face as he stared into the camera and directly at the viewers. Not just in the Lookout, but all throughout Adventure Bay. "Greetings, viewers of Adventure Bay. Your regularly scheduled program has been temporarily terminated so that we can bring you a special show. A show that I happen to be hosting."
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 20. Villain takes over a television station to broadcast his evil message. (Joker from The Batman)
The elevator opened up and two cops came in. "Sir, we just got a report from the Mayor that every TV in the town is watching this."
"Well that the hell are we waiting for! Turn the damn thing off!" shouted Shaw.
"We can't," said the other officer with a gulp. "He's holding a cameraman hostage, the news station confirmed it. They must have kidnapped him as well. Stone says that if anything disrupts his show he'll kill the hostage. "
"Okay, how is Stone doing all of this?" Keldeo asked, frowning in disbelief, "How does he just walk into a television station, steal a camera, and kidnap a cameraman? Isn't there a manhunt going on? How stupid does the police have to be to keep missing this guy? Does he own an invisibility cloak or something?"
"Anyway, we have a special guest with us tonight for the show," said Stone as he continued. He presented his arm to the right as the camera slowly began to turn. "You folks of Adventure Bay know him as the fire pup of Paw Patrol. A dalmatian that is always fired up to deal with any rescuing. But sadly can't seem to rescue himself. Nor can his friends save him..."
The pups and Ryder gasped when they realized it was Marshall he was talking about. Relief entered their minds when they realized he was safe, but then terror upon thinking what horrible things the poor pup had gone through. The camera soon reached a single spotlight.
"Here he is! Marshall!" cried out Stone with applause as the camera revealed his appearance.
Skye and Rubble screamed. Rocky threw up. Chase had turned pale and looked ready to faint. Ryder had dropped his puppad and began to cry tears. Zuma just sat their in horror as he saw blood. So much blood. Images of his family, all dead and covered in their wounds began to flash in his mind and now a new member had joined them.
Marshall was, for the better lack of the word, a mess. His entire body was covered with cuts from simple papercut sizes to full on gashes. His eyes were both decorated with shiners and bruises on his cheeks were easy to see. His jaw looked to be half broken as one of his ears was ripped off with something sharp. A small pool of blood, dripped down from his hindquarters where patches of fur had been skinned off and burn marks near his lower legs could be seen.
"Okay, honestly, I know I'm suppose to be horrified by this, but all I can do is wonder how the hay is he still conscious?" Keldeo asked flatly, "I mean, I guess he could survive all that, maybe? But how is he not unconscious from all the off-screen torture."
Stone, without any care of the half-dead pup in his possession, walked over to Marshall and patted him on the head. "Now, Marshall, who is your best friend in the whole world?"
"... you..." muttered Marshall.
"Oh my god..." whispered Skye as she turned away. "I don't want to see this."
"Marshall..." whispered Zuma as he fell to his stomach, crying in tears. Rocky went to his side and nuzzled him, but Zuma pushed him away.
"I'll kill him..." growled Chase, huffing and puffing. "I will, swear to god, kill him."
Stone continue to pet the dalmatian. "And who has been a bad puppy?"
"... me..." whispered Marshall as he began to choke up while coughing blood.
"Okay, when are you going to stop ripping off scenes from The Dark Knight?" Keldeo asked, "Sure, it was an amazing film, but come on!"
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 21. Villain makes a video of him torturing someone. (The Joker from The Dark Knight)
"Good," said Stone as he raised himself up and smirked at the camera. "And whose fault is it that you are like this?"
"... n-no..." whimpered Marshall.
Stone sighed as he took Marshall's head and lifted it back, making him scream. He shoved his knife next to his throat. "Tell me. Whose fault. This is all."
"... Zuma..." whimpered Marshall which got him released.
Stone smiled and turned back towards the camera. "That's right, Zuma. This is all your fault. Your fault for not dying all those years ago. Your fault that a poor little kid is going to be forever traumatized. That a girl lost her family. That your good friend Marshall is suffering right now."
"NO! It's Greg, Ryder, and Mr. Porter's fault! How many times do I have to say it?" Keldeo exclaimed.
"But there is a way to save him," said Stone, catching their attention. "We're going to play a few games to see if Marshall comes out in one piece or in pieces." Stone pulled out a cellphone. "Ryder, if you are watching this. Please call the number that texted you in the next fifteen minutes... or else I'll assume you don't care about your dog and just put him out of his misery.
The team all looked at Ryder who had picked up his puppad and looked at it with worry yet determination in his eyes. After looking at the other pups who nodded in agreement he recalled the phone.
And now the games would begin.
Keldeo groaned, "Great, now we're ripping off both SAW and Heavy Rain."
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 22. Villain makes victims play sick games where lives are at stake. (Jigsaw from SAW and the Origami Killer from Heavy Rain)
Keldeo stood up straight and said, "Okay, look, this next few chapters get pretty. . . bad. . . so I'm just going to summarize here. No sections from the actual story unless I absolutely have to. And to be honest, I strongly suggest skipping Chapters 15 through 17. It's not worth the horrors. Trust me on this."
"So, it turns out Stone used torture in order to squeeze out all of the PAW Patrol's secrets, and plans to use them all in his games. And, well, some of the games make sense, like killing a bunny every time Skye tells a lie, or forcing Ryder to kick Zuma across the room-."
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 23. Kick the Dog.
"But some of them seem. . . kinda petty. . ."
Keldeo shrugged, "I'm serious. Like, he makes Rubble destroy Zuma's sea shell collection. . . Okay. . . Then he makes Skye admit to Chase that she has no romantic feelings for him. . .Alright. And the funny thing is that Chase accepts this."
Skye lowered her head in shame but it was soon lifted up by Chase who gave her a smile. "It's okay… you're still special to me, Skye. Even if we're just friends."
"Chase…" whispered Skye with a smile as she hugged him. Despite the grim situation, the rest of the gang couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"… well that was boring," muttered Stone as he toss the bunny away and let it hoped away from the carcass of it's dead friends. "I was hoping for some pain and rejection, but you pups really are a bunch of fairies aren't you."
"No, we're all friends. We're a family. We look out for each other and love each other," stated Chase as he stared at the screen with a growl. "Something a monster like you will never understand."
"Friends are only good until they stab you in the back for their own gains. My family featured a crack whore mother who left when I was four and a lazy father who did nothing but drink until I killed him. Friends and families are a joke. Looking after yourself? That's reality," said Stone as he got up.
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 24. Villain cannot comprehend good.
He pulled out a second gun, this one a revolver but it was very small. "Of course, some people are just born lucky to have such things in this world. What about you, Chase? Are you lucky? Luckier than your mother?"
The room went ice cold as everyone except a confused Shaw were now looking at a shocked and yet also angry Chase. There was a reason why german shepherds were feared for their anger as much as Dobermans. The look in Chase's eyes was like he was seeing blood red and his teeth were shining bright for a kill.
There was only one taboo in the entire world when it came to Chase and that was to never ever mention his mother. Noone ever asked about it, mainly because Chase refused to say anything. The only two who knew were Marshall, who was all but his brother, and Ryder.
"Don't. You. EVER. TALK. ABOUT. MY MOTHER!" shouted Chase
Keldeo stomped the ground angrily and said, "Okay, now this part here gets me really mad, and not for the reason you'd expect. Long story short, Stone reveals to all of Adventure Bay that Chase's mother was sexually assaulted and then killed herself and her children, but Chase somehow survived. Yes, that's terrible, but the question here is how the in name of biscuits did Stone get that out of Marshall?! Yes, he tortured him, but Stone gives details, and I mean details about this story! And this isn't something Marshall would let slip so easily! We're talking some serious Psyche-Locks here! So unless Stone has been taking lessons from Phoenix Wright, there's no way he could've gotten that out of him. And besides, how did Stone know that Marshall knew a secret like that? For all Stone knew, all Marshall knew about Chase was that he liked Skye, he's got allergies, and his mom died. What motivation did Stone have to dig for such crazy secret for Chase and not, let's say, Rubble or Ryder or anyone else?"
"Well, then we get a creative, evil version of Magical Hats from Yu-Gi-Oh."
He then made his back face the camera as he covered the three cups. Already the gang could see where this was going, but were unable to see what cup he was switching with what. When he was done, Stone revealed the three cups simply untouched, but chances were they had been moved around.
"If you pick the cup with the dog biscuit, Marshall will eat that and live. The chocolate one, and he feeds on that. And I've always wanted to see how a dog reacts when they eat one," he said to Marshall when he said this, that said pup looked ready to faint. "And if you pick the gun? Well…" He pointed his finger and thumb and the screen and made a "bang" noise. "So pick, Chase. Marshall's life is in your paws."
Keldeo rubbed his chin with his forehoof, "You know, this could've been an opportunity to add an element of time to the story. Like, he's fed the chocolate, and now we have a time limit to win the game and get Marshall to a doctor. But I suppose things are bad enough, so Chase ends up choosing the dog biscuit and the game continues."
Keldeo facehooves like Picard and mutters, "And things really get so melodramatic and pathetic. I mean, watch this scene."
Rocky gulped as he heard his name, but stepped forward with a growl. "Whatever sick game you have planned. Just bring it already."
"Oooh, quite brave aren't you?" asked Stone with amusement. "From what Marshall told me, you and Zuma are quite the best friends? Am I right?"
"Yes," muttered Rocky.
"Good..." said Stone as he took out his gun and aimed it at Marshall. "I want you to start insulting your best friend. Tell him he's pathetic. Tell him he's a failure of a brother. That all of this is his fault. Marshall's suffering. That kid's trauma. His family's death. All of it is his fault.'
Rocky slowly turned around and stared at Zuma who was curled up in Ryder's embrace, like baby trying to escape the horrors of the world. He saw Zuma... his Zuma.. suffering like this... and he couldn't do it.
"No."
Everyone turned around and stared at Rocky who stared at the screen in defiance. Stone blinked in surprise before growling. "What?"
"I said no. Screw you," said Rocky, sitting down. "I'm not going to do it."
STone fired the gun near Marshall and missed him just barley. The pups sighed in relief upon seeing him unharmed. "I said I would shoot him. You this gun is fake? It's not!"
"I don't care..." whispered Rocky, lowering his face. "You can hurt my friends. Hurt me. Fine. But you will not, under any circumstances, force me to hurt Zuma."
"Damnit, Rocky!" shouted Chase as he rushed over and growled at Rocky's face. "This Marshall's life we're talking about!"
"... I'm sorry..." whispered Rocky, closing his eyes. "But I just... can't..."
"... Well, its looks like he's dead then," said Stone as he aimed the gun.
"... but I can give you something else."
Stone stopped before he could pull the trigger and raised his eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"... what if I was to reveal my deepest secret... for all of Adventure Bay to know..."
"Then he goes on about how he actually had a brother that his abusive owner drowned first- ugh, why is HavocHound so disturbed!"
Keldeo growled, and if everything we've gone through isn't disturbing enough, get a load of this! Stone brings in a pregnant woman and asks Zuma to choose who dies, her or Marshall. How did Stone get this woman? Who knows!? This is the insane world of Zuma's Fear! Where the villains apparently have access to the cheat console form the Elder Scrolls, Portal, and Half-Life games!"
Keldeo fell to the ground and moaned, "And you know, one thing has constantly been on my mind during all this. WHY ISN'T THERE A SWAT TEAM OR SOMETHING MOVING IN!?"
"All teams report in."
"Red team standing by."
"Blue team standing by."
"Gold team standing by."
Surrounding a large warehouse were nearly twenty different SWAT officers and six patrols of police officers hidden in other locations. Nobody was taking any chances and were equipped with heavy weaponry and armor. Detective Shaw had ordered an immediate trace on the broadcast as soon as it aired. Once they got a hit, Shaw secretly ordered an entire force down to take Damian Stone and his sick show.
Keldeo jumped up, looking very impressed.
"Oh. Wow. Okay. Three cheers for Shaw."
"So they enter the warehouse and shoot Stone so many times that he-!"
The smoke began to die down as each of the units readied themselves for a fight. However, there was nothing. No bodies, no gun shots, not even a camera.
While other units searched the rooms and upstairs railings, the leader of Gold Team saw something on a table that made him curious. It was a computer, showing the broadcast, connected to what looked to be a transmitter. Realization soon set in that made the Gold Leader curse. "Command it's a dead end! I found a transmitter connected to a computer. My guess is that he made it so that the broadcast was bouncing off this transmitter in case we tried to trace his signal."
"Understood, keep searching for anything else. We'll see if we can get a team to trace where the transmitter is blocking."
Sweetie Belle: "OH, COME ON!"
"Is this guy psychic or something!?" Keldeo shouted, "I'm surprised he didn't rig a bomb here too!"
The Gold Leader sighed and was about to issue orders to his men when he saw a new screen appear on the computer. It was a timer. It started going down as he narrowed his eyes and suddenly a horrible thought came to him.
"Everyone out now!" he shouted as loud as he could. The SWAT officers didn't waste any more time and quickly exited the building as fast as they could. When the timer reached zero, a set of explosives went off inside and blasted the warehouse apart. Officers were thrown back from the explosion and a few screamed in pain as rubble and shrapnel entered through their armor.
In less than a minute, the entire warehouse was on fire.
Keldeo rang his Soothe Bell a couple of time, and then dunked his face into the surrounding water. He came up for air and shook the water out of his hair. He then sighed and said, "Alright. I suppose it makes sense that Stone would know that a SWAT team would home in on him the moment he started his show. So yeah, I guess it's not too far-fetched."
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 25. Villain is dangerously genre savvy.
"So Stone gives them time alone to make a decision, and seeing as how serious and delicate this situation is, the group makes sure to think things through very clearly and remain calm-."
"We're… We're not gonna sacrifice Marshall… are we?" asked Rubble, tears in his eyes. Nobody said anything. "We can't just let him die!"
"And what, we just let a pregnant woman also die as well?!" shouted Skye in fury. "For god's sake, it's a baby that's also at risk!"
"But Marshall is our friend! He's part of our family! We cannot just allow him to die like that!" screamed Chase before rushing to Ryder. "We have to do something, Ryder! Anything!" Chase howled and stomped his paw. "I won't lose my brother to that maniac!"
Keldeo tossed up his hooves and said, "Or we could just have a shouting match! Of course! Yeah! Sure! Go ahead! I mean, Shaw just left to check on his men, so the only authority figure left in the room is Ryder, and he's a moron, so of course everything falls apart!"
They all turned to Zuma who was still frozen in shock over what he had to do. Chase growled and glared at Zuma with disdain. "This is all your fault. Because of you… Marshall is…"
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Keldeo shouted, "Don't you dare try and pull that! Especially when we all know that this is all Greg, Ryder, and Mr. Porter's fault! Greg for not wanting to call the police. Ryder for not calling the police for Greg. And Mr. Porter for allowing his grandson to be kidnapped. Yes, I know Stone is the real villain here, so technically it's all his fault. But since he's the villainous force and source the suffering, we have to acknowledge that those three were the ones who opened Pandora's Box, so if anyone should be suffering in this fanfic, it's THEM!"
Keldeo rang his Soothe Belle three more times, then launched right back into the review, "So, Stone comes back and tells Zuma to choose. Although, I can't help but wonder, the PAW Patrol are all rescuer, public service, first responders. It's their job to protect the public with their lives. I'm pretty sure they took some kind of oath to do that. So, wouldn't they kind of have to sacrifice Marshall?"
"Zuma…"
His attention as grabbed as everyone looked up and saw Marshall raise his bloody head and, despite his suffering, smiled at the pups. "It's okay… you don't have to make a decision… because… because I've already decided… it's me who should die."
The pups gasped. "Marshall, no!" shouted Zuma in fear. "You can't say that!"
"I won't… allow an innocent… to die because of me… I'm telling you to do this… choose me. And let me die instead of her," struggled Marshall as he stood up tall and gave his usual smile. "I am a member of Paw Patrol. My duty is to the people I am supposed to protect. With my life, I will serve all others until my duty is done one way or another. That is the vow I took. That is the vow we all took. We are Paw Patrol. Our duty to the people comes first… even before our own lives."
Keldeo applauded with his forehooves, a tear trickling down his left cheek.
"Beautiful," he said softly, "Absolutely beautiful. Beautifully executed. Beautifully written. Just beautiful."
He wiped his tears and said, "So, we get a very sad goodbye scene that I'm not gonna spoil here, and then Zuma makes the choice every single one them had sworn to make the moment they joined the PAW Patrol."
"… I'm ready... goodbye…" said Marshall who closed his eyes and prepare for his end.
"… kill Mawshall…" whispered Zuma who felt sick just saying those words.
Everyone of Paw Patrol soon came together in one hug, all watching the final moments of their comrade, their friend, the family member Marshall as Stone got off from his seat and smirked. "Alright then."
Keldeo no longer looked impressed or touched. In fact, he looked rather annoyed and frustrated.
"Yeah, I think we all know what's coming," Keldeo said in a matter-of-fact manner, "I mean, with the way Stone's mind works and how everyone is being so honorable and touching here, it's blatantly obvious what Stone is gonna do."
"Oh, wait," said Stone with a realization as he pulled the gun away. He then slowly turned to the camera. "I forgot that it is opposite day!"
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 26. Villain does the opposite of what the hero says For the Evulz.
"Zuma? This? All this blood and madness? This is going to continue. This will not stop unless until I have taken everything from you."
He reloaded his gun and aimed it at the camera. "Thanks for watching. Goodnight."
He shot the camera and it all went static.
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 27. Villain ends his video message by destroying the camera.
"So. . . is the cameraman dead too or. . ."
Keldeo shook the cobwebs out of his head and continued, "Well, after this, Stone magically evaporates/teleports again, but leaves Marshall to be taken to the hospital for recovery."
Keldeo sat down comfortably and said, "Now, before we continue, I need to have a talk with you HavocHound. I think Matthais already told you this, but some thing just need repeating."
Keldeo gained a questioning look and asked, "You do realize that Stone already won, right?"
Keldeo tilted his head, "You have to realize that by now, right? I mean, you couldn't have done that by accident right? You wouldn't write yourself into that corner, right?"
Keldeo gave a very miserable looking frown and sighed before continuing, "Okay, look, it doesn't matter what happens next, okay. Because Stone has already won. He already killed a bunch of Adventure Bay citizens, he broke Marshall's body and mind, he psychologically tortured the rest of the PAW Patrol, has ALLLLLL of Adventure Bay at his mercy via fear, and is now probably world famous thanks to the the internet."
"STONE. HAS. WON."
"The best the protagonists can do is kill Stone after the fact, and that's the problem here. When Scar from the Lion King dies, it's satisfying because it's retribution for the murder of Mufasa. It makes up for the very sad death scene. An eye for an eye."
"You see, HavocHound, when you have a villain this despicable and this depraved then you end being unable to create a punishment harsh enough to possibly be enough to satisfy the audience after everything he did. That would be like an eye for hundreds of dead children. Death is a slap on the wrist for Damian Stone because you had him do too much without any set backs. At least Heath Ledger's Joker in the Dark Knight was kinda sympathetic compared to Stone, entertaining, and sometimes made a few valid points."
"As for Stone, unless you work in some kind of magic element here, it is completely impossible for you to create a death scene that will punish Stone enough for everything he did. The best thing I could think of would be the climax of the Twilight Zone episode Deaths Head Revisited, but that would require supernatural elements that I don't think you plan on using."
Keldeo frowned angrily, "Yeah, so this story fails in that department."
"So while Marshall's in the hospital, Ryder decides to build some weapons."
Ryder sighed and crossed his arms. "I've talked it over with Detective Shaw and the others. There isn't a point sending you pups off to different owners. We need to be together now. More than ever." He then narrowed his eyes and turned to the computer, activating a few windows that popped up some schematics. It didn't take Rocky long to read them and have his eyes widened. "Is that…"
"Yeah, this was originally going to be something I build for you pups when you got older… but due to the circumstances I can't take a risk," said Ryder as he turned and faced Rocky. "Chase and Marshall are the only ones who know this, but Paw Patrol wasn't originally my idea. It was my parents. The government hired them to build an all dog task force to counter attack terrorism. My parents started on the project, but it was shut down due to the funding being sent to drone development."
Ryder pointed it out the initials. "Hound Assaults of Various Organized Combats. Aka H.A.V.O.C."
"I see what he did there, moving on," Keldeo said in a monotone.
"So these schematics are the original blueprints for the pup packs," said Rocky, noting the seminaries.
"Yes, but they were incomplete," said Ryder. "I want you to help me make these, Rocky. Six of them for you six to use. If Damian Stone is going to go this far… then we need to go just as far to stop him."
Keldeo smiled, "Okay, I'm actually interested in seeing what these weapons look like. A little cool technology goes a long way. Hey, I can just see it now! Zuma taking down Stone's gang with machine guns like in the Guard Dog Update in Team Fortress 2. Oh man, I can't wait to see that!"
Pressing the button, the door slide open and Rocky went in, itending to hug Zuma or even be prepared for some back lash. What he got was worse.
He got nothing.
As in Zuma wasn't there.
Terror began to grip into Rocky's heart as he looked around Zuma's house for any sort of sign of where he was. He stopped when he saw something that made him freeze up. It was Zuma's pup tag with a note on top of it.
Goodbye.
"BISCUITS!" Keldeo shouted, "Why does nobody pay any close attention to anything in this story! The police escort is left unguarded! Alex is left home alone! Stone comes and goes at will and no body manages to catch a glimpse at him unless they a victim! And the primary target, the one with the most trauma and depression, the one most likely to commit suicide isn't watched 24/7! Why is everyone so stupid in this story! I mean, there's suspension of disbelief for the sake of the plot, and then there's making the heroes dumb just to make the villain look smart!"
Stone calmly read the paper that had announced that Zuma was missing. It had been the headline news for the past few days and, despite the efforts of so many, he was still lost. Stone smile as he put the paper down. "I won."
"Won, boss?" asked one of his men who was eating a burger from a fast food place.
"Zuma's dead. Or at least he will be soon," said Stone as he got up and flipped open his knife, tossing it casually into the air. "That pup's gonna kill himself if he hasn't done it already. I won." He sighed. "And yet... I am going to miss him. He was so fun to play with and even more fun to break. But I guess he's flipping burgers now with that family of his in oblivion."
"So what are we gonna do? Go after the rest of the Paw Patrol?" asked another of his gang.
"No, I think it's high time we all left Adventure Bay and focus on a big score I have planned for us all," said Stone, wagging his knife like a finger. "But before we do that we need to reestablish some of our power. And that's why we're going to meet up with some old friends in Costal City. Back your bags boys, we're going home."
"Well, that makes me furious," Keldeo spat in disgust, "Seriously, my whole day is ruined now."
Rocky gasped for breath as he rose his head from out of the river in the forest. He had struggled as hard as he could without another break, but even he needed to drink water. As the water dropplets fell down his dirty and messy fur, his bloodshot eyes slowly looked towards the sinking sun.
He remembered how many times him and Zuma used to watch the sun set over the ocean from their favorite spot in the Lookout. He could feel his touch as the two nuzzeled together in friendship and brotherhood, enjoying the silence that came with the blessing view from nature.
He would give anything in the world to have just a single second like that again.
"Zuma... where are you... please come back to me..." whispered Rocky as he felt his eyes beginning to mist again.
"...I love you..."
"*AHEM*!" said the Donphan standing in the background.
"Alright, alright, I'll talk about it," Keldeo said in annoyance. He became serious and said, "Okay. So, throughout this story, HavocHound made an attempt at developing a RockyXZuma shipping subplot. First of all, you could take this subplot out completely, and absolutely nothing would change in regards to the plot. The dialogue would be slightly different, and that's it. This subplot plays no vital roll in the story."
Keldeo's eyes became big and pleading, "It wasn't even really necessary. You could've just had them as friends or brothers. It would've been fine. The emotional reactions and connection would be relatively unchanged."
Keldeo looked frustrated, "Biscuits, it probably would've been better. I mean, which is more selfless and meaningful, brotherhood or romance? I'd say brotherhood every time. That's what J.R.R. Tolkien was thinking when he wrote Sam and Frodo. It takes a lot more to lay your life down for your friend than your lover or spouse. So making it a romance really cheapens the whole thing."
"The romance itself isn't even all that romantic, so I doubt people who are fans of that would even like it. It just seems so hollow and blandly stated. So, yeah, you can ignore the RockyXZuma stuff. It's not like any effort was put into it anyway."
Keldeo turned to the Donphan and asked, "Are we good?"
The Donphan nodded and walked away.
"Okay, so meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Zuma has gone to a waterfall to commit suicide."
The sunset was beautiful thought Zuma as he stood over the edge of the waterfall. He had traveled many days to reach this place. It was a special nature reserve that Ryder took him and the pups one time to find a lost wolf cub seperated from its pack. They had managed to find it and played with the wolves which were very friendly to the pups.
"That's another episode I missed!" Keldeo said.
"FORESHADOWING!" Munna cried as she flew by.
I can do this... thought Zuma as he inched closer. He closed his eyes as tight as he could. I can do this... do this for them! Do this to meet your family! Do this because you want this pain to end already!
He lifted his paw for that final step...and stopped half way. Gritting his teeth he tried his hardest to force his muscles to move but they refused. Do it! Do it! JUST LET IT END ALREADY PLEASE!
And yet he couldn't move... he couldn't...
Falling to his haunches, he cried. He wailed. He sobbed. And he screamed. He cursed himself and everything else in the world. He let this continue well into the night as he sat there in the forest alone.
Why... why can't I do it... why?
"Looks like some part of you still wants to live."
Zuma gasped as he quickly turned around, but saw nobody. "W-who is here?! Have you been spying on me?!"
"I have been watching you for a few hours now. I was curious to see if you would jump or not, but it seems that the spirit still lives inside of you. Despite the overwhelming pain you carry in your soul," said the mysterious voice.
"W-what do you know?" asked Zuma, growling.
"I know that simplly looking into your eyes you are as defeated as they come," said the voice, slowly peeling Zuma away. "You are afraid. Your fear controls you. In you fear lies guilt. Though guilt shame. And through that shame your desire to end it all. But killing yourself is just another means to run away. And in death will your fear continue to haunt you."
Keldeo looked around nervously, "Okay. . . So who is this? ELOHIM?"
"... you have a better way?" asked Zuma, whimpering.
"... I might... you are a curious one. You are not a wolf, but yet it's clear that some part of you wants to life. The spirit is still there, even if it is just embers... perhaps you simply need guidance to make it a raging inferno."
"Who are you?!" demanded Zuma.
From the shadows under the trees, a white wolf slowly appeared before Zuma. So large was this wolf that he could have easily eaten Zuma in three bites. The pup gulped as he slowly smiled at Zuma.
"I am Oriel. And I will make your fear become courage."
Keldeo burst out laughing.
He fell on his side and rolled around on the rocky platform, kicking his legs as he laughed.
This went on for a minute or two, then Keldeo composed himself and stood back up.
"I'm sorry," Keldeo said breathlessly with tears of laughter in his eye. He caught his breath, and then said, "I'm so sorry, but this. . . this. . . I mean, through this entire story we've had an insanely overblown Villain Sue that's invoked how many villain tropes?"
*Ding!*
Rip-Off Side Pot: 27
"TWENTY-SEVEN!" Keldeo blinked and said, "Weird Al Yankovic's favorite number. . ."
Keldeo shook off his surprise and continued, "Twenty-seven villain tropes! And it's not like they're small, simple tropes that all villains have. Oh no, these are some the hugest most cliched tropes in the wiki! And on top of the biggest Villain Sue ever made, we get a MAGICAL TALKING WHITE WOLF! BISCUITS!"
Keldeo had to take several deep breaths after his outburst, then he continued, "I mean, what the hay is this? It's not PAW Patrol. . . maybe it's Japanese Anime style PAW Patrol, but it certainly doesn't fit in with the PAW Patrol style that the rest of this fanfic has been adhering too. This is just. . . random. Random and weird. It's like a Pokemon fanfic when you suddenly have-"
Ghetsis: "Give up, you fools! With Yvetal at my side I will take over the world!:
Ash: "Not a chance, Ghetsis! Ready N?"
N: "Ready Ash!"
The two trainers held their magic rings together.
N and Ash: "Ash and N unite! Come forth, Ghost Pony Rider!"
Ghost Pony Rider flew down out of nowhere and burned both Yvetal and Ghetsis alive.
Keldeo scratched his head and asked, "And what kind of name is Oriel? Hold on, let me do a search on it." Keldeo opened his laptop and typed on it, "Okay. . . um. . . aha! Here we are. It means 'golden'."
Keldeo's breath caught in his chest and his eyes opened wide. As he looked up from his laptop, dramatic music started playing in the background.
"Oh my gosh... I figured it out! I just figured it out! Everyone's utter cluelessness! The bloody murders' restaurant setting! The invincible sociopathic serial killer! The traumatized child victim! The supernatural entity that's associated with gold! THE FACT THAT A NORMALLY CUTE AND INNOCENT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS TURNED INTO SOMETHING BLOODY AND DEPRAVED! I GOT IT! I FINALLY GOT IT!"
The dramatic music stopped and Keldeo declared, "HavocHound was trying to make a PAW Patrol adaptation of the Five Nights at Freddy's games! Think about it! The Tiki Snack Shack is Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, Stone is the Purple Guy, Zuma is either the Crying Child or the kid you play as in Five Nights at Freddy's 4, the other five pups are the animatronics, Detective Shaw and Ryder are the Phone Guys, and Oriel is Fredbear/Golden Freddy from FNAF 4 who wants to help the kid! Sure, it's not an exact parody of Five Nights at Freddy's with PAW Patrol characters. It just takes elements of those games and uses them to make a horrible, gruesome, unpleasant experience!"
Keldeo dipped his face into the water again. He lifted his head back up and shook, then he said, "Okay. So the PAW Patrol is making their H.A.V.O.C. Gear, and Zuma is with the magical talking white wolf with a name that sounds like it's from either an Anime or a religious text."
A smile suddenly spread across Keldeo's face, "To be honest, this sounds kind of promising. With the pups getting super weapons and Zuma about to be turned into a wolf for all we know, it sounds like we're headed straight to a totally awesome epic climax."
The End of Zuma's Fear
To be continued in Zuma's Courage
"You're kidding me. YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" Keldeo shouted, "That was the end of the fanfic?! THAT WAS THE END OF THE FANFIC?! THAT-?!"
Keldeo tried his hardest to calm down a bit. He ground his teeth a bit, then said, "WHY did you think you had to split this up into two fanfics? Can't you just be self contained? How could you possibly put a Complete tag on this?"
"Zuma's dead. Or at least he will be soon," said Stone as he got up and flipped open his knife, tossing it casually into the air. "That pup's gonna kill himself if he hasn't done it already. I won." He sighed. "And yet... I am going to miss him. He was so fun to play with and even more fun to break. But I guess he's flipping burgers now with that family of his in oblivion."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Keldeo asked incredulously, "I mean, sure, I guess the titles are clever. The first story is about Zuma being afraid, and the next is about Zuma becoming courageous and fighting back. Yeah, I get that. But I still don't think you had to have this story be complete with a villain that is victorious. Sure, he'll loose in Zuma's Courage, but as far as Zuma's Fear is concerned, he won. You could've but everything in Zuma's Fear. Yes, I know the title has the word 'fear' in it, but guess what? It's impossible to completely get rid of fear. True courage and bravery comes from not letting your fears hinder you, and fighting inspite of them. Zuma can still have fears, and I hope he does, otherwise that won't make any sense. Zuma needs to press on and defeat Stone inspite of those fears, not remove the fears entirely."
"I'm sorry, but this splitting of the story and putting Complete on such a miserable ending where a demonic OC wins just makes me siiiiiiiiiick. I'm serious, people. It's dark. It's really, really, REALLY dark. As a standalone fanfic, it's torture. As a sequel, it's a frustrating slap in the face."
Keldeo relented and said with a shrug, "But, it isn't one of the worst fanfics I've ever read. It's well written and the other characters are pretty good. I still think Detective Shaw is the coolest. And Rubble is easily the most entertaining character in this story. Really, more fans need to write stories about him. But the overall experience, along with HavocHound going waaaaaaaaaaay to far with Damian Stone, just makes this something I just don't want to expose myself too again."
Keldeo sighed and hung his head low, "Oh man, I'm loosing my faith in my decision to review other fandoms besides Pokemon. I need to get back to my roots, do more Pokemon related stuff, and fast. But what? What should I do? What should I talk about? What? What!?"
Bzzzzzzzzzzt!
"Hey, Keldeo! Don't forget about my editorial!" Meowth said teasingly.
Bzzzzzzzzzzt!
Keldeo brought his head back up and immediately lightened up. His eyes seemed to light up as he said, "Oh my gosh! That's right! Pikachu vs Meowth! Oh man, this is perfect! This will get me back rhythm and passion back. I need to go to Pikasaur dot com and do some research! Fast! Thanks, Meowth! Thanks a lot! Oh, uh, I'm Keldeo the Critic and I review it so you don't have to! I gotta go!"
Keldeo then quickly ran off.
The End
Credits
The Show Will Go On by MandoPony
Rocket Power by Nickelodeon
The Talos Principle by Croteam
Nostalgia Critic: Blues Brothers 2000
Nostalgia Critic: Jupiter Ascending
Nostalgia Citric: Captain America
Friendship is Evil...and Dead (Princess Twilight Review) by TheMusicMan1012
Team Fortress 2 by Valve
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Lion King by Disney
The Lion King Re-Review by Confused Matthew
Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthon
Nothing Can Hurt Me by MandoPony
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
The Dark Knight
Skyrim by Bethesda Studios
Bastion by Warner Brothers
Half-Life by Valve
Portal 2 by Valve
Carmen Sandiego by Broderbund Softwarer
Ren and Stimpy by Nickelodeon
Break My Mind by DA Games
Credit is given to all intellectual properties mentioned in the Rip-Off Side Pot
Special Thanks
Rage Reviews! on FiMFictionNet
The Rise of Spike the Dragon by MasterBrony Forever
PAW Patrol Wiki
Pikasaur