With all of the PAW Patrol pups reaching the rank of Ultimate Patrollers, they are about to face their biggest challenge ever.
Disclaimer: I do not claim rights to PAW Patrol. PAW Patrol is copyrighted to Nickelodeon, Viacom, and Spinmaster.
I hope you enjoy the story!
Chapter Two: Ultimate Status
"I can tell her… No I can't…" A young Dalmatian pup mused as he stared at a flower, "I can tell her… No I can't… I can tell her…"
"Marshall…?" asked a voice.
"YIPE!" Marshall yipped as he jumped up and wheeled around to see a German Shepherd pup looking at him. "Chase…!" he shouted, "Don't do that! You nearly scared the spots off me!"
"Oh, Sorry…" said Chase, "I just thought I should let you know that the ceremony is going to start in five minutes."
"Oh, right…" said Marshall, "I guess I lost track of time."
"What were you thinking about?" asked Chase, "Whatever it was, you were in pretty deep."
"Well, since you're my best friend, and I know I can trust you," said Marshall, "I was thinking about Everest."
"Oh…" said Chase, sitting down next to his friend, "Yeah… I know how you feel. I mean… How long did I languish before finally confessing my love for Skye?"
"Longer than me." said Marshall, "But that's probably because you've known her longer than I've known Everest." He sighed and said, "I wish I could just tell her, but is there any chance she'd be interested in a clumsy pup like me?"
"I think she would be;" said Chase, "Love is a pretty strong thing; just look at Rocky and Zuma."
"I know;" said Marshall, "I can't believe Rocky's finally overcome his dislike of water. He even takes baths regularly now; and all for Zuma."
"Well… getting back to the topic," said Chase, "You really shouldn't worry yourself too much; and trust me, I'm speaking from experience. Just go up to her, tell her how you feel, and finish with 'I love you'."
"You make it sound so easy, Chase;" said Marshall, "But then again, you're such an amazing leader, that it probably was easy for you."
"It's never easy, Marshall;" said Chase, "It always takes a lot of courage to admit your feelings for someone you love."
"And that's another thing…" said Marshall, "I can't believe that the PAW Patrol is finally disbanding. Am I really qualified to do what Ryder is asking us to do?"
"Marshall…" said Chase, placing his arm around the Dalmatian, "Maybe it's time to stop being so hard on yourself and consider the possibility that Ryder trusts you to do a good job at this."
"You think so…?" asked Marshall.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, with a piece of cherry pie." said Chase.
"Thanks, Chase;" said Marshall, giving the Shepherd pup a hug, "You know… I'm really gonna miss you, big brother…"
"I'll miss you too, little brother…" said Chase. At that moment, their pup tags blinked.
"PAW Patrol; to the lookout!" came Ryder's voice.
"Well… This is it;" said Chase, "Are we ready?"
"Yeah…" said Marshall, "I guess so." With that, he and Chase took off heading for the lookout.
As the two pups approached the lookout, they noticed the large crowd waiting outside. There was Jonathan and Alex Porter, Katie and Callie, Francois Turbot, Farmers Al and Yumi, Carlos, Jake, and of course, Mayor Goodway and Chickaletta. When they saw the pups coming, they let loose with a chorus of cheers. Marshall and Chase slowed to a trot, and held their heads high as they made their way towards the lookout. They were soon joined by the other members of the PAW Patrol; Rocky the Mutt, Rubble the Bulldog, Zuma the Chocolate Labrador, Skye the Cockapoo, Everest the Husky, Tracker the Chihuahua, and Tuck and Ella, the Golden Retriever twins. All ten pups stood in a row just outside the lookout's door, and faced the crowd. Then, Ryder, the pups' human caretaker, walked in front of the pups, and took out a microphone.
"Good afternoon, Adventure Bay;" he said, "I want to thank you all for coming out here today to witness this special event. For years now, the PAW Patrol has kept this city and beyond safe from danger. Now, however, it is time to close the book on this chapter in their history, and open a new one."
"If I may;" said Mayor Elizabeth Goodway, "I would like to personally thank each and every one of the PAW Patrol pups for the years of service and dedication that they have put forth. I think I speak for all of us when I say that Adventure Bay just wouldn't be what it is without you." The crowd all shouted with agreement.
"Thanks, everyone;" said Ryder, "I'm sure we all agree that these are some very good pups; and it's because of that that we have something very special for them. Francois, the tags, please."
"But of course." said Francois as he stepped forward, bearing a large case. He opened the case, revealing the contents; shining new pup tags. Starting with Chase, Ryder removed the Shepherd's old pup tag, and replaced it with a new one. Each of the pups stood a little taller as they received their new tags. When all ten pups had been given their new tags, Ryder said,
"It is my great pleasure to say that all of you pups have been promoted to the rank of ultimate rescuers!" The crowd gave a great big cheer, and the pups barked and howled along. "Now then;" said Ryder, "Pups, please meet me at the observation deck."
"Yes Sir, Ryder, Sir!" the pups all said. The doors opened, and the pups dashed inside. Marshall hung back, knowing that he usually caused a disaster when boarding the elevator. However, when he did get inside, he was astonished to find that the other nine pups had gotten stuck in the elevator door!
"Uh… do I want to know…?" he asked.
"Yeah…" said Rocky, "Apparently nine pups going in at the same time is a little more than five."
"Think you could shrink a bit, Tuck?" asked Everest.
"Not unless you want my sister to crush you." replied Tuck.
"If we still had our powers…" groaned Ella.
"Don't worry, Guys!" said Marshall, "I'll get you unstuck!" He backed up just a little bit, wiggled his rump, and ran straight into the piled-up pups! Sure enough, everyone came loose and landed in a heap in the elevator.
"Wow, Marshall;" said Rubble, "I never thought I'd see the day when we'd be happy to have you crash into us." All the pups laughed as the doors closed, and the elevator began ascending the lookout. From outside, the crowd watched as the elevator stopped, momentarily, behind the giant paw print badge. A second later, it resumed its ascension, with all the pups in their different uniforms. In a matter of seconds, the elevator reached the top of the lookout, and all the pups bounded out into the control room.
"PAW Patrol reporting for the last time, Ryder Sir!" said Chase.
"Excellent work, Pups;" said Ryder, "I just want to say that you've all done a fantastic job as PAW Patrol pups, and you've earned your new ranks."
"It's been a pleasure sewving under your command, Wyder, Sir!" said Zuma.
"Thanks, Zuma;" said Ryder, "You don't know how much that means to me." He cleared his throat, and said, "In any case, here are your new assignments." He pressed a button on his pup pad, and the screen changed to reveal Chase's badge. "Chase;" said Ryder, "You've been assigned to captain the newly formed Law Patrol. From here, head to the new police station on the corner of Clarkson and Fifth Street."
"Chase is on a new case to uphold the laws!" Chase barked, proudly.
"Rubble;" said Ryder, "You've been assigned to the construction yard just outside of town to lead the Build Patrol. They'll be waiting for your arrival."
"Rubble's ready to dig it on the double!" Rubble proclaimed.
"Marshall;" said Ryder, "You've been assigned to the fire station as the new chief of the Fire Patrol. The station is located on Second Street."
"I'm fired up for some ruff-ruff rescues!" barked Marshall, "I guess…"
"You'll do fine, Marshall;" said Ryder, "I know you will." He then continued. "Rocky, you've been assigned to the junkyard on the northeast side of town to lead the Fix Patrol. I'm sure you can find that."
"Green means go to reuse it!" Rocky said.
"Zuma;" said Ryder, "You'll be heading to the harbor to be the new captain of the Sea Patrol. You'll find the Sea Patroller waiting for you, as well as a familiar face."
"Ready to dive in and get wet!" said Zuma.
"And Skye;" said Ryder, "I think it goes without saying that you'll be heading to the airport to lead the new Air Patrol. Once you get there, locate hanger number four. The Air Patroller will be there, as well as another familiar face."
"This pup's gotta take to the sky!" yipped Skye.
"As for the rest of you…" said Ryder, "Everest has volunteered to be a new member of the Sea Patrol; Tracker will be joining Chase on the Law Patrol; Ella will be part of the Build Patrol, and Tuck will be on the Fix Patrol.
"On or off the trail, Everest won't fail!" Everest barked.
"I'm all ears!" added Tracker.
"Mighty or small, we think big!" said Ella and Tuck.
"Alright then;" said Ryder, "I… don't want to drag this out too long, but I want you all to know just how much you all mean to me." He gave a loving smile to all of the pups, "When I lost my parents, I was sure my life was over;" he said, "But you all inspired me to carry on their work rescuing and protecting the innocent. So, from the bottom of my heart, thanks… for everything."
"You're welcome, Ryder." said Chase.
"We're glad we could be a part of this." said Rocky.
"We're gonna miss you…" said Rubble, trying not to cry. Ryder wiped a tear from his eye, then said,
"So… for the last time… PAW Patrol is on a roll!" The pups barked and howled, then made their way over to the slide. Marshall was the first to go down, tripping over and sliding down as usual. Upon exiting to the outside, Marshall waved to the crowd. When he reached the bottom, he landed in his pup house, and was taken beneath the lookout. Big mechanical arms and little robots went to work putting together his ultimate firetruck. Once the construction was complete, the lookout lifted up, and Marshall drove his truck out into the driveway, where he held his position for a moment. He maintained a smiling face, but inside, he was worried.
"Everest is gonna be on the Sea Patrol…?" he thought, "When did that happen…? Does she have a thing for Zuma, and I didn't know about it? No! That's impossible; Zuma's already expressed his love for Rocky." It was at that moment that Zuma joined him in the driveway in his ultimate swamp boat. Marshall put the thought out of his mind, before thinking, "Okay… it's not like we're never going to see each other again; I could always go visit her at the harbor on my days off. But what if she finds a boyfriend or girlfriend in the Sea Patrol…? What if I never get the chance…? Oh… Why didn't I just tell her sooner…?" Marshall was so busy worrying, that he almost didn't notice that Rubble's ultimate construction rig, Rocky's ultimate tow truck, Chase's ultimate police truck, and Skye's ultimate helicopter had joined the party. "Okay…" he thought, "That's enough worrying for now. Right now, it's time to give these people a show." With all six of the ultimate vehicles lined up like the colors of the rainbow, it was a pretty spectacular sight. People were taking pictures and videos, waving flags, and wishing the pups well on their future endeavors. After a few minutes, Ryder came over the radio and said,
"Okay, Pups; you're clear to move out."
"Roger that, Ryder." said Marshall. He put the truck into gear, and drove down the driveway towards the bridge. Zuma followed on, taking the path that led down to the sea. Then Rubble, Rocky, and Chase followed Marshall down the driveway. Finally, Skye's helicopter lifted off from the field, and started heading south to the airport. Marshall couldn't help but feel a surge of pride as he led the cavalcade over the bridge, where even more spectators were waiting to see them go by. Too soon, however, it was time to break off. Marshall made the turn to head for Second Street, while the rest of the pups continued on, heading for their selected destinations. "I can't believe this is really it…" thought Marshall, "Oh well… Like Ryder said, it's time to open a new chapter. I just hope I can justify his believing in me."
It didn't take long for Marshall to find the fire station, since it was pretty much a brand new building. It did, however, take a fair bit of maneuvering to back his truck into the garage. Once he was sure she was safely in, Marshall shut off the engine and got down from the cab. Looking around, he was impressed; the fire station was all loaded with the latest equipment and looked completely clean and tidy; Marshall wondered how long that would last.
"Greetings, Marshall." said a voice. Marshall looked up to see a man wearing an official uniform, "So glad you could make it. I'm Fire Chief Holloway of the newly formed Adventure Bay Fire Patrol."
"Pleasure to meet you, Chief Holloway, Sir!" said Marshall, giving a salute, "I'm just glad that Mayor Goodway finally decided to invest in some real municipal services so this town can grow."
"It wasn't all her decision;" said Holloway, "Between you and me, she'd much rather spend the money on statues of her dumb chicken."
"Yeah…" said Marshall, "She kinda obsesses over Chickaletta more than she should." He thought for a moment, then said, "Well… Since I'm here, I think we should… have a staff meeting; I'd like to meet all the new firefighters."
"Good idea;" said Holloway, "These pups are going to trust you with their lives; I think you should be able to do the same."
"Pups…?" asked Marshall. But Chief Holloway had already pressed the intercom button and said,
"Attention all fire cadets! Please report to the main garage for a staff meeting! That is all." In just a few seconds, five pups had gathered in the center of the garage and stood at attention.
"Adventure Bay Fire Patrol reporting for duty, Chief Holloway Sir!" they all said.
"Excellent;" said Holloway, "Pups, this is Marshall. He's going to be your captain. I want you all to introduce yourselves and give him your personal assurance that he can trust you."
"Yes, Sir!" the pups responded.
"Well, Marshall;" said Holloway, "Go ahead and introduce yourself." Marshall hesitated a moment; unable to believe that the Fire Patrol consisted entirely of pups, and that he was their captain. Taking a deep breath, he said,
"Hi, everyone, I'm Marshall; formerly of the PAW Patrol, and now the captain of the Fire Patrol. I've been working as a firefighter for years now, and I know quite a bit about fire and how dangerous it can be. But enough about me, let's hear some things about you guys." A Smooth Collie on the far left stepped forward.
"I'm Cadet Burnout;" he said, "I grew up on a farm that tragically burned down during a drought, so I'm ready to do my part to keep such a tragedy from happening again." Next, another Dalmatian stepped forward.
"My name is Cadet Baxter;" he said, "Firefighting is in my blood; and may I say, Captain Marshall Sir, it is an honor to serve under your command." Next, a Japanese Spitz stepped forward.
"I am Cadet Sprinkle;" she said, "Kinda an… unfortunate nickname I picked up when I… flunked paper training… miserably."
"Nothing to worry about;" said Marshall, "You'll never be too far from a hydrant in this line of work." Sprinkle blushed, but she smiled nonetheless. Next, a Bull Terrier stepped forward.
"Cadet Bullseye reporting for duty, Captain Marshall Sir!" she proclaimed, "I uh… used to run with a gang of hooligans before they started committing arson. So I tuned them in and joined the academy to become a firefighter."
"You made the right choice;" said Marshall, "Fire is not to be played around with. It's good to have you aboard." Finally, the bloodhound on the far right stepped forward.
"Cadet Smokey here!" he said, "I can smell smoke from two miles away with no wind."
"We'll need a sniffer like yours on our team." said Marshall, "In any case, it's good to meet you all, Cadets. We're going to make some team together. So, if everything is in good order, I think we should all rest up before our first official call. Cadets… dismissed!" The cadets broke off, and went back to whatever it was they were doing.
"I think you made a good first impression on them, Captain;" said Chief Holloway, "That's very important when you're doing something as serious as firefighting."
"I agree…" said Marshall, "Well… I better get settled in."
"Your room will be on the upper level;" said Holloway, "Room number one."
"Number one, huh…" said Marshall, "Wow… I guess it's true then… I'm really a leader now." With that, he grabbed his bag out of the truck's cab, and headed upstairs to settle into his new home.
While all the celebrations were going on, the citizens of Adventure Bay had no idea that they were being watched. Indeed, the Kitten Catastrophe Crew had used their shark submarine to get Sweetie and Danny ashore, and the latter pair were eavesdropping the entire time! As they watched the PAW Patrol's ultimate vehicles drive off, Sweetie said,
"Oh, this is just delicious…"
"I know!" said Danny, "The lookout's been left totally unguarded! If we can strike tonight, we'll catch Ryder off guard and snag that meteor from right under the lookout! But we'll have to be quick about it; Mayor Goodway might decide to turn it into a tourist attraction!"
"A splendid idea." said Sweetie. So the two of them slunk away to head back to the submarine. With the PAW Patrol disbanded, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to strike right at their enemy's heart.
It's only a matter of time before the EVU strikes their first blow against Adventure Bay!
But wait! Wouldn't you like to see how the other pups are getting on with their new stations?
Answers incoming… In Chapter Three: New Digs!