Chase was having a bit of trouble with keeping up with Everlue. The man kept digging holes around him and Katie, and the dark mage was sure he didn't have any magic to counter it.
"I don't understand what's so about giving me what I want. If you let me become immortal, I won't hurt your friend that much." He said, smirking at Chase. Chase growled.
"What if I don't have any immortal spells? You're out of luck then!" He shouted. Everlue glared.
"You think I'm a fool, don't you? I know your old Master taught you immortality, and nothing you say is going to convince me otherwise!" He smirked. "But," Suddenly, Everlue disappeared, surprising Chase, and then reappeared behind Katie, and grabbed her arm in a tight hold, making her yelp. "If you insist on denying me what I want, I'll snap your little friend's arms in half!"
"Katie!" Chase cried out. Katie gritted her teeth, her body trembling, as Everlue continue to hold on tight.
"Well? What's it going to be, dark mage? Give me my immortality, or spend the rest of your life feeling guilty when ugly can't use magic anymore because of her broken arm." Everlue said. Even in pain, Katie couldn't help but scoff in disbelief. He called me ugly again! She thought, nearly in tears when Everlue bent her over.
"Y-You're a monster..." She said, surprising the two of them.
"Eh? A monster? Me?" Everlue asked.
"A monster...to literature!" Katie screamed, and nearly choked on the hold. Chase blinked. Katie...
"What are you on about, ugly?"
"I know what you've done to Kemu," She said, smirking despite being in pain. "It's all written in this book. A book you forced him to write!"
Chase's eyes went wide. Forced him to write? He thought.
"It's a horrible adventure story with you as the main character, Everlue!" Katie shouted. Everlue scoffed.
"Please. It's wonderful that I'm the main character! That Kemu should have been grateful! Instead, he goes and write that story and disgraces me. He had it coming." Everlue said, the grip on her arm tighten. Katie grunted, and Chase narrowed his eyes. I gotta help her! He thought.
"Vanish!" He shouted, and a white glow appeared around Katie, surprising both her and Everlue as she disappeared from his grasp, and next to Chase's side. Katie sighed in relief.
"Thanks Chase."
"No problem."
"Oooh, I see! You ARE a powerful wizard! However, no matter how power you are, you won't stop my Diver Magic!" With that, Everlue disappeared into the ground once more. Both Katie and Chase were on guard, and quickly moved out the way when he reappeared in between them.
"I'll say it again - you are horrible! You blackmailed him to write it!"
"Blackmailed?" Chase blinked.
"Blackmailed? It was his own fault for refusing me in the first place!" Everlue said. Chase's eyes narrowed while Katie glared him.
"What do you mean?"
"I told him to write the book where I am the main character, but the idiot refused! So I told him: "Write the book or I'll revoke the citizenship for your entire family!" Everlue said with a grin on his face. Both Katie and Chase looked at him with disgust.
"If you did that, they wouldn't be able to join the merchant of craftsman guild!" Chase said, and then sneered at the man in disgust. "You...you bastard!"
Everlue chuckled. "I told you, I am a great man!" He said before diving underground and reappearing, causing the two wizards to spread out. "At the end, he wrote it! But I was annoyed with his first refusal, so I made him write it in prison! 'I'm an author' he says, 'A master craftsman!' but I broke that pride and haughty attitude of his!"
"How dare you do such a thing to satisfy your own desires! You put him in solitary confinement for three years! Do you have any idea how he must've felt!" Katie shouted, dodging yet another attack.
"Three years?" Chase wondered, eyes wide.
"Perhaps he finally noticed how great I truly am?" Everlue said. Katie shook her head, blue eyes nearly into slits.
"No! He was fighting that pride of yours! If he didn't write this, his family would be in trouble. But he couldn't allow himself, as an author, to write a book with you as the main character." She said. Everlue glared at her.
"And how do you know these things, you pest?" Well, at least he didn't call her ugly this time. Chase thought, smiling wryly, but never lost his focus on the battle in front of him. Katie's smirk turned vicious.
"As I said - it's written in this book." She said, confusing the wizards.
"It is?" Chase blinked.
"Eh? I read that book as well. Kemu never appears in it." Everlue said.
"It's true that if you read it normally, it's a work that would make any fan cry - but you should know Kemu was originally a wizard! He used up all his remaining strength, and cast a spell on this book." Katie said. Everlue gritted his teeth, rage building inside his eyes.
"So that's his scheme! When the spell ran out, it'd turn into a book defaming me?!" He cried out. "How rude!"
"You have no imagination, have you? It's true that this book contains everything about how it's written, but the words that Kemu left in this book were nothing as petty as that! The real secret is something else!" Katie said.
"What is it?"
"Real secret?"
"That's why I'm not letting you have this book," The blonde said, putting the book behind her. "In fact, you never had the right to it in the first place!" That's when Katie revealed her key in a shape of a crab. "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!" She shouted as a blue circle appeared and out came a man with crab legs in his back and some red twisties in his hair, acting as legs of a crab, along with a pair of scissors in his hands.
"Miss Katie, how would you like your hair cut today, ebi?" Cancer asked. Chase cocked his head to the side.
"Ebi?"
"In Japan, Ebi means shrimp." Katie said, sweatdropping and smiling nervously when Chase looked at her as though she had lost her mind.
"So, let me get this straight - he's a crab, but has a catchphrase that means 'shrimp' in another language?"
"I don't know why, either," Katie said, shrugging her shoulders as Chase shook his head. "In any case, we have trash to take care of."
"Right."
Meanwhile, Everlue was shaking. Real secret? Could it be that he wrote down the illegal underbelly of my various business enterprises?! I can't have that. If they hand it over to the Council's inspection wizards, that'd be the end of me! He thought, growing more and more upset.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" He shouted, startling the two wizards.
"Eh? He has a key too?" Chase asked.
"I knew that name sounded familiar," Katie growled. Of course the biggest maid of them all would be a Zodiac! She thought. Just then the pink haired maid appeared, breaking the ground.
"You rang, Master?" She called out.
"Virgo, get that book!" Everlue said. Just then, Katie gasped, looking over at Virgo's shoulder. Chase turned around slightly to see what she was looking at, and his mouth dropped, as did Everlue's. N-no way! He couldn't have, could he?! Chase thought, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.
On top of Virgo's shoulder, was Marshall and Joey.
"Marshall! Joey!" Both Chase and Katie said.
"Why is he with Virgo?!" Everlue asked.
"How'd you...?!" Katie gaped.
"After she started moving again, I went with her and..." Marshall tilted his head. "I don't have a clue!"
"Get her...you mean you grabbed her?!" Katie shouted, and Chase paled. He couldn't have traveled through the Spirit World with her, right? That's unbelievable! He thought.
"Katie, what should I do?!" Marshall asked.
"Do something about him!" Katie said, pointing at Everlue.
"Virgo, exterminate these pest!" Everlue said, just as Marshall jumped down from Virgo's shoulder.
"Understood, Master!" Virgo said, getting ready to punch Marshall, who narrowed his eyes and lit up his fist.
"I'll blow you away! Roar of the Fire Dragon!" He shouted, spewing out flames towards the maid. Meanwhile, Chase decided to help out Katie with Everlue.
"Dark Magic: Crystal Sphere!" He shouted, as a hexagon-like cage appeared around Everlue, who smirked.
"You forgot I can dig holes, dark mage!"
"No he didn't!" Katie shouted just as a whip appeared in her hands, and it went through the small opening of the cage to tie around Everlue. Virgo, herself, had taken the hit from Marshall's flames, and was away from the scene. "Cancer! He's all yours!" She shouted, pulling him up into the sky where he came face to face the Celestial Spirit.
"Ebi!"
"Eh? Ebi?" Marshall cocked his head to the side.
"It means Shrimp in Japanese."
"SHRIMP?!" Both Marshall and Joey shouted. The green cat looked put out, a dark cloud hanging above his head.
"It...it thinks he's a shrimp..."
"I don't think that's what he's going for." Chase mumbled, rubbing his face. Meanwhile, Everlue laid on the ground, now bald.
"It's more than what you deserve," Katie muttered, glaring at the man.
"Sir, what do you think of this new look, ebi?" Cancer asked. Marshall laughed.
"Nice one, Crab!" He said, ready to high five the spirit when suddenly, a rumbling noise started to break through. The wizards looked up, watching as the ground above started to shake. Soon, rocks started to fall and before they knew it, the building they were under started to collapse.
"Crap! Katie what did you do?!"
"EH?! Don't blame this on me!"
"You guys now isn't the time!" Chase shouted as he and the others started running. Once free, the three looked back at the damage they've caused. Marshall couldn't help but grin.
"Don't worry, Chase, you can always outdo Katie the next time!"
"WE AREN'T SUPPOSE TO DESTROY BUILDINGS DUMBASS!" Chase shouted.
Later that evening, they decided to return to Kaby to tell them about the mission.
"The composition and style of this book is completely awful. There is no way I could imagine it having been written by Kemu." Katie said.
"So?" Marshall cocked his head once again.
"So that's why I thought there was some secret." She said, before handing the book over to Kaby, who looked at her in surprise. Then, he frowned.
"What's the meaning of this? I thought I'd asked you to destroy the book." He said.
"Destroying it is a simple task. You should be able to do it yourself, Mr. Kaby." Katie said.
"Then I will eliminate it! I don't even want to look at it!" Silence followed soon after. Katie watched the man before her tremble as he held the book, eyes filled with sorrow and anger, and she couldn't help but frown.
"...I know why you can't allow this book to exist," She said. "It's to protect your father's honor. You're Kemu's son, aren't you?"
Both Marshall and Joey gaped at the exclamation, why Chase simply stared at the old man. For a moment, Kaby didn't say anything, and when it looked as though he wouldn't, Chase gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes.
"Is it true?" He asked. Kaby sighed.
"Yes. How did you know that? Better yet, why?" He asked.
"Have you read this book?" Katie asked, and Kaby shook his head.
"No, I couldn't bring myself to read it. It's trash. My father said so." He said. Marshall glared at him.
"So that's why you wanted to burn it?!"
"That's right." Marshall grabbed him by the shirt, blue eyes sharp with annoyance and anger.
"Burn it just cause it's dumb?! Isn't that going too far, old man?!" He shouted, only for Katie to pull him off and Chase to shake his head.
"Marshall, wait! It's to protect his honor!" Katie said. Kaby sighed.
"Correct. I am ashamed that my father wrote Daybreak" He looked down. "31 years ago..."
"Father..." Young Kaby said just as the door open, revealing his father. His father smiled.
"Sorry I'm late." He said. Kaby just stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief. With nothing else to say, Kemu stepped inside the room and began searching for something in his trunk. Kaby watched him, still in shock at seeing his father, until something dawned on him and his shock gave way into anger.
"You didn't contact us for three years!" He shouted. "Where in the world were you writing?!"
Kemu just kept searching. "I'm through. I quit being an author."
Kaby eyes went wide. "What...?"
"I'm never writing another book!" Kemu said as he lifted a butcher knife. It was then Kaby knew what he was going to do. "AAAAH!"
"No wait, father!"
It was too late, and Kaby just stood there, in horror, as blood began to pour out of his dad's arm. A moment later, and they were at the hospital, Kaby sitting in the chair, glaring at his father.
"You are a fool," He stated. "Didn't I tell you three years ago? I told you, you would regret taking that commission for such a worthless book."
"The money was good." Kemu said.
"How could you?!" Kemu just smiled.
"I finished that incredible piece of rubbish." Kaby gritted his teeth, fist balled up.
"Why are you smiling?! Thanks to that trip, you neglected your family for three years!"
"Kaby, I was always thinking about you." Kemu said, giving his son a bright smile. Kaby had tears in his eyes, torn between feeling angry, and wanting to continue being angry, and the feeling of relief.
"Then why didn't you write something decent and come straight home?! You abandon your pride as an author and your family!" He glared at him. "You were correct to quit as an author. Someone with no pride like you isn't fit to be one." He started to turn and walked away, but before he could, he paused. "Or a father." With that, he slammed the door shut, the sound echoing the room. Kemu just smiled.
"My father died soon after. And I've hated him...hated him ever since." Kaby looked at the book. "But as months and years went by, the hatred I felt turned into remorse. And yet, my father is no longer in this world to apologize to."
Chase looked over at Marshall, who had his arms folded, back turned, and despite what it look like on the outside, he could tell that the fire mage was battling a battle within. After all, Derolth was Marshall's father figure, and he disappeared on him something-years ago. Chase frowned. Must be hard. I barely even know my father. Or if I had a family at all.
"So I felt the least I could do to atone was to destroy this last, worst book of his." Kaby said. "I wanted to rid the world of it for the sake of my father's good name." He lit the match. "My father would agree."
"No, he wouldn't," Katie said, causing everyone to look at her. Just then, the flame on the match went out. "It's begun."
Suddenly, light appeared from the book, causing Kaby to shield his eyes. "What's this?"
The words, DayBreak, popped up and began to rearrange themselves.
"His real name was Zekua Melon," Katie stated with a smile on her face. "He cast a spell on this book."
"Magic?"
Suddenly the book was no longer called DayBreak, but was now instead, 'Dear Kaby'.
"Dear Kaby?"
"That's right! It's written to his beloved son, Kaby. He rearranged the letters, on the entire thing," Katie said and the words began to appear out of the book, causing everyone to look around in amazement. "The reason he quit being an author is probably not because he wrote the most terrible book ever, but because he wrote an incredible one! This incredible book is a letter to you, Mr. Kaby!"
"I was always thinking about you." Kaby had tears in his eyes as remembered his father's words. The light began to fade as the book closed and landed inside Kaby's hands.
"That's the true reason Kemu left to you." Katie concluded, watching as the man sank to his knees, hugging the book close to his chest, tears falling down his face. The PAW Patrol wizards watched him, all of them with a smile on their faces.
"Father, thank you. I cannot let this book be burned." He said. Marshall grinned.
"Well, I guess we don't need that reward, then!" He said.
"Aye!" Joey agreed. Chase glared at him.
"We came all this way, just to leave empty handed?!" He hissed. Marshall looked at him.
"The request was to destroy the book, and we didn't complete it." He said. Kaby blinked.
"B-But, that's-"
"It's fine. After all, that book is worth more than just a few jewels." Katie said, grinning. Chase looked between the two and sighed. He knew when he's beat, and he could tell he was in a losing battle. Why did I even come? He thought as he, Katie, Marshall, and Joey headed out the door. "That was fun! I hadn't done a mission that made me feel good about myself in ages!"
"Oh yeah, before I forget, here Katie," Joey held up a golden key with a Virgo sign on it. "It's from the maid we'd defeated. She says she's sorry for the trouble she caused and would like to partner up with you, if you don't mind."
"Oh? A new key?" Katie asked, grinning. "I suppose I can deal with another contract. Thanks Joey!"
"No problem!"
"Well, I guess we're heading our separate ways, then." Katie said, looking over at the two wizards.
"You're not coming back to the guild, Katie?" Chase asked. The blonde grinned.
"I am, but I guess Marshall doesn't want another ride," She said, smiling when the white skin boy looked as though he was about to puke at the mere thought. "I'll meet you guys there. Bye!"
"Bye Katie!"
"Bye!"
With that, the two separated, Katie going one way and Marshall and Chase going the other, never noticing a certain brown haired boy spying on them, or rather, spying on Katie. Ryder frowned before trailing after her.