It was so very dark in the Moor of Icirrus that night. The moonlight was like a spotlight, cutting through the pitch blackness as it shone down on Keldeo.

He was sitting down on his haunches on his rock platform, the water completely still around him. He looked up, sad and forlorn, and started to singing a sad song to fit the mood.

"Is it finally over?
Are you finally done?
Are you happy now?
Did you have your fun?

I hope that it was worth it
All the tears they cried
While you gained favs and follows
They were terrified

And if I never read it again
I'll remember you the way you were
When you wrote "Marshall Gone Missing"

And for decency's sake
I'll count your fannon all as fake
And your words won't hurt them, anymore
No, your words can't hurt them, anymore."

A haunting howling chorus of unseen origin joined Keldeo in an echoing dirge.

Keldeo hung his head as he continued to sing.

"You withheld peace
You felt that author knows best
You needed a conflict
That would validate the rest

But one thing I'll never know
Is why you treated them like you did
Marshall's your favorite character
And Zuma's just a kid...

I wonder what the Zuma fans will do?
I hope one day they'll learn
To forgive you

And for decency's sake
I'll count your fannon all as fake
And nothing can hurt them anymore
No, nothing can hurt them...

Anymore. . .

No more. . . "

The six voices took up their howling chant of the final words, repeating it several times, until they finally faded away into silence as a large cloud floated in front of the moon, plunging the Moor into total darkness.

BOOOOOM!

A black wall was blown apart by Keldeo's Focus Blast.

No matter what we say or do,

Keldeo activated his Secret Sword and swung it, causing the screen to burst.

It's never up to me and you,

Victini rose into the air, his ears glowing with the power of V-Create.

We smile now-

"THE HECK WITH THAT!" Keldeo shouted as he smashed the intro sequence with a buck from his rear hooves. He turned around to face forward and said in an extremely flustered manner, "I mean- I mean- I just- I-I-I - LOOK AT THIS!"

Zuma's Fear

By: HavocHound

Out of all the pups in Paw Patrol, Zuma seems to be the most fearless of them all. Nobody really knows what he is afraid of and most of the time he seems cool and relaxed. But the truth is Zuma has a fear, one that is tied to a dark past that is filled with nothing but terror. And that terror is making its way to Adventure Bay.

Rated: Fiction T - English - Suspense/Hurt/Comfort - Chapters: 19 - Words: 53,924 - Reviews: 286 - Favs: 43 - Follows: 45 - Updated: Oct 22 - Published: Mar 23 - Status: Complete - id: 11133458

"I just- I don't- I-," Keldeo stammered, and he fell to the ground and buried his face in his forehooves as he made a sobbing sound. He raised his head and got back up quickly and said, "I mean, I already review Palace Pets, but even after that, I never thought that I'd ever have to see something, or have to read and review and analyze and review and talk about something. . . something as painful as this!?"

"And yeah, in my Palace Pets review, I mentioned this fanfic favorably, but that was before . . . certain questionable things happened in it. Like, it got worse over time! I just-."

Keldeo quickly dived for his Soothe Bell, took in his teeth and rang it several time. Keldeo put it back and sighed with relief. He got back into position and said, "Alright. Look, I think it's cool when people try to make shows more interesting. Especially when the creators and writers of the show try to make them more mature to begin with. Both PAW Patrol and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are similar in that the creator treat children as intelligent human beings that can handle action, adventure, and strong characterization along with their standard morals, and even some advance ones for time to time. However, MLP: FiM is able to handle stronger perils and villainy because of it's grounding in magic and mythology. It's fantasy, so you're able to get away with more things, like King Sombra or Chrysalis invading and slashing up guards and civilians. It's an action, adventure, Elder Scrolls-like fantasy, so you just go with it."

"Or, how about the Redwall series! That's all about wars and warriors and swords and brutal battles! Violent deaths fit in there!"

"But PAW Patrol, aside from the talking dogs, is a lot more realistic than MLP, which makes this story a lot more jarring."

Keldeo nodded gravely, "So, I really should warn you that this fanfic is much, much worse than the Zalton story arc. So, if you want to leave, be my guest."

. . . . .

"You do remember what the Zalton story arc is, right?"

. . . . .

"It isn't pretty."

. . . . .

"Well, okay. You've been warned. This is Zuma's Fear."

"So our story begins with the PAW Patrol running through an obstacle course. When Rubble gets scared by a spider, this kicks of a conversation about their fears, which then brings up the biggest plot hole of the entire show."

Skye walked over and put her paw on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay, Rubble. All of us are afraid of something. Remember when we helped Alex with the dentist? We all learned of what we were afraid of."

Rubble was about to agree until something click in hi head. "Wait a minute. We never found out what Zuma's fear was."

Everyone turned to the water rescue pup who just smirked. "That's because I'm not afwaid of anything. I'm the bwavest pup in all of Adventuwe Bay!"

"Seriously? You're not scared of spiders, snakes, rats, or skunks?" asked Rubble.

"Nope."

"What about heights?" asked Marshall.

"Nah, I like flying, dude. Not as much as swimming, but its weally cool."

"Okay, ghosts?" pointed out Chase. "You were really spooked at Halloween."

"Dude, evewyone was spooked at Halloween, that's not a fair one. Face it, out of all you pups, I'm feawless." said Zuma, puffing out his chest before he let out a yawn. He turned around to head for his pup house. "I'm beat from all this. I'm gonna take a nap."

The others watched the labrador walk away, but they looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Hey, does anybody really know why Ryder didn't pick Zuma that day? I mean, it kind of seems unfair that we all went but Zuma," said Chase.

"Well maybe Ryder didn't have a sociopathic killer lying around that day. Oh, spoilers, by the way," Keldeo commented dryly.

"So the pups realize that they actually know nothing about Zuma's backstory, and then end up discussing their own backstories. And, okay, credit where it's due. Not only is it nice to see how the author interprets the characters and past experiences of the pups, but it also shows us that this story occurs in a separate continuity from Marshall Gone Missing. In that story, Skye was a fashion model. In this story, Skye was a stunt flier."

Keldeo gained a sad look and said, "And with all the horrors that are going to happen in this story, I'm genuinely glad the events of Marshall Gone Missing are not in this continuity's future."

"Why does it matter? Zuma probably had a good reason for not telling anyone," said Rocky, getting a bad feeling about this. Zuma was his best friend and he didn't feel like digging into his past." "I mean, if it was something bad, doesn't he deserve a chance to come forward with it on his own? Remember how long it took me?"

"Do you think it might be bad?" asked Skye with a worried face.

Rocky bit his lip, but didn't say anything. If anything, he knew it had to be bad from personal experience.

"Oh boy, here it comes. The first room in this house of horrors," Keldeo said in fear.

"So, we get a flashback of one time when Rocky getting up at night to drink from the toilet. . . Seriously, that happens . . .Comedy! You're doing it wrong! . . .So Rocky sees Zuma having a nightmare. He wakes Zuma up, and then we get . . . this story. . ."

"… but it was more thana dweam, Wocky," muttered Zuma, closing his eyes as a tear dripped down. "It was a memory."

This got Rocky's attention. A memory? Must have been pretty bad for him to have been acting like that. What happened to him? Is he… like me?

"I bet you wanna know now, huh?" asked Zuma.

"… no, you don't have to tell me," answered Rocky, which made Zuma turn his head in surprise. "Believe me, I know what it's like to go through something bad in your life, and not want to think about it."

"W-what happened to you?" asked Zuma, before wincing. "S-sorry, if I'm not willing to tell it wouldn't be fair if-"

"Naw." Rocky put his paw on Zuma's making the younger pup blush. "It's okay. I'm… learning to talk about what happened to me." Taking a deep breath, Rocky looked out at the stars from a nearby window as he thought about his past life. "My old owner? He used to be a good man. We were the best of pals, and did everything together. But that all changed when he lost his job. He got angry… and drunk. I had to clean the place up while he kept hanging out at bars, wasting what little money we had." It was during that time that he found his love of recycling and turning old stuff into new stuff. His old owner called it stupid, thinking it was wasting time. Ryder said he was like the dog version of MacGyver.

"Did he… huwt you?" asked Zuma, softly.

Now it was Rocky's turn to let out a tear. "Yes." He wiped it away and continued, "He beat me at times when he was really drunk. Then he would apologize later and said he still loved me. I believed him until one day, he got really drunk. Turns out we were broke. He blamed me for everything. Took me to the tub and… held me underwater." Rocky growled as he remembered the feeling of water entering his lungs, slowly taking his breathe away as he waited for the end to come. It was because of that day that he felt his brain screaming for help every time he was wet.

"How did you get out of there?" asked Zuma, inching closer with amazement.

"I played dead. Convinced my owner he killed me. He just left me there on the floor to rot," spat Rocky, cursing his former owner. He may have loved him once, but that day he let what little love he had die. "I ran to a neighbor after he fell asleep and he called the authorities. My owner was arrested and put in jail, and I was sent into a foster care system until Ryder took me in."

Keldeo rested his chin on his right forehoof and said, "And you know what's worse? This is actually one of the more comfortable parts. A story about a guy trying to drown a dog is literally one of the easier parts of this story to get through. . . It's like going through the different levels of Hell."

Keldeo sighed and said, "So, I must inform you again that if the Zalton or even the Zoroark Duo of Death story arcs were too much for you, you should probably leave now and check out Zorua Reviews."

" . . . . Okay. . . ."

"So, back in the present, and in some far off location, we witness a prisoner escaping custody."

The prisoner was a dangerous one, who was listed with charges of murder, theft, robbery, assault, drugs, and more. He had a few dangerous friends too, and it was because of this that caution was being taken. A fake truck was being protected by cops while the news was airing the scene. The real truck was to take a longer, but quiet route to avoid suspicion.

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of!" Keldeo shouted, "That means if word leaks out, the prisoner will be unguarded! I understand sending a decoy to throw the criminals off the track, but why wouldn't you have the police protect both of them just in case?"

"Well, since the cops in this world are so dumb you'd think this takes place in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. . ."

Keldeo stopped and thought about this," Actually, that would explain how dogs could talk in this world. Maybe a bunch of dogs were exposed to mutagen or something?"

Keldeo shook it off and continued, "Anyway, it turns out the ONLY GUARD had his family held hostage by the gang and has to help the criminal escape. And since ALL the other cops are stupid, the escape is a success."

The prisoner chuckled before slowly raising his hand, showing all five fingers as he counted down one by one. When the last one was up, four shots rang out in the air, spooking the cop as he held his gun closer. For a whole minute there was nothing.

Then light poured in upon the rear doors being open, revealing the prisoner as clear as the sun outside. He had a light bond hair that reached down to his end of his neck; a light green dye was on his bangs. His right ear had golden ear pricing and his arms were layered with tattoos and scars. Grinning, his eyes showed a hint of amusement as he got out where his posse was waiting for him, the guard right behind him.

For the first time in this review, Keldeo laughed.

"Okay. . . what? Seriously, what? Look at this guy! I mean, look at him! What is he, a killer clown? This is hilarious!"

Keldeo smiled and said, "And I know I usually don't step out of the review to talk about what's gonna happen later on in the story before I get to it, but let me tell you all that this guy goes absolutely crazy with Villain Tropes. I mean, he practically uses ALL OF THEM! So, I'm going to set up a Cliche Villain Rip-Off Side Pot. Trust me, this thing will be overflowing by the end of this fanfic."

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 1. Villain design is so ridiculously evil it's funny. (King Sombra from My Little Pony)

His gang, consisting of four whites and two blacks, were dressed what you would normally find on your average street thug, holding pistols while they hollered their leader back. Stretching his arms out like he was a savior, the prisoner hugged each of his friends as they welcomed him back. One of the blacks, wearing a backwards Red Sock's cap, patted his buddy on the back. "Welcome back, Stone."

Keldeo blinked, "Uhh, okay, why did you feel you had to mention what team the cap was for? Are you saying the guy's from Boston, or are you just saying the Red Socks are evil? That seems a little petty. And no, I'm not joking here, I just find it weird that you just had to mention that it as a Red Sock's cap. Why'd you do it?"

"Got my baby?" asked Stone as he was handed a black pocket knife. He pressed the switch and popped out the blade, caressing it like it was a priceless treasure. "Oh, I missed you so much, Shiva." He kissed it and began flipping it around.

"Really?" Keldeo deadpanned, "His knife is named 'destruction'? What is it, a Daedric Artifact from Skyrim?"

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 2. Villain has a favorite weapon he is obsessed with. (Nearly every Redwall villain)

The cop, nervously clearing his throat as all seven set of eyes glared at him, said, "We… we had a deal. I help you get freed. You'd free my family."

"Right, I forgot about that," said Stone, tapping his head with edge of his knife. "I kind of have a bad memory for being locked up for nearly two years." He walked over and wrapped his arm around the cops' neck. "I said I would have you meet you family again, Officer Palmer. And I never go back on my word."

Palmer ready to open his mouth, but all that came out was a gurgle as Stone shoved the pocket knife straight into his throat. He smiled as he twisted it further into the neck, watching blood drip down as Officer Palmer began to choke, struggling against the enviable while his eyes began to lose the light in them. Stone held on as he continued to inch the blade deeper. Whimpering into the officer's ear in his final moments, he said, "Be sure to say high to the wife and kids when you meet them."

"The moral of the story is that if you make a deal with the Devil, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Keldeo exploded.

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 3. Villain makes deals based on EXACT WORDS so he can twist it to his advantage and double cross his victim.

Keldeo frowned and spoke sympathetically, "And I know I should be horrified by this, but A: I've read all the Redwall books, and B: this is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, compared to what's gonna happen later on. So again, let me remind you- OH, BISCUITS! Who am I kidding, you aren't gonna leave. Let's keep going!"

He finally took out the knife and began to wipe the blood with his prisoner uniform as the dead body fell to the ground. One of the gangsters walked up and asked, "So what do we do now, boss?"

Stone smile as he began flipping the now clean knife. "First, I want some real food, better clothes… and then… well we start planning a little trip, boys."

"Where to?"

"Ever heard of a town called Adventure Bay?"

Keldeo raised his left forehoof as if he was in a classroom and said, "Uh, could we see the rest of this conversation? I mean, seriously, how exactly could this have gone, anyway?"

Thug: "Why we going there, boss?"

Stone: "To kill a puppy!"

Thug: ". . . Why do we need to kill a puppy?"

Stone: "Shaddup."

Thug: "But shouldn't we be pulling a heist or something that'll-"

Stone: "Shaddup, shutting-up."

Keldeo put his hoof down and shrugged, "So, after that delightful scene of chaos, anarchy, and death, we head back to the PAW Patrol were Zuma is about to perform some kind of seashell valediction he does he ever May 20th."

*DONG!*

Ruckus: "The Valediction: A symbolic gesture at best, nonetheless the Memorial pays homage to the way things used to be."

Maybe I'll head over to the sea later. Do a bit of swimming. Find some seashells… His eyes widened as a realization hit him in the head like a soccer ball at mock speed. "Oh, man!" Zuma quickly slide down the slide and rushed over to Chase with worry in his eyes. "Chase! Hey, Chase!"

"Yeah?" asked Chase, stopping his pushing. "What's up, Zuma?"

"Dude, what day is it?!" asked Zuma, pacing himself a he got ready to rush out if today was indeed that day.

"Um, May 20th I think," recalled Chase. He was about to say something, but Zuma was already rushing out of the playground for the exit. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

"I got to head to the beach and do something! See you guys later!" cried out Zuma, but before he could press further, his tag beeped and Ryder's voice came out.

"Paw Patrol! To the Lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!" shouted everyone as they howled, following Zuma towards the direction of the lookout.

Although he was disappointed this happened, Zuma knew that his duties as a rescue pup came first and foremost. He took a promise not to let anyone who was defenseless, or in need of help, down and he was going to keep it. Besides, I can always get the shells later after the wescue. And I might not be needed for it anyway!

"Alright! Time for some comedy! Oh, Marshall!" Keldeo called out.

"Help! I can't see!"

The alerted pups all faced forward and gasped as Marshall, whose eyes was covered by his sand bucket, headed straight for them. They tried to shout out a warning, but it was too late. Marshall ran into them, knocking them around until they were another heaping pile of pups stacked on top of each other. Again.

Marshall finally got the bucket off his head and looked around, laughing. "Fear me! I am the monster known as Marshall! Destroyer of sand castles and wrecker of pups! With the Paw Patrol defeated I can take over the world!"

"Before you do, can you get your butt out of my face?" asked Rocky, feeling uncomfortable.

"Of course!" shouted Marshall, dramatically as he turned his head over his shoulder with an evil smirk. At least until the elevator started moving and made him lose his balance.

"No, that doesn't count for the Rip-Off Side Pot because Stone didn't say it. But anyway, it was funny. SAVOR IT!" Keldeo suddenly shouted with a look of desperation on his face, "Seriously, SAVOR IT! Lighthearted moments are few and far between in this story, so for the love of all that is good, SAVOR THIS SCENE!"

"So we get the author's interpretation of what the secret changing room looks like, don't be lazy, read the story yourself if you wanna see it, and we get today's mission."

"Thanks for coming, pups," said Ryder with a smile before his face turned serious. "We have a major problem out in the bay. Two tourist boats have collided and are slowly sinking. Captain Turbot's been able to get some passages on-board his own boat, but he's running out of room. We need to help the rest of those passengers get off their boats safely, and make sure no one's hurt."

"Now, one thing I have to say, is that I love how this author ups the ante of the rescue missions far higher than the show," Keldeo said with a smile, "That's what fanfic authors are suppose to do. Take what the source material gives you, and then elevate it. Seriously, this rescue gets pretty intense!"

After ten minutes of sailing, Zuma spotted the three boats and began to lower his speed. Ryder and Captain Turbot raised their hands in greetings as the boat was brought over. Zuma had to admit, things looked really bad. One ship had completely crashed into the middle of the other one as groaning tourists held their families together while covered in debris and cuts. Most of the tourists were on Captain Turbot's boat, but there looked to be very little room to maneuver. Up on the second floor was Chase, megaphone already out.

"Attention passengers! Medical assistance has arrive along with a second boat! Please remain calm, and we'll be able to attend to your needs!" announced Chase.

"Good job, pups. You came here just in time," said Ryder to his pups.

"Yeah, we got a messy megaton mess of a mishap!" shouted Captain Turbot.

"Zuma help me get the remaining passengers on the two crashed boats into the one you brought. Marshall, we got a lot of injured people here who could use your help."

"I'm on it Ryder!" shouted Marshall as he leaped over to Captain Turbot's boat and began asking everyone to get in a single line.

Zuma waited until Ryder was on-board before moving the boat to the first crashed one. Getting off, the two helped passengers get on, earning gratefulness from them. A little girl even petted Zuma and hugged him much to his joy. It was moments like these that he enjoyed being a rescue pup. Once the first boat of passengers had arrived on the new boat, Zuma got back on his hovercraft and was about to head to the other one. That's when Marshall called.

"Ryder! Zuma! I smell gas and smoke from here coming from the other boat!"

"I smell it too!" shouted Chase with worry.

"Smoke and gas… that would mean," whispered Ryder as a look of horror appeared on his face. "Zuma, quick we need-"

An explosion from the engine of the second boat sent out shock waves as a bursting fireball erupted and everyone screamed.

Team Rocket: "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

*ding*

Keldeo moaned, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but if you only knew the evil that is coming in this story, you'd understand why I felt the need to add in jokes whenever I have the chance."

Zuma managed to hang on in his seat, as did the passengers, but Ryder was flown out and landed in the water. "Wyder!" shouted Zuma with worry.

"I'm fine! Ack," spat out Ryder as he shook his wet head. "Get the other passengers! Hurry!"

"So Zuma zooms- heh-heh-heh- to the rescue, when finally, after so long, he once again comes face to face with his biggest fear."

The man who lay before him has piece of wood dug deep into his back and legs, with second degree burns visible on his right side of his body from the explosion. And there was blood. Blood on his back, forehead, and limbs all forming into a small pool below him. Zuma started to sake as he saw that pool get bigger and bigger. And with it came the screams. Screams of horror, pain and pleading. Visions of furniture covered in blood with a knife cutting into the air, crimson raining down upon his head as he screamed. Screamed until his throat was burning, all for it to stop. But it wasn't stopping. The blood wasn't stopping.

"Zuma! Wake up and get out of there!" shouted Chase on the other end of his pup tag.

Zuma finally shook his head, but it was too late. Another explosion echoed in his ears. Before Zuma knew it he was screaming, flying in the air,

Team Rocket: "WE'RE BLASTING OFF-"

SPLASH!

before he landed in the water. He slowly started to sink as his eyes began to slowly shut. All he could think about as the water took him under was the names of those who he could hear screaming.

Gweg… Mawsha… Shelly…

"FORESHADOWING!" Munna declared.

"NO SHIP SHERLOCK!" the Intoxiquer shouted.

Keldeo fired Focus Blasts at both of them.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

*ding*

"That's it, no more Team Rocket jokes, I swear" Keldeo declared.

"So Zuma wakes up in the hospital later on and is given the bad news."

"That man! The one who was left on the boat! What happened to him?!"

Upon saying this, the group all looked at each other with sad eyes and worried expressions. Chase took of his police hat and placed it on his chest. "Zuma… I'm sorry, he… didn't make it. The second explosion got him…"

"You mean… he's… he's…" tears began to form in Zuma's eyes as he shook his head. "No… no no no no! Augh!"

He turned around in shame and, covering his head with his bedsheet, howling in sorrow. He failed. He failed to rescue someone. Ever since Paw Patrol had formed they had never lost a single casualty in any of their rescue missions. And Zuma had just brought in their first one.

"Zuma, it's alright," said Ryder, placing his hand on Zuma's side. "It wasn't your-"

"Yes it was, Wyder!" shouted Zuma, emerging from his blanket and growling at his owner. Tears dripping from his eyes, Zuma continued, "It was all my fault! I let him die because I fwoze up like a scawdy cat! All I had to do was dwag him to safety and he could be back home with his family! Only now they're gonna know that he died because of me! I let that man die, Wyder! I bwought our fiwst failure in Paw Patrol! And all because he was… was…"

Zuma gripped the side of his head as memories of three bodies, covered in red, with horrified faces flashed in his mind.

"… because what?" asked Rubble, too curious for his own good.

"Because he was bleeding!" screamed Zuma who began to yell and began to thrash in his bed, much to the horror of the pups. They had never seen their cool and collected friend act like this. "I couldn't save them! I couldn't save them, Wyder! I couldn't save them!"

Keldeo face hoofed and said, "Okay, I know Zuma's Elmuh Fudd Syndwome is a part of his character, but it's just sooooo distracting in a scene that's supposed to be emotionally potent and poignant. Couldn't the author had done something like, 'he was so distraught that he overcame his speech impairment out of sheer force of emotion and will to confess his crippling guilt.' I know I'm kinda nit-picking here, but all those w's are just so distracting."

"So that night, Rocky and Chase talk about everything that happened and we see that Rocky is apparently gonna be our secondary protagonist."

Sighing, Rocky growled, "I should have gone with him." Raising an eyebrow, Chase stared at him. "If I had gone with him, maybe I could have prevented him from getting scared and hurt."

"Rocky, Ryder didn't need you for the mission. There was no way any of us could have predicted this would happen," said Chase, patting his friend on the back. "Don't go asking yourself 'what if's' it's not healthy. Besides, would you have asked to go on a mission in the water?"

"If it meant helping you guys, yes!" shouted Rocky, surprising Chase. "Yes, I hate getting wet but I hate seeing my best friends hurt more! Especially Zuma!" A tear streaked down his cheek. "He… he's like a little brother to me, Chase. I care about him a lot, and knowing he's in this much pain without me by his side? It hurts. I can even say I hate Ryder for ordering me to do this…"

"Rocky," muttered Chase before he reached over and nuzzled him. "I know how you feel. I didn't want to obey that order either, but we have to trust him. I'm sure Ryder will tell us everything tomorrow." He gave a small smile. "So why don't you get some sleep?"

Rocky was about to say something when a yawn erupted from his throat. "Yeah… I guess I should. Good night, Chase."

"Night," he said as he followed the recycling pup until they split up to their respective houses.

Keldeo smiled warmly, "Relax guys. It could be worse. There could be a sociopathic killer on the loose who's plotting to kill all of you."

Keldeo blinked, "Oh wait. . ."

Keldeo cleared his throat, "*Ahem* So, after that scene, we get introduced to, without a doubt, my favorite character in this fanfic. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you. . ."

Keldeo put on the black hat he wore during his Blooming Late review.

". . .Detective Shaw!" Keldeo declared.

Thirty-seven year old Detective Shaw hated his job when things went wrong. More often than not they did, and usually that resulted in the chief yelling at him for hours, threatening to take his badge if he ever crossed the line again. Of course, Shaw took it all in stride. With his performance record, the fat *** would never kick him off the force and everyone in the whole district knew it. He was the best **** cop in Costal City and the jailed criminals could tell you that.

Keldeo shrugged, "Yes, he's swearing. I don't like it either. But, this guy is hard boiled detective! A film noir master! He's the kind of guy punches criminals and remarks about how he hopes he can get the slime of off his fist! The police hate him cause he's a hundred times better than they'll ever be at catching criminals. This guy is GOOD!"

Still, fate was a ***** to Shaw when things went wrong, like it was this morning as he woke up to the worst news of his life.

Damian Stone hadn't arrived at his trial hearing yesterday and only now, the next morning, they had found the truck that was supposed to be carrying him. Driving his green classic 1962 pontiac catalina (His old man's personal car that he received after his death), Shaw found himself in Standfort Woods where CSI and cops were all over the area. Shaw cursed as he took out a cigarette and lit up, breaking his three week streak of going through a single day without one. Getting out, he walked over to the crime scene were the prisoner truck was, along with three body bags.

"Stone anywhere?" asked Shaw to an officer who looked new to the force judging by his green looking face.

"No, sir. We haven't found his body, just… these three…" gulped the poor newbie who looked ready to lose his lunch. "Two of them were shot multiple times while the last one-"

"Had a pocket knife shoved into this neck?" asked Shaw, getting a quick nod in return. "Figures. That's his calling card."

"Sir?" asked the officer as the detective walked away.

Inhaling the smoke, Detective Shaw closed his eyes and wondered how in the name of the Lord himself he was still a religious person if crap like this happens.

"It involves a certain hard to explain perspective that I'm glad to see Shaw still has," Keldeo commented, "But wait! Here comes the best part!"

His cell soon rang and he already knew who it was. Answering it, he shouted, "Well, what do you want to hear, chief? The 'I told you so' or the fact we got three dead cops and a wanted man out doing God knows what."

"I don't have time for your jokes, Shaw! I got everybody on my *** for this and if you don't give me something I swear you're fired!"

More like you will be, thought Shaw, rolling his eyes. "Well, maybe if we went with the original plan and having him in that actual line of police protection instead of trying to trick his gang with a single vehicle with only three cops I think we might have been avoiding this situation."

"THANK YOU!" Keldeo shouted, "I'm glad to see not someone knew that this plan was a stupid idea! Whoever thought of the plan needs to be fired and given a job cleaning streets or something an idiot can do without hurting someone."

"Detective! We found something you should see!" shouted the officer from before.

Putting the call on hold, he walked over and saw the officer holding some kind of paper. Looking closer, Shaw saw that it was an article on Adventure Bay's Paw Patrol rescue squad. He recognized it because he knew the leader, Ryder, personally. After all, he was involved in the investigation along with-

"Oh ****," whispered Shaw as he eyed all the six pups shown on the paper except one was crossed out with a pencil. "Zuma…"

"Who?" asked the officer, but Detective Shaw was already heading for his car.

Once he was inside, he began to head back to the highway and drove as fast as he could with his lights on. "Chief!" he shouted on his phone. "I know where Stone is heading! He's heading to Adventure Bay! I need you to get every officer you can from Foggy Bottom to Eagleton involved. I'm heading there now!"

"Why the hell would Stone go there?"

"One word: revenge," was all Detective Shaw said before he hanged up and looked through his contacts for a person he hadn't talk to for a year and a half. He knew the kid was possible asleep, but this was important.

He waited for the dial to tone until he sighed in relief when he heard a tired voice yawn out, "Ryder here… who is this?"

"Ryder? It's Detective Shaw. Do you remember me?"

"Detective Shaw? Yeah, I remember you. What's wrong?"

"Is Zuma with you?" asked Shaw, praying he wasn't too late.

"Yeah, he's with me? What's wrong?"

Shaw sighed. "I got bad news…"

Keldeo took of his hat and scratched his head, "Wait a minute. . . Stone left them a clue? Why?! What, is he Carmen Sandiego?"

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 4. Villain leaves clues for the good guys to make things more interesting. (Carmen Sandiego)

"I mean, this couldn't been an accident. There's no way he could have just happened to drop an article about his target right at the crime scene without realizing it. Is he really so confident that they can't stop him that he'd actually warn them ahead of time?"

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 5. Villain is overly confident.

So Shaw tells Ryder what happened, and the pups have a meeting the next morning.

Ryder's face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot, worse yet it looked like he had seen a demon.

"Ryder, sir?" asked Chase, stepping forward with concern. "What happened?"

"It's… it's a long story, Chase," muttered Ryder, rubbing his temples. "Something happened and… I'm afraid we're going to be facing the biggest rescue in our lives."

"Rescue? Who are we rescuing?" asked Rubble.

"It's Zuma," muttered Ryder as he walked into the Lookout.

The others gasped as Rocky quickly asked, "Is he okay?"

"No…" muttered Ryder, sitting on one of the couches. "After what we just learned… he had a panic attack and had to stay at the hospital again."

"A panic attack?!" shouted the pups.

"WHAT!?" Keldeo shouted in shock, "He was just finished being traumatized from letting a civilian die, and then you went ahead and told him that a psychotic killer is coming to get him!? . . . . You're a terrible friend! Couldn't you have posted guards around his hospital room and not told him anything until he recovered enough to handle it? What are you, a sadist? Where the heck is your compassion and sympathy?!"

"So, Ryder finally tells the pups about Zuma's past."

He sighed as leaned back against the couch, the pups all sitting down with full attention. "I told you that I found Zuma as an orphan down by Costal City, right? I lied." The others were a bit surprised by this since Ryder never lied to them before but they let him continue.

"I went there because I was trying to see if there were any adopted pups I could find for the team. We were missing a water and construction pup, and I at least wanted one of those filled before we started missions," explained Ryder. "Back then, Zuma had… a family. Two owners who were married, Greg and Marsha, and… a sister named, Shelly."

Floating in water, not too far from the beach, Zuma sighed and wished he could sink into the deep ocean floor and feel this sensation forever. Unbeknownst to him, a figure was swimming silently underwater straight on target. The chocolate labrador was all but deaf to the small paddles making its way toward him. His smile slowly began to disappear when his instincts began telling him something was amiss.

By the time he realized it, it was too late. The figure emerged from the water and tackled him. "Ha! You're dead!" shouted a female chocolate labrador that looked just liked Zuma, only she was female and had a bang of hair covering a bit of her left eye. She also had a necklace of seashells around her neck, each of them pretty and unique.

"Hey, we stopped play shawks and guppies ten minutes ago!" pouted Zuma, as he glared at his grinning sister.

"Shelly the Shark never stops when she's on the hunt!" proclaimed the other pup with a howl. The two pups laughed before they started splashing water at each other. "And it's 'sharks' not 'shawks', bro."

"Dude, come on," said Zuma as he pounded a big splash of water into his sister's face. "Hitting my speech impaiwment is a low blow. Want me to stawt dissing you for sleeping with a night light?"

"Okay, sorry dude," apologized Shelly with a smile.

"Gosh, it's like she has a sign on her back that says 'Kill Me'," Keldeo remarked grimly.

"So, in the past, Zuma and his sister lived with a married couple who ran a restaurant in Coastal City."

She then turned over to the shack her owners owned. Despite looking like your average tiki shack, it was as big as a diner and was fit for tables both outside and in. The place was also growing more crowded than the last time they had seen it. Turning to her brother, she said, "Hey, Zuma? Let's got help out Greg and Marsha at the shack. Looks like it's getting crowded."

"Sure thing, Sis," said Zuma, following Shelly towards the Tiki Snack Shack.

A few of the customers greeted the pup duo, who barked hello back, as they made their way to the counter where Marsha was accepting orders and handing out change from the bills. Marsha was a red head with a ponytail and a firm surfer figure while wearing a white T-shirt she got from Hawaii and shorts that reached her knees. Behind her, working on the grill, was her husband, Greg. He didn't have anything on his tattoo swimmer packed chest but a chef's apron while worked on a pair of burger patties. Unlike his wife, he wore his swim trunks all the time which were yellow just like his short haircut.

Noticing the pups, Marsha smiled at them. "Thank goodness you two arrive. We're getting swamped. Mind taking orders, and delivering food?"

"You got it, Marsha!" said the siblings who were always eager to help their owners. They were the closest thing to parents that they had, and had been with them since they could first talk. Putting on their own pet sized green waiter aprons, the two headed out to the tables.

"When did this turn into Rocket Power?" Keldeo asked in bemusement.

Keldeo gave a genuine smile and said, "But seriously, this really does expand the world of the cartoon. Dogs are so advanced in this world that it makes sense they'd have jobs like this. It actually kind of reminds me of the Pokemon world."

"We're then introduced to Ryder and the pup who wants to apply for the PAW Patrol."

Along the way he saw Shelly talking to two pups dressed in lifeguard packs. The first was a male black furred newfoundland dog with a backwards combed looking haircut and had impressive muscles. The other was a shorter golden retriever with pigtails and a pink bow on her tail.

Walking over, he greeted the two with a high five that they returned in kind. "What's up, Samuel and Reggie? You guys on break?"

"No, but Sam here wanted to see his 'future interviewer', the one you were talking to a while ago," said Reggie, rolling her eyes.

Zuma raised his eyebrow upon hearing the words "future interviewer" and Shelly, seeing his confusion, giggled before explaining. "She means that human, Ryder? He's the leader for some sort of rescue team."

"Not just a rescue team! A fully staffed pup rescue team called Paw Patrol! All of them are pups, and he's looking to recruit more. One of them being a water pup," said Samuel with excitement as he puffed his chest and flexed his front legs. "And I'm going to be that pup. I am one of the best life guard's dogs we have on the beach." He kissed his muscles. "Just look at my guns, ain't I right, Shelly?"

"Wow, I just met this guy and I already hate him. How did HavocHound do that!?" Keldeo asked in mock amazement.

"And I'm going to be that pup!" said Samuel, wagging his tail.

"Maybe if they need an ego pup," muttered Reggie,

"A little later, Shelly leaves to go surfing, which raises a few concerns for Zuma."

Glazing Rock Point was a dangerous place to surf with the high intense waves, pointy rocks, and the stories of how many people had gotten injured when attempting to beat it. He didn't think Shelly was foolish enough to do that, but still his sister had always been a daredevil. Like the time she tried surfing that tropical storm. Man, was she ever grounded.

Yet as Zuma made his way to the beach he paused. Going down Glazing Wock Point with a new board would be something cwazy that she would do. Maybe I should just double check to be sure.

"Sure enough, Shelly does go there and needs to be rescued. Unfortunately, this doesn't convey much tension because we know Shelly is going to be saved so she can be killed by Stone later on. However, this is a very exciting and well written rescue scene."

"Hang on, Shelly! I'm going to get help!" Rushing as fast as he could, Zuma could only pray that he would make it to the lifeguards in time.

"I can hold my breath for two minutes. I once rescued a cat during high tide. And I was the best doggie paddler in my class. Did I mention I work out every day?" said Samuel, grinning to an amused Ryder who was typing something in his pup pad.

Keldeo chuckled, "Okay, break from drama here. I can just imagine what Ryder is typing there. . ."

"OMG, this guy won't shut up. Biggest head ever, and most of it is muscle. He's got more muscle in his head than his legs. REJECT! REJECT!"

"It's Shelly! She surfed at Glazing Wock Point and is stuck on some wocks! The high tide is coming and I don't know how long she can stay above the water!" shouted Zuma.

The two pups gasped as Samuel began to shiver. "G-G-G-Glazing R-R-Rock P-Point?! That place is dangerous! Even we're not of the level to do rescues there!"

"Then why did you want to join the PAW Patrol, you quivering coward!?" Keldeo asked in disgust, "What are you gonna do, just sit there and let her die? What kind of lifeguard are you? Spongebob is a better lifeguard than you! At least he tried to save Patrick!"

"We need to radio in the advance level lifeguards if we're going to save your sister, this too much for us!" shouted Reggie, reaching for her radio.

"But we don't have time! Shelly needs us! I'm going to save her either with you guys or not!" shouted Zuma, who looked ready to bolt, but was stopped by Ryder.

"Hold on, Zuma. We're going to save your sister together. No job is too big, no pup is too small!" shouted Ryder as he rushed over to a nearby ATV that was parked. He placed his pup pad in a holder for it up front, and put on his helmet. "Get in!"

"So while Samuel just sits in a corner and sucks his paw, the real heroes carry out the rescue, proving that Zuma is, in fact, better than trained lifeguards!"

"Okay, Zuma! Ready to get wet?" asked Ryder.

"Born weady!" said Zuma as he dived into the water. He shook off the icy feeling of the cold water and focused on swimming towards his sister.

The waves were rough, sending Zuma up and down, but he kept going forward with determination in his eyes. With each passing wave that he concurred he got closer and closer to reaching his sister. Shelly reached out, hoping to get to her brother in time. This proved to be a mistake as the next wave knocked her off the rocks completely, sending her screaming underwater.

"Shelly! Nooo!" shouted Zuma as he dived under.

Blinking his eyes so he could see clearer, he swam as fast as he could down below where he saw his sister struggling to maintain afloat. Her sore cramp prevented her from moving upwards, and the pain made her yell underwater, wasting air. At last Zuma reached his sister, and wrapped his paws around her waist before pulling the rope three times. The rope began to pull them back to the surface as Zuma assisted by kicking upward as hard as he could.

The moment they broke the surface, both pups let out big gasps and hacked water out of their mouths and noses. Seeing herself safe in her brother's paws, Shelly embraced her brother and sobbed at the prospect of almost drowning. Zuma only sighed in relief that his sister was okay as he was pulled back by Ryder.

"Nice rescue, Zuma. Are you okay, Shelly?" asked Ryder, helping both pups up.

"Y-yeah," stuttered Shelly, shaking from the cold. "T-thanks for h-h-helping m-me."

"Come to think of it, was this rescue even that hard?" Keldeo commented.

"I'm sorry, Greg," muttered Shelly, lowering her head in shame.

"How many times have we told you, and Zuma, that Glazing Rock Point was dangerous and you should never swim there, much less surf!" growled Greg, rubbing his temples. "Damnit, if it wasn't for your brother, and Ryder, you could have died out there!"

"I know, okay! I'm sorry! I thought it would be okay if I tried surfing just a little bit during low tied, but I screwed up!" yelled Shelly, burring her face into her paws and crying. "Please… please don't hate me…"

Greg's face softened as he and Marsha looked at each other before the latter calmly took the crying pup into her arms and began to rock her. "Shelly, we could never hate you. You and Zuma are family to us, and we love you. We were just so worried sick about you and if we lost you…" Marsha let a tear drop down from her eye. "We're just glad you're safe, honey." She then proceeded to kiss her pup on the cheek.

Shelly turned to Greg who sighed and ruffed up the top of her head. "Same here, kiddo. I'm more relieved than upset. Believe me." He then wagged her finger at her. "You are grounded for two weeks though."

"I understand," said Shelly as she turned to Ryder and Zuma. "Thanks for saving me."

"Yes, thank you for all your help, Ryder… um, I don't know your last name," said Greg walking over and holding out his hand.

Ryder chuckled before shaking it. "Just Ryder is fine. I'm just glad we could help Shelly."

Zuma barked in approval before noticing something. "Hey, Shelly! You're shell necklace is gone!"

Looking at her bare chest, Shelly sighed in disappointment. "I guess I lost it in the sea."

"Don't worry! I'll get you a new one!" said Samuel eagerly, but was then pulled by the ear via Reggie's mouth.

"Oh no you don't," she said as she dragged them away. "We are going to report back to HQ and then you're going to hold my bags when my owner and I go shopping tomorrow morning."

"Why do I have to do that?!" shouted Samuel, as he was dragged across the room towards the beach exit.

"Because I had to listen to you prattle on about your speech all day. Payback is a bitch," said a smirking Reggie.

"Yeah, you are one," whispered Samuel before he was smacked in the face by Reggie's tail.

"My gosh is this guy bad! I mean, really, truly a gift to unlike-able characters! He and Reggie are like Butch and Cassidy in dog form. No, that didn't count as a Team Rocket joke. It's a fact!"

"Ryder called back and said that Samuel did his best, but he didn't pass the interview," explained Reggie as he eyed her partner with sympathy.

"Aw, I'm sowwy, Sam," said Zuma patting him on the shoulder. "I still think you're a gweat lifeguard pup though."

"Thank, man," said Samuel with a small smile. He then puffed out his chest and made another muscled pose with his forelegs. "I guess I'll just need to continue protecting the beach with my awesomeness. Paw Patrol doesn't know what they're missing with me and these babies right here. Oh, yeah."

"Are you kidding me! Zuma totally showed you up, and he isn't even a lifeguard! You were literally shivering and stammering like a little coward the other day! You couldn't do anything! Are you delusional or something?"

"So, in other news, Greg has an argument with a obviously suspicious criminal."

Sensing trouble, the three pups rushed forward just as Greg was finishing, "… and if you show up on my property again I will see to it that you are jailed for a long time!"

The hooded guy snorted and shook his head. "You're making a mistake. Nobody tells Stone 'no' when he offers a deal like this. After all, there are a lot of hoodlums who like to make trouble around these parts."

"Yeah, hoodlums like you." Greg glared and pointed this finger at the punk. "Tell your boss that I don't want his 'protection' and he can shove his offer up his pie hole. Now get out of here!"

The hooded guy laughed harshly before shaking his head. "Man, you are in deep. Hope ya got a good coffin for yer funeral, buddy."

G-Man: "Prepare for unforeseen consequences."

"Is there trouble here," said Reggie as she stepped forward, grabbing their attention. She glared at the hooded guy, who look disinterested at the aspect of being threatened by a pup. "I can radio both other lifeguards and beach security to escort you off the premise if you're disturbing this place, bucko."

"Yeah, and we're not afraid to drag you out by your pants either," growled Samuel.

"Tsh, whatever," said the hooded figure as he walked away, making sure to give the bird as he passed by.

Marsha rushed over to her husband and hugged him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Punks like that are nothing," said Greg.

"What happened, Gweg?" asked Zuma, concerned.

"Oh, some jerk came here as a repressive of his boss, Stone or whatever," said Greg, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, he saw how successful we were and wanted us to make a 'donation' so that we were protected."

"Sounds like an extortion racket to me," said a new voice. They all turned towards a serious looking Ryder who walked in. "That guy sounds dangerous. He and his boss could come for revenge since you disrespected them. We should call the police."

"Ryder, there is no need," said Greg, shaking his head.

"WHAT?!" Keldeo exclaimed.

"It's just some punk lying out of his mouth so he can get a free meal. We get those kinds of guys from time to time."

"I wanted to make him leave with a good bite on his rump," growled Shelly. "Nobody threatens my family."

"Still, maybe we should call the police, Greg," said Marsha.

"Look, I'm sure it's nothing," reassured Greg, patting his wife's hand. "If you want, we'll go to the police tomorrow. For now, let's get back to work."

"And I thought the unguarded prisoner transport was stupid, but this just raises the stupidity meter to a whole new level! It even trumps Foxfire standing on the edge of the well!" Keldeo shouted, his eyes widened with disbelief and rage, "I mean. . . WHAT!? Just . . . WHAT?! An obviously suspicious person threatens to kill you with his gang and you decide not to call the police? Are you insane or just really, really, really stupid?!"

Keldeo shook his head, "I just have no idea why HavocHound decided to set things up like this. There had to have been much better way to get them involved with Stone. Like, maybe a gang member or even Stone himself tries to steal Greg's wallet or Marsha's purse on the street, but then it causes a fight where Greg breaks the criminal's nose or maybe Shelly or Zuma tears him up pretty bad, but then he gets away. Then it would make more sense for Greg not to call the police because as far as they know, it was just one guy who probably won't be back."

"But here, the guy makes it clear that they've got a gang, presumably with guns, that won't hesitate to kill them all. So why would Greg think not calling the police would be a good idea? I mean, it makes no sense! And what about Ryder? He's right there! He's supposed to be a genius! Can't he see that there are lives in danger."

"I don't know, it's better to be safe than sorry," said Ryder, crossing his arms. "But I can't do anything if Greg doesn't want too."

"So you're just gonna let innocent people die? You should've been like:"

Ryder: "Greg, uh, sir. I hate to say it, but, um, you're a total moron. Seriously, you're an idiot. Either that or a lunatic. Or maybe you're just suicidal. But if that's the case, try to consider your family. I doubt that they want to die with you. Try to find a way to kill yourself that doesn't endanger your family. I'm calling the police."

Keldeo sighed, "Okay, that was a little overboard. But seriously, if I were in Ryder's position, I would have anonymously called the police, disguised my voice, and told them what's going on. Even if they figured out it was me and Greg got angry at me, I wouldn't care. At least the man and his family are still alive!"

Keldeo cracked and smile, "Oh, and just to lighten things up a little bit, here's a meme:"

Ren and Stimpy Walrus: "Call the police. . ."

"So Ryder offers Zuma a job on the PAW Patrol, but he turns it down to stay with his family at the restaurant. Makes sense. Then, later on, Greg gets a very unsubtle revelation of how stupid it was to not call the police!"

Coming towards the Tiki Snack Shack from outside were at least ten ATV's with two people riding on them. Every one of them was dressed in black pants and shirts with helmets on top. They then started to swerve away, slowly circling the shack like it sharks.

The family all huddled up together as the ATV's soon stopped and all the passengers got up, holding what looked to be long black and heavy objects. When they stepped on to the wooden surface of the shack, and into the light, they saw what they were and their blood turned to ice.

Guns.

They were real guns. Not the kind that Zuma and Shelly had seen on TV when Greg watched his action movies. Not the toy looking ones they saw in their cartoons. But real, and deadly, guns.

One of the masked riders slowly walked up towards the group, strutting around like he owned the place. Slowly, he took of his helmet, revealing a young man with blond hair and a light green dye on his bands. He had a golden earing on his right ear and a smile that seemed to hold maliciousness with it. He clapped his hands and smiled at the group, "Hi, I don't suppose you do late night take out do you? My boys and I are very huggry."

"Who are you?" asked Greg, stepping forward to protect his family.

"My name is Damian Stone," he said bowing his head before giving them a toothy grin. "And from what I heard you wanted to shove something up my pie hole was it?"

GLaDOS: "Well, this is the part where he kills us."

"Oh boy, here it comes," Keldeo said with wide eyed horror. He quickly retrieved his Soothe Bell and placed in on the ground in front of him.

"Proceed. . ." Keldeo said softly.

Where are your kids?"

"I… can't have any, but Zuma and Shelly are like my children anyway," muttered Greg, lowering his head.

Despite the danger, Zuma and Shelly looked at each other with a warm smile. They always thought of Greg and Marsha as their parents too.

"Aw, how sweet. I wish I had a father like you," said Stone with a wide smile. "Of course all mine was good for was being a lazy ***. I think the most exercise he ever got was when I slit his throat, and watched him fumble around in a futile effort to stop the bleeding. This is good orange soda by the way."

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 6. Villain has a Freudian excuse.

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 7. Villain talks about killing in a nonchalant manner. (Henry from The Purge).

COMBO!

"So Stone decides to a cooking competition that would probably on the Food Network if it were run by Nazis."

"If you don't make me a good burger, I will cut off a finger of your wife's hands every time you get it wrong." As he said this he took out a switch knife and flipped it open. "Burger. Medium well. Now."

Greg looked at his teary eyed wife and nodded. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen.

"Tsk. You gotta go faster than that man," said Stone as he pulled out a pistol from his pocket and aimed for Greg's legs.

Zuma saw this and shouted, "Gweg! Look out!"

A shot rang in the air, followed by a cloud of blood erupting from a screaming Greg's left leg.

"BISCUITS!" Keldeo shouted out in fair as he jumped backwards.

Shelly and Zuma screamed as they rushed out of the kitchen to their owner. Howling in pain, Greg held his bleeding leg while it formed a red puddle on the floor.

"What's the point of that!?" Keldeo exclaimed as he was suddenly taken aback by the sudden turn of events, "You already have his wife held hostage! Why are you shooting at him for? I thought you wanted him to make you a burger? Is this part of your plan? Make it hard for him to make the burger so you can have an excuse to carry out the threat? In that case, why don't you just lie as say the burger's bad. They're in no position to argue with your small militia!"

Zuma nearly wet himself upon seeing so much of it get on his paws and fur while trying to help stop it. "He needs help! Call 911!" shouted Zuma to the other humans who just laughed at the pup.

"Call 911- WHAT!?" Keldeo shouted, looking amazed by Zuma's statement, "He's the one who shot him, why would he call 911?"

Stone: "Hello! . . . Yeah, I just shot someone and he's bleeding, he needs medical attention! . . . No it wasn't self defense . . . No, it wasn't an accident. . .No, you see, I came her to torture them a kill them one by one. . . Yes, I'm a dangerous criminal. . . You'll be right here? . . . Okay, good, goodbye. Okay, they'll be here any- oh wow, here they are, that was fast! I- hey, what's with the taser-"

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

"How about I call 1-800-****-You," answered Stone, before he aimed his pistol at Zuma who froze up.

"HavocHound!" Keldeo shouted in shock, "Was that really necessary? We know he's the bad guy, you don't have to insert random swears! That's not even a real villain trope, at least not in my book. I refuse to acknowledge it!"

Keldeo gulped down the bile in his throat and said, "So. . . ugh . . . Stone rejects five burgers and carries out his threat five times. . . ugh. . . the detail in this story is not for the faint of heart. I feel a little sick."

Greg, in his sixth attempt, presented the next burger as all awaited with a held breath to see how Stone would take it. He chewed it for a bit, tapping his chin. With a smile he pretended thumbs up to Greg. "Good stuff! You got it!" Greg sighed in relief as did the others. However, Stone threw the burger away like he did with all the others. "Yeah, you actually got it right the first time. I just lied to screw with ya." He chuckled while the others stared at him with disbelief as they wondered how in god's name this man's sick mind worked.

"Of course, you forgot one little thing each time," scolded Stone as he raised his finger and shook it back and forth with a "tsk tsk".

"W-what?" asked Greg, trembling.

"You forgot the fries," answered Stone with a grin.

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 8. Villain gives the victim a challenge that they can't win due to a technicality, and then cheats on top of it. (Bubble Bass from Spongebob Squarepants)

He then pointed to two of his men. "Grill him on this lesson, boys?"

Before Greg could argue, he was dragged by the two into the kitchen while begging for mercy. Zuma and Shelly wanted to go help him, but were too frozen by the amused glare that Stone was giving them. Their spines shivered as they heard the sound of the grill being used followed by Greg screaming. A foul smell came from the room as Greg continued to scream along with the sizzling. It continued for a few minutes until it suddenly stopped and Greg's screams turned to whimpers.

When he was dragged out, Shelly and Zuma cried out in horror at what they saw. Greg's entire right face was burned along with his hands.

Keldeo rang the Soothe Bell furiously, then spat it out and said, "OH MY GOSH! I've been thinking of it, but I didn't want to say it, but now I have to! Damian Stone is the PAW Patrol version of the Joker from the Dark Knight! He sees himself as invincible, he may or may not have a Freudian excuse, he manipulates people through game-like choice situations, he's always smiling, and. . . HE JUST TURNED GREG INTO TWO-FACE!"

"I mean, it's a really strange coincidence that the same thing happened to me during The Zoroark Duo of Death story arc, and I already said that it was trying to imitate The Dark Knight, but this story goes above and beyond The Dark Knight!"

Keldeo took a few deep breaths and said, "So. . . does Stone turn Greg into a super-villain and use him to help destroy Coastal City? . . . No, he just stabs Marsha in front of him and then has him shot dead- aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnd we need to stop for a moment."

Keldeo sat down on his haunches and said, "Okay, HavocHound, let's a have a little talk. Are you. . . disturbed? I mean, I get it, you want to portray a killer. A realistic killer from the real world within the PAW Patrol universe. I get that. That's brilliant. That has a lot of potential. But I just have to ask. . . why the gory descriptions? I mean, this story is rated T, but. . . I think you're kinda pushing it. I understand that Zuma's afraid of blood, so you have to have bloody scenes. But. . .don't the blood aspects go without saying? Can't you just say 'Stone stabbed Marsha with the knife' or 'The guns fired and Greg fell to the floor.' I mean, check out this scene from Mattimeo by Brian Jacques."

They stood for a moment and watched the small rat scramble over a large boulder half embedded in the hillside. Suddenly Vitch screamed and began scrambling back on to the boulder, holding both paws up pleadingly.

"No, no, please. I never told them anything. I wasn't going with them. They found me!"

The silken mask and cloak appeared in view. Then there was a whirling sound as the metal-ended bolas hissed through the air.

Vitch died without a sound.

"See," Keldeo said with a nod, "We had a death scene without any unnecessary blood and gore. Knifes and guns make enough blood to scar Zuma for life. You don't have go into detail that would make the designers of the Resident Evil games tell you to dial it down."

"Isn't bad enough we have the absolute most heartbreaking reactions from Zuma and Shelly? They are just kids, remember!"

"So, it turns out Shelly is the first one remember she's a dog and snap."

"I'll kill you!" shouted Shelly, growling at Stone who snorted. With rage in her eyes, his sister charged at their parent's murder. "I'll kill you!"

"Shelly! No!" shouted Zuma, knowing they were no match for him.

"ZUUL-!"

Like lighting, Shelly jumped up to try and bite Stone but she was met with something sharp. Something that went straight into her neck. Looking down, Shelly saw the knife that was used to kill her mother was now stuck in her throat.

"AWW, CRUD."

"What?" Keldeo said in disbelief, "Did she just jump into his knife? How is that possible? How did Stone move so fast? What, is Stone a ninja or something?"

She looked up at Stone who smirked as he twisted the knife before pushing her off of him.

The world seemed to slow down for Zuma as he watched his sister fall to the ground and spat out blood that rained down upon her. "Shelly!"

He rushed to his sister, holding her as she looked at him with fear in her eyes, tears dripping down her face. "Z-z..zu… ma.."

"Don't speak! Shelly, please!" cried Zuma as he held the last of his family close to him and tried to stop the bleeding. No matter how much he tried, the blood wasn't stopping and her breathing was lessening. "No. You can't die on me, Shelly! Don't leave me too! Please!"

"I… I'm… scared… bro…" Shelly gave one last gasp before her eyes closed and she went limp in Zuma's arms.

He froze as he stared at her lifeless face. Holding tight, her hugged her close to his heart and began to pat her head as he felt nothing but pain upon seeing everything he loved in his life shattered before him. "Shelly…. Shelly please, sis… please don't go… please don't go too… I don't want you to… Shelly? Shelly? Shelly?"

When he got no response he, gently laid her down and caressed her cheek. Zuma just sat there, his tears falling down upon her body as he looked at his sister with nothing but sorrow. Stone flipped his knife closed and said, "Hmm, she actually made me draw Shiva faster than I ever had. Kudos to her."

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 9. Villain backhandedly compliments his victims after he's defeated them.

"Alright, let's try this again, *ahem*, ZUUL, FIGORA! ZUUL!"

Upon hearing this, something snapped in Zuma as he roar and dived at Stone who was too surprised to do anything. Zuma bit his arm as hard as he could, tear it as best as he could while drawing blood.

"Okay, what happened to your superhuman stabbing speed?" Keldeo said nonchalantly, looking legitimately curious about this point, "Is this like in the Matrix where Agent Smith dodged all of Neo's bullets, but then Trinity just walks up to him, puts her gun to his head, says 'dodge this,' and for some reason he just stands there and lets himself get shot instead of punching her or using all the time she gives him to dodge it?"

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 10. Villain, in spite of appearing invincible, somehow gets temporarily bested for no reason for the sake of the plot. (Agent Smith from the Matrix).

Stone swung his arm everywhere to get Zuma off until he finally did, throwing him through the window of the kitchen where he landed across a counter where bottles of ketchup, mustard and relish broke his fall. Zuma screamed as pieces of glass entered his back before he fell to the floor.

Exhausted, he lay there with his eyes closed. He knew he had to move, but he didn't want to. They were going to look for him and then they would kill him. He didn't care. If it meant being with his family again, he didn't care if he was going to die. Hearing the door open, Zuma waited with halted breath for a gunshot or a knife blow or anything that would have him embrace death.

There was nothing. Nothing until somebody shouted, "He's already dead. Blow must have killed him on impact."

"Son of a *****! Ugh, he's lucky," he heard Stone say from the other room. "Let's just get out of here and get some Subways. We'll use the money our deceased donors have decided to give to us in their register."

Zuma opened his eyes when heard the door slam shut and looked over his body. There were two kinds of red on him. The blood from his wounds and that of his family, and the ketchup that was on him from the broken bottle he crashed into. They… they must have been… fooled.

"Really? They were fooled by ketchup? Huh, okay then."

"Also, that's the second time the author has connected this gang to real world entity. First the Boston Red Socks and now Subway. Thanks a lot, HavocHound, I'm pretty sure you just ruined those two things for a lot of people."

Keldeo gained a look of anger and said, "And you know what really gets me mad? HavocHound has the nerve to leave an author's note in the next chapter hoping that we weren't too disturbed by what we just witnessed."

Keldeo pointed with his left forehoof and said, "Okay, everyone, listen to me. If you decided to read this story yourself, whatever you do, do not read Chapter 6: The Past of Zuma Part 3. Just don't. Don't do it. Don't. Stone kills everyone. That's all you need to know."

After Ryder had finished describing the scene, none of the pups had the means to speak upon learning of the horrible event their water pup friend had gone through. Rubble was hiding his eyes with his paws, whimpering and crying as if Stone was a real monster about to jump out. Chase was turning green again, but he was to busy comforting a weeping Skye who was drying her eyes on his chest. Marshall was also crying, and had the biggest frown on his face anyone had ever seen.

The only one who wasn't scared or crying was Rocky, who sat there in stunned silence. His eyes were wide open and he was trembling. In his mind, all he could think about was Zuma, watching his family butchered in front of his eyes. Never in a million years would he have thought that the same energetic, cool, and fearless pup he called his best friend would have gone through an event that would have broken most people. Zuma… he's stronger than any of us ever thought…

"How… how could somebody… be so… evil, Ryder?" asked Marshall, who seemed to have lost a bit of that happy-go-lucky spark he always had in his eyes.

Keldeo frowned in anger, "Okay, I have a big issue with Ryder in this story. He's just all around terrible! I mean, first he doesn't call the police, so technically all that blood is on his hands too, then he gives Zuma a panic attack, and. . . how vividly did Ryder describe this scene, and why? I assume Zuma told Ryder, and it makes sense for him to be vivid with the descriptions because he lived through it. But. . . why is Ryder exposing his pups to all this? Maybe the readers needed to see what happened, but what reason does Ryder have to traumatize his pups with all the gory details?"

Keldeo nodded, "And yeah, I'm not letting go of the not calling the police issue. As far as I'm concerned, everything that happens in this story is the fault of Greg and Ryder!"

"So Rocky runs down to the hospital and meets up with . . ."

Keldeo smiled and put his hat back on.

"Detective Shaw! Who tells Rocky the rest of the story."

"Do you have anything that can be of useful to me? Or shall we be putting these three names on the list of Damian Stone's bloody victim count, and notify the loved ones that we can't get justice for them either!" shouted Shaw, getting everybody's attention. Furious, he slammed his fist against one of the tables so hard it cracked. "********* it all people! Four years we've been trying to build a case against this guy, and every time he does any of these horrible acts we don't have enough! Nobody is this good for this long! Now somebody give me some good news or else!"

"Well, there is one thing, sir. You see we-"

"Hey! You can't go through there!" shouted an officer, catching everyone's attention.

Shaw raised an eyebrow as a kid who had to be no older than ten or eleven rush into the crime scene with a pale face and worried expression. "Are they okay?! Please, tell me what I heard is not true!"

"Kid, I don't know who you are, but I need you to leave the premise. This is a crime scene and-" Shaw was then silent when the boy pulled out a letter with the mayor's seal on it. Taking it, Detective Shaw read the whole thing with disbelief until he turned to the kid who was resisting the other officers from taking him out. "Wait! Let the kid go. He's authorized to be here."

"What?! Sir, you can't be serious. He's a kid!" shouted one of the officers.

"That kid happens to have the mayor's approval on this letter to be involved in any emergency situations, including police cases," grumbled the detective as the officers let go. "Though I don't know how the hell he has something like this."

"My team and I save him and his family in a burning building a few months ago while was vacationing near my town," said Ryder, rubbing the back of his head before holding out his hand. "I'm Ryder. Head of Paw Patrol in Adventure Bay."

"That dog rescue team?" asked Detective Shaw, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't your police pup catch the Velvet Scarfed Thief?"

"Caught and arrested, sir," said Ryder with a smile. "Chase loves to tell the tale whenever he can."

"Aw man, how did I miss that episode!" Keldeo exclaimed.

For the first time since he got here, Detective Shaw cracked a smile before shaking the hand of Ryder. "Well, I don't know how much help you can be, but the mayor pays my paycheck so there we go."

Ryder nodded before looking serious at the crime scene. He started turning a little green, but still held firm. This made Shaw raise his eyebrow. Most kids his age would have soiled themselves yet Ryder was as cool as a professional. Wait, didn't they say there was something that happened to his kid? Yeah, something about his parents…

"Nope. We've had enough deaths for a while now. Moving on!"

"Next stop is the hospital where Shaw and Ryder question Zuma about the crime."

It was painful for Zuma to go through the horrible experience again, but Ryder was there to hold his paw as he told the story with as much detail as possible. More than then once they had to take a break when Zuma started crying or hyperventilating when he thought about the deaths of his family. After about three hours, Zuma reached the part where he said he bit Stone's arm and Detective Shaw's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Wait a minute! You bit him? Like tore a part of his flesh and blood?" asked Shaw, a grin slowly appearing on his face.

"Y-yeah, I can still taste it, ugh," muttered Zuma as he stuck out his tongue.

"Wait a minute," said Ryder, looked at Zuma's mouth. "Dog teeth are very sharp. If Zuma bit Stone there might be a chance that physical evidence is in his mouth."

"That's just what I was thinking! I'm going to call a doctor to see if he can do a swab on your teeth, that way we can get DNA evidence and have the son of a bitch nailed this time," said Detective Shaw as he got up and made his way to the door.

Ryder smiled and patted Zuma on the head. "You did good, Zuma. You did good." Zuma didn't share the same outlook as he whimpered and stared at his paws. "What's wrong?"

"W-what's going to happen to me?" asked Zuma, starting to tear up. "With my… family dead… I… I'm alone. I have no one!" Zuma dived into Ryder's chest and held on to him as he began to cry. "I don't want to go to an owphanage! I don't wanna go back!"

Ryder frowned as he held Zuma and began to rock him back and forth. "Zuma, I'm so sorry. It's going to be okay. I promise."

Shaw looked at the two while shaking his head. He had seen this many times when children lost their parents and had nowhere else to go. They headed into the adoption system which wasn't always the best. Sometimes the kids came out okay, other times they became the very same criminals he had to arrest. It was always a coin toss, and he hated to see the pup go into a life like that. Even if he does get adopted will they treat him as a son like his previous owners did or just another animal that only needs to be fed and cleaned when required?

"I really like it when the the hard boiled detective gets a moment of contemplation or introspection or just pure thought," Keldeo said with a look of interest, "Maybe it's from listening to radio shows, I just think it's cool and gives a wealth of information on the detectives inner character and morals."

"Zuma, I know this is sounding like the end of the world, and it's going to feel like that for a long time, but-"

"You don't know anything!" shouted Zuma, pushing him away and turning his back. "You still have your entire family and all your pups waiting for you back home! All my family is dead, and my home is forever wuined by that monster! I can't even go back to the beach without thinking about my family! So how would you know?! Did you see your family die in front of you, Wyder!"

And here comes the anger, thought Shaw, shaking his head. Poor pup just needs to let it all out.

"… Zuma, I do know what it's like," said Ryder, much to the shock of the others. "My parents… they died in front of me when I was seven."

"W-what?"

Ryder closed his eyes and sighed. "We were on vacation in Florida. An arsonist burned our hotel-"

"We're skipping this exposition. No singing this time. We're just skipping this exposition," Keldeo said quickly.

"What's next? Funereal scene- OKAY, WHAT IS WITH THIS AUTHOR AND FUNERALS!?" Keldeo exploded, "HavocHound is obsessed with them! When he's not writing about them he's tryng to convince others to write about them! Matthais included!"

Is This The End? by MarshalB

A continuation of the "Show No Fear, Show Them A Smile" story by HavocHound. Rocky has just been executed for murder. His friends and community are devastated but maybe there's hope…

Live Like She's (Not) Dying by Matthais Unidostres

In this PAW Patrol comedy, while Jake and Ryder are away at a comic convention with a strict "no dogs allowed" policy, a misunderstanding leads the other six pups to think that Everest only has 24 hours to live! Can the pups make it so that Everest's last 24 hours on Earth are the happiest ones of her entire life? Can they keep her from suspecting that anything is wrong?

"So, yeah, I'm just gonna skip the funereal scene and go straight to the part where the SWAT team captures Stone."

The two teams split up, Shaw leading his force as they double timed it to the front entrance of the factory. Two of the SWAT team set up breaching charged by the door and held the trigger before giving Shaw the thumbs up. Holding his pistol close, he radioed the other team. "Bravo in position. Alpha, are you ready?"

"Roger, sir. We are awaiting your green."

"Good. On my mark, we'll head in and sweep. Take down any hostiles. Stone is our main goal. So find him alive or dead," ordered Shaw. "Three. Two. One. Go!"

Two breaching charges on opposite ends of the factory went off, blowing the doors wide open. Officers from both ends entered, shouting and issuing orders. A few of the gangsters inside were easily spooked and fell to the floor without resisting arrest. A few others…

"Alpha Blue is taking fire! Repeat, we are taking fire! Firing back!"

Shaw was about to issue orders when a bullet sailed right over him and he ducked behind a nearby machine. "Take cover!"

Machine gun fire rained down upon the officers as two were cut down instantly while a third was hit in the knees and fell. A SWAT team member rushed over and helped drag him into cover while the gunshots continued. The police opened fire, Shaw among them as he let lose bullet after bullet from his Jericho.

"Biscuits, what's with all the heavy artillery?" Keldeo said, looking visibly shocked, "Who are we fighting here? A gang of crooks or Hydra?"

Noticing a punk with an AK-47, Shaw aimed and fired a single shot that nailed him in the head. He then noticed a few steam pipes above and shouted, "Aim for the pipes!"

He and a few other officers did so, breaking them apart and letting lose steam upon the shooters. The SWAT team then charged forward with their guns blazing, cutting them apart one by one until only three remained but they were down for the count and injured.

Keldeo gave a deadpanned expression, "Really? 'Aim for the pipes' ? This isn't a fanfic, this is the scripting for a first-person shooter video game! Seriously, I swear I heard Peppy Hare's voice say 'Aim for the pipes' when I read that!"

Peppy Hare: "Do a barrel roll!"

Mat-Pat: "That's an aileron roll!"

When he reached a walk way, he saw Stone rushing past him at high speeds. "Stop right there, Stone!" shouted Shaw as he chased after him.

Stone turned his arm and started firing at him with a pistol, but Shaw fired back. Neither was able to hit each other as their desperation or rage kept blinding them to shoot straight. When both guns were empty, they focused on running instead. Shaw put every ounce of his energy into his legs and tackled Stone off his feet. The two went straight through a nearby window and crashed into an abandoned truck where they wrestled with each other before falling off it and into the pavement.

Stone, bleeding on his face, took out his pocket knife but froze when he saw Shaw's VP70 right between his eyes.

"SHOOTHIMSHOOTHIMSHOOTHIMSHOOTHIMSHOOTHIM!"

Panting, Shaw said, "Give me a reason… any damn reason… and I will do it."

Stone eyed the detective clamly without any fear for a few minutes before he sighed and dropped his knife. "Well played officer. Well played."

"Shut up," said Shaw as he got up and forced Stone to the ground, as he handcuffed him he heard more sirens approaching and felt relief enter his chest. "Damian Stone you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law."

"I know the deal, officer," said Stone with a laugh. "But you'll find it hard to silence me."

Shaw said nothing back at the murderer. He just dragged him back to his feet and towards the upcoming backup that had arrived.

"BISCUITS! I need to talk to Doctor Whooves after this. . ."

"So we continue the flashback and see Stone arrested and put under some interrogation."

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 11. Villain is arrested but the interrogation doesn't phase him and actually works towards his end goal (The Joker from the Dark Knight)

"Yeah, he's totally the PAW Patrol version of the Joker," Keldeo said flatly.

"I do have to wonder though, Detective, since I am apparently accused of these crimes… why haven't I been arrested until now? Hmm?" Stone began to drum his fingers on the table in simple three piece rhythm. "I mean, surely there had to have been evidence or witnesses to these crimes?"

"You mean the contaminated evidence? Or the witnesses that ended up recanting because of 'forgetfulness' or the ones that ended up dead in a ditch?" growled Shaw, who wanted nothing more than to punch the bastard's face off. He took a deep breath and remained calm. "Doesn't matte. That's all in the past, but those crimes will be revealed later during your trial. Right now, we're looking at what we found in you little den." Opening the file, he pulled out a few papers. "What do you want to go over first? The drugs? The guns? Or the fact that your boys shot, and killed, police officers?"

"We were merely protecting ourselves from police brutality," answered Stone with a chuckle. "After all, there have been a long string of recent cases where you guys seem to shoot first and ask questions later. New York, Ferguson, Baltimore. Seems to be quiet the national epidemic."

"You aren't even black!"

"Save that bull**** for an winy liberal forum on CNN's website," replied Shaw, pointing to each paper.

"Did a mention I really like this character?" Keldeo said with a wide smile as he tipped his hat.

"That's enough to put you away for years. But that's not what's going to give you the chair. Oh, no. I got something bigger then that."

"What did I do? Shoot the governor? Plan out 9/11? Cause the Armenian Genocide?" mocked Stone, rolling his eyes.

"Might as well have, you've killed so many people. Seriously, how does one guy get so many followers and so many weapons? Is he a terrorist or something?" Keldeo asked incredulously.

Detective Shaw's smile only widened. "I got you for murder. Three counts of murder actually. For all three owners of the Tiki Snack Shack down at the beach."

Stone was about to say something, when he stopped and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean… three?"

Gotcha, thought Shaw, who leaned back and took out a cigarette. Lighting it up, he blew a puff into Stone's face that didn't even flinch. "Ya screwed up, Stone. There was a surviving witness to your little series of executions. Best of all? He bit you, and we got evidence that puts you there." He leaned over and whispered. "You're screwed."

Stone just sat there in silence for a long time. Then a smirk appeared on his face much to Shaw's confusion. Usually, when he had this much damming evidence against the criminal they were either in despair or pleading for a deal. This was a first for him. Stone merely shook his head with amusement. "I really need to train my boys on how to check if a body is dead or not."

He stared at the one way see through mirror with a smile. "Tell me, Detective Shaw, does Zuma remember what it was like? To see his whole world burn into ashes and drown in blood? Does he feel the pain in his heart for every stab and gunshot that took away his family's life inch by inch? The screams and prayers they gave to a god that is most likely dead in this world before oblivion took them away? Does he remember the taste of their blood? His mother's blood? I can. And it was sooooooo gooooood."

"Get away from the window," muttered Detective Shaw, getting up.

"Oh so he is watching. Thought so," said Stone with a chuckle. He then slammed his head at the window so hard it cut opened his forehead. As his blood dripped down his face, he gave the audience inside a sinister smile. "When I get out of here, and I will, I will hunt you down, Zuma. I will take everything you ever loved and cared about. I will rape it before your very eyes before burning it. I will make you wish that you died in that shack along with your family. Every night you will see me in your dreams and your nightmares. And when that is all done? When I have taken the last of everything you hold dear and turn it into ash? Only then will I kill you. 'Till then, enjoy your life."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially surpassed the interrogation scene from The Dark Knight," Keldeo declared darkly.

"And for the love of biscuits, he smiles more than Zalton laughs!"

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 12. Villain has a constant Psychotic Smirk. (Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Keldeo took off his hat and said, "So we finally get back to the present, where we check in with Stone and his gang at their new secret hideout."

As far as hideouts went, this was an okay place. While the motel wasn't first class, it was isolated and that spelled safety. Well, now that they were the official owners it was. The original owner was now taking an extended vacation in a ditch two of his boys were digging. The place only a few miles away from Adventure Bay on a road that was rarely traveled. While two of his guys were giving the owner a burial, Stone sent the other three to get supplies and find out information about Paw Patrol in this town. Meanwhile, Stone was doing the one thing any prisoner would want after being released: eating good food.

Chewing on his sixth cheeseburger from McDonalds, Stone flipped Shiva in the air a bit while one of his other underlings was watching the road from the inside of their motel room with a shotgun by his side. "Will you relax? Have a few fries, we're going to be okay."

"I'm just nervous, Stone," his underling replied, shaking his head. "Every cop in the state has to be searching for us."

"Exciting isn't it?" asked Stone with a smirk. "You know. One thing I can say about Zuma's owner, he did make a better burger then this cow dung." He wrapped it up and threw it into the trash. "Kinda makes me miss the smell of his cooking."

"… mind if I ask something boss?" asked the underling, to which Stone motioned him to continue. "Why go after this stupid dog? I mean, yeah he's the one that gotcha in jail in the first place, but wouldn't it be better for us to skip the state? Head north to Canada?"

"And believe it or not, instead of immediately shooting him for questioning him like you'd expect a stereotypical villain boss would do, Stone actually answers."

Stone shrugged. "Maybe that might be the smart thing. But this is a matter of pride. Pride in which how a single mangy mutt managed to foil everything I worked hard to achieve because he didn't act like a good doggie and played dead." Stone then stabbed the knife into the table. "Because of that little brat, I got sent to jail for two damn years. Almost all our gang is either in jail or dead. Our territory has been taken over, our contacts are gone, and we're relying on emergency money we saved just in case." Stone growled as he rubbed his temple. "If we were taken down by police or a rival gang, I would have no problems with this. But a pup of all things is what screwed us over. That's… just… pathetic…" Stone got up and grabbed his knife; he pulled out another article about how Zuma, a mixed breed named Rocky, and some cockapoo named Skye had all saved the mayor's statue from drowning. He stabbed the face of Zuma with his knife and slammed it onto the wall. "And I'm going to make sure that little pup will beg for mercy by the time I am finish with him."

*Ding!*

Rip-Off Side Pot: 13. Villain stabs a picture of his enemy. (The Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

A knock on the door interrupted Stone's thoughts as he walked over and opened it, allowing one of his other gang members to enter. "I did some digging around as you asked, Stone."

"And?"

"The entire fricken town worships these dogs as if they were gods. They even have parades to honor them. Not just that, but they do any type of rescue no matter how important or stupid it is. They even wasted their time catching a monkey of all things."

"Why the heck would they do something so stupid?" asked Stone, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, because a wild monkey running around free in a town full of people is a bad thing?" Keldeo suggested.

"Apparently the leader, Ryder, thinks that no job is too big for them to handle," said the gangster as he walked over to the mini-fridge and grabbed a bear.

"Did you figure out how they respond to emergencies?" asked Stone.

"Yeah, it's an app on the phone you can get on their website. Free of charge," the gangster took out his phone. "I already downloaded it."

Stone grinned as a plan began to calculate in his mind. "Good, we can use that.

Keldeo raised and wagged a forehoof and said, "Keep that in mind, because I'm gonna have something to say about that later on."

Is there anybody the Paw Patrol is particularly close too?"

"Besides Mayor Goodway, there are a few people. But the biggest fanatic has to be this kid I talked to in town who wouldn't stop talking about how 'cool' they were," muttered the thug.

"Oh? What's his name?"

"Alex Porter, why?"

Keldeo rubbed his brow and said as he left, "And I need a break. Seriously, I do. I'm going to need it with the utter horrors that are to come in the second half of this story. Here's an Epic Rap Battle to lighten the mood."

Keldeo the Critic

We'll be right back, unfortunately. . . .