"Former PAW Patrol member, Marshall, is Adventure Bay's thief!?"

Reading the newspaper that had spread like wildfire through the streets of Adventure Bay was a familiar blonde, who had a hard time believing what was right in front of her.

Marshall? A thief?

Katie shook her head. There was no possible way a pup as honest as Marshall was a thief. There had to be some other explanation for this. There just had to have been. She looked over at Cali, who had a copy of the newspaper of her own. The cat yowled as she ripped up the newspaper.

"You don't really believe it either, Cali?"

The blonde's feline companion only licked her paw as she walked away from the shredded paper. Cali knew the PAW Patrol. She knew every single member. And while the cat wasn't able to speak like those pups were, that didn't mean that there were no thoughts in her head at all. She had been saved by Marshall more times than she could count. The Dalmatian was a kind soul. A thief? Preposterous! She wouldn't stand for such meaningless slander.

Katie, seeming to have understood the thoughts of her pet, nodded, "Yeah... I want to know for myself if anything. I'll call Ryder."

She quickly did as she said she would, contacting her friend and waiting for him to pick up. Once he did, she heard that same greeting she had grown to like.

"Ryder here."

His voice didn't seem the same as usual. Usually whenever Ryder would answer with that same phrase, it would be with a controlled enthusiasm, ready for anything to come his way. As the boy answered her call, his voice sounded more dull, empty.

"Hey Ryder, It's Katie... I don't have an emergency, but I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay, what's up?"

"I... Heard the news about Marshall."

"You... What?"

"There's newspapers all over town saying that Marshall is a thief..." The young stylist sat down in a chair, "What happened?"

"Newspapers? But I only told the mayor, because she needs to know everything about the PAW Patrol."

"You do know that Goodway is a bit of a gossip, right?"

The young leader thought for a moment before nodding, "...Yeah, that makes sense."

"So...?" Katie asked expectantly.

"I don't know what you want me to say..." Ryder sighed, "Chase and I know what we saw."

"What did you see then?"

"I'll send it over."

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.

Meanwhile, Marshall laid in his pup house, tossing and turning. He was tired. Extremely tired. But sleep never came. Every time he closed his eyes, relaxed for just a second, his eyes would shoot back open when remembering how the townsfolk treated him upon reading the news article. He wanted to read more of it, to see what was said in the paper, but Everest decided against leaving him with it. He was thankful that Everest wanted to shield him from what was going on around them, but it wasn't like he was already aware of what Adventure Bay thought of him.

He was already in the thick of it. What was she trying to protect him from?

The silent Dally rolled onto his back to look up at the ceiling. The fur on his face was still damp from the water splashed on him earlier. His eyelids lowered as he stared at the top of his pup house. Why were Rocky and Everest working so hard to prove his innocence? According to that video, to most of Adventure Bay, he was a thief. A criminal. They didn't have to suffer through this.

He thought back to when the human splashed his face with water, and when Mayor Goodway attempted the same thing. Rocky, being the water intolerant pup that he was, wanted to stay far from anything water related. But because he was around, the water was bound to come. The longer he stuck around those two, the more it seemed as though Rocky and Everest were suffering.

Why was he putting his friends through this?

Outside of Marshall's pup house, his friends sat beside one another with solemn faces. They had tried their best to put up a positive front while Marshall was still with them, but as it stood right now, times were anything but positive.

Everest looked down at the ground, biting her bottom lip, "What do we do now?"

"I... I don't know," Rocky quickly replied, "We have a face to chase after, thanks to Marshall. But when it comes to a name, place of origin, motive, or even any evidence saying this other Dalmatian exists, we have nothing."

"He's really taking this hard..." The Husky looked at Marshall's pup house, "I didn't know Adventure Bay could be so cruel."

Rocky was quick to come up with a theory, "Adventure Bay operates on a mob mentality, I believe. If enough people are mad at Marshall, then they won't be scared to show it."

"Well, I don't like it!" Everest huffed, her cheeks puffing up in a child-like manner, "He doesn't deserve all of this!"

"I know that. We both do, but as it stands, it's what Adventure Bay believes to be true. That's why we have to prove them wrong."

The conversion was interrupted when both of their pup tags glowed with their signature colors.

"PAW Patrol, to the lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!" The two nodded to the other, running into the lookout.

Yes, they were on Marshall's side when it came to his supposed crime, but at the end of the day, the two were still members of the PAW Patrol. They couldn't refuse to do their duties.

The duo joined the rest of the team on the elevator. As the sliding doors began to close, something inside of Everest begged to hear Marshall cry out to wait for him, stumbling into the lookout and crashing into the team. That moment never came, though. The Husky watched the doors close, the interior of the elevator remaining quiet. The sounds of the pups laughing after Marshall would crash into them fading in her mind.

She would get that back. She would hear the laughter caused by Marshall's quip again, no matter what.

Once the doors to the elevator opened once more, the six hopped out of the small space, lining up in front of their owner. Everest had accidentally left a gap between herself and Zuma, slowly scooting over to fill the empty space.

"Thanks for coming so quickly pups, I know things have been strange lately..." Ryder began, pulling his pup pad out, "But, even in the strangest of times, we still have a job to do!"

The six listened intently.

As Ryder began to speak, a cartoon version of the events played over his shoulder on the large screen, "Alright, so Danny—"

"Daring Danny X!" The cartoon version of the boy corrected him.

"...Thought he would be able to do one of his stunts by making a paraglider out of his bike and a glider."

Behind Ryder, the cartoon version of Danny, a boy with a yellow shirt and red hair, sailed over a few cars after jumping a ramp.

"But, since the weather isn't as good today, he was sent off course, breaking a few things and getting himself stuck in a tree pretty far up a cliff."

"Classic Danny..." Zuma chuckled.

"For this mission, I'll need... Rocky!" Ryder tapped on his pup pad, "Danny broke a light bulb, a chair, and a table when he was thrown off course, can you fix it?"

"Green means go!"

"Skye," He announced, "You'll need to use your harness to lift Danny out of there."

"This pup's gotta fly!"

"Everest..." He continued, "The only way to the base of the tree is through some rough terrain. You'll need to help Chase navigate his way up there so he can use his net to catch Danny's paraglider, or Danny, if things go wrong."

"Off the trail, Everest won't fail!"

"Chase is on the case!"

"Alright!" As usual, the boy pumped a fist into the air, "PAW Patrol is on a roll!" He ran past his pups, hearing the howls follow behind while he jumped down his pole.

Chase, Rocky, Skye, and Everest ran over to the slide, jumping down. The remaining two pups, Rubble and Zuma dispersed to do their own things.

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.

At the pet parlor, Katie was in one of the back rooms. She quietly observed the video, eyebrows furrowing. Was that really Marshall? Everything seemed to line up and say that it was. From the height, to the species, and even the clumsy fall at the end. But it couldn't have been. There was no way! Marshall was one of the sweetest pups she ever had the pleasure of cleaning and treating.

Her eyes widening, she suddenly understood Ryder's dilemma. Her friend hadn't told her about the conflict in his mind, but she knew him well enough to know that something was going on in the boy genius' head.

She knew good and well that Ryder prioritized logic over emotion when it came to dealing with things, and that included things that would negatively affect his job. If he were to think about it emotionally, and swear up and down that Marshall hadn't done it, despite the evidence that had made its way to Mayor Goodway, one of the biggest gossips she knew, Adventure Bay wouldn't take it well, and the rapport of the PAW Patrol as a whole would take damage.

It was a logical decision to make, but how was Marshall taking this? She hadn't seen him since the day he came into her parlor with paint covering his butt, begging her to help get it off. Come to think of it, was Marshall even still with the PAW Patrol at all?

Shaking her head, she knew that couldn't have been true. Ryder, while suspending Marshall from the team, wouldn't just kick him out and make him live on the streets like a stray, right? Of course he wouldn't. She knew how much Ryder loved his pups. Sometimes it was hard to get him to stop talking about the latest escapades of his pets.

He has been disappointed in his pups, sure. Many times, actually. He loved his pups dearly, but it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows with them. This was an extreme case, but she figured it was like any time he and one of his pups disagreed on something. He would need his space, yes, but he never stopped caring for them. Not for a second.

At the very least, she could count on Ryder not kicking Marshall out. But that still didn't answer her question. What was going on with Marshall? Had he really been deceiving her this entire time with a fake good persona only to reveal his true colors? Or had he been somehow framed by a cloaked pup with similar looks and mannerisms?

Katie groaned, putting her head down on the table. All of this thinking was starting to make her head hurt. She couldn't even imagine the kind of headache Ryder was going through, or Marshall, in the case that he was actually innocent.

Hearing the chime of a bell, signaling that a customer had entered the parlor, the little vet figured that she had enough time spent in the back, and that she needed to get back to work. She stood up and walked out, ready to greet whoever was to come in.

Her eyes met those of the mayor, who gave the girl a kind smile, "Why hello, Katie! Are you busy right now?"

Katie looked over at the single bath that was being used, one that Cali was in. She hated water, sure. But now that she was actually in it, there was no point of getting out until Katie wanted her to. After all, if she were to escape, her owner would just put her back in.

"No, not at all!" The young stylist gave Goodway a grin, "But you do know unscheduled appointments cost more, right?"

The animated mayor gave her a nod, "Of course. I just urgently needed your help."

"What's the problem?"

Looking down at her purse, where some brown blob was sitting, Mayor Goodway let out a long sigh, "It's raining cats and dogs out there. I looked away for just a second, and before I knew it, Chickaletta was playing in the mud!"

Katie's brows raised, realizing that the brown blob in her purse was Chickaletta, "...I didn't know it was raining outside."

"Really?"

"I was in the back looking at something..." She answered, "Anyway, I can get Chickaletta cleaned up in no time. No mess is too big, no pet is too small!"

Katie giggled to herself. She really did sound like Ryder for a second. While she never raced to the rescue to save a train from crashing, or a flood from reaching the bay, in her pet parlor, she was her own hero. The hero that would brighten the days of owners coming in with their pets. And in the mayor's time of need, it was the perfect time to be heroic.

Putting some gloves on, the blonde picked up the purse chicken, "So, how have you been, Mayor Goodway?"

"You would not believe what just happened to me earlier!" The fair skinned woman exclaimed, sitting down on a chair to the side.

Katie smiled a bit, "In this town? I'd believe anything."

Goodway laughed at the stylist's witty joke, "Good point."

"So, want to tell me what happened?"

"Oh, right!" The mayor nodded, "So, I was relaxing at City Hall with Chickaletta, when I heard a knock on the front door. I decided to bring my cup of water with me, because I sure was parched!"

"Mhm..." Katie hummed, an indication that she was still listening as she got a bath running.

"I open the door, and I see that thief, Marshall!" Goodway exclaimed, sounding a tad annoyed, "Rocky and Everest were with him too, but before they could say anything, my arm moved on its own and I splashed the water towards Marshall."

"You what?"

"I know, I know, it was a crummy thing to do..." She sighed, "But seeing Marshall there, at the same building he had taken so much from, I couldn't contain myself! I felt so betrayed!"

"Did you hit him with the water?" Katie asked as she gently put the muddy chicken in the shallow water within the bath.

"No, he avoided it..." Goodway sighed, "Rocky went running, and Everest dragged him away."

At the mention of Rocky running away from the water, the blonde's face grew blank. It brought her back to the last time the pups in the PAW Patrol were scheduled for their baths. It was supposed to be just another bath session.

Katie spaced out as she thought about it, the sounds of splashing and screaming filling her mind. She couldn't help thinking about that day whenever baths involved with one of the pups was mentioned. Maybe she needed to get herself checked out somewhere down the line. Or maybe she needed to check Rocky out, because there was no way a pup could—

"Katie, dear, the bath is overflowing..." Mayor Goodway's voice snapped her out of her trance.

Her eyes widened, "Oops! Sorry! Got a little lost in thought..." She turned off the water.

"So, what did you think about that... Marshall situation?" The mayor inquired.

Katie's brows furrowed, "I didn't know what to think, if I'm being honest... I still don't know what to think. What to believe. On one hand, the evidence is so crystal clear, but on the other, Marshall has been helping Adventure Bay since when I was younger. He saved Cali when I first got her, that meant a lot to me..."

"I understand how you feel. Marshall had been such a big help up until now, but you can't really say the evidence was faked, or those bones weren't stolen. You do know that things around Adventure Bay have been going missing since then, right?"

"What do you mean?" She looked up from the half-cleaned purse chicken at the mayor.

Goodway nodded, "Some of the milk of Farmer Al's farm, different citizens' small items, a decent amount of things, and a lot of variety, too."

Katie was confused. What exactly was going on in Adventure Bay?

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.

.

"Whoo! That was so extreme!" Danny exclaimed as he was lowered onto the ground by Skye's harness, "We gotta do that again!"

Ryder sighed with exasperation, "I don't think trying to recreate that would turn out so well, Danny."

"Daring Danny X!" The redhead quickly corrected.

"Either way, that was really dangerous. Especially the paraglider you made..." The young leader pointed at the now dismantled paraglider, which was sitting in Chase's net, "If you're going to attempt stunts, then you have to at least make sure the equipment is stable."

"Not that I'm doubting you guys' extreme save, why didn't you just use Marshall's ladder so I could climb down?"

Ryder's expression fell, "Marshall's... Not on the team anymore."

"What, really?" Danny's mouth fell agape, "Bummer! Marshall was your most extreme pup! His wipeouts were legendary!"

Everest exhaled faintly as Skye's helicopter landed on the ground, "They were pretty legendary..." The Husky made her way to her best friend, wanting to check up on her.

"Amazing save, Skye!" She smiled, walking up to the Cockapoo, who had jumped out of her copter.

She turned to look at the mountain pup, sighing with relief, "That wasn't too hard of a mission."

Everest chuckled, "Most of them aren't."

"Oh, and Everest?"

"Yeah?"

"I noticed how protective you were of Marshall alongside Rocky earlier..." The Cockapoo mentioned, "Do you believe him?"

"Of course I do!" The Husky smiled, "We don't really have any evidence right now, but sure enough you'll see that he's just as trustworthy as he's always been."

"Oh, and sorry about Chase earlier..." The aviator pup smiled nervously, "He's been pretty on edge about anything involving Marshall since... Well... You know."

"Yeah, yeah, I get what you're saying."

Despite being on two opposing sides of the Marshall situation, the best friends' dynamic hadn't changed a bit. They still respected one another, and tried their best to respect the others' choice in what they believed.

Everest understood Skye, mainly because she hadn't seen what she had seen. That day when she went looking for Marshall to ask him to his face if he had actually done it or not, she, by what seemed like pure happenstance, found herself seeing the proof for herself. Another Dalmatian. She had seen what many on the team would love to see. Actual evidence swaying in the other direction.

Skye understood Everest, admiring that she would go to bat along with Rocky for Marshall. Even if she didn't believe that Marshall was innocent, she wanted to hold out hope that he was. The whole team did. But seeing her and Rocky stick their necks out for him in that same hope that they could prove Marshall's innocence and make the team whole again, gave her a hope of her own.

After a few minutes of talking, Everest went to go find Rocky. She knew that the rain wasn't Rocky's preferred environment, and was curious to see how he was dealing with it. Approaching the mixed breed, she let out a faint chuckle as she saw Rocky hard at work trying to fix a table, his pup pack holding up an umbrella.

"How're you faring out here?" The Husky asked, walking up to her friend.

Rocky looked over, "Thanks to this umbrella, the water will never touch me."

"...So, how do you think Marshall is doing?"

"Probably as well as he was when we left. Probably still in his pup house."

Everest looked down as a bit of rain dripped from her soaked fur, "I feel really bad..."

"No kidding..." The recycling pup agreed, "I don't exactly feel the best about how we left Marshall. He's probably miserable on his own in his pup house."

"Well hurry up and finish so we can check!" Everest shouted, running in place.

Rocky gave her the side-eye, "Nothing's stopping you from going on your own."

"I never know what to say to him..." The Husky sighed, "I've never seen him like this. Every time I look at him, my words get all mixed up. You're better at this."

"Well at least you know that..." The eco pup muttered.

"I'm serious, Rocky!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh!" He pressed down on the table he was working on, making sure it was structurally sound, "Lucky for us, I just finished up."

"Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go!" She grabbed the mixed breed's wrist, tugging him in the direction of the lookout.

Rocky instantly recognized the sensation of Everest's wet paw, "Wet, wet, wet!"

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.

Upon returning to Marshall's pup house, Everest knocked on the door, "Marshall? We're back! You okay?"

There wasn't any response from inside.

"...Marshall?" She asked again, putting an ear against the door.

Rocky raised an eyebrow, "Maybe he's asleep?"

"Marshall, we're coming in."

The mixed breed cowered under his umbrella as he saw the rainfall begin to increase, "Ugh... Why does the water cycle have to exist?"

"He's not in here."

The recycling pup's ears perked up, "What?"

"He's not in here, Rocky!"

The gray pup peeked into Marshall's pup house, climbing in after propping his umbrella up against the red pup house. He and Everest looked around the interior for a short while, until he spotted something that wasn't there before. A piece of paper with crudely written words on it was stuck to the far wall of his pup house.

As Rocky grabbed it, Everest peeked over his shoulder. The mixed breed began to read aloud.

"Dear Rocky and Everest,"

The rainfall grew quicker as a familiar Dalmatian trudged through Adventure Bay. His fur grew more damp as time went on, rain seeping into his fur, as well as landing on his face.

"I can't do this. I can't go through any of this. I thought I was strong. Strong like you guys. Strong enough to bid me goodnight with smiles on your faces, strong enough to do all-nighters in order to review a tape. But I'm not. All of my strength was stripped away from me the moment my pup tag was confiscated."

Marshall slipped over an ever-growing puddle, but managed to keep himself from falling to the ground as he kept walking.

"So I'm running away. I don't know where I'm gonna go, now that everyone hates me, but I'll find somewhere to be, and I'll continue searching for clues on my own. If a month passes, and I don't have enough evidence, then I'll come back to the lookout and turn myself in. I'll go back to the pound."

A slight headache began to grow in Marshall's head.

"I'm not giving up. I'm accepting my fate. You two don't deserve to be dragged down with me. You're my friends. I don't want to ever see my friends suffer. You guys lost sleep because of me. You guys are stressed because of me. You two can't give real smiles because of me. I don't want to put you through this anymore. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve a friend like me. I'm sorry for putting you guys through this. I know we agreed to do this together, but after seeing what Adventure Bay thought of me, I couldn't subject you guys to that."

Marshall suddenly slipped once more over a larger puddle, water splashing in every direction as he crumpled to the ground.

"Thanks... for believing me. And for believing in me."

The Dalmatian's breathing grew heavier, more rasped. He fought for the strength to stand back up. But the more he fought, the more he felt himself fading. His eyelids progressively grew more heavy by the second.

"Your friend,"

As Marshall's consciousness slipped from his paws, he could faintly see a figure approaching him.

"Marshall."