Season 3 Episode 16: The More Things Change
May 24th, 2030
It had been a slow few days since the campout. Going through a near lethal allergic reaction had been really exhausting for Rocky, and so he had spent a lot of time resting up. It didn't help that his werepuppy condition kept acting up. His flummoxed emotional state made it very difficult for him to go back to his normal body. Katie had found that brushing Rocky's fur thoroughly helped calm him down, but it took nearly an hour of nonstop brushing and grooming for Rocky to poof back to normal.
For example, a day after Rocky had returned to the Lookout, Ben had come and asked him if he wanted to help him with designing his new vest and expanding the driver's cockpit of his recycling truck. Rocky loathed having to have accommodations made specifically for himself; it irked him to no end. "Ugh, I don't want a new vest and collar, but if I don't get a new one then it'll be too tight if I poof into werepup form…!" Rocky groaned, getting frustrated at the changes that were going to happen. His body fluffed up and grew a bit bigger as his teeth turned into fangs. "UGH! It happened AGAIN! Sorry Ben, I'm too upset right now to help you with anything. I'm afraid I'll end up smashing any projects that I work on out of anger or frustration!" Rocky growled.
Ben nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, Rocky. We accept you for who you are no matter what. We'll get through this werepup stuff and figure out how to deal with it." Ben reassured the mixed breed.
Throughout the whole debacle, Zuma refused to leave Rocky's side, and for that, Rocky was extremely thankful. They were sitting inside Zuma's pup house, just laying there on the ground, when Zuma suddenly spoke up. "Wocky, can I tell you a secret?" Zuma asked his friend.
"Yeah, Zoom, you can tell me anything." Rocky answered.
The chocolate Labrador's eyes darted around nervously before he made the big reveal. "I-I've been having some pretty nasty nightmares, dude." Zuma confessed.
Rocky's eyes widened as he heard that tidbit of information. Immediately he jumped to the worst possible conclusion. "You're not having nightmares about me, right?" Rocky questioned.
Zuma instantly shook his head no in response. "No way, dude! I'd never have nightmares about you, not even with the whole werepuppy thing! …Remember when we were merpups?" Zuma reminded his best friend.
"Yeah, I remember! It was a magical experience, it was awesome, a dream come true! Except for the part where you almost drowned… oh." Rocky replied, before realizing that Zuma would only have brought up the merpup adventure in this nightmare conversation because he had nearly drowned down there. "You've been having nightmares about drowning?" Rocky questioned.
Zuma nodded his head slowly. "Uh huh… your lungs start to… buwn… and your body instinctively bweathes in… getting more water in your lungs… a-and then the c-cycle wepeats itself…" Zuma shakily said, beginning to tremble.
Rocky pulled a paw around Zuma and hugged him softly. "You helped me get over my fear of the water, Zoom… I'll help you get over this fear of drowning." Rocky promised.
Zuma sniffled and shed a few tears, nuzzling Rocky back as he buried his face and muzzle in the werepuppy's fur as he let out his emotions. When Zuma finished crying, he and Rocky broke their embrace and looked away from each other awkwardly, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. It was at this moment that Chase decided to poke his head into the puphouse. "Hey Rocky, hey Zuma! You wanna play tug of war?" Chase offered.
Zuma stood up from his sitting position and walked out of his puphouse. "Sure thing dude! Come on, Wocky!" The lab quickly said.
Rocky reluctantly came out and grabbed onto the end of the tug of war rope, biting down on it. Marshall, Chase, and Skye tried their hardest to pull on the rope, but they found that it was barely budging. Rocky let go of the rope, and it became an actual competition. "My werepuppy body is kind of like cheating, guys. It makes me so much stronger and faster than the rest of you! I don't think I want to play any games…" Rocky lamented, upset that his new condition gave him an unfair advantage.
The pups all debated on what to do next, but that was quickly cut short when a familiar looking jeep rushed into the driveway and parked on the Lookout grass. "Oi, oi, oi… no me siento tan bien…" The voice of their friend Tracker groaned.
The car doors opened, with Carlos hurriedly carrying his pet potcake into the Lookout.
"I told you to take it easy and let me drive!" Carlos scolded his beloved pet.
"¡Demasiado grande! Carlos, you wouldn't fit the brakes and steering wheel!" Tracker protested.
The other six pups quickly ran inside after their jungle friends. Katie was already performing an examination on Tracker as Chase, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Marshall came into the first floor lobby of the Lookout tower. "I should have taken precautions, I should have taken him here sooner! The jungle is no place for a dog during summers as hot as this one!" Carlos berated himself.
"OH NO! What happened?! Did Tracker get bit by a snake?!" Rubble gasped.
Katie was already attending to Tracker, covering his ears and head in a damp cloth and giving him a bowl of fresh moderately cold water before setting up some fans to blow on him. "Thankfully, no, but it was almost as bad. Heat exhaustion. It was my fault, I should have thought of it. I kept him as cool as possible as he drove us here, so it could have been a lot worse. I think he's going to have to stay here with the rest of you pups over the course of the summer. The jungle will only get hotter and hotter." Carlos explained.
Rocky hid behind a beanbag and crouched low to the ground as the glass doors of the Lookout lobby entrance slid open, and a husky walked in. "I'm really sorry to hear that happened to you, Carlos! But I think Tracker will be comforted by the fact that he's not the only pup who's going to be using the Lookout as a vacation home!" Everest's voice announced.
"EVVIE!" Marshall cheered, tackling the husky and giving her several affectionate licks.
"Marshall, hi! Hi everyone! Great to see you! Wait, where's Rocky? I smell him. He's in the room, but where?" Everest greeted everyone before noting the missing mixed breed.
"¡Un momento! Our amigo Rocky is… behind those beanbags!" Tracker exclaimed, his enhanced hearing allowing him to pinpoint the location of their friend.
His ears drooping, Rocky groaned as he came out of his hiding spot. "Oh my god! Rocky, what happened to you?!" Everest asked worriedly, surprised by his new look.
"Oh wow! Rocky es un hombre lobo, just like my pal Chupo!" Tracker gasped.
Rocky tilted his head in confusion. Hombre lobo translated to werewolf… "Tracker, you have a werepuppy friend?" Rocky inquired.
"¡Si! My friend in Mexico, his name is Chupo! They named him that after the legendary Chupacabra! Sure he's big and scary looking but he wouldn't hurt a fly! The villagers that he lives with treat him very well. There's nothing to be scared of about werepuppies!" Tracker answered.
Rocky felt a lot better now that he had heard it directly from someone who had prior experience with werepups. They really weren't the monsters that Uncle Otis's legend had made them out to be. For the first time all day, Rocky's tail started to wag as he let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Tracker. I was really worried. Now I know that being a werepuppy is going to be fine." Rocky happily said.
Letting out another sigh of relief, the werepuppy felt the tension leave his body as he visibly relaxed, a huge mental weight on his shoulders lifted. His body began to shrink down and his fur shortened as he relaxed. The mixed breed let out an excited howl as he realized he was a regular pup again. "I'm back to normal! I'm back to normal! Yes yes yes yes yes! FINALLY!" Rocky cheered, dancing around in joy at having transformed back to his old self. Within less than thirty seconds of the reversion, however, Rocky poofed back into a werepup. "OH COME ON! I wasn't upset or angry or feeling upset! Why did I turn back?!" Rocky yelled in frustration.
"It works with both the good emotions and the bad ones! Takes a lot of happiness to turn you though. Don't worry! You'll get a grip on it soon enough, Rocky! Amigo, I know that you can do anything you put your mind to! ¡Rocky eres muy listo! You're a super genius!" Tracker reassured his buddy.
Ben decided to pipe up at this point. "Well since Tracker is still recuperating from his overheating, and it's getting rather hot outside here, why don't we watch a movie together?" Ben suggested.
"YEAH!" All the pups exclaimed together in agreement.
"Oooh! Have you ever seen the Lion King?" Tracker offered.
"OOH! Let's do it!" The rest of the pups agreed.
"I've never seen that one before, but I'm happy to give it a try!" Everest commented.
"Katie, Carlos, can you get the Lookout monitor set up to stream the movie? Tracker, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, why not get yourselves comfortable, use the bathroom so we don't have to pause the movie in the middle? Chase, Skye, Everest, Marshall, can I talk to you for a second?" Ben then proposed.
"Sure thing!" Katie answered earnestly.
"C'mon, Wocky, let's get ouwselves comfy." Zuma chuckled.
Ben led the two couples outside for a quick conversation that wouldn't be overheard by the mixed breed and chocolate labrador.
"Okay so is it just me or have Rocky and Zuma been acting differently towards each other as of late?" Chase mused.
"Yeah, no doubt about it! Then again, I don't see you guys on a day to day basis." Everest commented.
"Absolutely! They're acting like how Skye and Chase were acting before the whole eagle incident!" Marshall agreed.
"W-what?!" Skye blushed in embarrassment.
"I've had my suspicions for a while now, but this whole werepuppy situation has confirmed them. Rocky and Zuma have feelings for each other!" Ben declared.
"You're not going to disown them or anything, are you?!" Everest worriedly asked.
Ben gave her a glare. "I would never! I didn't do that when Tracker and Tuck got together!" Ben argued.
"Okay, enough, you two! We need a plan to get Rocky and Zuma together!" Chase reminded them.
"I already got one. When Can You Feel The Love Tonight starts playing, we start to sing along!" Ben instructed.
All the pups nodded before going back inside and watching the movie. It was getting late in the day, around seven thirty in the evening. The sun was beginning to dip in the sky.
SONG: CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT
As they watched the movie, Rocky relaxed and calmed down, turning back into a regular puppy. The song started to play and Ben and the pups began to sing.
"I can see what's happening!" Chase began.
"What?!" Rubble asked.
"And they don't have a clue!" Marshall continued.
"Who!?" Rubble asked.
Ben gave a pointed look at Rocky and Zuma, causing Rubble to understand. "They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line: our trio's down to two!" Ben resumed.
"Oh…" Rubble said.
"The sweet caress of twilight…" Skye sang.
"There's magic everywhere!" Everest chimed in.
"And with all this romantic atmosphere… disaster's in the air!" Ben, Chase, Skye, Everest, and Marshall all cried out together.
"Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings!"
"The world for once… in perfect harmony! With all its living things!"
Zuma couldn't resist, and started to join in the song. "So many things to tell him, but how to make him see? The truth about my past?! Impossible! He'd turn away from me!" Zuma giggled.
Playfully bopping Rocky on the nose, the mixed breed had no choice but to cave into the peer pressure and join in. He knew it was all in good fun though, and his tail started wagging as he sang with the rest of the group.
"He's holding back, he's hiding, but what, I can't decide! Why won't he be the king I know he is… the king I see inside?" Rocky trilled.
"Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings!"
"The world for once… in perfect harmony! With all its living things!"
The instrumental began to play, and Rocky and Zuma looked at each other. "Dudes, what's up? Are you expecting us to like, kiss or something?" Zuma asked.
And at that idea, Rocky's tail started to wag wildly as his eyes widened and he blushed. Seeing that expression on Rocky's face made Zuma act impulsively. The chocolate labrador dove in and kissed Rocky on the muzzle, causing the mixed breed to floof up into werepuppy mode.
"Can you feel the love tonight? You needn't look too far!"
"Stealing through… the night's uncertainties! LOVE IS WHERE WE ARE!"
"And if he feels the love tonight… in the way I do…" Zuma sang.
"It's enough… for this restless wanderer…" Rocky continued.
"JUST TO BE WITH YOU!" The entire group sang.
The pups all laughed as the song ended, with Rocky and Zuma sharing a tender gaze. When the movie was done, Rubble's stomach growled, and he let out a yawn. "It's getting late for you pups. You all need your sleep! Especially Rocky." Ben chuckled.
Katie let out a yawn as well. "I'll say! Taking care of you pups as your veterinarian is exhausting!" The eighteen year old girl commented.
Carlos was also similarly tired. "And we drove for a while… I think I'm going to hit the sack myself." Carlos sighed.
"Then it's settled. Everyone, it's time to go to bed. Night! I'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams!" Ben told them, bidding them good night.
The next morning, the pups woke up, and Rocky was pleased to see that he had reverted to his usual self in his sleep. He wanted to jump for joy, but restrained himself, not wanting to immediately go back to werepup mode. "Rocky, you're normal!" Rubble cheered.
"I'm glad. Being a werepuppy isn't a new normal that I want." Rocky answered.
The pups ate breakfast as Ben and Ryder discussed what to do with Everest and Tracker. "I guess we'll need to set Carlos up in the basement, since Ace sleeps on the main floor. No way are we letting him go back to the jungle on his own." Ryder mused.
"Then it's settled. We'll tell Carlos he can stay with us for the summer." Ben stated.
Ryder called the pups up to the control room, and Ben was about to explain the new living situation with Carlos to them when their conversation was interrupted by a strange circle of light appearing above them. A pup suddenly dropped from the ceiling, landing in a crouch on all fours in front of them. It was a black Labrador retriever with pointed ears wearing a purple helmet and pup pack, a black vest, and four matching boots. Ben, Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Skye, Zuma, Rocky, Rubble, Everest, and Tracker all looked at the new pup, who was turned away from them. "Alright, test forty-two. Portal stabilized and I appear to be in the Lookout control room. With any luck…" The black pup cut himself off as he turned around to find ten pairs of eyes gawking at him. They could now see the Paw Patrol badge on the crest of his helmet, which looked remarkably like Chase's spy helmet, and they could also see he wore a pup tag with a silver gear as its symbol. The dog stared back at them from behind his purple-tinted visor with trepidation. "Oh shoot... There goes my cover…" The pup nervously said.
WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS PUP!? HOW DID HE APPEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOOKOUT!? WHERE IS HE FROM?! ARE HIS INTENTIONS GOOD OR BAD!? IS HE AN ALLY… OR AN ENEMY!? WHY IS HE DRESSED IN SIMILAR GEAR TO THE PAW PATROL!? YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT IN THE EXCITING FOUR PART SEASON FINALE, RESCUE FORCE AND THE TWIST IN TIME! COMING SOON TO A FANFICTION WEBSITE NEAR YOU!