Standing at the edge of a dock, a pup prepared itself for the perfect dive. Looking down from the dock, the crystal clear ocean reflected anything in front of it, including the pup, who was entranced by the water below. The ocean reflected an image of a wide-eyed Dalmatian pup, who donned a child-like grin as he got into a downward dog position.
"Ready or not, I'm coming in hot!"
The Dally tried to spring off of the dock, but unfortunately, one of his forepaws slipped in the process and sent him hurtling into the water with a small splash. This little slip-up caused the few onlookers of the dive attempt to burst out laughing.
Welcome to the sunny, often friendly town of Adventure Bay. If any of the citizens, or even the visitors of Adventure Bay could say one thing about the beloved town, it would be that it was nothing like any other place they had ever been. The first thing that many would notice was the absence of any type of structured emergency services. Instead, there was an emergency service. Singular.
A single team was in charge of every type of emergency service under the sun. Whether it be construction, firefighting, or even things like recycling, a single team managed to do it all. That team was the PAW Patrol.
Led by a ten year old boy, a team of pups took on the responsibility of handling Adventure Bay's problems, one paw at a time. Many have doubted the abilities of the team, but as of recently, after an incident in a neighboring city, Adventure City, the abilities and methods of the unorthodox team seemed to be questioned less and less.
A few bubbles came up from where the Dalmatian had splashed into before he emerged from the water, shaking salty water from his fur and giving a toothy grin, "I'm good!"
Meet Marshall, a very cheerful, energetic, big-hearted, Dalmatian. And, as you might've guessed by that little slip on the deck, he wasn't exactly the most coordinated of pups. Despite that, Marshall was very trusted by his owner, Ryder. Being one of two pups on the team with multiple professions, being both a firefighter and an EMT, his usual clumsy antics were nothing but little quirks of his that would hopefully not overlap with his job... Again.
"Love the form, dude! Keep it up!" A Chocolate Labrador called out from the shore, standing an odd distance away. The brown pup then turned around and began walking further from the ocean. Upon a quick inspection of the beach, he finally spotted another pup, smiling brightly.
The pup, who was laying on a green towel far from the ocean, didn't notice as the Chocolate Lab approached him.
Laying on the towel was a gray, mixed breed named Rocky. Often regarded as the most intelligent pup on the team, Rocky served as the eco and recycling pup of the PAW Patrol. But there was something different about him. He wasn't like his friends. He loved playing and having fun with the pups, but for some reason, he preferred to be on his own more than he liked being with his friends. He didn't hate them, he could never! He didn't exactly know why, but that was just how he was. But that wasn't exactly the reason why he wasn't with his friends. There was always the fact that he did not exactly enjoy being around anything water-related.
"Still don't want to get near the water, Rocky?"
He looked up, seeing the Chocolate Lab standing over him. He was standing just in the way of the sunlight, giving the outline of his body, as well as the chocolate fur on the edges of his body to glisten in the light. Rocky's pupils seemed to dilate for a moment, his eyebrows raising. as his eyes slowly drifted from the Chocolate Lab's paws, all the way up to his kind, smiling face.
"...Huh...?" He asked, his voice going slightly higher in octave.
"C'mon, dude. You don't have to be that far."
The eco pup muttered, "I'm not taking any chances..."
The Chocolate lab Rocky was staring back at was Zuma, the aquatic rescue pup. Zuma was a laid back, free-spirited pup, who often utilized the term 'dude' when speaking to anyone. Rocky considered Zuma to be his best friend. Although the two were extremely different, their interests often going in complete contention with one another, the circumstances leading to the blossoming of their friendship was one of the things they did have in common. They were the two pups on the main team used the least. This led to the two pups having a lot of time alone together. While things were a little strange from time to time when they talked, the mixed breed always enjoyed spending time with him.
Unlike Rocky, Zuma was very physical. Being the second best at the team's favorite rhythm game, "Pup Pup Boogie", the aquatic rescue pup had grown to be quite competitive, leading to his friendly rivalry with Skye, another pup on the team.
"The others are having fun, though!" Zuma pleaded, "If you're not gonna go in the water, then you gotta at least be able to see us!"
Zuma used to also be the owner of a speech impediment. One in which that made pwonouncing his Rs cowwectly mowe difficult. While it had disappeared after a while, it always seemed to come back up when he spoke too quickly or in a state where he wasn't in control of his emotions. He never seemed to care about it, though. In the Chocolate Lab's eyes, it was just one of the many things that made him more unique and awesome.
Rocky gulped faintly. There was no way he couldn't say no to the pleading face of his best friend. His kryptonite.
"Fine... I'll go."
"Yes!" The aquatic pup cheered, "Let's go, Rocky! Maybe we can catch another one of Marshall's dives!"
Rocky cringed, "Right, Marshall..."
Rocky and Marshall initially had a pretty solid relationship in the first few months after he joined the PAW Patrol, but as time went on, his aquaphobia, as well as his patience, was put to the test more and more. Somehow, whenever the two were around the other, Marshall always seemed to find a way to accidentally get him wet. Now, he wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not, but again, there was no way he was taking any chances. So he kept his distance.
He had always remained civil with the Dalmatian pup, and still enjoyed playing with him, but if it ever came down to a ranking of his five closest friends, Marshall would certainly be on the bottom of that list. He just couldn't get over it as easily as he let on. One or two times is okay, but when he feared getting wet every time Marshall had his firefighting gear equipped, that's when he began to realize he should keep a good distance.
Marshall was still playing with three other pups in the water. They were having a contest to see how long they could hold their breath underwater. A dangerous game, yes, but none were willing to give up the challenge.
The first to emerge from the water was an English Bulldog pup, who gasped for air. This pup was Rubble, the team's construction pup. Being one of the two youngest pups on the team, Rubble had quickly gotten used to being underestimated among his peers, especially since he had gone on many missions with some of the older and more trusted pups. Despite being the smallest, Rubble managed to hold the biggest heart, as well as the biggest stomach. But, according to the breath-holding competition, not the biggest lungs.
Next to emerge was a small Cockapoo, who coughed and sputtered as she looked around, "Third place? Dang! I thought I was doing better than that..."
"At least you beat me, Skye..." Rubble spoke as he waved at her.
The Cockapoo, an aviation specialist named Skye, gave Rubble a smile, "Better than last I guess!" Skye, as you might've guessed, was the sole female member of the main six pups in the PAW Patrol. With a burning passion for anything aviation related, and an empathetic disposition for everyone and everything with the exception of Eagles, Skye, from her initial joining as the third pup, had grown to be the beloved 'sister' of the team.
Under the water, Marshall's eyes squinted open. Luckily, he had a pair of goggles just for this. He looked around himself, only seeing one other pup in the water. A German Shepherd. The pup, also donning a pair of goggles himself, opened his eyes and gave Marshall a confident smirk.
Chase, the police and spy pup, was the other pup on the team beside Marshall to have multiple professions. He also outranked Marshall. Chase was the second in command of the team, and his behavior clearly showed why. Chase was straight-laced and very by the book. On top of that, he was loyal, courageous, and confident. He and Marshall considered the other to be their best friend. Since they were the first two pups on the team, they had ample time alone to build a friendship with the other.
Marshall and Chase stared at one another, their eyes locked onto the other's. Neither were willing to quit, not that they knew they were the final two in this breath-holding competition. Chase seemed to be relaxed, only focused on keeping his head beneath the surface. Marshall watched his best friend bob and drift in the water.
Eventually, Marshall's expression began to contort, and his cheeks puffed up. He needed to go up for air. He looked at Chase, trying to see if he was in a similar state. Chase clearly wasn't, a light smirk on his face as he watched Marshall struggle. The Dalmatian whimpered and swam up, Chase following him.
Marshall then broke the surface, gasping and coughing. Soon after was Chase, who calmly breathed in.
"Chase wins!" Rubble exclaimed.
"I tried... I tried my best..." The Dally panted, still trying to catch his breath.
The German Shepherd doggy paddled over to his best friend, "Good game, Marshall. I was just getting ready to go up for air."
"Really? You didn't look like you were struggling..."
"I know. If I did, then you would get hopeful and stay down until I went up."
Marshall's confused expression contorted into one of regret, "...I got outsmarted, didn't I?"
Skye and Rubble began to giggle, Chase joining in. Their giggles soon turned into laughter, which caused Marshall's face to flush in embarrassment. Most of his fur being white, this was easy to see. The laughter of the three other pups grew in magnitude as Marshall looked at them. Fed up with the laughing, the Dalmatian suddenly splashed Chase.
Everything went silent between the four.
"You're not getting away with that, buddy..." The German Shepherd leaned back before splashing Marshall in return.
This spurred on a splash fight between the four pups. Midst the laughter and splashing Marshall dived under the water and swam over toward the dock to grab his secret weapon.
The splashing slowed as Skye looked around, "Hey, where's Marshall?"
"Hey!" A voice shouted, eliciting the three to look over at where it came from. Standing on the dock was Marshall, who had his pup pack on his back, "Say hello to my little friend!"
"He's got his pack!" Chase shouted, looking behind him. He raised an eyebrow confusedly once he realized neither Skye or Rubble were where they were a few seconds ago. He looked further down to see the two swimming in the opposite direction.
"Every pup for themselves!" Rubble shouted.
Chase gulped, turning around to look at Marshall.
Marshall barked, "Water cannons!" In response to his voice, the cannons sprouted from his pup pack, "Fire!"
"Yikes!" The police pup's eyes widened as he dived beneath the water, managing to narrowly avoid the stream of water.
The stream of water flew by Chase, soon splashing into another pup on shore.
The pup gagged, "Wet! Wet!" He shouted.
Marshall recognized the voice and looked over. Frantically rubbing his face with his towel was Rocky, who was whimpering and shouting out. The Dalmatian cringed as he heard Rocky's screams, looking away in shame. Once he looked back at Rocky, the mixed breed was staring right at him.
"Sorry, Rocky!" He quickly apologized.
On shore, Zuma watched in awe as Rocky rubbed himself on his towel, "...I'm surprised... You were right..."
Before Rocky could reply, his pup tag glowed his signature green shade. Zuma's tag glowed orange along with Rocky's. A voice soon came from their tags.
"PAW Patrol, to the Beach Tower!"
"Ryder needs us!"
While Chase, Rubble, and Skye went swimming to shore, Rocky and Zuma ran along the shore, Marshall ran on the dock back to shore. Once the six pups began closing in on the Beach Tower, Marshall's water canons leaked a bit of water, which landed right under his paws. This caused him to slip and go hurtling into the other pups.
The crash sounded akin to the noise of a bowling ball knocking over a ton of pins. At the top of the doggy pile was Marshall, who smiled awkwardly, "Guess my pup bowling career is going smoothly..."
The other pups laughed at this, all of them except one. Rocky, who was at the bottom of the pile, remained quiet. He wasn't as amused as he would usually be with Marshall's jokes. He wasn't exactly in the mood for one of those jokes after yet another splash from Marshall's water cannon. Why was every moment he spent around Marshall destined for disaster?
After the six untangled themselves from the pup pile, they all ran into the Beach Tower.
The pups ran into the main room of the Beach tower, now dressed in their Sea Patrol outfits. Three ran in from the sliding door on the left, and three on the right. The space between the doors suddenly opened up to reveal a ten year old boy. It was their leader and beloved owner, Ryder. Pumping his arm, a small tablet appeared on his left wrist.
The pups lined up one by one in the positions they had taken many times. Adjusting their positions slightly to fit the line, Chase opened his mouth to speak.
"Sea Patrol, ready for action Captain Ryder, sir!"
Ryder tapped the tablet on his wrist, turning the screen behind him on to display a cartoon version of the events he was getting ready to explain, "I got a call from Cap'n Turbot, and according to him, a storm is quickly approaching Adventure Bay!"
"What?"
"Is it bad?"
"Gnarly, dude..."
"On top of that, Turbot's submarine has been capsized during that same storm."
"Is he okay?" Skye asked, her eyebrow piercing together in worry.
"He's okay, just a little banged up..." Ryder reassured the Cockapoo, "But the two separate problems we have means we'll have to split up."
The six pups listened to their owner as he spoke, nodding faintly in understanding.
Ryder tapped the screen, a recycling symbol in a green background appearing, "Rocky. I'll need you to check out Turbot's ship, find the problem, and fix it. We need to move quickly."
"Green means go!"
"Zuma," He tapped the screen once more, an anchor symbol in an orange background appearing, "You're our best when it comes to anything aquatic, you'll assist Rocky when it comes to dealing with the water."
"Ready, set, get wet!"
"And Marshall, I'll need you to check Turbot for any injuries. I'm sure he didn't get out of that unscathed."
"I'm ready for a ruff, ruff, rescue!"
"As for Rubble, Chase, and Skye, you three are on evacuation duty. Make sure everyone is away from the beach just in case the storm reaches the bay. I won't be there to help you, so Chase. You lead the evacuation."
"Chase is on the case!"
"Alright!" Ryder pumped his fist in the air, "Sea Patrol, is on a roll!"
As Chase, Skye, and Rubble left the Beach Tower, Ryder, Zuma, Marshall, and Rocky walked over to a lowering platform. The four soon arrived in a lower deck and took their seats.
The young leader pressed his finger on two tablets, one on his left and one on his right, "Load 'er up, Robo-Dog!"
Sitting in front of them was a robotic puppy, which looked back to see its creator. Robo-Dog barked affirmatively as it pressed a screen that was in front of it.
A red light began blaring as Rocky's, Zuma's, and Marshall's vehicles were loaded into the Beach Tower.
"Robo-Dog, take us to sea!"
With another affirmative bark, Robo-dob began to fiddle with the controls, causing the dock in front of the building to fold outwards, revealing another part of the building. The part of the building the four were in suddenly began moving away from the rest of the Beach Tower, revealing it to be the Sea Patroller.
"I love watching that!" Zuma commented as the Sea Patroller went out to sea.
It didn't take long for the team of four to reach the area above Turbot's downed submarine. Ryder told Robo-Dog to stop the Sea Patroller, and turned to Rocky and Zuma. The duo had attire fitting for undersea divers. Zuma wore a confident smile, while Rocky was sweating almost enough to fill his swimsuit.
Ryder got down on one knee, putting a hand on the anxious pup's head, "Sorry Rocky, but if you want to get a close enough look at Turbot's Submarine, you'll have to dive from your vehicle."
Rocky gulped as he and Zuma made their way to their vehicles, followed by Marshall, who was ordered to wait above Turbot's sub while Zuma and Rocky dived under to investigate. Soon enough, the three vehicles were on the water, while Ryder went to a submarine in the lower decks of the Sea Patroller.
Once the three pups' vehicles were positioned over Turbot's sunken sub, Zuma and Rocky prepared to dive. Well, more so Zuma was prepared to dive. Rocky was frozen in place, staring at the disgusting blue abyss below. He clearly didn't want to go, and Zuma knew this.
"Don't worry, Rocky..." Zuma tried to give him comforting words, "You won't touch the water if you'we inside that diving suit."
Rocky stuck out his tongue in disgust, "I'll still feel the cold of it."
Marshall, while he waited for the two to dive, he accidentally leaned on the control panel of his aquatic vehicle, accidentally starting it up. In his surprise, the Dalmatian yelped and sprung in his seat, causing him to begin moving forward, directly into Rocky's vehicle. The impact sent the aquaphobic pup flying off of his own vehicle and into the bay.
Zuma's eyes bulged open, slowly turning to the Dalmatian. Marshall's eyes were just as wide as the realization of what he did sunk in.
"Ahhh wet! Wet!"
"That wasn't cool, dude..." The Chocolate Lab sighed before skillfully diving into the water to help Rocky out.
"Wait, I didn't—!" He called after Zuma, stopping once he was out of sight, "...I didn't mean to..."
After fixing up Tubot's sub, Rocky was quick to get back to his vehicle and back to the Sea Patroller. Zuma and Ryder followed after him while Marshall checked out Turbot's injuries. After seeing that he only had a few scratches and bruises, Marshall returned to the Sea Patroller as well, docking his vehicle in it and hopping out.
The Dalmatian walked into the room where Ryder, Zuma, and Rocky were waiting for him. Marshall greeted the three, but only two replied. The one who didn't, Rocky, hopped out of his seat and silently walked past the EMT pup. The Dally looked at Zuma, who only shook his head. Marshall's head sunk down low as he let out a long sigh.
Ryder, who had watched this interaction unfold, looked at Marshall, "Rocky's not happy about that accident earlier. I think you should apologize to him."
Marshall nodded, shuffling out of the room in pursuit of Rocky.
What none of the passengers realized, though, was that the storm to knock Turbot's submarine was beginning to circle back around in the direction of the Sea Patroller.
Rocky was on the deck of the Sea Patroller, his eyes trained on the horizon. He wasn't exactly beginning to enjoy Marshall's presence any more after the events that transpired throughout the day. What did he really expect from Marshall anyway? It was almost like a habit to the Dally to spray water in his face. He couldn't help but wonder if it was really an accident in the first place.
Marshall eventually spotted the mixed breed, stopping a good distance away. Now that he was really thinking about it, he had accidentally forced Rocky to deal with water more times than he had initially thought. No wonder he had gotten so distant with him. Sure, they were still friends, but how long would that last if he kept screwing up around him?
He had already made him mad. If he kept this up, who knew? Maybe they wouldn't be friends any longer.
The Dalmatian gulped silently, Slowly walking across the deck to reach Rocky. Marshall's expression grew determined. There was no way he was going to lose a friend like that. No matter what, he would make it up to Rocky somehow.
"Rock—" Marshall began to speak, but the sound of thunder made both him and Rocky flinch and look forward. Just over the horizon, cumulonimbus clouds began to emerge, quickly making their way over.
Rocky quickly tapped his pup tag, "Ryder!"
There was a quick response from the other side, "I know, I see it too. We're turning around!"
Just as Ryder replied, the waves beneath the Sea Patroller began to grow in magnitude, throwing both Rocky and Marshall off balance. The pups hit the wooden deck, Rocky on his side, and Marshall right on his face. The two felt the large vessel begin to turn around, preparing to sail in the opposite direction. As the waves grew larger and larger, Marshall looked back at the horizon. It was getting closer. The storm was fast approaching. If they didn't have any type of booster, then they would definitely get caught in the storm.
The Dalmatian shakily stood up, "Rocky!" He called to him, "We need to get back inside before things get any worse!"
Despite his current intolerance for Marshall, he knew the Dalmatian had a point. The eco pup nodded in response as the both dashed for the door leading back into the Sea Patroller's interior. Before they could reach it, though, the water shifted and the right side of the vessel began to rise. This sent the duo sliding to the left.
"Steady on the wheel, Robo-dog!" Ryder told the electronic pet, trying to keep his own balance.
"Are you okay, Zuma?" Ryder turned to the Chocolate Lab.
"I'm fine, dude... I hope Marshall and Rocky are okay..."
All of a sudden, Robo-dog began repeatedly barking, catching the two's attention. They looked at it, only to see what Robo-dog was looking at. Both Ryder and Zuma's eyes went wide. In front of the window was nothing but water. It was a wave that was quickly approaching them.
Ryder immediately reached over and grabbed Zuma, holding him close to his body. He closed his eyes tight as he felt the front of the Sea Patroller begin to lift. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that the vessel was going up the wave, which was never good.
Before he could even start thinking about how to get out of this situation, a scream from Zuma alerted him.
"Wocky!"
Everything from the moment he and Marshall were sent sliding to the side was a blur for Rocky.
After he and Marshall slid to the left, they tried to make their way to the door leading inside, but the sound of Marshall letting out a hitched gasp stopped him in his tracks, he looked up to see a wave towering over the Sea Patroller. He was sure he had blacked out the next few seconds to follow, as when he regained consciousness, the mixed breed found himself falling.
It was a unique moment for him. He had wondered time and time again what the last thing he would think before he died would be. Sure, he was far from that point, and still just a pup, but as a pup of science and logic, he couldn't help himself from wondering what was after death. Death seemed imminent now, so maybe he was at the point to think about it.
Time seemed to slow down, the raindrops falling from the clouds gently kissing Rocky's face and body as he fell towards the end of the Sea Patroller, and potentially the end of his life. Quite ironic, really. He had feared touching and being around water all his life, just for it to surround him as it all flashed before his eyes.
After blinking, he noticed something he hadn't before. His mouth was agape, a desperate paw reaching up and out to Marshall, who had managed to dig his claws into the deck of the Sea Patroller to prevent himself from falling. Rocky could see Marshall yell something, which was deafened by the roar of thunder above.
Another flash of lightning struck, extremely close to the Sea Patroller. The flash of light was harsh. Blinding, even. As the bright light began to fade, a familiar face came into sight, closer than it was before. It was Marshall, who had a rope tied loosely around his waist. Rocky's eyes widened. Was he trying to save him? Not a moment later, the Dalmatian grabbed him, yelling into his ear.
"I've got you, buddy!"
The next thing to fill his ears was the crackle and boom of the thunder, coming just a millisecond after the prior lightning strike. Frozen, the eco pup felt his face grow even more wet. But just for once, he didn't seem to be worried about all the water surrounding them, despite not even being a mer-pup again. Rocky struggled for breath, the sheer shock rendering his body paralyzed.
In an instant, the Sea Patroller's position shifted back to normal, which sent both pups swinging around to tumble back on the deck. The rope loosely tied around Marshall's waist unfurled quickly, leaving the Dalmatian with the sting of rope burn. The two slid to a stop, the force of hitting the Sea Patroller snapping Rocky out of his shock.
Groaning, the pups laid on their backs as they looked at the cloudy sky.
"Ugh my back... I should've just held that rope in my mouth..." Marshall strained, letting out a whimper
Rocky breathed quickly to catch his breath, "You... You saved me..."
"Why are you surprised?" The Dalmatian asked, "We're friends..."
"You could've gotten seriously hurt!" The eco pup exclaimed, "Or worse!"
"I get that a lot!" Marshall couldn't help but to chuckle, "...I know you don't really... Like me, or like being around me, cause I always end up messing things up... But I still think you're cool."
Rocky slowly turned his head to look at the firefighter pup beside him, "Marshall... I... It's not you that I don't like, it's just that I got a little fed up with being splashed all of the time."
Marshall turned his head to look back at the eco pup, "I'm sorry. I know I say I'm sorry every time I splash you with a smile on my face, but I've always meant it. Really, I did. I never wanted to splash you. It just ends up happening somehow."
The eco pup remained quiet at the admission.
"But, I'll try to be better."
"You don't have to be better, Marshall. Just more cautious."
"Um.. I dunno... I'm not really good at being cautious."
The two began to laugh, forgetting about the fact that they were inches from death a few minutes ago for just a moment. Rocky laughed at the joke, despite the slight pain from the bruises that began to form on his body. Perhaps Marshall wasn't so bad after all. Once the laughter slowed to a stop, the two looked back up at the sky, which was beginning to clear up.
Marshall's paw slowly raised up, "...Friends?"
Rocky smiled, closing his eyes as he did the same, grabbing the Dalmatian's paw.
"Friends."