Disclaimer: I think we all knew this alliance was going to happen as soon as Charm started showing the Paw Patrol Slash's journal. Hopefully, the way it's handled is interesting and believable enough to work, and that Foxcadia is another vast and interesting location. And also that the inevitable battle with Slash is satisfying in all the right ways.

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Demon Defense arc Episode twelve: A Reluctantly Finalized Alliance

The gate to Foxcadia was opening for everyone, who were relieved to find that Ryder was able to convince Vixey to let them in. When she noticed Chase's eyes being different from the others however, she stepped in and apologetically explained why he had to stay out. "Sorry. I've seen the look of someone about to turn before. I can't let you in."

Chase felt that was fair, having seen how dangerous the demons can be. "Fair enough. These demons are no joke." He did however, have a request for Vixey, now that everyone else was in. "Just make sure my friends are safe. Both for our own sake, and the citizens of Wolfland and Foxcadia."

Vixey gave a salute in response with Skye then going back to stay with Chase. Chase showed immense concern for her, but Skye made it clear that she wanted to be with him before he turned. "I can't bare the thought of you turning without me being here beside you Chase. If Rocky gets to be with Zuma before he turns, then so should I."

"Rocky's immune Skye. You aren't." Chase pointed out, and Skye gave a look to him that made it clear she cared more about him than her lack of immunity. He didn't want to keep her away from him, so he made a compromise with her regarding this after sighing. "You have to run into Foxcadia as soon as I start turning."

Skye nodded in response with Vixey showing concern for the Cockapoo as her mind was made. She wasn't wild about the idea, but she knew she didn't have time to argue about this. She decided to settle for the compromise Chase and Skye made. "I'll make sure the barrier's down right when it's time for you to come in. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"We all at least try to." Skye assured Vixey, who went into Foxcadia and closed the gate. She sent a note to her leader to take down the barrier long enough to let Skye in after Chase turned. She only hoped she wouldn't have to deal with both of them turning in the same night. The thought of Chase alone made her worried, despite not knowing him. Skye sat down next to Chase on the grass, holding his paws to let him know that she was there for her. Despite his internal thoughts at the moment, he greatly appreciated this and shared a loving smile with his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Flare and the others were looking around Foxcadia with Flare noticing Bonita trying to console a terrified Tracker. He decided to give her a paw, walking over to them while they waited for the leader of Foxcadia to come to them. "Hey Tracker. Hey Bonita."

Tracker and Bonita looked at Flare with Bonita smiling as she addressed him. "Hola Flare."

Tracker didn't say anything however. Flare simply looked at him with a concerned look and rubbed his head. "The Wolfland attack really scared you. Didn't it Tracker."

Tracker nodded his head yes, and Bonita explained a bit more about her concern regarding the situation. "He's never had such a high sense of danger before."

"I can imagine. Wolfland was a pretty save village." Flare responded, and then he smiled when looking at Tracker. Despite the dire context, Tracker could see that Flare's compassion was genuine. Flare wanted Tracker to know that he shouldn't succumb to his fear. "It's okay to be scared Tracker. It's part of what makes you human." Tracker felt a little more at ease with this new emotional experience. Flare also made it clear that he'd be open to helping Tracker cope with his fear. "I don't know much about ADHD, but I DO know that you're a strong willed kid. Like me."

Tracker listened more closely with Bonita also paying close attention to how well Flare was dealing with the situation. "If your mind tells you to run, then you'll ignore it, and instead listen to your heart telling you to do what's right."

Tracker liked the way that sounded, and Bonita was quick to add some more context before he got carried away. "And he's not telling you to jump into battle recklessly either."

"I know Mami." Tracker assured his mother, hugging her to show that he felt better about the situation. Flare was glad he was able to help him out with his fear, even if it didn't go away completely.

Just then, a friendly male voice was heard walking over to them. "So you're our new guests I see." Everyone looked to see a friendly red furred fox, just like Vixey, giving the canines and wolves a peace sign as he welcomed them to their village. "Welcome to Foxcadia!"

The fox was guiding Flare and everyone else to the apartment district of Foxcadia to help them get settled in. Ryder started to converse with the fox, knowing that he would be open to conversation thanks to his friendly personality. "Thanks for letting us stay here Tod. We know it's really short notice to have this many new citizens."

"That's one of the reasons Foxcadia was built like this. We wanted the chance to help as many creatures as possible." Tod explained, and when he arrived at the apartment complexes, he gave everyone free lance to pick which apartments they wanted. "Pick whichever ones you want, and we'll see about rent and stuff later down the line once you manage to find suitable income. And no, fighting." Tod then looked to Ryder about a location for him and the Paw Patrol. "We can find a bigger place for you and your team to stay in."

"Sounds great. Thanks Tod." Ryder and the rest of the Paw Patrol walked off with Tod to find their new base for the remainder of their time in the jungle.

Rocky was shown to still be tense about Zuma turning right before his eyes. And the fact that he failed to save him. If only he stopped Paleclaw in time. Not to mention, they were all extremely worried about Chase. As he started having visions of what happened to Zuma, Rubble got his attention by speaking up. "Um, Rocky? You're hurting my paw a little."

Rocky flinched and looked at Rubble, who was pointing to the paw he was holding before Rocky let go. "S-sorry."

"It's cool. I'd be super uneasy too if someone I really cared about turned into a demon in front of me." Rubble admitted, empathizing with Rocky's pain, or at least trying to.

Rocky didn't want to burden someone as young as Rubble with his problems. He felt it was best to give him any time he may need to relax. "I don't wanna put this on you Rubble. For now, let's just go see where we end up staying for the rest of our time here."

Rubble felt that was fair and let Rocky know that he didn't mind knowing the full story. "Just don't keep this bottled up for too long. I saw how Chase was acting, and it looked pretty bad." Rubble didn't know the half of it when it came to the Paw Patrol members' burdens, not even his own. Rocky was still stressing over whether or not he was right about Charm, or becoming like his father. After everything he'd endured this past month, he just wanted to hold Zuma again and tell him how much he loved him. And he wasn't gonna give up on saving him either.

The Paw Patrol arrived at a big looking house that Tod felt would be best suited for the Paw Patrol. Actually, it wasn't much of a house. It was a big science lab! Flare was about to make an attempt to gesture Rocky towards it, only for Rocky to walk away, letting go of Rubble's paw as he did. Flare went over to Rocky, leaving Rubble confused as he watched from nearby. He knew exactly what this was about. "We're going to get him back Zuma."

Just then, Rocky started crying, leading to the others noticing and coming over to comfort him after his voice cracked. "I want nothing more." After the rest of the Paw Patrol were nearby, with Charm keeping a bit more distance but still observing, Rocky showed just how crushed he was by everything that happened that night. "Today was supposed to be perfect. Me and Zuma, out on that canoe, just enjoying a day of peace and love between the two of us. And then out of nowhere, we get ambushed by Paleclaw's demon right as we get ready to head back."

Charm was stunned by the mention of that, just like the others were shocked to know who the demon was. Charm knew now would be a poor time to ask, so he let Rocky continue to let out his emotions. "I didn't even bother to apologize to him for that before he turned. All I did was tell him that I wouldn't give up on saving him. As if that was anywhere near good enough after I failed to save him."

"It's more than good enough Rocky." Richie assured Rocky as he knelt down to him. "And after we save him and Chase, we'll give you all the time to let out anything you feel was left unsaid."

Rocky did appreciate that, but he couldn't help how he was feeling right now. He tried his best to stop bottling up his feelings with serious situations like this. It was just so hard to find the right time to express them when they got too high. "Out of everything... it's that I wish getting what I wanted most... wasn't given to me in exchange for him being under Slash's control. How am I supposed to tell Celeste, Gabe, and Melody?"

Charm was about to ask about that, but Flare's comfort instincts kicked in and led to him hugging Rocky. Charm's spark kicked in again upon seeing Rocky let his pent up trauma out. Richie noticed this just as Charm tried to hide it. Charm wanted to know more now that he felt this happening again.

Sometime after Rocky finished crying, Inside the lab was a Bernese Mountain Dog about Chase's age working on something in some kind of invention room. The look on his face made it seem almost as if he knew about the Wolfland crisis. He continued working on his invention as he heard Tod's voice. "Hey Rex! Open up! I have some new friends for ya!"

Rex beamed at the sound of new friends. "New friends!? Alright!" Rex dashed off after making sure his machines didn't malfunction, and he was revealed to have wheels on his hind legs that helped him move. He went out of the lab and dashed down the hallway, making a turn for the living room and past the kitchen. He then opened up the door, where Tod was leaning on the wall smiling with his arms crossed as Rex introduced himself proudly. "Rex Handspiker, at your service!"

The Paw Patrol smiled upon Rex's friendly introduction with Flare happily running up to him and shaking his paw. "Amazing to meet you Rex! My name's Flare, and these are my friends!"

Rex got a good look at Flare and his friends, recognizing their uniforms from TV and catching onto who they are. When he saw Charm however, he got a little concerned. "The Paw Patrol working with Charm I presume?" Flare nodded his head yes, and Charm's cold gaze made Rex wonder how big the situation was. "I heard about what happened in Wolfland and got to work as soon as I could. I'm surprised he hasn't caused a scene by being here yet."

"Oh, they're scared of me. They're just smart enough to avoid setting me off." Charm informed Rex upon walking over to him, heading inside to set his journal down. "I'll be explaining a plan I devised with Ryder on the way here after the others come. You'd better have the skillset Tod said you do."

Rex nodded in response, and Rocky walked up to Rex with a question as he wiped his tears. Despite still processing how the night was going, He could swear he recognized him from somewhere. "Do I recognize you?"

Rex wasn't sure if he recognized Rocky either, but felt he looked familiar. "I could ask you the same question." Rex decided to get down to business and invited everyone inside to make themselves feel at home. "Anyway, as long as you're here, feel free to pick out your rooms or whatever you feel comfortable doing until everyone else gets here."

Claw took this as a chance to walk up to Charm and let him know that he didn't trust him one bit. "Don't forget Charm. We're only doing this out of obligation." Charm then put his finger up with Charm looking at him as he did. "Just because we're working together, doesn't mean I like you."

Charm slapped Claw's paw away as he assured him that he wasn't interested in him either. "Don't hammer it into my skull Claw. The feeling's mutual." Charm and Claw glared at each other with Flare and the others watching in case things got too violent. It was clear that out of everyone, Claw was the most against having Charm here.

Skye was outside of Foxcadia with Chase, holding his paws as he told her about what he was feeling. "And I spent three weeks unable to find anything, and now that I'm turning, I'm gonna fail Rocky even harder than I already was!" Skye wanted to comfort Chase, but she had to keep herself waiting until he was done venting. "It's bad enough that I can't find closure with the month before Ryder adopted me! Rocky has so much worse under his belt and I can't help him find it either!"

"Hey, your trauma isn't less important than his." Skye assured Chase, giving him the most genuine and comforting tone she could. "Your mental recovery is just as important as everyone else's."

Chase sighed to himself, wishing he could believe those words. It was clear that his self loathing was off the charts compared to normal. "I do want to believe that. It's just... Zuma spent three years on his own, Snow and Everest had an abusive home life, Rocky's gone through the death of his mother, almost drowning, getting hit by a car, and seven years of stressing about what he heard Slash say about Charm. And what's MY backstory? I was abandoned as a puppy and lived on the streets for a month! Only a month! Some hero I turned out to be!"

Skye didn't want Chase thinking he was weaker than the others. Not just because it wasn't true, but because of how much she loved him. She wanted him to realize how strong he was. "You remember what Ryder told us the day before Rocky and Zuma joined the Paw Patrol?" Chase looked at Skye, on the verge of tears as he did. What she was about to say to him was exactly what he needed to hear. "It's not what we went through that makes us better people. It's what we do with that."

Chase held his paw tightly as Skye put both of her paws on his as she continued to assure him that he was strong. "And what you've been doing, from going to Ryder for comfort, to helping Marshall, to helping everyone in Adventure Bay, and so much more... you're so much stronger than you think you are. You show every day that you're the canine leader this team needs." Chase and Skye looked each other in the eyes as Skye finished what she had to say. "You're a hero Chase. To Adventure Bay, to yourself, and to me. And that won't ever change."

Chase and Skye shared a passionate kiss under the moonlight, emphasizing their love for each other as they embraced. Just then, Chase felt himself about to turn and pushed Skye away right as he did. Skye noticed him starting to turn with Chase gesturing her to get into Foxcadia. "I'm sorry Skye! I want to stop this! I'm just not strong enough! I can't do it on my own! I can never do it on my own!"

"You never had to! I'll continue helping you as much as I can after we get you back!" Skye rushed into Foxcadia, letting the gate close behind her as Chase was then shown turning in the same way Zuma did. After Skye was shown crying silently as she went for the lab address Snow texted to her. And in that moment, he turned into a demon. He didn't go for Foxcadia however. Instead, he rushed off, knowing that he couldn't take them down on his own. Or perhaps, it was like Zuma's case, where he still retained his sense of who he was before?

Meanwhile, back at Rex's place, Rocky was heading down the hallway as Charm was leaving the bathroom. Rocky noticed him and tried to get his attention, hoping to talk about his real reason for helping him and the others. "You have personal motives. Don't you."

Charm flinched upon that question, and then figured there was no point in denying it. He grabbed Rocky by the paw and pulled him into a private room to avoid anyone else hearing. "Observant as always. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Rocky wasn't exactly sure how he was going to word this. After all, this was a topic that he wasn't even sure he had the right knowledge about. He just hoped he had the right assumption. "I noticed you showing this emotional spark the last time we met." Charm flinched, unsure why Rocky was so interested in this spark. It's not like he gave him a reason to care about him. "Richie noticed too. And I think it's linked to your real reason for helping us."

Charm did know what the spark was about, but it wasn't like he could tell Rocky about it. He knew it'd sound like making excuses to some of the Paw Patrol. "And what might that reason be do you think?"

"I guess, maybe... about why you're like this." Rocky guessed, leaving Charm confused as to why Rocky would care about something like that. "I heard dad tell Trickery something about the 'effects' of something involving you being reversed seven years ago. Even after you killed mom... I couldn't stop thinking that-"

"So what if he did?" Charm interrupted, and even though he practically confirmed Rocky's beliefs, he couldn't bring himself to discuss it in depth. He just wasn't used to having deep conversations like this which showed his more scared and vulnerable side. Even telling Rocky that he wanted to stop being evil and not enable the demon blood, he didn't know how to explain. It was too soon for him. "I don't have any reason to inform you of anything. Especially since you know he infected my army. What more information could you need?"

Charm walked past Rocky with his arms crossed as the latter spoke up. "I know you have demon blood in you Charm." Charm stopped when Rocky said that. For some reason, his words felt genuine to him. "Because I have it in me too."

Charm knew Rocky wasn't going to leave until he gave him a proper answer. He turned around with his arms crossed, sharing the one detail he knew he could confirm. "He did have something to do with why I'm like this; and I'm not interested in discussing it in depth." Charm noticed Rocky's disappointed look and sighed before backing up what he said. He also did his best to hide his fear regarding his lost humanity. "You got your answer. You don't need the details."

Rocky could tell by observing Charm that he wasn't used to talking about what he was feeling right now. Perhaps he should wait until he was comfortable with that. He walked up to Charm, looking into his eyes while letting him know he wouldn't force him. "I get it. This must have been a big revelation for you too. If you can't talk about it now, then that's fine." Charm felt the spark again as Rocky turned to leave the room. "Just know that if you ever wanna tell me what happened, I'm here."

The fact that Rocky wasn't forcing him to talk made it even stronger. This once again sparked the question in Charm's mind over whether or not he even deserved to be his own canine. The fact that Rocky wanted to talk certainly pointed in that direction. However, Charm didn't know how to talk about being molded into his current self. Realizing he was being used since birth gave him so many spiraling thoughts he was still struggling to process. And he couldn't just expect Rocky to believe him if he told him that Slash made him believe he had to kill to live.

Flare and the others were all waiting in the lab living room with Skye coming in while wiping her eyes. Since Snow was her closest friend in the room, she was the first to run up and hug her, with Flare being the second. Charm ignored the spark again, not wanting to get distracted from stopping Slash. After a few more seconds, Charm spoke up, doing his best to sound... nice, by his standards. "Skye, I know you just lost your boyfriend, but we need to make our plan."

"Right. Just, can't believe he's a demon now." Skye then started to get angry, walking up to Charm and glaring at him. "Not that you would know what it's like to feel bad for someone else anyway. You're probably happy he turned with how much you've tried to kill us!"

Flare was about to convince Skye to calm down, only for Charm to grab her by the chest and pick her up, leaving everyone else in the room stunned. Charm made it clear he wasn't about to let Skye lash out at her for something that wasn't his fault. "I don't care if it's our history, or your grief! You're not taking your emotions out on me with the expectation of silence!"

"HEY!" Marshall shouted from nearby, being the first to speak up as he demanded that Charm refrain from hurting Skye. "Put her down Charm!"

Remembering the mission, Charm threw Skye to the ground, but not in a way that harmed her. Flare and Snow helped her up as Charm then got to business. "Look, I know I came to you guys, but I can't trust humans, dogs, or anyone who's too emotional to pay attention!"

"That's no excuse to hold us up from our chests like that Charm." Ryder informed Charm, walking up to him while stating point blank what he wanted from him. "If this alliance is going to stand, then we need you to refrain from hurting any of us, outside of training."

Charm was already planning on keeping the Paw Patrol in tip top condition for the big battle, so that wasn't an inconvenience for him. "Fine with me. I need them at peak physical condition anyway. That throw was the worst Skye would've gotten."

Ryder didn't believe Charm entirely, but he knew they all needed his help. So he gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him start explaining the plan after picking up Slash's journal. "You thought up the plan. You tell them about it."

Charm gladly did so, taking the journal and turning to the page that showed what the demons were weak to. "The demons have quite a few weaknesses that we can use against them to weaken Slash's army. Devil's Trap, Anti-Possession Sigil, Hallowed Ground, basically anything you see in your average horror movie." The Paw Patrol were all paying close attention with Charm then taking out one of Trickery's cards. This alarmed them at first, but Charm then threw it to the side, and it landed on the ground.

The card Charm threw at the ground revealed a bunch of iron, blue fire and Holy Water. That last one caught everyone's attention. Not so much the blue fire and iron, since they knew those could hurt just about anything. Everest asked about the holy water so they could all be caught up. "How is water gonna hurt the demons?"

"Demons embody the exact opposite of purity Everest." Charm explained, holding up a container of holy water as he explained what he would be using it for. "It's one of the three things I've been using to make anti-demon weapons, like the ones you see on my weapons belt. I didn't use any because I was lucky enough to avoid any contact with a turned demon." Charm set the container of Holy Water down and informed the Paw Patrol on what he'd be doing with it all. "With enough time, I can craft enough weapons for all of us to hold our own against Slash's demon army."

The Paw Patrol were NOT on board with Charm doing the weapon making, and Snow was the first to make this abundantly clear. "Hold on a second! We're not gonna risk killing our friends!"

"You won't have to Snow, if you'll let me explain." Charm turned to the next page that would help his plan be more clear. "Creatures that are turned into demons have their names marked on their chest. If we're observant enough, we can determine which demons are your friends, and which aren't."

Flare was still worried about the turned wolves however, just like everyone else, and felt the need to speak up about it. "But what about the wolves who got turned into demons? We won't be able to guess ALL of their names."

Charm hoped this wouldn't be difficult when he informed Flare of the sacrifice he'd have to make. "That's the part that goes against your favor. You'll have to kill at least some of them if you want to be alive to save your friends." Flare didn't know how to argue with that logic. Charm continued to explain his plan. "Obviously I won't be making ALL of the weapons to kill the demons." Charm picked up a holy water grenade and explained what it would do. "We'll use the holy water to blind the demons we don't want to kill."

Claw was quick to question Charm being trusted as he walked over to him with a stern question in mind. "And what about the iron? Obviously you'll use that to make weapons. How do we know you won't make all of them strong enough to kill a demon?"

"This journal has every detail I need to ensure that I don't make an error like that Claw!" Charm informed Claw, being confident that he'd be able to make some of the weapons only stun the demons. "If I make some of them into knives, we can use them to stab the demons in the leg and immobilize them until they heal."

Some of the members still weren't fully convinced however, one of them being Marshall, who was quick to bring up another point. "What about the blue fire? Can you make that into something that can't kill?"

"So long as it doesn't hit the intended target." Charm brought up, revealing that blue fire was incapable of causing unintended deaths.

Snow then spoke up again, making a new deal with Charm that he hoped he would accept. "And that's a pretty loose description with you." Charm sighed in annoyance as Snow then stated her deal. "Here's the deal. We'll leave the weapon crafting to Rocky."

Despite his resentment towards Rocky, Charm acknowledged his talent while stating why he couldn't craft the weapons by himself. "I don't doubt Rocky's talent, but he doesn't have the demon knowledge to avoid an overdose; it has to be me!"

Snow, Claw, and to a certain extent, Marshall, were still struggling to be convinced. Just then however "Not to put my nose where it doesn't belong..." and Flare and the others looked at Rex as he continued. "But I think you're all missing the obvious solution." The others listened closely as Rex started stating his idea. "Rocky has tech knowledge, Charm has demon knowledge, and I know my lab better than everyone. So if Charm handles the weapon output, then Rocky and I can keep an eye on him so he doesn't go too far while using my equipment to craft it."

Flare showed his optimism as well, standing up and smiling as he instantly showed a liking to Rex's idea. "That kind of changes everything!"

"Monitor me from another room or look over my shoulder; I don't care which!" Charm then grabbed Snow's chest, alerting everyone again as he declared the deal official. "So it's settled then! The rest of you are going to use what I give you when the time comes!"

Snow showed no fear however, putting her paw on Charm's as she pointed out that this was a team decision. "Slow down! You're not the one calling the shots here Charm!" Snow then looked at Rex while also seeing Ryder's confident smile regarding how well the plan would work. "Now Rex. Are you absolutely certain that you can keep Charm in check?"

Rex nodded his head yes confidently, and Charm set Snow down with Everest speaking up as well, feeling she should have some say in this as well. "I think it's safe to say our alliance is final Charm."

Richie then walked up to Charm, giving him a stern warning in regards to the circumstances. "Just remember. If you try anything funny, the deal's off."

"Don't worry Richie. The concern is mutual." Charm informed Richie, and then he looked over at everyone else as he brought up another part of the plan. "In the meantime, we should work on improving our combat skills to make sure we can keep up with the demon army."

Ryder had an idea with that, pulling up a hard drive that he felt could work. "Rex and I talked about something regarding that." Richie recognized the hard drive, having been shown it by Ryder before.

Ryder was putting the hard drive into a compartment into a door to a room that was right next to Rex's lab. When he set in the code Rex gave him, he started explaining to everyone what the hard drive was for. "I had a feeling we'd need to improve our combat skills, but Wolfland didn't have anywhere I could use this hard drive." Ryder then opened the door, revealing a room that looked exactly like the Paw Patrol training room. "And right here in Foxcadia's lab, I present to you, an exact replica of the training room!"

Flare and the others were impressed by the power of the hard drive. It was like a training room you could carry around in your pocket. Charm also had to admit; he liked what he saw. "Brilliant work Ryder."

"Thanks Charm." Ryder replied, and then he pulled out his Pup-Pad as he started adding in the same stuff in the previous training room. "We can practice all of out skills here, from combat training, to stealth, to speed, just like back home."

Rex was fascinated by what he saw and couldn't help but start gushing about it. "A training room directly form your pocket, it's perfect! It's like the convenience of a wallet except it's valuable enough to make you set for life!"

"I wouldn't go THAT far." Rocky admitted, and then he realized that he needed to set a time with Rex for when he felt most comfortable inventing. "Oh, right! What time should we get started on crafting the anti-demon weapons tomorrow?"

"I work in my lab multiple times a day, and one of them is as soon as I wake up!" Rex informed Rocky, who gave a thumbs up to Rex to show that he was okay with that. Rex then looked to everyone to tell them that it was okay to get some shut eye. "Okay then! Now that you're all here, and we have this training room, you can all go pick out the rooms you wanna sleep in. And tomorrow morning, we can all get to work!" Flare and everyone else was on board with that, knowing they all needed a good night's sleep to prepare for their temporary environment.

The next day...

Flare had cooked everyone breakfast, as usual, having gotten used to Rex's kitchen without much struggle, if any. Today's breakfast from him was bacon and scrambled eggs with a side of toast. He decided to keep it simple since they were in a new environment now. Everyone else had already been served, but he still had three more plates to serve. He picked them up and started walking off with them as Claw questioned the one on his head. "Flare, why are you taking three plates to the lab?"

"Come on Claw. You know Charm has to eat too." Flare pointed out, and Claw sighed, seeing his point as he got back to eating. Flare then reminded him of a benefit to feeding Charm good food. "Don't forget Claw. Tasty food is a good motivator for all. He might produce weapons faster." Flare walked off with Claw taking that into consideration as he continued to eat. It was true that Flare's cooking kept everyone's spirits up for the rest of the morning. And as awful as Charm was, he still had to eat just like the rest of them.

In Rex's lab, Charm was putting the exact amount of blue fire he needed into a pistol Rocky and Rex crafted with the durability to contain it. As he was doing this, Flare entered the lab and announced that he had breakfast for everyone. "Breakfast!" Rocky and Rex happily thanked Flare as he handed them their food. Charm was surprised when Flare set a plate down next to him. "Here ya go Charm. Try not to eat it all too fast."

Charm didn't understand why Flare was making food for him. It wasn't the first thing he expected from him. "Did you cook this?" Flare nodded his head yes with a smile, and Charm had to know why he was doing this. After he found out Trickery was using him, it was hard to imagine anyone would treat him with genuine kindness. "Why?"

"Well... you need to eat too, right?" Flare pointed out, and then he brought up another reason to why he made food for Charm. "And we're not gonna be as efficient at preparing for Slash's next attack if we have trust issues flying all around. I just hope it's not weird that I'm making an effort." This time, Charm felt an even bigger spark than before. It was a small amount, but he could swear he felt... grateful. Flare then headed off, knowing he had to eat before his food got cold. "Anyway, I'm gonna go eat too. Enjoy your food guys! As always, I made it extra special!"

Rocky and Rex got to eating as well, and when Charm started eating the food, he was amazed. The tastiness of Flare's food simply oozed in his mouth, and he showed a sense of joy that no one had never seen from him before. Rocky was glad to see this, seeing that Flare's cooking could make anyone happy. "That's Flare's cooking for ya Charm."

"Shut up and let me eat." Charm stated coldly, making Rocky flinch and chuckle. It was a work in progress. And Charm was still focused on his goal of killing Slash. Little did Charm know however, that as he took another bite of his eggs, both of his goals would be moving forward at their own pace. That didn't mean the road would be easy though.

To be continued.

Rock music played as Snow started speaking in regards to what was going to happen with specific moments from the next chapter being shown. "It's kind of hard to believe I'm spending my tenth birthday in Foxcadia. Knowing my friends, they'll still wanna do something for me. A day out in Foxcadia, huh? I guess it wouldn't hurt to get to know the residents in the village better. And knowing Flare, he'd try as hard as possible to make my party work. Lead the way Skye!"

Snow finished the announcement with the words Paw Patrol in all blue with red outlines surrounded with a white border with Flare on the right, and Marshall on the left. "Next time, Innocence: The Value of someone's Birthday! (Charm was shown expressing confusion to Flare and Marshall about why Snow was getting a birthday party) Maybe today's the day Flare and I... at least I hope so."