Disclaimer: You guys know how it goes by this point. This chapter is gonna be the one that leads into the season finale. Let us see what the final battle starts off with right now!

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Demon Defense arc Episode seventeen: The Blood of a Demon

At Rex's lab, Charm's journal was shown sitting next to his knife, with him absent from the room, unable to witness it glowing. It started to float, and it made it's way out of Charm's room and down the hallway. Luckily, no one else was awake at the time, so the journal didn't have anything to worry about. It made it's way to Flare and Marshall's room, opening the door as quietly as it could. After closing the door, it flew over to Flare, who was preparing for a demon patrol with Marshall. She was surprised when he saw the floating journal in his room. "Huh?"

Flare grabbed the journal, which then flipped open to the first page after releasing itself from the Dalmatian's grasp. The contents shocked Flare as he read it. She knew she couldn't act on this new knowledge alone, and since Marshall was in the room with him, he ran up to him and got his attention. "Marshall! You gotta see this!"

"What is it Flare?" Marshall asked, and then he couldn't believe his eyes once he saw the book. He pointed to it as he quickly asked if he was seeing things right. "Is that a floating book!?"

The journal flew over to Flare and Marshall just as Flare took hold of it and answered the question. "Yeah, and I think it's Charm's. Listen to this." Flare showed Marshall the insides of the book, reading it aloud for him so he'd know what he was looking at. "For the longest time... I thought embracing my sadism was because of my condition. I'm disappointed in myself for not realizing my father's lie sooner." This intrigued Flare and Marshall, and they kept reading to see what Charm meant. "And to think Trickery was in on it. Even when he was all I had. I can't believe how blind I was."

"What does he mean by 'condition?" Marshall asked, catching onto the fact that there was a lot of context he and Flare didn't know about. "Was Charm sick this whole time?"

"He looks pretty healthy to me." Flare pointed out, and then she kept reading to see what this condition was. "I was stupid to have ever believed him. That taking lives would top this 'condition' he claimed I had from taking mine. No. Everything I've done was because he was using me as a puppet for his desire to bring demons to the real world, and rule over them himself in his worldwide utopia. I actually let my own father toy with me for seven years. It should've been so obvious."

Flare and Marshall couldn't believe what they were reading; especially as Flare read the last paragraph on the first page. "The fact that this side of me isn't my own, and instead comes from pure demon blood, doesn't absolve me of my crimes. And I know it will be grueling to find what I want now. Even after I learn what that is beyond freedom from my demon blood. But I know one thing for absolute certain." The last words made it clear as day to Flare and Marshall what the Golden Retriever was trying to accomplish now. "I will. Find my lost. Humanity."

The contents of the book were a lot to take in for Flare and Marshall. Flare already knew Charm was trying to learn how to be kind, but this added so much more to that. The two brothers quickly put two and two together as Flare spoke up again. "Marshall, I..." She looked to Marshall, looking shocked as she finished what she had to say. "I think Slash injected Charm with pure demon blood." Marshall nodded his head yes in agreement, being just as stunned as he did by the situation.

Speaking of Charm, he was at the Foxcadia hospital with Rocky, where he was getting a check up from Alex; Tod's older brother. Alex expressed his concern as he was looking at an X-Ray that showed Charm's insides. His blood was a mixture of red and black, no doubt the result of the injection Slash gave him. "It's a miracle you're still a dog Charm." Alex then looked at Charm as he showed him and Rocky the X-Ray. "You've really never been to a doctor before?"

Rocky and Charm showed concern as well with Charm confirming that what he said before was true. "Never. I had medics for my army, but I never got sick, so I didn't never had to see them." Charm handed the X-Ray to Rocky as he started to tense up over being kept from important things like this. "Just another thing to despise Slash and Trickery for."

Rocky put a paw on Charm's leg to comfort him as Alex made a recommendation to Charm now. "There's still time to make it a reuccurring thing Charm."

"I do want to believe that." Charm admitted, showing his inner fear as he expressed his desire to gain full control over his demon blood. "I still lhave the urge to kill, and the demon blood is making it so much harder for me to stop." Charm cringed at that fact as he then looked at the X-Ray again. "Ya know, I should've known Slash was lying when he said I had to kill in order to live. There's no one out there who's avoided getting sick by taking the lives of others."

Rocky then got an idea on how the demon blood could be countered and looked to Alex to see if he could help. "Alex! Blood is used in medical situations all the time, right? Maybe you could find a way to help with Charm's demon blood!"

Charm beamed when he heard that and looked to Alex, who wanted to help, but wasn't quite sure if he could. "That is a possibility Rocky, but we sadly didn't have a demon specialist like Dr. Cramden. And even he doesn't know how to deal with something like this." Rocky and Charm showed concern again with Alex saying something that he felt could bring them hope. "I'd need a fresh blood sample from a real demon, meaning none of the blood can be red."

Just then, a blue fox a few years younger than Alex, Tod's younger brother Danny, kicked the door open, startling the three just before he pointed to the clock. "Alex! You were supposed to be home an hour ago! Do I have to fire you for keeping your family waiting again!?"

"Don't worry Danny, I'm just wrapping up." Alex assured his younger brother, chuckling a bit as he set up Charm's X-Ray on the wall for prosperity. "Sorry guys. We'll have to continue this tomorrow." Alex then cracked a lighthearted joke at the expense of his brother acting like he has the authority to fire him again. "Some things never change." Despite the light hearted nature of the joke, Charm started to fear that could apply to him as well. He looked to Rocky, who held his paw for comfort, while wondering how he ever feared becoming like Slash himself.

When the night was young, Rocky and Charm arrived back right before Flare and Marshall were to set out on the demon patrol. Charm had some choice words about what he and Rocky just did. "Ya know, for the best doctor in Foxcadia, Alex didn't have much to say about my demon blood."

Flare and Marshall entered the room right before kissing Snow and Everest for good luck on the mission as Rocky spoke up. "In his defense Charm, he did say he'd need a pure demon blood sample so he'd know what he's working with." Flare beamed when she heard that and looked to Marshall with a smile. He instantly caught on, but tried to keep his cool as Rocky and Charm walked over to them. "Hey Marshall. Hey Flare. You two getting ready for patrol?"

"Yep! And we might get a little something extra this time!" Flare winked to Charm after she said that, which confused him a bit. "Don't think too hard about that."

"If you insist." Charm replied, and then he looked to Marshall, noticing that he was sweating a bit. He ignored that and looked to Flare to try showing him kindness and empathy. "Flare." Flare listened closely, and then Charm tried to talk about her scar. "I started thinking about how you must have felt when I have you that scar. Even if your reckless decision is what led to it." Still better than his attempt with Rubble.

Flare snickered a bit in response to that with Marshall raising an eyebrow. Rocky spoke up to show them that he was helping Charm work on apologizing to someone other than him. "It's a work in progress." After that, he the two to be careful out there while on the demon hunt. "Remember. If you see a demon, use a holy water grenade, and get out of there as fast as you can. Charm and I will be staying here to continue crafting anti-demon weapons, and Ryder and Richie are also out there on patrol, just in case you need someone who's immune."

"Hehe. Sounds like something we'd need no matter what." Marshall pointed out humorously, and then he looked to Flare as he spoke to her with an attempt at confidence. "We'll do great though. Right Flare?"

"You bet we will!" Flare and Marshall hi fived Rocky and Flare gave a thumbs up to Charm before heading out. Rocky patted Charm's back with the two walking on ahead as Flare and Marshall left the lab. The made their way to the town entrance with Flare giving a determined smile. 'Don't worry Charm. The demon blood's control will stop soon.'

Flare and Marshall were patrolling the outskirts of Foxcadia as Marshall asked Flare if she was sure about her plan. "Now are you absolutely certain about this Flare? We could risk getting infected if we try to get that sample."

"You heard what Rocky said Marshall. Tod's brother needs a pure demon blood sample to help Charm." Flare reminded Marshall, taking out the syringe and giving an optimistic smile regarding her plan. "And we have Ryder and Richie to help us get the sample after we call them."

"And we shouldn't be calling them because of our stupid decisions." Marshall reminded Flare, wanting her to think rationally about this. "We've already had four pups we know infected and turned into demons. The last thing we need is a fifth one."

Flare started to think about Marshall's words and saw that he had a point. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He then started thinking about Charm again once she heard the sound of a demon nearby. "But we won't know until we try!" Marshall was about to speak up, but Flare put her paw up and instructed Marshall on what to do. "It's easy. We call Ryder and Richie, find a demon, and Richie can get a sample of the demon blood. We don't have to go near him!"

Marshall sighed, knowing that Flare couldn't be talked out of this. At least she had a backup plan. "Fine. If you really think we'll help Charm by doing this, then I'm with you." Flare smiled gratefully, and Marshall then gave him a condition on the plan. "Just don't make any decisions more reckless than the one we're already making."

Flare gave a salute and shook Marshall's paw, leading to the two of them having made their deal on getting the demon blood sample. She then thought of something else that could help them out. Flare then gave a call to Richie, knowing he would be up for helping them out. "Hey Richie; ya there!? We could use a favor!"

Back at the base, Rocky and Charm were in Snow and Everest's room as the two huskies seemed wary of Charm's presence. Snow especially was uneasy with Charm being in the room, so Everest doing the talking for her. "So what you're saying is... you're apologizing."

Rocky put a paw on Charm's shoulder as he reminded him of what he was teaching him. "Remember Charm. Don't state any potentially hurtful facts."

Charm nodded in response before starting to tell Snow and Everest exactly that. This also showed Snow and Everest that he was trying. "That's right. Rex getting infected helped me discover remorse yesterday. I think it's best I don't explain that in detail for now. Everyone should be here for that."

Snow and Everest felt that was fair, and Everest then opened up about the Calm-Ten incident in an attempt to be fair. "I started thinking about when you ambushed us in Calm-Ten after the alliance started. Despite what I endured because of that, I realized letting you take me wasn't the only way I could've saved Snow."

Charm was surprised by Everest being so humble about this. He knew it wasn't her fault for thinking otherwise though. "I didn't make it look like you had options." He then continued with his apology, which Rocky helped him practice for so he could get it right. "I doubt either of you trust me a smidge. I expected that going into this alliance."

"You were right to." Snow confirmed, and then she asked Charm a question to see if he was serious, since Rocky was here to confirm it. "So answer me this. What are you fighting for now?"

"Well... at first, it was just to kill Slash for personal reasons." Charm admitted, knowing that Snow needed an honest answer. "But overtime, I've grown to care about this team, particularly Flare and Rocky. and now understand your ways, and the beauty of what you have. So, if you can believe it... I'm now doing it to help save your friends as well."

Snow looked to Rocky, who nodded his head yes, which helped Snow greatly. "Well if Claw showed me anything, it's that changing sides is possible. Just know that you have a lot more to make up for than he did."

Charm understood that completely, and Everest gave her own two cents on this, since she was slightly less cold than Snow. "I'm with Snow. I won't stop you Charm, but it's gonna take a lot of work."

"I'd be disappointed if it didn't." Charm informed the two with a smile and a wink, glad that he at least had a chance to make things right.

Rocky also made a move of thanking Snow and Everest for at least giving Charm the chance to prove himself. "Thanks girls. I know this must've been hard for you."

"You have no idea. The only reason I haven't kicked him out yet is because you're in here with him." Snow reminded Rocky, and then she made her true feelings for Charm clear as crystal. "As far as I'm concerned, neither of us trust him." Charm really did have his work cut out for him when it came to Snow. He felt that would be the case, but it still made him see just how hard this would be.

Flare and Marshall were tracking down the demon they heard earlier with Ryder and Richie coming with them. Ryder and Richie were skeptical about this, which led to Ryder asking Flare if he was sure this would work out. "Are you sure bringing us along will help you get the demon blood sample safely?"

"For sure. Richie's immune, right? If HE gets the sample, then no one gets infected." Flare pointed out, handing Richie the syringe she pulled out of her backpack so he could get the sample. "And once we have a pure demon blood sample, Charm can make a path separate from his own!"

Flare and the others arrived to where the demon Flare and Marshall heard earlier was searching for targets to infect. Richie looked at Flare and Marshall, hoping the two of them were confident about this. "Now before I go in, I need to know you two are absolutely certain you heard Rocky correctly."

Flare and Marshall nodded their heads yes, despite Marshall still being worried about how the situation would turn out. He put a paw on Richie's shoulder to remind him of one more thing he'd have to do. "Just be careful. Even though you're immune, he can still kick your butt."

"Thanks Marshall." Richie responded, and then he snuck on over to the demon the best he could. He went into some kind of demon camouflage that made him invisible. This had to be the technique he was practicing yesterday. He made sure to avoid any sticks as carefully as he could. Since the demon was in scanner mode, it was easy for him to sneak up if he didn't make a sound. The demon failed to spot him, and he prepared the syringe before striking. Once he did however, his camouflage wore off, and he kicked the demon away once he got the sample.

Richie noticed that his camouflage wore off, and he ran back over to the others, knowing that they had to hurry. "I got the sample!" Flare, Marshall, and Ryder then noticed the demon teleport right next to Flare, who was horrified to find the demon getting ready to infect her. She did however, get a brief glimpse of the name on the demon: Paleclaw.

Since he was right next to Flare, Marshall acted on instinct and pushed Flare out of the way while calling out her name. "FLARE!" However, this led to him getting infected, which horrified Flare, Ryder, and Richie. Marshall got sent out of the bush he was hiding with Flare and Ryder in and tumbled a bit to a nearby cliff.

Once Flare got up, the demon teleported away, and he ran over to Marshall with fear in his eyes. "MARSHALL!" Just then, Flare recognized the cliff and started to feel even worse. She knew exactly what it meant when she saw this cliff. "That cliff. You don't mean..."

"Oh, we do Flare." Flare felt her heart sink with Ryder and Richie about to run close to her and Marshall, only to be stopped by some of the demon army appearing in front of them. Flare didn't know what to do. All she could do was help Marshall up, since the demon scratched his arm, with Slash appearing in front of both of them and making them flinch in horror. Slash's sadistic grin made it clear that he intended to do something horrible to them. "We mean it in all the best ways."

Rocky and Charm were in the crafting some more weapons for when the Paw Patrol went up against Slash. It felt kind of empty without Rex there, so Rocky decided to break the sadness with a conversation. "Ya know Charm, you're not the only one with something to apologize for."

Charm knew what Rocky was talking about thanks to what happened last month. He looked at him as he reminded him of what happened that day. "What happened to Zuma wasn't your fault Rocky. You couldn't have known Paleclaw was going to attack you."

"I know, but I still wish I could've told him then." Rocky admitted, making it clear that failing to apologize to Zuma was part of what he was going through right now. "That's why I'm gonna tell him as soon as we save him and Chase." His look of determination made it clear he believed his words would happen. "And I won't stop until we do."

Charm had grown to admire Rocky's hopefulness when it came to saving Zuma. It made him concerned again when it came to feeling like a normal dog again. "I wish I could feel the same way Rocky." Charm went back to crafting the latest knife as he finished his statement. "I didn't grow up with the optimism of the Paw Patrol." Rocky put a paw on Charm's shoulder, smiling when Charm looked at him. Charm shared a brief smile as well before getting back to work. It always helped him to know that he had at least one pup willing to help him with his goal.

Flare and the others were currently surrounded by Slash and his army of demons with Flare gazing at her brother's demon infection. Ryder and Richie couldn't do anything with one of the demons holding it's claw up to Ryder as a means of keeping them busy. Flare felt her anger rising, and she kept it contained enough to not lose control, but still shout at Slash. "I'm not messing around Slash! You'd better show us the demon that infected Marshall!"

Slash chuckled devilishly, finding it baffling that Flare would think he'd ever honor a request like that. "And why would I do that?"

Flare clenched her fists as she made Slash realize she was serious. She glared at him with tears of fear for Marshall shown in her furious eyes. "Because I'm not asking."

Slash found Flare's courage commendable, but still made it clear he wasn't going to listen to her. "Then allow me to offer you something of equal value." Slash looked to Richie and walked through his demon army while talking about Charm. "I know you've been working with my son for some time now. He must have told you a lot about demons during that time."

Richie braced himself since he knew Slash was coming to him. "Just what he felt was necessary to help us win."

"Admirable." Slash stated in regards to Charm not giving all of the information at once. He then swiped the demon blood sample, alerting the others as he followed that up. "So he must have kept out the part where pure demon blood can fill someone in with a love for killing."

Ryder and Richie were shocked by this information with Ryder speaking up as he grabbed the demon's claw. "So that's what Flare meant by Charm forging his own path!"

"And Ryder just aced the exam; well done Maxor!" Slash stated proudly, and then he walked over to Flare and Marshall, having special plans for Flare in particular. "So what were you planning to do with this?"

Flare refused to answer that question for someone like Slash. He didn't deserve to know her plans for helping Charm. "Why should I tell you? It's not like you'd even be able to use them against us. And I think you'd know since you just admitted to spying on us!"

Slash continued to walk towards Flare, leaving Marshall even more scared as he showed them the syringe. "You're right. But I still want to hear you say it."

"We were gonna take it to Foxcadia so Tod's brother could use it to help Charm!" Marshall blurted out, leaving Flare confused as she looked at her brother. "I'm sorry Flare! I don't want him doing whatever he plans to do with that syringe! Especially not if it hurts you!"

Slash let out a light hearted chuckle, or at least one that was light hearted for him. He then held the syringe close to Flare's neck, informing Marshall that his efforts were a waste of time. "Oh Marshall. I don't go back on my plans." Marshall became horrified beyond belief, as did Flare, Ryder, and Richie. Marshall had to act quickly, since he was the only one who could. Richie couldn't do anything because he was next to Ryder. Flare was about to be injected with pure demon blood. So right as Slash told him what he had to say, he reached for a holy water grenade.

Marshall instantly triggered the grenade and shielded his eyes. Since Flare noticed as well, she did the same. The grenade created a flashing light that blinded the demons, as well as Slash, which gave Flare enough time to grab the demon blood dosage. That is... before Slash threw it at the ground, knowing that Flare would try to escape with it. Flare was distraught at the sight of this and knelt down to the syringe as she cried out. "No no no no no no no!"

Marshall grabbed Flare's paw, snapping her out of it as the two of them ran. Flare couldn't believe it. Not only did she lose the demon blood sample, but she got Marshall infected in the process. How could she have been so reckless? After all the growing she'd done in the past two years. Ryder and Richie were blinded to a lesser extent, which led to Slash making a command. "Kill them all! Now!" After hearing that, the four turned on their invisibility charms to avoid detection long enough to throw the demons off.

Back at the lab, Rocky and the rest of the pups who stayed behind were making sure everyone in Foxcadia was safe. Skye was flying above to get an eagle's eye view of any demons lurking nearby. And Claw was patrolling on ground level with Snow and Everest. Rocky was continuing to craft anti-demon weapons with Charm. They made great progress, so Charm decided to check on his stuff. "Hey Rocky, I'm gonna go check on my journal real quick. I wanna make sure it's still in my room after my weekly writing session last night."

"Sure. Take your time." Rocky informed Charm, who then went to his room to check on his journal. When he got there however, his journal wasn't in the room where he left it. This confused him, as he knew he didn't show the journal to anyone but Rocky.

Charm started looking around for the journal, starting by walking down the hallway and retracing his steps. "Strange. Where could I have left it? The first time I took it out of my room was yesterday when showing Rocky." Charm then noticed that Flare and Marshall forgot to close their bedroom door. The reason for this is because he saw a weird glow that caught his attention.

Charm looked into Flare and Marshall's room, and he noticed his glowing journal on Flare's bed. He went over and picked it up, wondering how it got there. Flare and Marshall were too innocent to think of stealing from him. The journal glowing gave him a different idea on the matter. "I have a magic journal?" Charm then realized what this meant after remembering what Rocky said when Flare and Marshall were in earshot and rushed off to inform him. "Rocky!" He hoped Flare and Marshall wouldn't get themselves hurt trying to help him out there.

Once Flare and the others were sure they were safe, Ryder put up a force field to protect them just in case. They could still see each other with their invisibility charms on, so Flare took the time to apologize to Marshall for getting him infected. "Marshall; I'm so sorry! I should never have come up with this stupid idea! It was way too risky, even with Ryder and Richie here to help!"

Marshall wasn't angry at Flare however, and knew she was only trying to help. 'Hey hey hey, don't beat yourself up Flare. I chose to push you out of the way. I got myself infected." Flare noticed Marshall's despondent look with the Dalmatian trying hard to hold back his tears. Ryder and Richie nodded to each other, giving the siblings their moment as Marshall brought something else up. "Still. I think we know what has to happen now." Flare saw this coming and let Marshall finish. "You guys get back to Foxcadia. I'll wait to turn by myself out here."

Flare felt the worst she'd ever felt in that moment. Even worse than she did back when the other pups yelled at her two years ago. She got her own brother infected, all because she wanted to help someone the Paw Patrol had been fighting for years. It wasn't helping Charm that she regretted; it was that her decision led to her own brother to the inevitability of turning into a demon. "I wish it didn't have to come to that. It's all my fault. I should've made a better call."

Marshall didn't want Flare thinking she hasn't grown since first arriving in Adventure Bay. He took her paws and looked into her eyes as he began assuring her that she has. "Making a bad call doesn't mean you haven't grown Flare." Flare looked at Marshall, who reminded him of how she made the plan even better for both of them. "And it was your idea to bring Ryder and Richie with us. That surprise attack was the only thing that could've thrown us off then."

"It was still my call that got you infected!" Flare then lamented about the blood sample, not even having anything to bring back to make the efforts worth anything. "And it didn't even amount to anything other than Slash breaking the sample! You saved me for a cause that didn't even pay off!"

Marshall hugged Flare, showing that his anger towards her was nonexistent for this situation. "If I had to make a choice in that moment a second time... I would save you, all over again." Flare held back her tears as Marshall then reminded Flare of everything she's done for him. "Ever since you were born, you've been motivating me to do better, and keep moving, even in the worst of times. As long as it meant protecting you, and everyone else I love, it was all worth it to me. Even when I was at my worst... you would help me remember the use in trying."

Flare was as touched as could be thanks to Marshall's words, but she still felt horrible about getting him infected. Marshall continued, knowing that Flare had done so much for not just him, but every one of their friends. "And just like everyone else, whether it be friends or family, you've brought me so much joy that I don't even know what to do with all of it. Whenever we play, or hug, or do anything together, all I feel is happiness by your presence." Marshall started crying silently while smiling over being able to hug Flare. "And that includes right now."

Marshall pulled Flare away, and Flare was holding back her tears the best she could to let Marshall finish. "It's okay to cry. It's okay to rage. I know you'll use those emotions responsibly. Actually, I know exactly what you'll use them for."

Flare took Marshall's paws and promised him something she knew she'd be able to keep for him. "I'm going to get you back Marshall! I'm gonna save you, just like I will with Chase, Zuma, Rex, and Paleclaw! Nothing will keep any of us apart!"

Marshall laughed a bit at that statement, telling her more of what he had to say. "Tell the others that I'm sorry. Not for helping you, and not for getting the blood sample... but for not knowing for sure if I can bounce back this time. Take care of yourself Flare. And tell Everest that I love her. And tell Snow that I'm glad she's making you happy. Because you're the best sister I could ever ask for." Ryder and Richie didn't question the sister part. Instead, they set the force field down as Flare and Marshall looked into each other's eyes as Marshall said goodbye to his sister.

"Thank you. Thank you for being in my life."

Flare started to tear up before letting go of Marshall, who handed him his pup tag to remember him by just in case the worst case scenario went down. He stepped back slowly before heading off with Ryder and Richie. He didn't look back, and the human and half demon both tried to comfort him the best they could. Marshall continued crying as Flare, Ryder, and Richie walked off. He knew that Flare would try to save him. Despite not knowing for sure if he would be saved from his upcoming demon state, he was happy that he could protect Flare one last time.

Now all he could do, was wait. He still had some time before the demon infection. He knew he would go to Slash after turning, and he wanted to spend his last moments of being a dog before he did so. He looked around at the nature around him as he sat down. The plants surrounding him, the animals in the area, the trees making the forest feel more homely to live, it was all so beautiful. He always valued nature. That was one of many things he didn't regret in that moment.

The only thing he did regret... was that he couldn't protect Flare in the battle against Slash.

Back at the lab, Charm and Rocky were telling the others what could've happened to Flare and Marshall with Claw speaking up in response to it. "Let me get this straight. You expect us to believe you were injected with demon blood as a baby by Slash, and that Flare and Marshall set out to find a pure demon blood sample to help you control it?"

"I don't expect you to believe me Claw." Charm informed Claw as he stepped forward, knowing that the others wouldn't trust him without the word of someone else. "I expect you to believe Rocky."

Skye felt it would be worth pointing out a flaw with Charm's wording there. "Wouldn't that count towards believing you?"

Rubble then spoke up for Charm, feeling that they shouldn't take these kinds of words lightly. "I don't think so Skye. Rocky believing Charm could mean the proof is real."

"Thank you Rubble." Rocky chimed in, leaving Rubble to smile as Rocky then looked to the others. "Please, listen to him. And to me."

"And let this Golden Exploiter lie to us?" Claw spoke up, walking over to Charm as he made it clear that he wouldn't believe his words. "I spent almost three months with you manipulating me and putting my family in harm's way; having my previous life ruined and left with deep, dark thoughts about whether or not I deserved a happy life!" Charm felt horrible for that now, but he couldn't show it with Claw shouting at him. "And now you expect me to believe all of that is because of something bad Slash did to you as a baby!? HOW DISGUSTING CAN YOU GET!?"

"He's not saying that Claw!" Rocky snapped back as he stepped in front of Charm. They both knew Claw's trust would be the hardest to win back, but Rocky wasn't having these kinds of arguments now. Claw saw Rocky's point however and took a step back. He also felt Rocky's word would be a lot easier to believe than Charm's, making it harder to object to what he said. "Slash and Charm both wrote about this in their journals! We can show you Slash's exact writing if-"

Just then, the door opened, and everyone looked to see Flare, Ryder, and Richie entering the lab with Flare in particular looking incredibly despondent. All of the other pups were worried when they saw this; especially Snow, who ran up to Flare out of desperation to comfort her. "Flare!" Snow was quick to notice that Marshall wasn't with them, which gave her an idea on what happened to him. The others came over as well with Flare then showing them Marshall's pup-tag. All of them were shocked, and Snow had her paws over her mouth as she spoke again. "Did he..."

Everest found herself the most devastated out of everyone who just found out, starting to cry silently with Skye holding her paw as Ryder cleared things up. "We're sorry guys. Marshall's still alive, but now we have five pups turned by the demon infection. If we're not careful, Slash could get every last one of us who isn't immune."

Flare looked at Marshall's pup-tag again, and when she did, her somber mood escalated to the point where she started crying silently. The tears streamed down her face, and Snow instantly put her paws on her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Flare and Snow hugged with Marshall holding her brother's pup-tag tightly. All she could think about now was that Marshall was a demon under Slash's control. It horrified her to no end to think about the chance of losing her brother forever.

Everest knelt down to Flare and cried with her, being just as devastated over Marshall turning as she was. She placed a paw on her shoulder, and this led to everyone else offering their support in the best way they could. Flare appreciated the support, but she still had the last two months on her mind. First Paleclaw, then Zuma, then Chase, then Rex, and now... Marshall. That last one was all her fault. If she hadn't suggested getting the blood sample... No. This wasn't the time to sulk. It was time to take action to save her friends, and her brother.

She hoped her friends were ready too.

To be continued.

A Melancholic version of the season's intro played as Flare spoke up with the episode's title coming onto the black screen as she did. "Next time, Dead Once, Born Again Part One!"