Disclaimer: I'm just gonna let you all know right now; this won't be the last time I use Slash. So if you feel the finale with him here is underwhelming, that's why. I'll still try to make it a satisfying final battle against him, I just hope this suffices as a good sendoff for season three, and not the last time I use Slash period. We good? We good.

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Demon Defense arc Episode twenty: Dead Once, Born Again Part Three

Flare, Rocky, Charm, and Richie were currently fighting off the forty demons Slash sent after them to ware them down. Flare deflected one of the demon slashes with a powerful knife slash, causing it to stumble back before lunging at it. After pinning it to the ground, she stabbed it in the chest and finished it off. Charm took notice of this and had to admit; he was impressed. After shooting a demon from behind him, he jumped over one Rocky kicked towards him and shot it as well. He then took his knife out and slashed at one of the demons, finishing it off.

Rocky slid underneath a demon slash and shot it in the back of it's head just before Richie slashed two demons in half. Richie then jumped over a demon's slash with a back flip and dashed at it, successfully slashing it in half as a result. Flare dodged a demon's slash and threw her knife at it's leg. This stunned the demon upon impact and allowed Flare enough time to shoot it in the face. After running back over to her knife and picking it up, she ran at a demon coming for Rocky and stabbed it.

Rocky's expression made it clear he was furious with Slash, but he still gave Flare a thumbs up before stabbing another demon in the heart. He then threw this demon at another demon and stunned it long enough to let Charm stab it in the head. One by one, the demons kept being taken out, and Slash could tell the group wasn't letting up anytime soon. While they were a little more tired compared to before, he could tell they were still ready to fight. Even Flare with her demon infection seemed to be holding up rather well in terms of stamina.

After thirty nine demons were taken out, Flare quickly shot Dora and took her out, which led to Chase turning back, as well as ending Flare's infection. As Chase was turning back, Charm glared at his father, who was still ready for whatever he had to do in order to win. Rocky stopped Charm from walking too close, knowing that they had to be careful if they wanted to win. "Take it easy Charm. I wanna stab him just as badly as you do, but we can't risk getting ourselves killed by doing anything reckless."

"Aw, how sweet." Slash responded condescendingly, and then he looked to Chase, who was near the end of reverting back from his demon form. After noticing this, he looked back to Rocky and Charm, and Charm was shown regaining his surroundings the best he could. Having learned of Rocky's feelings for Zuma, he decided to jab at them a little. "If only Zuma was here to watch you die."

Rocky took his knife out, standing alongside Charm as he made it clear he wasn't gonna let that happen. "You'd better stay away from my boyfriend if you know what's good for you!"

"Yeah, about that. I can't let you date him." Slash informed Rocky, taking out his own knife as he made another offer to the mix. "I can find you a new boyfriend. Someone who supports the demon army's cause." Slash then took out a smoke bomb and cleared out the vision in the room. As he did this, Chase was shown to have gotten out of his cage, and started climbing up to the roof to escape the arena. Once the smoke cleared, Flare, Rocky, and Richie became shocked by what they saw.

Slash was then revealed to have pinned Charm to the ground while strapping his paws down with barbed wire. "I wouldn't recommend squirming if I were you."

Meanwhile, Rex was still in the room Richie trapped him in as he then heard someone kicking a vent grate and looked to the right. After one more kick, Marshall's hind legs were revealed to be kicking down the grate. It fell to the floor, and Marshall then escaped with Zuma commenting on Marshall's nervous gas. "Okay Mawshall dude. Next time we do that, I'M cwawling in the fwont."

"Sorry, I know." Marshall apologized guiltily, and then he and Zuma looked to Rex, hoping he was okay after reverting back. "Are you okay Rex? How are you feeling?"

"I do wish I could help." Rex answered, wishing his handicap didn't prevent him from combat out on the battlefield. He then got an idea for something he could do for after the mission was over. "Maybe I can craft something on my wheels to give me robot legs to control during combat!"

Marshall and Zuma looked at each other while smiling, glad Rex wasn't too scarred by having turned into a demon. The two then looked back at him as Zuma asked Rex a question he knew would be important to Rocky. "Wex... was Wocky wight about Chawm changing being a possibility?"

Marshall was a little surprised, but understood why the question was asked and allowed Rex to answer it. His smile already made the two see what his answer would be. "If you can believe it, yes!" Zuma's smile after that held nothing but pure joy for Rocky. After seven years, he finally got the closure he needed, and it was exactly what he wanted it to be. Rex then felt he'd have to explain what he heard from Rocky and Charm and spoke up again. "Actually, there's something you two should know."

"I think I know what you're talking about buddy." Marshall assured Rex, and then he looked to Zuma to let him sit down for this. "Zuma, I think you should take a seat for this. It's pretty big." Zuma sat down as instructed, and Marshall started telling him what he knew about Charm. "I think it's best to start by telling you that we learned this in Charm's journal. He wrote down his thoughts on everything he's learned these past two months, and it explained a lot about him."

Back where Flare and the others were, Flare took out her gun and aimed it at Slash to try and get him to release Charm. She fired at Slash, only for him to duck underneath the bullet and get it caught by the window. His confident grin didn't stop Flare from making it clear she meant business. "Let him go Slash! Fight us like a real leader!"

"The time for that will come soon Flare." Slash took his knife out, giving a menacing glare to Charm as he warned him of any consequences that would arise. In particular, he didn't want him making any sneaky moves to escape his current predicament. "I'd recommend avoiding any noxious outbursts during this time."

Charm wasn't about to let up however and tried to break his paws out of the barbed wire Slash put into the ground. "Then I'll settle for a violent outburst!"

Charm found himself unable to break out of the barbed wire, leading to Slash laughing as he then pointed out his pointless struggle. "I already told you, there's no point in squirming Charm! This barbed wire can't be stopped with mere struggle!" Slash then made it clear that he wasn't messing around as he looked at Flare, Rocky, and Richie. "Now if you want Charm to live, then I suggest you refrain from doing anything until the procedure is finished!" Flare, Rocky, and Richie knew Slash had them beat right now, since he could stab Charm's head freely at this point.

Slash then placed his knife right onto the right side of Charm's butt, digging it deep enough to leave a mark, but not dig into his skin. Charm refrained from screaming as Slash slowly, carefully, and painfully started carving an S. He made sure blood could come from it as well, as he wanted this to be a mark worth leaving. Charm meanwhile, was trying his best not to scream. He'd been attacked with blades before, but not like this. The pure torture of this moment was unreal for him.

Slash finished the S, leaving Charm in pain as the Golden Retriever managed to hold in his scream. Slash then prepared himself and started to write an R next to the S. This was just as painful as the previous job, and Charm screamed this time, but this was to ask what Slash was doing. "What are you doing back there anyway!?"

"Just leaving a little reminder of what you'll always be." Slash stated with a cold grin, making Charm flinch as he realized what Slash meant by that. The black blood dripping down Charm's butt led to Charm realizing what Slash was doing. And now that he knew, he wanted out of it as soon as he was freed from Slash's grasp.

Right at that moment, Chase got out of the roof and started looking down the ends of the hallway to make his way to Slash's office. He wasn't sure what he could do, but after he figured out which hallway led to Slash's office, he made a run for it. He couldn't let the others fight off against him alone. Just as he arrived at the office, Slash was just wrapping up the R. Now he was ready to move on... after watching Charm suffer a bit. He was watching Charm struggle to scream, and was also delighted as he saw the initials he put in his butt.

Just then, Chase kicked the door open and saw what Slash did to Charm by pinning him down and carving his name into his butt. Chase knew he couldn't let his history with Charm get in the way and aimed his gun at Slash. "I'm not messing around Slash! Let Charm go, now!"

"Fine; I was just finished with his new tattoo anyway." Slash teleported off and appeared right in front of Chase, who shot him in the middle of his chest right before Slash grabbed his wrist. "Oh, that was a nice one! Aim a little more to the right next time and you'll be spot on!"

Richie shot at Slash from behind, charging at him as Flare and Rocky rushed over to free Charm. Rocky was horrified for Charm and checked to see if he was stable. Having the initials of your most hated being carved into your butt couldn't be a pleasant experience. "Charm, talk to me! How do you feel!?"

"Like I just got something carved into my butt with a knife!" Charm stated annoyedly, and then he got to business as he started devising a plan. Thankfully, he was talking to the two members of the Paw Patrol who were the most willing to hear him out on his ideas. "Look you two. I know how we can stop Slash. But you're going to have to trust me."

Flare held her knife tightly while smirking as she pointed out a benefit to having trusted Charm thus far. "Honestly, if we hadn't, we'd probably be dead by now." Rocky smiled at the sight of that, and he started cutting the barbed wire alongside Flare with his own knife.

Slash threw Richie into the wall with him jumping off as Chase aimed a jump kick at Slash. He then shot at his shoulder, leading to Slash vanishing in an instant. He let go of Chase during this and then grabbed his hind leg as he was falling. Chase grabbed Slash's paw, only for Slash to slam him into the ground. Richie aimed a strong Slash at him after getting a good opening, only for Slash to grab his sword. he then back flip kicked his chin, leading to Chase rolling backward as Slash got ready to throw Richie back. Just then however, Charm shouted out.

"SLASH!"

Slash's attention was caught by Charm shouting for him, and turning to him led to Slash unhanding Richie's sword and letting him back up. "Make it quick Charm. The Paw Patrol aren't going to kill themselves, and neither are you."

Charm gave a thumbs up to Flare and Rocky behind his back as he began speaking. "I'd like to make a proposition about that." Flare and Rocky nodded to each other with Charm walking over to Slash as he continued. "Let's be honest here Slash. Your chances of this demon rebellion succeeding are much weaker without me. And the Paw Patrol would never trust me after everything I've done."

Slash continued listening, not sure if what Charm was saying here would actually go in his favor. "What are you getting at?"

"We're both outcasts in this world. There's no turning back for either of us after everything we've done." Charm continued, leaving Richie and Chase to watch in concern as they watched the event unfold. "And so..." Was Charm really about to team up with Slash again? "I believe it makes sense for us to work together again."

Slash laughed in response to that, finding Charm's attempt to be baffling. He couldn't seriously think he was falling for this. "Do you really think I'm buying that you trust me? You know I injected you with demon blood as a baby, so teaming up with me should be the LAST thing you want."

"You say that as if I have a choice." Charm stated; and while it was really in regards to trying to save the Paw Patrol, he did his best to make it look like it was because he had no other options. "Think about it Slash. Having a canine who embraces his demon blood will only improve the odds of others trusting you. You can use this to manipulate others into allowing the same to happen to them." Slash did like the sound of that, and what Charm said next sealed the deal. "And those soldiers would be able to fight for your cause without dying to the common blade!"

Slash chuckled a bit to himself before admitting to himself how much he loved the sound of that. He walked up to Charm and held his paw out as he accepted. "I suppose I could play along. I can always kill you later."

Charm happily shook Slash's paw, leaving the others in shock as Charm then smirked, confusing Slash. "Or I could kill you now." The glow from Charm's paw then indicated to Slash what was about to happen. Then Charm let go, and it was confirmed to be a trick. Charm planted a demon blood shocking card on Slash's paw! Slash started to get stunned by the electricity, and the others became amazed as Charm shook his paw a bit and complained about how that felt. "Finally! You have no idea how hard it was to hold that without activating it on myself."

Slash fell to his knee and placed his paw on the ground before glaring at Charm and calling him out on his deception. "You little rat! Why did I even extent my paw!?"

"Because your love for power clouded your rational thinking." Charm shot towards his father, and then he took the time to tell Slash how much he hated him as Flare and Rocky walked over to him. "That's your biggest problem Slash, and it's a problem I used to have as well. Your desire for power has overshadowed everything else in your eyes. You had a loving wife, two innocent children, and you threw it all away just to lead a demon army because you're obsessed with conquering the world. And that's not even getting into how pointless it would be to do so."

Slash glared at Charm, who continued to dig into the kind of being he was. "You're sadistic, you're greedy for power, you're deceitful, and not to mention condescending! And the demon blood you injected me with turned me into all of those things as well!"

And this led to him revealing that he realized why he believed Slash for so long. "And that's why I never questioned you until I learned the truth! You made me love killing so much that I always took your word on I 'must kill to live'! You ruined your own sons lives and got your wife killed for power! And I can't even think about why you would want all of that power anyway!"

"Oh, that's simple Charm." Slash responded with a sadistic grin, despite knowing the statement was rhetorical. His evil look showed a complete lack of remorse in his mind. It shocked the three canines, as it was made clear that Slash beat the remorse out of himself as well. "I can achieve anything if I try hard enough. And I refuse to let petty emotions stop me from holding the world in my paws. Unlike you, I don't desire what can't happen."

Charm scoffed as he readied his gun to end his father with. The look he gave Slash made it clear. If he hadn't already lost all respect for him, he would've lost it here. Before killing Slash, he had more to say to him. "Don't expect me to say anything to make myself look better, or use my demon blood as an excuse. My atrocities are mine, and mine alone, even though the demon blood injection is what gave me the false sadism that led to them. It's my job to atone. It's my job to become my own canine. And I think we both know how I plan to start."

Slash gave a confident smile to Charm, showing that he didn't fear death. Even though he couldn't move, he made it clear this wouldn't be the last the Paw Patrol see of him. "I will return Charm. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. And I'll always be there to remind you that you're a monster."

"Monster? No." Charm started before he aimed his gun at Slash, and then he finished with something he said before with different meaning. Before, it was to show that he loved his evil side and fully embraced it. And now, it was to show that he knew how far his actions went, and that he knew his journey to become a better canine wouldn't be easy. "I am a devil."

Charm then shot Slash then and there, killing him for the second time, and ending his reign of terror again. As he fell to the floor, Chase and Richie walked over to Flare, Rocky, and Charm. Flare and Rocky put their paws on Charm's shoulders, which made the Golden Retriever smile from their presence. Richie then spoke up to continue the mission. "I trapped Rex's demon in a room on the second floor. Marshall and Zuma should be there already." The others nodded in response and headed off to find the others so they could finally reunite everyone.

Marshall, Zuma, and Rex were still waiting in the room with the three of them becoming ecstatic when they saw who opened the door. It was Flare and the others, and the first thing Rocky did was run over to Zuma in immense joy. Zuma felt this joy as he called Rocky's name and ran over to him. "WOCKY!"

"ZUMA!" Rocky and Zuma hugged before sharing a deep, passionate kiss. The joy they felt was unlike any other, and the relief was just as strong. After a month of being separated and Zuma being a demon, the two of them were finally reunited. They couldn't be happier, or safer than they were now. After the kiss ended, Rocky pulled Zuma away as he said something he should've said last month. "I'm so sorry about how our canoe ride went! I wish I could go back in time and change it to where you never had to-"

Zuma stopped Rocky from speaking, confirming that he didn't blame him one bit for that moment. He then kissed him again, just as Flare and Marshall were shown hugging in immense joy. "I told you I'd get you back Marshall! Now we can finally go home!"

Marshall rubbed Flare's head while praising her for how well she did. "And I couldn't be happier that we're all doing it together!"

Flare then realized she had to do something and looked to Zuma with a remorseful look on her face. "Oh. Zuma?" Zuma looked at Flare, who walked up to him and confessed what she did. "This won't be easy to hear, but... I had to kill Paleclaw. They infected Marshall too, and we couldn't figure out who infected them." Zuma was heartbroken to find that his friend was now dead. And he didn't even get to say goodbye. "I'm sorry."

Zuma sniffled a bit before assuring Flare that she wasn't to blame for this. "No wowwies Flawe. You did what you had to." Rocky hugged Zuma for support, and Flare did the same. Zuma accepted the comfort from both so they could help him mourn.

Charm then reminded the others that they were on a bit of a tight schedule. "So I know I'm the last one who should be rushing us all right now, but it's getting close to nightfall. I think we should head back before the other start a search party."

"Alright. Good call." Richie responded, and he called Ryder as the group started walking off. "Ryder. We got our friends back and stopped Slash. We're heading back to Foxcadia now." Flare and the others then headed off with Charm looking at Zuma as they headed out. After observing the situation, he felt Flare and Rocky had this one covered. He could comfort Zuma on his own accord later on if he got the chance.

Flare and the others were leaving the base with Chase feeling a rumble in his gut, which led to him smirking as he spoke to Charm. "So Charm. Hypothetically, what would you say if I decided to use an unusual tactic to destroy your base?"

Charm snickered a bit, catching onto Chase's intentions due to hearing his gut rumble. He was on board with it too, hoping it would work as well as Chase felt it would. "I want to be as far away from reminders of my father as possible. And as hard as that may be now, you can start with my base however you'd like."

"Perfect." Chase responded, and then once everyone else left through the front door, Chase stopped right after stepping through it and warned the others of his plan. "Stand back everyone!" Chase pointed his butt out, and he looked back with a confident grin as he made it clear what he was about to do. "My butt has a callback to make!" And right on cue, Chase's butt started vibrating violently as the German Shepherd unleashed...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT

...a powerful and nasty one minute fart that reeked of rotten eggs and not only caused an earthquake that the others felt, but completely destroyed Charm's base after going through the hallway, entering every room, and destroying everything those rooms had to offer. After the ground stopped shaking, the others couldn't help laughing at the way Chase took the base down with Chase barking for his latest gadget once again. "Odor clearer!"

Good thing Chase was still wearing his pup suit, as the odor clearer did it's job and allowed Flare and the others to head on home. Chase then got to asking Rocky about Charm's chances at being a good canine. "Fill me in Rocky. Did you manage to find out what made Charm the way he is?"

"Yep. Sure did!" Rocky stated ecstatically, being more than happy that he and Charm could work towards being real brothers.

Flare then popped up next to Chase to fill him in on something else about Charm's situation. "And he told us he wants to change and separate himself from his demon blood the best he can! Do you think he can come back to Adventure Bay with us?"

"Well that's up to Ryder." Chase reminded Flare, knowing that he was the one who made calls there. He then looked to Charm and made it clear he had a lot of trust to earn with the look on his face. Despite this, he gave Charm the benefit of the down; both to give him a chance to prove himself, and because he knew how painful it was to be all alone. "So... you're on our side now."

Charm liked the sound of that, and felt that helping others like the Paw Patrol would be a good path for him. At least that way, he could prove he was trying to be a good canine. "Yes. I suppose I am." Chase nodded in response and respected Charm's decision, even though it was clear he didn't consider Charm a friend. He was still willing to let him try however, and perhaps, if he knew how, to help him with his goal.

Back in Foxcadia, everyone was waiting outside the front entrance for Flare and the others to return safely. The others were all overjoyed to find that their friends all made it out. They all ran over with joy in their eyes and greeted their friends as such. Flare and Snow embraced with a warming hug and a loving kiss to back it up. Marshall and Everest did the same, whereas Chase and Skye gave each other a passionate kiss to show how much they missed each other. Rocky also hugged Rubble and Tracker, and Claw hugged Zuma as Charm and Rex smiled to each other.

Ryder fist bumped Richie, seeing that the job went incredibly well, and as he did, Chase spoke to Skye about something he knew they had to talk about. "Skye. You know how you saw... that, when I was turning?"

"How could I forget?" Skye asked, and then she lovingly stroked Chase's cheek to reassure him that she was there to help.

Chase loved the feel of Skye's paw on his cheek and informed her that he was finally ready to seek professional help. "I think it's time I finally get a real therapist. That'll at least help me start working towards not putting so much pressure on myself." Skye embraced Chase warmly, leaving Chase to do the same as they were both ecstatic to be with each other again.

Everest also expressed how happy she was to see that Marshall made it out alive as they hugged. "I was devastated when Flare told us about you turning!" She then pulled him away while showing her concern for Marshall's safety all too well. "I don't ever want to lose you like that again, or any way for that matter."

Marshall took Everest's paw, feeling bad for having scared her so much. "I'm sorry I scared you so much." Marshall then chuckled a bit before the two nuzzled each other with the Dalmatian backing up what he had to say. "I don't plan on ever doing that again." Everest giggled a bit, loving the tender feeling Marshall's comfort gave her.

Flare and Snow started holding each others' paws with Snow being shocked to hear about what Flare was telling her. It was clear she was telling her about when she got infected during the mission. "And you kept fighting." Snow smiled lovingly to Flare, being amazed by what she did during the mission. "I don't know what else I expected."

"I would do everything I could to protect you all Snow." Flare reminded Snow, wanting her to remember how nothing would stop her from protecting her loved ones. The two continued holding paws as Flare noticed Charm smiling to Rocky, the latter of whom wrapped his arm around the former lovingly. Remembering what she had to do, Flare looked to Snow, who picked up on what she was thinking. "Snow. This might be sudden. Just know that he really wants to try."

Snow didn't trust Charm after everything he's done, but she knew she could trust Flare. After nodding to her, she let go of her paws so she could go to Ryder. As she did, Flare got Ryder's attention as she began her request. "Ryder?" Ryder looked to Flare, who hoped what she was requesting wouldn't be too much. "Would it be okay if Charm comes back to Adventure Bay with us?"

There were obviously some shocked faces amongst the crowd, particularly Claw, who objected to the idea while walking up to Flare. "You've got to be kidding me Flare! This is the same pup who tried to drain the life from Adventure Bay!"

"And he helped us save our friends and stop Slash." Flare reminded Claw, and then she backed up her claim with another solid point. "And he even let us destroy his base after the mission was over. I think that's enough to show that there's at least a chance for him to be a better canine."

Charm smiled in response to Flare's support, and Flare gave him a thumbs up after she noticed. Ryder then put a paw on Flare's shoulder, not wanting to dismiss Charm's desire to change, but also not wanting to upset anyone who was against it. "I'll think about it Flare." Flare understood that, and Ryder then spoke up about something else the Paw Patrol had to do. "For now, I think we know something else we can at least start before we leave." Flare and the others knew what Ryder was talking about. This was something they were ALL on board with.

Flare and the others were repairing Wolfland together with Flare and Snow helping repair the motel hut the team was staying in. She noticed Rocky working with Charm and Zuma, and couldn't help smiling at the sight of all of them working together. Snow saw her looking at the three canines and felt the need to ask about what Flare said before. "Do you really think Charm is capable of being a good canine?"

"After what happened a the base? Definitely. He even finished Slash off himself." Flare revealed, and then she sighed after placing down another board for the floor and hammering it in. "I don't know if he told you... but Slash injected him with demon blood when he was just born."

Charm did mention that the night before. It definitely intrigued Snow. "Did that play a part in why he's like this?"

"Yeah. It's what gave him the sadism we know him so well for." Flare answered, finding it impossible for him to deny Charm the chance to change after all she's seen lately. "He never had the chance to be a real kid. He was forced into loving the misery and death of others, and he didn't even realize it until he stole Slash's journal." Snow knew all too well what it was like to grow up too fast. Flare realized what she was saying and felt bad for possibly hurting Snow. "I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I know you had to grow up fast too.

"You didn't. I'm just surprised is all." Snow admitted, helping with the last board in the floor as she told Flare how she felt. "I mean, I still don't like him, obviously. And I can't trust him at this point in time." Flare understood that, and Snow then finished what she was saying after she hammered the last floorboard in. "But Claw showed me that it's possible for someone to change their ways if they want it. I hope it's the same way with Charm."

Flare smiled with Snow wiping her forehead as she brought something else up. "Just be careful when watching him, okay? If Slash really has been manipulating Charm's very being since birth, then it'll be easy for him to relapse. Or try to think he's the hero in that situation."

"I don't think we have to worry about that." Flare responded optimistically before taking Snow's paws and looked towards her lovingly as he offered to help her as well. "If he manages to earn your trust, I can schedule some one on one time for you so maybe you can become friends."

Snow laughed a bit regarding Flare's offer, but had to admit that it had it's perks. She wasn't ready yet, but didn't leave it out of the question. "I'll take you up on that. Come on. Let's go help the others." Flare and Snow then walked out of the motel hut and held paws without hesitation. Despite them only being a couple for less than a month, they were fully embracing their love whenever they could.

Flare and the others were on their way home a few days later with Flare and Marshall talking to Wave and Margareth in the Paw Patroller. Flare had something important to tell everyone, and she was glad that Wave and Margareth were coming to Adventure Bay to help with that. "Thanks a lot guys! You have no idea how important this is to me."

"Of course sweetie. If it's important to you, then it's important to us as well." Wave assured Flare, and she was then revealed to be on the ferry with Margareth. "We'll see you in Adventure Bay. We love you both!"

Flare, Marshall, and Margareth said goodbye as well, and after hanging up, Flare noticed Claw glaring at Charm, who was glaring back at him. Flare didn't want Claw to feel unsafe in his own home and got his attention by speaking up. "Is there anything you wanna talk about?"

Claw did have some things he wanted to say, but he knew it wouldn't help to say them in front of Charm. "Perhaps later."

Flare felt that was fair, since she saw this working more as a private discussion. "Let me know when you're ready." Claw nodded, showing Flare that he trusted her with what was on his mind.

Rocky and Zuma were also talking with Zuma assuring Rocky that he was ready to forgive Charm while cuddling his arm. "You don't have to wowwy Wocky. As long as you twust Chawm, I do too."

"I know. I just wanna be extra sure I'm not forcing it on you." Rocky assured Zuma, nuzzling him as Flare then thought for a moment about what he said. Was she being too forceful with convincing the others to let Charm come back with them? She did her best to be reasonable about it, but moving too fast was one thought that slipped her mind. After all, Slash was only just stopped a few days ago.

Flare and the others were now back at the Lookout. The residents of Adventure Bay hadn't seen Charm yet with the Paw Patrol yet. That would be something to focus on later. For now, Flare had an important thing to tell the others in the living room. She had to admit she was a little nervous, but Marshall gave her a supportive smile and thumbs up to help her feel better. After seeing this, she breathed in through her nose and out from her mouth, which is when she began speaking. "For ten years, you, and everyone else we know, have known me as Flare Munroe."

The others paid close attention as Flare then went into deep explanation on what she discovered about herself recently. "A lot was going on these past two months, from Rocky discovering he's half wolf, to me and Snow confessing our feelings, to the most shocking of all, Charm seeking redemption." Some of the pups gazed briefly at Charm, and he ignored them as Flare continued speaking, knowing that everyone was still listening. "I was going through something too during this time."

Flare mustered all of her courage to come out to her friends and family in the best way she could. "Ever since my tenth birthday, I was struggling with who I really was. Stuff like seeing a new reflection and thinking deeper about my more feminine traits lingered in my mind so much during this time." Ryder, being the smartest of the group, caught onto what Flare was about to do and nodded to let her know she shouldn't stop. "And now that we've finally stopped Slash and saved Wolfland and Foxcadia... I think it's about time to tell you all what I learned."

The others gave Flare all of their attention with Flare gazing at all of them one by one with a smile forming on her face. She felt even better than she did at the start thanks to being able to start off on such a good note. And the more she spoke, the better she felt. She was confident that everyone would accept her, even if it took time for some of them to adjust completely. Whether it was Marshall, or Snow, or even Charm, she felt ready to come out to everyone with what she said next.

"I'm Transgender."

To be continued.

The title Paw Patrol X came onto the screen with the words Paw Patrol linked in blue with red outlines as Flare then spoke over the words that came underneath it as an instrumental version of the main theme played. "Don't worry everyone! We still have one chapter left! Next time, the season three epilogue chapter: The Start to Big Changes!"