AN: Am I juggling a new Paw Patrol story and a LOTR story at the same time? Yessir. Cause I've got range... (or at least I try to). Anyways, due to few stories being centered around Zuma, I've decided to write my own. If you don't like the story, that's completely fine. This is simply my version of a tale about an underrated water pup. Without further ado, I give you Zuma's Trials and Tribulation.

Disclaimer: I don't own Paw Patrol

There were six main pups in the PAW Patrol gang. Chase, the serious leader. Marshall, the clumsy goofball. Skye, the kind-hearted aviation pup. Rocky, the water-loathing recycling pup. Rubble, the construction pup and the youngest on the team. But what about the sixth? Well, there are a lot of words you could use to describe the team's chocolate lab, Zuma. Laid-back. Fond of water. Heck, even a little goofy. But one word stood above the others. Underused. The young pup knew this, and was only a little sensitive about it. Zuma was always happy to see his friends go on missions, get praised, even have merch bought by fans of them. And sure, Zuma was happy for his friends. But, what about him? The Chocolate Lab's heart absolutely raced when his anchor symbol showed up on Ryder's screen, summoning him for a mission. But even after saving whales, Cap'n Turbot, Wally the walrus and even the ocean itself from toxic spills, he didn't feel as praised as his teammates were. Zuma loved his friends, with a passion. But every time they left for a mission without him, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Still, he made the better of his feelings by taking a nap or sneaking out to the woods for a short hike. Well, bottled-up emotions and a past that is better left unheard of can lead to some unforseen feelings of inadequacy and a low self-esteem. This was indeed the case for our water pup. But the day of change was soon at hand (or paw).

"Pups, to the lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!"

Rubble, Chase, Rocky, Skye and Marshall dashed for the lookout. The five pups made it into the elevator, before the clumsy Dalmatian tripped and crashed into his friends.

Marshall had landed on top of his friends, standing on a surfboard.

"Cowabunga, dudes."

The pups snickered before getting into position. Before long, they were in their gear and standing before Ryder.

"PAW Patrol, ready for action, Ryder sir," beamed Chase.

"Thanks for coming, pups." Ryder grabbed his pup pad and turned on the large TV screen. What then showed was the castle of Barkingburg, and a distraught Princess.

"Oh no," groaned the German Shepherd before Ryder could even speak.

"Lemme guess. The royal crown has been stolen... again... they have absolutely no idea who did it and that pup Sweetie is behind it all?"

Ryder could only hold back a snicker. He secretly thought Chase's animosity towards the royal pet was funny, despite her being quite a problem every now and then.

"Well, no. Good guess. An unknown assailant has stolen the Krystal."

"Krystal? With a K?" asked Rubble.

"Yes. That Krystal is... well, a magic stone that some believe brought peace on Barkingburg when it was founded."

"Please," huffed Chase. "I don't believe that mumbo jumbo magic stuff."

"Well, sorry about your luck, Chase. But we have to find that Krystal before anything can happen to Barkingburg."

"I guarantee Sweetie's behind it," mumbled Skye almost immediately.

"For this mission we'll need everyone! An... hey, where's Zuma?"

The pups looked around, somewhat displeased with themselves about overlooking Zuma's absence.

The said pup was currently at the beach, having a chicken fight with Adventure Bay's residents.

Zuma, on top of Cap'n Turbot, was about to knock over Alex and Katie before his pup tag rang.

"Zuma? Zuma?" asked Chase from the Lab's pup tag.

"Uh oh. Hey Chase, what's up?"

"Where are you? We've gotta get to Barkingburg to rescue some stupid rock from Sweetie."

"Oh, I must've missed the call. I'm a little preoccupied."

"Well, please wrap it up. We're leaving in 25 minutes."

"Okay! Later, guys."

Zuma leapt off of Cap'n Turbot, leaving him to fend for himself against the two.

Within 17 minutes, Zuma had managed to sprint to the lookout, apologize for his absence, and get his gear together.

8 minutes later, they all began to board their Air Patroller.

Ryder checked off the pups as they entered, but held Zuma back to talk.

"Zuma. Why were you late?"

"Um, I was busy at the beach."

"Zuma, you know as well as I that the only way you can't hear the call is if your pup tag is turned off."

Ryder raised an eyebrow, and the water pup knew exactly what his leader was getting at.

"Well... it was turned off, because... well, um... I didn't think you'd need me."

"Wouldn't need you? Zuma, we're a team. Every paw counts. Listen, I know you have felt a little off lately since there's been less water missions. I promise, I will find something special for you to do along the way."

"Well, if you say so. Thanks, Ryder."

A small jet flew above, unseen by the PAW Patrol.

A little white Terrier spoke into her comm link.

"They're taking off! This had better work, Claw."

"Oh, don't worry," responded the Doberman. "Soon the PAW Patrol will rot in a cell, and the crown will rest upon my head."

"My head, you mean?"

"Yeah, whatever. Just make sure they don't run into any detours. Time is of the essence."