It was his best plan yet.

Mayor Humdinger stood cackling in front of the steel room he had just sealed the doors to, completely trapping his captives inside with the perfect little lure. A recording of a puppy crying for help, so tacky yet so perfect. How could they have ever resisted? He basked in their capture, smirking like a lovesick fool while twirling his mustache in front of the porthole window into the chamber.

"Like taking candy from a baby!" He bellowed, savoring the joy of the moment. "Look at you all, all trapped like bugs under a cup!"

The six dogs inside the room all turned to the window, each one with their own unamused expression. A German shepherd walked to the window, standing up to peer through it with a cross expression. "Enough with the similes, Humdinger!" Chase barked, flattening his ears. "Let us out!" His voice was filtered with electronic static, as the room was so perfectly airtight it required interior microphones to translate sound to the outside. The other five puppies ran beside him, barking at the window and baring their teeth.

"Ah ah ah," Humdinger wagged his finger at the animals. "It isn't every day I catch the whole PAW Patrol at once. I have to really savor this moment." He said with a grin, straightening his tie. "Falla, go get the camera!"

Behind him, a brown cat rose up and happily puffed out her chest. She hopped off the table and sped out of the room, weaving around five other cats lounging either on the floor or splayed across the furniture. One of the dogs, a Dalmatian named Marshall, pushed aside Chase to spit his own words at the window. "You dirty trickster! We really did think an entire litter of puppies needed help! How did you even record those sounds?"

"The internet, obviously." Humdinger smirked at the trapped dog. "You can get anything off the internet. But ah, that's a human thing." He added a little float to his voice. "I wouldn't expect an animal to know anything about that." The exact words to piss off a dog. "Faking an emergency, luring you six all the way here to this abandoned facility? Definitely my best work, I'll tell you that." He held himself proudly. "I'm sure you'll get out, once you see it."

"See what?" A dog inside the room asked.

Humdinger got closer to the window, making sure his captives could see his toothy smirk. "You see pups, this room can be opened, but it'll require a test of your wit, intelligence, and patience. Let's just say; one of those floor tiles is not like the other."

Chase tilted his head, looking to the floor. "The... tiles?"

"Well sure! I'm gonna have a laugh watching you six struggle with that." Laughed the villain. "I'll film ya walking in circles like little idiots, then put it on the internet! We'll see what the public thinks of the PAW Patrol after seeing them wandering like buffoons!" He basked in the horror spreading across the dogs' faces. "You six have always been a thorn in my side." He put his hands together, pacing around next to the window. "Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Skye... uh," he blinked, his mind drawing a blank. "I think one of you is a lab?"

A chocolate labrador shoved Marshall away, pressing up against the glass. "My name is Zuma you twit!"

"Oh right, sorry." Chuckled the man. "You're just so... forgettable."

The word alone sent the orange-uniformed dog into a snarling rage. "Wha- I'll show you forgettable! We'll see who gets forgotten when I'm done with you!"

"Zuma, chill." Chase's voice floated up again, the first dog walking into view. "There's clearly a way out of this mess, and we'll find it." He turned to the window. "And when we do, Humdinger, we'll come outta here and stop you!"

Humdinger grinned down at the animal through the glass. "You can't stop me when I've already won, fleabag! Adventure Bay is mine for the taking! And my first order of business; all dogs are illegal! Cats only."

"You tried that in Adventure City, and we stopped you like always!" The shepherd shot back.

"And I almost won! But trapping just one of you mutts wasn't enough, I needed the whole darn team!" The mayor crossed his arms, internally bewildered that he was a grown man arguing with a dog. "Now there's not a single one of you to stop me! Nyah ha ha!"

The sound of scrabbling paws on metal signaled that Falla had returned, carrying a small video camera in her mouth. Walking up to the mayor, she set the device down and purred up at him. He squealed with glee at the sight of her, bending down to grab the camera and wave it in front of the window. "My socials will love this!" He sneered. "Now smile! You're about to be on camera!" He hit the record button and held out the device, facing its lens toward him and making sure the window was in view.

"Mayor Humdinger here," he began, talking to the camera. "The deserving and future perfect leader of Adventure Bay and City -ahem- and I've got quite the embarrassing spectacle!" He moved the camera a tad closer, stepping aside so its glass eye could take full views of his captives. "In my perfect, absolute genius, oh so perfect moment of high genius intellectual superiority..."

The shepherd flashed the camera an irritated look. "You just repeated yourself twice in the same sentence."

"Shut up!" Humdinger knocked the window with his fist. "I'm filming my home movie here! Anyway, in my superior intelligence and smarts, I've captured the entire PAW Patrol in this steel chamber!" Wiggling his fingers at the camera, he spoke with an anticipating voice. "Will they escape in time to foil my evil plans? I think not! I tell you, this is the day I finally take what's rightfully mine!"

"Wait, so you already know we're going to escape?" Marshall blinked.

"Well sure." Humdinger rolled his eyes, stopping the recording. "I know you always do, but the real question is, how long can I keep you in here? Nyah haha!" He let his trademark evil laugh spill out for a few seconds, earning him proud looks from the cats and barfing faces from the dogs. "I'll give you a day, to be honest. But by then, I'll practically be the ruler of the world!"

"Never!" A cockapoo declared, jumping into Chase's back. "We'll stop you! We always have before, and we'll do it again!"

The shepherd below her joined in, grinning with resolve. "No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

"Ugh, barf." Humdinger cringed at the statement. "Why is everything about dogs? We can't we have cats around for once?" Wiping off his jacket, he peered through the glass. "Okay uhh... let's see. I put some bookshelves in there if you get bored, and uhm..." he pointed with his finger at one of the corners. "I left some bags of dog food over there, if you're hungry."

The bulldog in yellow among them instantly perked up. "Food?" He jumped up, already pacing over to the bags. The other five scanned their surroundings but didn't pay any mind to their newfound jail luxuries. They were already forming a circle, keeping their heads low to utter their next move. Humdinger had seen it dozens of times, he knew a plan of action was already cooking, it would unlike the PAW Patrol to just wander helplessly. They'd find the hidden key, he knew, and they'd surely clear through the other puzzles in no time after that discovery. Escape rooms were always a dream of his, and there was nothing that brought him more glee than building the most devious of prisons just waiting to be escaped from.

Now it was time for his favorite part, marked by his smirk quickly returning: The reveals. "You see, pups." He started, and already groans of knowing were vibrating from the room. "I'm quite the pro at photoshop, and I've created some, heh, unsightly pictures of Mayor Goodway being a fool!" He couldn't possibly think of the photos without fits of laughter creeping up his throat. "There was one of her walking under ladders, one of her covered in chickens, ooh, and my most dastardly one! A photo of her stealing food from Mr. Porter!"

"Literally no one will believe those," Chase looked back at him.

"Of course they will!" He argued back. "My photoshop skill is unmatched, I may as well have invented the app!"

The dog raised a single eyebrow.

"Once the whole public gets a good view of Mayor Idiot, she'll be run off by the citizens and I will be the one to save the day!" He struck a proud pose. "Mayor Humdinger, proud leader and activist of feline rights, the new face of town!" He spoke as if invisible fireworks were going off behind him, revering his very presence alone. "And by the time you're out of there, you'll be powerless to stop me!"

Turning away from the sealed chamber, he clapped his hands and addressed his cats, the most perfect henchman he'd ever come across. "Alright kitties," he said aloud. "Leave the dogs to their prison, we have a city to take! Spotsy, play the theme!" He proclaimed loudly, pointing in the air.

A grey, shaggy-furred cat kicked her leg backward, hitting a button on a radio. It quickly came to life with a badly composed, ear-worming anthem that Humdinger had personally written, played, and recorded all by himself. Moving with its beat, the man in purple collected his cats and marched out of the room, taking to the world like not a single thing could stop him. He was gone in seconds, leaving the six dogs alone in the chambers.

"Well this is just peachy," Marshall grumbled, sniffing the floor. "How did this even happen, we don't usually fall for these things!"

Chase waved him off, trying to ignore their bulldog friend rustling with the dog food. "Look, everyone makes mistakes. And the sooner we get back to Ryder the sooner we can put a stop to that villain's plans."

The mixed breed spoke up. "You're sure we can get out of here in time?"

"Course, Rocky." Chase nodded. "We always do." Looking at the room before him, slight uncertainty flickered in his mind, only to get ignored swiftly by his own pride. They had escaped worse dozens of times before, there was no reason they'd wave the white flag now. "We always escape."