Chapter 3: A Childhood Bully Turns into a New Friend
Marshall was walking alone on an empty street, he returned from a day of classes at the new puppy academy in which he and his sister were recently enrolled. After they moved, however, Marshall hadn't shown his smile in weeks. He remembered that day when he locked Gabriel in that locker, and how he and his supposed friends drenched Gabriel and all his belongings with a school hose. It is one of the many memories that have been tormenting him… On the last day that he and his sister were in Adventure Bay, Marshall went to find Gabriel to apologize. He had a hard time deciding whether to do it or not, but eventually his remorse won over his apathy. Marshall was genuinely sorry for many of the things that he had done to the poor pup. He thought he would find Gabriel in his old academy, but when Marshall went in and searched, Gabriel didn't show up. Marshall looked everywhere for him, in the gardens, in the library, in his classroom, but it was a pointless endeavor; Gabriel clearly wasn't there. Marshall ran into one of his former professors who told him everything. After the last incident between him and Gabriel, Gabriel's parents left Adventure Bay. But for whatever reason, Gabriel didn't appear to go with them. Because he received such little information, Marshall assumed that Gabriel had been abandoned. And because he couldn't pay the tuition due to the lack of parents, he had to leave the academy… The professor clarified to Marshall that nothing was confirmed and those were just rumors, but Marshall still felt extremely guilty.
His life in the new academy has been very different from Adventure Bay. Marshall no longer presented himself as a bully, he acted closer to his authentic self. However, he didn't stop feeling guilty.
"Gabriel was abandoned, all because of me…"
Although he found himself walking alone, Marshall spoke aloud. Confronted with his involuntary solitude, he experienced nothing besides utter pain and total regret. Marshall felt he would never be able to remedy that terrible mistake he made. He got so absorbed in his own thoughts, that he didn't notice somebody else in his path, and he collided right into them. Marshall immediately stood up, and tried to apologize, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see where I was walking."
But to Marshall's surprise, the other pup grabbed him by the neck and shoved him against a wall, hurting the Dalmatian puppy. Marshall yelped in fear and met the eyes of the other pup with a pleading expression. He opened his mouth and let out a small chuckle in an attempt to calm his nerves. However, all that did was infuriate the aggressor.
"You think you're a funny little fleabane? You're nothing more than a little spotted white rat!" The other puppy was older than Marshall and didn't hesitate to threaten the frightened Dalmatian.
"P-please… I didn't want to hit you… It was just an accident…" Marshall was scared beyond his wits. "P-please… Let me go… You hurt me…"
"Well, guess what? When you bumped into me, I was hurt pretty bad! And it felt just like this!" The pup threw Marshall against some garbage cans.
"AGH!" Marshall was unable to get up, the pain was unbearable. He gasped when he realized what he had done to Gabriel and what the older puppy was doing to him now. He understood the pain and suffering he wrought upon poor Gabriel and couldn't move, stuck in his own world of shame and regret. He was snapped out of it when he heard a low growl. He looked up and saw the older puppy closing in on him with a paw raised, ready to strike Marshall right in the face. He closed his eyes and braced for the hit, believing that he deserved it. He heard a Clash and opened his eyes. It was a yellow-haired human and his older sister, the yellow-haired human punched his attack in the gut. Marshall sighed in relief due to Margareth's and the human's arrival. The other pup, shocked and winded, falls to the floor. He raised shakily to his legs and glared at the human.
"If you dare touch him again you will find yourself in a coffin six feet under." The human snarled. He looked really furious, well, it was clear that was a serious mistake.
"I'll leave for now… But, no one hurts Rodrigo and doesn't pay for it. The next time I see you, I swear I'll have my vengeance." He muttered angrily. He looked Marshall right in the eyes with contempt and unbridled rage. Marshall shivered with fear, but after that sensation was gone, he felt penitence because now he knew the extensive damage Gabriel was inflicted with. He started to feel despair and a deep panic because it was apparently his time to pay.
"AAAH! NOOOO!" Marshall screamed.
Marshall suddenly awakens, he looks everywhere, and he discovers that it is dawning.
"Oh no… Another nightmare…" Marshall stands up, drinks a little water, and walks a little to clear his mind. "I know Gabriel has forgiven me, and I know we're friends now, but… Now I wonder if I even deserve his friendship."
Marshall sighs with shame as he looks at the ocean. "I'm really ashamed of myself." He says as he reminisces on his shameful past. "I… I can't forgive myself… I've been terrible!"
Marshall walks around the tower. "I think I'll take a walk around Adventure Bay, I need to set my thoughts in order." But, as he is about to leave, he is seen by two other puppies who are also up.
"Marshall? Where are you going so early?" asks Chase, who is getting started with his morning chores.
"Yes Marshy, you're usually still sleeping and nibbling on Dragon plush around this time," Margareth teases. She woke up early to do a review of her team.
"I couldn't sleep well, I just wanted to take a relaxing walk to figure out how to thank Gabriel for repairing my fire truck." Marshall is still surprised by how well his truck works.
"Okay, but just don't take too long Marshall. Remember, you haven't had breakfast yet," Chase reminds him.
"Also, we haven't been able to talk much since I've arrived. I hope that you'll allow me to speak with you today, my dear little brother!"
Marshall just smiles. "Don't worry, I won't be long!"
Marshall leaves the Lookout Tower, and heads for the city. What the pup doesn't know is that someone is watching him. It is someone he knows; someone who lies in wait for the moment to… play with Marshall.
Adventure Bay, a Long time ago.
Gabriel walked to the academy. For some time, Gabriel has been training in Pup-Fu on the orders of his parents. He didn't particularly want to do it, but his parents insisted that he had to anyway. They both wanted Gabriel to become stronger and learn how to defend himself, but Gabriel didn't want to practice, he didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't let his parents know that, however.
Gabriel has done everything possible to avoid his bully; he doesn't want any more problems. But unfortunately, this was not his lucky day. Upon entering the gardens of the academy, Gabriel encountered Marshall, his bully. Marshall was simply leaning against one of the walls of the school, while the two puppies who always accompanied him observed, sitting on a nearby staircase. Gabriel turned around and attempted to walk out, but it was too late, Marshall had already seen him.
"So you're just going to continue to hide from me, little flea?" Marshall stood up and walked to the garden entrance, while his two friends closed in, preventing Gabriel from leaving.
"What do you want from me?" Gabriel's question was filled with fear, he really didn't want to be bullied anymore, but he still didn't want to hurt anyone, not even Marshall. But, Gabriel didn't know that Marshall had been pressured by his supposed friends since the day when Marshall showed weakness by being hesitant to harass Gabriel.
"I heard you've been practicing Pup-Fu… That's interesting to me, I've also practiced a bit. And now, I see the perfect opportunity to put ourselves to the test!" Marshall got into a fighting stance. Gabriel though, he didn't want to fight, he just wanted to leave.
"I don't want to do this! Don't force me… I DON'T WANT TO!" Gabriel noticed that for a moment Marshall seemed unsure, it seemed that he didn't want to fight either, but the other two puppies started mocking Marshall, so Marshall grew angry and he charged at Gabriel. Marshall attacked him with frenzied, yet precise kicks. Gabriel realized that it was true Marshall had also practiced, but he didn't want to fight at all, he just defended himself; he dodged all the attacks of the Dalmatian, but while he did, he noticed that his bully seemed to have tears on his face.
"Attack me already! Hit me! Hit me! HIT ME!"
Gabriel was confused, Why would Marshall want to be hit? Unfortunately, in his brief moment of confusion, Marshall landed a kick right to his left front leg.
"AAAAAAGH!" the young Chow Chow screamed in pain. Gabriel just looked at Marshall for a few seconds. Gabriel wasn't sure, but he was certain that he saw Marshall extremely worried, he could have almost sworn that he saw Marshall about to mourn.
"I'm so sorry," Marshall said right before he passed out.
Control tower, at dawn.
Gabriel wakes up very agitated. That dream… that memory of the past woke him up abruptly. Gabriel looked at Marshall's Pup House and discovered that his friend wasn't there. Gabriel looks around and sees that it is already dawn, and looks towards the parking space of Ryder's ATV, where he sees Chase and Margareth walking towards the Lookout.
"Another bad dream that's not even a dream… Just a bad memory…"
Gabriel knows that this dream is only a memory of his past and Marshall wouldn't hurt him anymore.
"No… Marshall isn't bad, he isn't going to hurt me. He is my friend, I need that to be clear to me, otherwise, I could hurt Marshall if I show him that I am afraid of him."
Gabriel suits up, drinks some water, and takes some croquettes so he doesn't work on an empty stomach. "I need to stop thinking about those things, I'd better start working, and later, I'll find Marshall so we can spend the day together. I'll show him that we're friends!"
So Gabriel walks to where he leads his next work project: Chase's pup house.
It's only been a few days since everyone learned of the history between Gabriel and Marshall. Everything has been relatively calm since that night when the two of them seemed to have settled things, and presently, the Paw Patrol was enjoying a fresh and bright day. Inside the Lookout, Chase and Skye are playing Pup-Pup-Boogie together, Skye beating Chase with ease, although that doesn't seem to matter much to the police pup. Zuma, Rocky, and Marcus are playing tug-of-war. Rubble and Margareth were watching Apollo the super pup. Gabriel is working on the Paw Patrol vehicles with Ryder, and just as he planned at dawn, he is working on Chase's vehicle.
"Ryder, sir, Chase's motor was getting sloppy and rough, so I cleaned it out. It runs much smoother now. I also pumped up the power of the motor, so it would be faster and sturdier," Gabriel tells Ryder, putting away the last of his tools.
"Very impressive, Gabriel," Ryder says with a smile. He gives Gabriel a pat on the head, then grimaces.
"But, it looks like the oil from the vehicle got your fur dirty. You had better take a bath before it stains," he orders.
Gabriel glances at his fur, startled by the mess he has become. Oil makes his front paws slick and shiny, grease clumps up his back and tail fur, and there is some sort of thick black gunk on his sides.
Gabriel shrugs. "No big deal. It's fine if my fur gets all filthy, that's just a part of my job as a mechanic."
"Your commitment is impressive, Gabriel. But, are you sure that you wouldn't want to play a little with your friends?" Ryder inquires.
Gabriel shakes his head.
"My job comes first, fun comes second," he replies before moving on to the next vehicle.
Ryder watches him go with a fond smile, glad that he had such a committed team member.
Meanwhile inside the Lookout...
"Apollo the super pup is so awesome! I can't wait to see the next episode," Margareth says excitedly as she lies on a bean bag chair next to Rubble.
"Apollo the super pup IS awesome," Rubble agrees. "It's everyone's favorite show. I really liked the episode with that clumsy dog."
"That clumsy dog reminds me of my little brother. They're similar to each other. He is so kind but super clumsy," Margareth says with a grin on her muzzle.
"It was Marshall who made me a fan of Apollo the super pup," Rubble tells her, getting excited as the intro to the next episode played.
"Was Marshy always kind to you, Rubble?" Margareth asks, curious about her brother's actions while he was away.
"Oh yeah. He's kind and just a great friend," Rubble answers with a smile. He cocked his head. "Hey, where did that nickname for Marshall come from?"
"When Marshall was first born, I couldn't pronounce his full name and called him 'Marshy.' As we grew older, I never stopped calling him that, even when I could pronounce his name properly," Margareth explains, the grin returning to her face. "But, Marshall likes the nickname that I gave him, he's not annoyed by it. He actually finds it endearing."
Rubble and Margareth continue to converse as Chase walks past them, out of the Lookout. He sees Gabriel and Ryder tinkering with the Paw Patrol vehicles and approaches the two.
"Hey, Gabriel. What are you doing?" Chase asks curiously.
Gabriel finishes working on the pink helicopter and turns to Chase. "I saw some problems with the vehicles and it bothered me, so I had to fix them. I am the Paw Patrol's new mechanic pup, after all. I am done now, though. I should probably get cleaned up." Gabriel then stops for a moment. "Where can I take a bath?"
"Katie gives baths at her clinic. Would you like me to take you there, Gabriel?" Ryder asks.
"Sure! Thanks, Ryder," Gabriel says with a smile, licking Ryder on the cheek.
Ryder laughs as he gently pushes Gabriel back. "I appreciate your thanks very much, but you're still dirty!"
Later, Ryder and Gabriel walk into Katie's clinic. Katie turns from grooming Cali and gives a little exclamation when she sees Gabriel.
"Hi, Ryder. Wow! I see that Gabriel feels better already, that makes me so happy!" Katie says while smiling and crouches down to stroke Gabriel's head. "And… Why is he so dirty? Wow, is your fur really brown under all that?"
"Ever since Gabriel joined the Paw Patrol as the new mechanic puppy, he has worked hard to fulfill his duties to a T," Ryder explains. He rubs his head with a smile. "And yes, his fur is supposed to be brown, I think. It's hard to tell the difference between brown dirt and brown fur."
"I can't help it, it's like my fur is a magnificent magnet of dirt!" Gabriel jokes.
"Well, as I told you before, I'm very happy to see that you feel better after that day, and I'm also very happy that you've adapted so well to the Paw Patrol, I know you'll be fine with your new family, Gabriel," Katie says, returning the smile. "And now, how about we start with your bath? Come here so I can clean you up!"
"Thanks, Katie," Gabriel says, happily trotting over to the bathtub of soapy water Katie stood beside.
A short while later, Katie has Gabriel's fur spotless once again. After thanks and goodbyes, Ryder and Gabriel return to the Lookout.
Chase walks over as soon as they park. "Hey, Gabriel. Thanks for repairing my police truck! It runs so much better and faster now. The engine's never been so powerful before.
"No problem, Chase. Hey, where´s Marshall? I haven't seen him," Gabriel says, scanning the other pups playing nearby.
"Marshy went out for a walk, he was thinking of a way to thank you for fixing his fire truck," Margareth says, walking towards the Chow-Chow, making Gabriel blush a little, and take a light step back.
"Ryder, sir, I am going to search for Marshall and have a look around town. It's much prettier when I'm not hiding in the alleys," Gabriel says with a smile.
"Sure, no problem, pup. Just don't get lost," Ryder commands, waving as Gabriel walks away.
Meanwhile, in town, Marshall has just been leaving the town hall to see if the mayor has seen Gabriel when he bumps into someone.
"Oops, sorry about…" Marshall's voice trails off with a gulp as he recognizes the dog in front of him.
It is Rodrigo, a mean mixed-breed dog, a few years older than Marshall. Rodrigo had been a dog that bullied Marshall after his family had moved from Adventure Bay. He is still a head taller, like Marshall remembered, even though Marshall had grown since then.
"Well, well, Marshall, good to see you… far from that human. Do you remember me?" the older dog says with a sinister smile.
"Rodrigo? Why are you here? What are you doing in Adventure Bay?" Marshall asks with surprise, trying to keep his tone light. "A long time has passed."
"But not long enough," Marshall whispers to himself.
"I'm here to take revenge on that human," Rodrigo growls. "And what better way than to hurt the one he cares about?"
"You want revenge on Hunter? But… but why?" Marshall doesn't understand Rodigo's words.
"Hah! I'm surprised you don't get it! Your annoying friend was the only one who dared to face me, but that doesn't matter now. You're here." Rodrigo begins to approach Marshall in a threatening way.
"Er, I'd love to stay and see how that goes, but I have to… bye!"
Marshall shouts the last word as he tries to run off, only to have Rodrigo rush up and tackle him.
Marshall runs as fast as he can, he really wants to get away from Rodrigo. He runs down an old alley that comes out just on one side of the old building that recently caught fire, If he manages to reach the main street, he could escape near the mayor's office, get away from Rodrigo, and ask for help, so Marshall runs quickly to get out of there. However, at the moment that Marshall is about to reach his goal, he hears Rodrigo's voice, and the words he says make Marshall stop, dead scared.
"Yeah! Run away from here you useless, worthless puppy! It doesn't matter much, any of your friends will serve for my revenge, or maybe even your sister! Any of your friends from that stupid Paw Patrol! And maybe, I could use that new friend of yours. What's he called? Ah! I remember! GABRIEL!"
Marshall skids to a halt. "How… How do you know that?!"
"It's not obvious? I've been watching you! I've memorized the routines of you and your friends! Do you think we just happened to meet? No, I found you! But you can run away now. After all, I'll just go for that abandoned pup, Gabriel, and take revenge on him instead!"
Marshall just trembles when he hears what Rodrigo has told him. Now, again because of him, Gabriel could suffer damage again. Marshall remembers all the damage he has done to his friend, and simply, he can't get out of that alley. Marshall makes a decision, although he is still shaking, although he has the exit from the alley in front of him, just one step away.
"You don't need to attack anyone, you won't attack Gabriel, I'll stay here and I'll deal with you," Marshall says these words with as much conviction as he can muster, he's still afraid of Rodrigo nonetheless. But Marshall can't allow Rodrigo to fulfill his threat and attack Gabriel instead.
"HAHA! Good! Very good decision, imbecile! Now, I can have fun with you!"
Just as Rodrigo finishes speaking, he immediately launches to bite Marshall, but Marshall uses his pup-fu training to dodge him. When Rodrigo turns around, Marshall kicks him on the back, making Rodrigo fall on top of some old boxes. Rodrigo stands up, and he just looks at Marshall smiling. The firefighter puppy seems confused, but immediately he understands why Rodrigo is smiling, The evil dog throws the boxes toward him, one after the other. Marshall dodges them with his pup-fu skills again, one after another but Rodrigo plays dirty. Rodrigo finds a puddle of mud, and immediately, he uses it.
"AAAH! My eyes!" Rodrigo threw a large amount of mud in Marshall's eyes, and Marshall was immediately unable to see. That moment is taken advantage of by Rodrigo, who jumps and bites Marshall as hard as he can.
"AAAAAAAAGH!" Marshall only feels the pain, he can not see anything at all. Rodrigo bites him in the scruff and throws him against some garbage cans. Due to the impact, part of the mud falls from Marshall's face, and he regains part of his sight he is about to faint but before that happens, Marshall looks toward the main street, and he can only say a few words…
"Don't help me… Run… Please!"
At that time, Marshall loses consciousness …
You see a man standing on a rooftop, watching them, You could even see a few tears fall as he watches.
Main Avenue of Adventure Bay.
Gabriel walks through Adventure Bay, taking in and appreciating all the sights, sounds, and smells. "Wow! I really hadn't been able to walk through the city before. "
And Gabriel is right; until recently, he could only worry about what he would eat, or where he could sleep but that has changed. Now Gabriel has a big family. All he needs is a way to show Marshall that he isn't afraid of him anymore.
"How could I do it? Maybe some type of contest, and we all played in teams, and Marshall and I were in the same team… maybe together with Margareth… "
When saying that, Gabriel blushes a little, thinking about Margareth, although that doesn't distract him from his main problem.
"Whatever I do, it has to be special… something to reaffirm our friendship."
Gabriel was walking near City Hall when he heard Marshall shout.
"Marshall? MARSHALL!" Gabriel immediately runs to where he thought he heard the scream and is surprised to reach the old alley where he used to sleep before. But when approaching, he sees a scene that frightens him… he sees Marshall fall in some garbage cans. His eyes lock with Marshall's and he hears Marshall speak.
"Don't help me… Run… Please!"
Soon after, Marshall loses consciousness…
Gabriel jumps to Marshall's side and glares at the older dog. Rodrigo rears back to bite Marshall again, but Gabriel rushes forward.
"LEAVE MARSHALL ALONE!" Gabriel yells angrily.
"This is none of your business," Rodrigo snarls. "Now go home, little pup, before you end up like your friend here."
Gabriel steps closer with unwavering resolve. "No, I'm not leaving."
Rodrigo chuckles in a very dark way, he just walks away from Marshall, kicking the poor Dalmatian. "You don't have a chance against me."
"I don't need a chance. I just want to hurt you as much as you hurt him!" he snarls fiercely. Gabriel's look is determined. He remembers all his Pup-Fu training, but this is the first time he's going to use it.
Rodrigo and Gabriel circle each other for a few seconds before Rodrigo rushes towards Gabriel, and they begin fighting. Rodrigo swings and snaps his jaws over and over, but Gabriel dodges every attack with ease. Dodging has always been his specialty. As they move around, Gabriel notices that Rodrigo is getting closer and closer to his unconscious friend and he worries that Marshall might get more hurt than he already is. To prevent that, Gabriel comes up with a reckless plan.
"Look at you, you're pathetic! You haven't even managed to touch me ONCE!" Gabriel taunts as he walks slowly backward, waiting for his plan to work.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Rodrigo roars. Infuriated, Rodrigo makes a giant leap on top of one of the boxes that he tossed at Marshall mere minutes ago and then throws one right at Gabriel. Gabriel dodges just in time by jumping to his right. The box crumples against the wall and Gabriel shifts his weight to his front left leg, ready to use the momentum from dodging to propel himself forward. He is unprepared for Rodrigo to suddenly rush him and caught off-guard, he is unable to react to Rodrigo slashing said leg with his claws.
"AAAAGH!" Gabriel swings a little, while Rodrigo smiles at him.
"Once seems like enough to me!" Rodrigo chortles psychotically. Gabriel knows that Rodrigo's danger level has risen, but that doesn't matter, because he has fulfilled his goal, Rodrigo moved away from Marshall. It's time for the fight to really begin.
Gabriel tries to put weight on his left front leg, but it is still too painful. Ok, I got what I wanted, but now my leg hurts, We better finish this fast. Gabriel starts moving quickly to avoid Rodrigo, trying not to put any weight on his damaged leg.
Meanwhile, another puppy is walking down Main Avenue, he goes out to look for his friends for lunch. It is Rocky, Ryder decided that he would adjust the communications system of the Paw Patrol, and while he carries out this work, Rocky offers to go and look for his friends, because for the moment none of them can use their communicators. "Where did Marshall and Gabriel go? It's pretty late, and I'm sure they don't want to miss lunch. "
But when Rocky walks near the alley, he sees Gabriel rapidly doing pup-fu moves. "Is that Gabriel?! Wow! He's really good at Pup fu! But… Why is he practicing pup-fu in an alley? And Where's Marshall?" Rocky gets closer, and he sees that Gabriel is defending himself against another dog bigger than him and Marshall is unconscious on the floor. Rocky immediately understands the severity of the situation, but he doesn't have his communicator online. He's not as good as Marshall at pup-fu, and Marshall was knocked out. If he jumps in, he would just be deadweight to Gabriel. He can't risk trying to help and ending up getting them both hurt, especially when he can't contact the rest of the pups to come with their vehicles. Sighing, he makes the hard choice to leave Gabriel and alert the Paw Patrol.
Back in the alley, Gabriel continues to dodge Rodrigo, while a memory comes back to his mind.
House of Gabriel, long ago.
In a private place, you see Gabriel, younger, dodging the attacks of an Adult Doberman dog, That dog is his pup-fu trainer, and the name of that trainer is Burst, While Gabriel continues to dodge the attacks, his father, Samuel observes that training. But, just at that moment, Burst manages to hit Gabriel, and the pup falls on his back. Gabriel is a bit sore, Burst comes over to give him a leg and help him, but Samuel intervenes. "What the hell was that, Gabriel?!"
"Samuel, Gabriel has worked hard, Maybe we could take a break." Burst is sympathetic to Gabriel, but Samuel just wants his pup to be stronger.
"No Burst! Gabriel can do more than this! Stand up, Gabriel!" Samuel's voice grows stern and he is looking at his son with a hard stare. Even so, Gabriel tries to talk to his father.
"Father! I don't want to do this! I don't want to fight with anyone! I don't…" Gabriel began
"Silence Gabriel!" Samuel's scream makes Gabriel feel more intimidated. "I won't allow you to be a weak puppy any longer! Bullies won't stop just because you say 'please'! If you won't do your training, I'll just have you do something else! Run around the entire area twenty times! And don't stop or you'll have to fight me instead!" Gabriel looks at his father pleadingly, and even Burst thinks that this punishment is excessive. "What are you waiting for? Start at once!" Samuel orders as Gabriel holds back his tears of frustration and begins to run.
Back to the present…
Gabriel remembers those days with pain, but now he understands that some of what he taught me might be useful.
"I really don't want to fight with anyone, but this isn't about me, it's about my friends. And for them, if I have to… then I will fight!" Gabriel continues using his great agility to dodge Rodrigo, and after a few minutes, finally, his plan has results.
When Rodrigo is staggering, tired from his useless attacks, Gabriel makes his move. He lunges forward, punching Rodrigo in the face hard enough to knock out a tooth.
Rodrigo stumbles back. His paw comes up to his mouth and when he pulls it back, his eyes widen at the sight of blood. "This isn't over. I'm going to get revenge on you AND Marshall!" Rodrigo threatened angrily, running away.
"Don't even think about coming back!" Gabriel howls angrily after the thug retreats.
Gabriel looks down and, immediately, his expression turns to concern. He curls up next to Marshall as the Dalmatian slowly rouses.
"Urgh, what happened?" Marshall groaned before remembering. "Oh, man, Rodrigo did beat me good. Hey, where did he go?" Marshall turns his head back and forth.
"I chased him away," Gabriel explains.
"You… you… You made Rodrigo run away. How? He's the meanest dog I know," Marshall said.
"Yeah… I understand that pretty well."
Gabriel tries to support his left front leg but feels the pain of the attack he received from Rodrigo. Marshall realizes that.
"Your leg is hurt!" Marshall tries to get up, but he is still dizzy from the blow.
"Don't worry Marshall, I'll be fine." Gabriel attempts to rest his paw for a moment so as not to worry his friend, but at that moment, Marshall says something that surprises Gabriel.
"I-I'm… Again you've hurt your front left leg because of me…"
Gabriel does not understand what Marshall is referring to, however, he has an idea.
"Some time ago I seriously hurt that exact same leg…" Marshall only looks at the ground, and his look only reflects sadness.
"Marshall," Gabriel says.
"Gabriel… back then, my two supposed friends pressed me because I hadn't bothered you since the day I locked you in your locker and I drenched you with that hose. I was confused, I didn't want to bully you anymore and honestly, I had forgotten why I had begun bullying you in the first place. But I didn't want them to tease me because they thought I was too weak. While I was walking in the academy, I overheard that your parents were going to force you to practice martial arts. So I came up with a plan. I was also starting to practice some martial arts, so I planned a face-off. My idea was simple, I was going to force you to hit me."
Gabriel is completely surprised by what he is listening to. This is the first time he has heard this. Although he had suspicions, Marshall confirmed that they are true hits different.
"My big plan was for you to beat me in front of those guys. Margareth and I were moving anyway; you would be like the pup that finally beat his bully. You would be like the pup that beat his bully so badly, his bully moved away."
Gabriel listens attentively to what Marshall is saying to him, he never imagined anything like that, but he notices that while Marshall speaks, some tears begin to run down the Dalmatian's face.
"But… but my fabulous plan ended in disaster, I gave you a kick in your left front leg, the same leg that Rodrigo just hurt you. I guess I didn't know my own strength or I didn't hold back enough, and I… I broke your leg that day."
Marshall falls to the ground sobbing. "I can't forget… they just laughed at you. I couldn't find it funny at all. I was just scared. I was only able to say 'sorry', but that doesn't fix a broken leg. You fainted, so you don't know this, but I stayed by your side until the teachers came to take you to the hospital. My friends didn't stick around, and they called me weird for feeling guilty. That proved that they were never my friends. I didn't attend the academy the following days, I felt too much shame. A day before our move, I went to the academy intending to apologize to you; I wanted to tell you everything, but… but that day I found out that your family had left Adventure Bay, and apparently… they had abandoned you, and as a result, you were no longer able to continue going to the academy. "
Gabriel just looks at Marshall, he now sees his friend differently. Gabriel can feel the pain and regret that Marshall is feeling at that moment.
"I promised that I would never behave like a bully, so in my new home I tried to behave the right way… but then Rodrigo appeared… I guess I deserved that… I deserved to suffer from a bully after having made you suffer from one… I'm a very bad puppy Gabriel… and I know I deserved that punishment. A hundred percent."
Gabriel approaches Marshall and lies down beside him, smiling at him. Marshall seems somewhat confused.
"Marshall, you are an excellent pup, Don't feel bad; you actually tried to change. And in fact, you have changed! You're great!"
Marshall just looks at Gabriel, surprised but at that moment he feels as if a great weight is being taken off his back. Gabriel is in the same situation, now he knows that Marshall tried to protect him from Rodrigo. Gabriel no longer feels any fear of Marshall, any trace of fear has simply disappeared.
"I'm going to confess something to you Marshall ... I've been specially trained in pup-Fu. My parents made me learn, but I'd never wanted to use it until I saw Rodrigo beat you up."
"You protected me. Thanks, Gabriel." Marshall said happily.
"What are friends for?" Gabriel said with a smile.
Marshall beamed. "You think of me as a friend?"
Gabriel smiles when he hears Marshall. "As the best friend that I could have! Of course. You're friendly and funny, who wouldn't want to be your friend?"
"Wow, that means a lot to me, Gabriel." Marshall smiles and puts his right foot on Gabriel's left leg.
"Ow! Careful! It still hurts!" Gabriel looks at Marshall with a pained smile.
"Ups! I'm sorry!" Marshall removes his paw quickly, and both pups grin.
"No problem. Now, let's get back to the Lookout," Gabriel said.
Marshall tries to stand up, but he is still a little dizzy and he has to sit down immediately. Gabriel tries to stand on his left front leg, but can't do it because it still hurts.
"Okay, this is going to be a problem!" Gabriel is worried because now he realizes that the two of them won't be able to return to the Lookout so easily. Marshall looks a little worried too, but his concern doesn't last long, because the solution to their problem arrives just in time.
"Quick, Ryder! This is the place!" A voice shouts.
The two pups turn to look towards Main Avenue, and the two of them see Rocky appear, and behind him come Chase, Margareth, and Ryder. The three of them look worried, especially Ryder, he quickly approaches with his two pups. "Gabriel! Marshall! Are you two okay?"
"We're fine Ryder," Marshall quickly responds, trying to smile.
"Er, yeah. We're just a little sore," Gabriel adds, trying to hide his left front leg.
"That's what I'm here to judge." Margareth approaches the two puppies with her medical supplies, ready to conduct a review.
"But…" Marshall tries to tell Ryder and Margareth that they shouldn't worry, however, the look his older sister gives him makes Marshall fall silent. Gabriel doesn't seem to want to argue, the mere fact that Margareth worries about him enough to do a medical review seems to be enough to keep him calm and quiet.
Concurrently, Rocky and Chase are checking the alley, trying to find some clues.
"It was a Doberman, most likely a bit older than Marshall. About a year or two, I'd say." Rocky is describing the dog that hurt his friends to Chase.
"I smell him, but I can't figure out where the scent goes. I'm sorry to say that this dog isn't dumb," Chase mutters.
Rocky is surprised by what he hears.
"He disguised his scent with something, the garbage, I'm pretty sure. I can't track him. Strong smells like this block my nose up, so I can't even follow the smell of garbage to find him."
"That's a big problem. But, if we can't find it, then we shouldn't waste time here anymore. We'd better get back to our friends." Rocky waits for Chase to respond. Chase narrows his eyes and gives one last sniff. Nothing. He normally never leaves a trail untracked, but Rocky is right, he nods his head, and they walk back to the injured pups.
When Chase and Rocky return, they see that Margareth has already given Marshall and Gabriel medical attention. As he gets closer, Chase can't help but be surprised by the bandages that cover Marshall.
"Marshall!"
Chase's scream doesn't surprise the others very much; After all, Chase and Marshall have always been very close, and seeing him bandaged worries him a bit. Margareth just rolls her eyes. Marshall knows that he doesn't have too many bandages on.
"Marshall and Gabriel only have a few hits, but they are not serious. Chase, Rocky, help Margareth bring those two in her ambulance." Chase nods at Ryder's instruction, and they help Gabriel and Marshall get into the ambulance. After that, you could see a shadow watching them while wiping a few tears. "Thank you, Gabriel," He said to himself and left.
Everyone returns to the Lookout tower. When arriving, the pups rush to their friends, worried.
"Marshall! Gabriel! Are you two okay?" Rubble asks immediately.
"What happened to them?" Zuma seems a little nervous, he has never liked to see his friends hurt.
"Are you guys, okay?" Skye looks at her friends, but seeing that the two of them walk calmly, Skye just smiles in relief.
The pups heard a loud beep, and then Ryder took out his Pup Pad. "Hey, Farmer Al."
"Ryder, I need your help. My tractor ain't comin' on and I need to till the soil to start planting'," Farmer AI said with concern.
"Don't worry, Famer Al. No job is too big, no pup is too small! Paw Patrol, to the Lookout!" Ryder said, pressing the large button on the pad.
"Ryder needs us!" the pups shouted in unison.
The pups and Ryder ran off, though Margareth dragged Marshall away to check out his injuries, a bit more, sparing the team from a tumble as they lined up in the elevator.
"This is strange," Chase commented.
"I'll take his place!" Marcus offered.
Before anyone could figure out what he meant, Marcus ran out of the elevator. He turned and sped back in, purposefully plowing over the pup line.
"Um… thanks?" Rubble said in confusion.
"Anytime." Marcus sat down, looking proud.
At that moment, Marshall and Margareth appear at the door of the Elevator and both seem confused to see all the pups on the ground.
"What happened here?" Margareth can only look at the other puppies from one side to the other.
"Marcus took Marshall's place…" Rubble's answer leaves Margareth even more confused, while Marshall only chuckles, imagining what happened.
The elevator rises, and the pups suit up and get in line. Once the elevator reaches the top, the pups leap to their spots.
"Paw Patrol, ready for action, Ryder, sir!" Chase says.
"Sorry to interrupt your free time, but Farmer Al's tractor isn't working and he has to start planting," Ryder said. He swipes his finger across the screen. It moves through the icons of pups. "Gabriel, I need you and your repair skills to fix Farmer Al's tractor."
"A machine for me to fix!" Gabriel yips happily.
"Rocky, I need you and your recyclables, in case Gabriel needs help or spare parts," Ryder added.
"Green means go!" Rocky says with a smile.
"Alright, Paw Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder says, running to his pole while Gabriel and Rocky go to the dog slide.
The Paw Patrol arrives at the farm, where Farmer Al was waiting.
"It's good to see the Paw Patrol, My tractor don't seem to want to light, and I really need to start plowin' the farm's field," Al explains. He looks over at Gabriel. "Who's this new pup? I haven't seen him on the Paw Patrol before."
"This new friend is Gabriel, he is the new mechanic pup for the Paw Patrol he will be going to fix your tractor," Ryder says as Gabriel jumps on the tractor and opens the motor lid.
"Uhmm, let's see. Some pieces have lost their screws and fallen off and some cables snapped. Hey, what is this?" Gabriel runs a paw over the motor. "Uh, oh, the motor is rusty. That will be the trickiest thing to fix. Rocky, can you please get some screws and tighten these parts, while I oil up the motor?"
"Sure, Gabriel," Rocky says, diving into his truck for some spare screws.
An hour later, Gabriel finally closes the motor lid. He wipes his greasy paw on an equally greasy rag, oblivious to his also greasy fur.
"I've done all that I can. Now, please start your tractor," Gabriel requests politely.
Farmer Al climbs into the seat. Everyone holds their breath as he turns the key, then cheers when the tractor starts right up. "It's all fixed! Wow, I ain't never saw this tractor so smooth and powerful," Farmer AI compliments.
"I made a custom self-refurbished motor for your tractor. It shouldn't show any problems again," Gabriel says with deserved pride.
"Thanks, Gabriel, you have been a good mechanic pup. I could use a pup like you on my farm, ya know," Farmer Al invites Gabriel.
"No thanks, I am content with the Paw Patrol," Gabriel refused the offer politely.
"What good pups," Ryder says as he and the two pups head back to their vehicles. "Let's go to the clinic so you two can have a bath."
Gabriel sniffs his dirty fur and chuckles. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"Nope, nope. Count me out," Rocky says, leaping into his truck. "No water for me!"
Ryder and Gabriel laugh as Rocky speeds away toward the Lookout.
When they are about to get in their vehicles, Farmer Al stops them. "Ryder, what if y'all come to spend the night at Yumi's farm? It'll be like a small camp inside the barn. What do ya think?" he asks.
Ryder thinks for a minute; everyone needs to relax a bit. "Of course we accept! Just let me take Gabriel to have a bath, and we'll all come back at night." Farmer Al just smiles, and when Ryder and Gabriel leave, he calls his wife Yumi to tell him his idea. Yumi completely agrees. But when she hangs up, she has a special idea, so she goes out to prepare everything necessary for the night. But right at that moment, Farmer Yumi receives a call.
"Rocky? What do you need to tell me?" Farmer Yumi asked
Later that night, Ryder and the pups arrive at the farm, and upon entering the barn, they find Farmer Al preparing sandwiches for dinner, but all are surprised to see in a corner of the barn the training equipment of Sensei Yumi, prepared and ready to be used.
"I don't understand… why do you have all this prepared?" Ryder expresses his confusion when he sees the training equipment.
"Ryder, it's not training, Pup-fu can also be used as a relaxation method, similar to the human art of tai chi, and as far as I understand, all the pups need to relax. So while Al finished preparing the dinner, I prepared this equipment so that the pups could relax. So, why don't you all put on their Pup-Fu uniforms?"
When Yumi finishes her explanation, the pups cheer and run to put on their uniforms. Most of them do anyway because three puppies there remain seated. "You're not getting dressed?" Yumi smiles at that question.
"What happens is that the three of us are new members of the Paw Patrol, we don't have Pup-Fu uniforms," Marcus answers since he didn't expect an activity like this.
"Don't worry pups, I also have uniforms for the three of you. Ryder had already told me about the three of you recently, so I was ready." Farmer Yumi explains as she walks to a box. From it, she takes out three new uniforms and hands them out. The pups are immediately dressed, and they are ready to begin. Although Gabriel seems especially interested in Margareth's uniform, she looks sensational to him, he says nothing about it.
"Very good pups, how about we start with some katas? These movements will help them clear their minds and relax all their muscles. Margareth and Marcus, you two watch Rocky and Rubble first and then try to imitate their movements after a while. You'll learn better that way." Immediately, the pups begin their katas, Chase makes precise movements from right to left as if he were in combat. Rocky slides forward on his front paws. Rubble performs his precision kata, taking some gentle steps, but afterward, he gives firm kicks. Skye performs a soft and light kata, with which she demonstrates her smooth but precise movements. After a few minutes, Margareth and Marcus begin to perform the same Kata that Rubble and Rocky are performing. Gabriel seems somewhat confused, for him, the training of pup-Fu always meant something he didn't want to do but seeing the pups, he feels a strange desire to train, which never happened when he trained in front of his father. He immediately begins to perform a kata that his Sensei Burst taught him, a firm kata, but this time, he doesn't make mistakes, Gabriel really seems to enjoy pup-Fu for the first time. Yumi just smiles when she looks at him.
As Gabriel performs his movements, he observes the other puppies; he is really interested in Zuma and Marshall's katas. Marshall's movements are quite precise, and Zuma's movements are light and fluid like water. Gabriel realizes that maybe the two of them might be able to learn the same style of pup-fu that he did. Gabriel does something he would never have thought of doing. "Zuma, Marshall, do you guys want to have a light spar session?"
Marshall and Zuma are very surprised. Ryder and the other pups don't seem to understand what is happening. But Sensei Yumi just smiles, and Rocky sits next to his sensei. Marshall and Zuma are speechless, but Yumi speaks up for them.
"That sounds like a good idea, it will be a spar between the three of you." Yumi stands up, and places the special mats on the floor. "Well pups, it's just a test workout, so it'll only be two minutes, and all three will fight at the same time. Ready?... Begin!"
Listening to Sensei Yumi, the three of them start the fight, first, Zuma tries to kick Marshall's paws, but he manages to jump back, right at that moment, Gabriel jumps and tries to kick at Zuma. Zuma reacts in time and he rolls to his right, but Marshall appears next to him. Marshall manages to hold Zuma and throws him against some cushions. Zuma stands up and jumps against Gabriel, managing to kick the pup's hind legs, and Gabriel falls to the ground, surprised by Zuma's speed. Zuma tries to kick the pup more, but Gabriel holds on to Zuma's leg and he throws it to the right; unbalanced, Zuma can't help but fall into the arms of Sensei Yumi.
"Good catch Sensei Yumi!" Zuma gives Yumi a lick while she smiles.
"I think the training match is over for you for today, Zuma! Now let's see the rest of the training." Zuma just nods and he plops down next to Rocky. "You were right Rocky, Gabriel's skills are unique."
Rocky smirks. "I orchestrated your loss."
Zuma's jaw drops to the ground. "This was just a sparring session, I didn't lose. And what do you mean?"
"I knew that a fight would come up between Marshall and Gabriel sooner or later, so I called up Sensei Yumi and told her to prevent anyone from getting in the way."
"So that's why she pulled me out even though I wasn't hurt and the two minutes weren't up yet?"
"Yeah."
Gabriel runs to Marshall and tries to kick him, but Marshall just walks away. Gabriel then understands that Marshall has been avoiding him. Gabriel thinks about what Marshall told him, and he immediately sees that Marshall isn't fighting freely because he is afraid of hurting him again.
"Marshall… This is the first time that I have enjoyed pup-fu training! I know you're better, please don't hold back! Give your new best friend the best of you!"
Upon hearing Gabriel's words, Something inside Marshall breaks free, that fear of hurting him seems to have vanished. Marshall smiles enthusiastically, and he decides to give everything he has. The two puppies make gargantuan jumps and movements, their speed, power, and precision escalating as they get more into the fight, consistently trying to kick each other, but also consistently avoiding every shot. But finally, they both jump at the same time, and both kick each other right in the face, leading to them both ending up on the floor, surprising everyone.
"OK, the training is over! And I decide that this is definitely a draw!" Sensei Yumi raises the right and left front paws of Marshall and Gabriel respectively, signaling that neither won.
"Just in time Yumi! Because Dinner is ready!" Farmer Al places a delicious camping stew on the puppy's plates and also serves food for Ryder, Yumi, and him. Everyone comes over for dinner, while Yumi starts collecting all the training equipment.
"I'm glad to see Gabriel enjoyed that training… And he knows the 'Counter of the Swan' Pup-fu style. I think we could prepare a small tournament for all the pups later on." Yumi smiles as she mentally plans that future tournament so that her pupils have fun.
Gabriel eats sitting next to Marshall, They both look at each other and smile. Later, everyone sleeps in the barn, and the two new best friends sleep together, and the two sleep peacefully. After a busy day, both pups sleep with smiles on their faces; it's the first time in weeks that the two pups don't experience any nightmares.
Somewhere off in the woods
Rodrigo was hiding away in the woods, patching his wounds. "I can't believe I got beat by some lonesome pup," He snarled. he was in the open, well as open as a woods clearin can be.
he hears some bush rusling and looks at it. out of nowhere, from the other side of him, he gets uppercutted by a hooded man. his yellow hair popping out with the punch. "No one hurts Marshall," He said as Rodrigo got sent into a tree.
He looks up at him with anger. "YOU," He yelled but the man quickly ran up and punched him in the gut as he tried to get up. Rodrigo tries to get away but is headbutted by the man, which knocks him out. "No one hurts him," He tells his unconscious body.
"HUNTER!" The man flinches at the voice that yells his name. now there was another dog that stared him down. he wore a cloak that. "You have done enough," the dog said as he lifted his cloak. it was a Dalmatian. The man known as Hunter falls to his knees. two swords popped out of his cloak.
"I can't take this anymore," He said as he cried through his cloak. "Marshall safe, you couldn't have done anything better," The Dalmatian consoles him. "That's just it Nick, I am always there but can't do ANYTHING! He yells at him.
"What happened to Cookie was not your fault, there was nothing you could do better," Nicholas tells him with a few tears. they stood there together for a few more minutes.
"Thank you for protecting my son, I wish I could have been there myself..."