Disclaimer: So... I think the latest review I got is really funny. Like, someone just posted a review criticizing the arc for having Zuma be 'out of character', and I'm like... yeah, this dude wasn't paying attention. Buddy, it's called situational adaption. Zuma's obviously going through a lot of hell now that Melody's been captured. You tell me if you'd be the same person during that time. But anyway, enough roasting funny reviews. It's time to let the chapter commence!

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Melody Rescue arc Episode Four: From Bully to Gang Member

Wave and the others had just arrived at the Coastal Current dock. Wave, Marshall, and Snow stepped out first as Wave comforted Marshall. "Zuma's going through a lot right now Marshall. I'm sure he wasn't trying to hurt you with that call."

"I know. It's just that he made some really good points." Marshall responded, knowing that Zuma wasn't lying with what he said. "You've been protecting me at so many points since we met the Paw Patrol." Marshall grabbed his arm as Wave and Snow noticed his concerns coming out. "It's MY job to protect you."

Snow made an effort to help by recalling a moment Marshall DID protect Wave. "What about when Wave fought Miranda in Adventure Bay? You busted your butt to make sure she was safe."

That did help a little, but Marshall didn't have a lot of time to let it sink in. Charm found something quickly and notified them. "Guys! I found something!" The others came over to Charm, who was near Nigel's spilled blood. "Guess the janitor was off today." Charm wiped a paw finger over the blood and sniffed it. Surely enough, the blood wasn't from too long ago. "Two hours ago. Most likely from Bloodfreak's gang."

"Any way you can tell for sure?" Claw asked, and he seemed concerned when he met Charm's gaze. "It's just that... none of us can really scan blood. This might have been CAUSED by Bloodfreak's gang." Claw tried to think of a way to make this work. "Rocky was always the gadget dog, and while Ryder's as smart as him, it would still take him some time to invent something..."

Snow used her powers to create something that could scan the blood. "I've got a little something in mind." Snow walked over to Claw and Charm before she started scanning the blood. "This baby can scan the blood of any creature, and give us whatever info we want. That includes their alignment."

Claw wished he'd thought of that himself. "That's brilliant. Well done Snow."

"Thanks Claw." Snow finished scanning the blood, and identified Nigel. But it didn't have enough information to determine whether or not he was from Bloodfreak's gang. Instead, it gave a trail to his body. The location caught Snow off guard a bit. "The cemetery? I think I know what our answer is."

Wave and the others started heading over there just to be safe. Wave's attention was caught on one detail in particular. "It said this Nigel guy was a delivery member." Wave couldn't help but have her concerns over Zuma killing Nigel. "I know Zuma only did it in self defense. But they were both still in town. He could've knocked him out and turned him in."

Snow saw Wave's point, especially since no major battles broke out yet. Still, they didn't have the exact context, which she reminded Wave of. "We don't have all the pieces of the puzzle Wave. Zuma could've been put in a tougher spot."

"Yeah, you're right." Wave replied, knowing it was at least a possibility. "I just hope this mission doesn't make Zuma lose his mind. I could tell he was in a dark place when he left." Snow saw what Wave meant. Zuma usually never pushed away his friends. It was clear how badly this situation was affecting his mental state.

Claw and Marshall were standing by the gate at the cemetery as Wave, Snow, and Charm used the blood scanning device on Nigel's grave. Marshall looked at Claw when something came to mind. "Hey Claw?"

"Yeah Marshall?" Claw asked, noticing that Marshall was still down after his call with Zuma.

Marshall wasn't sure how to ask this, since he knew Claw's situation was different from his and Wave's. He decided to just be direct with it. "How good were you at protecting Sweetie back in Barkingburg?"

Claw couldn't help but give a light laugh at the sudden question. "Never thought I'd hear someone ask me that today." Claw started to look back on when he and Sweetie lived under the same roof. "Sweetie and I fought a lot more often than we tried to protect each other. But we would also get into dangerous situations sometimes." He smiled when he looked back on those moments fondly. He even flashed back to when he carried Sweetie while running from a bull. "That's when my chivalry shined. Caiohme saw it in me a lot more than we did."

The flashback ended when Marshall smiled from that story. "I'm sure Sweetie appreciates that." However, his smile dropped when he asked Claw his big question. "At least... well... did you have to protect her more?"

"Yes, as a knight in shining armor should." Claw joked. "Still, Sweetie and I looked out for each other more as time went on. More than I ever thought we would."

"That's good. Sibling love should always be equal." Marshall said, but he was still worried about how equal that was. "I just... don't know if that's how Wave and I are. I think she's helped me more often than I've helped her."

Claw took notice to Marshall's concern right there. Before he could respond to it, Snow returned to them with the others. "Sorry that took as long as it did. Turns out, scanning bodies six feet under is hard work."

Snow showed Marshall and Claw the status, which is when Claw decided to make his first command. "Then there must be more in the city. We should split up."

Ryder figured he should be the one to leave the village first. Since he was the leader, he needed to be the one to risk confronting the greater danger. "I'll head into the forest to see if any of Bloodfreak's soldiers are planning anything. The rest of you should search the town for now."

"U-understood Ryder." Claw said, and Ryder rubbed his head before heading off due to sensing his uncertainty. Claw left the cemetery with the others as he assigned everyone their places to search. "I'll head down the path to the orphanage. Wave, Snow, you two should search by the forest. Charm, you might be able to find something by the houses. Marshall, you ask around and see if anyone saw anything that might help us."

"We're on it!" The others said in sync, and Claw set off to find any Bloodfreak gang members he could. He wasn't sure if he made the right calls. But he knew they would cover more ground if they split up. He had to hope he didn't put them in danger of a one on one fight with Bloodfreak himself.

Rocky and Zuma were still making their way to the location given to them by Bloodfreak. They still had a ways to go, but they continued to run through the forest. They made sure not to go at full speed to conserve their energy. On the way there, Rocky started talking about ways they could prepare for the battle. "Zuma. I think it would be smart to strategize in case we're facing more than one opponent."

"I agwee." Zuma said immediately, knowing it would be dangerous to go into battle without any idea on what to do.

Rocky started sharing some ideas he had with Zuma. "Obviously, looking at someone's build can say a lot about one's fighting style. But we should also be prepared for a juxtaposition. And perhaps if more than one Canine were to participate in the battle, we should cooperate in tag team formation to-"

"No." Zuma interrupted, immediately shutting down the tag teaming part. Rocky looked at him in confusion before he explained why. "That Nigel dude didn't have enough time to contact Bloodfweak. As faw as they know, you didn't come with me."

Rocky saw Zuma's point, but didn't see why it meant he had to leave him out of the battle. "What if he's expecting a subversion of expectations? He has to know we're a rescue team."

"If he's expecting a team, then that's mowe weason I should fight alone." Zuma insisted, not wanting Rocky to get hurt while fighting Bloodfreak's gang. "We can find a way for you to help depending on what happens."

"Like, if I can use one of the gadgets I brought to help?" Rocky asked.

"Exactly." Zuma answered, looking to Zuma with a determined expression. "Let me know which ones you brought along the way." Rocky nodded, even though he noticed Zuma didn't smile. While it was uncharacteristic for him, Rocky interpreted it as Zuma being super focused on saving Melody.

Rocky got started on telling Zuma about his inventions. "The first one's less practical, but it fits your admiration for music."

Claw was heading in the direction of the Coastal Current orphanage. He looked around as he ran towards it and started to feel nostalgic. It was run down, but he could still see an image of what it used to be. When he saw it, he couldn't help but look back on when he and Zuma lived there. "Wow. To think Zuma and I met here thirteen years ago." He walked up to the gate when his Pup-Watch showed a Bloodfreak marker. Ryder connected his scanner to the Pup-Watches to improve the search. "It's only one soldier, but it's a good enough start."

Once Claw closed the gate, he looked at the entrance again. He was shocked when he recognized the Rottweiler standing there. That wasn't a face Claw was ever expecting to see again. It was none other than his and Zuma's orphanage bully, Marley! Claw looked back at his watch just to be sure. And undoubtedly, the scanner picked him up as the soldier at the orphanage. Claw obviously didn't have fond memories of him. But regardless of the situation, he wasn't about to start a fight in town.

Claw walked over to Marley, who looked up from his phone. He felt a familiar aura with Claw when he saw him. He also noticed the Paw Patrol logo on his pup-suit. Just to make sure, he approached Claw without getting violent. "Do I recognize you?"

"Depends. Does the name 'Claw Rakusen' ring a bell?" Claw's question gave Marley some serious deja vu. He still remembered the days he used to mess with Claw and Zuma. And the fact that Claw was the Paw Patrol member he'd get to fight first? Even better. Claw tried to get down to business. "We're here for-"

"Slow down there Claw." Marley interrupted, chuckling a bit before recalling one particular moment. "Don't you want to reminisce a little?"

Claw was not in the mood to 'reminisce' with Marley. He got the idea that he was just pretending. Not that they had pleasant memories to begin with. "I don't have time to waste Marley. I'm sure you know why my team came here."

"And maybe taking a trip down memory lane will help you find her." Marley suggested, tempting Claw quite a bit. Could Marley be willing to let Claw use him? He had to find out for sure. "Just name one of your happiest memories with me. Then maybe, I can be persuaded."

Claw looked back on his orphanage days, and recalled one moment that made him snicker. "There was that time Zuma and I pranked you with the toy box." Claw flashed back to a day when Marley was pushing a kid into the wall before seeing Claw by the toy box. He was rummaging through it, and his butt was pointed in Marley's direction. Marley got an idea and gave a devious grin as he went over to him. "One of the first pranks we ever did together." Marley got behind Claw and cupped his paws in kancho style. But when he went in for the kill...

PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

...a loud and bassy fart erupted from Claw's vibrating butt. The green clouded fart of spoiled meat threw Marley off and made him back up, covering his nose in disgust. He was coughing and gagging as Claw and Zuma were heard laughing. Zuma came out from behind the toy box as Claw expressed his delight over that prank. "I'm so glad you took the bait."

The flashback ended with Claw laughing as Marley rolled his eyes. He put on a smile before sharing his favorite moment with Claw and Zuma. "I'd say MY favorite memory was when I tied you to your beds." This was early in Zuma and Claw's time at the orphanage, as the flashback showed. Marley was laughing while holding the tape in front of them both. "You two were totally helpless!" Claw and Zuma tried to squirm out, but to no avail. The flashback ended with Marley stating the 'disappointing' end. "Too bad the caretaker came along and got you out."

Claw got right back to business after that. "Okay. We had our moment of reminiscing. Now can you please give me some information about where Melody is?"

Marley placed a paw on Claw's shoulder, which made Claw uncomfortable. "Slow down there Claw. I thought you'd like reminiscing with your old friend." Marley finished with a chuckle.

That's when Claw knew for sure Marley was stalling. He moved his paw when persisting. "We were never friends." Marley could tell Claw was starting to get annoyed. "I'll ask again. Where's Melody being held captive?"

Marley wasn't about to give that information away so easily. Even if he wanted to betray Bloodfreak, he was itching to fight a Paw Patrol member. And next to Zuma, Claw was his top pick. Claw quickly noticed his grin turn into a battle hungry one. "Did you really think I'd just tell you?" Claw braced himself as Marley explained his intentions. "When I found out Zuma used to be in Bloodfreak's gang, I joined in the hopes I'd get to fight him again, and prove I'm better than him. And when I found out he was in the Paw Patrol? Ha! Even better."

Claw clenched his fists, his anger rising upon learning why Marley joined Bloodfreak's gang. Marley failed to see this as he shared another fact. "Honestly though? I'm happy to get to fight any of you."

Claw glared at Marley while trying to contain himself. "So... you joined Zuma's former gang, and helped them capture his sister... just to flex on Zuma!?"

"It was more of a waiting game. I just went along with Bloodfreak's plan." Marley explained. What he said next threw Claw over the edge. "But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a good one. Now we get to hurt Zuma's little sister in the same mission I get to-"

Claw punched Marley in the gut, causing him to cough before grabbing Claw. He glared in the Rottweiler's eyes when making one thing clear. "I'll break one bone for every time you hurt her!"

"My bones won't be the ones cracking." Marley shot back upon grabbing Claw's arm. He threw Claw through the door to the orphanage, causing him to tumble before regaining his balance. Good thing the path was in between the rusted up dining tables. Marley stepped into the orphanage, refusing to wait any longer for his fight. "I'm not the only one wasting time Claw. I've been waiting too long to best Zuma." He pointed to Claw, declaring the start of their battle. "And it looks like you'll be my warm up."

Claw knew he wasn't gonna get out of this easily. He dusted himself off before getting ready to scrap. Then, he'd get back to leading the mission. "Very well. But I won't let this drag out. I have a mission to lead."

Claw and Marley charged at each other before entering paw to paw combat. They started aiming punches and kicks at each other while blocking and deflecting the ones thrown at them. Claw managed to land the first strike by punching Marley's face. Marley blocked the kick from Claw that sent him back. He skidded over to the entrance with Claw charging at him again to aim another punch. Marley dodged this punch before Claw aimed a spin kick at him, which Marley caught. He then kicked Claw back and caused him to land on one of the tables.

Claw regained his balance on the table with Marley jumping up after him. He and Claw continued colliding strikes before Marley deflected Claw's punch and kicked him off of the table. Once Claw fell to the ground, he grabbed a chair and threw it at Marley. Marley dodged the chair and lunged at Claw, who rolled to dodge his dive stomp. He got back up and aimed a punch at Marley, which was dodged. Marley kneed Claw in the gut before kicking him over another table.

Claw rolled over the table before falling, regaining his balance and getting underneath the table to escape Marley. Marley crawled under the table to chase after Claw, who came out from the other end and jumped onto it. Marley came out from the other end to chase after him again. But Claw gave a confident grin when Marley came up. He raised his paw and pounded the edge of the table, causing it to strike Marley in the chin and send him upward. Claw also broke the table legs on his side, so when Marley rose, he ran up the table ramp to him.

Marley was so stunned from the table strike that he couldn't prepare for Claw's next attack. Claw ground pounded him into another table, causing him to crash through it since it was made of wood. Marley took a second to recover from the impact of that crash. The dust made him cough though. "At least I didn't get a splinter." Upon landing, Claw picked up a chair and jumped up to smash Marley, who emerged from the now broken table. He grabbed the chair and threw it across the room, throwing Claw with it.

When Claw skidded on the ground and threw the chair, Marley dodged it before reaching him. They collided a punch before Marley kicked him up and then kicked him towards the wall. Marley sent Claw through the wall, causing him to crash through the wall and enter the kitchen. Claw rolled into the oven and hit his head, rubbing it as he recovered. When he saw Marley charging at him, he moved his head to the side. Marley punched the oven, denting it upon impact. Claw kicked Marley's shin and spin kicked him to the side of the room.

Marley opened up a door that held the pots and pans. He charged at Claw to hit him with a pan, but he slipped past him and went to grab one himself. When the two started clashing with their pans, they entered a struggle. "Spill it Claw. You said you had a mission to lead." Claw saw where Marley was going with this. He intentionally lost the struggle to stumble back and move towards the counter. Once he jumped off it to dodge Marley's strike, Marley asked the question. "What did you mean by that?"

Claw turned to face Marley, who charged at him again as they started colliding pan strikes again. "Ryder assigned me as the leader for this mission." Marley only made it halfway through Claw's explanation before snorting. "He felt my knowledge of this town would be helpful."

Marley started laughing, which started to upset Claw. Claw dodged the pan strike from Marley and tried to counter him, only for Marley to kick him back. "He trusted YOU to lead this mission? After you flopped in Barkingburg?" Marley struck a nerve in Claw with that one. He really tried his best to be a good knight back then. He wasn't having it with Marley making fun of how it ended for him. "That's right, I know what happened there. How do you expect to be an effective leader when you can't even be a good lackey?"

Claw charged at Marley, who prepared himself as Claw smashed his pan against Marley's. This broke both of them with Claw grabbing Marley and throwing him over the counter in the middle of the kitchen. This caused him to slide over to the door as Claw jumped over to the door. Marley went behind the door and held onto the handle, attempting to hit Claw with it. But he put his paws up just in time and came around the door. He pinned Marley to the wall, but he grabbed and held his fist when he tried to punch him. "Don't act like I haven't grown up since those times!"

Claw flashed back to three key moments in his life: Him helping Charm steal the Dragon's Tooth, Charm revealing his Jake's Mountain base to him, and him helping the Paw Patrol take down said base after he was saved. "Even after I worked with the pup who was their worst enemy at the time... they still forgave me, and gave me a chance to improve." The flashbacks ended with Claw declaring his loyalty. "They trusted me to lead this mission as well! And if they trust me, then I'll make sure I don't let them down!"

Marley smirked, kneeing Claw in the gut before headbutting him. He then punched him before kicking him back hard enough to make him roll for a bit. Claw skidded and stared Marley down as he asked him one vital question. "So you aren't the same immature, dishonorable juxtaposition of what a knight should be?" Claw froze for a bit when Marley said that. Marley knew how hypocritical it was coming from him. He just wanted to mess with Claw. This showed in his smirk before he charged at him again. "Yeah; see, I kinda thought that truth would hurt."

Marley dashed at Claw, who was caught off guard so badly by the question, that it allowed Marley to roundhouse kick him in the direction of the stairs. Claw crashed through three staircase poles before hitting his head on one of the stairs. Marley charged at him with Claw recovering just in time to grab his foot before he could stomp on him. Claw pushed Marley off and caused him to tumble down the stairs. That was when Claw got up and kicked another staircase pole.

Marley grabbed one of the poles that broke off on the way to Claw, and once again, the two started clashing with them as if they were using swords. They ascended up the stairs while doing this, and during the ascent, Claw deflected one of Marley's strikes and successfully landed a spin strike on his side. This sent him into the wall, but he ducked right before Claw could pin him there again. When Claw tried to strike him with a downward slash, Marley blocked it and started pushing Claw upward. When Claw looked back, he realized where they were going.

The area upstairs was the sleeping area, which had four rooms for the children. Once Claw and Marley realized this, they both instantly attempted to take action. This allowed Claw to grab his chest and roll backwards to throw him. Marley regained his balance and charged at Claw, who went back into a fighting stance. They both got their poles ready, but Marley swung so hard that he knocked Claw's pole into the air. This allowed Marley to spin kick Claw into one of the rooms, where he regained his balance.

As soon as Claw flipped back onto his hind paws, he felt a wave of nostalgia. It only took him a second to learn that this was where he, Zuma, and Marley used to sleep. He'd almost forgotten who he was fighting because the difference in stakes was so dire. But he was still prepared when Marley charged into the room. Claw braced himself for Marley, dodging his pole strikes the best he could and even blocking some. While the blocks hurt his arms, he still bared through the pain to continue fighting. He grabbed one of the poles for extra measure.

Claw pulled Marley in and trapped him inside his shield barrier. With Marley stuck in his domain, Claw kicked him into the edge. Marley's size was making it harder to move. But that didn't mean he was done yet. Even after Claw punched him across the face and threw him to the ground, he was still fighting. He aimed a powerful pole strike at Claw's knee, making him wince as he fell to the ground. Marley then kicked Claw so hard into the barrier that it ended up deactivating from him losing focus.

Marley kicked Claw towards the wall and caused him to land on a bed. He then charged at Claw, who dodged his strike and lunged over to a pillow. He threw it at Marley before going underneath him and jumping up to grab a pole to the top bunk's metal layer. He jumped up to the bed and then onto the roof. Once he was there, he jumped off the roof and kicked down on the bed as hard as he could. Marley jumped out of the way just in time as Claw attempted to crush the bed on him! When Claw realized this didn't, he charged at Marley again.

Claw grabbed both poles when Marley attempted a double strike attack on him. The two collided kicks as Claw attempted to carry Marley over him and throw him towards the wall. However, Marley showed Claw that it was a mistake to copy his previously done moves. He regained his balance and pinned Claw against the wall, hitting him with one of the poles five times in the head. He then started pushing one of the poles against his neck, which Claw held up to avoid getting choked to death.

Marley liked Claw's tenacity, but he knew he couldn't spend too much longer in the battle. He attempted to dig into Claw's confidence by once again, reminding him of how much of a 'failure' he was. "Your friends trust you, huh? Ha! I'd hate to be them when they realized you let them down!" Claw tried to hold in his tears, knowing it would be bad for him to cry in front of Marley. But filling him with these deeper thoughts heightened his deeper concerns about leading the team through this mission. "If I were you, I would've turned down the offer!"

Marley continued to dig into Claw, who tried to hold it together. "You're as pathetic as you were when you first arrived here, and couldn't get over your parents being killed in that accident. All you could get from everyone now is pity! Zuma gave you pity, Sweetie and Caiohme gave you pity, and so did the Paw Patrol, and that Golden Retriever you got tricked by!" Claw shed a tear, showing Marley that he was doing his job. "You're a terrible knight, and an even worse leader! You unchivalrous time bomb!"

Claw couldn't help thinking to himself about what Marley just said. Were his words true? Was he truly only ever given pity? It couldn't have been. He couldn't have been given friends, a girlfriend, or two homes with a wonderful family, if he didn't earn it. 'He's right. I shouldn't have been leading this mission. I'm not like Chase. I can't just become a good leader overnight. I should never have-' Claw suddenly remembered what he and the others were talking about yesterday. 'Wait a minute.' Specifically, the talk about who he was. 'They wouldn't have...'

Claw flashed back to the last part of that conversation. Specifically, when he asked Wave, Snow, and Marshall about whether or not he could grow up.

"Do you think I'll become... more regal, when I'm older?"

Wave, Marshall, and Snow all looked at each other with uncertainty. They couldn't doubt, or be sure, that it would happen. Still, they wanted to support Claw, which Marshall started off. "We can't say for sure. But we'll still love you Claw. Regal or not."

Wave had some advice for Claw that might help him. "Just think about what you want the most for yourself. That can help you grow, and learn more about yourself more naturally." Wave pointed to the daisy in her ear as a reminder of her biggest life change. "Like it did for me."

"And you DO have one quality of a knight." Snow said, pointing this out to help Claw see it. "You have a heart that drives to protect." Claw was touched when Snow pointed that out. Even more so when she stated the moment he showed that to her. "At least... that's what I saw when you helped us on Jake's Mountain." While Claw wasn't the biggest fan of WHY he ended up with the Paw Patrol, he couldn't be happier that he became a member. To him, they really were the perfect Canine family.

Claw continued to hold Marley's pole over his neck as he reflected on those words. 'They wouldn't have said that if they didn't think it was possible.'

Claw's next flashback was much shorter, showing Ryder making him the offer to lead the mission. "In that case, how would you like to be this mission's leading dog?"

The flashback ended with Claw realizing how Ryder felt about him then. 'Ryder wouldn't have given me that choice... if he didn't think I was capable.'

The next flashback showed Wave sticking up for Claw, back before she knew she was Trans and still used her birth name. "I don't think Claw's a bad pup. If he was, he would've come after me, right?" The perspective before was the perspective of the pups. This time, it was Claw's teary eyes of gratitude. "Please. At least give him a chance. Snow and Everest already believe me."

Claw started to gain more strength as he pushed back against the pole, almost enough to overpower Marley. 'When Wave stood up for me. She believed in me."

The last flashback showed when Zuma was departing from the orphanage. He was giving some parting words to Claw before leaving. "I don't know if I'll find the wight family Claw. But I know I won't find it hewe. I have to find it on my own." He looked back at Claw, who looked sad to see Zuma running away. "If I find them... I'll do evewything I can to show them I cawe."

That's what pushed Claw to overpower Marley, who was stunned by this sudden burst of strength. "What the heck!?"

"I'm done hearing such hollow words!" Claw continued to push Marley back. Step by step, he was taking control of the fight. "My friends have shown me love and respect since I started showing them I care. And I want to pay them back. If leading this mission will do that, then I'll do it. If leading them through a war is how I'll show it, then I'll do that too! I may not have this leadership figured out, but I DO have one crucial element: Commitment to my alignment. And my alignment... is with..." Claw glared at Marley upon finishing his cry. "THE PAW PATROL!"

Marley attempted to kick Claw, who blocked it before lunging at him with a powerful elbow to the gut. This was so strong that it caused Marley to let go of the pole he used to try and choke Claw. The Doberman took the pole and smacked the Rottweiler over the head. He decided to play with his words again upon surrounding them in his barrier. "You were right about one thing Marley." Claw smirked when getting ready for his next trick. "I'm not chivalrous." Claw pointed his butt at Marley and ripped...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP

...a loud and bassy ten second fart, stunning Marley with the yellow cloud of rotten eggs that erupted from his vibrating butt. As Marley's eyes watered, Claw took the shield down and kicked him across the face. He was finally taking full control of the fight. And he wouldn't have done it with anything else. The Paw Patrol told him to grow in the ways he wanted to after all. And he was more than happy to continue being himself, even if he was childish sometimes. So what if he didn't have a knight's attitude? It's like Snow said. He still had the heart.

Claw kicked Marley across the room, causing him to roll over to the window. He opened it up to relieve the fart smell before charging at Claw. Claw slid towards Marley, who aimed a kick at Claw, only to be tripped when he grabbed his other hind paw. This caused Marley to trip before Claw threw him over his body. Marley attempted to stomp on Claw after jumping back up, but Claw rolled backwards and charged at him. Marley quickly noticed that he was sending him towards the window. "Oh crap!"

Claw and Marley not only went out of the window, but they also charged at the wall below it so hard that they broke it! Claw held onto Marley after punching him hard enough to make him unable to pull off a reversal. The stun lasted long enough to end with Marley landing on the ground below. He and Claw both got damaged badly from the fall. Marley especially, since his back directly hit the ground. While Claw had been through more harrowing situations before, it still left him in disbelief to fall from that height; even as the one who caused it.

Marley was unable to move; not because he was incapable of walking anymore, but because he was so exhausted after the fall that he couldn't muster the energy to get up. This started to scare him, since he usually had someone there to help him when he got this badly wounded. "I... I can't move!" Marley had no idea what to do. It's not like he could do anything on his own. Luckily, Claw didn't have it in him to just leave him there. Even if he thought he deserved that, which he didn't, even after his cruel words.

Claw got up with all of his might, being almost as exhausted as Marley. Getting smashed through two walls, three stair poles, and a door just before rapidly descending from the second story of a building will do that. He let Marley know he wasn't leaving him there. "I'll get help." Regardless of Marley's alignment, Claw wasn't dismissing his wounds. He started limping towards the orphanage gate due to a fractured knee bone. He was able to ignore it before thanks to the adrenaline from the fight. But now that it was over, he had much less energy to push past it.

By the time Claw reached the gate, he was so exhausted that he lost his balance and caught himself on the gate. A good samaritian tiger rushed over to check on him. "Are you okay!?"

"I'll be okay. Just need to rest." Claw pointed in the direction of Marshall. "One of my friends is a medic. Call the town medics first just in case." The tiger nodded and rushed to the back upon Claw's command. That was when Claw smiled before falling to the ground. He started lying on his back before breathing heavily. In terms of paw to paw combat, that was the biggest fight he'd had in his life. He knew he'd have to talk to the cops here about what happened. But he was still happy. Because he proved what Snow told him the day before.

He had the heart of a knight.

To be continued

Rock music started playing as Wave started talking about what was going to happen with specific moments from the next chapter being shown. "I wouldn't have minded carrying Claw, but I agree with his call. He has to rest up for now. We won't let you down Claw! With Ryder staying behind to look after Claw, it's up to the rest of us to find Rocky and Zuma. What Zuma said to me is still ringing in my head. Can I really help him without knowing his fear? Maybe that thing I suddenly found out I can do could help. Somehow."

Wave finished the announcement with the words Paw Patrol in all blue with red outlines surrounded with a white border with Wave on the right, and Marshall on the left. "Next time, Help From Every Angle!" The first shot showed Zuma running on a rock wall to escape projectile attacks from his enemy. The second showed Wave practicing her new move as Marshall and Snow find her. "We'll be right there to save you Melody. I might have to get through to your big brother first though."