Disclaimer: No questions about it; Zuma's not playing around with Bloodfreak. And if the last chapter is anything to go by, things are about to get intense from both sides of the coin. Just wait until Wave and the others learn about what Zuma did to Tom and Jerry. That's what we're gonna see right now!

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Melody Rescue arc Episode Six: Blades Vs Claws

Continuing from where the previous chapter left off, Zuma had just told Bloodfreak that he killed Tom and Jerry. Bloodfreak pounded his paw on the table in anguish and anger. Two more friends' lives taken in the same week as Nigel's. Zuma didn't waste any time in telling him what he wanted. "I won't say it again Bloodfweak. I don't have any intewest in wejoining the gang. I'm saving Melody, and that's it."

Bloodfreak was even less convinced now that he could get Zuma to join. But he was too blinded by his desires to shake the idea off. He feigned a smile, even though Zuma couldn't see it. He simply wanted to add to the facade. "Okay Zuma. You win."

Zuma caught onto Bloodfreak's bluff in an instant. He was never this quick to go back on his word. He had to be planning something. Just in case, he let him talk. "If you'we sewious, then tell us whewe to go."

"Of course! I'll send you the location on the map." Bloodfreak assured Zuma, pulling out the map with a green marker. The last one was red. "Don't worry. It won't be a trap this time. Just someone to guide you to our base." Bloodfreak remembered something else and addressed it quickly. "By the way. You came alone, right?"

Zuma looked back at Rocky before giving his response. "Yeah. I did." He wasn't about to let Bloodfreak target Rocky.

Bloodfreak was glad to hear that. It made his job a whole lot easier. Or it would if Zuma was telling the truth. Nevertheless, Bloodfreak mapped out the location. His paw was shown to be over two photos, covering the members in them. "That's good. This one prefers to talk one on one for these things."

"Just show me the location dude!" Zuma demanded harshly. "You'd bettew know what's good for you." Zuma hung up and waited for Bloodfreak to send him the location. Rocky walked up to him, and they looked at the photo together. It was in a spot on the opposite side of the island; not quite as close to the ocean, but still pretty close.

Zuma put his phone away as Rocky questioned Zuma's logic. "We're listening to Bloodfreak again?"

"What choice do we have?" Zuma asked irritably. "The only pawt of the island I have memowized is Coastal Cuwwent itself; and Bloodfweak obviously wasn't dumb enough to set his base up thewe. I'm not gonna wisk Melody's safety by wunning awound like a headless chicken."

"It wouldn't be a headless chicken. More like a traveler in need of help." Rocky corrected before putting his paws on Zuma's shoulders. "If this guy's gonna try to kill you like those landseers tried to, we need a better defense. We got lucky since the situation was perfect for your newfound abilities. This one could be even deadlier."

Zuma moved Rocky's paws and walked past him, his intentions made clear. "Then I will be too."

Rocky walked behind Zuma, not wanting him to get hurt. "Bloodfreak knows you killed three of his guys Zuma. He's not just gonna let this be a casual talk." Zuma clenched his fists as he thought about Bloodfreak. "We can't let him outsmart us."

"I won't let that happen!" Zuma shouted angrily, startling Rocky, who took a step back. "I'm saving Melody no mattew what!"

Rocky composed himself, hoping he could calm Zuma down. He made sure to be calm when addressing the boundary Zuma crossed. "Zoomy. You know I don't like being yelled at." Zuma gained a brief look of realization before going back to his coldness towards Bloodfreak. He still wanted to save Melody, but not at the cost of his relationship with Rocky. "All I'm saying is that we'll have to be smarter this time. Bloodfreak's gonna grow in ruthlessness as much as you are. We have to be ready to adapt."

Zuma looked at Rocky with slightly kinder eyes, just to show him that he understood. "I know. We will be." Zuma turned around, refusing to let a single beat be missed. "We can discuss stwategy on the way thewe." Zuma untucked his locket, showing Rocky once again that he refused to let it get damaged. "Don't fall behind." Zuma took off with Rocky moving right behind him. Rocky looked back at the graves of Tom and Jerry for a brief second. When he looked forward again, his face was full of worry. Worry that Zuma would lose himself because of his desperation.

About an hour after Rocky and Zuma departed, Wave and the others were nearing the scene. The two deceased body markers on the device gave Wave, Marshall, and Snow chills. Charm was the first to question their need to do this, knowing Rocky and Zuma's strength. "I think we all know how strong those two are. These dead bodies might just be Zuma's victims."

The use of the word 'victims' brought another small chill down Wave's spine. She knew killing wouldn't be avoided here, but to think anyone's fate would be that bad hit her hard. She shook her head, explaining her perspective to Charm. "I hear you Charm. But if we go after the moving targets now, and it turns out Rocky and Zuma WERE the ones who got killed, we're just giving them more time to rot. We can't risk that. Not while we don't even know if Bloodfreak's gang buries its' opponents." Wave sighed just before finishing. "I'd like to believe they do."

Wave and the others arrived at the graves, relieving Wave as Marshall backed up her concerns. "Looks like you can rest easy Wave." Marshall then realized his bad choice of words. "Um... no pun intended."

Snow rolled her eyes as she took out her device. She started scanning the bodies, and what she saw shocked her. "Holy crap! Their hearts exploded!"

Wave and Marshall could feel the pain from that one. Wave looked at the device after running up to Snow. "They exploded!? Like, they took too much pressure and blew up like a bomb!?"

"That's the only thing that makes sense!" Snow responded, taking notice to more specifics on what happened. What she and Wave saw horrified them. It also scared Marshall, and left Charm experiencing deja vu from his past. "It says here that Zuma did fight these two. And the battle ended when Zuma blindsided them with a device Rocky made. One that attaches lines to them, and whatever the user touches after activated. And the line connected to their hearts was..."

"Oh God!" Wave let slip, left in shock that someone like Zuma would ever be that brutal. This made her even more concerned about her chances of helping Zuma. But at the same time, it enhanced her determination to do so. She clenched her fist, refusing to let her friend lose himself. "We have to find Zuma!"

That was when the timer on Marshall's Pup-Phone beeped. He looked at it, and read that it said 10:30. He turned it off before giving his advice to Wave. "I'm sorry to say this Wave. We'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"I hate to leave Bloodfreak's blood unspilled, but Marshall's right." Charm added, knowing how important sleep was. "We can't slash through Bloodfreak's gang if we're tired."

"You WOULD have that at the top of your list." Snow snarked with a smug grin, and Charm too his knife out with a confident grin to prove it. Nothing could stop him from playing around with his weapons.

Wave hated to admit it, but Marshall was right. The last thing any of them needed was to be sleep deprived. And Claw was still back in Coastal Current. The least they could do is give him time to catch up. If that were possible anyway. "You're right Marshall." She smiled when she realized a positive to this. "Once we're energized, we'll be as ready as can be to go find Zuma!"

"That's the spirit!" Snow chimed in, kissing Wave's cheek before they headed off to set up camp. "And knowing you, you'll be the first to wake up."

"I'd win if it were a contest." Wave joked, making Snow laugh. Marshall gave a weak smile, this time being more sincere. As unsure as he was about his ability to protect Wave, at least she seemed grateful to him for looking out for her.

Rocky and Zuma were still traveling to Bloodfreak's next location. Rocky noticed Zuma starting to get tired once he yawned. It was a small one, but Rocky still noticed right away. "Maybe we should get some sleep Zuma."

"No time. We have to save Melody." Zuma insisted, refusing to stop for even a moment.

Rocky knew Zuma wouldn't be in top condition to save Melody if he were tired. That helped him figure out how to make him stop. "And if you don't have enough energy to save her?" Rocky and Zuma stopped at the same time, allowing Rocky to explain himself further. "You haven't slept in twenty four hours Zuma. Twelve more hours, and you could start hallucinating. Then you'll never be able to focus on Melody." Zuma saw Rocky's point. Hallucinating would make things much harder. "We can move out as soon as the sun rises. I promise."

Zuma was reluctant, but he couldn't ignore Rocky's point. And even if he didn't see it, he kinda owed him for yelling at him before. "Fine. But you'd bettew hold youw end of this."

"Have I ever not?" Rocky asked with a laugh, walking with Zuma to set up camp. "I'll let you pick the campsite."

"I don't cawe whewe we set up." Zuma admitted, leaving the selection up to Rocky.

"Hehe. Still as far from picky as ever." Rocky said with a light laugh. He could tell that Zuma's real self was still in there. Even though he was slipping away bit by bit.

Meanwhile, Bloodfreak was talking to the green cat and Wolfhound who were amongst the photos he laid out before. "We've already lost three men to Zuma. And I'm not fully trusting him about having 'gone alone'." Bloodfreak showed a hint of sadness in his expression, but primarily desperation. "If he's coming after the gang, we have to be as ready as we can to stop any and all blindsides." Bloodfreak gave the two maps of the island to navigate Coastal Current. "Cliff, you'll head to Zuma's next destination. Elise, you'll head to Tom and Jerry's site."

Elise gave some thought to some of the potential risks her mission could bring. "It's pretty far away from the base. Both of our spots are actually." Bloodfreak looked at Elise when she asked her question. "If Zuma's friends DID come, how do we know I'll catch up to them?"

"You'll just have to trust your instinct." Bloodfreak answered, and his answer made Elise excited. She briefly extended her claws, ready to do her part. "Make whatever preparations you have to before you head out. Just remember. The gang takes priority."

"Understood!" Elise and Cliff said in sync, heading off to their respective rooms to get ready. Bloodfreak meanwhile, looked at the photos of his main soldiers. Marley was recovering in the Coastal Current hospital, and Tom and Jerry were dead. This wasn't going how he expected at all. Still; Bloodfreak held onto hope. Hope that if he could have Zuma brought to their base, and have him see Melody... that it would convince him to rejoin the gang.

Rocky and Zuma were getting some much needed sleep. Zuma was sleeping up in a tree to feel the sun as soon as it rose. He was struggling to fulfill his slumber however. Thoughts about what could happen to Melody continued to plague his mind. And the way he was dreaming about it wasn't much better.

Inside Zuma's nightmare, Zuma was running down the hall to the main room of Bloodfreak's base. When he got to the door, he kicked it open, demanding Bloodfreak release Melody. "Cut the wejoining cwap Bloodfweak; I'm hewe to-" It was then he noticed what Bloodfreak was doing; it stunned him upon sight.

Melody was tied to a big wheel, and Bloodfreak was staring at her angrily as she squirmed. "You could've saved her Zuma." Bloodfreak looked back at Zuma, who started to become furious. "But instead, you just had to kill my men."

Melody saw Zuma, who started getting ready to fight Bloodfreak. "Zoom Zoom! Please help me! I wanna go home!"

"Don't wowwy Melody! I'll get you out of hewe!" Zuma charged at Bloodfreak, who was instantly ready for him. "You'we gonna wish you wowked a nine to five instead!" Bloodfreak grabbed Zuma's paw, stunning him instantly before knocking him to the ground. He then stomped on his back, pinning him to the floor and leaving him immobile. Before Zuma could use his water powers, Bloodfreak threw two darts at his paws. Zuma yelped as the darts pierced his paws and went into the ground.

Bloodfreak took some more darts out as he commented on Zuma's words. "Too normal for me." Bloodfreak threw a dart at Melody, hitting her paw and making her yelp. This increased Zuma's rage before Bloodfreak stomped on his head. "Gang life just pleases me more."

He threw another dart; this time, hitting Melody's chest. She started to cry when she began losing breath. "MELODY!"

Zuma was starting to cry too, but Bloodfreak kept him down. He readied his third dart, and Zuma knew where it would go. "The rush always feels like a bullseye."

Bloodfreak threw the last dart right for Melody's head. "MELODY!" Zuma's ear piercing scream was heard just before the dart struck Melody's head.

The last dart to hit Melody was what caused Zuma to wake up. His heart was racing, and he was breathing faster than normal. He managed to calm himself down quickly enough to remind himself that it was just a dream. He couldn't waste time sleeping. He felt that much for sure. A couple hours was enough. He got up, looking down at Rocky, who was in the tent. He still loved Rocky, and hoped he would understand. He looked ahead, holding a glance as cold as the one he gave Tom and Jerry. He slid down the tree and ran off to his next location.

While Zuma was going alone, his locket had a tracking signal on it. This was something Rocky told him about when giving it to him on his tenth birthday. This is how Rocky would find him.

The next morning, Melody was once again being awoken by the rising sun. As she woke up, she looked to the side. She expected Bloodfreak to serve her breakfast like he usually did. But this time, it was Lottie who served her. "Bloodfreak's busy today. He asked me to feed you."

Melody walked over to the food, which looked better than the day before. It was only cheesy toast, but at least she was being served breakfast this time. She sat down in front of it, making her distrust of Lottie clear. "I still don't like you. Or your smelly gang of trickersters."

"That's fine kid. Just know this isn't permanent." Lottie assured Melody, standing up as she attempted to give her a bit of hope. "Once Zuma gets here and rejoins our gang, we'll send you home." Melody gave a deadpan look to Lottie before she walked off. It seemed Bloodfreak wasn't the only one getting the message. Although, Lottie looked distressed as she walked away, almost as if she doubted this could happen. That was when Melody saw a key in her fur pocket. After looking at the lock to escape, she started to think about how she could go home.

Wave and the others were waking up as soon as the sun came up. Or, Marshall, Snow, and Charm were at least. Wave was getting back from practicing with her powers. She wasn't ready to waste a second in finding Rocky and Zuma. And she knew her friends weren't either. She brought apples for everyone too. It was a small breakfast, but it would be efficient to get on the right track. "Cmon guys! If we eat out food quick, we can catch up to Rocky and Zuma just as fast!"

Wave tossed one apple each to Marshall, Snow, and Charm, all of whom caught them. Snow bit into her apple before addressing Wave's mood with a thumbs up. "That's the spirit Wave! And thanks for the apple."

Elise was arriving at the scenario when she heard Wave's voice. "They keep the doctor away for a reason!" Elise looked down as Wave giggled before addressing Marshall's career aspirations. "And yet, you still wouldn't be out of a job Marshall."

Marshall laughed a bit before taking a couple bites of his apple. "You're not wrong there." Elise observed the four to know for sure what their intentions were. If she was right, she'd have to stop them from moving onward.

Charm tossed his apple up and sliced it in half, putting one half away before catching the other one to eat. After taking a bite, he shared some strategy he thought up for later. "I was thinking Wave. With your powers working on Zuma's water, we could use that to restrain him." That helped Elise see that her suspicion was right. These four were friends of Zuma, and were trying to stop him from finding Bloodfreak. "If Marshall and I were to fight Rocky, assuming he'd instigate it, you and Snow could use YOUR powers to turn Zuma's powers against him."

Wave expressed her thoughts as Elise got her claws ready. "That's a great idea Charm! It's just like when we helped Chase tie up our Super Demons."

Snow was the last to finish her apple, letting out a burp before they pressed onward. (Urp) "Okay, we're all ready. And all should go well if Marshall's butt doesn't burn down the forest." Marshall chuckled nervously in response to Snow's joke. His fire powers could be a problem for the forest, no matter which body part they came from.

"The flames of your lives will go out before then!" Elise called from above. The Canines looked up to find her sliding down from the rock wall. When she jumped off and pounced at the four, Charm, who was closest to her, jumped at her and clashed his knife at her claws.

Charm skidded on the ground with Elise backflipping up to a tree. She licked her paw as Charm demanded to know who she was. "Care to introduce yourself our new feline friend?"

"The name's Elise." Elise answered after she finished licking her paw. "I overheard your conversation. Your intentions clash with my leader's wishes."

Charm readied his knife as Wave questioned what Bloodfreak was trying to do. "You mean he's still trying to get Zuma to join him!? He can't still think he would after what he did to your friends!"

"YOU try thinking straight after most of your gang dies before you!" Elise recommended coldly, giving a clear indication to the cause of the gang's dwindling numbers. Snow created a big shuriken while holding her paw behind her back. "We had to do a lot of tough missions to even hold up our base here. Of course Bloodfreak's not gonna stop after THREE of us die." Snow threw the shuriken, making Elise jump as it cut the branch she was on. Snow created a sap bomb and threw it at the branch Elise was headed for. Once the sap activated, Elise landed right on it.

Luckily for Elise, she managed to extend her claws just in time. However, she did commend Snow's resorcefulness. "Nice gadget use kid. You could fit right in with the gang."

"Thanks, but intimidating society isn't my style." Snow snarked, and then she got serious when mentioning Zuma. "Neither is letting you guys stop us from saving our friends."

Wave started to charge up her powers as Elise struggled in the sap, only for Charm to hold his paw up. "Hang on Wave." Wave looked at Charm, who looked at Elise with an excited smile. "Let me trim those nails."

Wave noticed that Charm was struggling to control his bloodlust. This caused her to flashback to what Snow said before. Specifically, what she said about her helping Charm despite her lack of personal knowledge on how he felt. "You don't know crap about the inner feelings he has on his past. And you still played a part in helping him."

Once the flashback ended, Wave checked with Charm to make absolute sure this was okay. "You sure about this Charm? I'm sure you can handle it, but we can beat Elise faster if we work together."

Charm contained his bloodlust just long enough to remind Wave of the mission. "And we can also save Zuma faster if I do this alone." That, along with what Charm said when smiling back at Wave, convinced her that Snow's advice was true. "You'd better catch up to him."

Wave smiled back and nodded, her determination to help her friends shining through. This moment helped her become more convinced that Snow was right. "Don't worry; we will!"

Elise got out of the sap after slashing the branch with her hind paw. She kicked it away on the sap free side before dashing at Wave and the others. "It's time to get clawd suckas!"

Charm deflected Elise's claw slash with his knife and roundhouse kicked her into the nearby rock. He called to the others before continuing the battle. "I'll hold the hair ball off! Snow, you lead next!"

"Right! Let's go guys!" Snow ran off with Wave and Marshall joining her. Thanks to Chase, she quickly adapted to her role.

Charm set his sights on Elise, who stood across from him when cracking her knuckles and sharpening her claws. "Shoulda known the Demon Blood Vigilante was with them."

Charm spun his knife around when joining in Elise's banter. "So you've heard of me." Once he stopped spinning his knife, he finished his response. "Funny how Bloodfreak didn't."

Charm and Elise stared each other down, ready for whatever the other threw at them. "So you wanna end this quick too, I take it?"

"As quick as your claws are cut." Charm confirmed, making Elise chuckle devilishly in response.

"You can try." Elise challenged Charm, extending her claws as she got ready to attack. "But my claws have been sharpened to the point of cutting through blades!"

Charm and Elise charged at each other to start the battle, only for Elise to pounce at Charm, who slid underneath her. He used his hind paws to kick her up into the air before rolling back up. He could've used his gun to potentially end it there, but he thought it'd be fun to continue using his knife alone. So he waited for Elise to come back down. Once she regained her balance, she dove down as fast as she could. Charm jumped back as soon as she reached his level. Having narrowly missed Charm, Elise pounced at him, and Charm clashed a strike with her claws.

Elise aimed a barrage of swift claw strikes at Charm, who was able to deflect them all with his knife. The speed was making him start to sweat. He'd never met anyone other than Slash who was as good as him with a blade. Once he noticed Elise about to clasp her paws, Charm threw his knife up. Elise tried to grab it, but Charm reacted just in time to prevent it. He quickly kicked Elise back, causing her to skid. Charm caught his knife and readied himself to continue.

Elise dashed at Charm, who did the same, psyching her out by using her claw uppercut to send himself over her body. Elise saw what he was doing and ducked underneath his side slash. Elise managed to low sweep Charm once he landed and almost punched him back. But Charm grabbed her paw in mid air and used his hind paws to jump off of her face. He jumped off of a tree with Elise dashing to where he'd land. She dodged his knife slash again and slashed at his chest with precision. This went right for the lungs, causing Charm to tumble a bit.

Charm did regain his balance however, and once he did, Moby, who was revealed to be watching, gave some insight from his monitors. "She seems to prioritize close quarters combat Charm. See if you can throw her off with one of your guns." Charm did as advised, clashing with Elise again and kicking her back. He fired three bullets at her upon taking him gun out, all of which she dodged after digging her front claws into the ground. The spin she did to evade them caught Charm's attention.

Charm put his gun away after witnessing this. But not because of Elise's dodge. That was merely a test to see her long range abilities. "So you can dodge long range moves as well I see."

"Some battles are best fought with evasion." Elise said to explain how her long range strategy worked.

Charm and Elise started clashing again after dashing at each other. Moby chimed in again, knowing Charm wouldn't lose focus. "You know what to do from here Charm! Keep an eye on her for any more surprises she might have!"

Elise attempted to jab her claws into Charm's eyes. Thnakfully, his instincts told him to jump up, which he did. He caught Elise's claws in his mouth, just barely biting down enough to only hit the claws. He bit down as hard as he could, taking out three nails in one chomp! This caused Elise to screech, allowing Charm to kick her back in response to the pain. Elise tumbled to the ground with Charm grinning as he spit out the claws one by one. He spat the last one at the angry cat, prompting her to catch it. "It'll take way too long for those to grow back!"

"Your scratching post could've used a break anyway." Charm shot back, enraging Elise even more.

Elise charged at Charm, who was now much more capable of deflecting her strikes thanks to her only having one full claw. So she had to use the other one for normal punches. Charm started to notice that Elise was beginning to get overwhelmed. He grabbed her good claw and threw her towards the branch that had sap on it. He charged at her and attempted to kick her into it, but Elise managed to dodge just in time. This led to Charm getting it stuck on his hind paw. But that didn't hinder him. He managed to use this branch to block Elise's next kick.

Charm lowered the branch just a bit and smacked the side of Elise's head with it. Afterwards, he used his knife to cut the branch off of him, barely missing his fur with the precise cut. He even backflipped away just in time to dodge Elise's claw stab. Once Charm backflipped, Elise went for the branch with sap on it, making sure not to grab the side it was on. She charged at Charm, who readied his knife. Elise aimed the branch at him, only for Charm to slice it in half.

Elise watched in shock as Charm sliced the branch bit by bit after it left Elise's paw. Every bit of the branch fell to the ground once he was done. Elise was unsure of what to do next. It was clear that as soon as Charm ruined the claws on her left paw, he had full control of the battle. His devious grin showcased this further before he charged at Elise. She clawed at his neck, but to her shock, Charm was practically unharmed. Oh, the claw slash definitely hurt. But the aftermath didn't. Charm grabbed Elise's claw and shocked her with his regeneration.

Charm chuckled a bit before sharing something with Elise. "Ah, demon blood regeneration. A blessing and a curse." He started tossing his knife in the air and catching it. "A blessing because unless I face a fatal blow to the brain or heart, I can recover from any pain I suffer. The curse however?" He gave a disappointed look to Elise, but not directly AT her. "It's harder to find a challenge." He then expressed genuine gratitude, despite his vicious glare. "Thanks for starting off like that."

Charm roundhouse kicked Elise into the rock wall, causing her to crash before she started climbing up it. Charm waited as Elise skidded to a stop on the rock wall before setting her sights on Charm. Charm didn't show any fear as Elise got her hind paws ready. And once they were all prepared, she pounced at Charm at full speed. Charm simply rearranged his knife as Elise dove down at him. He proved her technique to be a flawed one by moving to the right. He threw his knife behind himself, and after taking a single step, he kicked the knife up.

The knife struck Elise right in the waist! The impact caused her to fall and tumble. She hit her head on a tree, and Charm picked up a small twig on the ground. When an apple fell from the tree Elise hit, Charm threw the twig right at said apple. The twig pierced right through it, causing only juice to fall on Elise. "Bloody." Charm walked over to Elise, grabbing the apple as he looked down at her. Once he removed the twig, he asked Elise a question. "Why did you stay with Bloodfreak?"

Elise was confused by this question. Charm knelt down to her after taking a bit of his apple. "When we questioned Bloodfreak's goal, you asked us why we thought your gang's numbers were dying down, which implies he was too stubborn and/or desperate to abandon past missions." Charm bit the apple again, swallowing the bite as Elise started to show anger. "Don't tell me you're dumb enough to ignore the obvious implications of that." Charm looked down at his knife, and then back at Elise. "I see it now. Bloodfreak's played with one too many knives."

Elise tried to sit up, but her wound caused her to lean down again. She still managed to answer Charm's question though. "Yeah, Bloodfreak can be pretty stupid. That was obvious to me when I found out why he axed Zuma." Elise smiled, looking back on the day she met Bloodfreak. "Actually... he said it's because of me he started to change his priorities." Charm showed intrigue, which Elise was happy to satisfy. "He told me he started to see the value of loyalty when I saved him."

Elise flashed back to when Bloodfreak was almost killed by a stronger gang member. He was cornered and too hurt to grab his knife. But Elise slashed through the neck of the soldier who held him there. "Kinda funny he was so grateful. He said he fired Zuma for doing the same thing. Looking out for someone else." Elise was then shown tending to Bloodfreak's wounds. The look in his eyes told her that he started to see how devoted he was to her. The two smiled, showing their mutual respect. "I guess some things hit harder with a personal example."

The flashback ended as Elise shared her thoughts on Bloodfreak. "Bloodfreak's made a lot of bad calls in the past. Heck; we barely managed to save the building of our base here because he spent so much money on re-recruiting the Lab." Charm gave Elise's explanation some thought as she continued. "But I don't care. Bloodfreak gave me a purpose by letting me join his gang. And I'd rather follow him into the depths of hell than abandon him. I don't care if it's more rational."

Charm had to admit; he respected Elise for that. Not by much, but enough for it to be noticeable. "That's good to have devotion." Elise was surprised by Charm's choice of words. Especially when he shared something from his own story. "My brother was devoted to saving me based on a conversation he overheard about me. Even when I was at my worst, he didn't give up." Charm laughed a bit, remembering one flawed part of Rocky's desire to save him. "He even failed to kill me when I almost destroyed a village. I even killed two dragons that day!"

Elise was a little unsettled by Charm's laughter, even though he wasn't laughing BECAUSE of the destroyed village. Charm stopped laughing when he shared a despondent look. This showed his remorse towards his past, and how Rocky's devotion helped him. "Dedication can be dangerous. But it's a powerful tool. Because of it, Rocky was eventually able to save me from... my old self." It was hard for Elise to miss what Charm was telling her. "No matter what I did, he never gave up on me.

Charm shed a tear of joy, which he wiped away while smiling. "It's not always healthy. And sometimes, it blinds us." Charm laughed a bit when recalling the moment he started to change for the better: When he heard Rocky comfort Rubble, which caused him to cry for the first time. "But it can also awaken something inside of us. Something we never knew was there before." When his thought vanished, he finished sharing his wisdom with Elise. "That something... just might be a blessing." Elise smiled, having started to like Charm thanks to his story.

Charm grabbed his knife and pulled it out of Elise when he got serious again. She winced as soon as it happened and held her wound. Charm made it clear what he was going to do. "I hate to kill a worthy opponent. But I can't risk you getting patched up and following us."

Elise knew she couldn't convince Charm that wasn't the case. Not after she confirmed her loyalty to Bloodfreak. Instead, she smiled. She could tell that Charm had been through a lot. And she DID see his latest battle in Adventure City. "Nothing more honorable than dying by the paws that killed Slash."

"Thank you. You'd be surprised how few people realize that." Charm replied, and Elise closed her eyes, smiling towards her fate. Charm raised his knife without hesitation and slit Elise's throat. Blood shot out of it and ended up on Charm's fur. He watched the life completely drain from Elise's body. Even though she was bleeding out, she kept her smile. She didn't say a word. She looked at Charm, being honored to be killed by such a worthy opponent. Charm knew she would've wanted it this way. She was as excited to spill blood as he was.

Charm closed Elise's eyes after making absolutely sure she was dead. He picked up her body and started carrying her over to a big patch of uninhabited ground. Moby, who saw the whole thing, was unsure of how to take that all in. "Wow. I've... never seen someone bond over stuff like this before. Then again, I guess it's more like... how do I word this?"

"Mutual respect." Charm said in an attempt to assist Moby. That sounded right to him, and his head nod showed this. Charm set Elise down, preparing himself to dig her grave. He didn't have a shovel, so he had to do so the traditional way. "Feel free to work on that model kit for now Moby. We'll be here a while." Moby got to work on his modeling kit as Charm started digging Elise's grave. Despite his incredible strength, it was quite the task to do this with his paws. But as he looked at Elise, he knew it would be worth it. A worthy opponent deserved a worthy grave.

To be continued

Rock music started playing as Rocky started talking about what was going to happen with specific moments from the next chapter being shown. "Zuma!? Where did you go!? Wait, stupid question. He obviously departed before sunrise to our next destination. Neither of us know what to anticipate with this next trap. Hold on Zuma! I'm on my way! I know he said to stay out of sight from Bloodfreak's gang. But if he's in too much trouble right now, then I'll have to go against that word."

Rocky 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, More Violent By The Minute!" The first shot showed Rocky running as fast as he could while tracking Zuma. The second showed Zuma watching as the Wolfhound tracked his scent. "The relieving factor in all this? He hasn't removed his locket."