Fight For Family-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ryder opened the door to the castle. Once he, Chase, and Marshall entered, he closed the door. They all looked forward and were shocked by what they saw. All of the lights were off except for the center chandelier. A black and purple carpet replaced the red and yellow one. All the picture frames along the wall were photos of Jason in various poses. The top floor was completely dark, but Ryder doubted it was empty. The stand that used to hold the crown was nowhere in sight.

Ryder, Chase, and Marshall focused in front of them. No one was around them except for Jason. He sat on the throne. He sat up straight as they got closer. He wore his trademark purple suit, black shirt, and black shoes. In one hand, Jason held the crown with a loose grip. In the other, he had a golden scepter. The shaft grooves spiraled to a purple skull with a crown and wings on either side.

The scepter reminded them of the Duke of Flappington's. They wondered if it was the same one, which brought up the question: what happened to Flappington? But right now, they had to focus on the problem at hand, Jason Puissance.

Chase's ears and nose twitched like crazy. He felt something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.

Jason grinned when they got close. "Glad you could make it," he said. "I thought you would get stopped at one of the bases, but no matter."

"Jason, it's over," Ryder said. "You lost all of the bases and their armories. Your men are either apprehended or here at the castle. We got the palace surrounded. You have nowhere to go."

Jason slowly got up and put the crown on his head. "First off, it's KING Jason." He started walking around Ryder and the pups, making them get in defensive positions. "And I don't think so. While your mutts saved the Princess, I went on a business trip to Flappington. I asked for their support, considering the Duke resents you almost as much as I do. But I guess he didn't like the idea of sharing power." Jason raised the staff and waved it around like a baseball bat. "But all it took was a little . . . persuasion to get him on board."

Ryder tried to process what Jason was saying. "Did you . . . ?"

"Kill him? Of course not. I'm not a monster. Besides, with him under my command, the kingdom of Flappington is open to my dispense. But he won't ride around in that fancy plane for a while. No, he's better for me alive. Unlike you and the rest of those so-called 'heroes' outside."

"So, you're just going to kill all of us?" Chase asked. "Is that your plan?"

"No, just you three," Jason replied. "With you gone, it will send a message to the rest of the resistance. It's my destiny to control the world. You know, 'Puissance' is French for 'power,' which fits quite well." Jason sat back down on the throne. "No, my problem ends with you here and now."

In an instant, all the lights turned on. Dozens of soldiers surrounded Ryder and the pups. The men around them had batons in their hands. They held a wide circle around the three. On the second floor, four men pointed guns at them. Trystan, the bounty hunter, appeared from behind the throne. Ryder and the pups realized the soldiers were just there to ensure they didn't escape.

Jason looked up at them. "Trystan, you know what to do," Jason said.

Trystan grinned coldly. "You got it, boss." He began walking towards Ryder and the pups. The soldiers stepped out of the way as he got closer. "You know, you two pups made me look bad in front of the king. You made me seem unprofessional and foolish, like a dog chasing his tail.

Chase looked at Trystan and smiled. "Don't blame us for that. You did that all by yourself."

Trystan growled under his breath. He reached to his side and pulled out a katana. He spun it in his hand. "I'm going to make this hurt." He took another step, and the entire castle shook.

The front doors exploded as a vehicle crashed through them. Soldiers scrambled out of the way to prevent getting run over. The vehicle doors opened, and three men walked out.

"Sorry we're late," Solon called out. "We didn't see the truck entrance, so we made one." Solon, Ronan, and Andrew grabbed some bats and pushed soldiers out of the way to get to Ryder and the pups.

Ryder and the pups couldn't help but smile. They didn't expect to get help inside the castle. "Glad you could join us," Ryder said.

Jason's face turned red with anger. "How dare you interrupt?" he shouted. He began walking off to another exit. As he passed Trystan, he said, "Kill them."

"Ryder, Jason's getting away," Chase exclaimed.

"We'll clear a path for you," Ronan said. All three men began pushing the soldiers out of the way. The men on the balcony started shooting but missed. Solon shot at them back, and he didn't. Using the batons, the men got Ryder and the pups over to the hallway where Jason went.

"Go on," Solon said. "We got this." Solon, Andrew, and Ronan guarded the hallway as the soldiers got back up and raced towards them.

"Are you sure?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, we've handled worse odds," Andrew said.

"Thank you," Ryder said.

"You're welcome," Ronan said. He hit a soldier on the side of the head, knocking him out instantly. "Now go."

Ryder, Chase, and Marshall ran in the direction that Jason went. They went through an open door and saw Jason going up some stairs. They followed him and pushed through a second door. They ended up on top of one of the walkways of the castle. They blocked the only exit, and Jason just realized it.

Jason looked around, but seeing no other way out, he turned to face Ryder and the pups. He sighed and took off the crown, putting it on the ledge. "It never needed to come to this," he said. "But your morals and arrogance make it so hard to get rid of you."

"No more games," Ryder said. "You threatened and harmed our families. Your destiny is a prison cell for the rest of your life."

Jason took off his suit jacket and put it down. He still had the golden scepter in his hands. "Perhaps, but I don't intend to have you around to see it. You know what they say, time to take matters into my own hands." Jason gripped onto the staff and charged at them.