Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Sixty-Two

The Copycat looked at the debris on the road, searching for movement. When he found none, he smiled and flew back to the tower.

Under the debris, the Paw Patrol was protected by a green shield. Ryder held all the team members, who were now in pup form. Ryder looked up and noticed the green forcefield and sighed in relief. He realized that Rocky had been able to save them from the fallen debris.

"Rocky, great job with the..." Ryder stopped when he looked down. Rocky was still unconscious, breathing slowly with his eyes closed. Ryder noticed that Rocky's tag was snapped in half, and his crystal was missing. That got Ryder wondering. If Rocky wasn't doing it, who was?

Ryder looked around before noticing his own hands. The crystal had landed in his right hand, and both hands glowed bright. Ryder was still in shock when the debris around them groaned. Ryder thought about how badly he wanted his pups out of the scenario. He converted those thoughts into energy, and the debris moved off them.

Ryder looked down at his hands, but they weren't glowing anymore.

"What's going on?" he asked aloud. The others started to stir, looking up at the sky.

"What's going on?" Zuma asked. He tried lifting his head but failed.

"Zuma, be careful," Ryder said. He reached over to help Zuma, but the crystal in the labrador's tag shot into Ryder's hand. Ryder stood up, confused and shocked by what was happening. The crystals left the Paw Patrol and landed in Ryder's hand. As the last crystal touched his palm, they spun in a circle until they formed a star. The star rose out of Ryder's palm and onto his chest.

Instantly, Ryder felt a wave of energy wash over him. His hands glowed a bright white color. He heard the voices of his pups in the back of his head. "You're the best, Ryder," Marshall's voice said. "We love you, Ryder," Skye's voice added. Gabriel's voice recited "Eight beings with the powers of the gods." "Everything we are, we got from you", Chase's voice echoed.

Ryder looked down at the others. They were looking up at him in awe.

"Ryder, you got powers?!" Rubble asked.

"What powers do you have?" Rocky asked.

Ryder raised his palms. A fireball engulfed one hand while the other created a small whirlwind of water and ice. Ryder began floating a foot off the ground, which caught him off guard.

"He has all of them," Chase said.

Ryder looked down at the pups. "I'm not sure how. If you want them back, take them."

The team shook their heads. "We're too drained to keep fighting," Marshall said.

"You're going to have to finish it," Everest finished the phrase.

Ryder looked up at the tower. "I can't go. You guys need my help."

Chase turned into a human, struggling a bit in the process. "I'll get them somewhere safe," he said.

"We'll be fine," Rocky said. "Go save the city."

"Go beat The Copycat," Rubble said. The others nodded and agreed.

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Ryder," Skye said.

Though Ryder hesitated, he knew he had to leave them to defeat The Copycat. "You're sure you'll all be alright."

"We will, Ryder, sir," Chase said. "Time to be the hero you were born to be."

Ryder nodded. He trusted that they would be all right. Ryder looked up at the tower. He took a deep breath. "Time to end this," he said. He flew upwards, leaving the others on the street.

Chase looked down at his fellow pups, still on the ground. "We need to get off the street." He scanned the area for a safe hiding place, spotting the only intact building—a white structure with light blue trim around the windows. A large sign above the door read 'THOR DOGGY DAYCARE'. Chase sighed in frustration. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Ryder was soaring through the air towards the hole on the side of the tower. Feeling the wind sting his cheeks made Ryder smile. He couldn't believe that he finally had powers like the others.

Ryder had tried to contain it as much as possible, but he was slightly jealous of the pups when they got powers. Their abilities made them stand out from any hero team, yet their leader was still an average ten-year-old boy. Whenever the pups used their powers, Ryder watched from afar, wondering what it was like to have any. Now, he had them all, and thanks to helping the pup train, he knew how to use them.

As he approached the opening, Ryder wiped the smile off his face. He stopped in front of the hole and looked inside. No one was there, which meant they were on the top floor. Ryder thought about smashing through the window, but he wanted to keep the element of surprise, in case they were missing something.

Ryder crept up the stairs, opened the door, and scanned the floor. A single light illuminated the entire floor, so it was mostly dark, which worked in his favor. All the computers were on, all reading different graphs and charts. Ryder noticed The Copycat and Harold in the center of the room. Harold was sitting on a chair, staring blankly at the screen while The Copycat stood beside him.

"That's when I dropped the building on them," The Copycat said, finishing his story. "Now that they're out of the way, we can worry about more important stuff."

Ryder took the opportunity to sneak around the computers while he searched for the main power to shut them off.

"Did you really get rid of them?" Harold asked.

"Of course, I did," The Copycat said. "I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"No one was supposed to die," Harold said, facing The Copycat. "That was my one condition. Hurt, maybe. But not to die. We made a deal."

"Stop acting like a child," The Copycat complained. "Trust me, you'll feel better when we have everything we ever wanted." Suddenly, all the computers went dark. The Copycat looked around. "What happened?"

Harold looked over at his computer. He tried to restart it, but the screen stayed black. "The power's down," he said.

"Well, I can see that Harold," The Copycat scolded. "What I want to know is why."

Ryder laughed in the corner with his hand over the emergency shut-off switch. "It seems to me that you have an electrical issue."

"Ryder?!" The Copycat yelled. "I got rid of you and your annoying team."

"I mustn't have got the memo," Ryder said. The Copycat launched a fireball at Ryder, but Ryder dodged it by flying up. Ryder sent a fireball at The Copycat in retaliation.

"So you finally have powers," the Copycat said rhetorically. "Let's see if you know how to use them. Harold, get the portals up and running while I deal with the boy."

"You launched a fireball at the power box!" Harold yelled. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"For once, figure it out yourself," The Copycat snapped. "I'm otherwise occupied." He flew upwards towards Ryder.