"That was totally awesome! We kicked her butt, dude!" Zuma high-fived Steven, a grin evident on his face. 

"Gotta agree on that!" He agreed as they returned to the Lookout in high spirits. After beating Ladybird back with Rex's help (and learning about the Mighty Pups' powers too, which was quite interesting to Steven), they had been formally introduced. Once they were done playing around and getting used to the new place, they had decided to head back, but not before Steven promised to visit by himself so he could explore it when he had the time. 

The pups got out of the jet, and Ryder was about to step out when Steven called out, "Hey, Ryder, can we talk?" 

"Maybe later, Steven. I need some fresh air." 

"Oh okay then." 

Noticing his downtrodden face, Ryder quickly offered, "You should head to town, though. It's nice to know all the spots." 

"I guess that can work out," Steven hesitantly agreed after some thought. "I'm not too familiar with the town, though." 

"Don't worry. I'm sure the locals will help you out," Ryder assured. "They helped me tons of times." 

"They did? That's nice," Steven smiled. "Alright then. See you later then?" 

"See you later," Ryder nodded, and the two humans separated paths. 

Ryder's footsteps took him to the beach, where they slowed to a stop, leaving him there in front of the sea. As he breathed in the fresh salty air, his mind floated back to what Steven had said.
He sighed. He wasn't sure if he could get the courage to tell Steven about his past. He didn't want to expose him to the dark side of the world. 

You are pathetic. Never forget that! 

That shrill laugh was enough to send shivers down his spine as Ryder covered his ears, trying to block out the words. Not again. He thought that Mayor Humdinger's words had faded off already! 

If you don't have any use in this world, go die! 

His mom's words only made him grit his teeth. He could do this. He could handle it. This was not going to win... 

A glow then caught his eye, making him blink as he looked up to see a small crater of sorts. Curious, the teen walked over to see what had happened and found himself staring at the main object in the "natural" display. 

A beautiful necklace with a purple gem, glowing beautifully despite the evening rays already descending upon it. Its grey string holding it together wasn't even dirty, and the jewel itself was spotless. 

"Huh, this is really weird," He mumbled to himself. "What is that thing doing here?"
Deciding that it was better if he took it, he slid down slowly and walked over to it.
"What are you?" He reached out to touch, but as he did, the jewel glowed even more before morphing itself into a sword that fit his hand, glowing powerfully in his hand.
"W-What the...?!" His eyes widened as he stared at this. What was this thing?
Nearby, a pair of glowing red eyes watched him. 

"This is not good. Galaxy Weapon Youkeo (No. 6) has been claimed...." The shadow cursed. "I must report back to Octonaus-chwegyanim." 

With that, the shadow left, as if it hadn't been there in the first place. 

After inspecting it for a while, Ryder decided to bring it back in so he could analyze it. Something about it seemed different from most things he had seen. 

But as he tried to take it back, he felt a shiver go down his spine, and he turned around. Why did he feel like he was being watched? He was used to feeling that way, but still, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. 

"It's probably nothing," he told himself and walked away. 

Whether it was just to soothe his nerves or to make himself believe it was left unknown. 

Meanwhile, in the town, Steven looked around, greeting and getting to know the people in the town. He was feeling super nostalgic because this place reminded him of Beach City. The locals here were just so nice. They were probably nicer if one were to ask him. He felt at home here.
"I wonder what other things they have here!" He asked himself. "This is quite awesome!"
His attention was then diverted as his ears picked up some foreign language. Did it sound like Korean? He had learned a bit of the language during his travels since he had met some Koreans around, so he could discern some of their words. 

"... you sure it's here..." 

".... it has to be..." 

"... Octonaus is here..." 

"Galaxy Weapon Youkeo..." 

Curious, he turned around and headed to the source of the voice. It led him to the park, where a female around the same height as Ryder and a shorter male with brown hair slightly protruding upwards were discussing something. 

"Rosie, we need to track down Galaxy Weapon Youkeo as soon as we can!" 

"Shouldn't we call Pilseung first?" 

"We should, but it's better if we find the Weapon first then tell him!" 

He blinked. These kids seemed Korean, but something about the girl — Rosie, if he remembered correctly — reminded him of the Gems. Was she an alien? She had this aura that just oozed something similar to the Diamonds. Maybe royalty as well? 

He frowned. Whatever this was, he had to be careful. 

Slowly, he began to move closer, straining to understand more of their conversation. 

"Plus, how hard can it be to find that thing?"

"Taeyang, the 6th Galaxy Weapon is the strongest! It can not only give its user immense power, but also has the ability to shapeshift into anything." 

"Wait what?! So how can we figure out which one is it?"  

"Its main form aside from its sword mode is its necklace form. You seriously can't miss it. It has a big sparkly purple gem!" 

He blinked. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for that gem and turned around to walk away, only to come face to face with someone he had never seen before. 

"Oh hello there," the male petted his mustache. "I assume you're the new member of the Paw Patrol?" 

"Y-Yeah, who are you?" 

"I'm Mayor Humdinger, from the neighboring town," the blonde male introduced himself. 

Something about this guy didn't sit right with him, though, so he said, "Well, nice to meet you, Sir, but I need to head back now." 

"Hold it right there. Let's spend some time together-"

"Sorry, no thank you, I'm busy!' He rushed off before the mayor could even interject. 

Once he was far enough, he slumped onto a tree. 

Something about that guy seemed fishy. He had just snuck up on Steven, who prided himself in being able to sense others from far away, without so much as a noise. 

But what was it? 

Why did he feel so tense around him?