It was dawn in the city when peace was once again interrupted by an alert on Carlos's tablet.
— Again... — murmured Marta, in a voice of someone who had barely slept three hours.
Alex, who was sleeping on the sofa hugging Max as if he were a stress-relief stuffed animal, jumped up.
— What's happening now? Aliens? Giant hamsters? A legion of vengeful cats?
Carlos showed him the screen.
— Worse. Someone is stealing all the dog cookie reserves within a ten-kilometer radius.
— ...No, that is personal — said Alex, while Max jumped up, his snout wrinkled in a canine expression of indignation.
The screen displayed a mysterious figure, small, with pointed ears and a pink backpack with wings. In each robbery, it left a note: "Thank you for your donation. Sincerely, the Heart Thief."
— Heart thief? And cookies? Is it a romantic canine thief? — asked Marta.
— According to my records — said Carlos —, it is an albino chihuahua with a background in escapism, hypnosis, and emotional manipulation.
— ...What? —
— His name is Cupi, although he prefers to be called "Mr. Cupi The Irresistible."
— I give up — said Alex —. Every day this gets weirder.
Max barked twice and headed for the door as if to say: "Let's catch that cookie thief or die trying."
One hour later, they were on the main street of the gourmet dog neighborhood, known as Croquetópolis. It was a district where pets lived like celebrities: paw spas, diamond collar shops, and premium food boutiques.
— If there is a place where Cupi would look for his next victim, it is here — said Marta.
As soon as they entered the bakery "La Lengua Dulce," a place that sold macarons for chihuahuas, they were greeted by a scene of chaos: empty display cases, tiny glittery paw prints, and a shocked employee.
— It was so... adorable... I couldn't stop him — she stammered, with her eyes shining as if she had just seen a pop star.
— Can you give us a description? — asked Carlos.
— He was white, shiny, with a voice soft as velvet and a look... hypnotic! He told me that his soul was hungry, and that only cookies could cure it...
Alex put his hands on his head.
— We are dealing with a Don Juan chihuahua!
Max growled in resignation.
Carlos activated his canine pheromone tracker (a tool that, until now, had only been a note in his notebook of strange ideas).
— I got it! He is heading to the central park. And he is on a skateboard!
In the park, the spectacle was almost unreal. Cupi, the albino chihuahua with sunglasses and a pink silk scarf, was gliding on a fluorescent pink skateboard while throwing cookies in the air, followed by a group of little female dogs who cheered for him as if he were a rock star.
— NOOOOOOO! — shouted Alex —. HE IS AN INFLUENCER!
— Guys! He is doing a live! — exclaimed Carlos, showing them the live broadcast —. He has 12 thousand followers in less than half an hour. And he just launched a perfume line called "Seducción Perruna"!
— This is an insult to real heroes — said Max with a face of deep canine disappointment.
Marta moved forward with determination.
— This ends now.
But when they tried to get closer, Cupi stopped, got off the skateboard, and approached them... walking as if he were on a runway.
— Good afternoon, intruders — he said with a charming voice, which, to everyone's surprise, sounded like a telenovela dubbing.
— You are a thief! — claimed Alex.
— I am a curator of affection. An ambassador of dog love. Don't you see that I only seek to fill hearts... with cookies?
— And what about the 400 packages of cookies you stole? — asked Carlos.
— Donated to shelters. Every bite counts. Besides, I have boosted the self-esteem of 37 dachshund females just today.
Max stepped forward.
They both looked at each other like two cowboys in a duel at dawn.
— You and me, furry — Max seemed to say.
— I accept your challenge, pretty, but let it be elegant — replied Cupi, bowing.
Then it began... a canine charisma competition.
First, Max did a quick spin, sat down, and raised a paw.
Cupi responded with a spiral jump and a wink to the audience.
Max barked to the rhythm of "Eye of the Tiger."
Cupi responded by dancing bachata on his skateboard.
— This is more epic than I expected — Alex whispered.
Finally, Max looked directly at the camera of Cupi's live stream and wagged his tail to the rhythm of a slow reggaeton.
The Chat Exploded.
#TeamMax began to gain ground. Cupi's followers were starting to desert. The algorithm was going crazy.
— NOOOOOO! MY CUQUI INFLUENCE REIGN! — Cupi screamed as his numbers plummeted.
Alex took advantage of the distraction to take the backpack loaded with cookies. Carlos launched a mini drone that put an electronic tracking loop on him.
Marta put a hand on his shoulder.
— Cupi, you are under arrest... for melting hearts without permission.
Cupi sighed.
— I accept my fate. But promise that you will take care of my community of followers. They just wanted to believe in something beautiful.
— We do too — said Alex, scratching Max's head —. But beautiful and legal, please.
Hours later, in their secret base (the basement), Max was receiving a flood of notifications. His profile had been created by Carlos and already had thousands of followers.
— Did you make him... an influencer? — asked Alex, puzzled.
— The world needs real idols — said Carlos with a smile —. And Max is one.
Marta toasted with soda.
— One less thief... and one more viral hero.
Max just wagged his tail, happy to have his cookies back and a well-deserved break.
But far away, on a dark computer, someone was watching the broadcast... A robotic claw turned off the screen and a voice whispered:
— It's time to initiate the Protocol: Operation Reptilian.
And the chaos... was just beginning.