Chapter 7- What Will Mike Pick?

A few hours have passed, and it was an early evening, and the house is about to be sold. The next night will be their final hour in the old home. Mike's father managed to find a real estate buyer, and found a new house for him and his family fit to settle in. Even Mike helped his father with the packing, though his father did allow him to play for a bit.

"To infinity and beyond!" In Mike's soon-to-be former bedroom, Mike is now playing with SpongeBob and Jimmy. Mike's dad came in, and said, "Gee, all of this packing makes me hungry. What would you say to dinner at, oh…Pepperoni Planetoid?"

"Pepperoni Planetoid? Oh cool!" Mike cheered. Pepperoni Planetoid is one of Mike's favorite arcade/fast food restaurants in the whole wide world. He put down SpongeBob and Jimmy, and left the room. SpongeBob then shoves Jimmy off of him. Jimmy stood up and walked off, while SpongeBob sat on the haunches, pouting.

"Go wash your hands, and I'll get Nina ready." Larry replied from outside.

"Can I bring some toys?" Mike asked.

"You can bring one toy." Larry said kindly.

"Just one?"

"One toy?" SpongeBob asked to himself. He knew who that certain one toy will be: Jimmy Neutron. Jimmy then closes his jetpack, then starts rummaging through Andy's pencil box. SpongeBob curiously finds a Magic 8 ball and picks it up, wanting a contemplation on whether SpongeBob will be that so-called one toy. He whispered into it, "Will Mike really pick me?"

The pull-string sponge shakes the 8 Ball, and looks at the window. A blue triangular oracle floats up to the surface. It's prediction is: 'Don't count on it."

"DON'T COUNT ON IT?!" SpongeBob exclaimed in fury. He shakes it again, more forcefully. "OHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Down on the floor, Cody and Oscar were playing cards. The cards have Jimmy's picture on it. On the desk, SpongeBob throws the 8 Ball down in frustration. It rolls off the edge of the desk and falls in the crevice. SpongeBob heard a thud, and he looks over the edge to find the 8 ball stuck in a crack. It remained intact, but the crack could fit a toy. This is perfect for SpongeBob's plan: if Jimmy is lost, SpongeBob will be that one toy. With a sneaky grin, SpongeBob watches Jimmy humming to himself while looking through the pencil box.

He gets out a paper clip, and said, "This could be useful." He then saw the Lightning McQueen remote control car sleeping, and it's pointing in the same direction of a corkboard. He thinks this could work. SpongeBob commenced Phase 2: take the bait. The sponge broke out into a pretend panic and he yelled, "JIMMY! Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy Neutron! Jimmy Neutron! Glad I caught you! We've got trouble!"

"Trouble? Where?" Jimmy asked.

"Down there!" SpongeBob said, continuing his fake cry. He points to the direction where the 8 ball fell. "Just down there! A helpless toy! He's trapped, Jimmy!"

"Well, we have no time to lose!" Jimmy replied confidently. As he went over to the edge of the desk, SpongeBob sneakily tiptoed over, then got out the remote control. He then turns the wheel, and McQueen's 'eyes' on the windshield opened groggily.

"I don't see anything!" Jimmy said, puzzled.

"Oh, he's there! Just keep looking!" SpongeBob said, pressing a button, causing the red car to lurch forward.

"What kind of toy…" Jimmy was interrupted, but he sees red 95 car heading his way! He jumps out of the car's path, and the car smacks into the corkboard.

Oscar gasped, and pushpins rain down, sticking into the desk around Jimmy like arrows. SpongeBob couldn't believe it. His evil plan just turned into a whole chain reaction of horror.

The corkboard holding the drawings of Jimmy tips over with a creak, then smacks into a globe, dislodging it off the axis, then it starts rolling. Jimmy looks up, shocked, that it's rolling towards him. He tries running away from it, Indiana Jones-style. SpongeBob's jaw drops, noticing the mess he created. Jimmy continues running, but he slips on some pencils and fell, but he managed to get out of the globe's past, by rolling to the windowsill. The globe rolls past Jimmy, then it whacks a lamp, swiveling it all the way, missing SpongeBob. The lamp strikes Jimmy, who screams as he falls out the window.

"Jimmy!" The toys shrieked in horror.

"JIMMY!" SpongeBob shouted. He sees Jimmy falling into a bush below the window. The toys rush over to the sill, and they believe under the pretense that Jimmy fell into Eugene's backyard.

"I don't see him in the driveway!" Clifford cried. "I think he bounced into Eugene's yard!"

"Ohh, Jimmy!" Alex cried in despair. SpongeBob backed away, trying to avoid trouble. Suddenly, whirring noises caught Alex's attention. It's Lighting McQueen. The toys turn to pinpoint the motor sound. Alex called out, "Hey, everyone, McQueen's trying to say something! What is it, boy?"

"He's saying that this is no accident!" Oscar translated with a scowl.

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"I mean Humpty Dumpty was pushed…." Oscar started. He pointed to SpongeBob as he finished, "…by SpongeBob!"

The toys were horrified as they turn to SpongeBob. He was the one causing the problems! Seeing that the jig is up, he tried to make the best out of a bad situation.

"Wait a second!" SpongeBob argued. "You don't think I meant to shove Jimmy out the window, do you Grouch?"

"That's Oscar the Grouch to you, you backstabbing murder!" Oscar bitterly replied, waving his fist.

"Now it was an accident, guys." SpongeBob defended. "Come on, now! You gotta believe me!"

"We believe you, SongeBob!" Clifford replied supportively, irritating Oscar. "Right, Alex?"

The lion stammered, "Well-ye-N- I really don't like confrontations!"

SpongeBob felt a weight of distress go through his feelings. All he ever did was proclaim to the other toys that this whole mess was an accident, but some don't believe him with the exception of Abby and Clifford. The LEGO sergeant popped up, startling SpongeBob. The sergeant yelled furiously, "WHERE IS YOUR HONOR, DIRTBAG?! YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO—HEY!" SpongeBob closed the lid on the sergeant. SpongeBob doesn't have time to deal with hardships like these now.

"Couldn't handle Jimmy cutting in on your playtime, could you, SpongeBob?" Oscar said. Closing in on the fearful SpongeBob, Oscar continued. "You didn't want to face the fact that Jimmy might be Mike's new favorite toy. So you got rid of him."

As Oscar was talking, SpongeBob backed away more, and he almost fell off the desk. "Well, what if Mike starts playing with me more, SpongeBob, huh? Are you gonna push me out of the window, too?"

SpongeBob shook his head no, and waved his hands.

"I don't think we should give him the chance." Cody replied. SpongeBob's punishment is already starting. The lid of the plastic tub, popped open. The LEGO sergeant barked, 'There he is, troops! Frag him!" With a collected battle yell, the LEGO troops all pounce onto SpongeBob. The toys start attacking him. "Let's string him up by his pull-string!" Oscar roared.

"I got dibs on his pants!" Cody also shouted.

"Will you boys stop it?" Abby asked, annoyed. Unfortunately, their protests fall on deaf ears.

"Tackle him!" Cody shouted.

"No, no, no, wait, wait, wait! I can explain everything!" SpongeBob cried. They hear Mike coming back to the room. The boy's voice was loud enough for the toys to hear. "Okay, Dad! I'll be right down! I got to get Jimmy!"

The toys went scrambling back to their moving places. SpongeBob fell limp on the desktop. Mike entered, but he frowned. He starts searching everywhere for Jimmy.

"Dad, do you know where Jimmy is?" Mike asked.

"Nope. Haven't seen him." His father said in refusal.

SpongeBob heard Oscar say "Psst!" He turns to see Etch drawing a picture of a hangman's noose. Oscar with a sinister frown, he gestured from the noose drawing to SpongeBob with an accusing finger. The fearful SpongeBob gulped; he prayed that Ken would take him to his car

"Mikey, I'm heading out the door!" Larry said in a singsong voice.

'But, Dad, I can't find him!" Mike protested.

"Buddy, just grab some other toy. Now come on, we got to go!" Larry called out.

Mike sighed. "Okay." He then grabbed SpongeBob off the desk, much to the sponge's relief. The sponge would still be in trouble on the way home, but he'll be safe for now. Mike headed out of the house and over to the car, where Larry and Nina, who's sitting in a booster seat, were waiting. "I couldn't find my Jimmy. I know I left him right there!" Mike whined.

"Son, I'm sure he's around. You'll find him." Larry assured.

Suddenly, leaves part and a familiar young boy genius toy popped out. It's Jimmy! The boy genius survived the fall and leaves stuck to his body. He sees SpongeBob, the culprit, being carried by Mike. Mike climbs into the van and Jimmy scrunches his face in anger. "Oh, that sponge is going to pay for what he did to me!" Jimmy growled. He then gets out of the bush and sprints toward the car bumper. As the car rolled away, he jumped onto the bumper.

Back at the house, a chain of monkeys are lowered down by Abby and the other toys in an attempt to save Jimmy from the bushes.

"It's too short! We need more monkeys!" Clifford said.

"There aren't any more!" Alex cried, holding up a yellow empty barrel. "That's the whole barrel!" He tossed the barrel away. He walked over to the window, and called out, still believing that Jimmy is trapped in the bushes. "Jim, the monkeys aren't working! We're now formulating another plan, so stay calm!" He then sighed in concerned, "Where could that kid be?"