By the time Konishi parked the car, he stepped out, not bothering to bring his carrier bag with him. The toys inside had hoped that the man would take them along, but that plan was a bust. Wendy said in surprise, "He didn't take the bag!"
Sherry speculated, "No kidding. He must've been too excited."
Sherria asked, "Why is he so excited?"
Lyon assumed, "Konishi has already completed his Natsu's Roundup collection. In a matter of hours, he'll sell it to the Diamanté Toy Museum in New York. And Natsu along with it."
Toby questioned, "New York? As in…"
Levy interjected, "One of the fifty-one states in America? Yes."
Sherria stated, "That place is very far away from Japan."
Erza gritted her teeth, "This doesn't look good. If Konishi takes Natsu to New York…"
Levy agreed, "Ken will be heartbroken, and so will we. Our family will never be the same."
Happy said adamantly, "And we're not gonna let that happen."
Lucy frowned, "It's like Takeshi's house all over again, but this time, miles and miles away from our country. I can take Natsu held hostage in a house next door, or any house in the neighborhood, or any building in the city, but New York?! America?!" Her voice rose with worry, "It's even worse! Without Natsu, I'll be alone! I'll be lonely! It'll break my heart! It's like going down a path I can't follow! Who else am I going to love, to go on a date with?"
Happy smiled suggestively, "Well, you could always date Laxus. He's a totally hot guy."
Lucy snapped, "No way, cat! My heart belongs to Natsu, and Natsu only!"
Utility Belt Gray turned to Lucy, "So this Natsu guy is your boyfriend, right?"
Lucy answered dryly, "Duh, of course he's my boyfriend. You don't remember?"
Utility Belt Gray confirmed, "Then we've got no time to lose! We have to get inside that building and take Natsu back before it's too late!" He climbed out of the bag and ran over to the car door. He gripped the handle and struggled to open it, but his efforts proved fruitless as he witnessed Konishi going through the hotel doors and taking the elevator. "He's ascending in the vertical transporter!" Utility Belt Gray announced to the other toys climbing out of the bag. He jumped down and clasped his hands together, "Hang on, everyone. I'm gonna freeze the doors solid and break 'em down!"
"Um, Gray…?" Wendy asked, puzzled.
"Here we go again," Lyon rolled his eyes.
"Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!" Gray fired his Ice-Make Magic laser light towards the car door, but of course, nothing happened. Everyone else could only watch with skeptic expressions.
"Well?" Lyon asked sarcastically. "Did you freeze the door yet?"
"What are you, insane? You're wastin' time!" Gajeel snapped. He turned to Toby and Yuka, "Help me up the car lock, will ya?" The two grabbed the Iron Dragon Slayer action figure's legs and lifted them up the window. With a grunt, Gajeel strained to pull up the lock in an attempt to open the door, but it refused to budge. Even with all his strength, it made no effort to twist the lock.
Lucy turned to Utility Belt Gray and asked, "Gray, is there something wrong you'd like to share with us?" Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she knew something was not right with the Space Hero action figure's behavior.
Sherry interjected, "That's exactly what we're trying to tell you. That's not your—"
"I don't get it," Utility Belt Gray cut her off, deactivating his laser light and pondering to himself. "Somehow in the strangest case, my Magic Energy reserves have gone dry." He unwittingly leaned his hand against the door unlock feature, which automatically unlocked the car doors. This reaction invoked the locks to flicker up, sending Gajeel flying backwards and out of Yuka and Toby's hands with a scream, until he landed headfirst into the ground.
Levy laughed jokingly, "Nice sitting arrangement. And here, I thought you're as strong as steel."
Gajeel groaned, "No kidding…"
Levy pointed out, "Every car has an automatic lock and unlock feature. Simply press the button, and click!"
Erza said thoughtfully, "We should've searched the whole car."
Lucy stated, "Celestial Treasure Hunter Lesson #115: Think before you act."
"I'll scout for enemies on patrol," Utility Belt Gray jumped out the open car door, motioning for the others to stay put. He scanned the area with his Ice-Make Magic laser light for any sign of intruders. Once the coast was clear, he gave a sign to the other toys, rushed down the red carpet, and stopped near the glass door. He then noticed that the elevator had reached the 23rd floor, meaning that Konishi had already taken it.
"Ugh!" Utility Belt Gray pounded his fist on the side of the door in frustration. As soon as the rest of the toys congregated, the Space Hero action figure reported his findings, "Bad news, gang. He's on Level 23."
Erza rubbed her chin, "The 23rd floor is the highest point of the building. How are we supposed to get up there?"
Happy suggested, "Maybe if we can find some balloons, we could float to the top. Has anyone ever played Balloon Fighter for the PlayStation 4?"
Levy pointed out, "Actually, Balloon Fighter is for Nintendo, not Sony. Sony produces the PlayStation consoles."
Happy shrugged, "I'm just asking."
Lucy added, "And another thing, the birds are gonna come up and pop the balloons, and then we fall. It's too risky. Anybody who's stubborn enough to fly in helium will end up falling stories high. It's the most dangerous, life-risking maneuver a toy could pull off."
Wendy agreed, "Lucy's right. That idea is both dangerous and scary."
Sherria asked, "Does anyone else have ideas?"
Not noticing that Utility Belt Gray had run off, Gajeel bargained, "I say we stack ourselves up, push that intercom, and pretend we're guys delivering a pizza."
Lyon asked skeptically, "How are we going to do that when it's impossible for one of us to be the pizza delivery guy?"
Gajeel countered, "We could at least try! We're distracting Konishi and the guys running the hotel. Lucy and Levy aren't the only ones making bright ideas."
Levy giggled, "That I would agree."
Yuka beamed, "I've got a better idea. We go along with Gajeel's plan, but instead of pizza, how about a batch of sushi rolls with toys that come with the meal?"
Toby questioned, "Toys? Are you referring to us?"
Yuka answered, "Yes. We wrap ourselves in a box of sushi rolls so that the workers can pick us up and take us to the twenty-third floor. We get to Konishi, and we can easily save Natsu."
Happy asked, "Why sushi rolls?"
Yuka replied, "I figured Konishi loves sushi for lunch, considering he's a sushi man."
Sherria nodded, "Good point."
Sherry sighed, "I doubt all of us can fit into that delivery box."
"Troops! Over here!" All the toys turned their heads to see that Utility Belt Gray had found a grate. He wrenched it open, revealing the entrance to the ventilation system's dark insides. The rest of the group gathered and noticed that the Space Hero action figure had found a secret entrance.
Yuka said nonchalantly, "Or we could use the vent."
Erza beamed, "Brilliant idea, Gray! The ventilation system leads to every location in the apartment, including the elevator!"
Happy grinned, "That's Gray for ya, always finding a solution to every problem. Where there's will, there's a way!"
Lucy chuckled, "I said that the first time we made it to Konishi's Toy Dojo, remember?"
Utility Belt Gray gave Wendy a coy smile, "Just like you said, little girl. 'In the shadows to the left.'"
Wendy wondered, "Are you taking my video game advice seriously?"
Sherria scratched her head, "He thought your strategy guide is a battle plan telling you how take down the Tartaros Empire."
Sherry tried to interrupt, "Don't take this the wrong way, but that's not—"
"Okay, let's move!" Utility Belt Gray directed the other toys to follow him down the vent.
Sherry pouted, "Oh, come on! I hate it when I'm interrupted!"
And thus, with Utility Belt Gray taking the lead, Lucy, Levy, Wendy, Happy, Erza, Gajeel, Sherry, Sherria, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby sprinted through the metal corridors of the ventilation system. They kept running, their feet creating sounds of wobbled steel, on their search for the elevator, the one thing that could help them access the 23rd floor. During the trek, Utility Belt Gray spoke into his open wrist communicator, "Mission log. We've infiltrated enemy territory without detection, and are making our through the bowels of Tartaros's fortress." The others behind him were overhearing every word.
Happy assumed, "You know, I think that Lamia Scale aisle went into his head."
Levy nodded, "He even believed he could use Ice-Make Magic."
Gajeel asked, "You mean the Ice-Make Magic that's a light bulb?"
Lucy recalled, "Last time at Takeshi's house, I saw Gray acting like he's the real deal, until when his arm broke, he's snapped to reality. I thought he already accepted that he's a toy. And yet…" Her eyes shifted with confusion, "…why he is acting again like he doesn't know?"
Erza guessed, "Did he hit his head again?"
Sherry's patience was running thin. She began, "Everyone, you have to listen. Gray isn't—"
Pretty soon, the group reached a fork in the vents. Wendy asked, "Which way do we go?"
Utility Belt Gray used his wrist communicator as a scanner, about to make a selection among the three separate paths. Eventually, he pointed to the right, "This way!" He ran ahead and the others followed.
"What makes you so sure?" Gajeel questioned.
"I'm Gray Fullbuster! I'm the leader of Lamia Scale!" Utility Belt Gray answered confidently. "I'm always sure!"
"Go figure," Lyon rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound vibrated the metal which made up the ventilation system, and the toys froze in their tracks.
"We've been detected!" Utility Belt Gray exclaimed. "The walls, they're closing in!" He held up his arms to stop the walls from shaking, under the pretense that he and the others triggered some sort of security system. Out of desperation, he lifted up a yelping Happy and tried to use him as a prop, "Quick! Help me prop up cat boy, or we're done for!"
"Hey!" Happy screamed defensively. "Put me down! I'm not a cat prop!"
"Guys, look! It's not the walls!" Wendy pointed behind them. "It's the elevator!"
Indeed, from an open vent shaft emanating a bright light, the elevator descended on its cables. Utility Belt Gray and the other toys reached the shaft and looked upward. From a toy's view, the path leading upward was twenty-twofloors away, and the group was currently on the first.
The Space Hero action figure once again came up with a daring plan, "C'mon, we've got no time to lose!" He pulled out a compartment stretch line from his belt, the metal end transforming into a grappling hook. "Everyone, grab hold!" He threw the hook to Happy, and extracted two suction pads from the front side of his belt, designed to stick into iron substances like magnets. Everyone was at a loss for words. Utility Belt Gray leaped from the shaft and smashed his suction pads against the metal bars. With the pads holding his weight, he began to climb up.
"Uh, Gray?" Wendy spoke. "Why don't we just take the elevator? It's much faster."
"They'll be expecting that!" Utility Belt Gray responded, believing that taking the elevator would draw the enemy's attention. He kept on climbing the bars, leaving the group baffled to the core.
"WHAT?!" Lucy exclaimed shockingly. "How stupid are these people?!"
"That's the problem with action figures," Sherry shook her head. "They're programed with memories that make them want to do some crazy things. Gray Fullbuster toys get crazy every week. The moral of the story is, you can't trust a Gray Fullbuster action figure. Because he's—"
"Oh, for the love of…" Lucy slapped her forehead in annoyance. "Anyone who prefers the easy way by taking the elevator…" She lifted her hand to ask everyone's approval, "…raise your hand."
A few minutes later…
"Aye! Let's climb!" Gripping his paws on the grappling rope, Happy climbed up with Gajeel, Lyon, Toby, and Yuka, with Utility Belt Gray supporting their weight with the suction pads. "Let's climb all the way! We're doing this for Natsu! Onward to victory!"
"VICTORY!" the rest shouted in approval.
Lucy, Levy, Erza, Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria just stood on top of the elevator, giving sighs of complete disappointment.
"Boys these days," Lucy grumbled. "They just had to take the most daring risks, do they?"
And then, the elevator began to rise.
Outside, the real Gray Fullbuster had made his way to the apartment, having donned a traffic cone once again to get across the street. He paused upon hearing voices nearby, and lifting the cone off himself, he backtracked to find an open vent behind a bush. Gray looked down, seeing a bunch of small footprints leading to the vent. Every time he inched closer, the voices grew a bit loud and clear to hear. "Hey, Gray! Stop! Slow down!"
"They're inside!" Gray realized. He headed in.
Gouma Konishi was packing up assortments of stuff in preparation for his trip to the United States. Every piece of Natsu's Roundup merchandise had been stored in delivery boxes; the process of distribution was taken up in a proposal made with the airport officials. The collection was divided among six packages, and Konishi's goal was to sell each of them directly to the Diamanté Toy Museum. The toys based off the characters of the anime, however, were to be packed inside a green briefcase, each blanketed by custom-fitted foam insulation boxes to prevent any of them from taking damage. Obviously, Konishi wanted to save the best for last; he intended to personally sell the toy versions of Natsu Dragneel, Juvia Lockser, Romeo Conbolt, Kemo-Kemo, Brain, and the Oración Seis to the toy museum curator, so that they could discuss payment.
"To overnight six packages to New York is how much?" Konishi asked on his cellphone, placing a box on top of two boxes on a stroller. He cringed at the answer the airport gave him, "That's in dollars, right?" He paused, then nearly had a heart attack, "Yen?! Ugh! You are deliberately taking advantage of people in a hurry, you know that?!" He stammered a bit, before he groaned in frustration, "I'll do it, alright! Fine! I'll have the stuff waiting in the lobby, and you'd better be here in fifteen minutes, because I have a plane to catch, do you hear me?"
As soon as Konishi left with his stroller, the toys stuffed in their foam insulations sprang to life. Juvia cheered happily, "WHOO-HOO! We're finally going! Can you believe it?!" Kemo-Kemo got up and sniffed the foam.
Romeo laughed, "That's custom-fitted foam insulation you'll be riding in, Kemo-Kemo! First class all the way!"
Still in his box, Brain sighed contently, "Yes. It will be quite an invigorating experience."
"You know what?" Natsu sat up, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm actually excited about this." His expression rose to cheerful levels, "I mean it! I really am!" A while ago, the pull-string Dragon Slayer wasn't too sure, but now, he was more than willing to go to that toy museum.
"And why shouldn't you be?!" Romeo shouted joyously, pumping his fist in the air. He, Natsu, Juvia, and Kemo-Kemo got out of their foam casings and danced together, bursting with shouts of excitement and fits of laughter.
Juvia cried cheerily, "Swing your partner, do-si-do!"
Romeo cheered, "Look at you, dancin' dragon!"
Natsu exclaimed, "Look at me! I'm doin' the Igneel Dance!"
The laughter and cheering never ceased. And Natsu enjoyed every moment of it. After all, Ken was going to outgrow him sooner or later, so why should he go back to a house where he'd probably just end up getting thrown out? At least at the museum, he'd never have to worry about kids getting bored of him, since they were new visitors at the Fantasy Toy Exhibit every day.
The Diamanté Toy Museum awaited them, and with it, a glorious future.
Brain watched the celebration in silence... and smirked.
The situation with the rescue party became dire during their 'desperate climb.' Utility Belt Gray used his suction pads to ascend the long bars, with Happy, Gajeel, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby holding onto the grappling rope dangling from the utility belt. This sort of action might be more recklessly dangerous than any toy would want to perform.
"How much further, Gray?" Gajeel called up.
"Halfway… there…" Utility Belt Gray struggled to lift the next suction pad. "Hang… on…"
Happy was having trouble of his own, as his paws began to lose dexterity, "My paws can't hold on much longer!" He then slipped and collided with Gajeel, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby, the grappling hook preventing everyone from plunging down into the abyss.
"Too… heavy…" Utility Belt Gray grunted, his suction pads barely withstanding the increasing weight pulling him down. They had to be a better way… "Wait a minute… Heavy… plus gravity… equals…" His eyes widened, as if something slipped his mind, "Of course, what was I thinking?! My antigravity servos!" He reached down to press his utility belt, turning on its light. From what Utility Belt Gray recalled (or believed), the belt was capable of generating an anti-gravity field that could levitate him and those around him. He turned to his friends with a cocky smile, "Hang tight, everybody! I'm going to let go of the wall!"
"WHAT?!" the group exclaimed in disbelief.
"He wouldn't!" Happy protested.
"One…"
"He would," Lyon issued remotely.
"Two…"
"NO! NO! NO! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!"
"THREE!"
Utility Belt Gray leaped backwards and made a heroic pose for takeoff, leaving behind the suction pads, and gravity kicked in. Happy, Gajeel, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby screamed in horror as they descended to their doom…
…only to crash, the noise making room for a collection of eleven muffled voices. They sounded much closer than anyone expected from a twenty-three level fall. Why was that?
"To infinity and beyond!" Utility Belt Gray stood heroically on top of a disoriented group of toys collapsed into a pile, consisting of Lucy, Levy, Erza, Wendy, Sherry, Sherria, Happy, Gajeel, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby… right on top of the elevator. The elevator rose, reaching the label marked '23' painted on the wall. "Approaching destination. Reengaging gravity." Utility Belt Gray pressed the button on his utility belt, turning off the light, believing that the antigravity field was disabled. The elevator came to a stop near the open vent shaft, and the Space Hero action figure leaped off from the pile of toys. He positioned his Ice-Make Magic laser light to scan for enemies. So far, he found none. "Area secure."
The other toys didn't reply. Their bodies wobbled, their eyes swirled, and their heads shook from that traumatic experience.
"It's okay, troops," Utility Belt Gray issued. "The antigravity sickness will wear off momentarily. Now, let move!" He ran down the vent hall, once again taking the heroic lead.
Lyon grumbled, "Remind me never to climb up with Gray again."
Erza groaned, "Remind me to act quickly before something falls from the sky."
Happy moaned, "Remind me to glue his space helmet accessory shut when we get back."
Lucy sighed exasperatedly, "Gray's new Space Hero attitude is starting to get on my nerves."
While recovering from the ordeal, the rest of the toys ventured onward, unaware that the real Gray was seen clapping his arms and legs against the bars underneath the elevator.
Natsu and his Roundup Gang decided to have a little fun before going to New York. The pull-string Dragon Slayer doll propped himself inside an empty cardboard box with packing peanuts scattered across the floor. Peeking his head out of the box, he asked, "How about givin' me a little intro there, Juvia?" He retreated back.
Juvia cleared her throat, "Introducing the high-ridin'-est Dragon Slayer around…"
"You forget 'rootin'-tootin'-est!'"
Juvia barely contained a laugh, "The high-ridin'-est, rootin-tootin'-est Dragon Slayer hero of all time, Natsu Dragneel!"
Natsu came out of the box, acting like he was a tough, good-looking hero coming to town. He snapped his fingers and pointed to everyone with a wink, before he came to the Rain Woman doll with a sly grin. "Say, little missy, you notice any trouble 'round these parts?"
Juvia giggled, "Nary a bit, not with Natsu Dragneel around."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I got it! I got it! This is great! Okay!" Natsu jumped excitedly, and he rushed back into the box. "The Oración Seis got the critters tied up in the burning barn, and here comes the best part!" He then imagined himself in a scene where he fought the bad guys, making an imitative plea of the imaginary critters, "'Help us! The barn's on fire!'" He retracted to his normal voice, "I've got ya, critters!" He closed the box, "No need to worry…" He came out carrying a bunch of packing peanuts, as if they were the critters, "Natsu saves the day again!"
Romeo whooped, "YEE-HAW!"
"Now where's my trusty steed, Kemo-Kemo?" Natsu asked. "I have to ride off into the sunset!" Kemo-Kemo hopped over, and the salmon-haired toy climbed on him. The two attempted to perform one of the anime's most famous poses, "Ride like the wind, Kemo-Kemo!" The black-furred critter reared up a bit too far, allowing Natsu to fall off his back. Juvia and Romeo walked over to help him, and as they did, the salmon-haired toy began to laugh. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, watch it. I feel ticklish, okay?"
Juvia grinned devilishly, "Oh, you are?"
Romeo smiled slyly, "Get the dragon!" He, Juvia, and Kemo-Kemo flicked their fingers and assaulted Natsu's body with wiggles, forcing him to laugh like crazy.
"No, no, no, no, no! Stop it, stop it, stop it!" the pull-string Dragon Slayer tried to fight them off in-between laughter. "No, no, please, stop! Please, stop!"
Brain didn't join in the tickling; he just stood there in his box, laughing. It would seem that nothing could ruin this moment now.
