Next door, the movers cart out the last load of the Hirugashi family's stuff to the moving van. A forlorn Ken held his dragon-scaled scarf in one hand and Gray's cardboard spaceship in the other. He was leaving his childhood home behind, and he still couldn't find his two favorite toys. He wanted to cry, but he forced himself to stay strong for his mother's sake. Heaving a sad sigh, Ken knew that it was time to move on. And that day had finally come.
"I just hope that, wherever Natsu and Gray are, they're safe," Ken thought to himself.
The other house next door, Takeshi was in his backyard, carrying a bunch of materials in his arm from the toolshed. The first step of his plan was to construct something reminiscent of an actual spaceport, fantasizing that Gray was riding a rocket blasting off into space. Unfortunately, the rocket would instead blow him up into a million pieces instead of taking him up to a distant sea of stars. Nonetheless, Takeshi was content of his work, not caring whether or not Gray blew up. The outcome was all that mattered.
"Houston to Mission Control! Come in, Mission Control!" Takeshi was talking to no one in particular, except that he pretended to speak to an imaginary mission control. Dropping his materials next to an inanimate Gray, he continued, "The launch pad is being constructed."
Gray won't have much left on Earth, unless Natsu and Lucy come to his rescue, and fast.
While Zeke planted right outside Takeshi's bedroom door, poised to attack anything that exits, Natsu, Lucy, and the Mutant Toys were carrying out their well-laid plan. Lucy made a diagram of the house and yard, while Natsu relayed instructions.
Pointing to each spot with his pencil, Natsu elaborated, "All right, listen up. I need Pump Boze here, and Rabian the Duck here. Lilica Legs…" The fishing-legs toy named Lilica Legs stepped forward. "…you're with Rabian." The two toys nodded. Natsu continued, "Lucy, RollerMaru, and I don't move until we get the signal, got it?"
The Mutant Toys nodded in agreement. They were eager to get revenge on their cruel owner, and they would willingly follow Natsu's plan to do so.
Lucy said eagerly, "It's time for some payback. We're gonna save Gray and show Takeshi what happens when you mess with toys like us."
"I like your style, Lucy. It's toy season!" Natsu smiled in anticipation. He stood up and signaled, "All right, guys! Let's move!"
Immediately, the toys scattered, commencing the operation. Rabian the Duck and Lilica Legs rushed over to a heating grate and pulled the face plate off the wall, before disappearing into the heating duct. Rabian hopped around until he stopped at an intersection. Motioning to Lilica Legs with a quack, he hopped down the corner.
Natsu and Lucy hopped on RollerMaru and directed their attentions to Walking Tomy, a Takara Tomy car with baby arms and legs. "Wind up Keroro!" Natsu instructed. Walking Tomy obliged, winding Keroro up.
"Grab the knob!" Lucy ordered. Babyface, Moka-Bobo, and Hand-in-the-Box stacked up on top of each other near the door. Hand-in-the-Box's rubber hand popped out of the box and grabbed the knob, and Moka-Bobo gave a signal to Natsu and Lucy, as did Walking Tomy. Time for Phase 2.
Rabian and Lilica Legs made their way to the porch outside, or rather, above it. Rabian pulled out the porch light and extended his neck out of the hole to check that the coast was clear. Phase 3 may now commence…
"Wait for the signal," Natsu reminded the other toys back in the room as they manned their positions. The next step needed to be executed timely and perfectly.
Grabbing Lilica Legs' hook, Rabian attached it to the back of his neck and jumped out through the hole, letting himself fall until he reached the front door. He swung back and forth, back and forth, until he was able to hit the doorbell.
DING-DONG! Now's their chance!
"GO!" Natsu and Lucy shouted. In response, Hand-in-the-Box threw open the door. Zeke, who had been waiting outside the whole time, growled, but before he could even think of trying to get inside the room, Walking Tomy released Keroro's key. The wind-up frog went zooming outside, successfully catching the bulldog's attention. Zeke barked viciously and chased after Keroro, as the other toys climbed onto RollerMaru with Natsu and Lucy.
"Awesome!" Natsu said approvingly. "Now let's get outta here!"
Lucy remarked, "I have to admit, Natsu, Keroro speeding down the hallway to distract Zeke was a genius idea. I should've thought of that a long time ago!"
Natsu chuckled, "Like you have to ask? C'mon, everybody! To the yard!" With that, RollerMaru used his arms to propel the skateboard and the crew out into the hallway.
"I'll get it!" Asuka called from downstairs as the doorbell kept on ringing, courtesy of Rabian the Duck. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" She walked over to the door and opened it to find no one outside, except for Rabian, who slumped to the ground without being noticed. Zeke continued chasing Keroro, following him down the stairs and out the door, unwittingly knocking a distracted Asuka over by bursting through her legs.
"AUGH! Zeke!" Asuka yelled in annoyance. Unseen, Rabian caught Keroro in his arms, and Lilica Legs hoisted the two of them up with her reel, before replacing the bulb light. Zeke suddenly realized that he had been tricked, but before he could get back inside, Asuka pulled herself up and grabbed the door's edge with a glare. "Stupid dog!" She slammed the door, locking Zeke outside. The bulldog could only bark to get attention, but Asuka didn't care as she stormed off. That mangy mutt was just as annoying as her brother.
With Asuka gone, Natsu, Lucy, and the Mutant Toys zoomed down the stairs and round the corner, heading straight for the kitchen. Picking up speed, RollerMaru shot underneath the kitchen table and through the chair legs, straight towards the pet door.
"Lean back!" Natsu yelled. The others obliged and pushed back, causing RollerMaru to bend over. They catapulted through the pet door, before they landed safely in the bushes.
"Perfect landing," Lucy commented. "Where's Gray?"
"Over there!" Natsu gestured. He and Lucy parted some leaves to see Gray propped upright on top of a barrel designed to look like a launch pad. Takeshi was still in the toolshed, finishing preparations to launch the helpless space toy into space.
"Uh, Mission Control, is the launch pad construction complete?" Takeshi spoke, once again talking like an astronaut. He then buzzed with simulated static, "Roger, rocket is now secured to guard wire. We are currently obtaining the ignition sticks. Countdown will commence momentarily. Stand by…"
Natsu and Lucy whipped around to see Rabian, Keroro, and Lilica Legs emerge from a drain pipe. They exchanged a thumbs-up, indicating that the final phase of their plan was underway.
"Let's go," Natsu whispered. The toys dispersed out of the bushes to their designated places in the yard.
"Hey, Mom! Where are the matches?" Takeshi called out. "Oh, wait. Here they are. Never mind!"
At that moment, Gray spotted Natsu running over to him. He whispered, "Natsu! Good timing! Mind helping me outta this thing?"
"Shhh…" Natsu shushed, a few feet away from Gray.
"What?" Gray asked, confused.
"It's okay, Snowman," Natsu assured with a sly smile. "Everything's under control." Without another word, he fell limp.
"Natsu, what're you doing?!" Gray hissed. Before he could say or do anything else, Takeshi came out of the toolshed, and the space toy froze back.
"Houston, all systems are go. Requesting permission to launch…" Takeshi's eyes suddenly fell on Natsu nearby. "Hey, how'd you get out here?" He walked over and picked him up, raising an eyebrow. He didn't recall bringing the pull-string Dragon Slayer along for the ride. Just then, another twisted idea came into his mind as he smirked. "Oh, well. You and I will have a cookout later." With a chuckle, Takeshi tossed him onto a barbeque grill, before sticking a match into a small pocket of his one-sleeved waistcoat.
"Houston, do we have permission to launch?" Pulling a match out of the matchbox, he spoke into it like it was a walkie-talkie. "Roger, permission granted. You are confirmed at T-minus ten seconds."
Takeshi struck the match, lighting it.
"And counting… 10, 9, 8…"
Lucy and the Mutant Toys hurried into their final positions.
"…7, 6, 5…"
Natsu glared at Takeshi from the barbecue grill. This was it. Now or never.
"…4, 3, 2, 1…!"
"Reach for the sky!" a familiar voice sample boomed, catching the Toy Torturer's attention.
"Huh?" Takeshi dropped his match.
"This town ain't big enough for the two of us." The boy traced the source to Natsu, who appeared to be speaking through his voice box.
"What?" Takeshi blinked, walking closer to Natsu. That pull-string Dragon Slayer doll couldn't have talked on its own— could it?
"Somebody's poisoned the waterhole." Takeshi picked Natsu up and stared at him.
"It's busted," he scoffed. But just as he was about to toss Natsu away…
"Who're you callin' 'busted,' buster?!" Natsu's voice box snapped. Takeshi froze. He stared at the salmon-haired toy again, this time with wide-eyed shock. "That's right. I'm talkin' to ya, Takeshi Sakamoto." Takeshi turned Natsu over. Oddly, his mouth didn't show any signs of movement. How was he able to talk to him without pulling his pull-string?! "We don't like being blown up, Takeshi, or smashed, or ripped apart."
"'We?!'" Takeshi felt his body trembling, impacted by the pull-string Dragon Slayer's statement. Though he tried his best not to have a panic attack, he feared where that part of the discussion would lead to.
"That's right," Natsu's voice box gave a clear answer. "Your toys!"
That was the cue. Behind Takeshi, an Imitatia doll rose up from the sandbox and marched towards him like a tiny zombie. Walking Tomy skittered out from the sand, and a monster truck toy rose out. Gray watched with surprise. Keroro, a headless Taurus doll, and an armless Loke doll with a nail through his head came out of the mud. Takeshi's mouth was agape, his body shivering uncontrollably from the toys' sudden awakening in a classic "Night of the Living Dead" fashion.
No… This couldn't be happening! Toys are just objects! They couldn't possibly come to life! At least, that's what Takeshi was lead to believe…
Next to him, Zeke's water bowl flipped over to reveal the squeaky Nikora, now dirty and torn, and it joined the march. A terrified Takeshi backed away, only to feel something land on his head. He looked up and screamed in horror upon seeing Babyface, her erector-set legs digging through his head. He stumbled backwards as Lilica Legs reeled Babyface back up, before a rubber hand grabbed his foot. Takeshi let out another scream, and he noticed Hand-in-the-Box, Lulu, and the Wyvern coming out on RollerMaru, with Ariawheel next to him.
Breathing heavily, the scared Toy Torturer was surrounded by the Mutant Toys, the very creations he abused, tortured, and mutilated for so long. Their revenge was finally at hand…
"From now on, you must take good care of your toys!" Natsu's voice box suggested. "Because if you don't, we'll find out, Takeshi. We toys can see… everything." The salmon-haired toy's head spun around on its own a complete 360.
What happened next was the straw that broke the toy camel's back. Natsu's face suddenly sprung to life, giving Takeshi a vicious glare. "So play nice…" he growled.
And suddenly, Lucy appeared on the boy's left shoulder. Feeling the blonde-haired doll's feet planted on it, he turned to see her smiling right before his very eyes! "And be good!" Lucy finished Natsu's suggestion with a sly, slick tone.
"WAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!" Takeshi screamed in hysterical fright, much terror rising than he had ever felt. He couldn't take this anymore! It's like the Devil was after him! Tossing Natsu and Lucy into the air, he bolted into the house, accompanied by his screams. Natsu landed on the ground, and Lucy was caught in his arms. The two watched with the Mutant Toys as their former tormentor disappeared, never to bare the sight of those living… monsters… ever again.
"WE DID IT!" The toys danced and celebrated. The plan worked! Not only was Gray safe, but the Mutant Toys had finally gotten back at Takeshi for everything he did to them. With any luck, it would take a long time before he even looked at a toy again. At long last, the reign of the Toy Torturer was over.
"We did it! We did it!" Lucy cried happily, giving Natsu a very tight hug.
"Ha-ha-ha! Yes!" Natsu laughed proudly, reciprocating the hug.
Inside the house, Asuka came downstairs with her Sue doll in hand. She noticed her brother, scared out of his mind, running up to her.
"THE TOYS! THE TOYS ARE ALIVE!" Takeshi shrieked. He then saw the Sue doll Asuka was holding, and the endless shivering in his body started to kick in. "N-N-Nice… toy…"
A smirk crossed Asuka's face as she saw the opportunity to get some revenge of her own. After all, Takeshi ruined her toys, too. She held the Sue doll in front of Takeshi, who immediately screamed.
"What's wrong, Takeshi?" Asuka taunted, chasing her cowardly brother upstairs. "Don't you wanna play with Sue?"
Outside, Natsu, Lucy, and the Mutant Toys were still celebrating. And who could blame them? Not only had they gotten back at Takeshi, but they did it especially that he probably needed therapy.
"Awesome work, guys. Good job!" Natsu congratulated. "Man, coming out of the ground, I didn't think of that. That was a stroke of genius." He turned to Lucy with a sly smile, "But the best idea of all was Lucy appearing on his shoulder out of nowhere. It sure scared the wits outta him."
Lucy giggled blushingly, "Oh, Natsu. You're such a tease. I'm just your friendly neighborhood Celestial Treasure Hunter doll, doing my job."
"And you've done it with flying colors," Natsu smiled contently. "Could've have done it without you, Lu. If it wasn't for you, this plan wouldn't have started."
Lucy wrapped her arms around him, "Now that Takeshi's out of the picture, we can finally rest easy. The Mutant Toys are free, Gray's safe…"
Natsu grinned, bending her over with his arms, "And best of all, I've reunited with the girl of my dreams. Everything's alright now."
"Natsu…" Lucy sighed passionately, and the two leaned in for a kiss when…
"Natsu," Gray called, interrupting the moment.
As the two straightened up, Natsu climbed up the launch pad Gray was affixed to. He responded, "Yeah?"
"Thanks," Gray held his hand out, a genuine smile in his face.
"No problem, Snowman," Natsu smiled back and shook the space toy's hand. In the midst of all the chaos and strife, the Salamander's animosity for the Space Hero burned away, and from the ashes, sprouted a plant of newfound friendship.
Lucy looked up the launch pad and smiled to herself, "It's official: Dragon Slayer and Space Hero are friends. Celestial Treasure Hunter Lesson #99: Rivalries can turn to friendships."
Just then, a can horn honked next door. Mrs. Hirugashi's voice called, "Everybody say, 'bye house!'"
"Guys, the van!" Gray alerted, looking through the fence to see the Hirugashi family van about to depart.
"Bye, house!" Ken's voice echoed.
Natsu and Lucy didn't need a second invite. The blonde-haired toy climbed up the launch pad, and she helped Natsu hoist off the pole Gray was tied to. The three toys hopped from the launch pad and dashed for the fence, never bothering to remove the rocket.
"There's an opening at the fence, straight ahead!" Lucy pointed towards a hole in the fence.
"We gotta run! Thanks, guys!" Natsu shouted hastily, waving at the Mutant Toys as he, Gray, and Lucy left the yard. They would celebrate coming out of Takeshi's house in one piece later. For now, they had to focus on getting themselves back to Ken.