Chapter 20 – SpongeBob Makes His Decision

Back in the vents, Utility Belt Jimmy peeks over a corner, and runs to the other tunnel. He opened communicator watch, and he scanned the tunnel to see that it's all clear. and gestures for the other toys to follow him. The toys slowly drag their feet, still experiencing that traumatic moment with the elevator.

"Mission log," Utility Belt Jimmy spoke into his communicator, "I've reached Darth Vader's command deck, but no sign of him or any yellow captive."

The toys slowly caught up to Utility Belt Jimmy, just as he closed his communicator on his wrist. Suddenly, the noise of pleads can be heard in the distance. The toys cup their ears to get a recognition of where it's coming from.

"What's that sound?" Sherman pinpointed. The young boy turned to Agnes, "Hey, do you hear those cries of laughter, Agnes?"

Agnes nodded while cupping her ear, "Yup. Wonder what that strange sound is?"

Clifford stretched his ear forward, and he recognized the tone of the voice. "That's SpongeBob!" Clifford alerted, along with a howl. Finally, after a long search, they finally found their friend!

"This way!" Utility Belt Jimmy ordered. Utility Belt Jimmy ran down the vent, followed by the others. Upon reaching a sealed air duct, which, unknown to all, was unscrewed by SpongeBob a while ago, the Space Boy action figure peeked through the iron bars, trying to get a view of the pull-string sponge boy still being playfully assaulted by the tickles of his Roundup Gang members. Unfortunately, the metal drawbacks made it a little hard for Utility Belt Jimmy and the other toys to see.

"It's coming from in there!" Sherman pointed out.

"Wonder what's happening there?" Agnes raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Jimmy, can you see? What's going on?" Oscar asked.

Utility Belt Jimmy scratched his head in puzzlement, "Hmm, I can't really tell. These bars are in the way, and it's a little hard to see." The Space Boy action figure paused, then he turned to Oscar, who's trying to observe the scene as well. "Wait a second."

Seconds later, Utility Belt Jimmy was holding one of Oscar's eyes as a small binocular so the put-together Grouch toy can see what's all the commotion. "To the left." Oscar instructed. The Space Boy action figure turns the eye in the wrong way. 'No, YOUR left. Take it up higher." Utility Belt Jimmy changes the eye's direction and rose it up to see what it would look like Sandy, Cindy, and Spirit hurting SpongeBob. The-single-eyed Oscar scanned the situation, and turned to his companions with a fearful expression.

"What's happening?" Utility Belt Jimmy whispered.

"Oh, it's…it's horrible!" Oscar dreaded. "They're torturing him!" The rest of the toys gasped, their faces withdrawn with concern. The Grouch toy misjudged the playful act as a cruel act of sheer torture in store for SpongeBob.

Sherman covered his mouth with his hands, and he gasped, "That's awful! No one would want to bring harm to an innocent toy!"

"What are we gonna do, Jimmy?" Alex asked.

Utility Belt Jimmy turned to Alex. He tightened a fist, a quick option coming to his brain. He said to the lion toy, "Use your head."

A FEW SECONDS LATER...

The toys carry out how their plan should unfold: Utility Belt Jimmy, Clifford, Cody, Oscar, Sherman, and Agnes use Alex like a battering ram, as they run down the tunnel to the grate.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO USE MY HEAD!" Alex shrieked. The other toys ignored his pleas, and they all let out a battle yell paired with Alex's frightened screams, they burst through the vent with a loud CLUNK! They stampeded into Happy's loft, only to land in a discarded box packed with Styrofoam peanuts, right in front of a baffled Roundup Gang. Cindy, Sandy, and Spirit immedeately ceased the tickling, and Spongebob pulled himself up, caught a little off-guard that his friends (the toys from Mike's room) rolled into the place.

'What's going on here?" Farquaad insisted.

"Jimmy! Guys!" SpongeBob greeted excitedly. He ran over to greet his friends. "Hey, how did you find me?"

"Watch yourself!" Utility Belt Jimmy pinned SpongeBob to the floor, and points his laser at the Roundup Gang.

"We're here to spring you, SpongeBob!" Clifford shouted.

Cody and Sherman tackle Farquaad's box, and Sherman growled, "Hey, mint-in-the-box creep! You heard of kung fu? Well, get ready for a buttload of merciless whupping!"

"Prepare to meet Mr. Angry Eyes!" Oscar dared, taking out his normal eyes and putting them in his back compartment. He unwittingly puts his extra feet in his eye slots. With a growl, he charged at Cindy, only for him to run into a wall with Cindy speechlessly staring down at him. SpongeBob tried to defend the members of the Roundup Gang.

"Hey! Hold it now! Hey, you don't understand!" SpongeBob tried to defend the confused Roundup Gang members. "These are my friends!"

"Yeah, we're his friends!" Alex shouted aggressively.

"No, Alex, I mean they're my friends!" SpongeBob protested.

Spirit and Clifford both growl at each other. Clifford raises his red spring like a cat. Cindy approached the two growling animals. "Hey, stop it! You leave him alone, springy dog!" Cindy demanded, displeased of the atrocity.

Without warning, Clifford wrapped around her and Spirit in his coils. The red dog called out, "Grab SpongeBob, and let's go!" Clifford warned.

"Fellas, hold it!" SpongeBob is then picked up by Utility Belt Jimmy, carrying him on the shoulder. "Jimmy, put me down!"

"Retreat!" Oscar signaled, running forward.

"Agnes, come on!" Sherman advised. Agnes followed suit.

"Quick! To the vent!" Alex said.

The toys made a mad dash to the vent. As the Roundup Gang members recuperated, Cindy propped up Farquaad's box. She dreaded, "They're stealing him!"

"No!" Farquaad screamed.

The rescue party shouted vigorously, with Utility Belt Jimmy leading the way while carrying SpongeBob. A quick run back to the elevator and a long trip to the ground floor will be all it would take to escape from the greedy clutches of Hapy Chapman, from the Roundup Gang, from the whole apartment building. Only then, they would have to return back home to revel in their triumph...

...and that's when someone stood in their path and stopped them with an open palm of his hand. "Hold it right there!"

"JIMMY?!" The group suddenly stopped, their mouths agape, to see the real Jimmy Neutron making his sudden appearance.

"You again?!" Utility Belt Jimmy went over to his counterpart, his face glaring.

"SpongeBob! Thank heavens you're okay." Jimmy green, seeing his best friend alive.

"Jimmy, what the heck is going on?" SpongeBob asked.

"Hold on!" Utility Belt Jimmy halted. Abruptly tossing Spongebob off his shoulder and confronted the real Jimmy Neutron, "I'm Jimmy Neutron, and I'm in charge of this detachment!"

"No," Jimmy responded calmly, walking forward. "I'm Jimmy Neutron."

"I'M JIMMY NEUTRON!" Utility Belt Jimmy argued.

"I'M JIMMY NEUTRON!" Jimmy yelled back.

SpongeBob stands up and asked, "So, who's the real Jimmy?"

"I am!" both Jimmies said in unison.

"Don't let this imposter take you for fools!" Utility Belt Jimmy shot to the toys. "He's been trained by Vader himself to mimic my every move."

Agnes scoffed, "Yeah, right."

Jimmy nonchalantly pressed the button on the rim of Utility Belt Jimmy's helmet, causing the device to flip back. Utility Belt Jimmy erratically writhed on the ground, beginning to hyperventilate under the pretense that he's losing sheer oxygen in a toxic environment in space. As SpongeBob and most of his friends stare with expressionless faces, the rest did so with understanding expressions. Any Jimym Neutron: Space Boy action figure programmed wit memories would gasp for air the minute the helmet was flipped open, but this Jimmy...each time he opens his helmet, it doesn't affect him. It couldn't be...could it? To make this precise, he lifted up his sneaker to show the others that a familiar name was written on it.

"JIMMY!" The toys cried out his name, this time with joy and relief. The toys are so glad to be reunited with the real Jimmy, that they walked to to greet him, now that they knew that it was really him. SpongeBob shakes Jimmy's hand proudly. The two best friends are back together. Jimmy then pats Clifford's head. "I knew it was you, Jimmy. My front end just had to catch up with my back end.

Agnes ran forward. "Jimmy! I knew you would come down here!" Agnes was relieved to be back with the real Jimmy, and so does Sherman, who watched with a nod.

"Same here." Jimmy replied.

"Listen, Jimmy, we're sorry for leaving you behind and let a new Jimmy toy take your place. Truth is, no one could ever replace a friend like you." Sherman said adamantly.

"Apology accepted." Jimmy spoke proudly, shaking Sherman's hand.

Utility Belt Jimmy closed his helmet. Pulling himself up, he asked in offense, "Will somebody please explain what's going on?"

"It's all right, Space Boy." Jimmy replied, putting his hand on Utility Belt Jimmy's shoulder. He whispered into his doppelganger's ear, "It's a code 546."

Utility Belt Jimmy gasped, and said, "You mean it's a…"

"Yes."

"And he's a…."

"Oh yeah."

Utility Belt Jimmy runs over to SpongeBob. Taking his hand, he kneels down as if he were treating him like royalty. "Your Majesty..."

SpongeBob chuckled nervously, taking his hand away. Sherman and Agnes giggle at that act. SpongeBob looked to see Sherman and Agnes walking toward him. The pull-string sponge greeted, "Oh, hello. What are your names?" He placed his hands on his knees.

"My name is Sherman, and this is my sister Agnes." Sherman introduced.

"Hello." SpongeBob waved. "My name is SpongeBob SquarePants."

Jimmy stepped to SpongeBob, "I found them last night, and invited them to the rescue party."

"Really? That's great, Jimmy!" SpongeBob congratulated. "You always come up with the best ideas! And that's why you're my best friend!"

Jimmy chuckled awkwardly, "Thanks."

SpongeBob asked the two kids, "So are you two abandoned from your previous owner?"

"Uh-huh. But then we became new recruits and we came all the way here just to rescue you." Agnes explained.

SpongeBob announced, "Well, I hereby welcome you kids...to the toy family!" SpongeBob ruffled Sherman's red hair, then Agnes' raven-black hair as the two kids smile and giggle playfully. Then the sponge knelt down and wrapped the kids' bodies in a hug, and Sherman and Agnes return the embrace. Words can't express how happy Sherman and his little sister Agnes would be if they are members of the toy family.

SpongeBob stood up as Jimmy turned serious, "OK, with all the pleasantries out of the way, it's time to get back on task. SpongeBob, you're in danger here. We gotta leave now."

"Happy's selling you to a toy museum! In Japan!" Alex said.

"I know! It's okay, Jimmy." SpongeBob said, getting out of Jimmy's grip. "I actually wanna go there!"

"What?" Alex exclaimed.

"Are you crazy?" Oscar exclaimed.

"Look, the thing is, I'm a rare SpongeBob SquarePants doll, and these guys are my Roundup Gang!" SpongeBob explained, gesturing to his Roundup gang.

"SpongeBob, what are you talking about?" Jimmy asked in confusion.

"What am I talking about? SpongeBob's Roundup! SpongeBob announced. He gleefully runs over to the remote lying on the ground. "Oh, it's this great old TV show, and I was the star!" He stepped on the top button of the remote, and he shows his old friends the screen, where SpongeBob and his horse are running to the rescue. "See, now? Look. Look at me! See? That's me."

"This is weirding me out." Cody said.

SpongeBob runs back over to Jimmy. "Jimmy, don't you see? It was all a national phenomenon! And there was all of this cool merchandise that just got pack up!" SpongeBob said to Jimmy, who narrows his eyes in suspicion." Oh, you should've seen it! There was a cookie jar, a record player, and a yo-yo….Jimmy, I was a yo-yo!"

"Pfft, 'was'?" Oscar cracked.

"SpongeBob, we'll talk about this later. Now, stop this nonsense, and let's go." Jimmy insisted.

"Nah, Jimmy..." SpongeBob groaned while backing away. His excitement fermented into defeat, and between going home and traveling overseas, he just has to make the proper choice. After struggling to find the right words, he finally spoke. Every word he spoke was laced with sincerity. "I can't go. I can't abandon these guys. They need me to get into this particular museum. Without me, they'll probably go back into storage. Maybe forever."

Sherman dreaded, "That's a bummer."

Agnes nodded, "Totally."

"SpongeBob, you're not a collector's item. You're a child's plaything." Jimmy, himself, began to get angry. "You. Are. A TOY!" The exact four words were the same words SpongeBob said to him years ago in the gas station, back when Jimym was still a delusional Space Boy.

"For how much longer?" SpongeBob asked indignantly. "One more rip, and Michael's DONE with me! And what do I do then, Jimmy? HUH? Why don't you tell me?!"

Jimmy's glare never wavered. "Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a certain toy that taught me that life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid for generations. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy..." As Jimmy put a hand over his heart, he paused to let it sink in, "...because I believed him.

The bucktoothed sponge doll was too stubborn to go with him and the other toys. He glares at him. "Well, you've wasted your time." SpongeBob said sternly. He turned his back on his friend and crossed his arms.

"SpongeBob..." The sponge turned to see Agnes talking to him. "...just because you made a decision to go to some boring museum and spend the rest of your life there doesn't mean that you would have to forget about your whole family!" Agnes explained.

"What are you talking about, 'forget my whole family'?" SpongeBob asked.

"My little sister is saying that you spent a whole night in this apartment with a band of different but unfamiliar toys, and toys like you aren't meant to be put in storage or in a museum. Even Jimmy's right. Toys are meant to be loved by a kid." Sherman inquired.

"Look here, Sherman." SpongeBob reminded Sherman. "If I did this, I would be adored by other children for decades, and toys' owners eventually outgrow themselves and give them away! But being in a museum, is a big opportunity for me! I was meant to be more than just a toy."

Sherman explained insistently, "There are others who care about you, SpongeBob! You have your family, and you can't just go on wasting your life in a museum, even if you have a family who misses you very, very much, and cares deeply in you! We crossed an entire city while you lived it up in an apartment miles away from your respective home! You can't just abandon your own friends..." His voice rose in anguish, "...and also you can't give up your own life! What could you possibly hope to gain?"

SpongeBob told the red haired boy, "I understand what you mean, kid, but this is what I'm made for! Ever since I was damaged days ago, I began to get the feeling that all owners outgrow toys no matter what!"

Sherman and Agnes remained silent for a few moments, until Agnes broke the ice, "SpongeBob, you have life in a bedroom, a young owner who loves you, friends who show care and adore you. In fact, since you are a toy like the rest of us, you have everything."

Jimmy spoke, "Agnes is right. You have everything besides your decision of being in a museum. Why is it the only person who can't see that...is you?"

SpongeBob's glare never wavered. He had made up his mind, overruling the decision of going home. "I'm staying. And that's all there is to it." He turned his back away. The toys couldn't believe this. The world seem to vanish around them as Jimmy and the rest of his friends' minds were all overwhelmed with emotion. Also Sandy has been overhearing this sudden development. She doesn't want to be in Tokyo, too, anyway. Sherman and Agnes' expressions change to grim faces.

"Let's go, everyone." Jimmy grimly advised.

"What about SpongeBob?" Clifford asked softly.

"He's not coming with us." Jimmy said, heavily disappointed. Sherman carries Agnes, with his little sister's arms around her big brother's shoulders and began to walk to the vent. Not wanting to waste time trying to change SpongeBob's mind, Jimmy turned to walk toward the open vent, with the others following him.

"But Mike is coming home tonight." Alex urged.

"Then we better make sure we'd be waiting for him." Jimmy replied bitterly. Disappointed, heartbroken, and crestfallen, Oscar, Cody, Utility Belt Jimmy, Sherman, Agnes, and Alex go inside the vent the same way they went through. Clifford looks at SpongeBob one last time, then goes inside the vent. Jimmy, who was the last to go, looks at his friend, still disappointed. SpongeBob took notice, and he had to admit, he didn't want all of this to happen to Jimmy and the rest of his toy family. He just had no other choice. What's a children's toy-turned-rare collectible to do?

"I don't have a choice, Jimmy." SpongeBob told his former friend. "This is my one and only chance."

"To do what, SpongeBob?!" Jimmy demanded. "Watch kids from behind glass and never be loved again? Some life."

With two of those parting words, Jimmy steps into the vent, then he slams down the grate behind him.