"Now, you got us a trip to Hollywood!" Natsu said with amazement as the gang drove through the streets of the city where all the stars live. Lucy being rich hasp pulled out something incredible once again.
"You should thank my aunt." Lucy said. "The only reason we're able to get here is because she knows the director. I'm not sure why he flew us all the way down here, but I say we just enjoy it."
"You said it! I can't believe we're here with all the movie stars!" Natsu said as he got his arm around her. "Lucy, you're amazing for getting us down here that I could actually kiss you." He claimed, but Lucy just pushed him aside.
"Slow down, Natsu." Erza said.
"Yeah. Wait until you two get a room." Gray joked.
"Gray, there's where we need to go." Lucy said as she pointed the way. Gray turned into the studio and they were able to get inside. When they arrived at the studio, they were able to walk right in and could see all the backstage magic that Hollywood studios can offer. They walked in with people at work right now. "There. That's the director my aunt told us about." She said as she pointed to a man in a red shirt with brown hair. They all went on over with the director spotting them.
"Excuse me, but you kids are not allowed here without authorization." The director said.
"You're Mr. Bluemin, right?" Lucy asked. "My aunt said you were the one that invited us down here."
"Oh! You're Lucy and her gang of mystery solvers?!" Mr. Bluemin questioned. "I'm sorry. I'm glad you're here. Welcome."
"Thank you, but may we ask why you invited us down here?" Lucy asked.
"A favor. Your aunt and I have been friends for a long time." Mr. Bluemin claimed, but Lucy and the others had a sneaky suspicion that something else is going on. "Not buying it? Oh well. The truth is that I've been having some sort of problem on set, and your aunt told me that this is your specialty."
"Our specialty? What exactly is this problem you're having?" Erza questioned.
"For you to understand, I need to tell you about the movie we're shooting." Mr. Bluemin said as he pulled out a promotional poster of his movie with the face of a bat on it. "It's called Bats. It's a monster movie about a creature that's part man, part bat. However, this is where the problem comes in."
"Which is?" Gray asked as none of them noticed that someone or something watching them.
"Well, people have been saying they've seen a real Man-Bat around here." Mr. Bluemin said.
"A real Man-Bat?" Lucy questioned.
"I'm afraid so. I never saw it, but something is scaring my crew and cast away." Mr. Bluemin said. "We had to reshoot so much that our budget is dropping. If something isn't done soon, we might have to cancel the movie. So, when your aunt told me you guys solve mysteries involving this sort of stuff, I was hoping you kids could do something to help me."
"Wow. Our reputation must be skyrocketing if a Hollywood big shot is asking for our help." Gray said.
"Well, we be happy to help out." Erza said.
"We will?" Natsu questioned as he was hoping this would just be a fun trip.
"Yes, we will." Lucy said.
"Great. As a show of gratitude, you kids can stay and us shoot. Just be sure you play it cool around the actors." Mr. Bluemin said. "In fact, we're about to shoot a scene right now." Getting to solve a mystery and see a movie being made has this becoming a worthy trip. All of them stood back as they were watching as they were shooting a cave scene. It had a young lady in it with her high above the ground. "Ready, Candy?!"
"Ready, sir!" Candy called.
"For this scene, struggle in trying to get across the bridge. Kevin dressed as the Man-Bat is suppose to come in and try to snatch you up!" Mr. Bluemin directed.
"This is pretty exciting. I've never seen a movie be directed before." Lucy said as all of them thought this was fun.
"Action!" Mr. Bluemin directed. Candy tried running against the wobbly bridge, but she tried to make it look like she was struggling. That was when they heard a screeching sound coming from above. They all looked higher up and saw what was suppose to be the Man-Bat. It looked just like a bat, but with the body of a man with claws and wings attached to its arms and fangs. It stood on a ledge and looked ready to jump. "Watch this, kids. With a cable set, Kevin's going to make it look like he's flying and try to snatch Candy." They all expected the monster to fly over Candy, but something else went on as it jumped off the ledge and landed right on the bridge and blocked her path. "Kevin! That's not in the script!" The Man-Bat just kept shrieking as it moved closer to Candy and giving her a good scare.
"I don't think this is part of the movie." Gray said as they were all getting anxious. The Man-Bat actually attacked her as he swung its arms at her a couple times until he hit her and knocked her over the rope. Candy grabbed on to the bridge and was holding on as best as she could.
"We better do something fast!" Erza said. Happy got Natsu's attention and pointed to a service table with a cloth over it.
"Great idea, Happy! Gray!" Natsu called as he hurried to the table and just pulled the table cloth off of it. Seeing what Natsu was thinking, they both grabbed and end and stretched it out as they tried to get under her. The Man-Bat shook the bridge around until Candy couldn't hold on and fell. Luckily, Natsu and Gray were able to catch her and everyone was glad she was safe. That was when the Man-Bat took off and vanished.
"That was close." Gray said.
"I'm glad Candy's okay, but what the heck got into Kevin?" Mr. Bluemin questioned.
"Unless that wasn't your actor." Lucy said. "Maybe it was what you warned us about."
"I think Lucy's right, but what happened to this Kevin if was that thing?" Erza said.
"Let's find out. His dressing room shouldn't be far from here." Mr. Bluemin suggested. That is a good place to start.
...
The Dressing Rooms
"Here we are. This one is Kevin's." Mr. Bluemin said. He showed where Kevin's dressing room was suppose to be. When they went inside, they were all shocked. The place was a mess and they saw a guy with dark brown hair wearing a bat costume. He looked like he was hurt "Kevin!" All of them rushed inside and helped him up. "Are you okay, Kevin?"
"I think so." Kevin said, but he did seem rather dizzy.
"What happened?" Mr. Bluemin asked.
"I was getting ready for the shoot when something attacked me." Kevin said. "It's a bit of blur after that."
"It must have been the same thing that attacked the set." Gray said.
"So there really is an actual Man-Bat on the loose." Erza said as none of them liked the sound of this.
"Excuse me, Mr. Bluemin!" Candy called. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to work as long as that beast is out there."
"I'm with her." Kevin said.
"You can't quit. We have contracts, plus I can't afford to lose many people." Mr. Bluemin said as he was doing everything he can to keep this movie together. "Kids, I really hope you can help. If something isn't done about that thing soon, my movie will be cancelled before it even premieres."
"Don't worry, Mr. Bluemin. We'll do everything we can." Gray said as all of them agreed to help.
...
The Gang
Now that they found themselves in another mystery, the gang roams around the studio in hopes of finding clues or something that could tell them more about the Man-Bat.
"I wish we had a better idea on what to look for." Erza said. "Why would a bat be terrorizing this studio in the first place?"
"There's something strange about this Man-Bat." Lucy said. "It seemed rather intelligent to attack Kevin and tried knocking Candy off that bridge. You think something like that would be more mindless." They all looked around for anything suspicious. Happy helped out as he checked every corner he could until he found what appeared to be an eaten burger on the ground.
"How about that?" Natsu said as he noticed it himself. "Some wasted a perfectly good burger."
"Hold on! That's a clue right there!" Lucy said.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Natsu questioned.
"Take a look at those claw marks." Lucy said as she pointed to them. "I say that Man-Bat has been eating that sandwich."
"So? Don't bats drink...blood. Wouldn't they eat meat?" Natsu questioned.
"Well, there is a type of bat that does drink blood, but that's from cattle." Lucy said. "Most bats usually eat fruit or insects."
"So why would this Man-Bat be eating a burger?" Erza said.
"Maybe this thing is more man than bat." Gray said. "Let's check out Bluemin's office and see if we can learn more about this Man-Bat."
...
Bluemin's Office
They all went over to check Bluemin's office to see if they can learn more about the Man-Bat. They searched around for that information, but it seems like there's more in that office.
"Hey! Check this out!" Erza said as she found something. "These look like the records of the actors in the movie and what previous stuff they've worked in. It looks like this isn't the first time Kevin played a monster in a movie."
"So?" Natsu questioned.
"Maybe this Man-Bat is someone didn't make the cut." Erza said. "It's possible that it could also be a rival director or someone who wants to ruin the movie."
"But I can't find anything about the Man-Bat itself." Lucy said. While Happy was searching around himself, he was about to play in a little trap. The Man-Bat was there and put on a mask that looked like Happy's head and tried copying his movements. When Happy passed through an opened window and tried moving like Happy did and tried making it look like he was standing in front of a mirror. Happy thought it was weird. He held up his paw, the bat held up a claw. Happy waved his paws, the bat waved its wings. Happy moved away with the bat following.
"Happy, what are you doing over there?" Gray questioned. Happy showed them as he walked by with the fake walking by.
"Did anyone else think that looked weird?" Natsu said. Happy's point exactly. Happy tried sticking out his tongue and pulling on his face, but nothing happened. That was when the Man-Bat quit fooling around and showed itself with a horrible sounding shriek. "It's the Man-Bat!"
"Run for it!" Lucy said. All of them ran out of there with the Man-Bat chasing after them. They ran for a door, but it ended up being locked and they couldn't get out. "Just our luck. It's locked."
"Here it comes!" Gray said as they saw the Man-Bat coming their way.
"Happy, do something!" Natsu said. "Bats are basically mice with wings! You're a cat that hunts mice!" Happy tried being brave and hissed at the Man-Bat with him waving his claw, but the Man-Bat unleashed a horrible shriek that scared Happy away. "Anyone got any ideas before that Man-Bat feasts on us?" Erza looked around and spotted a janitor's mop.
"I do!" Erza said as she hurried over and grabbed a hold of it. She twirled the mop around like a bo staff. She smashed it against the bat's face a few times and kept those teeth back. "Run for it!" She called as she tripped the bat using the mop. When they were down, the five of them ran off. They kept on running until they couldn't run anymore and lost the Man-Bat.
"Nice moves back there, Erza." Gray said.
"Hold on." Lucy said as she noticed something was off. "Where are Natsu and Happy?"
"They must have ran off in a different direction." Erza said.
"We better find them before that Man-Bat does." Gray said since it might not be safe for them out there.
...
Natsu and Happy
Natsu and Happy took off in a different direction and ended up in a different part of the studio. When they opened up a door, they could see costumes and masks everywhere.
"Wow. Check this place out, Happy. This must be where they keep the costumes for the movies." Natsu said as he and Happy were interested in the place. There were a variety of costumes and accessories everywhere. They decided to have some fun with this. "Check me out." Natsu grabbed on a long blonde wig and acted like Rapunzel. "I am Rapunzel. Watch as I let down my hair!" Happy laughed and got in the fun. He grabbed a mask of a demon and snarled. "Scary. Hehehe. Hey, check out this camera!" Natsu said as he found an actual one. "Hold still, I'll take your photo." Happy posed with the mask and Natsu took the photo. "Nice." Natsu and Happy were having some fun until they heard something. Natsu looked through the costumes and saw the Man-Bat taking his mask off, but they couldn't see his face. "The Man-Bat without his mask on! Hey you!" He called to get his attention and was able to get a photo of him. Suddenly, the Man-Bat himself came at them. "Run, Happy! We can't lose this photo!" The two of them hurried out of there. They got a big clue and can't afford to lose it.
...
Chase Scene
Another scary night
Another spooky fright
And we just might be in danger
Oh the ghost is here and it's always a fake
The ghost is here, there's no reason to shake
The ghost is here, oh give us a break
It's fake
Natsu and Happy were running all over the place with the Man-Bat after them to get that photo. They started by running around revolving doors and kept going so fast that the Man-Bat didn't even notice the two of them jump out
Another ghoul attacks
He's breathing down our backs
And we're making tracks to the exit
Oh the ghost is here, it's a crook in the suit
The ghost is here and he's protecting some loot
The ghost is here, oh give him the boot
He's fake
When they thought they lost him, the Man-Bat emerged through some doors and chased after them again. The two of them kept running until Natsu tossed a trash can against the ground and caused the Man-Bat to trap.
It doesn't matter where we go, we know
The ghost is gonna show and so
We look for the bogus
We look for the scam
And every time, the ghost is a sham
The two of them ran into a casino set with the Man-Bat right on their trails. He had them back up. When the Man-Bat leaped at them, they ducked down and he landed on a roulette. The two of them gave the roulette a good spin and tried to lose it.
We see an eerie light
And if the mood is right
We just might spot a monster
Oh the ghost is here. it's our frightening task
To face our fears and the creep in the mask
Until the ghost is here, there's no reason to ask
He's fake
Natsu and Happy tried taking cover in a storage room. They thought they were safe, but Happy felt someone tap his shoulder. They both looked and saw it came back with them chasing after them. The Man-Bat swiped at Happy, but Happy jumped over some boxes. Just when he had Natsu, Happy caused some of the boxes to fall over and land on that bat. When that happened, the two of them ran out of there.
...
Gray and the Girls
"Still no sign of them." Lucy said as they were starting to get worried when they couldn't find them anywhere. "I sure hope they're okay."
"Wait. There they are!" Erza said as she spotted Natsu and Happy running towards them.
"Guys! I got it!" Natsu said as he and Happy slid to a stop. "I got a photo of the Man-Bat without his mask on!"
"You did?! Who is it?!" Gray said.
"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to look because he's right behind us." Natsu said.
"Come on. I got an idea." Gray said as all of them hurried off, but the Man-Bat wasn't far behind them. The man bat chased all of them into another set and was determined to get that photo. When the Man-Bat ran inside, he spotted Natsu just standing there.
"Hey, ugly! Looking for this!" Natsu said as he waved the camera around. The Man-Bat charged right at him and that's just what Gray wanted.
"Time to see the light!" Gray said as he flipped a switch and a series of lights turned on and shined right in the Man-Bat's face and blinded him. When he was distracted from the lights, the girls and Happy pushed against a set and caused it to fall right on the Man-Bat and kept it down.
"We got it!" Lucy said. "It can't slip away now."
"Natsu, the photo. Who is it?" Erza questioned with Natsu taking a look.
"Well I'll be... Take look for yourselves. Look familiar?" Natsu said as he showed the photo.
"It's Kevin!" The girls said as it really was the actor the whole time.
...
Bluemin's Office
All of them met at Bluemin's office after calling the police on Kevin and told Mr. Bluemin the whole thing.
"So it really was Kevin the whole time?" Mr. Bluemin said.
"Sure was. It was pretty clever of him to make it look like he was attacked, but he was the one that caused all the trouble with the Man-Bat." Lucy said.
"But I don't understand. Why did he do it?" Mr. Bluemin questioned.
"He was tired of always playing the part of a monster in movies, but he couldn't find any other parts." Erza said. "It probably drove him crazy."
"I guess when you play a monster so many times, you begin to really act like a monster." Lucy said. "He must have been trying to ruin the movie and maybe collect any insurance that came with it. The simple fact is that he's just another actor that lost his mind."
"Well, maybe his mugshots will sell. People love a good photo of actors. Right, Happy?" Natsu said, but he saw Happy wasn't around. "Happy?" He looked around for Happy until something landed on his shoulder and saw it was a mini Man-Bat. Natsu got a good scare until the mask came off and showed it was Happy with a mischievous chuckle. "Happy, you drive me batty!" The others couldn't stop laughing. Just like the movies, real life can end on a high note.
