Whilst the seven brave toys began their daring mission to rescue Natsu, the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll in question was enjoying himself in Gouma Konishi's apartment, having fun with his new friends and learning about his origins. It was really weird to think that he was based off the star of a popular fantasy anime, though it DID explain his design. That night, he, Juvia, Romeo, Kemo-Kemo, and Brain were watching another classic episode of Natsu's Roundup.

"In today's thrilling episode, Rain Woman Juvia and Prospector Romeo were kidnapped and trapped into the depths of an old abandoned mine by that gang of black-hearted villains, the Oración Seis: Snake Eyes Cobra, Lightspeed Racer, Divine Eyes Hoteye, Vanity Angel, Goodnight Midnight, and their sinister leader, Dirty Brain! Will Natsu discover the plight of his captured comrades? What horrible fate awaits Juvia and Romeo? Oh, I can hardly look!"

Natsu smirked, "Oh, I will come and save them. And then I'm gonna kick Dirty Brain's dirty butt!"

Romeo shushed, "Quiet. You're spoiling the ending."

Natsu confirmed, "Oh, right. Go on."

TV Screen POV

Dirty Brain oversaw the preparations for the trap. Thanks to the work of his five minions, the entire mine had been graced with tons of dynamite, gunpowder and gasoline, and he watched the rocky substance be fashioned with powder and wet.

"Is everything prepared?" Brain asked.

"Yeah, boss," Cobra answered. "Everything from the inside to the outside stacked with powder and dynamite!"

Racer snickered, "If anybody thinks about setting a little bit of fire around these parts, KA-BOOM!"

"They'll blow up and disappear like angels, pure and white. A fitting end to the Roundup Gang…" Angel sighed affectionately.

Midnight asked, "Should we wait for Natsu Dragneel to come?"

Hoteye smiled slyly, "He's put most of the Oración Seis plans in a pickle, you know? We should ambush him and finish him off, the way we'll finish off his roundup! Revenge will be ours! Oh, yeah!"

"Let him come," Brain chuckled sinisterly. "If Natsu ever sets foot in the mine, it's already blown to pieces! He'll suffer the loss of his Roundup Gang… and world domination is within our grasp! That meddlesome Natsu won't stop us this time!"

With that, the six villains departed from the mine, leaving a trail of maniacal laughter in their wake.

Real-Life POV

"Speaking of Dirty Brain's goons, where are they?" Natsu turned to the shelf where Brain's box was perched. "The toy versions of Cobra, Racer, Angel, Hoteye, and Midnight? You know, the Oración Seis."

"Oh, they're at another cardboard box," Brain pointed a finger towards a separate box next to the one Juvia, Romeo, Kemo-Kemo, and Brain popped out of. "Like me, they're in mint condition, but at the moment, they don't want to be disturbed."

Natsu wondered, "Why?"

Brain shrugged, "I can't say. They refuse to come out. They didn't even want to give their say in the matter."

Natsu rubbed his chin, "Maybe they're too shy, or they're not used to their origins."

Brain assumed, "I believe so."

TV Screen POV

"Those dirty Oración Seis… They've got some nerve, trapping us in the old abandoned mine," Juvia gritted her teeth. "We have to get out of here before they attack the town."

"Hold on, it's dark in here. I'll light a path with my Rainbow Fire," Romeo offered. Raising his hand, he channeled his magic into it, allowing it to burst into a red glow of flame. Little did he realize that his hand lit the fuse of a barrel of dynamite, setting the Oración Seis' diabolical scheme in motion! It took Romeo and Juvia seconds to notice the situation around them. The young prospector yelped, "Whoa! This sure is fast-burnin' wick!"

"Blast us to smithereens!" Juvia exclaimed. "It's dynamite! The Oración Seis is blowing us sky high!"

Romeo panicked, "Yikes! What are we gonna do?!"

"I'll call for help!" Juvia elected. Mustering her breath, she gave a whistle loud enough for anybody to hear outside the mine. Out of nowhere, a small population of chibi-like animals responded to the call, congregating near the mine's sealed off entrance. Juvia's voice urged, "Critters, go get Natsu! Now scurry!" The animals confirmed the message and vanished into the wind.

Meanwhile, Natsu Dragneel and Kemo-Kemo had recently finished painting a new schoolhouse, made for the purpose of educating the children in town. "Good job, Kemo-Kemo. I reckon the new schoolhouse is fit as a fiddle," Natsu smiled at his trusty steed, who replied with a joyful bounce. Just then, Juvia's animal friends appeared, making a few noises to report the troublesome news to the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu exclaimed, "What's that? Juvia and Romeo are trapped by the Oración Seis in the old abandoned mine, and Romeo accidentally lit a fuse of dynamite, and now they're about to be blown to smithereens?!" One of the animals replied with an affirmative noise.

Natsu hopped on Kemo-Kemo's back. "Ride like the wind, Kemo-Kemo!" The noble steed then bounced his way out of town and towards the direction of the mine through the encroaching desert.

The scene shifted to Juvia and Romeo, who were getting scared and nervous. Juvia worried, "I tried using my Water Magic to stop the fuse, but it doesn't work! It's magic-resistant!"

"Then I'll do it myself! It takes both brains AND brawn to put out that fire!" Romeo said bravely. He jumped on top of the fuse, landing on his butt. But the fire kept on sparking, and it set his butt on fire, causing him to cry painfully. "YEOW! My biscuits are burnin'!"

The scene shifted to Natsu and Kemo-Kemo riding through the desert, jumping over obstacles and enduring scorching heat along the way. Once they reached a canyon, they jumped over it at a great pace.

Real-Life POV

"Will Natsu and Kemo-Kemo land to safety? Can they reach Juvia and Romeo in time? Will the Oración Seis ever be stopped?" the TV narrator announced. "Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion: Natsu's Finest Hour!"

"WOO-HOO!" Natsu whooped happily, pumping his fist into the air. "Yeah! Alright! Put on the next tape!"

Instead of sharing in the salmon-haired toy's excitement, however, Juvia, Romeo, and Kemo-Kemo replied with sad looks crossing their faces. The Rain Woman doll nonchalantly pressed the button on the remote, turning off the TV.

"What the…? Wait a minute!" Natsu was confused. "What happened? What happens next?" He turned to the others with an anxious look, "C'mon, let's see the next episode!"

"What next episode?" Romeo frowned. "That was the last one!"

"Last one?!" Natsu asked incredulously.

Brain explained, "Days after the episode, Juvia and Romeo Trapped in the Old Mine, was released, the show lost its popularity and its credibility, which led to the lowering of ratings." He sighed sadly, "The show was cancelled afterwards. It's a good thing they made it a cult classic, though. FanFiction and Deviantart are by far the best websites living the memory of Natsu's Roundup." He moved to turn his box around.

"It's true," Romeo confirmed musingly. "They've left the series on a cliffhanger."

"Cliffhanger?!" Natsu blinked. "No, that can't be right!" He hopped up onto the shelf, "What about the Oración Seis, the mine, the cute little critters, and the dynamite?" He walked over to Brain, "It's a great show with stunning animation! Why'd they have to cancel it?"

"Two words: Sput-Nik," Brain answered dryly. "Once the astronauts went up, children only wanted to play with space toys. They lost interest in the fantasy genre and moved on to other things, like washed-up sci-fi slap fights in outer space."

"For example, the Lamia Scale franchise," Romeo added. "It's the next big thing in the toy biz, surpassing the popularity of the Natsu's Roundup lineup. With Gray Fullbuster and his team, the Tartaros Empire, all the action figures, the weapons, the space merchandise and stuff…"

Natsu widened his eyes, "You know Lamia Scale?"

"I'm a quick learner, considering I've spent a few years in the store," Romeo chuckled. "Juvia and Kemo-Kemo have less knowledge of Lamia Scale, and Brain… he does know them, but he dislikes them very much."

"Let me guess," Natsu held up his hand. "Lamia Scale's the reason why Natsu's Roundup got cancelled in the first place?"

"Uh-huh," Romeo nodded. "Kids lost their faith in the fantasy anime genre and skipped to science fiction. Have you ever watched Mobile Suit Gundam SEED or Digimon Tamers? Anime got weird in the present era. Even for us old fashioned toys."

"I know how that feels," Natsu muttered under his breath. "To have all the attention and the glory until it's gone…" He spoke in full volume to Romeo, "And you sound just like Lucy."

"Who's Lucy?" Romeo asked curiously. "She a friend of yours?"

"Details not important," Natsu shook his head. "Man, it's a big downer for the franchise…" His face then contracted in delight, "But still, my own show!" He gestured around to observe some of the collected Natsu's Roundup merchandise, "And look at all this stuff!"

"Didn't you know?" Juvia hopped up to join him. "You're the star, and that makes you valuable property."

"Man, I wish the guys could see this," Natsu imagined. "I'd get twice the love and respect from the other toys, just like Gray."

"Who's Gray?" Juvia wondered.

"Again, details not important," Natsu changed the subject. He walked over to a yo-yo labeled with his face and one of his famous catchphrases from the show, "Hey-Howdy-Hey, that's me! I'm on a yo-yo!" He saw a target practice game with Natsu's wide-open teeth as bullseyes, "Hey, nice teeth!" He threw a ball into one of the teeth, knocking it out, "And I'm still a good-lookin' guy." He started laughing, as did Juvia, Romeo, and Brain.

Natsu noticed a tiny catapult and tapped it, allowing a wind-up version of Romeo to send a coin next to a barrel, before putting it inside. "Oh, it's a bank. Cool!" He then examined a bubble blower based on his likeness, "What do you do when you push the head?" He pressed the head, and bubbles spewed from the blower's mouth. "Oh, out come bubbles. Clever." The other toys laughed again, with Kemo-Kemo bouncing around and playing with the stream of watery circles.

"Say, what's this thing do?" Natsu came across another toy somewhat resembling his head with a wide-open mouth. Upon pressing a button, the mouth shot a fireball toy bullet out of it, making him yelp. Natsu laughed, realizing that it was a toy gun, "Oh, I get it. It's my Fire Dragon's Roar." He put the fireball back into place and lifted the gun, "Hey, Kemo-Kemo! Go long! Go long!"

The salmon-haired toy pulled the trigger, the bullet zooming past Kemo-Kemo. The black-furred stuffed animal attempted to chase it, only to trip and land on a record player, abruptly turning on the device. The disc whirled, the needle touching its spinning round ends, and Snow Fairy, the anime's theme song, played through the speaker.

"A record player!" Natsu beamed in recognition. "I haven't seen one of these in a long time." He jumped onto the record, and with Kemo-Kemo's help, he ran fast, allowing the music to increase the tempo. Juvia, Romeo, and Brain couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, now. Slow…" Natsu and Kemo-Kemo lowered the pace, and the tune was reduced to a marbled note.

Juvia laughed amusingly, "Oh, that's funny, Kemo-Kemo!"

Romeo shouted happily, "Hop on with my bro, Rain Woman! Think fast!" He grabbed Juvia and jumped aboard with Natsu and Kemo-Kemo. One by one, the members of the Roundup Gang bounced over the needle as the song continued.

"Alright, yeah!" Romeo whooped.

"This is great!" Juvia cheered.

"Not bad!" Natsu marveled.

But considering the less amount of fun they've had with the merchandise, they wanted more. Natsu spotted the record player's speed function and whirred it up to 'Faster,' accelerating the tempo to a greater pitch and spinning the record at high speeds. Now the Roundup Gang was running like they're dragged by a conveyer belt.

Juvia cried excitedly, "Oh, my goodness! Look at us! We're a complete set!"

Brain smiled proudly, "Now it's on to the museum!"

What the sorcerer doll said caught the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll off guard.

"Museum?!"

Eventually, he lost his balance and bumped with the others, striking the needle off the record and flinging them back to the shelf. As they got up, Natsu repeated the question, "Museum? What museum?"

"THE museum!" Brain beamed. "We're being sold to the Vincent Diamanté Toy Museum in New York City!"

"New York City?" Natsu's happiness abruptly faded.

"Duh!" Romeo said cheerily. "The whole Natsu's Roundup collection, including us, will be sold to the Diamanté Toy Museum."

Juvia added gleefully, "Isn't this great? We'll be placed as idols and backdrops in the Fantasy Toy Exhibit! That's in the United States!"

"The United States?!" Natsu exclaimed shockingly. He then shook his head, "No, no, no, no, no, no. This has to be a joke. I can't go to the United States."

Juvia laughed, until her expression turned into that of nervousness. "What do you mean?"

"I gotta get back home to my owner, Ken," Natsu told her. He lifted up his foot to show her and the others Ken's name. "Look, see?"

Everyone gasped in horror, impacted by the revelation. They never expected the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll, the main character of the franchise, and their one ticket to a promising future, to have an owner. The first time they met him, they presumed him to be an imported item from a store of some sort… but an owner? That's something else they didn't anticipate. Something they didn't like at all.

Romeo exclaimed, "He still has an owner!"

Brain breathed, "Oh, my goodness."

Juvia took this alarming news the worst. The mere mention of Natsu having an owner sent the hapless doll into deep hyperventilation, her mind beginning to swim. It came flooding into her brain: the pain, the fear, the darkness, that empty prison. Those haunting memories echoed in her mind, making her recall the one thing she wanted to forget more than ever, and even worse, with Natsu revealing that he had an owner, she would once again endure the darkness… the worst suffering in her life. The sound, the air, the whole room drowned out around her. She barely felt her face contort in despair, or heard her mouth breath out panicked breaths.

"No… Can't go…"

Soon, the hyperventilating gave way to similarly hysterical screaming.

"I CAN'T DO STORAGE AGAIN! I JUST CAN'T!"

"Juvia! Calm down, please!" Romeo cried.

"I WON'T GO BACK IN THE DARK!"

Juvia shook Brain's box, and kept on screaming, and breathing, and howling. Romeo hugged her body tight, struggling to snap her out of her hysteria. She attempted to tear away his hands, but her emotional defenses overwhelmed her strength and the will to fight back. Within a few minutes, she collapsed to the ground, her hyperventilating coming in slow, small breaths. She stood up, her body shaking with panic.

"Oh, man. Look at what happened to her," Romeo mused. "She's gone over the cuckoo clock. She's afraid she's going back into you-know-where." He widened his eyes at Natsu, "Are you kidding me, Natsu? You having an owner?! We didn't hear that coming!"

Natsu was suddenly concerned for Juvia. "What do you mean by that? What's wrong with her?"

Brain stated sadly, "Well, we've been in storage for a long time, waiting for you."

Natsu questioned, "Why me?"

Brain cleared his throat, "We mentioned before that you were the star of Natsu's Roundup. It wouldn't be a story without a main character, just as a collection wasn't complete without a final piece. And you are that piece. The museum is only interested in the collection if you're in it, Natsu. Without you, we go back into storage. All our hopes and dreams, and the promise of a life with dignity… gone forever. It's that simple."

Romeo clarified, "You have no idea how much we've been through in storage. We're stuck in boxes stuffed in Styrofoam for many years with no fresh air to taste and nothing to do. Life in storage is unhygienic and lonely and boring. Until you came along, we thought our days in the box are done. Without you, we'd end up in boxes again."

"You're in storage before?" Natsu wondered. "And you're gonna be in storage again… without me in the collection?"

"Yeah," Romeo sighed sadly. "Juvia took it the hardest." He gestured to her frantic state, "Storage has been gnawing at her for years, physically and emotionally. She simply couldn't take another many years in the box again."

The pull-string Dragon Slayer doll stared at Juvia, feeling sympathy for her. She looked absolutely TERRIFIED at the thought of going back into storage. It didn't last when she turned to him with an angry expression, having recuperated her senses. A few hours ago, Juvia was happy to see him, but now, she was treating him like he backstabbed her in the back. "It's not FAIR! How can you do this to us?" she demanded.

"Look, I'm sorry, but this is all a big mistake. I didn't ask to be brought here," Natsu tried to explain. "You see, I was in this yard sale—"

"Yard sale?" Brain raised an eyebrow. "Why were you in a yard sale if you have an owner?"

"I wasn't supposed to be there," Natsu countered. "I was trying to save another toy when—"

"Was it because you're damaged? Hmm?" Brain didn't seem to hear him. "Did this 'Ken' break you?"

"Yeah, but…" Natsu began, only to stop. Brain was trying to make him doubt Ken, even if it wasn't unintentional. "No! You got it all wrong! It was an accident! I—"

"Sounds like he really loves you," Juvia scoffed, petting Kemo-Kemo's fur.

"It's not like that, okay?!" Natsu protested angrily. "And I'm not going to any museum!"

"Well, I'm not going back into storage!" Juvia shot back.

"Quiet!" Romeo hastily covered Natsu and Juvia's mouths. "Do you guys hear that?" From outside, sounds of footsteps approached the door. Romeo recognized what they belonged to, "Konishi's coming!"

"We have to get back in the box, and fast!" Brain said urgently. Juvia looked down into the open cardboard box, a terrified look on her face. She REALLY didn't want to go in there. Into the same darkness that haunted her to this day. "Juvia!" Brain called. "Juvia, look at me!" She looked at him, and the sorcerer doll gave her a determined look, "I promise you'll come out of the box! Now, go! Go!"

Juvia gulped and hesitantly jumped in. She couldn't let herself be seen, after all. Kemo-Kemo pushed Brain's box into the packing peanuts, then jumped in himself, followed by Romeo. Natsu retreated back to his display case, going into position. As he did, Brain's explanation began to riddle his mind. If the salmon-haired toy came home, the new friends he made would go back into storage, possibly for the rest of their lives.

Nonetheless, every toy was in their respective positions. Gouma Konishi came in, holding a camera with a wide smile. With his commercial finished, he would at last focus on his most important task.

"It's showtime!" Konishi announced. While humming to himself, he took Juvia, Romeo, Kemo-Kemo, and Brain out of the box, and posed them against a backdrop of dragon caves. "Money, baby. Money, money, money." He then took out from another storage box the mint-conditioned toy versions of all five members of the Oración Seis: Snake Eyes Cobra, Lightspeed Racer, Divine Eyes Hoteye, Vanity Angel, and Goodnight Midnight. The toy collector set them next to Brain, fantasizing the reunion of the Oración Seis for the first time in years.

Laughing gleefully, Konishi walked over to Natsu's case and opened it, "And now, the main attraction." As he continued to hum, he grabbed the salmon-haired toy. However, a string on Natsu's torn arm caught on the stand and stretched out as Konishi carried him over, and his arm completely ripped off… something Konishi didn't notice until he set Natsu down with the rest of the gang. He draped Natsu's left arm over Kemo-Kemo, and finally… he gasped in complete horror at what he had seen.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Konishi screamed frantically. "HIS ARM! WHERE'S HIS ARM?!" He looked around and found Natsu's ripped arm on the floor. He picked it up and tried to stick it onto Natsu's body, as if expecting it to magically stick, but no success. "OH, NO! NO! NO, NO, NO, NO! What am I going to do?! Oh, I know! I know!"

Konishi took out his cell phone and dialed a number. Hopefully, the individual he had been contacting would help him out. He whined, "Come on, come on, come on! Pick up the phone!"

A voice spoke on the other line, "Hello?"

Konishi replied, "It's me, it's Gouma! I've got an emergency here!"

The other voice responded, "Well, I'm busy."

Konishi rolled his eyes, "Yes, we're all busy. But it has to be tonight."

The other voice complained, "You must be joking! I can't do anything at this time of night!"

Konishi groaned, "Alright, alright! But first thing in the morning." Still on the phone, he left the room with Natsu's ripped arm.

Once the door was closed, Natsu sprang back to life, looking at the place his right arm had once been. His reaction?

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH! IT'S GOOONNNNEEEEE!" Natsu yelled hysterically. "IT'S GONE! IT'S GONE! MY ARM IS GONE! MY ARM IS GONE!"

"Natsu, calm down!" Romeo tried to relax the salmon-haired toy. "It's going to be okay!"

Natsu panicked, "HOW GOOD IS BEING OKAY AT A TIME LIKE THIS?! MY ARM IS GONE! MY ARM IS COMPLETELY GONE!"

"Alright, come here, come on. Let me see that," Brain said soothingly, motioning Natsu to come to him. He assessed the damage, and pursed his lips, "Oh, it's just a popped seam, easily repaired."

Romeo grinned encouragingly, "What are you so worried about, bro? You should consider yourself lucky."

"LUCKY?!" Natsu roared outrageously. "HAVE YOUR BRAIN CELLS BURNED OUT?! I AM MISSING MY ARM!"

"Big deal."

Natsu, Romeo, Kemo-Kemo, and Brain turned to see Juvia, who shot a plunger gun dart into the forehead of the Natsu cardboard standee, successfully hitting its forehead. "Let him go. I'm sure his precious 'Ken' is dying to play with a one-armed Dragon Slayer doll." Every word she spoke was filled with bitterness.

Romeo argued, "C'mon, Juvia! You're only acting like this because Natsu wants to go home and you're scared of going back into storage!"

Juvia snapped, "Well, maybe if he hadn't decided to run off on us, maybe I wouldn't be this way!"

Romeo countered, "You can't be serious of letting him leave with just one arm."

Brain agreed, "Romeo's right, Juvia. You know Natsu wouldn't last an hour on the streets in his condition." He added grimly, "It's a dangerous world out there for a toy."

The whole situation had gone from a dream to his worst nightmare. Natsu was stuck here, miles away from home with these strange toys, one of whom hated his guts, thanks in no small part to a greedy toy collector who wanted to take him across the sea from Japan to the United States. And now, his arm was missing. The more time passed, the more Natsu doubted he would ever see Ken again. Would Ken even want him now after seeing what happened to him?