"Hurry! I can hear it coming!" Gray urged his friends as they hurried down the ventilation system. The rescue party had unveiled the shadow behind the Natsu's Roundup toy collection; paranoid, unstable, and obsessed with the idea of being backdrops in the Diamanté Toy Museum's Fantasy Toy Exhibit, Brain and the Oración Seis were grimly determined to ensure Natsu stays with the collection. After all, the museum would only accept the collection if the hand-me-down Dragon Slayer was in it. Without that component, they would go back into storage, and the Oración Seis' twisted dream of recognition would be dashed. However, Lucy, Gray, and the others could not leave this to chance; they would do whatever it takes to release their friend, Natsu, from Konishi's briefcase and the six villains' devious scheme.

By the time they reached the elevator, they found something… or rather someone… waiting for them. The Lamia Scale toys and Utility Belt Gray gasped upon recognizing the mysterious figure rising from the abyss. It was the villain known as Evil Emperor Silver, leader of the Tartaros Empire and archenemy of Lamia Scale.

Silver sneered at Utility Belt Gray from the top of the elevator, "So, we meet again, Gray Fullbuster… for the last time!" The glow in his demonic mask shifted to the Lamia Scale toys, "And I see you've brought your little team. The Blendy cousins, Lyon Vastia, Toby Horhorta, and Yuka Suzuki…" He laughed evilly, "A perfect opportunity. A chance to destroy all my enemies at once! You will know the true might of my Tartaros Empire, right before you die! Once I am done with all of you, the entire Cosmic Alliance will bow down to me!"

"IT'S SILVER!" Gray, Utility Belt Gray, Wendy, Happy, and the Lamia Scale gang exclaimed all together in surprise.

Levy asked in confusion, "How did a toy version of Evil Emperor Silver get here?"

Wendy guessed, "He's must've gotten out of his box all by himself!"

Lucy assumed, "Either that, or it's the box of an Evil Emperor Silver falling out of a Lamia Scale aisle shelf. The vibration woke him up and spurred him into action."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "Oh, great. Another Space Hero reject?"

Erza gritted her teeth, "How did he follow us here? It doesn't make any sense!"

Gray frowned, "Who cares? That guy with the ion blaster toy gun's talkin' about kickin' our butts!"

Silver raised the toy version of his ion blaster, loaded with projectile non-threatening toy balls, against the group. Happy cried, "Watch out, he's got an ion blaster!"

Gray confirmed, "I stand corrected."

The Evil Emperor fired continuous toy balls from his blaster, and Utility Belt Gray retaliated by flipping over his foe. Upon landing, he fired his Ice-Make Magic laser light and shouted, "Ice-Make: Lance!" Silver yelled and held out his hands to defend himself, as if he was struck by a real magic spell. Swearing revenge, he fired more shots, in which the Space Hero managed to dodge with ease. As the elevator descended, with Konishi having gotten in, Utility Belt Gray girded himself behind the edge, avoiding Silver's assault of toy balls. The Space Hero fired his light bulb again, but the Evil Emperor was quick to dodge it, and he kept on firing. The other toys watched the action below, nearly forgetting their main focus on rescuing Natsu.

"Quick, get on!" Gray took the first jump, grabbed the cable, and slid down until he reached the elevator. The other toys followed Gray's lead amidst the intensifying duel between Utility Belt Gray and Silver. Once they were all down safely, Gray pointed to one direction, "The emergency hatch! C'mon!"

Silver kept firing his toy ion blaster, and Utility Belt Gray was still hiding behind the side of the elevator. The Space Hero was desperate to come up with a plan; as he searched for a way to counterattack, he found a batch of small metal discs. Using them as weapons, he tossed them out at Silver, who in turn used his gauntlets to deflect each of them, except for one, which hit the side of his head. Utility Belt Gray grabbed more metal disks and was about to throw them, only to find that the Evil Emperor disappeared from sight. Where did he go? He got his answer when Silver grabbed him by the front of his white waistcoat, lifting him into the air.

Meanwhile, Gray, Lucy, and the gang had found the emergency hatch, and were trying to get it open. Well, all except for Wendy and Sherria, who were looking back at the battle, their eyes wide with worry. Gray beckoned, "C'mon! Hurry!"

Wendy cried, "But the other Gray's in trouble!"

Sherria shouted, "Somebody's gotta help him!"

Indeed as they said those words, Silver was hitting Utility Belt Gray against the cables, inadvertently hitting the buttons of his voice simulator over and over again. "Gray-Gray-Gray Fullbuster to the Rescue!"

Yuka scoffed, "Oh, he's the mighty Space Hero. He can take care of himself."

Toby suggested, "Forget about him, he's wasting our time!"

Lyon added, "Besides, some Lamia Scale toys like us are immune to programming that fills us with delusions of grandeur. We're not crazy enough to follow in his footsteps. We're better off without him."

Happy thought out loud, "Wow. And I thought Lyon was a jerk in the anime. Like, when he and Gray are students of Ur Malkovich, a super-cool master of Ice-Make Magic—"

Lyon interrupted hastily, "The less you mention my backstory, the better."

Sherria said adamantly, "Even so, Utility Belt Gray is our friend! We never would've gotten this far without him!"

Wendy agreed, holding her hand to her heart, "And no one in our family ever leaves a friend behind."

Levy smiled, "Well said, Wendy."

Erza admired, "The heart of a true member of Ken's family of toys."

Lyon tried to speak, "But—"

Sherry offered, "I'll help Wendy and Sherria save Utility Belt Gray from Silver. The rest of you go ahead and get Natsu."

Lucy approved, "You got it!"

Erza nodded, "Understood."

Gray said, "Leave the rest to us. You girls go and help Gray. Good luck."

Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria didn't need to be told twice. They nodded to their comrades and sneaked into the ensuing battle.

Lyon sighed to himself, "I can't believe we have to help a lunatic…"

Gray suggested, "Let's talk, more lifting." He and the others successfully managed to get the emergency hatch open and slid it over to see Konishi standing in the elevator, impatiently waiting to get down. In his hand was the green briefcase with Natsu and his new friends trapped inside.

Lucy spotted, "There it is!"

Meanwhile, Silver spun Utility Belt Gray around like a propeller, before tossing him down to the elevator field. The Space Hero was a bit fazed, but he shook it off to regain his senses, before he found himself at the mercy of an evil shadow.

Silver leered evilly, "At last, I have won. Your Lamia Scale friends have abandoned you, and you are at a slight disadvantage. There is no escape for you now."

Utility Belt Gray growled, "What're you gonna do, Silver? Kill me?!"

Silver laughed, "I'm appealed! Silly boy, why should I kill you when I see a lot of potential in you? You don't realize the importance you hold for my mighty Tartaros Empire. You've only begun to discover your power." He added with deep sincerity, "Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."

Utility Belt Gray spat venomously, "I'll never join you!"

Silver sighed, "If only you knew the power of the dark side… I'd wager your superiors from the Space Hero Corps never told you what happened to your father."

Utility Belt Gray gritted his teeth, "They told me everything. They told me you murdered him. You killed my father!"

"No, Gray," Silver shook his head. He slowly reached his demonic mask and took it off his head, revealing his true face: his eyes were black, and his hair was dark blue and spiky, just like Gray's. The only noticeable difference was a long scar extending from his hairline to his lower left ear. Both of his ears were adorned by silver-colored earrings, consisting of a ring with a little chain ending in a cross pendant. "I AM your father."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Utility Belt Gray's scream of anguish and denial echoed throughout the endless height, impacted by the horrid truth. The irony of it all…

From the side of the elevator, Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria watched the scene with confused looks. Wendy whispered, "Weren't those lines said from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back?"

Sherry sighed, "Ironic, isn't it? That the leader of the Tartaros Empire was actually Gray's father who's thought to be dead."

Sherria stated, "Though the plot's a rip-off of the Star Wars storyline, everybody loves it for some reason." She rubbed her head, "Seriously, the writers have a questionable taste in story making."

Utility Belt Gray was stunned by the Evil Emperor's true identity. How could this monster, the sworn enemy of the Cosmic Alliance, be his father? Silver simply didn't care about the reaction; the meeting was all that mattered. He said jovially, "I know you're upset and it's all a little shocking, but honestly!" He rose with enthusiasm, "I'm just so happy to see you again after all these years! You've grown up so fast! You've become a Space Hero, like your old man before you."

Utility Belt Gray shouted, "It can't be true! The Corps reported you were dead! You were chopped to pieces by Deliora!"

Silver grinned, "Yes. Both my arms and legs were cut off by Deliora. But I healed myself through the power of demonic space technology. I am now reborn as the Evil Emperor of the Tartaros Empire."

Utility Belt Gray croaked, "Why? Why are you tempted by the dark side?"

Silver pouted, "Ah, don't be a baby, kiddo. It's not that bad. And another thing, I wasn't tempted by the dark side. I joined it. Embraced it. Evil is just so much more profitable than good, and more fun. Now, as I was saying…" He cleared his throat, "Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son."

Utility Belt Gray pondered, "Hmm… That does sound pretty good. But do we have to rule from the dark side?"

Silver nodded, "Yeah, that's how it works."

Utility Belt replied, "Then I'll never join you." He attempted to stand up, "See ya."

However, Silver pinned him down, and fixed his toy ion blaster against his chest. Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria gasped at the scene. Silver smiled slyly, "Hold on, kiddo. Where do you think you're going?"

Utility Belt Gray whined, "Aw, come on!"

Silver stated, "This is not a negotiation."

Utility Belt Gray protested, "Let me go!"

Silver said sternly, "I'm your dad, and I say, we're going home."

Utility Belt Gray complained, "You're the worst dad ever!"

Silver chuckled, "Most like the most powerful dad ever!"

"Come on, come on, come on!" Konishi looked at his watch impatiently, not noticing Erza dangling her Heaven's Wheel rope blade behind him, with Lucy holding onto it to reach the briefcase. Gray, Happy, Gajeel, Levy, Lyon, Yuka, and Toby held onto the crimson-haired toy's chest, knowing how risky it was. If Erza or Lucy ever fell from the emergency hatch, that made it all the more possible that they could be spotted.

Meanwhile, Silver held Utility Belt Gray at gunpoint. He gave the ultimatum, "Your choice, son. Join me…" He added threateningly, "…or die!"

"HEY, SILVER!"

The unified triad of shouts came from Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria, who stood in front of the Evil Emperor with the downed Space Hero behind them. They confronted their enemy with fierce, determined eyes.

Wendy began, "LEAVE…"

Sherry added, "…HIM…"

Sherria finished, "…ALONE!"

With that, the three clenched their fists and delivered a combined punch that smashed Silver's face. The impact unexpectedly flailed him over the side of the elevator, until he fell off, screaming as he plummeted into the blackness below.

Evil Emperor Silver Fullbuster was gone.

Wendy put her hands to her mouth, "I can't believe it…" She cried happily, "I did it! I finally defeated Silver!"

Sherria corrected, "You mean, we defeated Silver. We did it together."

Sherry grinned in satisfaction, "A fitting end to the adventures of Lamia Scale. Nice work!"

Sherria cheered, "Yeah! We did it!" She turned to Wendy, "It's official; you're definitely my best friend!"

Wendy replied, "You too!"

As the three celebrated by laughing and hugging each other, Utility Belt Gray looked into the abyss and reached his hand down, a genuinely sorrowful look on his face.

"Dad…"

Erza dangled Lucy next to the case, the latter swinging over and unlocking the latches. "Finally!" She tried to reach inside the case, knowing that Natsu was caught in the fold, but the elevator bell showed that Konishi had finally reached the ground floor. He walked off, and Lucy decided to swing herself into the case. However, Brain popped up and knocked her away with his Klodoa staff, before closing the case. The rope blade went bouncing helplessly back into the elevator. Erza lost her balance and went falling to the elevator floor, followed by Lucy and the other toys.

"That lousy creep," Lucy muttered, as she and her friends got back up to their feet. "I should slug him…"

"He's heading for the door!" Levy pointed to Konishi pushing through the apartment doors. "If it closes…"

"Not on my watch!" Happy cried determinedly. He took off his left arm, tossing it like a boomerang to create a wedge between the doors before they closed completely. That should keep them open long enough for the toys to make a break for it.

"Nice one, fleabag!" Lucy grinned. She and her allies ran outside as Konishi climbed into his car, Happy retrieving his left arm as he ran out. But moments before they could reach the car, the engine already started, and the evasive toy collector drove down the road in the dead of night.

Lyon swore, "Drat! We're so close!"

Happy whined, "We almost got him!"

Sherria asked, "Where do you think Konishi's going?"

Sherry replied, "To the nearest airport, where he'll take a plane to New York."

Erza feared, "We have to follow that car. If we don't hurry, Konishi will sell Natsu and the Roundup Gang to the toy museum. We'll never see him again!"

Levy nodded, "That's right! Ken and the others are depending on us. We won't let them down!"

Gajeel interjected, "Um, guys? Reality check. We're toys, and we're not exactly the fastest things in the world. It's gonna be hard to chase after the sushi man."

Wendy wondered, "How are we gonna go fast?"

While the toys were in deep thought on how to catch up with Konishi, Lucy looked over the other side of the crosswalk, and a smirk crossed her face. "Care for a trip to the Celestial World?" Everyone looked to where the Celestial Treasure Hunter doll pointed. It was a discarded delivery truck from Zodiac Planet! The vehicle was reminiscent of Natsu and Gray's previous adventure to reunite with Ken in the popular fast-food eatery, Zodiac Planet. And the spurring of the engine showed that the vehicle was currently operational. Relived, the rescue party ran to the truck.

"Go, go, go!" Gray signaled.

"I got it!" a voice interrupted. It belonged to Gray's Utility Belt counterpart, who caught a ball in his hand.

Gray greeted, "Hey, other me. You coming with us?"

Utility Belt Gray smiled widely, "Nah, I've got a lot of catching up to do with my dad." He threw the ball, which flew a few centimeters away…

…and bonked Silver, the one who shot the projectile, by the head. "Good throw, son! That's my boy!" he squealed happily, the sudden change of attitude indicating he was having fun. "Go long, Gray-Jay!" He fired another ball from his blaster.

"Oh, you're a great dad! Yippee!" Utility Belt Gray cheered, and he ran off to catch the ball.

Sherry chuckled, "Silver must've hit his head from that long fall off the elevator."

Sherria giggled, "Now he thinks he really is Gray's dad."

Wendy smiled, "I think those two are gonna be fine on their own."

Gray smirked, "I couldn't agree more." He gave a mock salute to his counterpart, "See ya." He, Sherry, Sherria, and Wendy left Utility Belt Gray and Silver to their father-son game, before running off to join the others.

Having entered the Zodiac Planet delivery truck, the toys discovered that the front seat was empty and had wide open spaces for each to fit in. Happy wondered, "Does anyone know how to drive a real car?"

Using a stack of pizza delivery boxes to reach the wheel, Gray took the driver's seat. He gave instructions to each of his comrades, "Erza, Sherry, take the pedals. Wendy, Sherria, you navigate. Levy, check the condition of the car. Happy, Gajeel, Lyon, Toby, and Yuka, operate the levers and knobs. Lucy, help me steer the wheel."

Lucy nodded, "No problem." She stood next to Gray, acting as co-operator of the wheel. "This is gonna be a bumpy ride." Gajeel held Happy up so he could start fiddling with the controls, such as the air conditioner, which flurried an amount of air on Yuka and Toby's faces. Lucy called out to Levy, "How's the car?"

Levy responded, "I've checked the gas tank. It's still full, and the engine's working. We're good to go!"

Wendy and Sherria looked outside the window, observing every movement of Konishi's The vehicle was caught in traffic at the moment, which gave the toys ample time to catch up. Wendy cried, "He's at the red light! We can catch him!"

Gray shouted, "Hit the gas, Erza!" The crimson-haired toy pressed down on the pedal, but of course, she was too light for the truck to do anything other than start up and wobble its wheels for a few seconds.

Sherria alerted, "The traffic light turned green! Hurry!"

Lucy demanded, "Why won't it go?!"

Levy pointed towards the stick shift nearby, "Use that one!"

Wasting no time, Gajeel gripped the mechanism and pulled. And just like that, the truck was now capable of movement. It started down the road in hot pursuit of Konishi's car, while accidentally hitting a speed bump barricaded by safety cones. This caused the glove compartment to open by itself, spilling some stuff out on Lyon, Yuka, and Toby.

"Wendy, Sherria, give us an update!" Gray called out to the two girls. "Which way?"

"Left!" Wendy answered. Gray and Lucy steered the wheel, compelling the truck to shift side to side. "Sorry! I mean right!" Wendy corrected her mistake. "That's right! No, I mean, left! Left is right!" The Sky Priestess was having a bit of trouble navigating the vehicle, while Konishi drove on blissfully, not paying attention to a loopy delivery truck swirling about before sticking straight.

"Guys, he's turning left! He's turning left!" Sherria panicked. Lucy secured her back against the car door and wrapped her legs around her side of the wheel, using all her strength to steer to the left. As the truck turned a corner, the right car door suddenly opened by itself, and the intense wind provided enough force to fly Levy out.

Happy panicked, "THE DOOR OPENED BY ITSELF!"

Yuka and Toby yelped, "OH, CRUD!"

"WHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOAAAA!" Levy shrieked. Fortunately for the light blue-haired Amiibo, Gajeel ran over and grabbed her hand, keeping her from spiriting off. "That was close!"

"HANG ON!" Gajeel bellowed. "CLOSE THE DOOR! QUICK!"

Happy, Yuka, and Toby shouted, "RIGHT!"

From his place on the ground, Lyon looked at a driving manual. He scoffed, "I seriously doubt he's getting this kind of mileage."

"Go right!" Wendy announced. "To the right! Right, right, right!"

The truck performed another sharp turn, resulting in Happy, Yuka, and Toby successfully closing the door by pulling the handle, though the shift of direction seemed to prove strong enough to shut it tight. This allowed Levy to go flying back inside, landing next to Gajeel. As soon as the light blue-haired Amiibo took time to recover, she looked at the Iron Dragon Slayer action figure with marvel in her eyes.

Levy breathed, "You saved my life… I can't believe it!" She paused to let the compliment sink in, "Thank you."

Gajeel chuckled, "It's no biggie. I just did what I do best. I don't want you to get hurt."

Levy blushed, "Yeah, that's right. You did what you could. I have to be more careful next time." It was apparent that her feelings for the Iron Dragon Slayer were continuing to blossom. This could lead to the beginning of a brighter birth.

Yuka groaned, holding his head in pain, "Remind me to lock the door before we drive."

Happy agreed agitatedly, "Aye."

The Zodiac Planet delivery truck continued following Konishi's car to the nearest international airport. Time was crucial; the gang had to rescue Natsu, or the chances of taking him off the air would be zero to none.