The gang found themselves in China down in Hong Kong with them seeing a serious of performances. There were dancers, music, art, and many great displays. Everyone was having a great time.
"Wow. It's like a music festival with art." Natsu said. "What's this festival called again?"
"Hong Kong Arts Festival." Lucy answered. "It's an international arts festival to enrich cultural life around here with local and international artists of every kind of performance art.
"Well, it certainly is a lot of fun." Erza said. "The performance around here makes me feel alive. I feel like moving my dancing feet myself."
"You? Dance?" Gray questioned as they weren't sure about that since they all know what Erza is like when she dances. Despite that, the gang was still having a lot of fun. They went up to another stage and could see a series of dancers and acrobats making beautiful movements to the sound of the music they were playing to.
"You know, I bet we found some a stand with romantic music." Lucy said as she wanted to dance with Natsu. At that moment, Happy noticed something moving around in the back. Something big... Happy tried to alert Natsu about it, but he brushed it off because he was enjoying his moment with Lucy.
"Not now, Happy." Natsu said, but Happy thought this was something important. He kept trying, but he didn't warn them in time. As the dancers formed their own little pyramid, something burst through the wall of the stage and it looked like a cobra. It was modeled after the king cobra, but it was much larger than any snake. It was about the size of a train. It was like...a Grand Cobra. Upon seeing that, everyone panicked and ran from there.
"What is that thing?!" Gray said.
"The biggest snake I've ever seen! I think I had a nightmare like this once!" Lucy said. This Grand Cobra caused panic and fear through the whole area. Everyone cleared out of the way as the cobra slithered it's way through and wrecked this and was ruining this great festival. As the gang watched, they saw the snake slither its way through the streets.
"Should we go after it?" Gray asked.
"A giant snake? We might find ourselves in crazy situations, but we're not stupid." Erza said. "If we go after that thing, we might become it's meal."
"That was rather freaky. I know there are some big snakes out there, but I never seen one that big." Natsu said.
"It certainly didn't look natural." Gray said. "I say we found ourselves with another mystery."
"And I think I already found ourselves a clue." Lucy said as she found a piece of something. "It looks a piece of that snake's skin, but it doesn't feel like it is."
"Do you know what it is?" Natsu asked.
"Not quite. I might need to look at it further." Lucy said. "With a snake that big in a city like Hong Kong, where do we even start?"
"How about we start with the suspicious guy lurking in the shadows." Erza said. She pointed to someone trying to hide themselves with a trench coat and hat. When he became aware they saw him, he tried making a run for it. "Get back here!" They all chased after that guy to see who he was and what he wanted. The mysterious figure ran into an alleyway. As he was running, something fell out of his pockets. The gang tried to follow after him, but they soon lost sight of him.
"Where'd he go?" Gray said.
"I'm not sure, but he dropped something." Lucy said as she found something on the ground. It was a pencil case, but there was a sticker on it. "Lei Gong Electrons. That's the name of a gaming company that's right here in Hong Kong."
"Even I've heard of them. I play a few of their games with them being some of my favorites." Natsu said.
"Sounds like a good place to start." Gray said as they planned to catch a cobra this time.
...
Lei Gong Electrons
The gang decided to check out a gaming company to find out more. All of them found the place and was able to walk through the front door. Once they did, they saw a balding man in a white dress shirt and black pants with a red tie.
"Hello? Can I help you with something?" The man asked.
"Could we talk to the owner or someone important?" Lucy asked. "It's about a giant snake that attacked a festival."
"Are you talking about the Grand Cobra?" The man asked.
"You know about it?" Gray said.
"A lot of people do. My name is Chang Yen. I happen to be the owner of this company."
"Your name is Chang Yen, not Lei Gong?" Natsu questioned.
"Lei Gong is the name of a Chinese deity of thunder." Lucy said. "What can you tell us about this Grand Cobra?"
"I can do you better than that. I know who is responsible for it." Chang said. "His name is Louie Zhi."
"Who is he and what makes you think he's the one behind this?" Erza asked.
"Louie Zhi was an old employee of mine." Chang said. "He was quite smart and gifted with electronics and robotics. However, he began to design these crazy machines. He said children would have loved them, but it was insane!"
"What machines?" Lucy questioned.
"Just take a look." Chang said as he used a computer and showed them. Robotic toys that were quite large for children to drive. "Can you imagine what the streets and such would be like? Not to mention many parents would think this sort of thing is too dangerous. I did not want to be part of something like that, but he was insistent on it. I had no choice but to fire him."
"So this Grand Cobra is one big machine." Gray said. "He could be piloting that thing as revenge for getting fired, or to show his genius invention."
"Do you know where he could be?" Erza asked.
"He does have a warehouse: Warehouse 22." Chang said. "Perhaps you can find something there that police have not. Everyone knows he is responsible."
"We'll see about that." Lucy said as the gang went to check it out, but someone was watching their movements.
...
Warehouse 22
"Mr. Yen was awfully quick to accuse this Louie." Lucy said. "I suppose it makes sense if what he told us is true, but does that mean this Louie would really resort to something like this?"
"Possibly. Getting fired is a good motivation." Erza said.
"We might find out soon enough. Warehouse 22 should be... Uh-oh! Quick, hide!" Gray said as they all ducked behind a wall. They all took a look and saw the Grand Cobra slithering around the place. When it looked around and found nothing, it just slithered on away. "We're good. It didn't see us."
"Excuse me! Hello!" They all turned around and was met with a man in a black suit. "Did you all just see a cobra around here? One incredibly big."
"You just missed it." Lucy said.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked.
"My name is Ji-Hong Zhang! I happen to be with A.N.D. That stands for Animal Natural Defense. We stand and defend for the equal rights of animals of all kinds."
"What do you want with a cobra that massive?" Gray asked.
"To protect it of course. I want to help return to the natural world. This monstrous city is no place for it where it could get hurt." Ji-Hong said with a lot of energy. "Mankind is the reason for so many endangered species. It could be the last of it's kind. It could get hurt and people are treating it like it's a monster, but I am here to make sure that won't happen!" He claimed and just ran off with all of them thinking that was rather weird.
"He seems...eccentric." Lucy said. They all just brushed it aside and went to check out the warehouse.
"We're in luck. The door is unlocked." Erza said as they opened up the door and went on inside. When they did, they saw electronics, computers, and much more. "Look at this place."
"Just what you expect from a computer nerd." Gray said.
"I resent that!" All of them were surprised. They saw the mysterious figure they saw before with him ditching his disguise to show that he's a skinny guy with glasses and had black messy hair with blue highlights.
"I take it that you're Louie Zhi." Lucy said.
"You were also the same guy we saw back at the festival." Gray said.
"Yes. You are right on both of those." Louie said. "Forgive me for running off earlier, but I do not know who to trust. No one I know will help me because of that giant snake."
"You mean the Grand Cobra. Your old boss think you had something to do with it." Erza said.
"But I didn't! I am innocent!" Louie claimed. "You have to believe me. No one else does."
"Can you prove it?" Natsu questioned.
"I didn't create it because that snake was after me." Louie claimed, but none of them understood. "I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself and not explaining very well."
"Let's start from the beginning." Lucy said. "Everyone thinks you have something to do with that giant snake because of your inventions."
"Yes. I designed animal-themed contraptions for kids to have." Louie said. "Children would have loved having their own personal ride, but they're not as dangerous as they sound. They would never go out on on the streets for I never intended for them to be street legal. They would have been used in their own backyard, the park, or the beach. There also would have been safety precautions so that no child gets hurt while controlling them."
"But because of your design, everyone believe you are responsible for the Grand Cobra." Erza said.
"Yes. As upset as I am for being fired, I did not do this. Someone hacked into my computer and copied the data I used." Louie said. "And now I believe that same person is after me."
"Why you?" Lucy asked.
"I was being chased by the cobra when it attacked the festival. It was there because of me." Louie said.
"You ran to a public place where that snake could have made a meal out of everyone? For a genius, not a smart move." Natsu said.
"Please, I am telling the truth. I have nothing to do with this." Louie said as he did sound desperate.
"If you are, you won't mind if we look around." Gray said. "Lucy, you and Natsu stay here and see if you can find anything on Louie's computer."
"What about you and Erza?" Lucy questioned.
"I have a sneaky suspicion about that animal defender we saw earlier." Gray said. Looks like they have two tasks now: find that giant snake and clear a man's name.
...
Gray and Erza
Giving Louie a chance, Gray and Erza went after Ji-Hong. The two of them tracked Ji-Hong's movements and followed him back into the city. When they found him, he put up a bunch of flyers around whatever he could.
"What's he doing?" Erza said.
"Let's take a closer look." Gray said as the two of them waited until he was gone and went over to one of the flyers. "It says... Down with the meat industry? He must love animals if he wants to bring down an entire industry."
"If he's trying to make a statement about animal rights, a giant snake is sure to make a big statement." Erza said.
"What are you doing?!" Ji-Hong said as he gave them a good scare when they came back. "Oh! Are you going to support the cause of saving wildlife everywhere?! I heard you talk about the Grand Cobra! Do you know where it is?! That beast must be protected from us humans!"
"Um... Did it ever occur to you that it's no a real cobra?" Erza questioned.
"Don't be ridiculous." Ji-Hong said as he was convinced that it was real. This guys clearly loves animals, but maybe he has turned that devotion into something else.
...
The Warehouse
Lucy and the boys stuck behind to see if there was any truth into what Louie is saying. Being a genius herself, Lucy took a look at Louie's computer to see if anything he said might be true.
"How's it looking, Lucy? Did you find anything?" Natsu said.
"Yes!" Lucy said as she just did. "Louie is telling the truth! The logs on his computer says the data of his research has been copied on another drive!"
"See?! I told you I was telling the truth!" Louie said.
"But if Louie is innocent, who could be after him?" Natsu questioned. That was when the Grand Cobra came back as it smashed right through the wall of the warehouse and tried attacking them. All of them ran for their lives and got out of there as the cobra smashed through everything. All of them managed to get out of the warehouse. When they did that, they ducked and covered behind some stuff as the cobra slithered right passed them. They waited until the coast was clear and saw the snake was gone.
"What we need is the biggest can of snake repellent there is." Lucy said.
"Sorry about your warehouse, Louie." Natsu said.
"That's okay. I keep backups of every data I have." Louie said.
"But this proves that you really aren't behind the Grand Cobra." Lucy said.
"Are you guys okay?!" They all looked and saw Gray and Erza came back from their little task.
"What happened with Ji-Hong?" Lucy asked.
"Way to passionate about wildlife. I think it's all gone to his head." Erza said as they thought keeping away from him was good for their sanity.
"The Grand Cobra just attacked us." Natsu said. "Louie was right. That thing is after him."
"While at the same time looking guilty by whoever is behind this." Gray said. "I think our only way to solve this mystery is to catch that snake."
"Catching a normal cobra is dangerous. How do you plan to trap one that massive?" Lucy questioned.
"Louie, do you think you could make one of those inventions of yours for us...only as big as the snake?" Gray questioned.
"I see where you are going with this and I am going to love it!" Louie said as he sounded rather excited.
"Good, because we're going to face that snake with its great enemy: the tiger." Gray said.
"Actually, the snake's natural enemy is the mongoose." Lucy corrected.
"Don't ruin the moment." Gray said as he was sticking with the tiger on this one.
...
The Streets
The gang decided to catch that snake. They just needed it to come out. In the streets of Hong Kong, people were just minding their own business. That was until the Grand Cobra emerged right in the streets and started causing a panic. The Grand Cobra was spreading fear and terror all around the place with people running for their lives. The Grand Cobra's presence alone caused terror, but there was some people that weren't afraid as a trash can was tossed against it and got its attention.
"Over here! Come and get us, giant snake! I've seen tiny garden snakes with more bite than you!"" Natsu called as he and Happy were being the bait. "Why are we always the bait?" He complained before he and Natsu took off and the Grand Cobra chased after it.
...
Chase Scene
Found myself in a place so far away
Rising sun that goes where dragons play
Jasmine tea for me old and new
Natsu and Happy ran through the streets until they got some help. Thanks to Louie, the gang has a giant mechanical tiger fighting for them with the others right inside and the the other two getting a ride. When the Grand Cobra saw that, the tiger swung its claw right in the face. Then, the tiger tackled the cobra under the head and knocked it back.
Firecrackers, streets, dragging me
Wake me from myself
I gotta dream
Dreams so sweet like midnight moon is blue
Hahaha
Hong Kong holiday
Hong Kong holiday
They kept trying to fight back, but the cobra bashed its tail against them. Then, it bit down on the tiger and tried to throw them with all of its might. When the tiger crashed down, the cobra slithered right at them. They all tried running for it as they made their way through streets. They did somehow reversed it for a moment, but the cobra fixed that as it chased after them again.
Take a case of sweets, hurry by
Electric black and blue sunny sky
Pull me back and fourth streeting kung fu
Blind and silent headful of lullabies
Streaks you like a new year's dragonfly
Hong Kong rain pours down great and true
The tiger kept running as they couldn't get a chance to turn around and fight back. Then, the cobra bit down on the tail and gave them another good toss with the tail being ripped off. They ended up being tossed near a firework factory. When they saw it coming, the tiger turned into a scaredy cat and ran inside for cover. When the cobra chased after them, it knocked some crates over and caused it to fall right on them with Happy and Natsu getting knocked off. That cobra was going to try and devour the others, but Natsu and Happy acted quickly as they took a rocket and shot it near the cobra. That convinced it to go after them.
Hahaha
Hong Kong holiday
Hong Kong holiday
Natsu and Happy ran for cover as they ducked under one of the largest firework rockets there was. The cobra slithered around and it and had them trapped, but Happy accidentally set the thing off. The rocket flew straight into the air with the cobra going with it and detonated into a series of fireworks. The people of the city loved it, but that snake was finished as it fell out of the sky and crashed into the building.
...
"Are you guys, okay?!" Natsu asked as his friends climbed out of the tiger.
"We're fine, and we got ourselves a snake." Gray said as they all took a closer look at that cobra with some of the skin burned off. "Check it out. This thing really is a giant machine."
"Right. The piece of skin we found was nothing more than coating to help make it look like a real snake." Lucy said.
"So whoever is behind this must be driving it." Erza said as she found the hatch to the snake right in the head and opened it up with all of them seeing who it was.
"Chang Yen?!" All of them said as they were surprised to see him be the driver.
...
Later
Once they unmasked the snake, they called the police on him. Even Ji-Hong showed up and was greatly disappointed to see it wasn't a real snake.
"So, it really wasn't real?" Ji-Hong said.
"Sorry, but it wasn't." Lucy said. "Mr. Yen didn't really hate Louie's idea, but he thought it was wasted for it be used by children. He saw it could be used for something much more. That's why he stole the data from Louie and created the Grand Cobra. He wanted to sell this kind of technology for methodical purposes, like say it being used like a weapon."
"But when he learned that Louie was aware someone stole the data, Chang tried to make it look like it was Louie's fault." Erza said. "He feared Louie would have traced it back to him, not to mention Louie would have known how to shut machines like that down."
"That's why he was after Louie. He was a loose end." Gray said.
"But I still don't get it. He owns a successful gaming company. Why would he need to do this?" Natsu said.
"The only thing I can think of is that he's tired of that." Lucy said.
"It's true. I'm sick and tired of running a game company, but I had nothing else." Cheng admitted. "I wanted to create something more productive for society. Everything would have been fine if it weren't for you meddling kids."
"Everything would have been fine? You framed an innocent man because you wanted to make something more destructive than fun." Lucy said.
"Well, it's game over for him." Natsu said as Cheng was being taken away.
"Thank you so much." Louie said.
"We were just glad to help." Erza said.
"Well, I found a few small parts and made this as an appreciation." Louie said as he showed he mad a mini robotic Happy. It looked adorable. Happy certainly loved it as the tiny robot flipped around in his paws.
"That's so cute." Lucy said.
"Only one thing... Is the tiny Happy smarter than the real Happy?" Gray teased, but Happy didn't care as he flipped around with the robot. This has been one wild mystery.