Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

"Lucy, over here."

Nate waved to Lucy, who was wandering around like a lost puppy.

Hearing his voice, Lucy's eyes lit up. She turned and hurried to the back of Section C's stands.

"Nate, why are you standing all the way over here?"

"I didn't buy a ticket. Snuck in."

Nate pulled out the Draco Key, waving it teasingly in front of Lucy.

"A black key…"

Lucy's attention was immediately drawn to the key. She reached out to grab it, but Nate quickly pulled it away.

"Ah ah, not so fast. Aren't you forgetting something?" Nate pointed at his lips.

Ugh! This jerk!

Right here, in front of everyone? He wanted a kiss?

Lucy looked around nervously to make sure no one was paying attention. Then, quickly and shyly, she stood on her tiptoes and gave Nate a peck on the lips.

Nate immediately pulled her into a hug, smiling. "Something tastes off today."

"What tastes off?"

Lucy gave a token struggle but soon gave in, letting herself stay in his arms.

"Your lipstick. It was sweet before, but today it has a sour tang."

You've got the nerve to say that! The audacity!

Lucy felt like biting him in frustration. Instead, she slipped her cold hands under Nate's shirt and gave his waist a hard pinch.

Nate inhaled sharply. "Your hands are freezing! Let me warm them up."

He clasped her hands in his, channeling magic to drive away the cold. The warmth made Lucy's heart melt, though she still rolled her eyes at him.

"Flirt! You're awful!"

"Don't be mad. This is a special gift I prepared for you."

Nate chuckled, pressing the Draco Key into Lucy's palm.

"A black key… I've never seen one before."

Lucy's curiosity grew as she examined the key closely.

"Normal celestial spirit keys are silver, and the Zodiac keys are gold. I've never seen this, but I've heard there's also a thirteenth Zodiac key."

She looked up at Nate, her eyes filled with curiosity. Could it be that?

The Ophiuchus Key—the thirteenth Zodiac Key.

Nate recalled that its wielder was Yukino Agria, but he had no idea where she was at the moment.

"It's not that one," Nate clarified with a smile. "This is the Draco Key. Want to try contracting it? But summoning a dragon here might cause a scene. Let's head outside the city for that."

Does the Draco Key look like this?

Lucy wasn't entirely sure. There were 88 constellations in total; she couldn't possibly recognize every key, especially one as unusual as a black key. But since Nate said so, she chose to believe him.

"But the opening ceremony is about to start," Lucy said, glancing toward the competition grounds.

Above the arena, a massive countdown appeared, projected by text-based magic into the sky.

The timer read 9 minutes and 59 seconds.

"Then let's wait until it's over," Nate suggested with a nod.

The crowd's anticipation grew as the countdown ticked away. When it finally reached the last ten seconds, the entire audience began chanting together:

"10… 9… 8…"

The numbers in the sky continued counting down. When they reached 0, they expanded and exploded into fireworks. Immediately after, a massive pumpkin head appeared in the sky.

"Good morning to all the trainers from across the nation," it said. "I'm the host for this Fiore Kingdom Pokémon Championship Tournament, Pumpkin!"

"Pumpkin?"

Lucy was startled. "That's a hologram. But why a pumpkin?"

That's the King of Fiore, right? Nate thought to himself. What's his name again? I forgot.

The pumpkin continued its speech:

"First, congratulations to the trainers who ranked in the top 1,000 during the online preliminaries. You've earned the qualification to participate in the upcoming tournament stage."

"This tournament features 12 gym leaders for you to challenge."

The pumpkin held up a small card in one hand and pointed to it with the other.

"Take a look here. This is the qualification pass for the tournament stage. Every participant can claim one for free."

"If you defeat a gym leader, their guild's emblem will be engraved on your card."

"Collect eight emblems, and you'll qualify for the next stage. But be warned…"

"You can only challenge each gym leader once."

"This means that if you lose five times, you'll be eliminated immediately. The challenge order is up to you, and the deadline is noon on January 31st."

After explaining the tournament rules, the pumpkin hologram began dancing in the sky.

"And remember… trainers attacking each other is strictly forbidden! You're also not allowed to attack the gym leaders themselves. Pumpkin!"

"Attacking behavior is not allowed!"

"Now then, let the Pokémon Championship Tournament—Gym Challenge Stage—begin!"

With a pop, the hologram vanished. Cannons around the stadium fired celebratory rounds, releasing colorful balloons into the air. Vibrant fireworks bloomed over the stage.

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

At the commentary desk, a well-dressed man with an oversized head leaned into the microphone.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Jabadiro, the commentator for today's event."

"And joining us is our special guest, former council member and S-Class mage from Fairy Tail, Ultear Milkovich!"

The enormous screen above the stadium displayed the commentary desk, where Ultear smiled and waved at the camera.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Ultear, formerly of the Magic Council and now a proud S-Class mage of Fairy Tail."

"This Pokémon Championship will be streamed live on the Magic Net, so those who couldn't make it to the event, don't worry."

"And now, I'll announce the names of the 12 gym leaders!"

…

Section C, Audience Stands

Nate's expression was one of exasperation. Why is Ultear a guest commentator? Wasn't she supposed to participate in the tournament?

Thinking about it, though, Ultear had never seemed particularly interested in Pokémon battles.

"Let's forget about the contract for now and challenge a gym leader!" Lucy said excitedly. "Let's try to collect all eight emblems today!"

"I'm one of the gym leaders today," Nate replied, pointing at himself.

"What?"

Lucy froze in confusion.

Just then, the stadium's giant screen displayed Ultear, who was announcing the gym leaders.

"The first gym leader, representing Fairy Tail, is Nate!"

Ultear smiled as she continued:

"I'm sure everyone is familiar with Nate. He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, the creator of the Magic Net, the developer of the Celestial Pokémon game, and one of the organizers of this very tournament."

Commentator Jabadiro immediately chimed in, playing the straight man:

"Speaking of Nate-san, Miss Ultear, as a mage of Fairy Tail yourself, you must know him quite well, right?"

"Of course."

Ultear smiled warmly. "He's my boyfriend."

Her words brought a deafening silence to the entire stadium.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.