Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

The Next Morning

When Nate woke up, he realized the suite was empty—Natsu and the others were gone.

After freshening up, he headed downstairs to the restaurant for the complimentary breakfast.

The dining area was deserted except for the waitstaff, who were serving a hearty selection of food.

As he ate a simple meal, he noticed the butler from the previous day approaching him.

"Where are my companions?" Nate asked.

"I was just about to inform you, Nate-san," the butler replied respectfully. "Your companions, along with members of other guilds, have already headed to Domus Flau Stadium for the opening ceremony of the arena matches."

"An opening ceremony?"

Nate mused. Princess Hisui certainly knew how to organize a proper event.

"When does it start?"

"At 10 a.m. The carriage is ready to take you there now, if you'd like."

"No need, I'll make my way there myself."

Nate glanced at the time—just past 9 a.m. Plenty of time to spare.

After finishing his leisurely breakfast, Nate left the hotel.

…

The streets of the royal capital exuded a vibrant, festival-like atmosphere. The Pokémon culture here was even more prominent than in Magnolia.

Everywhere Nate looked, Pokémon were integrated into the daily lives of the locals.

On the street, he noticed a Pokémon-themed restaurant where all the staff were Pokémon: Clefable, Chansey, and Mr. Mime.

Particularly Chansey.

In the anime, Chansey assisted Nurse Joy at Pokémon Centers in treating sick or injured Pokémon.

But in this reality, they had transitioned into restaurant servers.

Nate was stunned.

Typical capitalists—already exploiting cheap labor!

He imagined them threatening Chansey:

"If you won't do it, there are plenty of other Chanseys willing to take your place!"

Just the thought gave Nate a headache.

And the best part? No wages were needed for Pokémon.

The cost boiled down to summoning the Pokémon and using a bit of magic energy to maintain them.

Of course, the source of that magic? Magic Net Coins.

Nate couldn't help but grin at the sheer audacity.

"The capitalists sure found a goldmine. If the Magic Council ever tries to ban Pokémon, these people will probably riot first."

"Interesting. The last time I came here, this wasn't as prevalent. Is this all because of the tournament, or did the Pokémon craze just happen to explode recently?"

As he strolled toward Domus Flau Stadium, Nate passed countless Pokémon-themed attractions: plushies, balloons, inns, restaurants, theme parks, and more.

It truly felt as if he had stepped into the anime itself.

Nate had to give credit where it was due. Princess Hisui clearly had royal backing to promote Pokémon culture on such a large scale.

"Holding a tournament and cashing in at the same time," Nate thought with amusement.

However, something nagged at him. Pokémon didn't have copyrights in this world—everything here was essentially pirated merchandise. He wasn't earning a single cent from any of it.

"This won't do. I need to find a way to get a share of this pie."

On the spot, Nate sent a message to Jude Heartfilia, informing him of the situation.

Jude's reply left him stunned.

Jude Heartfilia: "Some of the Pokémon products in the capital are backed by the Heartfilia Consortium."

Nate almost facepalmed. He had completely forgotten—Jude was a capitalist himself.

Capitalists always had a sharp nose for profit.

"Jude's money is Lucy's money, and Lucy's money… is mine," Nate thought with a satisfied smirk.

That realization balanced everything out in his mind.

…

Domus Flau Stadium

Not long after, Nate arrived at Domus Flau Stadium.

The massive dome-shaped arena was packed with people.

Capable of holding tens of thousands of spectators, the stands were nearly full, and the sound of excited chatter filled the air.

The atmosphere was electric.

Standing at the back of the stands, Nate scanned the competition grounds.

The expansive field, twice the size of two soccer fields, was divided into 12 sections.

Each section was marked with a large guild emblem etched into the ground.

Nate quickly spotted the section representing Fairy Tail.

That's when he remembered something important.

Who was going to act as the gym leader?

Nate hurriedly sent a private message to Princess Hisui.

Sigma Male: "Will the gym leaders be decided today?"

Hisui: "Yes, Nate. Fairy Tail is the only guild left to finalize their gym leader."

Hisui: "After the opening ceremony, the gym leaders will begin receiving challengers."

Sigma Male: "I'll take the role myself today. Is it possible to switch gym leaders later?"

Hisui: "The rules don't prohibit it."

Hisui: "In fact, it makes sense to allow substitutions. Otherwise, a gym leader could face a grueling number of challenges in a single day."

Pokémon didn't get tired, and injuries could be healed instantly by spending Magic Net Coins.

Theoretically, gym leaders didn't have to worry about consecutive battles.

Each Pokémon would start every match in perfect condition.

However, the sheer number of battles could exhaust the gym leader instead of the Pokémon.

Sigma Male: "That settles it. I'll defend the gym myself today."

Hisui: "Would you like to deliver a speech during the opening ceremony? We've allocated a slot for you."

Sigma Male: "No need. I hate giving speeches."

Hisui: "Understood. 😁"

Ending the conversation with Princess Hisui, Nate glanced at the time. There were still about ten minutes until 10 a.m.

He decided to check in with Lucy instead.

Sigma Male: "Are you mad at me?"

Gotta Earn Money: "🙄 Not talking to you!"

If you weren't talking to me, you wouldn't have replied, right? Nate chuckled to himself. Lucy's response practically screamed, "Hurry up and coax me!"

He grinned. As expected, his proud little princess couldn't resist.

Sigma Male: "Draco_Key.jpg"

Gotta Earn Money: "😲 What kind of celestial spirit key is that? A black key?"

Sigma Male: "It's the Draco constellation. You can summon a dragon named Zirconis with it. 😎"

Sigma Male: "Want it?"

Gotta Earn Money: "I want it~~!"

Sigma Male: "And who just said they weren't talking to me? 🙄"

Gotta Earn Money: "😭 I'm sorry! I was wrong!"

Gotcha.

Nate smirked.

Sigma Male: "You're forgiven. Come to Section A's stands. ☺️"

…

Meanwhile, in Section C

Lucy excitedly closed the chat interface and stood up to leave her seat.

Cana grabbed her arm.

"Lucy, where are you going? The opening ceremony's about to start!"

"Uh… I suddenly really need to pee! Sorry!" Lucy feigned urgency and hurried off.

Last night, the group had agreed not to talk to Nate for at least a week to "teach him a lesson."

But on the first day, Lucy had already broken the pact.

Then again…

This was a celestial spirit key she had never seen before!

As Lucy hurried away, Cana watched her with suspicion.

"Definitely going to meet Nate," Cana murmured, chuckling to herself. "Geez, how is he so irresistible to women?"