Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

The stadium fell silent for a few seconds before bursting into hushed murmurs.

Big news!

"B-boyfriend?" Commentator Jabadiro stammered.

"Yes, that's right," Ultear replied with a sweet smile. "We've been dating for several months now."

"I recall during the campaign against Oración Seis last year, Nate-san conducted his first worldwide livestream..." Jabadiro suddenly remembered something. "During that livestream, Nate-san admitted to having a girlfriend. Was that you?"

"That's me!" Ultear nodded with a bright smile.

Slap.

Nate smacked his forehead hard. Miss Witch, if you want me dead, just say so!

"Is that so?" Lucy asked, her eyes glinting with amusement.

It was the kind of soft expression one might give a death row inmate before their execution.

"Of course not!" Nate denied vehemently.

"Hah! Then who was it about?" Lucy's glare sharpened. "It couldn't have been me—we weren't even officially together back then!"

At that time, it could only have been Ultear, Juvia, or Erza...

Thinking quickly, Nate activated Flying Thunder God.

Golden light scattered like tiny particles as Nate sent himself back through time.

…

A few minutes earlier.

Nate spotted Lucy wandering around like a headless chicken. He swallowed the words "Lucy, over here" that were about to leave his mouth.

Immediately, he opened the Magic Net, found the target's nickname, and sent a rapid private message.

Sigma Male: "Do you want to kill me?!"

Witch of Pain: "What's wrong, darling~~ 🥺 🔪🩸"

Sigma Male: "When the commentator asks you later, don't randomly expose our relationship."

Witch of Pain: "Did you come back from the future? 👁️"

What the... How did she guess that?!

Nate was stunned. She's really a witch, isn't she?

Witch of Pain: "Let me guess: during my introduction of the 12 gym leaders, someone asked about you, and I admitted that you're my boyfriend."

Witch of Pain: "So, you time-traveled back to stop me? 😆"

Why are you laughing?!

Nate groaned internally. She's too sharp—does she have memories of a previous timeline?

Sigma Male: "Baby, you don't want to see me end up dead in the streets, do you?"

Witch of Pain: "Relax, all your girlfriends already know about each other from last night. I did you a huge favor! Hurry up and thank me. 😤"

I'm pretty sure this mess is your doing...

Sigma Male: "Thank you so much, dear sister! 🤦‍♂️"

Witch of Pain: "You don't have any other wild women I don't know about, right? 🤔"

Wild women?! You've got to be kidding me!

Nate swore to himself that this was one thing Ultear could never find out.

Sigma Male: "No, don't overthink it."

Sigma Male: "Just please don't reveal our relationship, okay?"

Witch of Pain: "Okay, okay, love you~ 😳"

Witch of Pain: "But you owe me a reward~"

Nate strongly suspected that this cunning woman knew he could time-travel and was deliberately teasing him.

Sigma Male: "Fine, fine, you'll get your reward."

Witch of Pain: "Yay, can't wait~"

…

As time passed, the massive countdown in the air continued to decrease. When it finally hit zero, it exploded into a firework display.

Shortly after, a large pumpkin head appeared in the sky.

"Good morning, trainers from all over the country," the pumpkin began in a cheerful voice. "I'm your host for this Fiore Kingdom Pokémon Championship Tournament, Pumpkin-kun!"

"A pumpkin?"

Lucy stared at it in surprise. "It's a hologram. But why a pumpkin?"

Nate remained composed, recalling the context. That's probably Princess Hisui's father, the king of Fiore, right? What was his name again...?

The pumpkin hologram continued:

"First, congratulations to the trainers who ranked in the top 1,000 during the online preliminaries. You've all earned the right to participate in the next phase of the tournament: the Gym Battle Stage."

The pumpkin raised a small card in one hand, gesturing with the other.

"Look here," it said, "this is your qualification card. Each participant will receive one for free. When you defeat a gym leader, their guild's emblem will be etched onto this card."

The pumpkin outlined the rules, explaining that challengers need to win eight badges to qualify for the next stage and are allowed only one attempt per gym leader.

After explaining the rules, the pumpkin hologram performed a little dance and concluded:

"Now, let the Gym Battle Stage of the Pokémon Championship begin!"

The air was filled with the sounds of celebratory cannons, colorful balloons floating up, and dazzling fireworks bursting overhead. The crowd roared in excitement.

…

Meanwhile, at the commentary booth.

On the large display in the stadium, the live feed showed the commentary team.

"I'm your commentator for today, Jabadiro!" the well-dressed man announced enthusiastically. "And with me, as our special guest, is none other than former Magic Council member and Fairy Tail's S-class mage, Ultear Milkovich!"

The camera panned to Ultear, who smiled radiantly at the crowd.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Ultear Milkovich, and I'm honored to join you all for this thrilling event."

After some polite introductions, Jabadiro turned the topic to Nate.

"Speaking of Nate," he said, "Ultear, as a fellow Fairy Tail member, you must know him well, right?"

Ultear smiled mischievously, remembering Nate's earlier warning in their chat.

"Of course. I've admired him for a long time. In fact, one of the reasons I left the Magic Council to join Fairy Tail was to get closer to him."

The commentator froze, stunned by her candid confession.

"A-a-admired him, you say?"

Ultear nodded with an innocent smile.

"Absolutely. Nate is a remarkable figure in our guild. Not only did he once serve as our fourth guild master, but his contributions to the magic community, such as the creation of the Magic Net, are unparalleled."

…

C Section, Audience Stands.

Nate massaged his temples. This woman is going to drive me insane.

Lucy, meanwhile, was all ears. Her interest was piqued.

"Nate," she said teasingly, "did Ultear really pursue you first?"

Nate sighed, glancing at Lucy's inquisitive face.

"...Technically, yes."

He remembered Ultear's sly ways—especially her late-night habit of sending suggestive photos. Resistance had been futile.

Lucy smirked.

"I'll make sure to tell her what you just said."

"You wouldn't dare," Nate retorted.

He whispered conspiratorially, "She's a witch, Lucy. Don't let her fool you."

Back at the booth, Ultear finished her spiel, much to Jabadiro's relief.

"Alright, Ultear-san, let's move on to introducing the other gym leaders, shall we?"

"Of course," Ultear replied sweetly. "It's just that talking about Nate always brings out the chatterbox in me."

After the introductions continued, Nate turned his attention to a familiar name.

"Wait... Bora?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise. "Is that the same Bora from Hargeon Town? The one who used charm magic to lure innocent girls?"

"Indeed it is, Lucy," a voice chimed in.

Both turned to see Bora himself walking toward them, wearing an overly confident grin.

Bora bowed theatrically.

"Apologies for my past behavior, Lucy. I've turned over a new leaf and returned to Titan Nose Guild. Now, I'm here as a gym leader. Please, treat me kindly."

Lucy blinked in disbelief.

"You lured girls away... just to make them performers?"

"Of course. What else did you think?" Bora asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"...I thought you were trafficking them!" Lucy blurted out.

Nate couldn't help but laugh.

"You and Ichiya will probably get along great," he told Bora.

After enduring Bora's chatter for a while, Nate and Lucy managed to slip away unnoticed.

…

Soon, Nate arrived at Field #1, where the Fairy Tail guild's banner was proudly displayed.

As he stepped into the arena, a wave of cheers erupted from the audience.

"Nate-sama! Have my babies!" someone screamed.

Who the hell was that?! Nate scanned the crowd nervously, smiling and waving to the enthusiastic audience.

Before long, the first challenger approached.

A woman's voice echoed across the arena.

"Nate, Master of the Magic Net. I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Now, here we are."

Nate turned toward the voice and furrowed his brows.

His Six Eyes immediately detected that the approaching woman wasn't human—she was a demon.