Chapter 191: New Game! Pokémon!
Nate entered the guild and sat at the bar counter.
"Good morning, Mira."
"Good morning, Nate."
As usual, Mirajane gave him a warm smile. "I'll go get your breakfast," she said, turning to head into the kitchen.
Nate glanced at the other Mirajane—the one from the Edolas world.
"Good morning, Mirajane-san."
"Good morning, Nate-san."
Since they hadn't known each other long, they kept their greetings polite.
"Are you settling in alright here?"
"I'm happy to be a guest at Earth Land's Fairy Tail, and I had a lot of fun at yesterday's Harvest Festival," she said with a bright laugh. "But this isn't my home, so maybe it's about time I returned."
"You're absolutely welcome to stay longer."
Nate thought it over. This wasn't something he wanted to rush, especially since he could move freely between the two worlds.
"Please stay a bit longer," he continued. "When things settle down and Boss Lucy wraps up her work over there, I'll bring you all back."
"Boss Lucy..." Edolas Mirajane covered her mouth, laughing softly. "That's quite a fitting nickname."
"Then I'll gladly accept your invitation and stay a while longer. Thank you, Nate-san."
"No need to be so formal—just call me Nate."
"Alright, then you can call me Mira."
Nate hesitated. "Calling both of you 'Mira' might get confusing... How about I call you 'Miraj'?"
His Mirajane was "Mira," so calling the Edolas Mirajane "Miraj" would make it easier to distinguish between them—like they were twins, in a way.
The name amused Miraj, and she agreed with a smile.
While they chatted, Mirajane returned, placing Nate's breakfast on the counter. Nate thanked her and dug in, his mind already turning to the tasks ahead.
The development of the Magic Net couldn't stall out now. They were still only on alpha version 0.7, with a long way to go before reaching a polished, official release.
He saw three main priorities for now:
First, the [Magic Net Marketplace, which he assigned to one of his Thought Projection assistants to start coding.
Second, an [Online Banking System] to interface with real-world banks, which meant he'd have to ask Jude to set up the necessary meetings.
And third, a new game that would be enjoyable even for regular users with no magic skills.
Of these, the third was crucial. Currently, the majority of users on the Magic Net were ordinary people, so focusing on them was essential.
In fact, he had an idea for allowing ordinary people to participate in [Magic Arena]. It would just require tapping into the potential of [Magic Apps]. Yesterday's two successful activations of the super magic Fairy Law had proven the feasibility of the apps.
If Fairy Law could work through the app, why not standard magics? By coding in additional magics, he could enable ordinary people to access magic as well.
But this plan had a serious flaw...
Even if regular people could use a few magics via the app, they'd only be ordinary people with a few tricks up their sleeves—not true fighters.
Would they actually enjoy themselves in the [Magic Arena]?
"A game, huh? The most important thing is that people enjoy playing it," Nate thought to himself.
Initially, he'd planned an event, [Magic Arena: Oración Seis Challenge, but now he felt it might not be quite right for everyone.
"What I really need," he mused, "is a magic game that even regular folks can enjoy..."
An idea was forming. Since regular people weren't skilled in combat, why not let them play in a more strategic way—by commanding, rather than fighting themselves? Immediately, he thought of games like 'Pokémon' or 'Digimon.' With some inspiration from those, he could create something similar.
This world had plenty of magic creatures, and some could even talk. But turning magic beasts into controllable "creatures" might feel too predictable.
"You look like you're deep in thought," Mirajane observed him while he was eating, noting his distracted expression.
Nate looked up, and after a moment's thought, decided to share his dilemma with her.
"Sounds fun!" Both Mirajanes looked intrigued, exchanging a glance before Mirajane held up a finger, suggesting, "Hey, doesn't Lucy have a little spirit called 'Plue'?"
"Plue?" Nate imagined the tiny, white, pointy-nosed creature, which he'd only seen a few times. Cute, sure—but besides being adorable, it wasn't particularly useful. Lucy mainly kept it as a pet.
"Plue's adorable! If you could equip it with a Magic App and let players control Plue in battles, wouldn't that be interesting?" Mirajane grew more animated as she spoke, sounding like she wanted one for herself.
Nate considered her idea seriously. Surprisingly, it could work! Since Plue was a Celestial Spirit, there was no issue of mortality to worry about. Plus, it wasn't one of the zodiac spirits, so summoning it only required a silver key—available at around 20,000 J.
The only challenge was supply. The player base would number in the thousands. Did the Celestial Spirit World even have that many Plues? And how, exactly, were Celestial Spirits born, anyway?
"Mira, that's a great idea! Thanks!" Energized by the suggestion, Nate leaped up, leaving his breakfast behind, and immediately teleported to find Lucy.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in Lucy's room, only to see her still in bed, sleeping soundly.
"Up close, the princess really does look lovely when she's sleeping."
Nate walked over to the bed and gave her cheek a gentle pat. "Wake up, it's time to get up!"
"Mm? Just five more minutes, Spetto-san..." she mumbled, rolling over in her half-asleep daze.
"Spetto-san?" Nate blinked. Ah, right—Lucy's housekeeper.
"If you don't wake up, I'll read your diary this time," he threatened teasingly.
The words barely left his mouth when Lucy's eyes shot open. "No! You wouldn't dare!"
"Morning."
She blinked in surprise, staring at him as she sat up.
"Wait a second," she said, realization dawning.
"What's in the diary that's such a big secret?" Nate raised a brow, feigning curiosity.
"Gah! Don't even think about it!" Flustered, she blushed before snapping, "Wait—why are you even in my room?"
"Did you forget? We slept together last night," Nate said with a straight face.
"Wha—?" Lucy glanced down at her pajamas. Still perfectly intact. Figures he was trying to trick her. She shot him an annoyed look.
"Why are you here so early?" she demanded, still groggy from the late night. She'd spent the evening too giddy to sleep, thrilled that she finally had a boyfriend! Next time Cana asked, "Lucy, how many boyfriends have you had?" she could skip the fibs and simply reply, "Nate is my boyfriend."
Nate interrupted her thoughts, "Why are you smiling like that?"
Lucy snapped back to the present, her cheeks still tinged pink. "So, what brings you here?"
"I'm designing a new game for regular people, and I need your help," he replied without preamble. "It's called 'Pokémon'—I mean, 'Celestial Pokémon.'"
/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 192: Creating a Pokémon, Soul Prison
Lucy was practically dragged out of bed and into the bathroom, where she began her morning routine of brushing her teeth and washing her face while listening to Nate explain his 'Celestial Pokémon' idea.
"Hmm? What's it about?" she asked.
"Stop talking with your mouth full," Nate replied.
Finishing up, Lucy rinsed, dabbed her face dry, and admired her reflection in the mirror.
"Ah, always so naturally gorgeous," she mused with a smile before turning back to Nate. "So, how am I supposed to help?"
"You've got that Celestial Spirit, Plue, right? Summon him."
"Like when I summoned him to sing last time?"
Lucy, as usual, was taken aback by Nate's imaginative ideas. She left the bathroom and opened the drawer of her bedside table, pulling out her keyring for the Celestial Spirits.
Without even realizing it, she'd managed to collect nearly all the Zodiac keys. Out of the twelve, she had nine: Aquarius, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn. Only Leo, Libra, and Pisces remained.
She looked at Nate with a warm smile, picked out the key for Canis Minor, and began the summoning:
"I am the one who opens the path to the Celestial Spirit World. Answer my call and cross the gate!"
"Open, Gate of the Canis Minor, Nikora!"
With that, the Celestial Spirit summoning circle glowed, and a small, white, shivering figure appeared in her room.
"Plue~"
Plue made its familiar sound, standing there with its legs trembling.
"Got to admit, it's cute," Nate thought. "As a pet, it'd definitely be popular. And, well, it is technically a pet."
"Plue's more of a companion-type spirit, not really for battle, but it's great at making people smile," Lucy explained, chuckling. "Plue, would you help Nate out with something?"
"Plue~!" Plue nodded eagerly, then, legs wobbling, shuffled over toward Nate.
Nate sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, gently patting its head and observing closely with his Six Eyes. He found Celestial Spirits fascinating—he'd studied Virgo several times before, but Plue was different. Maybe it was the difference between companion-type and combat-type spirits?
Lucy interrupted, "I'll go make breakfast. Want anything?"
"Already ate," Nate replied, not breaking his focus.
"Alright, I'll let you and Plue have your little talk," she said with a laugh as she left for the kitchen.
Once alone, Nate asked, "So, Plue, how many of you Canis Minor spirits are there?"
"Plue! Plue!" Plue raised its paws, making a circular motion in the air.
"A lot? How many is 'a lot'?"
"Plue~"
"Just 'a lot,' huh?" Nate chuckled. "Is it more than a thousand?"
Plue thought for a moment, hesitantly nodded, then shook its head as if unsure.
Nate sighed slightly. Not quite what he was hoping for.
There might only be a few hundred. For a typical Celestial Spirit Mage, that was more than enough. But for his 'Celestial Pokémon' game? A few hundred was nowhere near enough.
"Plue, I'm going to send some magic energy into you, alright? Don't resist."
Picking up Plue, Nate sent a controlled stream of magic energy into its body, using his Six Eyes to analyze its essence in detail. If the number of spirits was an issue, he could potentially create something similar himself.
If Zeref could create demons like those from the Book of Zeref, then surely he could attempt to create something akin to 'The Book of Pokémon.'
Back during the 'Lullaby' incident, he had studied a bit of demonology by observing the demon form of Lullaby. At that time, his understanding of Soul Magic had been too limited to succeed, but now? With his advanced understanding of Celestial Energy, he could try to craft a new type of life—something like Celestial Spirits but tailored to this game's needs.
He'd call them 'Celestial Pokémon!' They wouldn't need great strength; they would just be simple creatures, acting as vessels for [Magic Apps].
Half an hour passed.
Lucy prepared a hearty breakfast and, coming out of the kitchen, saw Nate sitting cross-legged, his palms facing each other. A small orb of golden celestial energy was forming between his hands, gradually taking the shape of a golden mouse. Then it continued to change, ultimately becoming a large, yellow mouse-like creature.
The creature had two brown stripes across its back, a lightning-bolt-shaped tail with a heart at the end, red cheeks, and long ears with black tips.
Lucy stared in astonishment. "What kind of magic is this?"
Her voice interrupted Nate's creation process. For a moment, a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Thank you, Lucy—you saved me from a potential problem."
Lucy blinked, puzzled. "I didn't do anything, though."
"You interrupted me at just the right moment."
"Oh! Sorry!"
"No, actually, I'm glad you did."
Nate let out a sigh of relief. He had been so absorbed in the thrill of creating life that he was about to give this creature, which looked like a 'Pikachu,' a soul. But doing so might have invoked the curse of Ankhseram, the God governing Life and Death. Although he wasn't certain if a curse would fall, he didn't want to risk provoking a god he still held some respect for—at least, not until he was stronger.
Lucy, unaware of the danger, picked up the Pikachu-like creature and exclaimed, "What is this? It's adorable!"
Nate explained, "I based it on the demon Lullaby that Zeref created and on your spirit, Plue, to create a new type of being. I'm calling it a [Celestial Pokémon]." He clarified, "But right now, it's just a shell."
The energy cost for this creation wasn't high; it didn't have any powers and could be thought of as a simple puppet.
"So, did Plue help you?" Lucy held up the Pikachu, marveling, "I can feel its energy—it's kind of like a Celestial Spirit!"
"Well, of course," Nate thought, "I used celestial energy to replicate Plue, so it would have a similar aura."
Out loud, he replied, "This one's called Pikachu."
"Pikachu?" Lucy repeated, savoring the name. It was catchy.
"But it can't move. How will players command it in battle?"
"That's where another type of magic comes in. I'm going to show you a place, but you absolutely can't tell anyone about it."
Lucy's eyes widened as she pulled her arms around herself. She gave Nate a suspicious look.
Ouch. That reaction really stung.
"Promise—I'm not tricking you this time."
"Are you sure?"
"If I'm lying, I'm a little puppy."
"Alright, I'll trust you this once."
Nate laughed and extended his hand. "Take my hand. Where we're going is deep in the heart of Internet Magic, in its core."
Lucy felt a rush of excitement and placed her hand in his.
"I'm ready!"
In an instant, Nate focused his thoughts, and Lucy's consciousness detached from her body, joining him as they entered the depths of the network.
When her vision cleared, she found herself standing before a large cage in an endless void.
"What is this place?" Lucy asked, looking down to realize she was still holding Pikachu. It had come along with her?
Nate walked toward one of the cells, where a figure stood, someone she recognized—Kain Hikaru.
"This," he said, "is the Soul Prison."
Chapter 193: Word Command, What's Missing?
Nate and Lucy's arrival immediately caught the attention of the three prisoners.
Kain Hikaru mumbled something to himself, clearly bored out of his mind after just one day of confinement. His only company was his cellmate, Brain, who was absorbed in magical research, and occasionally Klodoa, the talking wand, who would say a few words.
"Oh, great Lord of the Magic Net! Your loyal servant Klodoa offers his humblest greetings!" Klodoa, the skeleton-tipped wand in Cell 2, immediately began his sycophantic praises.
Following Nate, Lucy approached the cells and noticed the wand bending its body in a bowing, submissive posture.
"Total suck-up," Lucy muttered, using a term she'd picked up from Nate. "Aren't you Brain's wand? The 'seventh' member of the Oración Seis?"
Klodoa jumped—despite having no legs—and shouted, "Oración Seis? How dare you insult me!"
"I, Klodoa of the Black Gate, am the most faithful servant of Nate-sama!"
Lucy rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "The Suck-Up Wand… a.k.a. the Suck-Up Servant."
With that, she turned her attention to Cell 1, where Brain was sitting silently on the damp floor, scribbling incomprehensible symbols as he delved deeply into his magical studies.
As for Cell 3, she glanced at the unfamiliar prisoner, Kain Hikaru.
"Not here for you—quiet down," Nate said, casting a glance at Klodoa before turning to Kain Hikaru. "It's work time, Kain."
"Oh, great Nate-sama, I'm ready to work too!" Klodoa eagerly chimed in.
Ignoring him, Nate snapped his fingers, and the iron door of Cell 3 vanished.
Kain Hikaru scratched his head. "What do you need me to do? I'd do anything to escape this torturous boredom!"
Nate took Pikachu from Lucy and handed it to Kain Hikaru. "Use your magic to give it a 'Lightning' attribute."
"What is this, some kind of toy?" Kain Hikaru held the Pikachu and plucked a strand of fur from its Celestial Puppet body. In his other hand, he conjured a cursed doll and inserted the fur into its head.
"Lightning!"
With a sizzle, electric sparks began to crackle around the puppet, transforming its straw-like material to a lightning-charged one.
Simultaneously, Pikachu's body began emitting sparks of electricity as well.
Nate watched closely and confirmed his theory. He snapped his fingers again, and a rock appeared inside Cell 3.
"Try making it break that rock with lightning. Think you can manage that?"
Kain Hikaru snorted, "Piece of cake." Pikachu's body flashed with electric energy, and a small bolt struck the rock. While it left a scorch mark, it didn't manage to shatter it.
Kain Hikaru scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm low on magic power. In here, there's no way to recharge."
Nate took Pikachu back, using his Six Eyes to observe the effects. Pikachu had indeed been enhanced: it now had a lightning attribute, some resistance to electric attacks, and its physical capabilities had been boosted beyond its natural limits.
Then, taking the cursed doll from Kain Hikaru, Nate used it to control Pikachu's movements. No matter how he twisted its joints, Pikachu followed every command, even if a joint was bent backward, without any harm to the main body. This was the strength of the Lost Magic known as "Ushi no Koku Mairi."
"This is how players will control Pikachu in battle?" Lucy asked, her face full of curiosity.
Nate shook his head. Although the cursed doll made control convenient, something about it felt off. He wanted an added layer of interaction.
Players would give voice commands, which would be executed by the cursed doll and then relayed to the controlled Pokémon. It sounded like an extra step, but Nate believed it would improve the actual gameplay experience.
"For example, with a skill like 'Dodge quickly,' how can you give players good feedback without saying it out loud?"
But how to make the cursed doll understand the player's commands?
Nate thought for a moment and walked to Cell 1.
"Brain."
Brain lifted his head, looking listless. "What do you want?"
Nate briefly explained the problem. "Is there any magic that could do that?"
"Who do you think I am?" Brain scoffed. "I was once the head of the Bureau of Magical Development. Developing a simple magic like this is child's play!"
What a valuable employee!
Nate laughed. "Do a good job, and I'll reduce your sentence. By ten years!"
Brain's eyes lit up. Just a simple task, and he could get a ten-year reduction? If he got a few more of these tasks, maybe he could actually get out someday.
"Mind if I ask how long my sentence is?"
"One thousand years."
"…"
Brain's expression darkened. Even the council would have only given him life imprisonment. One thousand years, minus ten, would still leave him with 990 years.
"Think of it this way," Nate said, dangling a carrot. "Do a great job, and maybe the next reduction will be even bigger."
Brain didn't believe a word, but a little hope was better than none. Besides, it was a simple magic.
"Give me ten minutes!"
Confident in his magical expertise, Brain, whose personality craved knowledge, completed the magic in only five minutes.
He named the new magic 'Sound Magic: Word Command'. It could essentially give simple orders, like instructing small animals. He taught it to Nate without holding back.
Nate learned it in a minute—it was indeed simple!
"Not bad. You're quite skilled," Nate nodded in satisfaction.
Then he tried using 'Word Command' on the cursed doll, which in turn controlled Pikachu.
Everything worked smoothly.
Lucy, watching from the side, was both impressed by Nate's ingenuity and amazed by the power of magic.
After these initial tests, Nate took Lucy back to reality.
In Lucy's apartment, she opened her eyes, clearly excited. "Can I play too? It looks fun!"
Commanding Pokémon seemed similar to summoning Celestial Spirits.
"There's still something missing…" Nate murmured thoughtfully.
Lucy thought for a moment. "More Pokémon?"
"For now, let's start with ten," Nate said, deciding not to create too many at once. Ten Pokémon types, plus their evolutions, would be a good start.
But how should evolution work?
Accumulate experience points, and then evolve upon reaching a certain level? How could he make that happen?
Deep in thought, Nate soon came up with an idea: battles.
Winning battles could reward Pokémon with Celestial Energy. When enough energy was accumulated, it would trigger evolution. Then, using 'Ushi no Koku Mairi', he could further enhance their abilities.
"But it still feels like something's missing…"
Nate pinched Lucy's cheek absentmindedly while he thought.
"Ow! What was that for?" she protested, brushing his hand away.
"Did it hurt?"
"Of course it hurt!"
"Perfect. If you pinch me, it'd hurt too."
"Get lost, you big dummy!"
Laughing, Lucy playfully hit Nate, and they ended up in a friendly tussle. Eventually, Nate ended up pinning her down.
Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.
Lucy blushed. "What are you doing?"
"I figured it out! We're missing Poké Balls!" Nate exclaimed, smiling as he gave Lucy a playful pinch. "We could use Card Magic so players can store Pokémon in Cards."
"Can you please let go first?" she protested, laughing as she pushed his hand away. "You're hopeless!"
Chapter 194: Bickslow wants to become a Pokémon Master
Poké Balls didn't have to be the classic red-and-white spheres, did they? Nate thought about transforming them into magic cards with spatial properties. This way, they could sell the cards, allowing players to enjoy the thrill of drawing them like in card games.
Of course, the primary reason was that creating a single Pokémon was quite costly. Even in its half-finished state, it required four different types of magic. And to make it a fully functional 'Celestial Pokémon' capable of battle, even more magic enhancements would be needed.
If they didn't recoup some of the expenses, it would feel like a bit of a loss.
So, should they really go with selling cards?
As Nate contemplated ways to cover the costs, he absentmindedly continued to knead Lucy's soft... "pandas." That was, until Lucy pinched his arm hard, making him reluctantly let go.
"You might not believe me," Nate said with a completely straight face, "but when I'm thinking, it actually helps if I can knead something soft."
Lucy, blushing deeply, pushed him away. "Why aren't you wearing...?" she mumbled, still in her cute pink pajamas, her face turning redder as he looked her over.
"Who wears a bra to bed, you big dummy?" she huffed, shoving him away.
'Smack!'
"Total perv!"
Lucy quickly bolted to the table and sat down for breakfast, trying to regain her composure.
Nate picked up Pikachu and sat across from her, now a bit more focused. He set aside his teasing for the moment—there was still work to be done. By now, he had mostly figured out the creation, command, and battle functions for Pokémon. Next was the coding side of things, like experience point accumulation, level calculations, and so forth.
Ultimately, he wanted to write a basic client for the system. In his vision, Celestial Pokémon battles wouldn't just take place in the real world; they'd happen online, too. He felt full of inspiration and began writing code at an impressive speed.
As Lucy ate her breakfast, she couldn't help but steal glances at him. Nate was intensely focused, and his dedication as he worked impressed her. As his girlfriend, she felt she should contribute in some way.
"Nate!" she finally said after some thought.
"What's up?" He looked up briefly.
Lucy pointed to the little Pikachu figurine on the table. "With it just being a figure, it feels a bit lacking. Wouldn't it be great if it were more like Plue?"
"I think Pokémon should have more than just battle functions; they should also have a 'companionship' element. Wouldn't that make them more popular?"
Nate nodded. "This one's just a prototype. I'll give it a soul eventually."
As a developer, Nate wanted to aim for perfection. Though he couldn't use the same method he'd tried with creating demons—which might trigger Ankhseram's curse—he knew there were other solutions.
In the world of magic, there was always more than one way to solve a problem.
With that thought, Nate opened his friends list and located Bickslow.
Sigma Male: "Need your help. Where are you?"
Bickslow: "Nate?! I'm just headed to Shirotsume Town; I just boarded the carriage."
Sigma Male: "Hang on a second."
After replying, Nate closed the Internet Magic, picked up Pikachu, and turned back to Lucy.
"I'll try to get this ready so you can play soon. Gotta get to work." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing out, transforming into a flash of gold as he sped off.
Lucy touched her cheek where he had kissed her, feeling a rush of happiness.
"He's such a tease…"
...
Magnolia, outskirts of the city.
A carriage had pulled to a stop on the road.
Freed, who was driving, asked, "Why'd you want me to stop all of a sudden? Is something wrong?"
"Nate just reached out to me for something," Bickslow replied.
Inside the carriage, Evergreen glanced into a small mirror as she applied lipstick. "And you," Bickslow teased with a smirk, "why'd you start doing your makeup all of a sudden?"
"Because I want to, alright?" Evergreen shot him a look.
Just then, a flash of golden light appeared, and Nate materialized beside the carriage.
"Wow, you're all really hard-working, huh? The Harvest Festival just ended, and here you are, right back at it?"
"It's not a mission," Freed explained. "We're planning to sweep through the nearby Dark Guilds. With all the chaos that Grimoire Heart stirred up yesterday, we don't want anyone getting the idea that we're weak."
Evergreen stepped out of the carriage, smiling. "I saw a post on the forum last night—someone spotted a Dark Guild, 'Ghoul Spirit,' near Shirotsume Town."
"That's a guild that used to work under the Oración Seis, right?" Nate thought. Poor guys were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, paying for Grimoire Heart's crimes. With the Oración Seis already gone, chances were these smaller guilds had all been absorbed into Grimoire Heart anyway.
"Didn't the Council ban fights between guilds? Mira told me we're not even allowed to attack dark guilds without authorization."
Bickslow stared at him in disbelief. "Nate, you actually know the Council's rules?"
Nate just gave him a look. "Does it seem so unlikely? I'm not Natsu, you know."
Evergreen waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine! We'll just take down the dark guild first, and then the master can write an apology letter later."
Nate went silent, realizing why the master had gotten so good at writing apologies. It was all thanks to these guys.
"But enough about us," Bickslow said, shaking his head. "What do you need me for, Nate?"
"Just a little help. Your Seith Magic: Human Possession—you can possess dolls, right?"
"Oh, that one?" Bickslow held out his arms, grinning as his tongue, emblazoned with a symbol, flicked out. "I can show you my little buddies if you like! Come on out, darlings!"
In the next moment, five small dolls, each no bigger than the palm of a hand, floated up from behind him. "Just so you know," he said proudly, "they're called Pappa, Pippi, Puppu, Peppe, and Poppo!"
The dolls all chirped, making sounds somewhere between giggles and gibberish. Nate studied them with his Six Eyes and confirmed his suspicions—each of these possessed spirits was actually a split piece of Bickslow's own soul.
"Think you could teach me the technique? I want to bind a soul to this." He held up the small Pikachu doll. "Nothing powerful—just something that can move around a bit on its own and make little 'Pika-pika' sounds."
Bickslow looked at him, somewhat bewildered. "Is there really any point to that?"
"Yes, there is," Nate said. "It just needs basic movement." He briefly explained the concept behind the new game he was developing, 'Celestial Pokémon.'
When he finished, Evergreen's eyes went wide, intrigued. "That sounds so fun! Like having a cute little Celestial Pet to train!"
Bickslow was blown away. If Nate could actually pull this off, what was the point of using his own dolls anymore? Training Pokémon would be way better!
Throwing an arm around Nate's shoulders, Bickslow pulled him aside with a grin. "Alright, Nate, I'll teach you how to possess dolls. But when the game's done, can you hook me up with a few Pokémon?"
"Of course! If the game's a hit, you'll have been an essential part of making it happen."
Bickslow beamed, then turned to his two teammates, Evergreen and Freed. "So, you guys can handle 'Ghoul Spirit.' I'll be sticking with Nate to work on the game!"
He paused and, full of excitement, declared, "I'm going to be a Pokémon Master! No time to waste on some dark guild!"
Evergreen: "…"
Freed: "…"
Nate: "…"
/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 195: Pikachu Done! Onto the Next Pokémon!
Bickslow's Seith Magic: Human Possession was quite challenging to learn. This magic allows the caster to split off a tiny fragment of their own soul and infuse it into a doll to control it. Naturally, the caster doesn't need "full control" for this project; all that's required is for users, when activating their Pokémon, to split off a fragment of their soul to give the Pokémon a sense of life.
In this way, the Pokémon would be able to run, jump, make sounds, and even form a bond with its trainer.
By evening, under Bickslow's thorough guidance, Nate managed to learn the basics of Human Possession. Mastery of this magic would take considerably more time, but it wasn't necessary for now. Even so, Bickslow was amazed by Nate's rapid learning speed.
"This is insane! Warren told me you picked up telepathy in just two days!" Bickslow exclaimed. "I didn't believe it then, but now I do!"
Excitedly, he asked, "So, Nate, when can I play with my Pokémon?"
"Which one would you like?"
Nate thought for a moment and then used his magic to conjure the images of four different Pokémon in midair.
"On the far left is Pikachu, an electric type."
"The second is Bulbasaur, a grass type."
"The third is Squirtle, a water type."
"And the fourth is Charmander, a fire type."
Bickslow eyed them eagerly, like a kid in a candy store. "Can't I have them all?"
"Not yet; there aren't enough Pokémon ready to go around."
Nate wasn't against giving Bickslow three or four Pokémon, but right now, each Pokémon was needed for testing. Once the game went live and Pokémon could be created on a large scale, giving him a hundred wouldn't be an issue.
"I'll take Bulbasaur!" Bickslow decided. "I like the look of this one!"
Bulbasaur? Nate was surprised; usually, first-time players go straight for Charmander.
"I'll let you know once Bulbasaur is ready," Nate said.
"Looking forward to it!" With that, Nate parted ways with Bickslow and returned to his apartment to start coding the [Celestial Pokémon] app.
Before diving in, he needed to program five key magics into the [Magic App].
1. Celestial Creation
This magic uses celestial energy to mimic Plue, creating a celestial-type Pokémon doll. This magic ensures the Pokémon won't die; it's similar to a celestial spirit, and as long as it can receive celestial energy, it can't be permanently defeated.
2. Lost Magic: Ushi no Koku Mairi
This magic grants Pokémon their combat abilities and functions as a control mechanism.
3. Voice Magic: Word Command
Developed by Brain, this magic translates the user's verbal commands into actions performed by a doll, which then relays the commands to the Pokémon during battles.
4. Seith Magic: Human Possession
This magic provides the Pokémon with a simple soul, enabling it to run, jump, make sounds, and act as a companion to its trainer.
5. Card Magic: Card Dimension
This is the Poké Ball, or rather, a storage card where trainers can keep their Pokémon. The card's design functions as a compact storage space for the Pokémon when not in use.
By programming these elements into the app, Nate could bring the [Celestial Pokémon] game closer to reality.
Embedding these five types of magic into the [Magic App] took Nate a full eight hours.
When he looked up, it was already late at night, with the clock showing a bit past one in the morning.
"Guess I'll pull an all-nighter and get the simplified app written too."
Without even stopping for dinner, Nate buried himself in his work, and by the time he looked up again, the sky was light.
"Finally finished! Let's run it and see…"
Nate launched the [Celestial Pokémon] app, and a card appeared out of thin air. For now, it was just a plain white card since he hadn't designed the artwork yet. Inside the card, he could see a small Pikachu sleeping.
"Come on out, Pikachu!"
Nate tossed the card forward, and with a flash of light, Pikachu appeared, rubbing its eyes with a dopey, innocent look.
"Pika?"
"Can you understand me?" Nate asked.
"Pika!"
"Good."
Nate nodded, then gave the command, "Sit."
Pikachu obediently sat down, gazing up at him with big, innocent eyes.
Nate then went through a series of tests, including having Pikachu generate electricity. Everything went smoothly—almost surprisingly so.
However, this was just one test Pokémon. Next, he needed to create the starter trio and their evolved forms. He decided to focus on the initial forms for now and save the evolutions for later.
"Creating this game is way more challenging than [Magic Arena]!"
"Every Pokémon has to be designed and created from scratch," he thought, patting Pikachu on the head.
The reason for this was that he wanted [Celestial Pokémon] to exist in the real world. If it were just an online battle simulation relying on the Deep Web, things would be much simpler.
"In any case, the first step is done. Now… onto Charmander!"
With that thought, Nate put Pikachu back into its card and headed out, making his way to Natsu's place. After all, if he was going to make a creature called 'Charmander', using 'Fire Dragon Slayer Magic' seemed fitting.
…
Natsu's house was located in a secluded area on the outskirts of the West District. As Nate walked along a narrow path, he spotted a small sign on the side of the road that read 'Natsu-Happy', with an arrow pointing the way.
Nate thought back to how Fairy Tail used to have a dorm for the guys. Mirajane had once told him that the guys fought so much they wrecked the dorm, leaving them to figure out housing on their own.
The house itself was modest, surrounded by flowers and a few vines creeping up the walls. Out front was a chopping block with an axe embedded in it and a neatly stacked pile of firewood nearby.
"Prepping firewood for winter?" Nate chuckled. "Does a Fire Dragon Slayer even need wood for heat?"
Looking up, he noticed a chimney on the roof. Then he considered—maybe the firewood was for Happy, or perhaps for cooking rather than heating.
"Natsu!" Nate called out from outside.
After a moment, the door opened, and Happy came out, rubbing his eyes.
"Nate?"
"Morning, Happy."
Happy, still looking half-asleep, glanced at the faint morning sun. "You're up early, Nate."
"Natsu still asleep?"
"Natsu won't be up before nine," Happy yawned and pulled a fish from his little bag. "Want some fish?"
Probably from last night? Or maybe even from the night before that? Nate shook his head, "You eat it, just don't get sick. I need to talk to Natsu."
Stepping inside, Nate found the interior sparse. It looked like Natsu lived simply. He suspected that most of Natsu's money went to paying off fines.
On the bed, Natsu was sprawled out, snoring loudly with the messiest sleep posture Nate had ever seen.
"Wake up, Igneel!"
At the sound of the keyword, Natsu's eyes snapped open as he shouted, "Igneel!? Where?!"
After a beat, he processed what he'd said and then mumbled, "Wait… Isn't Igneel… inside me?"
Finally spotting Nate, Natsu froze, looking completely bewildered.
Nate stifled a laugh at the delayed reaction. "I'm creating a Charmander and could use your help, Natsu."
Also
It's directly Pikachu no Pichu which is sad... Or maybe it's Author's forgetting Pichu exist haha
Chapter 196: Pokémon Done! Test Version Go!
"Charmander?"
Natsu's expression was blank, still half-asleep.
Nate decided to explain the new game he was developing, [Celestial Pokémon, in detail.
After hearing the explanation, Natsu was instantly wide awake. Nate could practically see the spark of excitement in his eyes, like a little kid who had just discovered superheroes were real.
"Anyway, if you help me with this, I'll give you the first Charmander."
"Really? Let's fire it up!" Natsu's fatigue vanished, replaced by actual flames.
Happy curiously asked, "Will Charmander hatch from an egg? Like I did?" He paused, then muttered, "But it kind of overlaps with my role!"
Respect level -1!
"Happy, this is a game even regular people can play," Nate assured him. "You could raise one too."
Happy's tail shot straight up at this news, and he clung to Nate's leg, suddenly dead serious. "I want a girl cat. A white one! Please, Nate! It's my life's one request!"
'Why not just ask for Carla?' Nate thought, sighing. "Calm down, Happy. A real man has to face reality head-on."
"Right!" Natsu nodded. "Happy, a tiger or a lion would be way cooler than a cat, right?"
Nate could only sigh again. Leave it to the main character of a shounen manga to come up with ideas that made no sense.
"Let's get started on creating Charmander," Nate said.
With the experience of making Pikachu, building Charmander was much faster.
First, Nate created a Charmander celestial doll. Then—thanks to Natsu's help—he coded "Fire Dragon Slayer Magic" into the [Magic App]. This part took the most time, and they didn't finish until noon.
As the magic was uploaded, Charmander immediately gained the magical power of "Fire Dragon Slayer." Knowing it would evolve in two more stages, Nate scaled back the magic's power for this initial stage. As Charmander levels up and evolves, the sealed parts of its power would be unlocked.
"Now to activate it," Nate said, handing Natsu the [Celestial Pokémon] app. "This is your Pokémon—activate it yourself. It'll naturally bond with its first owner."
Natsu, practically bouncing with excitement, opened the app and activated his Pokémon.
The moment he pressed the button, a tiny bit of his soul was channeled through the silver ring on his finger and, via the Magic Net, flowed into the Charmander in front of him.
"Roooar~"
Charmander's eyes lit up with life as it let out a delighted sound. Then, with a tiny 'whoosh', a small flame ignited at the end of its tail.
It was alive!
"It moved! It moved! Nate, it really moved! Ahahaha!" Natsu lifted Charmander into the air, elated like a proud new dad.
"Happy, what did Charmander say?"
Happy, still fixated on his dream of a cat Pokémon, translated, "It said, 'Master.'"
"Name's Natsu! Natsu Dragneel!" Natsu grinned at Charmander. "Let's give you a name… Ignia?"
Wait, 'Ignia'?
Nate's eyes widened. Ignia was Igneel's actual son, one of the Five Dragon Gods of the Northern Continent.
"Uh, maybe that's not the best name—how about another one?" Nate suggested, thinking it might be a bit ominous.
"Fine, how about… Igneera!"
"Rooar! Rooar!" Charmander chirped happily.
Happy continued as translator, "It's saying, 'Thank you, Master!'"
"Nice to meet you, Igneera!" Natsu beamed, then sprinted outside, his new Charmander in tow.
"Let's start training right away! First, Fire Dragon's Iron Fist! I'll teach you every single Dragon Slayer technique Igneel taught me!"
"Hey, you know this is basically cheating, right?" Nate thought helplessly as he watched Natsu, who was set on personally training his Charmander.
"Hold on a second, Natsu."
"Huh? What's up?" Natsu stopped, looking back eagerly. "Need more help with something?"
"I haven't shown you how to check Charmander's status yet."
Nate shook his head and began explaining the game's basics, starting with the level system. Standing beside Natsu, he walked him through the app's interface step by step.
"You can tap on the Pokémon icon in the app to see all the Pokémon you have. Right now, you only have Charmander."
"Tap on Charmander's icon to view its details."
Following Nate's instructions, Natsu opened the status panel, where he saw the following:
[Charmander]
Level: lv5
Experience: 0%
Type: Fire
Affinity: ?
Nate had simplified things by leaving out attributes like base stats and individual values, since he couldn't recall Charmander's exact stats. With more types of Pokémon planned in the future, he figured it would be too complex to manage. Instead, he kept only level, experience, and added an 'Affinity' stat.
The closer a player becomes with their Pokémon, the more powerful the Pokémon's abilities become. However, as Nate explained, the "Affinity" feature wasn't just a gimmick—'Ushi no Koku Mairi' magic within the [Magic App] would actually enhance a Pokémon's power based on this bond.
"To level up, you'll need to battle other Pokémon," Nate explained. "And when Charmander reaches a certain level, it'll evolve. So, keep training hard, Natsu—make it the strongest Pokémon you can!"
"Yeah!" Natsu was fired up. "So, if I train with it, that'll help too, right?"
"It will..." Nate responded, somewhat resigned. Wasn't this breaking the rules a bit? It seemed like cheating compared to how other players would experience the game. But then again, there was no way he could tell Natsu not to train his own Charmander. Others could train their Pokémon, too—it just wouldn't be as effective as Natsu's Dragon Slayer training.
"Charmander's in your hands, then. I've got more work to do," Nate said, leaving Natsu to continue his adventure.
Next, Nate found Juvia and, with her help, created Squirtle using her Water magic. However, he ran into a bit of a hurdle with Bulbasaur. Its Grass-type signature move, 'Razor Leaf', was proving tricky to replicate.
One guild member used "Wood-Make" magic, but that only reshaped wood instantaneously. While not completely off-brand, it didn't quite capture the essence of a Grass-type. Ultimately, Nate decided to reach out to Azuma, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory.
Being the top-ranked player in [Magic Arena, Azuma was easy to find; his Magic Net nickname was "World of the Strong." Azuma quickly accepted Nate's friend request, and after hearing Nate's request, he readily agreed to meet up in [Magic Arena]. With Azuma's help, Nate was able to incorporate his 'Lost Magic: Great Tree Arc' into the [Magic App, enabling the creation of Bulbasaur with moves like 'Razor Leaf', 'Vine Whip', and 'Seed Bomb'.
In gratitude, Nate gifted Azuma the first Bulbasaur.
With Pikachu and the starter trio of Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur completed, he was ready to roll out the first test.
…
Two days later, Nate sent a message to the guild's group chat along with the app download link.
Sigma Male: " everyone, new game available for testing. Please check it out!"
Mirajane: "It's done already? "
Sigma Male: "This is just the first round of testing; there's still a lot more to do."
Sigma Male: [Celestial Pokémon: Test Version]
Evergreen: "The game you mentioned before already has a test version?"
Gray: "What's this game? [Celestial Pokémon]?"
Lucy: "It's a pet-raising game where you make your pets battle each other. It's super fun!"
Sigma Male: "Actually… it's a card game."
Sigma Male: "You'll see once you download it. "
Chapter 197: Gacha? Fragments? (Bleam: Fckkkkk!)
After Nate sent out the test demo, he waited for everyone to try out a revolutionary concept from the mobile internet era: gacha pulls! (Fcckkk.)
One of the main goals of this test was to check the draw mechanics because, like any good game, it needed a revenue system. Players could use in-game currency or real cash for their draws. Beyond that, it was a chance to test out the battle, leveling, and evolution systems.
…
Shirotsume City.
Not far from Magnolia, this was the site of Lucy's very first guild assignment. Currently, the Dark Guild "Ghoul Spirit," located northwest of the city, had just been wiped out by the Raijinshū. In a tavern's lobby, statues with terrified expressions lined the floor—prisoners petrified by Evergreen.
Standing by the statues, Evergreen checked her phone's chat and called out to her companions, "Look! Nate's game has a test version available in the guild chat!"
Bickslow, who was questioning a dark mage about their guild master's whereabouts, immediately tossed the poor mage aside and scrambled to open the guild chat.
"Ah-ha! I'll be the world's first Pokémon Master! My precious Bulbasaur, here I come!"
He eagerly messaged Nate privately.
Bickslow: "Nate, where's my precious Bulbasaur?"
Sigma Male: "It's a gacha game—I wouldn't want to take away your joy. I put some draw resources in your account, so try the summon pool!"
Sigma Male: "Good luck! This is the ultimate test of your bond with Bulbasaur."
Bickslow: "What if I don't draw it…?"
Sigma Male: "You'll definitely get it! If not, I'll give you one!"
…
Magnolia, Outdoor Café near Fairy Tail's guild hall.
Lisanna and Cana sat together, enjoying a leisurely afternoon. Well, "afternoon tea" was more like "beer" for Cana.
"Nate-bro's new game?" Lisanna asked, curiously downloading the app from the guild chat.
"Lisanna," Cana teased, "why do you call him 'Nate-bro'?"
Lisanna smiled. "He's just a friendly guy, right? Besides, if it weren't for Nate-bro, I wouldn't be back in the guild—so I'm really grateful."
Of course, Lisanna had another reason for being close to him; she'd noticed her sister Mirajane's connection with Nate seemed… well, special.
"Friendly, yeah," Cana agreed with a smirk. "And very popular with girls. He's got that 'lady-trouble aura,' you know?"
"Lady-trouble aura?" Lisanna giggled, intrigued, wondering what else there was to know about Nate.
Right then, her download was complete. "Oh, it's done! Let's check out this new game!"
Opening the game, Lisanna saw the icon for the fifth game, which featured a yellow… squirrel? It was oddly cute. She tapped on it and read through the game's description.
[Celestial Pokémon are mysterious and magical creatures that can become friends or partners to humans, dwelling in the secret Celestial World.]
[As the player, you will take on the role of a Pokémon Trainer.]
[Use Celestial Cards to capture Pokémon from the Celestial World, nurture them, grow stronger together, and embark on a journey!]
[Challenge other Pokémon Trainers and take on Pokémon Gym Leaders across Fiore.]
[Collect all the gym badges, join the Fiore Pokémon Regional League, and aim to become the Champion!]
Lisanna read the description aloud, then paused, confused. "Pokémon Trainer? Pokémon Gyms? Do we actually have anything like that in Fiore?"
"Probably more of Nate's imaginative magic," Cana chuckled, leaning on her hand. "Remember the [Magic Arena] test? He even ran a whole guild ranking tournament. You missed it since you weren't here yet."
"That sounds so fun!" Lisanna grinned. "Nate-bro really knows how to make things interesting!"
Lisanna closed the game introduction and finally saw the main game interface.
The game included a guide: a red frame highlighted the "Celestial World" button in the lower left corner. She tried clicking elsewhere, but nothing responded, so she clicked on "Celestial World."
[As a beginner trainer, you don't have a Pokémon yet. Here are three Celestial Cards to get you started. Use them to catch your first Pokémon!]
She received a gold card, a silver card, and a bronze card. After examining them carefully, she figured out the differences: each card type opened a different "gacha" pool, and all three could summon any of the four available Pokémon.
"Only three cards? I wonder if I'll actually get anything," Lisanna mused. "Feels like one of those claw machines at an amusement park. Maybe it's rigged to guarantee a prize?"
"Oh, Squirtle is so cute!" Cana said, enchanted by Squirtle's image in the card pool. "I think we'd totally get along!"
"I want Pikachu—the little electric squirrel!"
"Isn't it supposed to be a mouse? The description says 'electric mouse,' right?"
"What's an electric mouse?"
"Just a game setting, I guess!"
Lisanna put her hands together in prayer. "Alright, here goes… Please, Nate-bro, let me get Pikachu!"
She started the draw with anticipation, and Nate had even created an animated sequence for it. A golden card flew into the mystical Celestial World, glowing as it entered. A herd of Pikachus appeared, playfully darting through the forest. Suddenly, a beam of light hit one Pikachu, sealing it into a card.
"I got it! I got it!" Lisanna cheered—until the card cracked, shattering into dust. The captured Pikachu escaped back into the forest in a panic.
"What? That's possible? My Pikachu…!"
Determined, Lisanna used her silver card. The same scene repeated, ending with a cracked card and a fleeing Pikachu. Her final attempt, the bronze card, didn't even show a Pokémon. The copper glow just circled the Celestial World briefly, then fizzled out.
Lisanna sat at the café table, dejected. Next to her, Cana couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Haha, Lisanna, your luck is terrible! Let me show you how it's done!"
Confident, Cana pulled out her own card and performed a quick luck divination.
"Lucky! My reading says my luck is amazing—I'm definitely going to catch something!"
She initiated her draw with the golden card, which flew toward the mysterious Celestial World, where a group of Squirtles splashed around a lake. The light hit one, capturing it… or so she thought.
[Congratulations! You received a Squirtle Fragment. Collect 10 fragments to create a full Squirtle!] (Fcckkk.)
"Squirtle fragments?!" Cana groaned, slamming her fist on the table. "Is my Squirtle broken into ten pieces? Which part did I just get—the head or the tail?!"
Lisanna was in stitches. "Nate-bro really went all out with this game!"
Not willing to give up, Cana used her other two cards, getting one Charmander fragment and one Bulbasaur fragment.
"At least you got some fragments…" Lisanna muttered, chugging her tea.
At that moment, loud cries erupted from the guild hall.
"What? Mira, you actually caught one? And not a fragment?!"
"It's rigged! Absolute favoritism!"
"Nate's giving you a pass because you're Mirajane! This is biased!"
"Why can't we get anything, not even fragments!"
Hearing the commotion from the guild, Cana and Lisanna exchanged a look of mutual consolation.
"We're out of cards… how do we get more? Daily logins, maybe?"
After some investigation, they found the game had thoughtfully provided an explanation:
[Gold Card: Called the "Magic Card," it forms by collecting magic energy. Fill the jar with magic, and you'll get one.
[Silver Card: The "Point Card" requires 100 points per card.
[Bronze Card: The "Money Card" can be purchased with cash.
[Currently, online banking isn't enabled, so J-currency recharge is unavailable.]
/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 198: First Trainer Match! Mirajane's Bulbasaur vs Natsu's Charmander
The first wave of free pull resources was nearly exhausted, with only Mirajane managing to pull a Bulbasaur. Once Bulbasaur was activated, everyone in the guild gathered around to watch.
"Bulba!" the newborn Bulbasaur chirped, endearing itself to the onlookers.
"So cute!"
"I want one too!"
"Mirajane, can I pet it?"
"Curse you, Nate! Take my magic power—just give me a pull voucher!"
Mirajane chuckled at everyone's reactions, wondering why she was the only one to draw a full Pokémon. Did Nate secretly increase her odds?
At that moment, Natsu came running over, proudly displaying his Celestial Card. "Haha, Mira! I've waited for this day! Let's have a battle with our Pokémon!"
"Come out, Charmander!"
After holding back for days, Natsu finally had a chance for a real match and eagerly released his Charmander from its card. A flash of white light revealed a bright orange Charmander with a yellow belly and a flame burning at the tip of its tail.
As they say, Pokémon take on their trainers' personalities. After a few days of intense training, Charmander had already started mirroring Natsu's personality.
"Roar!" Charmander's eyes locked on Bulbasaur with a fierce look.
"Charmander?!" Levy gasped. "Natsu, you managed to pull one too?"
"Nope! This was a gift from Nate," Natsu said, crossing his arms triumphantly. "Come on, Mira, let's battle!"
[Trainer Natsu has challenged you to a battle. Do you accept?]
Behind the counter, Mirajane saw the prompt pop up in her game. "I don't know, Natsu… they're so cute! What if one of them gets hurt?"
Happy flew between Charmander and Bulbasaur, banging a small gong. "Celestial Pokémon Battle! Trainer Natsu versus Trainer Mirajane!"
"This match is one-on-one. I, Happy, will be the referee! Let the battle begin!"
The gong sounded, and with a sigh, Mirajane accepted the challenge.
The crowd around them roared with excitement.
"Go, go, Bulbasaur!"
"I wonder what kind of magic these Celestial Pokémon use?"
"Bulbasaur, don't let Charmander win! And you too, Edolas Elfman—cheer for him!"
"Sorry, Earth Land Elfman, I'll cheer along with you!"
"Whatever it is, we're all cheering for Mira's Bulbasaur!"
A little distance away, Wendy lay exhausted on a table, having spent all her magic power. There was nothing left, not even a single drop.
"It's no use! I can't get anything, Nate-san!"
Carla crossed her arms and sighed. "Are you really going to keep trying, Wendy? You might as well just ask Nate for one directly."
"No, that wouldn't be right," Wendy said, summoning her determination. "For Pikachu, I'll use tomorrow's magic if I have to!"
With that, she drank a magic recovery potion she had tucked at her waist.
Carla: "…"
Does Wendy really want that Pikachu that much?
It seems her status just dropped by one...
At that moment, the battle was already underway.
Trainer Natsu shouted, "Alright, Igneera! Use Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Charmander's claw lit up with flames, and with one punch, it sent Bulbasaur flying.
"Haha, I won!" Natsu laughed proudly, looking as thrilled as if he had beaten a formidable foe himself.
Charmander lifted its paw with a "Raaaw!" to celebrate its victory—without any sense of shame for having beaten a smaller opponent.
The beaten Bulbasaur returned to its card automatically. Mirajane checked on it, sighing in relief once she saw it wasn't hurt.
She gave Natsu a sweet smile, then said, "Satan Soul: Full Takeover!"
Boom!
A powerful aura filled the entire guild hall.
"W-what are you doing, Mira?!"
"Natsu, the Pokémon battle is over, but the trainer battle has just begun~" Mirajane smiled, her palm gathering a dark energy.
Not long after, an explosion rocked the guild, blowing the front doors open.
Out flew both Natsu and Charmander. (Team Rocket style, hahaha. This fanfic is so fun to translate.)
Meanwhile, in the outdoor café, Meredy was nervously drawing her cards. Glancing at the busted doorway, she murmured, "Ultear, looks like it's your turn again."
Ultear sighed, clearly resigned. Ever since joining Fairy Tail, she'd spent more time repairing the guild than anything else. Today was no exception.
…
At his apartment, Nate decided to skip the guild today. After a few exhausting days, he was ready to finally catch up on sleep.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. Mainly, he wanted to avoid any potential backlash from the guild members.
With the current draw rates he'd set up, the average player needed about 50 pulls to get a Pokémon…
For example, in the magic power draw pool: a single star worth of magic power gets you ten draw tickets. To actually pull a Pokémon, the expected average was around 50 pulls, or five stars worth of magic power.
In Fairy Tail, only a few people could even reach that level of magic power—Laxus, Mirajane, Ultear, and Meredy. Maybe Erza, too. Since Nate had given her Senbonzakura, Erza had been training tirelessly, reaching nearly a five-star power level herself.
But apart from them, anyone else could likely drain all their magic and still get nothing.
It's not a 2% chance per pull, exactly. The first draw might have less than a 0.5% chance, but with each successive draw, the odds increase until they're almost 95% around the 60th pull. Averaging it out, it's about 50 pulls per Pokémon.
Nate hadn't wanted to make the pulls so costly, but he really had no choice—development costs were high.
"…Anyway, magic power is unlimited…"
"A mage's magic replenishes naturally over time."
"By tomorrow or the day after, everyone should have their first Pokémon."
With that reassuring thought, Nate climbed into bed to rest. Just then, he received a private message from Mirajane.
The Departing Traveler: "Nate, did you give me that Pokémon on purpose?"
The Departing Traveler: " Looks like no one else managed to pull one, but I got one right away!"
The Departing Traveler: "Same thing happened during the last arena matches. I kept getting free wins. I feel so bad about it, ."
She said she felt "bad," but clearly she was thrilled.
Nate thought to himself—when did I give Mirajane a Pokémon?
He opened the draw logs and was genuinely surprised.
Mirajane only had one pull on record—a single gold card, and she'd drawn a Bulbasaur!?
Seriously? That's a fraction-of-a-percent chance!
Mirajane, you must truly be blessed by the luck gods!
He quickly replied.
Sigma Male: "Do you like it? I sent you that Bulbasaur. "
The Departing Traveler: "Thank you, I love it~"
Sigma Male: "A verbal 'thanks' is hardly sincere… Let me kiss you. "
The Departing Traveler: "I'm at the guild! Come and get me if you dare. "
Chapter 199: Cuddling with Lucy
The waitress had gotten cheeky.
Nate thought to himself, 'Would I dare go to the guild to kiss you?'
Sigma Male: "I'm afraid if I go over now, I might get beaten up."
The Departing Traveler: "That's what you get for setting the draw rate so low, haha."
'What can I do? I need to break even,' Nate thought.
By breaking even, he didn't mean just covering the cost of a single Pokémon—he meant the cost of 'all three draw pools.'
The points pool consumes points, and the money pool consumes money, but their underlying cost is still 'magic power.'
He needed revenue from the magic power pool to balance out the consumption of the other two. It also involved tweaking the output ratio, a process that would require time and broad testing to fine-tune the balance.
In simple terms, both the points pool and the money pool would have lower drop rates.
For Nate, it was his first time handling something like this, and it felt like solving a complex math problem.
Sigma Male: "By the way, there's something I need your help with."
The Departing Traveler: "What is it? Tell me—I'll help you with anything~"
Sigma Male: "The original goal of this game was to let 'everyone,' even non-mages, enjoy it."
Sigma Male: "So, for this test, we need to involve some ordinary folks too."
The Departing Traveler: "You mean inviting the citizens of Magnolia to join?"
Sigma Male: "Yes, but not too many—just a couple hundred should be enough."
Magnolia now had official stores selling magic net rings, which were hugely popular among the residents. Out of the 60,000 to 70,000 people in town, a good majority already owned one.
But if he didn't set a limit on testers, he wouldn't have enough star power to create the necessary number of Pokémon. In simple terms, there wasn't enough star power to meet the required supply.
The Departing Traveler: "Understood! That's easy. Leave it to me~"
After chatting a bit longer with Mirajane, Nate prepared to get some sleep.
Just then, he received a message from Erza.
Knight: "Didn't get anything…"
Knight: "I saw someone in the guild chat mention Mirajane got one on her first try. "
The expression on that "puzzled" emoji was way too suspicious…
Nate had to explain.
Sigma Male: "It's just a matter of luck!"
Knight: "I want one."
Sigma Male: "Which one?"
Knight: "I want them all! "
Erza was always straightforward about what she wanted. Nate liked that about her; she never played hard-to-get or made him guess her intentions.
So, he opened the game's back-end, tapped a few buttons, and added 200 gold tickets to Erza's account. For his girlfriend, he wasn't going to hold back.
Sigma Male: "But don't tell anyone!"
Knight: "Got it~ "
Sigma Male: "Aren't you at the guild?"
Knight: "I'm in Mengo City on a job, escorting a shipment of gold."
Knight: "Did you… miss me? "
'Something's up with you! When did I say that? You're the one who misses me!'
Nate couldn't help but think that with all the time he'd spent working on this game recently, he hadn't had much time to see his girlfriend in the evenings.
Just then, Erza sent him a photo.
Knight: "[Secretary in black ]"
In the photo, Erza posed in front of a mirror in a hotel room, dressed in a sleek professional skirt and black stockings, intentionally striking a flirtatious pose.
Knight: "This mission's gold escort is for a bank. I saw the tellers there dressed like this, so I bought an outfit too."
Knight: "How does it look?"
Nate knew about Erza's outfit collection hobby. Her Requip space held a vast variety of clothing, but he'd never seen her in a secretary's outfit before.
Quietly saving the photo, he responded with a single word.
Sigma Male: "Want."
Knight: "I miss you too… I'll be back soon! ️"
They chatted for a bit, and then Nate, now wide awake, thought he should be fair: since he'd sent Erza 200 gold tickets, he should probably do the same for everyone else.
So he sent 200 gold tickets each to Juvia and Ultear as well.
Sigma Male: "Shh! Don't tell anyone!"
Both replied at the same time.
Sunny Doll: "Juvia promises not to say a word! "
Witch of Pain: "My guess is you gave Erza and Juvia the same thing, didn't you?"
Nate: "…"
Of course, Ultear would figure it out in no time.
Witch of Pain: "But I'm pleased anyway. What do you want as a reward? "
Sigma Male: "You're mine already—nothing's better than having you."
Witch of Pain: "You're so smooth with words "
Witch of Pain: "But I like hearing it. Keep going!"
The witch was as straightforward as ever.
They chatted for another ten minutes, and finally, Nate, utterly exhausted, was about to sleep. But just as he closed his eyes, he realized he'd forgotten someone.
Ur? She was still in Edolas and didn't know about Pokémon yet.
Thinking it over, Nate decided he'd tell her next time he visited.
Then he thought of Lucy. With so many girlfriends, there were bound to be some challenges.
He counted them out carefully:
Ultear, Juvia, Erza, Ur, Lucy.
Just five—not too much to manage.
One day he'd reach nine and earn the ultimate achievement!
So he messaged Lucy.
Sigma Male: "Want some gold tickets? "
Gotta Earn Money: "Yes, please!"
Sigma Male: "Should I give you a few?"
Gotta Earn Money: "Please do, please do! "
Sigma Male: "But I'm so tired… If only a beautiful blonde would come here and let me hold her. [ ]"
Gotta Earn Money: "You just want to misbehave! [ ]"
Sigma Male: "Misbehave? How so? "
Gotta Earn Money: "…Just a hug, nothing more, okay? "
Gotta Earn Money: "Are you at your place?"
After Nate confirmed he was at home, Lucy didn't reply further. He figured she was probably already on her way over.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lucy arrived at his apartment.
Nate pulled her into his arms with a grin.
"You actually came?"
"Well, I thought you sounded pitiful. It seems like you've been working really hard."
Lucy blushed, a little flustered.
"I haven't had a good night's sleep in days," he replied, pulling her onto the bed and wrapping them both in a blanket.
She smelled sweet and felt warm—just holding her like this was comforting.
Nate nestled his head against her chest, feeling genuinely relaxed.
Seeing that he was content just cuddling, Lucy felt relieved and watched him as he drifted to sleep, a gentle smile on her face.
"You really have been pushing yourself. Get some good rest."
After a while, though, Nate's eyes opened suddenly. "Are you really going to sleep in your clothes?"
"Huh?"
"Nobody sleeps in clothes, you know?"
"Wait, hold on!"
"Let me help you take them off."
With the covers rustling, her clothes were tossed aside one by one.
Lucy's face turned scarlet as she found herself stripped down, her mind going hazy.
Just as she was about to protest, he kissed her again, and her thoughts grew even more muddled.
'Maybe I shouldn't have come… you incorrigible wolf, Nate!'
But as his girlfriend, it seemed natural enough, didn't it?
Nate snapped his fingers, casting a soundproofing magic to keep all sounds sealed within the cozy apartment.
And in the warmth of the blankets, passion quickly took hold.
Before long, one less girl remained in the world of innocence.
Chapter 200: Gildarts is Back!
When Nate woke up, it was the middle of the night.
Feeling a numbness in his arm, he turned slightly.
Lucy was resting her head on his arm, her face peaceful and pure in sleep, like a freshly bloomed lotus.
Her delicate, radiant cheeks still held a faint blush that hadn't fully faded.
"Mmm… is it morning already?" Lucy murmured drowsily, sensing the movement beneath her head.
Too cute!
Nate couldn't help but lean down and kiss her.
It was clear that Lucy wasn't as resilient as Erza—her first time was quite similar to Juvia's.
Now fully awake, Lucy's face turned a deeper red as she looked up at him. Gradually, her memories of the night resurfaced.
"It's not morning," Nate explained with a smile. "It's a little past midnight. Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"I'll go prepare something to eat."
"You can cook?" Lucy blinked at him in surprise.
Nate rolled his eyes. "How do you think I survived all this time?"
Lucy giggled. "I'd love something to eat!"
"Since I rarely cook, you can look forward to it."
Nate got up, put on a shirt, and headed to the kitchen to get started.
The fridge was stocked with ingredients Lucy had bought. Since she couldn't fit everything in her own place, she'd stored some here.
Lucy, feeling a bit sticky and uncomfortable, took a quick shower.
By the time she finished, Nate had already prepared a midnight meal.
The two of them sat down together, sharing the small, cozy meal.
Usually, Lucy did the cooking, and Nate just enjoyed her dishes. Now, with the roles reversed, Lucy felt a pleasant warmth at the change.
"How is it?" he asked.
"It's delicious!" Lucy smiled as she took her time savoring the food. "If you can cook this well, why did you always ask me to make meals?"
She had her own answer in mind but still wanted to hear him say it.
Thinking back, their relationship had started in a funny way.
Nate had come across a Zodiac key on an S-class mission, and Lucy had really wanted it.
So she'd ended up with an 8-million-Jewel debt.
They'd made an agreement: each time she cooked, it would knock 3,000 off the debt.
Looking back, it felt like ages ago, though it had only been about three months.
"Knowing how to cook and wanting to cook are two different things," Nate said with a grin.
"Liar! I'm sure you had other ideas from the start!" Lucy teased. "You totally set me up!"
Nate laughed. "What was I supposed to do, just give you the key for free?"
"So… were you really interested in me from the start?" Lucy asked shyly.
She couldn't help feeling a little pleased with herself. 'I must be quite charming!'
"That wouldn't be far off," Nate nodded, indulging her a bit.
Lucy blushed. "Then… does this mean my debt is erased?"
"No way!" Nate replied instantly.
The debt had become part of their dynamic, something he didn't want to lose.
"Even if you're my girlfriend now, that debt still stands."
Lucy clenched her teeth playfully. "Fine, then we'll settle accounts properly!"
"How do you want to settle?"
"How many times did you kiss me? And how many times did you—"
Her face flushed as she spoke, remembering everything, and she found it hard to continue.
"And… all the other things, too…"
She couldn't go on. 'So embarrassing.'
Under the table, Lucy kicked off her slipper and playfully stretched her bare foot toward him.
Nate chuckled and caught her foot, tickling her sole.
"Ah! Stop! No! Don't!"
Lucy giggled uncontrollably, her toes curling tightly.
They teased and laughed, barely eating at all, stretching out the meal to almost an hour.
Afterward, both tired from playing around, they cleaned up the dishes together, and then curled up back in bed.
This time, they just peacefully drifted off to sleep, arms wrapped around each other.
…
Two days later.
During these two days, Nate didn't go anywhere and stayed in his apartment. He was either studying the essential magic for game creation through the [Library] feature on the Magic Net or working on creating new Pokémon. The initial four types were far from enough.
Of course, there was no rush to complete everything at once. Preparing a few dozen types before the official release should be sufficient. After that, new ones could be introduced gradually. Since this was a gacha game, regularly releasing new Pokémon would keep players excited to draw for them.
In these two days, he only created one more Pokémon—a Pidgey.
Nate didn't immediately add it to the summon pool.
In the meantime, the members of the guild had all reached their guaranteed draws in the pool, so each had at least one [Celestial Pokémon] by now.
Only then did Nate finally head over to the guild.
When he arrived, nobody seemed to notice—they were all too absorbed in their Pokémon battles.
Nate found a seat in the outdoor café and quietly observed. Natsu's Charmander was noticeably stronger than everyone else's Pokémon, going undefeated so far. Nate suspected it was already over level 10. 'Doesn't that guy ever rest?' Even if he didn't need rest, surely Charmander did, Nate thought with a smirk.
At that moment, a powerful tremor suddenly shook the ground outside the guild.
Everyone involved in Pokémon battles and those watching looked south in unison.
"This tremor... Is that Nate?"
"No, wait! This feels like... Gildarts is back?"
"Oh no, Gildarts has returned!"
Someone shouted in alarm.
'Gildarts?' Nate's curiosity piqued, and he focused his Six Eyes on the scene, taking in the entire city of Magnolia at once.
In the sky above the city, a network of magic speakers began blaring.
"Magnolia is about to enter Gildarts Mode!"
"All citizens are asked to immediately relocate to designated zones!"
"I repeat…"
As the magic broadcast echoed through the air, the bells at Kardia Cathedral in the city center tolled, their resonant chimes spreading across the city. Streets began to clear as residents hurried to evacuate. The buildings in the city's main area began to rise like pieces of a jigsaw, lifted to a higher level.
Finally, a wide path emerged, stretching directly from the southern edge of the city to the Fairy Tail guild. On either side of the road, walls of steel rose up, and on top of these walls were the original streets and buildings. Many citizens stood along the walls, watching the figure steadily approaching down the road.
"This is… quite the spectacle."
Nate instantly sensed Gildarts' powerful presence.
At that moment, Gildarts scratched his head, feeling something strange, and turned his gaze toward the Fairy Tail guild in the distance. Despite the considerable distance, and with only a sliver of the guild visible, he could feel an unusual presence.
'Is it my imagination?' he wondered. 'It feels like someone is watching me, though without any hostile intent.'
Nate raised an eyebrow, surprised by Gildarts' keen perception. Amused, he decided to use his Telepathy magic to greet him.
'Hello, Gildarts. I'm Nate, a mage from Fairy Tail.'
'The gaze you felt—that was me.'
Hearing the voice in his mind, Gildarts' eyes widened.
"So, you're Nate? I've been hearing your name mentioned everywhere on my way /Bleam
— You can currently read 70 chapters ahead of everyone else.