Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

"Did the Magic Council send you to investigate?" Nate asked, getting straight to the point.

Mest's face changed, showing a flash of surprise—he'd been found out.

As a Council spy, he was supposed to infiltrate Fairy Tail and gather intel on [Celestial Pokémon]. Ideally, he was supposed to dig up any evidence that could be used against them, and he was prepared to evade if anything went wrong. But Nate was already onto him. 'What gave me away?'

In an instant, Mest made his decision: he had to get out. He vanished in a blink, using his teleportation magic.

'Nice try.'

With a smirk, Nate activated 'Flying Thunder God' and followed instantly.

…

In Magnolia's busiest commercial district, people crowded the streets as usual. Mest reappeared in a narrow alley near the bustling streets, hoping to blend in with the crowd and slip away unnoticed.

But just as he reached the edge of the alley, a flash of golden light appeared ahead of him—Nate had caught up.

Mest's eyes widened. "Your teleportation… it's not like mine. You need a mark—"

He cut himself off, realization dawning. 'Of course.' Back at the guild, when Nate had put his arm around him, he'd been marked.

Nate's smirk deepened. "Left you a little 'marker' when we were catching up earlier. Figured you'd try to run."

'That's... sly!' Mest thought, gritting his teeth as he teleported again, this time to the less-populated eastern forest.

…

Once in the forest, Mest began frantically checking himself over. Sure enough, he found a faint trace of Nate's magic on his right shoulder. 'How do I get rid of it?'

He was considering drastic options—'could I cut it off, or maybe seal it somehow?'—when the forest lit up again with that all-too-familiar golden glow.

"You're running again? Really?" Nate asked, stepping forward with an unimpressed expression.

Mest sighed, raising his hands. "Fine. I surrender."

Even against Makarov, he could usually escape easily, but Nate was different. Their power difference was vast, and at this rate, he'd just exhaust his own magic.

"So," Nate continued, "what exactly is the Council looking for?"

Mest hesitated, debating what he could reveal. After a moment, he decided there wasn't much harm in telling him the basics.

"They want information about [Celestial Pokémon], the new game you've developed. The Council's worried it'll give non-mages access to magic in ways we can't control." He paused, glancing at Nate's reaction. "So, they sent me to gather intelligence—and, if possible, find some leverage on Fairy Tail."

Nate nodded. "And if you report back with nothing, what then?"

Mest shifted uneasily. "They might assign a task force to keep a closer eye on you, especially since the new Council's a bit… overly cautious."

"Overly cautious?" Nate echoed, chuckling. "Sounds like they're paranoid. Don't worry. I have nothing to hide. I'd even be open to a 'visit' from the Council if they're that curious about the game."

Mest relaxed, visibly relieved. 'So he's confident enough to meet them head-on?'

"Let's make it simple," Nate continued, his tone light. "Tell them you couldn't find anything suspicious. That should keep them off our backs for now."

Mest nodded, grateful he'd gotten off lightly. "Understood. I'll give the Council a… less interesting report."

Nate patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Just keep the guild out of unnecessary trouble. Deal?"

Mest managed a slight smile. "Deal."

"To investigate [Celestial Pokémon]."

"Investigate 'Pokémon'?"

Nate nodded knowingly. He could guess the Magic Council's concerns—they were likely worried that widespread 'Pokémon' use could make regulating the magic world even more challenging.

"What's your Magic Net username?" he asked, already opening the app to search for him.

Mest, now compliant, replied, "Mest."

'Ah, yet another brave soul using their real name online,' Nate thought with an inward laugh. After adding Mest as a friend, he said, "I've sent you the game app. Play it yourself and you'll see what it's all about."

"Now, if you'll excuse me—I've got things to do. Take care," Nate added, before disappearing in a flash of golden light.

Mest scratched his head, taken aback by the sudden exit. 'That's it?'

Opening the app, he found the friend request and the attached download link Nate had sent him. After accepting, he quickly downloaded the app.

'If I'd known it would be this easy, I would've just asked him for the game app and saved myself the trouble of altering memories,' Mest muttered to himself. As soon as the download was complete, he opened the game and began exploring it inside and out.

He soon grasped the basics: by spending Magic Net currency, points, or J-Coins, players could purchase three types of cards, which could summon Pokémon from different card pools.

MagicNet now even had a [Magic Net Marketplace] where players could buy Magic Net currency and points with J-Coins. Mest quickly realized that using Magic Net currency was the most economical, followed by points; using J-Coins directly was the most expensive option.

After converting some of his magic reserves in the Magic Net bank last night, he'd already earned over 200 Magic Net coins.

"Let's try a few draws. There's a limited-time pool with four Pokémon and a permanent pool with four more…"

'Pikachu it is!' Mest didn't hesitate—he poured all his Magic Net currency into the permanent pool. He'd seen the 'Pokémon' anime update last night, and after watching, who 'wouldn't' want a Pikachu? He couldn't imagine anyone resisting.

After two rounds of ten-card draws, he'd collected five Pikachu fragments. 'Darn that Nate—now there are fragments, too?' Mest felt his frustration building. 'How many Magic Net coins would it take to collect ten Pikachu fragments at this rate? My magic alone won't cover this.'

'Hold on,' he thought, 'this is an official mission—I don't need to use my own Magic Net currency for this!'

With this new idea, Mest quickly opened his friend list and found Grand Doma, the Council Chairman's ID.

Mest: "Chairman, I've successfully infiltrated Fairy Tail and obtained the game app."

After a short pause, the Chairman replied.

Gran Doma: "Well done, Doranbolt."

Mest: "However, I encountered a slight issue..."

Gran Doma: "What's the problem?"

Mest: "In order to confirm the potential power of these Pokémon, I need to obtain one first—but drawing a Pokémon requires Magic Net currency, and I don't have enough magic reserves to get a full Pokémon on my own. I'm requesting additional funds to complete my mission!"

'All for the sake of duty, not personal interest,' Mest reassured himself, eager to see how much the Chairman would grant him.

Gran Doma: "I understand. I'll have funds sent to your account. Make sure to gather thorough data on each Pokémon's growth and potential power."

Mest: "I'll do my best to complete the mission!"

'You said it yourself, Chairman! At first, I just wanted Pikachu, but now I'll have to collect all eight Pokémon,' Mest thought, grinning. 'This mission might be the easiest one yet—and I even get to play on the Council's dime.'

Moments later, Mest received his mission funds from the Council.

[Your Magic Net Bank account has received 10,000 Magic Net coins!]

"Ten thousand?!"

Mest gaped in shock, quickly reminding himself, 'This is all for the mission!'

~~~

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