Everyone celebrated and drank in excitent, eagerly awaiting the stroke of midnight.
Levy used her Solid Script magic to create glowing countdown numbers in the air.
“15, 14, 13…”
“What are you counting down to?” Nate asked curiously as he walked over.
“Master, join us in the countdown!” Levy smiled brightly. “Everyone else, join in too!”
Erza cupped a hand to her ear. “You’ll hear it soon. 10… 9… 8…”
Hear what?
Nate was puzzled, but the crowd had already started counting down together.
Even Mavis joined in, waving her arms excitedly.
“3, 2… 1!”
Dong~~
A bell chid.
Realization dawned on Nate as he instinctively turned toward the cathedral.
The bells of the Kardia Cathedral’s tower rang out, echoing far and wide.
One chi, two chis, three chis…
Every five seconds, the bell struck once, totaling twelve resonant chis.
Mirajane smiled softly and explained, “It’s the cathedral’s New Year bell. Six chis bid farewell to the old year, and six chis welco the new one.”
The entire event spanned exactly one minute.
Wait a second… It’s midnight!
Nate suddenly rembered the tournant update. Quickly, he opened the Magic Net and initiated a platform-wide update.
The announcent had been prepared well in advance; all he needed to do was hit publish.
Click. Synchronize with all accounts!
Given it was New Year’s, the online user count had soared past a million.
“Updating right at midnight? What’s the update about?” Lucy asked as she approached, opening her Magic Net interface.
“I added the Pokémon Tournant,” Nate said with a grin. “It’s a New Year’s gift.”
“A tournant? A New Year’s gift?”
Others quickly opened their Magic Net as well, all seeing the update announcent.
…
Magic Internet Alpha v0.8.2 Update Announcent
1. Added a tournant mode for [Celestial Pokémon].
2. Announced the [Fiore Kingdom Pokémon Championship], co-hosted by the Magic Net and the Fiore Kingdom Royal Family. (Details inside).
3. Fixed certain bugs in [Magic Arena].
4. Happy New Year to all our beloved Magic Net users!
…
It was a concise update, yet it imdiately caught everyone’s attention.
Lucy read through the announcent, then clicked into the tournant details. The redirected page elaborated on the rules, schedule, and—most eye-catching of all—the prize distribution.
…
Tournant Prizes:
Top 16: 1 million J
Top 8: 3 million J
Top 4: 5 million J
Runner-Up: 20 million J
Champion: 50 million J
Total Prize Pool: 100 million J
…
“100 million J!?” Lucy exclaid. “The champion gets 50 million, and even reaching the Top 16 ans 1 million!”
The entire guild was stunned by the astronomical prize pool.
On the forums, discussions exploded, with countless posts about the tournant flooding in.
Initially, the online preliminaries were supposed to be rank-based, but Nate and Princess Hisui had adjusted the system.
In the tournant mode, players were matched with others of similar skill levels based on a new tournant score system.
Winning a match adds 3 points.
Losing deducts 2 points.
Tying results in no score change.
At the end of the preliminaries, the top 1,000 players by score would advance to the offline matches.
The tournant mode would last two weeks, closing on January 15th, X785, at midnight.
“Only two weeks to qualify? No ti to waste!”
Lucy’s eyes glimred with J-shaped money symbols as she bolted away, unable to contain her excitent.
Nate guessed Lucy had probably gone back to the apartnt to start her tournant matches.
Nearby, Natsu, after having the rules explained by Happy, finally understood the tournant structure.
He grinned eagerly and exclaid, “Happy, let’s go! We’re taking the championship!”
Happy, mimicking Nate’s signature shrug, replied, “Natsu, you only have one Charmander. Winning the championship isn’t happening.”
Grumbling at the reality check, Natsu stord off, and Happy reluctantly flew after him, wings fluttering.
“Baby~ the 50 million is mine!” Bickslow shouted excitedly, then waved to the others. “I’m off, everyone. Goodnight!”
Seeing this, the rest also started heading out.
“See you, Nate.”
“I’m a bit tired. Definitely not leaving to go play the tournant.”
“The prize money doesn’t matter; I just genuinely love Pokémon.”
In the blink of an eye, the bustling front yard of the guild beca quiet and empty.
Nate stood there, utterly speechless. Did they all really think winning the championship was so easy?
Even he didn’t dare say he could win it himself.
Of course, it wasn’t just Fairy Tail mbers getting involved; across the world, Pokémon players simultaneously began their matches.
Mirajane, however, stayed behind. She wasn’t particularly fond of competitive Pokémon battles. Instead, she enjoyed raising Pokémon for their cuteness. Battling to earn EXP for evolving her Pokémon didn’t interest her; she much preferred the adorable starter forms. For example, she loved Bulbasaur far more than its evolved form, Venusaur.
“Oh my, everyone’s enthusiasm is incredible,” Mirajane remarked with a chuckle.
“Forget about them. Let’s go for a walk,” Nate suggested, recalling their previous agreent.
“A walk? Sure,” Mirajane said, smiling. “But let’s clean up a little first.”
Nate glanced at the ss left behind from the celebration and sighed, agreeing to help.
Lisanna stayed behind too, and with the three of them working together, the guild was soon spotless.
“Lisanna, heading back to the girls’ dorm?” Mirajane asked.
“No, it’s New Year’s Eve. I’ll stay and keep the first master company,” Lisanna replied, shaking her head. She then lowered her voice and whispered mischievously, “Big Sis, are you going on a date with Nate?”
“It’s just a walk!” Mirajane blushed and covered her face, recalling the agreent and growing redder.
“Go for it, Big Sis!” Lisanna teased, pushing Mirajane toward Nate with a grin.
Mirajane sighed at her sister’s antics but smiled, “The guild is in your hands, then.”
…
Outside, Nate was waiting patiently. When Mirajane stepped out, her cheeks still slightly flushed, he greeted her with a gentle smile.
“Not locking the guild up?” Nate asked.
“Soone always stays on New Year’s Eve. The lights remain on, and the doors stay open—it’s a tradition,” Mirajane explained, her soft smile lighting up the night. “So, where are we walking to?”
The two strolled down the steps of the guild and into the city.
Although it was late into the night, every house glowed warmly with light. The streets, however, were quiet, the festive bustle having settled into a serene calm.
They wandered through familiar streets, their footsteps echoing softly on the cobblestone paths. Nate led the way, guiding Mirajane across a stone bridge and through narrow alleys, their pace unhurried.
Finally, they reached the southern edge of Magnolia. The lights of the city gave way to the quiet countryside, where the night sky stretched endlessly above them.
“Mira, does our agreent still stand?” Nate asked suddenly, halting and turning to face her. He gently took her hand, his gaze steady and filled with intensity.
Mirajane’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, but she smiled, her eyes soft. “It does. So… where are you taking ? We’re nearly out of the city.”
Nate pointed to a modest structure in the distance, its silhouette faintly illuminated by the moonlight.
“See that little house over there?”
Mirajane tilted her head curiously. “Is that your house? I thought you lived near the guild, next to Lucy.”
“It’s one of my places. I rarely co here,” Nate admitted as they approached the small house. He pushed the door open and gestured for her to enter.
Mirajane hesitated briefly before stepping inside. The interior was cozy, with a simple but warm ambiance. A faint layer of dust hinted at its lack of use.
After shutting the door, Nate turned to her and, without warning, pulled her into an embrace.
Mirajane’s breath hitched as their eyes t in the dim light.
“What are you planning to do?” she murmured, her voice shy yet tinged with curiosity.
“I want to kiss you,” Nate confessed, his voice low but sincere.
Mirajane’s heartbeat quickened. She hesitated for only a mont before giving a faint nod. “Okay.”
With her permission, Nate leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss started gentle, tender, but it deepened as they lost themselves in the mont.
His hands moved instinctively, slipping beneath her clothes to explore the warmth of her skin. Mirajane trembled slightly at his touch but didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer.
Before long, they found themselves near the bed.
Mirajane paused, her cheeks flushed as she whispered, “This is a bit embarrassing… should we shower first?”
Nate chuckled softly, his voice warm and teasing. “You already sll amazing. There’s no need.”
Her protest faded as Nate’s lips found hers again, his hands firmly yet gently holding her.
The moonlight streaming through the window cast their intertwined shadows onto the wooden floorboards, painting a picture of two souls lost in each other.
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