Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Chapter 197: 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.]

~~~

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