Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Pegasus Village.
July, x786.
Around the same time Ultear arrived at the Fairy Tail guild hall with the newspaper, Alfonzo, after finishing his work for the day was sitting in a hot spring pool at Blue Pegasus exclusive hot spring, Pegasus Village. However, instead of just relaxing, which he was, he was also designing the phones that would be used with his and Hibiki's [Archive Magic] telecommunications network.
"Alright, using the sigils I use to give a sense of feel to Automail, I can make a nearly perfect touch screen." Alfonzo muttered to himself while drawing on an [Archive Magic] screen. Then, after sliding the screen design to the left, he began drawing the phone's battery. "And if I use the self-sustaining sigils, I used for Edolas' miniature Anima, they shouldn't need charging... *Sigh* I'm gonna have to put a shit ton of effort into the security, though. Last thing anyone needs is a Dark Guild with a means of collecting power like that."
With that, Alfonzo made a note on the design. Then, he dismissed his [Archive Magic]. After that, he stretched before sinking into the pool and letting the water reach his shoulders.
"*Sigh* In my head, this was a lot easier." Alfonzo muttered as he closed his eyes. "But there really are a lot of working parts. On top of that, we'll have to set up relays for the [Archive Magic] all over Ishgar. *Sigh* So much work."
After his words fell, Alfonzo fell silent for a few minutes while contemplating how he would make this project a reality. Eventually, however, he exhaled a sigh before splashing the water in the hot spring on his face.
"Well, we can only take it one step at a time." Alfonzo said. "For now, let's just worry about getting the network working in Fiore."
Nodding at himself, Alfonzo's eyebrow rose after hearing a series of footsteps. A moment later, however, he relaxed once again. His [Magic Power Detection] let him know exactly who it was, after all.
A few moments later, the door to the hot spring pool he rented was forcefully pulled open. Standing in the now open doorway was Sun, who was blushing from exertion and excitement, while holding a copy of the newspaper.
"Alfonzo, big news!" Sun shouted after closing the door. Then, she quickly approached the hot spring.
Before she could get too far, however, Sun stopped. Then, she realized that Alfonzo was in the hot spring.
"What am I doing?" Sun asked herself, which caused Alfonzo to turn his head in her direction.
With that, Sun put the newspaper she was carrying in one of the baskets used to store clothing. Then, she began taking her clothes off. And once she was naked, she picked up the newspaper before walking towards the hot spring.
A moment later, after checking the temperature of the water with her toes, Sun stepped into the water, waded towards Alfonzo, then took a seat in his lap. All while making sure the newspaper did not get wet.
Once Sun was comfortable, she nodded happily to herself. Then, she held the newspaper up so that Alfonzo could read it.
"Big news, Alfonzo." Sun said excitedly. "Fiore is gonna have a tournament for all the wizards in the kingdom!"
As Sun exclaimed, Alfonzo could not help but smile at her excitement. Then he raised an arm out of the water before starting to comb his fingers through HER hair. At the same time, he also started reading the article that Sun was holding up for him.
"Hmm.... the king basically ripped oFf our Harvest Festival festivities." Alfonzo muttered while reading. "But a nationwide beauty pageant should bring out all the most beautiful girls from around Fiore. And the Grand Magic Games should be fun, too."
Eventually, Alfonzo finished reading. When he did, he wrapped his arms around Sun's waist and pulled her closer himself. Then, he released a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Sun asked curiously while turning her head to look at Alfonzo. "I thought you said it would be fun. So, why are you sighing like that?"
"Because I probably won't be able to participate for the first couple years." Alfonzo replied. "I still have to do that job for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, remember?"
Hearing that, Sun's eyes lit up. Before she could put her thoughts into words, however, the sound of two more sets of footsteps could be heard approaching the hot spring pool from the corridor. A moment later, Mirajane and Erza opened the door to the private room.
"Seriously, Sun." Mirajane said in an exasperated tone. "It's not like he would have missed the news if you had waited for us."
"Indeed." Erza added. "Now, we missed his reaction."
Immediately, Sun's expression turned to an embarrassed one.
"Oops... Sorry." Sun said while lowering her head to hide her blush. "I was just so excited."
"Yeah, I guess I can understand that." Mirajane replied as she started taking off her clothes. "Still, I wish I could have been here to see Alfonzo's face when he found out about it."
"Indeed." Erza added as she [Requipped] out of her clothes. Then, she started walking towards the hot spring. "I'm sure seeing his eyes light up would have been nice."
"*Sigh* That's so convenient." Mirajane muttered as she continued stripping out of her clothes and putting them in one of the free baskets.
Meanwhile, Erza, like Sun had done before, tested the temperature of the water with her toes. Then, she stepped into the pool and took a seat on Alfonzo's right.
"Ah~~~~!" Erza exhaled in comfort as she leaned on Alfonzo. "You were right, Sun. This is truly wonderful."
"I know, right?" Sun replied while puffing out her chest proudly. "Hot springs are the best."
By now, Mirajane had also stepped into the pool. Then, she, too, sat down and leaned on Alfonzo's other side.
"Yeah, they really are." Mirajane said in a relaxed tone.
Alfonzo, on the other hand, was not complaining about the situation he found himself in. However, he could not help but pat himself on the back for renting a private hot spring.
["Yeah, because I'm sure they wouldn't have stopped if you had chosen to take a dip in the men's bath."] Bedlam said while shaking his head.
'Probably not.' Alfonzo replied while mentally shrugging. 'And I can only feel sorry for any guys that were already in there or came later. Because I'm certain they would have dealt with them in the Fairy Tail way. And all before any of them could see their bodies.'
["Oh, there's no doubt about that."] Bedlam said with a smile.
"So, Sun, how did Alfonzo react to the news?" Mirajane asked before leaning over and kissing Alfonzo on the cheek.
"You could have just asked me, you know?" Alfonzo asked in an incredulous tone.
In response, Mirajane smiled before pecking him on the cheek again. And that kiss started a chain reaction, as Sun turned around and pecked him on the lips before Erza pecked him on the other cheek.
Immediately, any protests Alfonzo had, playful or otherwise, disappeared. At the same time, Sun started explaining Alfonzo's reaction to the article, which earned him a pinch on the waist from the Jealous Mirajane. However, he did not mind that. Instead, he thought about what he knew of the Grand Magic Games.
'So, the only thing I know for sure is that Sabertooth, led by its twin Dragon Slayers, won the x790 Grand Magic Games.' Alfonzo thought to himself while the girls chatted happily. 'Other than that, I don't know when it actually started in the canon timeline. On top of that, there's a pretty good chance that with all these crossover characters, Sabertooth won't win in x790. Still, I would love to see the look on Jienma's face when Sabertooth is dominated. I think I'll stop him from taking Minerva and joining Tartaros, too.'
Like that, the group of four continued enjoying the hot spring until they were ready to leave.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Mermaid Heel Headquarters.
August, x786.
After the news reported on the upcoming Grand Magic Games, All of Fiore was excited, looking forward to the competition between the wizards of the legal guilds. Unfortunately, there was no news reported about the format of the tournament. As a result, Sorcerer Weekly had a lot of articles that interviewed, so called, experts about their speculations.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo continued his work at the Blue Pegasus guild hall. And with only a few weeks left until September, he was nearly finished with his work. ON top of that, Alfonzo and Hibiki were able to get the initial version of the [Archive Magic Network] ready for deployment.
Unfortunately, things were not as easy as Alfonzo expected. Because the range of the magic was limited, it meant he would have to place relays all over the kingdom, and eventually the continent. That, however, could be solved by issuing quests.
But Alfonzo's idea went a step further than just issuing quests to the Legal Guilds in Fiore. And because of that, Tsunade received a letter asking about the process to make mission reports for the Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"*Sigh* What is that kid up to now?" Tsunade asked while rubbing her temples. Then, she picked up a sake cup from her desk and took a sip before once again reading the letter.
"What do you mean, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked curiously.
"Alfonzo must be planning something big if he's asking about what he needs to do to create a mission for the ninjas of the village." Tsunade replied.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Shizune asked in apparent confusion. "If someone of his stature wishes to employ the village, it should bring in quite a bit of revenue, no?"
"You're not wrong, Shizune." Tsunade replied while shaking her head. "But it makes you wonder... He's a member of the strongest guild in the kingdom. So, what would he need help with that his guild can't help him with."
"I think you're looking at this the wrong way, Tsuna." Retsu, who was seated across the desk from Tsunade, said after taking a sip from a cup of tea.
Hearing that, Tsunade shifted her attention from the letter to the former Mermaid Heel guild master.
"How so?" Tsunade asked as she put the letter down on the desk.
"Perhaps it's not that his guild is not strong enough." Retsu replied. "Instead, he probably needs the manpower that your village can provide. There are thousands of shinobi housed in your village, correct?"
With that, the light of realization flashed in Tsunade's beautiful, hazel eyes. Then, she lowered her head, supporting her chin with her right hand, as she thought about Retsu's conjecture.
"You're probably right." Tsunade said after thinking about it for a few moments. "Still, I'm curious, why not just post a quest for all the Legal Guilds in the kingdom instead of using the village."
"If had to guess, it has something to do with the upcoming Grand Magic Games." Retsu said with a gentle smile. "More than likely, after the news came out, the guilds who intend to participate in the event will focus on growing in strength. Especially because the title of strongest guild in Fiore is at stake."
"I see." Tsunade replied while rubbing her chin. "That makes even more sense. Still, I'm curious to know what he's up to."
"Well, then you should ask him." Retsu replied while continuing to smile. "And as it happens, I'm supposed to pick up something from him when he's back in Magnolia. So, why don't you accompany me?"
"*Sigh* I suppose you're right." Tsunade said. "It's not like I could figure out what a kid like him is thinking, anyway. So, when are we leaving? And what do you want to pick up, anyway?"
"I intend to leave on the thirty-first." Retsu replied, her smile widening as she did so. "And as for what I'm picking up, it's not more than an item that I recently gained interest in."
Hearing Retsu's words and tone, as well as seeing the smile on her face, Tsunade had a bad feeling. However, she needed to talk to Alfonzo. Not only about the mission, but also as the liaison for the village about his overhaul of the training grounds.
"Then, I'll be ready to leave on the thirty-first." Tsunade said, though she sounded quite apprehensive. A moment later, she turned to Shizune before continuing. "Shizune, you'll be in charge while Master Retsu and I are away. Make sure those girls train hard. We're aiming to be the champions of the Grand Magic Games, after all."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Shizune replied in a resolute tone.
Nodding at her disciple, Tsunade turned her attention back to her paperwork. Though, she did glance at Retsu once more beforehand.
'*Sigh* I'm just glad I survived... If dying several times and being revived can be called surviving... Master Retsu's discipline training.' Tsunade thought to herself as she picked up her pen. 'I have no idea how she can call that torture training. But I guess it worked. I get the feeling any time I'm about to go overboard drinking or gambling Master Retsu's face will pop up in my head. Then, I'll be too scared to go too far.'