10:35 PM
Jenny was holed up in her hotel room, not daring to leave or even approach the door. The dim bedroom was illuminated only by the faint glow of her Magic Net interface.
"So hungry..."
A faint grumble sounded from under the blanket as Jenny covered her mouth, debating whether to ask her guildmates to deliver dinner. She considered using Magic Net Delivery Express to have it teleported to her room without opening the door.
But wouldn't that seem strange? How could she possibly explain it if someone asked? She couldn't exactly say, "I lost a bet, so I have to stay naked for a whole day," could she?
"No way! I'll just call it a day of dieting!"
Trying to distract herself, Jenny opened the Video Section of the Magic Net, intending to watch the latest episode of Pokémon before sleeping. Just then, an eerie voice echoed through the pitch-black room.
"Hungry?"
Jenny froze, her heart skipping a beat. She glanced toward the source of the voice, and her eyes widened in shock—there, at the foot of her bed, stood a shadowy figure.
"Ghost!!!"
Reacting swiftly, Nate cast Reversal Magic: Silencio, sealing the loud scream within the confines of the bedroom.
"Wow, I bring you dinner out of kindness, and this is how you treat my ears?"
"N-Nate?!" Jenny exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How did you get in here?"
Wait, wasn't the door locked? And the windows too!
"You didn't really think locking the door would keep me out, did you?" Nate teased lightly. "I'm here to fulfill our bet. Now, come on—pull back that blanket and let me see if you're properly following the rules."
"No way!"
Though she clung tightly to the blanket, Jenny instinctively crossed her arms over her chest beneath it. The only part of her visible was her head, which was already blushing furiously.
Snap!
Nate snapped his fingers, summoning a small orb of radiant light with his magic. The glowing orb floated to the ceiling, illuminating the entire room. The sudden brightness stung Jenny's eyes, and she squinted, gradually adjusting to the light after a few seconds.
"W-What do you want?" Jenny asked nervously.
"I'm here to take the photos, of course. How else am I supposed to take good pictures in the dark?" Nate pointed toward a side table near a single sofa. On it was a tray holding a variety of sumptuous dishes. "I figured you probably skipped dinner, so I brought you food out of pity. You're welcome."
Jenny's attention immediately shifted to the food, and she couldn't help but swallow hard. She was starving.
"Thank you... Could you bring it over? I'd like to eat in bed."
"How old are you? Eating in bed like a child."
"Eighteen!"
Jenny retorted angrily. "You're just trying to trick me into coming out from under the blanket so you can sneak a picture!"
"Oh, how clever," Nate said with a smirk, applauding. "Waaaah!" Jenny began to fake-cry, hiding further under the blanket.
Her attempt at crying wasn't nearly as convincing as Mira's, and Nate wasn't about to indulge her theatrics. "Fine. I'm not a total devil—I'll let you wear this."
Reaching into his pocket, Nate pulled out three small items and placed them on the blanket. Jenny stopped her fake crying and peeked out, only to see what he'd brought. They were band-aids.
"What... What is this?! There's no way I'm wearing these!"
"And... What's that other thing?"
Besides the two band-aids, there were two small, round, white discs. Placing the items on her blanket, Nate explained with a straight face, "I'm not entirely sure, but you could call these 'milk caps.'"
Milk caps?!
Jenny's pale neck turned crimson, the color spreading all the way to her ears. "Look, I'm even letting you wear three items. Surely you wouldn't want to cheat on the bet now, would you?" Nate said with a perfectly straight face, though his eyes glimmered with amusement.
"Waaaah!" Jenny fake-cried again, trying to use her "poor victim" act. "Cry all you want—I'll still take the photos," Nate replied unfazed, opening his Magic Net and activating the camera feature.
Click! Click! Click!
He casually snapped a few pictures of Jenny huddled under her blanket. Jenny realized her attempt to fake cry wasn't working, so she glared at Nate in frustration.
"That expression's great too," Nate quipped as he snapped another photo. "You're a natural in front of the camera. These are going to turn out great."
Grumble!
Her stomach betrayed her again with a loud growl. "You sure you don't want to eat?" Nate teased. "It's going to get cold. If you're not hungry, I'll just take it back with me."
"No, I'll eat!"
Flustered and annoyed, Jenny grabbed the three "outfits" lying on the blanket. But how was she supposed to wear these?! It was way too embarrassing!
Still, Jenny prided herself on being someone who kept her word. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and began putting on the "clothes" under the covers. The room was soon filled with the soft rustle of fabric and fidgeting movements.
"Need help?" Nate couldn't resist laughing. Jenny clamped her lips shut, refusing to answer. Human ingenuity was a marvelous thing; even though she'd never encountered such "clothes" before, she quickly figured out how to put them on.
After a moment, she announced in a small, embarrassed voice, "Could you at least turn around?"
"Nope, I still have to take pictures." Nate raised his camera, ready to capture the moment she emerged from under the blanket. "Trust me, I'll make sure you look stunning."
"That's not the point!"
Jenny glared at him, a mischievous idea suddenly popping into her head. In a flash, the hotel's pristine white comforter flew through the air, effectively blocking Nate's camera—and his view. Not only did it obscure his lens, but it also appeared as though she was trying to trap him under the blanket.
Quick thinking.
Nate was impressed by her creativity but decided not to dodge. Pulling the warm blanket off himself, he turned to find Jenny huddled behind the single sofa, tray of food in hand.
"Good?" he asked with amusement, noting how she looked like a hamster frantically stuffing food into her mouth. Despite the situation, he had to admit—it was kind of adorable.
Jenny peeked out from behind the sofa, revealing only half her face. "This isn't fair!" she declared. "Unless you're naked too, I'm not coming out!"
"But you're not fully naked," Nate countered with a chuckle. "You're wearing three pieces of clothing, remember?"
With the camera trained on her, he snapped a few more photos. "What kind of clothing is this?!" Jenny groaned. "Where did you even get these perverted things, you weirdo?"
"Crafted with my Arc of Embodiment Magic, of course." Nate held back a grin, thinking how one flick of his mind could strip her bare if he wanted.
"Why so shy? Everyone's born into this world the same way—completely naked."
After a moment of consideration, he decided to humor her. "Fine, I'll join you. Change!"
A burst of white light enveloped him, and in an instant, his clothes disappeared—save for a pair of shorts. Jenny, mid-bite, froze. Her eyes widened as she took in his physique: well-defined abs and a strong, toned body.
"Wow, he looks amazing. Can I… touch it?"
"You satisfied?" Nate asked.
Jenny's cheeks flushed a deep crimson, her heart pounding as she stammered, "Just… don't let those photos get out, okay?"
Then, almost as an afterthought, she mumbled, "Also… can I touch?" Her tone held a hint of excitement.
Nate blinked in surprise. Hadn't he heard this line somewhere before?
"You pervert. Wanting to touch me?" he teased, rolling his eyes. "Don't forget, you're the one who lost the bet—not me. Now get out here already."
"You're the real pervert!" Jenny shot back, her voice indignant, though her face was still beet red. "Who even owns clothes like this?!"
"Fine, fine. Whatever you say. Are we doing this or not?"
"Give me a moment to prepare!"
"There's nothing to prepare for—you're wearing clothes!"
Ignoring her protests, Nate walked over and started snapping pictures of her huddled behind the sofa. "Ahhh! You're the worst!" Jenny wailed, flailing in mock outrage. The room descended into chaos, filled with laughter and playful shouts.
… [Details omitted for brevity, involving more shenanigans and photography.] …
The Next Morning
At the Heartfilia estate, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow on the sleeping beauty's face. Future Lucy stirred under the covers, shielding her eyes from the light.
"Morning already?"
Her long lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, still groggy. Then, the memories came flooding back:
The Grand Magic Games. The dragons—thousands of them. Her friends, all gone… Her desperate journey through time, landing in a parallel world so similar yet so different… Pokémon. The competition. Her boyfriend—Nate. Home.
"This is… my house?"
Sitting up suddenly, she glanced down—and froze. Her right hand. Both hands were there, whole and intact. For a moment, her mind went blank. Then, trembling, she raised her right hand to her face, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"It's back. My hand is really back," she whispered, crying and laughing at the same time. "Nate didn't lie to me… My hand is really back…!"
~~~
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