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sunhawk16And here day two has arrived, bringing with it a brand new little ficlet. It’s a sequel to a previous Christmas ficlet, one I specifically wrote in 2016 after a brand new and highly popular phone app hit the market. One whose sole purpose in life was to make you get up and… Go. Or throw your phone across the room in frustration due to poor product management and constant glitches, I honestly never figured out which. Maybe that was the grand scheme all along. You got up and went to retrieve your phone from where you lobbed it in some demented game of humanized fetch.
I’m going say this one is dedicated my daughter, the best damn Pokemon buddy I could ask for, or maybe I was hers. I like to think I was. She proof read the original ficlet back in 2016 and was rolling, and I couldn’t help thinking about it when I started trying to come up with ideas for this final year. So here’s hoping we can all get another good chuckle as Heero and Trowa learn that
EX is short for exasperated.
‘They’ve nested…’ Trowa stated blandly as we paused at the crosswalk outside of Preventers headquarters.
I nodded somewhat numbly as my mind worked to reconcile the scene before me while at the same time putting the breaks to the immediate threat assessment that had me absently reaching for my firearm. First impressions were critical in any situation, which was why upon seeing upwards of at least forty five individuals milling about just outside headquarters I justifiably had some concerns. Large gatherings generally didn’t happen in front of headquarters that weren’t some variety of negative. Riots mostly, maybe the occasional threat or arrest that always managed to draw in a crowd. Events of that nature.
They were typically not made up of a growing horde of children and adults all glued to their phone screens, some waving and getting the attention of other newcomers in what looked to be some poor attempt at organization.
‘I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark and say that something has changed in game again,’ Trowa sighed as the crosswalk sign flashed to walk and we started across, another five individuals sprinting passed us and joining the larger group.
‘Duo mentioned last week about the building being a hot spot for something,’ I muttered. 'Rare spawn. They’ll clear out quick as ever.’
‘How rare is a randomized collection of ones and zeros that at least fifty five people all have?’
‘Sixty two. You missed the group that just ran up from the east side.’
Trowa snorted and shook his head with an expression that straddled the line somewhere between awed and annoyed. Around us people were chattering excitedly while tapping at phones and tablets, ignoring everything about their surroundings and causing Trowa and myself to have to weave around them more than once to avoid a collision.
‘The Commander is going to have a field day with this,’ I said and lifted an eyebrow as we walked past a man that was sitting on the ground with a cut piece of plywood resting on his knees and no less than nine phones laid out across it. ‘Player or not.’
‘She’s still actively playing?’
‘I’m not sure if ‘actively playing’ is the right phrase, but the game put a ‘base’ on her headquarters,’ I gave Trowa a look and smirked. ‘No one takes something she considers hers, digital or otherwise.’
Trowa made a sound of amused agreement and came to an abrupt halt as two younger kids ran directly in front of our path without so much as an acknowledgement. It made me pause long enough to cast a glance back and reassess the situation. The number of people had continued to grow at a surprisingly steady pace and they hadn’t begun to disperse as expected, which made me realize that Trowa’s initial statement was in fact correct. They were nesting, waiting for… something.
‘This isn’t about something that spawned...’ I was cut off by the front door of headquarters opening and a practical stampede of employees filing out.
‘I can’t get my phone to load!’
‘Mystic! I’m looking for Mystic!’
‘Instinct is camped out over by the east corner according to chat! They have thirty two so far and will be going in two groups!’
‘There is a forced update! I repeat, the game is forcing you to update!’
I gawked and watched as fifteen professionally trained Preventers dispersed into the crowd like school children, each glued to their respective devices.
‘Valor!’ the Commander’s voice rang out coolly as she exited the building and I watched in mounting disbelief as she surveyed the scene, eyes snapping towards a response of ‘ma’am!’ roaring up from one of the larger groups behind us. She didn’t run, but she certainly walked with purpose towards the assembly.
I couldn’t help myself and let out a bark of laughter, causing Trowa to look at me as though the last thread of some fragile reality had finally snapped.
‘She had a meeting scheduled today for data and intelligence review.’
‘I know.’
‘She had a meeting scheduled for today and they are all out here, on their phones, playing a children’s game at one in the afternoon.’
‘Technically, it’s exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds until one,’ Duo interrupted cheerfully and nudged Trowa in the side, having been walking shortly behind the Commander before making a beeline towards us. ‘You two look, what’s the word I’m going for here... bewildered, out of your depth?’
‘It’s a little disconcerting to come back from lunch to find headquarters under siege by what looks to be nearly seventy Pokemon Go players, Duo.’
‘Closer to ninety, actually,’ Duo muttered as he absentmindedly tapped something on his phone screen. ‘We had over a hundred confirm in the discord that they had passes for this thing, but I doubt all of them made it.’
‘Ninety! For what?’
‘The new EX Raid? I was telling Heero about it last week when passes went out and I got one,’ Duo grinned and flashed his screen at us. There was the vaguely discolored shape of the Preventers headquarters with its gym, a silvery-blue blob sitting there with a timer above it. ‘These things are rare right now, and you have to be invited to participate at specific gyms. Ours happens to be eligible.’
‘There were a few points of that sentence that made sense…’
‘It’s part of the new raid system…’ Duo huffed as Trowa and I shook our heads. ‘Look, just know that it’s an exclusive Pokemon, everyone here wants to battle and catch it, and Une gave everyone permission to be on the premises for twenty minutes to partake in the event.’
‘And cancel the afternoon meeting?’
‘Less canceled and more gave a ten minute enrichment and self-care break. After all, a nice day like today? Would be an absolute shame having to stay inside and work on boring reports or sit through dull meetings.’
I opened my mouth to comment about how that sounded suspiciously more like one of Duo’s ideas but missed the opportunity as he glanced at his phone again and quickly excused himself, rushing over to the group the Commander was standing with. Elsewhere people had started to vocalize a countdown, starting at ten and raising in volume the closer they got to zero. I checked my phone to find it read one o clock, right on the dot.
‘Maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t really get it,’ Trowa chuckled a bit and sat down on the front steps, pulling out his phone. I lifted an eyebrow in question and he gestured out towards the crowd. ‘The Commander apparently gave the go ahead to be out here. I’m not saying no to a longer lunch.’
There was no denying that the idea wasn’t appealing. The paperwork on my desk would still be there regardless of if I went back to work right away or a little late so I went ahead and sat down, watching the goings on and noting the different people that had gathered on the front lot.
It was, in some ways I would never quite admit out loud, refreshing. The fact that it wasn’t a riot or emergency situation that would need my intervention was simply an added bonus.
I’m going say this one is dedicated my daughter, the best damn Pokemon buddy I could ask for, or maybe I was hers. I like to think I was. She proof read the original ficlet back in 2016 and was rolling, and I couldn’t help thinking about it when I started trying to come up with ideas for this final year. So here’s hoping we can all get another good chuckle as Heero and Trowa learn that
EX is short for exasperated.
‘They’ve nested…’ Trowa stated blandly as we paused at the crosswalk outside of Preventers headquarters.
I nodded somewhat numbly as my mind worked to reconcile the scene before me while at the same time putting the breaks to the immediate threat assessment that had me absently reaching for my firearm. First impressions were critical in any situation, which was why upon seeing upwards of at least forty five individuals milling about just outside headquarters I justifiably had some concerns. Large gatherings generally didn’t happen in front of headquarters that weren’t some variety of negative. Riots mostly, maybe the occasional threat or arrest that always managed to draw in a crowd. Events of that nature.
They were typically not made up of a growing horde of children and adults all glued to their phone screens, some waving and getting the attention of other newcomers in what looked to be some poor attempt at organization.
‘I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark and say that something has changed in game again,’ Trowa sighed as the crosswalk sign flashed to walk and we started across, another five individuals sprinting passed us and joining the larger group.
‘Duo mentioned last week about the building being a hot spot for something,’ I muttered. 'Rare spawn. They’ll clear out quick as ever.’
‘How rare is a randomized collection of ones and zeros that at least fifty five people all have?’
‘Sixty two. You missed the group that just ran up from the east side.’
Trowa snorted and shook his head with an expression that straddled the line somewhere between awed and annoyed. Around us people were chattering excitedly while tapping at phones and tablets, ignoring everything about their surroundings and causing Trowa and myself to have to weave around them more than once to avoid a collision.
‘The Commander is going to have a field day with this,’ I said and lifted an eyebrow as we walked past a man that was sitting on the ground with a cut piece of plywood resting on his knees and no less than nine phones laid out across it. ‘Player or not.’
‘She’s still actively playing?’
‘I’m not sure if ‘actively playing’ is the right phrase, but the game put a ‘base’ on her headquarters,’ I gave Trowa a look and smirked. ‘No one takes something she considers hers, digital or otherwise.’
Trowa made a sound of amused agreement and came to an abrupt halt as two younger kids ran directly in front of our path without so much as an acknowledgement. It made me pause long enough to cast a glance back and reassess the situation. The number of people had continued to grow at a surprisingly steady pace and they hadn’t begun to disperse as expected, which made me realize that Trowa’s initial statement was in fact correct. They were nesting, waiting for… something.
‘This isn’t about something that spawned...’ I was cut off by the front door of headquarters opening and a practical stampede of employees filing out.
‘I can’t get my phone to load!’
‘Mystic! I’m looking for Mystic!’
‘Instinct is camped out over by the east corner according to chat! They have thirty two so far and will be going in two groups!’
‘There is a forced update! I repeat, the game is forcing you to update!’
I gawked and watched as fifteen professionally trained Preventers dispersed into the crowd like school children, each glued to their respective devices.
‘Valor!’ the Commander’s voice rang out coolly as she exited the building and I watched in mounting disbelief as she surveyed the scene, eyes snapping towards a response of ‘ma’am!’ roaring up from one of the larger groups behind us. She didn’t run, but she certainly walked with purpose towards the assembly.
I couldn’t help myself and let out a bark of laughter, causing Trowa to look at me as though the last thread of some fragile reality had finally snapped.
‘She had a meeting scheduled today for data and intelligence review.’
‘I know.’
‘She had a meeting scheduled for today and they are all out here, on their phones, playing a children’s game at one in the afternoon.’
‘Technically, it’s exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds until one,’ Duo interrupted cheerfully and nudged Trowa in the side, having been walking shortly behind the Commander before making a beeline towards us. ‘You two look, what’s the word I’m going for here... bewildered, out of your depth?’
‘It’s a little disconcerting to come back from lunch to find headquarters under siege by what looks to be nearly seventy Pokemon Go players, Duo.’
‘Closer to ninety, actually,’ Duo muttered as he absentmindedly tapped something on his phone screen. ‘We had over a hundred confirm in the discord that they had passes for this thing, but I doubt all of them made it.’
‘Ninety! For what?’
‘The new EX Raid? I was telling Heero about it last week when passes went out and I got one,’ Duo grinned and flashed his screen at us. There was the vaguely discolored shape of the Preventers headquarters with its gym, a silvery-blue blob sitting there with a timer above it. ‘These things are rare right now, and you have to be invited to participate at specific gyms. Ours happens to be eligible.’
‘There were a few points of that sentence that made sense…’
‘It’s part of the new raid system…’ Duo huffed as Trowa and I shook our heads. ‘Look, just know that it’s an exclusive Pokemon, everyone here wants to battle and catch it, and Une gave everyone permission to be on the premises for twenty minutes to partake in the event.’
‘And cancel the afternoon meeting?’
‘Less canceled and more gave a ten minute enrichment and self-care break. After all, a nice day like today? Would be an absolute shame having to stay inside and work on boring reports or sit through dull meetings.’
I opened my mouth to comment about how that sounded suspiciously more like one of Duo’s ideas but missed the opportunity as he glanced at his phone again and quickly excused himself, rushing over to the group the Commander was standing with. Elsewhere people had started to vocalize a countdown, starting at ten and raising in volume the closer they got to zero. I checked my phone to find it read one o clock, right on the dot.
‘Maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t really get it,’ Trowa chuckled a bit and sat down on the front steps, pulling out his phone. I lifted an eyebrow in question and he gestured out towards the crowd. ‘The Commander apparently gave the go ahead to be out here. I’m not saying no to a longer lunch.’
There was no denying that the idea wasn’t appealing. The paperwork on my desk would still be there regardless of if I went back to work right away or a little late so I went ahead and sat down, watching the goings on and noting the different people that had gathered on the front lot.
It was, in some ways I would never quite admit out loud, refreshing. The fact that it wasn’t a riot or emergency situation that would need my intervention was simply an added bonus.
