Chapter 9: Going Public

With only three days left before the tournament, Ethan stood at the center of the arcade, a clipboard in hand, staring at the tournament brackets he had sketched out over a couple of sleepless nights.

Behind him, the cabinets were powered up and humming in anticipation, attract modes flickering across dark glass, music looping faintly in the background. They were ready. Now it was his job to make sure the people were.

He tapped the side of his pen against the clipboard and muttered to himself.

"Okay… so here's how it's gonna work…"

__________________________________________________________________________________

Ethan had decided to split the tournament across four machines, each representing a classic experience that had proven most popular over the past week:

Mortal Kombat II – Versus bracket, double elimination. Best of 3.Street Fighter Alpha 3 – Same format. Hardcore regulars wanted it competitive.Time Crisis II – Timed runs, co-op optional but solo encouraged. Fastest time wins.Dance Dance Revolution MAX2 – Two songs, average score taken. Top 5 advance to finals.

He'd already printed bracket boards to hang up behind each machine and prepped score sheets for manual tracking.

Entry was only $5 per game, with an optional $15 all-game bundle that also got players an exclusive arcade token and snack voucher from the vending machine. Not a huge money-maker, but every bit counted.

What mattered more was what the tournament represented.

Momentum. Community. Exposure.

And with that in mind, Ethan turned back to the front counter and opened the Business Basics system menu, selecting the Marketing tab.

This was it.

Final Marketing Push

[Marketing – Final Event Push Detected. Would you like to amplify your existing promotion?]

Cost: 50 XP

Target Boost: 800 Local Impressions

Bonus: Eligible for Local Media Pickup

Ethan didn't hesitate. Confirm.

The system flared briefly in his mind, and he watched as it pushed out another wave of social media posts, tags, and optimized listings, all centered around one sleek promotional flyer image he had mocked up earlier:

"RETRO SHOWDOWN – This Saturday! Tournament Play. Classic Games. Vintage Prizes. Compete or Watch!"

Located at Level Up Arcade – 20 restored cabinets, prizes, food, and good vibes.

Within ten minutes, the post was already spreading faster than anything he'd ever shared. Notifications pinged in his vision:

[Post Shared: 54x]

[Comment Volume: Increasing]

[Searches for 'Level Up Arcade': +122% in 24 hours]

But one notification stood out more than the rest.

[Attention Detected – Local News Media: Channel 6 – Community Highlights Team]

Would you like to accept a media contact request?

Yes / No

Ethan blinked. The news?!

He quickly clicked yes.

[Meanwhile… at Channel 6 Studios]

A monitor flickered to life in the Channel 6 Community Desk bullpen, where Sierra Reyes, mid-30s, sharp-eyed, and professionally casual, sipped coffee from a mug that said "I break news and hearts."

Across from her, intern producer Jeff scrolled through trending local posts. He paused, raised an eyebrow, and tilted his laptop toward her.

"Hey Sierra. You remember Level Up Arcade?"

She looked up. "...From the '90s? Corner of Maple and 9th?"

"Yeah. Someone reopened it. Kid named Ethan Reeves. His post is blowing up—some kind of retro gaming tournament. Look at these numbers. It's getting traction."

Sierra leaned over, squinting at the post.

The flyer was clean, bright, and authentic. She noted the framed vintage posters, the lovingly restored cabinets in the background, and the mention of tournament brackets. It had that perfect mix of local flavor and unapologetic nostalgia.

She tilted her head. "No beer taps, no retro-themed bar. This isn't one of those 'arcade bars' pretending to care about the games?"

Jeff shook his head. "Nope. This kid's doing it for real. Everything's original. People are saying it feels like stepping back in time."

That got her.

Sierra straightened. "Pull his contact info. If he's got a window before Saturday, I want to interview him."

She smiled, already picturing the segment's title.

"LEVELING UP: How One Teen Is Resurrecting the Golden Age of Arcades."

[Back at the Arcade]

The front door chimed mid-afternoon as Ethan was cleaning the DDR cabinet's glass.

He turned and nearly dropped the microfiber cloth when he saw the Channel 6 news van pulling up out front. A tall woman with a friendly-but-sharp presence stepped inside, followed by a camera operator and the young intern who'd reached out.

"Ethan Reeves?" she asked, offering a smile and a handshake.

"That's me," he said, nervous but trying not to show it.

"Sierra Reyes, Channel 6. Mind if we ask a few questions about the tournament and your arcade? We love local revival stories—and this place?" She gave the glowing machines a once-over. "This is something special."

Ethan nodded slowly. "Yeah… yeah, of course. I'd be honored."

They filmed for thirty minutes.

Sierra asked about his grandparents, the repairs, the system (which he carefully omitted the game-like parts of), and how the community had responded.

Then they panned across the machines, the bracket boards, the framed vintage posters now mounted behind the counter.

"Where did you even find those?" she asked, gesturing to the Street Fighter II Turbo prize.

"Back room," Ethan said, smiling. "Forgotten relics. Just like this place was."

The segment wrapped with Sierra at the Time Crisis II cabinet, holding the plastic light gun and joking that she still remembered where the foot pedal was.

"Last question," she said as the cameraman lowered the lens. "What's your goal with all this?"

Ethan paused, then looked around.

"I want people to remember how fun this used to be. And maybe… remind them that places like this are worth saving."

Sierra nodded slowly, the kind of nod that meant she was going to make sure the segment hit the morning news cycle.

As they packed up to leave, she offered him a card. "It's gonna run Friday morning. You might want to prep for a crowd after that."

__________________________________________________________________________________

That night, Ethan sat behind the counter, staring at the flickering lights of the idle machines, his thoughts buzzing louder than the arcade itself.

He checked his system one last time.

[Marketing Campaign Complete]

[Tournament Visibility: High]

[Projected Turnout (Updated): 55–80 participants]

[Business Basics Skill Leveled Up! Level 2 Reached]

[New Feature Unlocked: Event Planning Tools]

He grinned. Finally.

The tournament was about to begin.