Chapter 30: Press Start Again

The arcade had been prepped for company—lights dimmed to a soft glow, snack table freshened up, and the soft hum of idle machines creating the usual warm backdrop.

Ethan paced behind the front counter, glancing at the time on his phone.

3:27 PM.

They were due at 3:30.

Amanda leaned on the edge of the prize shelf, watching him with a grin.

"You've cleaned that counter five times."

"I'm nervous," Ethan admitted, smoothing out an already-flat flyer. "They're a real foundation. They support places like this. If we get this right, it could change everything."

"E," she said, "you already changed everything. This is just bonus XP."

He smiled, exhaling slowly.

Then the door chime rang.

Press Start Arrives

Two people stepped in.

The first was a woman in her late 30s, short hair in a loose undercut, warm brown eyes, denim jacket over a branded Press Start Foundation tee. She had the energy of someone who listened more than she talked, but always had something valuable to say.

"Ethan Reeves?" she asked.

He stepped forward. "That's me."

She offered a hand. "Leanne Bright. Thanks for having us."

Behind her was a man in his early 40s—tall, lean, slightly greying around the temples. Button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves, messenger bag slung across his chest, and an expression that softened the moment he looked around the arcade.

Something about the space clearly meant something to him.

Leanne gestured toward him.

"This is Zeke Tran. He runs our tech access programs and digital literacy workshops. Also kind of a walking repair toolkit."

Zeke gave a half-smile. "Guilty."

Ethan shook his hand—and something about it felt familiar. Not in the way of recognition, but more like… resonance.

They belonged here.

The Roundtable Begins

The four of them—Ethan, Leanne, Zeke, and Amanda—gathered at the round table near the window. Trevor and James were finishing up token system maintenance but lingered within earshot.

Leanne pulled out a small binder.

"We've been following your work," she said. "The events. The structure. The community you're building. It's impressive. What we'd like to talk about today is how we can support that and help you take the next step—not just as a business, but as a community hub."

Ethan nodded. "We're on the same page. We've been building something we can feel—something more than high scores and tokens."

He pulled out a printed outline of their event evolution plan. Carmen had helped format it cleanly:

School partnerships

Birthday and custom events

Loyalty programs

Ongoing youth engagement

Accessibility goals

A future goal: structured educational play for underserved groups

Leanne scanned the outline, then passed it to Zeke.

"This is already more structured than some of the grant proposals we get," she said. "But the heart in this? That's what makes it stand out."

Zeke nodded. "I agree. And there's something else."

He looked at Ethan for a long moment.

"I used to come here," Zeke said quietly. "About twenty-five years ago."

Ethan blinked. "Really?"

Zeke smiled softly. "Yeah. I was a kid from a not-so-great household. Didn't have a lot of safe places to be. But your grandfather—Mr. Reeves—he was always here. Always calm. Let me play even when I didn't have tokens. Gave me a soda, asked how school was. Never judged me. Just… listened."

Ethan swallowed, his throat suddenly tight.

Zeke nodded. "That stuck with me. I don't know if I'd have found the path I did without that space. And being back here? It's surreal."

Amanda reached over and gave Ethan a small nudge.

Ethan cleared his throat. "He never told me much about who he helped. He just said… the arcade wasn't about making people better. It was about being there when they needed somewhere to be."

Leanne smiled. "Sounds like he understood community better than most nonprofits."

Shared Vision, Real Skills

The conversation shifted into planning:

Press Start would provide a small grant to help expand accessibility features—adjustable cabinets, alternate controllers, and signage.

They would also support co-hosting a monthly "Community Free Play Day"—a pay-what-you-can event focused on youth and families.

Zeke offered to run repair workshops, teaching teens and young adults how to refurbish old machines and learn basic hardware skills.

Ethan's team would provide the space, structure, and energy.

It was a natural partnership.

Zeke leaned back and said, "You've got a solid team, Ethan. But if you're expanding… you ever thought about adding a full-time repair and tech ops lead?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, we've been managing, but it's getting tight. Trevor's great, but we've had a few near-misses with burnout."

Zeke gave a small nod.

"Then I've got an idea. Let me come on for a while. I can cover ops, train your crew, and build out your maintenance flow. Doesn't have to be forever. But I'd like to give something back. To the space. To your grandfather. And maybe to kids like I was."

Ethan hesitated.

Not because he didn't trust him—but because it felt too perfect.

Then he looked around—at the team, the machines, the corner where Elliot had played Asteroids—and he nodded.

"Let's do it."

Zeke smiled. "I'll bring my toolkit."

System Response (Private)

That night, long after everyone had left and the soft chime of the front door had faded, Ethan stood behind the counter, hands resting on the glass.

His system shimmered quietly.

[Quest Progress: "Shared Lives, Shared Screens"]

✔️ Collaborate with a community partner

✔️ Define shared goals

✔️ Recruit new member with essential skillset and emotional tie to the space

Bonus Objective Complete

🎉 Reward Gained: +Community Integration Perk

All future event guests have increased chance of return visits

Emotional resonance of the arcade improves partner interest

Ethan smiled faintly, blinking the interface away.

It wasn't just a business anymore.

It wasn't even just a safe space.

It was a legacy—growing, changing, continuing.

And now, it had a future rooted in the past.

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I would once again like to thank everyone for reading my story so far, your support has been amazing and if you had the time to favourite, rate or review it would mean alot. 

Feel free to let me know if you had any questions or ideas for the story, i am definitely open to anything.

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The link is: patreon.com/GJCaesar