Summary: A new gaming fad has swept the world, and even Superman is powerless against it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make nothing. All characters, plot points, and recognizable dialogue belong to DC Comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and anyone else with a stake in the Superman franchise. All Pokémon/Pokémon Go characters belong to TV Tokyo, Nintendo, Niantic, The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, and anyone else with a stake in the Pokémon franchise.
Author's Note: This version of Lois and Clark is set in 2016. And yes, I'm messing with pretty much everything.
***
"I can't believe Perry has us covering some stupid video game," Lois complained as she breezed through the bullpen, with Clark struggling to keep pace.
"Aw, come on, Lois. It could be kind of fun, to cover something different for a change," Clark offered, trying to cheer her up.
Lois spun on her heel, causing Clark to come to a sudden stop, lest he crash into her. Her face with dark with barely contained rage, like a storm cloud covering up the sun.
"Are you kidding me?!" she thundered. "There are actual, real issues out there that need to be covered. And Perry has us covering a children's game!"
"Ssh! Lois, please," Clark responded, trying to quiet her down in the wake of the stares of their coworkers.
"Do not 'shush' me, Kent!" she growled before starting off to her desk again.
"Look, I agree with you," Clark said as he started to walk again. "You and I should be out covering hard news. It's what we're best at. But that doesn't mean we can't also cover this game too, like Perry wants."
Lois appeared to mull things over in her mind. After a small eternity, she nodded.
"It won't win us a Pulitzer, but...I guess you're right. We can cover the public's reaction to this stupid game while we cover the real news," she said, defeated.
"I promise, Lois. A couple of days and this whole thing will be behind us. Now, let's call it quits for the day. It's already six. We'll grab some takeout and do a little research on this game so we're not left in the dark. What do you say? Pizza or Chinese?" He gave her his biggest grin.
Lois' lingering anger seemed to melt. "Chinese. And your place," she added, in response to his unspoken question. "I like the food from the place by you better than the one near me."
"The Lotus Blossom," Clark said with a nod. "Good choice. You want me to drive?"
Lois shook her head as she reached her desk. "No, that's okay. I don't mind." She sat down and checked her cell phone. "Almost a full charge. Give me like five minutes?" she asked.
"Absolutely. There's a couple of emails I could respond to while I wait."
Lois playfully arched an eyebrow at her friend. "I thought we were calling it quits for the night," she reminded him.
He shrugged and smiled back. "What else am I going to do in the meantime? Besides, I'm hoping that maybe I can get some responses by the time we clock in tomorrow. With any luck, we can finalize the funeral home scandal story in the next day or two."
Lois nodded. "Good thinking."
Clark went to his desk and swiftly typed out a few emails before Lois announced that she was ready to go. He begged for another minute or two to finish the last email, then read it over and sent it, satisfied with the work he'd managed to accomplish, thanks, in part, to the surreptitious use of his super speed.
"Okay," he said as he turned the machine off, stood, and stretched. "Let's get some dinner. I'm starving."
"Me too," Lois agreed, just as her stomach gurgled. She checked the time on her phone, then stuffed the device into her purse. "I can't wait to dig into some fantail shrimp."
Clark smiled. "Whatever you want. Dinner's on me tonight."
"Dinner's been on you all week," Lois pointed out.
He shrugged. "So?"
"So, it's not really all that fair to you."
"I don't mind. Really," he said, cutting off her protest. "Tell you what," he said, as they started for the elevators and Lois' frown deepened, "you can get breakfast tomorrow morning. Okay?"
"The cheapest meal of the day?" She grinned. "Deal."
Clark laughed and pressed the call button for the elevator. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?"
She shook her head. "If you're buying dinner, then I'm driving."
"Fair enough," he replied diplomatically.
They made small talk as they rode the elevator down to the subterranean parking garage, mostly about the stories they were currently working on. When they reached the car, Lois slipped behind the steering wheel. Clark pulled out his phone and pulled up his web browser.
"What are you looking at?" Lois asked curiously as she navigated out of the garage and merged onto the busy city street.
"I figured I'd read up on this game that Perry has us covering," he replied distractedly.
She nodded. "Good idea. What'd you find out about this...Pokey-blob Go?"
"Pokémon GO," he corrected her. "It means 'pocket monsters.'"
"Whatever," came the dismissive response. "What'd you find out?" she repeated.
"Okay, it's basically what they call an augmented reality game. From what I can see, you're supposed to walk around with the app open, and find little creatures called Pokémon. When you find one and tap on it, it shows up in your phone's camera so you can flick a little ball at it to try and capture it."
"What's the point of that?"
"Well, the goal is to collect all of these creatures, level them up, and battle other people at places called gyms. You can also find places throughout the world where you can collect free supplies, like more balls or potions to revive Pokémon that have fainted in battle."
"But what's the point?" Lois pressed.
Clark scratched his head. "I'm not sure what you mean. It's a game, Lois. The point is to have fun. And, I suspect, the game is trying to get people up off their couches and walking."
"I mean, why would anyone want to walk around catching imaginary characters on their phones?"
Clark shrugged. "Pokémon has been popular for a long time, Lois. Kids have grown up dreaming that they could travel the world finding and battling Pokémon, just like the characters in the cartoons. Those kids might be adults now, but, for the true fans, I think this is the kind of game they aren't going to be able to resist playing."
They reached a red light. Lois looked over at him, arching her eyebrow. "Don't tell me. You were one of those kids, right?" The light changed and she focused on the road again.
Clark shook his head, regardless of the fact that she was no longer looking at him. "No, but my college roommate, Matthew, was obsessed with Pokémon. I mean, he used to watch the show all the time, he played the all the games, collected the cards and toys, even wrote and read fanfiction for it. The whole nine yards. I was constantly exposed to it, and even watched a few times with him when I wasn't swamped with schoolwork or football practice."
"That's pretty sad," Lois said with a shake of her head. "A grown man, obsessed with a child's cartoon."
"Is it so different than people who get together for The Walking Dead episode viewings? Or people who discuss the intricacies of Game of Thrones? Or any one of the websites out there set up as Superman fansites?"
That made Lois pause, at least for a moment. "But, all of the things you just mentioned are, at least, for adults. Pokémon is for kids."
"I don't know, Lois. Yeah, okay, maybe the target audience is a younger crowd, but it has some good messages. And this app...I think it could be a good thing."
"How?"
"Well," he said, thinking, "for one, if it gets people up and off the couch, it has merit. And it could get people exploring places that they may otherwise never have gone."
"In the interest of catching virtual pets," Lois said sourly.
He opted not to respond to that, and went back to focusing his attention on his phone. An idea came to him. He went into the app store on his phone and downloaded the game.
"Now what are you doing?" Lois asked, craning her neck to get a glimpse of the screen as she stopped for another light. He suspected that she heard the game's music, even though it was barely audible.
"Trying out the game."
She rolled her eyes. "Really?"
"Why not?" he shrugged and turned toward her. "Look, if we want to cover the game to the best of our abilities, we should at least explore it for ourselves, so we can fully appreciate what people are talking about when we interview them. At the very least, one of us should."
He tapped the screen, designing his in-game avatar. The light changed and Lois drove on. He found himself presented with a choice of three Pokémon on screen. He tapped on the blue turtle looking one. His phone's camera opened up and he found himself looking at a Squirtle, who was standing on the dashboard of Lois' jeep. Clark felt his inner child go giddy at seeing the fictitious character "in the real world." He used his index finger to flick a Pokéball at it. The ball sucked the creature up in a red beam and safely trapped the Squirtle inside.
"Nice," he whispered to himself.
"What?" Lois asked, just before slamming her palm down on the horn as another driver cut her off.
"I caught my first Pokémon," Clark replied, his eyes glued to the screen. "Well, technically, it's just a starter one, to give the player a feel for the game. But...I have to admit, it was kind of thrilling." He held up the phone so she could glance at the capture screen, which showed the little squirrel-tailed turtle, and his stats.
Lois threw a lightning fast look at it as she checked to make sure she could safely change lanes. "Cuter than I thought it would be," she admitted quietly.
Clark spent the remainder of the short car ride watching the game's map follow them in real time as they navigated Metropolis. He managed to catch a few bird and rat type Pokémon as they traveled, and even snagged a handful of free items as they passed Pokéstops. By the time they reached The Lotus Blossom, he was hopelessly addicted to the game.
He caught one caterpillar looking monster as he waited for their takeout, then they were headed to his apartment. As they ate their meals, straight out of the cartoons with the provided chopsticks, Clark showed off his fledgling collection of Pokémon. To his surprise, Lois looked slightly intrigued, as soon as she saw the cute little critters. A thought occurred to Clark.
"You know what? I think Netflix has the original cartoon. At least the first season or two. You, uh...wouldn't want to check it out, would you?" he offered.
Lois hesitated, clearly at war with herself. "Am I going to regret watching?" she finally asked.
"You can be the judge of that," he said with a wry grin.
"All right," she acquiesced. "I'll give it a try. But if I don't care for the first episode..."
"Then I'll turn it off and never speak of it again. Or...well...I would make that promise, except with us covering the game and all, that's going to be impossible."
Lois playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Go on, Kent. Put the show on."
***
Three hours later, Lois yawned and stretched. "I think that's all I can watch for tonight," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"So...should I take tonight's marathon viewing to mean that you enjoyed it?" Clark asked.
Lois shrugged. "It's still a kids' cartoon, but it wasn't too bad. The little creatures are adorable. I can see why some people might like it."
Clark nodded. "I've always thought so. I've also always been drawn to anime as an art style, even if I don't really go out of my way to watch those kinds of movies and TV shows."
"I liked it too," Lois said, nodding. "It's an interesting style."
"Now, if you'll excuse me for just a moment," Clark said, jerking a thumb in the direction of his bathroom.
"By all means."
When he returned, he found Lois staring at her phone. She didn't even look up as he entered the living room.
"I picked Charmander," she said, before he could even ask. "But, um, where do I find more of these things?"
Clark couldn't help the laugh that erupted from his throat. It made perfect sense to him that Lois Lane, of all people, would chose a fire type Pokémon to get started with. It fit her fierce, fiery personality all too well.
"What?" she asked.
"Well," he said with a shrug, "just a few hours ago, you were pretty resistant to all things Pokémon."
But deep inside, he wasn't all that surprised by Lois' desire to try out the game. He knew the challenge of "Gotta Catch'em All" - as the series' slogan so boldly stated - would appeal to her. It simply wasn't in Lois' genetic makeup to pass up on any kind of challenge. Pokémon Go gave her a perfect goal to work toward.
"Yeah, well, I've changed my mind," she said, failing to make her mock annoyance sound convincing. "Now, answer the question." This time, she grinned at him.
"Okay," he said through a fresh laugh. "The point of the game is to get people up and walking. So...we have to get out and walk."
Lois looked at the clock. "It's not quite ten yet. Feel like taking a walk?"
Any time spent with Lois sounded like the world's best idea to Clark. Still, he played it casually. After all, he hadn't yet found the nerve to ask Lois out on a date.
"Sure," he said. "But maybe we should change out of our work clothes. I still have your stakeout bag."
"Right," she said, nodding in remembrance.
Clark went to the closet by the stairs and retrieved the battered old duffel bag for Lois. She gratefully took it, then retreated to the bathroom to change. Clark headed into his bedroom and changed his own clothing at super speed, choosing a maroon t-shirt and black basketball shorts. Lois emerged just a few minutes later, as he was lacing up his sneakers. She looked stunning with her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She had on a white t-shirt with three large hibiscus flowers in a row across the chest and a pair of jean shorts. She, like Clark, sat down on the couch to put her sneakers on.
"Where should we go?" she wondered aloud.
Clark thought about it for a minute. "Let's try the park. It's probably safer than wandering around on the streets. Plus, there are fountains and art pieces and memorials there. From what I understand, those are all things the game likes to designate as Pokéstops. Even if we don't catch any creatures, we're bound to pick up some freebies at the stops."
"I like the way you think," Lois grinned, almost victoriously, as if one walk in the park would secure her every single Pokémon and the bragging rights associated with that accomplishment.
"It's still pretty hot and humid out," Clark said. "Let me grab a couple of waters for us."
"That'd be great. Thanks, Clark."
He went to the fridge and grabbed two of the closest, largest bottles of water he had. Behind the screen of the door, he carefully applied his icy breath to the plastic bottles, until the water was nearly frozen. Satisfied that they would stay colder a little longer that way, he shut the door and handed Lois one.
"Wow!" she said as her fingers touched the frigid bottle. "Your fridge does some job keeping things cold!"
"Yeah," he agreed, uncomfortable. "Ready to go?"
"You bet," she grinned, stuffing the water bottle into her purse and slinging the whole thing over her shoulder. "Let's do this."
Fifteen minutes later, they entered the park, their phones already running the game. Clark suggested that they head in the direction of the fountain, guessing - correctly, as it turned out - that it would be a Pokéstop, where they could load up on freebies.
"A Pidgey just popped," Clark announced as they passed a strand of white birch trees.
"Go for it."
He shook his head. "I already caught a few on the drive over to my place. You should take it. But I'll take the monkey thing that just came on screen, if you don't mind."
"It's all yours."
"Thanks. Actually, take all three of the birds. You can use them for leveling up."
As he spoke, he tapped his phone's screen and proceeded to launch a ball at the Pokémon he'd selected. It was a bit higher level than he was, so it easily evaded his capture attempts before running from battle, leaving Clark a half a dozen Pokéballs poorer and with no creature to show for it.
"Did you get it?" Lois asked after a minute, finally looking up from her screen.
"No, it was too high of a level. There'll be others though. No big deal."
They resumed walking and the path led them out right to the fountain. Clark led the way to the benches. He checked the game again.
"I was right. We can pick up supplies here. Want to sit for a bit?"
"Sure."
"It sure is a beautiful night out, despite the heat," Clark said a few minutes later, after taking a long sip of his water.
"It really is. This was a really great idea, Clark."
"Thanks. Oh, hey. A Squirtle is here. You should grab it," he said as his phone buzzed to alert him of a new Pokémon spawning.
"Thank you." She quickly captured the creature in question. "Great! That leveled me up too!"
They sat in quiet, companionable silence for a couple of minutes, both of them side by side, enjoying the beauty of the park at night. It felt romantic, somehow. Coming to a sudden decision, Clark turned slightly to look at Lois.
"Hey, Lois?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering about something. We've known each other for a while now. You've become my best friend."
"And you've become mine," Lois said with a gentle nod.
"I feel like...like maybe we can become...more."
"More? Clark, are you..?"
"Would you go out with me? On a date?" he asked, not waiting for her to finish. He needed to get it out before he lost his nerve.
Lois' entire expression changed. He saw a mixture of emotions pass through it - flattery, surprise, and a healthy dose of fear. But, overall, her entire expression softened.
"Clark," she breathed. "I...I don't know. We're best friends. Won't that...complicate things? What if we went out and it didn't work out between us? I can't lose you. You're too important to me."
He smiled softly. "That's the beauty of our friendship, Lois. No matter what happens, you'll never lose me. I'll always be your friend. Because the truth is, I don't think I could ever live without having you in my life. So...what do you say? Give me a chance? I want so much to make you happy, Lois."
Lois appeared to blink back tears. Clark could only hope they were good tears and that he'd somehow managed to touch her heart. She gave him a tremulous smile.
"How can I say no to that?" she asked, laughing a little in nervousness. "Okay. I'll go out with you."
Clark felt his soul lighten as his fears slipped away. The hardest part was over. He'd asked her out and she'd accepted.
"I promise. You won't regret it." He paused for a moment, just soaking up the wonderful feelings swirling inside him like a storm. "So...shall we say...tomorrow night? I can call around in the morning and see if I can get us a dinner reservation somewhere. Maybe Rino's?"
The casual Italian restaurant was one of Lois' favorites, he knew. And he enjoyed the food there as well. It was as close to authentic Italian as it got. It even surpassed some of the places he'd eaten at while in Italy.
"I love Rino's," Lois said, smiling. Her entire body language was mush more relaxed and confident, now that she'd committed herself to this date.
"What else would you like to do?" he asked. "We've got the day off, after all."
Lois thought for a moment. "How about the art museum? They just opened up that enormous extension to the ancient Egyptian wing."
"I'd love that," Clark said, meaning every word. He'd always loved looking at art from bygone civilizations. His phone buzzed again. "Two fish. I'll grab the one on the right."
As they were catching their digital monsters, a young black man in his early twenties approached. He pointed to the edge of the bench.
"Anyone sitting here?" he asked politely.
"No. Please, sit," Lois said.
"You guys playing that new Pokémon game?" the newcomer asked, peering over at first them, then their phones.
"Actually...yes," Clark admitted sheepishly.
But the young man smiled. "Cool, me too. Name's Lamar, nice to meet you."
"Clark and this is Lois," Clark said by way of introduction.
"I'm about to pop a lure here to see what I can attract. You want in?"
Clark nodded. "Sure. Thank you."
"No problem."
For the next hour, the three sat there, making idle, but pleasant, conversation as they caught the little creatures that spawned at the fountain. First Lamar used his lure, then Clark purchased one in the in-app store. Every five minutes or so, one of them would announce when the free items were ready to be picked up. At the end of the hour, Clark stood and stretched, desperately needing to move. Lamar's phone rang and he answered, speaking quietly into the receiver.
"I gotta run," he said after he hung up. "It was nice getting to play with you guys."
"It was nice. Thanks for the lure," Clark said, extending a hand to the young man.
"No problem. Thanks for popping that second one."
"My pleasure," Clark smiled.
"Goodnight, Lamar," Lois said as the man shook her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
Lamar inclined his head in acknowledgement before heading off in the direction he'd come from. Lois looked to Clark.
"What a nice guy," she commented.
"He really was," Clark agreed. "Did you want to keep walking, or did you want to go back to either your place or mine?"
Lois checked her watched. "Let's keep walking."
"Okay."
By the end of the night, they each had caught a fair number of Pokémon, and were looking with greater anticipation to their date the next day than ever before.
***
The next day was mercifully cooler than the previous one. Clark appeared on Lois' doorstep at ten o'clock sharp. He knocked on the door and Lois immediately answered, as though she'd been waiting right by it.
"Morning, Lois," Clark said cheerfully as she let him into her apartment.
"Morning, Clark."
"Sleep well?"
"Like a log. All that walking last night really knocked me out," she said with a smile.
Clark blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled as he blushed.
The truth was, it was Lois herself that had kept insisting that they continue their search for the elusive pocket monsters. Clark hadn't minded or complained. He loved every minute spent with her. So they had walked until nearly two in the morning, stopping once at an all night diner for coffee, cake, and the restroom. In the end, Clark had feigned tiredness, knowing Lois would have had to be close to exhausted. As he'd walked her from the car to her apartment, they'd both managed to capture a Pikachu.
"Don't you apologize," Lois admonished. "It was completely my fault that we were out so late. Still, I wouldn't have changed a thing about last night. I had a great time." She smiled shyly.
"Me too. In fact, I brought you a little something to commemorate the occasion," Clark said, pulling his right hand from behind his back. "These are for you."
"Oh, Clark! They're beautiful," Lois said as she saw the bouquet of red and pink roses he'd brought her.
"And him," Clark added, pulling his left hand from behind his back.
He held the stuffed Pikachu out to her. The little yellow electric mouse was sitting down, a huge smile on his face, and his arms outstretched as though anticipating a hug. Lois smiled again as she took the stuffed animal.
"He's adorable!" she proclaimed as she hugged the doll close. "Thank you, Clark. I love him."
"In honor of the night you agreed to date me," he said, giving her a wolfish smile, making her laugh.
"Yeah, well, the day's still young, Kent. And our date hasn't yet begun," she playfully teased him.
"Sure it has," he tossed back as he stepped into the kitchen. With practiced ease, he opened the cabinet where she kept a handful of vases, selected a tall, slender crystal vase, and filled it with water.
"How do you figure?"
"I'm here, picking you up to go out. Where I'm from, that means the date has started," he said with a grin. He took the roses, cut the stems under running water, poured the packet of flower food into the vase, and stuck the roses in. "There," he declared. "Perfect." He moved them to the small table that was tucked into the corner of the kitchen.
"Well...maybe," Lois conceded, giving him a wink. "Thanks for doing that, by the way," she said, gesturing to the roses.
"You're welcome. Are you ready to head out?"
"Just let me grab my purse." She breezed to the couch, picked up her bag, and placed Pikachu in the newly vacated space. "Let's go."
They spent a wonderful morning and afternoon at the museum, eating their lunch right in the museum's cafeteria. Since the weather was much cooler and less humid than the day before, they ate outside in the courtyard just outside of the Japanese wing. When they were done, they headed back inside to check out the rest of the exhibits. They were having so much fun that they were nearly late for their dinner reservation.
"I love this place," Lois said a few minutes after they were seated.
"Me too," Clark replied, throwing a cursory glance around at the comfortable, low-key restaurant.
Neither one of them opened their menus. Rino's was one of the places where they each ordered the same meal every time they visited - chicken franchese, a side of ziti, and cannolis for dessert. When the waiter arrived, Clark also ordered an expensive bottle of wine, wanting to give Lois only the best on their date.
"This is nice," Lois observed, once the waiter went to put their order in.
Clark nodded as he grabbed a piece of bread from the basket. He buttered it and handed it to Lois.
"I had a great time at the museum," he offered. "I'm glad you suggested it. I've been meaning to get over there to check it out."
"I had a great time too," Lois replied with a dreamy smile, apparently thinking back on the day. "You know, I was terrified that things wouldn't go well. I feel stupid now, in retrospect, for feeling like that. But..." She shrugged. "I'm glad you showed me there was no reason for that worry."
"Why were you were nervous?" Clark asked as he buttered some bread for himself. "We're good together, you and I."
"I know. But it's just that...well...most of my relationships...no, scratch that...all of them...have been nothing short of federal disasters. I...I was afraid that with us being best friends and all, that us dating would be weird or uncomfortable. But today? Today it felt like the most natural thing in all the world, to be on an actual, real live date with you." She started without making eye contact, but, by the end, she was smiling at him.
"I don't have a lot of dating experience," Clark admitted, taking her hands in his own across the table. "Just Lana in high school and Kimberly for half a semester in college. Like your previous relationships, they didn't go well, to put it mildly. They never really progressed out of that uncomfortable, first date feeling and the breakups were awkward. But being with you? For the first time in my life, I feel like I know what a date is supposed to feel like."
"I guess we've both been pleasantly surprised today," Lois grinned.
Clark chuckled. "I guess so. I...I'm really glad you decided to give me a chance."
"So am I."
****
Continued Below
