"Let's release a trailer," Edward murmured as he leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He had been working tirelessly all morning without even a single minute of rest, completely absorbed in editing. The intense focus had left his head spinning, but at the very least, he had managed to put together enough footage to create a trailer.
A movie's trailer is extremely important—especially for comedies. Some comedic films deliberately hide the best scenes, while others place all their jokes in the trailer, making it their only highlight. So while trailers are undoubtedly crucial, one shouldn't rely on them too much.
"Boss, what scenes do you want included in the trailer?" The head of the post-production department asked hesitantly.
Edward stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Let's not include any horror scenes at all. Instead, let's deliberately edit it to look like a suspense-detective film." A sunny, mischievous smile spread across his face. He was fully prepared to commit the classic act of trailer baiting.
In the Pokémon world, detective and suspense films were a niche genre with a relatively stable fanbase. But in recent years, their popularity had been rising steadily. Edward decided to seize that opportunity and craft a deceptive trailer—one that would, through clever editing and soundtrack choices, present the horror movie as if it were a mystery thriller.
Viewers would naturally assume it was a suspense film. But once they stepped into the theater, they would soon realize it was actually a horror film. Still, they wouldn't be able to complain—because everything shown in the trailer was genuinely part of the movie.
This tactic would effectively create a dissonance between the audience's expectations and the actual viewing experience, thereby amplifying the scare factor. At the same time, it would attract suspense fans into theaters, thereby increasing box office revenue.
"Uh… okay…" The department head hesitated. Was this really, okay?
"Just do it. Besides, this film does contain elements of suspense." Edward was perfectly calm.
One Missed Call, the horror film he was working on, followed the classic formula of a traditional horror movie: the protagonist gets caught in an eerie series of events, refuses to believe at first, gradually starts believing, and ultimately tries to uncover the truth. So, did it have mystery-detective elements? Absolutely.
There was even a twist at the end.
"Alright." The department head nodded. Since the boss had made the call, they would carry it out as instructed.
"I've ordered lunch boxes. After lunch, everyone can take a short break before getting back to work," Edward called out to his employees.
Editing a film wasn't a process that could be rushed. He wasn't in a hurry. Releasing a trailer to build some anticipation among audiences before submitting the final film for review wouldn't delay anything.
Edward also ordered a lunch box for Zoroark. The meals he selected this time were very down-to-earth and home-style. As for Q and Fortune, he continued to feed them fear candy. After eating it, they would usually lose their appetite for a while, which Edward suspected was due to the heavy concentration of ghost-type energy in the candy.
"Boss, do you want to schedule a media interview for this afternoon's donation event?" Zoroark asked as he ate his lunch. Edward, who was also eating his own boxed meal, shook his head.
"No need. Just arrange for a photo shoot. Then have someone in the company write a press release and publish it along with the pictures on the company's official website."
Although there wouldn't be any interviews, it was still necessary to make their charitable work visible to the public. Otherwise, some people might start questioning whether Edward had followed through with the promise he made earlier.
So, while it didn't need to be flashy, it still needed to be done properly. Over-hyping the publicity might actually backfire, leading to resentment from the public. A simple press release on the official website would suffice.
"Understood." Zoroark made a note of it.
After lunch, Edward took a short nap before heading out with Zoroark and the company's photography team. Together, they visited the Stray Pokémon Charity Organization. The person in charge looked at them with delighted surprise as Edward donated 45.5 million pokedollars in funds and, of course, made sure to ask for an invoice in return.
Charitable donations by companies could be reported to the Pokémon League, and in return, they would receive some tax deductions during year-end settlements. Because of this, quite a few businesses were willing to engage in charity work these days.
With the donation complete and the invoice in hand, all the loose ends regarding Dead Silence had been more or less tied up.
The next step was to renovate the puppet theater located in Petalburg Forest. Edward planned to transform it into the hospital featured in One Missed Call, thereby completing the themed setting required for the film. While they were at it, they would shoot a few exterior scenes to use in the movie.
That way, once those scenes were edited in, they could generate buzz for the "theme hospital" and boost its popularity.
"What's the current daily revenue of the puppet theater?" Edward asked as he sat in the car, looking ahead at Zoroark, who immediately reported the number without a second thought.
Edward nodded. The revenue had indeed dropped significantly, but that was to be expected. These themed haunted houses usually rode on the popularity of the IP. Once the hype cooled off, naturally the customer traffic would follow. A renovation was clearly the right move.
When they reached the outskirts of Petalburg Forest, Zoroark stopped the car. Edward stepped out, with Zoroark following behind as they entered the forest together.
They hadn't walked far when Gengar suddenly popped out of the shadows, brimming with excitement as it rushed to Edward's side. Seeing how eager Gengar looked, Edward silently rolled up his sleeves, and Zoroark, now expressionless, positioned itself as the referee.
"Rock-paper-scissors!"
Gengar shrank dejectedly into a corner.
Edward looked at his own fist, then glanced over at Gengar. Why does this guy always pick scissors? Seriously, how many times had it happened now? Was scissors the only move Gengar knew?
Without saying a word, Edward pulled out a notebook and made another tally mark.
"Mr. Gengar, it's alright. It's just one loss—you'll win next time," Edward said comfortingly as he patted the sulking Gengar on the back. Gengar, squatting in the corner drawing circles on the ground with its finger, gave him an even more pitiful look.
"You said that last time too…" Gengar muttered, and Edward was momentarily speechless.
Gengar stared at him with deep resentment. It didn't want to play anymore. This game had to be rigged. It had lost so many times now that Gengar seriously suspected Edward was cheating with some kind of mind-reading hack. Otherwise, how could he win so often?
"Ahem… next time, you're definitely going to win. I believe in you," Edward said as he patted Gengar's back again, trying to sound sincere.
Gengar pouted. It didn't believe a word of that.
"By the way, Beedrill in Petalburg Forest are entering their breeding season. You'd better be extra cautious," Gengar reminded him. Edward nodded in understanding.
During the breeding season, Beedrill become extremely aggressive, frequently attacking passing Trainers and even other Pokémon. They were very dangerous during this time.
"Whatever. I'll stick with you then." Gengar slipped into Edward's shadow. This guy was, after all, one of its friends. Besides, if those Beedrill dared to attack Edward, they would be the ones in real danger.
(End of Chapter)