"Kanto League agreed?" Edward asked in surprise as he looked at Secretary Kennedy in front of him. He honestly hadn't expected that the one delivering the message would be his father's personal secretary—especially considering how busy this man usually was.
"Yes," Kennedy replied calmly. "The Kanto League has approved your request. They're willing to provide a large site and construct a massive spaceship set according to your specifications for the filming of your movie."
Edward rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Having a League's cooperation was definitely ideal. Edward had expected them to agree—after all, Sherlock Holmes had already proven wildly successful as a precedent. Still, he hadn't thought they would approve this quickly. Now that they had, he could officially begin preparing for the filming of Alien.
"Young Master Edward, I must remind you—Chairman Joseph's health has recently shown some concerning signs," Kennedy said with a serious tone.
Edward paused. The implication was clear.
"Although the Chairman appears to be in good health, these warning signs suggest he needs a period of rest and recuperation," Kennedy continued. Edward nodded slowly—he understood what Kennedy was getting at.
They wanted him to temporarily take over Devon Corporation's affairs, to become the acting head and allow his father to rest.
"Does this have something to do with that woman—Zinnia?" Edward asked solemnly, gently lifting Q off his head.
He remembered Miss Sara had mentioned before that his father hadn't been in the best emotional state—possibly after meeting with Zinnia.
"There's a high possibility," Kennedy didn't deny it. As Joseph's longtime secretary, he knew much about the chairman's state of mind. Ever since that meeting with Zinnia, Joseph had seemed deeply troubled.
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. If Zinnia really was the cause, then this was going to be quite a headache. He knew full well the complicated history between her and Devon Corporation.
Getting her to let go of her hatred with a few words?
He might as well wish for the Devil Fruit of "Talk-No-Jutsu."
There were only two ways to resolve the issue with Zinnia: either she lost her memory, or she came to terms with it on her own. But both outcomes were extremely difficult. Edward couldn't exactly time travel to fix the past. If he could, the League would probably lock him up for research.
"Thank you, Uncle Kennedy. I'll keep it in mind," Edward said sincerely. His father had seemed healthy just the day before, but apparently, there were already hidden health risks. Judging from Kennedy's demeanor, it wasn't anything too serious yet, but given his father's age, Edward didn't want a minor issue to grow worse.
Kennedy nodded and left. He had a full schedule every day, and Edward was well aware of how much his father trusted the man—and how much Kennedy deserved that trust.
"Dad's not feeling well, huh..." Edward muttered, gently rubbing Q's head. The small Pokémon snuggled into his chest affectionately.
Edward fell into deep thought. His father clearly needed rest now, which meant that all of Devon Corporation's responsibilities would likely fall onto his shoulders.
This wasn't like the earlier "training assignments"—those had been minor tasks. This time, he would have to officially start managing the company.
"Wait… could it be that my brother stepped down from being League Champion because of Dad's health?" Edward suddenly recalled something. Steven had voluntarily stepped down. At the time, Edward thought it was just because his brother wanted to go dig up stones.
But now… maybe it was because of their father's condition.
"If that's the case..." Edward thought of the movie invitation from the Unova region, but quickly shoved it to the back of his mind. The film could wait. If his father's health were to worsen because of him, he'd never forgive himself. Edward knew how to prioritize.
For now, though, there were other matters he needed to deal with.
"Fort, let's go. You still haven't started university," Edward said to the Pokémon beside him. Fortune, hearing this, put down his book.
Because Fortune had been following Edward around during the filming in Galar, he had missed the usual enrollment period. But being the diligent Pokémon, he was, he had passed the Hoenn University's freshman exams and was approved to skip directly to sophomore year.
Now that Edward was back in Hoenn, he needed to help Fortune complete his enrollment.
"Kyu!" Q chirped, hopping back onto Edward's head.
Riding in the family butler's car, Edward brought Fortune to Hoenn University and helped him with the enrollment process. Once everything was settled, Fortune could begin commuting to school regularly.
"Fortune, you..." Edward looked at his companion's excited little eyes and paused.
He had originally wanted to encourage Fortune to study hard and perhaps help him manage Devon Corporation in the future. But then he remembered how insanely hard-working Fortune already was. Saying that might push him into even more extreme overachievement.
Edward knew perfectly well—Fortune had already self-studied up to senior-year university material and was even starting to draft academic papers.
The horrifying power of overachievers.
"...As long as you're happy, that's enough," Edward said earnestly.
Fortune blinked, then smiled so widely his eyes narrowed into happy crescents. He nodded with enthusiasm.
As he watched Fortune head off to handle his commuting student registration, Edward stood silently to the side.
Why did he suddenly feel like a dad sending his kid to school?
"Young Master Edward, I've already arranged for a professional driver to handle Fortune's daily transportation," the elderly butler added. Since Fortune would be commuting, it was important he had someone to bring him back and forth safely.
"Thanks, Grandpa Robert," Edward nodded. With the old butler handling things, he had nothing to worry about.
"Wow, did you see the trailer for Sherlock Holmes Season 2? It looks amazing!" Just as Edward was about to head back to the car, two students walked past him, chatting excitedly.
"Yeah, I did! I'm especially intrigued by that train scene. Could it be a murder mystery set on a train?"
Bingo.
(End of Chapter)