When Edward saw that large, aggressive-looking group of Pokémon rushing toward him, for a brief moment he actually worried. Could it be that these little ones were angry because he hadn't come earlier to deal with their issues, and were now storming over to settle accounts with him?
But the more he thought about it, the less sense that made. He knew their personalities well enough—none of them were the sort to truly hold grudges against him.
"Mismagius, what's the matter?" Edward asked with a smile, looking directly at the Ghost-type before him. Mismagius stopped in front of him, staring at Edward with an aggrieved expression, muttering something under its breath.
Unfortunately, Edward couldn't understand a word.
Yes, he had filmed horror movies. Yes, he had even acquired a few golden-finger tricks related to the horror genre. But he had never learned how to directly communicate with Pokémon.
He had heard that certain people with psychic powers could talk with Pokémon through telepathy. That method, though convenient, wasn't perfect—after all, not every Pokémon could clearly express its thoughts in a way humans could understand.
Thankfully, Mismagius quickly realized the problem. It pulled out a smartphone and began furiously typing. Just then, one of the amusement park's human staff members came running over in a panic.
Kristine had been wondering why so many of her "coworkers" in the park had suddenly rushed out. When she saw them all charging straight at two people, she panicked. This park was already on its last legs. If an "employee attacks guest" incident happened now, it would definitely be the final nail in the coffin.
Although hardly anyone visited the park these days, it was still technically an amusement park. From time to time, a few of Edward's fans would stop by to experience it once. But after a single visit, they rarely came back for a second.
Kristine, however, still liked this job.
As someone with social anxiety, she hated talking with people or working in crowded places. But to avoid living at home mooching off her parents forever, she had forced herself to get a job. Luck had been on her side—she had landed what felt like a godsend of a position.
For someone like her, a job in a quiet forest park, far from people, where even the occasional guests were few in number, was the dream. If she lost this job, then her only option would be to use her savings to buy a fursuit and try her hand as a streamer on the PoképokéTV website—hoping she could somehow scrape by online.
Because though she panicked around people in person, Kristine could still interact normally online. As long as others didn't come too close, she could manage.
When she first realized she would be working in Petalburg Woods, and that her position was ticket clerk in a practically deserted theme park, she had silently thanked Arceus countless times. Surely the great god Arceus had heard her heartfelt prayers and blessed her with this miracle job.
Thank you, Arceus!
But the moment she saw the two people in front of her, Kristine's heart sank to the bottom.
As an employee of Ghost Films, of course she knew who her ultimate boss was. Edward was one of the most famous second-generation heirs in all of Hoenn, a person of wealth and mystery that everyone in the company gossiped about. Kristine didn't normally care about such things, but she had seen his photos. And now, standing before her was the man himself—her big boss.
Her stomach twisted. She felt certain she was about to lose her job.
A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind. Her "coworkers" had suddenly lost control and rushed to attack the boss. She was supposed to keep an eye on them, but she had failed. In such a case… wasn't being fired the best outcome she could hope for?
"B–boss…" Kristine stammered, legs shaking as she walked closer.
Edward raised an eyebrow. He had noticed her fear-filled eyes the moment she recognized him. At first, he didn't think much of it. But now, seeing her drenched in sweat and trembling like Kristineaf, he realized she was truly nervous.
He glanced at the employee badge pinned to her chest. Her name: Kristine.
Then he turned to Zoroark. Mismagius was still typing frantically, unable to finish a proper message, while the other Ghost Pokémon just bounced around happily as if everything was fine. For the moment, it seemed best to figure out why this employee was acting so strangely.
"Boss, our company does have a rule," Zoroark explained quietly. "The human cashier staff are responsible for supervising the Ghost-type employees, to make sure they behave and don't accidentally harm visitors."
Edward nodded. That made sense now.
He was quite pleased, too. Zoroark had always been a diligent worker, but ever since it had studied under Secretary Kennedy, it had grown even sharper—almost like it was evolving into a true "God of Secretaries." In the past, Zoroark probably wouldn't have even known such a rule existed.
After all, the theme park was never Ghost Films Production main source of revenue. At best, it was a side project for leisure, one Edward rarely paid attention to. Compared to the company's enormous film profits, the park's financial reports were so tiny they were practically invisible. Naturally, Edward had never bothered to learn its internal rules.
Yet Zoroark had memorized even that detail. Edward couldn't help but feel satisfied.
"Don't worry, Kristine. Mismagius just wants to report some work matters to me," Edward reassured her with a smile. If he didn't calm her down now, she might actually faint from fright. What he didn't realize was that her panic came entirely from her social anxiety.
"O-okay…" Kristine wiped her forehead and obediently retreated behind the crowd of Ghost Pokémon. Only when she was out of Edward's direct gaze did she finally breathe easier.
Edward, unaware of her inner struggle, turned back to Mismagius.
[We don't have any guests to scare. Everyone feels uncomfortable.]
That was the single sentence Mismagius managed to type after tapping for ages. Edward's lips twitched, but he didn't complain. At least it had managed to put its feelings into words, even if typing was painfully slow.
"I know. That's why I came—to help solve this problem," Edward said kindly. He explained the solution he had worked out earlier with Secretary Kennedy. Mismagius fell into deep thought, pondering his words.
As for the other Ghost-types?
Edward glanced over—and nearly groaned aloud. They were rolling, tumbling, jumping, even starting an impromptu rave. His scalp tingled. These little guys were far too energetic.
"If not for Mismagius and Q keeping order, they'd probably be trying it already," Edward muttered, rubbing his chin as he met their eager eyes.
Most Ghost Pokémon viewed humans as playthings, delighting in pranks and scares to harvest fear energy. But certain kinds were far more dangerous. The League strictly forbade average trainers from seeking out those high-risk Ghost-types.
One careless mistake, and you could end up cursed—or trapped in illusions. Only veteran trainers were permitted to attempt capturing such Pokémon. It might sound extreme, but it was a rule written in blood and loss.
"So, what do you think?" Edward asked Mismagius.
Mismagius nodded immediately. It hadn't understood everything, but it caught the key words:
More people. Not like now. And they get to be employees.
Which meant—more delicious fear to feast on.
Once Mismagius agreed, the other Ghost-types raised no objections. Edward sighed in relief. True, this meant the current theme park had completely failed. But he didn't feel regret. In this world, the only constant was change.
"Boss, what about these buildings?" Zoroark asked. If they were relocating completely, the park's structures would be left behind.
Edward looked at the silent rides and haunted attractions, memories stirring within him. Demolishing them would cost money, though money wasn't really the issue. No—he had another idea.
"What about turning it into a memorial hall?" Edward suggested. "We could display behind-the-scenes clips, props, make it my personal museum."
Many masterpieces had buildings preserved for posterity. Even if his works were just horror films, why shouldn't he leave behind a monument? After all, constructing this park had taken enormous effort. Simply tearing it down felt wasteful.
"That sounds great," Zoroark grinned, shapeshifting into an anime character and giving him a dramatic thumbs-up. Edward rolled his eyes. This fox watched way too much anime.
"Boss, may I keep working here?" Kristine suddenly asked, her voice timid but determined.
Edward paused. She still wanted to work here?
"There won't be many people, but we'll still need staff to manage the place," he admitted. He had no plans to charge admission—the memorial would be free to the public. But even so, it required caretakers.
"I can do it!" Kristine raised her hand high.
Edward's mouth twitched. The sight reminded him of school days, when teachers called on students who waved their arms frantically.
Still, he agreed. Assigning her here solved the problem neatly. She was already the park's cashier; now she could transition into caretaker. That spared HR the trouble of finding her another position.
With Mismagius's issue settled, Edward departed. He still needed to buy land for the new amusement park. Watching him leave, Kristine pressed a hand to her chest, breathing out in relief.
"Thank goodness… he didn't notice."
Back in his office, Edward tapped his pen, deep in thought about his next film.
Ju-On: The Grudge.
This horror classic was famous worldwide, a masterpiece of pure fright. Its notoriety was such that it had spawned countless sequels: Ju-On: Black Ghost, The Grudge, and even Western adaptations.
"Normally, I'd just choose the classic movie version. But if I remember right, there's also a VHS version," Edward mused, scratching his head.
Considering its fragmented, eerie narrative style, he finally decided—he would shoot based on the original version of Ju-On.
"Ju-On, huh? I have a feeling it'll be trending when it releases." He chuckled, then subconsciously glanced beneath his desk.
Thankfully, it was empty. No Toshio crouching there. No Kayako peering at him from the side.
(End of Chapter)