Edward could only look helplessly at the Gardevoir standing before him. This troublesome fellow had originally been brought back by Edward himself. At the time, he had thought that leaving Gardevoir with Headmistress Lillian might soften her personality a little, at the very least curing her terrible habit of cursing every other sentence.
But who would have thought that after such a long time, Gardevoir's foul mouth still showed no sign of improvement?
Yet the moment Gardevoir saw Edward, her face turned red. All those vulgar words spinning in her mind vanished at once, and she instantly fell quiet. Headmistress Lillian gave her a rather strange look, while Edward himself didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
A second later, Gardevoir vanished from in front of Edward's eyes altogether, teleporting away. Mightyena, standing nearby, gave a few helpless howls before trotting off after her.
"Although Gardevoir is still like this, if other people are present, she does restrain herself somewhat. Most likely, she just didn't notice you standing there just now. As for Mightyena, it probably ran off to look for her," Headmistress Lillian explained after clearing her throat.
Edward nodded. To be honest, he really wanted to laugh, but looking at Gardevoir's blushing face, he forced himself to hold it back. She was already pitiful enough. If he laughed outright, she might truly be so embarrassed that she'd refuse to come out at all. That was just the sort of personality she had.
Still, Edward hadn't expected Gardevoir and Mightyena to be on such good terms. Even though both had now evolved into their final forms, their bond remained just as close as ever—inseparable, really. It even surprised Edward a little. After all, Dark-type Pokémon like Mightyena usually weren't well-liked by Psychic-types.
It wasn't about discrimination or looking down on them. It was simply that Psychic-types tended to dislike the aura of Dark-types, and normally avoided them.
"It's good that she at least restrains herself in front of others. By the way, Headmistress Lillian, has anyone expressed interest in adopting Gardevoir yet?" Edward asked curiously.
Adoption was always a tricky matter. It wasn't as simple as someone walking in and taking a Pokémon home. The League had extremely strict requirements for adoptions. There were procedures, reviews, and background checks.
The orphanage also had to carry out follow-up visits with the adopters, though not as frequently as in Edward's past life with cats and dogs—where inspections might occur weekly. Here, it was usually once every six months or a year.
So yes, adopting was a cumbersome process.
But still, there were always people willing to go through it. As far as Edward knew, Gardevoir was an immensely popular Pokémon. Surely there would be no shortage of people wanting to adopt her.
After all, this was Gardevoir—one of the most beloved Pokémon of all. Many adored her. Even Edward himself quite liked her. But since most of the Pokémon he currently trained were Ghost-types, he had given up the thought of adopting her himself.
"At the moment, no one is willing to adopt Gardevoir," Lillian said with a helpless sigh. "Some people have come before, but they all ended up being cursed at until they left. It seems she has no intention of being adopted."
Edward nodded again. That was indeed troublesome. For Headmistress Lillian, this must have been quite a headache.
After all, if the Pokémon itself refused, it was impossible to force it to recognize a stranger as its Trainer. Edward could only imagine how frustrated Lillian must feel.
What was worse, once potential adopters spread word that "Gardevoir loves to curse people," the League would gradually lower her profile in the adoption system. Eventually, they might even remove her from the list entirely. At that point, Gardevoir would end up becoming Lillian's Pokémon by default.
"Edward, about the previous incident… you don't have any problems on your end, do you?" Lillian asked, her eyes resting on him.
Edward shook his head. What problems could there be?
He knew perfectly well what Lillian was referring to—Kendall. That fellow had been unbearably arrogant before. But after Edward had Zoroark and the others make their move, Kendall was finished. His livestream account was banned, all the products he had been promoting demanded compensation, and even his undergarments had been stripped away in lawsuits.
Many influencers, once banned, became frantic. The root cause was always the same—liquidated damages. They were massive, often enough to bankrupt someone completely, leaving them not just penniless but in debt.
Edward, however, couldn't care less. If Kendall hadn't been so obnoxiously over the top, perhaps he could have continued to live a comfortable life. But he had jumped too high, played with fire, and burned himself.
Now, he was probably somewhere scrambling to pay off his debts. And if he couldn't? That was his own problem. Edward felt no sympathy for him.
After playing with Salamence for a while, Edward took his leave. He still had other matters to attend to.
Just then, his phone rang.
"Boss, Alien is about to premiere. Do you want to come to the company?" It was Zoroark calling.
Only then did Edward realize that the release date had already arrived. After Alien premiered, he planned to attend the awards ceremony for Buried to see whether he could snag a few trophies.
"All right. I'll head back now. Oh, and book me a ticket to Unova as well," Edward replied.
Not only did he want to submit his films personally for consideration—showing respect for the award—he also intended to take the opportunity to enjoy some of Unova's famous local snacks. He had heard about them long ago, and his appetite had been whetted ever since. While his father was still alive, he wanted to seize the chance to travel around a little.
"Alien premieres today? That feels a bit soon," muttered a man in the Unova Region. His name was George, and he was one of the judges for the upcoming sci-fi film awards. He was holding a movie ticket, waiting in the VIP hall of a cinema.
As a judge, George could have simply waited to receive the original film sent by Director Edward Stone. But he knew perfectly well: the experience of watching a movie in the theater was completely different from watching it at home or in the office. The theater's equipment was more advanced, more professional, and the atmosphere far superior.
It was like how, even though computers were now common in every household, some people still preferred to go to internet cafés. The energy and shared atmosphere made gaming more exciting, more passionate. The same principle applied to cinemas.
So yes, watching a movie in a theater was better. Especially now that different cinemas even had specialized halls. And since Alien was an R-rated film, many were curious—what exactly had Edward filmed that made it warrant such a restriction?
After all, his previous works like Buried, Dead Silence, and One Missed Call hadn't been R-rated.
"Judging by this turnout, it seems the crowd is quite large," George noted, smiling slightly as he observed the packed theater. He was genuinely looking forward to Edward's film, though he also carried a hint of scrutiny. After all, this year's award theme was "science fiction," not "horror."
The issue was that almost every film Edward had directed had horror elements. Even his Sherlock Holmes series, under his hand, carried traces of the macabre. Online, there were even polls ranking which episode of each season had been the scariest.
"Dear, when is Director Edward going to release Sherlock Holmes Season 3? I'm a huge fan of Jessie, James, and Meowth—the three of them are amazing!" a girl behind George asked her boyfriend excitedly.
Her boyfriend looked embarrassed. How could he possibly know? The production of Season 3 depended entirely on Edward's whims.
George nearly laughed out loud when he overheard. Fans weren't the only ones impatient for the next season. The Galar League itself was even more anxious. Every time Edward filmed a new Sherlock Holmes season, it doubled as a massive advertisement for Galar.
For example, the luxury express train featured in Season 2 had now become a popular tourist check-in spot. Tickets for the train were expensive, yet it still became a must-visit attraction. That said everything about the show's influence.
"Meowth is just the cutest! Wait—are you also a Meowth fan?!" another girl jumped into the conversation. Soon, the two were chatting nonstop.
George wasn't particularly fond of eavesdropping, but with the crowd so large—even the VIP lounge was full—he couldn't help overhearing.
The two girls went from gushing about Meowth's performance, to praising James's, then Jessie's. Before long, they were debating ships—one shipping Jessie with James, the other insisting on James x Meowth. Their argument over who was the "true main partner" left George amused and exasperated.
Indeed, the biggest change in Sherlock Holmes Season 2 had been the introduction of the trio— Jessie, James, and Meowth. George had watched that episode and remembered it vividly. The three phantom thieves cooperated to steal a treasure, only to cause endless comedy. In the end, they escaped scot-free.
The most outrageous part was that no one died that entire episode. For a Sherlock Holmes story, that was extremely uncharacteristic. Still, George had laughed a lot. Afterward, he worried about the ratings. Yet when he checked the fan reviews, the episode had scored shockingly high.
James
Rating: 9.7/10"Not handsome, but such a gentle rich kid. Love, love, love him.""Sure, James never steals the treasure, but those magic tricks of his are just too fun!""No deaths? That means these three actually resisted the Grim Reaper!"
George agreed. James's character was extremely vivid: a rich heir, portrayed so convincingly it felt as if the actor really was one. It left a deep impression.
Jessie
Rating: 9.5/10"I'll admit, at first I thought Jessie was just a delinquent girl, maybe just eye candy. But after watching—Jessie is my goddess!""Jessie x James… if they don't marry, it'll be such a waste.""Please get married right now! Thank you!"
Meowth
Rating: 9.9/10"Just the fact that he can talk makes him unbeatable. Who could possibly refuse a talking Meowth? Not me.""Funny, agile, and vital to the team. That scene where he rolled and dodged the infrared beams? Too cool.""The only flaw is that he isn't shiny. Otherwise, perfect."
Just then, the broadcast announced the start of Alien. Relieved to be freed from his involuntary rewatch of Sherlock Holmes Season 2 through fan chatter, George stood up and entered the theater. He found his seat and settled in.
After a few trailers, the screen lit up with Ghost Films unique opening sequence.
"Ghost Film Productions… Director Edward really has pushed every other studio right to the edge of a cliff," George murmured with a touch of awe.
In recent months, the film industry had been dominated by a single question: when would Ghost Film's new technology finally be released to the broader market? Every director and screenwriter who had seen Buried had been unable to let go of that thought.
As a critic and judge, George clearly understood how groundbreaking this technology was. It wasn't just innovation—it was a technological revolution that shook the entire film world. No one would be able to remain unaffected.
George personally didn't mind—he wasn't a filmmaker. But he had heard plenty of rumors. Many companies resented Edward deeply, desperately wanting his technology. But since he refused to share it, there was nothing they could do.
As his thoughts wandered, the movie began in earnest. George immediately focused, eyes glued to the screen.
And soon, he felt something strange. It was as if he were being pulled into the film itself, becoming one of the crew members aboard that eerie spaceship.
The ship was in flight. The crew was celebrating, relieved to have finally completed the mission assigned by their company. Now, they could return home. But to make the journey back, they would need to enter cryogenic sleep pods.
Cryogenic sleep pods?
What were those?
George frowned in confusion.
(End of Chapter)