The reputation of Ju-On: The Grudge has always been rather strange.
Some people believe that Ju-On captured the most essential element of a horror movie—
to be frightening.
But others argue it was nothing more than "horror for the sake of horror,"
completely devoid of deeper meaning.
The debates online were heated and endless.
Even so, one thing was undeniable:
as a horror film, Ju-On was a success.
After all, since the IP first appeared, countless sequels, spin-offs, and TV series had been released one after another.
The commercial value?
Absolutely maxed out.
Even back in the era Edward originally came from,
Ju-On was still spawning TV dramas—
proof that the IP still had plenty of juice left to squeeze.
As long as Ju-On remained scary,
as long as it left audiences with unforgettable images,
new entries in the franchise would never stop.
The only real difference was whether "Kayako" could be bothered to update her murder methods.
…
After parting ways with George,
Edward casually checked into a hotel,
and then began working on adapting the plot of his own Ju-On: The Grudge.
"Since this is the Pokémon world,
I may as well replace the black cat with a Pokémon.
That way it naturally blends into the setting."
Sitting in the luxurious Champion Suite,
Edward tapped thoughtfully at his laptop,
plotting out the adjustments.
"And Kayako should be immune to Ghost-type Pokémon attacks."
He muttered as he typed.
Because if Kayako wasn't immune,
things would get downright hilarious—
like her becoming the dream capture target
of every Ghost-specialist Trainer in the entire League.
She'd be camped and farmed around the clock,
day after day.
Just imagining Kayako being beaten up,
stuffed into a Poké Ball,
and then a Trainer shouting during a battle—
"I choose you, Kayako!"—
made Edward's eyes twitch and his vision darken.
So, in his adaptation, ghosts had "special privileges."
They were immune to all Pokémon attacks.
Would there be critics who jumped out to say that was unreasonable?
Of course.
In fact, back when Edward shot One Missed Call,
similar objections came up.
But with just one line—
"The movie's world-building doesn't have to match reality."
—he shut them down.
After that, no one dared bring it up again.
…
Edward furrowed his brow in thought.
The Ju-On VHS version had laid out Kayako's transformation into a vengeful spirit,
but the timeline was chaotic, fragmented into several storylines.
The iconic scares?
Two main ones.
One: the female ghost with the jaw ripped open turning her head back.
Two: the ultimate classic—
Kayako crawling down the stairs,
her twisted face glaring with malice.
That was one of the few times she appeared in full view.
Most of the time, her presence was fleeting—
a flash, a glimpse, a shadow.
For Edward, adapting this wasn't difficult.
The story already lived in his head.
The only hassle was reworking the black cat into a Pokémon,
which meant adjusting the meowing sounds too.
But which Pokémon would fit?
"Litten?"
That thought popped into Edward's mind.
When Litten was first introduced,
it was ridiculously cute,
quickly becoming a popular choice as a starter.
But its final evolution, Incineroar,
earned it the infamous nickname "the Meme Tiger."
Why?
Because every time Incineroar used Flamethrower,
the attack looked like it was blasting straight out of its crotch.
Still, Litten itself was perfectly suitable—
adorable, catlike,
and similar enough to the original black cat in Ju-On.
Even so, casting decisions still left Edward a little conflicted.
Story-wise, the adaptation was straightforward.
Most of the plot needed little to no change.
Just swap in Pokémon elements,
and it worked.
After finishing his revisions,
Edward felt satisfied with the script.
Now came the casting.
Takeo Saeki? Already covered.
Judge George's appearance was practically Takeo brought to life.
Toshio's role? Easy—
there were plenty of child actors in the Pokémon world.
Even if it was a ghost role,
many child stars would line up for the chance.
But Kayako herself?
That was the real headache.
Her makeup wasn't complicated.
What mattered was her movements.
Blood makeup could be handled by Ghost Films makeup artists with ease.
What Edward wanted was an actress with real yoga skills—
someone who could contort,
crawl,
and twist her body into the eerie forms he envisioned.
"Forget it, let Zoroark handle the recruiting.
There's no shortage of aspiring actors these days."
He sighed.
Originally, he had dreamed of finding someone who naturally embodied Kayako's essence,
but that was asking too much.
Finding a perfect Takeo lookalike was already a miracle.
Expecting the same for Kayako?
Impossible.
"But… the original VHS version of Ju-On might be hard for first-time viewers.
Should I go with the American version instead?"
Edward flipped through his notes.
Yes, there was an American Grudge.
Three films, in fact.
The first one?
A patchwork of classic Japanese scares,
only transplanted onto American victims.
The second?
Similar formula,
adding in a new localized evil spirit.
The third?
Some fresh settings,
even a "Kayako Sisters" double act.
Creative, yes—
but not particularly scary.
Edward suspected the problem was his own overexposure.
After watching Ju-On so many times,
Kayako no longer terrified him.
If anything,
she seemed almost… cute.
The key difference between the Japanese and American versions?
Scare density.
The U.S. films packed in more jump-scares,
more small scenes,
more frequent shocks.
Whereas the original leaned heavily on atmosphere and storytelling.
In the end, Edward decided to stick with the VHS version.
Otherwise, the sequels would be harder to plan.
Satisfied, he checked the Saeki family scenes again,
along with the "unlucky victims."
Everything looked fine.
He sent the casting requirements to Zoroark,
tasking it with sending invitations to suitable actors.
Then he glanced at his Fear Points:
[Alien: 63,369]
"Not bad for the first day.
But still no lottery trigger?
Guess the bar keeps getting higher…"
Fear Point accumulation had sped up dramatically,
probably thanks to his Master-level Cinematography.
The stronger the immersion,
the more the audience feared.
But Edward wasn't fully satisfied.
"As expected… monster movies are harder to make truly terrifying.
Ghost stories just have a natural edge."
Stretching lazily,
he lay down on his bed.
The thing he was most curious about now was the lottery system.
What kind of rewards would it eventually hand out?
Would his films someday actually drag audiences into the movie worlds themselves?
That would be fascinating.
"Still… there's one detail."
Edward frowned.
In the American Grudge 2,
Shimizu Takashi had added a new backstory—
explaining why Kayako was so overwhelmingly strong.
Viewers always wondered:
Why was she invincible?
Why couldn't her victims' ghosts rise up to take revenge?
The U.S. sequel explained it:
Kayako was born into a shamanic family.
Her mother was a powerful medium.
When people possessed by evil spirits sought help,
her mother would extract the spirits—
then drip them into young Kayako's mouth.
Kayako bore their torment in their place.
Over the years, she became a vessel,
a walking collection of grudges.
While alive, she managed.
But after being brutally murdered by Takeo—
dying unjustly—
all that hatred fused with her own,
turning her into an unstoppable curse.
Her terrifying power came from childhood,
from swallowing those countless spirits.
The VHS version never explained this.
Edward decided to hint at it,
in the form of a diary entry.
A subtle setup for Ju-On: The Grudge 2.
With that settled,
his mood brightened.
In the Pokémon world,
there wasn't yet a standardized "evil spirit" archetype.
If he introduced Kayako now,
she could very well become the nightmare figure of this world.
"Once Ju-On is filmed,
Kayako might become this world's nightmare goddess…"
Edward rubbed his hands in excitement.
If Ghost Films could establish such an IP,
they'd have another lucrative franchise.
Of course, given Kayako's… brand image,
he doubted many companies would line up for collaborations.
Yawning,
he drifted into sleep.
But as Edward slumbered,
a Darkrai quietly descended.
It had smelled a thick, intoxicating aura of fear and nightmares.
Darkrai's favorite flavor.
Hovering over the city,
it scanned below.
Indeed—many people and Pokémon were dreaming.
But what puzzled it was this:
far too many of them were having nightmares.
Normally, a handful of nightmares was expected.
But an entire city?
That was only possible if Darkrai itself had unleashed its power.
Yet this time, it hadn't.
Curious,
Darkrai's eyes fell upon the top floor of a luxury hotel.
The dream there was strange.
It radiated a nightmare's essence,
but… looked like a sweet dream.
Intrigued,
Darkrai glided closer
and stretched out its hand to touch.
The moment it did,
it was pulled inside.
Within the dreamscape,
Darkrai found itself in a peculiar house.
Two floors,
quiet and ominous.
It tried to fly—
but couldn't.
That was a first.
Never before had it been bound inside a dream.
Just as it considered leaving,
a sound drifted down from upstairs.
Curious,
Darkrai climbed.
At the top, it found a door.
Opening it revealed a cabinet and a diary on the desk.
Darkrai ignored the diary.
The sounds above were more compelling.
It slipped into the cabinet,
listening.
Strange clattering noises.
The sound of crawling.
But Darkrai realized something unsettling—
it couldn't fully sense the dream.
Very unusual.
Climbing higher,
it reached a trapdoor.
The attic was pitch-black,
impenetrable even to Darkrai's eyes.
It groped around and found a lighter.
Human technology.
With a flick,
the flame ignited,
illuminating the attic.
Darkrai turned—
And saw her.
Kayako.
Her face pale as death,
streaked with blood,
her body crawling unnaturally close.
For the first time in ages,
a surge of raw fear gripped Darkrai.
It screamed—
And Kayako dragged it away.
(End of Chapter)