Inside an office building next to the Cerulean City department store, a burly man in a business suit sat back in his chair, puffing on a cigarette while glancing at the subordinate standing before him. Smoke curled lazily around his head as he asked in a deep voice, "So, how are those two brothers who went out doing? Everything arranged properly?"
The underling grinned and replied, "All done, boss. We've confirmed that there are no cops tailing them, and both of them remain loyal to the organization."
Only then did the man known as Poseidon, nod in satisfaction. That would do. The Pokémon League would never have expected that, instead of going underground, the infamous Team Aqua had chosen this moment to openly register a legitimate company. What's more, they even had real employees working nine-to-five!
Poseidon couldn't help feeling proud of this brilliant scheme. Those League idiots had no clue how clever this "hiding in plain sight" tactic really was. It was the safest kind of cover—so safe, in fact, that they could even file formal complaints about incompetent Officer Jennys from time to time.
After all, they were now upstanding taxpayers!
And when those Officer Jennys received those complaints, they had no choice but to obediently accept them—it was absolutely delightful.
If this were before, Poseidon wouldn't have dared even dream of doing such a thing. Try pulling a stunt like that back then, and the League would've had him locked up in minutes.
"Uh, boss," one of the underlings said after handing him another cigarette, "are we really just gonna keep working like this every day? I mean, no offense, but our company's already sold products worth tens of millions. At this rate, we're gonna turn into professional salesmen!"
At first, when they learned this company was merely a cover, everyone had been thrilled. Operating right under the League's nose? That was exhilarating! But they hadn't expected that the cover would last this long—or that they'd get too good at it. They'd gone from awkward amateurs to polished professionals, and the younger members were starting to wonder if the organization was actually planning to… switch industries.
"For now, yes," Poseidon replied with a sidelong glance, his tone turning serious. "The higher-ups are confirming the location of that ancient super-legendary Pokémon. Once we find where it's sleeping, we'll awaken it. Then we can expand the seas once more."
Of course, Poseidon himself wasn't thrilled about this. Ever since he'd been promoted to an executive, he'd felt less like a criminal mastermind and more like a full-time business manager. Sometimes he even wondered—if he kept this up, would he just become a legitimate company executive one day? Maybe he wouldn't even need to go back to the old life at all.
But orders were orders. This was the mission handed down by the boss himself, so Poseidon couldn't complain. His only task was to maintain stability. And to make sure no one betrayed them, the boss had kept the true location of their base secret. The woman Poseidon loved was stationed there as well—an unspoken means of keeping him in line.
Poseidon sighed, rubbing his temple. "Man… how long is this life gonna keep up?" He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been in a real battle. Every day he just played pretend at work—and the worst part? He was good at it. The boss had even praised him last time for having a "natural talent for business." Poseidon still couldn't tell whether that was a compliment or an insult.
At that moment, invisible waves of resentment began to ripple around them, spreading from person to person like a dark mist. Far away, Kayako was watching the scene with hungry eyes, swallowing hard. So many souls, all ripe for the taking—if she could devour them all, her power would grow immensely. But she remembered Edward's warning and restrained herself.
Patiently, Kayako waited. Edward had said that only when she found the person in the photograph would this matter be resolved. She had already waited a week when, at the end of the month, Poseidon finally left the office building, boarding a ship alone.
After more than ten hours of travel, he dove underwater and arrived at Team Aqua's hidden base. There, he met with the boss, Archie and gave his report.
"These guys are really cautious," Edward muttered elsewhere, massaging his forehead as he read through the intelligence Kayako had submitted. "And so damned good at hiding." He truly hadn't expected them to be this bold. To disguise themselves as an ordinary company? It was absurd.
Even more absurd was the fact that his own Ghost Films Company had actually bought supplies from that same company. Some of their office materials had come from Team Aqua's "business." That meant one of their so-called salesmen had once walked into his office and sold them products! Unbelievable.
Truly, the people in these criminal organizations were talented. Very talented—in their own, very misguided way.
"Well, now we can finally close the net. Thanks for your hard work, Kayako," Edward said with a smile.
Kayako smiled faintly in return. After spending so much time together lately, Edward had almost forgotten that she was once an evil spirit. Standing before him now, she looked no different from an ordinary woman.
Edward organized the files and sent them to his brother. His brother responded with a simple question mark then immediately called. Edward handled the call smoothly, explaining everything. His brother said nothing more, only promising that action would be taken.
Three days later, Edward received word: Team Aqua and Team Magma had been completely wiped out. Both Archie and Maxie were captured. The League had dispatched a team composed entirely of retired Champions to make the arrests, and the operation had been a total success. In that instant, both Team Aqua and Team Magma became history in the Hoenn region.
"I guess that makes me the guy who's wiped out all three major evil teams, huh?" Edward laughed. Indeed, Team Rocket, Team Magma, and Team Aqua, all had fallen at his hands.
The thought reminded him of a movie he'd seen before crossing over—The Pig, the Snake, and the Dog (also known as The Three Evils). The film had been hailed as a cathartic masterpiece, especially that line—"Time's running out." Edward had really enjoyed it; the detailed depictions of the cult in the final act were especially vivid and entertaining.
He thought about remaking it for the Pokémon world, but quickly dismissed the idea. Adapting something like that into this setting would be incredibly difficult.
With that, Edward put the matter aside and turned his attention back to the documents on his desk—plans for the new hospital project.
Originally, he had thought construction was already underway, but when he visited, he found that while the building was complete, it wasn't yet operational. Now, however, the hospital had officially opened its doors. The opening was low-key, with no major publicity, yet because of its unique nature, it had already sparked public discussion and media buzz.
That piqued Edward's interest. He called for Zoroark and, taking Q with him, headed straight to the hospital.
"So many people?" he murmured in surprise upon arrival. Outside, long lines of patients and parked cars stretched around the building. Yet when he checked his phone, the headline read: [Charity Foundation Hospital Faces Cold Reception – Business or Benevolence?] The attached photo showed an empty lobby.
"Well, boss," Zoroark said with a sly smile, "you made the hospital so affordable—of course everyone's flocking here." As Edward's assistant, Zoroark had already studied all the relevant files.
Edward didn't respond. His mood was complicated. Hospitals, in any world, were expensive—and seeing that hadn't changed much here left a sour feeling in his chest.
They parked and entered through the back, with Zoroark casting an illusion to disguise Edward's face.
The hospital was enormous and bustling, filled with noise—nurses shouting directions, patients talking, machines beeping. The overlapping sounds created a chaotic symphony of life.
Nearby, an elderly woman was picking up her prescription. She stared doubtfully at the low prices on the label. "Such cheap medicine… does it really work?" she muttered. But still, she took it. For someone like her, every saved coin meant a few more days of life.
Edward said nothing, simply observing.
He had built this hospital with one principle: find the most cost-effective medicines from every pharmaceutical company—cheap, yes, but still effective. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless.
However, one of Kode's old friends, the current hospital director had advised Edward not to meddle too deeply in drug selection. The pharmaceutical world was murky, he'd said. Better to let professionals handle it.
After all, "pharmaceutical representatives" were more like salesmen than scientists. They donned fine suits and visited hospitals daily, promoting their company's products, hoping doctors would prescribe them more often. Sometimes they even shadowed department heads, quietly paying dinner bills just to build goodwill.
The director, being a veteran, understood these games all too well. So, Edward entrusted him with full authority to choose medicines transparently and wisely.
Judging by what Edward saw today, the man had done a fine job.
The hospital's only real issue was its sheer busyness. The staff practically sprinted through the halls to keep up with the endless flow of patients. Retired Officer Jennys served as security, their sharp eyes missing nothing. Their very presence acted as a powerful deterrent to troublemakers—no criminal organization would dare provoke both the Jenny and Joy families.
Seeing all this, Edward nodded in satisfaction. "No wonder the staff expenses are so high," he mused. "But it's worth it. Once things stabilize, this place will sustain itself."
He spent the entire day touring the hospital, witnessing the diversity of life and suffering within. It moved him deeply.
That night, he remembered another film from his past life—Dying to Survive—a film that couldn't be ignored whenever people talked about Chinese cinema. It was raw, real, and unforgettable, based on true events about people so desperate to live they resorted to fake drugs.
Edward sighed thoughtfully. Perhaps he could adapt that story too—give it a Pokémon-world twist. To do that, though, he'd need to conduct serious research, to find real cases of similar struggles here. Authenticity mattered. And besides, a story like that could earn more than fame it could change people.
"Zoroark, that's your next assignment," Edward instructed. "Find me the data I need."
Zoroark nodded and noted it down. Edward then added the project to his "future production" list. For this one, he already knew who would direct—the same filmmaker who'd handled the Prayer Wall Foundation documentary. They were experienced and emotionally grounded enough for such a theme.
As for himself, Edward wouldn't be directing this time. He had no time. Sherlock Holmes Season 3 was finally finished and approved for release, the Kanto region's payments had been settled, and now it was time for him to begin preparations for his next big film—Inner Senses.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Inner Senses is a 2002 Hong Kong psychological horror film directed by Law Chi-leung and starring Leslie Cheung and Karena Lam. The film explores themes of hallucination, clinical depression, psychological trauma and suicide. It was also the last film Cheung acted in before his death in April 2003.