(TN: Looks like we miss the filming of Inner Senses.)
"Corey, you… you didn't secretly team up with Director Edward, did you?"
The woman finally couldn't hold herself back anymore. She had never seen something so absurd before—so absurd that she couldn't even tell anymore whether she was the one being ridiculous or if it was Corey himself who was the real joke here.
Corey covered his face and rubbed it tiredly before removing his glasses. He leaned back against his chair with a dazed expression. His emotions at the moment were indescribably complicated. After all, Director Edward's new movie had once again coincidentally ended up in his review pile. At this point, Corey no longer knew whether his luck was unbelievably good or just utterly cursed.
Strictly speaking, Director Edward was quite a prolific filmmaker, but making movies still required time. Normally, one might only encounter his work once or twice a year, three times at most. Yet somehow, without fail, every single time Edward submitted a film for review, Corey just happened to be the one on duty.
"Sigh, enough complaining. Let's go to the screening room and see what kind of film Director Edward has sent this time."
The bald, middle-aged man beside him sighed helplessly. Since the situation had already happened, there was really no way to avoid it.
And since it couldn't be avoided, the only thing left to do was accept it with a smile. Thinking that way made the middle-aged man feel a little better.
"What kind of film do you think this is? Inner Senses? That name sounds… kind of strange."
The woman quickly snapped out of her frustration. Sure, running into Edward's films again might be unlucky, but in her mind, it was still better than sitting through those boring, sleep-inducing flops they usually had to review.
"It reminds me of an old film—Cube, I think. Could it be something similar?" the middle-aged man mused curiously. Corey, however, wasn't so optimistic.
"Honestly, if you look back at Director Edward's works, aside from Buried and The Truman Show, which were clearly award-contending dramas, almost all his other films are horror films. So, I'd wager this one's a horror flick too." Corey sighed.
Indeed, Edward's only pure drama films were Buried and The Truman Show. Both were masterfully done, with scripts written by Edward himself—proof that he had tremendous skill in that genre.
Unfortunately, Edward had this inexplicable obsession with shooting horror movies. And for his coworkers, it was… well, a bit exhausting to deal with.
The woman's lips twitched. Of course, she knew all that. She just wanted to convince herself there was no reason to be afraid—at least, not until the movie started. But soon, the lights in the screening room dimmed, and the movie began.
Inner Senses proceeded quite smoothly under the lead actor's performance. The film's carefully crafted suspense kept everyone in the room holding their breath.
The tension peaked when the heroine was frightened by those sudden jump scares, and again when the male protagonist after losing his mind—finally came face-to-face with the ghost.
That eerie, uncanny figure even appeared in crowded places, a sight that made the veteran reviewers shiver. Though the film's ending seemed to hint at a self-redemption of a mentally ill patient, no one could say for sure what was real or not. Still, given that a professional psychologist had been hired as a consultant, the panel classified it as a horror film.
However, since Edward had previously received the Medal of Valor, it wasn't labeled as adults-only. Not that anyone minded—Edward's horror films weren't just scary; they were terrifyingly scary. Kids almost never went to watch them.
And the few that did? They'd walk out of the theater screaming and trembling, faces pale, vowing never to "watch again." Watching Edward's horror films had even become a popular method among parents to scare misbehaving kids into behaving. That alone spoke volumes about how legendary Edward's reputation was in the horror genre.
"I just hope I won't have to—" Corey began muttering automatically, then stopped midway. He was about to go on vacation, meaning he wouldn't have to review films for a while and he didn't want to jinx himself.
Since Edward had just finished one movie, there likely wouldn't be another for some time. The thought relaxed him a little—he just wanted to finish today's work and go home to rest.
"Approved? Then upload the trailer," Edward instructed later. "And make the teaser lean more toward the psychological angle—no horror scenes at all… ah, actually, forget that. End it with the heroine opening the fridge, and a pair of legs appearing beside her."
"Got it, boss," Zoroark replied, hurrying off to handle it. Edward, meanwhile, held Q in his arms and guided Fortune through the process of handling company paperwork.
"Arceus! I swear to Arceus, I've had enough of this!"
Over on the streaming site PoképokéTV, a man with a perfectly symmetrical fifty-fifty face ratio was pounding on his desk in rage, shouting like a wild animal. His mouth opened wide as if ready to devour the world itself.
[Hahaha, I'm dying! Tomato's streams are always this entertaining!]
[This guy's 'mom-content' ratio is through the roof!]
[Oh, Arceus above—is this even a livestream anymore? Can I kick that guy's butt with my boots?]
[But for real, though, occupational dramas these days really are getting worse and worse.]
[Facts. It's like these writers can't handle a story unless they throw romance in it somewhere.]
"Brothers, I seriously don't get it!" Tomato ranted on. "Why does every doctor in these shows have to get caught up in love triangles while treating patients? Why does a surgeon abandon an operation halfway just because his love rival said something about his girlfriend? Why?!"
He finally closed the webpage in frustration. He just couldn't stand these brainless screenwriters anymore. It was as if they believed no movie could work without a romantic subplot—utterly suffocating.
"I'll say it—at least 80% of all occupational films that involve romance are garbage!" Tomato declared seriously.
[Don't be too harsh. There are still a few good ones.]
[True, but the dumb writing really is everywhere.]
"Fine, let's prove it. We'll look up some of these occupational films right now," Tomato said, opening his browser. As a professional video commentator, he was an expert at digging up resources. Soon, ratings from major review platforms appeared on screen. Unsurprisingly, most of the so-called "occupational" films scored below 5 out of 10—nearly all criticized for their terrible, forced love stories.
[Hey, look! Ghost Films just dropped a new movie trailer!]
Tomato perked up immediately, clicking the link. It was the official account of Ghost Films, and the latest upload read—
"[Inner Senses – a film about a psychologist and his patient]."
Tomato's face instantly twisted.
[HAHAHA, I'm dead! Another doctor film! Tomato's about to lose it!]
[If it weren't for the upload time, I'd think this was staged just for his stream!]
[Bet there's romance in it too!]
"Now, to be fair," Tomato said, regaining composure, "I actually like Ghost Films. Partly because I'm a fan of Director Edward, and partly because, to this day, Ghost Films' never released a low-rated film. Their production quality is top-tier."
[True, their works are all hits—like Sherlock Holmes, Buried, The Truman Show… absolute masterpieces.]
[They've got money. Buying good scripts must be easy.]
[Lol, all those great scripts were written by Edward himself!]
[Rich, talented, and handsome—husband material!]
Tomato ignored the comments and focused on the trailer. The teaser was short, centering on a charming actor playing a psychologist and a beautiful female patient, with heavy hints of emotional tension. Tomato couldn't help rolling his eyes.
He'd grown completely allergic to the combination of occupational and romantic plots. But he could still see what Ghost Films was doing—they were clearly positioning this as a premium psychological film. The brief flash of a leg at the end of the trailer, however, made him sit up straight.
That moment startled him.
"Well, damn. Definitely another horror movie," Tomato murmured. "Though the whole psychologist-and-patient setup feels… questionable." He didn't want to jinx it—after all, plenty of famous directors had ruined their careers after taking a bad creative turn.
[Psychology + horror? Watch it end with the patient hallucinating everything.]
[Yeah, I remember when some regions banned supernatural stuff, and every 'ghost' turned out to be a delusion.]
[It's gotta be that again.]
The comments filled the chat.
"When it premieres, I'll go see it and do a review for everyone!" Tomato decided. As a loyal fan of Edward, he wasn't going to miss this.
[Tomato, what do you think of the new year's movie lineup?]
Soon, the chat's topic drifted elsewhere. After all, Inner Senses hadn't hit theaters yet, so all they could do was wait.
During that time, Edward stayed busy—taking care of his Pokémon, supervising ongoing film projects, and offering script guidance to other directors who consulted him. Among those was the highly anticipated Batman: The Dark Knight, which had officially entered production.
Interestingly, the most talked-about issue on set was the casting.
"Boss, what do you think of this actor for Batman?" asked Director Roda, the man in charge of The Dark Knight. Edward's lips twitched—sure, he was the boss, but did they really have to ask his opinion on everything?
Still, he glanced over the file. The candidate was handsome, well-built, with solid acting skills—and even an award-winning background.
"Looks good. What about the Joker? Found anyone yet?" Edward asked, suddenly remembering the film's pivotal character.
The Joker was, without question, the soul of the movie. In the Batman mythos, the character hadn't originally been such a brilliant madman—it was through later reinterpretations that he evolved into the chaotic genius fans knew and loved. Edward personally adored the idea of Batman having such a fated nemesis.
In fact, in The Dark Knight, the Joker practically was a co-lead. A villainous protagonist of sorts. If played well, the character could easily steal the spotlight.
"Boss, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Roda said. "I'm torn between a few candidates. Here are their profiles."
He handed over a stack of documents. The list was full of accomplished actors, but none truly satisfied Edward. The late Heath Ledger's performance in Edward's previous life had immortalized the Joker—his portrayal had become iconic. It was a tough act to follow.
Edward sighed regretfully. Not every world had a Heath Ledger, just like not every world had a Jim Carrey.
"Boss, I also checked with some circus performers from the Hoenn region. A few have played clown-like roles before," Roda added quickly, sensing Edward's dissatisfaction. He produced another folder with more profiles.
Edward smirked. "You've got someone specific in mind, don't you?"
Roda scratched his head, laughing. "You got me." He handed Edward one particular resume.
"This one's really good," Roda said enthusiastically. "His performance as a clown was mesmerizing. Great range too."
Edward looked at the photo and paused for a moment—then chuckled softly. "Well, what do you know… maybe this is fate."
"Invite him for an audition," Edward decided. "If he can deliver, go ahead and shoot."
And with that, the casting was set in motion.
(End of Chapter)