[Why is it sunny on one side of Hoenn and pouring rain on the other?]
[Breaking! The legendary Pokémon have appeared!]
[I just logged in and saw Groudon fighting Kyogre…]
Unsurprisingly, the trending searches online exploded. Everyone was curious as to why such a phenomenon was happening. Some people in Sootopolis had even managed to record footage of Groudon and Kyogre battling each other—instantly igniting the internet. After all, these weren't just any Pokémon; they were ancient legendary Pokémon, immensely powerful Pokémon known to every citizen of Hoenn through myths and stories passed down for generations.
"Boss, is that person in the video… you?" Zoroark pointed at a blurry figure on the screen. Edward glanced at it, then calmly shook his head.
"That's my older brother, Steven." Edward said indifferently. His own figure happened to be blocked behind Steven's, which was quite the coincidence but honestly, it worked out perfectly. Edward had no desire to become famous as some so-called "savior." Being a savior meant actually saving the world, and that was far too dangerous. How could he live a carefree life as a happy, rich second-generation heir if he was constantly busy saving the world? People might even think he'd signed up to play Iron Man or Batman in real life.
Compared to those two superheroes, however, Edward's family life was warm and complete—something he felt genuinely grateful for.
Perhaps it was due to "character setting" or narrative convention, but both DC's Batman and Marvel's Iron Man shared a tragic similarity—their parents had died young. Bruce Wayne had witnessed his parents' murder firsthand, a trauma that reshaped his entire being. Tony Stark, on the other hand, only learned the truth behind his father's death later in life.
"But Boss, you were definitely there, right?" Zoroark insisted confidently. Edward nodded slightly. Of course he had been there—Groudon had appeared, after all. It wasn't surprising that Zoroark could tell, since it had also taken part in the battle in Sinnoh and was well aware of his connection to Groudon.
"Boss, was Kyogre cool?" Zoroark asked eagerly. Edward paused for a moment, then nodded with a faint smile.
"Both Groudon and Kyogre were incredibly cool. But in the end, Rayquaza came out to stop the battle." Edward said, still smiling. Zoroark fell into thoughtful silence, while Edward turned back to the editing screen in front of him.
The filming of The Ring had finished, but Edward still had other work to handle—mainly editing the final cut. This editing process was going to be trickier than usual.
In most of his previous movies, normal editing was enough. But The Ring had relatively few horror scenes, most of which were concentrated in the latter half. That created a challenge—how to keep the audience engaged through the first half of the film without weakening the pacing.
If the first half dragged too much, audiences might lose interest before reaching the good parts. No matter how brilliant the latter half was, it would be meaningless if viewers dropped out early. Edward understood this perfectly, which was why he personally took charge of the film's editing. The Ring relied heavily on psychological horror, and expressing that effectively was a serious test of skill.
To achieve the desired effect, Edward even hired a psychologist as a consultant—part of his effort to make the movie as flawless as possible.
"Oh, by the way, Boss," Zoroark said as he entered the room, holding a clipboard, "there are quite a few audience members asking when Season 4 of Sherlock Holmes will be released."
He handed over a report compiled by the customer service department of Ghost Films. The number one most common feedback item on the list was:
"When will Sherlock Holmes Season 4 start filming?"
Just seeing it gave Edward a headache. Of course, he wanted to shoot Season 4 but the problem was that he hadn't figured out the script yet.
Season 4 was supposed to be about Sherlock Holmes versus the Malamar, culminating in the Malamar's capture and the introduction of the real final boss—Professor Moriarty. On paper, the plot sounded simple: Holmes uncovers and defeats the Malamar, only to realize he's just a pawn for Moriarty.
However, in most original Sherlock Holmes stories, the direct confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty wasn't described in great detail. Usually, bits and pieces of Moriarty's schemes were sprinkled throughout different cases, with Holmes gradually revealing through dialogue that Moriarty was the true mastermind. Eventually, the two "died together" at Reichenbach Falls… though Holmes later returned alive.
And how exactly to write that—that was what had been giving Edward a migraine for weeks.
"I got it. I'll think about it," Edward said, rubbing his temples before scanning the rest of the report.
The second most common question was:
"When will actor Daniel appear in a new movie?"
Edward actually knew the answer to that. Daniel was currently shooting a suspense thriller—perfect for his style.
The third most frequent question caught his eye:
"How can we apply for assistance from the Prayer Wall Foundation?"
Edward frowned slightly. Were that many people really asking this? Still, he wasn't too concerned; the customer service team could handle that question easily enough.
Only the first two required his attention—the first because he hadn't decided when to film, and the second due to confidentiality, since Daniel's project was under another studio's contract.
Thinking about it made his head ache again. Still, an idea struck him: if the Sherlock Holmes script was too hard to develop, maybe he could pivot to another detective-style series or hire an outside writer to help.
"Handle the rest of the editing as I told you," Edward instructed Zoroark. Then, taking a deep breath, he began brainstorming ideas for the Season 4 script.
Drawing inspiration from a certain young detective's anime movie and some crime cases involving forensic experts, Edward managed to draft the first two episodes. The third, however, was crucial—it was the turning point where Holmes captured the Malamar and uncovered Moriarty's existence.
He spent the whole afternoon mulling it over before finally deciding to create an original case—one based on the real-life serial killer who had once horrified the entire United States: The Green River Killer.
The real Green River Killer's name was Gary Ridgway, born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His childhood was miserable; his mother was controlling, and he frequently witnessed violent conflicts between his parents. Those experiences planted deep psychological scars. As a teenager, he exhibited violent tendencies—arson, cruelty to animals and even once nearly stabbed another boy to death. Later, he worked as a truck painter.
Ridgway became one of the defining templates for modern serial killer profiles. Researchers found a common pattern among such killers—traumatic childhoods, emotional neglect, and psychological distortion which gradually evolved into a recurring theme across countless crime films.
But Ridgway's case was more disturbing than fiction.
Starting in the 1980s, Ridgway committed numerous murders around Seattle, primarily targeting prostitutes and homeless young women, most under twenty. He would strangle his victims, then dump their bodies along or beneath the Green River that ran through the city. Most horrifying of all—he often returned to the dump sites, violating the corpses even as they decayed.
Naturally, the authorities took notice, but the technology of that era was limited, making it impossible to catch him.
It wasn't until the early 2000s that advances in DNA analysis finally led to his arrest. But even then, due to the lack of sufficient evidence, he initially avoided conviction. Eventually, prosecutors struck a plea deal with him—Ridgway confessed to forty-eight murders in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, receiving life imprisonment without parole instead.
Investigators, however, suspected he hadn't told the full truth—there were likely many more victims he never confessed to. Even so, the forty-eight confirmed cases were enough to secure his place among the most infamous killers in history.
Edward decided to use this case as the backbone of his new plot—allowing Sherlock Holmes to trace the trail of the Green River Killer in order to find the Malamar's hidden hand.
While Edward was immersed in writing, far away in Kanto, a man was walking toward a building labeled "Pewter City Mental Hospital No. 1." He held a voice recorder in one hand, eyes glinting with deep contemplation.
"According to what I've gathered, the brother and sister who tried to blackmail Edward both 'committed suicide' after developing severe mental disorders… and now this guy Michael has also gone insane. Is this just coincidence… or something else?" the man murmured.
His name was Royce O'Neal, an investigative journalist who had once been quite promising. But after exposing a major food safety scandal, he had been forced into "vacation leave" under corporate pressure.
Unable to sit idle, Royce began pursuing more unusual stories— nd that was when he stumbled upon a curious case. A brother and sister had reportedly suffered mental breakdowns after watching Edward's film The Grudge. They had initially attempted to extort Edward but ended up claiming that the vengeful ghost Kayako was haunting them.
Intrigued, Royce started digging deeper. But before long, his investigation came to an abrupt end—both siblings were found dead, ruled as suicides.
Something about it didn't sit right with him. Royce had met plenty of people with mental illnesses; he could tell when someone was pretending. These two weren't. They had genuinely believed something was after them. Other than the Kayako hallucinations, they'd seemed completely normal.
So, when another person, this Michael suddenly exhibited the same symptoms, Royce knew he had to investigate.
After filing the proper request, he was granted an interview with Michael inside the asylum.
Michael's eyes were filled with unspeakable fear as he began to recount what happened.
"It was… an ordinary night," he said softly. "The lights in the ward flickered. Everyone else was asleep except me. Then suddenly… I felt a coldness wash over me, like a pair of invisible hands reaching out from the darkness… trying to touch my throat."
His voice trembled. "I'm sure of it… that woman was my ex-girlfriend, Joy."
Royce said nothing. He'd read the report and knew who Joy was. What intrigued him more was whether this was truly supernatural or psychological.
"I was terrified," Michael continued. "I saw her… floating in the air, glowing faintly. Her face was twisted, but I knew it was her."
He had tried to scream, but no sound came out, as though something had sealed his voice.
Royce frowned deeply. In the Pokémon world, ghosts did exist that much was certain. But this was a psychiatric hospital. Delusions and hallucinations were to be expected. Perhaps it was trauma, guilt, or the fear of the unknown manifesting through the subconscious.
And yet… the sheer conviction in Michael's eyes made Royce hesitate.
"Do you think this has anything to do with Director Edward?" Royce finally asked.
Michael shook his head slowly. "No… I think it's karma. If I hadn't done what I did, I wouldn't be seeing Joy now. It's retribution, Mr. Royce. Those who do evil will be haunted by evil spirits."
He gave a bitter smile, eyes empty yet strangely peaceful. He had already accepted his fate. If not for his own sins, Joy would still be alive. All he could do now was spend the rest of his life repenting.
"..." Royce scratched his head. "Why does this feel like something out of a movie?"
Still, he couldn't shake the thought that Michael's condition had begun after watching Edward's film—though others who had seen it seemed unaffected. Perhaps Michael's own guilt had manifested as a psychological projection of the curse in The Grudge.
"Yeah… there's no way a film could really drive people insane," Royce muttered under his breath. "I'm definitely overthinking this."
(End of Chapter)