"Zoroark, how is the filming progress of Meowth, and Rattata coming along?" Edward asked the Zoroark standing beside him while lifting Q onto the table — the little guy was thirsty.
Edward had even prepared a water cup specifically for Q.
"Boss, based on the progress I checked yesterday, everything is going quite smoothly. The filming is nearly complete," Zoroark replied after glancing at the data in his hand, then handed Edward a file.
Edward took it and gave it a glance. The document contained several stills from the movie, and right on the first page was the iconic scene where Meowth performs a split to chop down a big tree. The sight made Edward burst into laughter.
Although this was not the first episode in the original Tom and Jerry-style animation, Edward had deliberately chosen this one as Meowth and Rattata's debut in the Pokémon world. Naturally, it was precisely because of that iconic "tree-splitting" scene by Meowth.
(TN: Don't really remember Tom and Jerry anymore, so I don't if this is correct scene.)
An iconic scene like that could greatly enhance the audience's impression of a film or a work.
"This was done with special effects, right?" Edward asked, eyeing the image of Meowth's exaggeratedly stretched legs. Although he was sure it was a special effect, he couldn't help but confirm it with Zoroark.
"Yes, Boss. These effects were handled by the Pokémon Special Effects Company. The big tree was pre-cut, and Ditto was transformed into Meowth's form to perform the split. Then, they modified the eyes in post-production to finish the scene," Zoroark replied with a faint smile. It had visited the set itself and ended up really enjoying the production.
Although it was quite different from the horror movies Edward usually prioritized, Meowth and Rattata clearly appealed to a broader audience.
Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Originally, the filming of Meowth and Rattata had been a test — to see how such a project would fare in the market. But now, Edward's thoughts were beginning to shift.
Perhaps... he could adapt even more excellent works from his past life into this world, allowing people in the Pokémon world to witness a different side of cinema.
"Boss, an employee from the company submitted a proposal," Zoroark said, pulling out another file and handing it to Edward.
Edward took it with a curious look. As Zoroark served as his secretary, many documents passed through its hands first. Only those it deemed worthwhile would be passed on to Edward. Anything incoherent or nonsensical would never make it this far.
[Why Can't We Use Same Names]
"The name of this employee?" Edward paused in confusion. "There's actually someone in the Pokémon world called that?"
"Boss, that's just their online username," Zoroark coughed slightly. Edward nodded — that explained it.
However, once he began reading the proposal, his expression turned strange.
Well now — someone was proposing to shoot a horror film starring a Pokémon, filled with revenge, suspense, and thriller elements? And it even specifically recommended using Farfetch'd as the lead character. The reasoning? Because Farfetch'd had been hunted almost to extinction due to being delicious and conveniently carrying its own seasoning — a fitting motive for revenge.
"Now that I think about it… that's actually not a bad idea," Edward said, rubbing his chin again.
This immediately reminded him of a classic film from his past life — and its subsequent TV adaptations.
The Silence of the Lambs.
The iconic villain, Hannibal Lecter, had left such a lasting impression on audiences that it eventually led to a standalone TV series, Hannibal, as well as films like Hannibal Rising. Among them, the TV series especially became a cultural phenomenon.
Quotes like:
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
And:
"I'm giving serious thought into eating your wife."
— became viral online memes, along with hauntingly elegant background music used in cannibalistic scenes, all carrying a unique and memorable flavor.
And as for Farfetch'd — a Pokémon nearly hunted to extinction because it was simply too delicious and conveniently came with its own seasoning — it had only been saved from total eradication by Pokémon League intervention and legal protection for endangered species. Its population had only slightly recovered in recent years.
So, imagine a setting where a single Farfetch'd seeks revenge — or perhaps, after witnessing its family being consumed by humans, it becomes psychologically twisted and starts consuming other Farfetch'd, Pokémon, and even humans. This would, in fact, mirror the essence of Hannibal quite well.
A vivid image suddenly flashed through Edward's mind:
A Farfetch'd, elegantly slicing ingredients with a kitchen knife — preparing dishes made from humans, Pokémon, and even its own kind.
Then raising a glass of wine.
"Before we begin the banquet, I must inform everyone… tonight, there are no vegetarians at this table."
"Of course, that would require the Pokémon to have extremely expressive eyes," Edward murmured as he held the proposal in his hands. He had to admit, this employee had a very creative idea.
However, Farfetch'd was quite small, and being, well, Farfetch'd, it would be a challenge to make it appear frightening to a human audience. This would place great demands on the Pokémon's acting ability.
Its facial expressions couldn't match the complexity of human actors — so the performance would have to rely heavily on voice and eye expression to construct Farfetch'd's sinister persona.
As for the name "Scallionibal"? Scallion sure knows how to host a dinner party?
"Emmm… might as well just stick with 'Hannibal'," Edward concluded. "As for why a Farfetch'd would be named Hannibal — well, in the world of Pokémon, anything goes when it comes to names."
Edward tucked the proposal away carefully. The concept was definitely viable and well-suited for a suspense drama. The only unknown was whether it could generate any fear value.
While Edward wasn't desperate for fear value, getting more wouldn't hurt. After all, fear points could be used to create Fear Candies, or exchanged for Gengar's assistance — and who knows, perhaps even Giratina's help in the future.
"Hm. Let that employee know this proposal is very good," Edward instructed Zoroark. "Tell him the company will issue a bonus. Also, ask if he has any interest in being a director — or in writing the script."
Zoroark nodded and noted everything down.
Having temporarily set aside the Hannibal project, Edward began to think about where he would shoot his next film.
Strictly speaking, Rustboro City wasn't a bad option. After all, the Puppet Theater there was the location he planned to convert into the hospital set for his One Missed Call adaptation.
But then Edward remembered something his older brother had told him before.
"Paldea, huh?" Edward's expression turned thoughtful.
Paldea — yes, he knew of it. The new region introduced in Scarlet and Violet. There were quite a few champion-level trainers there, and also — a mysterious Great Crater where paradox Pokémon from the past and future might appear.
Though this particular detail hadn't been mentioned in any official Pokémon League news, so the general public remained unaware.
"Alright then. I'll head to Paldea for now. As for the hospital scenes, I can return to Rustboro later to film them." Edward made up his mind. The filming location for One Missed Call would be set in the Paldea region.
(End of Chapter)
(AN: As for balancing the roles of Pokémon and traditional entertainment, I will do my best to maintain a proper balance. The protagonist's golden finger will serve only as a supporting tool — he has no interest in becoming a Champion or League Master, so there will be very little focus on battle scenes.)