This restaurant served its dishes with remarkable speed.
Edward had only just begun scrolling through his phone when the waitress arrived with their food. What caught his attention, however, was that the one serving the dishes turned out to be a Farfetch'd.
"The food's actually quite good," Edward said, visibly satisfied as he looked at the dishes laid out in front of him. The flavor was impressive, and it was clear from the presentation and taste that the chef had exceptional culinary skills.
Q was also busy eating, using its tail to gently clamp a spoon and slowly feed itself. Zoroark, on the other hand, held a pair of chopsticks in its hands and ate with noticeable dexterity. That said, Edward still had no idea what Zoroark's actual eating habits were supposed to look like.
Once dinner was over, Edward returned to the hotel. He lay on the bed with Q in his arms, skimming through the film script.
He hadn't made many modifications to the script for One Missed Call, mainly because the movie already had a very high scare factor. In Edward's opinion, it was on par with The Grudge in terms of terrifying impact.
As he read over the script, Edward suddenly had the inexplicable feeling that the room had become unusually lively.
Setting the script aside, he laid down fully on the bed and turned his gaze out the window, observing the night view of Levincia City. Then, on a whim, he sent a message to his older brother, Steven.
Before long, he received a reply.
[Steven]: Gimmighoul's coins? That's easy. I remember Geeta once mentioned that those coins go for around 10,000 Pokédollars apiece.
Edward's lips twitched as he read the message. What the heck? Isn't that price a bit too outrageous?
Ten thousand for a single Gimmighoul coin? That would mean that if he wanted to collect enough coins to evolve a Gimmighoul, he'd have to shell out 9.99 million? That was essentially spending nearly ten million just to avoid the hassle of gathering them by hand.
Well, he thought, that's a true "Rich Man" mentality for you. Nearly ten million to skip the tedium of collection—it really was the most elite solution possible.
Of course, if one didn't want to spend the money, they could just try finding the coins themselves. But the problem was that Gimmighoul wasn't exactly the easiest Pokémon to encounter. Searching for it was no walk in the park.
Even when you did happen to spot one in its roaming (Roaming Form) variant, it would often flee in a flash. So, all things considered, the high market price began to make some sense.
Then, another message from Steven arrived:
[Steven]: You planning on catching a Gimmighoul?
Edward scratched his head. Truth be told, he wasn't particularly short on cash—9.99 million wasn't a burden for him at this stage. And Gholdengo, Gimmighoul's evolved form, was insanely strong. Combined with his own stash of Fear Candies, it meant he could potentially raise a top-tier Gholdengo with ease.
Still, before making any decisions, Edward figured he should first visit the Pokémon Center tomorrow. After all, there was a Gimmighoul that had been injured by Q and was now hospitalized there. He wanted to see whether that particular Gimmighoul would choose to follow him or not.
After chatting with Steven for a little while longer, Edward drifted off to sleep, still lying face-down on the bed.
—
The next day, Edward arrived at a cafe near the Levincia City Pokémon Gym. He was here to meet Grusha, the Gym Leader, and find out what exactly he wanted to discuss.
As soon as he entered the teahouse, Edward spotted Grusha sitting in a chair, calmly sipping from a teacup.
He had to admit—even though Grusha was dressed in a different outfit this time, his overall appearance still leaned toward the androgynous side. At a glance, one might easily mistake him for a woman.
"Mr. Grusha?" Edward walked over with Zoroark by his side. Grusha looked up upon hearing his name and offered a polite nod.
"Hello, Mr. Edward. I'm Grusha," he said, quickly standing up and shaking Edward's hand in greeting.
Edward took a seat across from Grusha, while Zoroark, being tactful, chose a spot nearby.
"So, Mr. Grusha, may I ask what this is about?" Edward asked curiously as he regarded the man before him. As far as he could recall, he had never met Grusha before, nor did they have any prior dealings.
"I heard that your Devon Corporation recently launched a new energy vehicle?" Grusha inquired.
Edward was slightly puzzled by the question. He tilted his head, thinking for a moment. Then he recalled a document he had reviewed not long ago—an application regarding Devon's new energy vehicle project being showcased in the Paldea region.
So yes, the car did exist. But what did that have to do with Grusha?
From what Edward knew, Grusha was a former athlete, not a representative of any automotive company.
"There is a new energy vehicle, yes," Edward confirmed with a nod. While he wasn't deeply familiar with every project under Devon, he had personally approved this one.
"Um… I heard that this new vehicle your company is promoting runs on infinite energy derived from life energy conversion?" Grusha asked somewhat awkwardly, glancing at Edward as he spoke.
Edward blinked. What now?
He did have some surface-level knowledge about the vehicle, but he had absolutely no idea that it supposedly ran on something as bizarre-sounding as life energy conversion.
"So, Mr. Grusha, may I ask why you're asking about this?" Edward inquired, his tone more curious than suspicious. He truly couldn't understand why Grusha, of all people, would care about such technicalities.
"I used to be an athlete," Grusha said quietly, his voice subdued. "But after a serious injury, I had to retire. Recently, I heard that life energy might be able to heal old internal injuries…"
So that was it.
Grusha had finally revealed his real purpose.
Edward raised an eyebrow. So that's what this is about after all.
Still, whether or not "life energy" could actually heal deep-seated injuries wasn't something Edward was qualified to say. So, he took out his phone and sent a message to the old butler, who typically handled matters involving Devon's core technologies.
A few moments later, the reply arrived.
[Butler Robert]: I'm sorry, Young Master, but life energy cannot be used to heal internal injuries or old trauma.
Edward sighed lightly as he read the message, then looked up at Grusha with a regretful expression.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grusha. Life energy can't be used to treat internal injuries like the ones you've described," Edward said gently.
He understood full well what sports meant to someone like Grusha. To a former top-tier athlete, being unable to return to the field was like having a piece of your soul torn away. It was cruel, even tragic. But reality was reality. Life energy, despite its mysterious properties, simply couldn't perform miracles.
Grusha looked visibly disappointed, but he still gave Edward a grateful nod. After letting out a long sigh, he turned and slowly walked away, his body heavy with exhaustion.
Watching Grusha's retreating figure, Edward couldn't help but feel a little powerless.
Even in a world as magical as the Pokémon world—where fantastical creatures coexisted with humans, and where miraculous recoveries were often possible—not all illnesses or injuries could be cured. Grusha's damaged leg was one such case.
After finishing the tea in his cup, Edward left the cafe with Zoroark.
With Grusha's matter resolved—at least in terms of closure—Edward now had to focus on the batch of actors auditioning for his new film.
He needed to finalize casting as soon as possible so they could begin production on One Missed Call.
As for Dead Silence, its popularity had recently begun to fade. But to give it a little final push, Edward's team had released a short promotional clip titled Lights Out. That mini-feature helped revive some of the buzz around Dead Silence, but Edward estimated that the film wouldn't be in theaters for much longer.
After all, horror films had always been a relatively niche genre in the Pokémon world.
Unless Edward chose to pay for additional publicity or artificially extend its screening period, Dead Silence was nearing the end of its natural run. But in Edward's eyes, there was no need for that. What needed to be said had already been said.
(End of Chapter)