"…It really is dark now." Edward looked around and couldn't help but sigh.
The power of Pokémon is truly astonishing. They had turned the entire house and its surroundings into a dark environment, but it also caused some trouble.
The crew was frantically turning on the lights, while some Pokémon were trembling in fear from the sudden change in light and darkness.
They weren't afraid of the night itself, but they feared the presence that could bring about such darkness.
"Boss, the company applied for a [Partial Area Climate Change Permit] with the Rustboro City League Office yesterday, so there's no need to worry about causing any trouble." Zoroark came over and said to Edward.
"Mm, I know." Edward glanced at Gengar with a slightly amused expression.
This guy, Gengar, truly had frightening strength.
But it's fine; it's better to settle it all at once.
"Mr. Gengar, is it okay to use the Rain Dance move in this weather?" Edward asked, looking at Gengar.
Although he didn't know how Gengar had managed this, it was the perfect opportunity to quickly continue filming.
"Of course." Gengar floated beside Edward, its gaze falling on Jigglypuff.
It had read the script and knew that this was the Pokémon it was partnering with for this scene. At that moment, Jigglypuff was curled up in its trainer's arms, nervously looking at Gengar.
The rising fear filled Gengar with satisfaction.
It took a deep breath, absorbing all the fear and panic into its body, then patted its stomach in contentment.
"Let the weather team begin the Rain Dance, a light drizzle will be fine." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, then spoke to Fa Wu, who immediately began instructing the weather team to make it rain.
As the Pokémon used the Rain Dance move, light rain soon began to fall from the sky. Edward quickly filmed the exterior of the house from several angles, then moved on to the main filming.
It was just a matter of a second or two, but the huge disturbance caused by Gengar still made Edward feel a bit helpless.
"Now, let's go over the script. Jigglypuff, you..." Edward called over the two actors and began briefing them. However, when he mentioned Jigglypuff's scene, he noticed that Jigglypuff was already trembling.
Edward paused, then turned his gaze to Jigglypuff's trainer.
Jigglypuff was the trainer's Pokémon, and Edward had seen it in the actor's profile. Jigglypuff was a member of an opera troupe with a background in opera, so it had passed the audition and was invited to join the filming.
But now, before they even started, Jigglypuff was already this scared. This wouldn't do.
"Sorry, Director Edward, let me calm it down." Jigglypuff's trainer quickly apologized, then took Jigglypuff aside, patting its head and whispering something comforting.
Edward shook his head and said nothing.
While there were many careers Pokémon could pursue, there weren't any Pokémon-exclusive movies in this world, so most Pokémon only appeared in commercials. Even in those commercials, the acting requirements weren't high.
As a result, there weren't many Pokémon with good acting skills.
After a moment, Jigglypuff's emotions finally settled.
"Alright, let's shoot the first scene." Edward waved the clapperboard, and the camera, lighting, and props teams quickly took their positions.
Edward looked at the camera.
In the scene, with the faint sound of rain in the background, Jigglypuff, wrapped in a towel, walked out of the bathroom. It hummed a tune while drying its hair, walking down the hallway, and then turned off the lights.
The moment the lights went off, Gengar instantly appeared in the dark hallway.
A strange, distorted figure stood silently in the corridor, and an invisible aura of fear quickly spread throughout the space. Even Edward, who was standing behind the camera, felt a chill down his spine.
Jigglypuff, even more so, could not bear it. The instant it turned around, it let out a sharp scream, shattering the light bulb in the hallway.
"Cut!" Edward had no choice but to call for a stop.
"Mr. Gengar, please tone it down a bit." Edward looked at Gengar helplessly, who was laughing with a wicked grin. From Gengar's gleeful expression, it was clear that it was enjoying itself.
Q was also excited, constantly climbing up and down Edward's body, eager to join in.
However, Edward held it down; this scene didn't involve Q.
"Heh heh, alright," Gengar chuckled ominously, then melted back into the shadows.
Edward waited for Jigglypuff's trainer to signal, then resumed filming the scene.
Coming out of the bath, turning off the lights, and Gengar's eerie figure reappearing in the shadows.
This time, without the aura of fear, the scare factor wasn't as strong.
Jigglypuff looked confused, turning on the lights to make Gengar disappear, then turning them off again for Gengar to reappear.
After a few more rounds of this, when the lights were turned off, a twisted figure with a head made of teeth and eyes appeared next to Jigglypuff.
The light bulb shattered again.
The crew members looked to Edward, who seemed a bit conflicted.
Jigglypuff's reaction was somewhat exaggerated, but it could still be used. After all, the performance of fear varied, and the shock of seeing a ghostly figure combined with the sudden scream after the silence created a powerful impact both visually and audibly.
"Let's keep one take." Edward decided to do another take, and in this one, Gengar wore a different form, still scaring Jigglypuff into a loud scream.
After shooting two more takes, they finally moved on to the next part of the scene.
Jigglypuff, trembling, returned to its room, taping up the lights in the hallway to prevent them from being turned off. But on the bed, it suddenly heard a creaking sound from the hallway, as if someone was walking.
Then, the hallway lights went out.
Jigglypuff quickly hid under the blanket, trembling all over. The hallway was pitch black, with nothing visible except for the flickering bedside lamp, heightening the fear.
Jigglypuff reached out its little hand, trying to plug the loose socket back in.
In the original footage, nothing unusual happened here, but Edward added his own touch.
In the shot, a decaying, mottled hand slowly emerged from beneath the bed, reaching for Jigglypuff's hand. But just as it was about to touch Jigglypuff's hand, Jigglypuff had managed to plug the socket back in, and the hand disappeared in an instant.
The room returned to silence, and the lights in the hallway were on again.
It was as though everything had been an illusion.
Until Jigglypuff peeked out from the blanket and saw the terrifying creature reaching to turn off the light.
(End of this chapter)