"Did the glass shatter?" Edward looked at the bedroom window, now shattered, then glanced at the embarrassed Jigglypuff and its trainer.
As expected of Jigglypuff.
"It's fine, it's fine. We'll remove the sound in the final cut," Edward waved his hand dismissively, not too concerned about the broken window glass. If it was shattered, it was shattered.
However, seeing Jigglypuff's appearance did give Edward a bit more confidence inside.
If Jigglypuff was scared to this extent, he wondered if the Pokémon would be frightened once the film was uploaded online after the lights were turned off?
"No, wait, posting it online won't work. After all, not many Pokémon use the internet. Maybe I could offer a free screening," Edward mused, looking at Jigglypuff.
Getting Pokémon to see the film wasn't easy. After all, not all Pokémon were on the internet. But perhaps he could try free screenings, or even advertise on building billboards in the city, on screens, etc.
He could even assemble a professional outdoor screening team to show the short film in areas where wild Pokémon were abundant.
"Hmm?" Edward had an idea. He took out his phone and simultaneously had Zoroark start preparing for the next scene. A group of human actors would soon arrive to shoot the human version after the lights went out. With this dual approach, he could increase the fear factor as much as possible.
Edward opened his phone and entered the "Hoenn Region Horror Movie Enthusiast Group Chat."
[Is a Yandere Illegal?: "Car repairs require skill. Fixing it too fast doesn't work, and fixing it too slowly also doesn't work. The repair must have a rhythm, only then can you fix the car problem. You should also carefully check the headlights."]
[One-san: "Yandere Master! I've realized!"]
[Dead Silence Water Supply: "I hope you're talking about car repairs!"]
As soon as Edward opened the group, he felt as if he had just been run over by a speeding Wuling Hongguang.
"As expected of a Yandere, this guy openly posts lewd content in the group every day. Fortunately, there's no Officer Jenny in the group, otherwise, I'm sure they'd be sent for tea in no time," Edward rubbed his face, which seemed to have tire tracks on it, then couldn't help but complain.
He couldn't resist picking up his phone and performing his one-finger zen.
[For the World's Horror Films: "Yandere, why have you been silent for the past four or five days?"]
[Is a Yandere Illegal?: "Because I found a cute blue kid, and he invited me to squeeze several days of milk from a big milk tank~"]
Edward's lips twitched. "As expected, it's you."
Are you sure you were squeezing milk from a milk tank? Why does it seem like your milk is a bit weird? Something doesn't quite seem right here.
[For the World's Horror Films: "I remember there's someone in the group working at the Pokémon League Management Office?"]
Edward decided to get down to business.
[Lemon: "I'm here."]
Seeing the messages in the group, Edward clicked on the person's profile and chatted with them for a bit, then put his phone away.
Edward thought for a moment as he looked at the busy crew members. He had just asked Lemon if it was possible to show films and shorts to wild Pokémon, and the answer he received was that, theoretically, it could be done.
After all, the management office didn't have any regulations stating "prohibiting films or shorts for wild Pokémon," so since there were no prohibitions, it should be fine.
"So, that means I really can show the film to wild Pokémon?" Edward felt a bit tempted, but he would have to wait for the editing of Lights Out to be completed first.
However, for this editing work, Edward only planned to oversee it. The detailed work would be handled by the company's post-production team. After all, it was just a short film under three minutes long, and he only needed to share his ideas with the employees.
"Boss, the actors are here," Hayden soon reported, bringing a human actress into the studio. She was a middle-aged woman who didn't look particularly remarkable, but her acting was solid. She had even appeared in some television dramas.
Edward recognized her. She often played roles in heart-wrenching urban dramas. Whenever he saw her, he knew she would be the one suffering the most in that drama.
"Hello, Ms. Lovely," Edward greeted politely. She was quite the veteran actress, and it was a pleasant surprise to have her join his short film.
"Director Edward, your movie Dead Silence was amazing!" Lovely smiled, her eyes nearly disappearing, and she even pulled out a Dead Silence poster to ask for his autograph. Edward was both amused and helpless. He never expected this actress, Lovely, to be one of his fans.
No wonder she had agreed to appear in this short film.
But perhaps it was also to expand her range as an actress.
This time, Edward didn't have Gengar play the ghost. Instead, he had the props team custom-make a terrifying doll. This way, the doll could later be added to Petalburg Woods' puppet theater, giving visitors a more thrilling experience.
After all, if they kept using the same tricks, visitors would get bored.
With Lovely's outstanding performance, the human version of Lights Out was soon completed. Next, it was time to finish the editing work. Edward left the editing of both short films to the company's post-production team, who confidently said they could finish the editing today. So, Edward decided to stay for a while, then took the Pokémon version of Lights Out with him.
As for the human version, Edward left it with Hayden, asking him to upload it online once the buzz around Dead Silence died down, in order to continue boosting the film's popularity.
The higher Dead Silence's box office, the more money Edward could donate to the Abandoned Pokémon Organization.
"Boss, you don't have any appointments this afternoon," Zoroark said, following behind Edward. Upon hearing this, Edward waved his hand, telling Zoroark to leave work for the day, then hurriedly walked out with Q.
"This boss is really… interesting~" Zoroark smiled, watching Edward's retreating figure. It then transformed into a blonde-haired woman, humming an unknown tune as it left the company.
Edward, on the other hand, headed for Headmistress Lillian's Pokémon Care Center.
Upon arrival, Edward noticed a crowd gathered outside.
"What's going on here?" Edward walked over in confusion and squeezed through the crowd. He saw people discussing the notice posted at the entrance of the care center.
"Isn't this the Abandoned Pokémon Care Center? Why can't we adopt an abandoned Pokémon?" a few people said unhappily. Edward glanced at them.
(End of Chapter)