Edward stared blankly at the stone in his hand, feeling a bit confused. He had just discovered this stone while tidying up his backpack, but for some reason, he had absolutely no memory of ever picking it up or seeing it before. He had no idea when or how it ended up in his bag, which left him scratching his head in puzzlement.
"It doesn't feel strange to the touch…" Edward examined the stone closely. It was glowing faintly, which gave it a somewhat eerie appearance. Out of caution, Edward had even used a radiation detection device to scan it just moments ago. Only after confirming that there was no sign of radiation did he dare to pick it up.
After all, in Edward's understanding, most stones that glow tend to carry strong radioactivity. If someone were to casually pick one up and bring it home, that would be an extremely risky move—what people might jokingly call asking for a dose of rad-sickness.
But this stone was different. It had no radiation whatsoever, yet it glowed all the same. Its shape was irregular, and its surface was dotted with many tiny, dense holes. It looked vaguely like volcanic rock.
"Should I give this to my brother?" Edward muttered to himself, considering the idea. His older brother, Steven, had a passion for collecting all kinds of strange and unusual stones. Edward himself, however, didn't share that particular hobby, so odd rocks like this didn't excite him much.
"Boss, the phone from the Rotom Company has arrived," Zoroark announced as he walked in. Upon hearing that, Edward casually slipped the glowing rock back into his pocket and turned his attention to the box in Zoroark's hands with great interest.
Rotom Company had acted swiftly with the release of their crossover phone. As the director and screenwriter of One Missed Call, Edward had been gifted the flagship version of the collaborative phone for free—a special edition tied to the film.
"Rotom Company is really putting in the effort. What a unique package design." Edward's eyes immediately landed on the phone's outer packaging. It was shaped like a severed hand, with one finger pressing down on a button. The phone, charger, and other accessories were stored inside a compartment beneath the button.
Edward recognized the reference instantly. This design was based on the iconic scene in One Missed Call where Yoko dies, and her severed hand, in a creepy twist, dials the next victim's number. It perfectly captured the eerie tone of the film and represented one of its most memorable moments.
Edward pressed the button, and the compartment slid open. Inside, a sleek, high-quality smartphone caught his eye. The design looked fantastic, and the materials used were clearly top-tier.
Alongside it was a blood-stained model phone prop, which Edward picked up with amusement and discovered fit perfectly into the severed hand. There was also a small electronic screen that allowed users to input and dial numbers. Combined with the severed hand model, it became a very cool and macabre collectible figurine.
"How much does this flagship phone cost?" Edward asked with curiosity. Phones from Rotom Company were generally not cheap. Their flagship product—the Rotom Phone—was their pride and joy, and each unit housed a specially calibrated Rotom that acted as a smart AI assistant.
"Boss, Rotom Company released three pricing tiers," Zoroark said, adjusting his glasses with its middle finger. Edward gave it a weird glance—where had this guy learned that classic glasses-pushing move? Hadn't it always used the side of its wrist to adjust them before?
"The first is the Youth Edition, which doesn't contain a Rotom. That one is priced at just 2,499 pokedollars," Zoroark began.
"The second is the Standard Edition, also without a Rotom, priced at 8,999 pokedollars. Finally, the third is the one you have—the Flagship Edition, which does contain a Rotom, priced at 16,999 pokedollars," Zoroark finished his rundown swiftly.
Edward couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. That was quite the price tag. Fortunately, the Pokémon world had never had any news about people selling organs just to buy phones… But the mention of kidney sparked a little idea in his mind. Still, it was something he would need to consider carefully later.
"A seventeen-thousand-pokedollars phone? That's pretty insane," Edward muttered, rubbing his face. Still, considering that the phone came with a living Pokémon inside, the price didn't seem completely unjustified.
"Dear user~ I'm your little Rotom assistant~ Let me guide you through your new flagship crossover smartphone~" the phone suddenly lit up and displayed a tiny animated version of Rotom on the screen. Then, to Edward's surprise, the phone lifted off and began floating in the air. It started to guide him through the basic functions with a series of simple minigames.
Edward quickly got the hang of it. The Rotom assistant felt like a much smarter version of the "smart home" systems from his previous life—like a next-gen AI but more advanced.
Edward even began to suspect that the creators at Game Freak must have based Electric-type Rotom's concept on those intelligent home appliances and digital assistants that were starting to rise in popularity in the real world. But since Rotom was a Pokémon, it was naturally much more intelligent.
He even discovered that his Rotom assistant could help him play some single-player mobile games.
"No wonder it's so expensive. Still, I'm really curious how the Rotom Company managed to mass-produce Rotoms on such a scale." Edward frowned slightly in thought. Even though the Flagship Edition was pricey, people were still willing to buy it. But where did Rotom Company get so many Rotoms? Even if they were catching them every single day, it would be hard to meet the demand.
There must be some kind of industrial secret behind it—but Edward didn't dwell too much on it. After all, the Pokémon world's lore had always been a bit spotty in places and only got gradually patched and improved over time.
"Boss, should we go ahead and place the order?" Zoroark asked, remembering Edward had previously mentioned employee benefits.
"Of course. What do you take me for, some heartless corporate overlord? Get everyone in the company a standard version of the crossover phone—one for each employee," Edward said casually. To him, that expense was just pocket change. By improving the employee benefits at Ghostlight Film Company, he could also boost morale and productivity.
And besides, it would help attract more talent. Edward had a small plan: to turn Ghost Films Pictures into the leading film company in the entire Hoenn region.
"Got it, boss!" Zoroark beamed with a wide smile and headed straight for the finance department to initiate the necessary procedures. After Edward gave the final approval, Zoroark could then secure the funds and complete the purchase.
Once Zoroark left, Edward sat alone in his office, deep in thought. The question now was—what should the next movie be?
One Missed Call and the crossover phones were set to roll out soon, which would undoubtedly give the film another wave of popularity. While it likely wouldn't reach the level of hype that Dead Silence once had, it was generating decent buzz online.
Edward understood very well that if he wanted audiences to remember him, he couldn't afford long gaps between projects.
Otherwise, people might completely forget what films he had made in the past.
"Maybe I should go with A Wicked Ghost next?" Edward murmured to himself, recalling a childhood horror classic that had once terrified an entire generation.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: A Wicked Ghost a 1999 Hong Kong Horror Film)