"Director Edward, may I have your autograph?" Giovanni took out a movie poster and handed it to Edward. Edward paused for a moment when he saw the poster—it was for One Missed Call.
"Of course, that's no problem." Although slightly surprised, Edward still took the poster and signed his name on it.
But inwardly, he was quite curious. He really hadn't expected Giovanni to be watching his films. Then again, thinking about it carefully, it wasn't all that surprising. After all, even though Giovanni was a Gym Leader—and secretly the boss of Team Rocket—he was still human. And like all people, he had emotional and psychological needs.
So, it wasn't strange that Giovanni liked watching movies. Edward's own brother Steven loved digging for rocks. The famous movie-star Champion next door enjoyed acting in films. Cynthia was an archaeology enthusiast. Edward had even heard that Lance liked playing video games, and had once allegedly gotten into a heated online argument that led to an in-person Pokémon battle. Lance himself never admitted this, and the Indigo League denied it outright, but the story had since become a popular urban legend on the internet.
"Director Edward, I was wondering when you're planning to start filming your next movie? When the time comes, would I be able to make a guest appearance in it?" Giovanni looked at Edward with great interest.
Now this truly surprised Edward. He could accept that Giovanni watched horror movies, but he never imagined Giovanni would actually want to act in one?
This suggestion threw Edward into deep thought. Could Giovanni participate in a film? As things stood now, there was no problem. Currently, Giovanni was still just a respected Gym Leader. His true identity as Team Rocket's boss hadn't been exposed yet. If he appeared in a film, it might even help boost the popularity of Edward's movies in the Kanto and Johto regions, where Giovanni was highly regarded.
Who in Kanto or Johto hadn't heard of Giovanni of the Ground Type Gym? Some fans even joked that Giovanni should be made one of Kanto's Elite Four.
And even if Giovanni's real identity was exposed in the future, it wouldn't necessarily harm the film—on the contrary, it could actually cause it to blow up even more.
After all, we'd be talking about a movie featuring the actual leader of Team Rocket. Who wouldn't be curious to see what kind of film he had starred in? It was like in Edward's past life—if a certain notorious male actor suddenly appeared in a movie, Edward would definitely search online to see it.
That's the power of celebrity appeal.
"Sins of commerce… since when did I start viewing things so much through a business lens?" Edward reflected on himself inwardly. Still, looking at the eager expression on Giovanni's face, he nodded in agreement.
Giovanni had managed to hide his identity under the League's nose for so long, which clearly meant he was skilled in the art of deception—acting should be no problem for him.
Giving him a minor role or a background part wouldn't be an issue.
And with Giovanni involved, maybe some other notable people would be willing to make guest appearances too. In the movie industry, this kind of thing was fairly common—especially when scenes were interconnected.
For example, a cameo where someone drives a car and accidentally hits a friend could attract quite a few people willing to appear for free just for the fun of it.
Some might even bring their own trucks. With Giovanni acting, maybe even some other Gym Leaders would be drawn in.
"That's no problem at all. But Mr. Giovanni, I'm afraid you won't be able to play a lead role." Edward looked at Giovanni seriously. He was planning to cast Giovanni in the role of the first character to die in A Wicked Ghost. It wasn't a large role, and the screen time was short, but it left a strong impression on the audience.
"Hahaha, Director Edward, just being able to appear in one of your films is already a great honor for me," Giovanni replied with a hearty laugh. Edward had only directed two films so far—Dead Silence and One Missed Call—but both had already cemented his status as the undisputed king of horror films. Not one of the kings—the king.
Giovanni's favorite way to relax was watching horror movies. His daily schedule was filled with pressure and responsibilities, so horror films were one of his few outlets. He had even joined a Kanto-based horror movie fan group chat, though he rarely spoke in it.
Looking at Edward, Giovanni was starting to feel tempted. Maybe he should join the Hoenn horror film fan group too. That way, he could stay updated on news about Edward's upcoming projects.
After chatting with Giovanni for a while longer, Edward's phone buzzed with a new contact—Giovanni's private number.
After Edward left, Giovanni and Roxanne resumed their leisurely stroll through the streets of Rustboro City.
"Team Rocket, huh…" Edward was now lying on the large bed in his home, staring at his phone while thinking about Giovanni and the organization he led.
As the original major villain team in the Pokémon series, Team Rocket was still incredibly popular. But most of that popularity stemmed from the lovable, iconic trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth. If you looked at the entire Pokémon anime series, Giovanni and the other Rocket members didn't even come close to matching the trio's screen time.
But if anyone thought Team Rocket was only about that comedic trio, they'd be sorely mistaken. The organization hadn't become the largest villainous group in Kanto—and even Johto—just by relying on bumbling antics.
"Now that Giovanni's identity hasn't been exposed yet, then the most likely major development for Team Rocket in the near future would be the creation of Mewtwo, followed by the associated subplots..." Edward mused thoughtfully.
The birth of Mewtwo was practically inevitable. Edward remembered that Mewtwo had originally been created on New Island, but he wasn't sure if the same location applied here. After all, there were many small islands around Kanto, and without a map, pinpointing the exact one would be difficult.
But the real problem would come after Mewtwo's creation. The Pokémon world contained multiple timelines and parallel universes. For instance, the later emergence of the "Rainbow Rocket" storyline came from one such alternate universe, where Giovanni had successfully captured Mewtwo and went on to establish the ultimate villainous organization.
That version of Team Rainbow Rocket included Archie and Maxie, who had captured the Hoenn duo legendaries, as well as other major villains from across the series. It was a massive villain crossover that heavily leaned into nostalgia, and although it was a bit of a cash grab, it worked.
"Mewtwo, huh…" Edward rubbed his temples. He hadn't even finished sorting out the mess in Hoenn yet, and now Mewtwo might be coming into play? Still, judging from Giovanni's behavior, nothing drastic seemed likely to happen in the immediate future. Once Giovanni officially stepped down as a Gym Leader and resumed his true role as the boss of Team Rocket, that would be the time to start paying attention to Mewtwo.
For now, Edward just wanted to finish dealing with the chaotic situation in Hoenn.
"Hmm? A new member joined the group chat?" Edward's phone buzzed. He opened it and saw a notification from the Hoenn Horror Film Enthusiasts Association group.
The new member's username was "Mr. R," and their profile picture was a pitch-black image.
Edward was one of the group admins, but before he could even investigate, one of the other moderators had already approved the request. Edward didn't think much of it.
He'd seen far weirder before—once, someone had joined using Lance's name and profile photo. When asked, they admitted they were just a hardcore fan of Lance.
(End of Chapter)