In the Pokémon world, Pokémon can also work part-time jobs as "working Pokémon." However, since many Pokémon cannot read the League's written language, a special profession has emerged to prevent these working Pokémon from being exploited.
Pokémon notaries are legal professionals specializing in various legal provisions. Any company that signs contracts with Pokémon must hire these notaries to verify the contracts, ensuring they are valid. Otherwise, the company will face heavy penalties from the League. This is one of the League's ways of protecting Pokémon.
The notary carefully reviews the contract to ensure there are no traps or pitfalls that the Pokémon cannot understand. They must also explain the contract to the Pokémon. Overall, it is not an easy job.
"Let me see, your contract..." The girl had already taken the contract and started reviewing it. Vincent Stone was in no hurry and waited patiently.
The girl read the contract while explaining some of its key points to the Mismagius beside her. The Mismagius listened attentively.
Behind it, the other Pokémon slowly gathered around. Various Ghost-type Pokémon surrounded Vincent and his group, with a few Haunter making faces at him.
However, under the Mismagius's control, these troublemakers remained relatively well-behaved and did not cause any disturbances.
"...This contract generally means what I just explained. Do you want to sign it?" The girl looked at the Mismagius and asked. She had finished explaining, and the contract was completely legitimate, with no hidden traps.
As the leading corporation in the Hoenn region, Devon Corporation had no need to use shady contracts to tarnish its corporate image.
The Mismagius nodded and then used its psychic power to draw a strange symbol on the contract with a pen.
"Alright, the contract between Ghost Film Productions and Mismagius is now officially signed." After taking photos for documentation, the notary said with a smile.
Vincent nodded. Now that the contract with the Pokémon in the mansion had been signed, he needed to arrange for furniture to be moved in and a large number of dolls to be delivered to recreate the puppet theater setting from Dead Silence.
Meanwhile, the old butler, James, paid the notary her fee. This expense was covered by the company, but Devon Corporation would not mind such minor costs.
"Young Master Vincent, everything has been taken care of." After seeing the notary off, James walked over to Vincent and whispered.
"Good." Vincent nodded. He had already called the film company to arrange for a team to come and redecorate the mansion. The exterior did not need changes, but some details had to be added to make it clear to the audience that this mansion was Mary Shaw's puppet theater.
Although the mansion already had some horror elements, it was far from achieving the effect Vincent wanted. Special decorations were necessary, and this was the job of the film company's props department.
Fortunately, as a hands-off manager, he only needed to oversee the general direction and filming. The rest would be handled by the company's employees.
Soon, a group of Machoke carried various items into the forest. The leader was a man Vincent recognized—the manager of a moving company in Rustboro City.
However, the sight was jarring. All the Machoke were dressed in maid outfits. The supposedly alluring black stockings were stretched taut over their bulging muscles. Vincent could hardly bear to look.
"Why is this guy here?" Vincent thought to himself, but he still walked over.
Vehicles were not allowed in Petalburg Woods, so everything had to be transported manually. Setting up the theater required a lot of materials, which cost money. Fortunately, his father had given him enough funds to cover these expenses.
"Mr. Stone, the Maid Moving Company is at your service." The man spoke respectfully. Vincent's eye twitched.
The Maid Moving Company sounded like a business involved in risqué activities, but in reality, they were professional movers whose employees were Machoke and Machamp.
"Uh... I know you're the Maid Moving Company, but you really don't have to be this dedicated." Vincent looked at the muscular Machoke and felt his heart skip a beat.
Thanks to this company's antics, maid outfits had plummeted in sales in Rustboro City. People there even disliked maid outfits now because of this company's influence.
Wearing a maid outfit would invite jokes about whether one's muscles were underdeveloped or if they needed more training.
"Mr. Stone, our company takes professionalism very seriously." The man proudly gave a thumbs-up. Vincent took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and decided not to argue.
They were indeed professional. Every time they moved items, they made their Machoke and Machamp wear maid outfits. Too professional.
"Boss, what are your plans for this mansion?" A bald man from the company walked over and asked, glancing at the mansion behind them.
"Turn this mansion into the puppet theater. The Ghost-type Pokémon inside have already signed contracts with me." Vincent waved his hand. He couldn't stand there any longer—just in this short time, he had already seen countless maid outfits stretched to their limits by the Machoke's muscles.
He was worried he might have nightmares about maid Machoke tonight.
"I understand." The bald man nodded. Although the boss had mentioned it over the phone, he needed to confirm to avoid misunderstandings.
"Boss, regarding casting for this film, we've held auditions for these actors. Please take a look." The bald man enthusiastically pulled out several files from his briefcase and handed them to Vincent.
Vincent skimmed through them. The first pages featured actors auditioning for the male lead—all handsome, with lists of movies and TV shows they had appeared in.
Since these files had been handed to him, these actors' performances must have met the standards. The only remaining task was choosing one whose aura best matched the protagonist.
Aura was a somewhat abstract concept. It could also be understood as the first impression an actor gave the audience.
For example, if an actor known for playing a righteous monk like Fahai appeared in a horror movie, the audience's first reaction would be to expect him to defeat the ghosts and demons rather than watch him suffer at their hands.
(End of Chapter)