Pokemon: Lord of Fear

[Current Fear Points in Dead Silence: 67,339]

[Redeemable Items Available. Would you like to redeem them?]

Edward sat in his office, lost in thought.

The calculation method for these Fear Points was a bit baffling. Despite a box office of a billion, the Fear Points had only increased by about 40,000.

Nonetheless, Edward decided to redeem something.

[You have received: Basic Cinematic Techniques]

[Basic Cinematic Techniques: Your films will more effectively capture and hold the audience's attention.]

"That's it?" Edward blinked, waiting for additional rewards to pop up, but to his surprise, there was only this one.

Not that it was bad—keeping the audience's attention meant scaring them more easily, which would naturally earn him more Fear Points.

However, the last redemption came with two items; why only one this time?

[Current Fear Points: 24,339]

"So, this one reward cost me 20,000 Fear Points," Edward muttered, glancing at the remaining balance. A quick calculation made it clear.

But with 67,000 points, he hadn't yet reached the next reward threshold. It seemed the next milestone was set at 70,000 Fear Points.

"Time to make some Fear Candy." Edward left his office, planning to prepare some for future use—whether for bartering with Gengar or boosting Q's strength, they were essential.

However, just as he stepped out of the office, he spotted someone familiar.

Ada.

The man was nervously biting his nails and pacing in circles near his workstation. Edward noticed at a glance that Ada was part of the post-production department.

"Boss!" Ada noticed Edward as well. His eyes lit up, and he hurried over, but before he could get close, Hayden rushed out from the office to intercept him halfway.

"It's fine, let Ada come over," Edward waved, curious to hear what this particular employee wanted to say.

At Edward's gesture, Hayden stepped aside but still followed closely. As a precaution, he needed to ensure Edward's safety since Ada was a "special employee" with unpredictable tendencies.

With no suitable place to talk in the hallway, Edward returned to his office with Q in his arms and took a seat in his chair.

"Boss, about the Pokémon Movie project..." Ada began excitedly, wringing his hands and staring intently at Edward.

"We're not making the movie for now." Edward shook his head, causing Ada to look disappointed while Hayden heaved a sigh of relief.

Currently, Edward had no plans to make a niche film due to the uncertain prospects.

Though money wasn't an issue, he wasn't keen on always relying on his father for funding. Moreover, it was unclear whether such a movie would generate Fear Points. If it could, it would be akin to buying Fear Points with money, something Edward wouldn't mind.

"However, we could start with a short film," Edward said with a smile, instantly reigniting Ada's excitement.

"I have an idea," Edward continued, pulling out a project proposal he had casually drafted and handing it to Ada.

With trembling hands, Ada opened the proposal and read the title:

Meowth and Rattata.

Ada kept reading and quickly became engrossed, while Edward leisurely poured himself a glass of water and took a sip.

The concept of Meowth and Rattata was Edward's attempt at a new project. Essentially, it was Tom and Jerry with Pokémon—using Meowth and Rattata, the perfect counterparts to Tom and Jerry.

Initially, only one episode would be produced to test the market's reaction. If it performed well, sequels could follow.

"Boss, isn't this different from Dead Silence?" Ada asked after finishing the short proposal. The content was minimal, with the two protagonists having almost no dialogue and relying entirely on sound effects.

"Exactly. I plan to release one episode to probe the market," Edward explained. He didn't intend to oversee the project himself, as he couldn't clone himself. The short film would be delegated to the company's team.

Meanwhile, Edward would focus on filming Lights Out, a project already cast and ready to shoot.

"Boss, so does this mean..." Ada hesitated, unsure how to phrase his request.

"Leave it to you. Hayden, ensure all departments support Ada with the production. Make sure the music is handled by professionals," Edward said with a smile. Among the staff, Ada was the only one proactive enough to bring up such a suggestion.

Edward was happy to give him a chance. If it didn't work out, there were plenty of other employees to step in.

"Thank you, Boss! I won't let you down!" Ada exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. His loud shout startled Q, who nearly launched a Shadow Ball at Ada's face.

"Got it, Boss. The company will fully cooperate," Hayden quickly added, equally startled by Ada's booming voice.

Edward nodded and left the office.

Back at his empty home, Edward used the Fear Food Maker, spending 5,000 Fear Points to produce five candy.

The moment he finished, Q was already circling him impatiently, making Edward chuckle.

"Here you go," Edward said, giving Q one candy and placing the remaining four on the table.

After eating, Q let out a satisfied sound and lay down contentedly. Edward smiled and stood up, planning to inform Gengar about the new supply. Without fear candies, convincing Gengar to help was no easy feat.

But just as Edward stood, he froze.

He stared at the table in shock.

It was empty—completely empty.

Not a single fear candies remained.

"Did I just awaken a Stand?" Edward muttered, blinking in disbelief. He and Q were the only ones in the room.

Q, still sprawled on the ground, couldn't possibly be the culprit. So, where had the fear candies gone?

Surely, it wasn't a ghost...

"Robert, has any Ghost Pokémon entered the house recently?" Edward couldn't help asking the old butler, only to receive a firm denial.

With the Stone family mansion's top-tier security, no Ghost Pokémon could possibly sneak in.

So what on earth had happened?

(To be continued)