Pokemon: Lord of Fear

"Boss, today is the shooting date for Lights Out." Edward, holding Q, quietly glanced at the suited Zoroark beside him. He still wasn't quite used to seeing the usually serious Zoroark in a formal outfit.

However, Zoroark had indeed been performing well in the secretary role—efficient, experienced, and with a perfectly organized schedule.

"Alright, are the actors and the set ready?" Edward walked quickly down the hallway of the company. Today was the day for shooting Lights Out, and Edward was feeling a little excited. He was curious to see whether this short film could be accepted by the Pokémon in this world.

If he could collect fear points, Edward could start offering a special Pokémon version of films.

"They're ready," Zoroark responded, walking in step behind Edward.

Edward nodded. Now, all that was left to do was contact Mr. Gengar—after all, it was Gengar who would star in this special Pokémon version short film.

Just the thought of Giratina, whom Edward had seen through the camera earlier, made his expression slightly strange.

He hadn't expected Giratina to be after his ghost candies. This was something Edward hadn't foreseen.

As a result, now when he made these candy cubes, he only dared to make one at a time, quickly handing it to Q after finishing it. Otherwise, if they were left out, Giratina might just take them in a moment.

"Reverse World." Edward sat in the car, still thinking about Giratina, while Zoroark, the driver, focused on the road.

Yes, Zoroark had a driver's license.

He even had a license for driving large vehicles like trucks.

"Boss, are we heading to Petalburg Woods?" Zoroark, driving the car, couldn't help but ask.

Edward looked up at Zoroark. Through the rearview mirror, he noticed Zoroark's expression seemed a bit peculiar.

"Yes, why? Do you have acquaintances there?" Edward smiled and asked in return.

Zoroark had been his secretary for only a day, but in this short time, Edward had already sensed a certain mystery about this new subordinate.

"No, not at all," Zoroark shrugged, but then suddenly transformed into a completely different appearance.

A strong, authoritative woman's figure.

Before Edward could even ask why the sudden change, Zoroark rolled down the car window.

"What the hell is wrong with your driving?!" Zoroark screamed sharply, and Edward's lip twitched.

Who would've thought that Zoroark was actually a hot-headed, experienced driver?

Thankfully, after yelling, Zoroark returned to driving calmly, his appearance once again that of the suited secretary.

Edward rubbed the two fear candy cubes in his pocket, feeling the rough texture under his fingers, which gave him a sense of relief.

At least the candy cubes were still there; if they weren't, things would get troublesome.

Zoroark glanced at Edward through the rearview mirror.

"Boss, we're here at Petalburg Woods." Edward looked out the window, and sure enough, they had arrived.

Zoroark was quite capable—he could work and drive. The salary seemed well-spent.

They got out of the car, and Edward, holding the candy cubes, entered the forest.

As soon as they stepped inside, Edward saw countless pairs of blood-red eyes opening from the shadows of the trees, staring intensely at him.

"Hehehe~ Edward, are you going to film that short film now?" Countless shadows shot out and quickly merged in front of Edward, transforming into Gengar.

"Yes, this is the reward I promised you." Edward took the two candy cubes out of his pocket and handed them over.

Gengar eagerly took them, extending its tongue to pop them into its mouth.

It closed its eyes in enjoyment, savoring them for a while, before opening its eyes again.

"These candy cubes you made are delicious~" Gengar happily hopped to Edward's side, its huge body creating a strong sense of pressure. But then, it stopped and tilted its head, eyeing Zoroark, who was holding the schedule.

"Hmm? Who's that old butler beside you?" Gengar asked, its eyes glowing mysteriously. Its neck suddenly elongated like a snake, wrapping around Zoroark once before turning back to Edward.

"Grandpa Robert is going to get something today, so I asked my new secretary to drive." Edward smiled. He was curious if Gengar could figure out Zoroark's identity.

If Gengar couldn't tell, then Zoroark's skills were impressive.

"Hehehe~" Gengar let out a strange laugh. Then its eyes flashed with purple light. The next moment, Gengar nodded knowingly, and Zoroark gave it a nod in return.

"Interesting~ Hehehe~ Truly interesting~" Gengar laughed happily, rubbing Q's head before jumping directly into Edward's shadow.

Edward glanced at Zoroark with confusion. What did Gengar mean by that? Had it figured out Zoroark's identity?

Zoroark flashed a toothy grin at Edward.

Edward scratched his head, but didn't think too much about it. He and Zoroark headed directly to the shooting location for Lights Out.

"Boss, the actors and the set are ready." A figure hurried over, waving to catch Edward's attention.

"Mm, is the weather team ready?" Edward asked while looking at the house in front of him.

It was a very ordinary house, but that didn't matter. After all, the budget for this short film was very low—practically no budget at all.

In his previous life, Lights Out had mostly been filmed at home. The props and set design didn't matter much. The only things that needed special preparation were the ghostly shadows after the lights went out and the lighting setup.

"We're ready," the figure said, pointing to the back where several elderly people were standing with Poké Balls in hand.

"I remember—it needs to be dark, right?" Just as Edward was about to start preparations for filming, Gengar's voice came from his shadow.

Edward looked at the sky. It was still daytime, but they could always film the exterior at night and focus on the interior setup for now.

"Yes, it needs to be night, but..." Edward was about to say something.

Gengar suddenly let out a sinister, eerie laugh.

Immediately, it crawled out of Edward's shadow, twisting its body. Boundless darkness spread from it in all directions, and in an instant, it enveloped the entire house.

Edward stared in shock.

"Now, it's dark."

(End of Chapter)