Within a single sentence, there were several words that would have been censored on national television. It can only be said that it is worthy of being rated as the number one foul-mouthed Pokémon by netizens.
This piqued Edward's curiosity. Typically, Kirlia were known for their calm and elegant demeanor, so how had this particular Kirlia developed such a caustic personality?
After chatting with Headmistress Lillian for a while, Edward left the care center and headed to the company to oversee the completion of Death Silence.
"Boss, what should we do with these clips? Scrap them?" asked a post-production staffer, his hair noticeably thinning, exuding the aura of someone who'd been through many battles.
"Let me see," Edward replied, taking the tablet. The screen displayed various bloopers and outtakes—unusable footage from the filming process.
Though it seemed odd for a horror movie to have bloopers, Edward found it understandable.
For instance, during the shooting of the puppet theater scene where Mary Shaw spoke through a puppet, there was a shot of her extending her long tongue, which pierced through the puppet's head and emerged from its mouth to wave around. For this, Edward had enlisted the help of the Rustboro City Pokémon Stunt Guild, who sent a Lickitung for the job.
But the actor playing Jamie couldn't keep a straight face when faced with the massive tongue emerging from the puppet, leading to an uncontrollable laughing fit.
Edward had no choice but to let the embarrassed Lickitung leave the set. While its tongue was indeed its specialty, seeing such a massive tongue come out of an elderly woman's mouth was truly surreal.
There were other similar moments, too. After reviewing the clips, Edward had an idea.
"Edit these funny moments together and add them to the end of the movie, alongside the credits, as a blooper reel," Edward suggested naturally. However, seeing the confused expression of the staff member, he realized this concept didn't exist in this world yet.
Indeed, movies in the Pokémon world typically ended without any additional content. Features like blooper reels, previews, and post-credits scenes, which had become clichés in his previous life, were entirely absent here.
"Just do it," Edward continued. "Focus on the moments that are genuinely funny, the ones that make you laugh." Edward didn't pay much attention to this concept which seemed very novel in the Pokémon world. It might seem very novel when you see it for the first time, but it would be just like that after seeing it many times.
"Got it, boss!" The staffer gave Edward a look of admiration before rushing back to edit the video.
"Everyone, let's push a bit harder and aim to get the movie submitted for review as soon as possible. Once it's approved, I'll give everyone two months' salary as a bonus," Edward announced. The room erupted in cheers, and the professional manager his father had assigned quickly set the plan into motion.
Afterward, Edward checked on the post-production progress. Subtitles were being finalized, and the score had already been added. It wouldn't be long before Death Silence was ready for the world.
"Boss, do you have any ideas for the promotional campaign?" the manager came over and asked softly.
Edward scratched his head. Though this was his first venture into the film industry, he understood the importance of marketing. In the Pokémon world, countless movies were released each year. Without proper promotion, how would anyone know about his film?
"Keep it simple…" Edward hesitated, then recalled some memorable marketing stunts from horror movies in his previous life. For instance, one movie featuring a prominent puppet had set up a haunted house and hired unsuspecting cleaners to tidy up, only to scare them as part of a prank. The resulting footage was uploaded online, generating buzz and attention.
Because these pranks will be explained afterwards, and a certain amount of financial compensation will be given, and the selection of cleaners is also very particular, there are many people who like to watch such pranks.
"Let's open the puppet theater to visitors for free during this period," Edward decided, adapting the idea. By creating a buzz around Death Silence on social media, his debut film could achieve widespread recognition.
Although there will inevitably be some investment in the early stages, these investments are worth it.
Of course, Edward also planned to stage a prank in the mansion set used for Jamie's father's home. It would involve hiring housekeepers to clean the eerily decorated set.
Edward emphasized safety precautions, ensuring the participants were in good health and that they would be informed afterward, compensated financially, and offered apologies if needed. The scares would also be carefully controlled to avoid going too far.
The manager nodded repeatedly, taking notes and setting the plans in motion. After Edward left, the manager arranged the tasks and reported everything to the big boss, Joseph Stone.
This wasn't tattling—it was simply informing the higher-ups about the upcoming promotional activities.
The next day, Death Silence swept across the Hoenn region like a storm. Advertisements and posters were everywhere, depicting an old, tattered Mimikyu doll sitting alone in a desolate empty theater, an old human hand pressing a finger to its lips in a shushing gesture. Below it was the movie's title: Death Silence.
Edward couldn't help feeling a bit awkward as he stepped outside.
Seeing the widespread advertisements, Edward inexplicably felt embarrassed, but this kind of publicity was actually normal, just like before some big movies were released, there were overwhelming advertisements. Even those who didn't watch movies couldn't escape knowing about them.
"Death Silence? What's it about?" Curious murmurs reached Edward's ears. Pulling out his phone, he opened the messaging app he often used. After opening, it featured a Mimikyu peeking over the edge of the screen staring at him.
Tapping on it brought up options to close or view more. Selecting "view more" revealed a full-screen poster for Death Silence.
"Well, at least this world hasn't invented those annoying ads that requires you to watch 5 secs before you can close it or those that will redirect you to online shopping apps." Edward sighed in relief. Over-the-top promotions could easily alienate audiences.
He shuddered at the memory of ads that popped up uninvited in his previous life. If those existed here, he might've been tempted to drag the creators into his horror movie and have Mary Shaw deal with them personally.
Meanwhile, in a horror movie enthusiast group chat called [Hoenn Horror Movie Lovers Exchange Group] flashed twice.
Edward clicked in and took a look.
[Aspiring Pokémon Master]: "Tell me about it! I woke up this morning, and Death Silence was plastered all over my face. Who's directing this thing?"
[Lickitung, Not Allowed]: "Didn't you check? It's by some new director named Edward."
Edward rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.
(End of Chapter)