What's the fastest delivery service in the Pokémon League?
No contest—Alakazam Express.
Known for lightning-fast deliveries, Alakazam Express boasts a service where orders placed at 10 a.m. are shipped by 11 a.m. and can reach the local depot by 11:01 a.m. Its unparalleled speed and reliability make it the top choice across the league. The only downside? It's expensive and unsuitable for heavy items.
The farther the delivery destination, the steeper the cost. However, efficiency remains impeccable thanks to psychic teleportation, which eliminates travel concerns.
But compared to the current buzz around Dead Silence, the shipping fees for Alakazam Express seem insignificant.
Soon, copies of Dead Silence were distributed to theaters in cities across the Pokémon League. Posters and release dates adorned theaters and ticketing websites, while the production company announced that one PokéDollar from each ticket sale would be donated to a stray Pokémon charity.
This gesture further amplified the movie's hype. Many viewers, motivated by curiosity or the chance to support a good cause, eagerly reserved their 33 PokéDollar tickets.
And so, the much-anticipated release day arrived.
"I want to see if this horror film can really surprise me," In Vermillion City in Kanto, Julian White, the host of Julian White's Movie Talk who has nearly 10 million followers on the Internet, has already got the movie tickets he had booked and walked into the busy cinema.
The release, scheduled for a Saturday, ensured the theater was packed. Couples filled the seats, and trainers accompanied their Pokémon for a night out. Armed with popcorn and a drink, Julian stepped into the theater.
"Quite the crowd for a horror movie," he mused looking at the packed theater and couldn't help but feel curious.
Horror movies usually don't have that many audiences. Unlike mainstream movies on the market, horror movies have always been a niche movie genre because of their more clichéd "trainer subdues a mischievous Ghost Pokémon" ending, rarely drew large audiences.
The last time Julian saw so many people watching a horror movie was when "My Ghost Bride and I - Gardevoir Special Edition" was released. While its opening day was a success, the poorly executed plot led to its swift downfall.
'As long as I can enjoy the movie, I'll feel that my ticket price is worthwhile.'
Julian sat in his seat with this thought in mind. Soon, the lights in the theater were turned off, and the movie "Dead Silence" officially began playing.
The movie opened with the Ghost Films Production logo: a man wandering through ruins, his eyes catching a ghastly ghostly figure, which transformed into the Ghost Films Production's haunting insignia.
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of this studio," he muttered, it seemed to be the first debut work of a brand-new director and brand-new company.
A cryptic message followed:
"In the League's early days, people believed the dead could speak through the living."
The eerie music accompanying the text sent chills down Julian's spine. He instinctively straightened in his seat, drawn in by the unsettling ambiance.
The first scene featured a woman meticulously crafting a Mimikyu puppet. As the puppet's eye was attached, Julian felt an uncanny sensation—almost as if it were staring back at him.
From the chilling music to the subtle, unsettling shifts in tone, Dead Silence wasted no time establishing its foreboding atmosphere.
The film quickly transitioned to the protagonist, Jamie, investigating a mysterious doll sent to him. Creepy, self-turning mannequins, sudden bursts of sound from a stereo, and abrupt silences heightened the tension. By the time the movie delivered its first jump scare, the theater erupted in gasps and shrieks.
Even Julian, an experienced horror enthusiast, found himself on edge. He admired the seamless transitions and clever camera work that enhanced the storytelling.
'This director has talent' he thought.
As Jamie delved deeper into the doll's origins, the story unraveled, holding Julian's full attention. When Jamie revisited his childhood home, the setting evoked memories of a prank video Julian had seen recently. However, the movie's set design proved distinct, quelling his concerns.
But after Jamie went in, Julian realized that the set was different, which made him feel relieved.
After arguing with his father, Jamie left. As he went downstairs, a figure appeared on the screen, a silhouette of someone's back, causing a small stir in the theater again, because everyone could clearly see that this was Jamie's deceased wife.
Jamie realized it too. He stood in the stairwell, staring at the screen in terror. He turned around, wanting to go back, only to discover that his wife — or at least someone who looked like her from behind — was also standing right behind him.
For a moment, Jamie was caught between going up or down. Then, the figure of his wife slowly turned her head. She stared at him with an indescribable expression — her chin and tongue were gone. The sight shocked Jamie so much that he collapsed to the floor. Just then, as his stepmother approached, the ghostly image of his wife disappeared.
Screams of terror echoed throughout the theater. Some men could be heard gasping for air while forcefully pinching their thighs to avoid crying out. But Julian didn't feel that any of this ruined the atmosphere — after all, he had let out a few screams himself.
When the detective who had fallen was tackled by Mary Shaw and reappeared later in a horrifying state, many people were reminded of those viral jumpscare videos. Still, Julian felt that something was missing.
Watching Jamie burn the final Mary Shaw "Mimikyu" doll, sending her flying backward with a wail, Julian's heart finally began to calm down.
"Although it was brilliant, it still felt a bit cliché — justice always triumphs over evil," Julian thought to himself as he began planning how he would review the movie in his next video.
But then, as Jamie uncovered the truth about his father's identity, that familiar eerie music played once more. All the earlier clues suddenly fell into place — and this twist made Julian's eyes widen in shock.
Julian's eyes widened. "Brilliant," he whispered, floored by the unexpected conclusion.
Dead Silence wasn't just another horror film. With its innovative approach, expert pacing, and shocking twists, it transcended the genre's clichés, leaving audiences spellbound.
And for Julian, one thing was clear: this movie deserved more than just a standard review—it was a cinematic experience worth sharing.
(End of this chapter)