The news that Ghost Films Pictures was preparing to shoot a new short film quickly spread throughout the Special Actors' Guild in Rustboro City. However, the number of audition requests Ghost Films Pictures received was not particularly large.
The main reason was because of Edward's very specific casting requirement this time—he only needed a single Spearow for the lead role. The problem with that was, not many people had actually caught a Spearow. After all, Spearow's potential was considered fairly limited, and there were simply too many other, better choices for Flying-type Pokémon. In the Hoenn region, for example, many trainers preferred to raise Swablu, the unevolved form of Altaria.
Swablu was also a Flying-type Pokémon, and once it evolved, Altaria would gain Dragon-typing, which made it a powerful combat choice. Even if not used in battle, it could still serenade listeners with its enchanting voice, making it a beloved companion.
But even though not many people trained Spearow, when the actual auditions rolled around, there were still ten special actors with Spearow who came to try out for the role.
"Boss, are we looking for acting skills in this one?" Zoroark stood by Edward's side, asking with a hint of uncertainty. Zoroark knew very well that his boss had a particular fondness for Pokémon and actors with strong acting abilities.
"Nope. No acting skills required this time—the worse the acting, the better," Edward replied casually while flipping through the audition materials in his hands, catching Zoroark off guard for a moment.
Why was the requirement different this time?
As Edward looked through the audition applications, he noted the attached photos and listed prior works of the Spearows. Unsurprisingly, most of them had little to no acting experience, likely due to the Pokémon species itself. This lack of experience, however, suited Edward's needs perfectly.
This time, what Edward wanted to shoot was a short film styled like a documentary about a Spearow surviving in the wild. The key detail was that he wouldn't inform the Spearow or its trainer about the upcoming scare. Instead, he would simply let it fly around freely, and at the right moment, let Gengar jump out to give it a good scare. That way, they might just capture a genuinely startled reaction.
This was precisely why Edward was looking for a Pokémon with no acting ability—Pokémon with poor acting skills were easier to frighten, and those raw, instinctual reactions were far more convincing to other wild Pokémon watching the footage.
Soon enough, Edward set his eyes on one particular Spearow. This one had absolutely zero acting experience. It had registered as a special Pokémon actor two years ago but hadn't participated in a single production in all that time.
That could only mean one of two things: either the trainer couldn't land any roles (which was unlikely, since the league subsidized actors and ensured each registered Pokémon actor got at least two roles per year, even in league-sponsored public service shorts), or this Spearow's acting was so bad that even the league couldn't bring itself to give it pity work.
"Bring this one in for an audition," Edward instructed. He wanted to see this Spearow's "acting" for himself. From the photo alone, its eyes had a kind of clear, clueless stupidity that was exactly what he was looking for.
"Alright, boss," Zoroark replied, though he still didn't fully understand what was going on. Nevertheless, he went off to notify the trainer. Not long after, an excited young girl arrived at Ghost Films Pictures with her Spearow.
As Zoroark watched her approach, he hesitated a bit. It was his first time seeing a human with such an unfiltered, purely innocent, and absurdly naïve look in her eyes.
There was a certain untouched-by-the-real-world beauty to her presence.
"Director Edward, sir! I'm—I'm the trainer of Little Spear, here for the audition!" she stammered excitedly when she finally saw him. Edward couldn't help but scratch his head awkwardly.
If she had been born in his previous life's world, she'd be the textbook definition of a pure, slightly foolish college freshman. But Edward wasn't here to evaluate her—he was here to audition her Spearow.
So he turned to look at the Spearow.
And saw the bird perched on the girl's shoulder, tilting its head inquisitively and pecking around in her hair, as though looking for something hidden within. It did so with such single-minded determination that Edward almost believed there might be bugs in there.
Edward fell silent.
This was a whole new level of dumb.
But after the audition was finished, Edward was thoroughly satisfied. This Spearow's acting had reached a kind of transcendent, back-to-basics level—there was no discernible acting at all.
No wonder it hadn't participated in any productions. Its "performance" was virtually indistinguishable from that of a wild Spearow. The only advantage this one had was that, thanks to its trainer, it didn't look directly into the camera, which saved some trouble.
"This one's perfect. Are you available today?" Edward asked the girl. Her face lit up with emotion and she nodded immediately—so quickly that it looked like she might burst into tears.
Considering it was Spearow's first time acting, and even though it was just a short film, this was a major milestone. Edward didn't say anything further, instead turning to inform the production and props teams to prepare for filming that evening in Petalburg Woods.
Meanwhile, he still needed to go meet up with Gengar—and make a couple of fear candies. After all, asking Gengar for help always required a sweet bribe. Edward didn't mind. Gengar was powerful and had a great relationship with him.
Zoroark silently drove the car. Edward sat in the passenger seat, staring at the scenery zipping past the window and falling into deep thought.
Come to think of it, meeting up with Gengar again today meant one thing for sure: they'd be playing rock-paper-scissors again. Gengar loved throwing "scissors." Edward figured he'd throw "paper" this time to let Gengar win once. Otherwise, watching a 300-pound ghost sulk every day was starting to weigh on Edward's conscience.
And besides, games that only ever result in the player losing tend to kill their motivation. Some game designers might enjoy tormenting players with endless losing streaks, finding some twisted satisfaction in it—but Edward wasn't that type. He always made sure to give Gengar a bit of a win sometimes, just to keep the game fun.
Once the car reached the outskirts of Petalburg Woods, Edward led Zoroark into the forest. Not long after they entered, a shimmer of light appeared overhead. Edward looked up and saw a breathtaking Pokémon flying gracefully across the sky. Its wings shimmered in the sunlight, glowing with a divine radiance.
Edward was stunned. As the high-flying Pokémon passed overhead, its trailing tail almost seemed to draw a rainbow behind it. It wasn't until the Pokémon vanished into the distance that Edward finally snapped back to reality.
"Isn't that the official cinematographer?" Edward murmured to himself, mouth slightly agape. He really hadn't expected that one day, he would encounter Ho-Oh—the legendary Pokémon and the iconic star of many feature films—in the Hoenn region.
The official cinematographer of Pokémon movies.
"Boss…" Zoroark swallowed nervously. That was when Edward finally noticed a strange sensation on his head. He reached up and felt around—and pulled down a single feather.
(End of Chapter)