Edward owned a castle estate in the Galar region, originally intended as a filming location.
That castle would be perfect to use as Hogwarts in a Harry Potter-style production. But Edward had also prepared a backup plan—if Harry Potter couldn't generate enough hype, he would repurpose the castle as a filming base for another series:
Resident Evil.
With a bit of creative adjustment, the castle could be transformed into an underground Umbrella Corporation research facility. Then, a biohazard outbreak could occur in the nearby Motostoke City. That alone might generate a ton of fear points, since certain scenes in Resident Evil are truly terrifying.
But all of this would have to wait until the Tom Tree contest was over.
That evening, Edward was just getting off work and about to head home when he saw a familiar, smiling face waiting outside the company entrance.
"Edward, come have dinner with me," Steven said with a friendly, genuine smile.
But Edward's heart skipped a beat when he saw that smile.
Maybe it was because he had suddenly appeared in this world and become Steven's younger brother, but Edward had noticed Steven's personality was just slightly different from the original character in the games and shows.
For one, Steven now loved playing pranks.
And every time he flashed that kind of smile, Edward knew—without a doubt—a trap was waiting ahead.
It felt just like playing Dark Souls, when you see a message on the edge of a cliff saying, "Treasure ahead," with hundreds of upvotes.
To Edward, Steven's smile was that message.
"Fine," Edward replied expressionlessly, like a man walking to his execution.
After following his brother to the restaurant, Edward's suspicions were confirmed. This would not be a simple dinner.
The restaurant, located inside the league branch office in Rustboro City, was reserved for hosting VIP guests.
The moment Steven opened the door, Edward saw a lineup of champions inside.
Lance, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha—all of them were present.
When Lance looked up and saw Edward, Edward immediately understood why movie characters often wore such conflicted expressions. That twisted face, those burning eyes—Lance's emotional shift in the few steps it took for Edward to walk into the room could be studied as a textbook example at the Pokémon Film Academy.
His face screamed: "If it weren't illegal, I'd end you right now."
"Director Edward, I must say, your recent work was a real surprise," Diantha said with a smile as she walked over. She and Edward were acquaintances, having worked together on a film before.
"Oh, you're too kind," Edward replied awkwardly as he sat on the edge of his seat. He made sure to sit in a way that faced the door—just in case he needed to bolt for the exit.
Cynthia was seated right next to him, resting her chin on her hand, watching him with an amused, curious glint in her eyes.
Unlike some of the others, Cynthia didn't object to the Tom Tree contest. In fact, she fully supported it. She had even picked her Pokémon for the event: her Garchomp.
"Director Edward, I'm a huge fan of your work," Cynthia said as she pulled out a notebook. At the same time, the Poké Ball on her belt moved slightly.
Then her Garchomp jumped out—excitedly clutching its own little notebook, looking up at Edward.
Edward's mouth twitched.
So even Garchomp was a fan now?
Watching his brother struggle, Steven looked on with a deeply satisfied smile.
This dinner was painfully awkward for Edward. He hardly ate a thing. By the time he left the restaurant, his clothes were disheveled, and his hair was a total mess.
Courtesy of Alder and Lance.
But once he stepped outside, Edward finally let out a deep breath.
Despite how much of a menace Steven could be, there was no denying he was an outstanding brother.
That dinner had been agonizing, yes, but by the end, Edward had grown closer to many of the champions.
If not for Steven's invitation, meeting all those champions at tomorrow's opening ceremony would have been far more awkward. At least now, the tension had been somewhat defused.
"I still can't believe Alder's successor is one of my fans…" Edward thought, remembering the girl who'd been seated next to Alder—an energetic dark-skinned girl named Iris.
To his shock, even she was a fan.
By the end of the night, even Steven, Leon, and Lance came over to ask for Edward's autograph.
In that moment, Edward felt as refreshed as if he'd just taken a sip of ice-cold soda in the middle of a scorching summer day.
Though just like soda in summer, you had to pace yourself—too much at once, and you could get heatstroke… or worse.
Steven didn't go home with him that night—he still had to escort the champions to their league-sponsored accommodations.
"So many champions in one place… won't the evil teams across the regions try something?" Edward wondered aloud as he lay sprawled out on his cozy bed.
After all, the Pokémon world had no shortage of shady organizations. Almost every region had its own villainous team. Hoenn even had two—Team Magma and Team Aqua.
But Edward was confident that, for the next few days, Hoenn would be the safest and most peaceful region in the world.
With so many champions gathered, even Team Rainbow Rocket wouldn't stand a chance.
Giovanni would probably just pretend to be a pacifist Gym Leader if he saw this lineup.
"Forget it," Edward muttered, yawning as he hugged Q and scratched its head.
Just then, a strange "Ghol" sound echoed.
Edward looked up—it was Fortune.
Fortune was jumping up and down excitedly, holding something in his hands.
Edward squinted and took a look.
It was the admissions brochure for Hoenn University.
He shot up straight. Looking at the ecstatic Fortune, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Fortune, you want to study at Hoenn University?" Edward asked tentatively.
Fortune nodded enthusiastically.
Edward massaged his temples.
Hoenn University was one of the rare institutions where both humans and Pokémon could study together. But it had higher academic standards than traditional Pokémon academies. On the flip side, it also produced higher-caliber professionals.
Even Professor Birch graduated from Hoenn University.
Many renowned experts and researchers came from there. In fact, the current director of the Hoenn Regional Academy of Sciences was a Hoenn University alum.
Still, Edward wasn't entirely confident Fortune could pass the entrance exam.
"…Well, let's give it a shot."
(End of Chapter)