"These people really are bored out of their minds these days," Edward muttered the next day, sitting in his director's chair. The whole situation had already reached his ears.
It all started when an internet user made a joke offer to help a struggling mother. She followed through, desperately seeking help for her daughter's medical bills—only to find out that the so-called "rich donor" wasn't wealthy at all, nor did he have any intention of actually donating; it had all been a joke.
The incident instantly sparked outrage across the Pokémon world. After all, this mother was already dealing with enough pain, and this person made light of her suffering?
"But it looks like enough money has been raised for the surgery now," Edward said, glancing at the news report in his hand. The story had spread like wildfire overnight, and now nearly everyone in the Pokémon world knew about it.
Ultimately, the public attention had led to enough donations to pay for the operation. Edward had originally planned to call Kode and ask him to place the woman and her daughter on their foundation's support list—but now that the issue was resolved, there was no need.
"Boss, do you think that guy did it on purpose?" Zoroark asked as it read the news. It blinked a few times, then looked sidelong at Edward. The director glanced back. Zoroark was still acting the same as usual—who knew when it would grow tired of its current antics?
Edward seriously considered the idea. Was that netizen's move intentional? If he had deliberately sparked public attention in order to help the mother and daughter, that would be… pretty damn clever. But it came at a steep price.
Even though the internet in the Pokémon world was tightly regulated—largely due to past incidents involving Porygon—what had happened here had drawn so much attention that the man's entire identity had been exposed, even without any "doxxing" efforts. His employer had even fired him overnight.
Cyberbullying was terrifying. People who hadn't experienced it couldn't truly understand how overwhelming it was. And now, that man was enduring the worst of it. If he really did plan it all out from the beginning…
Edward pursed his lips. Honestly, it was possible.
The man came from a modest background. He couldn't possibly afford the girl's medical treatment on his own. If he wanted to help, then generating a viral incident to attract public attention and get the media involved… wasn't a bad idea.
Of course, no one could know for sure whether that had really been his intention. But in the end, the mother and daughter got the money they needed. The girl could have her surgery. Only the man who'd spoken big words suffered—fired, publicly shamed, and still facing backlash.
A week passed quickly.
Filming for A Wicked Ghost was finally approaching its end.
"Boss, looks like there's been a plot twist," Zoroark said, walking over while Edward was eating his lunch box. Even though he was the director, he never bothered with a formal dining area. That said, his lunch box was prepared by his old butler and delivered from home, so it was still a gourmet meal.
"What twist? Wasn't someone just demanding an apology from him yesterday?" Edward asked, mouth full, casually chatting with Zoroark. He only spoke this informally with his long-time partner—anyone else, and he'd maintain a professional demeanor. But with Zoroark, neither of them minded.
Aside from directing, Edward had spent the past week following the gossip.
After all, the Pokémon world was usually pretty peaceful. People mostly talked about battles, tournaments, or movies and shows. It was rare to have a social news story attract this much attention—and still be trending a week later.
Most online buzz faded quickly. People had short attention spans. But this? It was still going strong, proof of just how angry the public had been.
"Take a look at this," Zoroark said, handing over its phone. Its hand brushed against Edward's, soft to the touch. Edward glanced at Zoroark and noticed a faint blush on its pale face.
He twitched the corner of his mouth. This little rascal did that on purpose, didn't it?
Still, his attention quickly turned to the phone screen.
It was a video of the girl's mother, eyes red with tears, speaking in front of the camera. Edward watched and scratched his head afterward.
Turns out Zoroark had been right—this whole thing had been deliberate. The helpful netizen had noticed the mother's post asking for help. Unable to offer money himself, he had come up with a plan and even asked her to keep it a secret. The backlash he received was never part of her intention, but he told her nothing, even as he was being flamed online.
It was only when she saw how badly he was being treated that her conscience couldn't bear it. She broke her promise and revealed the truth, apologizing to the public and vowing to repay the kindness through hard work.
Most of the comments below were now positive. After all, the mother hadn't lied about her daughter's illness—without a kidney transplant, the girl really would have died.
The only one who truly suffered through all this was the man who had posed as a donor.
"A tactician who enters the battlefield himself… almost rivaling fate," Edward murmured.
That phrase had suddenly popped into his head.
The netizen had played a risky game. But his gamble paid off. He entered the field himself, became a pawn, triggered mass involvement from the public, and achieved the goal of saving a young girl's life.
It was bold—almost unthinkable—but he succeeded.
"Incredible… Zoroark, notify Kode and have him reach out to this man. Ask if he'd be willing to work for the foundation," Edward said, finalizing his decision.
The man had already been fired. Edward wanted Kode to offer him a position. If the man accepted, that would be perfect. If not, Edward wouldn't force the issue.
After all, after this event, there would likely be plenty of companies lining up to hire him. That much was guaranteed.
In fact, Edward was just about to put his phone down when a new headline popped up—the very company that had fired the netizen had now issued a public apology and was offering to rehire him at a high salary. The internet was now filled with praise and apologies.
"Good things happen to good people. That's how it should be," Edward said, finally setting his phone aside.
(End of Chapter)