"The premiere box office has surpassed 100 million."
When Edward woke up the next morning, this was the first message he saw on his phone. He yawned, then casually put the phone away.
The fact that A Wicked Ghost had surpassed the 100-million mark didn't surprise him. After all, every film Edward had directed since his debut had been a high-quality piece—no flops at all. This consistency had helped him build up a strong reputation.
Reputation was one of the hardest things to earn, but once you had it, it was worth more than gold.
Edward valued his reputation immensely, so he poured his heart into every film he made, always striving for perfection. This dedication was exactly why his movies almost always surpassed 100 million at the box office right after release.
The audience believed in him—they knew Edward didn't make bad films. So naturally, they were willing to pay to see his movies in theaters.
He got out of bed and looked at Q sleeping beside him. Smiling, he gave its head a gentle rub. But when his eyes drifted to the other side of the room, his expression became a bit more complex.
Fortune was still doing test papers.
All night long. Either that, or he had gotten up so early that Edward hadn't even noticed.
Was this the birth of a true study fanatic?
"Fort, did you get any sleep at all?" Edward couldn't help asking, leaning over and lowering his voice as he glanced at the test paper. Great—he couldn't understand a thing.
(TN: I'm shortening the nickname since its abit of a mouthful to say everytime. Just think of it as a nickname of (nick)name.)
It was a question from economics. Edward had no clue how to answer it, but Fortune was filling it in so smoothly. Edward smacked his lips—he was starting to understand why some parents couldn't help their kids with homework.
It wasn't that they didn't want to—it's that they couldn't.
These days, give him a fifth-grade math question and he might not even be able to answer it. Things like solving simultaneous equations? Long forgotten. After graduating university, all that knowledge had been returned to the teachers.
Fortune gave a series of metallic clinks in reply and nodded. But when he looked up, Edward thought he saw dark circles under his eyes—only to rub his own eyes and realize they were gone.
Right. It didn't make sense—Fortune was a Ghost/Steel-type Pokémon. Of course he wouldn't have dark circles.
"Let's see... if I remember correctly..." Edward thought for a moment. There were only a few days left until the admissions exam for the Hoenn University. Fortune was probably under a lot of pressure too.
The only question now was how to help Fortune relax. Edward remembered that Pokémon like Gholdengo typically relaxed by swimming in a sea of coins.
Sure, it was effective—but the cost of relaxation was a little extreme. Not everyone could afford that. But for Edward, this wasn't an issue.
He walked out of the bedroom and told the Grandpa Robert. The butler immediately began preparing the coin swimming pool.
While enjoying a meticulously prepared breakfast of milk and pancakes, Edward began thinking about the company's future.
This particular breakfast was something Edward had requested. It was one of his favorites, and the old butler always made it with great care, using only top-tier ingredients. The taste, naturally, was excellent.
As for the company, there was one issue Edward couldn't ignore:
"Aesthetic fatigue." Edward narrowed his eyes.
Horror films—most followed a template. Or rather, the methods of scaring audiences were often the same. A sudden close-up with suspenseful music was the most basic jump scare.
Dead Silence, One Missed Call, and A Wicked Ghost—these three horror films had solidified Edward's reputation as a master horror director.
But Edward sensed danger in this success.
People get tired.
If you watch too many of them, they start to feel stale, even nauseating. It might be novel at first, but after a while, it all feels meaningless.
Edward felt that maybe it was time to film something else, just to ease the audience's fatigue and to avoid being labeled as someone who "only makes horror movies." That wasn't a tag Edward wanted on his back.
This was one of the reasons he had created the Sherlock Holmes series—to give the audience a change of pace, so they'd feel refreshed and excited when his next horror film dropped.
[Fear Points: 23,100]
A Wicked Ghost had also contributed to his Fear Points. Edward took a glance and saw no new skill unlocks, so he left it alone. If there were no new abilities to gain, the number didn't mean much to him.
What he cared about was getting something new.
Maybe 23,100 wasn't enough yet.
"My next horror film will be Inner Senses... but what transitional project should I do before that?" Edward rubbed his chin in thought.
A second season of Sherlock Holmes? That could work.
After all, the first season had stirred up quite a storm in the mystery and detective community and had raked in high viewership ratings. Edward had made a fortune, and Baker Street 221B had even become a real tourist spot.
Filming a second season would not only maintain the hype from season one but also ensure a strong opening for the next horror installment. Riding the wave of success sounded like a solid plan.
"Shame though. I was originally planning to test the waters with Harry Potter." Edward rubbed his temples, recalling the luxurious castle he had purchased—originally intended to serve as the Hogwarts set.
As for Harry Potter's popularity, Edward wasn't too worried.
In the Tom and Jerry episode he produced earlier, he introduced "Merlin," Jerry's distant cousin, and hinted at the concept of magic. He'd even planted a Hogwarts Easter egg, which audiences received with great curiosity.
Even the popularity of magic performances in the Pokémon world had ticked upward.
From that response alone, Edward was confident Harry Potter wouldn't flop. In fact, it would likely do very well.
However… the Harry Potter universe was massive. To adapt it to fit into the Pokémon world would require considerable effort.
"Three major storylines for season two… that woman has to be one of them, and then..." Edward munched away while brainstorming the new Holmes season plot.
In this season, Malamar would finally make his debut. Edward planned to have Holmes face off against Malamar, while dropping clues that he's not the final boss—hinting at Moriarty behind the scenes.
Just then, Edward's phone vibrated.
He picked it up and glanced at the screen.
[Famous film critic Frank Doyle loses followers—turns out it's related to Edward Stone?!]
"…Huh?"
(End of Chapter)