When reminiscing about childhood, is it more joyful, sorrowful, or simply awkward?
Edward didn't really know.
But at this moment, watching the image of the little boy on screen, a faint smile appeared in Edward's eyes. After all, seeing his childhood self from a third-person perspective was a rather strange experience. Still, he grew up alright—not turning into some weirdo after being a cute little boy.
Edward remembered once seeing a commercial where a father tearfully watched old videos of his daughter as a child. But in reality, she had become fat, non-mainstream, and angry at everyone—it was a bit much.
"Dad really had time on his hands, huh..." Edward shook his head. The video on the disc was incredibly long—so long it was giving him a stomachache. But in his memory, his father wasn't always recording him nonstop with a camcorder.
Edward chose to fast-forward. These clips stirred up faint memories—nothing too important—but seeing them again helped him recall.
"Edward, here, this is for you."
A soft voice made Edward pause.
On screen appeared a little girl with white hair, a sweet smile lighting up her face, her eyes squinting into crescent moons from joy. Edward stroked his chin. This little girl was Shizuka.
Edward's impression of Shizuka had remained fixed in the past. She used to often drag him around to play games, always begging him to tell her stories—fairy tales of all kinds. With no better options, Edward had ended up sharing stories from his previous life.
His feelings toward Shizuka were more like those of an elder. After all, before he transmigrated, he was already nearly thirty years old. Naturally, he saw her as a child.
Shizuka had only been his childhood playmate for about three years before her family moved away from Hoenn to Sinnoh.
They lost contact after that. She never sent letters, and the contact information and address she left had changed. Eventually, Edward just gradually forgot about her.
"Shizuka, huh… Who would've thought that little girl would become a high-ranking officer in Team Galactic?" Edward sighed. Truly, the world is full of surprises.
A high-ranking officer in Team Galactic, no less. He recalled that Shizuka once shared her dream with him—to be someone respected, admired by many. And now?
It seemed like that dream had come true… and yet not quite.
Edward continued fast-forwarding. Shizuka had already become an executive in Team Galactic. If they ever met again, it'd probably be on a legal drama. Although the thought felt strange, Edward didn't dwell on it. After all, everyone chooses their own path, and they must face the consequences of those choices.
But then, while skimming through the footage, Edward abruptly stopped, stunned by what he saw on the screen.
"Edward, look! I have dimples now~"
Shizuka beamed, tugging on Edward's shirt. Somehow, when she smiled again, a little dimple appeared on her face.
And that dimple—it was in the exact same spot as the one he had seen on Zoroark's face.
"Coincidence?" Edward stared at Shizuka's smiling eyes and that dimple. Having a dimple in the same place wasn't proof of anything. He shook his head, choosing not to overthink it, and continued fast-forwarding.
After all, even if Shizuka and Zoroark shared the same name, their appearances were entirely different. Shizuka had white hair, while the version Zoroark transformed into often had black hair.
Soon, the childhood memories recorded by his father came to an end. Watching it all left Edward a little emotional. Seeing himself from a different perspective made the past feel strangely awkward and nostalgic.
He packed up the disc and opened the stack of documents on his desk.
Although a minor earthquake had occurred the day before, it hadn't seriously affected anyone's daily life. Things were returning to normal, and the variety show they had been planning was scheduled to start shooting today.
"This variety show... Even though we can pre-record it, it'll still take at least a month to complete." Edward looked at the production documents. With so many actors involved in performance-heavy scenes, finishing the shoot within a month would be a miracle. It would be an enormous challenge for the post-production team.
With so much footage to edit, condense, and compile into episodes, the editing process would be hellishly difficult. Thankfully, the project was in collaboration with the Pokémon League, and some of their top-tier editors would be joining the effort.
This would at least take some of the pressure off Edward.
"But with things as they are, the second season of SherlockHolmes might have to be delayed for quite some time." Edward glanced at his schedule. He'd originally planned to shoot the second season first, but there were hurdles from the start—particularly with casting.
Yes, difficulty in choosing was still a kind of difficulty.
And as if that weren't enough, a Groudon situation had popped up too, completely throwing things off course. Edward now genuinely felt overwhelmed.
But the Groudon issue reminded him—it was time to meet with Gengar, whom he hadn't seen in a while, and discuss the upcoming security arrangements.
Even though his father, his brother, and the League were all arranging security, Edward believed one could never have too many trump cards. Sometimes, the difference in battle or war came down to who had more hidden aces.
He pictured the intruders: pushing through the League's defense, somehow getting past the elite squad hired by his father, then facing his formidable brother—just when they thought they had a clear shot at Edward…
Boom. They'd have to deal with Q and Fortune.
And finally, an Apex Gengar hiding in the shadows.
That image? Beautiful.
Edward couldn't help but chuckle. That attacker would probably be swearing like crazy by then.
After all, an Apex Pokémon's strength was nothing to sneeze at.
"Boss, something's come up—"
Zoroark rushed in.
(End of Chapter)