"What person?" Edward looked at Zoroark, intrigued. Could it be that Zoroark had remembered something? But judging from her expression, it didn't really seem like it.
"Hehe, just kidding." Zoroark grinned, scratching her nose smugly before darting back to her own room.
Edward was a bit exasperated, but didn't say anything. Dawn was breaking anyway, so he figured he could go back to catch a bit more sleep—and when he woke up, he could check in on how things were going on Cynthia's side.
Back in bed, Edward pulled out his phone. He had a habit: once he got out of bed in the morning, he couldn't fall asleep again for a while. And right now, he was in that exact situation.
Since he couldn't sleep, he figured he might as well scroll through his phone.
[New Discovery in Sinnoh! More Evidence of the Hisui Era!]
[Famous Actor Rock Caught in Scandal: Spotted Entering Hotel with Mystery Woman, Never Came Out That Night]
[League Releases Minimum Wage Standard—How Will This Affect Our Salaries?]
Edward yawned as he browsed the headlines in boredom. Q snuggled deeper into his arms, content and sound asleep.
[Unova League Offers Huge Reward! The Future Is Destined to Be a Sci-Fi Future!]
That title immediately caught Edward's attention. He clicked on it with curiosity.
[The Unova League recently posted a "bounty" on its official website—not for any dark organizations, but rather a special open call to the entire League regions.]
"We firmly believe that humanity's future lies in space—and in science fiction!" said the Unova League Chairman. With this vision, the Unova League is calling on all well-known directors to submit science fiction films with cosmic themes. The winners will be awarded as follows:
First Prize: One mysterious grand gift + 100 million pokedollars
Second Prize: 50 million pokedollars (5 winners)
Third Prize: 5 million pokedollars (20 winners)
Participation Requirements…
"Sci-fi film contest? They're looking for movies?" Edward muttered to himself, a spark of inspiration forming in his mind.
He wasn't particularly short on money, but 100 million pokedollars could definitely help push the development of his foundation further—so this opportunity was worth considering.
With that in mind, Edward began reflecting on some of the iconic sci-fi films from his previous life.
Sci-fi and space-themed films had been explored extensively in his past world. Among the most notable in recent years was Avatar 2. Though reviews were mixed, Avatar's massive success had laid the groundwork for the sequel's strong box office performance.
But Edward didn't forget his primary expertise—horror. So the real question became: Could he combine sci-fi and horror into one winning project?
The answer: absolutely.
One name immediately came to mind—"Alien."
That movie was a milestone in the history of science fiction. With a production budget of just over ten million, Alien raked in 180 million in box office revenue. A massive success.
It also laid the foundation for multiple sequels.
What Edward admired most was the original Alien film, released in 1979, back when special effects were still in their infancy. Yet even then, the film managed to create a bone-chilling experience without relying heavily on high-end effects.
Many of Alien's concepts were groundbreaking and influential in cinema. The iconic face-hugger, chestburster, and parasitic lifecycle became unforgettable imagery.
And more importantly—Alien was a horror movie.
"Even though it was branded as sci-fi, at its core Alien was absolutely a horror film." Edward nodded to himself as he brainstormed the submission.
Yes, Alien had sci-fi elements and realistic design, but its horror roots were undeniable.
The alien creature itself rarely appeared on screen, always lurking and attacking from the shadows. Part of this was due to limited special effects at the time—showing too much might have broken the illusion—but it also made the fear more potent.
The less you saw, the more terrifying it became.
The human brain fills in the blanks, and what it imagines is often scarier than what is shown.
Alien had several sequels—from Part 2 to Part 4—but due to problems with the fourth, the franchise nearly died off, only continuing via spin-offs like Alien vs. Predator.
Years later, the original director of Alien returned with Prometheus, effectively rebooting the franchise.
"Special effects technology in the Pokémon world is pretty advanced... If I used it to film Alien..." Edward rubbed his chin, considering the possibilities.
It wouldn't be hard to produce an Alien film in this world—after all, the plot and structure were already deeply familiar to him. He'd watched the classic many times.
But he also started thinking about how to blend Alien with Pokémon.
Pokémon's existence gave Alien far more potential—but also added complications.
After all, the Xenomorph in Alien is a parasitic life form that fuses with the DNA of its host, leading to small variations depending on what species it gestates in. For example, humans, rats, or "engineers" in the film each produced slightly different versions of the creature.
So what if an alien facehugger latched onto a Pikachu?
Or a Machamp?
Or a Gardevoir?
How would a Xenomorph evade detection from Psychic-type Pokémon?
These were all problems he'd need to solve.
Edward sat up in bed, now wide awake with excitement. He grabbed a notebook to start jotting down his ideas.
"In the first film, I won't change the original plot too much, but I'll add a twist—one of the crew members, feeling lonely, secretly brings a Pokémon onboard. We can say it was against company policy to bring Pokémon aboard in the first place. That way, the Pokémon angle is covered."
He scribbled his notes.
That meant there would only be one Pokémon in Alien 1.
But choosing which Pokémon was tricky. It needed to be unique—maybe even useful for building future sequels.
Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
As for how a Xenomorph could parasitize a Steel-type, Rock-type, or even Ghost-type Pokémon—well, his answer would be simple:
"The Xenomorph has extremely advanced parasitic adaptability."
Don't ask too many questions.
If anyone presses—just say:
"Movie logic."
(End of Chapter)