"You're saying the variety show filming is almost finished?"
Edward looked at Shizuka with surprise—he hadn't expected the show to wrap up this quickly.
"Yes, Boss. According to the latest update, you've been invited to participate in the next and the following episode. You'll also need to select the cast for Sherlock Holmes Season Two."
Shizuka glanced at the documents in her hands and nodded seriously.
Edward rubbed his temples.
It had been nearly a month since that incident in the Sinnoh region. During this time, the show's production had been full of hiccups—issues here and there.
Still, it was finally coming to a close, and he did indeed need to fulfill his commitment to pick out the new cast for the upcoming season.
"Alright, I understand. Please arrange the schedule."
Edward checked his phone.
Once the variety show aired, he would need to take the chosen actors and begin filming Season Two of Sherlock Holmes. He also had to inform Mr. Giovanni.
Speaking of Mr. Giovanni, Edward remembered something—
Mr. Giovanni had mentioned wanting to visit the Hoenn, but unexpectedly got tied up with League affairs.
From what Edward heard, Giovanni was still in the Kanto, participating in a secret League operation.
Edward wasn't entirely sure what the operation entailed—only that it involved some dark organization active in Kanto.
"Surely they didn't assign Mr. Giovanni to investigate Team Rocket, right? That would be way too surreal."
Edward clicked his tongue.
But on second thought… that might not be so far-fetched.
After all, Team Rocket was the biggest dark organization in Kanto right now.
Yawning, Edward checked the time—it was almost noon.
He decided to start his lunch break early today.
Instead of going out, he chose to visit Mewtwo.
Lately, Mewtwo had been cooped up at home with zero activity.
If it weren't for the fact that Mewtwo was still posting "All Trophies in All Games" walkthroughs online, Edward might've assumed it had dropped dead on his couch.
Riding in the old butler's car, Edward soon arrived at the house he'd arranged for Mewtwo.
As he stepped out and walked toward the door, he immediately caught a weird smell in the air.
"Eh? Edward, what brings you here?"
A moment later, the door opened, and Mewtwo's telepathic voice echoed in his mind.
But what shocked Edward more was the state of the house.
It was an absolute disaster.
Clothes and pants strewn everywhere—even underwear and socks.
Takeout containers piled up in the corners, radiating an unholy stench.
Edward felt like he couldn't breathe.
Was this really Mewtwo's home?
He started wondering if he'd accidentally rented the place to some hopeless slob.
"What… what happened to this place?"
Edward asked in disbelief.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
Out walked a strange man—messy hair, thick glasses, a full beer belly.
Edward was stunned.
Wait a second—wasn't this place for Mewtwo?
"Don't be so shocked. Come on in first."
Mewtwo's voice sounded in Edward's head again.
Hesitantly, Edward stepped inside and closed the door.
And the moment he did, the entire room shifted—the filth disappeared, replaced by a clean, orderly environment.
Even the strange smell was gone.
Edward was amazed.
Mewtwo had created a complete illusion over the house.
Visual illusions he could understand, but olfactory illusions?
"I recently noticed some suspicious individuals lurking around here. Turns out, they were from Team Rocket."
The man's form shimmered and changed into Mewtwo.
"Team Rocket is investigating you?"
Edward was shocked.
He had just dealt with the Space-Time duo, and now Mewtwo needed help too?
"So I staged this whole performance. In fact, I'm not actually here. What you're seeing is a telepathic projection I created remotely."
Mewtwo's form flickered and changed back into the sloppy man.
"Boss, if you hadn't shown up, I'd have had no choice but to survive on some truly questionable food."
Mewtwo said this aloud, in a normal voice.
Edward raised an eyebrow, playing along with the act.
Clearly, Mewtwo had spotted some nearby Team Rocket agents, so it was putting on a show.
Sure enough, Mewtwo soon sent a telepathic message alerting him—someone was watching with binoculars from a nearby location.
"Boss, let me show you my special Sofa Beef Rice Bowl."
Mewtwo said in an overly dramatic tone.
Edward cooperated with the act, stepping into character.
The room reverted to its previous filthy appearance.
Then, he watched as Mewtwo sat by the sofa and began "cooking" using bizarre tools.
It stir-fried beef using a clothes iron, and pulled out all sorts of strange seasonings from every corner.
So far, Edward could barely keep himself together.
But when Mewtwo scooped two full ladles of broth from the dirty crevice of the sofa, and poured it over steaming beef rice, that was the last straw.
"Me—are you seriously committing to this bit that hard?!"
Edward finally broke.
He noticed Mewtwo's form shift back to normal—clearly indicating the Team Rocket agent had left.
Unable to hold back anymore, Edward voiced his disgust.
What he had just seen had obliterated any appetite he had for lunch.
"That's the only way to get them to back off quickly,"
Mewtwo replied.
"I built this 'lazy shut-in' persona on purpose. But there's still a chance someone might expose the illusion. We'll need a real actor to take over the role soon."
Mewtwo explained calmly.
(End of Chapter)