"Boss, there's a commercial partnership proposal you need to look at." As soon as Edward returned to Rustboro City, Zoroark hurried over with a stack of documents in his arms.
"Commercial partnership? What kind of thing is this?" Edward asked curiously as he accepted the documents. At this point, One Missed Call had already been released in theaters, and he couldn't imagine what sort of commercial deal could be coming in now. It was too late for product placements, after all.
However, once he opened the file and saw a familiar name, Edward's eyebrows lifted slightly in recognition.
[Rotom Company]
Edward arched an eyebrow—wasn't this the company run by Nemona's parents? He had considered partnering with their company before, but given the unique nature of One Missed Call as a horror film, he had ultimately dropped the idea. Edward had assumed that no company would want to collaborate with a horror movie, especially when brand image was at stake.
After all, in the business world, companies usually seek collaborations to boost sales. For instance, in his past life, the Pokémon IP had frequently done joint ventures with various other brands, and those cross-brand products had sold exceptionally well. The partnering companies, even after paying for the collaboration, always managed to gain considerable benefits in return.
But had there ever been a case where a major brand collaborated with a horror movie?
Edward could only recall a few clothing brands releasing limited-edition horror-themed apparel and maybe a handful of beauty brands launching collaborative products tied to horror films. Nothing mainstream or large-scale.
"Director Edward, our company would like to partner with Ghost Films Pictures to promote a limited-edition crossover smartphone."
"So, this really is a crossover, huh?" Edward murmured in surprise. But the idea of the Rotom Company collaborating with One Missed Call… there was something oddly humorous about it.
Rotom—Edward was naturally familiar with this unique Pokémon. It wasn't commonly seen in official battles, but it often inhabited various types of household appliances. Being an Electric/Ghost-type Pokémon, Rotom could possess and inhabit electronic devices of all kinds.
And the flagship product of the Rotom Company was, unsurprisingly, the Rotom Phone—a smartphone integrated with Rotom's AI capabilities that assisted users in their daily life. It was a widely popular product, although still not fully mainstream due to its high price.
After all, the birth of Ghost-type Pokémon was already somewhat mysterious, and narrowing it down to just Rotom made things even more complicated. Even with efficient breeding methods, it wasn't easy to achieve mass production to the point where every single person could afford and use a Rotom Phone.
Edward read through the proposal in his hand and nodded to himself. Setting aside the strange image of a horror-themed crossover, the company's pitch was certainly impressive.
According to the proposal, the Rotom Company planned to launch a special edition of their smartphone. The default ringtone would be the eerie, cursed tone from One Missed Call, and Rotom's interface would be re-skinned to resemble Mimiko Mizunuma (the cursed spirit from the film). The phone's UI would also feature chibi-style One Missed Call horror elements scattered throughout for effect.
What really caught Edward off guard, though, was the Fake Call feature they planned to implement. With this function, users could input specific voices or images, and the phone would generate simulated One Missed Call effects—such as receiving a call from your future self. For instance, if today was the 29th, you could customize it so that on the 1st of the next month, your phone would "call" you using your own recorded voice.
"Looks like someone on their design team has definitely watched my movie."
After finishing the proposal, Edward had to admit that, at least from a collaborative marketing standpoint, the Rotom Company was showing real sincerity and creativity.
And considering Rotom itself was a Ghost-type Pokémon, this crossover actually fit quite well with the core concept of One Missed Call.
Most importantly, the financial terms were very favorable. Edward only needed to authorize the Rotom Company to use the One Missed Call IP, and in return, he would receive a collaboration fee of three hundred million, or he could alternatively opt to receive 3% of the profits from each co-branded phone sold.
Either option was quite generous.
"Let's go ahead with the collaboration, and choose the three hundred million lump sum." Edward quickly made the decision.
Since the company was already interested in launching the crossover, they clearly wanted to capitalize on the hype of One Missed Call while it was still showing in theaters. That was the best time to generate buzz and maximize exposure.
As for the revenue model, Edward went with the lump-sum option. Although the 3% profit share might potentially yield more if the phone sold extremely well, he didn't particularly lack money. His intention was to use that three hundred million directly as seed funding for his "Prayer Wall Foundation".
Otherwise, he would have had to ask his father for funding. And while his father would almost certainly agree, Edward felt that if it was his own idea, he should be the one to pay for it.
Moreover, based on his calculations, choosing the 3% revenue share would only outperform the lump sum if the smartphone's sales reached very high levels—which wasn't guaranteed. So, choosing the flat payment wasn't a bad deal at all.
"Alright, boss. I'll send this to the commercial partnership department so they can begin discussions with the Rotom Company."
Zoroark took the documents and trotted off enthusiastically. Edward nodded. He was already thinking he might buy one of the special edition phones for himself once they were released. He was genuinely curious to see what the Rotom Company would come up with for this crossover device.
A One Missed Call smartphone… just the concept sounded cool. In his past life, Edward hadn't even dared to set the One Missed Call ringtone as his own because it was honestly a little too creepy.
The talks with the Rotom Company moved swiftly and smoothly. By the afternoon, Edward received a call from the company's representative, who said they would fly directly to the Hoenn region to sign the contract with him.
"That's the kind of efficiency you get from a big corporation, huh?" Edward clicked his tongue in amusement.
They were flying over to sign the contract in person? He had thought they might just mail it instead.
After all, with an Alakazam's teleportation courier service available, mailing a contract would only take a few minutes—send it, sign it, send it back, done. But the fact that they were making the effort to come in person showed how seriously they were taking the collaboration, and Edward appreciated that.
And they really did arrive quickly. By evening, Edward had to work overtime and headed to the airport.
The representatives were flying in from Paldea, and since this was such a major partnership, Edward felt obligated—both personally and professionally—to go pick them up. Otherwise, it would seem rude.
Though the Stone family wasn't exactly nobility, their upbringing had emphasized proper etiquette and manners.
"Director Edward!"
A cheerful voice called out, and Edward blinked in surprise as he saw Nemona waving energetically at him. His eyelid twitched slightly—why is Nemona here too?
"Nemona? Welcome to Hoenn," Edward greeted her with a polite smile and shook her hand.
"Director Edward! Your movie One Missed Call was absolutely amazing!" Nemona said excitedly. Only then did Edward notice a miniaturized version of the One Missed Call poster pinned to her hat—a limited-edition theater merchandise item. Clearly, Nemona was a hardcore One Missed Call fan.
Edward chuckled lightly, then noticed a man in a sharp suit approaching behind Nemona. The man had a calm, professional demeanor—definitely the elite businessman type.
"Hello, Mr. Edward. My name is Yellow Bright, and I'm here on behalf of the Rotom Company to finalize our contract."
The man greeted him with a courteous smile.
(End of Chapter)