Hmm, now that's a very Pokémon-world kind of name. After all, we've already had names like Red and Green—so adding someone called Yellow Bright isn't all that strange either.
"Hello, Mr. Bright. I'm Edward Stone, the owner of Ghost Films Pictures." Edward smiled politely and shook hands with the man. But before they could exchange many words, he was quickly dragged away by the excited Nemona, who couldn't wait to start talking about movies again.
Edward could only respond with a somewhat helpless expression. Still, Yellow didn't seem to mind in the slightest. After all, Nemona was the second daughter of the company's owner—he was just an employee. It wasn't really his place to say anything, especially not about the boss's daughter.
"Nemona, this collaboration between our companies—don't tell me it was because of you?" Edward glanced at Nemona, unable to resist asking.
Back when he had gone to Paldea to film, he and Nemona had had a battle. Nemona's strength had definitely impressed him—she really did live up to her title as a Champion-tier Trainer.
But no matter how strong she was, how could she compete against someone basically running on cheat codes? Edward's Q was practically a walking hack. So, in the end, Edward had come out the victor.
"Nope! The decision was made by my older sister," Nemona replied with a casual wave of her hand. She didn't get involved in company affairs at all. Her sister was the one responsible for running things behind the scenes.
Edward nodded. He'd heard about Nemona's older sister before—how she'd already joined the family company. That's why Nemona was basically left to her own devices, allowed to choose her own path.
As it turned out, her path had led her to become a Champion-tier Trainer. That was no small feat.
It kind of reminded Edward of his own family, come to think of it. In his case, it had been his elder brother who didn't want to inherit the family business and had gone on to become a Champion instead.
"Director Edward, can I meet the actor who played Mizuno Mimiko? That little actor was just phenomenal!" Nemona, sitting in the car, was still bubbling with excitement as she chatted away with Edward. The old butler was calmly driving, while Yellow sat in the passenger seat.
"That's totally fine. But they're already off work for the day. If you want to meet them, you'll have to wait until tomorrow." Edward didn't mind at all if Nemona wanted to meet Zoroark. Zoroark's acting was genuinely top-notch.
Any scenes involving Zoroark were usually done in one take. More than once, they'd had to reshoot scenes not because of Zoroark, but because the actress playing Yumi couldn't keep up with the emotional depth Zoroark delivered.
Zoroark might be a little greedy and playful, sure—but in terms of acting, they were absolutely reliable.
"Yay!" Nemona beamed with joy, her smile infectious. Edward couldn't help smiling too—Nemona was just such a ball of cheerful energy.
"Director Edward, can we battle again?" But then, in a quick shift of tone, Nemona's eyes gleamed as she looked at Edward with anticipation.
Edward's smile froze just a little. Right. He'd almost forgotten—Nemona was a total battle maniac.
But this time, Edward gently declined her request. It was already late, and Q was pretty much ready to go to sleep. Meanwhile, Fortune was currently absorbed in reading and had zero interest in battling.
After dropping off Nemona and Yellow at the hotel, Edward finally slumped into the back seat of the car, letting the old butler take him home.
"You know, Master Edward," the old butler said with a warm smile, "that young Miss Nemona seems to enjoy talking with you quite a bit."
Edward rubbed his forehead, a little exasperated. "Grandpa Robert, don't read too much into it. I've only met Nemona once before this."
He knew exactly what the old man meant. Still, wasn't it a bit early to be nudging him in that direction? Shouldn't they be pushing his older brother to settle down first?
Thankfully, Edward was still considered young, so he didn't have to deal with that kind of pressure yet. His father was in good health, and with Steven still standing tall in the public eye, Edward felt like he still had a little breathing room.
When they got home, Edward let out his Pokémon. Q quickly scrambled onto the bed and flopped down, falling asleep almost instantly, its soft breathing soon filling the room. Fortune gave Edward a quick nod before opening the door and stepping out on their own.
Curious, Edward followed—only to see Fortune walking into the study, calmly pulling out The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, and settling into a chair to read it.
"...I'm doomed. Even Pokémon are grinding harder than me these days," Edward muttered as he rubbed his face. He'd read that book before. It was a must-read for any serious student of economics.
But he never expected one of his own Pokémon to show a keen interest in this sort of material.
"I can't shake the feeling I'm raising some kind of monstrous genius Pokémon." Edward scratched his head but didn't say anything else. He'd always allowed his Pokémon to do their own thing, whether it was training, battling, or anything else. He'd never forced them into anything—and he didn't intend to start now.
Still, Fortune's sudden fascination with economics did spark his curiosity. What kind of path would Fortune walk in the future? The thought genuinely intrigued him.
"Oh, right—the coins!" Edward suddenly remembered an important matter. Fortune had a special move—Make It Rain—that involved hurling a storm of coins at opponents. Not only was it flashy and effective, but if Fortune held enough coins, the move's power would increase dramatically. The more coins it had, the stronger the move became.
Of course, official battle rules limited the number of coins a Gholdengo could carry to the equivalent of 1,000 Pokédollars. But in an unofficial battle? Anything went.
Edward decided then and there—he'd have the old butler make arrangements at the bank tomorrow to exchange 500,000 Pokédollars worth of coins. It would be Fortune's personal stash.
Though, such a massive coin order would need to be booked in advance. You couldn't just walk into a bank and walk out with that kind of weight.
The next morning, Edward actually went to the effort of dressing formally for once. Today was the day he was signing the contract with the Rotom Company—it was only proper to look the part.
"Kyu!" Q climbed up onto Edward's head, its curious little eyes inspecting his outfit. Fortune stood beside him, still holding that copy of The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.
"Do you guys want to get a little dressed up too?" Edward looked at them and grinned.
Q tilted its head, then shook it. It only liked wearing its Pikachu plush suit, nothing else. As for Fortune, it also shook its head—it was quite satisfied with its golden body. No need for any frills or costumes.
Edward shrugged. Grooming and dressing up Pokémon was a major part of life in the Pokémon world. Unfortunately, both of his Pokémon were Ghost-types and had little interest in fashion, which meant Edward never really got to experience that particular joy of being a trainer.
And it was a big deal. There were tons of grooming salons and makeover boutiques for Pokémon, especially in the Hoenn region. Contest participants were basically regulars at those kinds of places.
Edward remembered one contest where a Sylveon walked on stage wearing a bunny girl outfit—absolutely eye-catching. And yet, that Sylveon ended up losing to a Ceruledge dressed like a samurai. That Ceruledge used a Bitter Blade so dramatic and dazzling it lit up the entire stage and left the judges completely speechless.
No denying it—that Ceruledge was insanely cool. Edward had wanted to catch one himself after seeing that performance.
Maybe he'd give it a try someday if the opportunity came up.
(End of Chapter)