[How to Watch on the PoképokéTV: I've discovered the correct way to watch One Missed Call!]
[Is Being a Pervert Illegal?: Is it watching while exercising?]
[Presenting Horror Movies to the World: Classic you!]
[How to Watch on the PoképokéTV: Don't be silly, I think based on the Non-Aggression Pact Between Humans and Ghosts, if you get a One Missed Call, you just have to hide under the covers.]
[Watermill: Indeed, according to the Human-Ghost Non-Aggression Pact, the blanket is our ultimate line of defense!]
"Under the covers, huh…" Edward scratched his head as he stared at the group chat on his phone. He honestly hadn't expected that the world of Pokémon also had something like this so-called "Non-Aggression Pact Between Humans and Ghosts."
But thinking back on the horror films he'd seen before, he realized that in the Pokémon world, there really hadn't been any horror movies involving getting attacked while hiding under the covers.
There were no cases of protagonists being assaulted by evil spirits while curled up in bed. It was as if even Ghost-type Pokémon wouldn't go that far.
"Tsk tsk… If One Missed Call weren't still in theaters right now, I'd already be shooting The Grudge," Edward licked his lips, rubbing his hands together with excitement.
The idea that "blankets can ward off ghosts" might just be a running joke, but once that belief is established in the audience's mind, breaking it delivers an unparalleled sense of fear. Just like in the classic horror movie The Grudge, the scene where Kayako appears beneath the covers scarred a whole generation.
But in Edward's opinion, Kayako appearing under the blanket wasn't even the scariest part. Back then, Kayako didn't yet have her iconic crawling-down-the-stairs makeup—just very pale skin and wide staring eyes. What made it terrifying was the subversion of horror movie logic: that the blanket was supposed to be safe.
Usually, when the protagonist hides under the covers, it's an unspoken truce between them and the ghost: you're safe... for now. It becomes a breather before the next scare.
And in The Grudge, going to temples didn't help, exorcists were useless—it was all about being doomed. As long as you were touched by the curse, or even associated with someone who was, you were as good as dead.
That sense of inevitability only amplified the terror.
"Still… for wild Pokémon, these kinds of horror tropes don't really work... A simple jumpscare to the face is still more effective." Edward muttered as he pulled out a piece of scrap paper and began jotting down his thoughts.
A "jumpscare to the face"—that is, a sudden, grotesque figure popping into frame with loud sound cues—might seem overused and outdated to seasoned horror fans. But it was undeniably simple and effective.
And when you consider who the target audience is—wild Pokémon that have never seen a movie or short film in their lives—then the most basic kind of scare can also be the most powerful.
With that thought in mind, Edward quickly sketched out a short and simple film concept.
The plot was as minimal as it gets.
A Spearow is flying through the sky when it sees a campfire below. Standing next to the fire is a strange, eerie monster. But as it continues flying, it sees another fire up ahead—and again, the same monster standing by it, but this time looking even more terrifying.
The Spearow flies past ten such fires, each one bringing the monster closer. As the Spearow grows more panicked, the final fire appears with no monster in sight—only the flames burning quietly.
But the very next second, the monster suddenly appears right in front of the Spearow, bursting onto the screen with a terrifying jumpscare.
This short film was different from Lights Out. Edward didn't use any of those classic shorts from his past life. After all, many of those were built upon modern human technology and daily routines—terrifying to humans, but utterly meaningless to wild Pokémon.
Take, for example, a short where the protagonist finds a ghostly figure in a photo, and each time they flip back and forth, the ghost gets closer. Scary, right? But wild Pokémon don't even know what a photo is, so that kind of scare won't land at all.
Or the classic selfie jump scare—where a phone camera picks up floating human face-detection frames all around. Chilling for humans, but incomprehensible to a Pokémon.
That's when Edward had a realization.
To scare wild Pokémon, you don't need complex setups. A simple, straightforward jumpscare to the face is plenty.
"Theoretically, a short film of this level doesn't even need me to direct it personally. But… if I don't participate in the filming, will I still be able to collect fear points?" Edward frowned as he looked at the simple horror script in his hand. There was barely any plot—it was pure scare tactic from start to finish.
He could easily hand off something like this to his production staff. But he worried that if he wasn't directly involved, he might not receive the fear value generated.
So Edward decided to take charge of the shoot himself. It wouldn't be hard anyway. With something this simple, he could finish shooting in a single night.
As for the starring role—Edward decided to bring in Gengar. Gengar had past acting experience, and Edward hadn't contacted him much lately. Even though they had a good relationship, friendships needed regular contact to stay warm.
Feeding Gengar some Fear Candy now and then was a great way to keep the bond strong. That way, if Edward needed help from Gengar in the future, the connection would still be there.
"Zoroark, distribute this filming plan and have the staff quickly find a suitable set and cast a Spearow actor," Edward called Zoroark into his office and handed him the short script.
"Boss, is this one of those wild-Pokémon-only releases for Mr. Yanister?" Zoroark glanced at it and instantly understood what Edward was aiming for.
"Mm." Edward nodded. This short film was made specifically for wild Pokémon.
Otherwise, if they just kept showing Lights Out and Persian and Rattata, the wild Pokémon would get bored eventually.
Edward was utterly devoted to the spiritual enrichment of wild Pokémon.
Just the thought of wild Pokémon not having any new, scary horror shorts to watch made Edward physically uncomfortable.
"Boss, here's today's news." Zoroark handed him a phone.
Edward took it with a bit of confusion and glanced at the screen.
And then he saw it—
In the middle of a lush, dense forest, several trees had been split clean in half.
"...?"
(End of Chapter)