In the end, Leon emerged as the champion—which was a bit unexpected for Edward.
However, Leon's effortless control over his Gigantamax Charizard carried a sense of elegance in power, a surprising contradiction that made his victory reasonable in hindsight.
But the one laughing the hardest after the contest wasn't any of the contestants—it was the Hoenn League.
"Boss, the final viewership count for yesterday's Tom Tree contest has officially broken 200 million," Zoroark reported, his voice tinged with awe.
Edward rubbed his temples. That number was within his expectations. After all, with so many champions competing on the same stage, it was bound to attract a huge audience.
"Looks like this Tom Tree Contest really might become a regular event in the Hoenn region." Edward wasn't too invested in the contest itself. He'd already made a killing off it.
His company's hit IP, "Tom and Jerry" had seen a massive surge in value. They were swamped with brand deals and partnerships. Edward had even set up an entirely new Business Development Division just to handle the requests.
"Now that the tournament's over, let's finalize the airing schedule for Sherlock Holmes. We can ride the leftover buzz from the Tom Tree hype." Edward decided it was time to shift focus back to his real job: making TV and film.
"Understood, boss. What air date do you want to set?" Zoroark took note and waited for instructions.
Edward didn't hesitate much. Unlike films, which depended on timing and box office competition, TV shows were more flexible. And since Sherlock Holmes only had three episodes, he decided to air one per week on Saturdays.
"We'll start this Saturday, one episode per week, and wrap up in three weeks," he confirmed.
Once Ghost Film Pictures began funding promotions, marketing for Sherlock Holmes went full throttle.
Professional marketers brought up the "Three Gods Riddle" again, sparking public curiosity. While many professors and influencers had analyzed the topic in detail, people were even more interested in how the two leads in the show would address it.
So, when Saturday at 7:30 PM rolled around, a large audience had gathered in front of their TVs, all eager to watch the debut of Edward's new series, Sherlock Holmes.
…
"Hello everyone, I'm Kalos Champion Diantha!~"
At that moment, in the Kalos region, Diantha was livestreaming. She waved cheerfully at her phone's camera as a flood of comments shot across the screen.
"Hm? One viewer is curious—why do I have two names?" Diantha spotted a comment and smiled warmly.
"Well, that's because 'Karune' was my former stage name. You can call me either Karune or Diantha—whichever you prefer." She continued chatting while picking up a remote and looking for the right TV channel.
Soon, she found it—Alliance TV Channel 3, where Sherlock Holmes would be airing.
[Miss Karune is here to watch Holmes too?]
The stream quickly noticed the large screen in the background. A commercial was playing, and the time had just hit 7:29 PM.
"Yes. I've worked with Director Edward before, and I think he's very talented. I'm curious to see how he performs as a TV director." Diantha adjusted her seating, and her pale knees entered the frame, causing a wave of LSPs (lewd screen photographers) to frantically take screenshots.
But most viewers were more curious about Edward.
[I know Edward—he made Dead Silence, One Missed Call, and Lights Out!]
[Isn't Edward also the guy behind Tom and Jerry?]
[Pfft, he's not that big a deal—just a horror film guy flexing in his own turf.]
[I saw one of his horror shorts being shown to wild Pokémon in the field once.]
[He's just another rich kid riding on Devon Corporation's coattails.]
The live chat buzzed with debate, but Diantha wasn't fazed.
These days, even Pikachu, the League's most beloved mascot, had haters. Some even called it "Yellow Ratatta."
Diantha herself had plenty of critics too. Some said she was a terrible Champion who spent too much time being a celebrity. Others complained that she was a bad celebrity because she insisted on remaining a Champion.
If not for public opinion, Diantha would've liked to let those two factions fight it out.
"Edward is actually very capable," she said, defending him before casually changing the subject.
Sure enough, the moment she said "insider info," everyone in chat immediately leaned in.
"I heard from Director Edward himself that this time, he made a true detective mystery series, with no supernatural elements—and it's very long," Diantha said, adjusting her camera to show the table, where there were sparkling water and popcorn.
"Director Edward said I should prepare snacks and drinks ahead of time." She grinned.
[Long? How long? Like... 18 minutes long?]
[I remember the longest single-episode runtime in League TV history was an hour.]
[I heard Kanto has a drama called Guiding Light with over 10,000 episodes.]
[As a Kanto local, I can confirm—it's at 18,242 episodes and still going.]
[My Arceus...]
With the topic successfully shifted, Diantha smiled mischievously—mission accomplished.
Still, she did harbor some concern about Edward's new series.
After all, being a film director and a TV director were two very different things. TV episodes might be shorter individually, but they add up—and their narrative structure differs significantly from films. Pulling it off successfully was no easy feat.
What's more, this was a mystery drama with no supernatural or horror elements. Diantha wasn't sure if Edward could nail that, though she did have some confidence in him. After all, he hadn't failed at anything yet.
As the clock hit 7:30 PM, the TV screen faded to black—and Sherlock Holmes officially began airing.
(End of Chapter)
(Author's note: Rewatched Sherlock and it really is a great show. And even though it's an adaptation, it's not jarring—at least Watson didn't get gender-swapped.) Lmao even the author notices it.