"Director Edward, it's truly an honor to work with you this time~" At the film set, Edward was greeted by the warmly smiling Diantha, who had rushed over.
"Miss Diantha, it's not our first time working together… But are you sure you want to play the role of Chu Renmei?" Edward looked at her a little hesitantly.
He certainly had confidence in Diantha's acting. In their previous collaboration on Dead Silence, Diantha's performance as the perfect doll had exceeded his expectations and made him realize that her status as a big star wasn't just because of her title as Champion.
She was definitely one of those Champions who were more... off the beaten path—much like Steven.
"Mhm~ This role seems pretty challenging," Diantha replied with a smile.
Edward rubbed his temples.
In A Wicked Ghost, the only major female role was Chu Renmei. However, most of the time, she wore a traditional opera robe with long hair covering her face—her full face barely visible. The few moments when her face was seen were usually flashbacks of her past, particularly the scene where she was falsely accused of infidelity by her husband. After that, her face rarely appeared again.
Although Chu Renmei was the undisputed female lead, the actual acting difficulty was low. Theoretically, even a man could play her.
"But this role doesn't have many scenes with the face shown," Edward tested the waters.
Instead of being discouraged, Diantha looked even more excited.
"That's exactly what makes it a true acting challenge, don't you think?"
Seeing her eagerness, Edward didn't say anything more. He'd said all he needed to say. Since Diantha had decided to challenge herself, he wouldn't interfere.
Among the entire cast, Diantha was clearly the biggest star. The rest were mostly minor celebrities, including several fourth-tier actors—people with some roles under their belt but not widely recognized.
These actors were cast in supporting or background roles. The two male leads, Xiao Ming and Fa Mao, were played by two second-tier stars whose acting skills were solid and, more importantly, whose appearances fit Edward's requirements.
The actor playing Fa Mao, in particular, had a naturally soulful face—the kind that immediately gave off an air of deep emotion. This was probably due to him often playing tragic or romantic supporting characters on-screen.
He originally auditioned just to try his luck, not expecting to get the role. After all, Director Edward was famous for launching actors' careers but also notorious for his high standards.
And yet, he'd been chosen… for yet another deeply emotional character.
This time, though, it would be a character who remains devoted—even to an evil spirit.
Still, the actor was confident in his comfort zone.
Edward figured filming this movie wouldn't be too difficult. The only real challenge would lie in how Pokémon would be incorporated into the plot.
He had made a few adjustments to the storyline. Now, some side characters and the protagonists would attempt to use Pokémon to solve the ghost problem—only for their Pokémon to be violently destroyed by a berserk Chu Renmei.
This would further emphasize the ghost's overwhelming power, highlighting just how terrifying she was. It would also amplify the fear factor, especially in a world where people relied on Pokémon for protection. When even their Pokémon proved useless, the sense of helplessness would be overwhelming.
"Boss." Zoroark hurried over, holding a script in its paws.
"Mm, has Ada started filming already?" Edward asked, glancing over.
After the success of The Hound of Baskervilles, the third episode of Sherlock Holmes, Edward had been struck by inspiration. If a detective mystery could be used to create a terrifying atmosphere, then maybe Tom and Jerry could work too.
Of course, Tom and Jerry was an animated series, and generating horror from cartoons was not easy. Still, it wasn't unheard of. There were urban legends about a certain terrifying lost episode of Tom and Jerry circulating online.
But Edward couldn't find any real footage—only fan-made animations. So instead, he chose the episode where Tom accidentally enters a witch's house and ends up flying around on a broomstick chasing Jerry.
That episode had been labeled by many as their "childhood nightmare," though Edward personally didn't find it particularly scary.
Still, that didn't stop him from planning to add some eerie and terrifying elements to it. After all...
"By my count, today should be…" Edward's eyes went a little distant.
If he was right, today would've been the Hungry Ghost Festival in his previous life. But now that he had transmigrated, he wasn't sure if offering prayers would even be effective.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out a Fear Candy and placed it in his palm, along with a note he had written. A few moments later, both the candy and the note vanished.
This was how Edward communicated with Giratina.
At that moment in the Distortion World, Giratina received the note Edward had sent:
[Would Lord Giratina kindly light three incense sticks for me?]
Giratina didn't quite understand, but it complied anyway. It didn't mind helping out as long as it got Fear Candy in return.
"I may not be able to return, but lighting three incense sticks is at least a way to express sincerity, right? And since Giratina's the one doing it…" Edward scratched his head.
Normally, you'd burn paper money, but with him in another dimension, Edward didn't even know if the offerings would make it across. So he decided to have Giratina do it for him from the Distortion World.
Besides, in Pokémon lore, the Distortion World was vaguely seen as a resting place for souls—kind of like an underworld. So, asking Giratina to burn incense there might actually work.
"Make sure Ada films this episode well and edits it quickly," Edward instructed Zoroark.
This Tom and Jerry episode was very important to him. In just two episodes, it could fulfill two of his goals.
First, to test whether Tom and Jerry could generate Fear Points.
Second, to see how well people in the Pokémon world would accept the concept of magic, using the witch and flying broomstick as an entry point.
If the audience responded positively, it would pave the way for launching the Harry Potter series in this world.
(End of Chapter)
The Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and the Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, is a traditional festival held in certain East and Southeast Asian countries. According to the Lunar calendar, the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month.