"Wait, they're actually giving away two hundred free draws? Don't tell me that once you enter the gacha system, it's split into separate banners — like a limited banner and a standard one?"
Asher was visibly surprised, though he still carried a trace of skepticism in his tone. After all, he'd seen enough of such marketing tricks before.
These days, there were too many of those kinds of games — the standard banner was always filled with junk, or the drop rates were deliberately lowered, while the limited banner contained all the good stuff. If you didn't spend money, you could forget about pulling anything decent.
However, once he actually opened the gacha screen, he was stunned to find that there really wasn't any such division — there was only one universal pool. Out of curiosity, Asher decided to test it once. When he finished pulling, he was dumbfounded. His entire Pokédex had been unlocked, and every single Pokémon was available for use.
"Well then, I'll admit this game is surprisingly generous in some ways. Of course, I can already tell how they plan to make money — they're banking on skin sales. You can even buy a monthly pass. I calculated it: if you save up your monthly rewards, you can afford one skin."
Asher spoke with disbelief, though his tone carried genuine admiration.
In an industry where most game developers treated their players like disposable wallets, it was truly rare to see a company stand up and do something like this — not only that, but the rewards were generous, the pull rates weren't stingy, and even the skins were exquisitely crafted.
Without hesitation, Asher immediately recharged his account and bought every skin available, before diving straight into the game. The more he played, the more fun it became, and his live stream's viewership began to climb steadily.
[Not gonna lie, this game actually looks pretty fun. Plus, each match doesn't take too long, perfect for us players who only have fragmented time.]
[I think the game's mechanics are really clever too. For example, the Hoenn-region Pokémon seem to focus more on resource gain after taking damage.]
[When to take damage and when to avoid it — that's all about player strategy and mind games.]
[And the skin quality is just insane! What else can I say? I'm in — top-up time!]
[Take my money already!]
"Hahaha! Everyone, look! This round, I'm ready to go on a killing spree!" Asher shouted excitedly. He was completely fired up now. Similar scenes were happening in the live streams of other gaming influencers as well. Within a short time, Pokémon Brawl Royale had exploded across the gaming industry, instantly becoming the latest sensation.
"Boss, who did you hire to draw the game characters? The art is just… god-tier!"
At the company cafeteria, Zoroark said excitedly while eating. Edward, chewing a mouthful of rice, casually muttered the artist's name in reply.
In truth, that artist wasn't an individual freelancer. Edward had outsourced the entire project to the professionals under the Devon Corporation, and they had done an exceptional job — far exceeding expectations. Edward himself was very satisfied with the results.
Besides, in the Pokémon world, there weren't as many politically charged constraints or "sensitivity issues" to worry about. Edward didn't have to tiptoe around inclusivity or correctness — he could design everything exactly as he envisioned. So, the game's explosive popularity felt perfectly natural.
Because of that, the bulk of Pokémon Brawl Royale's data consisted of voice lines and skin resources; the actual card data wasn't all that heavy. Edward planned to gradually expand the roster over time by importing more Pokémon into the system and slowly broadening the card pool.
Later, when the older Pokémon's power levels started to fall behind, he could always introduce breakthrough evolutions — Mega Pokémon, Dynamax Pokémon, and so on. All of those were viable monetization routes, and Edward was genuinely looking forward to exploring them.
"Boss, are we planning to shift the company's focus into the gaming industry from now on?"
Zoroark put down its phone after finishing a match — in which it had played the role of a traitor and successfully stirred chaos to eliminate the reigning champion.
Right after the match, its friend request list was glowing red, clearly from some frustrated player hoping to "discuss" the match outcome.
But what it really wanted to know was something else. After all, only by clarifying this issue could Zoroark properly prepare the necessary follow-up work. If the boss truly intended to pivot into gaming, then as his secretary, it had to immediately start compiling reports, data, and intelligence for him — that was what a competent secretary should do.
"No, not really. I'm not planning any industry shift. Releasing this game was just a quick way to make some money."
Edward smiled calmly, showing no particular enthusiasm about it. To him, this whole project had always been just a means of profit, nothing more. His real focus remained firmly on filmmaking.
As for the gaming side, maybe he'd take a look at it again in the future. For now, Edward had no intention of stretching himself across too many industries — that would just be unnecessarily troublesome.
Zoroark nodded, understanding, then went back to eating while watching videos online between bites. Edward, meanwhile, was also on his phone — but he was browsing through movie reviews for The Grudge 2.
The release of The Grudge 2 had been a major event in the film industry. Naturally, reviews of all kinds flooded in — some praised it lavishly, others tore into it harshly. Edward, however, wasn't particularly bothered.
After all, there was no such thing as a movie that everyone liked. People's tastes differed. What one viewer found brilliant, another might find disgusting or nonsensical. Such polarization was normal. So Edward didn't find it strange that some had issues with The Grudge 2.
In fact, he was reading through the negative reviews with some amusement.
"In my opinion, The Grudge 2 is Director Edward's weakest film yet. It scares for the sake of scaring, and many of its plot points simply don't hold up under scrutiny — like why Suzuki Tatsuya, after learning from his sister how dangerous the cursed house was, still chose to go in?"
"Or why would Suzuki Kyoko, a supposed spiritual medium who sensed the danger, not immediately flee, but instead stay behind — even opening the door to check what was happening behind her? It's beyond belief."
"Honestly, any sane person, upon hearing strange noises and seeing light coming from their closet, would grab their nephew and get out of that cursed place. No one would actually stay to 'investigate.'"
"Well, they're not wrong," Edward muttered as he chewed his food. "But sometimes, films just have to bend logic for the sake of the plot."
That was the truth. Movies — especially horror movies — often had to prioritize storytelling over realism. Still, Edward knew that, in this world, there really were people whose brains didn't work quite right.
For example, back when he had visited The Grudge's world himself, that cursed house was the definition of a deathtrap — countless people had already died there, even kind-hearted folks who went in just to help others. All of them perished without exception at Kayako's hands.
So yes, that house reeked of death and misfortune. Anyone with a shred of sense wouldn't step foot inside — but there were always fools who did, for one absurd reason or another. Some even broke in to rob the place. So in a way, he thought, maybe Kyoko's reckless behavior was simply part of her character.
Of course, Edward didn't bother explaining that publicly — too troublesome. The film was finished, and fans were already arguing in the comment section on their own. Let them debate it out.
[The Grudge 2: 300,000 Fear Points]
His Fear Points had already climbed to 300,000. Seeing the new lottery option available, Edward felt a twinge of temptation. But after thinking it over, he decided to wait until The Grudge 2 had officially finished screening. Once that was done, he could start preparing for the release of RULE#1.
If RULE#1 could also generate Fear Points, then that would mean Edward had unlocked an entirely new method of harvesting fear energy.
"I just wonder if completing that movie will grant me another chance to travel to that world… If so, maybe I could ask someone to film Star Wars or Starship Troopers next — it'd be pretty cool to visit those worlds myself."
Edward rubbed his hands together excitedly.
At this point in his life, money had lost most of its allure. He could finally understand why so many people who got rich overnight — like those who became wealthy from land demolitions — often fell apart soon after. For some, having too much money made them careless with it; for others, it attracted predators eager to exploit them.
Looking at his phone, Edward sighed. During the production of The Grudge 2, he had met a new in-game friend — someone wealthy, generous, and seemingly straightforward, the kind of person Edward liked to befriend. But now, reading the report his old butler had sent, Edward could only shake his head.
He knew all too well that there were people out there who preyed specifically on the rich — waiting like vultures for a chance to bleed them dry. In his previous life, a middle-school classmate of his had gone through something similar.
That classmate's family home had been demolished, turning him into a "demolition rich kid" overnight. Once a quiet, awkward student, he suddenly became the class's local tycoon — and the self-proclaimed "godfather" of several boys.
But within a year, the fortune was gone. His father had been lured into gambling, lost everything, and the family went bankrupt — reduced from living in a mansion to a shabby secondhand apartment.
Edward had learned all this later when they reconnected. The boy had dropped out of high school and was working in a factory just to support his family.
It was true — sudden wealth rarely lasted. If a person couldn't guard their fortune, they'd lose it within three generations — or sooner. Someone was always waiting to drag them down, through gambling, drugs, or other traps.
Countless "demolition heirs" ended up worse off than before.
"These days, being rich really is dangerous," Edward muttered with a sigh.
Luckily, his own strength was enough to protect him. Glancing at the clock, he realized that time was running short.
The filming, editing, and release of The Grudge 2 had taken a lot of time — and now, the date of the meteor's arrival was drawing near.
"By my calculations, it's about time to head for Mossdeep City." Edward sighed, shoveling down the rest of his meal. On the bright side, once he went to deal with the meteor crisis, he'd finally have an excuse to pause all work. After all, compared to saving the Hoenn region, everything else seemed trivial.
"Zoroark, I'll be leaving for a while. Not sure when I'll be back. Keep the company running as usual, but pause all projects that directly involve me. Tell Kennedy about it — he'll understand."
Edward's tone was calm and steady. Zoroark froze for a second, then nodded and made a note of it.
Resting his chin in his hand, Edward thought to himself, Saving the world… well, it's basically just another day's work.
For him, it was almost as casual as grabbing milk tea after office hours. He already knew the story's plot. Still, he couldn't help feeling a little anxious — this was real life, after all, and reality didn't always play out like a game. Just like how the future had once ended up affecting the past, nearly exposing him in front of Cyrus.
"Hopefully this time, there won't be any unexpected villains getting dragged into the mix," Edward muttered uncertainly.
But speculation wouldn't help, so he simply yawned, got up, and left the office. He intended to check whether the space suit was ready yet.
Just as he took out his phone to make a call, his older brother's number flashed on the screen — it was Steven. His tone was unusually serious as he informed Edward that the Mossdeep Rocket Center had finished developing the custom space suit he requested, and told him to come over immediately.
Edward paused for a moment, then agreed without hesitation.
In the end, someone had to do this. In the game, the protagonist was the one who saved the world. But here, in reality, it seemed that destiny had chosen him for the job.
"Well, things have come to this — might as well save the world."
Stretching lazily, Edward picked up Q, gathered his Pokémon, and boarded the League's private jet bound for Mossdeep.
(End of Chapter)