"You made this place?" Edward sat on the sofa in the living room, looking around with mild curiosity. This wasn't his home—he had never even known this location existed until Mewtwo told him about it and invited him over.
What surprised him most wasn't just the existence of this house, but the fact that Mewtwo—of all Pokémon—had managed to uncover Giovanni's true identity and was actually living here now.
The place wasn't particularly luxurious, but it was a fully detached home in the Pokémon world—a dream house for many. The neighborhood's location was excellent too. Edward had spotted a supermarket and a subway station nearby on his way here.
A property like this definitely wasn't cheap.
"Mm, yes," Mewtwo replied, carrying a cup of tea as it walked over gracefully. "When I was clashing wits with those people before, I accidentally confirmed Giovanni's true identity and then exposed him online."
It sat down opposite Edward with a calm, leisurely air. The way it carried itself—so composed, so human-like—made Edward's expression twist into something complicated. Mewtwo really was one of a kind.
To think it had actually found concrete evidence proving Giovanni's identity. By now, Giovanni was probably in total chaos. But Edward wasn't exactly shocked. He had half-expected Giovanni's cover to be blown eventually. He'd just assumed it would be Ash who exposed him. Yet Ash was still in the middle of his growth journey—and Mewtwo had beaten him to it.
Then again, when Edward thought about it, that made sense. In the original anime timeline, Giovanni's identity had been exposed fairly early too. Afterward, Giovanni went underground and began acting openly as the leader of Team Rocket.
So, in a way, Mewtwo's move was just pushing the story back onto its intended track.
Not that Edward cared much either way. Giovanni had already outlived his usefulness to him. Edward had once cast Giovanni as Moriarty in his Sherlock Holmes film, but back then, he'd been worried Giovanni might get exposed and mess up the shoot.
So, he'd decided to film all of Moriarty's scenes first, just in case.
As for whether he'd replace Moriarty with another villain afterward—that would depend on the audience's response. He had even toyed with the idea of letting Holmes and Moriarty fall off a waterfall together, just like in the original novel. But in the end, given how profitable the Sherlock Holmes IP had become, he scrapped that plan.
Now that Giovanni's identity was out in the open, Edward could just release Moriarty's identity to the public as well, using the scandal to generate more attention and traffic. In a way, Giovanni had accidentally done him a favor. Even with his cover blown, he was still contributing to Edward's success. Edward was half-tempted to send him a year-end bonus.
"You really are something else. But tell me—did you actually buy this house?" Edward asked casually, not taking Giovanni's situation too seriously.
Giovanni's exposure had caused an online explosion across the League's networks, but to Edward, it was expected. The League likely hadn't captured him either—after all, Giovanni had managed to hold the position of a Gym Leader for so long precisely because he was cunning and capable.
If the League had caught him that easily, that would actually be more concerning. It might mean Giovanni had another plan in motion. He was a dangerous man—Team Rocket had never truly disappeared, after all. They continued to grow in the shadows.
And the anime's Team Rocket trio even ended up joining Ash later. Absolutely ridiculous.
"Yeah," Mewtwo said matter-of-factly, sitting down across from him. "I earned some income through video creation and picked up a bit of traffic that way."
Edward blinked, taken aback. "Wait—you make money from videos? Uploaders can make that much?"
He remembered that most video creators weren't exactly rolling in cash—unless they were massive streamers. Even then, buying a house like this through video income alone was absurd. Most of them still relied on sponsorships or merchandise sales.
He recalled how, back in the day, some streamers with bizarre, "feeling young" personalities had suddenly struck it rich, buying luxury cars and changing their lives overnight. That had sparked a flood of imitators. But thankfully, in the Pokémon world, while there were influencers, there weren't any... questionable figures like "Logan Paul."
"Of course not," Mewtwo said quickly, shaking its head. "I got plenty of sponsorship deals, sure—but when I was traveling, I also stumbled upon a sunken ship in an ocean and salvaged some gold from it. That's how I could afford this place."
Edward chuckled helplessly. So, in the end, it still came down to a lucky windfall, huh?
"But I do owe part of my success to you, Edward," Mewtwo added with a soft smile.
Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise—until realization dawned on him. Oh. It must be because of his horror movies.
The Grudge and The Grudge 2 films had struck the housing market hard. The fear of haunted houses had driven down both rental and property prices. So naturally, Mewtwo had benefited from cheaper housing. No wonder it was thanking him.
"You've been living quite the good life lately," Edward said, looking around the room with open envy. "This place is literally every gamer's dream."
The interior design was a paradise for any gaming enthusiast: a massive high-resolution monitor, top-of-the-line gaming rigs, a dedicated e-sports room, and even a home gym.
Though Edward couldn't quite figure out what Mewtwo needed gym equipment for. Psychic Pokémon didn't exactly need to work out. Their psychic power alone could sculpt and maintain their physical form effortlessly. Still, Mewtwo clearly had both the time and the will to indulge in it.
To any gaming nerd, this home would be pure bliss.
Sure, there wasn't a single woman in sight—but in Edward's opinion, that only made it better. After all, for a true gamer, women only interfered with the speed of game completion.
"I've decided," Mewtwo said suddenly, sipping fruit juice with an air of calm determination. "From now on, I'm going to become a professional gamer. But… the more games I play, the more I feel like creating my own."
Edward froze mid-thought. Make games? That idea piqued his interest.
He had considered it before. After all, he had played countless masterful games himself. But as a film director, he simply didn't have the time or energy to run a game studio. He had once entertained the thought of founding a gaming company, but with Devon Corporation already involved in so many industries, diving into gaming would only invite more complications.
But now… Mewtwo's words stirred something in him. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Perhaps—just perhaps—he could let Mewtwo handle it.
Mewtwo could establish the company and oversee its operations, while Edward invested in it and contributed his creative ideas—story concepts, gameplay mechanics, and overall vision. It could work beautifully.
"Mewtwo," Edward asked with a grin, "you're really thinking about developing games?"
Mewtwo hesitated slightly, looking intrigued but cautious. "I've thought about it. But… are you saying you'd invest?"
It tilted its head curiously, reading Edward's intent.
"Of course," Edward said, smiling. "Think about it—horror films and horror games are two sides of the same coin. Some great horror movies are adapted into games, and vice versa."
One classic example came to mind—Silent Hill. A legendary franchise that had succeeded as both a film and a game. Its world-building—the contrast between the real and the Otherworld—was fascinating, and the character Pyramid Head had achieved global fame.
Edward wanted to try something like that. If he could make a horror game, he might even earn Fear Points from it—and if not, he could still adapt it into a film later. Either way, it would be profitable. His ultimate goal remained the same: to earn money through his own creativity and use it to fund hospital construction.
The two discussed the idea in detail. Mewtwo was clearly tempted but didn't agree right away. It wanted to think things over first. Edward didn't push—he knew Mewtwo's temperament well enough to wait. After chatting a while longer, he left Mewtwo's house.
As he walked away, he couldn't help wondering aloud, "Now that I think about it, how does Mewtwo buy things? Online shopping, sure—but buying a house? That requires property registration, doesn't it? Which means cooperation with the League…"
His eyes flicked back toward the house behind him. "Could it be that Mewtwo's already in contact with the League?"
If so, that wouldn't surprise him. Mewtwo was his friend, not his Pokémon—it had the right to make its own choices. Whatever it did was its own business.
Still, if Mewtwo was working with the League… then Giovanni might actually be in trouble this time.
Edward's gaze turned contemplative. For Giovanni to improve Team Rocket's position against the League, Mewtwo would be essential.
Though Mewtwo might look weak in the games, the reality was different. In the real world, a Legendary Pokémon was far more powerful than the numbers suggested.
And Mewtwo, especially, had escaped from the New Island research facility. For Giovanni, Mewtwo must be both a nightmare and an obsession. Sooner or later, he'd seek it out again—and that would expose him.
"Ah, whatever. Giovanni's problem, not mine," Edward muttered, shaking his head. He had more than enough on his plate already.
"Boss, are you done?" Zoroark asked from the driver's seat as Edward climbed into the car.
"Yeah, all done," Edward replied, yawning.
He noticed Zoroark was playing Pokémon Brawl, the company's new fighting game that Edward's development team had designed.
Edward glanced at the screen, then smiled faintly. The game's profits had been outstanding lately. Players were buying skins, monthly passes, and battle passes like crazy. The revenue had already surpassed three hundred million League Coins. He'd used part of the profit to give employee bonuses and funneled the rest into his hospital construction fund.
"Boss, when are you going to add me to the game?" Zoroark asked, half-focused on driving and half on the screen.
Edward chuckled. "Don't rush it—it's in progress."
He'd already thought about how to design Zoroark's mechanics: players would start with three Pokémon cards that could transform into different forms, each with one of their signature skills, allowing for illusion-based combat. Perfectly fitting for a Pokémon known for trickery and disguise.
"I only plan to design a few of the more creative characters myself," Edward said with a yawn. "The rest will be handled by the team. My only rule is that skills should be simple and balanced—no overpowered characters except in special match modes."
That was how he planned to keep the game's lifespan long and healthy.
"Oh, right—how's the box office for RULE#1 doing now?" Edward asked, glancing out the window.
Outside, an advertisement billboard caught his eye. On it was a woman with a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye—Tomie.
Tomie… was doing ads now?
Edward almost laughed aloud. Ridiculous. If she weren't bound to haunted houses and his company's productions, she'd probably already be doing talk show interviews by now.
(End of Chapter)