At the very beginning, the shopping festival had offered extremely generous discounts—simple, direct, and brutally clear about where consumers were actually saving money. But as more and more festivals rolled out afterward, the promotions gradually became messy and confusing. There were now countless types of vouchers to calculate and combine, making the whole process far more troublesome than before.
Edward, however, had no such concerns. What he wanted was not just profit but recognition—to make this shopping festival famous, to turn it into a well-known event that would bring both convenience and popularity to his PokéCart. That was his true goal at the moment.
After Edward briefly explained his intentions to the staff at Devon Corporation, they quickly came up with corresponding strategies and plans. When Edward reviewed them, he felt quite satisfied. After all, this was the perfect time to expand the market—it was definitely not the time to be stingy with spending.
As long as the market could expand, it was, in Edward's view, absolutely worth the cost.
To push the project forward, Edward spent over two weeks at the company, personally overseeing matters related to the shopping festival. At the same time, large-scale publicity began to roll out. With waves of strong promotional offers flooding the internet, countless consumers were immediately drawn in.
Although rival platforms like PeachNet and other shopping websites quickly launched their own competing promotions, Edward had already begun his preparations in advance. PeachNet and the others couldn't react in time. They could only swallow the bitter loss and admit defeat—meanwhile, PokéCart successfully expanded its market share even further.
Once the shopping festival concluded smoothly, Edward returned to Ghost Films to begin preparations for the filming of "The Grudge 3."
"Boss, are we really ending The Grudge series with Part Three?" Zoroark asked in surprise as she held the script. In her opinion, there were still plenty of untapped stories left in the Grudge franchise, and audiences were still deeply fascinated by it. On the Pokémon League's movie rating website, The Grudge had even been crowned as the "Scariest Horror Film," making it a cultural phenomenon in itself.
"Mm. Kayako's story should come to an end," Edward said, massaging his temples. "There's no such thing as an endless banquet. Even Pokémon—who's to say it won't someday end too, with no more new generations or adventures?" Though the probability of that happening was small, he knew that all things eventually ran their course.
After all, capital always chases profit. As long as there's money to be made, the investors don't care about the creator's artistic intentions or the fans' feelings. They'll milk a successful IP dry if they can.
"That's a pity…" Zoroark sighed, stroking the script fondly. She truly liked it—its story was excellent and frightening, carrying the signature tone of Kayako's curse. But now that he thought about it, she realized something—the Kayako of The Grudge seemed to have found her destination after the first and second films: reincarnation.
"Wait, boss—so you mean Kayako's ultimate goal is… reincarnation?" Zoroark asked curiously. Edward looked at her, a bit surprised that the Pokémon had actually caught on to that detail. Normally, Zoroark didn't show much interest in scripts—she preferred watching films, not reading them.
"That's right. Reincarnation. Being a ghost isn't all that great sometimes," Edward replied with a small laugh. He thought back to the film The Taoist Genius of the Underworld he'd seen before—though it was a satirical metaphor, it was still amusing. "Being human is already hard enough. Why make being a ghost even harder?"
Nearby stood Kayako herself, lingering silently by his side while Toshio was already attending school. Judging by her expression, she seemed quite content.
Zoroark reluctantly closed the script, but then an idea struck her.
"Boss, should we announce that this will be the final film in the Grudge series?" Zoroark suggested.
Edward hesitated, his expression flickering slightly. But after some thought, he agreed—after all, most film franchises announced their "final chapter" early to stir up anticipation among fans.
So, he approved the idea, even though The Grudge 3 hadn't even started filming yet—they were still in the process of casting. Especially for the important role of the "Queen of Horror Films," they needed to find the perfect actress.
Once Zoroark had the promotional department of Ghost Films begin the campaign, the news spread across the internet like wildfire—everyone who followed horror movies soon learned that The Grudge 3 would mark the end of the iconic series.
"The final film? What a shame. Why couldn't it be Edward's last film instead?" one film company boss grumbled as he scrolled through the news on his phone. He despised Edward Stone—this man had practically monopolized the entire horror movie scene.
"Yeah, boss," said his smiling female secretary. "If The Grudge were our company's IP, we'd definitely make parts seven, eight, nine, and ten~"
The bald boss rubbed his shiny head, frowning as he read the article again. He wasn't interested in whether it was the final or second-to-last film—what mattered to him was something else entirely.
"How's it going with recruiting that screenwriter and director?" the overweight boss asked. His secretary's expression immediately turned sour.
"Boss, those two are really arrogant. Our people couldn't even get through the door. And that director? He's so full of himself he won't even pick up the phone. Who does he think he is?" she complained.
But as she spoke, she noticed her boss's face growing darker by the second—until he finally slammed a palm down on the desk. If he hadn't restrained himself, she suspected that slap might've landed on her face instead.
She quickly shut her mouth, trembling.
"What profits can you bring this company compared to them?" the boss growled. "You think you can stand on the same level as people who make us billions? You close a few business deals and think you're irreplaceable? I let you handle imports, not strut around acting like you run the place!"
His words were cutting—if she weren't pregnant with his child, he wouldn't even have bothered to keep her around.
The secretary apologized fearfully, and the boss waved her off, ordering her to contact that director and writer again. "No matter what, get them under our banner."
Other film companies reacted differently to the news. Some found it trivial, others amusing. Some mocked Edward as a fool who didn't understand how to make money, while others rejoiced that the "demon king" of the horror genre had finally made a mistake.
But the audience's reaction was much more complicated.
In the Hoenn Horror Movie Lovers Exchange Group, people were actively discussing the announcement. Edward quietly opened his phone and scrolled through the chat.
Although he rarely spoke, he often read the discussions—it was a good way to stay aware of trends and topics he might otherwise overlook.
[Orange Cat By The Window]: "Hey, did you guys see the news? The Grudge 3 is supposed to be the final chapter!"
[Ghost]: "Yeah, but honestly? It's hard to believe such a popular franchise would stop after just three films."
[Bike Lover]: "Totally. The Grudge is huge right now. I even heard there's some weird online group that watches it while tracking their heart rate—like, they make it into a challenge."
[Goodbye My Love]: "Wait, what kind of group is that?"
Edward's lips twitched. What in the world…? Watching The Grudge to control your heart rate? That was absurd—like telling someone to sprint and not breathe heavily afterward. Completely unreasonable.
[Presenting Horror Movies to the World]: "So aside from Ghostly Prodigy, any other good horror films lately?"
Edward wasn't too concerned about the public reaction to The Grudge 3. Whatever people said, he'd film it the way he envisioned. Once Kayako reincarnated, her story was finished. Anything beyond that would just be an unnecessary tail.
So instead, he was more curious whether there were any horror films he hadn't yet seen.
[Clock Running Backward]: "Good horror movies? Not really. But I once saw this old film called The Park. You might like it."
[Lonely No More]: "The Park? That's over ten years old! But yeah, it was scary as hell when I first watched it."
Edward blinked.
The Park?
Could it be… that one?
Curious, he searched the web—and to his surprise, he really found a film by that name. Although the cast was completely different, the opening scenes and several middle segments confirmed it for him: this was indeed the same movie he remembered.
The Park was a classic old Hong Kong horror film with a fairly simple plot.
Once upon a time, there was an amusement park—but an accident occurred, and ever since then, misfortunes kept happening until the place was abandoned and became haunted.
The protagonist's older brother went missing, and she followed the clues he'd left behind, discovering that he had entered The Park. Determined to find him, she ventured inside—only for the audience to learn that her mother was actually an exorcist, a real one with genuine powers.
Her mother used simple spells and talismans to drive out ghosts, and ultimately wielded a camera to seal away evil spirits.
That last detail reminded Edward of the old Japanese horror game Fatal Frame.
The mother warned her daughter not to enter the cursed park—but what horror heroine ever listens to warnings? So, the girl dragged along a group of friends, camera in hand, and entered the park.
Then came the predictable sequence—friends getting separated, panicking, hunted down one by one by the vengeful ghost. Eventually, the girl found her brother's corpse and realized his soul was trapped there too.
Unable to fight the ghost, she barely escaped. Her mother, sensing something was wrong, arrived just in time, using her camera to seal away part of the evil spirits—but was ultimately possessed herself. In the end, the daughter had to seal her own mother while crying and screaming that she couldn't do it.
It ended with a twist.
Unlike most horror films of that era, where good triumphs and evil is banished, The Park closed on an eerie note: the girl burned most of the cursed photos, but forgot one—the one taken when they first entered the park. Inside that final photograph, a ghost's silhouette lingered. The screen flickered, a scream rang out, and the film ended.
"Didn't expect this movie to actually exist here too… and they even kept that iconic hallway scene," Edward murmured, munching on chips as he watched the pale arms stretch across the corridor. He couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. That scene had always left a deep impression on him.
When it was over, Edward closed his laptop, feeling oddly nostalgic.
"It's about time to start filming The Grudge 3," he muttered, yawning. He called for Zoroark, discussed the upcoming production briefly, and was about to send her off—when something suddenly struck him.
"Wait a second!" Edward stood up abruptly. Zoroark turned, confused. Edward frowned, realizing that there was another movie he'd shelved and almost forgotten.
"Put The Grudge 3 on hold for now," Edward said after a moment's thought. "Let's finish filming Tomie: Unlimited first."
He recalled the long-forgotten script—he had originally planned to let someone else direct it, but worried that they wouldn't capture the atmosphere he wanted. In the end, he decided to handle it himself.
After all, Tomie: Unlimited had been postponed long enough. If he didn't get started now, he'd probably forget about it again—and that would be a real problem.
Once Edward finalized the decision, Zoroark immediately sprang into action to look for cast members. The female lead was, of course, Tomie herself, but her sister was also a crucial role. They'd need to find a beautiful actress—yet one whose looks wouldn't outshine Tomie's. But then again, Zoroark thought with a wry smile, was there anyone whose beauty could surpass Tomie's?
As he watched Zoroark rush off, Edward's expression turned thoughtful. Some memories of his past life surfaced—but he quickly pushed them aside. In this world of Pokémon, at least, he didn't need to worry about such things.
"Tomie must've been waiting long enough," he murmured with a faint smile.
(End of Chapter)