"Uncle Kennedy, how is the company's current development going?" Edward looked at Kennedy in front of him and asked. Although in private Edward always called him "Uncle Kennedy"—after all, Kennedy was much older—nowadays Kennedy was already fifty-three years old. Strictly speaking, he could even be called "Grandpa," but Edward was simply used to calling him uncle.
"President Edward, the company's overall development is currently progressing steadily. Among our subsidiaries, PokeCart has already replaced that other platform and has become the second-largest e-commerce business in the entire League." Kennedy's face carried the same calm and steady smile as always. For him, watching the Devon Corporation grow stronger step by step was his greatest joy.
After all, Kennedy's very first job was here. He had worked at Devon for so many years that the company was no longer just a company to him—it carried culture, memories, and meaning. In Kennedy's eyes, Devon had become the spiritual anchor of his entire life, the thing he treasured above all else.
Previously, Kennedy had even worried that, after taking over the former chairman's position, this new-generation leader, Edward, would not be able to adapt. But unexpectedly, Edward performed exceptionally well. Right from the start, he launched PokeCart and even seized the lower-tier market, securing a significant foothold on the online shopping industry. Now it had grown into a massive giant, forcing even the biggest competitor to scramble for solutions.
So, Kennedy was very pleased. As for Edward, he didn't think too deeply about it. His thoughts were focused elsewhere—he was wondering whether the Pokémon world had any potential for a shared bicycle blue ocean.
At first glance, the concept of shared bikes seemed unrelated to the Pokémon world. After all, with so many Pokémon capable of transporting people, bicycles might seem unnecessary. But, as Edward believed, everything had to be examined from multiple perspectives. In reality, the demand for bicycles in the Pokémon world was still quite high.
Nearly every region had bicycle shops, and many people preferred cycling as a means of transportation. There were even special competitions. Even after Pokémon like Cyclizar appeared, the position of bicycles was never replaced—they still played an active role in society. It was like Edward's previous life: even though electric bikes existed, most people still preferred the simplicity of a bicycle.
Thus, shared bikes actually had promising potential.
However, Devon, as a major company could not simply jump into a new field because Edward "felt like it." Even though Devon's unique ownership structure essentially meant that Edward could do whatever he pleased, he was still a responsible boss. He didn't want unnecessary problems arising from reckless decisions; trouble was a hassle.
Therefore, he instructed Kennedy to convene a simple, small-scale meeting.
As the saying goes: hold a big meeting for small matters, hold a small meeting for big matters. Edward found this mindset quite practical.
"Ms. Mika, right? So that's my idea. I want you to establish a market-research task force to investigate whether this concept is viable or not." Edward looked at Mika from the market-research department.
"Understood, boss. But… since there are no existing precedents on the market, our investigation might…" Mika nodded but also felt she should voice her concern. Since Edward didn't mind, she finally relaxed.
"Boss, are you saying you want bicycles that users can scan in one city, ride, then swap at any time?" another person asked. He was from the software-development department, which was why Edward had summoned him. Their job was to develop all the necessary features.
Bluetooth connection, location tracking, billing—everything needed to be built.
"Yes, that's the idea. Any problems?" Edward asked him.
"Well… the difficulty lies in ensuring the safety of the bikes and handling responsibility when they're damaged…" the developer replied hesitantly. Edward didn't mind. Nothing was ever as simple as it appeared. Although he had used shared bikes in his previous life, he knew how complicated the behind-the-scenes technology and logistics actually were. But that was precisely why companies existed.
The meeting lasted three hours, but at least the initial instructions had been laid out. What would happen next would depend on the research results.
"Kennedy, what do you think about my idea?" Edward asked as he sat at his desk, feeding Fortune a fear candy.
This period was quiet—he couldn't really extract anything. Even the Harry Potter project had no fear points coming in. But Edward didn't mind. He figured he could let things rest for a while and then surprise the audience later—it was a good strategy too.
And honestly, he had almost everything he needed anyway.
"Boss, I think the idea is good, but there are some risks," Kennedy said. Edward simply listened quietly.
Kennedy pointed out many issues. He thought very broadly—being able to see so many potential problems with an early-stage concept was impressive. But ultimately, his conclusion was: "It can be pursued further." Edward smiled.
Shared bicycles did have value. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a fierce battle among companies in his past life. The earliest yellow bikes even sparked controversy with their unrecoverable deposits, which led to later shared-bike systems removing deposits entirely and switching to other mechanisms.
Such as credit-ratings systems. In the end, only three major color-brand bikes survived—blue, yellow, and green—while the others faded away.
In the Pokémon world, bicycles carried even deeper meaning. For a long time, cycling was the primary way people began their journeys. So, both Edward and Kennedy believed bicycles were absolutely viable—especially since there were no competitors. It could bring huge growth to Devon.
"Hah… once the time comes, we'll establish a subsidiary and bring the League in as a stakeholder. This project needs the League's participation." Edward sipped juice, eyes half-closed. Kennedy nodded; he understood.
Maps were important. Even though the Pokémon world was unified under a single League, absolute, detailed maps still had restrictions. Shared bikes could essentially map out entire cities. Deviations, shortcuts, terrain data—all of it had great value. Ideally, this job should be handed to the League.
There was another benefit: if the League participated, the rollout across multiple cities would be much faster. And Devon, as large as it already was, really shouldn't expand unchecked.
His father had once told him: Devon must never become the number-one company in market value. Leave that position to Silph Co. Let them sit there forever. Devon should be second. Edward agreed.
After all, the Pokémon world was not like that certain "freedom loving country" where megacorporations acted as shadow governments. The Pokémon world maintained strict regulatory power, and the League itself held overwhelming strength. As long as the League's fist remained the biggest, no other voices would prevail.
"Oh, right. How are things going with the amusement park?" Edward suddenly remembered and asked. Kennedy fell silent in an odd way.
That immediately caught Edward's attention. As a secretary, Kennedy almost always answered instantly—this was why he had held the position for so many years. Even Edward's father once considered promoting him, but Kennedy refused. He just liked being a secretary.
"Well… boss, many people are suggesting the amusement park be renamed Tomie Amusement Park…"
Edward stared, stunned.
What? Do these people even hear themselves? Tomie… Amusement Park??
He felt his mouth twitch. He had worried that unlimited screenings of Tomie might reduce her popularity. But not only was her popularity unaffected—her fans seemed to have become even more unhinged.
"What's going on?" Edward hurriedly asked. He was genuinely confused. Tomie was performing as herself, without unleashing her full charm—so how had she gotten this far?
"…How about… you go see for yourself?" Kennedy replied with a strange expression.
After hesitating, Edward decided to go in person and see what Tomie had done.
When he arrived at the Ghost Amusement Park, he saw crowds—so many people that the line stretched far outside the gate.
Edward winced. Fortunately, he was the owner. He slipped in and soon found himself looking at a massive queue leading into the haunted house. Bypassing the line, he went straight to Tomie.
"Eh? I don't know either~ It seems they all came because of my movie. Such a pity~ I can't let these people… hehe…" Tomie smiled happily, the familiar Tomie-like gleam on her face. Edward felt another twitch at the corner of his mouth. She really hadn't changed.
He leaned over to take a look. Beside the haunted house was a message wall filled with comments, but one long piece of writing caught his attention—almost a full A4 page.
["Welcome to my eternal party."
Behind the ticket window, a black-haired girl with a tear-mole licked her lips as she handed me the ticket. The moment our fingers brushed, a strange ticket with a severed head appeared on my wrist. I knew right then that this would be a day I could never forget—one I was destined to remember forever.
When the midnight closing announcement echoed through the park, I heard dense slicing noises behind me. I turned, only to see the outer wall of the haunted house oozing blood. The neon sign 'Tomie Haunted House' split—the character 'Tomie' cracked open into countless writhing black strands of hair.
I will love you forever, Lady Tomie!"]
After reading the whole page, Edward felt his expression twist yet again. Tomie's charisma really was absurd. But when he thought about it more—well, it was Tomie. It made sense.
"You didn't do anything strange, did you?" Edward asked suspiciously.
Tomie, to be fair, had brought enormous profits to the theme park. With her presence, the park's revenue had skyrocketed. Lines meant water sales, food sales—and everyone knew how expensive amusement-park food was.
So, the idea of "Tomie Paradise"… wasn't entirely surprising. Tomie was indeed… a dangerously charismatic woman.
"Nope~ I didn't even release my charm," she said cheerfully, eyes glimmering. Edward scratched his head. That actually made sense. If Tomie hadn't restrained her charm, things would have been far worse.
Tomie's power was astonishing, and her allure even more so. She was a deeply special existence, and Edward knew that very well. He started thinking: maybe he should film more works for Tomie and to release photo books, figurines, merchandise—and donate all proceeds to the NewHope Medical Hospital. That would at least count as charity.
He told Tomie his idea, and she didn't mind. She liked the amusement park simply because it wasn't affected by curses. Tomie disliked being bound by malevolent forces. Here, she could simply be herself—not the Tomie that everyone feared.
"Of course, Anything you say, boss—I could never refuse you," Tomie said with a sweet smile. Edward felt yet another twitch. She really knew how to talk.
But he didn't intend to push further. Everything regarding Tomie was already on track. He yawned.
Thinking about it… it was probably time to start filming a new movie. But there were too many projects waiting. Edward was still undecided about what to release next. After thinking a bit, he decided to wait until Harry Potter finished screening.
(End of Chapter.)