Pokemon: Lord of Fear

In the world of Pokémon, Pokémon can also work as laborers, often referred to as "working Pokémon." However, since many Pokémon do not understand the League's language, a special profession emerged to prevent these working Pokémon from being exploited.

Pokémon Notary: These professionals are legal experts specializing in various laws and regulations. Any company signing a contract with a Pokémon must employ these notaries to validate the agreement. Only then is the contract considered legally binding.

Otherwise, the League will impose heavy penalties, making this a way to protect Pokémon's rights.

Notaries meticulously review contracts, ensuring there are no traps or clauses that Pokémon cannot understand. They also explain the contract to the Pokémon, making it a challenging but essential job.

"Let me take a look at your contract." The young woman had already started examining the document. Edward waited patiently, not in a hurry.

As she read the contract, she explained its key points to the Mismagius beside her, who listened attentively.

The other Pokémon nearby slowly gathered around as well. A variety of ghost-type Pokémon surrounded Edward and his team, with some Haunter occasionally making faces at him.

Under Mismagius' restraint, however, they behaved themselves and didn't cause trouble.

"This is essentially what the contract means. Do you want to sign it?" The girl asked Mismagius after finishing her explanation. The contract was entirely legitimate, with no hidden traps.

Given that Devon Corporation is the leading enterprise in the Hoenn region, it certainly doesn't need to resort to unethical shadow contracts to tarnish its reputation.

Mismagius nodded and used a pen to draw a strange symbol on the paper.

"All done. The contract between Phantom Film Company and Mismagius is now officially signed." The notary smiled and took a photo as evidence.

Edward nodded. Now that the contract with the Pokémon in the mansion had been signed, he needed to arrange for furniture and a large number of stuffed toys to create the puppet theater scene required for the movie Dead Silence.

The old butler paid the notary's fee, which was covered by the company. For Devon Corporation, such minor expenses were negligible.

"Master Edward, everything has been taken care of." The old butler dismissed the notary and returned to Edward's side to report quietly.

"Good." Edward nodded. He had also called the film company earlier to start arranging personnel to decorate the mansion. The exterior would remain untouched, but some details needed to be added so the audience could recognize the mansion as Mary Shaw's puppet theater.

Although the mansion already possessed some eerie elements, it was still far from achieving Edward's desired effect. Special decorations were necessary, a task for the film company's props department.

Fortunately, as someone who delegated most responsibilities, Edward only needed to oversee the big picture and the filming. The rest would be handled by the company's employees.

Soon, a group of Machamp carrying various items emerged from the forest. Leading them was a man Edward recognized as the manager of a moving company from Rustboro City.

However, the sight was eye-searing: all the Machamp were wearing maid outfits. The stockings, which were meant to be alluring, were stretched taut over their muscular physiques, making Edward avert his gaze.

"Why is he here?" Edward muttered under his breath but walked over nonetheless.

Since vehicles were prohibited in Petalburg Woods, everything had to be transported manually. Transforming the mansion into a theater required a lot of materials and funds. Fortunately, his father had allocated him plenty of money to cover these expenses.

"Mr. Edward, Maid Moving Company is at your service!" The man greeted him respectfully, leaving Edward at a loss for words.

Maid Moving Company—the name suggested a borderline business, but in reality, it was a professional moving company. Their employees were exclusively Machamp and Machoke.

"Well... I know you're the Maid Moving Company, but there's really no need to take the theme this far," Edward said, his heart skipping a beat as he glanced at the muscular Machamp in maid outfits.

Thanks to this company's antics, maid outfit sales in Rustboro City had plummeted. People even avoided maid outfits to escape jokes about their muscles being underdeveloped.

"Mr. Edward, our company prides itself on professionalism." The man gave a proud thumbs-up. Edward took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, giving up on further conversation.

The company's dedication was undeniable. Every move involved Machamp and Machoke in maid outfits. Too dedicated.

"Boss, what's the plan for this mansion?" A bald man from the company approached Edward, looking at the mansion behind him.

"Decorate it as the theater. The ghost-type Pokémon inside have already signed contracts with me," Edward replied, waving his hand. He couldn't bear to stay any longer. In such a short time, he had seen countless maid outfits stretched to their limits by muscular Machamp.

He worried he might dream of maid Machamp tonight.

"Understood." The bald man nodded. Although Edward had mentioned it over the phone, he wanted to confirm the details.

"Boss, regarding the casting, we've shortlisted these actors for the lead role. Please take a look." The bald man enthusiastically handed Edward several documents from his briefcase.

Edward glanced at the files. The first set featured potential male leads, all notably handsome, along with a list of movies and shows they had starred in.

Since these actors were recommended by his staff, their acting skills were likely solid. The challenge was selecting the one with the aura that best matched the protagonist.

Aura is an elusive quality, akin to the first impression an actor gives.

For example, if the actor who played the mighty Dragon Master were cast in a horror film, the audience's first thought would be to watch him vanquish ghosts, not to see him tormented by them.

(End of Chapter)