"Dad, this is a gift for you." Edward said with a smile as he handed over the stone he had previously acquired through a shady trade with Giratina. The moment the old father laid eyes on the stone, his face lit up with joy and fascination.
Standing beside him, Steven also looked at the stone with a hint of astonishment.
At a glance, one could tell this stone was completely natural. Its shape was uniquely bizarre, and the color unusual—so much so that even Steven found it a little unbelievable.
After all, the multifaceted stone formed from a Dusk Stone he had gotten before already seemed quite rare to him. Yet his younger brother had managed to find something even more extraordinary?
Could it be that the Paldea region really had some strange and mysterious stones?
Edward had no idea what Steven was thinking. At that moment, he had summoned Fortune the Gholdengo, wanting to let his dear Pokémon meet his family as well.
However, after briefly nodding and smiling at Fortune, both the old father and Steven immediately turned their full attention back to admiring the stone, leaving Fortune standing there with a bewildered look. Edward, amused and exasperated, called Fortune over to stand next to him.
There was no helping it—within this family, anything involving stones took top priority. His father and Steven were both diehard stone enthusiasts. Thankfully, Edward himself hadn't inherited this peculiar obsession.
After enjoying a family meal together, Edward formally handed over responsibility for the Devon Corporation to his father. From now on, he could fully focus on his own pursuits without needing to be involved in the company's day-to-day affairs.
"Edward, once I retire in the future, the company will still be entrusted to you." Joseph looked at his son, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.
"That's right, brother. Devon Corporation will be relying on you in the long run." Steven added, placing a hand firmly on Edward's shoulder.
Edward looked at the two of them with a blank expression. His fists clenched unconsciously—he could feel himself tensing up.
"If you two want to go dig up rocks, just say so." Edward rolled his eyes. He was genuinely speechless. It was obvious they just wanted to run off and dig for stones, yet they were spinning it with all kinds of lofty-sounding justifications. What do they mean by "passing down the company" and "the future depends on you"?
Ever since he was a child, Edward had known the truth—both his father and brother were the type who thought corporate affairs were a burden and spent their days dreaming of exploring caves for rare rocks. His father, the dignified president of the world-renowned Devon Corporation, had actually organized company team-building exercises centered around cave expeditions and digging for stones. Who would believe that?
It was said that one year at the company's annual meeting, the first-place prize was nearly a rare rock from his father's private collection—thankfully, Mr. Kennedy had stepped in and vetoed the idea before it got out of hand.
"Hahaha!" The old father laughed heartily, slapping Edward on the shoulder while Steven also chuckled happily beside him.
Joseph Stone used to worry about one thing: who would inherit the massive Devon Corporation in the future? After all, Steven was just as obsessed with stones as he was. But fortunately, his younger son wasn't interested in digging up rocks and was fairly competent when it came to managing the business. Now, Edward had even carved out his own successful path in the film industry. Seeing this, Joseph felt the urge to retire grow even stronger in his heart.
After all, sitting in the office every day was far too dull for someone like him. Joseph's dream was to climb Mount Coronet and dig for stones. That mountain had even yielded artifacts from the Hisui era in the past—surely there were many precious stones waiting to be discovered there.
Edward was a little helpless but also quite happy. At least in his family, there were no ugly fights between brothers for power or status like in some noble houses. Steven treated him very well, and he also deeply respected his older brother.
"As long as you understand," his father said, wiping away tears of laughter. He then pondered for a moment and added, "In two years, I'll officially announce my retirement. At that time, Devon Corporation will be entrusted to you, Edward."
The old man smiled warmly as he looked at his son. Two years would be enough time for him to settle the Rayquaza situation.
"Well…" Edward hesitated. But seeing the seriousness in his father and brother's expressions, he knew they weren't joking, so he simply nodded without saying much more.
After all, his father had already started offloading responsibilities onto him bit by bit, and managing the Devon Corporation didn't seem too difficult either—it just meant dealing with more paperwork on a daily basis.
Moreover… Edward thought of Zoroark.
That guy had a certified advanced career agent license. With a bit of cultivation and guidance, Zoroark might even become a dependable right-hand like Mr. Kennedy. Though Zoroark was a Pokémon, that didn't stop him from being an exceptional secretary.
"How's your new movie going?" his father asked with interest. Edward answered honestly, describing the progress of his current film project. When his father heard that the movie involved smartphones, he gave a meaningful smile.
"Speaking of which," Joseph said casually, "didn't you battle Nemona when you were in the Paldea region?"
Edward blinked in surprise—his father knew about that too? Still, he nodded. He had indeed had a match against Nemona.
"Do you know who her parents are?" His father chuckled as he asked the question.
Edward shook his head. All he knew was that Nemona was a Champion-tier Trainer and acted as the rival of the protagonist in Scarlet and Violet. Of course, it was standard practice for Pokémon stories to feature a rival—earlier rivals were even designed to counter the player's starter type, though more recent ones tended to have their types countered by the player instead.
"Nemona's parents founded the Rotom Company. It's now one of the top mobile phone manufacturers across the whole Pokémon League," Steven added. He had already finished admiring the dolphin-shaped stone and felt his desire to go mining start to surge once more.
This time, Edward was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Nemona's parents to be the founders of the Rotom Company. That company had an extremely high status in the market—after all, combining Rotom with mobile phones was a brilliantly innovative idea. Their market share was impressive too. Rotom Phones were real smart devices in every sense of the word.
Now Edward understood the deeper meaning behind what his father had said—perhaps he could reach out to Nemona and try to collaborate with the Rotom Company.
But after some thought, he ended up dismissing the idea.
After all, One Missed Call wasn't exactly the right kind of movie for a brand tie-in. He only planned to include its eerie ringtone in the phone's settings, letting viewers decide whether they wanted to use it. That said, the ringtone itself was deeply unsettling, and aside from a few people using it for pranks or gags, Edward figured most people wouldn't want to set it as their actual ringtone.
"Young Master Edward." Just then, the family's old butler came hurrying over, holding something in his hand. Edward looked at him with curiosity—what could this be now?
(End of Chapter)