Take the famous suspense masterpiece Identity from the previous world, for example. For someone who hasn't seen it, the twist at the end would be mind-blowing—the script's creativity is undeniably impressive. But if you already knew the ending before watching, then the shock value would be completely gone.
That's why spoilers were so hated in the previous world.
After all, if you already know the ending, watching the story unfold loses most of its thrill, severely diminishing the experience.
"I... I want to try it." Giovanni looked at Edward, unable to suppress his eagerness. This role suited him far too well. Even though the script so far only contained a short scene, it was clear the entire storyline would be outstanding.
It might even set a new benchmark for detective thrillers. If, in the future, his true identity were ever revealed, he could still leave behind a legendary performance—one that people would talk about for years.
"Alright, but if you pass the audition, filming will take quite a long time. Do you have the time, Mr. Giovanni?" Edward was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Giovanni to agree so readily. Given Giovanni's true identity, Edward had originally invited him just to try his luck—he didn't expect success.
Who would've thought Giovanni would actually accept? That truly shocked him in the best way.
"I've got time. I haven't used any of my annual leave for the past six months," Giovanni said with pride.
In the Pokémon regions, Gym Leaders had a lot of responsibilities, but they also enjoyed quite a few benefits. They could take time off every year, even every month—but Giovanni had never used any of it. Now he had accumulated six months of leave, which he could take all at once.
Filming a TV series seemed like a good use of that time.
Edward nodded. With that issue settled, everything else was negotiable. All that was left was to test Giovanni's acting skills. The only problem was his current appearance. Giovanni currently had a short, cropped haircut—it looked sharp and professional, but didn't match Edward's image of Professor Moriarty at all.
They'd have to work on Giovanni's styling. Luckily, his build was already good, so clothing wasn't a major concern.
After discussing the audition schedule with Giovanni, Edward headed home. Although the Pokémon Expo had ended, he decided to rest for the day. He'd deal with work at the company tomorrow.
Once he lay down in bed, Edward finally had time to check on his golden finger system.
[One Missed Call: 49,895]
His fear points had increased a bit, though at a slow pace. Edward wasn't surprised—but now that he had enough, he chose to redeem them.
[You have obtained: Half a Master Ball]
[One Missed Call: 9,895]
"Huh?" Edward froze. All 40,000 of his fear points were gone, and what he got in return... what even was this? He glanced at the prompt, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the item.
It was half of a Poké Ball, covered in strange colors.
A Master Ball.
A purple shell, white protrusions on the sides, and a white capital "M" in the center. Edward recognized it instantly. But this was only the top half—the bottom half was missing.
"This thing…" Edward's feelings were complicated.
The Master Ball—an ultimate item from the Pokémon games. Once used, it guaranteed the capture of any Pokémon. Players often used it to catch the legendary Pokémon featured on the game cover or other particularly tough legendaries.
Whether it was Groudon, Kyogre, or Rayquaza—once the Master Ball was thrown, they had no choice but to be captured.
Only Pokémon at the level of Arceus would trigger the message "the Master Ball can't be used."
In the real-world Pokémon universe, Master Balls existed too, but they were still in the experimental phase and didn't yet have guaranteed capture power. That said, they were definitely more effective than Ultra Balls and other types, just not widely produced due to their extremely high cost.
"But if it were that kind of Master Ball, it wouldn't cost me 40,000 fear points... So could this actually be..." Edward pursed his lips.
If this really was the in-game version of the Master Ball, then he could only laugh three times out loud.
Once he completed the Master Ball, what would he have to fear from the Hoenn crisis?
See Groudon or Kyogre? Just chuck the ball—captured.
Even Rayquaza wouldn't be able to resist.
Among all the Pokémon legendaries, only the alpaca god Arceus seemed to have resistance to the Master Ball.
But for now, it was only half a ball, so Edward couldn't verify its function. He'd have to wait until he obtained the other half to know for sure.
That night, Edward didn't eat at home. His father and older brother were both away recently, and eating alone felt too lonely. So, he chose to dine out.
He didn't go to any fancy restaurant. As someone from Rustboro, Edward knew exactly where to find good food. He headed straight to a bustling shopping street and slipped into a modest little restaurant.
It was clean, the hygiene was excellent, and the food was delicious. Edward had eaten there many times, and it never disappointed. The owner was a retired Officer Jenny, so safety wasn't an issue either.
"Edward? You're eating out again today?" The elderly Jenny with graying hair greeted him cheerfully.
Edward nodded back with a smile.
"The usual," he said, ordering his regular.
The old Jenny nodded with a grin—she knew exactly what he liked, having served him for years.
As the rich, spicy aroma drifted from the kitchen, Edward couldn't help but pat his stomach. The wild mushroom fried rice made by the old Jenny was divine. Though the ingredients were wild mushrooms, the flavor was better than any meat dish—one of Edward's favorites.
That said, wild mushrooms in the Pokémon world shared some similarities with their previous-world counterparts—namely, some were poisonous.
Edward had once seen the old Jenny prepare wild mushrooms—once cut, they would quickly turn green at the cut, reminding him of Green-spored Parasol, a toxic mushroom from the previous world.
These kinds of mushrooms were safe if thoroughly cooked, but if you didn't finish them in one meal and saved the leftovers, you had to reheat them at high temperatures. Microwaving was risky—it could bring the toxins back and cause food poisoning.
But with old Jenny's cooking, Edward had never had an issue.
(End of Chapter)