Chapter 132: Company Affairs

"So, was the Ripper case ever solved?" Edward asked with a bit of excitement.

In the real world, the Jack the Ripper case had always been a mystery. From beginning to end, there were no solid leads, and the killer had long since died, so even with modern forensic methods, a conclusive conviction was impossible.

He wondered if things were different in the Pokémon world.

"Nope. That was a cold case from long ago. Even if the killer was quite young at the time, they'd be long buried by now." Grace stirred the coffee in her cup, watching the liquid swirl into a small vortex.

"That's fine. Since the killer's already dead, I can take artistic liberty with the story." Edward was quite relaxed about it. Jack the Ripper's death had ironically made him more flexible as a subject in art and fiction—his identity could be anything, as long as there was a compelling reason why he kept targeting special workers.

"Want me to tell you the case details~?" Grace asked with a mischievous smile.

Edward didn't refuse. He took out his notebook and began jotting down everything she shared.

Once he was done, Edward looked at his notes. He had written quite a lot, but what raised some doubts for him was that this particular Ripper seemed to have a strong religious undertone. After each murder, the killer would arrange the bodies in specific poses.

The police in charge of the investigation at the time had followed leads suggesting a religious figure or an extreme zealot, but there wasn't much useful information. In the end, the case was left unsolved.

Edward didn't dwell on it too much. During the early days of criminal investigation, cold cases were extremely common. Even now, with modern forensics, there were still many difficult-to-solve crimes.

After parting ways with Grace, Edward set off to find the Pokémon world novelist he'd thought of earlier—Grey Crane.

But when he arrived at the listed address, he found the place empty. There wasn't a soul around, and a single white sheet of paper was taped to the door:

To all dear readers and editors:

I've run away. I've been in a bad mood lately and completely uninspired. I can't write, so updates will come whenever. Don't miss me.

The paper was covered in reader comments demanding updates, and Edward couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"This guy, seriously…" he muttered, shaking his head. Still, Crane was the only well-known mystery novelist in Rustboro. Edward had no alternatives, so he could only return to the company and ask staff to try contacting the writer for a potential collaboration.

Back at the office, just as Edward sat down in his chair, Zoroark came rushing in.

"Oh? You finally changed your look?" Edward glanced at him. Zoroark had changed his disguise from a stiff-looking middle-aged man to a cute girl in office attire. But Edward could tell at a glance it was Zoroark.

"New look, new mood. Boss, no workplace harassment now~" Zoroark teased playfully, sticking out his tongue.

Edward's lips twitched. This guy seemed to have a split personality—the moment he changed disguise, his whole character changed too.

"Relax. The worst I'd do is challenge you to a sword duel," Edward replied casually with a wave. He had no interest in harassing Zoroark. It wasn't like he was into furries—just thinking about Zoroark's real form killed any impulse.

Zoroark handed over a document. Its slender, fair hands even had neatly done nails. Edward noted that Zoroark was surprisingly detail-oriented.

Edward looked over the document. It was about the charity fund he had previously set up. The fund now had some capital, but the manager, Code, hadn't begun operations yet. Instead, he was busy recruiting staff and handling related matters.

This report was just to keep Edward updated. After setting up the fund, Edward had made an initial donation but hadn't followed up. Code was simply fulfilling his responsibility to report progress.

Edward skimmed it and set it aside. It wasn't something to rush. Charity funds weren't just about giving money to whoever was sick—it involved a lot of complex work.

Previously, Edward had also created a fund to support beginner trainers, specifically helping orphans and financially struggling families. Though he had founded it, his father's team had managed the actual operations, and it had helped many children begin their journey as trainers every year.

The next document was about the box office revenue of One Missed Call. Edward glanced at it and set it aside too. The movie's box office performance was stable, with a boost in sales after the phone tie-in was announced. The forecast was now over 900 million—whether it would break the billion mark remained to be seen.

Lastly was a report on the staff they had lent out to help film a youth idol drama. According to the report, the filming was already halfway done.

Edward looked at the date in surprise. How had they already finished half of it in just a few days?

"How's Ada doing? Have they finished shooting the new episode of Tom and Jerry?" Edward massaged his temples and leaned back in his chair.

There wasn't much going on at the company at the moment. The main project was the second episode of Tom and Jerry. To make up for the infamous scene from the first episode, Edward had added a new sequence. But he wasn't sure how far along they were.

"Filming is going smoothly. They're currently adding the post-production effects," Zoroark replied in a soft, feminine voice.

Edward paused for a second. That voice… he still wasn't used to it.

"Once the final cut is ready, send it over to Mr. Yanister, and also submit a backup to the League. These shorts will be distributed to other League regions for screening," Edward added.

Now that the Pokémon High Council had concluded, their new policies would soon be announced. Edward had to get these shorts submitted quickly so the Pokémon League could begin screening them.

"What about Lights Out and The Forest?" Zoroark asked, prompting another pause from Edward.

Tom and Jerry was doing well. It had already proven popular in the Hoenn region and even won over wild Pokémon. But Lights Out and The Forest...

"Send them as well. Let's see if other regions are interested. If they want them, great—we're in business. If not, we'll bring them back and figure something else out." Edward decided it was worth a shot. Maybe one of the regions would be open to trying something new.

(End of Chapter)