Pokemon: Lord of Fear

Edward looked at his Fear Food Maker, lost in thought.

He had crafted plenty of Fear Foods, but they mysteriously disappeared. This strange phenomenon could be traced back to his earlier dealings with Gengar in the Petalburg Woods.

Back then, one of the Fear candy he carried went missing. Edward had assumed Gengar had taken it or that he'd accidentally dropped it.

But this time, things were different.

He was at home, with well-secured defenses that should have kept out any wild Ghost-type Pokémon. Yet, in the brief moment when he fed Q, the candy vanished.

It was baffling.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think SCP-173 was here, stealing the candies the moment I looked away," Edward muttered. He placed Q on the bed and then returned to his desk. He spent 2,000 Fear Points to craft two new candiess and placed them on the table.

Edward then stared at the candies, determined to see if they would disappear again.

After some time, nothing happened.

He pretended to tie his shoelaces, but when he looked back up, the candies were still there, unmoved.

"Hmm…" Edward scratched his head.

Either the thief had fled, or they knew he was trying to bait them.

No matter. Edward had another solution.

He grabbed the candy and left his room after informing the old butler. Soon, Edward returned with a small box, placing the candies back on the table. After tidying his room, he carried Q to the living room.

"Young Master Edward, are you planning to hire a secretary?" the old butler asked, pouring him a glass of warm water.

"Yes. I need someone to help manage the company's affairs. It doesn't feel right to rely on Hayden all the time," Edward replied, glancing toward his upstairs bedroom.

Edward planned to catch the thief.

He had set up a camera in his room, directly facing the table with the Fear Candy. If the thief made a move, the camera would capture it.

Even if the thief itself wasn't visible, just seeing how the candies were taken would be valuable.

"Should we bring over a secretary from the Devon Corporation?" the butler suggested.

Edward hesitated.

The Devon Corporation's secretaries were excellent. His father's secretary, Kennedy, was incredibly professional. However, Kennedy was also notoriously strict. His father often joked that even at home, Kennedy would remind him to work. Edward wasn't keen on having someone like that around.

Then an idea struck Edward.

"Robert, are there any male Meowth still job-seeking at the Pokémon Talent Market?" Edward asked, his interest piqued.

"Male Meowth? Edward, are you thinking…" The butler paused before realizing Edward's intent.

Meowth was a unique Pokémon species. The old butler himself owned two Meowth that didn't battle often but were capable in combat when needed. As special Pokémon, they could certainly serve as secretaries.

"Shall we head to the Pokémon Talent Market to take a look?" the butler asked with a smile. Edward agreed.

If he was fishing for the thief, he might as well leave the house entirely—surely the culprit would act once he was gone.

Edward hopped into the car with the butler, and together they drove to Rustboro City's Pokémon Talent Market.

In the Pokémon League, Pokémon could work, and there were plenty of jobs for them. For instance, Bounsweet could work at juice shops or restaurants, while Machamp were highly sought after by moving companies and construction sites.

Among all Pokémon workers, however, Psychic-types were the most coveted.

The Pokémon Talent Market—or perhaps it should be called the Pokémon Job Market—was bustling with activity.

As soon as Edward stepped out of the car, a few eager individuals approached, enthusiastically pitching their Pokémon.

"Sir, would you like a Machamp? We even have ones cosplaying as various anime characters!"

"Sir, how about a Gardevoir with a big sister personality?"

"Sir, we have plenty of Pokémon willing to work for low wages! Take a look!"

Edward waved them off. What kind of Pokémon were they offering? A Machamp cosplaying anime characters? If someone cosplayed Nami or Tifa as a Machamp, Edward could imagine the dreams of certain fans from his past life shattering.

"Ho-oh!"

As Edward moved further into the market, he noticed a Pokémon holding a sign looking for work.

"A Blaziken?" Edward blinked in surprise.

Indeed, it was a Blaziken—but dressed in a bunny costume. The sight made Edward's chest ache slightly.

The bunny costume's stockings stretched over Blaziken's muscular legs. The entire outfit seemed on the verge of bursting, with the fabric barely holding together. Even so, Edward could see the seams straining with Blaziken's every movement.

Edward took a deep breath and noticed the man who had earlier pitched Machamp cosplays handing a water bottle to the Blaziken.

So this was his employee.

No wonder even Machamp had to cosplay now.

Terrifying.

Edward made his way to the Talent Market's management office, where several Psychic Pokémon were busy at work. These Pokémon were all part of the League's Pokémon staff.

"Excuse me, are you here to hire Pokémon?" A Gardevoir in a black uniform floated over, smiling as she asked Edward.

"Yes, I'm looking for a Pokémon suitable for secretarial work," Edward replied. The Gardevoir's eyes briefly flashed with a purple glow.

"Please, follow me." The Gardevoir politely led the way, with Edward quietly following and the butler calmly trailing behind.

(To be continued…)