"Master Vincent, breakfast is ready." Looking at the respectful butler before him, Vincent put away the item in his hand.
"Grandpa James, you seem so happy. Did something interesting happen?" Vincent couldn't help but smile as he asked the old butler who had always taken care of him.
Butler James was the longtime butler of their family. It was said that he had served the Stone family since Vincent's father was young, making him a trustworthy person to rely on.
"Master Vincent, Master Steven's championship inauguration ceremony is being held today." A thick smile spread across James's wrinkled face.
His proud expression was unmistakable.
Vincent froze for a moment. So his older brother had indeed become the Champion of the Hoenn region?
Oh right, he had received a message from his brother about it yesterday.
As someone who had transmigrated into this world, Vincent was well aware that his older brother would eventually rise to the position of Hoenn Champion. But he hadn't expected it to happen now.
Seventeen years ago, Vincent had woken up from working at home to find himself transformed into a baby still in the womb. Only later did he realize he had transmigrated into the world of Pokémon, becoming the second son of the Stone family.
Unconsciously, seventeen years had already passed since his arrival. In the anime, it seemed Steven had ascended to the Champion position even earlier?
But considering that his mere existence as a butterfly effect had led to him becoming the youngest son of the Stone family, Vincent wasn't too surprised that Steven had only just become Champion now.
"Big brother really became Champion, huh." Vincent touched his face.
He was already seventeen, and Steven was eighteen, having achieved the title of Champion. But what about him?
What was he going to do?
This was a question Vincent had been pondering for a long time without finding an answer. But now, he had a new idea—he wanted to give this world a gift.
Following the cheerful old butler downstairs to the first floor, Vincent saw his father.
The president of Devon Corporation.
Joseph Stone.
"Ah, Vincent! Come here quickly. Today is the day your brother officially takes office as Champion!" The old man was overjoyed, waving at Vincent cheerfully. The stern and authoritative image he maintained at the company had now softened into that of an ordinary, affectionate father.
"I already know, Dad." Vincent felt a little helpless, but he still walked over. Then, pursing his lips, he tightened his grip on the documents in his hand.
Butler James, standing behind them, noticed this and gave a gentle, knowing smile.
The eldest young master had already reached the pinnacle of being a Trainer. Now, was the youngest young master finally about to take the first step toward his own path in life?
Joseph was intently watching the TV, and Vincent also turned his gaze toward it.
On the screen, Steven stood on the glorious podium, formally swearing in as the Champion of the Hoenn Pokémon League. Golden confetti rained from the sky, and Steven's Pokémon basked in the glory reserved for victors.
The crowd below cheered, and camera flashes went off wildly, no doubt wasting countless rolls of film.
The next day, newspapers across the Hoenn region—no, the entire Pokémon League—would feature Steven's ascension to Champion as their headline news.
Once the inauguration ceremony ended, the TV began broadcasting highlights of Steven's battles, accompanied by stirring music that made one feel an impulsive urge to challenge a Gym right away.
"Vincent, I noticed you were holding something just now?" Joseph turned to his youngest son with a faint smile.
"Ahem... Dad, I've decided what I want to do." Vincent handed over the documents in his hand, and Joseph accepted them with a smile.
He had already made up his mind—no matter what his youngest son planned to do, he, as a father, would support him. After all, it was rare for Vincent to take the initiative to pursue something. Even if it seemed absurd at first glance, he would still back him up.
But when he opened the documents, Joseph saw the following title:
[Project Proposal for the Horror Film Dead Silence and Its Future Development Prospects]
Hmm. Very...
Businesslike proposal.
But somewhat amateurish, not entirely polished.
Joseph sat up a little straighter.
As the head of Devon Corporation, the leading company in Hoenn, he reviewed countless proposals daily. He could tell at a glance that his son's proposal was far from professional. If submitted to the company, it wouldn't even reach his desk—his secretary would have rejected it outright.
But this was a conversation between father and son, so strict standards weren't necessary.
"You want to make a movie?" Joseph skimmed through it and quickly understood what his son intended to do.
"Yes. Horror films are... a relatively rare genre in the League." Vincent nervously gripped his spoon.
He had noticed earlier that while movies existed in the Pokémon world, they mostly followed conventional themes—ordinary people becoming Champions, Elite Four members, or Gym Leaders.
There were also films celebrating love and adventure, but horror was scarce, almost nonexistent in terms of quality.
The horror films here were particularly juvenile, relying on jump scares from Ghost-type Pokémon.
To Vincent, this was far too clichéd.
So he decided to give this world the gift of horror.
However, making movies wasn't cheap. There were production costs, promotional expenses, negotiations with theaters for screening schedules, and so on.
"Hmm." Joseph continued reading, flipping past the title page to the rough script of Dead Silence.
The more he read, the more rigid his posture became. He scrutinized each line of the script, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Had his youngest son really written this?
Even in broad daylight, just reading it sent chills down his spine.
It was as if the terrifying Mary Shaw and that eerie ventriloquist dummy had placed their hands on his shoulders, waiting for him to scream so they could tear off his jaw and steal his life.
Despite the fear, he couldn't put it down—he just wanted to keep reading.
When Joseph finally finished the entire story and turned to the next page, which contained a market analysis of current films, he let out a sigh of relief. Then, to his astonishment, he realized he had broken out in a cold sweat just from reading the script.
"Vincent, did you write this script?" Joseph looked at his youngest son with excitement. Such a chilling story was something he had never encountered before.
If mere words could evoke such strong emotions, what would happen if it were made into a movie...
"Yeah." Vincent cleared his throat. In this world, he was indeed the original author.
(End of Chapter)