Harrison entered the elevator and right as the doors were about to close, a girl with long dark purple hair and a dark dress appeared out of nowhere. He then pressed the button for the floor his designated theater was on. She made no motion but he sensed her gaze.

  “Hex Maniac Anaya?”, he stated.

  “Indeed I am and you are of the same production”, she stated in a wispy tone.

  “That depends. Are you from Kalos or Hoenn?”

  “You already know the answer, Trainer gathering influence in other regions”, she said, then ceased talking.

  The elevator then stopped and the door opened.

  He got off the elevator and when he turned back, she had already vanished.

  He then walked onwards in the hallway as he had assumed, she had already arrived despite the distance between him and his destination.

  Ghost people, he thought. Mysterious and keenly aware. Similar to Psychics but far less direct with their powers.

  Having arrived at the designated room, he opened the door. Despite the regular hallways, each theater was a fully kitted out studio. That meant every room was incredibly spacious and reinforced to accommodate battling. Of course, property destruction was still minimal as they only used Pokemon which prioritized flashiness over function. Basically those trained by coordinators rather than Gym Challengers. Whatever could dazzle the camera was more important than the actual strength of the move.

  The most popular genres on film were Pokemon battle action movies or romance movies. There was a bit more nuance but a common criticism was that many films were shallow action films without thought that relied on the cool Pokemon they featured to make it big in the box office. Some were just purely excuses to film Pokemon battles and clearly the narrative was added as an afterthought.

  As for romance, they were just tropey and had the same failings typical of the genre. But some wacko would always attempt to pitch a person x Pokemon romance usually with a Gardevoir or something of that vein.

  “Your evaluation?”, he asked Harrison as soon as he stepped in. The person had been waiting by the door the entire time.

  There was a moment of silence before Harrison responded.

  “Quite astute. Your understanding of humans went farther than I expected”

  “You agree then? Without bonds and the slight disparity in our relationships, our conflicts would not end with just battles but constant and pointless war and slaughter”, he mused.

  “Perhaps”, Harrison concluded, which made him laugh.

  “Your lack of words reveals more than you say. The silence more deafening than a Noivern”, he said before walking alongside Harrison to the rest of the people gathered.

  “Oh. Hey, Harrison. Hey, Director”, Rick greeted. He was out of his Clown costume and working as a movie technician, which was his main occupation. His Clown show for Poketch was just a part-time gig but it was easy to associate him as full-time clown because his real job mainly kept him in the background as someone who was only there to fix problems and made sure everything ran smoothly. Most things ran smoothly so he wasn’t always needed.

  “The film is ready but it seems everybody would prefer some introductions before we start”, Rick said before motioning towards the others.

  Obviously, he had not been referring to the camera crew as they were already acquainted after several movies were made with their help.

  There were some who were recently brought in to help with the film such as Anaya who was part of the practical effects crew. They used Pokemon to bolster the effects on the screen such as Fire Spin to emulate cinders. As for what Anaya did, she used Ghost Pokemon to instill an eerie atmosphere which was conveyed through the camera quite well and added shadows in scenes without light along with creating silhouettes for their idea of eldritch abominations.

  A girl then walked up to the Director. She was the actress who had been cast in the leading role of the “one who walks through dimensions” and she bowed in gratitude.

  “Thanks for the opportunity, Director. After having experienced the film, I truly believe this will break the mold and the typecast roles I’ve been stuck with”

  Her light pink hair and blue eyes stood out.

  “You insisted on it and proved yourself. I have no more to say on that. But there are scant few films worth considering anyways”, the Director said while glaring at a film made by Pokestar Studios. Timegate Traveler, Invaders, even the Red Fog of Terror. All of them were just excuses to show Pokemon battles even to the point of ignoring and dismissing the more poignant ideas within the premise. Somehow they still sold well but that could be due to their high production values which overrode their abysmal creativity. Unsurprisingly, they were not critically acclaimed and faded as soon as the next big thing arrived.

  She sighed but agreed. As a Unovan with some popularity, she had inevitably worked on a few films with Pokestar and found them lacking.

  “Was the hair restyled for the film?”, Harrison suddenly added while looking at her flashy hairstyle which had one huge ponytail in a drill-like fashion.

  “Only a bit. Her hair actually worked well for your idea. It exudes overconfidence and arrogance as can be seen by the excessive effort to stand out”

  She then turned to Harrison and asked the Director.

  “Hi, I’m Nancy, the one cast as the heroine. Are you the writer?”, she asked upon hearing that it was his idea.

  Before the Director could respond, Harrison interjected.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I suggested an idea which he ran with. He does all the work but insists on bringing me along”

  “What is an artist without inspiration?”, the Director said rhetorically.

  Harrison just rolled his eyes.

  “Ah incidentally, he also provided the idea for “The Land of Lucario”, the Director said pointing at Harrison.

  Her interest in him was sparked. The current film was quite intriguing but it was different if he had a track record for creating or at least concepting such novel films.

  “The Land of Lucario” had exploded in popularity with its hook, line, and sinker tactic. It prominently featured Lucario which got even action fans interested and then subverted all of it by having Lucario as the star but not prioritizing action and instead making the audience ruminate. The powerful action scenes in the movie made them unable to complain despite having different expectations but the questions prompted by the film lasted longer in their minds and the flashy but epic fight choreography suddenly became insignificant in comparison. It even got an endorsement from the League as it promoted human bonds with Pokemon and made more people appreciate their partners.

  “Wait… Akalio, did you put me in the credits again?”, Harrison asked.

  “Of course, only a Slaking wouldn’t do their due diligence. Your name is very far back due to your opinion on the matter. Only the most passionate fan could even find it”, the Director answered which made Harrison relent. Most people did not bother with credits and if he didn’t make his contribution prominent then it shouldn’t cause any significant issues.

  Harrison then grimaced once the Director continued, “Of course, this might change when you start the Gym Challenge Circuit. With more and more victories, your fame and perhaps notoriety will increase and all traces of you will begin to shine to prying eyes. You can’t always hide behind your disguise like how a Mimikyu can’t always pretend to be a Pikachu”

  He then sighed as Akalio made sense. Gym challenges were recorded and the journey itself would already garner attention. With his current ability, the initial first few gyms would be a breeze and the ease of his challenges would probably catch a lot of attention.

  “And once I start, we’ll no longer be in contact. I’ll be far too busy to return to the studio while on my journey. And I’ll be free of this mess”, Harrison joked. He then felt a tightening grip on his shoulder.

  “Then we’ll be calling to keep in touch. You can ignore it if you want but I will be sending a cavalcade of limousines to your next Gym battle if you do”, Director Akalio said with a threatening smile which made Harrison shudder.

  Harrison then turned to Rick and asked, “My Poketch works in the woods right?”

  “Everywhere but the middle of the ocean, in the depths of the ocean, and in the deep deep part of caves. And I guess using your idea, probably won’t work in other dimensions either”, Rick stated as the resident Poketch expert and insider.

  Harrison then turned to the actress who was munching on pieces of some Old Gateau and said, “Speaking of Gym Challenges, are you familiar with the Unovan Gym Leaders?”

  Nancy nodded and said, “I have interviewed them before”

  “Then would it be possible for me to get into contact with them?”, Harrison asked.

  The discussions and introductions then ended and the film began.

  An arrogant Trainer who had defeated the Elite Four became full of themselves. And in their hubris, they decided to explore other dimensions. Without any preparations or due diligence, they entered an unstable portal without any way of returning home. They then experienced numerous worlds. One without light. One without warmth. One of steel machines without any people. One without any land. One without water. One where space no longer made sense. And throughout all of these, their Pokemon could barely help if even a little. There wasn’t even anything to battle. No conflicts could be resolved through battling as most of the time, there wasn’t even another entity. Their only solace was that their hunger did not grow at all in their eternity of hellish exploration.

  Then they encountered a powerful monster. One which ruled the world they entered. And as each of their Pokemon fainted, the despair of the Trainer grew. Until all that was left was the Trainer and the monstrous being. An exercise in futility and the limits of strength.

  The antithesis of Pokemon battling where nothing could be solved with strength and when strength mattered, they were found lacking.

  It was a well-made film with tons of practical effects which made Nancy suffer quite a bit. An example being the water world where she had to go deep in the ocean. Apparently they used a pool and some light effects as they couldn’t find a part of the ocean without Pokemon swimming by.

  As for how it would be received, Harrison was unsure. Akalio always delivered with cinematography and bringing his vision to life but he was unconventional. It was also hard to tell how well a film about despair would do in a world where people were so used to having supernatural creatures that could solve most problems.

  Harrison just applauded and so did the rest of the audience. Although the despair of the film seemed to impact them more significantly than it did to him.

  Akalio then sat down next to him.

  “Any ideas?”, he asked.

  “If you’re so concerned about the financial success of the film then why don’t you go advertise Alola’s oceans for them?”, he mocked, having read his uncertainty.

  “Oceans… that could work”, Akalio muttered.

  Harrison then sighed as once again, his random sentence led to another film.

  Time then passed by.

  He treated Christine, Logan, and Gavin to a film at the theaters. Not the ones made by Akalio but a more generic fast-food type film filled to the brim with Pokemon battles with Bea from Galar as the star. Turns out being able to fight your own Pokemon made you brilliant on the screen and overrode acting ability altogether.

  Their time at the Trainer’s School then concluded. There was no huge graduation ceremony as some people continued on in the education system and becoming a Trainer wasn’t a promotion but a divergence from the path. They were given a Certificate of Completion and the teacher was quite emotional.

  “Some of you aren’t prepared to tackle the whole world but as your parents have already permitted your journeys, I only ask that you act with caution and remember that defeat is not the end of the world. Many Trainers don’t succeed their first year in the circuit and do try again. Some of us adults even participate. Focus on the journey and how you develop alongside your Pokemon. Some of you might even go as a group and there is no shame in that”, Miss Julie said with teary eyes.

  Her emotional state clearly affected the students and some of them even began to tear up.

  She then added, “Don’t compare yourself to Harrison. He will definitely go far in the circuit but he’s an old soul and will be facing very different struggles like how to avoid the cameras in the Conference” which made the students burst into laughter and lightened the mood.

  Harrison just rolled his eyes. Christine repeatedly slapped his back while struggling to hold in her laughter.

  The class then ended and the students began to say goodbye to each other. Many of them thanked Harrison for his help as he made them a better Trainer and helped them better understand their Pokemon. Some of them even used to see him as their rival but they already knew better. They would need to catch up before they could even qualify.

  Gavin went up to him and asked, “So… Are you up for traveling together?”

  Harrison then looked at Christine who also remained and said with a sigh, “Sure but you guys should really learn some independence. We can stay together until Eterna… Then you should decide what you want to do”

  He was familiar with them and it didn’t hurt for him to help them out. So he decided that he would help them begin their journeys so they could start their own adventures when they were ready.

  He then headed home.