The Pokémon world also had anime and a thriving ACG (anime, comics, games) subculture, but the direction in which this subculture had developed was… rather peculiar.
"Hello everyone, it's your cute and charming little fox girl~!" Even before reaching the convention center, Edward saw a girl dressed in a full-body fur costume speaking in a sweet, coquettish voice. Her outfit was so thick that it almost completely concealed her skin.
As a result, the girl appeared to be a gigantic humanoid fox.
Edward recognized the character she was portraying—it was from a very well-known IP in the Pokémon world called the "Fox Spirit" series. However, the fox in that series wasn't a Pokémon, but rather a strange creature, a type of supernatural being. Edward felt it was quite similar to the mythical fox demons from folklore.
When Edward finally entered the convention venue, he was greeted with a wide variety of characters, each with strange and eye-catching designs. But the most commonly seen were fans cosplaying in Pokémon-themed outfits.
"As expected, people in the Pokémon world are all furries by default." Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. In this world, the most popular and well-known IPs almost always revolved around non-human, furry characters.
Take for example the Pokémon world's biggest and most successful anime IP, Beast Pirates. When Edward watched a few episodes, he quickly realized it was a bizarre mashup of various tropes. The protagonist was a fluffy monkey named Guko who sailed the seas on a journey of freedom. His first companion? A ninja fox named "Sasuke."
God knows how speechless Edward felt when he saw that part. He was practically bursting with the urge to roast the entire show.
"But come to think of it… there don't seem to be any real-world wild animals in the Pokémon world." Edward yawned as he strolled through the sea of cosplay. Despite the decent quality of many costumes, none really sparked his interest.
"Whoa! That cosplay is amazing!"
"Miss! Can I collect your photos for my gallery?!"
A commotion erupted ahead. Curious, Edward walked over and saw the center of attention—a truly massive woman. She was so tall that even Edward had to tilt his head upward to look at her. He instantly recognized the outfit—it was a pitch-perfect cosplay of Lady Dimitrescu from Pokémon World Biohazard (basically Resident Evil in the Pokémon universe).
The level of detail was astounding, almost as if the character had stepped straight out of the game. Edward observed with some interest, but didn't stick around. He wasn't particularly fond of taking pictures.
After wandering around the convention for a while, Edward ended up with a bag in hand, filled with snacks like cookies and his favorite chocolate treats—some of the staple items sold at such events. Edward found them quite enjoyable.
"Hellooo~ everyone~ it's me, Iono~ Today we've come to Rustboro City in the Hoenn region, and it just so happens that a comic convention is taking place here~ What a lucky day for Iono~!"
A familiar voice caught Edward's ear. He turned around and saw a girl live streaming behind him, with a Rotom phone floating in front of her.
Ah, Iono. No wonder it sounded familiar.
She was an online personality, a popular vlogger who often filmed videos and was known for her quirky, playful style—even in battle. In the Paldea region, she was quite the unconventional Gym Leader.
With that, and considering that he ran into Giovanni yesterday, Edward began to suspect that he might be encountering more Gym Leaders in the coming days.
"And today, Iono has invited a very special guest~ Drumroll please~ Tada! This adorable young lady right next to me~" Iono said cheerfully as she turned the camera to the girl beside her.
Edward took a glance—and paused in surprise.
The girl had long black hair and wore an outfit similar to a shrine maiden's robes. Her icy-blue eyes gave her a cool and aloof aura. Dragged over by Iono, she offered a shy and somewhat forced smile for the camera.
"This is Sabrina, the Gym Leader from the Kanto region~" Iono introduced enthusiastically.
A faint blush appeared on Sabrina's face, and she seemed visibly nervous. Edward studied her quietly.
Sabrina, huh?
He recalled that in some versions of the story, Sabrina was portrayed as one of Team Rocket's elite executives. In those versions, she apparently had some subtle feelings for Giovanni—not quite romantic, perhaps, but more like deep admiration or idolization.
But if it was the anime version of Sabrina, then she was just a cold, emotionless Gym Leader—powerful, but emotionally closed off due to psychological trauma.
Yet, based on what he saw now, this Sabrina didn't seem like she had any such trauma.
"Well, this is interesting… I wonder if Ash has already started his journey." Edward didn't dwell on it for long. His encounter with Giovanni yesterday was still fresh in his mind, but neither the icy beauty nor the Team Rocket operative versions of Sabrina had anything to do with him at the moment.
After wrapping up his tour of the convention, Edward headed back home. The event, while not groundbreaking, did give him some fresh inspiration.
One crucial thing to note about the Pokémon world: there were no regular animals. At least, not in the way Earth had them. Sure, the early episodes of the original Pokémon anime sometimes featured regular animals—like fish—but ever since Edward transmigrated to this world, he had never once seen a single non-Pokémon animal.
"No, in this world, they should really be called 'fantasy creatures.'" Sitting on the edge of his bed, Edward picked up Q and rubbed its head affectionately.
As for Fortune, that little guy had run off to the study as soon as they got home. Edward didn't stop him—after all, reading books was hardly a bad habit.
In his previous world, animals like cats, mice, and pigeons were common sights. In the Pokémon world, while some Pokémon resembled those animals, the actual creatures themselves didn't exist. Zebras, elephants—completely absent. Of course, Pokémon provided specialized versions of many real animals. Take Malamar, for instance—clearly inspired by a squid.
One could argue that many Pokémon were originally modeled after real-life animals. But since there was only so much you could draw from the animal kingdom, after exhausting those inspirations, the creators must have just started creating whatever came to mind—hence the birth of some truly bizarre Pokémon.
"Which means… if I were to produce a nature documentary about animals, wouldn't I instantly become the authority on fantasy creatures?" Edward suddenly entertained a strange but intriguing possibility.
Compared to other directors or authors in this world, he had a massive advantage—he knew how these animals lived. He understood their habits, their biology, their ecosystems. He could draw from real-life ecological frameworks, giving him a storytelling edge that was practically unfair.
"Still, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to get too involved in this project. But it could be the perfect task to delegate to the company's employees," Edward concluded. It was about time they had something to do anyway.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Why would he do that I don't understand, author had too much time.)