"A collected volume?!"
Hearing the news through his communicator, Shiraishi Ritsu shot upright on the sofa.
"Miss Maho, are you sure?"
"Of course! The distribution department has approved the preliminary proposal. Now we just need you to come in and discuss the details of publication."
Kikkawa Maho's voice brimmed with undisguised excitement.
As the editor in charge of Pokémon Adventures, she naturally hoped the series she handled would achieve even better results.
And releasing a collected volume was an important step in taking a manga from magazine serialization to a wider market.
"Great, great! I'll come over tomorrow!"
After hanging up, Shiraishi Ritsu clenched his fists in excitement.
"Smeargle! Did you hear that? We're getting a collected volume!"
"Smear?"
Smeargle was holding a bag of Berry cookies. Hearing his trainer call, he raised his head in confusion.
A collected volume?
What was that?
"It means putting the manga we've already drawn into a book, then selling it in bookstores everywhere!"
Shiraishi Ritsu grew more excited as he spoke.
"Readers won't have to buy the magazine specifically to read our manga anymore. They can just buy a collected volume and take their time reading it at home!"
Smeargle blinked.
Then he raised a paw and pointed at the payment ledger on the table.
Shiraishi Ritsu froze, then burst out laughing.
"That's right! And we'll make money, too!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle immediately perked up.
He promptly put down the cookies, ran to the worktable, and picked up a brush, ready to get started.
Shiraishi Ritsu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"What's the rush? The publisher hasn't even decided on the cover yet!"
But Smeargle had already begun sketching on the paper.
He didn't really understand the publishing process, but one thing was clear to him.
If they were turning the manga into a beautiful book, they couldn't slack off on the cover!
The next morning.
The Shonen Adventure editorial office, Celadon City.
When Shiraishi Ritsu arrived at the publisher with Smeargle, Kikkawa Maho was already waiting at the entrance.
"Mr. Masuda, over here!"
Kikkawa Maho wore a business suit that day and held a thick stack of documents in her arms. She looked even busier than usual.
"Good morning, Miss Maho!"
Shiraishi Ritsu greeted her with a smile.
"Is the publisher getting ready to give me a bonus?"
"In your dreams."
Kikkawa Maho rolled her eyes, then couldn't help laughing.
"But if the collected volume sells well, you really will be earning quite a bit more than you do now."
At that, Shiraishi Ritsu immediately perked up.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get talking!"
The two went to the conference room.
Several publishing staff members were already seated inside.
Some handled distribution, some handled book design, and others specialized in contracts and licensing.
Shiraishi Ritsu had originally thought he would only need to nod, sign a few things, and sit back to wait for the collected volume's release.
But as soon as he sat down, he discovered things weren't as simple as he had imagined.
"Mr. Masuda, we currently plan to compile the early serialized chapters of Pokémon Adventures into the first collected volume."
The middle-aged man in charge of distribution spoke first.
"We expect to include around ten chapters, though that will need adjusting based on the final page count."
Shiraishi Ritsu nodded.
"No problem."
"We also intend to add some material that wasn't in the magazine serialization, such as character profiles, color illustrations, and an author's afterword."
"That's fine, too."
"As for the initial print run, we've tentatively set it at eight thousand copies."
At this, Shiraishi Ritsu finally couldn't help interrupting.
"Wait, eight thousand copies?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed his nose.
Although Pokémon Adventures had indeed been quite popular lately, he was still a rookie manga artist who had only recently debuted.
What if they printed eight thousand copies in one go and couldn't sell them?
Kikkawa Maho explained with a smile, "Mr. Masuda, the distribution department has already reviewed recent magazine sales, reader surveys, and bookstore feedback. Eight thousand copies carries some risk, but it's within an acceptable range for us."
"Besides, quite a few bookstores in the Kanto Region have already expressed interest in stocking it."
Only then did Shiraishi Ritsu feel somewhat reassured.
Next, the staff member handling contracts took out another document.
"As for royalties, our preliminary rate is eight percent, calculated according to the collected volume's list price and the settlement rules for actual distribution. If sales reach a certain threshold later, we can renegotiate."
"Eight percent?"
Shiraishi Ritsu looked down at the document and began doing the math in his head.
The collected volume's expected list price was twenty-eight League dollars.
Eight thousand copies.
Eight percent.
If the entire first printing sold out, the corresponding royalties would be...
Seventeen thousand nine hundred and twenty League dollars!
Shiraishi Ritsu's eyes lit up.
Holy cow!
The little he had earned from all his hard work submitting short pieces for trial publication hadn't even been enough to buy Smeargle a few good sets of paints.
Now he actually had a chance to make this much from a single manga volume?
And this was only volume one!
If they kept releasing a second volume, a third...
Shiraishi Ritsu could almost see a beautiful house with a large yard beckoning to him.
"Mr. Masuda?"
Kikkawa Maho waved a hand in front of his face.
"Are you listening?"
"I'm listening!"
Shiraishi Ritsu hurriedly sat up straight.
"Where were we?"
"Contract settlements."
Kikkawa Maho sighed helplessly.
"Royalties will be paid in installments according to the contract, and eight thousand copies is only the planned initial print run. You can't treat them as already sold."
"I understand!"
Shiraishi Ritsu nodded repeatedly.
Of course he understood. The book hadn't even been released, so the money couldn't just appear in his pocket.
Still, the prospect of that income alone was enough to keep him happy for days.
Smeargle sat beside him. Although he couldn't understand all those complicated business terms, he keenly sensed that his trainer seemed very happy.
So he quietly picked up a pencil and drew a large house in the notebook.
Several crates of paints were piled beside the house, too.
Shiraishi Ritsu glanced over and immediately grinned.
Well, well.
Looks like this little guy has already started planning how to spend the money.
The rest of the meeting lasted nearly two hours.
From print quantities to distribution channels, from color-page arrangements to promotional plans, nearly every stage required discussion.
In particular, the publisher raised new requirements for handling the manga's use of real Gym Leaders' likenesses.
Besides adding a prominent fiction disclaimer to the collected volume's title page, they would also need to review promotional copy involving real people and continue communicating with the parties concerned.
Shiraishi Ritsu naturally had no objections.
After all, Sabrina's visit was still fresh in his memory.
He certainly didn't want three Gym Leaders jointly sending the publisher a letter of complaint right after the collected volume's release.
After they finally finished discussing all that, Shiraishi Ritsu was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Kikkawa Maho produced another document.
"Mr. Masuda, next is the cover design."
"Huh? We're still not done?"
"Of course not!"
Kikkawa Maho said irritably, "You're the original author. How could we decide on the collected volume's cover casually?"
Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed his temples.
He suddenly realized that being a manga artist didn't seem quite as easy as he had imagined.
Before, he had only needed to discuss the plot with Smeargle, finish the manuscript, and hand everything over to the publisher.
But now?
Contracts, publishing, printing, promotion...
A whole pile of things awaited his attention.
Had he known, he wouldn't have fantasized about making money while lying back and doing nothing.
"As for the cover, I do have a few ideas."
As he spoke, Shiraishi Ritsu pulled several drawings from the document folder he had brought along.
"Smeargle and I gave it some thought last night."
Kikkawa Maho took them and looked, then froze.
"These are..."
The drawings featured three completely different cover concepts for the collected volume.
The first centered on Red.
Wearing a red cap, the boy stood on the road outside Pallet Town, his Pokémon companions beside him.
The distant sky was azure, and the whole image conveyed the feeling of an adventure about to begin.
The second used a more fiery composition.
Red and Green stood on opposite sides of the image, their respective Pokémon behind them, as though an intense battle was about to begin.
As for the third...
Kikkawa Maho couldn't help laughing after a single glance.
"Mr. Masuda, isn't this one a little too over the top?"
Right in the center of the image, Red struck an exceptionally cool pose.
Behind him, the figures of various Pokémon overlapped, with great billowing clouds of dust and flashes of lightning filling the background.
The cover alone made it look as though an earth-shattering battle was about to break out.
Shiraishi Ritsu laughed along with her.
"Smeargle drew that one himself."
"Smear!"
Smeargle proudly raised his tail.
He thought the third one was the coolest!
Kikkawa Maho studied them for quite a while before finally handing all three drawings to the designers beside her.
Before long, a chorus of praise filled the conference room.
"This linework is gorgeous!"
"The character poses have real dynamism. The cover should stand out even when scaled down."
"The first composition is perfect for volume one!"
"I prefer the second. Red and Green standing together really has something!"
The staff members chimed in one after another, engrossed in a lively discussion.
Smeargle's eyes lit up as he listened.
He loved it when others appreciated his work.
Especially these professional designers, whose praise for his paintings was far more eloquent than Shiraishi Ritsu's.
Standing beside him, Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help laughing at his partner's smug expression.
"Well? I told you this guy was a genius artist."
In the end, everyone decided to use the first painting as the collected volume's cover.
The reason was simple.
Since this was the first volume of Pokémon Adventures, it naturally needed to highlight the beginning of the adventure.
The scene of Red and his Pokémon partners standing outside Pallet Town would give readers something to look forward to in the story ahead.
The second painting would be kept for now, to be used as a promotional illustration.
As for the third...
Shiraishi Ritsu decided to take it back to the studio and hang it on the wall.
After all, Smeargle had painted it especially for him.
He couldn't let it go to waste.
By the time they left the publisher's office, it was nearly afternoon.
Shiraishi Ritsu stretched, feeling more exhausted than he would after spending an entire day rushing to finish manga.
"Smeargle, let's go!"
"Smear?"
"I'm taking you out for a good meal!"
Smeargle immediately perked up.
The man and Pokémon found a restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal.
Sitting by the window, Shiraishi Ritsu took out his copy of the contract he had just signed that day and couldn't resist looking it over again.
He had already received his first advance on the collected volume's royalties.
Although that money would later be offset against his actual royalties according to the contract, it was still a very real, pleasant surprise for him.
Just a year ago, he had been worrying about rent and Pokémon food.
Now he could actually sit here discussing the release of his manga's collected volume.
Things really had changed.
Shiraishi Ritsu looked down at Smeargle, who was diligently gnawing on a Berry muffin.
"Partner."
"Smear?"
"Looks like we really are going to become famous manga artists."
Smeargle froze for a moment, then happily wagged his tail.
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and patted his head.
"We'll have to keep working hard!"
A few days later.
Shonen Adventure magazine officially announced some news.
[The first collected volume of the hit manga Pokémon Adventures is officially in production!]
[Featuring exciting stories from the early Kanto adventure, with bonus character designs, brand-new color pages, and an author's afterword!]
[Coming to major bookstores throughout the Kanto region. Stay tuned!]
The announcement immediately attracted a great deal of attention from readers.
The loyal fans who had been following the magazine serialization were especially excited.
"It's finally getting a collected volume!"
"Great! I missed a few issues of the magazine before. This time, I'm definitely filling in the gaps!"
"I heard there'll be new character illustrations, too?"
"Red's my favorite! He has to be on the cover!"
Quite a few bookstores began contacting the publisher about placing orders.
The distribution department also began adjusting its stocking plans based on feedback from various locations.
Shiraishi Ritsu was delighted as he read the message from his editor.
If things kept going this way, the first volume's sales probably wouldn't be too bad.
However, at that moment, he had no idea.
As Pokémon Adventures' influence gradually grew, the characters in the manga based on real people were also attracting more and more attention.
Vermilion City, Kanto region.
Vermilion Gym.
"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"
At the booming command, Raichu unleashed a dazzling bolt of electricity from the center of the training ground.
Bzzzt!
The electric light flashed across the field, striking the training target ahead with precision.
"Hahaha! Nicely done!"
A tall, muscular blond man stood at the edge of the field, patting Raichu's head in satisfaction.
He was Lt. Surge, Vermilion City's Electric-type Gym Leader.
Having just finished the morning's training, he was about to take Raichu for a rest when a young apprentice suddenly ran over.
"Gym Leader Surge!"
"What is it? Why the hurry?"
"Take a look at this!"
The apprentice excitedly held up a manga magazine.
"Pokémon Adventures, that really popular manga lately! You're actually in it!"
"Oh?"
Lt. Surge's interest was piqued.
"Really?"
He took the manga and casually flipped through a few pages.
Soon, a familiar blond man appeared in the panels.
He was tall and imposing, with an Electric-type Pokémon beside him.
Lt. Surge immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Not a bad drawing!"
"This manga artist has a good eye, knowing to put yours truly in it!"
The more he read, the more pleased he became.
The imposing way his manga counterpart made his entrance, in particular, practically begged for a word or two of praise.
However, when he turned to the next page, his smile suddenly froze.
In the panel.
The man who looked exactly like him was wearing a black uniform.
On his chest was a particularly conspicuous red letter.
R!
The character introduction below was even clearer.
[Team Rocket Executive-Lt. Surge!]
"..."
Lt. Surge looked down at the manga.
Then he looked up at the apprentice beside him.
Finally, his gaze returned to the panel.
His hearty laughter from a moment ago stopped abruptly.
"...Can someone tell me when the hell I joined Team Rocket?!"