Celadon City, manga studio.
"Smeargle, make the Thunderbolt here look even more exaggerated!"
Shiraishi Ritsu sat at his worktable, holding a freshly finished manga manuscript and carefully studying the artwork.
"Especially when Raichu releases its electricity, it needs to feel like an instantaneous burst! Ideally, readers should be able to imagine the crackling electricity just from looking at the art."
"Smear!"
Smeargle sat in its own chair, listening carefully to its trainer's requests, then picked up its brush and revised the artwork with a few quick strokes.
The lightning, which had looked a little bland before, became much thicker under its brush.
Streams of electricity erupted from both of Raichu's cheeks, spreading wildly in every direction, while dense speed lines filled even the background.
Shiraishi Ritsu picked it up for a look and nodded in satisfaction.
"Beautiful! That's exactly the feeling!"
Smeargle proudly puffed out its chest.
As a professional manga artist, Pokémon battle scenes were its greatest specialty.
Especially when it came to movements full of speed and power, it could quickly understand what Shiraishi Ritsu wanted with just a brief description.
Now that Pokémon Adventures was becoming increasingly popular, Smeargle had raised its standards for its own work considerably.
Before, it had only needed to make the art look good.
Now, it also took the initiative to study how to convey Pokémon's speed through paneling, as well as the visual effects of different moves.
Of course, that also increased Shiraishi Ritsu's workload considerably.
After all, the better the art became, the less he, as the writer, could afford to phone in the plot.
"All right, next comes the most crucial page."
Shiraishi Ritsu opened his notebook, which was densely filled with notes on the arrangements for this battle.
This issue of Pokémon Adventures primarily depicted the clash between Red's group and Team Rocket executive Lt. Surge.
The Pokémon Lt. Surge used was, naturally, Raichu.
On Red's side, a Ground-type Sandslash took part in the battle.
As Shiraishi Ritsu envisioned it, this battle had to emphasize one particular point.
Although Lt. Surge was a villain, he was unquestionably a powerful Trainer.
His Electric-type Pokémon, in particular, had to be drawn with a sufficiently imposing presence.
"Come on, let's go over the battle sequence again."
Shiraishi Ritsu picked up a pencil and drew a few crude little figures on the paper.
"Raichu opens with Thunderbolt, and Sandslash is completely immune to Electric-type attacks thanks to its Ground typing."
"And then?"
Smeargle tilted its head.
"Smear?"
Shiraishi Ritsu continued, "Then Lt. Surge realizes Electric-type moves are ineffective and immediately changes tactics, ordering Raichu to use Iron Tail."
"Smear!"
Smeargle's eyes lit up.
It liked close-range attacks with big, sweeping movements like this.
As Shiraishi Ritsu explained, he drew Raichu swinging its tail on the paper.
Unfortunately, his drawing skills remained remarkably moving.
The Raichu that should have looked imposing ended up looking like a fat rat holding an enormous spoon.
Smeargle stared at the sketch for a long while before finally reaching out a paw and pushing the paper aside.
"Smear..."
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately took offense.
"What's with that look?"
Smeargle picked up the pencil and drew another Raichu beside it.
Its movement, proportions, and expression were almost impeccable.
Then it pointed at Shiraishi Ritsu's sketch.
With the two drawings side by side, the difference was downright painful to behold.
Shiraishi Ritsu fell silent for two seconds.
"Fine, you're good at drawing. You're amazing!"
Smeargle wagged its tail smugly.
But jokes aside, once they actually got to work, the man and Pokémon were both quite serious.
Shiraishi Ritsu was especially concerned about the logic of Pokémon battles.
As a veteran player who had played through every generation of Pokémon games, he already knew type matchups and move effects by heart.
This was also the area where he was least willing to make mistakes in the manga.
"Pay attention here."
He pointed at one of the panels.
"Sandslash is a pure Ground type. No matter how powerful Raichu's Thunderbolt looks, it can't deal direct damage to it."
Smeargle nodded.
"Also, while Iron Tail can hit Sandslash, it has to actually connect. You can't draw Raichu swinging its tail once and have its opponent inexplicably go flying."
At this point, Shiraishi Ritsu suddenly remembered some manga he had read before.
Some authors pursued visual spectacle without considering battle logic at all.
Moves that the target was clearly immune to somehow dealt massive damage anyway.
There were even Pokémon that had already been knocked out on one page, only to suddenly get up and keep fighting on the next.
He simply couldn't accept that sort of thing.
"Our manga can exaggerate things, but the Pokémon's own abilities have to stay true to the established rules."
"Smear!"
Smeargle nodded earnestly.
It had long since grown accustomed to this requirement of its trainer's.
After several months of working together, it had even memorized quite a few Pokémon type matchups.
As long as Shiraishi Ritsu explained the battle sequence clearly, it could accurately depict the corresponding action.
Soon, a new battle panel appeared on the drawing paper.
In the image, Sandslash charged straight into the electricity Raichu released.
Dazzling lightning burst around it without causing it any harm.
In the next panel, Lt. Surge's expression changed.
He didn't panic because his attack had failed.
Instead, a smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh? A Ground-type Pokémon?"
Immediately afterward, Raichu abruptly changed its movements, using Agility to boost its speed and circle around to Sandslash's side.
Its steel-like tail swept out hard!
Sandslash hastily raised its claws to block, but the tremendous force sent it staggering backward.
"Yes! Just like that!"
Shiraishi Ritsu was thoroughly pleased with what he saw.
"Lt. Surge is a Gym Leader-level Trainer, after all. Even if he's joined Team Rocket in the manga, his battle experience can't be too poor."
"He'd definitely know how to handle a Ground-type Pokémon."
Smeargle was very excited too.
It drew several panels in succession, displaying Raichu's speed and power to the fullest.
Especially the instant Iron Tail connected.
Raichu's body was almost horizontal in midair, its tail tracing a sharp arc, while Sandslash was forced to slide several meters backward.
The image packed a tremendous punch.
Shiraishi Ritsu admired it carefully for a while, then suddenly made another request.
"Wait, we can add another panel here."
"Smear?"
"Have Sandslash suddenly use Dig as it retreats to evade Raichu's follow-up attack."
Smeargle lowered its head and thought it over, deciding this was a good arrangement.
Just as it was about to start drawing, Shiraishi Ritsu continued, "Then Lt. Surge figures it might attack from underground and has Raichu prepare in advance."
"The instant Sandslash bursts out of the ground, Raichu counters with Iron Tail!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle's eyes immediately lit up.
That's a great move!
It loved drawing scenes where both sides attacked at once.
So Smeargle readjusted the paneling, expanding what had been a few simple pages of battle into a continuous sequence.
Sandslash burst out of the ground, its sharp claws aimed straight at Raichu.
At the critical moment, Raichu turned, its tail colliding hard with Sandslash's claws!
Both Pokémon fell back at the same time.
The tension of the battle immediately came through.
Shiraishi Ritsu praised it repeatedly as he watched.
"Great! Readers will definitely love this panel!"
Smeargle was very satisfied too.
However, just as it was about to turn to the next page, it noticed Shiraishi Ritsu had started thinking again.
"Wait, I think we could revise this part a little more..."
"Smear?!"
Smeargle jerked its head up.
More revisions?!
Do you know how long I spent drawing these pages, Trainer?!
Completely oblivious to his partner's displeasure, Shiraishi Ritsu was still earnestly analyzing the scene.
"Raichu's movements just now looked really cool, but if we could highlight both Trainers' judgment a little more, it'd definitely work even better."
"Smear!"
Smeargle put its brush straight down on the desk.
Then it folded its arms and turned away in a huff.
I'm not drawing anymore!
Whoever wants to draw it can draw it!
Shiraishi Ritsu froze for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
Smeargle extended a paw and pointed at the clock on the wall.
Then it pointed at the huge stack of completed manuscript pages.
Only then did Shiraishi Ritsu catch on.
Good grief, we'd already been working for several hours straight.
"All right, all right, let's take a break!"
He hurriedly took a bag of premium Berry cookies out of a drawer.
"Here, thanks for all your hard work, partner!"
Smeargle glanced at the cookies.
It didn't move.
Shiraishi Ritsu took out a container of its favorite Berry pudding too.
"And this!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle immediately beamed and reached out its paws to take it.
Shiraishi Ritsu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This little rascal.
It usually had quite the artistic temperament, so how did it forget everything the moment it saw food?
Still, looking at the beautiful manga manuscript pages on the desk, he truly felt very happy.
Although revising the battle scenes this time had taken considerable time, the final result also far exceeded his initial expectations.
Especially the battle between Raichu and Sandslash.
Shiraishi Ritsu was certain that once this issue was officially published, it would definitely impress quite a few readers.
As for Lt. Surge himself...
At that thought, he suddenly felt a little guilty.
"He probably won't get angry again, right?"
Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed his chin.
After all, he had drawn Raichu looking quite impressive this time.
Even the manga's Lt. Surge hadn't looked flustered when faced with a type disadvantage.
Surely a portrayal like this should satisfy the man himself, right?
A few days later.
The new issue of Shonen Adventure officially went on sale.
The latest developments in Pokémon Adventures sparked plenty of discussion among readers, just as expected.
The battle scenes featuring Lt. Surge and Raichu, in particular, became one of the most talked-about parts of this issue.
Many readers had originally seen Lt. Surge as just an ordinary villain.
After reading this installment, however, they changed their minds.
"This Lt. Surge is seriously strong!"
"Raichu's Electric-type moves don't even work on Sandslash, yet the battle was still this exciting!"
"The paneling for that Iron Tail was absolutely awesome!"
"And Lt. Surge's commands were really impressive too. It feels like Red and the others have run into a real powerhouse this time!"
All sorts of discussions soon reached the publisher.
Kikkawa Maho smiled in satisfaction as she looked through the reader feedback that kept coming in.
She had to admit that although Masuda Senbei was always causing trouble, he really did have talent when it came to creating manga.
Especially when he worked together with Smeargle.
Those spectacular Pokémon battles always brought readers new surprises.
That evening.
Shiraishi Ritsu received the reader letters the editorial department had sorted out.
He sat on the sofa, opening them one after another.
Smeargle lay beside him, leisurely munching on snacks.
"Partner, looks like we pulled it off again!"
"Smeargle!"
Shiraishi Ritsu picked up one of the letters and couldn't help reading it aloud with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Masuda. I absolutely loved the Pokémon battle in the latest issue! Especially the scene where Raichu used Iron Tail. I've already reread it so many times!"
"Well? That praise is specifically for you!"
Smeargle immediately looked smug.
Shiraishi Ritsu opened the next letter.
As he read, he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! This one's interesting!"
Smeargle leaned over curiously.
A particularly eye-catching line was written on the paper.
"Even though Lt. Surge is a bad guy, his Raichu is so cool!"
After reading it, Shiraishi Ritsu nodded in satisfaction.
"See? That's the kind of appeal a great villain should have!"
"Smeargle!"
Smeargle wholeheartedly agreed.
Shiraishi Ritsu set the letters aside, feeling particularly pleased.
It seemed his insistence on revising the battle scenes really had been the right choice.
Villains in manga could lose, but their defeats had to carry weight.
Only by making the opponent strong enough would readers find the protagonist's eventual victory exciting.
"Great!"
Shiraishi Ritsu stretched.
"Let's keep working hard and make Pokémon Adventures even more exciting!"
Smeargle nodded enthusiastically.
However, just as Shiraishi Ritsu was about to study the plot for the next issue, Smeargle suddenly raised his tail and pointed at the Berry pudding box on the table.
The corner of Shiraishi Ritsu's mouth twitched.
"All right, all right, I'll buy you some tomorrow!"
This little fellow really refused to lose out on anything.
Meanwhile.
Vermilion City, Kanto.
Inside the Vermilion Gym.
Lt. Surge had just finished a day's training and was sitting in the lounge, drinking water.
Raichu lay on a cushion beside him, leisurely swishing his tail.
An apprentice ran over excitedly.
"Gym Leader! The latest issue of Pokémon Adventures is here!"
"Oh?"
Lt. Surge set down his glass.
"Let me see!"
Taking the manga, he deftly flipped to the pages featuring Pokémon Adventures.
Soon, the fierce battle featuring an Electric-type Pokémon came into view.
At first, Lt. Surge was only giving it a casual look.
But as the story progressed, his expression gradually grew serious.
"Hmm? This was handled well."
"Up against Sandslash, he knew not to keep using Electric-type moves."
He kept turning the pages.
When he saw Raichu use Agility to reposition before attacking with Iron Tail, Lt. Surge couldn't help nodding.
"Interesting!"
When he reached the panels where Sandslash used Dig and Raichu prepared in advance before countering with Iron Tail, he finally burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Good!"
Hearing his Trainer's laughter, Raichu came over curiously.
"Raichu?"
Lt. Surge spread the manga open in front of him.
"Look how cool they made you this time!"
"Raichu!"
Looking at himself in the panels, Raichu cried out excitedly as well.
Lt. Surge flipped through a few more pages, the smile never leaving his face.
This time, his manga counterpart had finally shown the strength he ought to have.
Even as a villain facing a young Trainer's challenge, he hadn't easily fallen behind.
The tactical details, in particular, struck even him, a real Electric-type Gym Leader, as quite good.
Lt. Surge closed the manga and rubbed his chin.
A moment later, he finally couldn't help breaking into a grin.
"Haha! Not bad. Now that's more like it!"