Celadon City, the offices of Shonen Adventure magazine.
"Mr. Masuda, what do you think of this promotional plan?"
Kikkawa Maho pushed a document in front of Shiraishi Ritsu, a brilliant smile on her face.
Shiraishi Ritsu lowered his head and took a look.
Follow-up promotional proposal for volume one of Pokémon Adventures.
Hmm, nothing wrong with that.
He continued flipping through it.
Bookstore promotional posters, reader interaction events, limited-edition commemorative bookmarks...
These arrangements seemed pretty normal.
Until he reached the third page, where Shiraishi Ritsu’s hands suddenly stopped.
[Special proposal: Invite real-life Gym Leaders to promote the series.]
[Proposed guests: Sabrina, Leader of the Saffron Gym; Lt. Surge, Leader of the Vermilion Gym; Koga, Leader of the Fuchsia Gym.]
"..."
Shiraishi Ritsu stared at those lines for a full ten-odd seconds.
Then he slowly raised his head.
"Miss Maho."
"Yes?"
"Have you been under too much pressure at work lately?"
Kikkawa Maho froze for a moment.
"Why do you ask?"
"Why don't you take a couple of days off? Go on a trip, unwind a little?"
"Mr. Masuda, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Shiraishi Ritsu turned the document around and pointed at those three familiar names, his face filled with disbelief.
"Have I lived too long for your liking?!"
His voice suddenly rose considerably, startling even Smeargle, who was eating Berry cookies beside him, into lifting his head.
"Smear?"
Kikkawa Maho blinked, then couldn't help laughing.
"Mr. Masuda, please calm down first."
"How am I supposed to stay calm?!"
Shiraishi Ritsu pointed at the document.
"Sabrina, Lt. Surge, Koga! Just look at these three!"
"Don't forget, their characters are all very popular in the manga."
"And?"
"So I think inviting them to a promotional event would definitely attract a lot of attention!"
Kikkawa Maho spoke enthusiastically.
As the editor in charge of Pokémon Adventures, she had recently been studying ways to expand the series' influence further.
Since volume one went on sale, sales had been quite strong, and the publisher had already begun discussing arrangements for restocking.
Meanwhile, reader letters discussing the Team Rocket executives were becoming increasingly numerous.
Especially Sabrina, Lt. Surge, and Koga.
Three famous real-life Gym Leaders had completely different identities in the manga, and that premise had left a deep impression on readers.
If they could get the actual people to appear at an event...
Just thinking about it, Kikkawa Maho felt it would generate plenty of buzz.
"Think about it!"
She picked up a pen and sketched a few simple boxes on the paper.
"We could arrange a public discussion where the real-life Gym Leaders sit down with the manga's author and talk about the Pokémon tactics in the series!"
"Then we invite some readers to attend, take questions from the audience, and finish with a group photo."
"As soon as we announce it, plenty of people are bound to be interested!"
Shiraishi Ritsu's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened.
He could already picture the event in his mind.
Sabrina sat on the left, expressionless.
Lt. Surge had his arms folded, looking thoroughly displeased.
Koga sat quietly on the other side, occasionally casting an appraising glance his way.
And he, the manga's author, could only sit between the three of them and endure a barrage of soul-searching questions.
"Masuda Senbei, why did you draw me as a Team Rocket executive?"
"How could my Raichu possibly lose to those brats?!"
"Mr. Author, I have a few questions about your tactical arrangements for Poison-type Pokémon."
At that thought, Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help shuddering.
No!
Absolutely not!
"Miss Maho, I think we should choose another way to promote it."
"Why?"
"Because I'm still young!"
Shiraishi Ritsu answered quite seriously.
"I'm only in my twenties! I haven't gotten married or bought a house, and I haven't even set up a big art studio just for Smeargle!"
"I'm not ready to die young!"
"Smear!"
Hearing the words "big art studio," Smeargle immediately raised a paw beside him in agreement.
Kikkawa Maho pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly.
"Mr. Masuda, you're taking this far too far."
"How am I taking it too far?"
"Although Gym Leader Sabrina raised objections to the manga before, both sides reached an agreement in the end."
"That was because she was reasonably willing to listen to reason!"
Even Shiraishi Ritsu felt a little unsure of those words after saying them.
Remembering the paintbrushes floating beside his head, he hurriedly added another sentence.
"Of course, I've always had the utmost respect for Miss Sabrina!"
The corner of Kikkawa Maho's mouth twitched slightly.
She suddenly felt that Mr. Masuda would probably never forget the psychological scars that Psychic-type Gym Leader had left on him.
"What about Gym Leader Lt. Surge, then?"
"He's even more trouble!"
Shiraishi Ritsu spread his hands.
"I drew his Raichu looking so cool and even sent him a special portrait, but he still wasn't satisfied!"
"But he seemed to like that battle you drew afterward."
"Liking it is one thing! He never said he wouldn't settle the score with me later!"
The more Shiraishi Ritsu spoke, the more convinced he became that he was right.
"As for Gym Leader Koga..."
At that point, he suddenly paused.
Kikkawa Maho asked curiously, "What about Gym Leader Koga?"
"He hasn't come knocking yet."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"That's exactly the problem!"
Shiraishi Ritsu slapped the table.
"He hasn't come looking for me, and you're already planning to invite him to the publisher's office?"
"What if he didn't even know he'd been drawn as a Team Rocket executive, and receiving the invitation makes him go out and buy the manga?"
Kikkawa Maho thought it over.
That did seem possible.
However, she soon said, "Mr. Masuda, I'm only suggesting a promotional idea. Of course we'd consult the Gym Leaders before actually inviting them."
"And they'd have to approve the details of the collaboration too."
Shiraishi Ritsu nodded.
That was indeed important.
The manga did use real people's likenesses, after all, and the publisher had already dealt with quite a few problems because of it.
If they went on to use the Gym Leaders' names for commercial promotion without permission, the trouble would be even greater.
"Let's make this clear first."
Shiraishi Ritsu spoke seriously.
"Until we have the people involved's consent, we can't announce any collaboration to the public."
"Of course."
"And we can't print promotional posters featuring their real-life likenesses without permission."
"Understood."
"And we absolutely cannot say they approve of their identities as Team Rocket executives in the manga!"
Kikkawa Maho couldn't help laughing.
"Mr. Masuda, you really are becoming more and more thorough in your thinking."
"I don't have a choice."
Shiraishi Ritsu let out a long sigh.
"This is all experience earned the hard way."
The two continued discussing it for a while.
Kikkawa Maho still felt that having Gym Leaders take part in the promotion had considerable potential.
But Shiraishi Ritsu was clearly unwilling to take the risk lightly.
Especially since the recent matter involving that strange collector still weighed on his mind somewhat.
He had already spoken to the publisher, asking them to tighten their management of personal information and unpublished manuscripts.
If they were going to hold an event requiring a public appearance now, they would need to make some preparations in advance.
"Actually, I think ordinary bookstore promotions are perfectly fine."
Shiraishi Ritsu picked up the document and flipped back to the first page.
"For instance, giving away commemorative bookmarks or limited-edition illustrations, or holding a reader poll."
"Let everyone vote for their favorite Pokémon and characters."
"These events are easy to participate in, and they won't cause the publisher too much trouble."
Kikkawa Maho nodded.
"That's certainly worth considering."
"Also, aren't we preparing to release the subsequent collected volumes?"
"Yes."
"We could release some character design sheets in advance and let readers guess who'll appear in the next volume."
Shiraishi Ritsu grew more animated as he spoke.
When it came to promoting manga, he had at least seen plenty of well-developed commercial proposals in his previous life.
Although he hadn't actually been involved in publishing for very long, he could still offer some simple promotional ideas.
"Another example would be a Pokémon drawing event!"
"Readers who like drawing could submit their work, and the winning entries could be published in the magazine."
Kikkawa Maho's eyes lit up.
"That's a good one!"
She hurriedly wrote it down.
"And it would be a perfect way to highlight Smeargle's talent for drawing."
Hearing his name, Smeargle immediately raised his head.
"Smear?"
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and rubbed his head.
"Maybe you could even be a judge in a drawing competition someday!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle immediately grew excited.
He put down the cookie in his paw and pulled drawing paper and a pencil straight out of the backpack he carried.
Since they were discussing promotional events, he, as the chief artist, naturally couldn't sit idle either.
"Smear, smear!"
Smeargle gave two enthusiastic cries, then began drawing in earnest.
Shiraishi Ritsu glanced over but didn't stop him.
After all, this fellow liked drawing all sorts of bizarre things.
Letting him do his own thing might even yield some good ideas.
But a dozen or so minutes later...
"Smear! Smear!"
Smeargle suddenly held up his drawing and approached Shiraishi Ritsu, his face full of anticipation.
"Hm? Finished?"
Shiraishi Ritsu took it.
One glance was all it took for his smile to freeze.
Three familiar figures stood side by side in the picture.
On the left was an expressionless Sabrina.
On the right was Lt. Surge, his arms folded and his face fierce.
Behind them stood Koga, looking serious.
Kadabra, Raichu, and Venomoth accompanied the three respectively.
Both the people's poses and the Pokémon's expressions were captured vividly.
And standing in the center of the picture...
Was none other than Shiraishi Ritsu!
Except his expression was utterly terrified.
His hands were raised in front of his chest, a stiff smile hung on his face, and several drops of cold sweat had been drawn on his forehead.
Most absurdly, Smeargle had added a huge patch of shadow behind the three Gym Leaders.
At first glance, they looked exactly like three Team Rocket executives escorting an unfortunate prisoner who had fallen into their hands.
Across the very top of the picture, several large words were written in elegant lettering.
[A special "Pokémon Adventures" meet-and-greet!]
Shiraishi Ritsu: "..."
He looked down at the drawing.
Then back up at Smeargle.
"Partner."
"Smear?"
"Are you sure this is a promotional poster?"
Smeargle nodded confidently.
"Smear! Smear!"
"Why does it look more like a wanted poster for me?"
Smeargle paused.
Then he picked up his brush again and added a line beside Shiraishi Ritsu.
[Manga author: Masuda Senbei]
The corner of Shiraishi Ritsu's mouth twitched.
"I wanted you to change the picture! Who told you to add my name?!"
Unable to contain her curiosity, Kikkawa Maho leaned over for a look too.
The next second...
"Pfft!"
She quickly covered her mouth.
But the promotional poster was simply too hilarious.
Especially Shiraishi Ritsu's expression as he stood sandwiched between the three Gym Leaders-it was positively lifelike.
"Hahahaha!"
Kikkawa Maho finally burst out laughing.
"Mr. Masuda! Smeargle really nailed the likeness!"
"What likeness?!"
Shiraishi Ritsu nearly jumped up.
"Miss Maho, take a good look! How does this look anything like a manga meet-and-greet?!"
"Hahaha! It does look a little like..."
Kikkawa Maho was laughing so hard she nearly cried.
"Like what?"
"Like the three Gym Leaders are taking you in for questioning!"
"..."
Shiraishi Ritsu covered his forehead in despair.
He suddenly felt a little regret over having taught Smeargle to draw four-panel gag manga.
This fellow was enjoying making fun of him more and more!
And his drawing skills just had to be so good.
He could even capture Shiraishi Ritsu's expression of wanting to cry but having no tears with vivid accuracy.
"Smear! Smear!"
Seeing their reactions, Smeargle immediately grew smug.
He even began considering whether to expand the drawing into a complete four-panel comic.
Panel one: Shiraishi Ritsu happily attended a promotional event.
Panel two: three Gym Leaders appeared at once.
Panel three: Shiraishi Ritsu turned deathly pale.
Panel four: Smeargle fled alone, clutching the manga manuscript.
At that thought, Smeargle couldn't help laughing aloud.
Seeing his expression, Shiraishi Ritsu suddenly grew wary.
"Are you thinking of something weird again?"
"Smear! Smear!"
Smeargle immediately shook his head.
Shiraishi Ritsu clearly didn't believe him.
But he no longer had the energy to argue with him.
"Anyway!"
He turned back to Kikkawa Maho.
"That's enough about inviting Gym Leaders to promotional events for now."
"We can consider it later, when there's a suitable opportunity and we have their consent."
Seeing how firm he was, Kikkawa Maho could only nod.
"All right."
She put away the original promotional proposal, took out a pen, and wrote a few words to the side.
[Gym Leader collaboration proposal: on hold.]
Only then did Shiraishi Ritsu breathe a sigh of relief.
Good.
At least for the time being, I won't have to worry about being surrounded by three Gym Leaders, discussing on the spot why they're all Team Rocket executives.
As for later...
I'll deal with that later!
"Let's leave it there for today, then."
Shiraishi Ritsu stood and stretched.
"Miss Maho, if there's nothing else, I'll take Smeargle home to work on the manuscript."
"Wait!"
Kikkawa Maho suddenly stopped him.
"Mr. Masuda, I actually prepared another promotional plan."
Shiraishi Ritsu stopped in his tracks.
For some reason, he suddenly had an ominous feeling again.
"What is it this time?"
Kikkawa Maho took another document out of the drawer.
This time, her smile was particularly warm.
"Don't worry. This event doesn't require inviting any Gym Leaders."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's a relief."
He sat back down in his chair.
"Go on, then. What's the plan?"
Kikkawa Maho gently placed the document in front of him.
An eye-catching title was written on the cover.
["Pokémon Adventures" volume one collected edition reader meet-and-greet event proposal]
Shiraishi Ritsu looked down at it.
"A reader meet-and-greet?"
"Yes."
Kikkawa Maho nodded with a cheerful smile.
"Then... how about we hold a signing first?"