"Smeargle, Quick Attack!"
"Smear!" Smeargle charged forward.
This time, it didn't blindly attack Butterfree's original position.
It first watched which way its opponent was moving, then quickly closed in diagonally ahead under Shiraishi Ritsu's direction.
Butterfree had just prepared to release Stun Spore when it found Smeargle already right in front of it.
"Free?!"
Bam!
Quick Attack hit its mark!
Butterfree tumbled backward from the impact, unable even to spread the powder it had been about to release over an effective area.
"Butterfree!"
Ashu hurriedly called out.
Butterfree beat its wings hard, barely managing to steady itself.
But several consecutive uses of Gust and String Shot, combined with the attack it had just taken, had drained quite a bit of its stamina.
"Can you keep going?"
"Free!"
Butterfree nodded with difficulty.
Ashu gritted his teeth.
"Then let's try again!"
"Butterfree, Gust!"
"Smeargle, get ready!"
The two Trainers gave their commands almost simultaneously.
Butterfree beat its wings while Smeargle quickly lowered its body.
Shiraishi Ritsu watched its opponent's movements closely.
The instant Butterfree began gathering power, he suddenly shouted:
"Go around the side! Quick Attack!"
"Smear!"
Mustering its remaining strength, Smeargle charged forward.
A swift figure skimmed along the ground, then leaped with the momentum of its dash and slammed into Butterfree before it could gain altitude.
Bam!
This time, Butterfree finally failed to steady itself.
It landed on the training field, struggled a few times, and finally slumped down in exhaustion.
"Butterfree!"
Ashu hurried over.
After confirming that Butterfree had merely exhausted its stamina, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for all your hard work."
Then he raised his head and looked at Shiraishi Ritsu.
"Mr. Masuda, I lost."
At the same time, Smeargle finally couldn't hold on any longer either and plopped down on the ground.
"Smear..."
It stuck out its tongue, panting heavily.
Shiraishi Ritsu hurried over.
"Partner, are you okay?"
"Smear!"
Although Smeargle was utterly exhausted, it still raised a paw excitedly.
I won!
I actually won!
Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help smiling at the sight.
"Hahaha! Great job!"
He crouched down and picked Smeargle up.
"Who would've thought the two of us would actually win a battle someday!"
Smeargle happily hugged his arm.
Several Trainers watching nearby also began to applaud.
"Impressive!"
"That Smeargle's last Quick Attack was really good!"
"Did it predict which way Butterfree would move just now?"
"I think so! Those last two attacks were clearly much more accurate than the ones at the start!"
Listening to the comments around him, Shiraishi Ritsu felt especially pleased.
Although neither side in this match had been particularly strong, and the battle hadn't been all that spectacular, it was already quite a good step forward for him and Smeargle.
Especially for Smeargle.
It had finally begun learning to put the observational skills it had built up in everyday life to actual use in Pokémon battles.
"Partner."
Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed its head.
"If we keep practicing, maybe you really can become a powerful Pokémon!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle nodded excitedly.
But a second later, it went limp again in Shiraishi Ritsu's arms.
Clearly, today's training had far exceeded its limit.
Shiraishi Ritsu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"All right, all right, let's rest for today!"
After a short rest, Ashu came over carrying Butterfree, which had regained some of its energy.
"Thank you for today, Mr. Masuda!"
"What for?"
"For agreeing to battle me and letting me learn so much!"
Ashu spoke very earnestly.
"I realized I was still too impatient. I had the chance to keep using String Shot to restrict Smeargle, but I wanted to hurry up and finish the match with Gust."
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and nodded.
"It's good that you spotted the problem."
"That's how you build up battle experience, little by little."
As he spoke, he looked down at Smeargle.
"Our artist here learned quite a bit today too, didn't you?"
"Smear!"
Smeargle immediately nodded.
Then it suddenly remembered something.
It took a sketchbook and brush out of its little backpack, sat on the bench, and began drawing intently.
Ashu was a little curious.
"What's Master Smeargle drawing?"
"I don't know either."
Shiraishi Ritsu answered with a smile.
"It's often like this. It draws whatever comes to mind."
Before long, Smeargle held up the drawing.
"Smear!"
Shiraishi Ritsu took it and immediately grinned when he saw it.
In the picture, Ashu stood on the training field with a confident smile on his face.
Beside him, Butterfree spread its beautiful wings in a very graceful pose.
A few speed lines representing the battle had also been drawn in the background.
Although it was only a simple black-and-white illustration, the expressions of both the person and the Pokémon were captured vividly.
"This is for you."
Shiraishi Ritsu handed the drawing to Ashu.
"Consider it a memento of today's friendly match."
Ashu froze.
"F-for me?"
"Yes."
"But... Master Smeargle drew this personally!"
Ashu was so excited that even his voice trembled a little.
"I heard people are willing to pay a lot of money for Master Smeargle's original artwork now!"
Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help laughing.
"Don't worry, this one's free."
Smeargle also nodded generously.
"Smear!"
Ashu carefully accepted the drawing and looked it over again and again.
Finally, he bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Mr. Masuda! Thank you, Master Smeargle!"
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and waved a hand.
"Keep working hard, and try to win next time!"
"Yes!"
Ashu nodded firmly.
"I'll definitely be stronger next time!"
That evening.
Shiraishi Ritsu returned to the studio with Smeargle.
Both the man and the dog were thoroughly exhausted.
Shiraishi Ritsu collapsed straight onto the sofa, while Smeargle lay beside him, holding a Berry biscuit and slowly nibbling on it.
"Phew..."
Shiraishi Ritsu let out a long breath.
"Today really wore me out."
"Smear..."
Smeargle wholeheartedly agreed.
Still, remembering the moment it had won the match that afternoon, it couldn't help breaking into a happy smile.
Shiraishi Ritsu glanced down at it, suddenly feeling a little reflective.
He had always thought Smeargle was better suited to being a manga artist.
After all, its artistic talent was simply outstanding.
But today's friendly match had shown him another possibility.
As long as it trained seriously, this fellow could also become a dependable battle partner.
Although they still had a long way to go before becoming a truly powerful Trainer, at least they had taken the first step.
"Partner."
"Smear?"
"Let's set aside a little time to train every day from now on."
"Smear!"
Smeargle nodded.
Shiraishi Ritsu added another remark.
"But we still have to turn in the manga on time."
"Smear..."
Smeargle's face immediately fell.
Why bring up work again!
Shiraishi Ritsu burst out laughing.
Just then, the communicator on the desk suddenly rang.
Beep, beep, beep!
Shiraishi Ritsu casually picked it up.
The name displayed on the screen was none other than Kikkawa Maho.
"Hello? Miss Maho?"
"Good evening, Mr. Masuda!"
On the other end of the phone, Kikkawa Maho sounded very cheerful.
"How was your day?"
"Pretty good. I just took Smeargle to a friendly match."
"Oh? How did it go?"
"Hehe, we won, of course!"
Shiraishi Ritsu laughed smugly.
"Our Smeargle is really strong now!"
Kikkawa Maho couldn't help laughing.
"Congratulations!"
"But..."
She changed the subject.
"Haven't you forgotten something very important?"
Shiraishi Ritsu froze for a moment.
"What?"
On the other end of the communicator, Kikkawa Maho reminded him with a smile:
"Mr. Masuda, the signing event is tomorrow."
"Are you ready?"
The smile on Shiraishi Ritsu's face instantly froze.
Beside him, Smeargle abruptly stopped munching on a cookie, too.
The man and the dog looked at each other for a moment.
Then a scream rang out through the studio.
"Oh no! I haven't practiced my signature yet!"