Celadon City, 8:30 a.m.
"Smeargle, I have a very important announcement to make."
Shiraishi Ritsu stood in front of the mirror, carefully straightening his collar.
"Starting today, we're officially making our debut as famous manga creators!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle sat by the bed and excitedly raised a paw.
For today's signing, he had specially put on the little bow tie Shiraishi Ritsu had bought him and carried a backpack full of art supplies.
He really did look rather like a professional artist.
As for Shiraishi Ritsu...
After studying himself in the mirror for ages, he finally changed back into an ordinary white shirt.
"Forget it. Dressing too formally just feels uncomfortable."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of scrap paper and wrote his pen name on it.
[Masuda Senbei]
The lettering was crooked and uneven.
Shiraishi Ritsu stared at it for a while, then fell silent.
"What do you think, partner?"
Smeargle leaned over, examined it carefully for a moment, then shook his head as tactfully as he could.
"Smear..."
"Hey! Is it really that ugly?"
Smeargle didn't answer. He simply picked up his brush and wrote it beside the signature.
The same four characters.
His strokes were smooth and natural, with even a touch of artistic lettering.
Shiraishi Ritsu looked back at his own signature and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"All right, all right! It's an author's signing. Nobody said the author had to be a master calligrapher!"
Smeargle covered his mouth and snickered.
Shiraishi Ritsu ruffled the fur on his head in annoyance, then picked up his backpack.
"Let's go! Today, we'll show our readers the strongest duo in the manga world!"
9:00 a.m.
The central shopping street of Celadon City.
As one of the city's largest bookstores, Celadon Book City was usually quite busy.
Today was even busier.
An enormous promotional banner hung outside the bookstore.
[Pokémon Adventures Volume 1 book signing!]
[Author: Masuda Senbei]
[Special artist: Smeargle]
Beside the banner stood a full-color promotional poster two meters tall.
In the picture, Red wore a red cap and stood on a road stretching into the distance, with Poliwhirl and Bulbasaur beside him.
The sky in the background was bright blue, and the entire picture brimmed with a sense of adventure.
Many passing Trainers couldn't help stopping for a look.
Outside the bookstore, a long line had already formed.
"Mom! Look! It's Red!"
"I know, I know. Don't run off."
"I heard the Smeargle who draws the manga is coming today too!"
"Really? I want him to draw a Pikachu in my copy!"
Several children around ten years old clutched their manga, chattering excitedly.
Some slightly older Trainers were discussing the plot of the latest installments.
"I think Green is stronger than Red."
"Are you kidding? Red's the protagonist!"
"Does being the protagonist mean he has to be the strongest? Green's tactics are clearly more mature!"
"What about Blue? She can run circles around people with her brains alone!"
They argued until their faces were red, none willing to concede.
Standing near the bookstore's side entrance, Shiraishi Ritsu watched the scene and couldn't help swallowing.
"Miss Maho..."
"What is it?"
Kikkawa Maho was confirming the event schedule with the staff. At his voice, she turned around.
"These people... they're all here to see me?"
"To be precise, they're here to see you and Smeargle."
Kikkawa Maho answered with a smile.
"The eighty readers with reservations have been arriving, and quite a few people outside couldn't get a spot but wanted to come see the event."
Shiraishi Ritsu gazed at the crowd by the entrance, feeling a little dazed for a moment.
Back in the studio, all he had to do was sit at his desk and work out the plot, while Smeargle handled the drawing.
Whenever a new issue of the magazine went on sale, the editorial department would send over the reader survey results.
Those numbers and rankings made him happy, but they had always felt somewhat unreal.
Only today, seeing so many people holding his manga and excitedly discussing Red's story, did he finally feel it firsthand.
There really were so many people who liked Pokémon Adventures.
"Mr. Masuda?"
When he remained silent, Kikkawa Maho couldn't help asking, "You're not getting nervous at the last minute, are you?"
"No way!"
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately straightened up.
"I've seen my share of big occasions!"
"Oh? What sort of big occasions?"
"Like when Miss Sabrina came to visit in person..."
Halfway through, he abruptly shut his mouth.
Kikkawa Maho couldn't help laughing.
"All right, stop thinking about that."
She handed Shiraishi Ritsu a bottle of water.
"Today, all you need to do is talk to the readers. Just handle the signatures the way we practiced."
"Smeargle's sketches don't need to be too complicated either. A little portrait for each reader will do."
"Smear!"
Smeargle patted his chest to indicate that it would be no problem at all.
Kikkawa Maho nodded in satisfaction.
"Then let's get ready to begin!"
9:30 a.m.
As the staff announced the official start of the event, enthusiastic applause broke out inside the bookstore.
Shiraishi Ritsu walked onto the small temporary stage with Smeargle and waved to the readers below.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Masuda Senbei!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle raised his tail high too.
People in the audience immediately began shouting excitedly.
"Mr. Masuda!"
"Master Smeargle!"
"I really love Pokémon Adventures!"
Hearing their voices, Shiraishi Ritsu finally felt his tense shoulders slowly relax.
He smiled and nodded to everyone.
"Thank you for all your support. Smeargle and I are both very happy to meet you all here today."
With that, he glanced at his partner beside him.
"Especially this guy. He was so excited last night that he couldn't even sleep properly."
"Smear?!"
Smeargle immediately turned toward him.
You were the one practicing your signature all last night!
The readers below burst into laughter.
The interaction between the man and Pokémon made the somewhat formal atmosphere much more relaxed.
After the brief introductions, the signing officially began.
The first person to step forward was a boy around ten years old.
He clutched a brand-new copy of Pokémon Adventures, looking as nervous as if he were about to take on a Gym Challenge.
"H-hello, Mr. Masuda!"
"Hello there!"
Shiraishi Ritsu took the manga with a smile.
"What's your name?"
"Xiao Taku!"
"All right, Xiao Taku."
Shiraishi Ritsu picked up his pen and carefully wrote his pen name on the title page.
[Masuda Senbei]
Then he added a good wish.
[Wishing Xiao Taku smooth sailing on his Pokémon adventure!]
Beside him, Smeargle leaned over and drew a little Pikachu wearing a red cap in the blank space.
"Wow!"
Xiao Taku's eyes immediately lit up.
"It's so cute!"
Smeargle wagged his tail proudly.
The little boy carefully took the manga back. After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't resist asking:
"Mr. Masuda, will Red really become a Pokémon Master someday?"
Shiraishi Ritsu paused briefly, then smiled.
"Well, you'll have to keep reading the manga to find out."
"Oh..."
Xiao Taku looked a little disappointed.
Shiraishi Ritsu added, "But Red will meet lots of powerful Trainers, and he'll get to know more Pokémon too."
"His adventure has only just begun."
At those words, Xiao Taku immediately perked up.
"Then I'll definitely keep reading!"
With that, he clutched his signed manga and ran excitedly toward the waiting area.
The second reader came forward right after him.
"Mr. Masuda, I really like Green!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because he's so calm! He comes up with amazing tactics in every battle!"
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and nodded.
"Sounds like you enjoy studying battles too."
"Of course!"
The boy immediately grew animated.
"I want to become a Trainer like Green someday!"
Hearing that, Smeargle drew him a stern-looking Pokémon.
The boy laughed heartily at the drawing.
The third, the fourth, the fifth...
As the signing continued, Shiraishi Ritsu gradually grew familiar with the process.
He found that these readers really were interesting.
Some liked the hot-blooded battles, some liked the adventure story, and quite a few children had come specifically for a particular Pokémon character.
One little girl with twin ponytails even held her manga and asked very seriously:
"Mr. Masuda, will Big Sister Blue appear again?"
"Of course she will!"
Shiraishi Ritsu answered without hesitation.
"She's a very important character."
"Then will she travel with Red?"
"That's a secret for now."
"What about Green?"
"Also a secret."
"Then will the three of them defeat the bad guys together later?"
"..."
Shiraishi Ritsu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Are you trying to get me to tell you the entire rest of the story?"
The little girl stuck out her tongue and left with a grin, hugging her manga.
Halfway through the event, Shiraishi Ritsu finally got a short break.
He picked up his water cup and drank half a bottle's worth in one go.
"Phew..."
"Miss Maho, I finally understand why book signings count as work."
Kikkawa Maho asked with a smile, "Tired?"
"My hand's a little sore."
Shiraishi Ritsu flexed his wrist.
"Even writing the story isn't usually this tiring."
Beside him, Smeargle was also sprawled on a chair, gently swishing his tail.
Drawing little illustrations for so many readers in a row was a considerable workload for him, too.
Still, he clearly enjoyed the feeling.
Whenever readers received their illustrations and broke into happy smiles, Smeargle would get excited along with them.
Especially the children who sincerely praised his drawing skills.
Smeargle could hardly resist giving them another drawing right then and there.
"Thanks for your hard work, partner."
Shiraishi Ritsu took out a Berry biscuit and held it up to his mouth.
"Smeargle!"
Smeargle happily accepted it.
Just then, Kikkawa Maho suddenly brought over a small box.
"Oh, right, Mr. Masuda, readers brought these for you, too."
"What are they?"
Shiraishi Ritsu opened the box.
Inside were several letters and some small handmade gifts.
One of the cards had a drawing of Red and Poliwhirl.
Though the artwork was unpolished, the characters' smiles were very lively.
A sentence was written underneath.
[Thank you, Mr. Masuda and Mr. Smeargle, for introducing me to Red!]
Shiraishi Ritsu held the card and looked at it for quite a while.
Smeargle leaned over as well, carefully admiring the slightly lopsided drawing.
"It's pretty cute."
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled as he spoke.
Smeargle nodded vigorously.
Then he took a clear document sleeve out of his backpack and carefully slipped the card inside.
Seeing how much he treasured a reader's work, Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help rubbing his head.
"Partner, we'll have to keep working hard."
"Smeargle!"
That afternoon.
The signing gradually drew to a close.
Most readers with reservations had already received their autographs, and the staff began tidying up the commemorative illustrations on the table.
Looking at the few names left on the list, Shiraishi Ritsu finally let out a sigh of relief.
"It's almost over at last."
Although he complained about being tired, he had actually had a very happy day.
He had met many people who genuinely loved his work.
Quite a few young Trainers had also come specifically to thank him for the Pokémon battles he had designed.
Some had even told him that they only began seriously studying type matchups and move combinations after reading Pokémon Adventures.
Those words gave Shiraishi Ritsu a great sense of accomplishment.
The stories he drew really could bring other people happiness.
"Mr. Masuda, you did pretty well today!"
Kikkawa Maho walked over and praised him with a smile.
"Of course!"
Shiraishi Ritsu raised his chin smugly.
"I'm a professional manga artist!"
"Who was it that got so nervous earlier he almost signed his name wrong?"
"Ahem!"
Shiraishi Ritsu hurriedly changed the subject.
"How many readers are left?"
"Just the last one."
Kikkawa Maho glanced down at the registration sheet.
"Once you've signed for this reader, today's event will officially be over."
"Great!"
Shiraishi Ritsu stretched, then sat up straight again.
"Bring it on!"
"Let's wrap up our first signing with the most perfect performance!"
"Smeargle!"
Smeargle excitedly raised his tail as well.
Just then, a tall figure walked up to the signing table.
The man was powerfully built, with broad shoulders, and wore a loose jacket.
His short blond hair stood out, and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses.
In his hands, he held a collected edition of Pokémon Adventures, volume one.
Shiraishi Ritsu looked up, just about to put on a professional smile.
"Hello, what would you like..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly froze.
Huh?
That build...
That hairstyle...
Why does he look so familiar?
Shiraishi Ritsu instinctively looked at the manga in the man's hands.
Immediately afterward, a familiar illustration suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The portrait of Lt. Surge and Raichu that he had specifically asked Smeargle to draw and sent to the Vermilion Gym!
Wait!
Could it be...
Watching Shiraishi Ritsu's expression gradually stiffen, the tall man's mouth slowly spread into a grin.
"Yo, you're Masuda Senbei?"
As he spoke, he reached up and took off his sunglasses.
He revealed a face Shiraishi Ritsu could never mistake.
It was none other than the Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge!
Shiraishi Ritsu went completely rigid in his chair.
Beside him, Smeargle's tail abruptly stopped moving, and his eyes went perfectly round.
Lt. Surge placed the manga on the signing table and folded his arms, his smile especially bright.
"I heard you made me a Team Rocket executive?"