Ash? That Super Pallet Town Native!

Kanto Region, Saffron City.

By nine in the morning, Saffron City's central shopping plaza was already bustling.

Shonen Adventure Publishing had rented a large exhibition hall near the plaza specifically to promote the release of the first collected volume of Pokémon Adventures.

A huge promotional poster stood at the entrance to the hall.

In the picture, Red wore a red cap, with Poliwhirl and Bulbasaur standing beside him and a vast map of the Kanto Region behind him.

An eye-catching promotional slogan hung beside it.

[Pokémon Adventures-an adventure story for Trainers!]

"Smeargle, we're here!"

Shiraishi Ritsu wheeled his suitcase into the exhibition hall, unable to resist looking around at the decorations.

"Smear!"

Smeargle carried a little art bag on his back, looking around excitedly.

This promotional event was clearly larger than the book signing in Celadon City.

Besides the booths selling collected volumes, the publisher had set up a character display area, turning color illustrations of Red, Green, Blue, and the other main characters into large display boards.

The most popular area, though, was the wall displaying Pokémon battles from the manga.

Spectacular battle scenes had been enlarged and put on display, drawing quite a few young Trainers to stop and look.

Shiraishi Ritsu was quite pleased with what he saw.

"Miss Maho, the publisher really splurged this time!"

Kikkawa Maho was busy directing the staff. At his words, she turned around with a smile.

"Of course! Pokémon Adventures is one of our key titles now."

"And there are especially many readers in Saffron City. A few media outlets will be coming for interviews today, too."

"More media?"

Shiraishi Ritsu instinctively frowned.

"Don't worry, we've already confirmed the interview questions in advance."

Kikkawa Maho glanced at him and couldn't help adding, "There definitely won't be any headlines like 'Mysterious manga artist has close ties to three Gym Leaders' this time."

"That's a relief!"

Shiraishi Ritsu finally let out a relieved breath.

Ever since that report came out, just hearing the word "reporter" gave him a bit of a headache.

Smeargle, on the other hand, didn't care at all.

He had already run off with his drawing board to admire the large illustrations in the hall.

Just then, an argument suddenly broke out nearby.

"I told you, we should've gone to the Pokémon Center first!"

"But this place looks really interesting!"

"You're always like this!"

Shiraishi Ritsu hadn't paid much attention at first.

Then a familiar voice rang out.

"Pika pika!"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Pikachu?

Shiraishi Ritsu instinctively turned his head.

Three young travelers stood in front of a promotional poster at the entrance to the hall.

At the front was a boy of about ten.

He wore a red-and-white cap and a blue jacket, with a yellow Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Beside him was a girl with short orange hair, wearing a yellow top and carrying a travel backpack.

The last was a narrow-eyed young man with slightly dark skin, carrying all sorts of traveling supplies.

Shiraishi Ritsu's eyes slowly widened.

"Wait..."

He took another careful look.

A red-and-white cap.

Pikachu.

A girl with orange hair.

And those utterly familiar narrow eyes.

"Ash?"

Shiraishi Ritsu called out the name almost instinctively.

That's right!

There's absolutely no mistaking it!

That's Ash, Misty, and Brock!

Shiraishi Ritsu stood there, an indescribable rush of excitement welling up inside him.

In all the time since transmigrating into the Pokémon world, he had met Sabrina, Lt. Surge, and Koga.

But these three people before him held an even more special meaning for him.

They were the anime protagonists who had been with me throughout my entire childhood!

Especially the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help taking a few extra looks.

Pikachu seemed to notice his gaze and tilted his head to look over.

"Pika?"

The smile on Shiraishi Ritsu's face grew wider and wider.

Whoa!

A living one!

A Pikachu who blinked, made sounds, and even perched on Ash's shoulder!

Although he had seen plenty of Pikachu since coming to this world, this one was clearly different.

After all, these were the legendary Pikagod and the Super Pallet Town Native!

"Whoa! Look at this!"

Ash hadn't noticed Shiraishi Ritsu at all.

He stood in front of the Pokémon Adventures promotional wall, excitedly pointing at one of the pictures.

In it, Red was commanding his Pokémon against a powerful enemy.

Attacks from both sides crossed in midair, while speed lines and explosive effects made the entire image especially pulse-pounding.

"That's so cool!"

Ash couldn't help exclaiming.

"Who's this guy in the red cap?"

Brock glanced at the character introduction beside it.

"His name's Red. He's the protagonist of Pokémon Adventures."

"Red?"

Ash immediately became interested.

"Is he a Pokémon Trainer, too?"

"Of course."

Shiraishi Ritsu walked over with a smile.

"Red comes from Pallet Town, and his goal is also to become an excellent Trainer."

"Pallet Town?!"

Ash whipped his head around.

"I'm from Pallet Town, too!"

"Pika pika!"

Pikachu nodded along.

Shiraishi Ritsu smiled.

"What a coincidence!"

"My name's Ash!"

The boy eagerly introduced himself.

"My goal is to become a Pokémon Master!"

Misty couldn't help cutting in. "Why do you have to tell everyone you meet?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Ash answered without a hint of hesitation.

Brock smiled and nodded to Shiraishi Ritsu.

"Hello, I'm Brock. This is Misty. We're traveling through the Kanto Region."

"Hello."

Shiraishi Ritsu introduced himself with a smile.

"My name's Masuda Senbei."

"Masuda Senbei?"

Brock froze for a moment.

Then he looked at the promotional poster beside them.

[Original creator: Masuda Senbei]

"Wait, are you the creator of this manga?"

"That's right."

Shiraishi Ritsu nodded.

"Smear!"

Smeargle had come running over at some point, proudly raising his tail.

Shiraishi Ritsu took the opportunity to introduce him. "This is my partner, Smeargle. He handles pretty much all the artwork in the manga."

"What?!"

Ash's eyes lit up instantly.

"Smeargle drew all these pictures?"

"Smear!"

Smeargle nodded smugly.

Pikachu also jumped curiously down from Ash's shoulder and walked over to Smeargle.

"Pika pika?"

Smeargle greeted him enthusiastically, then took out his drawing board and produced a lifelike Pikachu in just a few strokes.

Ash watched, dumbfounded.

"That's amazing!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu excitedly clapped his little paws, too.

Smeargle's tail immediately rose even higher.

This yellow mouse really knows how to appreciate art!

"Mr. Masuda, did you really come up with the battles here?"

Ash looked back at the display wall, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Of course."

"Then why did Red have his Pokémon circle around behind the opponent? Wouldn't attacking directly be faster?"

Shiraishi Ritsu followed his pointing finger.

It was a battle that used the terrain to change the direction of an attack.

"Because the opponent's frontal defenses were strong. Attacking directly could easily put him at a disadvantage."

He pointed at one of the panels and explained, "Red first had his Pokémon draw the opponent's attention, then looked for an opening from the side."

Ash listened intently.

Then he suddenly reached out and gestured in the air a few times.

"What if Pikachu charged in first and pretended to attack from the left, then suddenly jumped over from the right once the opponent turned?"

Shiraishi Ritsu paused.

"You want to bait the opponent into changing the direction they're defending first?"

"Yeah!"

Ash nodded excitedly.

"That way, they might not be able to react in time!"

Shiraishi Ritsu gave it some serious thought.

The idea really did have some potential.

Of course, whether it would actually work still depended on the speed and reflexes of both Pokémon.

But with barely any thought, Ash had come up with his own tactic based on the picture in front of him.

That battle instinct really was quite sharp.

"Not bad, Ash."

Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help praising him.

"You've got some pretty good ideas about Pokémon battles!"

"Hehe! Of course!"

Ash rubbed his nose proudly.

Misty, however, mercilessly called him out from beside him.

"He does come up with weird ideas sometimes, but he often doesn't think about the consequences!"

"Misty!"

"Am I wrong?"

The two immediately started arguing.

Brock sighed helplessly, clearly long accustomed to this sort of scene.

Watching them, Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help laughing.

Sure enough, it was just as he remembered.

Over the next dozen or so minutes, Ash studied almost every comic on the display wall.

He especially liked the imaginative battles.

Whenever he saw Red use an unusual tactic, he couldn't help offering his own thoughts.

Some of his ideas still seemed quite immature.

But the occasional flashes of inspiration were interesting even to Shiraishi Ritsu.

This guy really was a born Trainer.

His knowledge of Pokémon might not have been as comprehensive as that of Trainers who had received formal instruction.

But he was willing to trust his partners and dared to try new approaches at crucial moments.

At that thought, Shiraishi Ritsu suddenly asked, "By the way, Ash, how many Badges have you earned so far?"

"Hehe!"

Ash immediately perked up.

"You've asked the right person!"

He excitedly pulled a Badge case out of his backpack.

"Look!"

Three Badges lay neatly inside the case.

The Boulder Badge.

The Cascade Badge.

The Thunder Badge.

Shiraishi Ritsu recognized them at a glance.

Pewter Gym, Cerulean Gym, and Vermilion Gym.

Sure enough, Ash hadn't challenged Saffron Gym yet at this point.

"Well? Pretty awesome, right?"

Ash grinned proudly.

"I've already earned three Badges!"

Brock nodded with a smile. "Ash really has improved a lot lately."

Misty put both hands on her hips.

"But he's still too reckless sometimes!"

"Hey!"

Ash immediately turned toward her indignantly.

Looking at the Thunder Badge, Shiraishi Ritsu suddenly smiled.

"So you've already beaten Gym Leader Lt. Surge?"

"Of course!"

Ash immediately clenched his fist.

"His Raichu was really strong! But Pikachu and I won in the end!"

"Pika pika!"

Pikachu proudly puffed out his chest.

The sight left Shiraishi Ritsu rather reflective.

Just a few days ago, Lt. Surge had been showing him Raichu's strength at the training ground.

Now, the other participant in that battle was actually standing right in front of him.

It really was a small world.

"So where are you planning to go next?"

Shiraishi Ritsu asked casually.

"To challenge a Gym, of course!"

Ash answered without hesitation.

"We're already in Saffron City, so our next stop is Saffron Gym!"

"..."

The smile slowly faded from Shiraishi Ritsu's face.

Saffron Gym.

Sabrina.

And that doll that could talk and laugh.

He suddenly recalled certain classic scenes from the Original Series anime.

What exactly had Ash gone through the first time he challenged Sabrina again?

It seemed he had almost failed to even finish a normal Gym battle.

Then Sabrina's psychic powers had led to a whole series of utterly outrageous events.

Especially for Misty and Brock.

Looking at the two people before him, who were still arguing about their travel route, Shiraishi Ritsu couldn't help worrying for them.

"Um, Ash..."

"What is it?"

"Saffron Gym's Leader, Sabrina, is extremely strong."

"I know!"

Ash clenched his fist, brimming with fighting spirit.

"The stronger the opponent, the more they're worth challenging!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu also gave an energetic cry.

Shiraishi Ritsu opened his mouth.

In the end, he left the rest unsaid.

He couldn't exactly tell Ash outright that the Gym Leader might turn them into dolls, could he?

Misty checked the time and hurried them along.

"Ash, it's about time we left! If you keep dawdling, we won't make it in time for a Gym Challenge today!"

"Got it!"

Ash took one last look at the promotional poster, then turned around and earnestly held out his hand to Shiraishi Ritsu.

"Mr. Masuda, your comic is really interesting!"

"Once I'm done with the Gym battle, I'll definitely buy a copy to take back and read properly!"

Shiraishi Ritsu smiled and shook his hand.

"Sure."

"Oh, right!"

Ash suddenly remembered something and flashed a brilliant smile.

"Mr. Masuda, once I win the Gold Badge, I'll come back to talk about comics with you!"

"Pika pika!"

With that, he excitedly ran out of the exhibition hall with Pikachu.

"Hey! Ash! Wait for us!"

Misty hurried after him.

Brock waved to Shiraishi Ritsu.

"Goodbye, Mr. Masuda!"

"Goodbye."

Shiraishi Ritsu watched the three leave.

Only after they disappeared into the crowd did he slowly withdraw his gaze.

"Partner."

"Smear?"

"I have a feeling those three might be in for some bad luck today."

Smeargle tilted his head.

Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed his chin, then let out a long sigh.

"Oh well. Miss Sabrina should know where to draw the line, right?"

Thinking of Sabrina's usual icy demeanor, he grew a little uncertain again.

That evening.

Saffron City, at the hotel arranged by the publisher.

Having just finished his promotional activities, Shiraishi Ritsu sat in his room, organizing the reader feedback he had collected that day.

Smeargle lay on the bed beside him, diligently working on a new illustration.

In the picture, Ash stood in the center wearing his red-and-white cap, with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder.

Shiraishi Ritsu glanced at it and couldn't help smiling.

"Partner, you really like that Pikachu too, huh?"

"Smear!"

Smeargle nodded vigorously.

Just then.

Beep, beep, beep!

The communicator on the table suddenly lit up.

Shiraishi Ritsu casually picked it up.

[Sabrina: A boy wearing a cap came by today.]

[Sabrina: He said he wanted to challenge my Gym.]

Shiraishi Ritsu froze.

Here it was!

It really had come!

He stared at the communicator, hesitating for quite a while.

In the end, he couldn't help typing out a line.

[Masuda Senbei: Miss Sabrina, that boy is quite interesting. Please don't turn him into a doll...]

He sent it.

Shiraishi Ritsu breathed a sigh of relief.

Yeah.

A little reminder like that shouldn't cause any problems, right?

He was just about to put the communicator down when its screen lit up again.

Sabrina had replied.

[Sabrina: How did you know I would do that?]

"..."

Shiraishi Ritsu stared at that line.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

He slowly raised his head and looked out the window at the brightly lit Saffron City.

Then he lowered his head and looked at the communicator again.

Oh no.

He suddenly really wanted to turn the thing off right then.

Because he had suddenly realized something even more frightening.

What Sabrina had just said...

Seemed to be an admission that she really was planning to turn Ash into a doll!

"Smeargle."

"Smear?"

Shiraishi Ritsu turned his head, his expression stiff.

"I think we might have to make a trip to the Saffron Gym tomorrow."

"Smear?"

"Hopefully, Ash and the others will still be all right by then..."

Smeargle blinked in confusion.

A moment later, Smeargle silently picked up a paintbrush and drew a tiny rag doll beside Shiraishi Ritsu.

The rag doll wore a red-and-white cap, and a miniature Pikachu stood on its shoulder.

After seeing it, the corners of Shiraishi Ritsu's mouth twitched wildly.

"Hey! You can't go drawing things like that!"