"Next time, don't make me look so stupid."
At Sabrina's words, Shiraishi Ritsu froze for a moment, then his eyes gradually lit up.
Wait!
Next time?
Didn't that mean Sabrina had already accepted being drawn into his manga?
And even planned to keep reading?
At that thought, Shiraishi Ritsu immediately felt more than half the dark clouds overhead disperse.
"Miss Sabrina, do you mean... you'll keep reading my manga?"
Sabrina raised her head and looked at him calmly.
"Is there a problem?"
"Of course not!"
Shiraishi Ritsu hurriedly waved his hands, a smile returning to his face.
"It would be an honor to have your continued support!"
"I never said I'd support you."
Sabrina shifted the doll higher in her arms, her tone as cold as ever.
"I just want to know exactly how you intend to portray me."
"Well..."
Shiraishi Ritsu scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Of course he knew Sabrina's later storyline in Pokémon Adventures.
According to the original story, Sabrina, as a Team Rocket executive, would take part in quite a few important events and even clash fiercely with the protagonists.
Some of those scenes were naturally exciting in a manga.
But if the real Sabrina found out that a few young Trainers would defeat her later...
Shiraishi Ritsu felt that the life he had barely managed to save today would probably hang in the balance again.
"The thing is, Miss Sabrina, creating a manga is a very complicated process."
He cleared his throat, deciding to explain properly.
"A character's personality, experiences, and subsequent development are all planned in advance. If you suddenly scrap the entire original story halfway through serialization just because a certain character is too popular, the whole manga will suffer."
Sabrina listened quietly.
Seeing that she hadn't interrupted, Shiraishi Ritsu continued, "And as you've seen, drawing manga is hard work for Smeargle. Every installment requires storyboards and character designs prepared ahead of time. If we change the plot at the last minute, a lot of finished pages will have to be redrawn."
"Smear!"
The Smeargle beside him immediately nodded.
Exactly!
Especially with this master of his, who occasionally came up with some new idea and loved making him revise things he had already drawn.
Sometimes, even after everything was finished, Shiraishi Ritsu would suddenly decide a battle scene wasn't exciting enough.
Then a single "Partner, let's revise this a bit more" would give him another half day's work.
He didn't have a shred of the conscience a manga artist ought to have!
At that thought, Smeargle couldn't help poking Shiraishi Ritsu with his tail.
"Smear!"
Shiraishi Ritsu looked down at him.
"What is it?"
Smeargle pointed at the huge stack of manuscripts on the desk, then at himself.
His meaning was quite obvious.
Overtime!
I want overtime pay!
The corner of Shiraishi Ritsu's mouth twitched.
Seriously, at a time like this, you're still thinking about that?
But with Sabrina still beside him, he could only force a smile and pat his chest in assurance.
"All right, all right. Once the payment for this manuscript comes in, I'll buy you a whole new set of art supplies!"
"Smear!"
Smeargle immediately brightened.
Sabrina watched the two of them, her gaze lingering on the pile of manga pages for a moment.
"He drew all these manga pages?"
"That's right."
Shiraishi Ritsu nodded, a hint of pride in his voice.
"My Smeargle is a genius artist. You saw that yourself just now."
Sabrina asked again, "Who came up with the story?"
"Me, of course!"
Shiraishi Ritsu puffed out his chest.
Although he had indeed drawn on classic works from his previous life, in this world, he had to personally organize all the manga's plot, character settings, and panel layouts.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with calling him the manga's writer.
After hearing that, Sabrina glanced at Smeargle again.
Then she delivered her assessment quite calmly.
"Then he's far more capable than you."
"..."
The smile on Shiraishi Ritsu's face instantly froze.
Smeargle, however, was delighted.
"Smear! Smear!"
He raised his tail smugly and even deliberately patted his master's shoulder.
As if to say, Did you hear that?
Even an actual Gym Leader admitted it!
This household really does depend on me!
Shiraishi Ritsu glared at him irritably.
"What are you so smug about? Could you draw such an exciting manga without me writing the plot for you?"
Smeargle tilted his head in thought, then picked up a pencil and quickly drew a little figure on the paper.
The little figure sat at a desk, clutching his head as he racked his brains.
A mess of tangled hair topped his head.
Shiraishi Ritsu took a closer look.
Wasn't that fucking him?!
Even more infuriatingly, beside the little figure was a Smeargle leisurely sipping juice.
"You little brat!"
Shiraishi Ritsu reached out to grab him.
Smeargle was ready and ducked behind Sabrina with the drawing in his arms.
"Smear!"
Come get me if you dare!
Shiraishi Ritsu's outstretched hand instantly froze halfway.
He looked at Sabrina, then at Smeargle hiding behind her, and could only withdraw his hand sheepishly.
Fine.
You win.
I'll deal with you when we get home tonight!
Sabrina looked down at the little figure Smeargle had drawn, her gaze pausing briefly.
The doll in her arms laughed first.
"Hee-hee, it looks just like him!"
"The person in this drawing looks so funny!"
The corner of Shiraishi Ritsu's mouth twitched.
He suddenly felt as though his standing in the household had dropped another notch today.
Still, this little episode lightened the atmosphere in the studio considerably.
At least Sabrina was no longer sending paintbrushes flying all over the room.
Shiraishi Ritsu took the opportunity to sit back down, ready to settle the matter of the manga once and for all.
"Miss Sabrina, since you're willing to hear my explanation, I'd like to share my thoughts as well."
Sabrina looked up at him.
"Go ahead."
"First, I admit that the manga used your likeness and those of several other Gym Leaders as references, and I really didn't ask for your permission beforehand."
Shiraishi Ritsu's attitude grew considerably more serious.
"But I can guarantee that the Team Rocket executives in the manga have nothing to do with the Gym Leaders in real life. I never intended to make readers believe you really joined Team Rocket, either."
"Then why do some people think that?"
Sabrina asked.
Shiraishi Ritsu froze for a moment.
"Some people think that?"
Sabrina casually pulled a sheet of paper tucked inside the manga out.
"I got this at a bookstore in Saffron City."
Shiraishi Ritsu took it and looked.
It was a small character profile card made by a reader.
Written prominently on it was:
[Sabrina: The Gym Leader of Saffron City's Psychic-type Gym, whose true identity is actually a Team Rocket executive?!]
Below it was an illustration of the character from the manga.
Shiraishi Ritsu's eyelid twitched as he read.
Good grief!
What genius came up with this?
The publisher never released anything like this!
"Miss Sabrina, a reader probably made this themselves."
He hurried to explain.
"Look, the description is clearly discussing the manga's plot."
"But they used my name."
Sabrina's tone remained calm.
"And the Saffron Gym."
At those words, Shiraishi Ritsu's smile faded.
This time, he truly had no way to argue.
The manga was fiction, yes, but when its characters closely resembled real people, misunderstandings could indeed arise.
Especially since Pokémon Adventures had been getting more and more popular lately, with its readership steadily increasing.
If someone really took the manga's plot for reality and spread word everywhere that Sabrina was a Team Rocket executive...
That would be serious trouble.
At that thought, Shiraishi Ritsu nodded earnestly.
"I didn't think this through."
"In the next issue of the magazine, I'll have the editor add a prominent disclaimer telling all readers that the characters and events in the manga are fictional and have nothing to do with real Trainers."
"When collected volumes are released in the future, we'll specifically include that disclaimer, too."
He paused briefly, then added, "As for the misunderstandings that have already arisen, I'll contact the publisher and do my best to explain things clearly to the readers."
Sabrina looked at him.
"Can you guarantee everyone will believe it?"
"Well..."
Shiraishi Ritsu rubbed his nose.
"I'm afraid not."
After all, other people's mouths were their own.
Even if the author personally explained things, he couldn't stop some people from letting their imaginations run wild.
Still, he said earnestly, "But I can guarantee that I won't use fictional content from the manga to promote the real you, much less deliberately spread those rumors."
Sabrina didn't answer immediately.
The doll in her arms bobbed its head, suddenly cutting in.
"Then will you keep drawing the manga?"
"Of course!"
Shiraishi Ritsu answered instinctively.
"Smeargle and I poured our hearts into this. We can't just stop drawing it halfway through, can we?"
Smeargle nodded repeatedly as well.
It had only recently gotten used to life as a manga artist, drawing every day, eating snacks, and even buying paints it liked.
What would it do if it suddenly lost its job?
The doll seemed very satisfied with this answer.
"That's great!"
"I still want to read the rest of the story!"
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately perked up.
"You like Pokémon Adventures too?"
"Yes!"
The doll nodded vigorously.
"That little boy with the hat is really interesting!"
"And that cold girl too!"
Shiraishi Ritsu paused.
"The cold girl?"
The doll reached out and pointed at Sabrina in the manga.
"Her!"
"But she isn't happy at all."
"I want to see if she'll smile someday!"
At those words, the smile on Shiraishi Ritsu's face faded a little.
He instinctively looked at Sabrina.
The girl was still holding the doll, sitting there quietly.
She seemed to have no reaction to the doll's words, merely brushing her fingers gently over the portrait Smeargle had just given her.
The Sabrina in the picture wore a gentle smile.
It stood in stark contrast to her real self.
Shiraishi Ritsu suddenly felt a little wistful.
It seemed the matter of Sabrina's childhood personality in the anime really was more complicated than he had imagined.
Still, he had no intention of meddling on his own right now.
After all, he was just an ordinary manga artist. What did he know about solving a psychic's psychological problems?
It would be more reliable to leave something like this to that mischievous Haunter in the future.
Shiraishi Ritsu gathered his thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't worry. There are plenty more exciting stories to come in the manga."
The doll immediately cheered up.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Then I want to keep reading!"
Sabrina lowered her head to glance at the doll, then looked back at Shiraishi Ritsu.
"You can keep drawing the manga."
Shiraishi Ritsu's eyes lit up.
"But..."
Hearing those words, his heart was in his throat again.
Sabrina pointed at the manga on the table.
"I don't want people thinking I actually joined Team Rocket."
"Understood!"
"Also, I don't like the Sabrina in the manga."
"Well..."
Shiraishi Ritsu was somewhat at a loss.
"Miss Sabrina, the character has already been established. If I suddenly change her personality, a lot of the later plot won't fit together."
He carefully watched her expression.
"Would this work? The manga's plot will follow the original outline for now, and I'll give the characters more depth."
"As for you personally, if you have objections to anything involving your real identity, you can contact me through the publisher."
Sabrina thought for a moment.
She did not immediately approve every arrangement, only saying that she would let the matter rest for now this time, and that Shiraishi Ritsu and the publisher should formally handle the other issues.
To her, although the manga's strange plot developments were unpleasant, they were not yet serious enough to require the author to stop publication.
Besides...
Sabrina glanced down at the doll in her arms.
The little one really did seem to like that manga.
"All right."
At last, she gave a slight nod.
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately let out a long breath.
"That's great!"
He nearly rose from his chair in excitement.
"Miss Sabrina, you're such a kind, reasonable person!"
Sabrina gave him an expressionless look.
"Who was it that just said I was suited to being a villain?"
"..."
Shiraishi Ritsu hurriedly shut his mouth.
Why was this girl still holding a grudge?
Fortunately, Sabrina did not pursue the matter.
She carefully put away the two portraits, took the copy of Pokémon Adventures in her hand, and slowly stood up.
"I should head back."
"I'll see you out!"
Shiraishi Ritsu immediately stood up, so enthusiastic that he looked as though he were seeing off the God of Wealth.
He even took the initiative to run over and open the studio door.
After all, this formidable guest was finally willing to leave!
Today's ordeal had been even more exhausting than rushing to meet manga deadlines for three days straight.
"Smeargle!"
Smeargle ran over too and waved a paw at Sabrina.
Although she had been a little frightening when they first met, after receiving the portraits, this Psychic-type Gym Leader seemed less scary than it had imagined.
Especially since she had even praised its drawing.
That alone made Smeargle feel that Sabrina had excellent taste.
Sabrina reached the doorway, then suddenly stopped.
"Masuda Senbei."
"Hm?"
"Your Smeargle really is talented."
Shiraishi Ritsu smiled.
"Of course! It's my partner!"
Smeargle proudly puffed out its chest.
Sabrina looked at him again.
"Take good care of it."
"Don't worry!"
Shiraishi Ritsu patted his chest in assurance.
"I'm planning to become the world's number one manga artist with it!"
Sabrina said nothing more.
But just as she was about to leave, her gaze suddenly swept across the worktable.
A stack of unfinished storyboard drafts still lay there.
On one sheet, a familiar black-haired girl was plainly drawn.
A Kadabra stood beside her.
And there was a conspicuous Team Rocket emblem on her chest.
Sabrina stopped in her tracks.
"Wait."
Shiraishi Ritsu's heart lurched.
No way.
She was already at the door. Could something still go wrong?
Sabrina held out her hand.
The sheet of drawing paper floated over, coming to rest in front of her.
The girl looked down at it, then slowly raised her head.
"Masuda Senbei."
"Y-yes?"
"I'm in the next issue too?"
Shiraishi Ritsu looked at the unfinished manga storyboard, then at Sabrina.
He fell silent for a full three seconds.
In the end, he could only nod guiltily.