Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

A cold sensation suddenly came from all around, followed by a dizzying, dragging feeling.

"Wow!"

"Help, meow!"

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

Musashi, Kojiro, and Meowth were like three salted fish caught in a washing machine, tumbling together in the violently shaking net.

Before they could recover from the dizziness of the impact, an upward pulling force came.

Seawater splashed everywhere.

The three of them, along with the tattered yet sturdy net, were thrown onto the cold metal deck.

The icy air rushed into their nasal cavities, causing the three of them to cough.

Before me was the blinding sunlight and several figures standing against the light.

Musashi, still groggy, propped himself up and was about to unleash a torrent of curses when he heard a worker, speaking with a heavy accent, point at them and shout in a simple, honest voice:

"Grandma! We pulled it out! This time we caught a big one!"

Another worker nearby leaned closer to take a look, scratching his head, his face full of confusion: "Hey? That's not right... why does this jellyfish have human legs? And it's wearing clothes? Is this jellyfish... a spirit?"

Upon hearing this, Musashi's anger flared up instantly.

"Jellyfish? Jellyfish my foot!"

She jumped up from the wet net with a "whoosh," her legs still a little weak, but she couldn't lose her momentum: "Open your eyes wide and look carefully! We're Team Rocket! Team Rocket! Did you hear me?!"

Just then, a short, thin old woman with a wrinkled face, wearing a purple floral kimono, came walking over with a cane, making a "tap tap tap" sound.

She squinted, scanning the three people in the net as if they were trash. Her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot when she saw the wreckage of the submersible still hanging on the edge of the net, scratching a large patch of the freshly painted deck.

"Team Rocket? Ha." Granny Jin snorted, slamming her cane heavily on the deck. "I don't care what team you are! I spent a fortune hiring people, ships, and nets to catch those troublesome agate jellyfish! And what was the result?"

Her voice suddenly turned shrill: "I didn't catch many jellyfish, but I pulled up three wet 'squatters'! They even broke my net and railing! What are we going to do about it?!"

Upon hearing "Team Jerk," Kojiro panicked and frantically struggled to free himself from the net, yelling, "Hey! Old woman! Watch your mouth! It's Team Rocket! 'Rocket Team'! Not Team Jerk! We're a notorious evil organization!"

"Famous? Famous enough to be caught in my net like seaweed?" Granny Jin scoffed, her eyes growing increasingly hostile. "I don't care if you're the Fire Scoundrels or the Water Scoundrels, you're paying up! The losses from repairing the net, repairing the fence, and delaying my work... it'll be at least 500,000!"

"Five or five hundred thousand?" Kojiro's eyes widened.

Musashi gasped in shock.

They probably don't even have five thousand yuan in their pockets combined right now!

Just as the two were sweating profusely with anxiety, Meow Meow, who had been silent all along, suddenly twitched her ears and grasped the key point.

"Wait, meow!" Meow used its paws to brush away the seaweed tangled in its head and looked at Granny Jin: "You just said... you spent a lot of money catching jellyfish?"

Grandma Jin said impatiently, "Nonsense! Those damned agate jellyfish are always wandering around under my 'Paradise Paradise' construction site. We can't get rid of them, and they even attack the construction team! Who else should we arrest if not them?"

Musashi's eyes darted around, and the anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a smile that he thought was very friendly but was actually a bit distorted.

"Oh dear, Grandma! It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!" She rubbed her hands together, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Look, what a coincidence! We...we're experts at catching jellyfish! We're really good at it! It's our specialty!"

Kojiro, standing nearby, paused, then instinctively turned and muttered, "Eh? Musashi, do we... know how to catch jellyfish? Aren't we here to make money?"

"Shut up! You idiot!" Musashi's smile remained unchanged, but he stomped hard on Kojiro's foot, making Kojiro wince in pain.

She continued smiling at Grandma Jin, "Grandma, look, the seawater is quite cold. Let's go upstairs first and talk things over. We really have a way to help you solve the jellyfish problem! We guarantee they'll roll far away and never bother you again!"

Grandma Jin looked the three seemingly unreliable guys up and down suspiciously, then glanced at the tentacles on the sea surface that were faintly visible due to the construction noise.

Every day the construction is delayed means a huge loss.

Let's try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

"...Hmph." Granny Jin pointed to the side with her cane: "Ah Da, Ah Er, bring them up. Keep an eye on them; if they dare to try anything..."

Two burly, honest-looking workers immediately stepped forward and lifted the three soaking wet people out of the tattered net like chicks, placing them on the deck.

As soon as Musashi got ashore, he straightened his back and patted his Team Rocket uniform, which, although soaked, still maintained its "formation".

"Grandma, don't worry! Leave it to Team Rocket, no problem at all!" She patted her chest and assured them, "It's just driving away jellyfish! A piece of cake! But..."

She changed the subject, rubbing her fingers together: "This reward..."

Grandma Jin's shrewd little eyes flashed: "Reward? Yes, there is. As long as you can completely drive those troublesome agate jellyfish away from my construction site, allowing my 'Paradise Paradise' to proceed smoothly..."

She held up one finger: "One million."

"One...one million?" Musashi's voice suddenly split.

Meow Meow's cat eyes instantly turned into the shape of "$".

One million! That's enough for countless lavish meals! Enough to buy so many of the latest bottle caps and cat food!

"But!" Granny Jin slammed her cane down again, her tone sinister: "If you don't drive them away, or if you make things worse..."

She pointed to the mountain of building materials piled up beside her and the roaring construction machinery in the distance: "You'll all stay here and work as laborers! Carrying bricks, hauling timber, clearing rocks from the sea! You can only leave when you've done enough to compensate me for my lost wages!"

The three of them subconsciously glanced at the thick, heavy steel beams and the workers' muscular bodies, and swallowed hard.

But the temptation of one million was just too great!

Musashi gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "We'll do it! Granny, we'll take this job! Just you wait and see!"

Kojiro quickly chimed in, "Yes! Leave it to us! We'll make sure those jellyfish get as far away as possible!"

Meowth: "That's right, Meow! For...for the peace of the ocean! Team Rocket has a duty to do our part!"

"Very good." A smug smile appeared on Granny Jin's wrinkled face. "Ah Da, take them to the work shed and find them some 'tools.' I want to see results by tomorrow morning."

The Rockets ended up getting involved with the jellyfish issue by sheer coincidence.