Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Jiang Chuan calmly walked into the cabin.

Pikachu followed curiously at my feet, its two ears perked up, its big black eyes scanning the somewhat dim room from side to side.

The room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the wooden planks, and the air was filled with the scent of incense ash and hay.

The wooden shelf was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars, some containing strangely colored powders, and others containing dried plants.

Several wind chimes and talismans were hanging in the corner.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu jumped onto the table and curiously sniffed a stack of yellow talismans.

The old woman behind the table, or rather, the old woman who was transformed from a thousand-year-old Gastly, slowly turned around.

She wore a kind smile, but her eyes were unfathomable.

"Young man, what would you like to buy?"

Jiang Chuan stood in front of the table, hands in his pockets, and said casually, "I'd like to buy a set meal."

"Oh? Which package? Personal protection or family safety?"

Jiang Chuan smiled: "The set meal I ordered is quite large."

He paused, looking directly into the old woman's eyes: "The kind of package that can ensure everyone in the entire Maiden's Gorge gets through this summer festival safely."

The old woman's smile froze instantly.

Her gaze sharpened, a faint blue light flashing in her cloudy eyes as she scrutinized Jiang Chuan.

The air inside the room seemed a few degrees colder.

Pikachu sensed something was wrong, jumped off the table, and stood warily at Jiang Chuan's feet, tiny sparks of electricity emanating from the electric sacs on its cheeks.

"Young man," the old woman's voice changed, no longer hoarse, but with an ethereal echo, "your appetite... is quite large."

Jiang Chuan shrugged: "There's nothing I can do, I just have lofty ideals."

"What are your ideals?"

"World peace."

"Heh..." The old woman let out a low chuckle, the sound echoing in the cramped wooden house with an indescribable eeriness: "I'm sorry, you have such grand ambitions, but I don't have such great abilities."

"You might not be able to handle the world," Jiang Chuan took a step forward, his tone still relaxed, "but you should be fine with Maiden Gorge and the Summer Festival, right?"

He stared into the old woman's eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately:

Gastly.

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell into a deathly silence.

The old woman's expression completely disappeared.

She stood there, her eyes vacant, all the wrinkles on her face seemingly frozen into a mask.

then……

"Giggle giggle..."

An eerie laugh came from her throat.

That wasn't the laughter of an old man, but a strange, layered cacophony of countless voices from men, women, and children.

"You little brat..."

The old woman's lips didn't move, but her voice came from all directions: "Her insight... is so sharp!"

A sudden gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept across the entire wooden house!

The wooden door slammed shut with a loud bang!

The room was plunged into darkness in an instant, with only two eerie blue lights shining in the old woman's eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps floating in the darkness.

Pikachu bristled, and its electric sacs on its cheeks emitted blinding flashes of electricity, instantly illuminating the room.

In that instant of flashing lightning, Jiang Chuan saw clearly that there was no old woman in front of him!

Suspended in mid-air was a purplish-black cloud of mist that was constantly twisting and changing!

At the center of the fog was a hideous ghost face, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light, its mouth stretched to an unbelievable angle, revealing sharp, white teeth.

Gastly, revealing its true form!

"Kid!"

Gastly's voice sounded like countless people speaking at once, layer upon layer, making the wooden house vibrate.

"If you try to cause trouble, I'll deal with you first!"

Its enormous, monstrous face lunged forward, almost touching Jiang Chuan's face:

"I see you have absolutely no idea how powerful ghosts can be!"

Before the words were even finished, Gastly suddenly opened its mouth wide!

The mouth opened wider and wider, until it eventually took up the entire space in the room!

Its pitch-black throat was bottomless, like an entrance to hell!

A stench filled the air!

Pikachu jumped up without hesitation and stood in front of Jiang Chuan.

The little guy burst forth with dazzling golden lightning, ready to unleash 100,000 volts.

"An electric mouse?"

Gastly's voice held a hint of mockery: "To deal with mice, a mousetrap will suffice!"

pat!

A giant mousetrap suddenly appeared out of nowhere, right under Pikachu's feet!

The mousetrap was ten times larger than the ordinary one, its rusty iron teeth gleaming coldly.

"Pikachu?"

Before Pikachu could react, its entire body was caught in the mousetrap with a "snap"!

"Pikachu... Pikachu..."

The little guy struggled in the clamp, but the iron teeth were firmly locked, and no matter how much it discharged electricity, it didn't budge.

"Now, it's your turn!"

Gastly floated in front of Jiang Chuan, its deep blue eyes fixed on him:

"Prepare to receive the punishment from the ghost of the young girl!"

Countless translucent ghostly figures began to appear in the room.

There were weeping girls, headless warriors, crawling infant spirits...

They circled the river, emitting mournful howls, stretching out their pale hands to drag him into hell.

Jiang Chuan stood still, without even frowning.

Gastly.

"I'm not here to break your promise."

Gastly paused for a moment.

"I'm here to..."

Jiang Chuan raised his head and stared directly into those eerie blue eyes:

"Negotiations."

"Negotiation?" Gastly's voice was full of sarcasm. "What are you, a human brat, trying to negotiate with me about?"

Jiang Chuan said slowly:

"Every year you stage a disappearance at the summer festival just to perpetuate the legend of the 'Ghost Girl,' to maintain that tragic story of waiting for her lover for a thousand years, right?"

Gastly's ghostly face showed a slight change in expression.

"I can help you," Jiang Chuan said, "as long as you don't cause trouble at Girls' Gorge and don't go missing."

"I can help you promote the legend of the ghostly maiden. I can also find ways to help you continue those terrifying and horrific festival traditions."

"Even," Jiang Chuan paused, "we can help you package it in a more poignant and moving way, so that the story can be spread further."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

The ghostly phantoms were still floating, but the wailing had subsided considerably.

"you?"

Gastly floated closer, its ghost face almost touching Jiang Chuan's nose:

"Who are you? Why should I negotiate with you?"

Jiang Chuan smiled.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a stack of things.

It's not a talisman, and it's not a weapon.

Instead, it was a thick stack of brand-new Alliance coins.

Snapped.

Jiang Chuan placed the money on the table.

Gastly's eyes, those pair of eerie blue will-o'-the-wisps—flashed for a fleeting moment.

But then it let out a disdainful sneer:

"Take the money? Heh heh heh..."

Gastly floated to the table, looked at the stack of money, and said fiercely:

"Do you think I'm some greedy devil? I've kept a vow for a thousand years! Can you measure the promise I made to that girl with a little money?"

Jiang Chuan remained silent.

He then took out another stack from his bag.

Same thickness, same denomination.

The second stack of money was placed next to the first stack.

Gastly's eyes brightened a little more.

It stared at the two stacks of money, the eerie blue flames flickering on and off.

The tone... was slightly weaker:

"What, are you kidding me...? This is a very, very deep promise... It's not about money..."

Jiang Chuan continued digging.

The third stack.

Gastly's tone softened noticeably:

"That was... a thousand years of waiting... that girl waited for her lover to return even after she turned into a statue... how can such a tragic love story be paid for..."

Jiang Chuan reached his hand into his backpack again.

The fourth stack.

Gastly fell silent.

It floated there, its face contorted with a complex expression, if a wisp of mist could have one.

His deep blue eyes were fixed on the four thick stacks of banknotes on the table, his gaze filled with struggle.

Jiang Chuan's hand reached for the backpack once again.

Fifty thousand Alliance Coins were neatly stacked on the wooden table, gleaming enticingly in the dim light.

Gastly: "..."

It floated to the table, approached the money, and its deep blue eyes almost touched it.

then……

"Hahaha!"

The eerie laughter suddenly turned into hearty laughter!

All the ghostly illusions in the room vanished instantly!

The darkness faded, and sunlight once again streamed through the cracks in the wooden planks.

The huge mousetrap turned into a puff of smoke with a "poof".

Pikachu fell to the ground, got up looking bewildered, looked around, and realized that it hadn't been trapped at all.

"Pikachu?"

The little guy scratched his head, completely bewildered as to what had just happened.

Meanwhile, the Thousand-Year Gastly, suspended in mid-air, rapidly contracted and deformed from its purplish-black mist.

In the blink of an eye, she transformed back into the old woman in the kimono.

She landed on the ground with a smile, walked to the table, and skillfully began to brew tea.

"Young man~"

The old woman's voice regained its kindness, even carrying a hint of flattery:

"You're quite the talented trainer! Come, have a seat!"

She pulled over a chair and wiped herself with her sleeve:

"Have some tea! The finest green tea! Let's chat slowly, let me hear your specific methods~"

The terrifying atmosphere in the room vanished completely.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Chuan chuckled inwardly.

He had expected this to happen.

Everything just now—the raging wind, the darkness, the ghostly faces, the mousetraps, the army of ghosts—was all an illusion created by this thousand-year-old Gastly using hypnosis!

With its millennia-long history, its hypnosis skills have reached an unparalleled level.

Let alone ordinary people, even regular trainers and Pokémon can fall for the illusion without realizing it, mistaking it for reality.

Unfortunately, it encountered Jiang Chuan.

With the power of waveguide protecting him, Jiang Chuan clearly "saw" from the beginning that it was nothing more than an exquisite energy illusion.

Pikachu was actually standing perfectly fine on the ground the whole time and wasn't trapped at all.

Those ghosts are merely energy projections in the air.

That's why he remained so calm from beginning to end.

"Pikachu, come here." Jiang Chuan beckoned.

Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, still a little confused, but nuzzled Jiang Chuan's cheek to show that it was alright.

Jiang Chuan sat down at the table.

The old woman kindly handed him a cup of tea.

"What should I call you, young man?"

"Jiangchuan."

"Jiangchuan brat, oh no, little brother~" Gastly smiled kindly, if one ignored the occasional flash of eerie blue light in its eyes, "What you just said... exactly how do you want to do it?"

Jiang Chuan took a sip of tea.

The tea is indeed very good.

"It's simple." He put down his teacup. "Don't go missing again this summer festival."

"Those tourists who 'temporarily disappeared' in previous years were actually hidden by you using hypnosis to create panic and maintain the hype surrounding the ghost story, right?"

Gastly chuckled twice, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Don't do that this year," Jiang Chuan said. "If the disappearance becomes too big of a deal, the Alliance will send experts to investigate sooner or later. When that happens, you, this ancient ghost, will be exposed. You'll either be subdued or driven away. You won't be able to live so freely anymore."

Gastly's expression turned a little serious.

These words struck at its weak point.

The reason it transformed into an old woman selling ghost-repelling items was so that it could both make money and maintain the legend without attracting the attention of the Alliance.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Gastly asked. "If the legend fades and no one comes to the festival, how can I keep my promise..."

"Who says legends fade?" Jiang Chuan laughed. "I'll help you spread the word."

"How do we promote it?"

"When handing out safety leaflets, I will proactively tell tourists the story of 'a young girl waiting for her lover.' I'll tell it in a poignant and touching way."

"Even during festivals, theatrical performances can be arranged to recreate the scene of a young girl waiting for her lover."

Jiang Chuan listed them one by one:

"In this way, the legend will not only not disappear, but will be spread more formally and more widely."

Gastly's eyes grew brighter and brighter as it listened.

But soon, it frowned again: "But this... isn't scary enough. Without disappearances, without real-life horror experiences, the legend loses its deterrent power..."

"Who said that?" Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow. "I can help you create a scary atmosphere."

"You can set things up too?" Gastly asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Simple." Jiang Chuan took out a small notebook from his bag, opened it, and found that the plan had already been written on it.

"First, install special sound equipment in those 'haunted' locations to play mournful cries and women's sighs at night. It can be remotely controlled and turned off at any time."

"Secondly, using holographic projection technology, a hazy girl's shadow is projected into the fog, appearing and disappearing, which is more frightening than a real ghost."

"Third, install sensors on the cliffside walkway so that a sudden gust of wind will rise when someone walks over it, combined with lighting effects..."

"My own Pokémon are also great at playing ghosts."

As Jiang Chuan spoke, Pikachu, standing to the side, pulled a long face and made a funny face in cooperation.

Gastly was dumbfounded.

It has lived for thousands of years and played pranks for hundreds of years, always doing it all by itself, using hypnosis to create illusions.

Who would have thought there were so many "high-tech" ways to play?

"These...they must cost a lot of money, right?" Gastly hesitated.

"I'll pay for it." Jiang Chuan tapped the Alliance coins on the table. "This 50,000 is the down payment. I'll cover all the expenses for the decorations during the Summer Festival."

"Once the festival ends safely, the tourists' feedback is positive, and the legend spreads further, I will pay you another 50,000."

"A total of 100,000 Alliance Coins, to buy you from causing trouble this summer and cooperating with me to put on a good show."

Jiang Chuan leaned forward, staring at Gastly:

"How is it?"

Gastly didn't say anything.

It stared at the banknotes on the table, and in its deep blue eyes, the pupils gradually turned into the symbols of the Union Coin.

You should know that even though it transforms into an old woman every year to sell those homemade ghost-repelling items, it doesn't earn more than 10,000 Alliance Coins.

Now, as long as I don't cause trouble this summer and just cooperate with the acting, I can get 100,000?

One hundred thousand!

How much delicious food can I buy?

This thousand-year-old Gastly doesn't want to be captured, but it loves eating, drinking, and having fun in the human world. To entertain itself, it has to earn money on its own.

That's why it has become so fond of money.

"make a deal!"

Gastly slammed her hand on the table, making the teacup jump. She picked up the money and deftly began counting it.

"A down payment of 50,000... I count... one bill, two bills..."

With that greedy look, where was the slightest trace of the majesty of a thousand-year-old ghost?

Jiang Chuan leaned back in his chair, watching it count the money, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Hehehe..." Gastly finished counting the money and grinned from ear to ear. It carefully tucked the money into its pocket, but no one knew where the money had gone, since it was all foggy.

"Jiang Chuan, it's settled then!"

It patted its chest and guaranteed:

"This summer festival, I absolutely will not be staging any disappearances! I won't be scaring the visitors! At most... I'll use a few small illusions occasionally to add some fun to your spooky atmosphere!"

Jiang Chuan nodded: "Okay. But remember, you can only scare them, you can't hurt them, and you can't actually make them disappear."

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Gastly chuckled. "I've lived for over a thousand years; I know what I'm doing!"

It paused, then said:

"But Jiang Chuan, you have to keep your word. You have to help me spread the legend of the girl. That girl waited for her lover for over a thousand years... This unwavering devotion should not be forgotten."

As Gastly said this, its eyes became somewhat profound.

In that instant, Jiang Chuan saw the true vicissitudes of life in its eyes.

"I will." Jiang Chuan nodded earnestly: "There will always be people who love to hear tragic love stories."

"That's good..." Gastly smiled, this time with less flattery and more sincerity.

Jiang Chuan looked at the smiling Gastly in front of him and couldn't help but sigh:

Money makes the world go round!