Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Once back in the room, Hanako and Kasumi were already up and washing up.

Xiaoxia poked her head out from the bathroom: "Finished?"

"Um."

"What did Professor Oak say?"

Jiang Chuan thought about Professor Oak's disheveled appearance and laughed: "He said he can handle it."

Xiaoxia blinked: "Really?"

"Really, I can handle it, I can handle it exceptionally well."

Xia could tell from his expression that things weren't that simple, but she didn't ask any more questions, since it wasn't really her business anyway.

After packing their things, the three of them went downstairs to check out.

By the time we left Ziyuan Town, the fog had dissipated.

With the sunlight shining down, the gloomy little town didn't look so scary anymore.

Xiaoxia glanced back at the cemetery tower and shrank back.

"I never want to come to this place again."

Hanako nodded in deep agreement.

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Okay, I won't come. Next stop, Golden City."

The three got into the car and headed west.

The scenery outside the car window changed from mountains and forests to plains, and then from plains to towns.

As you approach Golden City, you can feel the difference.

The buildings outside the window grew taller and more modern. In the distance, towering office buildings and a huge GG sign could be seen.

"Golden City is one of the largest cities in the Kanto region," Egawa explained to the two, looking at the brochure. "It's an economic center, a transportation hub, and the birthplace of superpower culture."

Xiaoxia looked out the window curiously: "Superpowers...do so many people really have them?"

You'll know when you get there.

…………

The three of them got off the train and walked out of the station.

The streets of Golden City are wide and clean, with tall buildings standing side by side, and the streets are bustling with people.

But Xiaoxia and Hanako soon realized something was wrong.

Many people on the street were looking down, staring at the small things in their hands.

Someone was walking without looking where they were going and almost bumped into a utility pole, but managed to avoid it and then continued looking down.

Someone stood by the roadside, motionless, just staring at the little thing in their hand and grinning foolishly.

Some people were sitting on a bench, and the little things in their hands were making various noises.

Xiaoxia subconsciously moved closer to Jiang Chuan and took his arm.

"Jiangchuan... why are all the people here so strange?"

Hanako took his other arm and whispered, "Why aren't they watching where they're going? They're just looking at what they're holding... what's that?"

Jiang Chuan glanced at it and said, "Practice, superpowers, since most people here have superpowers."

Xiaoxia nodded as if she understood, but she still found these people strange.

"Well...they can't just not watch where they're going, it's too dangerous."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "It's normal to feel this way when you first get something new. It'll get better in a while."

The three of them walked forward.

But after walking a few steps, Xiaoxia remembered something else.

"By the way, you just said that Goldenrod City is the birthplace of superpowers?"

"Um."

"So... are those superpowers real? I've heard some legends about people who can move things with their minds, and people who can predict the future. I thought they were just fantastical legends."

Jiang Chuan nodded: "It's true. However, having a superpower constitution doesn't necessarily mean you're proficient in superpowers."

He pointed to the crowd on the street.

"Among these people, seven or eight out of ten may have superpowers, but most of them have very weak abilities, only able to move small things, like bending a spoon or rolling a pencil."

"The truly powerful techniques, such as teleportation, transformation, and mind control, are possessed by only one in ten thousand people."

Xiaoxia listened attentively, her eyes shining: "Then... is Sabrina, the leader of the Goldenrod Gym, also a true psychic?"

Jiang Chuan nodded: "She is real, and a genuine high-level superpowered individual."

Hanako became worried and tightened her grip on Eikawa's hand.

"Then...won't it be dangerous if we challenge the gym? What if she uses her superpowers against us?"

Jiang Chuan patted her hand: "Don't worry, I'm all ready."

He paused, then suddenly laughed.

"Besides, I have superpowers too."

Hanako was stunned.

Xiaoxia was also stunned.

Both of them looked at him at the same time.

"You?" Xiaoxia looked him up and down. "You have superpowers? What kind of superpowers do you have?"

As she was talking, she suddenly thought of something, and her face turned bright red.

"Jiang Chuan! You're not going to talk about superpowers again, are you?! It's broad daylight! Don't talk nonsense!"

Jiang Chuan was both amused and exasperated. This was just a demonstration of his abilities; he hadn't made any inappropriate remarks. "What did I say?" he asked.

Xiaoxia glared at him: "Don't you always like to say suggestive things to tease us? This time will definitely be the same!"

The three of them walked and chatted, laughing and joking.

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

"You can't beat Sabrina if you challenge the Goldenrod Gym."

The three of them stopped and turned to look.

A middle-aged man wearing a hat and ordinary casual clothes was standing by the roadside; he looked like a passerby.

He looked at the three of them with a serious expression.

"For your own safety, I advise you to avoid Golden City."

Jiang Chuan was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of the middle-aged man wearing a hat out of the corner of his eye, and a thought struck him.

He carefully examined the other person.

He looked to be in his forties, with a somewhat haggard face and an indescribable worry and helplessness in his eyes.

Most importantly, his facial features...

Jiang Chuan's mind raced through memories of the original work, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

This must be Naz's father.

"For your own safety, I advise you to avoid Golden City." The middle-aged man repeated himself, his tone sincere.

Xiaoxia frowned, about to speak, when Jiang Chuan patted her hand and stepped forward.

"Uncle, what are you saying? We've come all this way, it would be such a waste not to challenge the gym."

The middle-aged man shook his head, his gaze falling on the Pikachu perched on Jiang Chuan's shoulder.

Pikachu was lazily yawning, its tail swishing back and forth.

The middle-aged man's eyes suddenly widened.

"This Pikachu...is of such a high level!"

He took a step forward, looked closer, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Young man, if this Pikachu is your starter Pokémon, to have trained it to this level, you're an excellent rookie trainer."

Upon hearing this, Pikachu proudly raised its little head and called out, "Pika~"

Jiang Chuan smiled but didn't say anything.

Xiaoxia was stunned and couldn't help but speak:

"Hey, what's wrong with you, old man? You were just saying my Jiang Chuan couldn't win, and now you're praising his Pikachu. What's the meaning of this?"

The middle-aged man smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

"Pikachu is strong, but I still don't think he can beat the Goldenrod City Gym."

"Why?" Hanako couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Chuan looked at the man in front of him and suddenly spoke:

"You must be Naz's father?"

The middle-aged man was stunned.

His expression froze for a moment, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"How...how did you know?"

Jiang Chuan remained calm and slowly said:

"Many years ago, there was a legend about the Saffron City Gym. The gym leader, Sabrina, lost control of her psychic powers and turned her mother into a doll. After that, her father left the gym and traveled around, searching for a way to save his daughter."

He paused, looking at the other person.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be that person, right?"

The middle-aged man remained silent for a long while before letting out a long sigh.

"I never expected that... after all these years, someone would still remember this."

He took off his hat, revealing a weathered face.

"That's right, I am Sabrina's father. The legend... is true."

Xiaoxia and Huazi exchanged a glance, both somewhat shocked.

Turn people into dolls?

What kind of terrifying ability is this?

The middle-aged man—Nazi's father—looked at Jiang Chuan with admiration in his eyes.

"Young man, the fact that you know these things means you're no ordinary person. But precisely because you know them, I have to advise you to leave. Sabrina's psychic powers are too strong; ordinary trainers simply can't handle them."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and looked at an aluminum can on the side of the road.

The next second, the can floated up out of thin air, spun twice in the air, and then gently fell back to its original position.

"Wow! It really is!" Xiaoxia's eyes widened as she stared incredulously at the can. "Is this a superpower? How amazing!"

Hanako also covered her mouth in surprise.

As Jiang Chuan watched this scene, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He stepped forward and said with a smile:

"Uncle, since you have superpowers, why don't you teach me? Let me have a way to defend myself, so I'll have a better chance of winning the gym challenge later."

Nazi's father paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

"Young man, superpowers aren't something everyone can learn. It depends on talent; you need to have the physique for superpowers. Without that physique, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to learn it."

Jiang Chuan blinked: "Yes, I do."

"What?"

Nazi's father was taken aback.

He subconsciously raised his hand and placed it on Jiang Chuan's shoulder.

The next second, his expression changed.

Shocking, incredible, unbelievable.

A variety of emotions flashed across his face.

"This...how is this possible?"

He stared at Jiang Chuan with wide eyes, as if he were looking at some rare treasure.

"You, an outsider, actually possess superpowers? And the strength of them... although they haven't been fully developed yet, the foundation is excellent!"

Now it was Xiaoxia and Hanako's turn to be shocked.

"Jiang Chuan, do you really have superpowers?" Xiaoxia looked at him in disbelief.

Jiang Chuan smiled and nodded: "Didn't I tell you? I have superpowers."

Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment, and the words she had just said suddenly flashed through her mind.

"You're not going to bring up superpowers again, are you?"

"Don't you always like to say suggestive things to tease us?"

Her face flushed red.

It turns out he meant real superpowers, not that kind of "superpower"...

Hanako covered her mouth and laughed, while Kasumi became even more embarrassed and stomped her foot.

"Why...why didn't you explain this earlier?!"

Jiang Chuan looked completely innocent: "I said I have superpowers, you just misunderstood."

Xiaoxia: "..."

Nazi's father watched the three of them playfully bickering, smiled, but then became serious and said:

"Young man, although you have superpowers, I can't teach you."

"Why?" Jiang Chuan asked.

"It took me a long time to figure it out myself before I could barely control my abilities," Sabrina's father said in a low voice. "Superpowers, if they don't grow in a controlled way, can easily get out of control. Once they get out of control, you'll end up like Sabrina, losing control of yourself and even hurting the people around you."

He looked at Jiang Chuan with sincere eyes.

"So young man, if you want to learn, you should find someone with even more powerful superpowers. I'm afraid I'll only harm you."

Jiang Chuan nodded, understanding the situation.

"Alright, then I'll go find your daughter. I heard she's a high-level superpowered individual; I might as well ask her for some advice."

As he spoke, he beckoned to Xiaoxia and Huazi.

"Let's go challenge the gym."

"Huh?!" Naz's father was stunned.

Before he could react, Jiang Chuan had already led the two girls away quickly.

"Why won't this kid listen to advice?!"

Nazi's father slapped his thigh and stamped his feet in frustration.

No, we have to go and see!

This kid also has superpowers. If Sabrina uses her superpowers during the battle later, and the two of them resonate or clash, it will be disastrous if things get out of control!

He quickly put on his hat and hurried after him.

..............................

Golden Dojo.

This is one of the most eye-catching buildings in Goldenrod City, a tall, modern-style stadium with a huge psychic symbol hanging on its exterior wall.

Jiang Chuan and his two companions pushed open the glass door and entered the dojo.

The scene inside stunned them.

In the spacious hall, there were more than a dozen tables, and a person in a white coat sat in front of each table.

There were both men and women, all quite young, and they all had their heads down, staring at the spoons in their hands.

Each of them had a focused expression, and sweat was beading on their foreheads.

Some people were trying to bend the spoons, some were trying to make them float, but most people's spoons didn't move at all. Occasionally, one or two spoons would wobble slightly, and they would get very excited.

"This...this is superpower training?" Xiaoxia looked on curiously.

Hanako also found it intriguing: "They seem to be working really hard."

Jiang Chuan nodded: "They are all apprentices who came to learn superpowers."

Just then, a young woman wearing a mask walked over.

She was wearing the same white lab coat as everyone else, but her demeanor was distinctly different; she walked with a confident stride and had a sharp, capable look in her eyes.

"Are you here to challenge the gym?" the masked woman asked bluntly.

Jiang Chuan nodded: "Yes."

The masked woman glanced at them, especially at the Pikachu on Jiang Chuan's shoulder.

Do you have Pokémon battle strength at the Gym Leader level?

Xiaoxia was taken aback: "Isn't the Goldenrod Gym a mid-level gym? Can't we just challenge it at the Normal or Elite level?"

The woman wearing a mask shook her head, her tone serious:

"That's a typical intermediate-level dojo. But our Goldenrod Dojo is different."

She explained:

"Saria herself is a powerful psychic, and her Pokémon are enhanced because of her psychic abilities. Although those Pokémon are not high level to begin with, they will temporarily evolve during battle, and their strength will surge to near-Gym level."

"In addition, with the added power of Gym Leader Sabrina's psychic abilities, Pokémon can concentrate at a high level, making them far more powerful than others of the same level."

She looked at the three of them with kindness in her eyes.

"If you don't have a Gym Leader-level Pokémon to protect you, you'd better go back now. I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, but to protect you."

Xiaoxia and Huazi exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat worried.

Near-dojo level?

That's indeed a tough opponent.

Jiang Chuan's expression remained unchanged; he simply smiled faintly.

Just then.

"Let that Pikachu trainer in!"

A deep, cold, mature female voice came from the depths of the dojo, echoing throughout the entire hall.

The voice, though not loud, seemed to resonate directly in one's mind, sending a shiver down one's spine.