Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

"What's wrong? Tell me slowly," Lijia said, trying to comfort her apprentice.

The apprentice with the ponytail bit her lip: "The latest batch of fragrant essence extract... seems to have been stolen. It's the batch we were preparing to use to make next year's limited edition perfume, the one we kept in the safe..."

Lijia frowned slightly.

That batch of essence extract was indeed precious; it was extracted from rare plants that she had carefully cultivated for six months, and it was simply unavailable on the market.

but......

She glanced at the Gloom in her arms, then at the other rescued Pokémon around her, and smiled slightly.

"It's alright, as long as neither the people nor the Pokémon are hurt. Perfume and such things can be made again."

His tone was gentle, tinged with relief.

The ponytail apprentice paused for a moment, then nodded: "Master, you're so magnanimous..."

The other apprentices also showed expressions of admiration.

Just then.

A figure suddenly floated out from behind a wall.

Gastly.

It chuckled strangely and floated down in front of Jiang Chuan, carrying a small bottle.

The bottle contained a pale golden liquid that shimmered in the firelight.

Jiang Chuan took the bottle and glanced at it: "What's this?"

Gastly swayed triumphantly: "Hehehe..."

It pointed in the direction of the core botanical garden, then pointed at the bottle, and then made a stealing motion with its paw.

Jiang Chuan understood.

"You mean, you stole this from those thieves?"

Gastly nodded, its smile widening even more smugly: "Hehehehehe~"

He held the bottle and handed it to Lijia: "Lijia, is this something you lost?"

Lijia took it and her eyes lit up immediately.

"This is... a fragrant essence extract?!"

She opened the bottle and took a sniff; that familiar fragrance wafted out.

"That's it! This is the essence!"

Lijia held the bottle, looked up at Jiang Chuan, and her eyes were a little red.

"Jiangchuan-kun... how... how did you find this?"

Jiang Chuan pointed at Gastly: "It wasn't me, it was this. I sent it in to scout ahead, but somehow it managed to sneak this bottle out."

Gastly floated in the air, chuckling strangely, with an expression that said, "Praise me, praise me!"

Rika looked at Gastly, then at Jiang Chuan, and a surge of indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.

Just now, Jiang Chuan braved the flames to rush in and save me.

Now, his Gastly has helped him regain his lost essence.

Although she said she could make more of this serum, in reality, this batch of serum was extracted from rare materials over a period of six months, and every drop is priceless.

If it's really lost, the loss will be quite significant.

Moreover, and most importantly, this is her main product for next year. If she loses it, the entire dojo's economic plan will be disrupted.

But now, it has been found.

Lijia held the bottle, looked at Jiang Chuan, and said in a choked voice, "Jiang Chuan... thank you so much..."

Jiang Chuan said with a smile, "This is all thanks to Gastly."

Gastly floated around nearby, looking quite pleased with itself.

Rika took a deep breath to calm herself, then looked at Gastly and smiled gently: "Thank you, Gastly. You're such a clever little guy."

Gastly, flattered by the praise, began to spin in circles in the air.

Just then, the apprentice with the ponytail ran over again, looking puzzled.

"Master, if the essence is here... then what was stolen by the bad guys?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Yes, if the thief stole something, then it should be this bottle of serum.

But the essence is here, so what did the thief steal?

Lijia was also taken aback for a moment, then shook her head: "Never mind. As long as the essence is found, that's fine."

She looked at Jiang Chuan with eyes so tender they could melt your heart.

"Jiang Chuan, I really owe you a lot today. Once the dojo is all sorted out, I'll definitely thank you properly."

Jiang Chuan then worked with Li Jia to clean up the scene after the fire.

......……………………

at the same time.

Rainbow City's sewers.

In a dark and damp corner, three figures were squatting on the ground, rubbing their hands excitedly.

"Quickly! Take it out and let me see!" Musashi urged.

Kojiro pulled a beautiful wooden box from his pocket, his hands trembling with excitement.

"It's here! The perfume essence from the Rainbow Dojo!"

Meow Meow perched on his shoulder, her eyes shining: "We're rich! We're rich! Meow! With this, we'll have our living expenses covered, and the cost of catching rare Pokémon will be settled!"

"Hahaha! That's great! That's great!" Musashi grinned from ear to ear. "This rotten banana is a treasure of the Rainbow Gym!"

Kojiro laughed wildly, "That's right, that's right! This rotten banana..."

The three of them were laughing when they suddenly froze.

Rotten banana?

What rotten banana?

Musashi was the first to react, his expression changing: "Wait... what did you say, rotten bananas?"

Kojiro was also confused: "Did I...did I just say rotten bananas?"

Meow Meow's eyes widened: "You two both said it, meow! What rotten banana? We clearly stole perfume essence, meow!"

The three looked at each other, then all turned to look at the wooden box in their hands.

Inside the box, a stick lay quietly...

Rotten bananas.

Yes, it was just an ordinary rotten banana, the peel was black and it had a faint stench.

Musashi: "..."

Kojiro: "..."

Meow Meow: "..."

silence.

Dead silence.

Three seconds later.

"ah!!!!!!"

A deafening scream erupted from the sewers.

"Who turned my perfume essence into a rotten banana?!"

"Where's my million-dollar perfume?!"

"My living expenses! My rare Pokémon catching fees! All gone, meow!"

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

At this moment, Gastly, happily fluttering beside Jiang Chuan, laughed even more heartily…

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

As the sun sets, golden rays shine through the dome onto the ruins of the core botanical garden, lending it a touch of warmth.

Jiang Chuan wiped the black ash off his face, leaving his hands covered in black soot.

Seeing him like this, Lijia subconsciously wanted to wipe Jiang Chuan's face, but when she saw her real girlfriend walking over from not far away, she lowered her hand and said gently.

"Jiang Chuan, you've really worked hard today. How about... staying for a meal? I know a good restaurant nearby, and I'd like to thank you properly."

She spoke with anticipation in her eyes.

She was still wearing Jiang Chuan's coat, wrapped tightly around her, making her look petite and gentle.

Jiang Chuan glanced at her, then at Xiaoxia and Huazi beside her, and waved his hand with a smile: "Ms. Lijia, you're too kind. But we already have plans to have dinner at a friend's house tonight. Maybe next time. I'll come again tomorrow."

"tomorrow?"

Lijia's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, challenging the gym." Jiang Chuan winked and joked, "How about you go easy on me tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Rika was taken aback.

"Haha, just kidding. It's better to keep the water for other uses." Jiang Chuan smoothed things over.

Lijia was amused by him and covered her mouth with a soft laugh: "Okay, see you at the challenge match tomorrow!"

As she spoke, her eyes held a hint of tenderness and anticipation.

It's great to see Jiangchuan again tomorrow.

"Then we'll be going now." Jiang Chuan waved to her and turned to walk towards Xiaoxia and Huazi.

Xiaoxia was standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at him with disgust.

Hanako smiled gently, with Pikachu and Eevee by her side.

"Let's go, let's go, it's filthy." Xiaoxia pouted, "Look at you, your face is covered in soot, you look like a tabby cat."

Jiang Chuan chuckled and walked up to her.

Then, he raised his hand.

The black and gray fingers ran directly across Xiaoxia's face.

A black mark.

Xiaoxia was stunned.

"ah!!!!"

She touched her face, looked at the black ash on her fingers, and her whole body went into a frenzy.

"Jiang Chuan! What are you doing?!"

She screamed and raised her hand to hit someone.

Jiang Chuan had expected this, and with a smile, he jumped back to avoid her slap.

"Stop right there!!!"

Xiaoxia chased after him angrily, the black mark on her face particularly noticeable.

Pikachu and Eevee watched from the side and started running after them, chattering away.

Hanako couldn't help but laugh as she watched this scene.

Under the setting sun, three figures chased and played, their laughter carrying far.

Lijia stood there, watching this scene, a hint of envy in her eyes.

She gently wrapped her coat tighter around herself.

The jacket still carried the warmth of Jiangchuan and a faint smell of sweat.

As Lijia watched his retreating figure, a complex mix of emotions suddenly welled up within her.

Although she is not the kind of academic trainer who only reads books, she has also gone out to train in the wild for a period of time.

But in the end, her life trajectory had already been arranged.

Inheriting the family's perfume business, managing the Rainbow Gym, and researching the diversity of Grass-type Pokémon.

Every step was taken methodically and in a proper manner.

Like Jiang Chuan and his friends, they joke around with each other, travel freely, and challenge gyms to become stronger...

This kind of life seemed to be something she had never experienced before.

Although they were just rookie trainers with no powerful Pokémon, the joy they experienced was truly wonderful.

As Lijia watched the three figures recede into the distance under the setting sun, a gentle smile unconsciously curved her lips.

It wasn't until the three figures completely disappeared around the street corner that Rika came to her senses.

She looked down at the coat she was wearing and paused, stunned.

Oh, I forgot to return it to him.

She instinctively wanted to call out to Jiang Chuan, but stopped herself as soon as she opened her mouth.

Never mind... He'll be challenging the gym again tomorrow, I'll just return it to him then.

Thinking of this, Lijia wrapped her coat tighter around herself.

The smile on her lips became even gentler.