Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Caesar stood by the water's edge, his eyes fixed intently on the lake's surface.

Then he froze.

There were two figures in the lake.

One big one, and one small one.

The larger one had a long, slender body, was entirely blue, had two sparkling crystal beads around its neck, and its small wings on its head fluttered slightly as it looked at me with indifferent eyes.

The smaller one huddled next to the larger dragon, only half its head showing. It had a tiny white bead on its forehead, and its eyes were round and timid.

Caesar's mind went blank for a moment.

Two?

Why are there two?

He blinked hard and looked at it again.

One Hakkarosaurus and one Minidragon.

Caesar's mind went completely into a jumble.

He had no idea that there were two dragons in the lake.

The little guy he saw thirty years ago was a Minidragon.

But thirty years have passed, and it may have evolved into a Hakkarosaurus.

The problem is that Dratini are notoriously slow-growing Pokémon. Some Dratini may live for hundreds of years without evolving, and thirty years may just be the time it takes for them to take a nap.

So, is this Hakkarosaurus the same miniature dragon I saw back then?

Caesar's brows furrowed, his eyes darting between the Dragonair and the Dratini, growing increasingly confused.

What he saw back then was a small blue dragon, not as big as it is now, but thirty years have passed, so it's understandable that it has evolved.

But what about this smaller one?

Caesar's mind was in complete turmoil, and the more he thought about it, the less clear things became.

He stood by the water, opened his mouth, then closed it again, his expression like that of a student who had encountered a question beyond the syllabus, completely unsure where to begin.

Jiang Chuan stood to the side, watching Caesar's conflicted expression, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He didn't speak.

Xiaoxia couldn't help herself. She peeked out from behind Jiang Chuan, looked at Caesar's dumbfounded expression, and muttered something under her breath.

"What's with that expression? It looks like he's constipated."

Caesar took a deep breath and made a decision.

do not care.

Regardless of which one it is, the fact that the dwarf dragon took a picture with me and was affectionate with me back then means that friendship was genuine.

Thirty years ago, if it could accept its own food and was willing to swim to the shore to let you touch its head, it meant that it accepted itself.

Since they accepted it back then, they must still remember it now.

As Caesar thought this, he straightened his back a little more, and the struggle on his face slowly faded, replaced by a deep affectionate expression.

He took a step forward, his foot sinking into the wet mud by the water's edge, his boot getting stuck quite a bit, but he didn't care at all.

He looked at the miniature dragon in the water and cleared his throat.

"Mini Dragon...do you remember me?"

Caesar's voice carried a deliberately suppressed gentleness, as if he were coaxing a child, but the tone was also a bit high, which sounded a little strange.

When the mini dragon heard the sound, it turned its little head and looked at him, its eyes full of confusion.

Who is Old Deng talking to?

The dwarf dragon blinked its eyes and then tucked its head back to its mother.

Undeterred, Caesar continued.

Thirty years ago, right here by this lake, I first saw you.

Caesar's voice became slow and affectionate, as if he were reciting a poem.

"You were very young then, and you swam incredibly fast in the water. I chased you for a whole day, from the entrance of the wilderness all the way to this lake."

"You're hiding in the crevice of the rocks in the water, and no matter how much I call you, you won't come out."

"But I didn't give up."

As Caesar spoke, his eyes reddened slightly, and his voice trembled a little.

"I've been guarding the lake for over a year, coming every day, rain or shine, summer or winter. I sit on the rocks next to the water you're in now, with fruit and food in my hands."

"I put the food on the shore and then backed away, just so I wouldn't scare you."

"I left food for over a year before you finally swam out and ate the fruit I brought."

As Caesar spoke, a nostalgic smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes became dreamy, as if he had truly returned to that summer thirty years ago.

"You looked so cute eating fruit, with your little mouth pursing up and down. After you finished eating, you looked up at me and I still remember that look very clearly."

"We even took pictures later. You were right next to me. Although you didn't let me touch you, I was already very satisfied that you were willing to be so close to me."

Caesar took a deep breath, his gaze fixed intently on the Dragonair and Dratini in the water.

"From that day on, I came to this lake every month, bringing fruit and food, and a music player to play the music you like."

"I've waited for decades."

"I have never given up."

"Because I know you are here, you are the friends I have protected my whole life."

Caesar's voice became choked with emotion towards the end, his eyes were red-rimmed, and there was even a hint of tears in the corners of his eyes.

He spoke these words with genuine emotion, without any pretense, because he had indeed waited for so many years, and his dedication was real.

After Caesar finished speaking, he looked expectantly at the two dragons in the water.

He is waiting.

Wait for them to swim over.

Wait until they recognize themselves.

Wait until they are as close to me as they were thirty years ago.

The water remained still for a few seconds.

At this moment, Hakron's expression changed.

Its eyes narrowed slightly, and its expression changed from indifference to seriousness, and then from seriousness to displeasure.

Hakron had almost forgotten about what happened thirty years ago.

It's a foodie; food can make it forget all its troubles. It has been living a pretty good life in this lake all these years, with plenty to eat and drink, and its life is very comfortable.

But Caesar's long speech just now had completely dredged up its memories.

Thirty years ago.

At that time, it was still a dwarf dragon, extremely timid, and completely ignorant of humans.

It originally wanted to live quietly in the wilderness, swimming around in the water every day, eating some aquatic plants, basking in the sun, and living a carefree life.

But one day.

It was accidentally spotted by a human exploring the wilderness.

That human was Caesar.

When young Caesar saw the Dratini, his eyes widened and he took off chasing after it, shouting something as he went.

The dwarf dragon was terrified.

It had never seen such a crazy creature before, running incredibly fast on all fours while making piercing noises.

It fled desperately, crossing streams, grass, and rocky beaches, finally hiding in this deep mountain lake.

It thought it would be safe once it hid in the water.

But Caesar did not give up.

He stayed by the lake every day, leaving food on the shore and making strange noises.

The dwarf dragon hid in the water for a long time, observing for a long time.

It saw that Caesar was there every day, no matter how strong the sun was or how heavy the rain was; he would sit on the shore and stare at the water.

Gradually, the Minidragon realized that the human seemed to have no ill intentions.

He just wants to be close to himself.

One day, the Dratini finally swam out of the water and ate the food that Caesar had left on the shore.

The food was actually just so-so, but the Mini Dragon felt that since this human was so sincere, it wouldn't hurt to respond to him once.

But it never expected this.

After that one time, everything changed.

A large group of humans suddenly poured into the wilderness area.

Those people were different from Caesar; they brought all sorts of Pokémon and fought by the lake, fought in the water, and sometimes even threw things into the water.

Those violent battles terrified the Dratini.

It dared not leave the lake at all.

Its range of activity has shrunk from the entire wilderness area to this deep mountain lake.

The outside world became a forbidden zone for it, filled with dangerous trainers and violent Pokémon.

It was trapped in this lake for thirty years.

Thinking of this, Hakkarosaurus swung its tail heavily underwater, creating a string of bubbles.

It remembered.

I remember everything.

This is the person.

This is the man named Caesar.

It was he who attracted those humans back then.

Although he wasn't a bad person and had no malicious intent, he was the starting point of everything.

If he hadn't been chasing after him relentlessly, if he hadn't been guarding the lakeside, if his whereabouts hadn't been exposed, those trainers would never have known that there was a Dratini in this lake.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Hakron's eyes.

It looked at Caesar, its expression growing increasingly serious.

Now this guy is back again.

Hakron has been living in the lake for thirty years and has gotten used to it. As long as he has food and drink, he can make a living.

But its daughter is still young.

The dwarf dragons have never seen the outside world.

If this Caesar attracts a large group of trainers, will his daughter also be trapped in this lake and never be able to get out?

A scene flashed through Hakron's mind.

A group of trainers surrounded the lake, throwing Poké Balls into the water. Various Pokémon battled on the lake's surface, with flames and electricity exploding on the water.

Its daughter hid in a crevice between the rocks at the bottom of the lake, trembling with fear, her eyes wide open, too scared to move.

The Dragonair tightened its tail sharply, pulling the Dratini even closer to itself.

No.

Absolutely not.

It cannot allow its daughter to repeat its own fate.

Hakron took a deep breath, his mind racing.

Rather than being trapped here, being watched by some annoying humans, and living in constant fear, it's better to make a proactive choice.

Choose a human you like and let your daughter leave with that person.

Hakron turned his gaze to the riverbank.

This young human with black hair.

He had a kind of aura about him that made me feel very comfortable. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was just incredibly pleasant.

Just now, when his daughter nestled her head in his hand, the way she squinted her eyes showed she was incredibly happy.

And their food is really delicious.

Hakron licked the remaining powder from his lips and glanced at his daughter.

Perhaps letting our daughter go with them will allow her to grow up better.

They can see a wider world.

Unlike me, I don't have to feel stifled in this lake for thirty years.

Hakron made a decision.

With a gentle flick of its tail, it loosened its grip on the miniature dragon.

Then it gently nudged the mini-dragon's body with its nose and pushed it towards Jiangchuan.

The mini dragon was pushed by its mother and looked back at her.

Hakron let out a soft cry, his voice gentle yet firm.

The Mini Dragon understood.

My mother meant that I should choose that young human.

The Dratini turned its head and looked at the river on the shore.

It already had a good impression of Jiang Chuan.

It still remembers the warm and comfortable feeling it had when it was in that human's hand; it felt even more comfortable than water that had been warmed by the sun.

So even if its mother doesn't push it, it will choose Jiangchuan on its own.

As for the old man next to him...

The mini dragon glanced at Caesar, its eyes filled with confusion and disdain.

Old Deng just rambled on for ages, and I didn't understand a word he said.

What do you mean, thirty or forty years? Who even knows you?

Moreover, this old man had a smell that Dratini particularly disliked.

The smell of gunpowder from the revolver.

The dwarf dragon has an extremely sensitive sense of smell; it could smell the gunpowder from the revolver at Caesar's waist from several meters away.

A few poachers sneaked up to this lake and fired shots from the shore to scare the Pokémon in the water. Dratini still remembers the loud bang and the pungent smell of gunpowder.

From then on, the dwarf dragon developed a particular aversion to the smell of gunpowder.

And this old man just happened to have that smell.

The mini dragon wrinkled its nose in disgust, turned its head away, and refused to look at Caesar again.

It flicked its tail and swam towards Jiangchuan.

Jiang Chuan squatted on the shore, stretching out one hand with his palm open.

The aura emanating from him made Dragonite Pokémon feel comfortable to the core, a 100% increase in racial affinity, like a warm net that enveloped Dratini completely.

The mini dragon swam up to Jiang Chuan, rubbed its little head against his palm, and then nuzzled its head between his fingers.

His eyes narrowed.

Its tail swayed gently on the water's surface.

He looked incredibly comfortable.

Caesar stood to the side, watching this scene, and felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

His mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again, his expression suggesting he had gone through a series of emotions in an instant, from surprise to confusion to collapse.

How could this happen?

Why would a Mini Dragon be so friendly to this young man who just arrived?

I've waited thirty years!

Thirty years!

I come every month!

Rain or shine!

Why can't my sincerity earn me even a single moment of affection from the mini dragon?

Caesar's eyes turned red.

How can I describe that feeling? It's like a man who has been pursuing his goddess for decades, only to have her turn around and run off with a young, handsome guy she just met, and they even get intimate in front of him.

Caesar's chest heaved violently, and his lips trembled.

He looked at Jiang Chuan, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he found that he couldn't say anything.

At this moment, Caesar was utterly incompetent.

There's no point in arguing with them.

We can't beat them even if we fight.

Logically speaking, they didn't break any rules.

He turned his head, his gaze returning to the miniature dragon in the water.

His eyes turned desperate and sorrowful, and his voice trembled with an almost pleading tone.

"Mini Dragon... How could you do this to me?"

Caesar's voice was hoarse.

Thirty years ago, I was the one who stayed by your side, the one who brought you food, and the one who kept you company through countless lonely nights.

"I'm your friend!"

"I'm the one who knows you best!"

"How could you... how could you be so friendly with a complete stranger who just arrived?"

Caesar became more and more agitated and aggrieved as he spoke, his voice trembling with tears.

"I've waited for you for thirty years, coming to this lake every month with your favorite fruits and food. I've never given up!"

"I've never left the Wilderness, my whole life is tied to you!"

"Why didn't you choose me? I've been so good to you!!"

When Caesar spoke the last sentence, his voice cracked, and tears finally welled up in his eyes and rolled down his wrinkled cheeks.

Xiaoxia watched in disbelief from behind Jiang Chuan, and muttered something under her breath.

"This person... is too self-righteous."

.........

The more Caesar spoke, the more aggrieved he felt, and the resentment in his heart erupted like a volcano.

He didn't believe it.

He didn't believe that Mini Dragon would really choose that young man.

It must be because I was too far away that the Mini Dragon couldn't see its own face clearly.

Yes, that must be it.

Caesar took a deep breath, lifted his foot, and took a few more steps closer to the water's edge.

He bent down, reached out to the mini dragon, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Mini Dragon, come here, I'm your friend, I can give you..."

Caesar hadn't finished speaking.

A water sphere suddenly shot out from the lake and headed straight for Caesar's face.

Caesar had no time to react.

With a loud bang.

The water balloon slammed into Caesar's chest, the force of which threw him to the ground with a splash, sending mud and water flying everywhere.

Caesar lay face up on the muddy bank, his hat flying off, his whole body soaked, his clothes covered in mud and water stains, his hair dripping down his scalp, he was in a complete mess.