Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Qingmei led the way, and after walking a short distance, she turned back to look at the mini dragon in Jiang Chuan's arms.

The miniature dragon curled up in Jiang Chuan's arms, the herbs covering its body emitting a bitter smell.

Its trembling has significantly lessened, and its breathing has become much more stable, although it still occasionally twitches the tip of its tail slightly.

Qingmei slowed her pace and waited for Jiang Chuan to walk to her side.

"Jiang Chuan, I have a question." Qingmei turned to look at Jiang Chuan, "Did your Dratini go swimming in that pond after its fierce battle?"

Jiang Chuan looked down at the mini dragon in his arms.

"Yes," he answered truthfully. "After it finished leveling up over there, it said it was too hot and wanted to swim in the pool for a while. I agreed."

Kiyomi let out a soft "Ah," with an expression that said, "I knew it."

She reached out and touched the tip of the miniature dragon's tail, where there were still some lingering cold spots, whitish in color, and it felt like an icy stone.

"No wonder." Kiyomi withdrew her hand, her tone knowing. "The cold energy in this little guy's body is so deep. Even a normal Pokémon would easily get sick after swimming in that pool, let alone someone like you who just finished a fierce battle with all your pores open."

Jiang Chuan looked down at the mini dragon. The little guy shrank its neck and buried its head in the gap between his arms, as if it knew it had done something wrong.

Hanako followed behind, and frowned upon hearing this.

"Is this pool that dangerous?" she asked, her voice still trembling with fear. "When we first set up camp there, I was thinking of going over to wash my face."

Kiyomi glanced back at Hanako and nodded.

"It's a good thing you didn't go."

"The water in that pool is so cold it feels like it's piercing your bones if you touch it. If you wash your face with it, the cold air will seep into your pores, and you'll get a headache later."

Xiaoxia was at the very back, clutching half a skewer of cold roasted mushrooms in her hand.

Upon hearing this, she suddenly froze.

"Wait...wait a minute." Xiaoxia took the mushroom away from her mouth, her expression suddenly becoming quite interesting. "The pond you mentioned, is it the one they were talking about earlier? The one where the Mini Dragons swim?"

Kiyomi nodded.

Xiaoxia's expression changed.

"I..." She swallowed hard. "I almost put my starfish in it for a swim right after I finished eating!"

As she spoke, she patted her chest, looking as if she had just escaped a disaster.

Hanako quickly reached out and patted Kasumi's shoulder to comfort her, but her own expression wasn't very pleasant either.

"Miss Kiyomi." Hanako took two steps forward to stand beside Kiyomi. "What's wrong with that pond? Why is it so cold? The sun hasn't even set yet; the water should be warm by now."

Upon hearing this question, Kiyomi slowed her pace slightly.

She reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then thought for a moment before speaking.

"Actually, I don't know the specifics very well." Qingmei's tone became somewhat uncertain. "I only heard it from my grandmother."

"Deep in that pool, there is the remains of an incredibly powerful Ice-type Pokémon."

The mountain road fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

"Remains...remains?" Xiaoxia snapped out of her daze, her voice rising sharply, "What kind of Ice-type Pokémon is so powerful? Even remains can freeze the entire pond like this?"

Hanako frowned, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"If it's such a powerful Ice-type..." she said as she walked, "it must not be an ordinary Ice-type Pokémon, right? It must be at least the kind that has lived for a very, very long time, and whose Ice-type energy has permeated its bones."

Kiyomi shrugged.

"I don't know about that." Her tone was a little helpless. "My grandmother only heard it from her grandmother. It's been passed down from generation to generation, and no one can say for sure what kind of Pokémon it is."

"Anyway, in the mouths of the older generation in Songzao Town, that pool is called 'Han Gu Tan' (Cold Bone Pool)."

"The Cold Bone Pool..." Hanako repeated the name, feeling a chill run down her spine.

Xiaoxia rubbed the goosebumps that had appeared on her arms.

"No wonder the Minidragon got sick." She glanced at the Minidragon in Jiang Chuan's arms. The little guy had fallen asleep, its breathing becoming long and even, and the scent of herbs enveloped it. "Being able to stay in that kind of water for so long, the Minidragon's physical condition is already very good."

Qingmei looked at the mountain road ahead and said, "We'll be there soon. Just around the next bend and it'll be my house."

After a gentle slope, the mountain road turns into a relatively flat area on the mountainside.

The courtyard of Qingmei's house came into view.

It was a very old wooden house, clearly quite old.

The wood has turned a deep, dark brown, but it is well-maintained, sturdy, and doesn't look dilapidated.

The roof was covered with a thick layer of thatch, and strings of herbs hung from the eaves, swaying gently in the wind.

The courtyard was large, with rows of bamboo mats laid out on the ground, on which various kinds of herbs were spread out to dry.

Some of the plants were already dried and curled from the sun, while others still retained a fresh green color, and the air was filled with a rich aroma of herbs.

A deep, natural scent, like that of grass and trees, fills the nose and makes the entire chest feel clear and refreshed.

Jiang Chuan stood at the entrance of the courtyard and took a deep breath.

This smells very pleasant.

Hanako, standing next to him, couldn't help but take a deep breath as well.

"It smells so good," she exclaimed, her expression relaxing considerably. "This medicinal scent makes me feel so at ease."

Xiaoxia followed from behind, twitched her nose, and then sneezed.

"The smell of medicine is very strong." She rubbed her nose. "But it's definitely the kind of medicine smell that you don't dislike."

Qingmei walked into the courtyard, placed the bamboo basket on the open ground under the eaves, and pushed open the small fence gate of the courtyard.

"Come in, don't be shy."

"My grandmother should be pounding medicine in the main room right now. You can just go in."

Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly came from the main room.

The voice was slow and gentle, with the distinctive tone of an elderly person; it wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible.

"Kiyomi..."

Qingmei quickly replied, "Yes, Grandma, I'm back."

"You're back so late today." The voice in the main room continued slowly, with a hint of teasing in its tone, "If you keep playing around, it'll be very difficult to complete your special medicine this year."

"Grandma, I wasn't playing around!" Kiyomi raised her voice slightly, her tone carrying a girlish coquettishness. "Today was a special day; I rescued a Pokémon that was swimming in the Cold Bone Pool!"

The main room fell silent for a moment.

Then, a hoarse laugh rang out.

"The Frozen Bone Pool?" Grandma's voice was laced with obvious amusement. "That Pokémon and its trainer are really brave!"

Qingmei squatted down and took out bundles of herbs from the bamboo basket, spreading them out on the bamboo mat in the yard.

"Grandma, don't say that," Qingmei said, speaking up for Jiang Chuan and the others while arranging the herbs. "They're just trainers passing by; it's normal that they don't know anything about that pond. Please don't make fun of them."

She spread out the last bundle of herbs, clapped her hands, stood up, and raised her voice to say another sentence.

"Grandma, could you please prepare some medicine to dispel the cold? That little Pokémon needs further treatment, and the medicine I carry with me isn't enough."

The main room fell silent for a moment.

Then, Grandma's hoarse voice rang out again, but with a hint of mischievous laughter in its tone.

"Oh... I see." Grandma drawled, "Kiyomi, ask them if they want to add Gyarados whiskers to the medicine?"

The courtyard fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Gyarados's whiskers.

For Misty, who was terrified of Gyarados, those words exploded like a bomb in her mind.

The color drained completely from her face in an instant.

"Gyarados's whiskers?"

Her voice cracked, as if something was choking her throat.

Instantly, the image of Gyarados's enormous mouth, sharp teeth, crimson eyes, and its roar that could shatter one's bones flashed into her mind.

That scene was terrifying.

Xiaoxia subconsciously took a step back, her heel hitting the stone steps in the yard, and she almost fell on her bottom.

Hanako reacted quickly and caught her.

"Xia, Xia, calm down!" Hanako gently patted her back.

Kiyomi put her hands on her hips and shouted towards the main room.

"Grandma!! Don't say such strange things!! You're scaring her!!"

There was a two-second silence in the main room.

Then a hearty laugh rang out.

The laughter was soft and rustling, like the wind blowing through the bark of an old tree, but it was full of energy and didn't sound like something an old woman could make.

"Hahahaha..." Grandma laughed uncontrollably. "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Why are you young people so serious? It's just a joke, just a joke!"

Qingmei blushed and turned to apologize to Jiang Chuan and the others.

"I'm so sorry, my grandma is just like that, she doesn't always speak properly, please don't mind her." She pointed to the mini dragon in Jiang Chuan's arms.

"Hey Jiang Chuan, why don't you take your Mini Dragon inside? Although my grandma speaks strangely, her medical skills are really high. If you leave your Mini Dragon with her, she'll definitely make sure it recovers well."

Jiang Chuan nodded.

Thank you.

He carried the mini dragon and walked towards the main room.

The wooden door to the main room was half-open, creaking as it was pushed open. The light inside was much dimmer than outside, and it took a few seconds for the eyes to adjust.

The air was filled with an even stronger medicinal smell, mixed with the scent of old wood.

The main room was small, with bottles, jars, and medicine cabinets placed against the walls. In the middle was a low table with a mortar and pestle and various tools for grinding medicine.

A thin old woman sat behind a low table.

Her hair was gray, neatly combed into a bun, and she wore an old, dark gray cloth dress. She looked at least seventy years old, but her eyes were surprisingly bright. Those eyes were sizing up Jiang Chuan.

"Grandma," Jiang Chuan bowed slightly, "I'm entrusting my Mini Dragon to you. It's a very important partner to me."

The old lady's gaze shifted from Jiang Chuan to the Mini Dragon.

Then, her expression changed.

The change was subtle, but Jiang Chuan saw it clearly. The old woman's pupils contracted slightly before returning to normal.

"Mini Dragon?"

The old lady's tone rose slightly, completely different from her joking tone just now; her voice carried a genuine surprise and seriousness.

She slowly raised her head and looked Jiang Chuan over again.

From head to toe, from toe to head.

Those incredibly bright eyes seemed to see right through Jiang Chuan.

"So young..." the old woman's voice slowed, "You actually caught a Dratini?"

Jiang Chuan didn't say much, he just nodded.

"Just a bit lucky."

The old lady stared at him for several seconds, then slowly looked away, stretched out a wrinkled hand, and gently pressed it on the body of the mini dragon.

"Don't worry." The old lady withdrew her hand, her tone becoming firm and steady. "I will heal this miniature dragon. Go and wait in the yard."

Jiang Chuan thanked him again, settled the Mini Dragon in a small nest covered with a soft cloth next to the low table, and turned to walk out of the main room.

The wooden door closed behind him.

He had just stepped into the courtyard and hadn't even had a chance to speak when the old lady's voice came from the main room again.

The voice was deliberately lowered, but the courtyard was small, so it could still be heard clearly from inside.

"Kiyomi!"

Qingmei was rummaging through herbs in the yard when she heard her grandmother call her. She looked up and answered.

"Oh, what's wrong, Grandma?"

"This kid can even catch a Dratini, he's quite the trainer." The old lady paused, a new meaning creeping into her voice, "You... make the most of this opportunity."

Kiyomi's hand froze in mid-air.

"grasp?"

She subconsciously repeated the word, a look of confusion first appearing on her face.

Then, she saw Jiang Chuan standing a few steps away from her.

He was tall and slender, and the sunlight shone from behind him, casting half-light and half-shadow on his face.

Kiyomi blinked.

Her gaze slid down a little, from Jiang Chuan's eyebrows and eyes to his shoulders, and then to his waist, which was cinched at his waist.

Then she thought of what her grandmother had mentioned about "Mini Dragons".

Trainers who can capture Dratini are undoubtedly very strong.

Moreover, he was so careful when he carried the mini dragon on the way here, and his tone was so calm when he spoke.

Kiyomi's mind suddenly felt like it had been touched by something.

She finally understood what her grandmother meant by those words.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to banish all the jumbled thoughts from her mind.

Then she pursed her lips tightly, as if she had made a big decision, and quickly walked up to Jiang Chuan.

She looked up at Jiang Chuan, her hands unconsciously twisting together, her fingers clenched tightly.

"Jiangchuan."

"I...can I ask you for a favor?"

Jiang Chuan looked at her.

The girl's eyes were bright, filled with anticipation and a hint of nervousness.

"you say."

Kiyomi took a deep breath, her chest heaving slightly.

"Besides being a pharmacist, I am also a trainer."

"I have a Paras...it has a minor problem."

"I've been worried about this for a long time."