Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

It has a crispy texture, a rich aroma, and the sweetness of premium tree fruits mixed in.

Paras's eyes widened in surprise.

It began to eat heartily, completely forgetting its earlier fear.

Jiang Chuan watched Paras eat, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

When Paras finished eating the last energy cube and raised its head to lick its lips, Jiang Chuan reached out and gently touched the mushroom on its back.

Paras stiffened.

But it quickly relaxed.

Because the human's touch was very light and gentle, as if afraid of hurting it. And that comfortable feeling came from his palm.

Qingmei stood behind and saw Jiang Chuan's hand touching Paras's mushroom, and Paras didn't run away, but even squinted his eyes.

She was completely stunned.

"It...it let me touch it?"

Qingmei's voice was so shocked that it lost its tone.

Having raised Paras for so long, she naturally knew that Paras's mushrooms were its most sensitive area. Normally, let alone touching them, even getting close would make it warily shrink back.

And now.

A human I'm meeting for the first time.

I touched Paras' mushroom.

Paras even squinted his eyes.

Qingmei felt that she had wasted the past few years raising Jiang Chuan, and at the same time, she truly realized just how powerful Jiang Chuan was.

While scratching the mushroom for Paras, Jiang Chuan took out another Power Cube from his pocket and held it to its mouth.

Paras opened his mouth and bit down, crunching and chewing.

Jiang Chuan only spoke after it had swallowed.

"Little one, I have a question for you."

Paras raised his head and looked at him with his round eyes.

Using the power of waveguides, Jiang Chuan could communicate with it without language. However, in order for Qingmei to hear the conversation, he chose to speak aloud.

Why are you afraid to fight?

When Paras heard the word "battle," his body visibly trembled.

The energy cube in its mouth no longer tasted good, and it shrank its head, trying to back away.

Jiang Chuan didn't loosen his grip, continuing to stroke its mushroom with a light but firm touch, his wave-guiding power enveloping it like a warm blanket.

"Don't be afraid."

"I was just asking."

"If you don't tell me, there's nothing I can do to help you, right?"

Paras raised his eyelids and secretly glanced at Jiang Chuan.

The human's eyes were gentle, showing no impatience or disdain for its timidity.

It hesitated for a long time.

Then it started chattering.

Through the power of waveguides, Jiang Chuan understood its meaning.

"You're saying you've seen a trainer beating up a wild Pokémon before?"

Paras nodded, his eyes still lingering with fear.

"That day...that day I was lying in the grass sunbathing..."

It describes things intermittently.

A trainer was walking along this hillside with his Infernal. Infernal spotted a wild Rattata in the grass and, without a word, pounced on it and gave it a good beating. The Rattata squeaked and screamed, eventually running away covered in wounds. The trainer stood by, laughing and saying, "Well done, Infernal!"

Paras was hiding in the bushes and saw the whole thing clearly.

From then on, it felt that fighting was a terrible thing.

"Are you afraid you'll get beaten up like that too?"

Paras nodded vigorously.

Jiang Chuan understood.

This is a typical post-traumatic stress reaction. Paras was already mild-mannered and introverted, and witnessing that violent scene firsthand left him with psychological trauma.

"Anything else?"

Paras mumbled on and on for a while.

Its expressive ability wasn't very strong, but Jiang Chuan managed to understand the general meaning by guessing and piecing things together.

This Paras has been defeated by insect-type Pokémon that are smaller than itself several times in a row.

So he felt that if he couldn't even beat a small insect, he definitely couldn't beat anyone.

"Any other reasons?"

Paras remained silent for a moment.

Then its sound became quieter.

Jiang Chuan listened carefully for a long time before he could understand what it was saying.

"Are you afraid of losing and embarrassing Kiyomi?"

Paras glanced at Jiang Chuan, then turned to look at Qingmei standing in the distance.

"My master is very good to me..."

"You feed me delicious food every day..."

"It even tickles my back..."

"But I'm too weak... If I were to fight, I'd definitely lose..."

"If I lose... my master won't like me anymore..."

It spoke softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Jiang Chuan sighed inwardly after hearing this.

This little guy has quite a few questions.

First, he has a psychological trauma related to combat.

Second, a lack of self-confidence.

Third, and most importantly, it cares too much about Qingmei's feelings and is afraid of disappointing its owner, so it simply doesn't dare to try.

However, the third problem is actually the easiest to solve.

Jiang Chuan had already gotten a general idea of ​​what kind of person Qingmei was from his previous conversations with her.

She is not the kind of trainer who pursues pure combat power.

She treats Pokémon as companions and family. Regardless of whether her Pokémon are strong or weak, she cares for and cherishes them all equally.

This can be seen from the fact that she raised Paras for several years, knowing that it was timid and cowardly, but never disliked it and always tried to help it.

So Paras's worry that "the master will not like me" was just him scaring himself.

The main issue now is to build this little guy's confidence.

After thinking it through, Jiang Chuan had already made up his mind.

"Little guy, you said you can't beat those bugs, right?"

Paras nodded.

Jiang Chuan began to bluff with a straight face.

"Sometimes being truly capable isn't as simple as it seems on the surface?"

Paras tilted his head, not quite understanding what he meant.

Jiang Chuan held up one finger, his tone carrying a convincing certainty.

"Don't be fooled by some Pokémon whose moves look flashy."

"It breathes fire, emits electricity, looks flashy, and has a great visual effect."

"In reality, those skills aren't that powerful at all."

Paras blinked twice.

"Also, you are actually very talented. I have watched countless Pokémon and I could tell at a glance that you are a genius that is one in a million."

"Think about it again. When you were defeated by Caterpie last time, wasn't it because you weren't in good shape or something?"

Paras paused for a moment, then began to recall.

That day...that day really seemed to be...

It remembered that morning, most of the hay that Qingmei had prepared for it was snatched away by several wild boars, leaving it with only a little bit of the rather bland-tasting wild grass, and then its stomach felt a bit uncomfortable...

Paras muttered it out.

Jiang Chuan slapped his thigh.

"Oh, right!"

"This is it!"

"It must be that weed that's the problem!"

"That weed grows somewhere unknown, and it might even be contaminated with some bad stuff. If you eat it, how can you feel better? If you're not feeling well, how can you fight off the caterpillars?"

Paras thought that what he said made sense.

I did only eat a little bit of grass that day, and my stomach was still a bit upset. When I started fighting, I had no energy at all...

"Under normal circumstances, you can definitely beat Caterpie."

Jiang Chuan's tone was resolute and left no room for argument.

Do you know why?

Paras shook his head.

"Because you have a good foundation."

Jiang Chuan reached out and poked the mushroom on Paras's back. The mushroom was dark in color, plump and firm, and looked like it could only grow by eating special feed for a long time.

"Look at your mushroom! The color, the shape, the plumpness—have you ever seen such a beautiful mushroom on any other Paras?"

Paras couldn't see its own mushroom, but it was already stunned by Jiang Chuan's praise.

"The Paras that can grow this kind of mushroom are one in a million, the chosen ones of heaven."

Jiang Chuan patted Paras on the head, his tone carrying a sense of firm approval.

You have enormous potential hidden within you, you just don't know it.

"You lost last time entirely because of that rotten weed."

"Today is different."

Jiang Chuan pulled out another handful of the delicious treat from his pocket.

"Here, eat more of this today."

"Eat this, and your strength will absolutely explode."

Paras opened his mouth and bit down, crunching and chewing.

"Are you full?"

Paras licked his lips and nodded.

It felt full of energy now, much stronger than before.

"Alright then."

Jiang Chuan stood up and pointed to Pikachu lying on the grass in the distance.

"See that Pikachu over there?"

Paras looked in the direction he was pointing.

Pikachu was rolling a berry on its belly, its golden fur shimmering in the sunlight, its ears twitching occasionally, looking quite relaxed.

That Pikachu is nicknamed the Bug Killer.

Jiang Chuan's tone became mysterious.

Paras pricked up his ears.

"Punch the caterpillar, kick the unicorn."

"They fought their way from Viridian Forest to the Wild Area without even blinking an eye."

"The entire Kanto region's Bug-type Pokémon tremble at the mere mention of its name."

Paras's eyes widened.

This yellow guy with pointy ears... is he that powerful?

"You've eaten well today, and you're in great shape."

Jiang Chuan squatted down, leaned close to Paras's ear, and lowered his voice, as if he were telling a secret.

"Go and fight it in a bit."

"If you defeat it, you've defeated all the insects."

"From now on, caterpillars, weasels, and beedrill will all have to go around you."

Paras looked at Pikachu, then at Jiang Chuan, his eyes filled with both eager anticipation and lingering timidity.

That Pikachu... it really does look like a tough character...

Is it really okay for me to hit it?

"no problem."

Jiang Chuan seemed to read its mind and reached out to pat its mushroom.

"You ate a good energy cube, and now you're full of energy. That Pikachu may be famous, but you're no pushover either."

"Look at your shell, how hard it is."

"Look at your claws, how sharp they are."

"Take another look at this mushroom of yours. Let me tell you, if the medicinal properties contained in this mushroom were to be unleashed, their power would absolutely scare it to death."

Paras got a little carried away by what he said.

It looked down at its own paws.

It does seem... quite sharp?

There are even mushrooms that I can't see... Are they really that amazing?

Believe in yourself.

Jiang Chuan looked into Paras's eyes, his tone serious.

"Trust me too."

"If I say you can win, you will win."

Paras and he locked eyes for a few seconds.

There was not a trace of doubt or hesitation in this human's eyes. It was as if, in his eyes, Paras defeating Pikachu was a matter of course, something that didn't require any questioning.

This unwavering confidence was transmitted to Paras's heart through the power of waveguides.

Paras took a deep breath.

Then it nodded vigorously.

"Okay, let's go."

Jiang Chuan stood up and led Paras toward Pikachu.

In the distance, Pikachu was rolling a berry from the left side of its belly to the right when it suddenly saw its owner walking towards it with the mushroom crab.

It tilted its head, looking completely bewildered.

What were the owner and that mushroom crab talking about just now?

Is that a compliment?

It must be, otherwise why would they keep pointing this way?

Thinking of this, Pikachu tossed the berry aside, sat up straight, puffed out its chest, and tried to look as energetic as possible.

Since my master is praising me, I should act like I'm being praised.

Paras was startled by Pikachu's sudden change and instinctively took a half step back.

But Jiang Chuan's hand was on its back, firmly blocking its retreat.

"Don't be afraid."

"The person who ate the energy cube is no longer the same person."

Jiang Chuan's voice was soft, but steady.

"Let's go up and give it a try."

"Beat it, and you'll be the nemesis of insects."

Paras swallowed hard.

It glanced at the ready-to-fight Pikachu, then at Jiang Chuan's resolute gaze.

Finally, it took a deep breath and took its first step.

After dealing with Paras, Jiang Chuan walked over to Qingmei and the others.

"How is it?"

Kiyomi asked eagerly.

Jiang Chuan briefly repeated what Paras had just said.

Upon hearing this, Qingmei's expression first froze for a moment, then turned into an indescribable heartache.

"It...it's actually been worried about this?"

She looked at Paras, who was hiding in the distance.

"Silly child, how could I dislike you just because you lost?"

Xia, watching from the side, clicked her tongue twice: "Miss Qingmei, your Paras is really prone to overthinking. You don't like it just because you lost? Where did it learn such a thought?"

Hanako shook her head: "It's probably because Kiyomi is too good to it that it has this kind of thinking. The more you care, the more afraid you are of losing it."

Xia thought about it and realized that Hua Zi's words made sense.

Jiang Chuan glanced at her.

"It's because you're too good to her that she's embarrassed to tell you."

The better you treat her, the less she wants to disappoint you. The more she fears disappointing you, the less she dares to try. The less she tries, the more she feels inadequate.

"A vicious cycle."

Kiyomi bit her lip, looking at Paras, who was standing on the grass, his legs trembling with nervousness, yet he still forced himself to face Pikachu.

"Then... what should I do now?"

"I'll have it battle my Pokémon in a bit."

"After you win, you cheer for it."

"Then take the opportunity to tell it that even if it really loses one day, you won't dislike it."

"You should look him in the eye when you say this."

Qingmei nodded vigorously, keeping Jiang Chuan's words firmly in mind.

Then she remembered something and asked with some concern, "But... my Paras isn't that strong, and your Pikachu has earned six badges... the difference in strength..."

Jiang Chuan smiled confidently and said, "Qingmei, don't worry."

"Besides being a trainer, I have another identity."

Kiyomi blinked: "What's your identity?"

"director."

"director?"

"Yes, director."

Jiang Chuan pointed to Pikachu standing on the grass.

"Especially this Pikachu, it's a true Oscar winner!"

After saying that, he shouted at Pikachu on the grass, his voice full of energy.

"Pikachu! Ready for battle!"