Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Jiang Chuan and his two companions headed directly along the main road toward the volcano.

As I walked, the number of shops around me decreased.

Housing also began to sparse.

Instead, some old buildings were erected.

Some of the houses look like they were built decades ago, with a lot of the plaster peeling off the walls.

Compared to the bustling commercial district at the foot of the mountain, this place feels like another world.

"It's quite quiet here."

Hanako looked at her surroundings and said.

Xiaoxia nodded as well.

"At least there aren't so many people anymore."

"We were almost squashed flat at the dock just now."

Togepi chirped twice in response.

We walked for a while longer.

The road ahead began to narrow.

Several crooked old trees appeared on both sides of the road.

There seems to be an open space behind the tree.

Some wooden structures can be vaguely seen in the open space.

Xiaoxia, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot it.

"Over there! There are houses over there!"

She pointed to the open space and said.

"Could it be a dojo?"

Jiang Chuan took a look.

Those buildings do look a bit like a dojo.

It has a wooden structure and retains a bit of the style of old-fashioned buildings.

But the problem is...

It seems a bit too worn out.

The three quickened their pace and walked over.

As she got closer, Xiaoxia's expression changed from anticipation to disappointment.

wrong.

It should be said that anticipation turned into stagnation.

The scene before my eyes...

Kind of outrageous.

Several dilapidated wooden houses stood crookedly in the open space.

Some roofs have already collapsed halfway.

Some walls are covered in cracks.

The windows were all shattered, leaving only the empty frames.

There was a jumble of miscellaneous items piled up in front of the door.

There were rusty iron buckets, broken wooden planks, and a pile of junk whose original form was unrecognizable.

A faded banner was strung around the open space.

The fence reads "Construction area, no unauthorized personnel allowed".

However, the banner had already been torn in several places by the wind.

The character "闲" is now only half complete.

The surrounding weeds grew very tall.

It almost completely submerged the corners of the wooden house.

A gust of wind blew by.

The door of one of the wooden houses creaked.

It sounds like it's about to collapse at any moment.

Looking at the dilapidated ruins before her, Xiaoxia felt utterly devastated.

"what……"

She opened her mouth, but it took her a while to organize her thoughts.

"This...this is the dojo?"

Xiaoxia turned to look at Jiang Chuan.

His face was filled with disbelief.

"Isn't the Crimson Lotus Gym supposed to be a high-level gym?"

How do I see it...?

Xiaoxia looked at the ruins again.

"It looks even more dilapidated than Aimee's run-down fighting gym to me!"

"At least Aimi's dojo is habitable."

"This place..."

"I'm afraid the roof will collapse if I go inside."

Upon hearing this, Togepi quickly shrank back.

Hanako frowned as she watched.

It's really too dilapidated.

It was more dilapidated than any dojo I had ever seen before.

Jiang Chuan looked at the ruins and couldn't help but smile.

He reached out and patted Xiaoxia's head.

"She loves beauty, but she's also a martial arts practitioner."

"If you talk about her dojo like that, she might find out and challenge you to a duel."

Xiaoxia stuck out her tongue.

"Just kidding."

"Sister Aimei won't hold it against me."

"But seriously."

Xiaoxia looked at the ruins again.

"Is this really the Crimson Lotus Gym?"

"Could they have gotten the wrong person?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head.

"You didn't get the wrong one."

"This is indeed the Crimson Lotus Dojo."

He paused for a moment, then added.

"To be precise, this is the former site of the Crimson Lotus Dojo."

Jiang Chuan observed the surrounding environment.

Although the open space was dilapidated, its location was quite good.

It is backed by a volcano, and there is a forest not far in front.

If it weren't for the impact of tourism development, this place would be quite peaceful.

But if you walk a few hundred meters further, you'll reach a bustling commercial street.

You can see signs for all kinds of shops.

The sounds of a noisy crowd could be faintly heard.

A new road was even built next to the dojo.

Tourists frequently rode by on rented electric bikes.

Some tourists even stop to take a couple of photos when they see these ruins.

Then his companions urged him to keep going.

Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Chuan roughly understood what was going on.

He knew what kind of person Xia Bo was at the Crimson Lotus Dojo.

Blaine chose to build the gym on Cinnabar Island because it was far from the hustle and bustle.

You can raise fire-type Pokémon quietly.

However, Honglian Island has been completely developed into a tourist destination in recent years.

Tourists are everywhere.

Commercial streets are everywhere.

There was noise everywhere.

This environment was too noisy for Bob.

This is completely contrary to his original intention of retiring to Red Lotus Island.

Therefore, after the old dojo was demolished, Xia Bo did not specifically promote the new Crimson Lotus Dojo.

It could even be said that the dojo's battleground was deliberately set up in a hidden location.

It's only for those who are truly dedicated to the challenge.

To put it bluntly, they just don't want to deal with trainers who come with a tourist mentality.

But this also brings up a problem.

That is, the location of Xia Bo's new dojo is something that ordinary people have no idea about.

In Jiangchuan's series of challenge missions, the last gym he had to challenge was the Crimson Gym.

Therefore, he cannot give up.

Jiangchuan walked around the old dojo again.

I checked to see if there were any clues nearby.

The old dojo's main gate is long gone, and the space inside is empty.

There were several puddles on the ground, with fallen leaves floating on them.

There was also some graffiti on the wall, which looked like it was drawn by some mischievous kids from the neighborhood.

There was a pile of ashes in the corner.

I don't know who lit a fire here.

There was nothing else.

There were no signs, no contact information, and no clues about the location of the new gym.

It seems that Blaine is truly determined not to let anyone find him easily.

Jiang Chuan patted the dust off his hands.

"never mind."

He walked back to Hanako and Kasumi.

"There are no Bob's men here today."

"There are hardly any clues left at the old dojo."

"Let's find a place to rest first."

Hanako nodded.

"Yes, it's getting late."

"It's not too late to look for it tomorrow."

Xiaoxia was a little disappointed, but she didn't say anything more.

Anyway, Jiang Chuan said he'd continue searching tomorrow, so let's continue searching tomorrow.

Besides, there are hot springs here.

We can soak in the hot springs tonight.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxia's mood improved again.

The three of them wandered around the old dojo and, after confirming that there were indeed no clues nearby, decided to leave.

They then headed toward the nearest hotel.

After leaving the old dojo, Jiangchuan and his two companions walked back along the main road.

First, we went to the nearest hot spring hotel.

The receptionist didn't even look up.

"Sorry, the rooms are full."

Hanako tried asking a question.

"What about tomorrow?"

The waiter then looked up and glanced at the three of them.

"It'll be full tomorrow too."

"The next week is fully booked."

"If you want to stay here, you need to make a reservation half a month in advance."

Jiang Chuan frowned.

The three of them went to another restaurant, but it was still full.

What are hot spring inns, guesthouses, hotels, and capsule apartments?

Everything is fully booked.

Even those small, dilapidated hotels had signs saying "Full" hanging on their doors.

Xiaoxia's legs were sore from walking.

Sit down on the stone bench by the roadside.

"What's going on?!"

"This Crimson Lotus Island is way too exaggerated!"

"We've been to so many places, and not a single one is vacant!"

Hanako was also a little worried.

"It seems there are too many tourists since the hot springs were developed."

"This season is also the peak tourist season."

"We've come at the wrong time."

Jiang Chuan glanced at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

The sun has already sunk below the sea level.

Only a sliver of orange-red afterglow remained in the sky.

The streetlights on both sides of the street came on.

Tourists walked in groups on the street.

They were chatting and laughing.

If it gets late at night, there won't even be a place to stay.

We can't just sit on the street all night with Hanako and Kasumi.

Moreover, Red Lotus Island has been developed in every direction.

It's even hard to find a place to sleep on the ground in the wild.

Everywhere you look there are man-made landscapes and shops.

The open space was either planted with flowers or paved with bricks.

It's hard to even find a patch of grass.

In addition, this is a volcanic island.

There are a lot of mosquitoes on the island at night.

If you sleep outdoors, you don't know how badly your body will be bitten the next day.

Xiaoxia rubbed her ankle: "Let's go to the Pokémon Center."

"Can't trainers stay at the Pokémon Center for free?"

Jiang Chuan thought about it and realized that this was probably the only way.

I was also thinking of coming to the tourist island to experience the local tourist accommodations and have some fun with the two of us.

But with so many tourists on Honglian Island, most of the accommodations open to the public are definitely full.

Now the only option is to go to the Pokémon Center.