Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

On the way back, Jiang Chuan did not choose to hike again.

the reason is simple.

I've caught most of the Pokémon I wanted to catch. On the way back, the remaining wild Pokémon I encountered were too low-level to even be worth practicing with.

Let's not waste time. We might as well take transportation and get the last badge as soon as possible.

Then use the time saved to find a suitable leveling spot and raise the overall level of the team.

After all, that old fox Giovanni, who knows if he'll play by the rules?

Jiang Chuan leaned back in his bus seat, watching the scenery rushing past the window.

Xiaoxia sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, muttering something to herself.

"Sister, really... what urgent matter did you say... that you insisted we go back..."

Her voice was muffled, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps complaining to Jiang Chuan.

But from her tone, Jiang Chuan sensed another layer of meaning.

This girl actually really wants to go back.

To be precise, he really wants to "return home in glory".

The last time she returned to the Cerulean Dojo, Jiang Chuan gave her a ride on his way back.

She had only been traveling for a short time then, and didn't have many decent Pokémon. When she returned, her three older sisters teased her mercilessly.

"Oh my, isn't this our Xiaoxia? You're back after only a few days away?"

"Is it because you can't endure hardship outside?"

"Or are you missing your older sisters?"

Xiaoxia still remembers that experience to this day.

But this time it's different.

This time, her sisters called her on their own initiative, begging her to come back.

Although she said, "I wonder what the sisters are thinking again," Jiang Chuan could tell that the girl's lips hadn't fallen off her lips since she hung up the phone.

Moreover, she certainly has reason to be proud now.

She's level 45 Starmie, practically a gym leader.

This level isn't considered low even in a dojo training center.

Moreover, although that sea serpent dragon is not yet at its maximum level, it has quite good potential.

Along the way, Xiaoxia learned a lot of experience from Jiang Chuan.

To be precise, he leeched off 80% of Jiang Chuan's level-up progress.

Jiang Chuan was the main force in front, while she followed up from behind to finish off the enemies.

Although it can't compare to Jiang Chuan's own monstrous achievements, this lineup is enough to dominate any intermediate-level dojo.

Hanako sat in the row behind the two of them, and smiled as she looked at Kasumi's smug expression.

"Xiaoxia looks very happy to be back in her hometown."

Jiang Chuan chuckled, his tone teasing.

"She's returning home in triumph this time, she must be happy."

When Xiaoxia heard the words "returning home in glory," her smile became even brighter.

But she still deliberately put on a stern face and turned to glare at Jiang Chuan.

"What do you mean by 'calculate'?"

"I'm returning home in glory!"

"What's wrong? Is it not allowed?"

Jiang Chuan looked at her self-righteous expression and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Okay, okay, you're right."

Xiaoxia pouted again as he pinched her cheek.

But she didn't dodge.

Instead, she snuggled closer to Jiang Chuan, pressing her entire weight onto his shoulder.

"The sisters will definitely be shocked this time."

She muttered to herself, her tone filled with barely concealed anticipation.

"Let them laugh at me last time."

"This time I brought back a Starmie that's almost a Gym Leader level."

"snort."

Jiang Chuan listened to her rambling without replying.

He turned his gaze to the window, watching the city silhouette getting closer and closer in the distance.

Hualan City.

A city of waterways.

However, his impression of the city didn't have much to do with the water system.

The image of Sakura's shrewd yet passionate face flashed into his mind.

There are also calamus and peony, those twin sisters.

And that synchronized swimming performance.

To be honest, the performance of the three Hua Lan sisters is indeed quite good on an artistic level.

As for the strength of the dojos...

Ok.

That's all there is to it.

The bus slowly came to a stop at the Hualan City station.

The three of them got off the car, with Xiaoxia walking in front, her steps light as if she were stepping on a spring.

She walked along, looking around as if checking her territory for any changes.

"That dessert shop over there is still there!"

Wow, this store has changed its sign!

"Hey, hey, why isn't that fountain spraying water?"

Jiang Chuan and Hua Zi followed behind her, watching this little girl who was as excited as if she were visiting the city for the first time.

Hanako said with a smile, "Xia really knows this place well."

Jiang Chuan nodded.

"After all, it's the place where I grew up."

The three walked along the main road of Cerulean City.

The closer Xiaoxia got to the Cerulean Gym, the faster she walked.

Later on, they were almost running.

"Hurry, hurry, it's almost there!"

She turned the last street corner.

then.

He froze completely.

Jiang Chuan followed behind her and saw Xiaoxia standing in front of the dojo gate, motionless like a stone statue.

He followed her gaze.

Then he paused for a moment.

The Cerulean Dojo is in front of me.

Well, how should I put it?

It looks like a construction site that's only half-finished.

Stacks of building materials were piled up on both sides of the gate.

There were wooden planks, an iron frame, and several buckets of paint of unknown origin.

A makeshift scaffold was erected on the lawn in front of the entrance, and several toolboxes were casually thrown on the ground.

The glass wall on the southeast side of the dojo is even more appalling.

There are several large holes in the entire glass wall.

It wasn't a small crack; it was a huge hole big enough for an adult to crawl through.

Shards of broken glass still hung on it, gleaming blindingly in the sunlight.

Several workers were doing repairs on scaffolding, and the sounds of hammering and banging filled the air.

A huge banner hangs at the entrance, which reads "Renovation coming soon, stay tuned".

But the banner was hung crookedly, one side higher than the other, making it look rather perfunctory.

Xiaoxia stood there, her eyes wide open.

His mouth was open and he couldn't close it.

A full five seconds passed.

A scream pierced the air above the Cerulean Dojo.

"ah----!"

The scream was so loud that it startled the workers on the nearby scaffolding, who nearly dropped their wrenches.

"Who demolished my house?!"

Xiaoxia's voice was filled with disbelief and shock.

She had barely finished speaking when she rushed into the dojo like a gust of wind.

Jiang Chuan and Hua Zi exchanged a glance and followed them inside.

The situation inside the dojo was not much better than outside.

Half of the audience seating in the hall had been removed, and the seats were piled up in the corner, covered with a layer of plastic sheeting.

Various tools and materials were scattered on the ground around the pool.

Several steel pipes leaned against the wall, with safety helmets hanging on them.

The entire dojo was filled with the smell of paint and sawdust mixed together.

Xiaoxia stood in the center of the hall, looking around, her expression changing from shock to bewilderment.

Then the confusion turned into frustration.

"sister!"

"elder sister!"

Where are you?

Her voice echoed in the empty hall.

after awhile.

Footsteps echoed from deep within the dojo.

Sakura was the first to emerge.

She was wearing overalls with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and gloves covered in white dust.

His face was also covered in gaudy paint, with several gray marks on his forehead and sawdust stuck to his hair.

It looks like he just crawled out of a construction site.

Following behind her were calamus and peony.

The two of them had similar outfits.

Sweet flag's apron was covered in paint, Peony's hair was a mess, and there was a black stain on her face.

The three of them saw Xiaoxia and their eyes lit up at the same time.

Then I saw Jiang Chuan and Hua Zi behind Xiaoxia.

Cherry blossoms' eyes shone even brighter.

"Ah! Xiaoxia!"

"Jiangchuan!"

"You're finally back!"

She spoke as she walked quickly over.

Xiaoxia opened her arms.

Get ready to receive a hug from your older sister.

then.

Sakura walked right past Xiaoxia.

She first gave Hanako a warm hug.

"Hanako-nee, it's been so long! You're still as beautiful as ever!"

Hanako smiled and hugged her.

Then Sakura turned around.

Facing the river.

A radiant smile spread across her face.

Just how radiant was that smile?

So dazzling was Xiaoxia standing next to him that she felt her presence disappearing at a visible speed.

"Jiangchuan~"

Sakura opened her arms and threw herself into Jiang Chuan's embrace.

She leaned against Jiang Chuan's chest, her fingers feeling something beneath the fabric.

Her eyes brightened even more.

"So strong! So strong!"

"So strong! So strong!"

Sakura pressed her hand on Jiang Chuan's chest twice more, the movement as natural as if she were petting her own large dog.

"Jiang Chuan, you've gotten even stronger since the last time I saw you!"

"Truly a powerful figure!"

She looked up at Jiang Chuan, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

There were also some other things.

"They're supporting us like this..."

She hadn't finished speaking.

A hand reached out from the side and grabbed her arm.

Xiaoxia's face was filled with an expression that said, "I've put up with you for a long time."

"Hello!"

"elder sister!"

"I'm your sister!"

Xiaoxia's voice rose eight octaves.

Why did you hug both of them but not me?

"I'm your own sister!"

"Look at me!"

Sakura was pulled around by Xia, and a belated expression appeared on her face.

"ah."

She glanced at Xiaoxia.

She glanced again at Hanako and Egawa, who were left standing there.

Then she opened her arms and gave Xiaoxia a hug.

But this hug was completely different from the sisterly reunion that Xiaoxia had been looking forward to.

It was both quick and perfunctory.

It's like completing a task.

"Welcome back, welcome back!"

Sakura patted Xia on the back, and let go in less than two seconds.

Then he turned around and greeted Jiangchuan and Hanako.

Xiaoxia stood still.

The arms remained open.

He froze there.

The expression on his face changed from anticipation to blankness.

Then her blank stare turned into a feeling of grievance.

The feeling of being wronged turned into a sense of resignation, like "I knew it would turn out this way."

The calamus and peony came from behind, which seemed more reliable than the cherry blossoms.

The two of them hugged Xiaoxia one after the other, and kept it for at least a sufficient amount of time.

"Xiaoxia, welcome back."

"You must have had a long journey."

Xiaoxia's expression softened a little.

Sakura dusted off her hands and said to the three of them, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, let's tidy up first."

"Then we'll go have a big dinner!"

"I know a new seafood restaurant opened nearby, it's really delicious!"

She finished speaking and turned to leave.

But before he could take a step, he was pulled back by a hand.

It's still Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia held onto Yinghua's wrist, her expression very complicated.

"Wait, wait, sister, don't rush."

"This situation..."

She stretched out her hand and drew a circle in the hall.

"Is it a situation where we eat first?"

"Tell me, what exactly happened to our family?"

"What happened to those big holes outside?"

"And what's with all this interior decoration?"

"Has someone come to cause trouble?"

"Did you offend someone?"

"Are you injured?"

Xiaoxia's speech became faster and faster, and questions kept popping up one after another.

Finally, she grabbed Sakura's shoulder, looked her up and down, and her eyes showed a hint of nervousness.

Sakura was taken aback by her question.

Then she waved her hand, giving a "it's no big deal" look.

"Oh dear, it's not what you think."

She took off her gloves, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and added another gray mark to her forehead.

"The reason for this renovation is that the gym is about to undergo inspection by the league."

"The league has new standards for gym facilities, so we're planning to renovate them."

"Also, a water show is going to be held soon."

"This performance will be a very important source of income for our dojo, and it's also a great opportunity to build our reputation."

"So let's take this opportunity to renovate the entire dojo properly."

Xiaoxia listened to Yinghua's explanation, and the tension on her face eased a little.

But he still frowned.

"All right."

"I can understand the renovation."

She nodded.

Then she stretched out her hand and pointed to the glass wall in the southeast that had several large holes.

"But what about those big holes in the walls over there?"

"Is that a renovation technique?"

"Or are we going for a dilapidated style now?"

"Ruin aesthetics?"

Xiaoxia's tone carried a "Don't take me for a fool" connotation.

Sakura glanced at the broken wall in the direction she pointed.

Then her expression underwent a very subtle change.

The change was very brief, lasting only a fraction of a second.

But Jiang Chuan caught it.

Sakura's gaze flickered.

Then she gave a dry laugh.

"Oh, that."

"Well..."

Her words began to become hesitant and stammering.

Sweet flag and peony, standing behind, also began to look elsewhere, seemingly without prior arrangement.

One was staring at the ceiling, and the other was staring at the floor.

Suddenly, I developed a strong interest in the architectural structure of the dojo.

Xiaoxia frowned even more as she watched her three older sisters' reactions.

"That...what?"

"Say it then."

Cherry blossoms let out another "Ah!"

Then she suddenly turned her gaze to Jiang Chuan.

And he took a step closer to Jiang Chuan.

This action is very subtle.

It's as if they're seeking protection.

It's like they're looking for a shield.

"Well..."

Sakura stood beside Jiang Chuan, raising her eyes to look at him.

A smile appeared on her face.

"Jiang Chuan~"

Her voice was drawn out, with a hint of coquettishness in her tone.

"Besides the renovation, what else is going on at the dojo?"

"Actually, there's another small problem."

"I might need your help."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Jiang Chuan.

His eyes were blinking.

That expression, combined with the gray marks on her face.

It looks both pitiful and funny.