Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Seeing Xiaoxia's reaction, Sakura laughed even harder.

"It's just..." She held up her finger and drew a circle in the air. "That..."

"Have you and Jiang Chuan made any...progress?"

Xia's face was already red all the way to the roots of her neck.

She understood what her sister was asking.

But how could you possibly say something like that at the dinner table?

"No!"

There's nothing there!

"What are you thinking about, sister?"

Xiaoxia waved her hands frantically, her voice trembling.

That abrupt denial actually sounded more like an admission.

Cherry blossoms let out a meaningful "Oh—".

She glanced at Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan was slowly and methodically disassembling a king crab's leg.

The expression on his face didn't change from beginning to end.

It was as if the topic the sisters were discussing had nothing to do with him.

Sakura glanced at Xia again.

Xia was frantically giving Hanako meaningful glances.

Hanako received her distress signal, put down the scallop shell in her hand, and picked up a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"This crab is indeed very fresh."

She spoke, her voice gentle and soft.

"Sakura, you've chosen a really good restaurant."

Hanako's opening remarks naturally steered the conversation towards food.

Sakura was also a smart person; she knew that Hanako was trying to help Kasumi out of a predicament.

She smiled and continued, following Hanako's lead.

"Yes, this is the most popular seafood restaurant in Hualan City recently."

"The proprietress is my friend, and I booked this private room three days in advance."

Changpu added, "Their oysters are air-freighted from the Orange Islands, so they're exceptionally fresh."

Peony nodded vigorously beside her.

"Yes, yes, garlic-roasted oysters are so delicious!"

Hanako casually changed the subject.

Xiaoxia breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the smiles of the older women, there was clearly a knowing look that said, "We've seen through everything."

The atmosphere gradually returned to normal during the rest of the meal.

After Xiaoxia recovered, she began to tell them their story in the Dark City.

However, she would occasionally steal a glance at Jiang Chuan while she was speaking.

Then her face flushed slightly.

Then quickly look away.

These little actions were all seen by the three older sisters.

Sakura's lips were always turned up in a smile.

As she listened to Xiaoxia's story, she silently did calculations in her mind.

Jiang Chuan and his group will stay in Hualan City for at least a few more days.

There's plenty of time. No rush.

The meal took more than an hour to eat.

When it was over, all that was left on the table were empty shells and empty plates.

Peony touched her belly, leaned back in her chair, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"I'm so full..."

Sweet flag was standing next to her, in a similar posture.

Sakura stood up and went to pay the bill.

The six of them came out of the restaurant, and the night breeze of Hualan City felt wonderful on their faces.

Xiaoxia walked beside Jiang Chuan, leaning her whole body on his arm.

I was probably full, because I felt lazy and listless.

Sakura walked ahead and turned back to look at the two of them.

Under the streetlights, Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xia's shadows stretched long and overlapped.

The cherry blossom smiled.

She turned the corner, took out her phone, and sent a message to Changpu.

"Did you see that?"

Acorus replied instantly.

"I saw it."

"Xiaoxia, that girl, she practically hangs on Jiang Chuan when she walks."

Peony replied as well.

"That one must have been overdone."

There was a two-second silence in the group chat.

Then Sakura typed a line of text.

"Let's find an opportunity to test Xiaoxia again tomorrow."

"This girl may not say it, but her actions tell a lot."

"Even my walking posture is different from before."

"Do you think I, as the eldest sister, can't see it?"

Changpu sent a laughing emoji with her hands covering her mouth.

Peony gave a thumbs up.

The group walked along the road, each with a smile that conveyed a clear meaning...

………………

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the glass dome of the Cerulean City.

After a quick clean-up yesterday, the dojo no longer looks like it had just been bombed.

But it's still chaotic.

Building materials were piled up in the corner, and there were still broken glass shards on the ground that hadn't been cleaned up. The glass wall that had been blasted with several large holes was still letting in the wind.

Cherry blossoms have changed their clothes today.

No longer wearing the dusty work clothes from yesterday, but a light blue short-sleeved shirt and white capri pants, her hair was tied up, looking neat and tidy.

She stood in the center of the dojo's hall, holding a bunch of keys in her hand.

"Are you ready?"

Jiang Chuan nodded.

Hanako stood next to him, while Kasumi stood behind Hanako.

To be precise, he was hiding behind Hanako.

Sakura led the three through the dojo's hall, down a corridor, and pushed open a heavy iron door.

Behind the door is a separate indoor pool area.

This space is much larger than Jiang Chuan had imagined.

The room was about half the size of a football field, with a bottomless body of water in the middle.

The water was a deep blue color, and the bottom was not visible.

The walls were covered with moss, and the air was filled with a damp, watery smell.

Several waterproof lights hung from the ceiling, emitting a pale white light that reflected cold ripples onto the water's surface.

This underground waterway does indeed look like it's holding something extraordinary.

Sakura walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and groped around in an inconspicuous corner.

Then she lifted a metal plate.

Below the iron plate was a downward staircase.

The passageway was narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.

It was pitch black inside, and a thicker layer of moisture rose up from below.

Sakura glanced back at Jiang Chuan.

"It's right down there."

Jiang Chuan walked to the entrance of the passage and looked down.

Very deep.

The staircase stretched into the darkness, with no end in sight.

He was about to take a step when he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Hanako.

"Hanako-nee, Gyarados has a very bad temper."

"It's safer for you to stand up there."

Hanako nodded, her expression calm.

"Okay, be careful."

Jiang Chuan then looked at Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia stayed hidden behind Hanako, only showing half of her head.

Her eyes were fixed on the dark entrance to the passage, her face filled with tension.

Before Jiang Chuan could speak, Xiaoxia spoke first.

"right!"

Her voice was loud, as if she was trying to embolden herself.

"Gyarados is a Pokémon with a very bad temper!"

"I...I've decided to stand up there and protect Hanako-nee!"

After saying that, she quickly shrank behind Hanako.

She gripped Hanako's clothes tightly with both hands.

Hanako looked down at her crumpled clothes, then at Kasumi, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Jiang Chuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw Xiaoxia's appearance.

"You're protecting Hanako?"

Are you sure?

Xiaoxia blushed when she heard Jiang Chuan's tone.

But she stubbornly insisted, "If I can't do it, there's always Eevee!"

"And Pikachu!"

"And Togepi too!"

She held Pokopf in her hands and brought him to her face.

Pokerby's small body perfectly blocked her face.

The little guy tilted his head and chirped, completely unaware of what had happened.

Behind Pokobi was Misty's nervous face.

She peeked out from beside Pokokby and stole a glance at the dark entrance to the tunnel.

Then it shrank back.

Jiang Chuan looked at her like this and understood what was going on.

That mission.

Help Misty overcome her fear of Gyarados.

It seems that now is not the perfect time.

Indeed, this kind of fear, ingrained in one's bones since childhood, cannot be resolved in a day or two.

Anyway, Gyarados originally belonged to her family.

There will be plenty of opportunities later, we can take it one step at a time.

If we force her down there today, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause down there later.

It's fine for her to stay up there.

Jiang Chuanchong Xiaoxia nodded and said with a smile, "Okay then."

"You'll stay with these little guys."

"Take good care of Hanako-nee."

Xiaoxia nodded vigorously, and Togepi swayed back and forth in her hand.

"Don't worry! Leave the work to me!"

Jiang Chuan turned around and walked to the cherry blossoms.

"Let's go."

Sakura nodded and stepped into the passage first.

Jiang Chuan followed behind her.

The two figures disappeared into the dark passageway, one after the other.

The passageway was very dark.

Only at intervals, there is a faint little lamp on the wall, emitting a dim yellow light.

The stairs were made of iron, and they made a thumping sound when you stepped on them.

The two of them walked down.

Footsteps echoed in the narrow passage.

After climbing about twenty steps, the cherry blossoms began to bloom.

Her voice echoed slightly in the corridor.

"This Gyarados is a Pokémon that our gym has inherited."

"Its potential is extremely high."

"But similarly, he also has a very bad temper."

She spoke as she walked, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"The three of us sisters are not afraid of it."

"But taming it is really difficult."

"So we've always pinned our hopes on Xiaoxia."

She paused for a moment at this point.

"But what about Xiaoxia..."

"She climbed into the mouth of a Gyarados when she was a child."

"I have a very deep fear of Gyarados ever since that incident."

"They hide whenever they see it, let alone tame it, they don't even dare to get close."

"So we can only keep it locked in this underground waterway."

As Sakura finished speaking, she turned and glanced back at Jiang Chuan.

"It's a near-Gym Leader level Pokémon."

Are you sure you can handle this?

Jiang Chuan hummed in agreement and nodded.

"Almost a dojo-level dojo."

"That's alright."

"Give it a try."

His tone was very flat.

Sakura heard his tone and saw the calm expression on his face.

The weight on my heart inexplicably lifted.

She smiled and continued walking.

The passage was longer than expected.

The two walked for about three or four minutes, but still hadn't reached the bottom.

Sakura probably felt a little awkward just walking around without talking, or maybe she was looking for an opportunity to talk about these things.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Chuan as she walked.

"By the way, Jiang Chuan."

"Thank you for taking care of that naughty girl, Xia, all the way here."

Her tone carried the concern that comes with being an older sister.

"She must have caused you a lot of trouble along the way, right?"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback when he heard this.

Then, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards slightly.

Because before he returned to Cerulean Gym, Misty had specifically looked for him.

Xiaoxia sat by his bedside and spoke to him earnestly for a long time.

"Jiang Chuan, when we get to the Cerulean Dojo, if my sisters ask me how I behaved along the way..."

"You absolutely must create a very obedient and well-behaved image for me!"

"Just tell them I'm very well-behaved and obedient, and I helped you a lot along the way!"

"Don't mention anything about us arguing, or about me showing off and messing things up!"

"Absolutely not to be mentioned!"

"I want to show off in front of my older sisters!"

When Xiaoxia said those words, she was holding Jiang Chuan's arm with both hands, her eyes wide open.

That expression was both serious and guilty.

Like a primary school student who didn't do well on a test, they prepare themselves before asking their parents for a signature.

Jiang Chuan laughed at that moment.

Now that he heard Sakura ask about it, he found it even more interesting.

These two sisters.

One wanted to know if his younger sister was behaving well on the way.

One wanted her older sister to think she was being well-behaved on the road.

Jiang Chuan chuckled.

Then, against his will, he said, "Xiaoxia was very obedient the whole way."

"Very well-behaved."

"He didn't cause me any trouble."

The smile on his face was very natural when he said this.

But there was a subtle pause in his tone.

Sakura smiled when she heard this.

She glanced at Jiang Chuan.

That look was gentle, but it clearly showed that he had seen through something.

She didn't say anything.

Turn around and continue walking down.

But that smile on his lips remained on his face the whole time.

We walked for another minute or so.

The passage finally came to an end.

The two stepped onto a flat area.

This is a huge underground space.

It's even bigger than the room with the pool mentioned above.

The rock wall above was very high; you couldn't see the top.

Several high-powered waterproof lights were embedded in the surrounding walls, but the light seemed somewhat weak here.

The light was dim, and the whole space was filled with a cold and damp feeling.

The ground was covered with wet stone slabs, which were slippery to walk on.

Directly ahead lies a much larger body of water.

The water was almost black.

There's no bottom in sight.

The water was calm, like a black mirror.

But the calmer it is, the more it makes one feel that something is hidden beneath.

Sakura stood beside Jiangchuan and pointed to the black water in front of her.

She was about to begin her introduction.

The words hadn't even been spoken yet.

The water surface suddenly exploded.

A thick column of water shot out from the black surface of the water.

It was moving so fast that it was almost impossible to see.

The water column was half a meter in diameter, and with violent force, it blasted straight towards the location where Sakura and Jiangchuan were.

Hydro Pump, one of Gyarados's signature moves.

Sakura's pupils suddenly contracted.

She didn't have time to react.

That jet of water was too fast.

Before she could even make a move, the water jet was already in front of her.

At this very moment.

Jiang Chuan raised his right hand.

A pale blue light screen instantly unfolded in front of him and the cherry blossoms.

The semi-transparent light curtain was arc-shaped, protecting the two people like a shield.

Water cannons bombarded the light screen.

The enormous impact shook the entire ground.

Water splashed everywhere.

The water column was blocked by the light curtain and exploded in all directions, as if it had hit a transparent wall.

The cherry blossoms stood there, motionless.

Water splashed from both sides of the light screen, hitting the stone slab behind her with a pattering sound.

Not a drop of water fell on her.

Everything was blocked outside by that light barrier.

Her mind seemed to have gone blank.

She looked at the pale blue light screen in front of her.

She then looked at the hand that Jiang Chuan had raised.

Then she looked at the light screen again.

Then I looked at Jiang Chuan.

Her mouth slowly opened wider.

"Super...super...I...super...your..."

"Superpowers?"

Her voice sounded exceptionally clear in the empty underground space.

It was filled with unbelievable things.

When Sakura talked to Xiaoxia on the phone, Xiaoxia told her about Jiangchuan's superpowers.

When she heard it on the phone, she just thought it was pretty impressive, and was only slightly surprised.

After all, I've never seen it with my own eyes; I've only heard about it verbally.

But now, she has seen it with her own eyes.

This protective shield appeared instantly.

It felt like a powerful Pokémon was standing beside you.

But at the same time, it also made her freeze.

Her body remained in the same posture she had just adopted when introducing the water.

A hand is stretched out in mid-air.

He felt as if his pressure points had been acupunctured.